In 2012, a huge addition to the pantheon of Craft Beer bars opened in Midtown Manhattan: Beer Authority. Located directly across the street from Port Authority bus terminal, this massive space includes 3 separate floors, a roof deck, and a sincere devotion to Beer. Mark and Jimmy (with Squigs on the camera) interview owner Joe Donagher to get the 311 on this terrific bar, and his plans for the future. Cheers!
Frequent Flyer Guy finds a Bangkok Beer Oasis.
Our own Frequent Flyer Guy, Steve Smith, reports in from one of his favorite cities in the world:
Bangkok Beer Oasis:
In a city known for many pursuits besides brewing, great craft beer is on tap if you know where to look:
Bangkok, Thailand.
I love Bangkok. It is one of my favorite international destinations. For me it has nearly everything a great city should have: Great restaurants, delicious street food, friendly locals, a large international community, and of course the bustling nightlife for which it is famous. But Bangkok, like many Asian cities, is not known for a thriving craft beer scene. While I have encountered craft beer on occasion in Bangkok, it has often been disappointing. Most craft beer I have come across in Thailand is imported, which unfortunately can mean a steep price tag (due to Thailand's high tax on imports), and unreliable quality (due to improper product handling during shipping, storage, and distribution).
Mikkeller Bangkok!
Just this year, however, a brand new player emerged on the Bangkok beer scene, and has brought world-class craft beer to the city. In January, 2014, nontraditional Danish brewer Mikkeller opened just its second international beer bar in Bangkok. (Its first was opened in San Francisco in 2013.)
Located well off the beaten path on a sleepy, residential side street in Bangkok’s upscale Ekkamai neighborhood, Mikkeller Bangkok is a destination bar to be certain. It is located far away from many of the tourist and ex-pat neighborhoods like Khaosan Road and Sukhumvit, and receives zero benefit from foot traffic. Yet on my visit on a Saturday evening, the bar was full, loaded with tourists and ex-pats who managed to navigate the sois of Ekkamai for great beer. “This is the best craft beer bar in Asia,” I was told by a IPA-loving British ex-pat from Hong Kong, who said he now makes a point to visit Mikkeller every time he comes to Bangkok. And its easy to see why.
Don't waste time. Just get there.
The first things you notice when you enter Mikkeller are the taps: 30 of them. This might not be surprising in Europe or the USA, but in Asia a tap arsenal of that size is almost unheard of. And the selection is excellent. Mikkeller, being a “collaborative” brewer, features not only its own creations in its bars, but also a fantastic rotating selection of offerings from other brewers around the world. In addition to its own labels, at the time of our visit Mikkeller Bangkok offered beers from Brewfist (Italy), To Øl (Denmark), Siren (England, UK), Rogue (Oregon, USA), Boon (Belgium), and 8Wired (New Zealand) among others. Stouts, IPAs, lambics, brown ales, pilsners, porters, pales, Belgian ales, as well as ciders, meads, and craft spirits are offered... and our thirsty group sampled many. We even tried a chipotle- and coffee-infused stout, which was admittedly a bit challenging for many of our palates. By and large, however, the selections we tried were excellent and ran the gamut of varieties offered.
Yes please.
The last thing that impressed us about Mikkeller Bangkok was that the staff are sticklers about quality. We spoke with one of the managers about the issue of maintaining quality with imported beer, and he talked at length about their relationship with their importer and the standards they have for handling the product properly, to ensure quality during shipping and storage. And on our visit, we found the imports to be spot on, as if their journey around the globe had been just a short trip around the block.
Before visiting Mikkeller, I wouldn’t have considered Bangkok to be much of a destination for anyone serious about craft beer. But like in so many other cities around the world, beer drinkers in Bangkok are seeking out more options in flavor and in brewers, and Mikkeller is delivering, putting Bangkok on the craft beer map in Asia.
For more information, visit Mikkeller Bangkok's web site: http://www.mikkellerbangkok.com
Asia travelers? What Craft Beer gems have you found out there? Leave them in the comments section.
Cheers!
Video #288: We say, who could be afraid of The Jeffrey?
Been on Manhattan's Upper East Side lately? It recently became a much more Craft-y place, thanks to some folk who have a great deal of experience creating terrific places to meet, eat, and drink. The Jeffrey is the new Neighborhood Joint that starts pouring Craft Coffee at 6am, and then goes, and goes, and goes. Join Mark, Jimmy, and Squigs on a trip to this new gem!
Pils. Grimage.
PilsGrimage! Thanks to our Michigan correspondents the Loud Guy and the Science Guy, here's a Happy Hour Guys motorcycle excursion to Northern MI, and Short's Brewing Company's original brewpub in Bellaire, MI. A true PilsGrimage indeed: People travel from all over the world to sample the bounteous brews that are only offered at this location.
Loud Guy not so loud with face covered.
Science Guy.
Lodging: SET.
We're On Approach.
Outside the BrewPub in Bellaire, MI.
Sweet Nectar!
Choices, Choices, Choices...
Roads well traveled.
And thanks to Hydroflask, we're taking some home!
Hopefully we'll see more updates from this quest. Keep 'em comin' guys. Now everyone, get out there and BEV-TOUR!
Video #286: Artsy's Craft Report - Port Chester Hall!
Hello Happy Hour Nation! Squigs scoots less than an hour north from New York City to experience the fantastic new Port Chester Hall. Take a peek inside this reclaimed train station and learn about some of what you will find here. Beer! Food! Trains!
And watch to the end for a wee travel tip for the thousands of you who schlep through Grand Central Terminal each day.
14 Crazy Beers We Love:
We've tasted a lot of beer, in a lot of places...but some flavors, whether simply and beautifully crafted or outright mind-blowing, stay with you. Here are some of our favorites, and the episodes in which they are featured:
#14: Carton Brewing Regular Coffee.
In the New York area, when you go to a street 'coffee cart' and order a regular coffee, that never means black. It means 2 creams, 2 sugars. As they say at Carton Brewing, "A whole lot more like coffee ice cream than coffee." So, they made that:
#13: Barrier Brewing Submersion Double IPA.
The guys at Barrier busted their humps (and their bank accounts) getting a brand new production brewery up and running in Oceanside, NY... just before Hurricane Sandy struck. But there was one interesting survivor from the carnage:
#12: Short's Brewing Wowee Zowee Ale.
They never let "beer should be this" thinking stop them at Short's Brewing in Bellaire, MI. We have had so many WOW moments at this brewery we've lost count, including with this beer which, believe it or not, truly resembles a mojito:
#11: Alchemist Brewing Heady Topper Double IPA.
There's little to be said about this DIPA that hasn't been said already: What people really need to know is how good the folks to make it are, and how they view beer as an agent of change:
#10: Wolverine State Brewing Gulo Gulo India Pale Lager.
Wolverine State in Ann Arbor, MI specializes in Lagers, and also caters to HopHeads. Who knew that a clean finishing Lager could have such a faceplant of hops? A wonderful intersection of styles here:
#9: Breckenridge Brewing Vanilla Porter.
This beer was originally supposed to be a one-off; then, just a seasonal. But it became so popular that Breckenridge decided to make it one of their flagship beers. A nitro version is now out in the marketplace, with an even creamier finish!
#8: Founders Brewing Kentucky Breakfast Stout.
Jimmy grew up in Michigan, "The Great Beer State", and Founders has an incredible story. They make their Breakfast Stout with Kona Coffee and Belgian chocolate... and what happens when they put that brew in a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel FOR A YEAR? This:
#7: Avery Brewing Sui Generis Barrel Aged Sour Ale.
Avery Brewing in Boulder, CO is another survivor; down to their last gasp back in the '90s, they began brewing the beer they'd always wanted (starting with Hog Heaven Barleywine) and the world began to beat a path to their door. Now, their barrel ageing program is one of the country's leading experimental playgrounds. Consider this wonderful barrel aged sour:
#6: Samuel Adams Utopias.
Is this actually beer? It is. Barrel aged to within an inch of its life and weighing in at a massive 22% ABV, this is a swooner:
#5: Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils.
Many Americans view Pilsner as that Boring Yellow Liquid that The Big Guys Make: At Oskar Blues, nothing could be further from the truth:
#4: Boulder Brewing Flashback 30th Anniversary India Brown Ale.
If there isn't a category for the style of beer you just brewed? You make one up. The folks at Boulder Beer were the first, for many things. Press play:
#3: New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale.
A crazy-ass Amber? Yes. Because it absolutely sets the bar for the entire style. The folks at New Belgium approach their jobs and their lives in brewing in an very refreshing way... and they make incredibly refreshing beer.
#2: Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter.
One of our favorite Big Porters of all time, made with a nod to one of our favorite writers:
#1: Three Floyd's Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout.
Is this a 'white whale' beer? Yup. Years ago we braved the madness to sample this vinous, lovely brew... but what was more fun was meeting the folks who were associated with it:
#.5: New Holland Brewing Beer Barrel Bourbon.
This is not a beer, it's a bourbon, but...it was a beer. No, wait, it was in a beer barrel. That counts, right? To round out the crazy, they're really bringing the innovation at New Holland Brewing:
What crazy-ass beers have you had that you love? Drop us a line in the comments section. Cheers!
11 Great Bars Where You Can Drink With Ghosts.*
RIP, Harold Ramis. This post is for you.
*That we've shot video of, in the USA.
"When there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?" The Happy Hour Guys? No. Obviously you call the Ghostbusters. But while you're waiting for Egon and Venkman to show up, quaff a couple with the local poltergeists. Here's a list of episodes we've shot at historic bars over the years, bars that might just have more than your regular share of parnormal activity:
The Old Talbott Tavern. Bardstown, KY: Hmm. I swear I put it on the chair. It's no longer on the chair. Also: Which were the most haunted rooms again?
The Jameson Tavern. Freeport, ME: Emily doesn't like the bread baskets.
The General Lafayette Inn. Lafayette Hill, PA: If you happen to be drinking with an old guy in a nightshirt, you might have a problem. (Now renovated and back in business as the Barren Hill Brewery.)
Pete's Tavern. NYC: This one is a don't-miss. You might share a booth with a literary ghost or two at one of the oldest bars in New York City.
McSorley's Old Ale House. NYC: The Happy Hour Guys shot their very first episode at what many say is the oldest bar in NYC. Houdini is said to have haunted this place in the form of a black cat. We'll stick with the Dark Beer.
Gettysburg, PA: Drinking at the site of one of the most significant battles of the Civil War, there are ghosts aplenty, but the Happy Hour Guys may be most haunted by their puppetry in this episode.
Fraunces Tavern. NYC: George Washington drank here. And did some other stuff.
White Horse Tavern. NYC: Dylan Thomas, Under Milkwood? How about under the bar? Too soon? The Guys delve into the history of this literary watering hole.
Long before Snooki roamed the Jersey Shore, Manasquan was the site of one of NJ's only unsolved murders, at O'Neil's Beach House bar. Here, the guys tackle the mystery with a few pints and some mystery guests.
Mark takes his drinking life into his own hands as he explores Bube's Brewery in Mt. Joy, PA. Freshly brewed beer, catacombs, ghosts…oh, my!
The Guys explore the Rogues Harbor Inn in NY's Finger Lakes region. House brewed beer, history, and some ghostly guests who linger on make for a good time. Honk if you love beer!
That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed our tour of historic and haunted bars. Keep an eye on us for all sorts of adventure in the world of craft beverages and where they come from. As always, we welcome your suggestions - where's your favorite haunt? (Boo....) Cheers!