One of my favorite things about traveling whether it is work or pleasure is the ability to try new beers. Beers that are either local to the area, surrounding states or a distribution offering that I may not see back home are all game for the tasting.
Feeling adventurous (and a little thirsty), a few of us set out for nearby Verona the other day in search of something new. What good fortune we had to wind up at the Verona Inn for a few cold brews - not that we didn't mean to go there, so much as it's always a pleasant surprise when nothing goes wrong along the way. While the tavern has been a part of the community in spirit for decades, it has existed in this location for only a few years now. How we haven't stopped in already is beyond us - this bar has a satisfying mix of class and comfort. When we arrived, a tour was arranged so that we could see the rear outside dining area, along with the kitchen, keg room, and storage. The spacious and organized workspace maintained by the staff is truly the stuff of food service envy.
Two weeks ago we took a trip up to our local watering hole Mohawk House for a Great Lakes Brewing Kick Off Party. Instead of bringing you the typical photography spiel we decided to cut a video together letting Mark Weinmenn from Great Lakes tell us a bit about the brewery and their excitement of finally tapping into the North Jersey market. I am personally excited to have their beers available and look forward to their more seasonal releases in the months to come. Congratulations to Great Lakes and Kohler on the launch, the beer drinkers of New Jersey thank you.
After a year hiatus, we finally made our way back to the Catskills for the best beer festival in the the North East: TAP NY. If you remember our content, from 2011 you would know that TAP NY is a food and beer festival held at Hunter Mountain in Hunter, NY. Every year, breweries from throughout the Empire State gather here to pour up some of their best beer and take home bragging rights (there are a number of awards up for grabs). Since we last visited there has been an exponential growth at TAP NY. This year's ticket sales neared 6,000 purchased passes for both the Saturday and Sunday sessions.
Here is an interesting sour beer for the sour fans. How does green apple and wasabi strike you? Carton Brewing comes out with yet another interesting and out of the box beer called Intermezzo. Inspired by Chef Paul Librandt's green apple wasabi sorbet, Carton Brewing uses whole wasabi root and pureed green apple to make this refreshing beer that has a nice tart flavor with a refreshing whiff of wasabi to wake you up, cleanse your palate and prepare you for the flavors of summer.