Mellody Brewing

One down, nine to go

Last week I spent the week in Tampa, FL visiting friends and watching lots of Phillies baseball.  The was a lot going on while I was there and the one thing that stood out were my two visits to Cigar City Brewing.  Last time I was at the brewery, they didn't have fermeters.  The only beer they had brewed was on an expanded home brew kit that they used to make their pilot batches.  I was there to help label kegs and taste the pilot batches.  This time I was buying growlers, sharing beers with friends and buying many bottles of Cigar City's highly sought after Hunaphu's Imperial Stout.  I sent six bottles home for myself to cellar and trade.  I can't wait to get them in a few days.

On Friday I spent a few hours at the brewery with friends in Cigar City's new Tasting room.  The visit was perfect on so many levels.  Lots of laughter, good beer and an informal tour with by my friend Sebastian, Cigar City's volunteer organizer who happened to be working the tasting room that afternoon.  We strolled the brewery, and I snapped pictures of the brewery while my friend's sipped Maduro Brown, Jai Lai IPA and Oatmeal Cookie Brown Ale.  Upon my return we split a bottle of Hunaphu's, a truly amazing beer.  These guys are really knocking it out of the park, and I can say I knew them when.  I remember meeting Joey and Wayne while volunteering at St. Somewhere, then heading to Oldsmar Taphouse for beers.  Drinking and talking with Wayne was an experience in itself.  He is the perfect mixture of brewer and artist.  After talking with Wayne, I realized the many levels of beer and how using a solid base beer can be transformed using different aging techniques and additives. I remember thinking after that session that Cigar City was going to be a force to be reckoned with, and I think I am still right.  They haven't even been open a year and they already have a gold medal from the GABF and one of the top rated beers on beeradvocate and ratebeer.  Those initial conversations about beer and Joey's vision for Florida brewing were seeds for my love of the brewery start up, and excitement of knowing someone who had a vision.  I can say, Joey is living that dream and making it come true. I can't wait to see where they go. 

Sunday, SUNDAY, Sunday

They'll sell you the whole seat, but you will only need the EDGGGeeee....

Philly Beer Week(end) - here I come.

I have a golden ticket...

Well, sort of. My friend Brian in Tampa agreed to secure me some rare Cigar City Beer. Hunahpu Imperial Stout is rated in the Top 50 beers on beeradvocate and rate beer, with only one year under it's brewing belt. CCB is doing some great things, I wish I was there to celebrate today, but I'll be there next week. The bottles will be waiting for me.

It's the Final Countdown

This weekend I'm on the hunt for the number one rated beer in the world (according to BeerAdvocate.com.) Pliney the Younger.  I am pretty sure I'll get a taste tomorrow.  So, we begin the countdown, to having drank all ten of the Top Ten Beers on BeerAdvocate.com with a sample of Gob's music show from Arrested Development.  How I miss that show.

It's not where you are, It's where are you going

ALERT!! High Cheese Factor in this post, beware.

I watched my fair share of Olympics on NBC during the last few weeks.  I enjoyed the mass consumer advertising during this sporting event (which is what it is all about, right?) P&G - Olympic Moms, Coke - Athelete Snow Ball fight, and my favorite Olympic atheletes eating McDonalds.  (Do you hear the sarcasm in my writing?)  There was however, one commercial that really caught my attention, and that was Nike's commercial using The Hours song, Ali in the Jungle.  I liked the slow motion capture in the commercial, but I love ths song.  It's slowly becoming an internal anthem, or theme song.  I downloaded it, and have listened to it lately to get me pumped up or to just raise my energy level.  The lyrics too are simple - yet strikingly clear and relevant.  I look at what the singer/ song writer is saying here and it's really, if you look at some of the amazing things people have done, how quick are you going to get up?  The more I hear it, and sing it in my head, the more I'm motivated to get up, and move past what I've seen as my adversity and to move forward.  This isn't all just brewery related, but just life in general.  I think I've been letting life and it's pressures drive for too long, it's time to get up.

It's Friday, and I'm feeling especially excited to be done another grueling work week here and to get some manual labor in volunteering at the Craft Beer Festival tomorrow night.  Watch for pictures and updates.

Also, here's the Nike commercial:

 

Here Pliny...here boy...

Word on the street is Pliny the Younger is hitting bars in Philadelphia over the next few weeks.  This is a pized find for beer geeks, as it is only released once a year, and in sixtels only.  That means, limited supply and kegs that kick fast.  I'm not going to go and list all the places and events tied to getting some Pliny, a quick google search will help you find it.  My issue today is figuring out when and where I can get me some.

Pliny the Younger by the way is the last beer on my Top Nine in 09 list, so while it maybe 2010, I'll have now had all the top ten beers I listed from last year after I get me some.