Blogpost: Much Montana!

Montana! The sky out there really is bigger...and so is the Craft. 

Jimmy has just returned from a week in the Big Sky State (he flew out to see the Happy Hour Gal performing in shows at the Alpine Theatre Project and, as usual, he took the THHG camera gear with him). Last Fall at The Great American Beer Festival, when Montana clocked in with a surprising 6 medals (including 3 Golds), Mark and Jimmy knew that things were changing in a state that had previously been relatively quiet, Craft-wise. Folks, there is MUCH Craft news to report from northwest Montana!

In Whitefish, MT.

In Whitefish, MT.

The visit began with a trip to the Bonsai Brewing Project in Whitefish. They've just moved in to a new facility and boast a 7 barrel BrewHouse in a beautifully designed former restaurant on a plot of land "just across the tracks" from downtown. It turns out that Whitefish, on the shores of beautiful Whitefish Lake, is a stop on one of the major east-west rail arteries in the NW United States - (in fact, the creation of the Great Northern Railway spurred the development of the town.) But back to Bonsai: Head Brewer and Owner Graham Hart was featuring 10 different beers the day we visited, from a 'Bouquet IPA' brewed with Lavender, Rose and Juniper, to Brother George, a funky barrel-aged dark ale that set our senses humming like strummed guitar strings. And why the name Bonsai? "We like small and incredibly well made, suggesting an age possibly beyond our years", suggested Graham. "We're lurking in the shadows of giants." 

Turns out they're poetic as well as ingenious in Montana.

Turns out they're poetic as well as ingenious in Montana.

Focus.

Focus.

Another hallmark of this part of the state is that it's on the very doorstep of Glacier National Park, one of the most stunning Tracts of Land in all of the U.S. - so the second day of CraftVenturing took Kristen & Jimmy to Glacier Distilling Company in nearby Coram, MT; Glacier Distilling is just a few miles from the west entrance to the Park. Owner Nicholas Lee started GDC in 2010 after getting snowed in with some buddies in a nearby mountain pass. When the conversation turned dystopic (as stormy night talks often will... I mean, don't they for you?) Nick realized that while Montanans were distinctly capable of riding out an apocalypse with most basic needs cared for...NO ONE WOULD BE MAKING ANY WHISKEY. Of course this needed to be taken care of immediately, and thus, GDC was born; fast forward to today, when they're distilling 15 different products using 3 separate stills, ranging from a dynamite cask-strength Rye Whiskey to a Prohibition inspired 'white dog' called Glacier Dew. A morning of shooting and sampling that included some nicely palate pleasing cocktails, and then an afternoon hiking up to Avalanche Lake in the Park: This was an amazing, memorable day. 

Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park.

Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park.

Oh, sweet mystery of life...

Oh, sweet mystery of life...

Day 3 found the crew at Glacier Hops Ranch back in Whitefish; after paying such close attention to Craft Beer around the world, it's terrific to delve into the craft and science behind the specific ingredients that make them so great - and no ingredient is as lauded in Craft Beer (for better or worse) as hops. Owner Tom Britz has a limited experimental 1/8 acre plot on farmland he owns; his initial intention was to awaken farmers and investors to the fact that Montana has a perfect climate for hop growing, with long summer growing days and low humidity - a terroir perhaps even on par with one of the epicenters of the hop world, Eastern Washington.

Jimmy will now be using this shot for everything.

Jimmy will now be using this shot for everything.

Mission accomplished: Tom has had enough interest (and support) that he'll be entering Phase Two next year by planting a massive expansion of 27 acres! And much of his projected crop is already spoken for through term contracts from local brewers that are growing fast and are desperate to source local hops for 'wet hop' harvest beers, as well as pellet-tized hops for year-round use. Oh, and one huge difference between Glacier's product and other hop growers; with all hop growers, the processing from field to pellet involves drying hops so that they don't spoil. But too high a temperature during that process (unavoidable when you're processing A LOT of hops) can actually boil away some of the most tender oil compounds in the hop cone; so Tom uses a low-heat drying process (he calls it 'Artisinal') that preserves many of the hard to maintain flavoring / aroma oils that brewers so deeply prize. It's slower and more expensive, but the rewards are instantly noticeable. The upshot? Expect big things from Glacier Hops Ranch in the coming years. 

Glacier Hop Ranch Owner Tom Britz and the Happy Hour Gal.

Glacier Hop Ranch Owner Tom Britz and the Happy Hour Gal.

And from The Happy Hour Guys, expect upcoming video episodes to augment each of these places in this here blog post! Stay tuned, everyone - because it's always a good time to laugh, learn, and drink. Now let's get our Big Sky on. 

CHEERS!

We're headed back to the Berks. (And MOE's!)

It's not often that we hope to go back to a particular Craft destination... oh, who are we kidding, we hope for it all the time. But there are so many other tremendous places to visit, and more every second, that it almost doesn't seem fair to go back to a place when there are so many more to discover; there are only so many hours in the week. However, sometimes, 'The Work' orders us to places, and we just have to go.

That being said, Jimmy is heading back to the Berkshire Theatre Group this summer for the first time since 2011. Perhaps one of the prettiest (and during the summer, the ARTSIEST) destinations in the mountains of the East Coast, the Berkshire Mountains are home to great theatre including BTG, Williamstown, Shakespeare & Company, and Barrington Stage: 

Always great to be headed to do a fantastic show with old friends, and new ones yet to be made. And if we're in Western Massachusetts, THAT MEANS WE'RE HEADED BACK TO MOE'S TAVERN, one of the most stupendous Craft Bars we've ever been in. (And that is saying something!) Here's our coverage from the visit 4 years ago:

We can't wait to see what other Craft Destinations have sprung up in Western MA since we've been in residence. What's new in the area? Got a line on a good new bar, Craft Maker of some kind (any kind, really!) or destination? Give us a shout in the comments below. And here's to Musical Theatre in Very Pretty Places. CHEERS!

Soon, there will be San Francisco treats!

Yup; that's the Golden Gate, from about 4000 feet.

Yup; that's the Golden Gate, from about 4000 feet.

Our digs on Tomales Bay. WOW! (Thanks, Tony Magee!)

Our digs on Tomales Bay. WOW! (Thanks, Tony Magee!)

Lagunitas, Petaluma, CA, USA, Earth, Sol, Local Group, Virgo Super Cluster, Space.

Lagunitas, Petaluma, CA, USA, Earth, Sol, Local Group, Virgo Super Cluster, Space.

Don't take my awesome beer! With Mark and Jack Alger at Lagunitas.

Don't take my awesome beer! With Mark and Jack Alger at Lagunitas.

We think these guys will be ok. The brewery, and us.

We think these guys will be ok. The brewery, and us.

Gnawin' dem bones at SMOKESTACK. I do look a tad dog-like here...

Gnawin' dem bones at SMOKESTACK. I do look a tad dog-like here...

Magnetic Letters R Us, at Brewcade in the Castro.

Magnetic Letters R Us, at Brewcade in the Castro.

Sometimes, as The Happy Hour Guys, we just get an opportunity to go where the wind takes us. And one of the directions we've always wanted the wind to blow? Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. We've been seriously lacking in our coverage there since the beginning; we've been around the country and around the world, but as far as the American West goes, we've always had a problem with getting very far north of LA. (I mean, we're Actors, can you blame us? Spielberg might call at any minute.) 

Those of you who know our content know that we've spent a lot of time in Colorado, a ton of time in the East Coast (we're based in New York City), we been down south, Texas, the Midwest (tons of stuff in Michigan); but NorCal? Seriously lacking. Now if your show is about Craft Liquids and great places to drink them, that's leaving out all whole lot of material. A ton. Okay, several tons. So when the opportunity arose for us to get to San Francisco, we jumped on it. It went a little bit like this: Mark is on the National Tour of the Broadway musical Newsies, and they are 'sitting down' in San Francisco for the month. I got a cheap fare, the good folks at Lagunitas gave us the use of their guest house for couple of days (many, many thanks, Tony Magee!!), and WE WERE ON.

Truly, I'm not going to give it all away, because in a 52 hour period we shot lots and lots of footage - maybe days worth of footage - (damn, I have a lot of editing to do) and this stuff is going to translate into some pretty terrific episodes. But for your edification (and jealousy) let me give out the lineup of where we were:

We opened in San Francisco's Castro District  at Brewcade, a Craft Beer Haven full of arcade games and flavor; that night made our way out to Tomales Bay about an hour and a half north of San Francisco near Marshall; the next day it was off to Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma California, and a day with some of the coolest damn people we've ever had the opportunity to spend the day with, in the brewery, the performance space, their FARM; then north to Santa Rosa and the Russian River Brewing Company (just north of Petaluma), where, because of the release of Pliny the Younger the week before, the staff had the 'thousand yard stare'... and they had every right to have. PTSD from Craft Beer. It happens.

We ended this epic trip back in San Francisco's Dogpatch District, at the Magnolia Brewing Company's Smokestack BBQ joint, with English style ales and some of the best brisket we've had in recent memory. Then I was back on a late plane and seemingly instantaneously, in New York with a cold wind cutting thru me and the snow melting around my boots, wishing I was back in Golden Gate country.

Man, is there a lot of fun content coming soon. As I said, we shot hours of footage - and here are some stills to hold you over until then we start rolling them out. 

If you have a chance... get yourself to NorCal!

Cheers!

Atomic Liquors (and a Vegas Quickie) with Sam Merritt!

UPDATE: Check out Jen Reviews: 100 Best Things to do in Vegas - it's a go-to for LV coolness. And yes, this article is included!

Jimmy and the one and only Sam Merritt.

Jimmy and the one and only Sam Merritt.

Jimmy here, reporting from the desert:

One of the things we love about being Happy Hour Guys; now that we've been doing this for a while (I mean, we shot the pilot in 2006!), we often get a chance to reconnect with old friends. And last week offered a chance to catch up with one of our best and brightest from here out East, Sam Merritt. I got a last-minute gig in Las Vegas doing an Industrial, and while I was excited to see the Las Vegas Strip again, I knew that Sam could take us to places much cooler. Sam used to be with us here in the East Coast, where he has done everything from being a beer rep for Brooklyn Brewery to running his own Cicerone Beer Certification program called the Civilization of Beer. (Civ of Beer is a terrific course, by the way - we've taken it.) A couple years ago Sam decamped to points further West, and now serves as one of the Beer Education mavens for Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada.

A draft list at Aces & Ales (Tenaya Way).

A draft list at Aces & Ales (Tenaya Way).

We met up with Sam at Aces & Ales, on Tenaya Way quite a ways north and west of the Strip. Aces is easily one of Nevada's best craft beer bars, and would land in the top ten list of any high-end craft beer enthusiast worth his or her salt... anywhere. I have to say when I walked in and looked at the draft list, I wanted to genuflect, kiss the ground and weep happy tears. There were beers that rarely, if ever, get off the West coast, and if they do, out East we almost never see them on draft.  Not only that, but the bartenders are happy to do a six glass tasting flight of these ridiculous liquids - for $16. Sixteen bucks to taste beers that would be hard to find even if you went to the individual breweries and begged the men and women responsible for making them to pour! Also, speaking to the badassery of the bartenders, when they have 40+ beers on tap, doing flights is a tall order - and our guy (Assistant GM Matt Alexander) handled us with aplomb. So I was able to taste six astonishing beers within minutes of walking to the door. And in keeping with their name, Aces is has gaming (including video slot machines) on site, so you can possibly make back the money to pay for your order. Riiiiiight... remember folks, the House always wins! It was pretty amazing; Aces & Ales has it going on.

Old school and proud of it.

Old school and proud of it.

The bar at Atomic.

The bar at Atomic.

Next up was Atomic Liquors, in the Fremont District of Las Vegas, which is actually what we like to call 'Old' Vegas. This is the part of Las Vegas that existed before the Strip, where the old school casinos are, and all the neon (including the terrific Neon Museum), - the whole area is kitschy, throwback fun. And Atomic Liquors did not disappoint. Atomic is the oldest free-standing bar in the entire city, and also boasts the first package liquor license in the history of the State of Nevada, gotten in 1952. The story is that back in the day, people (including the Rat Pack) used to gather and head up to the rooftop of Atomic with their lawn chairs, to watch the nuclear test explosions that were occurring miles down the road in the Nevada desert. Joe and Stella Sobchik, the owners at the time, thought it might be a good idea to get a liquor license and serve drinks while folks were watching the tests. They were also responsible for constructing the beautiful wraparound bar downstairs. Today, Atomic boasts an incredible craft cocktail program as well as a terrific lineup of spirits and craft beer; and the atmosphere is second to none, right down to the poster for "Miss Atomic Bomb" - which was actually a thing. Nuclear bombs and Showgirls, anyone? Atomic Liquors– you really shouldn't miss it.

Her bathing suit is a mushroom cloud. Seriously?

Her bathing suit is a mushroom cloud. Seriously?

At that point, our evening with Sam was cut short, because I had to get down to the Strip to Showstoppers at the Wynn Casino (Kerry O'Malley singing Sally Bowles and Mama Rose, I mean COME ON) - also I may have ended up getting hammered at the Blackjack table later, but all in all, for a short visit, it was a very productive one. And we have Sam to thank for it.

Our advice: The next time you visit Vegas, definitely check out the big casinos on the strip, but get off the strip as soon as you can. Go see the Old Vegas, and find the nooks and crannies. And check back here before you go - you never know what we'll have for you.

And, we'll see you next time. Cheers!

Pappy Van Winkle is amazing...and everything that's wrong with the booze industry.

Jimmy had a shot of Pappy Van Winkle the other night. He was at a bar with some friends, one of which was having an auspicious birthday, and wanted to celebrate. The bartender whispered some magic words: "We have Pappy 20, and 23. Off menu." So Jimmy ordered a shot of the 20, neat. It arrived, everyone tasted, and all praised what was a lovely, lovely brown spirit.

Then, the bill came. $150. For a single 1 and 1/2 ounce of liquid.

Let's put that sticker shock in perspective: Given that there are about 16ish shots in a 750 ml bottle, that means that this bar will make around $2400 for that brown liquid. Not a bad profit, even considering that this bottle likely cost them (because it was off-menu and likely purchased retail, from a profiteer - they wouldn't tell us exactly where) around $1000. (EDIT: A reader, Jim, correctly states that 99% of the time restaurants and bars pay wholesale for Pappy, if they have the chance to purchase. And AN ENTIRE BOTTLE of Pappy 23 retails in some markets for $149!!)

Now, we get it - we live in a free country with a Capitalist system: There are lots of popular drinks out there, astonishingly well crafted, and the producers of these drinks, if they are lucky enough for it to achieve the cult status that Pappy has, can charge "whatever the traffic will bear" as it were. But when there is rarity or cultishness around a 'WHITE WHALE' (as these types of drinks are called), profiteering inevitably comes into the picture. And we believe that it spoils the intent with which the drinks were made in the first place.

According to our sources, some distributors in the US are now tying whether or not a liquor store receives bottles of Pappy to quantity sales of other whiskies, some of which are exceedingly hard to move in large batches. In other words, a store must move X cases of another product to earn the right to 'get Pappy'. This leaves the smaller Mom and Pop stores at a huge disadvantage, as they simply can't move the number of bottles necessary to qualify. In the Craft Beer world, pursuit of rare releases like Cigar City's Hunahpu Stout have led to black/gray markets springing up, in which a profiteer will buy multiple bottles at the brewery, then sell them online for a steep markup.

Buy it from a retailer you trust.

Buy it from a retailer you trust.

We've spoken to the good folk at Cigar City; in the case of Hunahpu Stout, they just want to make great beer, and they've set what they believe to be a fair price this beer - the fact that someone who had nothing to do with making the liquid is profiting from a black market re-sale is an insult to the work that they've put in to making it in the first place. 

In both cases, the producers have the best and worst kind of success; their drinks have become astonishingly popular, but a great deal of the money that is changing hands over them never makes it back to their pockets, where it belongs.

Our advice? Stay away from profiteers. The point of having these amazing beverages is to experience them the way the producer intended - in the case of Cigar City, buy from a reputable retailer like Bruisin' Ales, or GO TO TAMPA YOURSELF - because bev-touring is awesome.

And as far as Pappy goes, we agree that it's wonderful, amazing, astonishing; but there are many, many other fantastic, aged bourbons out there that won't deliver such a blow to your wallet. Want to be super cool? Find the next one that less people know about. The Elijah Craig 23, for instance.

What about you? What are your feelings about Bev Sticker Shock, and Profiteering? Leave us a comment below.

And we'll see you next time!