We’ll call them the fantastic four. Even though at the time of writing I didn’t get a chance to try Bulum, I will assume that it is just as good or better than the other ones.

Through this blog I’ve realized that writing about tastes is hard. What’s even harder is remembering them after a few beers. There’s even a popular saying: In beer tastings, the second beer is always the best. Probably because after the second everything is just blurs. Of course, assuming you drink the whole pint and not just spit it out. That’s the proper tasting! So, I’ll still give it a shot and try to explain my experience.

Fraoch, pronounced FRU-OCH, is an ancient one. Brewed in Scotland since 2000 B.C. Old tricks are the best tricks I suppose. Absolutely amazing beer, wouldn’t change anything about it. A very smooth beer with a lite taste and almost no after taste. The latter was actually very surprising considering the rather unpleasant after taste of most British beer - for me it’s mostly those coming from England, so maybe just an English thing. This one has a touch of Earthy taste to it. It’s one of those beers that you can drink on a nice relaxing day under the sun.

Grozet has the smell and taste of what I recognize as beer and nothing else. You know that distinctive smell of yeast you can sense at beer halls. This one is nicer than a beer hall, but still distinctive.  It’s a pale golden beer with fruity sensations. Yet, it still kicks a hefty 5% alcohol content. Grozet is slightly heavier than Fraoch and has some after taste. Probably something for drinking with your mates on a night out; don’t forget to enjoy it.

Alba is an interesting one. Alba is actually the Gaelic word for Scotland. A pine ale popular in the Highlands of Scotland until the end of 19th century. This one is just strange. It’s a quite lite beer and yet it has quite a kick. The kick probably comes from the complex wood taste. Seems there’s a bit of a Whiskey influence with the peaty taste. I haven’t figured this one out yet, seems good and enjoyable but missing something. Needs another try.

If you ever get a chance, try one of these or any Scottish beer for that matter.

The event I visited was this: DAS Best Oktoberfest. Basically, this is for the Maryland’s micro brewers to come and show off their goods. It was interesting because the state is not known for its awesome beer. Which is a shame as there were some worthy (and some really interesting) beers on display.

Before I get to the brewers let me go through some mechanics of the show. I took the Baltimore light rail to Timonium Fairground. The fest provided us with a shuttle bus from the station. Very nice of them. On the bus they, appropriately, played the movie ‘beerfest’. Poor driver had to listen to that movie all day. A 5 minute ride, just enough to see the best part where the drunk guy hooked up with a woman at the bar. Since Maryland is public transportation challenged lots of people had to drive in and hence there were two entry lines: designated driver and regular. Drivers get cool beads which make them look like they’ve been flashing people all day. The regular ticket gets you a four ounce plastic glass and six tokens. Each token is worth one dollar and buys you one sample. More token could be bought inside but I found that six is plenty. If you think about it, $1 for four ounces of beer is pretty pricey.

The event was very popular and I occasionally had some problems getting through the crowds; especially toward the end of day. Unfortunately it seemed that there were less breweries than other exhibitors. There were a few cigar shops, cigarette companies, a bus company and even a rescue squad (we’ll excuse them because they brought some awesome dogs). Quite a few food places, but I didn’t mind that. In the spirit of Oktoberfest there was plenty of German food, potato pancakes and BBQ pulled pork were absolutely delicious. In addition to that there was one German band and a stage with various other, I’m guessing local, bands. And, of course, this wouldn’t be a Maryland event without crabcakes. Pretty much any fish food goes well with beer, so this was a pleasant sight.

Even though there weren’t that many breweries to choose from, there was definitely enough for a day’s worth of tasting. DuClaw was there, but that’s expected. It is an extremely popular one around the District. If you ever visit Maryland, the brewery is absolutely worth a stop because they have plenty of good specialty brews. DuClaw generally has mild brews that don’t really stand out much but are quality made with interesting tastes. The bars are sport themes and tailored for the college/yuppie crowd. It’s also a good place to come for food and work parties. Most of their establishments are in mellow malls in the safety of suburban life. I avoided them because by now I’m just bored with the beer and I thought it was a shame that they had the longest lines. I’m sure most of those people frequent their happy hours. So I spent most of my time trying other breweries that are not as accessible from DC area.

Most of the good breweries were from Frederick, MD. Maybe the proximity to Pennsylvania helps. The photo on the left shows the “Brewer’s Alley.” I tried their Oktoberfest and Kölsch. Both were excellent crisp beers. Barely any after taste. Kölsch was a little lighter than Oktoberfest but it had a more complicated taste. I’d say Kölsch tasted better but a very close call. Both are definitely above average and you can actually enjoy them on regular basis with any kind of meal. Not the most popular at the fest, nonetheless the lines were long and it seems that many people returned for more.

Somewhere along the walk though the exhibits I managed to try an organic beer. I’d admit that the beer was not the reason why stopped at the table.  The ladies were wearing these really sexy outfits, for example Miss oktoberfest. I mean who in their right mind wouldn’t stop? But, honestly, I felt a bit sorry for the girls because they had to stand there all day, half naked without any heaters. The girl that poured me a sample was definitely cold and not happy. The show had quite a few girls dressed like that walking around. Getting back to beer. Organic is good, but I still don’t know what makes beer organic. For some reason most of the organic beers I’ve ever tried have come up short. They are nice, crispy and refreshing. But, for some reason, just as your taste buds have started to enjoy the flavor it disappears like a tease. So, one ends up feeling disappointed. Makes me wonder if that’s how beer tasted in the 1800’s before the non-organic was invented.

And now for the best brewery at the show: Barley and Hops. They are also from Frederick, Maryland with the slogan:

Life is too short to drink bad beer

With a slogan like that the bar is set high before you even try the beer. When you do, you realize that they cleared the bar with room to spare. My favorite was the Annapolis Rick Pale Ale a very subtle taste but full of flavor. Your taste buds are literally caught by surprise as this crispy ale makes them tingle with pleasure. Initially it doesn’t seem much but a few moments later you realize that it is rich and refreshing. The only sadness is I only had a four once glass. Encouraged by this experience I went right back in line four times! And, I was not disappointed.

Overall, if you are a beer person then do make your way up to this event. Hopefully they’ll have a bigger selection in the years to come, but then I’m not sure if there is enough time to try them all. Just make sure you come late enough to stay for the Miss Oktoberfest contest.

Now, since it is so hard and so important to find a good place to have your drink, we, the authors of this site, will try to help you. The name of the place is “The Ten Bells” and it’s located at 247 Broome St in New York City’s one of the best neighborhoods for outing LES. Be careful when you look for it, it’s inconspicuous location is further disguised by its entrance that sports dark doors and no house number in sight. But its there, looked very closed and abandoned from outside when I was looking for it. Yet once you enter, you are welcomed into a warm friendly atmosphere that you usually find at French establishments. Cozy with muted lights Ten Bells has a bar in the center and a few tall commune tables in the back all littered with empty wine and champagne bottles. The bar section sports this nice sushi enclosure that is filled with, what else, but cheese.

The beer selection is, obviously, very limited. If my memory serves me correctly, when inquired about the choice of drafts, the list consisted of maybe 4 items of some local brews. Well… you don’t go to a French place to sample beers do you? Worry not, the wine selection is great. Food selection is superb too. But the gem is and have always been in pairing wine with food, or cheese. If you are anything like me, then you don’t know much about wines, just the basics and the names you like. Thank fully the staff knowledgeable and capable in pairing. Find a big round guy with a beard, he’ll give you good drinking sequence that you and your other will enjoy. While you enjoy the wine served to you in a professional French tasting glass you will notice young lively crowd that is on the Asian side. Being so close to the Chinatown’s dirtiest has its advantages or disadvantages (depending on your taste).

All in all, its a good place to take your date to or have a simple romantic evening with your significant other. Just look for a table in the back with flowers and the bottles. You will be sharing with others, but its not crowded and no elbowing around.

The only major con is that the Ten Bells is cash only. They do have an ATM right outside, but its just so inconvenient. A box of matches is always available at the entrance in a big wine glass.

Recently I was fortunate enough to spend a week at Breckenridge Colorado. For those not familiar with Colorado, Breckenridge is a small resort town a couple of hours west of Denver. Now, unlike other winter resort towns, Breckenridge actually started off as a real town in the old west, a mining town, and only recently was converted into a resort town. As far as I know there are no operational mines in the actual town and the mountain peaks (all 10 of them) are left to the skiers and snowboarders. It’s a really pleasant place to spend a week in.

Did I mention that the town is about 9600 feet above the sea level (that’s almost 3 kilometers!)? This apparently requires special cooking methods and affects the taste of just about everything. Even the US Department of Agriculture has something to say about that. I’m sure this gives the Colorado brewers some extra challenges.

For this post I picked two beers that seem to be available only locally. At least, I haven’t seen them anywhere else and they are immensely popular in the area. These beers are: Fat Tire and Single Track. Initially I was planning to just talk about Fat Tire but decided to review them together because at one place I asked for Fat Tire and was offered Single Track as a substitute with the claim it was very similar.

First let’s talk about Fat Tire. The beer looks awesome, complete with a cool bottle label. It’s actually an Amber Ale. It has a nice orange-brownish color, a little bit of a head which goes away pretty quickly. Interestingly enough, Fat Tire is very gaseous. I attribute it to the altitude (I found out a lot of things get attributed to that, whether or not it’s accurate). Unfortunately it does not look like I’ll be able to compare it to low altitudes anytime soon, I’ve yet to find Fat tire on the east coast. Now, it has a see-through perfect look, but can it live up the expectations?

Here’s what the brewers had to say about it (on the bottle):

FAT TIME Amber Ale’s appeal is in its feat of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Named in honor of Jeff’s mountain bike trip from brewery through Europe.

FAT TIRE is still crafted following the original home brew recipe that Jeff brainstormed on this cycling trip.

The beer has a chocolaty after taste and until just now I didn’t quite make the connection, but I guess that’s what they mean by “biscuit-like malt flavors.” Fat tire is pretty light and feels crisp as it goes down.  There is some bitter taste to it, but not enough to turn away the bitter haters. However there really isn’t anything special about it, it’s something nice to drink. Fat Tire is not particularly strong or heavy, so you can actually drink it casually and enjoy it. After a full day of snowboarding it is definitely a welcome taste.

I had Fat Tire at two different places, albeit maybe one block apart: Whale’s Tale and Gold Pan. Both on Main street of Breckenridge and both very cool places.

At Gold Pan you see things like this (photo on the left). Yes, it is a stuffed deer’s butt on the wall. There’s also a DJ and a small dancing area for the dedicated. Gold Pan is one of the first and oldest bars in the town and it shows. There is big game on the wall (Buffalo’s or Bison’s head) and an ancient coal stove that is no longer in use. The place is as dark as you’d expect of any bar except for what I can only call a game room. It is an adjacent room that is fully lit with two pool tables and Foosball. Clearly a modern addition. I have yet to figure out what the deal with the cover charge is, but it does look like a popular destination for the young crowd.

Whale’s Tale, on the other hand, doesn’t really leave much of an impression. It’s mostly just another bar/restaurant place with absolutely amazing chicken wings. The above photo of Fat Tire was taken there.

On the way back to the East coast I spent quite a lot of time at Denver International Airport. It a very nice airport and probably the size of Manhattan. But, while there I decided to refresh my memory of Fat Tire and perhaps start writing about it. There was a nice brewery there, Boulder Beer Company, but I was greatly disappointed to find out that they did not serve Fat Tire.

Instead, they served me Single Track. The bar tender said it is very similar to Fat Tire and I would not be disappointed. I wasn’t disappointed but it wasn’t exactly what I would call ‘very similar’. Similar, but not very. Although I find it funny that the representing pictures are very similar. Perhaps that’s the ‘very similar’ part.

Anyway, the beer was mildly  good. Not quite as well balanced as Fat Tire. There’s just too much bitterness for such a light beer. It’s more bitter than Fat Tire even though it’s just as light and crispy. The look is just about the same, maybe a little lighter… but that most likely just the lighting in the airport versus a dark bar. Single Track has practically no foam and, just like Fat Tire, it goes very well with meaty foods such as burgers or chicken wings. Unlike Fat Tire, Single Track is a Copper Ale.

I must say though, sitting at a bar in the airport for a couple of hours listening to those security announcements really got me scared of the threat level ‘Orange‘ and I realized that I cannot, for any reason, accept packages from strangers!

If you ever get a chance to visit Denver or its surrounding area then do it. It’s definitely a nice place with a big selection of good local beer.

A small group of Islands off the northern tip of Scotland, shrouded in magic and mystery, was the home of Thorfinn Hausakluif (Skullsplitter) 7th Viking Earl of Orkley around 1000AD.

I call it beer, but it actually is a very strong ale with 8.5% alcohol content. Thanks to Hollywood I picture Vikings as these crazed warriors on ships and land (although I’m sure they were normal people), so it came with no surprise to me when I discovered that the beer is slightly more bitter then Guiness and has red looks to it. As a side note, I think everyone should know that while Columbus opened Americas to Europe, the Vikings were the first Europeans to map the North American land (Wikipedia).

Skull Splitter must have beer produced before refrigeration was invented because it tastes great even warm. This is true for most beers coming from the United Kingdom, although chilling generally significantly improves the taste of those beers. This is not the kind of beer you’d want to drink at or bring to parties.  The alcohol content is pretty high, not good for light weights. When drinking it feels light and refreshing, but don’t be fooled it’s a dark and filling beer. The after taste will persist for sometime. From what I understand most people prefer water like qualities for parties. No, this one is not for some mindless party. This one is for settling in front of a TV after a long day and enjoying its very rich taste.

If you are drinking Amstel light, French fries — chips or freedom fries (depending on which part of the world you are from) — go great with the beer. Surprisingly, even though there isn’t much taste to the beer, it will still dominate the flavor.

The bar is not really bar. It is more of a dinner disguised as a coffee shop. It is actually a mom-pop shop on the corner of Lexington and 70th street in Manhattan, New York called Niel’s Coffee shop. From the looks of it it’s been around for a while. There’s a 1950’s cash register and walls covered with autographed portraits. Not exactly a tourist destination, but if you are in the area (near Hunter College) it’s an awesome place to sit, wait and people watch.

The beers I tried are Special flag and Casablanca. To be honest there isn’t much difference between the two except for their origins. Casablanca comes from the city of Casablanca, also known as Casa by the local non-Arabic speaking population. The name still remains from the time when the Spaniards settled it. However, its Arabic name is different: Dar El-Baida (الدار البيضاء). Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco and the home of Hassan II mosque, the second largest mosque in the world. Second to Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, although it’s interesting that according my guide book - Lonely Planet - Hassan II mosque is the third largest.

The Casablanca beer is very light and you can actually see through it. The beer is very similar to Labatt (as recently reviewed by my bierbelly friend). Both come from a place with heavy French influence… coincidence? The taste is interesting, unfortunately it is very faint. One really has to focus to find the interesting side. So, if you drink it just as a party drink then you won’t get much out of it. The taste of regular fermentation will dominate to the sense of drinking just another local, not so popular, beer. The good thing is the lightness makes it an easy drink for social occasions and to pay attention to your friends instead of the beer. The bitterness in Casablanca is less that of Heineken.

The other beer is Special Flag, in some other places I’ve seen it referred to as Flag Special. While in comes in an interesting glass, there really is nothing interesting about this beer. Although it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it. The beer is very light, much like water, looks yellow and has no foam. Well maybe a little foam. It is even lighter than Casablanca, but you really have to drink them side by side to taste the difference. This is what the bar tender gave me in Rabat when I asked for a popular local beer. Since it was similar in taste and looks to Casablanca, compared to Casablanca it is missing that interesting side that you have to focus on to find. So in the end it is again just another beer that you drink when just want join “the company” bit don’t really care what you drink.

So, overall I was relatively disappointed about the taste of the beers. Then again, what can one expect from North Africa with heavy French influence, it’s not exactly famous for its beers. At least they were still an improvement over some of the beers from France.

Now lets talk about some of the Moroccan bars. This is a very interesting experience and I would recommend everyone to visit Morocco for this. To give you a little background, I am used to bars in New York City. Those are supposed to be be some of the coolest on the planet with the latest trends and such other stuff like that. Moroccan bars, on the other hand, are like a blast from the past for me. Being a human I tend to compare things, in this case Moroccan bar to those in NYC. The music was literally from the 1980’s and 70’s. At some point I distinctly remember hearing A’ha and Sweet Dreams by Eurothmics.

The first bar we’ll visit is El Palatino. This is where I heard A’ha, Eurothmics and had a taste of the Special Flag beer. This bar is in the middle of Rabat’s new center, just a few blocks away from the Moroccan parliament and what seems to be the business district. Also very close to my hotel, which was right across the street from the parliament. There were plenty of other hotels around that area. Very convenient. I was told that this is where all the diplomats and expats hang out. I didn’t find many businessmen or diplomats, but there were definitely plenty of expats. I had the pleasure of meeting many of them. The bar definitely has an American slant to it and there really is nothing specifically Moroccan about it. The only exception are the Moroccan French and Arabic speaking bar tenders.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any good photographs of the place, so I’ll try hard to describe it. Walking up to the bar you hear the distinct sound of any American bar: loud music with an overpowering bass and very loud talking. Despite the loud music the place is very well hidden on a relatively wide street and among a few high rises. Also there is not much florescent decoration (think Las Vegas) to give it away. At the door there was a bouncer, a very big and unusually nice African man. He wasn’t checking for ID’s… surprised? I wasn’t. There are a few very obvious reasons. One, it’s Morocco and just like in any other developing country very few laws actually get enforced. That is aside from the basics such as murder, theft and violent assaults. I found that Morocco is surprisingly safe. I didn’t check, but it would not shock me if the country didn’t have any laws requiring check for ID’s.

To side track a little, Morocco has no legal drinking age but the legal alcohol purchasing age is 16. I guess you can drink all you want, but can’t purchase anything until you reach 16. Possibly has something to do with the fact that Morocco is a Muslim country and Muslims are not allowed to drink alcohol.

The other reason for the bouncer to not check our ID’s and be so nice to us is that my friends and I were all white foreigners (most Americans). Of course, by definition, this means we roll around and sleep with money just like Magic Johnson (Think Southpark). My friend also pointed out that the entire place (including the entrance) was protected by heavy steel bars. Similar to those found in prison cells. I just keep wondering if they are for keeping people out or in.

So, I enter the bar. On the right there is a good sized bar with two bartenders and enough room to sit fifteen people comfortably. Unlike British bars, there are stools to sit on. On the left there is a staircase leading to upper floors. This was a three story bar, but most people were on the first floor. Someone told me that upstairs is where the strip show is. It was disappointing to find out there was no such thing. In front of me there were a few tables and a make shift dance floor with a live DJ. Not bad, a bar combined with a club. Pretty common. I know what you are thinking: “A live DJ and yet he’s playing 70’s and 80’s music?” Well, people were very much enjoying it, so I guess that’s what they wanted. Later visits to the bar also had the same music. I visited El Palatino twice and every time it was exactly the same atmosphere.

Next we’ll visit the city of Fez (فاس). Fez used to be the capital of Morocco until in 1912 the French decided that Rabat should be the capital. It’s a small city with population of about one million people. However, if you visit it you’ll never believe that it’s so small. The density of the city is an attack on one’s sense. Also, I firmly believe that one can get lost in the medina never to be seen again. I’m sure that as you read this, there are tourists wandering around looking for the nearest Bab (door into the medina). Fez also has a Ville Nouvelle, the new town built by the French. It resembles Washington DC, maybe because both were designed by French architects.

After getting tired of eating Moroccan food my friend and I decided to use our guide book (i.e. lonely planet) and go to an Italian restaurant to eat something familiar covered in source and cheese. So, we went to Chez Vittirio (21 Rue Brahim Roudani). As it turns out this is where all the other tourists, that crave Italian food in Morocco, go for dinner. We saw two other American and one Japanese companies with Lonely Planet guide book by their side. So, if you are seeking something Moroccan this is not the place to be. It’s a very nice restaurant, quiet, well decorated and has a strange non-functioning fountain on the back wall. It’s very spacious, but not busy on a Saturday night. I guess Italian food is not very popular. Coming from NYC, I felt that the streets of Moroccan cities are very loud from the sound of old diesel engines in cars and buses. It was very pleasant to find that this restaurant did not have any music and I could sit back, relax and enjoy some Casablanca beer. Even though I have visited Casablanca city on this trip, I did not try Casablanca beer there.

Now let’s come back to Rabat (الرباط), the current capital of the Morocco, and visit some more bars. The other place where I tried some Casablanca beer is the Goethe-Institut (The first photo in this article). This place has definitely topped all expectations for Moroccan bars. I’d say it’s less a bar and more a lounge with an excellent food menu. Walking in is similar to going into a federal court house. There is a metal detector and a security guard… fancy. Just like any other bar/lounge they serve an array of standard mixed drinks and beers, there is loud music. Goethe-Institut has more modern music, R&B or something like that. It looked like the place where all the cool people went to hang out. Relatively crowded place. Everyone was dressed nicely, in modern western dresses, nothing Moroccan.

The next bar was a little more interesting. It was called El Pietri (4 rue Tobrouk). There was a live band playing, I can only guess, Moroccan pop music. I must say, it was more enjoyable that the other bars. Maybe I’m just tired of the same old bar music. It is similar to the Goethe-Institut because it is also an upscale lounge place with an extensive bar menu. Although this place was much more crowded than Goethe-Institut. Unfortunately, I can’t add anything useful to the beer reviews because I had some wine.

The next day I caught the 7 am flight to Paris and left Morocco wishing that I had tried more beer from local breweries. If you ever get a chance definitely try to visit this wonderful country, however make sure you have a friend who speaks either French or Arabic. There are only a few people that speak English. وداعا حسن

If you happened to be in Vermont the best place to get a glass of Labatt is at the base of Okemo Mountain, during lunch, perhaps after a few quick runs on slopes. Did I mention the excellent on-trail-waffles you can get at the Waffle Haus? Take Lift-B (South Ridge Quad B) and slide down for about 500 yards and Waffle Haus is on your right. You can’t miss the smell of waffles on your way up to the trail either.

I’ve had a chance to visit this very nice place. While outside it was pouring rain the New York style, inside you will find it to be very spacious yet cozy. There’s a full standard bar, but its not what you go there for. There’s also a great selection of every kind of sake that is served with a style appropriate only to the true admirer. In my case I didn’t go there for a BBQ or for a sake, but instead, I was invited to experience a nice famous Japanese beer. Unfortunately they were out; everyone wanted to try it. Sad. Instead we had the next best choice - Kirin Ichiban.

Served on-tap, cold in a chilled mug. Its a clear white beer, has a small head that disappears very quickly without a trace. A bit bitter; no complex taste; light refreshing, easy to drink, not too carbonated.

Just a note. In Japan, beer is just a starter drink. After work, they go to the bar, order a round of beers to relax. Afterwards, beer drinkers get more beer, the rest go for sake or chochu both of which are outside the scope of this site.

On a final note. Gyu-Kaku is a great place to stop by for a quick short drink or a good meal. Be sure to call ahead as they are always busy.