Severe Disappointment

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......

....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?

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

Beer Fantasy

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

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!

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.