This weekend, my best friends drugged me, threw me in the trunk of a car, and drove me nearly 4 hours from home to a mansion on the breezy shores of Deep Creek Lake. I woke up with a fishing rod in my hands and a fully stocked beer fridge. I thank them again for a very awesome weekend that outpaced any previous ideas I had about how much fun my bachelor party would be.
In the midst of the drunkenness and debauchery, I did my best to retain some level of professionalism. I was drinking good beer, it deserved attention, words, and proper glassware. Armed only with my DSLR and a Duvel glass, I set out to chronicle my bachelor party through the only means I know: words.
I grabbed 2 more samplers before we set out. One is an old staple, the other was a stab in the dark. I must have really good luck, because once again, I managed to have 8 fabulous beers at my disposal.
Sampler #1: Harpoon Brewery 5:30 Club Mix Pack
Harpoon IPA holds a special place in my heart. During the first business trip of my budding career, I had Harpoon on tap in downtown Boston, MA. I thought my taste buds were going to explode into kittens and magic jelly beans. In my calm, subjective opinion, I’m pretty sure Harpoon IPA is the best commercial IPA in the country. It is smooth, flavorful, light without being bland, and possibly brewed with unicorn tears.
I’m a tad biased.
The four beers in this pack were:
1. Harpoon IPA (need I say more?)
2. Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale (a strong, wheaty PA)
3. Harpoon White UFO (which stands for Unfiltered Offering, this is one of three varieties of UFO that I’ve had)
4. Harpoon Dark Munich Style Lager (dark brown, malty, good)
Sampler #2: Brooklyn Brewery Party Mix
This was a random purchase as I was loading up the car for the trip. I wanted something I’d never had before, but didn’t want to get too adventurous in case my brethren weren’t as excited about beer with enough hops to put you in the hospital. My beer-telepathy was spot on. This Brooklyn, NY beer is very well done and offers a nice spin on a lot of traditional brews. The East India Pale Ale is particularly awesome and I highly recommend it.
The four beers in this sampler were:
1. Brooklyn Lager (a hearty, malty take on the boring old lager)
2. Brooklyn Brown Ale (a traditional, safe, but satisfying approach to brown ale)
3. Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (Phenomenal. Best beer in the pack. It’s not Harpoon IPA, but definitely took my by [good] surprise.)
4. Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55 (a New England style ale in the fashion of Sam Adams Boston Lager, but with a sharper front end taste)
Special thank you to John for holding the cases so elegantly.
First up: Brooklyn Lager!
