For the beer loving Aiiyah and the even more beer loving Tourist Tree, this was an event not not to be documented. We could not physically attend every single event but we had tried hard to record our odyssey through this beer geek heaven.
Day One, Minus Two Flying Fish and Good Dog decided to jumpstart the event by taping a firkin of Abbey Dubbel two days before the official start of the event. The place was packed to the gill when Head Brewer Casey from Flying Fish tapped the firkin with the official beer week “Hammer of Glory” which made its first public debut that night.
I have had many Abbey Dubbel in bottles but was taken by my first natural taste of this beer from the firkin.
Day One, Minue Two beer tally: Flying Fish Abbel Dubbel, Bells Kalmazoo Stout.
Day One
Sketch BurgerWe decided that it would be a wise move to line our stomachs with some good food before our first official drink. Sketch offered a very basic, build your own sandwich menu. Start with the meat, pick a sauce, pick the toppings. I believe the place also uses only all-natural products which is a big plus for me.
American Kobe, Horseradish Cheddar Cheese, Aioli Sauce. 
I have tasted a few “Kobe/Wagyu/fill your name in here____” burgers. It seems that everybody is getting into the act capitalizing on the notoriety of the meat. I have yet to have one that had completely knocked me over and declared the Holy Gail of Burger. However, this not so little $9.00 (before adding on the $1.00 a piece toppings) tasted much better than any, including the forty some dollars “Kobe” from Old Homestead, I have had so far.
The Kobe arrived with a thick slice of horseradish cheddar which was tasty on its own and a fresh slice of thick tomato and several leaves of romaine lettuces. Have I mentioned that the cheddar was thick, like a piece of triple-stacked coaster? The initial bite into the burger was very rewarding. I immediately tasted the charred crispy outside, followed by the sweetness of the meat and the crunchiness of the tomato and lettuces. With the buns, the burger stood about 5 inches. It was hard to take it in one bit even for somebody like me who has a big mouth, a-hum.
The winner for the night, however, was the Smashed Onion Burger. A glorious patty of beef with onions mixed in, caramelized and charred with the meat on the outside while releasing its sweetness inside as it was being cooked. The patty was topped with a hap of caramelized onions, and I chose pepper jack cheese and chipotle sauce for a bit of spice. This burger was just wonderful! It was one of the most natural tasting burgers I have had lately. It was so juicy that I thought they might have soaked the bums in gravy. I was even surprised at myself that I did not use barely a hint of ketchup on the burger which would ruin the good taste of this juicy meat (yeah, I’ve been known to use half a bottle of ketchup on some burgers). After several bites, my hands were drenched with juice. No wonder there’s a big roll of paper towel on each table!
Green Chili Fries.Sketch did not want to deal with a fryer when it first opened. I am glad that the owners have changed their minds. The fries were excellent! The green chili sauce has very little kick but tasty and not overpowering, just perfect with the fries. It was a Special for that night
Notice the amount of juice just after two bites.
Lettuces, tomato, pepper jack cheese, onion, onion, onion, meat…, an orgy between two buns! Note the amount of juice pooled in the container. 
We had our first official Beer Week beer at one of our most favorite watering hole. I enjoyed the Left Hand Smoke Jumper Porter very much. The Twin Sister Double IPA was a bit hoppy, but not so much that would prevent this drinker from consuming it. GD was serving finger food size pulled pork “free” to pair with the porter and an empanada with the IPA.
Our friend Charlie was attempting a one hand texting with a broken humerus on the other arm from a slip and fall.
St. Stephen’s Green
It was pouring eleven taps of Bell’s that night! Unfortunately, only nine were still running by the time we got there. The place was packed wall to wall but we managed to squeezed in a Cherry Stout – sour cherry note from the beginning to end; Consecrator Doppel Bock – nice; Cream Stout – would go great with ice cream; and a taste of the Hop Slam – wow, big hop alert!
Although it was jam packed, everybody was very friendly and in a festive mood. We tried to talk to the brewer but could not get close to him. Have a choice to nine different beers on tap from the same brewer was like drinking at the brewery!
Day One beer tally: Left Hand Smoke Jumper Porter, Left Hand Twin Sister Double IPA, Bell’s Cherry Stout, Bell’s Consecrator Doppel Bock, Bell’s Cream Stout, Bell’s Hop Slam.
Day Two Good Dog
We returned to GD for the Yards ESA in firkin. We loved the cloudy liquid directly from the firkin over the filtered and pasteurized version in kegs and bottles.
Picture: Tom Kehoe, the brewer and founder of Yards getting ready to tap the firkin. He is also one of the main force behind the Beer Week.
Jamaican Jerk Hut
Jamaican food was greatly influenced by the waves of settlers from Europe, China, India and Africa, so it’s never a surprised to find a mis-meshed of dishes that reflect different parts of the world.
Curry goat is an extremely popular dish in Jamaica. The curry on this particular plate was on the mild and a bit of the creamy side. It was neither spicy or hot but was great with the rice. The meat was very tender but unfortunately there were more bones on the plate then meat. I enjoyed the cabbage which along with small slivers of carrots and red peppers had a small hint of vinegar and sweetness. The fried plantains would had been great if they were fresh from the fryer. These looked like they had been sitting around for a while.
The jerk chicken was very nice. I particularly liked the jerk rub on it which had a slight sweetness aftertaste, although I wished the spices to carry a bit more heat. We also had a size order of roti which was, okay.
Totally useless fact: We sat at the exact table which Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette were for the closing scene of the movie, “In Her Shoes”.
Naked Chocolate We decided to re-allocate our caloric input by skipping the next drinking establishment but cut to dessert directly.
The thick syrupy Spicy Hot Chocolate was as good as ever. The nice surprise for the night was the Cherry Cobbler which was served warmed (could be warmer). The cherries under the crisp biscuit crust carried a nice sour note which was great for these two intrepid eaters who had just finished a sizable meal. It was such a nice welcome that the dessert was only mildly sweet. I do not like a good number of the desserts on the market that are way too over sweeten. I like to taste the flavors of the actual concoction instead of doing spoonful of sugar.
Day Two beer tally: Yards ESA.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment