Passing the milestone of our 300th episode has been humbling, exciting, and loads of fun; and what better way to continue the party than with a keen look at two East Coast Craft Beer institutions - a visit to The Ginger Man, a classic NYC beer bar that opened its doors in 1996, and a chat with Ale Street News, a Craft Beer periodical (that's newsprint, folks - actual physical newsprint!) that has been in circulation since 1992. Enjoy!
Soon, there will be San Francisco treats!
Yup; that's the Golden Gate, from about 4000 feet.
Our digs on Tomales Bay. WOW! (Thanks, Tony Magee!)
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.
We think these guys will be ok. The brewery, and us.
Gnawin' dem bones at SMOKESTACK. I do look a tad dog-like here...
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!
Video #303: NYC Beer Week 2015
Those of you in reach of NYC are in for it. And by "it" we mean a crazy amount of amazing stuff! NYC Beer Week 2015 runs from Friday, February 20, through Sunday, March 1. That's ten days of beery excitement in the greatest city in the world (and one of the fastest growing craft communities as well)! Check out this promotional video we contributed to the celebration:
Here are direct links to tickets for prime events:
• Opening Bash: Saturday February 21, 1-5pm.
• Brewers Choice: Tuesday February 24, 6-10pm.
• Closing Beer & Brass Brunch: Sunday March 1, Noon-4pm.
The festivities kick off on Friday, February 20, with Opening Tap, a plethora of special and rare beers tapped at participating venues across the city. And there will be events throughout the five boroughs over all ten days: special pourings, tap takeovers, beer brunches, food pairings, and much much more. Check out the website for additional events, and be sure to check in with your NYC local hangouts and favorite NYC breweries for what they will be offering. It'll be a great ten days. Celebrate NYC and craft beer!
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 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).
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.
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?
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!
Video #299: Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor - Community.
Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor (26 W. 8th Street, Greenwich Village, NYC) is a special place for many reasons: The rotating beer list, the draft system, their commitment to the 'Arts & Crafts' movement - but at the end of the day, as with all bars, the Community they form is the core of why people become fans of this place and come back over and over again. Here's a sample of the community you might find when you step through the door. Cheers!
Video #297: Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor - The Art Program.
Our fourth in a 5 part series featuring this Craft Beer gem, Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor (26 W. 8th Street, Greenwich Village, NYC) doesn't just pay lip service to Arts & Crafts - from the design of the space itself to the Art that hangs on the walls, the ethos of A&C runs deep. Click play to learn about how the neighborhood, the design, and the Art Program all contribute to a place you'll want to visit over and over again. Cheers!
Video #296: Running the Board at Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor!
Our third in a five-part series featuring Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor (26 W. 8th Street, Greenwich Village, NYC): So what do you do when a Craft Beer bar has so many amazing beers on tap... and you want to try them all? A&C has an elegant, wonderfully simple solution. Click play to see the third in a series of 5 features on this bar - it's time to RUN THE BOARD!
Many thanks to Don Borelli and Robert LaFrance at A&C (you really need to meet these guys), as well as stellar camera work by Squigs and Dane. Cheers!