Category Archives: The Traveler (Global Beer Culture)

My thoughts and ideas about places I’ve been and the beer experience I’ve had at those places …

#51: John Barleycorn (115)

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First, I have to apologize to my legions of fans for slacking on my posting for the last month … I have no excuse.  Just accept it and let’s get on with it.  LOL.  Secondly, sorry to disappoint you, but I put the hiatus on my 365 beers in 365 days.  I couldn’t stand the pressure … plus, sometimes I like drinking the same beer.  Oh well.  So life goes.  But let’s get back to the task at hand!  The Growler List.   This last weekend I had to be in Chicago.  Sweet!  Why is this sweet you say?  Well … there are 5 places on the Growler list in Chicago … yes. I knocked out all 5.  Today’s post is the first one I visited … #115 on the list — John Barleycorn.

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There are four versions of this place in Chicago.  Although not the original, this one was outstanding.  I showed up a few minutes before they were supposed to open and they welcomed me right in!  The manager, Mr. Brett Mizera, was very knowledgeable and really set the tone.  He handed me over to Miko and she was also well informed.

They had a great selection of local brews, so I had the sampler (with a couple of subsitutions … thanks Miko).

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I chased down my beers with the Patty Melt on Texas Toast. Of Course!  haha.  Definitely deserves to be on the list.  Worth a visit if you are in the city.

Enjoy!  Beer Mentor

 

Beer 52: Perennial Artisan / 4Hands Marathon

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Today Mike and I hit two local breweries making excellent beers!

First on the list was Perennial Artisan Ales.  This place (as I’ve mentioned before) is awesome!  You never know what will show up on tap!  So, we ordered a sample of all 8 (two samplers actually).  The beers on tap this night were: 1) Coffee Abraxas, 2) Abraxas (Mexican Chocolate Stout), 3) Seventeen (Mint Chocolate Stout), 4) Fantastic Voyage (Coconut Milk Stout) [Beer 52], 5) Fete de Noel (Belgian Strong w/ Rosemary, Orange Peel, and Raisins), 6) Hereafter (Witbier (I think) with Sage and Pear), 7 Aria (Belgian Pale Ale with Brett Yeast), and 7) the Saison de Lis.   Wow!  These beers were awesome and they kicked our butts!  Oh, one of the owners/brewers was there and gave us a quick tour.  Score!  The beer was so good we forgot to pay our tab.  lol.  Gave me an excuse to go back and drink some more …

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WP_20131127_023 Here was a look at their current stock and beers.  Small volume through the brewery but they are expanding.  They have good demand.

WP_20131127_022 This set of barrels are from the Side Project work … you gotta get your hands on some of these beers.  Most Excellent.

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From Perennial we went to 4Hands for their twice monthly (on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays) “Beer Swap meet.”

I really enjoy everything about 4 Hands.  Of course, we got the complete sampler here too … The folks are awesome, beers are good, and you can sample so many different beers … all so good!  Come on over and enjoy with them.

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Beer Mentor

Beer 44: Blanche de Chambly

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Twelve days behind.  Darn.  I keep thinking I will stay caught up and then … I don’t.  Haha.  I need a ghost blogger.  Someone to write all this stuff for me (oh, and do the research as well).  Oh well … time to catch up a little.

Today’s beer was a nice Canadian one: Unibroue Blanche de Chambly.   This is a very nice Witbier … according to the brewery, it is North America’s first abbey beer.  Cool.  One other interesting tidbit for you … Unibroue is actually owned by the Japanese (Sapporo International).

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I savored this nice beer at Tripel.  Where else?  haha.

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

 

#40: Blues Bar (Stone Town, Zanzibar) (#41)

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This is the first of several entries to catch you lucky readers up with my Growler List visits. This is my 40th stop on the Growler List (#41 on their list).   I was in Africa for most of 2012 and decided to spend my New Year’s in Zanzibar.

There were several reasons, but chief among them was the desire to visit the Blues Bar.  Imagine my chagrin when I realized this place was closed… if you look closely at this photo you can see the fallen down building that used to be the Blues Bar.

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Of course, I didn’t realize it was closed until I had already booked my trip.  No problem!  I knew it would be an awesome time anyway and it was.  Fantastic even.  We stopped in at Mercurys right on the beach.  This place was named in honor of Freddy Mercury who was born in Zanzibar.  The picture above was taken from the deck.  Here’s a series of photos of the place so you can see the feel is quite awesome.

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Great place to drink a beer … and even better when you are drinking a Gin and Tonic!  Hey, I like other things besides beer!  Although this place was spectacular, I would probably rate the sunset cruise (with beer) even better … or even the Sunset Bar at the Africa House.  Both of those were awesome!

DSC_0942 DSC_0951 Nope, not pirates … thank goodness!

What kind of beer you ask?  What everyone drinks in Africa … a lager.  Haha.  Another one off the Growler List … I will keep them coming!

Beer Mentor

 

Beermentor’s Neighborhood: Tripel Brasserie (Beer 41)

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My favorite restaurant/bar in St Louis is Tripel Brasserie.  To understand why, I need to tell a short story.  I will keep it simple:  Before I moved to St Louis in June I thought I was moving to Belgium.  My mind was wrapped around all those Belgian beers (supplemented with some good German ones).   When I found out that, no I’m not going to Belgium, I’m going to St Louis it was quite the letdown.  However, once I got here and saw the thriving Craft Brew scene I was immediately cheered up!  I went to the Heritage Beer Festival in June and it was even better!  As I was making my way back to my apartment from the fest I stumbled across this restaurant (Tripel) that wasn’t open yet … but they invited me in and I was hooked ever since.  Great Belgian/French food paired with Belgian beer (and local Belgian-style beers) matched with great folks?  Who can pass that up?  I make it a point of hanging out there at least once a week (usually Tuesday) … many times I’m there a couple of times.  Here are a few pictures to show how great the place is:

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 Oh look, Jim is coming out to meet me!

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 A little welcome mat …

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Plenty of beers on tap (local and Belgian)! And plenty in the bottle … they have a very nice selection.

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 Matt and Darla hanging behind the bar.

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A great space to have dinner — awesome decor.

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Terry getting ready to put together the day’s special cocktail!

Oh, I guess I should go ahead and list my 41st beer in my quest:  The Petrus Aged Red.  On Tap.  They keep their beers moving in here … this is a new one on tap.  Another nice thing about Tripel — they have the right glass for each beer.  Definitely a plus.  Oh, did I mention it is less than a mile from my place?  An easy “walk” home … 

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Enjoy!  Beer Mentor

 

Beer 40: Schneider-Weisse Tap 7!

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Beer 40 is a German Hefeweizen: The Original.  I have a great fondness for this Brewery (Schneider-Weisse) having visited both the Brewery in Kelheim and the Weisse Brauhaus in Munich (site of the original Brewery).

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I’m a big fan! Why is it called Tap 7? If you go to the Weisses Brauhaus, it is Tap #7.  Go give it a try!  Beer Mentor

The Halo Bar @ The Pageant (Beer 39)

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I went to see All That Remains in concert on Thursday night.  They were fronting for Sevendust and Asking Alexandria, but I really went to see ATR.  It was awesome.

IMG_2071IMG_2079  Here I am with the lead guitarist. lol.

Speaking of awesome — The Halo Bar @ The Pageant is just that.  Check out the sweet music-themed layout here.  The pageant is a great music venue … the Halo Bar complements it.

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Since I have the 4 Hands theme going this week, I just kept it rolling with the Single Speed Session Ale.    This is a good beer … easy drinking ale and fits that purpose.

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Enjoy!  Beer Mentor

 

Specialty Beer Swap @ 4 Hands Brewery (Beer 38)

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Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, 4 Hands Brewery hosts a “Specialty Beer Swap” by local homebrewers or beer “aficianados.”  I went to my first one tonight — although lightly attended due to other beer activities going on in the city, I was able to sample several different beers.  Beer 38 for me was one I’ve wanted to sample: The Velvet Merkin.  Whoa.  This is an outstanding beer.   Firestone Walker out did themselves with this Oatmeal Stout.  Although it is 8.5% ABV, it is so smooth.  Many bourbon-barrel aged beers are sometimes overpowered by the residual bourbon in the barrel–not this one!  There was the hint in the background, but you could definitely tell this was all beer!  If you can get your hands on a Merkin, I recommend it! <smile>

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The fantastic thing about this evening is that this was not the only beer I was able to sample.  Next up (none of these are in any particular order) was a Russian River Beer: Temptation.  Wow!  Two world-class beers in a row.  This one is listed as an American Wild Ale.  Here’s the description: “A blonde ale fermented with a special strain of yeast, then aged in French oak chardonnay barrels. Flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout twelve months of aging. During this aging process, a secondary fermentation occurs using a yeast strain disliked by most brewers and winemakers called Brettanomyces.” [from BeerAdvocate]

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Next up? Short’s Brewery Soft Parade.  This one was a little sweet for my taste … very similar to a Lambic/Kriek but I’m not sure they call it a Lambic.  The bottle says “High Gravity brewed with a bunch of different fruit.”  Still a very good beer.

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Fourth taster?  Port Brewing‘s Santa’s Little Helper.  An Imperial Stout aged in Oak Barrels … wow again!  This beer was fantastic.  So nice and tasty, the aroma was great with a very good finish.  Find it, buy it.  haha.

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The last beer was one I provided.  Premiant Hopburst by Brouwerij de Molen.  It is bottle 104 out of 366.  This bottle was 4 years old.  This is a single-hopped IPA made exclusively with Premiant hops (a Czech variety).  I liked this beer, but a couple of the guys there didn’t.  Maybe they weren’t used to an aged IPA?  I thought it was really good.

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Overall a great beer tasting evening at 4 Hands.  I look forward to the next one!

Beer Mentor

Beer 37: 4 Hands Chocolate Milk Stout

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Curreently, 4 Hands brewing is my favorite brewery in St Louis (followed closely by FOBAB multi-medalist Perennial).  4 Hands’ beers are consistently outstanding.  My only caveat is you have to really like hops, but who doesn’t?  Today’s beer is not hoppy, the Chocolate Milk Stout.

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Some Chocolate Milk Stouts will have a harsh or burnt characteristics because of the blend of cocoa and chocolate malts–not this one!  4 Hands really built a smooth milk stout that is easy drinking.  Great chocolate nose and the finish is smooth.  If you have the opportunity to try some of their beers, I highly recommend it.  If you are taking in a show at The Old Rock House or a Cardinals ballgame (when in season), recommend a stop in before or after the game.

Enjoy!  Beer Mentor