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After enjoying their 10th anniversary brew, Decadence, at Monk's recently, I decided it's time I made a pilgrimage to see their digs in Easton. Their website speaks of tours and tastings on Saturdays from 12-3. Has anyone been? I'm planning to attend during my 'not going anywhere' vacation from work in September. Over the years as my interest in ferments has grown, so has their skill. They're better and better all the time.

Andy's Corner Bar (no longer on the corner, but in new-ish digs 3 doors down) in Bogota is featuring all NJ brews this Wednesday 8/17. Andy's, 257 Queen Anne Rd, Bogota, NJ 07603 (Close to the GWB, Rtes 4, 80, 46 and 95.) The family run bar always has excellent quality beers, clean tap lines, knowledgable and friendly bartenders (Tommy and George -- Barbara will make you feel as welcome as a regular customer from the moment you arrive) **They also have 2 hand-pump "engines" for REAL beer. The brewers will be on hand as well, so I expect a lot of beer discussion as well as sampling. No list of who will be there, but brewers and brews from the following have attended in the past: Climax Ramstein High Point Heavyweight Flying Fish there's also Cricket Hill River Horse Triumph Again, I'm not sure who will be there this time, but the past events have been great, with deliveries of rare beer, enthusiastic enthusiasts (are there any other kind?), and lively discussions. There has even been a wooden barrel of beer with a gravity tap! See you there, BG

I am presently grooving on two killer summer beers that seem better than ever: Yards Saison (Philadelphia) and Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale (Cherry Hill, NJ). Maybe it's been the excessive East Coast heat, but I found these beers to have a little more "oomph" this season; the FF Farmhouse now finishes with a sweet nutty snap that just puts an exclamation point on every sip; the Saison seems to have lightened the citrus in favor of a little more hop prescence, while still remaining seriously quaffable. So there's my two faves for the summer. Yours? And give us details.

What is your favorite beer for guzzling down after (or while ) you're working in the yard or whatever? I think of a lawnmower beer as refreshing, as well, and one that is light enough that I can drink lots. It's Corona for me. That is about as light as I can stand to drink. I wish I liked light or lite beers more than I do. I would save on some calories that way. One that I really like, however, is Dogfish Head Lawnmower Light. I wish that he would bottle it! It would be perfect for such a beer. It's available only at the brewpub, as far as I know. In the hottest of the heat of the summer here, we drink fewer heavy beers. Now that we can more easily find Dogfish Head beers in Florida, I wish even more that it was bottled.

What are some of the best food and beer matches you've tasted? Several stand out for me, and I'll probably have a lot of on-going discoveries to report, but I'll start with this one we enjoyed last night. A favorite match-up for us is Grilled Bread with Catalan Butter with IPA. This spread is so good, I made a link to the recipe, in case anybody wants to try it. My only modification to this recipe is to use less lemon juice. As written, it is just a little too sour for our tastes. Last night the IPA was the Dry Hopped -- OOOPS, I just realized this is not labeled as an IPA! -- River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale. Well, nevertheless, it was a great pairing! We also love IPA with various garlicky bruschettas.

Gave up drinking 9 years ago. I love beer and don't really love sodas. I've been drinking non-alcholic beers as a substitute. What are your favarite NA beers? BTW, I still get carded buying NA beers in VA. Soup

From here the Lincoln Journal Star it appears the people have spoken on how they prefer their beer to be bottled. Which do you prefer? Bottle? Keg? Can? Barrel? Personally, I enjoy a good brown glass returnable, but I would like to know other people's thoughts (and advertise a story about a good guy and my old boss)

Wish I could be at The Grey Lodge Pub in Philadelphia on the 13th. It's the only Friday the Firkinteenth of this year. Great line-up! For more information, including the new start tapping time of 2 PM, check out the website. There are new menu items that look really good, too. My postcard to you all is, "Have a good time. Wish I was there."

Today i picked up a 4 pack of this. I thought it was a pretty good deal for $4.59. The people at the liquor store said that they had it last opened a few bottles last night and they highly reccomended it. It also looks like it might have a fairly good kick to it. 7.8% alcohol. Has anybody ever tried this and what were your thouhgts of it?

I love the names homebrewers give to their beers. I've been wondering what you homebrewers have named some of yours. I didn't want to "dilute" the good threads about making beer that you have going, with this question, since it's kind of a playful topic. What are some good homebrew names you've given beers or others that you know of? During the short period of time that we homebrewed, we called ours Burgess Bedroom Brew. There was a reason for that. After we made the beer, we put the carboy in our bedroom because (1) it was the coolest darkest place in that house and (2) it was fun to regularly observe it and watch for bubbles there. I can't remember the name of all the beers we made, but you can imagine the possibilities. The first time we did it, it was of course called Virgin Brew. We also made a 4-Play Stout. Let's hear it, brewers!

My contribution to this thread (and i cooked with beer on many occasions) would be a seafood stew from Mai Pham's Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table: broth made from beer, chicken stock with tomato chunks, fish sauce, lemongrass, dill and celery with seafood and more tomatoes and dill added towards the end. Tonight i made this yet again with Czechvar, red snapper, large shrimps and serious amount of dried bird red peppers - mind-bogglingly good!

Of the more commonly found hefeweizens (Paulaner, Hacker Pschorr, Schneider Weisse, Weihenstephaner), does one in particular stand out over the others? I'd like to pick up a case, maybe two, to have around for the summer.

Any others "easily amused" like me, and get a big kick out of beer commercials and brewing company websites? What are your favorites? Speaking of Sam Calagione in another post reminded me of the Dogfish Head site. There you can do such things as learn the story of Randall The Enamel Animal, if you haven't had the actual opportunity to become acquainted with it already (I have not ) or watch The Dogfish Head Movie, "Lupulin Madness". The latter was worth the time to load and the 16 minute duration of viewing.

"BREWING UP A BUSINESS" author and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder Sam Calagione is scheduled to be a guest on "The Early Show" on CBS on Monday, May 30th in the 8:30am (Eastern) hour. I'm about half way through the book Brewing Up a Business and can definitely recommend it. Some other DFH news - You can make a weekend of enjoying Dogfish Head. DFH has teamed with The Inn at Canal Square in Lewes, Delaware, to create a two night weekend package (there is a mention of inquiring about a weekday package at reduced rates). In addition to the two nights accommodation in the Brewmasters’ Suite with DFH soap, shampoo, accessories and DFH beer in a fridge, it includes a guided tour of DFH Brewery in Milton, a Saturday evening boat tour on the S.S. Dogfish from The Inn to Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats Brewpub in Rehoboth with return transportation and a $50 gift certificate to the DFH brewpub. The package for the weekend is $575. Just call The Inn at 302-644-3377 and ask for the Dogfish Head 360° Experience. It sounds like a great weekend. I'd love to go but it isn't fitting the schedule right now.

I might be asking the impossible. Later this month I'm flying west to California with one of my sons, where we will visit my other son, and rent a car and go on a roadtrip. This isn't my usual travel style... no upscale stops this time, mostly roadfood. I am thinking that brewpubs would qualify, though, as they are more often affordably priced than other types of restaurants I enjoy. And of course I love beer. Can you tell me about any brewpubs that won't be too far off our path? Please keep in mind that I've never been in CA, so I don't know what to picture in my mind about this itinerary. My son planned this. This is our tentative route: Start at LAX (but I don't want to spend too much time in the horrible city traffic I've heard so much about); Venice Beach/Santa Monica; up Route 1, Malibu; continue on Route 1 to Salinas and/or San Jose; east to Yosemite National Park; Lemoore, where my son is stationed; Death Valley; Las Vegas; Utah/Zion National Park; Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Arches National Parks; Grand Canyon; Interstate 40 and some others to San Diego; probably a couple days in the San Diego area, and then back to LA to fly home. Thank you for any suggestions of how to include beer in this old woman's "Roadtrip With 20-somethings."

I just came across a distributor of Chilean beer on the web a Rockhopper Beer Has anyone heard of this beer or Chilean beer in general? I can't see myself not trying it

I did not know that this was a family of brewpubs/restaurants. When in JAX Friday night, we went to Seven Bridges Grille and Brewery and were quite impressed. The food was great, and it's my understanding that each location has different offerings, depending on what's fresh. I had a king fish dish, and reportedly the fish had just been caught. It tasted that good. They had a very good wine and cocktail list, as well. The beer was great! I got their IPA and their Stout. They have GABF medal beers. Locations are in FL, TN, GA, NC, OH, D.C., CA, HI, NV, AZ, WA and LA. If they all are as good as this JAX, FL restaurant, this is my kind of "chain." I've never tasted a bottled Gordon Biersch beer. Is it good?

Yesterday, I saw a billboard that gave me pause for thought (meaning, I stopped dead, and goggled at it in momentary disbelief). It advertised the Stronzo brewing company (possibly not safe for work, if you live in a conservative country), of Copenhagen (I'm in Denmark, at the moment). The thing is, 'stronzo' is one of the Italian words for 'shit' (but is often used like the English 'arsehole'). The guys behind it are apparently Danish, but I have no idea of whether or not they know what 'stronzo' means (or whether they care), nor what (if they do know) they are thinking. Statements like 'People with attitude' and 'Stronko.dk is in the air' are all over the site (and the billboard, which I didn't think to take a shot of), and their offerings include a 'Brown Stronzo', which does not exactly evoke a 'yum' response from me (it conjures up the liquid manure that's sprayed over fields as fertilizer), but then again, I'm not much of a beer drinker. They also describe themselves as an 'innovative microbrewery' brewing 'creative beer of the highest quality'. So, naturally, since I'm supposed to be concentrating closely on my work, I cannot stop wondering what deal is: expensive joke/social experiment? wild marketing manoeuvre? Is it any good? Heck, is this even legit? Any thoughts? or, even better, knowledge?

Beer Advocate Magazine rated Ebenzer's Pub in Lovell, Maine, the number one beer bar in America and the world for the last five years in a row. The 7th annual Belgian beer festival runs from August 18th to the 27th and features an incredible meal as a finale: Moules Escargot Prince Edward Island Mussels baked with Trappist cheese, butter Ebenezers grown Garlic 2004 Drie Fontenein Oude Gueuze Magnums Charcuterie Plate Traditional Belgian Head Cheese - Earthmonk infused Sour Cherries, Duck Confit and Fois Gras Terrine with 2009 OerBier Reserva Reduction Smoked Pork Tenderloin – Au Poivre Pickled fiddleheads, Spicy Pickled Green Beans and variuos relishes. 1972 Rodenbach Grand Cru, 2011 Rodenbach Grand Cru Cream of Tsjeeses Chicken Stock, Mirepoix, and Jansel Farm Leeks with Tsjeeses Tripel and Sherman Farm Cream Served with Locally Baked Trappist Bread Fantome La Gourmande Smeus Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Poached Egg, Green Thumb Pureed Potatoes served with Caviar and Tsjeeses Hollandaise Sauce. Val Dieu Triple 6liter Belgian Frites White Truffle Oil, Garlic, Parmesan, red pepper and malt vinegar Stillwater Special Beer Venison Aux Poivrons Vert a la Moutarde Served with green peppercorn mustard sauce. Tsmije 2009 BBB Cask Framboos Sorbet Exhibition Course made with Eggs Whites, Fruit, 1983 Drie Fontienen Framboos and Liquid Nitrogen Saddle of Rabbit With Watou Cheese, Ruccola and dried tomatoes in Tripel Karmeliet, accompanied by crayfish in their gravy and mashed celeriac. Allagash Special Beer Country Salad Veal Kidneys, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Quail Egg and St Louis Kriek 1997 Cantillon Kriek Cheese Selection Ruth Miller’s handpicked selection of World Class Cheese! Orval/Saison Dupont Chocolate Selection Truffles by three of the world’s greatest Chocolatier’s: Pierre Marcolinni, Jospeh Blondeel, and Valentino! Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada/Pannepot Reserva 2008 Goat Cheese White Chocolate Mousse Served with Sugar Glass Sculpture 1997 Rose De Grambinus I hear this event is amazing. Camping is encouraged. Ebenezer's Pub Info Host Note: Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in eG Forums.

Today's edition of Gear Patrol had only one entry, this report on The Oxford Companion to Beer Even though I do not drink, my SiL likes beer and I am ordering this for him as I am sure he would not think of buying it for himself. (I like to get all my holiday gift buying done early!)

Someone sent me this link today and I was blown away by the numbers, for example sales of Michelob down 72 percent over the past 5 years: 8 beers Americans no longer drink

Our tour group drove out of Bariloche to visit a family brewery . Actually the father had started it, the son had taken it over , and then the father had opened a restaurant connected to it This is the Swiss/German looking area of Patagonia and skiing is their big business. It is a gorgeous area with very Swiss style houses....and ski resorts. The brewer makes 3 kinds of beer, a Red, a Stout and a Lager...700 hand capped bottles a week total. For local consumption....here and at a little restaurant in town. Good food, and DH says it was very good beer

Over at Serious Eats I just read about Sour Beer, which is totally foreign to me. What brands are readily available in the US? Anyone here drink or brew this stuff?

I actually think these types of packaging may be better from a functional standpoint. Cans are opaque, preventing the skunking of even poorly-stored beer, and they're lighter and easier to stack and store. They're probably the most oxygen-resistant packaging, helping to keep beer fresher longer. And they don't break if dropped. The downsides seem to be limited to aesthetics and the fact that they don't contribute to your supply of bottles for homebrew. Wine in tetra bricks is nice because I can close the pack and eliminate most of the oxygen in the process by squeezing the pack as I tighten the top. For someone that rarely finished a bottle in a single day, I like having this option. It also tends to be lighter and more efficient from a storage perspective. Aesthetics stink though, and I know nothing one way or the other on the merits of wine aged in tetra bricks.

In the UK, it's very easy for me to find quality dry cider, such as Aspall, or even the Waitrose house brand. Back here in the US, most of the cider I've had has been fairly sweet, unless it's imported, in which case it gets to be quite expensive. Is there any domestically produced dry cider that can be fairly easily obtained? I've recently noticed a brand called Crispin, which looks nice, but all the varieties mention some sweet element such as honey or whatever else.