Captain Lawrence (New & Improved!)

Back in September, FPB visited the Captain Lawrence brewery. Since then, Captain Lawrence has moved from its old digs in Pleasantville, NY, to a bigger facility in Elmsford. This provided me with a great excuse to go drink beers fresh from the source. After all, we may have reviewed the Captain Lawrence brewery, but we haven’t reviewed THIS Captain Lawrence brewery.

DIFFERENCES:

Samples:

In the old brewery, you could sample each of CL’s on-tap beers for free. In the new brewery (newery?), you pay $2 for a tasting glass (which you keep when you go home), and drink for free from that point forward. It’s definitely worth it if you can scrounge up the two bucks.

Drink beer, take home a souvenir. Hey, that rhymes!

Outside:

The outside of the old brewery was a parking lot. Parking lots are cool and all, but the new brewery has a picnic table area and a bocce court, so you can drink while getting a tan.

Joanie loves Bocce.

Food:

The old brewery had no food. The new brewery has food. You can order a selection of local meats, cheeses, nuts, and jerkies while you’re sippin’ samples.

In addition, the tasting room has more than tripled in size, and the new facility is big enough that the brewers are able to put experimental brews on tap from time to time.

With the new changes in place, Captain Lawrence is an even better spot to do a little Saturday day-drinking. Bring friends, eat, drink, and be merry. Oh, and make sure you bring a growler – at 10 bucks a fill (and $11 for their Imperial IPA), you’ll be glad you did.

Cheers,

Ryan

Newport Storm Brewery

Newport, Rhode Island is a pretty sweet place to spend a weekend. For one, it’s home to a series of mansions so opulent that you experience a strange mix of being simultaneously amazed and pissed off when you see them. (Awenger?)

Secondly, someone told us that Newport has the highest number of bars per capita in the United States. Am I going to verify that before I post it? Hell no! This isn’t the Times, buddy! Even if it’s a slight overstatement, there really are a ton of different places to eat and drink. Which works for us, because this blog is called Food Plus Beer.

And thirdly, there’s a brewery there! What’s a visit to an idyllic, coastal New England town without a good brewery tour?

There's beer in those!

We arrived at the brewery around 2 pm, which isn’t an important detail in the least. Upon entering the brewery, you pay 7 bucks, get a Newport Storm glass (which you get to keep), and you’re handed a card with the names of the 4 beers on tap which gets checked off as you drink.

The first was Rhode Island Blueberry – a Kolsch brewed with real blueberries from a local farm. As cool as that is, this beer wasn’t really our style. A bit too light-bodied for our taste and while the smell and taste of blueberry was ever-present, it wasn’t particularly appealing.

Then came their flagship, Hurricane Amber Ale. Another style that Kyle and I don’t really gravitate to, but this was actually fairly impressive. A good hop/malt balance and quite drinkable…an ideal boat beer, let’s put it that way.

Next came their Oktoberfest, which was nice and malty, refreshing, and taught me how to speak German. It was a good Oktoberfest, but in all fairness I’ve been spoiled by the excellent Brooklyn Oktoberfest this year and I’ve found that all others pale in comparison. But the star of the Newport Storm show was the last beer – an unnamed, “Experimental” Belgian beer.

You see, one of the brewery’s cooler gimmicks is their Cyclone series beers, which are one-off, single-batch brews named using the same system as we name hurricanes (i.e. running down the alphabet, alternating genders. Adam, Barbara, Carl, Denise…you get the picture).

The experimental Belgian was just something they were kicking around as a possibility for their next Cyclone beer, which will be a female “S” name (Susan? Sally? Sandra? Sasha?) and it was very impressive. It seemed like a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with a different yeast strain than you’d expect from the style, which added a bit of sweetness and removed some of the esters and “Belgian-ness” that you typically come across Delicious. We’d certainly buy a 6er of it. One more thing of note about the brewery is that it’s also a distillery. Besides being the brewers of Newport Storm, they are the distillers of Thomas Tew rum. So, we got to learn a bit about the rum-making process alongside all the science of brewing that we already knew.

There's rum in these!

All in all, Newport Storm is a nice stop in a town that has plenty of nice stops. Check it out next time you’re in the area, and tell them Food Plus Beer sent you. They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about, but tell them anyway.

Cheers,
Ryan

Captain Lawrence Brewery

At first, I was afraid of growlers. (I was petrified).

You see, once a growler of beer is opened, it’s basically a ticking time bomb waiting to go flat. Ideally, once it’s been opened, it should be consumed in one sitting. But what if I didn’t get around to drinking it all at once? Will I have wasted half my beer? Why would I do that when I can just buy a 6-pack and drink them whenever I want?

All these fears were of course alleviated when Kyle and I split a growler of Gandhi-Bot. Then we started to think about the good things. You know the beer’s as fresh as it gets. You can get fill-ups of beers the brewery may not even bottle. It’s a reason to get together with friends. And best of all, it’s satisfying to have a huge, bulky, brown, half-gallon glass bottle of beer in your fridge that gets in everything’s way and pisses off your girlfriend.

With that in mind, we took our empty growlers down to Pleasantville, NY, for a taste of what Captain Lawrence had to offer and, of course, to bring some home.  We were so excited on the way down, we played a little jug band music with our growlers and an old rusty washboard.

 Feel free to comment if you find yourself in this picture.

The first room in the brewery is the tap room, which is fine, because that’s our favorite room. Here, brewery workers hand out sizable free samples of everything on tap. On the day we visited:

Captain Lawrence Kolsch: Light and clean tasting, with a hint of hops. A light sipper.

Captain Lawrence Extra Gold: Sweet, Belgian-y, with a bit of citrus. If not for the obvious selection of the IIPA, this would have been my favorite.

Captain Lawrence Pale Ale: Moderately hoppy with a nice malt backbone (though I had to pick it out, as I don’t like bones in my beer)

Captain Lawrence Pumpkin Ale: Nice malts and spices, though I didn’t get a whole lot of pumpkin.

Captain Lawrence Imperial IPA: Super floral & sweet, really hoppy without managing to be very bitter. Naturally, this is what both Kyle and I got our growlers filled with.

$10.50 for a growler of Imperial IPA. It's what Jesus would have done.

We also went on the short brewery tour with awesomely-named-tour-guide Ryan, who showed us the inner workings of the brewery, all the shiny machines, and the disgusting barrels of spent yeast that they donate to local farms. Eww.

Ryan also mentioned that in the next few months, the brewery will be expanding substantially with a move to its new location in Elmsford, which will finally allow them to produce 6-packs of Pale Ale and other 12 oz. offerings. Big things coming from the Captain. Be on the lookout at your favorite bottle shop.

 No brewery review is complete without pictures of big shiny things.

We didn’t realize it before we plugged the address into Kyle’s GPS, but Capt. Lawrence is about 10 minutes closer than New England Brewing Co., making it our closest commercial brewery. It’s an awesome place to grab some samples of a year-round favorite or something seasonal, the growler prices are totally reasonable, and the staff is friendly. Next time you’re in Pleasantville (and why wouldn’t you be), definitely plan to stop by.

Grrrrrrr, (I’m growling. Get it?)

Ryan

Ryan Does Portland, ME Pt 2: The Sebago Brewpub

Click here for Pt. 1: The Allagash Brewery.

As Brit and I left Allagash, we found we were in an odd place in terms of what to do next. It was 2 pm, we were a little buzzed and a little hungry. It was too late for lunch, too early for dinner, and there was no point in going back to the hotel, because we were in friggin’ Portland.


Therefore, we came to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to have a snack and a brew at another one of my predetermined beer destinations (Beerstinations?), the Sebago Brewpub.

This was taken from a moving car. Don't act like you're not impressed.

The Sebago Brewpub is located downstairs from a Hampton Inn, a couple blocks from the water in the heart of Portland’s Old Port. I couldn’t help but notice the prime location and lament that a similarly-themed restaurant in Stamford would never be afforded such choice real estate. Alas.

There were 10 Sebago beers on tap, and I ordered a Frye’s Leap IPA. My history with Frye’s Leap up to this point had been very up-and-down. I’d had it on tap 2 or 3 times and been very impressed, and I’d had it in a bottle and been…underwhelmed. The brewpub’s offering, as you may expect, was super fresh, with that great hop aroma and kick that must have faded as the bottle aged a bit. If you can find fresh Frye’s Leap on tap, it’s certainly worth a taste.

Pictured (Left to Right): my cell phone, Frye's Leap, a coaster, Bass Ackwards.

Brit ordered Sebago’s Bass Ackwards Blueberry Ale, which isn’t my cup of tea, but it was malty and well-balanced without a nauseating amount of blueberry taste (which is not uncommon in blueberry beers.)

The menu was standard American fare, burgers, sandwiches, wings and what not, and we ordered potato nachos; nachos with waffle fries where the tortilla chips would normally be. It was culinary mad science. The salsa, sour cream and jalapenos worked perfectly on the potato – it was sort of like a nacho and a potato skin’s delicious bastard child. Also, my taste buds and my arteries are no longer on speaking terms.

Anyone know a good cardiologist?

While we were munching away, we noticed on the menu that all Sebago drafts were $2 from 10PM to close. Did I come back at 10PM for 2 more beers? Of course I did! I had another Frye’s Leap, and then moved on to the Lake Trout Stout – a malty stout brewed with real fish. (Just kidding.) Lake Trout was your run of the mill stout, malty, roasty, and serviceable, but nothing to write home about. Then again, I can’t think of much that would inspire me to write my mom a letter.

‘Twas a good time getting to know Portland, ME, and its surprisingly rich beer culture. I shall be back.

Cheers,

Ryan

Ryan Does Portland, ME – Part 1: Allagash Brewery

I, Ryan Prescott, am a full-fledged beer geek. Sometimes, I don’t know how I got here. In 2009, I was in college drinking 30s of Busch and Keystone Light. Beer was nothing more than a mechanism for drunkenness - it didn’t matter what kind it was, just as long as it would provide buoyancy to a ping-pong ball.

Now, I can’t plan a vacation without my mind wandering to beer. What beer does (insert vacation locale) have that I can’t get here? What breweries are in the area? Any brewpubs or beer bars worth checking out? I just can’t help myself.

So, it’s hardly a surprise that when I decided to visit Portland, Maine for the first time with my girlfriend, I had to make a few stops; the first of which was a tour of the Allagash Brewery.

Yes, I'd like to solve the puzzle? Is it, "Allagash Brewing Co.?"

The Allagash Brewery is located 10 minutes or so from the heart of Portland, on the same road as two other breweries (Maine Beer Co. and Rising Tide Beer Co. – both closed to the public on the Tuesday we were visiting). We arrived at 1 pm for a guided tour, and were happy to learn that the first part of the tour was the beer tasting.
The (quite generous, in my opinion) tasting consisted of four different brews:

1. Allagash White – Allagash’s flagship beer, which, according to our tour guide, comprises 80% of the brewery’s sales. That’s kind of a lot. This beer is clean tasting, citrusy, crisp, and just perfect for a hot summer day. I may start substituting it for Gatorade in the near future.

2. Allagash Tripel - Spicy, even more citrusy than the white, with a little alcohol bite. Delicious. Had to buy a 4-pack.

3. Allagash Curieux – This beer is nothing more than the Tripel, aged in Jim Beam Bourbon Barrels. It pours a darker color, with a stronger, smokier taste to it, and the Bourbon aging bumps up the ABV to 11%.

4. Allagash Victor – This beer was brewed with wine grapes, which gave it a nice sweetness compared to the previous brews.
From there, we put on our sweet protective goggles and began the tour of their facilities, checking out the impressive brewing equipment, going over the brewing process (which Kyle and I know all about because we homebrew like bosses), and staring at the bottling line for a while, because it’s mesmerizing and I can’t help it.

Watching the bottling line > Counting sheep

From there, we went into the barrel aging room, a room filled from floor to ceiling with experimental brews that have never seen the light of day. It’s always nice to see a successful operation like Allagash continue to push the envelope and try wacky new things with their beer, so it was interesting to think of the possibilities that lay within those barrels.

Brittney tried drinking one before it was ready, and she turned into a blueberry.

All in all, it was a good time that I’d recommend to anyone. The tour is fun and informative, the samples are free and plentiful, and it’s always cool to see what goes into putting those tasty brews in those pretty bottles.

Check back soon for Part 2: The Sebago Brewpub.

Cheers,
Ryan

New England Brewing Company

Woodbridge, CT
www.newenglandbrewing.com

It’s a rainy Saturday, what do you do?  No, it’s not a trick question or a riddle – go drink some beer!  In fact, step up your game a little bit - go drink one from the source.  This simple thought process brought Food Plus Beer to our closest commercial brewery, New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge, CT (just outside New Haven).

New England Brewing Company

Now, we knew that New England Brewing is a Microbrewery, but we didn’t fully understand how micro it is until we pulled up.  It’s a small, unbecoming box of a brick building that produces a mere 2,000 barrels of beer annually.  That’s just over 660 thousand beers – Ryan and I can down that in a night! (If you don’t believe us, buy us the beers and we’ll show you).  Popularity of NEBCO’s brews along with limited supply has forced them distribute only to local areas; they even had to stop distributing in New York.  Rarity is reason #2 to jump on any opportunity to try their beers.

This is the entire brewery.

The first reason is because the beer is incredible!  While at the brewery we were fortunate enough to sample “Gandhi Bot” and “668: Neighbor of the Beast”.  "Gandhi Bot" Double India Pale Ale is amazing.  It’s 8.8% and LOADED with hops.  It’s piney and citrusy with a resinous feel that sticks to your mouth and begs another sip.  All the while you can let your imagination run wild as to why there’s a robotic Gandhi on the can.

“668 Neighbor of the Beast”, a Belgian Strong Pale ale with a light body and both a spicy and fruity character, ranks in at over 9% and is almost equally delicious (I'm a hophead so in my eyes you can't beat the robotic rebel!).  The can features a regular ol’ guy in a wife-beater fetching the mail while a red glow emanates from his neighbor’s house.  We love the can and the beer inside it.

At least we know the Neighbor approves...

And just to clarify things, yes they do can their beer (with the exception of Imperial Stout Trooper).  In fact, they actually still can everything by hand. New England Brewing Company is another fine example that great beer doesn’t have to come in glass bottles.  Go to there for the growler fills, stay a while for the free samples.

These cans will all be filled by hand, one by one.

-Kyle

Ryan’s Birthday in New York: A Food and Beer Spectacle

In Connecticut, you can’t rent a car until you reach age 25. That’s all that’s left for me. My last real milestone. I have reached 22; the first of the many non-exciting ages I will reach here on out for the rest of my life, before I am eaten by a shark off of Australia’s Gold Coast at the age of 76. I had a vision.

But hey – just because the milestone isn’t exciting doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, does it? That was a rhetorical question.

With the denial of my inevitable mortality in mind, I ventured into New York City with Kyle and 3 friends of Food Plus Beer for a full day of misbehavior.

BROOKLYN BREWERY

After dropping off our things with our generous hosts, we hopped a subway to Brooklyn Brewery, home to some of the best beers I’ve ever had. When you walk into this place it actually smells like they're brewing beer. The beers here were 6 for 20$ (you buy tokens for beer). We had our first at about 2:10 p.m. For me, it was the Blast!: an Imperial IPA with a 8.5% ABV. So tasty. The flavors just pop, but it’s not overpowering. It doesn’t feel like you’re drinking such a strong beer. I followed with their 6.1% Winter Ale, a dark and sweet little number that reminded me a bit of Newcastle.

Brooklyn Brewery has cat.

We then took the “tour,” which in reality was just a short spiel by one of the brewery workers. Brooklyn only brews during the week, and they only give tours during the weekend. So there wasn’t much to see, but our tour guide had spilled something on his crotch, so there’s always that. There was also a great story about the time the brewery had its forklift stolen, only they didn’t have the money to afford a new one at the time, so the two brewmasters drove around all night in order to find the forklift and steal it back. Did I mention I love this company? It was also interesting to learn that they use pure unfiltered NYC tap water for all of their brewing while most craft breweries go to great lengths to get theirs filtered.

We downed another Blast! for the road, but since the place was BYOF (bring your own food - or order some to be delivered there) we skipped joyfully out of the brewery. Those beers don’t mess around, so we were already doing a bit of wobbling at this point.

MUGS ALE HOUSE

After stopping at a hipster used-clothing store and contemplating purchasing a circa-1994 leather Chicago Bulls jacket, we made our way to a bar called Mugs Ale House for much needed appetizers and of course, more beer (not to mention shots of the always-dangerous Rumplemintz). We had decent wings that could have used some more sauce, and nachos that my beer-riddled brain remembers as quite tasty. They had 36 beers on tap. I chose beer called Sweet Hoe, which I picked solely because of its funny name, Remember, I’m 22 years old.

SHAKE SHACK

After this, we went back to our hosts’ place (after getting off the wrong exit on the L train, of course) to continue to drink and prepare for dinner. Dinner was a delicious little burger-and-fries place called the Shake Shack, where they give you a fun little buzzer that vibrates when your food is ready. The meal was delicious and inexpensive, and the beef was top notch. This short blurb doesn't do it justice, if you see one, immediately go order yourself a burger.

EAST END BAR AND GRILL

Our next stop was the East End Bar and Grill, a Texas Tech fan bar that we went to in order to watch the Tech game with our host. Rather than taking a cab there, the group opted to take a drunken stroll through Central Park, which was blurry and beautiful. The game was a back and forth affair, but the smelly Oklahoma State Cowboys came through in the end. Magner’s and Smithwick’s were consumed here.

P.D. O'HURLEYS, GRAY'S PAPAYA

At this point, Kyle and his lady friend left for Stamford, leaving just 3 soldiers to carry out the remainder of the mission. We chose to usher in my birthday around midnight at an Irish pub called P.D. O’Hurley’s. As soon as we walked in the door, the Irish bartender was in a shouting match with a customer and violence was being threatened. We were clearly in the right place. We grabbed a couple Harp’s… and then we all realized that enough was enough. There would be no overdoing it on this night. We stopped by Gray’s Papaya for some sauerkraut chili dogs, and hit the sack.

3 bars, one brewery, and junk food galore. It was a good birthday.

-Ryan