Morning Brew: Yuengling Grows, MustLoveBeer hits 9,000 followers, and Philly gets the spotlight next week.

I know it’s technically the ‘afternoon’ here in PA, but it’s Sunday and I’m allowed to sleep in.

- America’s oldest brewery, Yuengling, is now also the LARGEST American-owned brewery surpassing Boston Beer Co. in sales.  Read about it here.

- BeerNews.org posted the latest beer label for Mason’s Irish Red.  I’m a fan of the old style feel to it.

- Stone Brewing will be holding it’s 6th Winter Storm event at 11AM at the Stone World Bistro & Gardens.  Featuring 36 taps and a slew of bottles, this is one event not to miss.

- Be sure to mark your calendars for Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week, April 20 - 28, 2012.

- I was alerted last night that I was @MustLoveBeer’s 9,000th follower on twitter.  Congrats to them on the success.  Check out their site sometime and be sure to follow them. 

- I’m molding this site more geared towards craft beer and less towards drinks (though I will be touching on it, maybe not as much).  I’ll be featuring some cool beer bars/pubs and breweries each week moving forward.  I’m starting off in Philadelphia, so be sure to watch for tomorrow’s posts!

- If you want your news posted up in the daily Morning Brew, email me at theoverpour@gmail.com or twitter: @theoverpour.

Morning Brew: Sierra cans, Columbus drinks and Flying Dog goes bewinged..

- Sierra Nevada announced on their Facebook page that the first round of Pale Ale cans should be shipping soon. They may an interesting note that all of the cans will specially lined, so that the beer never comes in contact with the aluminum.  Looking forward to seeing this hit store!

- Today and tomorrow is the Columbus Winter Beerfest at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio from 6:30PM-11:00PM. This year is featuring over 14 breweries  (260 brews) including the debut of Columbus’s newest brewery: Four Strings Brewing.

- If you haven’t checked out the video Flying Dog did for the launch of their Wildeman Farmhouse IPA in MD, VA, DC on January 30, head over to Beernews.org and check it out.

- I stumbled across this great article about a bartender in Colorado participating in national competitions.  He came up a lot like I did, so very neat to read.

- The Pittsburgh Beer Snob wrote a good review on the Shipyard Applehead pale wheat.  You can read it here.

- I’m working on some new things for the blog, be sure to continue checking it out as I figure out what will and wont be on here going forward.  I’ll keep the recipes, since it seems like you guys really like them.

- If you want your news posted up in the daily Morning Brew, email me at theoverpour@gmail.com or twitter: @theoverpour.

Review: Blanche De Bruxelles.. A Friday Happy Hour Favorite

Today’s Beer Review: Blanche de Bruxelles

The Overpour Rating: 7.7/10 - APPROVED

Brewed by: Lefebvre
Origin: Belgium
Style: Witbier
ABV: 4.5%

I’m writing this review with bunch of snow outside and a ton more on the horizon, so obviously I’m thinking warmer weather.  This beer should help you think of summer days..

I came across this now famous beer a few years from a sales rep with a 12oz sample of this Belgian delight in hand.  Of course I tried it, who wouldn’t try a beer with a baby urinating as the label (and tap handle)??

This cloudy wit pours an interesting golden color, which kind of reminds some of piss (hence the alias Manekken Pis).  It’s not really made of piss, it’s actually a wheat beer lovers dream.  Composed of 40% wheat, this one’s spiced up with coriander and orange peel, for a very Belgian taste and aroma.

I was impressed, not blown away, but I enjoyed it.  We sold it on tap, and it sold well, becoming a staple of our happy hours in the summer/spring, and even in the winter.  It’s worth a taste if you see it.  Very nice on a hot day.

The Grade:

Appearance: Very hazy, obviously unfiltered.  Very lightly golden color, but cloudy.  Nice, fluffy, two finger head on top.  Retains head for a while and leaves a nice lacing in glass.

Smell: Very wheaty with hints of citrus in the background.  The notes of coriander pop out, hops not very noticeable.

Taste: Hit with the citrus at first but wheat takes over.  Light notes of banana and clove come in also.  Don’t notice the hops much, but you slightly know it’s there. 

Grade: 7.7/10

Great Lakes Brewing Expands To Central PA

Just read a great article over at CraftBeer.com about Great Lakes Brewing Co (Cleveland) expanding their distribution to Central Pennsylvania with Pittsburgh beer giant Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale doing the distributing.

Around Pittsburgh, where Great Lakes has been distributed for a while now, the beers have grown a good following and sold well in the bars I’ve worked at.  I’ve personally been drinking them for about 3 or 4 years, since I discovered their Dortmunder Gold, which I believe to be their best beer behind the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (a BeerAdvocate World-Class beer).

Expanding their distribution is good sign of growth for the brewery, which also shows the growth in the craft beer segment of the beer market.  I’m looking forward to seeing all of the Penn State beer blogger’s take on the lineup.

If you get a chance, check out Great Lakes Brewing Co and their fantastic lineup.  Congratulations to them and all of their success!

Recipe: The Golden Cadillac

Today’s Recipe Of The Day:  The Golden Cadillac

The Overpour Rating: 8/10 - APPROVED
Category: Dessert Cocktails
When To Serve: After-Dinner

This super sweet cocktail was concocted in the 1970’s at a dive bar in El Dorado, California known as Poor Red’s.  The drink is so popular that this little joint in El Dorado is now the largest consumer of Galliano liquer (the Italian liqueur used to make the drink) and has earned a spot as a International Bartender Association Official Cocktail.

The history of the name depends on who you ask.  Some say it’s the rich, smooth, luxurious texture of the drink that gave it the ‘Cadillac’ feel, while others claim it was named for the price tag of the drink.  Either way, this one is sure to be a favorite at the dessert table.  Pair it with anything chocolate.

Recipe:

• 1 part Galliano liquer
• 1 part white creme de cacao
• 1 part light cream
• Glassware: Martini Glass
• Garnish: None

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker, over ice.  Shake and strain into martini (cocktail) glass.  

Recipe: The Bronx Cocktail

Today’s Recipe Of The Day:  The Bronx Cocktail

The Overpour Rating: 9/10 - APPROVED

Category: Legendary Cocktails

This slightly sweet gin-based cocktail was created by the world famous bartender, Johnnie Solon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in the early 1900s.  After a customer challenged Johnnie to create a cocktail to rival the then-popular Duplex (a cocktail comprised of equal parts sweet and dry vermouth), Johnnie accepted the challenge and created the cocktail on the fly.

However, Johnnie, even being a world famous bartender, didn’t drink alcohol, so he asked the waiter (who delivered the challenge to him) to taste test the drink for him. The waiter was so impressed he drank the original and ordered a second for the customer.

Of course the drink needed a name.  Most would think the drink was named after the borough in New York, however, the drink was actually named from the Bronx Zoo. Johnnie was at the zoo a few days before creating the drink and while he was making the drink, he thought about the animals.  When asked the name of the drink, he just quickly responded a “Bronx”.  

The drink remained popular for many years, eventually becoming the third most popular Martini in 1934 and becoming an Official Cocktail by the International Bartender Association.

Recipe:

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 1/4 oz dry vermouth
• 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz orange juice (fresh squeezed)
• Glassware: Martini Glass
• Garnish: Orange Slice

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker, over ice.  Shake and strain into martini (cocktail) glass.  Garnish with an orange.

Why The Over Pour Exists?

A long time ago (well, actually a few years ago), I was a bartender.   And to be honest, I was quite good at it, or at least I think so.  I gave that up for a full time job (that thing all of us bartenders wished we had at 2:00AM on a Saturday).

I loved being a bartender.  To me, bartending was a science.  Possibly even an art form.  I studied the business like it was an art, though.  I made it a point to learn three recipes a day.  I wanted to know more about beers than the distributors selling them to us.  I’ve probably tried thousands of vodkas (and enjoyed it).  I learned how to home brew.  I learned more about Scotch than ANY human should ever know. I even became a Certified Beer Server (1 step away from Cicerone).  I wanted to be the best bartender I could be, and I loved sharing my knowledge with the customers.

But after a few too many cut fingers, a few too many late nights (there’s nothing like grocery shopping at 3:30AM), a few to many obnoxiously drunk customers, and too few weekends off, I gave it up to pursue a career that requires a tie (that I don’t ever wear).  

Consider this blog my internet bartending gig.  I’ll be posting recipes and how-to videos.  Expect some reviews on drinks, bars, home brews, beers, gadgets, and bad bartenders (I rant often about that) and the occasional delicious food delight I come across.  A few random stories of past bar nights should pop up here and there also.

I wont be blogging my name though, I kind of like my 9-5 gig.  Just know that I’m from Pittsburgh, *Burgh Verified, and I live with my fiance (who I met while bartending) and my dog.

Until next post, enjoy… And tell your friends.