Session Summer Of Love Part 2?

    It's awful hard to believe that on this very date, 4 long years ago, I, along with the world famous Mr. Lew Bryson, took part in sheer beer insanity, by having not one, not two, but a three day festival celebrating session beers. I remember it like it was, uh, 4 years ago. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and clear. (For some strange reason, all my beer events ended up with great weather) And the session beer was flowing into our mouths like a thirsty camel in the dessert. I also do recall some bad ideas of mine during that time. Like trying to pour 30 plus beers on Saturday instead of 10 or 12 and having a session beer dinner on Thursday night that only 12 or so people showed up.  Ahh, hindsight, ain't it grand?

Friday's night cask event went pretty well, hell, it even made the NYT. Still get a chuckle out of that. Saturday's event went alright for a first time event. There was up to 70 people total during the day and a record crowd that showed up Sunday, abliet after the fest. And I still believe in all my tattered and torn heart that it would have become one of those fine drinking institutions that everybody makes plans for every year.
But that's just living in the past. It is time to move forward or figure out which is my best foot and put it forward. So, I put it out to you, the drinking public, and the brewers, would anybody be in for:

The Session Summer Of Love Part 2, How Low Can You Go?

A battle of the brewers making the best styles of low abv  beer

A limbo contest
 
And a little BBQ
 
Maybe some time in August after BCTC, when everybody will need a palate refresher.
Or not....

FYI

More beer, get your more beer here! Yes kids, more places are opening up that serve great beer. Some say you would need a scorecard to keep track, I thinks there isn't one big enough any more.

First up is the Mile Post Pub inside the Whole Foods in Devon. Look for their soft opening by Monday the 23. This has taken awhile since they took over the old Heavenly Ham place the other year. As small as Whole Foods place was, I knew they were trying to get a license when nothing happened in that space for almost a year. Great organic food and beer together. Twist my ever sore arm.

Meanwhile in one of my former old stomping grounds of Exeter, the Liberty Taproom is getting ready to open at the old Nick's Chat A While at the corner of Prospect Street and Butter Lane. I could and did walk there way back in the day. If a place like that would have been there then, who knows how my beer history could have changed? Look for their soft opening by the beginning of June.

ABC opened last week in the old New Road spot. To say it looked a hell of a lot better would be a small understatement. TNSC went to investigate last Saturday and found things to be running quite smoothly. The beer was good, but nothing yet to sing about. My own two cents are to change whatever yeast they are using. They are all nice clean beers, but they just have no zip. You beer folk know what I mean. Everyone liked their food and I broke down and had the:
 WARNING CARNIVORES! THE FOLLOWING MAY UPSET YOU!

The Tree Hugger

(Not-A-Burger Burger)
A delightful blend of black beans, quinoa, yellow onion,
tomato, garlic, and cumin mixed together and grilled.
Served on a kaiser roll and topped with an avocado sauce (and I added some pepper jack cheese.)

It was very, very right smart and I wasn't the only one to say so. Now before everyone starts screaming, I once was the king of burgers. I had a burger in just about every place that had a half decent beer. The last real great one I had was at The Farmhouse in Emmaus about two years me thinks. And I will probably have another some day. Just not right now.

So kids, do your homework and then come out to the playground. Looks like we got some new equipment coming.

The Unroyal Wedding

   On Friday the 13th, when some people were walking under ladders and others were drinking some adult beverages from firkin's at the most wonderful Grey Lodge, two giant forces of evil merged once again to wreck havoc on mankind and of course, their own livers. Who could I be talking about? Yes folks, all the mothers hid their children, because the Monday Night Tasting Crew from Sly Fox teamed up with The Thursday Night Social Club for one of the seasons most anticipated events when Sarah and David finally got hitched in a very moving and touching ceremony by the lakes of Gitche Gumee..

Ok. maybe not that lake, but the Lake House Inn outside of Perkasie was one of hell a place to have this shindig. The always astute Mr. Evans ran a great show, with a very smart lineup of beers and food choices to keep us all quite happy. I know that a large segment of our local bar business lost a few bucks that night.



The look from the patio





The Inn itself with some fine folks




Most good beer bars would kill for this lineup









The bride and the brewer

Conducting the ceremony was none other than Tom Steigelmann from Union Jack's on the mighty Manatawny. Which seems only fitting since they live there part time. To say it was a very laid back affair would certainly be a understatement. 15 minutes after the I Do's, we were all back upstairs snacking on some fine cheeses, drinking some brews (Our bottle selection included Sam Adams Noble Pils, Yards Brawler, Bells Oberon, Racer 5 among others)

The caterers done a fine job of bringing us all kinds of lovely apps, which meant all we had to do was go and grab a beer.
Then we were off to the main reception where the evil home brewers brought out some mighty, mighty fine stuff. Thank god it wasn't all big beers or this post would never been written at all. Instead it was some of the best session stuff and mid range beer choices and of course Deep Pond's after dessert beer. The weather folks helped out also as we spent a goodly portion of the night out on the patio enjoying the festivales.
For the bride and groom, well, they are on their way to New Zealand as we speak, with a much needed layover at San Fran. I am quite sure drinking is involved. I should know, that was our wedding gift.

Wikio Leaks

      I am quite sure by now, that most of you have read or seen this Wikio blog rating thingamajig. (Mr. Curtin has just written about this very subject again.) It works something like the college football championship, you get your hits from another blog that is more popular, you move up in the standings. But if they all hit the same link time and time again, well, you go down. It is the ultimate in confusion. Now for two years I was floating along in the general tab category at roughly 23,000 or so. I would go up a few notches every month until the last several months, when all of sudden I jumped up to 8855 and then to 5516. For me, hell, I was happy. Out of nearly 300,000 blogs that they follow, to be that high with my non-existent writing skills was a minor miracle. But then I found out I wasn't in the beer catergory, just the general.  So I sent off a nice little e-mail to Wikio and they responded in a few days and said I would be in that wonderful beer catergory with all my friends for May.

So, on this last Friday morning I go and look at  Wikio and noticed that I have moved up to 4603 in the overall standings. But when I looked down and saw where the had me for the first bloody time for beer, I almost fell off my chair from disbelief and laughter. There I was, ranked 44. It has to be a birthday gift. I already see next months ranking of, sorry, Mr. TLBL, we meant to say 444 out of 443. Somebody, somewhere has been berry, berry good to me.

 I would now like to thank the academy and the voters for this great honor. I would also like to thank the ever so loyal fans of TLBL. And now I ask of you, millions upon millions of people who read this chicken scratching every day, what should I do with my new found powers? I figure I got till Philly Beer Week before the tires fall off this sucker and the transmission goes.

100!

It's hard to believe that a little over three years ago, I started this, um,novel, life changing experience, a deep thought provoking trip inside my empty mind or just a blog, for lack of a better words. Now of course I should be celebrating my 200th post, but what do you want for for nothing , a rubber biscuit? So now that some of the wonderful furor from the other week has died down for a moment, let's give the crazy ass people who actually read this, a little how de do with 4 mini posts in one.

                                                                CINCO DE HOLLAND
Yes, tonight is the night when UJ'S on the mighty Manatawny Creek brings us the one and only Dr.Joel, the worlds hottest blogger and Mr. New Holland beer ambassador. I can safely say that tonight's lineup is evil in every possible righteous way and I shall be making an appearance for a quick round or two with all the fine people there, hell, I hear even the future bride and groom will be there too to help celebrate my birthday week. Stop by and have a seat on the deck and enjoy the fall weather.

                                                        CRAFT ALE HOUSE AKA TNSC
If it is Thursday night and I am pretty sure that it is, it will be time for another meeting to discuss what crazy dumb ass drunks we really are and what we plan to about it. My plan is simple, drink 21st Amendment Bitter American and wash it down with a small boatload of Sly Fox Helen Keller Pils, a beer so good even Helen Keller herself could see that.

                                                             SLY DOG GANG BANG
I am quite sure I will get in trouble for that line, but come on, who hasn't said that out loud at one point over the last couple of weeks? Mr. and Mrs. TJ's will be hosting  the final assault on my liver this week as I celebrate my 28 anniversary of turning 25 on Mother's Day. No need for presents, but large sums of cash will be accepted as, um, gratuity, a good will gesture, good beer karma?

                                                             CURTIN'S CORNER
When the most esteemed of all the beer writers in the world asks you a wonderful question at the Goat Race on Sunday, I must answer him in a most thought provoking way I can think of. That means I have to write one more post about the Fork and Barrel, AJY fiasco and how I think the beer community could have done a better job asking questions about it without ruffling too many feathers.

That enough for you? Tune in next time for.......