Back to San Juan...again

Had to go back to San Juan one more time. The land of beaches and sun called me back and I went. Since this meant I was working again it also meant that I didn't have much time to explore. I did get to check out a couple of new spots on top of visiting some of my favorites from the last two trips. In case you missed those posts check out here and here.

One of the first places I ran into was next door to where I had dinner in Condado. The Small Bar is just as its name implies, small. It's a dive wedged between a tattoo parlor and a Chinese restaurant. The bar is tiny so don't expect to find seating or even a place to walk but they have a good selection of bottles from all over. grab one and stand out front and enjoy watching the people.

Bar Gitano was amazing, a gastro pub that had good beer and was getting new stuff all the time. This is a tapas bar and is well worth the visit for some great food. I had a taste of several of the appetizers and had a small pizza all were worth writing home about. Their beer selection was small but decent.

The Place had just opened between my last visit. This burger and beer shop in large and airy and has the game on if you need to watch it. The burgers are ok coming on artisan buns and they have sweet potato fries. The saving grace for this place is their beer selection but even his had issues of the three beers I ordered they were out of the first two or they hadn't come in yet. Don't put it on the menu if you don't have it. 

Brew Camp closed - temporarily

It’s one of those clarifying moments where we step back and realize that, though it’s been legal since Carter was President, homebrewing is still a grey area for legislators in some states. Case in point - Brew Camp, a Chicago homebrew store recently posted this to their facebook page:

Hi, everybody. Thanks for your concern and the amazing support the past few days. I’d like to clarify a few things:

First of all, we simply need the correct license. We did our best to understand the city’s requirements when we started up. Over the past year, representatives at both the city and state levels have expressed that they don’t have a clear picture of “how to deal with homebrew shops” because we “aren’t a typical business.” There are hundreds of bars, restaurants and grocery stores throughout the city–all of which have clearly established licensing protocol–and only a handfull homebrew shops.

We are, essentially, your grocery store. And you should be protected when you buy stuff that’s going through your body. This is a good thing.

Secondly, we aren’t complaining. We’ve been treated fairly. In fact, the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (the business license folks), the Department of Public Health, the Department of Buildings … they’ve all been very friendly, efficient, and helpful the past few days. I believe they recognize we made a mistake and that we’re working diligently to fix it.

Thirdly, we’re fixing this. We spent Friday and today at City Hall working to make this right. Meantime, we’ve stopped selling online and in the shop. The homebrew community is scrutinized enough already, and we only want to contribute to a positive reputation of the hobby. 

This is going to take some time. Don’t storm the castle just yet - let’s give this a chance to work out. The city is just making sure we’re all safe. We’re all anxious to get back to work, but we’re more interested in making sure we do it right.

I can only hope that this most excellent resource returns to help the spread the gospel of homebrew soon. This leads to a great question and a potential good discussion. Why did this happen? Granted, as Brew Camp points out partially this is their fault and kudos to them for pointing the finger at themselves first, but why, when homebrewing has been legal for more than 30 years do cities still not know how to license and regulate them?

Thoughts?

Chicago

Kuma's Corner

There are so many great beer places in my hometown and each visit limits me in time as to where I can go visit. We hit up a few old favorites and one or two new places while I was in town for a break recently. 

My first stop is always Binny’s Beverage Depot…while it’s a mega booze store they have a wide selection of both my two favorite things…beer and port. After filling my larter for the week and emptying my checkbook by a hundred dollars I was off to explore the city.

I always have a few stops I always need to make the first is Central Gyros. While this is not a beer nirvana it is an awesome greek restaurant near my house that my family has been going to for many years. A greek beer, some egg lemon soup, some flaming cheese and a gyro are a great way to start a visit home. 

Paterno’s is the place for a tasty treat called an In-cred-a-ble. This sandwich can be italian beef, italian sausage or both on garlic bread with melted cheese…my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It’s a bar so while you’re there grab a 312 by Goose Island or a Leinenkugel’s both wash this sandwich down nicely.

If you’ve never done the Half Acer Beer Company tour you should. People line up down the block for the opportunity to get inside and tour this small craft brewery near Lincoln Square. They have been canning for a couple of years now and they make some great beer. 

We stopped at Atlas Brewing, a new neighborhood brewpub, to give it a try. Problem was it was so new that they didn’t have their liquor permit yet so no beer for us…bummer. Which lead us to Goose Island. 

The Goose is loose used to be a reality. I remember when you could get some great chips, food and beer at Goose Island before heading next door to play mini golf. Times and the neighborhood have significantly changed. The beer at this landmark brewpub has changed over the years. Some great brews have come and some have gone. Since they have recently been bought by a big beer company we have noticed a change in quality. It hasn’t gone downhill per-say but it is starting down a slope…let’s hope this is not a trend.

Finally, I had an opportunity to visit a triple-d location. For fans of Diners, Drive-in’s and Dives you may recognize Kuma’s Corner. Their massive burgers, great food and beer selection make this a very popular place for lunch or dinner. They have several rules which need to be obeyed:

1) We do not take reservations.
2) We will not “put on the game, bro”
3) No music requests.
4) No Minors after 10pm.
5) Our kitchen is only 16×6. Please be patient.

Just order a cold one, something hot to go with it and enjoy. This town is a must visit.

In San Juan Again

I had to go back to San Juan...not in the sense that, "gee I had such a great time I need to go back" but in the, "There I was sitting on a beach drinking a fruity rum drink and I got a call telling me to get back to San Juan pronto." No I'm not kidding and it was just like that when I found myself back in San Juan unexpectedly. Even better, I couldn't get a hotel room for the first night so I had to sleep at the Coast Guard Base...at least it was a clean bed...I think.

Coming back to San Juan allowed me to check out some other great beer places. I was back at the Caribe Hilton enjoying ocean views and great views of people playing in the pools and ocean. While this time I had a lot of work to do, with long hours I still managed to find a couple of good places and revisit some old favorites from two days before.

I'm just going to cover some of the new places on this trip.

The Pina Colada Club is located in the Caribe Hilton. Though it's a little pricey, it is reasonable for a hotel restaurant. They have good ceviche, massive hot dogs and Brooklyn Brewery and Magic Hat beers. This ended up as my go to place when I was tired and didn't want to go out. The bartender called me a beer snob after I turned down a Magic Hat Number 9 because I wanted to try something new...she also couldn't pronounce Leinenkugels.

Buns is a good burger and beer joint in Condado across from the Marriott. They have good food, good fries and a good beer selection ranging from Belgians to local brews and a few things in between.

I was here for ten days but with the long hours I just didn't get to explore like I usually do. Anyway, safe travels and keep reading there's always more to come.

Opening the third beer

So how did it turn out?

First of all it is a lively beer and by lively I mean explosive. No, none of my bottles have blown but the beer is definitely carbonated. It pours a robust, lingering head. The beer itself is actually light and refreshing with a small hint of honey. This is the first brew I’ve done that had sediment in the bottle. It didn’t detract from the flavor, it was just interesting. 

One friend who tasted it said, “it’s like summer.” 

Another review:

“Drank your brew last night under a Carolina Moon. The taste was smooth and clean. I poured the beer and a nice 2-inch head of frothy foam materialized but soon it settled down into a innocent-looking, reddish-brown brew. Your brew matched its rich color with a heavy mouthfeel. I wouldn’t call this a “session” beer, to be downed in multiples but one to be savored. A little stout for my taste but pretty darn good for a yankee-beer. ”

If you’ve had it, leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

What’s next?

It will be a take on Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Coffee and Doughnut Stout.

The Island Life

I had to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in June to give training for work. I had a chance to explore both places briefly and found a couple of good beer spots.

SAN JUAN

If you've ever ridden the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney you have seen something similar to Old San Juan. Surrounded by forts and city walls this citadel of old is a great place to wander. While you're wandering head into El Jibarito for some local food and a Medalla Light or a Magna.

If you want to spend some money and are looking for local craft brews you can check out the Old Harbor Brewery. This is the only microbrewery on the island. They have a small selection of ok beers and a pricey food menu. Oh, and sitting at the bar, the lighting keeps changing color which ended up being really annoying.

I stayed at the Caribe Hilton, a great hotel and resort. While staying here check out the Oasis Bar happy hour for $5 Medalla Light or Don Q rum drinks.

ST. THOMAS

They drive on the wrong side of the street! I don't mean like in England, I mean they use American style cars and drive on the England side of the street. Put's a whole new meaning on look BOTH ways before crossing. 

St. Thomas is a paradise for many people. Myself, well it was nice but, I'm not much of a hot, sunny beach type person and I really am not into shopping till I drop for jewelry, booze or clothes...so, yeah not so much.

One part of paradise I did like was The Pie Whole...only I could find a Belgian beer bar and pizza place. With an excellent selection of brews on tap and in bottles this is a must stop on anyone's list. The food was amazing. I had sausage stuffed mushroom caps and a pizza. The brick oven pizza was done perfectly. The place is small and I had to move around so the could accommodate people into the restaurant but the serving staff and bar tender were really nice about it and very apologetic. 

This is a great local hangout. I had a few other places to check out on my list but I got the call to deploy for an emergency while I was sitting on the beach with a fruity rum drink.

update

I know it's been a long while since I posted but I've been very busy with work. Sorry about that. More updates are coming so stay tuned. until then check out:

White House Beer: A brewer weighs in