Downtown and All Hopped Up

A Reflection Through Beer Goggles

It all began with a visit to Forest City Liquors on Main Street.  I'd been told they had one of the best selections of craft beers in the city (I'll take it one further and say it's the best selection in Middlesex County).  I was searching for some River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale (Lambertville, NJ), and had been ever since Paul Zakarian treated me to a bottle.  I also picked up a bottle of Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (I love Arrogant Bastard, but this beer name more clearly describes my own self-image.  It's made in Escondido, CA by the Stone Brewery).  The clerk asked me if I liked Stone Beer, and when I told him I did, he clued me into an upcoming event at the pub across the street, Eli Cannon's Tap Room.

It turns out that Eli's is hosting a Back Yard Barbecue Summer Kickoff at the restaurant on May 31, Memorial Day.  There are only 50 tickets being sold (half are gone already), and it includes a five-course meal and seven beers from the Stone Brewery, who are co-sponsoring the event.

So after checking with Lucy, and calling a few friends, I headed down to Eli Cannon's just to buy a few tickets.

Then I met Paul Rousseau who recommended a glass of Hazed and Infused from the Boulder Beer Company, and offered me a seat at a table with his friends Ben and Kasey, who were neighbors I had not yet  met, and over my shoulder was Brian Stewart who admitted he was out beyond curfew, but the that the beer and the ballgame on the big screen were too seductive.

So after a few Hazed and Infuseds, and some of those great Nachos Jam mentioned in yesterday's post, I was home and happy to be living downtown in the Mid.