Beer Week 2009 Super Blog Pt 2

Day Three

The Grey Lodge

We did a late afternoon start at The Grey Lodge which had eleven beers from upstate Pennsylvania on taps; none of which were common in this area. The upstairs room where the presentation was to take place was pretty packed so we stayed downstairs and explored the beers on our own.

We had no idea where Berwick, PA was, but the One Guy Atomic Punk was quite good. Tourist Tree enjoyed it very much but unfortunately it was a bit too hoppy for my taste. We also tried the Stegmaier Porter from Wilkes-Barre, PA. It should have just stayed there.

Memphis Tap Room


The Tourist Tree wanted to do the Vintage Beer Brunch at the Memphis Tap Room but it was sold out. We made a stop there anyway since it was doing a no-repeat beer week. When one keg kicked, they would move on to the next. They were trying to do 100 different beers during the Beer Week!


Tourist Tree and the Beer-Battered Kosher Dills with Horseradish Buttermilk dip
 

It is a very common bar food in the South but it sounds so strange to most people in this area. It goes great with beer. For a chef who used to work under Jean-Marie LaCroix, he makes a killer fried pickle. All that French culinary training did pay off for him
 
 
 
 
 
 

Afternoon snack!

 

It took us a few minutes to figure what was being poured and which kegs were kicked already. I honed in on the casked Feller’s ESB on the list since it was a pretty hard beer to find on this side of the pond. I later learned that all their Feller’s were flown in by Fedex. Wow! The Avery Collaboration Not Litigation was really good with its light caramel and citrus taste! I think this Dubbel is a seasonal ale that has not been widely available. The Trois Pistoles was a Belgium ale. It’s malty; it’s dark; it’s quite delicious; but it packed a 9% ABV! We also tasted the Victory Old Horizontal. However, after several high octane beers we were only sipping this 11%ABV from Downingtown.



Fat Tire Ale


Anybody who knows the Tourist Tree is aware that she loves the Fat Tire Ale, which is not available in PA. She was even the victim of a practical joke by the people at the Foodary because of this beer. Talk about a small world. We were yelping along with each other when out of a sudden, the words”Fat Tire Ale” flown through the air. Tourist Tree immediately did a one-eighty and honed into the conversation between the couple to the right of us. Tourist Tree had found other Fat Tire lovers, who had been there since the brunch!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Fat Tire" Tree
 

This girl sitting next to us models a pair of Elvis glasses from a guy who came all the way from   Wayne (long story).                                        

“House of Dough”

I do not know the actual name for this restaurant. There were several Chinese characters and several cryptic(communist China style) Chinese to English translations on the sign outside. I could not make any sense out of those words. The only thing I could read was the “House of Dough” written on the canopy overhead. I also do not know when this place actually is open for business. I have driven past it many times with the lights dimmed and door locked.

I do know that this place make all its own noodles and dough for its dumplings. The menu reveals that it cooks Hangzhou style food.

Top: Shanghainese Soup Dumplings
Left: Vegetable and Seafood Dumplings
Below: A proper soup dumpling sauce

Although it’s a Hangzhou style restaurant, the Shanghainese soup dumplings were pretty good. The dough was a bit thicker than Dim Sum Garden’s but because of that it was easier to lift the dumpling out of the steamer without breaking the delicate skin with the soup spilling out. The soup dumplings were accompanied by a small dish of an appropriately done vinegar sauce floating with small slivers of gingers. The vegetable and seafood dumplings were more buns like then dumplings. A mixture of seafood and vegetable wrapped inside a fluffy bread like dough then steamed. Both dishes were very nicely done.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Tourist Tree making a “Tree Point”
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tourist Tree gingerly lifting a soup dumpling out of the steamer

 

Pork and Vegetable Fried Noodle
 
I liked the pork and vegetable noodles even though it was a bit greasy. Tourist Tree though it was just okay although she did not realize that it was a northern style noodle which she was not accustomed to.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Braised Pig’s Tongue
 
I had high expectation of the pig’s tongue which I had not had in years. Unfortunately, the tongue was overcooked and tough, either initially from braising or when being reheated. The sauce was also too sweet and heavy for what otherwise could have been a delicate and delicious dish.
 

Beer Float


In honor of the Beer Week, I made myself a beer float with Lancaster Milk Stout and a generous scoop of
French vanilla ice cream for dessert.













Day Three beer tally: Stegmier Porter, One Guy Atomic Punk IPA, Avery Collaboration Not Litigation, Fuller’s ESB, Unibroue Trois Pistoles, Victory Old Horizontal, Lancaster Milk Stout.