Kelso Tasting at Bierkraft- Now with 25% More Updates!

Well, traffic sucked. Took 2 hours from North Jersey.

But I am here and on my second beer already.

To the left is the tap board for tonight's Kelso takeover.

I run into Sam (Kelso brewer) at the tap counter. My first introduction to Sam was when he spoke at the first Brooklyn Brewsers Homebrew Club meeting I attended last summer. If I recall correctly, Sam had a hand or two in the brewing the Rye Aged Rauch so he is like a god to me at this point.

In a tweet I was told to say hi to Kelly. Sam leads me out to the patio on this beautiful pre-summer night. Suddenly, beer in hand out on a patio and the drive stress fades from my consciousness. Sometimes all it takes is a cool sunny evening and a good craft beer to set the world right again.

I introduce myself as the guy coming from North Jersey for the Rye Aged Rauch. It clicks with Kelly. I am told Sonya handles the Twitter stuff and she was adamant about making sure the Rye Aged Rauch was going to be on tap. I run into Jess again...the first ever to serve me the transcendent Rye Aged Rauch. Jesse (Kelso Brew Agent) and Kelly (Kelso Co-founder) get into a side conversation about the brewery's growth...trying to recall how many coworkers they work with at Kelso. They agree on 10.

Psst! I figured it out this morning. I met Kelly and there is this elusive Sonya somewhere. Kelly is married to Sonya. The brewery name is Kelso. Bingo! It's a husband/wife brew team. You probably already knew that but I had fun trying to piece it together.

The Beers and the Barrels

I was listening intently as I finished up my first Kelso beer- a Cabernet aged IPA. Barrels were obtained from Prospero Winery in Westchester County NY. Very delicious!

As Kelly tells it, he ran up the street from the old Capt. Lawrence Brewery location to pay a quick visit to Prospero Winery. Later that day he showed up at Kelso Brewery with four Cabernet barrels and instructed the brew staff to put something in them. There was a bit of a discussion and it was decided that the IPA would get barrel aged. That's what's in the glass to the left...with Kelly doing some impromptu marketing in the shot.

According to Jess, Kelly is quite the idea man and dabbler in many areas of the brewery. That's an essential trait for a craft brewer.

Now on to the double barrel Imperial Stout Aged in maple liquor barrels which were once Maker's Mark barrels. Then it was moved to Bourbon barrels. More deliciousness!

Kelly shared a bit with me about the challenges of barrel aging...the cost without much ROI...finding a place to store the barrels... remembering where the barrels were stored and how long have they been there...etc...

I don't feel that bad for him because I get to enjoy a line of tasty barrel-aged brews! Kelso, please keep rolling in the barrels.

My third brew is the Rye-Aged Industrial IPA. It is a West Coast IPA and it is scrumptious. Seems I am real fan of rye aging because although I am not that crazy about IPA's, I love this one! So I'm a rye guy.

PS, it's not at all blue in real life. I love the randomness of the Hipstamatic camera app and always try to use whatever pic I get. I shake and take.

Trust me. Even if the beer had a blue tint I think you would find it yummy.

Heading home with a growler of Rye Aged Rauchbier and the Double Barrel Imperial Stout.

Bierkraft
Thanks to Bierkraft for hosting the Kelso tap takeover. The store has come a long way since I used to "disappear" from family gatherings at my sister-in-law's condo around the corner. Back then it just had the coolers and shelving, but with the most awesome beer selection I can remember from back in the late 90's. They now have added space next door with some dining tables and even a good-sized patio out back. They still have the incredible cheese selection but have added sandwiches that the Kelso people say are great. The joint had a steady flow of people buying beer and grub and then heading out to the patio.

So, grab some buds (not the macro kind), bring an empty growler (or buy one there) and an empty stomach, and head over to Bierkraft for a relaxing and delicious afternoon on the patio.

Almost forgot to mention, Bierkraft uses a counter pressure system for growler fills so there are limits to the growler types (screw cap only) and sizes they can fill. But any you take home will last quite awhile in storage. Hey, they are good looking growlers...just buy one of theirs.

Kelso To Go....fo' sho'
I'll just say Kelso has an incredible wood / barrel aging program going on and it is consistently good across the 3 or 4 barrel-aged brews I have had so far.

They also have a Brett IPA that seems to be getting a fair amount of local craft beer fan press and word of mouth promotion. A guy approached Kelso tonight and practically begged they go commercial with it. According to the Brett IPA fan, his wife is not a sour fan but she loves the Brett IPA. Perhaps one for the small batch, mini-bottling line coming in the future?

I will be watching Kelso a lot more closely now and I think I will take them up on the offer to tour the brewery. I just gotta see those barrels in action.

Kelso's motto is "Beer Helps." It sure does and I think I'll help myself to more barrel-aged Kelso beer.

Something I've Learned Since Hitting the Reset Button

what Stubb said...

If you are fortunate enough to be unemployed and in no particular financial strain to get right back to doing what you've been doing, take the time to really assess the next professional step you take.

I say "fortunate enough to be unemployed" because you've been provided with a chance to step outside yourself, and if you can take advantage of the break, it gives you a much clearer opportunity to assess where you are with your passion and motivation for what you currently do professionally.

As I tell everyone I speak to about one of the main virtues of life skills coaching, when you are down in your own muck and mire it is very difficult to see a way out, no matter how much you want it. So if you jump right back into that unfulfilling job, your vision will rather quickly cloud back over and you will not be able to see a way out no matter how badly you ultimately want or need a change.

Taking a few months to let the fog lift will greatly increase your chances of reconnecting with your intrinsic motivations and passions and coming up with more concrete actions to begin fulfilling them. The fog does not lift the first day of unemployment. The smoke from a fire does not immediately disappear the moment the last flame is doused. Your life is the same way. Stuff lingers. Bad stuff lingers longer. Really bad stuff can actually change your thought patterns in a very detrimental way. Now you are working from negative territory just trying to get back to some semblance of equilibrium.

Knowing what you need to change takes time. Coming up with some ideas on how to implement that change takes more time. Finally, implementation always takes longer than you planned. The point is, this kind of change is not something you can typically plan to do 3-4 times a week after work. Some can. Most can't.

In my own case, after the last layoff I decided I was quitting that last career cold turkey. I would say it took 3 solid months of only working on myself before I could really feel the fog lifting. The fog was still there in months 4-6 but it was constantly lifting. It also meant household income being cut by two-thirds! I don't live in the cheapest county in the union but I have found that we can live on a lot less than we thought. Just 6 months ago I could've never fathomed being able to live where I live without the salary I was making. It has been a real eye opener to what is possible while I continue to get much clearer everyday on the passion and motivation that will create the next professional opportunity.

When you decide to act on a passion rather than maintain the status quo, it kind of shocks you into doing what you need to do to make life much more fulfilling. Every craft beer brewer story starts off this way. Complete self sacrifice for a dream fulfilled. You don't have to become a brewer but you do have to start paying attention to that inner voice telling you that something is off.

So if you find yourself with a luxury of time, do yourself a favor and use as much of that time as you can to get back in touch with yourself before jumping right back into the rat race. You'll thank yourself if you do.

Ladies, Do You Like Flowers?

Seriously ladies, if you like flowers you need to start smelling minimally hoppy IPAs.

I am not kidding. Take a concentrated whiff of Dale's Pale Ale and let me know what you think.

You are taught to just drink beer. Try taking a sniff before you sip. Appreciate the bouquet.

Heads up- a good craft beer is way cheaper than a bouquet of flowers. And you get to drink it before it dies.

Garden State Craft Beer Expo

Live blogging the Garden State Beer Expo at PNC Bank Arts Center.

I did a last minute upgrade to VIP because it would've been another half hour wait and I was too thirsty.

OK, hitting the general area vendors for a few samples and food before the masses arrive.

Having some Rickshaw dumplings and sesame noodle salad. Yum!

Stand out beers so far-

- Beach Haus Kickback Ale

- Kane Overhead





Here come the masses!

Now having a Carton 077XX. Look at that head. Hop heads will love this but also a nice viscous creaminess.











Emergency snacks necklace. Great idea! Love to find one with soft pretzels!

The Uinta Crooked Cockeyed Cooper is scrumptious. Sooo creamy. Sooo malty! It is a bourbon barrel aged barley wine...and I do not tend to like barley wines.










Got some "sweet" advice for brewing with fruit from Celebrating the Suds. Thanks guys! Will look you up. **Monday morning update- http://celebratethesuds.blogspot.com/

Upgraded to the VIP area earlier. Let's check it out.

Some snacks n sliders. That's it for food. Great Divide Colette and Expresso Oak Aged Yeti at one station. Also Ballast Point Limited Sea Monster, Abita Select, Allagash Curieux, and a Sixpoint which goes unlabeled and bartender not sure. He thinks it is Columbus. Perhaps this one could be a blog contest? **Monday morning update- it is confirmed to be Columbus so no contest.

Still the sexiest bottle in the biz! Orval. I have the bottle of my first Orval from about 20 years ago.










A deeb a deeb. That's all folks! Finishing up with a Beach Haus Pilsner . My fave Pilsner these days. The mouthfeel is what makes it extra special. Try one.

There is a moon in this pic

Good night.













Wait! I'm not done. One final thought.

Typically you think of a Beach Haus as a seasonal thing. Well, with their Pilsner and Kick Back Ale you can visit the Beach Haus all year long. Just bring the food and linens.

One final final thought. Cockeyed Cooper gets my vote as best beer this event. But I am a malt head so it goes without saying.

**Final Monday Morning Update- Got to hang a bit with Mike K., founder of NJCB. They are doing some great things for the awareness of craft beer in the Garden State! Get your NJCB club cards people!

Overall, it seemed well organized. Lines were never too long of a wait...even for the porta-potties. And the port-potties were clean, even after the earlier day session. Good selection of beer and food. I thoroughly enjoyed every beer I sampled tonight. A great event for a craft beer fan to stay local and enjoy a beautiful Saturday night in the Garden State.