Review - Jelly Belly "Draft Beer" Jelly Beans

I came across a can of Jelly Belly "Draft Beer" jelly beans while shopping at It'SUGAR. The beans came in a cute little beer can and was reasonably priced at $4.99. The company pulled from it's German ancestry and created a Hefeweizen-inspired ale flavor.

At first taste, the beer flavoring is not that strong. However, there is definitely a draft beer aftertaste. After trying a couple I thought these beans would be really good for mixing. Jelly Belly has offered the below recipes. You could also try an internet search for jelly belly draft beer recipes and it looks as though the blogs/forums offer a wide array of combinations. The common trend being two draft jelly beans in each recipe.

Run the Vineyards

A Good Day For a Run has put together this great race series through vineyards in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. Early bird pricing is generally around $40 with prices increasing closer to race day. You can also save money by registering for a season pass. Upcoming races include:
September 7 - Grapes & Peaches 10k @ Monroeville Winery, Monroeville, NJ
September 21- Down the Shore 5k @ Cape May Winery, Cape May, NJ
October 5- Wines & Vines 5k @ Penn Woods Winery, Chadds Ford, NJ
October 19 - Fall Trails @ Hawk Haven Vineyards, Rio Grande, NJ
November 9 - Valenzano 5K @ Valenzano Winery, Shamong, NJ

For more information and to register visit
http://gooddayforarun.com/run-the-vineyards-201-dates/

Event - To Be or Not To Be

Shakespeare is know to have said "For a quart of ale is a meal for a King" and "I will make it felony to drink small." It doesn't surprise me then that some beer themed Shakespeare events have started popping up around NYC. Currently there are two to choose from.

First Drunken Shakespeare offers a Shakespeare play in a bar atmosphere where the performers are also drinking. This makes for a fun, lively atmosphere.
 http://www.drunkshakespeare.com/welcome/
Secondly ShakesBEER 2014 is a pub crawl between four bars, with performers reciting Shakespeare through out the crawl.
http://shakespeareexchange.org/content/shakesbeer-2014

Both sound equally fun, it's going to be a hard choice so why not do both?

Website - Wine Country Gift Baskets

This happens to be my favorite website to buy Christmas gifts from. They offer a wide selection of wine gift baskets along with gourmet food, teas, chocolates, and fruit baskets. I have never had a problem with my orders or delivery and most items ship for free when you choose 5 day shipping.

The Steeplechase Vineyard Gift Basket 

The Talaria Vineyards Sonoma Gift Basket

The Francis Coppola Diamond Gift Basket

One of the huge pluses of using this website is you can sign up to receive catalogs in the mail or you will receive them after you order, which each have a discount code on the back cover. I've seen the discount range from 5% to 25%.

Follow this link to check out their online store

http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com/

Event - Oktoberfest 10K

This looks like another fun event. On Saturday September 27, 2014 Super Hero Events will host a 10K to benefit Boonton Township P.B.A. Local 392. After the race there will be an Oktoberfest party with beer and bbq food which lasts until 5pm. There will also be a costume contest for best beer-themed costume and best German costume.

To register use this link.
http://www.superheroracing.com/oktoberfest-10k.html

Event - Great American Brewery Runs

If you are looking to help a charity, stay in shape and taste some great beers please consider a Great American Brewery Run.

Flying Fish 5k - September 6, 2014
Yards Brewing Co. 5,000 Yards Dash - TBD 2014
Sly Fox Foxtrot 5K - TBD 2015

Follow this link for more information
http://www.greatamericanbreweryruns.com/

Website - Naked Wines

Naked Wines is one of my favorite places to buy wine. This is a completely different concept in wine buying. Your monthly membership goes to funding independent vineyards around the world, in exchange for wholesale discounts on wine produced. Purchases must be made in 6 bottle lots. In my experience, having ordered twice, the price is reasonable for what you get.


For more information visit their website at http://us.nakedwines.com/

Website - Lot18

Lot18 is a discount site for fine wine. Like most discount sites, the deals won't be around forever so act fast. Believe it or not there are a significant amount of bottles priced between $10-$20 per bottle, which is what you would typically pay in the liquor store for an average bottle of wine. With these wines you must purchase a full case or half a case depending on what is offered. I still believe this is a great deal if you do a lot of entertaining. The other plus is their wine experts do the research for you. They provide you with tasting notes and suggested pairings.

For more information visit their website http://www.lot18.com/

Flying Fish Brewery

 Flying Fish Brewery is located in Somerdale, NJ and open for tours on Wednesday through Sunday. They started as a virtual brewery in 1995 and became a real brewery shortly there after. They are proud of their Jersey roots and it shows. The company slogan is "Proudly brewed in New Jersey. You got a problem with that?"  This brewery definitely has a social conscious; they are a green brewery powered mainly by solar panels on the roof, they purchased specialized high efficiency equipment and try to recycle all excess materials. They also released FU Sandy (Forever Unloved), with a portion of sales going to hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

I have to confess that the "Flying Fish Lecture" happened later in the day at this years Appetite Festival and I was only able to try two of their beers. There is just a certain point where you can't drink anymore for the day. I did like what I got to try,  Exit 4 and Exit 16. These beers are part of the Exit Series, which is a multi-year project that hopes to eventually brew a beer for each NJ turnpike exit. 

 Exit 4 is a Belgium Style Trippel Ale. It has notes of citrus, bananas and cloves. This Beer was the gold metal winner at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. This is a strong beer at 9.5% ABV.

Exit 16 is a wild rice double IPA. It was brewed with five different hops and has a very complex flavor. It has notes of tangerine, mango, papaya and pine. It has also been described as having a bubble gum taste. I think this beer could make some fun food pairings.  This is a strong beer at 8.2% ABV.





Flying Fish Brewing Company
900 Kennedy Blvd.
Somerdale, NJ 08083
(856) 504-3442

Brewery Ommegang

Ommegang Beer was my clear favorite at this years Appetite Festival. They are a small brewery from Cooperstown New York, near the baseball hall of fame. The brewery itself is open daily and offers tours from 11am to 5pm. If you do make the trek to Cooperstown you should also consider a trip to the Cooperstown Beverage Trail which consists of 6 beverage makers.

I liked everything I tried from this brewery especially the Witte and Rare Vous. Witte is a Belgium style wheat ale with a soft lemony flavor. Rare Vous is a Belgium style ambar ale that was brewed with grains of paradise and orange peel.

Brewery Ommegang
656 County Highway 33
Cooperstown, NY 13326
(607) 544-1800

Event - Wine Riot

This is a large scale wine tasting event, where you can taste 250 wines and learn about the wines.  There is a free app where you can keep track of all the wines you taste at the event. You will be able to speak to wine experts and take wine seminars. Wine Riot takes place September 19-20, 2014 @ the 69th Regimen Armory in NYC. Tickets are currently  $55  but will go up on August 11th.

Purchase Tickets

Event - Wine and Design Bar Events

Wine and Design is this great nationwide company that offers instructional painting nights and wine while you paint. Classes are generally around 2 1/2 hours and cost around $35/40 dollars.

While the studio is located in Rahway, NJ, they have several upcoming "On Wheels" Events at local bars.

8/11 Fox and Hound
8/18 Shannon Rose

8/20 Park East
8/21 Fox and Hound

Chili Peppers

The main thing I learned from attending this years Appetite Food Festival is that craft beer in general goes well with complex/gourmet foods. I had the privilege of taking a Chili Peppers class with Bill Devine of Rosetta Farms in Plainfield, NJ. We learned about several types of hot peppers and the health benefits of hot peppers in general. They are packed with vitamins and capsicum. They help relief pain, stimulate glands that clear mucus, boost immunity, lower the spread of cancer and prevent ulcers.

Rosetta Farms sells peppers that have been smoked on oak/cherry wood and then dehydrated. They offer several blends which I was able to try while I sampled beer. My favorite being the Chipotle Habanero blend. I definitely recommend cooking with these spices and pairing them with your craft beer. The spicy food will bring out hidden/mild flavorings in the beer. This is no secret, as I've loved pairing craft beer with Thai and Korean food for years.These spices also go well when tasting wines, serving the same purpose.

For more information and to purchase these spices visit http://rosettafarms.com/

The Cheese Cave and Beer

I had the pleasure of taking two beer and cheese pairing classes with Olivia Haver, the cheese monger from the Cheese Cave in Red Bank, NJ. In total we sampled 8 craft beers and 8 varieties of cheese. The main point I took away from these pairings is that "complex" beers go well with "complex" cheese.

Some of the beer sampled were:
Brooklyn Brewery - Brown Ale
Left Hand Brewing - Milk Stout Nitro
Westmalle Abbey - Tripel
Omnegang - Whitt Beer
Oskar Blue Brewery - Dave's Pale Ale
Anchor Brewing Co - Anchor Steam Beer
Rauchbier

Some of the cheese sampled were:
Bijou
Cheddar - Cabot Clothbound
Gouda - 18 mos
Robiola Bosina - Langa
Stilton - Colston Bassett
Smokey Blue

Olivia suggests to have fun and make your own pairings. A trip to the Cheese Cave is definitely in order, they have a large selection of specialty cheese's and will even allow you to sample before you purchase.

The Cheese Cave

14 Monmouth Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732.842.0796
http://www.cheesecaveshop.com/

Beer Garden Review - Pilsner Haus Beer Garden

This is basically smack in the middle of no where, but worth it. I would recommend driving here as it is about a 20 minute walk from the 9th Street Light Rail station and is mainly residential. The outside area is relatively small and I recommend coming early if you plan to sit there. The inside area is a decent size with huge ceilings an indoor bar and grill.

I went on a Tuesday night where 90% of their menu is 50% off mainly the food and the draft beers. It was definitely hard to choose from over the 60 beers they offer.  I was really impressed by the menu, there were a lot of beers I have never heard of.

I tried the Schofferhofer Grapefruit beer and the Kostritzer. The Grapefruit beer was rich in flavor, sweet and smooth. At only 2.5% ABV it was a great beer to start with, leaving room for stronger beers. It is made from a combination of sparkling wheat beer and sun ripened grapefruit.

The Kostritzer had a coffee flavoring and a chocolate taste that coats your throat as you swallow. It had a rich smell of coffee, chocolate and bread.  It was surprisingly smooth and not too heavy for a dark beer. I passed this around to my friends and it was the clear favorite of the night.

Pilsener Haus & Biergarten
1422 Grand St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
http://pilsenerhaus.com/

Beer Garden Review - Zeppelin Hall Beer Garden

Zeppelin Hall has always been one of my favorites. Conveniently located in Jersey City about a block away from the Jersey Avenue light rail stop and about five blocks from the Grove Street Path station. They have a large food menu and about 40+ European and American craft beers. 

I decided to try the Unibroue Ephemere beer from Quebec, Canada. This is an apple beer, not a hard cider. This was a light beer with hints of Granny Smith apples. It was smooth with no after taste. I ordered a sausage sampler and it went very well will the different types of sausages, bringing out the spices in each. This is a 5.5% seasonal White style beer made with granny smith apples, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon.

Zeppelin Hall
88 Liberty View Drive
Jersey City, NJ 07305
(201) 721-8888
http://www.zeppelinhall.com/

Review - Rum Chata

Rum Chata is actually the Spanish/South American drink horchata with rum added. While the type of horchata varies by region it is typically made from rice, milk, water, sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg.

First I tried the Rum Chata on ice with coffee and I definitely recommend it's sweet, tasty and not too strong. At 13.75% ABV, it can be added at larger ratios. Just be careful not to mix with anything too acidic or it will curdle. Next I tried a Rum Chata milk shake with vanilla ice cream and milk, which was superb.Finally I had an ice cream bowl with two slices of carrot cake soaked in Rum Chata. I think you can get a sense of the flavor palette here; goes well with ice cream, floats, pina colada, cream drinks, coffee, and also on the rocks.

Beer Garden Review - Ambrose Hall

Located in the South Street Seaport, the atmosphere could not be better. You have the option of drinking inside, outside patio or at the outdoor bar.The Happy Hour Special is any beer on tap for only $5, and there is a really great selection here. Check out the chalk board:

I was a little disappointed with the food. I ordered the  Beer Cheese Potato Chips served with beer blended melted, cheese, scallions & bacon. What I got was lays potato chips with imitation cheese which may have been blended with beer but I could not tell. I also ordered the Knackwurst pork & beef served with fresh from schaller & webber with sauerkraut, Cuban baguette bread & spicy mustard; which was very tasty except for the large side of lays potato chips. I rate this beer garden a giant "go for the beer not for the food."

I tried the Coney Island Watermelon beer, which was very interesting. This beer had a light fruity smell, but a crisp tart acidic taste. There was a light watermelon aftertaste. I think this would be a dessert or fruit beer; meaning it would be best paired with dessert or fruit. It was a nice beer but did not go well with what I had ordered.

Ambrose Hall

18 Fulton St
New York, NY 10038

b/t Front St & South St in South Street Seaport 
(212) 785-0018 

Beer Garden Review - Studio Squared Beer Garden

Studio Square can only be described as an upscale beer garden. The decor is sleek and modern while maintaining the traditional beer garden wooden tables and benches. Their beer selection is standard beer garden fair - including Hoegaarden and various Oktoberfests. Pitchers can be purchased for beer, sangria, and spiked lemonade. I especially like the food menu, my favorite is the jalapeno wings and plantain empanadas.

Call or check their website for Happy Hour specials which change monthly.  The also feature several "events" like food festivals, concerts, viewing parties through out the year. It's a great venue to have a birthday party as well.


The Garden @ Studio Squared

35-33 36th St

Astoria, NY 11106

(718) 383-1001

http://www.studiosquarebeergarden.com/

Event - Tap Takeover Cricket Hill Brewery

The Shannon Rose Irish Pub in Woodbridge, NJ will host a tap takeover by Cricket Hill Brewery on Friday August 29, 2014 at 6pm. I'm a huge fan of their tap takeovers, they general feature 3/4 sample size beer for around $6.50/$7.50. They will have seasonal, limited edition and rare beers offered.

Cricket Hill is a local brewery based out of Fairfield, NJ. The current season offerings include Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale and Pumpkin Ale. The Breakfast ale promises to be a great match with eggs and bacon. While Pumpkin Ale has been released by various breweries in different forms, I'm curious to see how this stacks up against the rest.

The Shannon Rose Irish Pub

855 Saint Georges Avenue

Woodbridge Township, NJ 07001

(732) 636-6100

website

Event - "Captain Lawrence" Tap Take Over

Once a month The Shannon Rose Irish Pub in Woodbridge, NJ has been hosting a Tap-Take over featuring craft beers. I have been to several of these events, a sampling flight will be available with 3 beers at a discounted price. Also on hand will be a representative from the brewery to answer any questions you may have and give suggestions on what to try.

Thursday July 24th - Captain Lawrence Brewing Company will be on tap. Seasonal, limited edition and special releases will be on hand for tasting. For more about their beers, please follow this link
http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/the-beers/

Classes - Cooking with Rum and Tequila

Middlesex Community College is offer some interesting classes this semester. "The Spirit of Summer" is a two class series offer techniques for cooking with Rum and Tequila.

Rum: July 9th (sorry we missed this one)

Tequila: Wednesday August 6th 6:30-9pm
Cost: Tuition $10 + fee $30 = $40 total.
This class includes a tasting of El Diablo, which is a basic drink made from tequila, cranberry juice, ginger ale, and lime. Homemade tamales, steamed clams with chorizo and tequila, and guava and mango phyllo pouches.

I'm definitely looking forward to more of these "drink based" cooking classes. I will keep you posted.

To register and for more information check out the information on the Middlesex Community College website.
http://www2.middlesexcc.edu/corporate-and-community/professional-and-community-programs.html

Review - Stella Artois Cidre

 I've spend the last couple of months sampling hard ciders and Stella Artois Cidre is by far my favorite. It's not too sweet and surprisingly crisp. It's made from hand picked apples and you can tell they are a great selection. This is a medium bodied beverage, 4.5% ABV, and 170 calories.

ABV: 4.5%
Nutrition Facts:
• 170 calories
• 21 carbs
- See more at: http://www.cherokeedistributing.com/products-page/alcoholic/stella-artois-cidre/#sthash.gflwJLIB.dpuf

ABV: 4.5%
Nutrition Facts:
• 170 calories
• 21 carbs
- See more at: http://www.cherokeedistributing.com/products-page/alcoholic/stella-artois-cidre/#sthash.gflwJLIB.dpuf

ABV: 4.5%
Nutrition Facts:
• 170 calories
• 21 carbs
- See more at: http://www.cherokeedistributing.com/products-page/alcoholic/stella-artois-cidre/#sthash.gflwJLIB.dpuf

Craft Beer Resume

A young 22 year old college graduate came up with the idea to print his resume and cover letter on a four pack of home-brewed and send it to potential employers.  Of course he received several job offers due to his creativity. What other creative was can  you think of to apply to bartending positions?

Aunty Acid Personalized Wine Bottles

Aunty Acid is one of my favorite internet personalities. I think she may be a greeting card character as well, at any rate her posts/pics are always funny. I was excited to learn she was also selling personalized wine bottles. They make great gifts for any wine lover. Follow the link below for more details.

Aunty Acid Wine

Travel - Oktoberfest Tours

This is a neat company I stumbled upon that offers tours to Germany during Oktoberfest. Their packages range from 3 night to 12 night packages. Germany does have some great beers. I recommend checking out their website below.

Oktoberfest Tours

Deal - Love2Brew

There is currently a Groupon Deal for home brewing classes for Love2Brew. This is where I learned how to home brew. Classes sizes are small and very informative. I still use the printed notes I received to brew today.

The current deal has 3 options:

• $20 for a beginner's home brewing class for one ($40 value)
• $40 for a beginner's home brewing class for two ($80 value)
• $99 for a beginner's home brewing class for two and a home brew starter kit ($205 value) 

Please check it out, by following the link below
https://www.groupon.com/deals/love2brew

Review: Copa Di Vino - Premium Wine by the Glass

If you are a Shark Tank fan like I am, then you've been dying to try "Copa Di Vino." These are premium wine in a single serve, re-seal-able cup. They are perfect for picnics, lunches on the go, and the beach.

They currently come in seven different varieties; cabernet savignon, chardonnay, merlot, muscato, pino grigio, riesling. and white zinfandel. I tried the reisgling; I found it flavorful and very crisp. It had hints of apple and pineapple, with out being too sweet or overwhelming. You can definitely tell that this was a high end wine.
http://www.copadivino.com/

Ron Superior De Bacardi Y Cia

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I was able to find this rare Heritage Edition "Ron Superior De Bacardi Y Cia" in an upscale liquor store in Jersey City. This is Bacardi's most awarded rum, it is an 89 proof liquor. It's stronger and dryer that the traditional Bacardi rum, yet maintains hints of molasses. It was great drinking straight, on the rocks, or with any kind of citrus juice.
My favorite was the classic screwdriver;
2 ounces of Ron Superior De Bacardi Y Cia
Fill with Orange Juice
Add crushed ice and diced fruit (strawberries,raspberries, blueberries etc.)