tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759Sun, 19 Jul 2026 19:00:39 +0000beerPhiladelphiaalebeer dinnerbelgiancafecaskfestivalfoodonepoliticspubstesticleThe 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)Blogger809125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-5755948795608628836Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:15:00 +00002025-10-20T05:15:55.725-07:00 For all the latest PubScout stories, head here!http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2025/10/go-to-my-newest-site.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1068445265224655593Tue, 21 Nov 2023 15:54:00 +00002023-11-21T07:54:48.641-08:00 Go to my even NEWER site! Click here!http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-288753405393483856Fri, 17 Jun 2016 13:30:00 +00002021-06-18T04:36:01.007-07:00 You have arrived at The PubScout Page--actually, the OLD PubScout Page. And there's a new one, with new stories, new pictures and new features right here! Just click the link to be magically transported to my new page. And if you have been at a recent event with me, don't forget to check the Gallery Page to see if your mug shot made it! Cheers! The PubScouthttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/06/go-to-my-new-site.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4315850823690102338Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:18:00 +00002016-04-29T10:18:37.887-07:00 After seven very successful years using blogger, I have made a new website here. And clicking on that link will take you to the very first post I've created. It will also tell you why I made the move if you care to know. But I raise a glass to this wonderful site and what it has enabled me to do. There's a link on the New Page called "The Old Site" that will bring you back here if http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/hello-goodbye-hello.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1419748687688318250Wed, 27 Apr 2016 21:30:00 +00002016-04-27T14:30:19.896-07:00 General George Washington (out of costume) It's that time of year again, when the Friends of Washington's Crossing Park hold one of the best BrewFests in the area--The Washington's Crossing Brewfest. In the past, this baby has had 65 quality brewers in attendance, as well as some of the finest food vendors anywhere. It's always heavily attended, and, unsurprisingly, it is http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/good-news-bad-news-by-george.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4175918636173615039Wed, 27 Apr 2016 17:08:00 +00002016-04-27T10:08:44.901-07:00 Trap Rock Brewer Charlie Schroeder's Cake Reservations Now Open!Cinco De Mayo Beer Dinner on May 3 Join us for our next Beer Dinner on Tuesday, May 3.Guests will enjoy a five-course Cinco de Mayo inspired dinner paired with hand-crafted beers from guest brewer Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company from Croydon, PA.Seats are $85 per guest including tax and gratuity. Seating http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/trap-rock-celebrates-cinco-de-mayo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-7413155957773930269Sun, 24 Apr 2016 12:50:00 +00002016-04-24T05:50:51.957-07:00 Uno's Brewmaster Mike Sella There were some outstanding beers flowing from the casks yesterday at Uno's on Rt. 1 in Metuchen. Of course, if you'd been reading this space in the past week, you'd have been duly alerted. But in case you weren't, or worse, missed the event, here's just a sample of what you missed. Dave Hoffman's Maibock...malty, balanced and dead-on style, and at 6.7% closehttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/raising-few-to-bard.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-8126768074556336008Fri, 22 Apr 2016 21:24:00 +00002016-04-22T14:24:41.342-07:00 Emily As reported here days ago, Mike Sella's hosting a Cask Ale Fest at Uno's tomorrow. I'd like to think it's in honor of Shakespeare's birthday, but, alas, poor Yorick, I'm a realist. Anyway, here are the brews that will be available: Uno's Ikes IPA dry hopped with Azacca Kane Evening Bell Kane Head High dry hopped with Galaxy Little Dog Macaroon.....porter with http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/this-just-in-beers-for-unos-cask-fest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1941792719859433236Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:23:00 +00002016-04-21T07:23:37.619-07:00 I had a wonderful opportunity last evening to mix and mingle with some equally wonderful folks at JJ Bittings Brewpub in Woodbridge. The occasion was the first annual "Suds and Scholarships" Fund raiser whereby the Perth Amboy Kiwanis Club attempted to raise some money to help local kids with the high costs of going to college. Bob D'Urso, the affable and jocular host of the http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/beer-info-session-intrigues-craft-beer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-43699374379536083Mon, 18 Apr 2016 13:02:00 +00002016-04-18T06:02:36.636-07:00  Ale was a critical part of Elizabethan society, probably because it was safer to drink than the water. Indeed many of Shakespeare's plays reference the liquid, both in its healthful and less-than-salubrious uses and effects. The Bard's own father was the official Ale-Taster of Stratford-upon-Avon, and so revered was Will's writing about the liquid that the very first brewpub in New http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/toasting-bard-with-brew.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1697842495846805614Fri, 08 Apr 2016 18:55:00 +00002016-04-09T04:54:33.153-07:00In less than two weeks, beer nuts will have a golden opportunity to support a good cause , all the while eating good food and drinking good beer. The poster below gives you all the info you need to know. My friends in the Perth Amboy Kiwanis Club are holding this wonderful event to help deserving students with the ever-rising cost of college.It's a most worthwhilehttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/good-beer-for-good-cause.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-950540662657354615Thu, 07 Apr 2016 01:40:00 +00002016-04-07T12:27:28.442-07:00 Confession time. When I go to funeral services, my usual M.O. is to arrive early, pay my respects to the deceased with a prayer, express my condolences to the family with a hug, then get the hell out of the funeral parlor. Today, however, I paid my respects to the deceased with a beer instead of a prayer, I expressed my condolences by singing "Ein Prosit,"and I stayed in the "funeral http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/04/memoriam-mit-merkur.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-5184013411442648559Wed, 30 Mar 2016 19:37:00 +00002016-03-30T13:47:48.187-07:00 Alixandra and Brett A visit to Charlotte, NC and my eldest son--who still needs a kidney, by the way--gave the missus and me an opportunity to hit some of the spots in an area where good beer is simply exploding in popularity. I had visited some great spots, like Ass Clown and Crafty Beer Guys last summer during a visit, but here was an opportunity to do more serious exploring. Yethttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-day-on-charlotte-brew-trail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6509310890014403112Wed, 30 Mar 2016 13:18:00 +00002016-03-30T06:18:57.107-07:00 WAZE told us "turn left here."  But the Missus said, "We can't go in here! This is a factory." Thirty-two years of marriage advised me as to which woman's voice to obey,  and I drove past our "destination" but saw that we had indeed arrived at it. Defying our digital guide, we just went in another way.  But it sure looked like a factory, perhaps because at one time back inhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-heist-where-you-dont-get-robbed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-5845757787227891725Sat, 19 Mar 2016 18:40:00 +00002016-03-19T11:40:35.216-07:00 When the stars align, you have to capitalize, especially when the venue is New York City. Today--tonight, actually--is the final night of March Matness, and that's not a typo. Because to those of us who love the oldest sport in the world--wrestling, it's the only NCAA Tournament in March that matters. I mean, you only need one ball to play basketball. Add to that the fact that http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-secret-pub-on-w-33rd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-7203352293944604923Tue, 15 Mar 2016 18:01:00 +00002016-03-15T11:01:00.151-07:00 I know, I know. We're forty-eight hours away from what many consider to be the Highest of Holy Days in pubs--especially Irish pubs-- throughout the fruited plain. And I have many "favorite" Irish pubs in the area which I frequent. Hailey's Harp & Pub in Metuchen, The Kilkenny House in Cranford  Foley's Pub and McSorley's in NYC, McGillin's in Philly, The Irish Pub in Atlantic http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/may-dvd-rise-up-to-meet-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1118788368574903624Sat, 12 Mar 2016 02:12:00 +00002016-03-11T18:12:17.782-08:00 The irony wasn’t lost on anyone at the Stirling Hotel. One of the featured beers offered by Manager Dan Schneider and Rep Rob Muscatello at the Southern Tier Tap Takeover was called “Where The Helles Summer?” Record temps were the order of the day in NJ on March 10. The “little” hotel with the big back yard was brimming with patrons when I arrived at 5 PM, and the place got even busier http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/ask-beer-question-and-weather-gods.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-3489310191758081890Fri, 11 Mar 2016 11:58:00 +00002016-03-11T03:58:50.072-08:00 My friends in the Perth Amboy Kiwanis Club are holding this wonderful event to help deserving students with the ever-rising cost of college. It's a most worthwhile cause, and you get to enjoy the wonderful beers of JJ Bittings, along with a healthy portion of food. And meet the exceptional folks whose mission is to give back to their community! Don't wait--save the date! And come on outhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/suds-and-scholarships-event-coming-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-8646036328991993723Wed, 09 Mar 2016 15:09:00 +00002016-03-09T09:08:17.602-08:00 Jim Koch and The PubScout I was hoisting a few awhile back at Foley's Pub in NYC with Jim Koch, CEO of the Boston Beer Company--aka Sam Adams--and naturally, beer was the subject of the conversation.  I asked him, apart from his own products, which beers on tap he considered to be "good." He  told me, "All beer is good." Then he added, with a sly smile,  "But some beer is betterhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/are-you-drinking-craft-beer-or-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6967085645123350958Tue, 08 Mar 2016 15:14:00 +00002016-03-08T07:14:45.606-08:00 Whenever I meet someone new at a beer event and hand them my card, their first question is usually, "What's your favorite beer?" It's then that I trot out the somewhat tired, but ever-trusty old icebreaker line: "Like my underwear--Depends." The self-deprecating line works all of the time, but more importantly, it's absolutely true. Except for the underwear referencehttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-tastes-they-are-changin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-2020974494860352577Fri, 04 Mar 2016 14:49:00 +00002016-03-04T07:58:08.922-08:00 Ever the sophomore, I can delight in the harmless fun of a prankster throwing a Baby Ruth into a pool of swimmers. But I'm not one to toss one into the wort (unless it's part of the recipe) or to intentionally spray the sparge where it shouldn't go. However, there comes a time when speaking out is important. I wrote the first draft of this column the day the article in question appearedhttp://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/is-that-baby-ruth-in-pool.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1760594022811596236Tue, 01 Mar 2016 16:59:00 +00002016-03-01T11:28:08.264-08:00 Establishing your restaurant as a beer dinner hotspot takes a lot of work—and a lot of time. And once that run is broken—for whatever reason—it could be “back to square one” in the attempt to build up your clientele again, especially with so many new beer events taking place in NJ. In its heyday, Uno’s on Rt. 1 in Metuchen was seating and feeding 40-45 beer and food nuts in its back http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-unos-phoenix-rises.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-6718011977053500870Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:03:00 +00002016-02-28T16:03:42.630-08:00 I recently featured Dan Schneider of The Stirling Hotel as a Guest Blogger, and he penned a great account of a recent New England Beer Dinner held at his pub. As an afterword, I added that he and his hard-working, topnotch staff would take a brief hiatus from beer dinners--at least until Spring arrives.  What does he do? He orchestrates a "mini-beer dinner" by having a tap takeover http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/02/go-ahead-make-liar-out-of-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-4043541781389435316Fri, 26 Feb 2016 16:32:00 +00002016-02-26T11:59:52.958-08:00 I've already written extensively about the gem of a pub up in Stirling, NJ called the Stirling Hotel. Deceptive in its small front facade, but big "out back" and very big inside when it comes to beer and food, this place is a craft beer and good food lover's dream. Dan Schneider is the manager of the place, and last month he hosted the first ever beer dinner at the hotel, a Colorado Beer and http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/02/guest-blog-dan-schneider-of-stirling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872075327833995759.post-1516891298082514506Mon, 22 Feb 2016 19:34:00 +00002016-02-22T11:34:55.203-08:00 The Tigers don't have this problem In what has become a tradition at the end of the District 12 wrestling tournament, I usually meet up with the South Plainfield coaches to re-hash the great moments while we re-fill our pint glasses. Given their team’s success on the mat (32 consecutive district titles and a recent State Group III Championship), they have every reason to hoist a few. Me?http://thepubscout.blogspot.com/2016/02/two-pubs-one-parking-fee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kurt Epps-The PubScout)0