Rich Pawlak

We had a GREAT bunch of beer aficionados, and some witty observers in attendance this past Friday, so THANKS! This Friday we're sampling Festbeers again (there are so many good ones this year), and the action, voyeuristsic and otherwise, starts at 11PM EST. See you there.

I can see a future DDC gathering here. Well, I can see it.

Is JAckson Hole still open? I used to love their burgers back in the 80s when I spent a lot of time in Manhattan....

Think the picture pretty much says it all. Did you order their namesake DillyBurger or just a hamburger. I ordered the Dillyburge both times, and it looked NOTHING like that! Not even close. I swear.

okay, these are 2 day trip possibilities.

Run for the hills!

For over 7 years now, a bunch of beer enthusiasts have been getting together Friday nights online, first on the old prodigy service, and now on www.starchat.net for a pleasant couple of hours of cameraderie and beer tasting. And even after 7 years, it just seems to get better. This is an open invitation to join us. This is not a geeky, homebrewer kind of group, just a bunch of now-friends from all across the country who chill out with a beer or two, safely in our homes, and catch up and compare notes on what we're drinking. Sometimes we pick a particular style to sample, and compare our particular choices. No rules, no structure, no agenda, just beer and jokingly good fun. We generally meet at 11:00PM EST, and it's simple to stop by: Head to www.starchat.net; if you're new, simply log into the system, and download a small, safe device for the chat portion. Once that's done and installed, click on "Channels", and look for the "No Bull Inn" or some humorous variation of the name. That's all. Grab a cold one and dive in. This Friday at 11 we'll be sampling Oktoberfest beers, so try to find one or two at your local beer store or deli. Hope to see you on Fridays at 11!

It's all Varmint's fault. Like we all dont envy you anyway. But you work for Neil Stein, right? Oh, never mind. Simply lovely profile of him in Philly Mag. God Almighty.

To me, the bread is the most important ingredient to the recipe: cxrispy crust, fluffy insides. I'l bet you'll have no problem finding good bread in Paris.

Well, hell, Scoats, you can't ALWAYS trust them oracles OR them eight-balls. Ask Mr. Fenton, the classicist.

Victory has not entered the GABF competition, to my knowledge, and I have never seen them at GABF. I am surprised that Dogfish HEad didnt win any medals, but that's just how it goes, I guess. Stoudt's hasn't competed at GABF for the last 3 or 4 years, after being shut out of any medals a few years back.

My faves are (were): ANYTHING from Flossmoor Station, Flossmoor, IL ANYTHING from Pizza Port, Solana Beach, CA All Bell's beers (Kalamazoo. MI) All of Sly Fox Brewpub's (Phoenixville, PA) beers as well And I really enjoy ther New Glarus beers, even the fruit ones.

My favorite beer names this year: Honey Act Your Sage, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL Helles of a Play, SandLot Brewery at Coors Field, Denver, CO Custer's Last Ale, Snake River Brewing Co., Jackson, WY Man Beer, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO Hoppus Maximus, Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Akron, OH In-Heat Wheat, Flying Dog Brewery, Denver, CO and the best name this year--by far---: John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt Dunkeldoppelhefe, The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co., Madison, WI and there rae plenty other clever ones .

The 2003 GABF is now over, a rollicking weekend in Denver, and here are the medal winners. The Philadelphia area was well represented, but, for me, the best things about the medals list are the names of the brews: http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/03winners.htm Enjoy!

Finally got a moment to chime in about our fabulous hosts, truly the warmest of hearts to have all of us over. All of the mac and cheeses were outstanding: Steve's and Jonathan's set new benchmarks. Fink's pig was the best I've ever had, even better than the pernil we recently savored at Mambo's in Trenton. The mustard BBQ sauce was pure Carolina in a bottle. Rosie's health salad was a pleasant surprise and relief. Katie's and Gary's moussaka was irresistable, and that grill roasted corn dish--please post that recipe! I will never make fun of jello again; Rachel, you rule. And I can't say enough about those Bobolink cheeses and breads; had some as soon as I got home on Sunday. Fabulous. That rosemary braid bread is a keeper. Thanks to Jason and Rachel and Kim for assembling the potluck for the ages. Pure eGullet.

Pumpkin pie in a bottle, only better. My fave remains Buffalo Bill's, the standard against which others can be judged. Last year, Dogfish head from Rehoboth, De made a Punkin Ale, that was also quite good. I find that Punpkin Ale is spectacular partner to a hot plate of nachos. No lie.

You havent lived until you've had a cheesecake from Michelle Lorie Cheesecakes in Trenton. Heaven. Their blueberry cheesecake, so picture perfect, is beyond heaven.

I'll be bringing some real beer from Philly, from the city's own Yards brewery, some of the best beer made in America. Heineken will be welcome, for those who cant handle the Yards or Victory beers being brought so far.

In the Art Museum area I would heartily recommend BRIDGID'S at 24th and Meredith, for both its civility and its warm, simple atmosphere; very good wines and beers there too. And very good bar food!

Drink more beer Andrew, and the damn thing will write itself. Worked for me.

I too am VERY glad that La Colombe went non-smoking, so much nice to enjoy that fabulous coffee. It's also what I grind at home when at all possible (Corsica blend), and it never fails to make my morning, or pick me up when I stop by when I'm anywhere near 19th St.

As reported in last week's Daily News, this version of Rocco's has closed already. Rocco can be a flake, unlike his brother, who runs a much more stable and consistant location at The Bellevue, home of the Naked Hoagie, co-created by yours truly, when I was doing Atkins.

As with almost any brewpub (even Nodding Head and Manayunk), it helps to know what's good and what's not so good. At Independence, thier Kolsch and Porter are absolutely world class, while their other beers are good, but not terribly exciting. At Nodding Head, it's the stronger stuff that excels, like Old Willy's Ghost Barleywine and their Grog and Ich Bin Berliner Weisse. While Nodding Head is cozier than the sprawling Independence, it can also get quite smoky, hardly a good environment for sampling good beer. Independence has the largest continuous bar in the city, and there are plenty of convenient spaces for quiet conversation, with little chance of heavy smoke infiltration.

The brewer at Flossmoor Station, Todd Ashman, a good friend, is one of the best brewers in the country, and does a lot of barrell- and bourbon-barrell- aging of his beers, with some incredible results. He also produces an IPA using Amarillo hops, producing an intensely bitter brew with a refreshingly sweet note in the finish, one of the very best beers I have ever had. Don't think the guy knows how to make a bad beer. An amazing talent, always one of the highlights of the Real Ale Fest and the Great American Beer Festival and the Oregon Brewers Festival. But catch as many Flossmoor beers as you can, as soon as you can---Ashman will be opening his own place in Madison, WI in the very near future. Lucky lucky Madison.

Saturday breakfast at Troy's was the ultimate undergraduate hangover cure in the mid-70's, and for me, the best breakfast after the Friday overnight shift at 'MMR/ I never ate any other meal there but breakfast.