As I mentioned on Saturday reaching out to the Twitterverse has worked well in the past, so I again asked for some help picking numbers before leaving home.  I still think that is a great way for me to get random selections, though I will take suggestions for other ways if anyone has another idea.  A big thank you to those who helped me out this time!

The first number that I was given (via @jcarlin) was 77 and turned out to be a good old Sam Adams Boston Lager (Boston Beer Company).  It is surprising that with so many Sam Adams options on the list, that this is the first one I have crossed off.  It pours crystal clear and amber in color (with a bit of orange tint).  Both the aroma and the flavor have a good malty base that is slightly sweet and has a bit of toasted character.  The best part of it for me is the good amount of hop bite and bitterness that comes through from the middle to the finish.  That character does linger a bit, which makes me thirsty for the next sip.

They should stick with these labels.

Sam Adams Boston Lager

We were both (Bill and I) in agreement when giving it a 4 since it is just a solid beer to enjoy at a bar and a good value at 4 bucks per each.  Though I would drink this one with just about anything, I would say if you stick with chicken dishes (including wings) or burgers you will have a really good beer pairing.

The second beer of the afternoon was again via @KegWorks, who gave me number 49 that was a Lobster Ale (Belfast Bay Brewing Co. – Belfast, ME).  Though I have never tried it, I seem to remember seeing this one a fair bit during our travels in Maine.  It pours a crystal clear amber color and has a clean, light malt aroma with some sweetness.  The flavor has a nice malty character that is somewhat dark caramel-like with a light burnt/smoky quality.  The hop bitterness comes through toward the finish that is abrupt and somewhat dry.

A lobster you can drink!

A better look at the color of the Lobster Ale.

I did like this one with its bit of smokiness in the flavor, though I am not sure how often I would be in the mood for it again.  It seems that Bill had some of the same thoughts since we both landed on a 3 for it.  I am very glad to have tried it where I likely otherwise would not have without the Beer Club incentive.  Because of its smoky, dark caramel characteristics I think it would go really well with strongly flavored cheeses and good steaks.  A nice burger with bleu cheese would probably be the perfect accompaniment.

Since the beer that was number 10 (via @kwidrick) was out of stock that afternoon we gave @jcarlin’s second number (9) a shot, giving us a Honey Raspberry Ale (Spanish Peaks Brewing Co.).  The bottle indicated production in Saratoga Springs, NY though I am not certain that is the main brewery location since it was founded in Montana.   It poured an amber (to copper) color that was pretty clear, though with a slight haze.  The aroma had a prominent berry profile with an underlying brown sugar-like maltiness.  The flavor of the berry comes through strongly up front then fades quickly and (to me) is noticeably artificial.  It is smooth with a slight bite at the finish.

A closer look at the dog.

Honey Raspberry Ale

There seems to be a distinct pattern developing with the wheat and fruit beers on the list that I have crossed off so far because this one lands at a 2 for me.  Bill could not get himself to even finish his and did not hesitate to give it a 1.  It likely would be more enjoyable when outside on a warm day (as I have said with fruit beers before), but it certainly should be consumed cold because it does not get better as it warms.  This is another beer that has a light overall profile and would be fine with salads or maybe lightly flavored fish or chicken dishes.

As a closing note to this post, I must say that I was surprised and pleased to have no chilled glasses this time.  I did not ask why on this visit as I am waiting to see what the situation is on my next visit.  I know that some people prefer the ice-cold glass, but I am not one of those people.

For those keeping track, that is now 11 down and 88 to go!

Stay tuned . . .

It was a bit surprising that on the first visit since attending the initial Celebration Town Tavern Tweetup with The Brew Crew that I saw a few familiar faces.  As I approached the table in the bar area, I recognized a few people that I remembered from the event sitting with Bill during their lunch break.  I will protect their real identities today, but I will say that their names both begin with “J” and they were both featured in the video recap of the Tweetup that you can see here.  I am certain that I will run into them again during my Beer Club efforts and otherwise, so there will be plenty of opportunities to reveal their actual names in the future.

Just after the luch time rush.

Backing up a bit, on this visit I had the most difficulty finding a parking spot to date.  I should know better than arriving during the lunch hour since it had always been busy, but I have gotten away with it a few times in the past.  It really was not a big issue to have to search for a few minutes, but I will take that into consideration when planning future trips for lunch.

Care to argue?

Much of the initial discussion was about the beer themed Tweetup and that having just shy of 50 people at the very first one was a darn good turnout.  The conversation continued to range among topics from home brewing, to the NHL trade deadline, and CTT website design ideas.  Danielle was fun as usual and even joined in on our late discussion of fruit based beers.  I am sure we didn’t get to the end of that one quite yet.

I would not mind having a signed one of these on my wall.

The beer selections were via my Twitter friends again, with a few thrown in from a text message to be used for a later visit.  It was some coincidence that the numbers turned out to be a northeastern themed trio of brews with one from Massachusetts, one from Maine, and one from New York.  That was a pretty appropriate set of beers for us to have in a New England style tavern.

Apparently non-Redsox fans are allowed in.

Stay tuned for the reviews . . .

Today is the perfect day for part two of the recap for the first Celebration Town Tavern Tweetup, since I think we all could use a little break from reading on a Monday.  The only thing that can make having a new video recording toy to play with better is having a spouse that not only takes great video, but also is an editing virtuoso.  I can only hope that The Wife can teach me to do some of the same as well as she does.

This was my first experience at a Tweetup and if you have not been to one before I think this first video might give you some incentive to make it out to CTT next time.

As mentioned in previous posts and in that video, there was a flight of four beers to be voted on for inclusion on the draft list at Celebration Town Tavern.  It turned out to be a really close result, only decided by a single vote!

One last look at the contenders.

Sometimes things work out even better than planned.  We already had a good interview with @TomtheBeerguy that I was excited about sharing here on the site.  So you can imagine how much sense it makes to share the video now that his beer, Orange Blossom Pilsner, was the winner of that close contest (with Oberon Ale a close second)!

Getting to meet the people that make the beer and hear some of the back-story behind the product seems to make the brews even more enjoyable.  I think you all will want to try some Orange Blossom Pilsner or Toasted Coconut Porter after watching this . . .

Yes he really is that much fun to be around!

A good time was had by all and I am already looking forward to the next one.  I will be sure to announce the date here so you can put it on your calendar!

Stay tuned . . .

Saturdays are when I would typically recap my visit to Celebration Town Tavern that week and perhaps preview the beers to be discussed in a few days.  Today will only be slightly different in that this will serve as part one of two posts looking back on the great first Tweetup that was held at CTT on Thursday (2/25).

The official sign for the first official event.

Traffic was good to us and we were able to arrive early enough to see the final portion of the set up that evening being done by @icejunkies, @beer99club, and members of @thebrewcrewteam.  Sure I could go with actual names, but we were at a Tweetup after all.

A bit of information before diving in.

Part of the event was a free tasting flight of beers to be voted on for addition to the draft list.  If you remember, the four beer to be voted on were:

• Oberon Ale (Bell’s Brewery)
• Orange Blossom Pilsner (Thomas Creek Brewery via CFL)
• Brown Ale (Brooklyn Brewery)
• Hazed & Infused (Boulder Beer)

The four contenders

After sampling, my ranking of those selections was:

1. Hazed & Infused
2. Orange Blossom Pilsner
3. Brown Ale
4. Oberon Ale

I suppose I should at least briefly explain myself.  The Oberon was the clear last place finisher for me, certainly not my favorite Bell’s product.  Wheat heavy beers are growing on me, but I am not all the way there yet.  It is probably accurate for me to say that the OBP and Brown Ale were 2 and 2A for me.  The OBP is nice, but I think of it as a beer I would want to drink while outdoors in the hot sun somewhere, not at a bar.  The Brown Ale is fine and all, but it is just a style that never stands out to me as something special.  So Hazed and Infused is the winner for me as a beer that I would sit down at a bar and order/drink.  Granted I tend to lean in a hoppier direction on many occasions, but still I stand by my decision.

However, there was a fifth beer to enter the fray (via the generosity of @TomtheBeerguy) that was not on the official ballot.  I think the Toasted Coconut Porter that he provided samples of very easily could have taken first place in the vote.  Perhaps it will find its way on an official beer ballot at a future CTT Tweetup?

Handing out some samples of TCP.

The official results of the vote will be released as portion of part two in a few days, but in the mean time do any of you want to let me know what your vote would be out of those four?

Taking a moment to talk beer with @willspot

There is quite a bit of good video to share as well (via the efforts of The Wife), so be sure to check back for part two in a few days for that and to meet (by name and face) some of the folks who made it out that night!

The good and the bad thing about working my way through the 99 bottles on the Beer Club list at Celebration Town Tavern is that you have to (of course) drink all of them.  What I mean by that is there are some beers on the list that I likely would never have ordered on my own under any set of circumstances.  Though I do my best to try all the beers that I can, I still have my favorites and go to brews just like everyone else.

There are beers on the list that I have had before and wouldn’t order again (because there are better options) and some others that I have never had and likely would not ever bother with.  Having to try them all presents some surprises for me.  I get a chance to discover some possible new favorites and sometimes even change my previous opinions of a beer.  There was a bit of both on my last visit to CTT.

We settled in with some of the lunch crowd.

Since reaching out to the Twitterverse worked so well last time, I asked for some help picking numbers before I left home.  That seems as random a selection as there can be.  A big thank you to those who helped me out!

The first number that I was given had already been crossed off the list (sorry to @willspot and his 92), so we went with 38 (via @joyfc).  That choice turned out to be an Iron City Beer (still with the name though no longer brewed in Pittsburgh), which is one on the list that I probably would not have ever ordered on my own.  It was pale golden (to straw) color and had an expected clean, clear lager appearance.  There was a nice, smooth, slightly sweet flavor coming from the grains and adjuncts.

Iron City Beer in a bottle.

Iron City Beer in a glass.

Overall it was nothing great, but not at all that bad either.  I am comfortable giving it a 3.5, especially when compared to the other lagers and 3 dollar choices on the list.  Bill gave it a four as we could both see ourselves drinking this while watching a game at the bar.  I would not have any problem drinking this one along with onion rings or spicy chicken wings, or any number of fried bar-type foods.

There were two numbers given by @KegWorks, so decided to go with 63, which turned out to be Orange Blossom Pilsner.  I admit that I see it all the time, but rarely ever drink it.  It was golden in color (with some orange tones) and had a light, malty, sweet aroma.  It is super clear, but I was left with little carbonation or head after it slushed up when poured into the chilled glass.  Even with that, there was a smooth flavor profile with the sweetness and flavor of the honey clearly coming through with a slight amount of fruitiness.

Orange Blossom Pilsner

Ice with your beer anyone?

I can see where this would be a good choice for something to enjoy while barefoot in the Florida sun.  Since we were inside on a rainy day, my opinion was that this beer was as much of a 3 (or maybe slightly under) as any beer likely can be.  It has a very specific flavor and character to it, so though is pretty good I don’t know how often I would be in the mood for that flavor again.  Bill also gave it a 3; maybe in part (by both of us) because this beer was one dollar more than the Iron City that we both enjoyed as a good sports bar type beer.  With all that said, the sweetness of this one would offset something with a spicy (perhaps Cajun) character as well going along well with a strawberry shortcake-like dessert.

Leinenkugel Honey Weiss

A little closer now.

The other number from @KegWorks was 47, giving us a Leinenkugel Honey Weiss for our last beer of the afternoon.  Though it had a crisp, slightly sweet aroma, I also noticed a bit of sharpness (almost minerally) to it.  The appearance is light yellow (pilsner-like) and crystal clear.  It is very crisp, clean, and smooth with a very light honey sweetness and maybe a bit of dryness at the finish.

Remember when I mentioned sometimes changing my previous opinions?  I generally enjoy Leinenkugel products, but this one did not really do it for me.  Not really bad, just pretty nondescript and unmemorable.  The 2.5 that I gave it also had much to do with enjoying the previous two beers more than I did the Honey Weiss.  In giving it a slight edge over the Orange Blossom, Bill gave it a (3 to) 3.5.  I would say that you would have no issues pairing this with a lighter salad or mildly seasoned chicken dish as strong flavors would crush what this one brings along.

For those keeping track, that is now 8 down and 91 to go!

Stay tuned . . .

Today is when I would typically recap what went on during my last visit to Celebration Town Tavern, like how it was quite busy and there was a good crowd at the bar on a gorgeous, sunny day.  However, it just so happens that most of the time there with Bill was spent discussing what is coming up there this week, so that is what I will focus on.  That seems appropriate to me.

Good crowd for lunch.

This coming Thursday, February 25^th starting at 6:30 will be the first Tweetup at CTT and will also, coincidentally, be the first Tweetup that I will attend in my very young Twitter career.  Now you may be wondering why a guy writing a beer site would be so exited by such an event.  Well, I haven’t gotten to the best part yet.

For the folks attending the Tweetup there will be beer.  Of course you would expect that, but there is a special opportunity to sample a few beers not typically on the list at CTT.  With The Brew Crew Team on board for the occasion, each person coming to the Tweetup will be given a flight of four beers to sample.  After tasting all four, everyone will vote on the beer that they enjoyed the most.  In other words, they are asked to vote for the beer that they would order on their own if they were to visit again.  The winner of this vote will be added to the draft selection at CTT for at least the near future.

How often do you get to help select the beer list where you go for Happy Hour?

Hope for good weather . . . we will be at the outside bar!

And what kind of insider would I be if I didn’t give you the list of four beers that will be voted on that evening?  No need to answer that because I am going to tell you the brewery name and beer name right now!  I won’t get into the style of each beer or my opinions of each quite yet as I do not want to add any preconceived biases to the voting.  Even having tried each of these before, I am not quite sure which way I will cast my vote that night.

Without further delay from me, the four beers will be:

• Oberon Ale (Bell’s Brewery)
• Orange Blossom Pilsner (Thomas Creek Brewery via CFL)
• Brown Ale (Brooklyn Brewery)
• Hazed & Infused (Boulder Beer)

If that isn’t enough incentive to stop by on Thursday, there will also be live entertainment starting at 7:00 and continuing on to 10:00!

Sorry for you Yankees fans who will be attending.

I will likely be the only one there with a camera and a pad of paper, so please say hello if you can stop by.  This is likely the first of many Tweetup events at CTT and it would be a good thing to be one of the “founding members” . . . hint, hint.

See you there!

There was a plan going into the visit to Celebration Town Tavern last week as to what beers I would drink, but we quickly decided on much better options to choose the brews for the day.  Since I have only two beers crossed off the list and Bill started a fresh card on that day we were able to go with much more random methods of picking numbers from the 99 available.  I think there will still be some very creative options as the amount of remaining beers becomes smaller.

Be sure to say hello if you see some guy writing while drinking.

Bill’s Wife Dawn selected number 92 as the first beer for the afternoon, which made me quite happy when I found out that Skullsplitter (Orkney Brewery) was the winner.  Just check out the video that The Wife got with our (still) camera capturing the moment of realization.

Sure, I didn’t jump up and down with excitement, but trust me; I was very pleased with the choice.  Oh and don’t worry, the faces of the other players, including The Wife, Bill, Dawn, and a large number of the staff will be appearing soon.  They can only stay faceless names for so long!

A bit dark, though good enough to pick from a lineup.

On to the actual beer now that I have hyped it so much.  It presented a full malty, sweet aroma even through the smells of food surrounding us.  The color is deep amber with some red tones and likely would have some trail or legs with the higher alcohol content (a chilled glass tends to kill that).  The flavor falls in line with the aroma, being very malty and smooth with some warmth and a slight sharpness.

That is better

This beer lands at about a 4.5 for me, which makes sense after looking back at what I gave it while reviewing at home with a different grading scale.  Since Bill gave it a solid 4, it is safe to say that it is a pretty good one, especially if you are looking to have just one or two beers.  I think its heavy maltiness would stand up well when paired with a burger topped with blue cheese (or other stronger flavored cheese) or a steak or maybe ribs.  It would probably dominate most seafood dishes, so I would suggest sticking to red meat with this one.

The Wife picked 28 as the next beer of the evening.  Actually she initially picked 17, but we thought that it wouldn’t be right to step all the way down to Bud Select from Skullsplitter.  With 28 we ended up with Great White (witbier) from Lost Coast Brewery.  Maybe that was not a good beer to follow with either, but not many beers on the list would have the strength of our first beer.  That’s the fun of the random lottery system!

Shark tested and approved.

The beer pours a very light golden color and is mostly clear, but with some suspended particulates that make it a bit hazy.  It has a spicy/herby nose with a somewhat citrusy character.  There is a good amount of coriander flavor up front with a heavy citrus (lemon) profile as well.  The spice component lingers a little at what I said at the time was a “Lysol-like” finish.  Much of that had to do with the heavy amount of lemony character

A pad of paper has many uses.

The beer ends up with a solid two for me and Bill gave it a slightly higher 2.5, though still below the median of 3.  It is probably a bit surprising that I gave the beer as high as a 2 considering that I used Lysol in the description of flavor, but it did have some nice qualities as well.  The whole did not work well for my palate though and it definitely is not on the “drink again” side of my grading scale.  With that said I do think that its lighter profile can work well with some grilled chicken or fish as well as any salad that does not have an overpowering dressing.

For the final number and our third beer on that visit to CTT, The Wife reached out to the Twitter universe, simply asking to pick a number between 1 and 99.  The first answer back in was number 53, leaving us with a Mickey’s (Fine Malt Liquor) to cap our evening.  Certain friends of mine responded with a bit of shock and horror after seeing pictures of me posing with the Mickey’s bottle, but it is on the list and had to be done.  Sorry Emily!

A little green grenade

As expected, this one poured super clear with a light yellow to golden color.  The aroma was very light overall with a bit of maltiness, but otherwise just clean.  The flavor was much the same with a light malt profile and a bit of sharpness to it.  There is really nothing spectacular about it, but nothing bad either.

Take your time . . .

Still working on the puzzle, aren't you?

Bill and I agreed on a 3 for this one.  Part of that mark from me was that it was just OK (see above) and the other part was that I looked at the Beer Club list and this one has good value for the cost, especially compared to some of the other 3-dollar offerings.  This one should work pretty well with spicier foods like chicken wings or anything with say a Cajun style seasoning on it.

Now there are 3 more off the list, leaving me with a total of 5 down and 94 to go.

Stay tuned!

Fridays are a great thing, but lately it seems they have meant rain here in Central Florida.  So when we were driving through the heavy precipitation on our way to Celebration Town Tavern I didn’t really know what to expect upon arrival.  I figured that either all the folks who would normally be sitting outside would be packed into the bar or the rain would prevent many people from stopping in at all.

No Noble Pils for us on this day.

The bar area (and from what I could see, the entire place) was full and I immediately realized how silly I was to doubt the power of the Friday Happy Hour.  No amount of rain can keep people from the cold beer they have been waiting for all workweek long.

Not just the bar area was filling up.

Having not put much thought into it before, I think that the time just after work on Friday is my favorite time to be at a bar and it was no different at CTT on this day.  Sure there may have been frustrations during the week, but who can really stay upset with a good beer and a weekend in front on them?  It makes for a good crowd and a good time.

Heaven for a New England fan in Florida (like The Wife).

The Wife joined me on this visit to meet up with Bill B. and Dawn for a few hours.  We had a great time as we chatted among ourselves and with the folks that were working the bar (Danielle and Shawn primarily).  Discussion among the people there was heavily weighted in sports, ranging from football (despite the off season) to the upcoming Olympic Games.

No seats left for us at the bar.

As it has been on all of my (still relatively few) visits, it was a very comfortable feeling sitting inside as it continued to dump rain outside.  That comfort is helped by the fact that one or both of the owners (Bill and Susan) are always very visible as they stop by the tables to say hello and chat with the patrons.  We were fortunate this time to briefly meet their son and daughter as well and it was no surprise that such nice people have nice kids.

A little hint as to what one of our choices was.

Needless to say I crossed a few more beers off the Beer Club list while I was there and Bill B. started a card of his own, joining me on the process.  We had a pretty wide range of styles and they were chosen in a few different ways.  The methods of choosing and the beer reviews will be revealed in a few days.

Time to start your own!

Stay tuned . . .

So today is the first post about the beers that I am drinking on the way to my Beer Club membership at Celebration Town Tavern (which will often be referred to as CTT).

The format of the evaluations will definitely be different from those that I typically do on this site, though how they will exactly work is still a bit of a moving target.  Reviewing in a restaurant environment throws in many variables that change my methods versus what I can do at home.  For today and for at least the near future, the primary goal of these reviews will be to help identify which beers I would return to again after I am through the entire list of 99 bottles.  Ultimately that will result in a scale of 1 to 5, with the 5’s being those that I would definitely come back to.  We will see how that works for now and go from there.

It just so happened to work out that on my first visit two Abita Brewing Company beers were in the number 1 and 2 slots on the beer list.  Though I had not planned on going with the first two on the list, with the big game coming up it made the decision much easier to go with the beers from Louisiana.  Looking back, I would also like to take some credit now for the Saints winning after my little homage to them.  You are welcome Joe!

We had a great seat.

Since my visit was on a beautiful day around noon, the outdoor seating was quite full and we decided to sit inside in the bar area to ease into my first time stopping by for review purposes.  With it being a bit quieter inside I was able to brainstorm ideas while having a few beers with Bill and also meet Danielle (whose picture will be up on the page in the very near future).  She set me straight on how the Beer Club card works and I will certainly be seeing her again many times during this process.

Very good spicy tuna dip.

The first beer was an Abita Purple Haze (#1 on the list), which I have had many times before since it is one of The Wife’s beers of choice.  The beer pours a light copper to orange color with a good amount of haze (who would have guessed).  There is a light fruit nose with some sweetness underneath.  It has a light body and very low carbonation (iced glass could have contributed to that) with a short length of finish.  Really light flavor profiles overall (including fruit).

Abita Purple Haze

The beer is certainly very drinkable and I would settle on about a 3 overall (probably toward 2.5).  I will say that generally fruit beers have not been my favorite in the past, but I continue to try them and they are growing on me a bit.  The fruit flavors in this one are pretty subtle and not too sweet, which works well for me.  I would prefer to drink this beer outside on a warm, sunny day versus sitting with it inside.  Lastly, since the flavors are pretty understated, I would suggest pairing this with a food that isn’t too strong with flavor since it would just overpower the beer.  A salad with a lighter dressing (bleu cheese would be too dominant) would be a good match for it.

Abita Amber (#2 on the list) was my second beer that afternoon and something that I have not had for quite a long time.  It pours with a medium amber color (of course) and has good clarity.  Even with the good aromas of food surrounding us, I could detect a light malty nose as well.  The beer had a lightly roasted/toasted flavor with a hint of caramel character and really has a very smooth, clean flavor overall.

Abita Amber

The Amber is probably a solid 3 on my scale as well.  The reason that I suggested that the Purple Haze was probably on the low side of 3 is because I did favor the Amber if having to choose between the two.  The beer was again very drinkable, but was more to my palate than the fruitiness of the Purple Haze.  Since the Amber does have a good malty profile, I think that it would hold up well paired with fried fish or even something spicier like chicken wings.

Well, there we go, 2 down and 97 to go.  Be sure to let me know if you agree with me or don’t agree with me on the beers and if you approve of the method that I am using to evaluate them.

Until next time . . .

After another visit earlier this week, today is finally the day to announce and kickoff a little side project for the site.  I have been invited to document my process of becoming a member of the Beer Club at Celebration Town Tavern over the coming months.  I invite you to take a look at the newly added “99 Bottles” page above for a full explanation of what to expect.

It should be a lot of fun and will make for even more good content on this site.  Before you check out the dedicated page here are a few pictures of and around Celebration Town Tavern for those who are unfamiliar.

Walking toward Front St.

Looking over the water toward Front St.

Looking toward CTT from the hotel

Approaching CTT on foot

Now from the other side of the street

Cheers to the first of many posts along the way!