The ATL, The Super Bowl and some NYC Beer

A road trip, an airline trip and a big TV event recently 

gave me the opportunity to try a few more new-to-me brews:

2/1/14: While in Atlanta for a weekend trip my friend, Rex, who's a beer lover as well, took me and my wife to The Optimist Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant.  The food was excellent as was their beer list from which I chose to have the Blind Pirate Double IPA from Atlanta's own Monday Night Brewing and a Grapefruit Harvest IPA from Abita Brewing down in Louisiana.  Both were excellent.

2/1/14:  We got home from Atlanta in time to catch most of The Super Bowl and I decided to crack open the appropriately-named Super IPA (bomber bottle) from Alpine Brewing in California.  This was a Christmas present from  my wife, Ashlee, and it went down very well with the beat down of the Denver Broncos by my childhood favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks.

Off to New York City

My wife and I took a quick trip to New York City for the Valentine's Day/Presidents Day holiday weekend and I was able to grab a nice selection of beers while in The Big Apple.

2/14/14:  Our first meal in NYC was at the famous Katz's Deli where they have their own Katz's Ale made for them by nearby Brooklyn Brewery.  It was delish along with our monster pastrami sandwiches and potato knishes. 

No beer here.  Just funny NYC temporary signage and a lot of snow!!

2/15/14 - While at dinner at Goat Town Restaurant,  I had a can of White Thai Witbier from Westbrook Brewing in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina and a draught of  Liquid Gold Belgian Pale Ale from Captain Lawrence Brewing in Elmsford, NY.  Both were tasty as was the food.

We rented an apartment on the Lower West Side while were there and just down the street they had a small corner market with a pretty impressive beer selection of which you could buy singles from six-packs (love that concept!).  In no particular order over the weekend I had the following all in bottles:

- Peak Organic Brewing's IPA from Portland, Maine
- Captain Lawrence Brewing's IPA.  Another selection from the Elmsford, New York brewer.
- Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 (English Pale Ale)
- Flower Power IPA from Ithaca (NY) Beer Company

2/16/14:  Around the corner from the apartment was an English-style pub called Croxley's Ale House where I had the Blood Orange Pale Ale from Great South Bay Brewing  in Bay Shore, NY. The place had an OK beer selection and was crazy-crowded, but you can't beat the slogan on their menu (photo above).   Across the street (and much less crowded) is the Sigmund Pretzel Shop where I had Smuttynose Brewing's Winter Ale out of Portsmouth, NH and a taste of my wife's choice, the Michigan-based Founder's Brewing Breakfast Stout which was tasty.