The Power of Russian River

This afternoon I stopped by TJ's Everyday for their 4pm tapping of Russian River Consecration and Pliny the Younger.

I arrived at 4:15 because I had gone to the NCAA playoff game between Nova and UCLA at the Wachovia with my Dad.

Pliny the Younger had already kicked; minutes after it was tapped, apparently.

At 4:17 Consecration kicked and people clapped. As Matt from the Beer Yard said: "Why are they clapping? They should be booing." I have to agree.

I was able to sample Consecration, but not Pliny. I had Consecration a few weeks ago, and have a few more bottles in my refrigerator waiting for just the right moment. It is absolutely delicious, and the keg was especially sour.

This event, and the shortness of it, is a testament to the beer geek culture.

To augment a famous movie quote: If you Post it Online, They Will Come.

Ommegang Obamagang: Beer You Can Believe In

On Tuesday, Ommegang Brewery, located in Cooperstown, NY will be releasing a beer to celebrate the inauguration. Since the feds nixed the name "Obamagang," it's officially being called "Inauguration Ale 2009."

Apparently it'll be a porter/stout with a touch of kriek and chocolate. You'll have a chance of find it if you live in Philly, Chicago, DC, NYC, Syracuse or Boston.

I happen to know that Tria, Teresa's Next Door and TJ's will have kegs of this hard to find beer.

I myself will be in DC for the inauguration. Hopefully one of the beer bars I stop in will have a taste for me.

TJ's 5 Year Anniversary

Saturday night I stopped by TJ's 5 year anniversary party. It was the usual beer event crowd: beer geeks and the girlfriends they bring along. (Okay, yes, some of them are there for the beer too.) I frequent TJ's fairly often; one can't always go to Teresa's Next Door, right? I enjoy TJ's because I can still get something to eat late, and find a decent beer to go with it.

TJ's had been building their "as advertised" draft list for the anniversary throughout the week. I may or may not have had something to do with Allagash Curieux and Allagash Musette kicking before the party started...

Regardless, the list was impressive. I enjoyed a Sly Fox TJ's 5 year anniversary British Pale Ale on the hand pump. Very delicious, mild, and well-balanced, with a nice amount of hops: a great session beer. I attempted to order a De Struise Tsjeesus, but it kicked on my pour.




In lieu of Tsjeesus, I had a De Struise Black Albert. At one point in time, rather recently, Black Albert was very nearly the holy grail of beers for beer geeks. This 13% ABV Russian Imperial Stout was brewed exclusively for Ebeneezer's Pub in Lovell, ME. To get just a 2 oz taste of it at Ebeneezer's you almost need a secret password.

Following the advice of Beer Advocate, I was lucky enough to get a sample of this unlisted beer in July. It was a murky, brackish and chunky pour, from what I considered a rather old keg.

The bottle product, however, was delicious, and very similar, minus the stale factor. It pours silky black with a taupe head. It's medium-full bodied with flavors of roasted espresso and bittersweet chocolate and just a touch of that classic De Struise funk.

All in all, this beer made bearing the anniversary crowd worth it.

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