Well I know it is Saturday and all, but i figured I would start a post on my thoughts on Monday’s.  Particularly this Monday in the treasure coast of Florida.  Man, they really suck!

That’s right Borat.  Monday’s usually do suck, but not this Monday in Port Saint Lucie.

Why?

Well this Monday at Vine and Barley in Port Saint Lucie, the crew will be holding an EPIC Brooklyn Kegging.  The kegs include the newest Brewmaster’s Reserve Buzz Bomb, Black Chocolate Stout (aged delicately for 8 mths!), Summer Ale, and Lager. While the Lager and Summer Ale will be on tap all day for only $2.95; the special beers will be tapped at 6PM SHARP! Some drawings will be had for a chance to win a bottle of Brooklyner Schneider Hopfen-Weisse.

So in other words…I think you should stop by and check it out.

Vine & Barley
1680 SW Lucie West Blvd
Port St. Lucie, Fl 34986
Tel: 772-446-7550
http://www.vineandbarley.com

Yep this upcoming week is American Craft Beer Week!

What is that? Well here is some history from American Craft Beer Week.
“Look for American Craft Beer Week promotions featuring craft brewers in breweries, restaurants, and better beer stores (There were more than 500 events in 2009.), become a fan of American Craft Beer Week on Facebook for more information on events around the country and toast the week with a delicious beer brewed by one of the over 1400 craft brewers in the US.

Small brewers are small businesses; they provide so much to their local communities and have reshaped American beer culture. On April 22, 2010, U.S. Congress began discussing House Resolution 1297 (PDF file) supporting the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week.
For the Homebrewers

Homebrewers, American Craft Beer Week has not forgotten about your role in helping us get 10,000 fans of American Craft Beer Week 2009. This year we have a homebrew recipe from the American Homebrewers Association’s Big Brew celebration. American Craft Beer Wheat can be brewed in early May, and then you can tap it May 17-23!.”

So what are you doing for Craft Beer Week? Well there is no reason why you should not celebrate this week, and no reading my blog (while appreciated) is not celebrating actively.

Here are some of the events in the local area this upcoming week!

Monday 05-17-2010
The Coffee District: Delray Beach; Weekly craft beer meetup. Bring a bottle of something rare to the area to share and enjoy good beer company.
Vine and Barley: Ft. Pierce; Terrapin Keg Tapping Party, 6pm, Come to the tapping of a few special Terrapin kegs; Oak-aged Wake-N-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout and Terrapin ‘Side Project ‘Monk’s Revenge Double IPA/Belgian Tripel

Tuesday 05-18-2010
Boca Beer Lovers: TBA; This is a monthly meetup group that shares good beer (Google Boca Beer Lovers for more info)
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Avery Brewing – We will feature Maharaja and offer a tasting of some of their other beers.
The Coffee District: Delray Beach; Come meet the Founder & CEO of Harpoon, Rich Doyle. Specials and win some SWAG!

Wednesday 05-19-2010
Abraxus: Miami Beach; from 10-12 for their American Craft Beer Week edition of their Beers of Abraxas tasting. 12 – 3 oz. pours of their finest American Craft Beers for $15.
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Dogfish Head- Until we run out, we will compare “08 and ’09 Worldwide Stout and feature Aprihop on tap
Drinking Made Easy w/ Zane Lamprey; Ft. Lauderdale: Come witness the EPIC miracle himself Zane Lamprey from Three Sheets live on stage at the Culture Room

Thursday 05-20-2010
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Southern Tier- We will feature Oak Aged Unearthly and who knows what else will be poured
Whole Foods: Boca Raton; Join Matt “Can a brother get some samples?” Villei from Shipyard for a tasting at Whole Foods in Boca from 3-5pm. FREE!

Friday 05-21-2010
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Cigar City- We had to include this brewery in the mix as it is a Florida brewery- Can anyone Say Hunahpu Imperial Stout, we will have some pours of this delicious brew and maybe some glassware, and we are not done.
Total Wine: Boca Raton; If you missed him at Whole Foods you can catch Matt from Shipyard at Total Wine in Boca for a tasting of Shipyard and Sea Dog from 5-7pm

Saturday 05-22-2010
Abraxus: Miami Beach: HUGE Beer Tasting for only $20.00 which includes Food, Water and a sampling on beers. Also bring what you have and share with everyone!
BX Depot: Lake Worth; Amazing Beer Dinner; showcasing some great food and brews.

Remember that there are tons of bars carrying a great selection of Craft Beer. So check out The Lodge, The Funky Buddha, Charm City Burgers, Brother Tuckers, Trist, Bar Louie, Grease, Havana Hideout, and more!

So there you have it, if you can’t find something to do this upcoming week….well then I’m sorry…I tried! Have a Craft Beer and enjoy a week long celebration!

Slainte!

Brooklyn Dark Matter
Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY
7.50% ABV

C. Clear for being so dark
H. Dark Brown
N. Vanilla, Brown Sugar, light boozey scent, pretty mild nose (possibly from the growler)

Eduardo; Brooklyn Dark Matter 8.5 % ABV 98 Rating RB 87 to style brown ale aged 4 months in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels.
The color is lighter then I expected for a brown ale. I have seen darker brown ales. On the nose I am getting light notes of vanilla, alcohol, and brown sugar. On the palate I also get vanilla & light sweet bourbon notes. No detectable hop presence. This is a very approachable beer. This would be a good introduction to bourbon barrel aged beers or for someone looking for a sweeter beer. It leaves a light lacing on the glass. I think this would pair nice with a New York style cheesecake or try making homemade ice cream with it. I believe I set my expectations too high for this beer. I expected a bolder, more flavorful beer. I had a similar experience with Black OPS so I shouldn’t be all that surprised. The folks at Brooklyn do a great job writing up releases such as this on their website. Too good if you ask me.
Score: 3.25

The Ferm; Well I found out that a total of 5 barrels made it into the state of this beer and went crazy trying to find it. Ended up driving about an hour and fifteen minutes north to get a growler of it. I was pretty much giddy as a little school girl when I had it in my hands. Well a week removed from that situation and several tries of this beer later (from other friends growlers), I decided to crack my growler open for a review. Don’t get me wrong this is a very well put together beer. It is light on the body, and easy to drink several in a sitting. The sweetness is very good and balanced in the body of the beer. Although looking back I feel like I was taken advantage of by a great marketing scheme and Beer Hype. If you can try this beer! But I don’t think I would recommend driving over 130 miles (round trip) just for it.
Score: 3.89

Overall; 3.57

Not much happened this week in the area of Beer News. Although, unless you were living under a rock, you should have known that National Beer Day was this past Tuesday. The reasoning was because it was the start to the end of Prohibition. Yes it was a joyful day for all, or at least most.

Also in other news, a Denmark brewery had its employees strike after they took away the ability to drink on the job.  Over 800 employees of Denmark’s Carlsberg Brewery went on strike Wednsday after being told that they can only drink “free” beer during lunch, and not while working. The coolers were removed from around the brewery, pushing 250 of the 800 to walk off the job entirely.

OK, Seriously?  I think that Carlsberg needs to do a lot more than just take beer away.  It sounds to me that their employees have a serious drinking issue.  Isn’t being drunk on the job a sign of alcoholism?  Maybe they should put their entire staff on Celebrity Rehab 48…..I lost count after season one, that show sucks.  Get back to work people we need you finish making your beer.

And Finally in other news I got a sneak peak at the Three Floyds 2010 Dark Lord  Bottles last night (thanks @WBCTilly).  Check it out!  This years color is going to be GREEN!  YESS!

GREEN WAX!

Well thats all for today.  Miguel, Cerveza Chica, and Myself are heading to Vine and Barley this evening to see if we can score some Brooklyn Dark Matter and Brew Dog Paradox on tap!  Check this place out sometime! Vine and Barley