Black Friday at Capone's

I have a tradition on Black Friday. It doesn't involve shopping (although one year I did buy a pair of Christian Louboutains. A very expensive purchase that I haven't regretted once, even though I've only worn them three times!). Unsurprisingly, it involves drinking. And my best friend. It started the way the best things do - unplanned. We went to lunch at Isaac Newton's in Newtown and had a couple of beers - including Bezelbuth, which, at almost 12% ABV, was something like the 2nd strongest beer in the world at the time. From there we moved on to the Richboro Pub, where Small Wonder was on TV. Well, that did it for us. It was officially the best drinking day ever! We knew this was something we had to replicate annually. I think I can count on one hand the number of times we haven't gotten together on Black Friday since then - and we're going back about 16 years!

This year we'll be spending the day in Philly. I think this will be our first time doing that. Mostly we've been in NYC or the Philly suburbs (we actually hired a driver to drive us around in the 'burbs last year. Hey, at least we're responsible) I'm looking forward to an incredibly good day.

Capone's in Norristown is obviously on the same pages as us. They're having their annual Black Friday beer event. Tap is 9 am, and they're running a brunch special from 10 am - 2 pm, as well as their regular menu. Feast your eyes upon this line up:

Bullfrog Old Toad "Barrel Aged Barleywine"

East End Gratitude

Victory Old Horizontal "Vintage 2006"

Bullfrog Busted Lawnmower

Bullfrog/ Bavarian Barbarian Collaboration Gothika "Schwarzbier"

Emelisse Russian Imperial Stout

Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch "Weasel"

Boulder Obivoid "On Nitrogen"

Russian River Pliny The Elder

Russian River Blind Pig

Russian River Consecration "Vintage Batch 2 "

Petrus Oak Aged Pale "Sour"

Ballast Point Sculpin

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree "Triple IPA"

Founders Devil Dancer "Triple IPA"

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout ( KBS )

Founders Backwoods Bastard

Troegs Mad Elf "Vintage 2008"

General Lafayette Raspberry Mead Ale

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

Port Santas Little Helper

Avery Beast Grand Cru " Vintage 2009" 16.9%ABV 5.5oz pour only

Prism Red Zone ""Spiced Seasonal w/ ginger,nutmeg, allspice & maple syrup"

Spring House Kerplunk "Vintage 2009 Chocolate Stout"

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout "Vintage 2008"

Affligem Noel Christmas Ale "Vintage 2008"

Southhampton Pumpkin Ale

Terrapin Moo-Hoo Milk Chocolate Stout

Yards Brawler

I personally think this is a very good reason to skip the shopping crowds (there's always Cyber Monday to look forward to!) and start your own drinking tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Santa's Butt

Is it blasphemous to talk about Santa's Butt? If it is, then I guess I'll be smited (is that even a word?) because I have to write about this beer.

My best friend and I have an annual tradition of spending Black Friday drinking. It started many, many years ago by accident. She was home from college for the holiday and we decided to get together for lunch. It turned in to a drinking lunch and we had what can only be described as one of the best days ever. I don't think it really turned in to an annual thing until years later (and there have been a couple of years here and there we've been unable to get together) but for the most part, we make it a point to keep the tradition going.

Yesterday was no exception. We had lunch at the wonderful Isaac Newton's. I've written about them before, but it bears repeating that they're one of the best beer bars I've found outside of Philadelphia. Their bartenders are really knowledgeable, and they always have an amazing array of bottled and draft beers.

Which brings me back to Santa's Butt. I had to try it because it sounded good, but also because of the name (I guess I was channeling my inner 12-year old boy). I'm glad I did!

Santa's Butt is brewed by Ridgeway Brewing, which is in the UK. It's a very drinkable winter porter - perfect for those cold winter nights that are almost upon us. It pours a nice, dark brown that shows some red highlights if held up toward the light. The smell is mostly of malts - nice, roasty malts. There's also some coffee, caramel and toffee. There's definitely a coffee taste to this beer, and even some chocolate. It was a bit hoppier tasting than you might expect, given the smell. I found that to be a good thing, which shouldn't be surprising to anyone. It's also only 6% ABV, making it easy to enjoy more than one.

There's an interesting explanation for the name of the beer: in England ‘butt’ refers to a type of barrel used for brewing - a very large barrel that holds 108 imperial gallons. Back in the day, breweries put their beers in a large butt for storage.

Bottom line (pun intended) - grab Santa's Butt if you see one. You'll enjoy it much more than a lump of coal in your stocking.