HereForTheBeer.com » Beer Bars

BXL Belgian Pub NYC

Tim Brady — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:26:56 +0000

We have been really busy recently as foliage season is coming up at our Vermont B&B and of course, that has led to our neglecting our beer duties (if you can call them that).

So we were floored to get this video from one of our awesome beer friends Steve, who shot his own here for the beer episode while he was in NYC at the BXL Belgian Pub.

We haven’t been to the BXL yet ourselves, but after this video it certainly seems like the kind of place we should make a point to visit. The atmosphere seems like the kind of place we would dig and New York is only a 3 hour train ride away.

Thank you to Steve and friends (and Matt – the BXL beverage manager for making an appearance). We appreciate you helping us out and being “there” for the beer!

Do you have a “here for the beer” experience you would like to share? We would love to hear from you. Send us an email, a tweet or a message on facebook. After all, we are all just here for the beer!

Six Point Craft Ales – Interview with Founder Shane Welch

Three Penny Tap Room – Montpelier, VT

Tim Brady — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:38:46 +0000

We stopped at the Three Penny Tap Room in Montpelier, Vermont on our way to the Vermont Brewers Festival in Burlington, Vermont. There has been nothing but great buzz about the Three Penny Tap Room so we had to go see for ourselves.

Montpelier turned out to have a quaint downtown full of shops, restaurants and our state capital building, which gleaming in gold is quite the site to see. We strolled through the streets of Montpelier until we came upon our destination, the Three Penny Tap Room and were greeted by a BA friend out front. Once inside we were greeted by another friend from Stone Brewery – a good sign – clearly this was a craft beer lovers bar. I already liked this place and felt right at home with the clientele. The entire place is one big bar with a few seats in the front window. The walls are covered with black boards listing all of the wonderful beers on draft, 24 of them to be exact. We choose to sample number 25, the cask conditioned offering of the day, which in this case was a tasty Cisco IPA. They also have a growing bottle list as well, which is for some reason a rarity in Vermont.

We luckily also ran into one of the owners, Scott, who was gracious enough to show us around and tell us a little about the place. Scott explained that he and his partners Matt and Wes feel strongly not just about great craft beer, but also about supporting local food producers. While they do not have a full kitchen they are turning out some creative small entrees full of healthy and fresh local foods. For Scott and his partners it is clear that their really passion is for craft beer and a mission to “convert macro beer drinkers into craft beer lovers”. These are my kind of guys.

Check out the video and be sure to stop in for a pint, you’ll probably run into someone you know! If you do head up to the Three Penny Tap Room, they are open at 1pm Monday – Friday and at 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. They are located right downtown in Montpelier, at 108 Main Street. Be sure to say hi from us and let them know that you too are here for the beer!

Novare Res Bier Cafe Portland Maine

Tim Brady — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:57:15 +0000

We have been busy getting ready for the Brattleboro Brewers Festival recently and unfortunately that has put a damper on editing our videos. So that explains Amy’s winter clothes in this video from our great Portland Maine trip. In this episode we check out Novare Res Bier Cafe. A killer downtown beer bar hidden in the back of an alleyway in Portland.

We got a full tour from their beer manager Shahin Khojastehzad and shared a few great beers including the Rosé de Gambrinus from Cantillon which we had never tried (Side note, we are completely getting into the sour beers recently. Chris Lively would be so proud).

Novare Res has probably the coolest mug club we have ever seen, with a chained up gated room for mug holders to secure their belongings and chill on busy nights. The atmosphere, food and of course beer list, were all top notch.

Fun fact, the Novare Res was opened by the former Moan and Dove manager Eric Michaud. As a tribute to the connection, one bar stool from the Moan and Dove is at Novare Res while one of their bar stools is down at the Moan and Dove.

Well, back to preparing the beer list for the Brattleboro Brewers Festival, hope to see you there and if you stop by Novare Res (as you should) tell them that here for the beer sent you!

Novare Res Bier Cafe
novareresbiercafe.com
4 Canal Plz
Portland, ME 04101-4034
(207) 761-2437

Great Lost Bear – Portland Maine

Tim Brady — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:19:22 +0000

It’s winter in Vermont, which means some quiet weekdays at our Inn. Perfect time of year for another road trip – and this time we head to Portland Maine for a week of awesome beer adventures.

We start our trip at the Great Lost Bear after hearing about it from some of you on Twitter. It’s no surprise that you recommended it, what a cool spot. A great draft list of dozens of Maine beers, as well as some random New England favorites and of course a few Belgians – all served up in a comfortable casual atmosphere. Not to mention a solid menu of good reasonably priced food. A great combination in any beer lovers book.

In this episode we talk with Mike Dickson, the bar manager at the Great Lost Bear about the pubs choice to go “micro” (in 1990 no less) and their killer specials.

The Great Lost Bear had just what we love about a good beer bar – a comfortable and non-pretentious environment that supports their local scene (check out the Allagash Alley) and encourages folks to try new things.

If you are ever in Portland Maine, make this a must stop. And be sure to keep an eye on the rest of our Maine adventure on here for the beer!

The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 772-0300
www.greatlostbear.com

Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas 2009

Tim Brady — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:51:34 +0000

VIDEO – Well, we thought we were done for the year, but ended up scoring a last minute seat at what turned out to be one of the best beer dinners we attended this year. The dinner was aptly called the night before the night before Christmas and was held at the Sierra Grill in Northampton Massachusetts. The theme was a vintage Christmas, and so some creative spins on a traditional Christmas dinner were paired with vintage Dogfish Head beers and creative “Christmaswear”. Dogfish Head founder and president, Sam Calagione was at the dinner, along with his family and friends from the area (as Sam is from the western Massachusetts region).

If you haven’t been to a beer dinner at the Sierra Grill, put it on your to do list in 2010. They put together some of the best pairings we have ever tried. The owner of the Sierra Grill, O’Brian Tomlin, is a true craft beer evangelist. The tap list on any given day is top notch. Their chef Ralph Webb is extremely creative and loves to prepare food with beer. The combination makes for a killer beer dinner and this one was no exception. Courses included a goose stew with duck sausage, paired with Dogfish Head 2007 Immort Ale and Lobster Eggroll with Dogfish Head 2008 Pangaea. There were two entrees presented, a Bison Prime Rib and a Roasted Smoked Pheasant, both served with Dogfish 2007 Burton Baton. Finally the dinner wrapped up with a Christmas cake (you need to watch the video to hear the chef describe what went into this!) paired with a 2008 Dogfish World Wide Stout.

We also had the opportunity to get some great interviews with Sam, his father and his wife. So we have split the videos up into a series that we will be posting throughout the week. Consider it our “After Christmas special”. We hope you all had a great Christmas and wish you a happy new year! Cheers from here for the beer!

Moan and Dove – Changing of the Guard

Tim Brady — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:29:01 +0000

VIDEO – We are really lucky to have such a killer beer bar within a short drive of us and our Inn. So we were admittedly nervous when started hearing rumors of “the Dove” being sold. I am sure all of the Moan and Dove regulars shared our sigh of relief when we heard that the bar was being sold to Jason “Di-Cap” DiCaprio, long time bartender and generally awesome guy.

So as of last night, it’s official. After nearly a year of disasters, where everything that could go wrong did – the Moan and Dove has now officially changed hands. The previous owner, Daniel, has moved on to the city (Boston) and has opened a new beer bar in the old b-side lounge which we can’t wait to check out.

We stopped into the extremely crowded Moan and Dove for the “changing of the guard” celebration and shot this quick video with our flip video camera (hence the less than wonderful quality). It was great to see the area beer community out in support of Di-Cap and the Dove.

In the video Jason shares his story about his history at the Dove and the transfer of ownership. He also emphasizes that the Moan and Dove is what it is because of the wonderful and passionate beer community that makes it possible.

Congratulations Jason from us at here for the beer. We look forward to many great pints (and eventually earning our mugs) at the Moan and Dove. Cheers!

Friday the Firkinteenth – Grey Lodge Pub, Philadelphia

Tim Brady — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:06:46 +0000

VIDEO – Friday the Thirteenth is anything but unlucky for those of you who live near the Philadelphia Northeast. That’s because on every Friday the 13th for the last 11 years, the Grey Lodge Pub in Northeast Philadelphia has held what they call “Friday the Firkinteenth” and being able to try 20+ cask beers is certainly good luck.

Friday the Firkinteenth started in 1998 as a “gimmick” to get a budding beer audience to understand and appreciate cask conditioned beer. Scoats, the founder of Grey Lodge and the Firkinteenth event explains that in it’s early days the event had only one or two casks. Today the event has grown to include 24 casks of beer from a variety of breweries. The event is held on every Friday the 13th so it is at the mercy of the calendar – in 2010 there is only 1 and it’s in August – so it promises to be a big one…

In this video we talk to Scoats about the event and get a rundown on what is cask beer from Nodding Head Brewery’s Brewmaster Gordon Grubb. We also get the privilege of chatting with some great folks attending the event. Including Joe Sixpack from the Philadelphia Daily News and one of our favorite beer writers, Lew Bryson – who has been covering beer in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area with his blog and books and trying his best to rid Pennsylvania of the PLCB for years now.

We would be remiss to not mention that Grey Lodge is open year round and when we lived in the area, was one of our favorite pubs. They have 11 draft lines that they dedicate to great craft beers, a great bottle list and good cheap food. For more about Grey Lodge check out their website. They are located at 6235 Frankford Ave in Northeast Philadelphia (215) 825-5357. They are also on Facebook and Twitter.

We had a great time and have already marked our calendar for August 13, 2010. Enjoy the video and we will see you next time on here for the beer!

Day 1 in Denver for the 2009 GABF

Tim Brady — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:19:00 +0000

After a very long day of travel we finally arrived in Denver. The energy here is through the roof. We started our adventure at the Wynkoop Brewing Company, where the GABF hosted a Welcome Gathering for Brewers. We enjoyed wall to wall beer and food. We had a chance to sample some great beers like:

The Bruery – Cuvee Jeune – Young Lambic

Dry Dock Brewing Co. – Brett-Soured Belgian Golden Aged in Oak – On Firkin

Redstone Meadery/New Belgium Brewing Co. – Black Folie – La Folllie Sour Brown mixed with Black Raspberry Mead

Cambridge Brewing Company – YouEnjoyMyStout – Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery – Nihilist – Cabernet Aged Imperial Stout

Kona Brewing Company – Coco Loco – Coconut Brown Nut

Deschutes Brewery – Portland Fresh Hop – Fresh Hop Beer

Snake River Brewing – OB-1 -Organic Brown Ale

Our favorite was the Black Folie made by Redstone Meadery/New Belgium Brewing Co. On our way out the door we were handed a can of Wynkoop Brewing Company’s own Rail Yard. With our can of Rail Yard we walked to the famous Falling Rocks Tap Room and enjoyed a few more pints, ending our evening with a La Biere des Collines Hercule Stout, soooo good.

Enjoy this down and dirty (unedited) “Flip” video of our first day in Denver at the GABF and stay tuned for more “Flip” coverage over the next few days. Of course, we will have more of our real videos and some great tours and interviews in the next few weeks. Cheers!

Brick Store Pub – Beer Cellar Tour

Tim Brady — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:10:44 +0000

This video is part 2 of our look at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur Georgia. If you haven’t seen it already, you may want to check out the upstairs video first.

The Brick Store Pub is one of the top beer bars on the planet according to Beer Advocate magazine and once you see their cellar it will become obvious why. The Brick Store has committed to letting a huge selection of great beers age in their climate controlled cellars. Even more impressive is that the building was formerly a bank and the cellar is a collection of awesome old bank vaults – 1,000 lb. vault doors included.

As tempting as is may be to add the many of their cellared beers to their beer list, they have committed to wait it out a few years and allow the beers to truly age. They have set up a library system, so that they can occasionally open a beer or two and see how they are aging – to determine the ideal time to release each one to the beer lovers of Georgia.

In this video we get the full tour from owner Dave Blanchard and beer manager Lee Dickson. Of course we pop open a couple of great beers including a Sexual Chocolate, the Allagash 2007 Interlude and Terrapin Side Project #4.

The cellar itself is really something too see (they even have a Trappist beer throne!) but the people at the Brick Store – from Dave and Lee and their awesome hospitality, to the great group of BA’s we met that shared some killer brews with us – made this an incredible visit.

If you are ever in Georgia (seriously, anywhere in the state) be sure to take a detour to Decatur and the Brick Store – you will not be disappointed. Of course be sure to tell them that Here for the Beer sent you! They will most likely give you a confused look and free glass of water – but you never know…

Brick Store Pub – Decatur Georgia

Brick Store Pub – Decatur Georgia

Amy Brady — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:50:37 +0000

In this episode we meet with Dave Blanchard, co-owner, of the Brick Store Pub.

In December of 2008 the Brick Store Pub was named the #2 Best Beer Bar on the Planet Earth, by Beer Advocate Magazine. It is pretty easy to see why this Beer Bar is a favorite of many. From the casual and conversation centered atmosphere (no TV’s or blaring music) to the incredible selection of unique and interesting beers to a competent staff which is well educated about the beers – Brick Store Pub truly stands out in the crowd. Add all of that to a solid menu of tasty food and you have a winner.

In this first episode from Brick Store (we seperated out our tour of their cellar – it is worthy of its own episode) we talk with co-owner Dave Blanchard about the restaurant and pub and how they played an integral part in converting Georgia into a haven for beer lovers and take a look around the pub and restaurant.

Be sure to keep an eye on our site (or subscribe, or follow us on Twitter) for part 2 of this episode where we head downstairs with Lee Dickson (beer manager) on an exclusive tour of their beer cellar.

If you are in the Atlanta area be sure to check out The Brick Store Pub. It’s just an easy train ride to Decatur, the train leaves you just about a block away from the Pub.

Brick Store Pub

125 E. Court Square
Decatur, Georgia 30030
phone: (404) 687-0990
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BXL Belgian Pub NYC

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