Beer Blotter

Drooling over some paella and one heck of a turkey club.

Like most of you, I head Seattle Beer News. SBN is a great blog published by Seattle’s Geoff Kaiser. Back in the day, Kaiser used to push Renton’s Red House as the place to enjoy beer and the sun. No kidding, after our visit today I’m not sure I’d want to be anywhere else.

As part of our “Were on Paternity/Maternity leave” month, we have been committed to visiting some of the great beer places of Seattle’s exterior. Renton’s Red House Beer & Wine Shoppe is one of those incredible eateries. An old two story home in Renton houses one hell of a restaurant, where you are seated among copious bottles of beer and wine.  To accompany their excellent (and I mean excellent) food, they have selected some of the very best beer on the planet.

When you arrive at Red House, its impossible to miss the courtyard – you walk right through it. Covered with fully-coned hop vines (cascade?), the courtyard is expansive and would certainly keep me intrigued throughout the sunny months. But, now that its October its time to head inside.

Inside the place, you will find the comfortable rooms of your home, each outfitted with a number of tables and racks of fine wine. In the back, you will find some high tables and  the beer den. Upstairs is another array of rooms, most popular with the dining crowd. Check out the whole place before settling for a table. Find the right fit – then head to the beer room.

I love when a place lacks a beer list. Some find it annoying, I find it adventurous. Go ahead and check out the beer room? Um, yes please. Who knows what the hell is waiting for me on the shelves? Today, it was some Central City Red Racer IPA and a bottle of the Bruery’s Hottenroth Berliner Weiss. All bottles are priced to sell at retail sticker – and opening it to go with your meal is a measly $1.50.

The menu covers all the bases. Want a myriad of small plate tapas? Try the marinated mushrooms stuffed with feta or the baked goat cheese. Want sandwiches? Get the turkey, apple and bacon or the salmon BLT. Want something fancy? GRAB THAT PAELLA! Seriously though, the paella these guys are slinging is the best on the West Coast. Filled with some of the best sausage (linguica?) I have ever had, you won’t be able to finish this meal.

On top of the excellent meal and beer, the staff was incredibly warm and welcoming. Our waitress certainly knew her beer and was extremely accommodating of our little man.

The Red House is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. On October 19, 2011, they will be hosting a beer dinner with the wonderful folk from New Belgium Brewing. I will just guess and say that this means a good chance to meet our good friend Todd Gillman for some excellent sour beer and delicious Red House food.

Check out the Red House if you are looking for a chance to escape Seattle. Its the perfect place for a date, lunch with the kids, or a late night food frenzy.

We decided to trek up to Mill Creek, WA today and check out a new place. Timperial had told rumors of Elliott Bay Pizza and so it was time to figure out whiter he was full of shit. The rumor: A small town pizza and sub shop packed with 18 amazing taps that would rival Seattle offerings.

Well, it turns out he wasn’t lying. Elliott Bay Pizza is a worthy weekday trek, roughly 20 miles out of downtown Seattle. The two room bar and deli is stuffed into a local mimi mall. But don’t let the venue enclosure trick you, inside lays a wonderful beer venue.

Elliott Bay Pizza doesn’t mess around with it’s beer. 18 taps and a small complement of great bottles will leave you bug eyed. We arrived to Ommegang Gnomegang, Goose Island Matilda, and oh yeah – Lost Abbey Bourbon Barrel Angels Share. I love it.

So, check them out on Twitter (@elliottbaypizza) and know what’s pouring. Then find a weekday evening to escape Seattle.

pic cred: beerbeatsbites.com

I stumbled across some interesting news today. My favorite beer bar in New Orleans and a strong contestant for “favorite beer bar in America” is joining forces with one of my favorite breweries in all the world.

Avenue Pub meet Cantillon, Cantillon meet Avenue Pub. Now, I know for most, this is just a tease. “Great, Avenue Pub, all the way in New Orleans is pouring Cantillon…” My love for this bar and this brewery drive my post.

From Avenue Pub’s Facebook Page.

Drumroll please…this is the announcement I’ve been dying to make…its official. The Pub has been chosen as one of the 10 bars in the US to tap Brasserie Cantillon Zwanze. It’s a big honor…check out the list of the other bars chosen and you will see why. More to come soon..there will be aged bottles that day too!

Zwane is an alias for the Pinot D’Aunis, a fruity lambic where only bottles are available at the brewery. So Avenue Pub is truly among the elite to be serving this beer. We were lucky enough to visit Cantillon in the flesh last year. Check out my post about the brewery and our experience here.

For more details (once they are released) about when this tapping will occur, contact Avenue Pub.

Menu items at Roots in Chi Town.

Written by resident guest author: For Whom the Beer Toales.

DSR, have a box of tissues ready, because the following is going to make you cry like the Bachelorette when Bentley left.

One thing that I do not understand about Chicago is how everyone that lives here is not grossly overweight. Chicago, like my hometown of Philadelphia, has a dangerous penchant for making healthy foods unhealthy (bacon on salad/vegetables/everything) and unhealthy food EVEN WORSE (wrapped in bacon/deep fried/cheesy-blaster’d). The menus at most of the places we go look like they could have been created by the guys behind Epic Mealtime. I will henceforth refer to this emerging genre as “fatty/stoner piles.” Today, I will tell you where to get the best one I have ever had.

About a month ago, a pizza place quietly opened at the end of our street (note dangerous proximity). We have walked the dogs by a few times and marveled at the interior design, the decadent heaps of food they serve, the bros that swarm there like flies, and the BEER SELECTION. As I will be traveling for the next few weeks, I chose to have my sendoff dinner at Roots.

The place has more of a Dave and Busters vibe than I normally go for (some kind of “Dukes of Hazzard” theme happening, all the impossibly thin waitresses wear impossibly short shorts) but I am glad I persevered in spite of this.

After some initial confusion with our adorable and well-meaning waitress, I ordered a Point Belgian White from Stevens Point Brewing and a Centennial IPA for my gentleman friend. I wound up with a Point Nude Beach, a nice summer session but a little light for this lady. Founders, amazing as always. The more I looked at the menu (I was reading it like a book, I think my date was offended) the more excited I got about putting everything on it in my mouth. Maybe this is a good time for you to take a look  and experience the mouth boner it causes.

The crush turned into love when I looked at the booze list and saw that they carry Root and Snap, amazing small-batch liquor made by my friends/heroes/artists over at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (watch the video on their website for explanation). I batted my eyelashes at the boss and asked for permission to order a $12 cocktail. The “Ginger Ale,” one of their Adult Soda Classics, was spot on. It also came in a pint glass and made me VERY happy. I was so inspired (drunk) that I figured out the recipe and wanted to share it with you:

• 2 ozs Snap liquour
• thimble of elderflower liquor (St. Germain)
• thimble of ginger simple syrup (boil equal parts sugar and water with a thumb sized piece of ginger – grated or chopped – strain)
• combine over ice, top with soda water and a slice of lemon

Our next round consisted of Daisy Cutter (the summer classic) and a Bitter Woman IPA from Tyranena with an order of the Caprese Stacks with Bacon. Housemade mozzerella? Yes please! At this point I thought it would be fun to torture Doug (he loves his Wingies) so I texted him this photo from the menu, to which he replied, “Buffy Wingies? Kill me.” Following that, we had a Rocky’s Revenge Bourbon Brown and an oops I forget and decided to get the rest of our meal to go so it could be enjoyed properly – on the couch, in sweatpants, watching Game of Thrones. We left with a 16” “Big Mick” – mozzerella and cheddar, onions, shredded lettuce and diced pickles and house-made sausage (we subbed that for the recommended ground beef) and an order of sweet potato tater tots. It… was… awesome.

I will definitely be frequenting this spot. The waitress admitted that she didn’t know much about beer, but she was so nice and helpful that I didn’t care. She brought over tasters and happily consulted the bartended when asked questions out of her depth. My only two complaints: the house brew and the lack of purse hooks in the bar.

1. The house brew really made me sad. It was a harsh slap of mediocrity amongst an otherwise 5-star night. It is brewed by Two Brothers, who NEVER disappoint – Resistance I.P.A., Cane and Abel, and Domaine Dupage French Style Country Ale are all staples in my house. The menu says: Roots House Brew//Two Brothers Brewing Company. We couldn’t find the perfect beer to enjoy with our pizza, so we made our own. Brewed specially for Roots to pair perfectly with our malty pizza crust, this French-style country ale drinks smooths and has a nutty caramel flavor with just enough hops for complete balance. It was gross. I took two sips, shed some beery tears into the glass, and abandoned it.
2. No purse/jacket hooks? Why, world, why? So annoying.

The days when I could enjoy such a feast without consequence are long gone. I woke up at 4:30 am with hot mothball mouth and a wicked case of heartburn. This must be how the Preggers feels. Props to Root for commitment to locally sourced food and exclusively Midwest-brewed beer. SUPER PROPS for having Root and Snap, and knowing how to serve them. This place is bro-central but I would wear cargo shorts for just one more bite of the Big Mick. I would wear the shit out of them.

Every year we try to plan an epic excursion and as always, beer stops dictate our journey. This year, we headed to New England as well as New York City and Philadelphia.

Today, I bring you an overview of our time spent in Portland, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After 4 days in Boston, we hopped in the car to head North (just about 2 hours). East coast Portland does not boast the amount of breweries and beer bars that West coast Portland does, but it makes up for it in character.

Right on the water, Portland, Maine has a quaint downtown with brick buildings, boutiques, specialty restaurants and just enough beer bars to keep us satisfied for one night.

First stop, lunch at Gritty McDuff’s. Gritty not only makes amazing clam chowder, they also brew their own beers. Your usual line-up included a Pale, an IPA, a Porter and a Blonde. The beers were well crafted and easy to drink as the table downed a few. The clam chowder was creamy, had plenty of clams and was flavorful without being too salty. My lemonade was also delicious. (2 more months…)

After walking around for a bit, we landed at Novare Res Bier Cafe. You guessed it, Novare Res Beir Cafe is a Belgium beer bar. The inside area is dark, with minimal natural light and reminded me of a beer bar in Bruges- dark, unpretentious, cave-like and underground. I immediately liked the place and then after a glimpse at the beer list, I fell deep in love. They have 25 rotating taps and over 500 bottles. My god.

Being the sun deprived Seattleites that we are, we decided to sit outside on the very serene back deck. Several beers were ordered: Allagash Victory 2010 and 2011 as well as McAuslan Saint Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. I just looked at their current draft list and Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Breakfast is on tap-it is that kind of place. Highly recommended.

For dinner, all I wanted was a lobster roll. Now, you may not know what a lobster roll is since they are famous in New England. It is chunk lobster meat served cold with minimal mayo on a toasted, buttered thick toast (eaten like a hot dog). It is amazing- especially when the lobster is fresh off the boat. We decided, after a recommendation, to go to Gilbert’s Chowder House. Granted Gilbert’s is not a beer destination, but it is a casual place with amazing seafood and an outdoor deck right on the water.

That concludes the whirlwind trip to Portland, Maine as the next morning we woke up and headed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire with the one goal to visit Portsmouth Brewery.

Portsmouth Brewery has a very cool logo, a great sign that hangs outside that fits the old world style of this town. Inside, the brewery looks brand new with ample seating and bar space. Of course, we head to the outside patio. Side note: Portsmouth Brewery and Smuttynose have the same owners. Smuttynose IPA is one of my favorite single IPAs so I was very excited to visit.

We tasted Portsmouth Brewery’s Black IPA, Rye IPA, Blonde and Saison. All were very tasty. For every beer we drank, Portsmouth Brewing Co. donated a portion of the proceeds to the charity of our choice. Tokens were left at our table to drop into the box that represented the charity we selected. Here, we feasted on a chicken salad sandwich with sprouts, lemon and dill; a pastrami sandwich and a bratwurst burger.

All of these meals were perfect. They all had a little something extra to make it better than your average sandwich. Attention to detail- I like that.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a place I would like to visit again. We only spent a couple hours getting lunch and walking around. A very cool and unique place.

Check out bb.com later this week for places we visited in Boston, New York and Philadelphia!