So if you come visit Djibouti I would recommend staying in a couple of places.  There’s a Sheraton here.  There’s also this place: Kempinski Resort.  This place is a five-star hotel/resort.  You have to see it to believe it.  It has as many as five bars to choose from … Check out the details here.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of hanging with some friends at the Kempinski.  What was special about it?  Well … besides the live music, great scenery, they had both Stella Artois and Leffe on tap.  The only drawback on having Belgian beers available was that they didn’t have the right glasses for it.  However, that’s ok — I enjoyed the glass they gave me for my Leffe … especially since I could only have two!

Ha ha.  Again … the Kempinski is a nice plan to go if you are in the area! :o)

Beer Mentor

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

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