I’m in Connecticut for the night. I decided since Susan is out at her “Bachelorette” party and one of my groomsman’s wives is out with her that I would hang out with him and my brother. I wanted good New Haven pizza. We tried Modern, but they were packed, so we ended up at BAR. There was an hour wait for a table, but they have a “Take Out” window where you can order a pizza and then bring it into the bar in the other room. That’s exactly what we did. BAR is kind of a strange place. They have a separate, yet connected place called the Brü Room, which is a brewpub. So there’s the restaurant on one side, a bar on the other and in a back room on the bar side is a dance club. It’s kind of strange. This place holds a cask ale festival every year (and I’m gonna try to make it next year). Anyway, back to my story/review. We sat at the bar and got some beers while waiting for our pizza. This is another of those brewpubs that has a selection of commercial beers along with their own.
I started with their Damn Good Stout. It’s a dark black beer with a tan head. It’s super roasty goodness, though it’s on a nitro-tap (the same thing Guinness has), meaning it comes out smoother, but it also loses some flavor. Next, I had their Toasted Blonde Ale. This one was maltier and sweeter with a slightly toasted flavor. It’s a good refreshing beer. Finally, I had the Pale Ale. This one was nice and hoppy, like a west coast pale ale. It reminded me a lot of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Now, the pizza… If you’ve never had New Haven style pizza, you must. It’s seriously the best pizza in the world, and that’s no lie. BAR makes an awesome pie, right up there with Sally’s and Modern. We got a white mashed potato pizza and a red fresh tomato and basil pizza. They were both awesome. I’m glad we didn’t end up waiting at Modern. I couldn’t have gotten 3 great local beers. This is the only place I know where you can get awesome local beer and awesome pizza in the same place. It really is a one of a kind type of place, though I could do without the dance club.
I managed to get my hands on one of the single most sought after beers from the past year. No, it’s not Dark Lord or Surly Darkness or even The Abyss. It’s Southern Tier’s Choklat Imperial Stout. It was more widely available than the other 3, but it was bought up like crazy. Susan and I had it for dessert last night and, man, this is one excellent beer.
The beer pours a thick black with a very small brownish-tan head. Smells of dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, hot fudge, and a hint of roasted coffee. Upon the first sip, I knew I was in for a real treat. The beer tastes of smooth chocolate. Not necessarily dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate. This is a chocolate flavor I have rarely tasted. The beer was brewed with fine Belgian chocolate. That’s the taste. It’s a great chocolate flavor. The roasted flavors are there, but just as an afterthought and balancing act. This is one very drinkable beer for the 11% ABV. I didn’t even notice it at all. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can easily buy this anymore. If you happen to see it, pick up 2 bottles (1 for you and 1 for me). It’s worth every penny.
I picked up a 4 pack of Dogfish Head’s Aprihop on Thursday. I tried one last night. The beer is an apricot flavored IPA. It’s quite interesting. The beer pours a nice amber color with a small white head. Smells of hops any fruity sweetness. Now, as a quick disclaimer, I am not a fan of the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (which may come as a surprise to any hopheads out there considering IPA is one of my absolute favorite styles). Let’s move on to this beer. The flavor is quite different. It mixes the grapefruit flavor of the hops with the sweet apricot flavors. At times, it’s completely mixed together, at other times I get one followed by the other. The beer leaves a slight hoppy grapefruit aftertaste, but it’s nothing like a regular “in your face” IPA. The sweetness of the apricot really gives a nice balance to the bitterness of the hops. I was very impressed with this beer, but I wonder why it was released now and not closer to summer. This would make an incredible summer IPA. It’s very refreshing and would make a great summer addition to their already great Festina Pêche. This is a very drinkable beer and absolutely worth trying (even if you don’t like the 60 Min. IPA).
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