beer – Barley Prose

My Top 5 Ways To Enjoy A Beer

Saw this tweet recently*, and while all these things are just engagement farming repeated endlessly across the internet, and people are allowed to have subjective opinions all they want, I thought it’d be fun to dissect/do my own.

Airport beers are elite but it’s a complicated list that took years of experience to formulate:

1. Tailgate beer
2. Porch beer down the shore
3. Airport beer
4. Beach beer
5. First pregame beer pic.twitter.com/ShdeT4Zyq9

— Stew🏀 (@StewyHoops) January 26, 2023

This person is clearly more of a party person than I am, but to me, the best beers are never _before_ things. At the start of things? Sure, but not before. I’ll enjoy a beer at the beginning of the game, but before in the parking lot? Not really my thing. Sure, I’ll have one or two on the right occasion, but they’re not great. Days I know I’m going to be drinking all day, especially outside, are days I know that are going to end with me tired, worn out, drunk, and very possibly with a headache. Beers before a trip on a plane? Nah, I hate getting up on the plane to pee and traveling can be rough enough without adding in alcohol before it even begins.

Now, waiting beers? Those CAN be great. Plan a group trip to Vegas and those first beers at the hotel bar while you wait for everyone else to arrive? Gold. You’re early to a party or are hosting a party and for once have everything ready to go? That first beer of anticipation as people arrive and the party gets going can really be a great warm up.

Special shout out to the third beer of the night at a great beer spot. The first two are often more of a hype beer, you get excited for something and order that, but by the third you’re probably already feeling good and are ready to settle in and make an informed decision and choose the best beer on the menu for you. Sitting with that beer is a rare pleasure, and you’re probably not deep enough into the night that you’re not appreciating it either.

“One for the road” beers. NOT driving. Obviously not driving, be safe people. These are the commuter beers. The beer you have at the end of dinner when you realize you don’t want to leave yet. The beers you have on the train home from work, or the last beer you have at the end of a great party where you got 30 minutes to just shoot the breeze with the people you like most that are still there because they want to be there. (Side note to this one, if you’re the host and your spouse is elsewhere cleaning up and putting stuff away while you ignore it, take your buddies and at least bag up some trash)

This beer is great, and it can be a good throwback to earlier in the day too. “You got anymore of that smoked peach Kölsch? That was fire, let’s finish that off.” This one shouldn’t be heavy, in most cases. You’re just looking for something with a little bit of character to complement a moment.

This one’s not for everyone, but the beer you have at a group meetup, a social event, a holiday party, etc, that keeps you company while you still feel awkward and don’t know where to stand, who to talk to, or what to do. This beer is good enough that you can pay attention to it, and interesting enough that you can use it as a topic of conversation. The one that you take out your phone, open a notes app, and jot down notes to blog about later. Novelty type beers can often seem silly, but they make good conversation openers!

I realize I have not actually made a top-5 list out of this, but who really needs a list anyway? I think I may make a whole series out of these, with longer thoughts, as they come up. “The commuter beer”, and my relationship to it. Also terrible beers, like the late-evening 14% BCBS that your friend who showed up late to the party insists you taste with him.

Here’s an unhinged TikTok I found to cap off the post that’s not quite beer specific but I thought it was a funny drink/place pairing video.

@conajam_

if you know you know #repost

♬ original sound – Conajam

Mets On Tap Episode 57 deGoat is deBack, Welcome Jacob!

You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.

Michael, Chris and Jason talk Jacob deGrom, Trade Deadline, Beer Flights, and so much more while Jake motors across the lower latitudes.

How do you drink a beer flight? How do you grade the Mets trade deadline acquisitions? How would you use Chris Bassitt in the playoffs? All those secrets and more contained within.

BEERS
Michael: Goose Island 2020 BCBS Carmella
Jason: Goose Island 312 Grapefruit Lemonade Shandy
Chris: Three Heads Creamsicle
Botty McBotface: Four Winds Brewing’s Namaste Hefeweizen

And check out Barley Prose on Instagram for more beer content.

Please rate (5 David Wright ..or Davey Johnson..or Ed Charles.. Stars!) and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, your favorite nail salon, or just scribble the URL on a cocktail napkin at your local brewery.

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Mets On Tap Episode 51-The All Star Voting Episode

You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.

Michael and Chris vote for some All-Stars, ponder why we can’t vote for pitchers, discuss the balanced schedule and how the Mets might benefit from having more of their games against the Braves during the healthy deGrom and Scherzer parts of the season.

We discuss ticket costs, crappy Budweiser, and a visit to Plan Bee Brewery in upstate New York. Trevor Williams gets a tip of the cap, despite giving up a bunch of home runs while we recorded.

Also a shout out to Mark Canha and Taijuan Walker for some really cool Pride support this past weekend.

If you want us to mention what YOU are drinking during next Tuesday Night’s Mets games, give us a tweet around 8:30 or so @BarleyProse and we’ll include you.

BEERS
Michael: Plan Bee Ash
Chris: Rising Storm The Show Goes On
Botty McBotface: 99 cent disgusting Red Stripe

And check out Barley Prose on Instagram for more beer content.

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New Brewery Alert: Gearblock Brewing Company in Waldwick, NJ

Praise be to the hop goddesses, I’ve finally got a local brewery. A _real_ local brewery. Previously the closest brewery to me was a good 15-20 minutes drive on a good day, something deeply troubling. Luckily, finally, there’s a brewery within 2 miles of my house, in a spot I’ve ridden my bike past, actually adjacent to my doctor’s office…called Gearblock Brewing Company.

I managed to find my way over there, something way easier when it’s 4 minutes of side streets, on opening weekend to try out what they had. It’s in a little strip mall type place, but with wide sidewalks that affords them a little outdoor seating, which is always nice, even in a parking lot, but I sat at the bar and ordered a flight.

It’s a nice space, bar, ample seating, bathrooms, and you can see through to the brewery in the back. Typical stuff. There was a Japanese baseball game on, which immediately raised my opinion of the place.

There’s something special about community watering holes, maybe something that’s no longer a dive bar thing. Breweries often fill that space. I didn’t see anyone I knew on this trip, but it’s inevitable that I will if and when I continue to visit.

How was the beer? The beer was fine to good. I wasn’t wow’d by anything, but I wasn’t disappointed by anything either. As I write this a few days later, the Busted Barnacle, a gose that I got in a crowler to go, might be the one that’s hitting the memories the best, but I thought their hazy was pretty good, and so was the Märzen. It’s a good start, and gives me hope going forward.

Most of all, I’m stoked that there’s a brewery so close. Something close enough that I can pop in for a beer when they’re open without having to make a special trip and plan. Gearblock has already added a beer or two since I was there, and I’ll definitely be back soon to check them out. Summer BBQ season is here, and you know I’m going to get a crowler or two to have on hand.

The Thanksgiving Beer Post

I like wine well enough, but Thanksgiving should be more of a beer holiday, and I don’t mean downing eight beers with old friends the night before off dirty taps and watching the parade with a hangover. True story, I once went out to a local place with a great selection, had two beers and woke up absolutely miserable on Thanksgiving. It was in the early 2000s, and I blame dirty taps, even if I don’t have any proof.

So now that I’m “grown up” and hosting Thanksgiving and a little more in control of the menu and the beverage selection, what’s the plan? The crowd will still be pandemic-limited, so there won’t be that many drinkers at my house, which is a shame, but that’s not going to stop me.

Alementary Brewing releases a Thanksgiving beer, an English Barleywine called Figgy Pudding. It’s a beer aged on Turkish figs, Turkish apricots, and Medjool dates and then into Jamaican rum barrels. It’s a great rich and malty beer that pairs well with the season.

Another great drink is cider. Apple cider is already a delicious fall/harvest beverage, and it’s even better with booze. I recently purchased a pack of cider from Graft Cidery called Back Country Old Fashioned Cider, Citrus & Bourbon, and it’s quite delicious. It’s almost like a cocktail, because of the bourbon flavor, but the lemony citrus gives it enough acidity to not be overly sweet, and it just seems to go well with everything.

What, you might ask, is Botty McBotface, our resident AI, drinking for Thanksgiving?

“I’ll tell you what,” Botty said, “I’m gonna make a big batch of wine spritzer. I’m really excited about it. It’s gonna be great! I’ll put the wine in the blender, add some soda water, ice, and cranberry juice. That way, everybody can have a glass of wine.”

Sure. You could do wine. Spritzers seem like the way to go, give yourself a little carbonation to go with the big meal. I saw a fun recipe of Limoncello, cranberry juice, and seltzer, which I might give a whirl. Maybe even use prosecco instead of seltzer.

I personally like to drink Oktoberfests on Thanksgiving, because I feel like beyond that I start looking at all the stouts and dark rich Christmasy stuff, and if I have any Oktoberfest left they just linger in my fridge, despite being one of my more loved styles. Drink ‘em while you got ‘em, so to speak.

All in all, the best Thanksgiving drink is the one that’s in your hand, and if it hits the spot and pairs well with whatever you’re eating, all the better. So feel free to share your beer photos with us on Twitter or Instagram, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Ceetar can be found on Twitter and Untappd where he’s currently making apple pie and drinking an Alementary Random Placement Of Things. You can also email him at beer@ceetar.com.

BeerSport: Oktoberfest Take 2

The name of the game is BeerSport – two beers enter, one beer leaves. Beersport.

I don’t we’re starting to cross into stout season, but imo Oktoberfests go right up until Thanksgiving, they’re a nice meaty supper beer. Anyway, These are the two _other_ beers from the Saranac Oktoberfest pack dual BeerSport I did.

This time It’s the 1888 Octoberfest facing off against the Black Forest Schwarzbier. The Octoberfest is billed as an ‘authentic German-style lager’, but comes in a little low at 5.4% and the Black Forest is named for the homeland of Saranac’s founder. 5.3%.

Preconceived notions on these is that I thought I’d had the Black Forest before and liked it, but actually that was the Black Forest Cake. I expect the Octoberfest, and apologies if I add a k to that–never trust an Octoberfest, to be pretty typical of the style.

Appearance

Octoberfest is a little darker than I’d like, and maybe has a little too much malt. Only a little bit of head. Looks fine.

Black Forest. It’s black? Just a hint of lighter/cola colors around the edge. Pretty coffee colored head.

Edge: Black Forest

Smell

Octoberfest: A malty smell with hint of some cherry perhaps. Whiff of sulfur. Smells a little sweeter than I expected.

Black Forest is very clean. Aroma is very light. Also get some sweetness, more than I expected. Sort of a dank sweetness, that fades into more of a light coffee note. Not fresh coffee, but just that impression you get when you walk into somewhere where coffee is frequently brewed, but is not actively being brewed.

Edge: Octoberfest

Taste

This is definitely a sweeter Octoberfest. Are all of Saranac’s sweet? This is fine, there’s not quite that sulfury/yeasty richness that usually cuts the Octoberfest malts here. It’s faint, but it needs more. It’s very drinkable though, and it definitely tastes better after you acclimate to the extra sweetness.

Black Forest. The black forest might be more drinkable though. Its got that light coffee note, maybe a hint of cola but it’s that sweetness playing with me perhaps. It’s light though, airy.

Edge:Black Forest

Mouthfeel

The Octoberfest has a little more of a beer feel, it’s a little fuller. The black forest is very airy, tickles your tongue and then moves along. They’re both basically the same 5.4 or 5.3 ABV, which is low for an Octoberfest.

Edge: Octoberfest

Overall

Neither of these are great beers, they’re good, but they’re forgetable. The Octoberfest just missing the mark, and is a little weak. The Schwarzbier is just lacking alittle bit overall in flavor. It just needs a little bit more there.

Winner: Octoberfest takes it home here, barely, with a more beer like experience.

Ceetar can be found on Twitter and Untappd where he’s currently on vacation in Mexico, sipping bad beer or tequila by the pool. You can also email him at beer@ceetar.com.

Mets On Tap Episode 25

You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.

Michael, Chris, Jason and Jake talk about the weird yellow City Connect jerseys the Red Sox where wearing, about Pedro Feliciano, Fernando Martinez, and Danny Heep.

We talk about cool merchandise from The7Line, including this Pepsi Party Patrol windbreaker.

We talk about Oktoberfest, the Goonies, beer tourism, and gateway beers.

Then Botty has a weird conversation to talk us out.

Michael: Cape May Oktoberfest
Jason: Southern Tier Nice Slice
Jake: Bosque Brewery IPA
Chris: Stoneyard Cannoli Cream Ale
Botty McBotface: 33 Liters of Legal Tender

And check out Barley Prose on Instagram for more beer content.

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Drinking on Cape Cod – Provincetown Brewery

I didn’t specifically intend my Cape Cod vacation to even include breweries at all, of course I did so little planning you could argue I didn’t really intend it to include anything, but on the beer front I just figured I’d get a six-pack of whatever from a store and drink whatever local stuff was available if I dined out anywhere.

Then a few days before I left I discovered that Tree House Brewing Company was in the process of opening a brewery in Sandwich, and it all changed. They weren’t open for the beautiful beach views, but you could pick up beer. Similarly, I didn’t intend to round the cape and go up to Provincetown, but I did, and hey look there’s a brewery.

We ate outside at a restaurant, and my wife ordered a Provincetown Brewing Company Crandaddy Sour, a 4% session sour. Of course, they were out, but that only fueled our efforts to pick up beer to go on our way out.

It’s a small place, and with a recent Covid outbreak everyone was dining outside and all the food looked delicious as I walked in to get my beer. Provincetown Brewing Company opened in late 2019, which might’ve been the worst possible time to have opened a new business.

It seems like they’ve weathered that storm judging by the crowds, and Provincetown is better for it. They’re committed to donating 15% of profits to organizations reflecting the values of Provincetown, particularly LGBTQ+ inclusion, conservation and local arts.

They’re a small place, so I was only able to get three beers, as there were no cans of either of their DIPAs, The Siren or Double Rainbow, available. I’m sad I was there too early for Asphalt Glitter Stout, a coffee stout made with coffee from one of the coffeeshops i like on the Cape, but alas. I bought the aforementioned Crandaddy Sour, the flagship Bearded Mistress IPA, and the Golden Hook Ale.

The Crandaddy, a cranberry sour, was very good. Cranberries, if you didn’t know, are prevalent on Cape Cod. In fact, a vodka-cranberry cocktail is called a Cape Codder. This was a light refreshing sour, lots of fun.

The Bearded Mistress didn’t wow me or anything. It’s just a regular drinkable IPA. Perhaps with a little more malt presence than is common, but I was drinking it out of the can in the hotel, so I’ll reserve real judgement until I have another.

The Golden Hook Golden Ale pours a light straw color, with a very white fluffy head. It smells a little citrusy, a little sweet. It’s light, crisp and refreshing. Some light toast notes, a little fresh citrus, not quite tart, more like bitter hop citrus. Those light toast/bread crust notes are a soft undertone of malt sweetness, just balancing out the whole thing. Even at 4.9% it provides decent body and mouthfeel, a little stickiness but the crispness of the flavor washing away and sweetness and you’re ready for the next sip. This was a good drinking beer for sure, definitely one appropriate for a beach.

Ceetar can be found on Twitter and Untappd where he’s probably already planning his next vacation. You can also email him at beer@ceetar.com.

Mets On Tap Episode 17

You can email us questions, comments, and beer recs at podcast@barleyprose.com.

Jason, Michael, Chris and Jason chat about getting live arms, any arms, and what’s going on with this Mets team. We razz Botty about getting a little dirty with her responses lately (offline) and a little Steve Cohen.

Will the Mets make a trade? Who do we want? Will Carlos Carrasco rehab in the majors? You’ll know before we do.

Check out Barley Prose if you want to read Botty’s AI reviews, featuring such lines as..