The eagle has landed !

Furious in growler form and a 75 deg afternoon - someones doing their
grading out on the patio today. The only question is whether there
will be any growler left when Katie gets home

The Sourest Ale in Asia?

Two pictures of Sposborth Sour Ale, eight months in the making.  We brewed it last July.  The recipe calls for four more months in the fermenter before bottling, then an additional six months in the bottle.  I'm making a trip to Beijing on the first weekend in May, so we might just have to bottle it then.  The waiting is the hardest part.

Pizza in Itaewon

Delicioso.

Bourbon County Shout Out

08' is drinkin like a mean little little bourbon laden chocolate cake

Even with over a year and half on this beer, the bourbon greets you front and center and socks you right in the chest with an immediate wave of heat. Hoo-rah.

Sundays in the Neighborhood with Beer

I'd been holed up at home for a couple of days with a cold until I finally ventured back out into the neighborhood this afternoon.  So first stop was a hidden place just aside the back gate called Bean Story.   I could read the menu without any trouble and managed to make my order in Korean which prompted a few curious questions.  I stumbled through it; I wish I could understand spoken Korean.

No bullshit, this deuce is numero uno!

El Toro Deuce Imperial IPA - this beer has enough hops in it to kill a bull and more so. Definitely no deuce dropped with this one.

Imperial Smoked Porter

Anyone else had the new Tyranena porter yet? Had some last night ... I had low expectations for some reason, but it is kick-ass. the Smokey-ness is just enough without getting to overpowering bacon-cheddar territory. Also, the Chipoltle pepper taste for just a tiny hint of kick is awesome. Reminds me of the pepper chocolates Kathleen got one night when I was staying at Casa Walsh. Could be my favorite of the Brewers gone wilds so far.

Sitting at Coffee Grounds right now grading exams with a big pile of Tyranena smacking me in the face and daring me to stock up on it. Wish they had the tap hooked up already. Will have to make due with coffee, Pete-style. Currently drinking a triple-shot Latte. Added about half a teaspoon of sugar. Solid.

Shin's Coffee House

Macchiato at Shin's Coffee House in Hoegi-ro. It is ridonkulously cold and windy today. The coffee at Shin's is rock solid, highly bitter and the milk was again, frothed to a T. A+ for the cool design with the milk. The bathroom door has a funny sign to boot.
Short enough for you Barry?

Double your Ass Kicking

Double Crooked Tree is basically Crooked Tree's recipe doubled. Here's what you get........

a really murky deep orange pour

scents ooze with sugared pineapple and sweet pine cone with some caramel

taste dead on with the beak with a lingering, though tempered boozy bite on the back with hops fighting a raging malt blanket

thick and chewy body reminiscent or another Barleywine in DIPA clothing - Dankenstein

alcohol is present and pushes at the edges, but this beer is quite accessible at nearly 14%, which is saying something

roasting | mokapresso & hand drip

An Italian friend of mine lives above roasting | mokapresso & hand drip. He doesn't drink coffee, but said it smells great while they are roasting the beans, which must be a pleasant enough way to wake up in the morning. When I ordered Syphon Coffee I was fairly certain some kind of advanced procedure would follow, but I didn't know it would happen at the table. Cool stuff. Anyway the first step in the syphon is to put the grounds in a cup up top and heat the water underneath.

심슨!

Seen on a walk around my neighborhood after Korean class.

And now, "Grape"

Went for a shopping trip with my friend Stefan to Hannam Market today after lunch. I was hoping to find the razor blades I've been missing - didn't - and was determined to not leave empty handed, so I bought Premium Bernini Grape, a South African... beer? Now that I have the internet in front of me I know this is not a bottle of Grappa.

Tastes like a diet wine spritzer. The question is whether I will pour it down my gullet or my kitchen sink.

I also bought a bottle of Imported Castlemaine XXXX Import Lager, The Australian Classic. Slim pickins, meine Damen und Herren.

Update: The XXXX is actually not horrible. It's a lager with a whiff of coffee and caramel.

Now, Vin

Honestly I had every intention of making this last two or three days (okay two days), but c'est si bon.

A good bookend to a good weekend.

Happy Sunday from the other side of the Earth!

Sad

Is there anything worse than being at abrewpub or somewhere with a
worldlass beer list and being surrounded by people drinking corona?

We need to start educating Americas youth more about this issue-
Curriuculum update Barry?

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Coffeest!

Coffeest Day 2: Back for more at Coffeest. (Raise your hand if you can remember going to the Echo Tap for 10 straight days.)

Today we are having macchiato and ham cheese panini. When I walked in John Lee Hooker was playing, ten minutes later David Bromberg and ten minutes after that Tom Waits. The sandwich is great and the coffee is too. It won't be very long until I've tried everything on the menu. I want to move in. The idea of hearing Bromberg in a cafe in Korea is something I'm having difficulty getting my head around.

Day 1: Currently west of the main plaza (광화문) kitty corner from the 성국미술관 (Sungkok Art Museum). Spent a few minutes wandering around until I found it.

They have a coffee roaster the corner, the tables are big and wooden and the sandwiches smell good. Fast internet and the music is at a reasonable volume. The coffee is top notch. The thing is this: the milk is frothed perfectly - still wet and the bubbles are small.

I wish I lived a little closer. Everyone seems to know one another here. I had been going to a nearby Starbucks recently. Not anymore....

(Reminds me of Lookout Joe's on Mt. Lookout Square back in Cincy.)

Smoked Gouda and bacon mussels + beer

Dinner: bavarian pretzel and cask Lagunitas brown sugga (Meh),
Nostradamus Belgian and mussels, and stoudts imperial oatmeal stout
with chocolate toffee cheesecake. Plus some to-go IPAs. Pretty solid
night so far. All I need now is a wake forest victory.

White house of the confederacy

I sat next to the daughter of the proprietor on the plane. If the
south rises again, it will probably start here: (one block from the
hotel)

Things are looking up

Lunch in richmond ... Capital alehouse round one. Tap list is a
little slumping - too much Irish stuff for st paddys ... Can't blame
them but disappointing. Having a Nectar Ales IPA - orange +
grapefruit explosion. Come on grapefruit! Waiting on some crabcakes
and contemplating my next beer choice - may have to go bottle on this
one

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Nooooooo!!!!!

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/to-fight-malaria-skip-the-beer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FreakonomicsBlog+%28Freakonomics+Blog%29

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Early review: boourns Richmond

Why is nonone still serving food at 10 pm? I've had the following
today: a swig of milk out of the jug at home, a big grab cheedar
ruffles bag, a Take 5 chocolate bar, and three of my $2.79
breathsavers from Ohare airport. My stomach is literally eating
itself. Room service may be my only option. I'm at a bar where I'm
getting Deja vu... I think we came here for lunch before Keira and
Jeremy's wedding Duane. Had a st paddys guiness and a grossly
overpriced Chimay - lame airport Ramada- quality cover band is playing-
think I'll head back to the room

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Appropriate verbage

Obliteration VI smells like orange juice and tastes like pine cones smashed into said glass of OJ. Duane concurs.

Flying blows

Stuck at o'hare with a broken airplane. I hate flying. This is
cutting into my alehouse time - eta in Richmond has gone from 645 to
10:15. Starving to death but refusing to pay airport prices for
anything. My kingdom for something with the word "Imperial" in front
of it.

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The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in 회기

My office away from the office. I like the view here. Coffee is on the weak and watery side of the spectrum.

Headed to Richmond tomorrow

I'm going to Richmond for a conference tomorrow. The hotel is right down the block from this place.

Anyone know any other places to look into?

Not too excited about the location this year - the last two years have been Denver and Nashville. Richmond is a pretty big drop down. Next year Seattle though, whoo-hoo!

DLD

Hey, tickets should be on sale early tomorrow morning.....get you some!

Hoppy stouts FTW!

Hoppy stouts are awesome. Hate away Barry!

Lazy dog-dangling afternoon

Sitting out on the deck enjoying the 65 degree sun and lack of snow
everywhere for the first time since thanksgiving.

Drinking a founder's Nemesis - I wasn't crazy about the first sip but it's grown on me a lot as it warms up. Like a lighter, more maple-y version of Backwoods with a little more booziness. I would certainly get this again if it were available anywhere. Will save my other bottle to try to entice Pete to move back here.

My life just got infinately better...

Email today from the Coffee Grounds:

"... In the next few weeks, we'll be installing a tap system that we will serve you great beers or fill a growler for you take home. We'll have discounts on pints and growlers on Sunday, April 11th. Watch for Surley Furious and Dark Horse Boffo Brown the week of March 29th. "

What's that you say? Growlers of only good beers (that presumably I can cause to turn over faster by buying more of?) It's like having a rotating brew pub. Check-mate 'Grounds, you've got me again.

맥주 사진

One Dunkel and one Gratan from tonight in Castle Praha. I'm going to come back and add some colorful descriptions after I get some sleep.

...Alright so where were we? Castle Praha is a converted church with pizza and wine upstairs, a rathskellar one floor below street level and further down, the brewing equipment. They make three beers: Dunkel, Pilsner and Gratan. Has anyone heard of Gratan, by the way? Probably I'm remembering the name incorrectly. The beer is standard German brauhaus style. Und die bieren nicht schlecht war! Next time I'll have the Pilsner. It reminds me of Church Brew Works in beer selection and general ambiance. The Dunkel was sessionable. The Gratan had a slight medicine-y flavor to it. Looking forward to the Pilsner in the future.


Guini at Baby Guiness in Itaewon on Sunday. Everyone's had Guiness so I'll stick to trying to describe Itaewon. I liken it too Bourbon Street, or even State College at times. When the GI's and English teachers come out, I go home. But on the plus side plenty of good food in Itaewon exists. I watched the Super Bowl in a bar in Itaewon.

Earlier the same night for dinner at Gecko's. Nice place actually. Food wise, think of the Great Dane; beer wise think Applebees. Outside there is a long and narrow deck overlooking the main intersection. I'm sure I will go back when the weather improves. (Lousy Smarch weather!)

Gimme some of that sweet, sweet pep

The end of my first case - here's hoping Duane still has some more for
me. I think this is probably my holy Grail of beer, or if not, at
least in the top 5

Catching up on old posts 2

This has amazing potential, but is kind of a hot mess right now I
think. So many flavors going on in this ... I think it needs to age
and mellow. I have a 6 pack and will put the rest away for the future.

Catching up on old posts 1

This was pretty solid - way more coffee ish than I would have expected
from the name ... Really liked this a lot - goo balance of thick
chocolate flavor, coffee hints, and a little hop presence. Even Katie
liked this one. A-

Anyone had this yet?

We got 1 case in town of which I got a 2 bottle allotment. Looking
forward to it- how does it compare to 9000?

Wow, this is as fizzy as champagne

The DoucheNess Monster

Duane,

Blog about your trip.

Barry Sucks

BeerFest 2010

I hereby nominate June 10th as the start of Beerfest 2010

I hereby nominate Chris Ferguson's house as the location :)

That is all

Poppin my cherry

Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout is like taking your good friends to meet your family. You like them individually, but you're hesitant and slightly mortified by the possible ramifications of their union.

Tart cherries meet bourbon stout and their union is, um, lesser than the individual parts. Cherry overwhelms the best parts of the bourbon barrel aging. What you're left with is a snappy cherry stout that leaves you a bit saddened by what could have been.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday

3 Floyds, The Livery, Founder's , Bell's, New Holland, Arcadia, and Dark Horse in 3 days.  If you want anything from one of these breweries, let me know.  Know that Duane will probably leave you all a few drunk voicemails calling you punks or telling you to suck it.  I have no control over this.  :)

We wish you all could be on the trip with us, it would be WAY more fun with you.

Budvar at Morrison Hotel

어제는 머리선호탤신촌에서 친구를 만났어요. 우리는 쁘뜨버를 마셨어요. 좋아!

Bells 9000

Its supposed to be here tomorrow - anyone find any yet? (I'm guessing no for Pete - ha HA. Way to live in America, "no-beer"!)