Everyone knows that Boston is home to the bar Cheers (where everybody knows your name) but they may not know that Beantown is also home to another bar with sitcom ties. The Regal Beagle, named after the famed neighborhood pub in Three’s Company is now open for business in Brookline.

With fun specialty drinks like "The Dizzy Blonde" (La Favorite Rhum Agricole, fresh lime, and simple syrup, $10) and "The Old Landlord" (Old Overholt rye, Angostura bitters muddled with oranges and cherries, $9) it sounds like a place we’d like to hang out. Their beer list is pretty impressive too! Domestics include Otter Creek Copper Ale, Avery White Rascal, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA and Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout and there’s even a "Big Boys" section on the list with a 16.9 oz Hacker-Pschorr Hefeweisen and 22 oz servings of BBC Coffeehouse Porter and BBC Steel Rail.

Don’t worry; unlike other bars that pay television shows homage this one isn’t super cheesy. You won’t find bartenders dressed in 70’s garb or show memorabilia hanging on every square inch of wall space. Just check out their website and you can tell that they’re a classy establishment.

From what I can tell, they seem to have taken the best attributes of television’s Regal Beagle and combined them with a fantastic menu that’ll keep you coming back for more. Next time I’m in the area, I’m definitely going to check it out. If you manage to beat me to it, let me know what you think!

TAGS [ REGAL BEAGLE | BOSTON BARS | BOSTON NIGHTLIFE | THREE'S COMPANY ]

Last night I enjoyed my very first Buffalo Good Beer Club meeting, held monthly at Mr. Goodbar (quite possibly the best beer bar in the city). For the month of March, we delved into the world of stouts… 11 of them, to be exact.

Pete (KegWorks model and draft beer guru) and I got there 30 minutes early since the Sabres were playing and we wanted to make sure we had a table. Since I was about to enjoy quite a few stouts, I decided my first beer of the evening would be Ommegang Abbey Ale. If you’ve never had it on tap, you’ve never really understood the delicious complexity that is Abbey Ale. Do yourself a favor and get some. Now.

Enough about the pre-gaming… onto our "St. Patty’s Day Feast and Stout Tasting." Featured brews for the evening were:

• Murphy’s Irish Stout
• Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout
• Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout
• Goose Island Oatmeal Stout
• Fort Collins Chocolate Stout
• Left Hand Milk Stout
• Coopers Best Extra Stout
• Lagunitas Espresso Stout
• Arcadia Imperial Stout
• Oscar Blues Ten Fidy
• Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti

There was some incredible food after the tastings as well; Irish soda bread with currants, potato leek soup and corned beef with cabbage. All freshly prepared and a perfect end to some yummy stouts. It was great to see Mike of BuffaloBeerBlog.com, too. He’s heavily affiliated with Good Beer Club and helping to promote great brews to Buffalonians in general.

I dug most of the beers I tasted last night but the one that really stood out to me was the Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti. This Russian Imperial Stout weighed in at 9.5% ABV and poured deep black, just as an imperial stout should. Its aroma was of sweet, roasty malts, bitter coffee and chocolate. It was superbly full-bodied and extremely well balanced; sweet when I first sipped and then slightly bitter in the finish. I was very pleased when the boys pouring the brews completely filled up my tasting glass with the Oak Aged Yeti. Very pleased, indeed.

I can hardly wait for Good Beer Club next month. I’ll be sure to have a full report!

TAGS [ BEER CLUB | STOUT TASTING | IRISH FARE ]

Remember TV’s Cheers? I recently stumbled across one of their classic dialogues where Cliff (the postman) explains to Norm (barfly extraordinaire) the benefits of drinking beer. I hope you enjoy it and feel smarter in the end.

"Well you see, Normy, it’s like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members."

"In much the same way," he continues to explain "the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Normy, is why you naturally feel smarter after a few beers."

I’ll drink to that!

TAGS [ BEER BENEFITS | CHEERS | NORM | CLIFF ]

I’ve had a number of pumpkin ales in my time but never a pumpkin stout, let alone an imperial pumpkin stout. When I received this from USA Beer Trends I looked it up right away, to find out exactly what "Divine Reserve #9" was; as soon as I read its style, I couldn’t wait to try it.

This particular Divine Reserve has an ABV of 11%, so after tasting the Oskar Blues Ten Fidy just an hour before, I was expecting some heavy alcohol in the nose and palate. This however, was not the case. It poured a deep black with hints of crimson and a thick, caramel colored head. And its aroma? Damn. It smells straight up like fresh baked pumpkin pie. I’m floored that the high alcohol content isn’t overtaking this. Floored. Nutmeg, cinnamon and sweet pumpkin, through and through.

Not gonna lie, though… typically I don’t dig on super spiced beers. The only pumpkin ales I’ve loved, for example, are the ones that have hints of spice and pumpkin. Divine Reserve 9’s aroma had me a tad worried, since it was so very much like pie, but I went into my first sip with an open mind and heart.

The taste. I could not help but savor this imperial stout. It tastes of pumpkin pie; all pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread… with just a hint of alcohol in the finish, accompanied by a bit of caraway and dark chocolate. How St. Arnold achieved such a complex, sweet brew with an ABV of 11% is beyond me. Its medium-heavy body was exquisite and a perfect match to the taste and aroma. Honestly, I’ve never had a better pumpkin beer and cannot thank Larry enough for sending it in my care package.

Cheers to St. Arnold; Divine Reserve #9 is a well brewed, high octane pumpkin stout, no doubts about it.

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | IMPERIAL STOUTS | IMPERIAL PUMPKIN STOUT | ST. ARNOLD DIVINE RESERVE | DIVINE RESERVE 9 ]

St. Patrick’s Day is just over a week away, so if you’re going to gussy up with Guinness, it’s now or never. Below, a sampling of great Guinness gear to get your Irish juices flowing.

Going to a parade? Bring this shamrock-clad Guinness koozie. You’ll keep your stout cold and your hands dry… unless you spill, but that wouldn’t be any fault of the koozie.

Often misplace your home bottle opener? Screw this into the wall and never wonder where your Guinness opener is again. Heck, you could even install the Guinness cap catcher under it and make clean-up that much easier.

Have a draft beer system at home but want to drink Guinness on tap for St. Pat’s? I don’t blame you. So do I. Pick up the partial Guinness conversion kit and you’re set. European specialty faucet, Guinness coupler and CO2 to nitrogen adapter. It’s that easy.

Want to add some Guinness flair to your home bar, rec room, den or… anywhere? We’ve got a number of great Guinness signs, including this new Raised Guinness Extra Stout sign, which I positively love.

We’ve got lots more Guinness and St. Patrick’s Day gear too; check it out.

TAGS [ GUINNESS | ST. PATRICK'S DAY ]

I decided to make Ten Fidy the first to taste, of my four beers from USA Beer Trends. I love dark, thick brews, so I was very much looking forward to trying this Russian Imperial Stout.

As I’m pouring, I’m thinking, "so far, so good." It looks thick as hell and dark as night, like motor oil, straight from the can. Impenetrable. The 2 finger head was a caramel color that made it all look oh-so-inviting, despite the fact that it dissipated some quickly.

When I took my first whiff, I was blown away by the smell of alcohol. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so noticeable at 9.5% ABV. This much alcohol I expect from the 13% Bourbon County Stout, but I didn’t quite expect it here… not that that’s a bad thing, just unexpected. Behind the alcohol aroma, I found hints of bitter chocolate and a bit of malty sweetness, somehow sneaking through.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy which, according to the website is actually 10.5% ABV (my can of Ten Fidy said 9.5%), tastes very much like dark, bitter chocolate and coffee with sweet molasses and a very noticeable alcohol flavor. After taking in the nose, I expected this and it certainly delivered. The only area that I felt it was lacking was in the mouthfeel, quite honestly. From its pour and aroma, I really thought it would be a heavier brew. I mean, I’m a HUGE fan of Oskar Blues Old Chub, their Scottish ale, and if I remember correctly, the Old Chub has about as much body as this Russian Imperial Stout.

Overall, I found this stout dark and complex, just how I like them; I only wish there had been a bit more body. Would I drink it again though? Yes. Yes I would.

Thanks again to Larry at USA Beer Trends for passing it along!

*****Post Update 3/11/10*****

After enjoying 11 stouts at the Good Beer Club meeting yesterday, Ten Fidy being one of them, my opinion on its body has slightly changed. I’m not sure if I had a funky pour for this review or what, but the Ten Fidy was definitely one of the heavier bodied stouts I tasted at the club meeting. That being said, I simply had to update this post.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT | OSKAR BLUES | TEN FIDY | IMPERIAL STOUTS ]

I’ve jokingly talked about Pennsylvania having a "Prohibition hangover" before but the latest news out of Philly is downright ridiculous. More than a dozen armed State Troopers raided three popular Philadelphia bars known for their wide beer selections last week. Police confiscated hundreds of bottles of expensive lagers and ales and apparently they’re still in their custody, being held at an undisclosed location.

Why you ask? Well basically Pennsylvania needs to get a grip.

Even though the bar owners legally purchased the beer from licensed Pennsylvania distributors and paid taxes on them, the police claim that no one had registered the precise names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board. According to the authorities, brewers or their importers are required to pay a $75 registration fee for each product they sell in Pennsylvania.

The raids were conducted after a complaint from someone the State Police refuse to identify. Leigh Maida and her husband Brendan Hartranft operate all three of the bars targeted. After checking their inventory against the state’s official list of registered beers (which contains more than 2,800 brands) the officers seized four kegs and 317 bottles. Police calculations indicate that they now possess about 60.9 gallons of beer with an estimated value of $7,200.

Maida claims that more than half of the beer taken was actually properly registered but the cops couldn’t find it on their lists because of "clerical errors" and "blatant ineptitude" between the police and Liquor Control Board (with whom he officers were deliberating with via phone.)

Case in point; Monk’s Café Sour Flemish Red Ale. The beer has been sold across PA at dozens of restaurants and distributors for more than seven years. The brand appears on the state’s online list as "Monk’s Café Ale" and because the names did’’t match up, troopers seized 20 bottles and three kegs of the "illegal" ale from the three bars.

Police also took Duvel Belgian Golden Ale because it only appears on the list as "Duvel Beer". Wow.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News State Police Sgt. William N. La Torre said that the beer would be kept in a secured location, as evidence, until the case is resolved, probably in six to eight months.

Clearly the State Police officers aren’t up on their beer knowledge but many of those beers will be sour before they’re released. What a shame.

To say that this is ludicrous would be an understatement. Whether or not someone had it out for these people, the fact that these laws are in place and the Liquor Board didn’t even conduct a proper investigation is absurd. Poor Pennsylvania needs reform now more than ever. Hang in there guys, one day you’ll be able to enjoy beer like the rest of us.

TAGS [ PHILLY BEER RAID | CONFISCATED BEER | PENNSYLVANIA BEER LAWS | BEER NEWS | PHILADELPHIA BEER RAID ]