Beer flight in Amsterdam!

Well, I'm in Amsterdam. For those unaware, I've decided to spend about 18 days on vacation in Europe, hopping from one locale to the other and trying the local libations (among, you know, checking out places of historical, intellectual, and artistic import.) I'll be in Paris next, then Luxembourg, then German, then Lisbon, and finally (very briefly) through Casablanca, Morocco before heading back stateside. Watch this space for snapshots of my journey, and follow my Instagram @baconesque for more. 

After a morning spent at the Rijksmuseum, I headed south through the Museum Quarter for about a half-mile to Gollem's Proeflocall, a cafe on Overtoom street. I found some good reviews online for it, and they feature a broad spectrum of Euro craft brews, so why not?

The service staff was super friendly and very helpful - my server also studied for a semester at University of Maryland and knew some DC places I've been to, which was cool. The way beer flights work here is to pick one or two you are interested in, and then leave it to the staff to choose the others. You can also get cheese pairings with the beer, which I did not do (but maybe should have.) On the menu, I noticed Jopen's "Chai-ai-ai", a chai-spiced farmhouse ale, so chose that one along with Bacchus' traditional kriek. The other two, which happened to be the first two I served, were a surprise:

A "gelato ice cream" beer, in green, with a surprisingly-thin texture. Most ice cream beers are made with lactose, and thus creamy to replicate texture, but this one was thin and soft. I didn't catch the maker or ABV as it was chosen for me. But it was probably around 6.00%. 

and Maibock: malty, slightly sweet, and refreshing. Since it's May, it's a perfect outdoor beer (Maibock is "Mai", the month + "bock", the style.)

And the final two - a tart and sour kriek from Bacchus, a traditional style using cherries. I've had high-ABV beers like this before and it's nice to have one that's a little tamer (after all, it's the early afternoon!) And the "Chai-ai-ai"...that is an apt name because this thing is *loaded* with chai flavors, projecting a strong spice drawer aroma even a foot or so away. Seriously. The flavor delivers, as well, with tons of baking spices, chai, and full malt flavors with a surprisingly-snappy finish. Like the gelato beer, this is surprising as the texture is unusual given the style and flavors. Brewers tend to stick with a certain texture or style for certain flavors, and when they diverge, it's neat. 

According to my server, an Irish tourist recently visited Gollem's and chugged the chai beers, one after another. I do not advise this! It's a sipping beer, for sure, just like the gelato and the kriek. 

On the the next one! I'm a few days behind in posting since I'm so busy but I will get to it. 

     

Conrad DC's SUMMIT - rooftop season in Washington! And a goji berry cocktail

I love a good rooftop bar, and in a city like DC, it's even more impressive. With the height of buildings limited by an act of Congress, anyone finding themselves enjoying a libation atop a building will likely have a view of monuments or famous places. I recently had the chance to visit Summit, the expansive rooftop deck of the Conrad Hotel in City Center. 

First of all, it's got a great view. It seems most rooftops I've been to are part of hotels, which makes sense. The Conrad's is not readily accessible to folks off the street - to get there, you need to into the hotel, go up some elevators, exit, turn left then right then go straight, then go left again, go up *more* elevators, and then go right and you're there. Yeah. This is kind of fun since it cuts down on the amount of people that actually make it up there. Of course, this hotel is popular with trade associations and other corporate groups, so you'll find lots of those folks up there.

The Conrad's rooftop is one of the largest I think I've been to - there's space up here for probably 200 people. It's sort of U-shaped, with the bar at the nadir of the 'U'. Low couches with huge umbrellas are punctuated by raised planters, creating some natural dividers for privacy. There are seats at the bar and a few high-tops around the perimeter of the space. I chose a high-top, which gave me a nice view of Franklin Square and straight up 10th St NW up to Silver Spring. 

For beverages, I chose their "New Perspective", which consists of vodka, goji berry syrup, cranberry, lemon, and ginger ale. Stirred, I presume, and served over ice:

It's not super boozy, which I like actually in this setting. I feel like for some vodka drinks, the tendency is to overload it with booze but that's not the case here. The goji berry is the real star here, giving the drink a dash of tartness which, combined with ginger ale, makes it snappy and fresh. It's garnished with a fresh flower, which I did not eat but oftentimes they are edible. 

For vodka, they use Wheatley, which is a Buffalo Trace product and pretty decent. It's the only name-brand item in this ingredient list. It shouldn't matter, especially for vodka and especially for a drink with as many flavors as this. But it's still a good choice I think. I had their chili-encrusted shrimp as a snack and the spice/citrus pairing complemented the drink well.

Anyways, Summit is a cool spot and worth visiting. Obviously you need nice weather to fully appreciate it but it's worth a go.  I hope to be back at some point soon to try out their other cocktails...likewise, their restaurant Estuary is highly-rated and also on my list. Since for some reason Google decided to delete, irretrievably, my other photos, here's an awkward panorama. You get the gist, though!

The Conrad Hotel, 900 New York Avenue, NW

Sycamore Brewing - Caribbean stout

I picked up this single 12oz can for $5.99 at Total Wine in Arlington, VA, last month after brunch at O'Sullivan's, where a few friends and I watched Scotland lose to Ireland at rugby. We went to Total Wine afterward and perused their huge aisle of singles, and came away with quite a few fun finds.

This is a 7.00% ABV "Caribbean stout" from Sycamore Brewing out of Charlotte, NC. This is my first beer by Sycamore, and as none us us ever had a "Caribbean stout", we all grabbed one.

I did some research on Caribbean stouts, and was interested to find quite a bit of scholarship on the topic. Traditional wisdom suggests that in hot, steamy climates, people drink cool, crisp refreshing beers. This is oddly not the case, with a great number of darker, heavy beers being manufactured across the region (most notably Jamaica.) 

So this one is extra hopped, which is fun for a dark beer and unusual. It makes sense, though - kinda like how IPAs (India Pale Ales) started as ales heavily fortified with hops as preservatives, so it would last the long schooner journey to the Raj from England. 

Striking can. I love it when brewers used colored can blanks, pop tabs, and sealing caps. It's fun and really gives the beer some shelf appeal. 

Pours root beer colored into the glass, and generates a short but stout (ha) head. The aroma is soft with a particular herbal quality that's intriguing. 

There's a major dose of dark chocolate up front, with a few touches of caramel and toasted bread. In the middle, I've getting some medium-roast coffee - no acidity, but not bitter or oily. The finish is where I'm getting some herbs, and a touch of piney hops but not a ton. Aftertaste is light with a bit of sweet cream.

This beer is pretty interesting and has a lot of different flavor layers to it. I very much appreciate that it it's not heavy or overroasted; I'm pretty much done with those types of beers. Along with some of the usual "dark beer" flavors like caramel, the addition of hops is an interesting, and welcome touch. Here, it's not overdone or packed with bitterness but instead delivers that herbal quality which goes well. The texture is soft but not creamy and the hops don't impart any bitter or resinous qualities - it's all herbs.

Overall, I like it and is worth trying. It's a nice counter to dark, roasty beers and a good "spring stout" if such a concept exists. 

"Beck is Back" - a review of one of my favorite places in DC (for District Fray)

I've been going to Brasserie Beck for well over a decade, and finally got to feature them in an article for Fray. 

https://districtfray.com/articles/brasserie-beck-is-back/

You may recall I also interview Dean Myers, then-beverage director, back in 2017: https://vinesandleaves.blogspot.com/2017/03/field-trip-interview-with-dean-myers.html

L to R: their coconut-encrusted espresso martini; and the "Atlantic Boulevard", a strawberry-basil-infused margarita. Both are great! 

 All photos courtesy of Brasserie Beck.

SAVOR DC is not returning

I recently read that SAVOR DC, the all-you-can-drink food and beer pairing event, won't be coming back to DC this year. I'm of two minds on this: on one hand, I very much enjoyed (most) of the times I went. SAVOR was my first big event to which I was invited, and holds a special place in my heart for that reason. Pre-pandemic, it was held at the historic National Building Museum and was always such a good time: I got to enjoy some amazing beers, meet some interesting folks, and try breweries I've never heard of. The food was always tasty and there were even pre-event parties with brewers at places like Meridian Pint. We'd always leave with bags full of free samples. 

Last year, the event moved to the Anthem, and while I enjoyed it, there were some issues. Besides getting Covid-19 from the event last year, I had an unfortunate experience with Brewer's Association staff. I'm normally a pretty relaxed kind of guy, but I felt unfairly treated. While a follow-up call did a lot to smooth out those ruffled feathers, including a promise to change some procedures, it looks like they opted not to do the entire thing.

I do hope another event takes its place and gives the good people of the DC area a chance to enjoy delicious food and beer in such an august setting. While the craft beer movement has moved somewhat away from its heyday, when breweries would push the envelope and create crazy-good beers, there's still an opportunity for brewers to showcase their products and reach new customers. Let's hope something like that still happens in DC. 

Afternoon Cocktail: Pineapple Coconut Pisco Sour

 
The inspiration for today's cocktail came from both an open bottle of pisco in my home bar, and a can of Lemoncocco I grabbed from Nido Market here in Mt. Pleasant. I wanted to make a fun twist on the pisco sour, and thought the addition of the coconut would give it a fun twist.

To make this, you'll need:

• 1.5oz pisco
• 2oz Lemoncocco (or lemon soda)
• .10oz lime juice
• .25oz simple syrup
• 6 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 egg white
• a few grinds of black salt

Add in all ingredients except egg whites into a set of mixing cups. Stir. Then add the egg whites, shake vigorously to foam the eggs, and strain into coupe glasses. You could garnish with herbs or a slice of lime if you wish. 

   

Sonor Wines America - 2017 Pinot Noir

 Back when I was buying wine professionally, we got a visit from the sales rep for Sonor Wines America. He was offering a small line of wines that had labels featuring artists and their music. It's not uncommon to see artists, actors, or other Hollywood-types dipping into the wine business, and with custom crush and other craft services readily available, it's easy to buy up some grape lots and release under your own name or label...if you have the money, that is. Celebrity labels are hit-or-miss, but the price was right so we picked up a few cases. 

Sonor has a wide variety of wines at a low price point, but the kicker is, and bear with me - the wines were "imbued" with music. Austrian wine aficionado Markus Bachmann figured that by submerging speakers into the wine, and playing various musical tracks, it would somehow affect the quality of the wine or create a product enhanced with additional properties. Obviously this is quite hokey, but wine is wine, so I figured I'd write about it. I got this for $4.99 on clearance at Irving Wines & Spirits, and for five bucks, it's hard to go wrong. 

This wine features music by Jesse Cook, a Canadian guitarist. The track, "Mario Takes a Walk", is a blend of Spanish-sounding guitar, nice peppy beat, with some wood blocks and light percussion. Cool. 

So "sonic" additives aside, the wine: it's a 2017 pinot noir from Austria. Nice to see a central European red. I'm not getting much aroma from the glass, but as it sits out and I volatize a bit, there's a touch of berry. Taste-wise, it's a bit sharp, a little metallic, and off-dry. There's a good dose of raspberry and plum juice; it could definitely use a few more years in a barrel to smooth out some of those flavors. The wine isn't bad - certainly not refined or perfected - but it's a fun experiment and priced appropriately and it's fun to listen to the music. It had an original price of $9.99, which is fine, marked down to $4.99 which is much more of a value. I think this would go great with pizza, actually.