Bottle Conditioned

I’m writing this post as I sit on a brown leather couch, situated in a dark cigar bar, smoking a Rocky Patel Edge. Almost perfect. Two things are missing: my wife (who’s still at home in Nashville), and a good beer. This seems to be an ongoing battle in the hotel.

Luckily, the short selection is limited to the hotel. I visited a great beer and cigar/pipe shop called The Pipe and Pint over here in Greensboro. Firstly, I’ve got to say, the owner is top notch. Incredibly helpful and very, very nice. The beer selection was also top notch. Unfortunately, as I sit here, the names of the beers I purchased there are escaping me, but I’ll post with a full list soon.

Meanwhile, back to the hotel selection. Although sparse, there are a few notables that I haven’t had the pleasure of trying until now. Two of these that I want to make sure I mention are both from the Oskar Blues brewery: Oskar Dale’s Pale Ale and Oskar Old Chub Scottish Style Ale. I don’t have detailed tasting notes, but suffice to say that both get my approval, despite an interesting delivery - they’re both canned beers.

If you’ve listened to the podcast for any amount of time, you may have heard me talk about beers in cans. Although some people note the advantages (better seal and protection from air, no light striking), I’ve never been convinced of the validity of cans. As the brewer for Kelly’s Carribean Bar and Grill pointed out (check out our brewery spotlight from Key West for this conversation), cans are made of metal, and metal conducts heat very well. As a result, beer in cans is more susceptable to temperature swings as the metal on the can changes temperature.

Regardless of my thoughts, these were both great beers and may change my mind on cans - a little. I still think that cans have a greater risk of being mistreated by careless distributors, but in good hands, they may just be OK.

So, I recommened the Oskar Blues stuff. Make sure to check it out if you can. Another beer that I had, and also really liked was Highland’s Kashmir IPA. Great beer if you can get it. I think I’ve had it before, but this reaffirmed my position.

So, if you care (and if you’re reading this blog, you must care a little), the beer in Greensboro is looking good so far. No doubt, whenever you can go out of state, it’s nice to get your hands on some stuff you can’t get at home.

More on the other beer later…I’ve got a cigar waiting on me.

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