AUGUST:
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, Lake Placid, NY. I like the small town of Lake Placid, New York, awesome skiing, cycling, hiking, amazing views of the high peaks and of course the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery. Every time I stop there my first order is the Ubu Ale, a robust 7% English Ale. That intense copper color and fine foamy head is exactly what I’m looking for in a beer after a day in the mountains. Next to wash across my eager palate was their other English style brew, the 46’er Pale Ale. Having thoroughly enjoyed the beer in England, I’ll often opt for any English Style beer on the offerings and the Ubu and 46er are excellent reminders of those proper pints. Honorable mention is due to their well crafted and alluring Hefeweizen for it’s delicate floral yeast taste and light bitterness bite. Overall, I like Lake Placid Pub & Brewery a lot and will always save a special spot in my belly for the Ubu.
UBU & Hefeweizen
Great Adirondack Brewing Company, Lake Placid, NY. Also in town is the rustic and traditional Adirondack looking, Great Adirondack Brewing Company. The small batches of beer are made on site in a shed behind the restaurant, by a revolving cast of brewers. I’ve had everything on the menu over my three visits, and must say I most enjoyed the Belgian Dubbel. The higher alcohol level makes drinking in the old wooden and bark bar near a roaring fireplace in late August feel exactly what an evening in the Adirondacks should be.
Drinking at the gorgeous Great Adirondack bar.
The Menu at Great Adirondack.
While passing through Rockville MD, we went to the Gordon Biersch outpost…it was an urban venue with a large outdoor seating area and outdoor bar, which was cool despite the crushing corporate chain restaurant feel and setup, but some people like it that way… It was my first GB, so maybe it was bad taps, but the beer was a little off. We ordered a flight consisting of their Golden Export, Marzen, Hefeweizen, Czech Pilsner and the Schwarzbier. All were completely unremarkable except for how much we weren’t interested in finishing the few ounces in the pony glass samples. Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll take a trip to another Gordon Biersch.
One of the Dog Fish Head Flights.
Dog Fish Head, Milton, DE. What else can be said, we didn’t make it to their actual brewery but dined at one of their restaurants. Regardless, the beers lived up to their very well earned reputations. DFH does some unique things with their recipes and more often than not blow me away. I will briefly describe the brews I enjoyed here: Midas Touch – very interesting, bordering on wine, sweet yet refreshing and pure gold, gold like the color god intended beer to be, despite it’s fascinating ingredients its still an easy drinking brew. My Antonia – I like it, I’m a pilsner fan and this hoppy pils pleases my tasters. The addition of lemongrass may frighten schooled beer aficionados, but on my simple palate the resulting flavor works and works well. Namaste, was OK. Much like it’s namesake, it was fair, subtle and easy to drink.
Don’t recall the exact beers that were blended for this awesome concoction.
Forgive me for not remembering what made up the black and tan looking combination, we had quite a few of their beers this visit so my recollection is rather hazy. I can say for certain though, I truly enjoy most if not all of Dog Fish Head beers and within in a week of writing this note I had the 61 minute ale brewed with Syrah Grapes and loved it! It is expensive, but a really fun drinking beer, I was with my dear friend and sommelier Michael Doctor, a person who knows his libations well and with his guidance we drank straight out of the bottle, a little warm and I’m thirsty for more.
Growlers, Gaithersburg, MD. There is a large brick building across from the train station in historic Gaithersburg and it happens to be a small brewery. So we went. I enjoyed the IPA, though it was sweet, really sweet. Odd for an IPA to be so sweet, but it was. The Imperial Hefeweizen that Julie drank was even sweeter. Hmmm. Regardless, it was a lot fun sitting at the bar, near the window in an old brick federalist style building drinking beer. Like I said before, it’s not always the beer that’s worth the trip, it’s the place and those you’re with, or who you run into.
Still finished the pint(s).
Cheers till next time.
Psn
