tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:36:27 +0000caskbeer dinnerbelgianbeertesticlePhiladelphiapubsfoodfestivalonepoliticsalecafeThe PubScout says: You've got to hand it to the Sumerians: inventing BOTH writing AND beer!http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)Blogger402125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-3035323234757827676Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:29:00 +00002012-01-30T07:36:27.446-08:00Fruit beer has its place, both in my cupboard and on my table. The holidays are perfect times for fruit beer, especially when trying to lure visiting non-beer drinkers into the fold. I usually preface an offering of same with, "I have something I want you to try." And after the inevitable pleased look or comment, I hit them with, "That's beer." As for those whose tastes run to mainstream swill, http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/fruit-beer-worth-trying.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4798195475512862746Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:03:00 +00002012-01-26T04:22:50.021-08:00They are called the "New Beer-Makers" in this very interesting and well-written article. And their strategy is not only spicing up the craft beer scene in Europe, it's having the same effect here. As the article will show, it's their penchant for experimentation that drives the movement. And experimentation is critical to the beer consumer as well, as it drives beer lovers like us to explore new http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/gypsy-brewers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-7338554260817703094Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:56:00 +00002012-01-22T17:31:22.463-08:00The Wall St. Journal has a nice article about one of the PubScout's few reasons for loving winter: Stouts.For those who have heretofore shied away from the dark side because of a misperception that darker is stronger, read this piece and learn. Stronger in flavor, surely, but not necessarily stronger in ABV. Guinness, for example, weighs in at a much lower ABV than Budweiser. And it's far better http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/stouts-like-season-dark.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-7319716402555463448Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:51:00 +00002012-01-19T09:55:22.050-08:00Today I raise my glass to a favorite American author of mine whose birthday is today: Edgar Allan Poe. His famous poems are legion: The Raven, The Bells, Annabel Lee...His short stories are indelibly stamped on the national fabric: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, Hop-Frog, The Cask of Amontillado...this troubled and oft-maligned inventor of the detective story was found face http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/raising-pint-to-poe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1575951904330377784Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:46:00 +00002012-01-16T11:23:09.544-08:00The annual tribute to hero firefighter Jimmy D’heron is a celebration of his life—and his sacrificing of it to save fifteen people he did not even know. Except for some appropriate moments during the festivities, the Harvest Moon Brewpub in New Brunswick is decidedly not a place of quiet reflection during this event. From the familiar strains of the Middlesex County Fife and Drum Corps coming http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/hero-remembered-cause-promoted.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6763385771767601865Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:04:00 +00002012-01-13T10:12:36.883-08:00The PubScout will belly up to the bar at the Harvest Moon Brewpub in New Brunswick near 1PM on Sunday January 15. Although the event is set to start at 2PM, The PubScout advises an early arrival to secure a spot. He will order the first of his Jimmy D Red Ales in honor of the firefighter hero Jimmy D'heron, who, some years ago, gave his life so that 15 others could live. Proceeds from the sale ofhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/you-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-2013605198469072991Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:09:00 +00002012-01-08T08:09:18.485-08:00Lock your calendars up for this annual tribute at the Harvest Moon Brewpub in New Brunswick, NJ. Great time for a great man and a great cause! Click on the link below! Cheers! The PubScout!   James D'heron Memorial Foundation | Supporting Burn Survivors http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/one-week-away.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-8831575931119425824Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:34:00 +00002012-01-06T10:34:53.411-08:00Is this YOUR kind of woman?   Woman Shot In Eye Finishes Beer Before Accepting Medical Treatment http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2012/01/now-that-dedicationor-maybe-stupidity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6927317342726372111Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:49:00 +00002011-12-29T08:37:29.799-08:00The standard beer pairings for shrimp vary depending on what kind of shrimp dish is on the plate, but generally speaking, one can be safe with hefeweizens, pilsners, saisons, belgian whites and--if sufficiently adventurous--an imperial white ale. Most sommeliers will recoil in horror if a patron does not order white wine with a fish dish, but who cares? Wine tasters spit out what they taste. No http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/taking-beer-chances.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6424999137547167127Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:11:00 +00002011-12-27T13:25:28.904-08:00I had no idea that so many people had so many other people to talk to, either by voice or text message. In the old days, pubs and bars were places where you'd go to converse and conviviate with the local gentry. Sure, it's cheaper to buy a sixer at the liquor store and sit home by yourself to drink, but that grows stale fast, even for narcissists. Pubs and taverns were born to get people togetherhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/now-this-is-good-idea.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-7775113690730821751Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:16:00 +00002011-12-25T12:19:06.475-08:00A PubScout Christmas... video accompanied by one of the best Christmas songs ever...http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/tis-season.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-2320244820553533161Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:17:00 +00002011-12-25T07:20:13.435-08:00'Nuff said.http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/oh-yestwill-be-merry-christmas-indeed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4601005181074897294Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:03:00 +00002011-12-22T04:14:12.667-08:00Son Kacy made a video for his broadcasting class at Montclair State, and the subject was--beer. Despite my ugly mug being so prominently featured, I think he did a great job. Dave Hoffman makes a cameo appearance, too! Maybe if he gets lucky and lands a good job after graduation, he can actually begin to re-stock my refrigerator? The project was entitled "Beer Sense (Carpe Diem)" and you can viewhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/making-his-pater-proud.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-2600729740411970379Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:18:00 +00002011-12-21T13:55:07.490-08:00By Kurt Epps, The PubScoutAt Delicious Heights, the menus are lit. The tap handles on the "Maya Bridges" are lit. And, if you're not careful with beers like Delirium Tremens and Mad Elf, you will be, too.On the word of fellow biker and beer-lover Larry Deahl, I made the short trek to the three-month-old Bedminster pub and restaurant for a thorough review. Formerly known as Willie's Tavern, this http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/of-fascinating-depths-and-delicious.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-2496183264454990873Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:51:00 +00002011-12-14T19:08:34.854-08:00Stopped into Basil T's in Red Bank tonight to meet two business associates for dinner. As you know, Mike Sella (formerly of Uno's in Metuchen) has been brewing there since last summer. Now in the fourteen plus years I've known Mike, I've had every one of his beers. The guy can brew, for sure. But I've never had a beer from him like the one I had tonight--an Oatmeal Pumpkin Stout. And that's http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/quick-hit-oatmeal-and-pumpkin-in-stout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4788848261787979897Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:17:00 +00002011-12-07T08:38:29.442-08:00By Kurt Epps--The PubScoutChris Percello took over the brewing duties at Uno’s from Mike Sella a few months ago. But he “made his bones” last night.It was Chris’s first attempt at what has become a treasured tradition at the Metuchen brewpub—the Uno’s Beer Dinner. Handled ably by Mike Sella and Co. for 14 years, Chris, knowing he had big shoes to fill, stepped up to the plate for his first real http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/percello-era-officially-begins-at-unos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-8741612611945244782Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:53:00 +00002011-12-06T05:54:52.942-08:00Coors Light is always promoting its coldness in commercials--you know, the Silver Bullet Train that roars through wherever, or the label that changes color when it's cold enough. What the commercial doesn't say is that the colder a beer is, the less you can actually taste of it, which, in the case of Coors Light, may be a blessing. The article below doesn't say whether the guy who survived by "http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/not-drinkable-but-edible.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-5662652847188811717Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:25:00 +00002011-12-04T16:50:07.899-08:00It's always good to have one of my cubs come home unexpectedly. And it's even better when he comes bearing gifts--like beer. Kaz and buddy Rob, collaborating on a film project about beer appreciation, showed up to shoot the last segments of their effort. They crossed my threshold, each bearing a bottle of Innis and Gunn Beer from Edinborough, Scotland. (Ah, the lads know the path to the http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/check-out-those-gunns.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-3891413772274507084Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:08:00 +00002011-12-01T08:14:59.822-08:00Great news for winterbier lovers from my Beer Buddy Don Russell, aka Joe Sixpack:"Take a peek at the Sam Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack. They finally got the mix right by dumping fizzy Cranberry Lambic and the out-of-season White Ale and replacing them with a warming Chocolate Bock and the new Black & Brew coffee stout."That's great news concerning those new replacements. The Chocolate Bock http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/12/this-just-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4585211051696665649Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:17:00 +00002011-11-30T17:05:13.215-08:00Chris Percello, Uno's Brewer, has announced the menu and accompanying beers for his December 6 extravaganza, and it looks to be a winner. Sponsored in conjunction with Climax Brewing and Dave Hoffman[L.] (where Chris made his bones), the time is set for 7 PM.Contact Uno's at 732-548-7979 for reservations.The food, by the way, will make history, and when you show up, I'll tell you why.1st Course -http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/11/unosclimax-december-6-beer-dinner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-2692530024693353343Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:39:00 +00002011-11-29T07:03:55.910-08:00Around this festive time of the beer, it seems that every beer writer/blogger and his brother comes out with a list of their 12 Beers of Christmas. If you don't believe me, google the term. Not to throw a wet blanket on the burning peat moss, but The PubScout has a better idea (though it, too, may be far from new). Let's have the followers of the PubScout's blog do the picking.That's right. Beer http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/11/win-beer-on-pubscout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-7991697639294857839Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:50:00 +00002011-11-28T07:50:38.670-08:00The PubScout is always happy to promote the making--and enjoyment--of good, fresh beer. Check out the link below. Cheers!   Central Jersey duo launch homebrewing supply startup | MyCentralJersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/11/more-beer-nuts-for-christmastime.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4510851312957081779Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +00002011-11-27T05:50:30.615-08:00(H/T to Dave B. for sending this along...)If you're like The PubScout, all that tax talk about who and what's exempt, what you can and cannot claim, and most importantly why you're paying more and more each yearbecomes, well, taxing. And depressing, which is why beer helps.Like me, all you know is you've got to pay or you go away. And, like college costs, it's always way too high, especially whenhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/11/tax-system-explained-in-beer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1661284756344472795Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:09:00 +00002011-11-25T11:46:21.932-08:00Thanksgiving at The PubScout's house is, by law, a happy, family time. The Missus outdoes herself in the kitchen, and the lads are as loud with raucous laughter and kibitzing as they were when they were tykes. It's a certain music that brings pleasure to a parent's ear (however overgrown with pinna it becomes as we age, which nobody warned us about).The difference now is that two of the lads (whohttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanking-god-for-good-brewers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6442022057945428930Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:08:00 +00002011-11-23T19:16:06.745-08:00My son Kaz, (recently of legal age) led me to this beer site called Innis and Gunn in Scotland. Check out their beers, starting with "Original." Their tasting and food pairing notes are well done, but the Spider Graph (a variant of our own Beer Wheel) is very cool. In fact, I think I like it better than the Beer Wheel. As to how good the beer is, I cannot say as I've never had it. But it sure http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2011/11/gunn-control.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0