Holy Thursday: Celebrate Local

I couldn't call my self any form of a Pittsburgh beer blogger if I made no mention of the upcoming celebration that starts tomorrow and runs all of the way until next Sunday. That's correct, folks. Pittsburgh Craft Beer week is primed and ready to roll for it's annual celebration of all the glory of the local craft scene.

If you're in the area, be sure to check out an event or two. The PCBW website is a bit spiffier this year and has a neat searching page that enables you to filter by date, event, location etc. The Real Ale Festival presented by Pipers Pub and the Beer Barge are annual events that are returning once again due to popular demand. There are also plenty of tap takeovers and beer pairing dinners to go around. I'd bet on the fact that the beer dinners are having tickets go fast if not completely sold out already. So, step to.

I usually try to make it to an event or two every year. The two I'm setting my sights on this year are both the Trivia with Tom of Yards Brewing at Hough's Taproom and Brewpub on April 29 and the Beer and Oyster Festival hosted by Blue Dust that will be set under Homestead's High Level Bridge. There will be plenty of music as well as exotic brews to go around. Remember the pumpkin beer festival at the same location? Yes, nothing short of a hit.

The Real Ale Festival and the Oyster Festival both take place on May 3. Real Ale looks to be from 1-5 p.m. while the Oyster Festival is from 2-10 p. m. So, technically you could go to both if you wanted to. It's sometimes all about timing.

The bottom line is we live in a special area when it comes to good beer and food. This week annually acts as a token of celebration or remembrance for that sole fact. I've wasted so much time on this blog writing post after post that beer is so subjective and open for subjective. I'll toss out that notion for this post. We definitely know what we're doing here in Pittsburgh. Let's enjoy it.

Finding Said Adventure

Since about two people on planet Earth care about the meaningless things I do in life, I guess I should pick up where I left off yesterday with my "What to Do" post. I'm off for the New Years holidays and decided to treat myself to a beer and food-related venture.

Most of you know by now that I write a high percentage of these posts the day prior to when they actually post. So, with that said do I have your permission to switch to the present tense? After all I won't physically be where I'm currently at by the time all of you read this. That's what I thought.

I settled on, well I wouldn't actually call it settling, Piper's Pub on Carson Street. The pub that features numerous delicacies from across the pond, an awesome tap list (even an entire section dedicated to Pennsylvania breweries) as well as one of the best cask systems in the Pittsburgh area That and there's always something fun that's on said hand pump.

Ah, beauty. I mean the beer not me!

One of my favorite posts I've written on this blog included Piper's on my first ever visit. That night I was with the infamous Beer Snob Sr. This place has quickly become one of my favorite places to frequent in all of Pittsburgh.

I've engaged myself in many discussions on the Boak and Bailey blog on  differences between USA and UK beer/pubs. I'm alright with the fact that some British folk might consider Piper's to be a watered-down version depending on where they live, but I absolutely love being here. I might not ever get to England to experience the pub life as Beer Snob Sr. was during his education years, but I'm fine with the experiences, beer and pub food I've had at Piper's. Right now I have some fish n' chips. Three thick pieces of fish with an even thicker batter. So tasty. I've also frequently got the Chorizo Mac n' Cheese off of the seasonal menu as well as Bangers and Mash.

Regardless, it's close enough for me as to what being in the UK is like. I'm a huge history buff. So, one of my favorite books is Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day. It was also a movie that came out in 1962. If I could just here some of the bagpipe tunes that were played during the British advance on Sword Beach in Normandy I'd be an even happier camper.

Monday Rant: What to Do?

I have a few days to myself. This came as a surprise last week when I discovered I had today and tomorrow (in accordance with New Year's Day) off from work. Then I thought to myself - when I put the days in I had planned on being somewhere around this time when I requested said days. As life always is even the best laid plans somehow crumble.

Anyways, my problem this week is that I have nothing to do today and into the early portions of tomorrow. I'll follow my usual schedule in the morning. Coffee with either a bagel or toast while taking in some Sirius radio. Then head out for the day. What to do, though?

I kind of want to go on a beer and food adventure. The South Side has many offerings in that department. The Library has it's wing special going on. I'm sure Piper's Pub has something interesting on cask, The food is always a sure bet to be awesome. Pretzels and some Helles Lager at Hofbrauhaus? A sandwich paired with a nice brew at Carson Street Deli? How about just a mini-craw of Carson Street for a few hours? Coffee at the Beehive Coffee House?

Who knows what's in store. I might just end up hanging around Munhall for a few hours. Whatever I do, I want to try to do mostly in the morning hours. After all, there is a certain marathon on AMC.

Monday Rant: Love/Hate Relationship With Dark Beers

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Superior never gives up her dead.

Just like in the movies, sometimes your closest friends start out as your enemies. I wouldn't say that I'm exactly enthralled by darker beers, but I still know when one should be appreciated. Keep in mind that I've only been searching for exotic and different beers for about the last four years, since I've turned 21-years-old.

My most memorable battle with dark beers began exactly three years from yesterday on the very same porch I sat on for yet another Easter Sunday. That day an Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing was set in front of me.

Being one whose taste buds weren't yet attuned to the strong tastes of porters, trying to drink that beer was a massive struggle for me. It just tasted burnt and looked like a dark, muddy abyss. My tongue would rather have been on the actual ship the night it sunk rather than take another swig of that beer. I couldn't finish it.

Another incident was with Guinness. It tasted like burnt coffee. I couldn't stand it. One could understand why I didn't prefer darker beers. I really couldn't understand what was so good about them.

That was until a trip to Piper's Pub on Pittsburgh's South Side and had a friend buy me a Guinness on draft. That's when I learned that the beer was meant to be served off of draft, and not from the bottle like I had during my first time with it.

It was also the beginning of my theory that some beers are a totally different experience from bottle to the tap and vice versa. It's very frustrating when you are stuck in a situation where you are forced to have one or the other type of beer serving, but that's just the way it is.

Today, my outlook has completely changed on the darker beers. I've discovered a few ways to drink the different types as well as trying them on draft or through a cask system. The Edmund Fitzgerald has even become one of my favorite beer names due to my love of the story and the song by Gordon Lightfoot. Research has even shown that some of the darker beers are even a healthier choice than the lighter counterparts. Don't be afraid like I once was. It's alright to travel over to the dark side once in a while.

Apparently North Country Brewing Has Beer on Cask

I've made it known that Blue Dust in Homestead is my favorite brew pub to frequent due to its 26 beers on-tap, but before I had Blue Dust I had North Country Brewing Company in Slippery Rock.

North Country was the first time I had craft beer when I turned legal age and it opened up an entirely different world for me. It's also the primary source for my love affair with fruit beer. Last week I stopped in once again with a friend and noticed something that I hadn't before, even though it's most likely been there the entire time.

Apparently North Country has a cask system. Now, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here. It's just a single cask, but at least it's there. I'm a newbie when it comes to cask beer, but I know enough about it being live beer at it's best to realize it's worth a drink whenever you get a chance to snag a glass.

This isn't my first rodeo when it comes to cask beer. Just check out one of the most-read posts in the young history of this blog, it's just my second.

I really didn't have a single idea of what cask beer was before I tried it a month back. To make a long story short, I loved it.

Case-in-point, the actual news here is that North Country Brewing does have a cask system. I wouldn't have even noticed it except for the fact that I was on the bar stool directly in front of it. It almost looks as if it's out of use. There wasn't even anything on the tap list that said anything was on it (FYI Squirrel Nut Brown was the beer on cask). If I was North Country I'd be promoting the hell out of it up there.

I know that North Country has that smaller bar upstairs and the split-open kegs in the bathroom that are urinals that everyone loves, but this cask system is one of the lesser-known gems in this place.

According to Pittsburgh's favorite craft beer writer at Craft Pittsburgh, North Country isn't the only place to sample their brand of beer beer on cask.

Make sure you're following the Beer Snob on Twitter!

East End Brewing Takes Over Casks at Piper's Pub

Piper's is one of the coziest places to be.

One thing I regretfully didn't get too familiar with during my first venture to Piper's Pub was the cask system the bar has. There isn't really time to explain what beer on cask is, so if you aren't too familiar with it just click here. Craft Pittsburgh did a piece on cask beer in an issue last year. You can download that issue by clicking right here. In essence, and you'll read the same in the Craft Pittsburgh piece, drinking cask ale is a chance to experience a beer in a livelier fashion than you're used to when having one off of a typical draft system.

Starting today, our own East End Brewing has taken over the cask system down at Piper's for the Festival of Darkness (a celebration of dark beers). On cask are three of East End's brews: Smokestack Porter, Homewood Reserve 2011 and Milk Stout.

Just as I has bragged about having the last glass of Southern Tier Pumking in almost all of Pittsburgh one night at Blue Dust in Homestead, I came across another milestone in my beer-drinking adventures by having only the second beer out of the Festival of Darkness casks today.

Tasty. Not me. The beer.

I decided to go with the Smokestack Porter and I wasn't disappointed. With this being the first beer I've ever had on cask, I noticed the beer's temperature. It was significantly warmer than any beer I've had on regular draft. I suddenly felt like I was sent back in time to London in the 1890's. Just watching the bartender use the hand pump to get my beer instead of simply lowering the tap lever and waiting for the glass to fill was exciting for me. Don't ask why.

The smoked malts came through strongly in the beer's taste and was very creamy towards the finish. It was very enjoyable. I can admit that a good portion of the flavor wouldn't have come through if the beer was much colder.

The fact that there was less carbonation in the beer in order to help create the pressure to pump it upstairs almost seemed to bring out more in the beer. The head looked thicker than most any other beer I've had (no nitro was involved!) and the flavor exploded once it hit your tongue. Despite my inexperience drinking beers on cask, something tells me that this is the way beer is meant to be drank, as I am a traditionalist in many senses.

As a heads up, the bartender let me know that Piper's intends to rearrange its tap/cask organization on the bar. Apparently imports and Pennsylvania beers will have there own section. Keep an eye out in the future.

The Beer Snob Visits the Cambod-Ican Kitchen

Mine and Beer Snob Sr.'s adventure last Friday night didn't conclude after we left Piper's Pub. Even after all of that dark beer from across the pond and an order of sausage rolls we were still hungry. He knew of some place on the South Side that served chicken on a stick.

The bartender at Piper's overheard our discussion and said to go to the Cambod-Ican Kitchen just down Carson Street. Our hunger needs were definitely satisfied. Beer Snob Sr. posted an interesting description of these events on a social media account of his that went like this:

Oh yes. He enjoyed it.

"There were legs all over the South Side Friday night, but my interest was kept by the breasts. The grilled chicken variety that is, covered in moon sauce and paired with seafood wontons at the Cambo-Ican Kitchen. After a good night of drinking the dark beer (you know the one I mean) with Beer Snob Jr. at Piper's, we found this place down the street. It looked like a live version of Craig's List inside as they were looking to fireplace mantels and looking to buy your used iPhones and iPods. Despite this secondary effort to make an extra buck, the focus was on the food. If it's 1 a.m. and you still haven't found someone to go home with don't go to Jack's. Go here and go home with a full belly and a smile."

I couldn't have crafted this experience into words any more perfectly. I can confirm that there were signs asking for used iPhones and iPods. I felt like I was in Apocalypse Now for a few minutes, but that might have been due to the Guinness I consumed just minutes before.

We initially just wanted the chicken breast with the moon sauce, but the guy at the register insisted that we pay a few more bucks to get it with more moon sauce and with seafood wontons. We agreed to the addition of wonton and moon sauce.

Remember the old SNL skit called "Food, Sex or the Car?"

What we got in return was rocked worlds. If you're the type of person that likes grilled meat with that perfect amount of charring, this is the place to go. The chicken was grilled perfectly for my taste, the seafood wontons were a delicious adventure and the moon sauce was heavenly. It tasted like a perfect combination of sweetness and saltiness. My guess is that it's soy-based.

If you're ever around this place. Stop in and get the moon sauce. It tastes like it can go on pretty much any oriental cuisine out there.

The Beer Snob Visits Piper's Pub

Since I turned 21-years-old two years ago I don't think I've ever heard of a single watering hole that held as much prestige, at least according to fellow beer snobs, as much as Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's South Side. From all of the speculation that I've heard, the thought of Piper's seemed to help it stick out in my mind from all of the other bars along Carson Street. I can finally say that I have been to and had a few great beers from this fabulous place.

The infamous Sausage Rolls.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I sat at home and drooled at what I saw on Piper's online menu. In the appetizer section I think everyone eyes up both the Scotch Eggs and the Ploughman's Platter. If you don't know what Scotch Eggs are, they're hard-boiled eggs that are wrapped in sausage and deep-fried. I'm sure most of you have heard of some form of a Ploughman, which includes meats, cheeses and breads on a platter. A friend of mine who refers to himself as Beer Snob Sr. joined me on this adventure and decided that we should have the sausage rolls, which were excellent with a nice tad of mustard.

Beer Snob Sr. enjoys his Guinness and Sausage Rolls.

The rest of the menu features many meals straight from England. Some items that stuck out to me were Bangers and Mash (sausage and potatoes), assorted Shepherd's Pies (lamb, beef and chicken) and corned beef and cabbage.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings Piper's has one of the most interesting breakfast/brunch specials I've ever come across. There are many types boxties to choose from (large potato pancakes), your traditional Irish and English breakfasts and Belgian French toast with batter made from Lindeman's famous Framboise. Unfortunately breakfast at this place is going to require another trip and another post.

There are also many brews from across the pond as well that include Guinness Draught, Murphy's Irish Stout and Bellhaven Scottish Ale. Piper's also features an extensive list of Pennsylvania breweries such as Weyerbacher and Troegs.

I ended up having a Black Chocolate Stout by Brooklyn Brewery, a Black Velvet (half Guinness and half Strongbow Cider) and a full Guinness. You'll have to wait until later in the week to read my thoughts on the chocolate stout, but I'll certainly let you in on my thoughts for the other two right now.

The lovely-looking Black Velvet.

The Black Velvet was sweet and heavenly. Surprisingly the cider overwhelmed the taste of the Guinness. As for the straight glass of Guinness, I was shocked that I enjoyed it. The only time I've ever had a Guinness before was out of a bottle. It tasted like burnt coffee and thus I didn't enjoy it, but I've always been able to enjoy gravies and stews made with the beer. Off of draft it tasted so much smoother and creamier. Yet another beer applies to my Yuengling bottle/draft theory (the same beer tastes different depending on the serving type).

Overall, Piper's Pub might be the best place I've checked out since I've started sharing my beer and food adventures on this blog. I was very impressed. The bar is a tidy and quaint place. It has a wide selection of local foods and both English and Irish foods. The same goes for the beer selection. It's the perfect place if you're willing to be adventurous when it comes to putting exotic beer on your taste buds. Oh, and since the place is so upscale the typical South Side douche bag  looking for chicks won't stumble in. Piper's is too upper echelon. It's a great place to relax and try some good beer.