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Archive for July, 2010

Troegs Java Head Stout

July 16th, 2010 Comments off
troegs-beer-java-stout Last evening at Metropolitan, Firkin Thursday featured Troegs Java Head Stout.


  ”JavaHead’s recipe is based off of our original oatmeal stout. After the boil, the hot wort passes through our hopback vessel on it’s way to fermentation. Packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of ground coffee beans, the hopback vessel is similar to using a huge French press, intensifying the coffee nose and releasing subtle hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal mouthfeel balanced with cocoa, roast and subtle coffee flavors.”

Nice to see a brewery delivering a well executed brew without resorting to the trendy hop bomb.    I was amazed at how easy drinking this beer was for a hot summer day.   Well Done.

Current Beeradvocate Rating: B+
Categories: Beer, Food & Drink, Prelude

German Porter

July 14th, 2010 Comments off

I was talking to a friend of mine who mentioned a local German homebrew competition taking place.   In that conversation we talked about a style that was knew to me – German porter.   Check out the article that was dug up on this style.    I don’t think this style is currently covered in the BJCP style guidelines but it is pretty cool nonetheless.

Categories: Beer, Food & Drink

McGillin’s Old Ale House (Philly)

July 12th, 2010 Comments off
Being in town for the Furthur show, a group of us were looking for a good place to have lunch and some good beers.    Obviously Yards and Victory were both represented, but was also happy to find some brews from Stoudt’s and Troegs.

Very cool décor and old atmosphere.    The food was decent pub grub but nothing I would seek out either.   My only complaint – the music.    Some of the worst 80’s tunes I’ve heard in a while. 

More reviews here.

 McGillin's Old Ale House on Urbanspoon
Categories: Beer, Food & Drink, Restaurant Reviews

Do Wine Critics Really Help You Select a Bottle?

July 7th, 2010 Comments off

I’ve posted about this before but I think Tom Wark over at the Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog is more adept at describing the situation.

"There are many trustworthy palates; you should seek out as many as you can. You should find out their favorites and if you can afford them, you should try them to see if your palate roughly aligns. If they offer no great reviews of affordable wines, you should look elsewhere; great wine is all around, just like good reviewers."

I look forward to the day that the 100 point scale is gone.   Have you ever seen a bottle labeled with a 38 in a liquor store?    I assure you – there are probably some that should be.

Categories: Food & Drink, Wine