Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA

We’re way deep into construction and inching ever closer to being open. Now that the primer is dry, we have begun to paint the bar. We took a break today for a meeting with the S.K.I. Distributors and watched the US Soccer team inch past Alergia in the World Cup playoffs. We decided to celebrate with a “Good Beer” from Speakeasy Ales and Lagers.

SPEAKEASY BIG DADDY IPA
http://www.goodbeer.com/SWF/index.html
– India Pale Ale (IPA)
– 6.5% ABV
– San Francisco, CA
– THEY SAY: No lightweight, Big Daddy I.P.A. tips the scales with a huge hop flavor and a clean, dry finish that leaves the scene without a trace.

REV SAYS – If beer was illegal would you want a watered down beer or something that punches you in the jaw for bad talkin’ it’s Momma? No, you want a beer with an intense hopped up gun fight of spices.

Defiant Belgian Style Tripel Ale

What better way than to celebrate the installation of the sound system of Idle Hands than a beer tasting!?!?! The Defiant Brewing Company lugged a freshly poured and corked bottle of their unfiltered Belgian Style Tripel Ale down from Pearl River, NY for an 11 am, beer is for breakfast, tasting. Our fine friends, Axl and Vince from MetalSucks.net joined us for the event.

DEFIANT BELGIAN STYLE TRIPEL ALE
– http://www.defiantbrewing.com/beer.php
– Belgian Tripel
– 9% ABV
– Pearl River, NY
– THEY SAY: A Belgian Style Tripel Fermented Ale. Brewed with imported Belgian barley and yeast for an authentic balance of classic fruity flavors.

REV SAYS – This delicious creation is made in the traditional Belgian Brewing style but right here in the state of NY. It’s a happy sledge hammer that won’t hurt in the morning.  You’ll thank the unfiltered gods the morning after.

Atwater Brewery Vanilla Java Porter

As a native Detroiter, there is a special place in my heart for all things Michigan. Thankfully for beer my beer loving buddies, there is the Atwater Brewery in Detroit. All of Atwater’s brews are made in the traditional German way with equipment that was from Germany. Their slogan is thankfully just as great as their beer – ““We drink all we can and sell the rest.”

ATWATER BREWERY VANILLA JAVA PORTER
– http://www.atwaterbeer.com/atwater-brands/
– 5.5% ABV
– Detroit, MI
– THEY SAY: Made with fine-roasted coffee beans and vanilla extract, this is one of the most admired beers Atwater offers. Unique and flavorful, with a chocolate malt finish, this beer is a perfect balance of complimentary ingredients.

REV SAYS – This wonderfully unique beer tastes like the milk in the bowl after you’ve eaten all the Count Chocula.

Avery Brewing Co. Salvation

As we were going over our construction drawings and approving our build out, the folks from American Beer Distributors came by for a tasting. Amongst many tasty beers we tried, one really stood out: Salvation from the Avery Brewing Company. The American folks poured a fresh growler full of it straight from a tap in their store front and damned if we didn’t try to drink the whole bottle.

AVERY BREWING CO. SALVATION
– http://www.averybrewing.com/index2.html
– Belgian Strong Golden Ale
– 9% ABV
– Boulder, CO
– THEY SAY: Salvation has luscious apricot and peach aromas delicately interwoven with spicy suggestions of nutmeg and cinnamon. This heavenly soft, champagne-like elixer is cellarable for 3 years.

REV SAYS – With 9% alcohol by volume, this fruity, sweet and easy drinking ale is not for the weak! It’s unique flavor tastes like all of your Grandma’s best home-made fruit pies wrapped into one.

Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale

Just as we were installing the flat panel TVs in Idle Hands, the folks from the Peak Organic Brewery paid us a visit. They are 100% family owned and operated with a strong belief in sustainability. Not a single one didn’t move our microbrew needle but the one that really set our kettle’s off was the Espresso Amber Ale.

PEAK ORGANIC ESPRESSO AMBER ALE
http://www.peakbrewing.com/category/our-brews/
– American Amber / Red Ale
– 7% ABV
– Portland, ME
– THEY SAY: A robust amber ale brewed with locally roasted, organic fair trade espresso with help from our friends down the street at Coffee by Design. This malty amber ale is brewed with substantial amounts of Munich Malt, providing a perfect backbone for the rich, roasty flavor imparted by the espresso.Peak Espresso Amber is the first Fair Trade Certified beer brewed in the United States. Read more here.

REV SAYS – This is the hand grenade of beers; pull the tab, take a sip and wait for the flavor explosion! it will take a few sips to fully appreciate the intense flavors of this beer. With each bottle containing the same amount of caffeine as 1 cup of coffee, this beer surely cures hangovers.

Butternuts Porkslap Ale

While hanging out with the Grill ‘Em All Truck guys today in the city, we went for a burger at the Trailer Park. Decided to wash my tasty burger down with a Porkslap Ale from the Butternuts Brewery.

BUTTER NUTS PORKSLAP PALE ALE
http://www.butternutsbeerandale.com/
– Pale Ale
– 4.3% ABV
– Garrattsville, NY
– THEY SAY: Porkslap Pale Ale is brewed with 2 row North American barley and English crystal malt. The beer is flavored with crystal hop and a touch of fresh ginger to create a distinct flavor only a porkslapper can love. At 4.3% abv this beer is designed to have a good ale flavor and a crisp mild finish.

REV SAYS – This beer is not at all what you expect! There’s nothing tinny, cheap or lame about this slightly-sweet, easy drinking, all malty treat. It’s especially good to use when washing down a delicious burger! You could slam it, but why would you? And .. All Butternuts Brews only come in cans!

Wanna read about the burger? Check out Burger Conquest!

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Working for Idle Hands rewards you with pizza and microbrews. Yesterday while on break, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. stopped by with a sampling of their fine brews. We found out that the Summerfest goes well with pizza!

SIERRA NEVADA SUMMERFEST
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/summerfest.html
– Czech Pilsener
– 5% ABV
– Chico, CA
THEY SAY – Our Summerfest® is a refreshing, pilsner-style lager. Its incredible smoothness comes from an extra-long lagering period. Lighter in body than our ales but just as complex in character, Summerfest® quenches your thirst with big aroma and a tangy hop bite.

REV SAYS – If you’re a simple table pilsner drinker, you know, the kind of beers your grandfather drinks, try this gateway drug of beers. It’s fine, crisp and tasty, the kind of beer you can drink all day at a summer BBQ. I like to think of it as the “Young Man Blues” of beer.

Victory Hop Wallop

The clean up continues at Idle Hands! We’re getting ready to build, paint and stock! Today we took a little break with a visit from the Victory Brewing Company. One of the tastiest beers was the Victory Hop Wallop seen here, sitting a top glass cleaner.

VICTORY HOP WALLOP
http://www.victorybeer.com/hop_wallop.aspx
– American Double / Imperial IPA
– 8.5% ABV
– Downingtown, PA
THEY SAY – We celebrate the pioneering spirit of old Horace ‘Hop’ Wallop and those who dare mighty adventurous things in this vivid, robust ale. As our annual homage to the hop harvest, expect loads of aromatic splendor and bitter beauty.

REV SAYS – This beer has an intense vapor and to the untrained nose, someone might think you’re lighting up a joint, not a tasty brew!  Intense vapor.  The Hop Wallop is a sweet explosion of bitter hops in your mouth.