Meet John Doe

Not at all beer-related, but MY better half neglected to mention that I shook John Doe's hand (OK, finger) at the X show the other night.

Not this hand. The other one. Actually his index finger.

Memorial Day 2008 - Prologue - X and Green Flash

Just prior to our big Memorial Day brew-tour (the previous Tuesday evening), we had tickets to see X at the Paradise, in Boston. (Ooops! That should say "legendary punk band X"). Prior to the show we stopped in to the Sunset Cantina, across Comm. Ave. from the 'dise. I had "Green Flash IPA", or so it was billed. It must be "West Coast IPA" from Green Flash Brewing Co. Whatever you call it, it was very nice.

Here I call your attention to my limited descriptive vocabulary. To describe different beers I will use such illustrative terms as "good", "hoppy", "nice", "very hoppy", "nicely bitter", "very good". I think you get the idea. I don't know the fancy lingo. I know that I like hoppy IPAs, and an occasional lager or summer ale. Beyond that, I don't have too much to say.

The Green Flash was had the kind of fruity (?) hop aroma and taste that many IPAs have. As my better half describes it, "that grapefruit taste". Anyway, it was excellent.

X, while not tasting at all grapefruity, was outstanding. One of the 4 or 5 best shows I've ever seen. The Paradise is a great, intimate venue, and we had a great spot up front. I'll leave further description of the show to my former floor mate (UMass, Amherst), Jonathan Perry. Great show, by a great (and yes, legendary) band. It was a great way to start what was sure to be a very busy, fun week.

Memorial Day 2008 - Chapter 1 - Gritty's Freeeport

Our Memorial Day, Southern Main, micro-brew/calamari extravaganza started Friday evening at Gritty's, Freeport. Again, this spot is a big part of why this blog exists. I started with a Best Bitter - consistent and very refreshing. I followed that with a Vacationland. It's a bit unorthadox to go darker-to-lighter, but heck, I was just happy to be "home".

We indeed partook in the outstanding Gritty's calamari, opting for the butter-garlic treatment. This is the difference-maker for me. Adding butter-garlic to great calamari is like sleeping in, and having a full bacon-and-eggs breakfast at the same time - so much of a good thing it's hard to believe it's real.

My favorite feature of Gritty's, even more so than the beer and the squid, is the atmosphere. It is so casual and friendly. I like fancy places like the next person, but Gritty's Freeport makes me feel relaxed and welcome like few other pubs.

And of course, we did some damage at Gritty's top-notch gift shop...

Chocolate Stout!

The husband bought me Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout knowing my great love of Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout. Sadly, Brooklyn's chocolate stout lacks the smoothness and the subtlety of Young's. I'll just have to take a mini road trip to my favorite package store to get me some Young's.

Summer Is Here...

After a weekend of Gritty's Vacationland Summer Ale and Shipyard's Summer Ale, I have to say -- does anything taste more summery than a beer with a wedge of lemon in it??

Gritty's this Memorial Day weekend

We will be heading to Southern Maine this Memorial Day weekend for a mini-vacation. The trip will feature at least one visit to Gritty McDuff''s, probably the primary inspiration for this blog. Not only is Gritty's renowned for its quality brews, but they also serve some of my favorite Calimari. Their twist is the garlic butter in the bottom of the dish - truly decadent.