8 Oct
Memphis Taproom Flight, originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay.
Memphis Taproom introduced flights during their Mystery Beer Weekend and never stopped. For just $10 it’s a great way to sample several different beers without denting your wallet…or your head. I went home happy after tasting these three beauties.
From left to right: Schlenkerla Urbock; Weissenohe Monk’s Fest; Russian River Damnation.
7 Oct
My Basement Beer Stash, originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay.
I have a six pack of Troegs Mad Elf, half a case of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, and an Ultimix case from Ommegang. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a great holiday season.
Jealous?
30 Mar
Last Thursday was a banner night for this beer lover. I met my friend Adam and we strolled on over to Memphis Taproom to enjoy a great Dogfish Head stunt tapping for their 75 Minute IPA. We got there a little early thinking we might have to twiddle our thumbs for a minute before they tapped the cask, but no, we were just in time to knock down a few pints of this great IPA.The 75 Minute IPA blends their trademark 60 and 90 Minute IPAs, resulting in a remarkably smooth IPA that will still knock you flat if you’re not careful.
Adam and I ended up having a wonderful conversation with my friend Derrick, another Memphis Tap regular and amateur beer aficionado like myself. We discussed the merits of Dogfish Head’s approach to brewing and how great it is to be sandwiched between so many great breweries, all of which are doing different, distinctive things. Dogfish Head really does a great job of brewing signature IPAs, complemented nicely by great seasonals. I think their spring and summer beers, both of which feature great fruit flavors, are among the most refreshing I drink, without being sickeningly sweet.
As an aside, I wanted to take this opportunity to mention Jay Hinman’s great beer blog, Hedonist Beer Jive. Some of you may recognize Jay from his legendary music blog, Agony Shorthand. Now, instead of debating issues of race with Black to Comm, he’s telling you why he won’t pony up for expensive bombers of Russian River Consecration (and I don’t blame him!) Jay’s always been a great read, and his beer writing is just as fun and engaging as his music writing ever was.
10 Mar
I met Keith Fitzgerald at Memphis Taproom last night to talk about blogs, apps, and all the other fun geek stuff our wives tell us “sounds fun” as we walk out the door.
Our wonderful conversation was aided and abetted by some delicious beer as the No Repeat Beer Week rolls on! I started the night with a smoky Weyerbacher Fireside (pictured) before delving into a bunch of beefy IPAs. Here’s last night’s list:
I took it easy since it was a school night, but I can assure you I had no difficulty getting up this morning for a quick three-mile run.
Our conversation ended with an interesting discussion about how RSS is the blood coursing through the veins of the Internet, yet we still find ourselves joining every known social media platform that comes down the pike. Isn’t RSS supposed to make our lives really simple?
Speaking of which, we also chatted about Pitchfork’s headscratcher of a redesign. It reminded me of Paper Thin Walls after it was redesigned and made ready for a social network that never took off. Ouch. I told Keith that Pitchfork should’ve looked to ESPN.com’s redesign and focused on their video production. Why they’re still married to the concept of a music webzine escapes me.
Keith also shared his pet project with me: a running app for the 3G iPhone that should blow MapMyRun and its ilk out of the water. I’m considering buying a new iPhone just to beta test it against my Garmin watch. It sounds great for beginners and advanced runners alike. There’s a great opportunity for an iPhone app like this to meet the needs of Garmin customers who’re still waiting for Garmin to roll out their Mac features.
It was a great night for geeking out on beer and the Internet. I’m looking forward to working with Keith on tweaking and adding features to Kensington Blues over the next few weeks. To that end, can anyone recommend a clean, free, 2-column WordPress theme?
7 Mar
I was able to sneak over to celebrate Philadelphia Brewing Company’s first birthday this afternoon with a couple plastic cups of Kenzinger. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a year since their brand of delicious brews flowed forth from the site that once housed the mighty Yards Brewery, which has since relocated to Delaware Avenue.
In that time, they’ve delivered some great local beers for a great price. If you’re looking for a session beer this summer, look no further than Kenzinger. For my money’s it has all the best aspects Yards Philly Pale Ale offered, but just a little more refreshing.
My personal favorite? Rowhouse Red! It goes with just about everything, while maintaining its own distinct personality.
© 2010 Kensington Blues. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Wordpress. Designed by 
What People Are Saying