Last week was a great staycation for me. I got some much-needed stuff done around the house, and there was a lot of chilling on the couch with the doggo.
The week was capped off with a short visit from Constant Reader/high school bestie AM! We did do some day drinking on the patio with wine, but that was to empty out the fridge of bottles I’ve previously written about. I’m happy to say the chardonnays that I used the Coravin on were just fine, and I still prefer the Aslina from South Africa to the Kreuth from Italy. But most of our adventures involved some of the best food and craft beers my town have to offer.
We lunched Friday at the Brick Farm Tavern. Besides its fabulous food and elegantly rustic dining room, there’s a great selection of craft brew! We tried Gloria, a Belgian blonde ale by Brix City Brewing. It was sunny and very refreshing, a perfect summery beer. I also enjoyed Rothaus, a delicious German pilsner from the Black Forest.
On Saturday, we made a pilgrimage to River Horse, a craft brewery practically in my own backyard in Ewing, NJ. We took a brewery tour led by Taras, a former homebrewer who has a degree in chemical engineering! It was the most detailed and specific (like specific gravity) tour I’ve ever been on. I learned that all beers pretty much fall into either ale or lager. Lager is also the process where the almost-complete beer is left to settle out all the used-up yeast, so it’s super clear.
We also got to taste a lot of yummy beer! I had a pint of Klara, a kolsch-style bevvie, more gorgeous sunny yellow crisp deliciousness. Another one perfect for a hot day. I’ll be going back for more of this next summer.
But the star of the show we came there to see was AM’s favorite beer and the first one that got her into craft brew, Tripel Horse. Made with yeast exported from a Belgian monastery, it has a walloping 10% alcohol! I was going to open one to take a picture, but then I’d have to drink it, and… I have work in the morning, y’all. Trust me when I say it’s delicious. I’ll be sure to crack one open for the first Eagles game of the new NFL season this Sunday afternoon.
It’s always great to have AM come visit, and all that tastiness just made it that much more enjoyable.