Beer is wonderful stuff. Not only is it the subject of the oldest known recipe, some have argued that agricultural civilization started in order to brew beer– see, for example, the comments in this article. And, remarkably, despite the inclusion of both “alcohol” and “carbonated beverages” in the list of things that people with heartburn should avoid, beer is one of two things I’ve found that consistently make my stomach feel better– if I have a beer or two, nothing else seems to really cause problems.
(The other consistent solution, for those who care, is physical exercise. Even when my stomach is all jacked up, playing basketball or taking a long bike ride usually settles it down.)
One might expect, then, to find that beer has a strong Internet presence. And, in fact, a passing mention in a post announcing a wine blog brought me a pointer to A Good Beer Blog, which conveniently features a post collecting links to other beer blogs.
Better yet, one of them (I forget which, now) had a pointer to Beer Advocate’s Top 50 Places to Have a Beer in America, one of which is in Albany, weirdly enough. I may need to make a trip down there at some point…
(This presents certain logistical problems, though, as the reviews sound like it’s really not Kate’s sort of place, which would mean finding someone local who likes beer to go with, and the people I work with are much more a wine-and-mixed-drinks kind of crowd…)
And don’t forget the Open Source Beer movement; because Open Source isn’t just for software!
There are other good beer bars in the Capital District besides Mahar’s, and most of them have a much better atmosphere. Yes, Mahar’s overall selction of beers is the biggest, but Holmes and Watson’s in Troy has almost as big a selection, a much nicer atmosphere (with outdoor seating on the rear patio in nice weather), and better food.
Big selection isn’t everything either. There are two excellent (IMHO) brew pubs, where the selection isn’t as large, but the quality is very good (and selection varies over time). My favorite is Brown’s Brewing Company in Troy, so long as you don’t go on a Friday or Saturday night when they feature quite loud and not-that-great live music. The food is decent, and the atmosphere and decor are attractive and spacious, including an outside deck that overlooks the Hudson.
The other is The Pump Station in Albany. Their Kickass Brown Ale is really excellent and a perennial favorite.
You could make a nice little weekend trip out here to Amherst, MA and visit the #1 place (Moan and Dove), right across the street.
(sometimes I kick myself about the fact that I’m moving away…