Kentucky Derby? I'll watch the Goat Race!

As I drove towards Phoenixville, Pennsylvania there was a constant drizzle of rain dampening my hopes about the Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Race. I have never been to a goat race before, but I assumed it was an outdoor affair and worried the event would be canceled.

My fears were washed away once I tried to enter the Sly Fox Brewhouse and Eatery; the parking lot was packed to capacity and cops in ponchos were turning people away.

Despite the weather, there were hundreds of individuals walking the grounds with pints in hand. Once I saw a dozen goats wandering around and chomping at stray bundles of grass, I knew I was in the right place.

The Sly Fox Brewhouse was established in 1995 and their beers have won numerous awards and medals since. Sly Fox is still a small-scale craft brewery, distributing only Pennsylvania and its neighboring States. In 2002, Brian O’Reilly became Master Brewer at Sly Fox and founded the annual Bock Fest and Goat race at the Phoenixville Brewery.

“The first year he did this there were about twenty people and a few goats,” a Pennsylvania-native and former Tröegs brewer told me. Seven years later, there has been a visible spike in attendance. I was standing in a rainy parking lot surrounded by over fifteen hundred goat race-loving, polka-dancing bock enthusiasts. When he was not announcing the goat races, Brian O’Reilly was swamped with questions and congratulations from friends and fans.

O’Reilly was constantly busy, and with good reason. Besides the athletic goats, the plump knockwursts and the Oompah band, the Bock Fest displayed five deliciously authentic German-style brews. Sly Fox Helles, Weisse, Pils, Slacker Bock and—the star of the evening—Maibock were generously being poured to the beer loving throngs.

The Sly Fox brews are straightforward interpretations of these styles. The Helles pours light gold with clean, crisp flavors; the Pils is a bone dry beer, well-balanced but with enough bite to snap you into attention; the Slacker bock is no loafer, with a dark amber-brown hue and a complex, malty body.

Despite the abundance of good beers available in the tents, the beer everyone was waiting for was the Maibock. The spring beer is brewed every year at Sly Fox but is not poured until after the goat race. The winning goat lends his or her name to Maibock and the goat’s racer gets to tap the first firkin of the stuff.

This year’s lucky goat was a small black specimen with a white tuft on his head named Dax. Easily winning all of his heats, Dax’s victory meant the Maibock could start flowing into the empty glasses of the thirsty Sly Fox enthusiasts. O’Reilly and Dax’s racer Karl Lorah quickly rationed the first keg as Fest-goers lined up to sample the fresh Dax Maibock and congratulate the winning critter.

The unveiling of the Maibock is a much-anticipated event in Sly Fox country. The beer is a quintessential Maibock, brimming with the clean and sprightly flavors of spring. Pouring a deep orange-amber with a voluminous white head, Dax Maibock is malty with a sweet nose and full of enough flavor to please the most discriminating bock fan.

Despite the finish of this year’s goat racing, the crowds lingered and drank down the rest of the German offerings. As goats with names like Baby Brie, Darwin and Mr. Stupid shuffled around looking for post race snacks, beer fans clinked glasses and looked forward to the rain-free, sunny days of summer. The rain continued steadily, but the fresh Maibock seemed to keep everyone in high-spirits.

“They’re not playing baseball in this rain,” exclaimed O’Reilly, referring to the postponed Phillies’ game, “but we’re racing goats!”

After a few hours at the Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Race, I seriously considered advocating goat racing as America’s new pastime. Fortunately, I was handed another Maibock before I got too lost in my thoughts and wandered off in search of another wurst.

At least the beer is good…

Before hitting the road on my way to Oregon I stopped by CitiField, the new home of my Mets, to personally sample the new beer selection. I’ve written earlier about the “Taste of the City” area behind center field—the Danny Meyer created food Mecca for baseball fans with a palate—and I decided to get out there and try the goods for myself.

Although this wasn’t my first trip to CitiField, it was the first time I got to the ballpark early enough to check out the new digs. After an initial tour, I made my way to center field for some specially made Brooklyn brews.


Beer #1: Blanche De Queens
Location: Box Frites


Created to complement a crispy pile of Belgian style frites, this witbier is great way to start a ballgame. There is nothing out of the ordinary about this wit—cloudy with your typical citrus, coriander and spice flavors are there—but everything comes together in a deliciously balanced, tart and refreshing brew.


Beer #2: Shackmeister Ale
Location: Shack Shake (both the CitiField and NYC locations)


This amber, American style pale confused me at first; I was expecting a huge flavor bomb to go with the famous burgers but was left baffled after a few sips. Once I took a bite of my Shack Shake burger, however, I understood completely: this beer is supposed to be second fiddle.

Shackmeister is a strong hoppy smelling brew, but has an almost thin mouth feel. The thinness doesn’t carry over to the flavor since this bubbly beverage is balanced and full bodied. The direct, subtle flavors perfectly cut through the rich, juicy meat and allow you to enjoy each burger as if you bit into it the first time. I especially loved the way the beer cleansed my palate after chomping on the crispy, burnt edges of my patty.

Beer #3: Sabroso Ale
Location: El Verano Taqueria


I’d tasted this brew at a previous game at CitiField and was blow away by how bold it was. The beer pours a dark golden-bronze with a fluffy white head that even the CitiField wind can’t blow away. Full of aromatic hops, the brew is sharp and has a pleasant, lingering bite.

I snacked on some elote corn (corn on the cob rubbed with a thick mayo, queso blanco and chile) and the Sabroso did a great job of keeping the heat at bay. This would be my go to beer at CitiField if it weren’t for the final beer I tried.

Beer #4: Blue Smoke Ale
Location: Blue Smoke (both Citifield and NYC location)


After researching a bit it seems that Blue Smoke Ale is a combination of two Brooklyn beers. Whatever it may be, the beer is the heaviest of the specialty brews available and sports a deep reddish-hued and stark white head. The brew is also has the biggest balls of the available Brooklyn beers which probably has to do with standing up to the spicy-tang of the Blue Smoke barbecue sauce.

The brew has a smooth, full body with a vibrant carbonation. I enjoyed it with an underwhelming pulled pork sandwich (I should have gotten the ribs) and can only imagine how good this beer is when paired with a heaping plate of bbq. This beer is by far my favorite offering at “Taste of the City”.

Manifest Destiny

Keep your eyes out for a brand new tastyCHOMP website! I’ve retired from my job as a waiter and will be hitting the road seeking some of the country’s most delicious brews and chomps!

I’m going to be moving to Portland, Oregon so while I’m fulfilling my Manifest Destiny I will be writing a few articles for Ale Street news (more info on that to come!) and possibly conducting a few interviews. The new site should be ready to go within a week so keep checking back for updates!

Cheers!

Ale Street Nights: Belgian Night in NYC

Check out the review of the Ale Street: Belgian Night in NYC.

The Oregon Trail

On May 2nd I am leaving my New York and setting out on an adventure to find my future. The plan is simple: pack guitars, cooking supplies, bicycles, clothes, camera and girlfriend into car and go.

The end destination is Portland, Oregon and the end goal is to find a deliciously awesome place to live where I can work in a brewery and learn a few things. Although I have a bunch of stops planned (Various NY towns, my friend’s dairy farm, the Goat races in Phoenixville, PA, Portland, ME, Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, Big Bend National Park etc) I am still looking for suggestions from other interesting places to check out.

I plan on documenting my beer and food adventures here, so if you have any recommendations, please pass them on. I need all the help I can get in fulfilling my manifest destiny so pass on the wisdom!

Belgian Night in NYC and the World's Rarest Beer

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to host my first ever beer event with Ale Street News and CityDusk. Ale Street Nights: Belgian Night In NYC was a celebration of beer, friends, and more obnoxiously delicious beer.

The event consisted of a pair of beers at The Hop Devil Grill Lounge on St. Marks in the East Village followed by three pours, mussels and frites at the East Village Tavern on Ave C at 10th Street. Simple enough, right?

Wrong. I quickly found out that event planning in NYC is a huge pain in the ass. Besides booking venues and setting prices, there is that little aspect of advertising and getting people to go! Despite my best efforts I couldn’t convince many friends to shell out for fine beers and shellfish, so luckily Tony and Jack at Ale Street News decided the sponsor the event and we brought in a nice little crew of beer lovers.

Fast-forward past pitches, negotiations, write-ups and advertising and settle on last Saturday evening.

It was a beautiful day in NYC and I am settled into a bar stool at the Hop Devil sipping a Delirium Tremens. I’m taking my time with the ferocious pink elephant but getting nervous; I am expecting twelve people plus five or so friends of Ale Street and none have shown up yet; it is a quarter past the designated start date.

Waiting.

Drinking.

Waiting.

Drinking some more.

…Finally! An older couple shows up and I pounce, offering drink tickets, wristbands and some beer suggestions. The woman turns out to be the aunt of boss at CityDusk and we chat more about him than beer. Not a problem for me, at least people are showing up.

Fast-forward to twenty minutes later.

A whole slew of individuals show up including casual beer fans and Ale Street writers. I feel relieved, kill my beer and order a surprisingly thin tasting Victory Saison. People start chatting among themselves, Tony and Jack show up and the party is in full swing. Everyone is introduced and I start describing the evening. Tony gets up and gives a spiel about Belgium and Belgian beers and we round up the crew and head over to the East Village Tavern.

Before I get any further, I need to talk about EVT for a bit. I never got the chance to venture to this American craft brew haven before but I was speaking to the manager, Bill Mackin, on the phone constantly for the past several weeks. We started discussing the event, then got to just chatting about brewers, breweries and obscure and rare beers. I am nowhere near as knowledgeable about beers as Bill (or any of the people associated with Ale Street for that matter—I’m young, what can I say) but Bill took an immediate liking to me. We planned a stellar line-up for the evening—Goose Island’s Pere Jacques, Avery’s Salvation and Keegan’s Four Philosophers—and decided on a deliciously Belgian dinner of mussels and frites.

Once everyone got to EVT Jack handed out beer goggles and demanded, “We walk in there and own the place.” We snapped a few pictures as confused bar patrons sitting in the outdoor patio looked on and headed in to start the shenanigans.

Fast-forward to two hours and a few beers later.

I have beer goggles perched on my head, there is a plate of empty mollusk shells on the table and people are telling me anecdotes about Belgian café restrooms and beatnik cross country trips. I am in my glory; I have a glass of Four Philosophers in hand, a plate of Belgian chocolates and people are thanking me for a great evening. I’ve been chatting with the owner of EVT about hard-to-find beers and future NYC beer bars when Tony comes up to me and says brought the Holy Grail of beers; my jaw drops as he pulls out the nondescript, yellow-capped bottle of Westvleteren 12.

Just in case you have a life and don’t read about beer for fun, Westvelern 12 is the rarest beer in the world. Out of seven Trappist breweries, two (Chimay and Orval) are easily found in the US, three (Achel, Westmalle and Konningshoeven) can be found most times, one (Rochfort) is a much trickier to locate and the final brew (Westvleteren, also known as the Holy Grail of beer) is damn near impossible. Westvleteren is without a doubt the rarest of the Trappist brews. Garret Oliver, head brewer at Brooklyn Brewery says that “Westvleteren’s beers are available only from a drive-up hatch at the abbey gates or from the café In De Vrede, across the street. Even then, not all the beers are sold at any given time.”

When Tony went to Belgium in March, Westvleteren was not available at the brewery. After his fruitless pleading with the monks, he managed to purchase a few bottles at a larger café somewhere else. Luckily for me, I was able to sample the ambrosia without buying a plane ticket to Belgium and begging the monks at the monastery.

To shortly sum up a night up delicious debauchery, the first ever Ale Street Night was a complete success. I got to meet a lot of very interesting and knowledgeable people and drink some great and rare beers. Best of all, there is a chance I can write for Ale Street while I make my way across the country in my quest to taste great beer, have a great time and fulfill my manifest destiny. Cheers to that!

Belgium, Boston and Beer Wars

Three Things to Mention:

1. Head out to Belgian Night in NYC this Saturday at 4pm. I am teaming up with CityDusk (www.citydusk.com) and Ale Street News (www.alestreetnews.com) to bring a night of mussels, chocolate and, of course, delicious brews. Many tasty and hard-to-find Belgian-style American beers will be poured and the fine folks at Ale Street will be on-hand to chat about the great nation of Belgium and, of course, great beers.

2. An article I wrote, Boston Kicks Cask, is featured in the Online Exclusives section of the Ale Street News website. Be a doll and check it out.

3. In case you missed out on this evening’s one time only showing of Beer Wars, there wasn’t much new information to ingest. The film was a well-done portrayal of the beer industry in this country (i.e. Big Beer, or InBev-AB and Miller-Coors-SAB own the lion’s share of the American beer market and the little guys are working hard to bring quality products to customers).

The film was written and directed by Anat Baron and portrays the war for consumer dollars with a David vs. Goliath spin. It gets a bit campy at times—showing Dogfish Head Sam Calagionebrewer with his wife and children while he laments about the possibility of losing everything—but overall is pretty thought provoking.

I feel that anything that gets people thinking about the beer they are buying is a definite positive. A big kudos goes to Ben Stein for running the Q-and-A session after the film. He definitely deserves credit for getting a distinct group of brewers, beer insiders and industry professionals to voice there strong opinions and not just happily agree with one another all the time. Beer geeks and evangelists often overlook the fact that craft beer is a business and at the end of the day, if money is not made then the beer will stop flowing.

Crack open a bottle, keep an open mind and know a bit about what you are drinking.