Saturday, August 29, 2009

Custom Brewcrafters and Movin In

I write to you, you few and cherished readers, while amidst the wallows of an epic food-induced coma. Nothing says "filling" like dining with Italian friends. I also write to you from my new location, located about 500 feet from the scenic (and disgustingly filthy) Genesee River in Rochester, NY. Oh yeah!

The move-in was nothing sort of a catastrophe but it always is. I'm missing some furniture but have extras of others so I can't unpack yet. I'm sitting in a room filled with boxes. My room reminds me of the archives at the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Raiders of the Lost Ark huge government warehouse
Courtesy of sullivanclinton.com


See that guy with the cart? Imagine that cart is a computer. Badda-bing.

Regardless, I've moved into a significantly more awesome area in terms of fine beverages. Yesterday I perused the local liquor shoppe and bought a bottle of Jim Beam Distillers Series, which I haven't opened yet. I also bought a 6'er of Woodchuck Cider which turned out to be unfairly awesome. It was pretty much apple juice for grown-ups. But the crowning glory of my day was the trip to Honeoye Falls. It was supposed to be a short jaunt for my dad to go see the glory that is the GM Fuel Cell building but it was quickly hijacked into a booze-cruise. The place was extremely nice. No fucking around with food or fancy shenanigans. It was simply a huge cooler that had taps on all sides, with merchandise clustered around the outer rim of the overly large room, so as not to get in the way of the alcohol-induced bolt from the door to the counter. The price for six samples was $3. It seems steep, but you got to try six of their beers, the card was good for $2 off any 220z., six pack, or growler AND you could fill out your name on the back and enter in to a raffle for all sorts of goodies. Its pretty win-win-win. There is no lose in there.

The list I tried was actually seven beers: Old Toad Nut Brown, Bug Jar Brown Hornet Ale, Spring Fling, Signature Series: Barry, Raspberry Wit, Canandaigua Lake Ale, and Cream Porter. The Lake Ale (I'm not fucking spelling that out again, sorry folks) was a freebie for god-knows-why but I was exceedingly happy for it. Bless the man that gave me it for it tasted sweeter than any beer I've had. Remember that folks. Free beer always tastes better than purchased beer. It's a law of physics. Or chemistry. Something along those lines. Of the beers up there, the Hornet Ale, Signature Barry, and Cream Porter were the best, with the Barry being the most interesting. A Belgian double wit infused with wildflower honey and juniper berries, it sounds like a crime against humanity but it was quite pleasant. Resplendent with a banana/clove taste so commonly associated with hefeweissens, this had a deeper flavor of buttery licorice and a slight tinge of gin on the aftertaste. It was so good, I bought a bomber. I also managed to purchase a tin of cigars as well. None of you know how many cigars I smoked over the summer and its better that way. To say that I am a fan of cigars is a slight understatement. To say that I am a fan of Scottish Wee Heavies is also a gross understatement as well. Thus, when I spied a tin of short Dominican cigarillos that had been hand-dipped in aged Wee Heavy...I was close to needing a new pair of pants. All-in-all, an excellent day was had and when I go back (not IF) I'll sign up for the Super Club of Awesome which, for $20 a year, gets you 6 free samples every time you come in as well as a collectible tasting glass to keep, $1 off IPAs and Custom beers every Monday-Wed, and a growler card. Said growler card can be entered for another raffle once a prerequisite amount of growlers are purchased. Score-a-palooza.

As a side note, an interesting link came across my desk(top) the other day. Apparently, you can make your own wine, with help! I'd really love to do it but it seems expensive. I'd throw up a donation bar somewhere but I know that I'm lazy and no one would donate anyway, so we'll see what the winds blow my way in terms of cash. I'll give you a hint. It's typically nothing.

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