Category Archives: Master Beerman

Someone who has completed the journey … but wait … the journey is never really over … you just keep adding levels, like a master Kung Fu fighter … 5th degree Master Beerman.

DC Brau … A mighty fine Washington, DC Brewery

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In December of 2011 I was fortunate enough to be visiting some friends in Washington DC who have the same “hankering” for good beer.  My friend Brian decided to tote me around to a few places I hadn’t been in DC, one of which is DC Brau.

I was pleasantly surprised … and not about the beer.  I had already had a six-pack or two so I knew what to expect.  I was surprised about how compact it was.  They really pack a lot of great things into a space under a Post Office.  Make the trek over and you’ll see what I mean.  They have a very comfortable tasting area.  The selection of beers they have is good (the beer is really good … give “The Public” a try!)  The day I was there they had a guy making brats/sausages–I wish I’d had one!  They smelled great.

Although the owners didn’t give the tour, they were serving up the beer (one of them is in the photo above).  This is kind of an upscale clientele hangout place though.  That’s not bad … just want you to know what to expect.  You’ll probably hear some pretty interesting conversations.  Maybe even some about the art in the place!

   

If you are in DC it is worth a trip over.  They are doing some great things with their beers.  They just celebrated their one-year anniversary.  You can tell by the wood casks above that they are not afraid to branch out into some experimental stuff too.  My hat’s off to them — I wish them the best (I’ll be back again … I want to try “The Corruption!”).

Beer Mentor

 

Fullsteam Brewery — I love that place!

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Back in December I had the chance to go MTB riding in the Raleigh-Durham area … it also afforded me the opportunity to visit one of my new favorite breweries–Fullsteam Brewery.  After being photo-bombed by the owner at the World Beer Festival I knew I had to visit this place in Durham.  Wow!  Well worth the trip … check this place out …

   

They embrace the weird here … I guess that’s why I like them.  You won’t find any menu … but if you want something to eat, just head out to the food cart (or two) outside.  They are in a ‘renewing’ neighborhood–a very nice experience.  I showed up on Saturday for two reasons.  1) To take the tour (see below) and 2) to drink the Hogwash–their own hickory-smoked porter.  Well, dang, they were out of the porter (I’ve had it … it’s good), so I had the Working Man’s Lunch and the Carver Sweet Potato (oh, and Maybe the Rocket Science IPA).

 

These beers were a good warmup for the tour … given, not surprisingly, by the owner.  These guys are definitely passionate about their beer, they all seem to enjoy themselves, and the tour was well done, well documented and presented.

    

Even better, they served samples through out … and it was free.  You just show up at the right time on the right weekend (first Sunday of every month … reserve your spot on-line … only 25 people get a spot!)

They are a pretty small operation really (a somewhat limited selection) but all of their beers were very good (plus, if you look close at the tap picture above  you will see they also have guest local beers).   Interestingly, one of the things that limits them is this combined mash-tun/kettle setup … first one like it I had seen … I think the owner mentioned that they may be changing this setup somewhat.

 

You could tell that they really liked experimenting — they had their hombrew setup in the brewery … all the extra kegs, different brew materials–I mean, who thinks to brew with Sweet Potatoes?  Again … this place is great!

No photo-bombing in the following photo! Haha.  Thanks, Sean, for the great tour!

Beer Mentor

The Birch Bar (Norfolk, VA) – A Great place to Drink Great Beers!

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Back in December I was in Norfolk for a couple of weeks and I just happened to find this place – The Birch … how did I find it?  A sheet of paper with the name and the words “good beer” was tacked to the wall in my classroom.  Obviously I will be the judge of whether it has good beer or not.  haha.  So, I did what any self-respecting beermentor would do … I looked it up on the internet.  It received great reviews for beer geekness so I headed on down there!  Pretty unassuming entry way …

 

Once you get inside though … look out!  What a great list of beers they had on tap … check this out …

  

A Japanese Witbier? An Italian IPA? Craziness!  And this was a rotating list.  The young couple (I think are the owners) were very passionate about their selection, what they served, how they presented it, etc.  They really put some effort into gathering an astonishing selection of eclectic and unique brews.  This place is deserving of its rating and well worth a trip.  Now I will tell you not to go there if you think you are going to have a sit down dinner.  The have a very small selection of bar foods — but that’s not the point of this place.  This place is a place to drink Great beer … here are a couple of examples of bottles that the owner brought out .. fantome and kukumerla.  Both art house and worth trying just see the different brews being made around the world.

 

How was the presentation you ask?  No need to ask … always the right glasses for the right beers.  My wallet was quite a bit lighter when I left here the 3 – 4 times I made it over to this place.  I didn’t mind.  It would be very difficult to match the selection they had on tap and in the cooler (and you never knew what he might have lurking in the back … all you had to do was ask!)

 

Give it a go!

Beer Mentor

#39: The Brick Store Pub (#106)

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Another stop on my way through Atlanta — the Brick Store Pub. This is my 39th stop on the Growler List (#106 on their list).

I snuck in here on 27 Nov 2011. Just a quick stop through — fantastic selection of beers! Not only great beers but served in the appropriate glasses … no wonder this is a highly rated stop on Beer Advocate.  It was very difficult to hold myself to just one (ok two)–but I had to hit the road … very cool pub and worth a stop (actually, it’s worth a detour or a planned trip).

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

Summary Update #2: All About Beers Growler List

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Wow, it’s been right at a year since I last provided an update on my Growler list work.  A lot has happened since then (I moved from DC to San Antonio, I got divorced, and I’m now working in Africa for the next year)!  As you might guess, I didn’t work the list as fast as I wanted … however, I’m now back on track.  Here’s my update:

This list is my effort to complete the All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List.”  This is a list of 125 best places in the world to have a beer.  Here’s a quick update on places visited since my last update:

From the summary — see my earlier post for explanation:

Total (actual) places visited: 33.  I had to remove number 26 (I haven’t been to Mardi Gras yet, Bourbon Street during a festival, but not during Mardi Gras (on my list)) . Those I’ve visited since my last post:

71) Brewer’s Art (Baltimore, MD)
106) Brick Store Pub (Decatur, GA)
122) 5 Seasons Brewing (Atlanta, GA)

Place substitutions: 5

Substituting for a place no longer open: 1

That gives me a total of 39 “visited.” With my being in Africa for the next 11 months, I’ve been able to project these places as some of the next ones on my list:

3) U Fleku (Prague, Czech Rep)
6) Augustiner Keller (Munich, Germany)
28) Zum Uerige (Dusseldorf, Germany)
37) Atelier am Dom (Cologne, Germany)
40) Arend’s Nest (Amsterdam, Holland)
41) Blues Bar (Stone Town, Zanzibar)
56) In de Wildeman (Amsterdam, Holland)
61) Krcma (Ceske Krumlov, Czech Rep)
68) Gösser Bierklinik (Vienna, Austria)
73) Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern (Bamberg, Germany)
74) De Hopduvel (Antwerp, Belgium)
77) Die Weisse (Salzburg, Austria)
78) Halve Maan Brewery (Bruges, Belgium)
96) Heineken Brewery (Amsterdam, Holland)
112) t’Bruges Biertja (Bruges, Belgium)

That will get me to 53.  10 more after that will get me to half the list.  Man, this is a lot of work.  haha.

Beer Mentor

A Beer Story: Stranded in Djibouti!

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As many of you know, I go to great lengths to find and provide the most interesting updates I can … sometimes it is more of an adventure than at other times … take this one instance … I was out looking for my next adventure for posting when we ended up stuck in some doldrums …

Yes … can’t you tell we are stuck?  Why don’t we just use the motor?  Well … according to these gauges … that could be a problem.

I quickly begin to scan the horizon for a safe place to which I should swim!  Of course, I was wearing my life preserver just in case!  Fortunately I sighted a beach that looked promising!

 

Throwing caution to the wind I grabbed my snorkeling gear and swam for it!  Fortunately I learned to swim at a young age (10 or 11 … that’s young isn’t it??)

I knew I had to find water soon (or something to drink) — looking around, I realized I’d have to travel some distance to find that for which I was seeking.  I hopped the nearest camel and began my quest for H2O …

The search continued for what seemed like hours … even my guide was getting thirsty …

 

All of a sudden … in the distance … I spied something … a glint of sunlight … something …

We began to make our move in that direction …

Yes … there was definitely something sitting there … waiting for me …

I began to crawl to it … recognizing it for what it was!

A Bavaria Premium Pils?   What is this!?!  A German-style Pilsner made in the Netherlands sitting here in Djibouti? And it’s cold too … quickly I reach into my pocket to bring out my BJCP style-guidelines.  I mean, of course, I haven’t had this before so I should definitely record my opinion and rating on this for the masses … but then, I think … hold on.  Can’t I just drink a beer for beer’s sake?  Yes … after a long swim and a hot camel ride, this was a fantastic beer!  Sometimes you can enjoy beer just because it is.

Who am I, you ask?  I’m mentor.  Beer mentor.

Recognized Beer Judge (from the BJCP)

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Well, my results came back from my test — I’m now a recognized beer judge according to the Beer Judges Certification Program.  My challenge is going to be finding some events to judge here in Africa for the next year — I will have to put the full court judging press on when I return to the USA in March to meet the criteria for judge’s points.

As I stated in a previous post, this was a very difficult test.  I understand they are changing the testing procedures … check the site above.  There were two parts really to the previous test:  1) Beer tasting section and 2) the technical/brewer’s knowledge.  Not that I’m making any excuses (but I am), I couldn’t put the effort into studying that I wanted to so my written test score was pretty low: a 61.  My tasting score was a 71 (in the “certified” category) — however, my cumulative score for judging was a 65.  This means I am a Recognized Beer Judge.  Yes.  The question you should have now is “is he really a mentor?”   Hell yes.  Trust me on this.  haha.

Either way–I’m just enjoying life!

Beer Mentor

German “Bier” in Germany!

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Ok, so from the previous two posts you can see I’m running a mini-theme here! Turkish Beer in Turkey, Ethiopian Beer in Ethiopia, and now German “Bier” in Germany. This was definitely a nice trip … capped off by a very nice visit to a typical German biergarten near Stuttgart, Germany.

I had a local favorite: Maultaschen! Great food followed up with a Paulaner hefeweizen. Yummy. There’s nothing like a fantastic German hefe … looking forward to my next trip to Germany!

Enjoy,

Beer Mentor

Ethiopian Beer (St George) in Ethiopia!

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As in my previous post, I was passing through Ethiopia, so I figured I better have two things while I’m here: Coffee and Beer!  I mean, it was midnight so it was the appropriate thing to do.  Of course (in case you didn’t know) coffee originated in Ethiopia.  It is fantastic.

However, this blog is about beer.  These are the two beers in Ethiopia I’m familiar with: St George and Castel.  I haven’t had Castel yet, but hope to have it on my next trip.  I did have the St George on tap.  It is a decent lager, but I think the lines at this bar were infected, darn it.  I drink it pretty regularly at my normal location–it is good in the bottle.  I hope the next time I have it on tap it might be better.

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

Turkish Beer (Efes) in Turkey!

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Recently I was passing through Turkey on business … I had a little layover at the Ataturk International Airport in Instanbul.  Well, it was only appropriate that I find a nice location to knock back a couple of Efes beers.  I had both the Efes Dark (a dark European-style lager) and the Efes Light (a light lager).

   

The dark lager was drinkable–if I had the opportunity to drink it again I would.  It was a fair representation of the style.  The light–I wouldn’t drink that one again.  Terrible.  I’m not sure why … the normal Efes is pretty decent.  Oh well.  Win some, lose some.  But I’ve now had Efes in the country in which it is made.  Win.  Then I flew Turkish Airlines!

Oh, I couldn’t figure out what to have with my beers so I had a Caprese Burger … haha.  Pretty good actually!

Enjoy,

Beer Mentor