Craft Brew Night @ the Pick: Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Co. (2/25)

by Third Ave Hooligan

Cleveland was recently deemed the nation’s most miserable city (see http://tinyurl.com/yldp7oa), maybe it’s because they haven’t hosted MTV’s Real World yet. Personally, I don’t know why they could be so miserable, I mean, its got King James, Shaqtus (despite his new crappy Comcast commercials with the humungous head of Ben Stein) and Antwoin Jamison on the Cavs, who can make a serious run at the NBA crown, the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, the Drew Carey show and it was the birthplace of the Cleveland Steamer.  Regardless, the Pick will be featuring three brews from the Forest City’s finest Great Lakes Brewing Co. this Thursday night (2/25) starting at 6.

The featured trio seemingly runs the gamut with n lager, an IPA and a porter.  Great Lakes’ Dortmund Gold Lager is the brewery’s flag ship beer and is made in the same manner as beers in 19th Century Dortmund, Germany.  The beer’s name “reflects the unprecedented accolades and recognition it has earned in major worldwide beer tasting competitions” and is neither too hoppy nor too malty, according to the brewery.  More specifically, the company describes the 5.8 % ABV Dortmund Gold as “a smooth lager that strikes a delicate balance between sweet malt and dry hop flavors.” Ziggy zaggy ziggy zaggy oy oy oy!!!

The Commodore Perry IPA is described by Great Lakes as a pale ale that was exported to the multitude of British soldiers, colonial administrators and settlers in India. This pale ale style was a strong candidate for shipping due to the high potency and high level of attenuation.  With an ABV of 7.5 %, this sounds like a tasty brew if you’re a fan of IPAs.

Lastly, the dark selection is the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.  For those of you who don’t know about the Edmund Fitzgerald, the freighter sunk while in Lake Superior in November 1975 without first sending a distress signal.  According to Wikipedia, the vessel’s crew of 29 perished with no bodies being recovered and when the wreck was found, it was discovered that the ship had broken in two. The ship was also immortalized in a 1976 song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Canadian folkie Gordon Lightfoot. The Fitzgerald beer is a British-style porter with a 5.8 % ABV.

Well, depending on how Great Lakes’ selections taste, Cleveland could at least have good beer to drown their sorrows.  Hopefully the snow blizzard won’t interfere with this bi-monthly event.

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admin, February 24th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Pickering Creek Inn Craft Brew Night With Rogue Ales (1/28)

by Washington Washington

This Thursday Pickering Creek Inn will host their popular Craft Brew Night at 6pm, this time featuring Rogue Ales. There will be pint specials and giveaways as always.

The Pick will pour three different brews…

Double Dead Guy Ale (9.00% abv) – Deep amber copper color. Buttery peanut brittle, orange blossom tea aromas follow through to a rich chewy and fruity full body with nice notes of caramel drizzled dried apricot and roasted grains and spice. Finishes with a long, tangy grilled grapefruit and chocolate fade.

Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout (6.00% abv) - Ebony in color with a rich creamy head, earthy flavor and a mellow, chocolate finish.

Mogul Madness (6.25% abv) - Hoppy, caramel aroma, dark burgundy in color with an off white head. Intense flavors of citrus hops, and complex notes of nuts, berries and mocha. It finishes long and lingers for at least 15 seconds.

In case you forgot, karaoke starts at 9pm,  so be sure to put down a few Double Dead Guys and perform the perfect tribute to your new favorite beer…

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admin, January 26th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Pickering Creek Inn’s 1st Annual “Coney Island” Craft Brew Night & Hot Dog Eating Contest

by Washington Washington

Pickering Creek Inn will host their 1st Annual “Coney Island” Craft Brew Night & Hot Dog Eating Contest tonight at 6pm. In the Coney Island tradition, hot dogs will be sold for $1.00 and a hot dog eating contest will begin at 7pm ($5.00 to enter the contest and the winner gets a $50.00 cash prize). There will be pint specials and giveaways as always.

The Pick will pour three brews from Southampton Brewery…

Double White (abv: 6.8) – A ‘double’ version of traditional Belgian White Ale spiced with coriander and orange peel.

Imperial Porter (abv: 7.5) – An extremely dry light-medium bodied beer with average co2, feels quite thin on the palate.

Saison (abv: 6.5) – A farmhouse ale with stunningly complex with tropical fruit overtones of pineapple and passion fruit. Imported malt and hops create a smooth, earthy flavor on the palate.

So come on out, drink and few brews, eat a few dozen hot dogs, and sing your ass off at karaoke afterwards…

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admin, January 14th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Thirsty Thursday – Craft Brew Night at the Pick – Michigan’s New Holland Brewery (12/17)

by Third Ave Hooligan

Well, it’s the holidays, and if you’re anything like me, you’d rather be at the pub with some tasty suds than dealin with the battles over parking spots at the KOP mall and throw-downs over the last Zhu-Zhu pet.  Fortunately for us who prefer the former, the Pick is hosting another Craft Brew Night this Thursday starting at 6 and will be featuring three beers from Michigan’s New Holland Brewing.  The New Holland beers featured will be:

Mad Hatter — An I.P.A. made using a dry-hopping process that results in an explosion of hop flavors and provides a nice hoppy aroma.  The Hatter has a 5.7 % ABV, so you can probably enjoy a few of these before some of the lovely ladies at the Pick start lookin’ like Alice in Wonderland.  The brew is one of New Holland’s regular offerings, while the next two selections are seasonal varieties.

Cabin Fever — A nut brown ale that is “a hearty, comforting companion for long, mind-bending winters,” according to the brewery.  Like most beers in its genre, it has a sweet side with notes of caramel, and also has a hint of rye and raisin.  Cabin Fever has an ABV of 6 %.

Dragon’s Milk Ale – A selection from New Holland’s high gravity series that boasts a 10 % ABV and is the “crown jewel” of the brewery’s beers.  New Holland says on its Web site that that the brewing process for the ale, which includes aging it in oak barrels, is “painstaking and creative” and that the term “dragon’s milk” has quite a rich history in the beer world.  Who knew?  What does it taste like then, you ask? Well, the brewery describes it as a “complex ale with a soft, rich caramel-malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones, all dancing in an oak bath.”  I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure how dancing in an oak bath will make you taste like that, but I’ll give it a try.

They sound like some tasty presents to me.  As usual, you get to keep your glass and there will be giveaways.  And since I’ve already used two bad puns in this piece (at least), I won’t make any comments about enjoying enough of the beers as a warm up for karaoke.

FYE…the best gift for the lady in your life:

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admin, December 16th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , ,
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Thirsty Thursday: Craft Brew Night with Troegs Brewing at Pickering Creek Inn (12/3)

by Washington Washington

Tonight, Tröegs Brewing of Harrisburg will be the featured Craft Brewery at the Pickering Creek Inn. The event starts at 6:00pm and there will be a great line-up of locally crafted brews on tap (and hopefully some giveaways).

Troegs means alot to native Harrisburgians, especially Aaron Margolis, Director of Game Entertainment for the Harrisburg Senators Baseball Club…

“Despite Troegs early entry to the state capital’s craft brew landscape, it remains at the head of an ever-growing pack,” said Margolis.  “In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a bar in South-Central Pennsylvania that didn’t have Troegs on tap.  But don’t think this is a cater to the masses, run-of-the-mill beer, Troegs can go toe-to-toe with the best the nation can offer (and if you’re not careful, the seductive taste of their Mad Elf will happily send you under the table).”

The Pick will be pouring three different Tröegs treats:

The Mad Elf (11% abv) – The Mad Elf, a cheerful creation to warm your heart and enlighten your tongue. The combination of Cherries, Honey, and Chocolate Malts delivers gentle fruits and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet delicious Ale. The Mad Elf, a jolly and delicious beer for the Holidays.

Dead Reckoning Porter (5.8% abv) – Dead Reckoning is unfiltered and weighs in at 5.8% abv and 53 IBU’s. It features Pilsner, Caramel, Chocolate and Roasted malts along with Chinook and Vanguard hops.

Dreamweaver Wheat Ale (5.4% abv) – Combining four wheat types with Munich and Pils malts, noble Saaz hops, and a yeast strain that imparts a spicy, peppery, clove taste with a slight hint of bananas, Dreamweaver Wheat is an unfiltered blast of spicy, mouthwatering joy.

So pipe down a few Mad Elfs, and by the time Karaoke is all set (8pm), you can bust out your favorite mad elf’s hit song! Mine is Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up”…

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admin, December 3rd 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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Thirsty Thursday: Craft Brew Night with Victory Brewing at Pickering Creek Inn (11/12)

by Washington Washington

This Thursday, November 12th at 6pm, Pickering Creek Inn will host a Craft Brew Night featuring Victory Brewing Company. In typical fashion, if you buy a pint, you keep the glass! Also, for each pint you put down, you’ll earn a chance to win a beautiful Victory gift basket featuring more than a dozen select brews and several pieces of Victory glassware.

The Pick will be pouring three different selections from Victory:

Yakima Twilight ( 8.7% ABV) – A fantastic seasonal brew with a big juicy hop aroma and dark roasted malts.

Braumeister Pils (5.4% ABV) – Dry quenching character with signatures of great hop varieties.

Golden Monkey (9.5% ABV) – Strong and sensual Belgian-style ale. Gets you ripped right quick.

Come on out, drink a few Golden Monkey drafts, and then you’ll have all the courage you need to belt out your favorite Michael McDonald song when karaoke time rolls around (8 pm)…

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admin, November 10th 2009 | Tags: , , , ,
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Halloween Craft Brew Night – Thursday at the Pickering Creek Inn (10/29)

Halloween_Pickeringby Washington Washington

The next Craft Brew Night at Pickering Creek Inn will be this Thursday, October 29th at 6pm. This time, they’ll feature a ghastly line-up of Halloween-ish brews such as the ominous Eel River Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout, Gritty McDuff’s Halloween Ale and Dark Horse “Percolator” Coffee Doppelbock.

There will also be a FREE BUFFET from 6 till 8. The components of this have yet to be announced, but I am predicting Halloweenies, Edible Eyeballs, and other creepy cuisines.

Leave your best guesses in the COMMENTS section!

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admin, October 27th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , ,
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Thirsty Thursday: Craft Brew Night at Pickering (9/3)

by Third Ave Hooligan

The next in the series of Craft brew nights at Pickering Creek is tonight starting at 6 p.m. and will feature beers from Bridgewater Corners, Vermont’s Long Trail Ales.  Unlike their Burlington, Vermont-based colleagues Magic Hat, Long Trail has consistently offered the same lineup of seasonal beers in their repertoire, but the companies share their love of adding a hint of fruits to your brew.

Long Trail’s offers its namesake Long Trail Ale, Blackberry Wheat, IPA, Hefeweizen and Double Bag Milk Stout year-round while its Belgian White, Hibernator and Harvest Ales are seasonal.   My recollection from the last craft brew night is a bit hazy, but if I remember correctly the beers on tap for tonight’s event will be the Blackberry Wheat, the Belgian White and the Long Trail Ale, but don’t hold me to it.

In addition to making some tasty brews, Long Trail is also trying to make the world a better place through its eco-friendly brewing process.  For more info, check out http://www.ecobrew.net.

As usual, you get to keep your glass and there will be giveaways throughout the evening (well, until karaoke starts).  Hope to see you there for a pint or two (or three, I like to try them all).

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admin, September 3rd 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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