Beer Locavore

More from the Beerathalon

2010-06-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I have a leg injury and will be unable to participate in the first event (not pictured here) of the Beerathalon this week. I'll have to make up for it by hammering the second event.

The Beautiful Beer

2010-06-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

With the World Cup looming I've been scouting appropriate viewing venues. RiRa was the go to spot in 2006, and remains a favorite for 2010. The two Allagash offerings pictured here were recommended by Joe, the man behind the stick at RiRa. They are both terrific beers: the Malone is a Belgian/IPA fusion that is bold, tart, complex, and delicious. The Four has four of everything--hops, malt, and flavor. Earthy balance. 10+% alcohol. Packs a punch but is deceptively smooth on the way down.

It's going to be a good tournament!

Beerathalon 3 Approaches

2010-05-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

The next chapter of the 2010 beerathlon series will be held on Wednesday, May 19 (tomorrow). As a reminder, a beerathalon is a uniquely local multi-sport event that combines a hard 5K run around the Back Cove and the consumption of two beer at the Great Lost Bear. Join us: the running starts at 6:00 PM. Sign up here. Then head to the Great Lost Bear and order up a couple from the world class beer list.

The Problem With Authenticity

2010-05-18T03:25:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite spots to eat, Enzo and El Rayo, suffer from authenticity. Specifically, El Rayo, which offers terrific tacos at very reasonable prices, serves only Mexican beer. Mexican beer spawned tequila and the drug trade before finding its niche as an alternative to Montezuma's Revenge inducing water. El Rayo's beer list is exclusively Mexican, and the best of the lot--Sol (Sol is the beer Corona would be if Corona had any flavor)--is a bad beer. At El Rayo recently I was forced to drink tequila, with Sebago Lake water back. The tequila flight coupled with a flight of tacos made for a nice dining/drinking experience, though. Nonetheless, the tacos begged for a strong local beer, HSA or Full Throttle would complement perfectly.

Enzo is the new bar attached to Otto, the Congress Street pizzeria. The bar features Otto's delicious pizza, a lot of wine, and a grand total of three beer. One of the beer choices is Morreti, the best of Italy's mass produced beers. Italian beer is why Italians drink wine. It's awful. The other two options are the mediocre Gritty Vacationland and the slightly above average Harpoon IPA. My pizza slice was delicious: basil and tomato topping on a perfectly prepared crust. As for my beverage choice, I picked authenticity and did what an Italian would do: I drank the house red. A nice combination.

Wow!

2010-05-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

The Downtown Lounge has long been one of my favorite watering holes. A little worn at the heels, with a rode hard and put away wet feel that is my tavern equivalent of comfort food. A limited but above average beer selection that generally includes HSA, my go to beer (sadly, the HSA has been replaced by Geary's Summer, probably until the weather sucks again). Good food, professionally prepared. Friendly but not overbearing bar staff. Regulars, who settle in and order their regular with a nod, then read or watch TV or chat quietly with other regulars. It's a terrific place.

And it just got a whole lot better! The food specials--items like tacos, Greek/chicken/steak salads, burgers--are half off until 8 pm! So, a real meal for less than McDonalds prices. Take last night: Research Assistant and I polished off a Greek Salad and an order of pork tacos, washed down with 3 Long Trail IPAs, and the bill was 20 bucks. The food was delicious. I'll be back, maybe tonight!

Buy Local

2010-05-03T02:47:00.000-07:00

Every purchase is political.
Every purchase affects the environment.
Every purchase is your conscience.
Every purchase is a vote.
Every purchase is a prayer.
Every purchase matters.
Buy local. Buy little. Buy organic.
Live in the world you want to create.
Create the world you want to live in.

by motivateufatbastard.

The Perfect Storm

2010-04-30T03:41:00.000-07:00

The nonfiction book about the fishing crew out of Gloucester, Massachusetts that inspired both a George Clooney movie and an idiom has little in common with the best beer I've had in 2010 other than both originated in Gloucester.

Actually though, Cape Ann Brewing's fabulous Greenhorn Double IPA, cask conditioning, a pull tap at the GLB, a tulip glass, and my mouth formed a perfect storm-like chain of circumstances and events that resulted in my enjoying a beer as much as I have at any point this year. The Greenhorn (I don't like the name--because I don't like green as a beer descriptor--but brewer T.J. Peckham says it refers to first time fishermen, and the similarity between the rookie fisherfolk and the woobly knees effect this beer can have on the novice drinker) is more balanced than most double IPAs, and the cask smooths out the hops a bit more. The result is an incredibly easy drinking double that is still bursting with hoppy flavor. It's a complex beer that goes down like a session beer.

Brewer Peckham also told me that Cape Ann has a brew pub, staffed entirely with current and former and itinerent fishermen, in keeping with Gloucester's heritage. It's 106 miles from here, by land. I might have to go by sea!

NYC Trip

2010-04-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Had a great trip to NYC, although my research assistant and I had an initial disagreement over the need for hand sanitizer after strap and pole-hanging on the subway. I agreed with her after a couple of trips in from Queens, and we carried antibiotic for the longer subway rides. We drank some great beer at
the Waterfront, which doesn't seem that close to the water, and I found some mediocre ramen at Zen, on St. Mark's Place (skipable). Research assistant had a Meg Ryan moment over the corned beef at Katz's Deli. All in all, a terrific trip!

This Beer Will Suck

2010-04-22T03:16:00.000-07:00

7 Eleven convenience stores are going to start brewing their own beer, kind of. They've contracted the brewing to Wisconsin based City Brewing. It's a safe bet this beer will suck. Actually, I wonder why they think we need more shitty beer in the marketplace? Maybe, it's to wash down the double down. A potentially perfect food-beer pairing.

A Pause for Tea, Not Beer

2010-04-16T03:03:00.000-07:00

The tea-baggers were within locavore limits, in Boston, and attracted a crowd of literally tens of like-minded citizens. The fellow (?) pictured here, sometimes known as "Pat", typifies the movement. A couple of Bud Lights, three or four KFC Double Downs, a cleverly misspelled sign or banner (resisance?) protesting something like health care reform, foreigners, gun control, gays, taxes, or Obama's birth certificate and it's time to tea party!

In the latest local news, we had a story which blends the tea-bag with the d-bag: a poor Windham bastard got too fired up in the unique tea-baggers approach to the tail-gate party and was unable to attend the rally.

Hey, Yarmouth, This is NOT Beer

2010-04-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

The local news has been strange lately: a young woman took advantage of the fact that it's perfectly legal for all--men and women--to march topless in downtown Portland and organized a topless march. She then expressed outrage that men showed up with cameras. In a similar move, a young man has organized a walk around the Back Cove (my running path) with the only requirement being that participants must carry a loaded and visible handgun (taking advantage of laws allowing the open display of handguns). The fellow insists it's not a publicity stunt. So the purpose is?

In marginally related gun news, my former favorite host of my former favorite show--Anthony Bourdain--was dismissive of Portland, condescending towards Maine and Mainers, and an all around jack-ass New Yorker (sorry for the redundancy) in his Maine segment of No Reservations, which aired this week. He even out-douched Dana Street. He finished the segment, as he frequently does, by shooting guns. Hey, Tony, that gun is not your penis!

And then there's this: A Yarmouth High School student was disciplined for violating an honor code that she'd signed which indicated she (and other signees) weren't allowed to drink beer. The evidence of her violation--a Facebook photo of her holding a silver can. She (her parents) hired a lawyer to fight the penalty, which he (the lawyer) is doing (and losing, apparently) on constitutional grounds. They've missed the boat however. Coors Light is NOT beer. That's the point. Unless the honor code strictly prohibits the consumption of yellowy, favorless, corny, over marketed, liquid crap she should not be penalized.

Mountain Beer

2010-02-22T03:20:00.000-08:00

There's a brew pub in North Conway (or maybe Conway) New Hampshire called Moat Mountain BBQ and Brew or something like that (sorry, I should be accurate with the name of the place). Anyway, they brew technically sound, good quality, but generally not very adventurous beers. I found an exception to the "not very adventurous" label: a smoke bock that was outside the norm and quite tasty. So I had a pint. This is not a destination bar or brew pub, like Lion's Pride or 3 Tides, but if you are in North Conway (which, by the way, seems to have morphed from a sleepy climbers/skiers village into a shopping mall) swing by, get a tasters set and settle in to one that hits your fancy.

Full Throttle, Baby!

2010-02-18T02:31:00.000-08:00

The email from the Great Lost Bear stopped me in my tracks: the first Full Throttle of the season was out, and they had it at the GLB. All other plans cancelled! I hustled to the GLB and ordered one. After a momentary pause I ordered a second (risk management).

Full Throttle Double IPA from Sebago Brewing Company has been my absolute favorite locally brewed beer. How would the 2010 batch fare?

I sipped my first glass and pondered this question. 10 or 15 seconds later I continued my careful cogitation over the second glass. Midway through my third glass the verdict was in: yes, this is the beer I thought it was! A hoppy masterpiece. Beer fantasy fulfilled. While on my fourth glass however I began to have second thoughts: is the beer just a little smoother than the 2009 batch? In this case, by the way, smoother is not better.

So the final verdict is: more research is necessary.

More Belgian Touring

2010-02-09T02:48:00.001-08:00

In Brunswick, Maine this time. At the Lion's Pride. What a wonderful beer experience!

As research trips go, this wasn't a bad assignment. A mere 30 miles or so up the road. Anticipating an extreme Belgian beer experience, I booked a room at the Travelers Inn, a short walk from Lion's Pride.

Lion's Pride is worth the drive, the stay, and the manageable headache the next day. The Struise Pannepot alone (I'm sipping the Pannepot in a photo here that features the beautiful glass taps and knowledgeable bartender Zac) is worth the trip: strong, sour, fruity, unique, wonderful! With 35 different beers on tap the place is amazing. And I didn't get to all 35. I guess I need to go back.

Saturday Beer Plan

2010-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

Visited Belgium by way of Canada. Started with the Fin du Monde, the terrific Tripel from Unibroue. After confirming that the Monde was not finis, followed up with a Belgian strong ale--the Maudite. Damned! It was good. Then had the Arrogant Bastard. The West Coast Bastard topped the Unibroue, in my opinion.

There was an interlude after that, an interlude that included other beer. As a result, I can't really comment on the Saison other than to confirm it was consumed.

2$ Tuesdays

2010-01-29T04:06:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I know it's Friday--I been busy, ok?

The Port City Music Hall is a beautiful venue that features some terrific music: local, regional, and beyond. Read about it in more detail here.

Beyond the music, though, they have a great deal on Tuesday nights: pay the 2$ cover and all their draft beers are $2. And they have some great beer. Like the Victory Hop Devil (the tap is pictured here with a pleasantly surprised and moderately buzzed beer locavorian, who, at least on this evening, included Downington, Pa as local, provided that it was poured locally. And it was.)

Our Little Jewel of a Beer City By the Sea...

2010-01-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

....gets some nice (and appropriate) recognition in the Atlantic. You can read about it here.

Not to be picky, but Geary's seems slighted. At least they had a recent glowing review for their HSA in the prestigious Beer Locavore!

My Go To Beer

2010-01-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

Malty, hoppy, goodness. Consistently pleasing. And, frequently available. They might even have it at the fucking Thatchers (ok, that's a stretch--you're probably in Harpoon IPA land there).

For a different take on the old stand-by the GLB has the HSA on cask now. It's great. Frothy malty hoppy smooth good stuff. But the rest of the extensive menu at the GLB can prove distracting. I wandered in yesterday and had a cask conditioned HSA. It was great, but then I found myself wandering in Yellow Snow.

I need to figure out a go to food for those times when I'm with a group and appetizers are being ordered and I'm so hungry I could eat at the Thatchers. What's the secret? Do I special order? Ask them not to deep fry the quesadilla? Why is everything deep-fried and covered with cheese, anyway?

Local Taverns

2010-01-22T02:59:00.000-08:00

George's Tavern had a long history as a classic working class bar. Its successor, Awful Annie's, was just plain awful. The current tavern at the same location (a third of the way up Munjoy hill), the bar soon to be known as Mama's Crowbar, is well worth the trip. Here's why: a small, esoteric, terrific draft beer selection supplemented by a tremendous offering of bottled beers. A visit there earlier this week found the 4 taps filled with the Allagash Black; Rogue Yellow Snow; their signature beer, Allagash Curieux (yellow); and, straying from the color scheme, Anchor Steam, one of the world's great session beers.

If I still lived on the hill I'd be a regular. As it is, the Crowbar is worth the trek from the West End. The 5 K roundtrip hike is probably just what I need to walk off the black and yellow.

There's live music and lively discussion and beer (nothing else to drink except maybe cider). There's a restroom. And a piano. They could probably rustle up a bag of chips if you asked politely. It's cash only. And it's a nice addition to the Portland bar scene.

Problems in Belgium

2010-01-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

InBev, the Belgium-based, Brazilian-funded multinational corporation that owns, among other brands, Anheuser-Busch, reported quarterly profits of $1.55 Billion in their most recent earnings announcement. That's Billion, with a "B". Not good enough for the greedy suits, though, so they've announced plans to shitcan many of the people who make the beer. The people who make the beer are pissed off about this, and have protested by giving the beer away (free is an appropriate price for Budweiser), among other acts. You can read about it here.

Beer Trips

2010-01-21T02:26:00.000-08:00

Beer tripping is hard, given the general lack of mass transit in this country. I can't really figure out Ebenezer's, for example. Great place, fabulous beer, but how the fuck do you get home afterwards, given that it's 2 hours drive from anywhere? I guess you go in the summer and pitch a tent. The new Lion's Pride (same ownership) in Brunswick is more accessible and has a couple of cheap hotels just a short walk away. I'm planning a trip there. Hoping to convince the research assistant to come along.

After dropping Sam off at school last weekend, and as a reward for completing 400 of the 450 mile round trip journey, I stopped at the Portsmouth Brewery for a bottle rocket. It's a terrific IPA and the 1 pint tester proved enough of an incentive to buy a growler, finish the drive home, and consume the growler. It was hoppy, and I was happy.

Beyond Beer

2010-01-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

On Monday and Tuesday nights Pom's Thai on Congress street has a $1 sushi special. Best sushi in town? No. Benkay, Yosaku, and Miyake can fight over that honor (although Shima might get my vote). But it's not bad. I recommend ordering 8 or so, then doubling up on the best of the lot (tonite I reordered the magaro, the hamachi, the unagi, and the ebi) and you'll have a tremendous meal for a very reasonable price. Wash it down with a hot sake'. Tip generously. And it's still under $25.

It's On

2010-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Not only does the GLB have the King Crimson, they also have the Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada Collaboration brew: Life and Limb.

I prefer the Peak KC. It's hoppy, without being over the toppy, and red and bitter and just plain good. The Life and Limb is fine, it's a kind of extreme brown ale. but it's a bit sweet for my tastes.

Back into the Battle

2010-01-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

With the help of a volunteer research assistant I sampled some local specialties recently. A nice, smooth, malty brown wheat beer (Matt's Wheat) is a home brew success. Drinks like a session beer but packs a six and a half percent ABV wallop.

Less successful, despite a long track record as a Maine classic: the Burnt Trailer. Equal parts Allen's Coffee Brandy and Moxie, this drink is pure wretched. I was just barely able to choke mine down. And, uncharacteristically, when my research assistant gave up on hers after a mere sip, I was unable to finish her drink. A shame. And we were in Westbrook, which seems like an appropriate locale.

On a more positive note, while the folks at Peak Organic aren't currently working on a large batch Ruckus (the unequivocal hit of the 2009 Maine Brewer's Fest), the do have a new Imperial Red Ale, the King Crimson. It may not be readily available until later in 2010, however.

Severe Disappointment

2009-07-31T03:29:00.000-07:00

Coming on the heels of a presidency highlighted only by incredible disaster (short list: starting 2 wars ending none; converting a robust economy and budget surplus into the worst economy since the depression coupled with record setting deficits; rejecting any attempt at ecological reform; pretending Katrina didn't happen; residing over Abu Grahib and waterboarding) I foolishly hoped I'd never be disappointed by U.S. president again. But I am. It's gutwrenching.

Look closely at the beer summit photo. Yes, he chose Bud Light--the psuedo beer Belgian-owned piss water that gives all beer a bad name.

I have removed the Obama sticker from my car.

Bukowski Falls to 7-2......

2009-07-27T02:40:00.000-07:00

....Despite the best efforts of the Maharaja.

Bukowski's, named for the poet and a stone's throw (well, a 15 minute walk) from Fenway on Dalton Street had been undefeated until my last two visits. I should clarify: the Sox had been 7-0 when I had a beer at Bukowski on game day. Bukowski is now riding a two game losing streak after getting beat by Baltimore yesterday. Nonetheless, a couple of warm up Maharajas--the marvelous IIPA from Avery shown here--made for a nice relaxing day at the old ballpark.

I need to find a new pre-game spot and start a new streak.

Which Beer Should He Use?

2009-07-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

President Obama has weighed in to an unpleasant situation involving a Harvard professor and the police officer who arrested him on a charge of foolishly attempting to enter his own home while being black. The charges were dropped but some controversy lingers. Obama wisely suggested they talk about it over beer, and offered the White House as a venue. All parties have accepted the invitation, evidently.

First, resolving disputes over beer seems incredibly civilized and appropriate. But which beer is best suited for the task? I'd suggest some ground rules:

1. It's gotta be beer. 5% ABV minimum and no reference to light--including misspellings and euphemisms--in the name.
2. Given that the incident is racially charged to begin with, I'd avoid labels--and choices--that include words like "pale" and "dark" or "best brown" and "white".
3. Although "bitter" may be an accurate description of the dispute, I'd skip the bitter also.

Within those guidelines there are many choices. Which would you pick?

A War Casualty

2009-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am a victim of the IPA Wars. Not a victim, really, because that implies innocent bystander status. I've been a full on participant, and I haven't been winning the war (although some minor skirmishes could perhaps be deemed successful).

Some summary points: I really like the Peak IPA; the Full Throttle remains a favorite; and Pugsley's latest, the XXXX IPA is terrific.

A challenge with IPA consumption is that it can lead to a lack of productive activity elsewhere in life. In that sense, like IPA, life itself becomes unbalanced.

I will soldier on however, and wage the IPA war while striving for productive activity elsewhere in life. As an example of this (moderate productivity) I have now blogged for the first time in months.

The IPA Wars Heat Up

2009-03-07T03:28:00.000-08:00

Gritty strayed from that mainstream brown-red-pale good but not great beer production with the 21 IPA, not Dogfish Head 90 minute but a more assertive IPA offering than we had locally. Sebago trumped Gritty with the marvelous (although significantly more expensive) Full Throttle. The IPA war is on!

Portland Psstand Portland Food Map both reported a Twitter feed (whatever the hell twitter is) that indicated the Farmer's Table had opened in the former Mim's location, on Commercial Street. But the missed the big news on the Twitter yammer: Peak Organic has entered the IPA war! Their brew is supposed to be available at GLB and $3 Deweys. I'll explore and report back. I suffer so you can enjoy!

Quick Update

2009-03-01T13:02:00.001-08:00

So, RSVP has corrected their pricing error. The bomber bottles of Full Throttle are now $4.59. Everything else in my prior post remains true, and even at the corrected price this beer is a bargain.

The Best Beer Bargain in Maine

2009-03-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

And maybe the best beer, period: bomber bottles of Sebago's magnificent Full Throttle double IPA are $3.49 at RSVP.

I've always thought of Sebago as middle of the pack amongst the local brewers. The browns, reds and pales run together. Their light option panders to the lowest common denominator of pseudo beer drinkers, and the mall location (since moved) screamed of Chuckie Cheese and Linens 'n Things. But I was wrong (yes, that happened once before--in the seventies): this is an absolutely terrific beer. It more than holds its own with others (more expensive) in the same class. I prefer it to Rogue's Yellow Snow and Stone's Ruination. It is a much better beer than Victory's Hop Devil.

Cheers, Sebago! You've hit a home run.

Avoid Temptation

2009-02-23T02:44:00.000-08:00

During these challenging economic times, it's easy to succumb to temptation and drink bad beer, under the misguided logic that consuming weasel piss will somehow stimulate one's own economic circumstances. On one notable occasion, I found myself in a near catatonic state, stumbling around the Hanaford's with a 30-pack of PBR under my arm. Fortunately I was able to rein myself in (a special on Allagash Curieux helped!).

Here's some tips in avoiding the tawdry temptation of bad beer:

1. Break the week down, and take it day-by-day. On Monday, head to the Dogfish Bar and Grille (Free Street) and drink the $1 drafts--several of which are both good and locavore compliant. Splurge on the half-priced appetisers. Follow the same pattern on Tuesday, when the draft price soars to $2. It's still a bargain.

2. On Wednesday, mix it up a bit, and remember that good beer is much, much more important than good food. Buy several bottles of your favorite local brew and swing through the McDonalds (yes, it's a national chain but it provides local jobs) drive through. Buy a McDouble, two McSalads, and a McNugget. That's $4. Get home, crack the first beer. Sip it, gently. Two minutes later, crack the second. Wash down your appetiser (the McDouble). Open your third beer and pour the two McSalads into a large bowl. Add the MacNuggets. Add your favorite dressing. This version of the MacCesar is your dinner, enjoy. Find a Seinfeld re-run and drink another beer. It's hump day!

3. Thursday is easy, it's the Great Lost Bear. Drink the special (they have a special every Thursday), it's always good.

4. On Friday, pair up and pick a sandwich shop. The locals (Ananias, Colluci) run their version of the $5 foot long: 3 Italian sandwiches for $10 or so. This is a deal. Split the sandwiches with your partner. Drink your favorite local brew.

You've made it through the work week. The week end is easy. You can do this!

Terrific!

2009-02-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Wow! This is a fabulous beer. It's at the Sebago Brew Pubs now (they have it at the one at Market and Middle anyway), and it is worth the trip. It has filled a missing void in the local brew scene. I had a full on beergasm with the first sip, and I enjoyed evry bit of all three that I consumed.

It's True!

2009-02-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

According to Adam at the Dogfish Bar & Grill(e): $1 drafts on Monday; $2 on Tuesday; $3 on Wednesday. Starts next week. They have Allagash Dubbel and for those of you with no locavore restrictions, Rogue Dead Guy, among other offerings.

Rumors on the Internets

2009-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is a rumor out there, as yet unconfirmed, that the Dogfish Bar and Grille (Free Street) will be offering their $1 draft special on Monday nights again, starting next week. This is a tremendous deal, needless to say. And they have some really good draft beers, generally. Allagash Dubbel is a regular feature, for example.

I'll work to confirm this rumor.

On the weekend (past) I had the marvelous cask conditioned Marshall Wharf Cant Dog at Novare Res. This is no rumor, it's there and it's tremendous.

Thursday, this week, will be a GLB stop.

One note: I've dropped the masochistic "no alchohol during the week" rule. The authorities have ruled that it, like water-boarding, is torture.

Brewing and Bottling

2009-01-16T08:09:00.001-08:00

Beer Fantasy

2009-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

I've been diligently following my 2009 rules, er, guidelines and have not consumed a beer since Sunday. I am starting to fantacize. What will be my first beer of the week?

A Rising Tide Floats All Boats

2009-01-04T04:08:00.000-08:00

Lost in the plethera of local Irish pubs, Bull Feeney's is sometimes overlooked (at least by me). Yesterday I found Novare Res closed (this despite the fact that the posted hours indicated that they should've been open--I find this annoying). It was a bit cold, I was a bit thirsty, I walked on--but only as far as Fore St., where Bull Feeney's was not only open, but serving a new and improved beer list (see photo, sorry about the glare). With my relaxed locavorian standards I strayed into the Victory Hop Devil--guilt free. A terrific beer!

The fire place was hot, the bartender (Ashley) helpful and cheerful, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. All in all a very pleasant beer experience.

It seems that Novare Res, open or not, may have raised the local beer menu standards. I'll explore this theory at some of the other venues. But I'll definitely return to Bull Feeney's.

2009!

2009-01-02T02:09:00.000-08:00

My strict beer locavore commitment of 2008 is over! Largely successful, I did have the occasional slip-up, and paid the price as a result. It was a learning process. I anticipate that 2009 will be equally transformational. It will also be a year of self-imposed sacrifice, as noted below.

In 2009, I will evolve from being a strict beerlocavorian to being beerlocavore-friendly. This means that I will be a spiritual beerlocavore while occasionally embracing the creations from beyond the locavore boundaries, if only to bring back the thoughts, theories, and flavors to the local environment. This will have the effect of mitigating any burgeoning beer xenophobia.

Lest anyone think that the result will be a year without sacrifice, I will continue to lean heavily on locavore principles. In addition, I will strictly apply locavore rules to the consumption of mead--drinking only locally produced mead during the entire year. This without exception! In addition, in an attempt to lose some weight, I will, in theory, only consume beer on the weekend (friday-sunday, inclusive).

As always, I will report the results here.

Flavor from Bud Light

2008-12-31T12:26:00.001-08:00

Tampa bay Devil Ray Jonny Gomes inadvertently discovered a way to actually taste the beer-like substance known as Bud Light by drinking it through teamate Dioner Navarro's protective cup. That's right, the same cup that Navarro wore while squating in the Florida heat for 3+ hours. It seems like an extreme measure to drum up flavor from the Bud Light but it may be a new trend. We'll watch in '09.

An Experiment

2008-12-30T07:23:00.001-08:00

In reviewing my beer consumption over the past year I find that I've spent a fair amount of money on beer. The economy is tight, there's a need to cutback. Before panicking and switching to PBR, however, I thought I'd have a go at brewing my own. A challenge is that I have no confidence in my brewing skills. I'm not very meticulous or scientific. I appealled to my friend Chris, the bastard crow, who is. And we brewed up a batch. We cooled our wort in the snow, and it's fermenting nicely. Note the photographic evidence.

over the next few weeks we'll bottle and sample. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Food/Beer Delimma

2008-12-27T02:53:00.000-08:00

Is the quality of food in Maine watering holes indirectly proportional to the quality of the beer?

I strayed off the peninsula yesterday. This is generally a mistake but I was in search of underwear. I swap out my panties once a year. So, I was in Freeport, and after a grueling half hour at the Jockey store I was mighty hungry and thirsty.

The Gritty's in Freeport features draught 21 IPA and Cask 21 IPA and both are terrific! I am a huge fan of this beer and I hope they continue to offer it. The cask beer poured perfectly and even though I love rough edges and lack of balance (in favor of hops) the smoother cask gets my vote, ever so slightly, as the better of the two beers.

But I was hungry. I ordered the special: a burrito fajita or a fajita burrito; ignoring the fact that Gritty's is a brew pub, not a Tex-Mex place and the fact that these items (burrito and fajita) are two different things. The combination might've worked, actually, had there been any discernible flavor in the food at all. And had the meat (steak, purportedly) not been reminiscent of LL Bean boot factory seconds. And had the wrap (tortilla? pita? wonder bread?) been fresh this week.

But the beer is great, and worth the trip.

I got to thinking though, at Ebenezer's I had a wonderful beer experience and a lunch (the house special burger which features cooler than room temperature coagulated tomato paste) that I still have the occasional nightmare about. At the GLB, enjoy the beer and be very, very careful when ordering the food. At Novare Res, the food is fine but how many olive plates does it take to make a meal?

Does great beer have to mean bad food?

A Visit to Novare Res

2008-12-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to a
Novare Res stop this evening, for a few beers with some old friends. I noticed that they have Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA--now certified as locavore compliant--on tap. I know what my first beer will be.

Also pictured, some troubling non-beer related news from the far north. I hope that this doesn't dampen the Christmas spirit in any way. I also suspect I'll hear from a few of the loyal readers who object to the occasional political content of this blog

Yellow Snow

2008-12-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

So I almost made it. I had a couple of fresh rolls, some nice greens, a tomato, and some red sauce in my hands. I didn't need, or even want, anything else. I was secure in my knowledge that I had HSA waiting at home. I set my goods down on the checkout counter at the Rosemont Hilltop market and glanced just slightly to my left. And there it was: yellow snow.

Was this fair? They have candy-free checkout counters in the grocery store. Why was this bottle of beer--the latest IPA from a marvelous, world class wrong Portland based brewer--placed right in front of me, as if it were a temptation from the gods. I thought long and hard, difficult thoughts about inner strength and self discipline. A full nano-second after this lengthy and thoughtful meditation I moved the bottle from its tempting display to my pile of goods. And I bought it. And I have now drunk it.

Occasionally, I haved stretched the concept of local in my 2008 locavorian purity. In fact, I have suffered a suspension order as a result of a regrettable spring transgression. Here I offer no rationale other than this: it was there, and I drank it.

And it is terrific: a beautiful beer, cloudy yet crisp, with hints of fruitiness all captured in an overwhelming bitterness--wonderful bitterness--that screams American IPA. It's fabulous.

In a few short weeks I will transition from 2008's pure beer locavore to a locavore-friendly 2009 beer consumer. I consider this a step towards that transition and acknowledge that I have jumped the gun a bit. I await the ruling from the governing bodies

Pure Locavore Heaven

2008-12-03T03:12:00.000-08:00

I indulged in the perfect locavore meal: Gritty's marvelous 21 IPA as a warming up beer. It's great, wonderful hoppy flavor, crisp and clean yet sophisicated enough at the finish to leave me with a bit of a headscratching "what is that flavor?" question. A question that demands another to solve the riddle. But because I have tremendous will power I moved on and poured myself a glass of Geary's Wee Heavy. A very different beer. Full-bodied, full flavored, an adult beer made to stand up to the main course: lobster!

With locally grown salad fixins and freshly baked rolls from the Hilltop Rosemont market, my free-range feast was almost complete. Another Wee Heavy washed down the last little bit of tomalley smeared roll. The switch back to the 21 IPA as a palate cleanser was perhaps unnecessary but I drank it anyway. And enjoyed every bit of it.

A Sunday Blessing

2008-11-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

My friend Jason, Beerblogger extraordinaire , has already mentioned the terrific New Yorker piece on craft brewing. I'll re-iterate here: it's a brilliant article, very well written and thoroughly researched. I learned quite a bit from reading it.

Here's the most important thing I learned: Dogfish Head brewing's founder, resident genius, and god to whom beer geeks genuflect, Sam Calagione, named his company for the piece of land off Southport Island (near Boothbay--surely you knew, SLM!) where he summered as a kid. Yes, it's true, Dogfish Head is locavore compliant. Some of the ingredients are trucked in, as is the case with any beer, but the name is strictly local.

During 2008 I have suffered mightily: the horrible 3 beer limit; the 10 day suspension order; the wretched trips to beer-starved Florida and Virginia; the gut-wrenching free-versus-local dilemma. I have endured it all. But the cruelest indignation, the most horrific challenge has been to deprive myself of the single best beer in the world: the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. I now know that my agony was unnecessary. So it is with pure joy mixed with a twinge of regret that I lift my glass and sing Hallelujah.

Quick Update

2008-11-22T03:05:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I report that the GLB was out of the Wee Heavy. They didn't even have a wee bit.

So I drank a Big Twitch, and I loved it. It is a great beer. I was in hops heaven. But, sadly, after a couple of sips I noticed my glass was empty.

So I switched from the Twitch to the Fedelta. I found this beer (Fedelta) to be an interesting experience. My first reaction was a bit unfavorable--the beer didn't quite seem done. As in, it'd be better next week or next month. I don't know enough about the brewing process of this particular beer to know if that's true, I only know that my initial reaction was that it needed more work. But then I drank more. The beer is very complex--smooth and a bit sweet, with hints of fruit intertwined amongst the hops and malts. I drank more and tried to figure it all out. I warmed to the beer and the task. I decided I quite liked it. I lifted my glass again and noted with great sadness that my glass was empty.

I was driving. Two of those beers is my limit. I got in the man bug and went home. My heart was a wee bit heavy but my sadness was bouyed by the knowledge that the weekend is only beginning, and I could Twitch again, and try to sort through the complexities of the Fedelta again. And maybe the Wee Heavy would be back, and the heavy would surely lighten my spirits.

The Weekend Beer Plan

2008-11-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

I'm jonesin' for the following beers, and will chase them down this weekend:

Geary's Seasonal "Wee Heavy", pictured here. Not likely to provide the hops flavor I'm looking for, but likely to be delicious.

The Big Twitch. One of my all time favorites. Evidently GLB has it on tap.

Allagash Fedelta. Brewed by Allagash in conjunction with 5 brewers from Belgium.

Pugsley Signature series Imperial Stout.

Two Terrific Beers and Some Terrific News!

2008-11-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

Allen Pugsley's Signature Series Barleywine is terrific: an earthy malt bomb that's also fully infused with hops and is, in short, delicious. I recommend it strongly. Barleywine, by the way, is a kind of strong ale--it's brewed with grain and is a beer, not a wine.

Also fabulous is the Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale. I was only moderately looking forward to trying this because it just didn't sound good to me. But it is! The espresso flavor is strong and vibrant and works really well with the already full-bodied ale. It's unique (at least in my experience) and original and tastes really good Interesting throughout, but crisp enough to be refreshing.

Finally (and this is a brief foray into the weight/size thing so skip this if you already worn out on that topic) I received some great news from my bathroom scale this morning. I'm actually a full pound heavier than when I began the tortuous three beer limit diet imposed by Dietitian Rached . While this may seem on the surface to be bad news it does prove inconclusively that the three beer rule complete and utter folly. I've suffered mightily with the harsh restrictions, am still recovering from a vicious man cold, had the economic setback resulting from the expensive but absolutely necessary purchase of 32 ounce beer steins, and yet actually gained weight. The three beer rule is now officially dead.

Small Beers

2008-11-10T13:44:00.001-08:00

Even Condoleezza Rice and at least one other member of the (thank the gods) lameduck Bush administration seem to be really angry about the trend towards less than full size beers. It may be the only thing they've been right on in the past eight years.

Speaking of the gods, fate took me up the coast over the weekend and I was once again able to sample the marvelous Big Twitch and Cant Dog Ales from Marshall Wharf Brewing. Fate, and the barkeep at Three Tides (the magnificent bar adjacent to MW) allowed me (after an exchange of currency) to depart with a growler each of the stuff as well.

Quick Hits

2008-11-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

The marvelous Allagash Curieux, pictured here, is available at Hanafords for under $10 per 750 ML bottle. This is a great price for a great beer!

At the opposite end of the great beer spectrum I have confirmed the PBR is not locavore compliant. The PBR we (not me) drink here in Maine is brewed in North Carolina, according to the folks at PBR. I had hoped that it might be my local beer of last resort.

Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams, posted losses in the third quarter. The downturn was attributed to rising costs. I feel an obligation to help them by drinking some of their product. The beer is good, and squeeks in locavore range. In addition, the folks at Sam stepped up to help small brewers suffering from the hops shortage.

Size and Nutrition, again

2008-11-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Size

One of the challenging aspect of the 3 beer a day rule is the concept of size. Clearly, a dixie cup or thimble of beer is hardly a beer. By the same token, a full liter of beer, it could be argued, is more than one, even if it is served in a single glass.

Many beers come in 12 ounce, or 330-350 ML bottles. Since a minimum standard is a pint, these 3/4 beers are confusing. Also, since I always pour the bottle into a glass, and the inevitable evaporation occurs, commonly accepted rounding principles would mandate that it takes two of these 3/4 beers to equate to one beer, as prescribed by dietitian Rached. The formula for this is simple: 2 x (3/4) - evaporation = 1.49 beer; rounded to one. However, using a conservative approach, I would consider 5, rather than 6, of these beers to equate to my limit of three.

But our local genius brewer Pugsley takes all the guess work out of this: his signature series comes only in 22 ounce bottles. No need to round, or multiply fractions or anything else. A beer is a beer. I plan to sample my allotted three today. I'll report back after the taste test.

Nutrition

Dr. Denke believes that beer is a more beneficial alcoholic drink than spirits because beer contains many more nutrients per serving, such as protein and B-vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, cadmium and iron.

More details on this important topic can be found in the comprehensive and authoritative medical periodical, All About Beer.

Needless to say, the sharp drop-off in these critical minerals was the contributing factor to my current severe illness. On a positive note, the authorities now think I'm going to pull through.

Warning!

2008-10-31T05:50:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween and although I have a brilliant costume (pictured here), inspired by my Scottish and Aroostock County ancestry, I won't be going to any party this year. Why? I'm down with a horrible man cold.

The source of the dreaded man cold? The severe and inhumane dietary restrictions put in place by my dietitian.

Specifically, with my body depleted of the essential vitamins and minerals found in ale I became susceptible to airborne illness. To make matters worse, I faced a horrific medical procedure. Sure enough, by the time my tooth cleaning and polishing was finished (thank the gods it wasn't an X-ray year!), I had a full on man cold, and I've been down with it ever since.

Be careful out there!

Size Matters

2008-10-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

So I went to Binga's Winga's, which features big beers and tiny burgers. I had three (my limit, of course) of the big beers: an HSA; a Harpoon IPA; and back to the HSA. The barmaid claimed they were 22 ounce beers, I'm sure that she was exaggerating. In any event, I'm not going to get into fractions. Three beer is three beer, it seems to me. I didn't have the tiny burgers, rather, I sampled other items on the menu. Maybe that's why my weigh-in result was reverse stock market like: losses early in the week gave way to gains.

The three beer brutality is particularly harsh on the weekends. It's now lunch time and I can't even think about that nice Saturday lunchtime ritual of a sandwich, a couple of beers, sports on TV, and a nap. I need to save my allocation for the evening.

I also face a new dilemma. I've been invited to a party where, presumably, beer will be served. Isn't it incredibly rude to stop at three? Isn't that an insult to the host? In this case, not only is the limit a form of physical, psychic, and emotional torture, it puts me in the awkward position of being disrespectful.

I Did It!

2008-10-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

Although no one has been so bold as to put it in print, there has been a whisper campaign that is nasty in tone. Specifically, some of the pundits have implied that the severe restrictions levied by my dietician (pictured here) are not actually all that difficult or stringent. So let me elaborate:

1. If I have a glass of wine, or a warm-up martini, or even a post-meal sphincter of brandy it counts towards my three beer limit. Said another way, if I start my day with a friggin' Mimosa (sometimes known as a Bucks Fizz), I'm only allowed two beers for the whole rest of the day!

2. With no specific timeframe agreed upon, these cruel limitations are ongoing and indefinite, like the way Dubwa looks at wars with countries we invade. In addition, I live under the constant threat of random audit.

In the face of this evidence, I think you will all agree that these restraints are repressive in nature.

It was with this knowledge that I waded timidly into the belly of the beast after work yesterday. That's right, Novare' Res, and their $3 draft special (ends tonight). And I did it! I drank 3 of the glorious Smuttynose IPA pints , left the bar 25 minutes after I'd entered (I'd nursed the beer to prolong the enjoyment), went home, pulled the sheets up over my head, and cried myself to sleep.

Joe Three-Pack

2008-10-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

In 2004 I weighed 210 pounds. By saying that I weighed 210 pounds I mean that I weighed myself every morning (technically 341 times, I missed a few days because of travel) and averaged 209.9 pounds for the year. I currently weigh 245 pounds. In addition to this statistical evidence of weight gain, note the photographic evidence between the running photo (2004) and the park bench photo (current). I have had a series of injuries that now keep me from running. My weight has become a significant challenge, and a bit of a health issue.

So, I consulted a dietician (this is a free service provided through my job). I told her that I had gained 35 pounds and offered a theory for the weight gain: over time, I have taken in more calories than I have burned. She indicated there might be some merit to this theory. She asked me about my daily diet, and there seemed to be no problem through breakfast and lunch. The issue seems to arise in the evening, when I drink 5-6 beers and eat way too much.

With the problem diagnosed, we agreed upon a plan:

1. Exercise 4-5 times per week. This is easy, and I will be deeply ashamed if I cannot achieve this consistently over time.

2. 3 beers per day. As in, no more than 3 beers in any one day! This is barbaric and I have notified the authorities and suggested investigating this as a possible human rights violation but I did agree to try to achieve this monumental goal.

3. Eat more vegetables, as a percent of my total food intake. I should be able to do this, I really like vegetables.

I started this plan yesterday and ran into an immediate problem. I went to a function that included free beer (my favorite kind of beer). And it was good beer, the Gritty Halloween Ale, one of the better local seasonals. But here's the issue: it was served in a cup! Probably an 8 ounce cup. Maybe a 10 ounce cup. Almost certainly not a 12 ounce cup. And sometimes the cups weren't even full. There's no way I should have to call one of those beers one of my quota of 3. So I had to estimate, and I limited myself to 4. Or maybe it was 5. It might've been 6. I'm fairly certain that it wasn't 7.

Not a bad start!

Official Endorsement

2008-10-18T15:46:00.001-07:00

In a stunning move that surprised loyal readers and physically sickened one of the candidates (pictured here), the editorial board of Beerlocavore has agreed--by consensus--to endorse Barack Obama in his bid to become the next president of the US of A.

Beerlocavore has never endorsed a candidate before--hence the surprise of the readership--but was moved to act for the following reasons:

• There's a huge difference between the two candidates. And it's important to weigh in on the difference. We are a very different country now than we were in 2000 and the difference is 8 years of a Dubya presidency, not 19 whack job terrorist assholes. We can't afford to fall further as a nation, and there’s a risk that we would with John McCain.

What are the key differences between the two candidates? I’ll explain briefly here:

1. John McCain is an unrepentant neoconservative who drummed up support for the Iraq invasion by spewing lies (the 9/11 tie in; the WMD; and an Anthrax lie he seems to have made up on his own) on national television. In addition, he repeated the Dick Cheney promise that the war would be over quickly and we’d be greeted as liberators. Okay, he was wrong, and guilty of poor judgment (more on that). The bad judgment is a concern but the big issue is that he continues to claim he was right. Does he think we’re idiots?

2. John McCain, by his own admission, doesn’t know much about the economy. So who does he rely on for economic guidance? Phil Gramm. That’s right, the guy most responsible for the deregulation of the Finance industry. Yeah, the deregulation that has led to our financial collapse and subsequent taxpayer (you and me) bailout. Oh, and he’ll check in with campaign manager Rick Davis, the Freddie and Fannie lobbyist (as in he pocketed $2mm from those outfits so that they could avoid regulation). Look, cutting taxes for the richest Americans doesn’t create jobs (except for Dom Perignon importers). It’s been tried (most recently for the past 8 years) and it has failed, repeatedly. There is no trickle down.

3. John McCain’s judgment sucks. Enter Sarah Palin. He thinks she’s qualified. She clearly is not. Her flimsy resume’ doesn’t necessarily disqualify her. It’s her lack of knowledge and her inability to respond to even the most softball of questions regarding foreign policy, Supreme Court decisions, and economic concerns. And here’s the judgment issue: he picked her.

That’s it. Back to beer. Vote for Obama. Buy local.

Lost on the Allagash

2008-10-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

The Sox are still playing and I have 'frige full of Allagash. Let us count our blessings! Lobster is cheap! Life is good!

Actually, the Four is gone. I drank it, and enjoyed every bit of it: it's a classic Big Beer--full bodied, balanced, beautifully colored, malty and bitter, with a touch of fruit. In short, it's wonderful.

Damn! The four-pack of Grand Cru is gone, too. It would've been the perfect lobster pairing. Allagash's winter seasonal is a malt maverick that stands up nicely to a spicy seafood red sauce.

At least I've got the other malt monster, the Dubbel. Shit! That's gone too. Oh yeah, it stood up well to my salami-and-cheese sandwich lunch. A fantastic pairing.

Oh, well. It's happy hour. I'm going to tuck into the Tripel while I cogitate which of my remaining beauties (the magnificent Curiuex and the sinful Black) goes best with lobster.

Catching Up

2008-10-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do, sorry. I've been to New York City, Saco, and an even more exotic location, Western Maine. In the time since I've last blogged, John McCain has gone from feeling a little cocky to feeling desperate, and the campaign has gotten quite nasty. We've had an economic melt down--it's good to know that the barter system is still out there (guns for Peak Organic beer!). You'd need to sell 3 shares of AIG stock to buy one six-pack of quality beer, and Joe Six-pack has moved to national prominance. I wonder who he is?

New York: I took the Fung Wa bus from Boston and arrived in the late afternoon, with an empty stomach and a raging thirst. I walked out of Chinatown because although it's a great place to eat, it's a shitty place to drink, and beer takes precedent. I spotted Kenn's Broome Street Pub, found a stool, and ordered two beers: A Dogfish Head Pumpkin and a Brooklyn Lager. I use a new rule in applying the 100 mile limit, by the way: as the crow flies. Also, in an attempt to be a little less uptight, I don't feel a need to beer-map the measurements. Delaware seems close enough to NYC, for example. Anyway, the Pumpkin is skippable, as is all pumpkin beers. The Brooklyn Lager is brewed in Utica. I don't know where that is and I don't care. NYC is underserved in quality beer in many ways, the Brooklyn is my fallback beer.

Saco: Run of the Mill pub in Saco is a beautiful drinking establishment with above average food and high quality brewed-on-premise beer. It's a big space in an old tannery. All the beers are very good. My one complaint is that none of them are particularly extreme. I'm still looking for that locally brewed hop monster! But they've got a pale, a red, an ipa, and a brown. I found their lager quite good.

Western Maine: It's good to go check out the fall foliage. And there's no place better to do that than Ebeneezer's Pub, in Lovell, the foothills of the western Maine mountains. I don't know why it's there (and I wish it were a short walk from my house) but it's a Belgian Beer bar with an unbelievable (as in fabulous!) beer list in a building that feels a bit like a snowmobile club. Using another locavore rule variation (when in a Belgian beer bar, all Belgian beer is considered local) I sampled the wares a bit. I could've stayed there all day and into the night. I ordered food and had a burger that I'd like to forget. The beer is memorable, though, and worth the trip.

The Seasonals: Geary's Autumn is great! I really like the Gritty's offering (Halloween ale?) also. I'm not big on the pumpkin (sorry, Shipyard). I have yet to try the Peak Organic/Coffee by Design hybrid but I'm looking forward to it. It's seems that combining two of my three daily drinks (water would be the third) is effecient, if nothing else). In general, though, I'm a big fan of the switch from the summer beers to the autumn brews.

Getting The Beer Right

2008-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Beer is important. So why do so many otherwise fine restaurants get the beer list wrong? It doesn't have to be an extensive list to provide the needed variety. An example of a local venue which gets it right is Blue, the live house on Congress Street between High and State. It's a small place, with limited taps, but the beer menu is thoughtful and demonstrates knowledge of beer and beer drinkers (confession; I have to be careful there because the taps include Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, non-locavore compliant and one of the world's great beers).

Barry, who runs Blue, includes an English style pale (Geary's), a White (Allagash), a flavorful lager (Brooklyn), a shite lager (PBR), a pretentious shite lager (Stella), the mandatory Guiness (which Barry tells me is his best seller), and two IPAs, the best-of-local Frye's Leap, and the aforementioned 90 minute. Maybe a brown or a red could be added to the mix, and a seasonal (which he may have, I forgot), but that's nit-picky. This is a fabulous beer short-list, with something for everyone. I also appreciate his apparent unwillingness to stock anything with "light" in the name (water or Chardonnay works for light "drinkers".)

Twitch Itched

2008-09-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

A very good beer. A little bit of a sweet nose but with a nice full flavor and crisp, bitter, flavorful hoppy notes throughout. I need to sample more.

Big News!!

2008-09-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Big Twitch is at the Bear! I'm I've got a Big Twitch to get there and sample it. I'll satisfy that twitch later today and report back.

Streak Over

2008-09-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

The Red Sox had been undefeated (6-0) over a period of 3 years when I'd been able to have a beer at Bukowski's on Dalton Street before the game. That streak came to an end on Sunday. I drank an Opa Opa Ipa (brewed in Western Massachusetts), then tried the Opa Opa Amber, which was on tap. I drank that one because it was only $2 if ordered with the BBQ Chicken Sandwich special. I had the Chicken sandwich because it came with the beer. Neither of those were very good, creating the bad karma that led to the Sox defeat (4-2, to the Chicago White Sox). The IPA was pretty good, though, as was the Leatherlip IPA (Haverhill, Ma brewed) I had after the game. A little too malty and balanced for my taste was the Ipswich IPA, also after the game.

Not Sure How It Works

2008-08-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

I think the best beer brewed in the state of Maine (best as defined by my taste buds) may be brewed at Marshall Wharf Brewing, in Belfast. I want to drink the Big Twitch and the Cant Dog. Here's the problem, it's available only in the bar next to the brewery (3 Tides), and that bar is a 2 hour drive from Portland. I'd do the drive up, but how would I get home?

On the flip side, the new brew pub in Saco is promising because there's a train there (and back). It's run by the folks who own the Liberal Cup in Hallowell. But it's not brewing beer yet. I hold out hope!

Missed It By That Much

2008-08-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

I went to the RSVP in search of Barleywine. I didn't find any (although it was not an exhaustive search). I did, however, come away with a locally brewed super IPA. Could Stonecoast's 1260 be the beer I've been looking for?

There were two immediate challenges with the 1260 as my everyday beer of choice: 1)Stonecoast is rumored to be phasing out of the bottled beer business. The brew pub at Sunday River will continue but not their brewing and distribution operations, as I understand it; and, 2) the beer weighs in at a hefty $12.99 per 750ml bottle. Ouch!

The final challenge is the taste--it's just not the beer I'm looking for. It's incredibly flavorful and full-bodied but it's malty and earthy as much as it is hoppy. It tastes a bit like a Geary's HSA on steroids, and the HSA doesn't need performance enhancers.

I have one more bottle to sample. I'll write more if I feel a need to re-assess after drinking a second bottle with different expectations.

Beer Writing, Brewery Touring, and Beer Drinking

2008-08-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

I'm now a member of the prestigious Maine Beer Writers' Guild. In my first official act as a member, I toured Fedral Jack's brewery and pub with other beer writers. I filed away the technical specifications of the various malts, specific gravities, ferkins, pumps and valves in the old steel trap. Please send me an email if you'd like these details. For purposes of this blog, I'll stick to a high level overview.

The tour was conducted by Mike Haley, a highly professional and knowledgeable young man who is clearly passionate about his chosen field. He's a Pugsley-trained brewer who started working in a brewery as a summer job. That was 14 years ago, he's never left brewing.

To be successful as a brew pub, location and consistency are crucial. Federal Jack's delivers on both (setting aside for a moment its distance from Portland). There are spectacular water views, and the beers are balanced and full of quality ingredients. Careful processing delivers the desired consistently delicious beer. I tried the cask conditioned 'Taint Town, the Old Thumper (one of my favorites), and the Fuggles IPA. All were pretty fugging good. I also drank a Barleywine. I'd never had one before, I guess because of the name, which implies wine (I like wine, but not wine-beer combos, although I'll make some Belgian exceptions to those rules). Anyway, it was good and left me longing for more. A trip to RSVP for a sample is in my future.

Anyway, I normally stray off the pennisula only as far as the GLB but a trip to Federal Jack's is worth it. You just need to choose straws for the designated driver.

In an unrelated note, brewer and beer blogger Ben has brewed a RyePA for Gritty's. I didn't catch when it would be available for consumption (maybe I missed it). It sounds great.

What Would Ghandi Do?

2008-08-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

I've continued my non-violent protest. I stood in front of the beer cooler at the former Fat Baxter, now a branch of the Rosemont grocery, for a long time. Then I reached out. I could've bought a smutty, or a white, or a pale, or a summer. All local. But I wanted a hopped up IPA, and they had one. It's brewed in Baltimore, though. But until the locals react to me, and the thousands of other drinkers like me, who demand a flavorful IPAS, I'll continue my protest. I have a dream that one day I'll be able to walk across the street or down the hill and drink the beer of my choice. Until then, I'll continue my protest. I'll walk to Baltimore or Delaware if necessary. I'll walk across this great land, to the mighty Pacific Northwest, if necessary. But I will not give in to fascists and the bigots who refuse to brew the beer we want. The beer we deserve, dammit. I will protest peacefully and effectively by drinking my beer of choice.

The beer I drank--Clipper City Brewing's Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale--is very good. It meets the hops test, and has a nice base line balance that rounds out the flavor. It's a bit sweeter than is ideal but the initial hops bitterness rules the day. Despite the sweet finish it remains crisp and clean.

The packaging is a bit confusing. It seems to have 3 names but I guess the "Heavy Seas" thing is a bit of a tag line. The art and labelling is somewhat childlike but don't be fooled, this is a sophisticated, adult beer.

Big Beers

2008-08-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Smuttynose Big Beer series is a locavore's delight. I'm enjoying the saison, Farmhouse Ale, as I write this. I've previously enjoyed several other of Smutty's big beers, most notably the Big A IPA. I've also enjoyed several lesser beers tonight, so I fear that I'm not writing much of anything. I'll fix it (whatever it is that I'm writing) in the morning.

In short, the Farmhouse is good. I'm going to close out and savor it, the Red Sox win, and my Beach to Beacon run. Later.

That's What I'm Talking About

2008-07-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

I'm on a business trip again. New Jersey this time. I met some old friends for a beer(s) and a burger. It was great catching up with my friends and re-telling old stories and laughing at them as if they were new stories. The evening was enhanced by several Victory HopDevil beers. This is the kind of beer that I feel is missing from the Portland beer scene: exquisitely hoppy but coupled with a strong enough malt back beat so that the result is a wonderfully flavorful offering. This is a great beer, and an example of why I've launched my protest (last post). Brewed in Pennsylvania and drunk in New Jersey, I was locavore compliant.

One Man Protest

2008-07-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

With all the brewing talent in Portland, and, indeed, within the locavore confines, why don't we have an extra hoppy, assertive American or Imperial IPA option? We are too balanced! I want the big, bold, bitter flavor of a 90 minute Dogfish Head IPA--or the equivalent. Until we get one, I'm going to launch a protest: if the 90 minute IPA is available, and the other option(s) are limited to a more traditional English IPA, I'm going to drink the 90 minute, locavore be damned!

This is a bold move but the time has come. What the fuggles, bring on the intense hops IPA!

Today's Challenge

2008-07-23T11:58:00.002-07:00

I'm going to get through the day drinking only three different drinks: black coffee (0 calories); water (0 calories); and beer (rumored to contain claories). I have 2 Geary's Summer Ales, 1 HSA, and one Allagash White (750 ml bottle) at home in the 'fridge. From a quantity standpoint, that should do it. I might want more assertive taste, however, so may need to stop and add to the mix.

Three different drinks in a given day is the bare minimum, I believe. Without coffee, the day would not exist. Without water, I would be improperly hydrated and therefore unhealthy. And life without beer? Perish the thought.

The Locavore's Delimma

2008-07-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm now in the second half of my year as a beer locavore. I've come across three significant hurdles to living the beer locavore lifestyle. These challenges have, at times, literally brought me to my knees. At other times, I have found myself in tears. The choices have been gut-wrenching. Sometimes, I have failed. As a result, I now view my strict locavore pledge as more a statement of high level principles. My strict locavore rules I now consider to be mere guidelines. Things change, we must adapt and move on.

Here's the three big challenges for a Portland, Maine-base beer locavore:

1. It's expensive being locavore. The other day, I found myself circling the Hanaford, a $10 18-pack of PBR (PBR has no breweries, extensive internets research neither proves nor dis-proves its locavore status) tucked under my arm. I tried to talk myself into buying it. On the third lap of the store, I started crying. I put it back, and bought an on sale 12 pack of Geary's HSA for $13. I dried my tears and moved on.

2. Things change. When I made the infamous pledge (now high-level principles), there was no Novare Res. There was no Prost! Now we have international beer bars. It's important to evolve as the situation evolves. Hence, guidelines, not rules.

3. The whole travel thing. Travel remains a huge challenge. There are many parts of this great nation which remain a beer blight on the horizon, suffering mightily at the hands of the beer fascists from A-B, Coors, and Miller. I refuse to be hamstrung by the evil-doer's tactics, and, when traveling, will opt for quality over shite.

What Makes it a Review?

2008-06-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

There are brilliant beer, food, and restaurant reviews out there on our internets. For example, check here and here.

I have an issue, though. As a reader, I tend to read the first couple of sentences and then jump to the punchline. As a writer, I'm the same way, and I'm unlikely to change. Here's what you'll get at this blog: a two-three sentence description, and then a suggestion (go there/don't go there). That prevents my eyes from glazing over and your head from itching. If you want excessive details, though, they can be found. But you may have to switch internets.

So these reviews are quick, but should not be construed as a slight in any way:

1. Prost! International Tap Room: beautiful beer selection; lovely space with a fantastic bar; a somewhat confusing second room with an almost disco feel; I ate the sausages--they were great; the folks are still working out the kinks but they will; a great addition to the Portland scene.

2. The Grill Room: what a fantastic space!; love the silver bull hanging outside; can't wait to "really" eat there (I had a delicious steak salad lunch); the 12 beers on tap are a little disappointing in that they are fairly pedestrian; Chef Harding Smith is a big flavor advocate--the philosophy doesn't extend to the beer list.

3. Vignola: ignore the snooty barmaid and belly up to the beautiful bar and order a bottle of Curieux, comparatively under priced at $18 (psst--it's $17 at the Hanaford's); if you are hungry, order a margarita pizza; this is bargain dining in a lovely restaurant.

Meanwhile, Back to Beer

2008-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

When one is a committed locavore, temptations abound: The sophisticated Europeans, the sexy Scandinavians, the festive Mexicans, the cultured cluster of Canadians, the cheap Chinese, and, of course, the free-spirited left coasters. The granola crunching Vermonters are off limits. Even the real stuff from Bar Harbor is out of local. I paced the bar and ogled the stock. Three times. And then I sat down and ordered a 420 IPA. I sipped it, deeply. I ordered again. An Allagesh Dubbel this time. Again the sipping. Twice this time--I'd slowed down--before setting my empty glass down. A calmness returned. My third and final beer, another Dubbel, went down smooth and easy. I'd gone in to the belly of the beast, Portland's newest beer bar, Prost! International Tap Room, and survived with local morals and ethics intact.

Traveling Violations

2008-06-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

I was on the road again last week, and I fell out of locavore. I will report and await my punishment. First, a triumph of sorts, however. The highly regarded and award-winning Beer Haiku Daily selected my passing of the beer season lament as the May 28 daily haiku. You can read it here.

I was in Clark, New Jersey and opted for Brooklyn lager to wash down my pizza. Unfortunately, Brooklyn seems to be brewed in Utica, if one trusts the fine print.

On the weekend, I searched for ramen, and found two decent shops: Minca, in the East Village; and Ippudo, near Astor Place. I drank Japanese beer at both spots. In the West Village, I went to a nice little izakaya called Rockmeisha. There I drank Japanese beer but could not resist the temptation of their strange non-Japanese offering, Frank Zappa Lumpy Gravy, a malty Brown Ale from Lagunitas.

Quick Updates

2008-05-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

This brilliant post captures the current draft options at Novare Res. It also helps explain why Beer, Maine & Me is higher rated than Beer Locavore.

I stopped in Happy Teriyaki for a quasi-Japanese meal the other day. I was thirsty and held my breath as the waitress recited the beer list. After she'd gone through the A-B product offerings, she mentioned Shipyard Export. I latched on to it. Under the circumstances I was grateful. It was good, as was the food, although it was not particularly authentic. I'll go back.

Speaking of Japanese food, Benkay has some wonderful lunch options, including a rotating bento box lunch that contains almost more food than I can eat, for eight bucks. Benkay is flawed by the lack of a local beer choice, however. I am forced to drink sake'.

My New Favorite Local Bar

2008-05-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Novare Res, the revolutionary new bar located in the plaza behind the Pavilion, is a great addition to Portland's already robust bar scene. Check their webpage here.

It was with great relief that I discovered they had multiple locavore options among their magnificent beer offerings. I sampled two, both drafts: Allagash Odyssey and the Smuttynose IPA.

After the relief I felt when I determined that they were locavore compliant, my emotion shifted to chagrin--if that's an emotion--then pure anger. Anger at myself. With marvelous beer offerings from all over the world my choices were limited to the local stock--because of my own stupid rules.

I looked around: the bar is beautiful and clearly a labor of love; people were laughing and enjoying one another; the space will include a wonderful beer garden; the specialty beers and matching glasses are unlike anything in Portland. Yes, as reader Jabroni indicates, there were beautiful people there. There were also young people, older folks (people my age), people in suits, carpenters, fishermen, lawyers, bankers, and, most importantly, beer lovers. The owner gave us a bit of a background on the place and then offered everyone a free beer. I yearned for the Belgium, the German, the French, the West Coast, and the Canadian. I panicked. I left. I will return.

The Suspense is Building

2008-05-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Will Novare Res, the new Belgium Beer bar that opens in Portland tonight, include a local offering among its purported 25 draft beers? I will find out, and report back.

The Local IPAs

2008-05-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Since I lamented the lack of an assertive IPA in my most recent post, I thought I'd scientifically explore the local IPA options. I should acknowledge that my reviews are fairly simlistic--I like the beer or I don't, or, maybe, I'll say it's okay. If you want to know the specific gravity, check another blog. I picked up a few bottles at the Whole Foods, and interspersed tasting samples (a typical sample is 12 ounces)with palate cleansers. Some palate cleansers include: tortilla chips and salsa; garlic infused kalamata olives; and salted cashews. As an aside, I wonder why I don't lose weight?

Shipyard: mediocre, barely disernable hops. What the Fuggles?
Frye's Leap: I like it. Nice hoppy nose and taste. Clean, crisp finish.
420 IPA: Kind of funky. There's a flavor there (and I like flavor) that is almost more malty than hoppy. It's a nice beer, but a little untrue to the genre.
Smuttynose IPA: Tasting notes (okay, that sounds a little more sophisticated than I'm comfortable with) similar to the Frye's Leap. It's a nice IPA, but I'll give the nod to Maine over New Hampshire every day of the week.
820 IIPA: This bottle is 22 ounces and for whatever reason, my taste buds are slightly less discerning than when I started this tasting session. Also, the Sox have won, and the Celtics are in a tussle. Okay, that's out of the way. I'd repeat my 420 tasting notes--on steroids (the beer, not me). This is a flavorful, full-bodied, balanced, malty,hoppy, big beer blend that I like. But, it's not what I'm looking for when I reach for an IPA.

The Beers of Summer

2008-05-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

Maine's freeze is over
I have a new source of SADS
Good-by winter brews

The long Maine winter has come to an end. I should be happy, and generally, I am. But I pause here for a minor rant:

Why must we drink bad beer just because the weather is nice?

Dogfish Cafe' replaced the wonderful, hearty, malty Allagash Dubbel with the cliched Allagash White. Compounding the issue, there are no other potable local beers in the place. I drank the White. Margaritas is now devoid of any drinkable beer. Stumped, I ordered a margarita to wash down my mediocre Mexican meal. Chef Et Al, which should be the thursday night hangout of choice, has succumbed to the trend as well: gone is the Copperhook, replaced by a Shipyard Summer. Click on the ad for the summer posted here: they actually position it as a beer which is virtually devoid of flavor. Astonishing!

Here's my suggestion to all bar owners and tenders:

1. Keep the Allagash White, it's popular, refreshing and true to the genre.
2. If you must swap out beers with the season, backfill the Dubbel with the Tripel in the summer.
3. HSA is now brewed year round. Some are offended by this. I'm not, it's good. Offer it year round.
4. Have two IPA on offer: we don't have an aggressive IPA brewed locally so you'd need to offer something like the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA. The second tap should be local--make it the Frye's Leap.
5. One tap should be a stout, one of the local options works fine.
6. The Shipyard Export tap would appeal to drinkers (using the term loosely) who enjoy flavorless brew.
7. Never pour anything labelled "light". Keep water handy for patrons who request a light beer.

Quick Hits

2008-05-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

1. Granny Burrito has added Allagash Dubbel on tap!
2. GLB has cask conditioned Allagash Four!
3. I stayed local--despite a tempting array of out-of-local beers--at Local 188 and had a fabulous meal, the House Paella (staying on theme, I drank Rioja).

A River Runs Through Them

2008-05-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

Shameless Pandering

2008-05-04T14:36:00.001-07:00

It is with disappointment that I report that Beer Locavore is the single lowest rated beer blog in Portland (for details click here). We have an opportunity to do something about that. I ask that you review the other blogs, and, if you feel as I do, that Beer Locavore is at least middle-of-the-pack, send the rating agencies an email at: anestes@portlandfoodmap.com

Don't bash the other blogs, and be sure to compliment Portland Food Map (which is a wonderful resource). But a quick note that includes something like:

"While Locavore occasionally gets bogged down bashing Dubya or the Yankees, his quick hitting beer reviews and recommendations are always spot on".

Or, "Give Lovavore the respect he deserves. The man bleeds Mead and sweats Dubbel. When he's forced to drink a bad beer (Shipyard Summer, for example) those are real tears he's crying".

"His pasty pallor is hard earned as he explores the bad taverns so we don't have to."

You get the picture. Let's make sure Portland Food Map does too.

Wierd News Item, Bad Beer Related

2008-05-04T04:42:00.001-07:00

Longtime Yankee Roger Clemens was in the news this week. A close personal friend of Dubya's, Clemens, who currently faces overwhelming evidence of long term illegal drug abuse, was this week forced to deny published allegations of extra-marital affairs that included sex with at least one child. The women involved, Mindy McCready, a country singer and convicted Methamphetamine user, and Paula Daly, the ex-wife of professional athlete John Daly, both acknowledged having had sex with the former fireballer. Ms. McCready was fifteen years old when the relationship began. Clemens, the accused pedophile and close personal friend of Dubya, claims that the one-on-one meetings with the child in his hotel room were a result of friendship and there was no statutory rape. The alleged pedophile and close personal friend of Dubya who retains ties with the Yankees also claims that the time spent one-on-one in his hotel room with Ms. Daly was strictly platonic.

The tie-in with bad beer? Both Clemens and Daly admit to extensive use of Miller Lite (pictured here with Clemens' other drug paraphernalia) before moving on to harder drugs. Neither of the women involved deny using the beer-like substance.

Stay away from bad beer!

25 point trivia question: can you match the photos with the celebrities described above?

A Trip Without A Violation

2008-04-30T03:07:00.000-07:00

Sam Adams Lager is a moderately enjoyable session beer that just squeeks in the locavore radius (I'm in suburban Hartford). IIt's been my beer of choice on the trip. I also sampled an IPA and a Copper Ale at the local John Harvard Brewhouse. Check out their beers here. I quite liked the IPA.

It'll be good to get back to Portland, my lovely beer brewing jewel of a city by the sea.

Yet Another Reason for Beer Consumption

2008-04-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Quick Reviews

2008-04-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

1. Chef Et Al. Hard by the USM campus on Forest Ave, this upscale bistro offers casually fine dining and a quality (and cheaper) bar menu of appetizers and lunch-size portions. Nice local beers are on offer. I had the mussels, which were very good, and sampled the drafts. My one quibble: I'd like Chef to be a little more adventurous in the beer offering. How about the Allagash Dubbel or Grand Cru rather than the more pedestrian White?

2. Shame, Shame, Shame. It was the familiar Shipyard paddle. It was bright red, the color they designate for their IPA, my eyes suck, I pointed to it and gestured with my glass, which was empty, the 'tender brought my beer, it was completely flavorless, I asked about it, the 'tender explained it was their summer seasonal. The folks at Shipyard should be ashamed for 1) brewing a horseshit seasonal, and, 2) disguising it as an IPA to the unsuspecting. Be careful out there!

3. Granny's Burritos. A serviceable burrito in the underserved Portland Tex-Mex market. I'm glad they are back. They're in the former Uncle Billy's Rest-O-Bar space on Congress St, by Joe's Smoke Shop. I love the funky space, the juke box, the strange art and artifacts on the walls. I used to love the variety of local beer on tap at the old Granny's. The new Granny's seems to have adopted Uncle Billy's policy of shitty beer selection. It hasn't adopted Billy's overpriced food policy though: ten buck gets you a burrito and a beer. The poor beer selection was salvaged by Seadog IPA being one of the 3 draft beer options (along with Shipyard Export and PBR). The Seadog might be the best of the local IPAs and was just fine to wash down my burrito with.

Code of Conduct

2008-04-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

When I established this blog I stated that I would only drink local beer. I went on to define local. I left so little room for wiggle that it would take a clintonian scholar to find a loophole. With the benefit of hindsight, I now feel that rather than a strict rule, beer locavorian principles are more guidelines. At times, it's important to use sound judgement and independent decision-making when applying these guidelines. Here's some examples:

1. It is very important not to be rude in the name of the locavore. For example, my friends Mika and Brett traveled from Tokyo to run the Boston Marathon. They had several stops along the way--visiting the west coast and the great plains of Canada. They lugged 6 beers and a beautiful drinking glass from Tokyo to give me as a wonderful and thoughtful gift. Under normal circumstances I would summon the inner strength and just admire my favorite beer rather than drink it. But in this case, that would've been rude, so I drank it, locavore be damned. It would've rude not to.

2. Don't reward the producers of bad beer. Example: you are in Philadelphia, in a wonderful Belgian Beer bar. Your hosts have made a special trip because they know you like quality beer. There is Bud Light on the menu, and it squeaks in to the hundred mile radius. Why reward A-B for permeating even the best of the local taverns and pushing bad beer? Order the Trappist Tripel and enjoy.

I'm sure I will discover more exceptions to the basic rules...er, guidelines as I hit the road again this week. I will amend as necessary.

Not Everyone Has Been Suspended

2008-04-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until I had my third cup of coffee this morning before I trusted what my eyes were telling me: while I'm taking a break from drinking, Hillary Clinton has taken to pounding shots of Crown Royal with an Old Style chaser.

My man Obama is taking some heat for telling the truth: bitter American voters frequently leap to the lowest common denominator and vote according to a candidate's stance on guns and God (gays--and the anti-gay vote--form the third G, but fortunately Obama neglected to mention that). Hillary leaped on that, swore ever lasting allegiance to both guns and God, and guzzled whiskey and beer to prove it.

Maine's State Beverage

2008-04-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get through the barbaric suspension order, I've added Moxie to the mix. It's still brown and bitter and somehow it seems an appropriate beer substitute, given the circumstances.

Moxie was invented in Union, Maine, as patent medicine. It claimed to restore manhood, among other health benefits. In 1906 a law was passed which limited the lies that food and drug manufacturers could tell and Moxie backed off some of its claims.

I tried to buy Moxie at the Hanaford store and instead bought an identically labelled can that contains Moxie energy drink (their Red Bull competitor). It's terrible. One can would've been a bad mistake, I bought four.

During this inhumane suspension, I have de-bunked one myth about beer while confirming another oft-repeated beer story.

Beer and Calories

Contrary to popular opinion, beer does not contain calories. I have proof: I haven't had a beer in five plus days and I haven't lost any weight. The logical conclusion from this is that concern about weight gain is no reason to avoid or limit beer intake. Drink up!

Beer and Money

Beer does cost money, as it turns out, and it's possible to reduce personal expenses by avoiding beer and other boozes. The actual source of the savings is a little counter-intuitive: it's a result of the savings on food. Specifically, because all meals without beer or wine are crap, crap food is back in play. I had a Whopper today, for example. Crap food tends to be cheap. The result is expense savings.

Locavore Suspended, Possible Further Sanctions Loom

2008-04-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Beer Locavore, also known as "Pete", has been suspended from all alcohol consumption related activities for ten days, according to the governing body. The suspension is the result of violations alleged to have been committed by Locavore during his recent trip to Florida. The ban includes all beer, wine, whiskey, tequila, and any other liquor, sake, and beer-like substances which are commonly sold under brand names such as Miller Lite or Coors Light.

Locavore has accepted the ruling while not admitting guilt.

"I apologize for any embarrassment caused by this unfortunate situation. The circumstances were beyond my control. While the beer was free, and at the appropriate temperature, in the case of the Heineken, rather than being tempted I was merely deceived by the coozie which hid the label from viewing. In addition, I mistakenly thought that Yuengling was a local beer of Native American origin. Finally, I was told that Pabst Blue Ribbon was actually liquid vitamin B-12. I took it to help deal with a headache."

The ten day suspension will be followed by a one week probationary period. Following the probationary period, a weigh in will determine if further sanctions are in order.

Reaction to the ban was mixed, with many indicating they felt the ruling was harsh.

"He was on vacation, and the beer was free, ten days is too long." said one loyal reader, who requested anonymity.

Another reader felt quite strongly that the ruling was too lenient:

"He got off easy. He violated our trust."

Locavore vows to continue beer studies through vicarious research during the ban. He'll report here on his findings.

A Locavore Stumbles and Falls

2008-04-05T09:44:00.001-07:00

I left for DC, and for Florida, with good intentions: sample the local fare, and report back. From a locavore perspective, I found the DC trip challenging and the Florida trip impossible. I faltered and rationalized but eventually stumbled again. Before I could get up, I fell. I hope to rise again.

The Best of the Travel Beers

In no particular order, I enjoyed:

1. Brooklyn Lager, consumed in the JFK airport. Very good.
2. Kelso of Brooklyn's Nut Brown Lager. Same location. Also very good.
3. Shipyard IPA. Portland International Jetport. A fine brew.
4. Sam Adams Boston Lager. Various locations. More on this later.
5. Capital City Brewing, the District Chophouse and Brewery, and the Big River Grille and Brewing Works. Various beers brewed on the premises. Competently brewed, tasty.
6. Dogfish Head: the 60, 90, and the Raison D'Etre. All fabulous. Brewed in Delaware, consumed in RFD by thye Verizon Center in DC.
7. Dubliner's Amber Ale, brewed in Virginia by Dominion.

Faltering

At both locations the primary intent of my visit was for purposes other than drinking local beer. Beyond that, I was with others: normal sorts who aren't obsessed with staying local with respect to beer drinking. This presented some minor conflicts. An example, free Sam Adams (out of local) versus a 10 minute walk ands a reach for the wallet for a Big River Pale. I struggled then faltered. I compromised. I gave in.

At first my infractions were minor. I accepted and drank a Kirin from Dan's wife Midori in DC. It would've been rude of me not to drink it. It was a thoughtful gift and Dan had been gracious enough to slow down and run with me. As a work responsibility I "hosted" a group for lunch in Epcot's Germany. I drank a German beer. I would've been derelict in my duty had I not quaffed the beer, and besides, I was in Germany, according to the folks at Disney.

But this was a slippery slope.

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up

On my second night in Florida, I attended a large group function. It was great fun. The night before, I had front-end loaded at the brewpub, then experimented with whiskey and tequila before settling on red wine as my drink of choice for the evening. I woke up with a headache and some bowel distress. Seeking medication, and with local beer unavailable, I drank Heineken. Cans. But I took my time and drank only 7 or 8--strictly medicinal--then took a bus back to the brewpub. I felt marginally better the next day. On my last night in Florida I was once again faced with the non-local or no beer decision. I again opted for the non-local. I drank PBR. I drank Yuengling. We changed locations. The party was raging. At the new location, my choices were limited to Bub Light and a strange, clear substance called water. I reached for the Bud Light and drank. The immediate and quite violent physical reaction was minor compared to the emotional and psychic damage. I had sold my soul. I was a wide-stance republican level hypocrite. I put the beer down and ran into the night. I have confessed. I await my punishment.

Locavore's Travels

2008-03-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

I've been away--in Washington DC where I had a mixed beer experience. I'm leaving again tomorrow, Florida this time. Who knows what local beer awaits. I will report in, this time more promptly.

Pale and Blue

2008-03-15T04:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a tip: go to the Blue Spoon on the top of Munjoy Hill. Order a Peak Pale Ale and drink it quickly while pretending to peruse the menu. Let the crisp, hoppy goodness wash away the day's challenges. Relax. Smile. Order another one. At the same time order the Pan Seared Scallops.

Nurse your Pale. Eat the scallops slowly and savor every bite. They are one of the world's great foods.

Finished? You can order the house salad, the pork loin or the hanger steak, stick with the Pale or wade into a nice red and have a meal fit for a king. You could also leave, walk over to Colucci's and get an italian sandwich and a 6-pack of PBR. Consume that at home and you've still had a meal fit for royalty. The Scallop-and-Pale combo is that good.

Catching Up on This and That

2008-03-10T02:56:00.000-07:00

Gritty's Black Fly Stout is quite good. It compares favorably with the Shipyard Blue Fin reviewed earlier. The Black Fly is really dark, with hints of coffee flavor. It's smooth, and light in alcohol content (4.1%). It's a nice breakfast beer option. It costs (or did when I bought it) a buck more than the Shipyard--on that basis I'd opt for the Blue Fin. Of course, if price is no object, my recommendation is the Allagash Black.

Bonobo is a wood fired pizza place on Pine Street that offers delicious, and somewhat unique to Portland, pizza choices. The salads are good, too. The space is lovely, the prices reasonable. They also have an eclectic beer menu. But there's a problem: the only locavore eligible beer in the place is the dreadful Sunday River Pale (brewed by Stone Coast). Having had it before, I skipped it. Pizza and beer is a great combination. I opted for pizza and Spanish wine. Not bad, but where was the Geary's?

Bruno's is a restaurant and tavern out at Morrill's corner. We ate in the Tavern. There's a decent beer selection, I drank the Shipyard Brewer's choice. The prices change (go up) at 4:00--get there before then, enjoy sports on TV, and better food than is found at the sports bars in town (I know, that's like the smartest kid in the dumb row).

Sneak Peak

2008-03-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

I had an opportunity to sample some of Peak Organic's finest this past week with Tim Adams, a regional manager for the Portland-based brewery. Peak is comitted to brewing with organic ingredients. They are equally comitted to a quality product, and the two beers I sampled, the Nut Brown Ale and the Pale Ale, met the mark.

The Nut Brown is rich, malty--in a chocolate toasted malt sort of way--and yet crisp at the finish. A nice, tasty beer that I could easily drink a lot of, without worrying about a pesticide "hangover".

The Pale was a special treat. We drank it at the Great Lost Bear, which is the only place that Peak distributes firkins of the product. The result: a cask conditioned beauty of a beer--served cool, not cold, and with carbonation provided only by the cask and the strong right arm of the barmaid.

Peak Pale is a hoppy pale--bordering on IPA level hoppiness. By hops I mean cascade hops, less sophisticated, maybe, but much more flavorful than their British brethren. It's great. I'm going to try the bottled version soon (probably not for a few hours, though) but I've been jonesing for a return trip to the GLB for the cask-conditioned stuff ever since I left there.

Peak Organic is the brainchild of Jon Cadoux. The Pale is essentially the recipe he used as a home brewer. Peak has hired Shipyard to do their brewing now. And under the watchful eye of Portland's unofficial brewer laureate, Alan Pugsley, the brewing quality is a lock, although extremism is unlikely (and I'm a bit of a sucker for extremism). In addition to the beers I sampled, Peak brews an Amber Ale, and recently bottled a Maple Oat beer. Rumor has it that they will offer a somewhat unique white (a tough product to differentiate) in the summer.

If you are out and about, Peak is available at the following venues:

GLB
Flatbread
Fore Street
Vignola (soon)
Cinque Terre (soon)
Green Elephant
Silly's
Big Easy
O'naturals
Beale St. BBQ (rotates)
Frog N' Turtle, Westbrook (rotates)

Cheers!

Flawed Information

2008-03-04T02:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to cook Thai food last night. Normally, I cook Thai at Pom's on Congress Street or Saeng Thai House on St. John's Street. But both of those stops mean a commitment to Shipyard Export (potable, but not my favorite) while the staff is pulling together the ingredients. So I decided to cook at Chaing Mai, and take advantage of the $2.50 micro-brewed pints offered at 3$ Deweys before and during the cooking process.

I'd sourced the beer special here. The problem is, 3$ Deweys wasn't running the special. It's bad information! Oh well, even a full priced HSA or 3 is worth it. The Pad Thai was overcooked, though.

Black For Breakfast

2008-03-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Somewhat predictably, since it had been several hours since the last storm, we had a fairly significant overnight snowstorm that continued into the morning. I dug the car out and made my way to the gym only to discover that it was closed due to the storm. Since the workout was not going to happen I shifted my focus to breakfast.

Stout beers--think Guiness as the prototype--are dark, full-bodied and flavorful. They tend towards smokey flavors--coffee and toast (slightly burnt) come to mind. Malt, grain, oatmeal (and some stouts literally include oatmeal) are other flavors I associate with stouts. To me, stout is a breakfast beer.

Generally, and somewhat counter intuitively, stouts are fairly low in alcohol content. Guiness, the standard-bearer, weighs in at a Bud Light-level 4.2% ABV. To start my breakfast off right, however, I cheated, and drank a bottle of Allagash Black. Delicious! Coffee and toast and grain and malt--healthfood, really, and 7.5% ABV that kicks the day off right. It's a wonderful beer from my favorite brewery (have I outed myself before with this revelation?) but, in fairness, it's $12 per 750 ML bottle. Not cheap. I had a brief moment of panic when the cork broke off cleanly in my hand as I was opening the bottle. But using skill, determination, athleticism, and a versatile corkscrew, I was able to open the bottle.

Next up: Shipyard's Blue Fin Stout. It's great, and very reasonable at $3 per 22 ounce bottle. This is a beer notable for its smokiness. I'd drink the Allagash Black anytime, this one seems wrong for most occasions. But on a stormy winter day, it works.

I bought two other beers for my stout sample. Gritty's Black Fly Stout and Black Bear Brewing's Deamon Stout. I mapquested the Black Bear when I got home and discovered that Orono was 137 miles from Portland. Locavore ineligible! A disaster averted only by loyal reader Sam's offer to dispose of the beer. I'll need to report back on the Black Fly. I'm full (stouts are filling) and sated and ready for a post-breakfast nap.

Locavore Travels

2008-02-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

A road trip to Boston--and the pleasure of watching the Celts dispose of the Cavs--expanded my locavore eligibility. Loyal reader Jeff and I selected Boston Beer Works as the venue for our pre-game beer consumption.

I first tried a seasonal offering: their Saison Nouveau. It had little to no carbonation and featured a flavor I couldn't identify (indicating that I need to sample many more beers) and didn't particularly care for.

I switched to the Back Bay IPA. I thought it was delicious. But I wasn't sure. So I ordered and drank another one. Yes. It's a very good beer. I ordered one more, and it could've perhaps been called gratuitous except that it was useful in washing down my meatloaf.

Right In My Face

2008-02-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

As if on cue, my friends at Smuttynose provided the perfect response to my pleas for a seasonal brew that involved risk taking: Hanami Ale.

It's another snowy night, and I'm longing both for spring and for the mild winters of Tokyo, where I lived for almost ten years.

In Tokyo, the hanami season is wonderful. The whole city gathers together under the beautiful cherry trees. There is eating, drinking, merriment, and joy. It's the single best holiday (and I guess it's not a formal holiday) I've experienced since I was ten years old and still believed in Santa Claus.

Here was a beer that combined the vision of springtime with the joy of hanami. And, it was brewed within my locavore radius by a brewery I respect for the quality of the product. A beer that combined those qualities with some risk-taking and experimentation--perfect! Kampaii!

The problem: the beer sucks. Weak, vinegary, sicky, cherry, flat, whiney flavor are descriptive words that come to mind.

I switched to wine (a nice, moderately priced California Cab) and found it to be a significant upgrade.