Beer Review: Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout

Okay, so let me start off by saying I have no idea what Fark.com is and no idea who Drew Curtis is.  I'm sure you are a cool guy Drew and I'm sorry I don't know you or your website.  I do however know who Wil Wheaton is.  He plays John Cusack's brother who searched for a dead body in Stand By Me and was also in the kick ass Sean Astin movie Toy Soldiers.  And of course, I know who Greg Koch is.  He's the quirky, bearded homeless guy that hangs out at Stone Brewing.  Just kidding. #beardjealousy

stoled from Greg Koch's Facebook page

But seriously though when the internet went nuts over the new collaboration brew Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout I just didn't really get all the hubbub. The hubbub is that Stone Brewing collaborated with Wil Wheaton(apparently a home brewer in addition to being a geeks heartthrob)and Drew Curtis.  Nerds went ballistic.  I was just excited about another Stone beer.

All I know about Big Bang Theory is she is in it.

Wheaton would represent the wheat(of course) in the beer, Curtis the rye and pecans(he is from Kentucky) and Stone does the rest. I didn't watch Star Trek, never heard of w00tstock, don't watch Big Bang Theory and don't know Fark.com.  Am I not "geeky" enough to understand this beer?  I'm just a former jock who loves beer and if I watched Big Bang Theory it would be to watch Kaley Cuoco's fine ass only.  Yeah, I'm that guy.

Thankfully "geeky" doesn't matter in the beer world.  All that matters is the taste and this beer is seriously tasty!

Here is my review:

Brewery:  Stone Brewing

Beer:  Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout

Style:  Imperial Stout

ABV:  13%

Louisiana Availability:  Yes.  RETAIL:  Steins Deli, Elio's Wine Warehouse and Martin Wine Cellar. DRAFT:  Avenue Pub, Bulldog(Uptown and Midcity), Ancora and DBA

Price:  $7.99

Appearance:  Pours coffee black.  Head was minimal as was lacing.

Smell:  I allowed this one to warm up a bit and I think the beer was better for it.  The aroma was more prevalent the closer to room temperature the beer got.  Nice hints of coffee, chocolate, vanilla and tobacco(yeah really!).

Taste:  As in the nose I tasted hints of coffee, chocolate and vanilla.  Also has a slight nutty flavor. Nice balance of bitter and sweet with a hint of spiciness from what I assume is the rye.

Mouthfeel:  Viscous with low carbonation.

Overall:  GREAT brew!  I think aging this bad boy would really help an awesome beer become better. Hell, as hot as it is outside right now waiting for it to be cold outside would be a good idea!  I struggle drinking stouts during summer anyway!  I will be grabbing another one to open up this winter for sure!  Grab some while it's still out!

Score:  4.5 out of 5 Buddhas 

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Martin Wine Cellar/Shmaltz Brewing Dinner Recap

So this past Wednesday Martin Wine Cellar hosted a Shmaltz Brewing Beer Dinner at their Metairie location and I must say I was impressed. It's not that I didn't think Martins could pull it off but rather that they could offer such an awesome experience and only charge $40.

I have the belief that beer dinners really shouldn't be over $50. Yeah I know there are beer dinners in the $75+ range but too me that's just way too much money. I don't have that kind of cash nor if I did would I spend that kind of cash on dinner. For those that say it can't be done for less than that you should have been at this beer dinner because you would have been proven wrong. Travis Combel, a local beer geek and reader of this blog, commented that "it was possibly the best beer dinner I have ever attended". I have to admit, it was damn good.

So here is a shout out to Martins and Shmaltz Brewing for a fantastic and inexpensive beer dinner! Hopefully we'll see more. Special shout out goes to Mike Morgan from Martin Wine Cellar on Magazine!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Martin Wine Cellar/Shmaltz Brewing Beer Dinner

Martin Wine Cellar is hosting a Shmaltz Brewing beer dinner!! The menu(see below) looks incredible! Tickets are $40 per person. It'll be held on March 16th, 2011 at the Martin Wine Cellar in Metairie! Hope to see you there!


Menu


Aperitif
Charcuterie Board: Terrines, Rillettes, pickles and house made mustards
Truffle chips and mixed nuts
He’Brew Genesis Ale
Coney Island Lager

First Course
“Python” Lobster Cannoli- savory cannoli shell filled with spiced lobster salad
Coney Island Albino Python

Second Course
Fresh sugar cane skewered maple leaf duck meatballs over miso broth with soba noodles
He’Brew Origin Pomegranae Ale

Third Course
Beer braised beef with roasted vegetable Perogi
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA
He’Brew R.I.P.A. on Rye (Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. aged in Sazerac Rye Barrels

Dessert
“Bananalicious” - frozen chocolate dipped banana with hot caramel sauce, crushed salted pretzels and peanuts
He’Brew Jewbelation 14
He’Brew Vertical Jewbelation

For reservations call any Martin Wine Cellar location.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

New Orleans Beer Spotlight: Martin Wine Cellar Metairie

As you know I used to work at Martin Wine Cellar in Metairie as an Assistant Manager and the unofficial "beer guy". It was an experience that I enjoyed and learned a lot from. My success at Chan's Wine World and Cork & Bottle are due in large part to my time spent at Martins.

Ever since I left Martin Wine Cellar about a year and half ago I haven't really had to many opportunities to venture back and check out their beer selection. The last time I went it was looking extremely disorganized and the shelves a bit bare. It was kind of disappointing as I feel I had helped turn that selection into one of the best in the city and had also brought a lot of attention to that selection. I went back yesterday to check out the beer selection in order to do this piece and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Not only were the shelves stocked full but the selection was decent as well. I saw some Cantillion, Slaapmutske, Rogue, NOLA draft packs and Stone Brewing just to name a few. The focus seems to be mostly on imports rather than American craft but they have a limited space. They don't have much of a refrigerated beer selection. There is a small cooler in the front of the store though.

They are also throwing some beer events as well. They just did a fall beer tasting and the turnout was incredible with 86 people. Yes, I said 86. PJ Rosenberg stressed 86 so I'll stress 86. They had an incredible selection from Shelton Brothers and other distributors in the area. Hopefully the success of this tasting will encourage them to host more tastings and possibly another beer dinner. Having another player in town other than Steins and Cork & Bottle will really help craft beer grow in New Orleans.

Charles Buchtel and PJ are the two guys taking care of the beer section over there and they are doing a good job. If it were up to me though I think that whole side room would be a beer room. Perhaps take out that wall and install a walk-in cooler. Come on Cedric it'll make you some serious money!! Perhaps something to think about when you reopen the Baronne Street location.

So if you are in the Metairie area and looking for a decent beer selection get on over to Martins! Don't forget to get some of that chicken salad too! Probably the best in the city!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Football Season is Here!!!! Let Us Rejoice!!!

I'm so excited right now! Tonite kicks off the NFL season with the defending champ New Orleans Saints taking on the geriatric led Minnesota Vikings. Poor Brett Favre. Completely ruined his legacy by being the ultimate flip flopper.

New Orleans right now is a total madhouse with the whole NFL parade thing being held downtown. Tickets for the game are virtually impossible to come by and being downtown for the game is going to be one total cluster.

The great thing about football games(and all sporting events really)is you don't actually have to be in the stadium or tailgating at the stadium to enjoy the game. Having some friends over, drinking some beer and cooking on the grill can be just as fun if not a better experience.

I plan on using the NFL season as an opportunity to have some cool events at my house that'll spread the love of craft beer. Here are some of the ideas that I have planned for this upcoming season:

1) Local vs Local: This can be tricky unless you beer trade as I do. The idea is simple though. You get local beers from your hometown and get someone to send you beers from the town in which your local team will be playing one week. For example:

Teams: New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons

Beers: New Orleans: NOLA Brewing, Abita, Bayou Teche
Atlanta: Sweetwater, Atlanta Brewing Company, Terrapin

You can do a blind tasting and square off and see who wins or just enjoy the beers.

2) Beer and food pairing: You can't have a football party without some food. Most of the time you're cooking on the grill or you got your slow cooker going anyways so you might as well pair some good craft beers with the food. And I'm not sure how you do it in your town but I've seen some amazing dishes being prepared by New Orleans tailgaters so you can do it up fancy or not. I'm still claiming that my Who Dat Roastbeef Poboys I created last year for the Superbowl helped New Orleans win the game. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Oh and paired with Abita Turbodog by the way.

3) Seasonal beer tasting: The fall is one of the best times for seasonal beers in my opinion. You have Octoberfests, pumpkin beers and all sorts of speciality brews being created by craft brewers for the fall. Fall, football and fall beer. It's perfect.

4) Locals only: You can make Sunday a locals only day. In most towns it's not that hard to do. I'm pretty sure every beer store in your area has access to some local beers. Support your local team by drinking only local brews.

5) Craft Beer Showdown: Pick a certain amount of craft beers and imports. Categorize them into 4 categories and creat your bracket. You can make this as elaborate as you want. Each person blind tastes a beer and votes on the beer they like best. Winner advances. Great opportunity to try tons of craft and import beers.

So there are some ideas I had for helping spread the love of craft beer this NFL season. If you want to know where you can get some great craft and import beers in New Orleans read below. If you have any cool ideas to share please comment! I'd love to hear them!

Beer Stores in New Orleans:

1) Steins Deli
2) Cork & Bottle
3) Martin Wine Cellar
4) Acquistapace's Grocery(on the Northshore)



Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Product Review: The Chill Bag

Having worked in a couple of wine stores there was always one thing that was pretty consistent. None of the stores sold gift bags that could keep the purchased product chilled or cold while the customer transported it to wherever it was they were going. I saw this a lot with champagne. People were always calling and asking for chilled champagne and then looking at us oddly when we told them we really didn't have a nice gift bag for them to keep their product cold.  Sure we had items that could keep your product cold but not nice packaging.

Recently I received an email from a company called ChillBag USA. They wanted to send me a sample 6 pack holder that could be used with beer. I have to admit I liked the idea but wasn't really sold but told them to send it anyways.

So I've had a chance to try the bag out and I must say it's pretty cool. As you can see it looks like a clear purse so I spiced it up a bit with some brewery stickers I had lying around. And it holds more than just your average six pack. I had 5 22 oz bottles and 1 750 ml bottle in the bag. Just add some ice and water and it'll keep those beers nice and cold. This sure beats bringing a cooler to those Beeradvocate events when you only have 6 beers!! And it's not really expensive at $11.95.

For those companies that are reading this review this is a no brainer. You can add your own logo to it and I guarantee it would sell! Hey Chan's Wine World and Martin Wine Cellar! This is one you guys should definitely bring in!!

Anyways, check out the Chill Bag I thought it was very cool product and I recommend it to you guys! Just wish I had thought of it first!!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Heeeeeere's Buddha! I'm back!

So it's been awhile since my last post and for that I do apologize but really I'm the one who suffered here. I had to go almost 2 weeks without cable or internet! Imagine the horror! But anyways I am back!

So I'm sure many of you have a lot of questions. What's Florida like? Do you enjoy your new job? What's the beer culture like? Etc, etc, etc. I'll tell you, it appears I'm in some weird beery episode of The Twilight Zone. I just left a town with very little retail beer selection but with an incredible bar scene(especially beer bar with Avenue Pub)and entered a town with a nice retail beer selection but no good bar scene whatsoever. There is no beer bar from Destin(where I work) to Panama City Beach(where I live). There is McGuires and Mellow Mushroom and as far as I can tell that's it. I'm told there are some other potential places but when I ask people they just shake their heads and tell me there aren't any good beer bars other than what I just listed. As for beer retail shops their is Chan's Wine World, Chan's Wine World or...Chan's Wine World. No one has the selection that we carry. It's great really. I have a lot of freedom to expand on the already great selection. I have grand ideas with the section so we'll see what happens. The job is like Martin Wine Cellar but more laid back(t-shirts and shorts!)and way more freedom! Plus two beer festivals a year!! The best part is I can work on the ol blog more!

Well that's all for now. The job is great, living near the beach is awesome and for those with some cash, their is a golden opportunity to open a beer bar here in town. Plus, I can get Yuengling at the store bitches! I'm out!


Cheers!

Beerbuddha

Hey, Hey, Hey it's Black Albert!

It's coming to town folks!! All my hard work finally paid off(Read: All I did was ask for it and the distributor brought it in). 10 cases are coming to Louisiana and Martin Wine Cellar, thanks to yours truly, will be getting 7 cases. You'll be able to find these on shelves hopefully Tuesday November 18th. Martins will have them for $10/bottle. I have coordinated shipments to the Mandeville location and the Baton Rouge location so those of you living in those area should be able to find them there.

Cheers!

The Beerbuddha