Thursday, December 22, 2016

Penny Brewing - Home Brew

I work for a manufacturing company; a company that makes stuff that goes into other stuff. It’s pretty cool.

One of our engineers – not one of those fake,self-titled engineers – but a real, full-fledged AutoCAD using designer of stuff (that goes into other stuff) brews beer at home.

He doesn't do it alone. He has the help of his girlfriend, April, and  his brother-in-law, Mike. Matt says he would have a lot more spilled beer if it wasn’t for April. And, she's awfully darned cute, too.

Anyhoo, Matt was kind enough to share a six pack of his homemade beer in a variety of styles and flavors. Yay me!


Over the course of an afternoon I sampled each and every brew. I wasn't necessarily surprised by the quality of the beers; from my experience, homebrewers put a lot of love and passion into their creations. I wasn't disappointed by any of them.

All of Matt's brews were true to style and well crafted; the colors, flavors, and mouthfeel delightful.

S.T.A.T. (Double IPA 8.2%) - Aside from being a good tasty IPA, I especially liked the effervescence in S.T.A.T. It has a playful, tingly mouthfeel; much like a sparkling wine. I liked that a lot.

Swigs of Centauri (Double IPA 8% aka Sip of Sunshine) - I like Swigs much better than Sip of Sunshine. The hop profile was more to my taste. So much more drinkable.

Space Case (Double IPA 7.23%  aka Fuzzy Baby Ducks) - named after the spacey instructor who taught Matt about NE IPAs. I really wouldn't compare it to Ducks (which I love). Space Case can stand on it's own as simply a good IPA.

Curious George (Belgian Strong Dark Ale 8.5% ) - Although I'm a big fan of IPAs and Matt did a great job with all of them, I think my favorite was the Belgian Strong Ale; it was really quite nice and super flavorful.

Pumqueen (Spiced vegetable brown ale 9.2%) - Pumqueen was delish. Well spiced but not overdone. A yummy pumpkin ale.

Mounds out of mole hills (Chocolate Coconut Porter 6.5%) - My only "disappointment" was that I would have liked more coconut in the Mounds. With a hint a coconut and chocolate, overall it's a nice solid porter.




Our employer may not appreciate me saying this, but Matt and his partners could do well for themselves as brewers.

I can't wait for him to bring me more of his creations!

Cheers!






Friday, December 16, 2016

The Original Cigar & Bar






If you're ever visiting North Conway, New Hampshire and you enjoy a long relaxing smoke paired with a luscious libation, I suggest you visit The Original Cigar & Bar.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, just a double wide manufactured building, but inside is a well-stocked bar, comfy chairs & couches, a big screen television with  a fairly impressive humidor packed with a nice selection of sticks. The Original Cigar & Bar is no Carnegie Cigar Club. It is way more down to earth and totally my kind of place. It would be my Cheers if I nearby.



The afternoon hubby and I decided to drop in, the bar was hosting a tap takeover by Moat Mountain Brewing Company.  As I settled into my bar stool,  I was greeted by friendly staff who poured me a pint and helped me pick out a couple of very nice Oliva cigars. Seated to the right of me was Moat Mountain's brewer, Scotty. How cool is that?

I lit up and sipped my beer. Hubby and I chatted with Scotty and had a really nice time. Simply smoking cigars, drinking beer, and enjoying the company. It was a little taste of freedom. It was decidedly awesome.

Oh, if you ever decide to spend some time at The Original Cigar & Bar and you begin to feel a bit peckish, Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery is practically next door. They have great food and, you guessed it, a fantastic beer selection.