A Rush and a Push

i woke up today and saddled up. lots to do much to do lots to do. i clothed myself and tried to tame the hair on my head, and oddly, the only thing i could think of was Valeir Extra.

truthfully, i did manage to get my teeth brushed before my eyes lifted to the heavens and my stare pierced the middle-distance. but after that, i remembered in a rush how the delicate hop-spiciness of the beer swirled itself around my tongue like a sensuous wisp of wet sexiness.

i started painting walls, one of which was orange. in the light, it almost resembled my date from last night. and then i started staring out into the nothingness all over again.

if you'd like to become a nuissance to passersby and start gazing wistfully out at the world while dreaming of about a dream...have a drink.

we have it, and it's called Valeir Extra.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3463/50435

Long Time Coming

slack is as slack does, and i've been so slack that i've become slack at even being slack. dang!

here's the newest news straight from the mouf of me. no smoking. not even in the bathroom. we are so non-smoking now that we only have three ashtrays for emergencies and special "last-wishes" requests for dying passersby. it's pretty sweet. but now i can smell again and sometimes that's a curse...especially if you live where i live.

in other news, it's COLD outside. well, it certainly isn't warm, at least. i mean, if i were naked on the street and not being chased down benny hill style, i'd say certain parts would be best served covered. and in response to aforementioned small numbered temperatures, i'd like to offer a suggestion for adult libationary relaxation!

drink all of the st. bernardus abt. 12 you can find! the fine juxtaposition between malt and dark brewers sugar is a divine union that can only be described as holy. we have lots of it...for now.

Feild Caught Game Dinner Was Amazing

Let's get ready. Myself, Andy from Ska, Front Staff Amanda, Katie and Katrina, Chef Corey and Jason. Cheers













Glassware ready














First Course Antelope Carpaccio















Muskovy Duck and Beet Salad














Sides Ready

Wild Board Leg, Potatos, Blackberry BBQ Venison Steak













Chow down





























Those Aviator dudes were meat drunk. Thanks Mark, luv ya back.

Spyk

Saison de...saaaaaay!

so mark and galen of aviator brewing; together with david from the times and everyone's favorite funny-man come GM of the pit, lee robinson, got together a few weeks ago and brewed up something fantastic.

they stirred wort, they stared into the darkness as foam rose in a threatening hot-break. sweat streamed from faces and gauges were thumped and twiddled for hours and hours before the resulting sweet water was laid to rest in a giant fermenter made from an old dairy tank.

the result? saison de aviator royale. now on draught at the times and ONLY at the times. i honestly feel like i've been kissed on the forehead by a cute little booze cherubim. really? yes. really. holy cow, holy cow and holy cow.

saaz, northern brewer! rochefort 10 yeast! coriander at boils end and a healthy dose of imaginative nurturing and now you get to drink it. it's good. it's quenching. i feel like a mill-worker when i sit down to have a sip. it's been a hard day and the sun has sapped my energy. the first thing i want to do when the horn sounds is have a beer...and this is THE beer for me.

photos of my own personal dreamland

and oddly enough, that dreamland is the raleigh times bar.

i know, i know...many of you can be heard saying "but jay, you work there. how can it possibly fulfill dreams for you?" to which i should be noted as shouting in response, "because it is my favorite place to be whether working or just talking about beer and thinking about beer and studying beer and dissecting beer and dreaming about what beer should end up on the tap-line next!"

and so the other day, i was playing around with my 50mm and 85mm lens' and found that if you unmount them, turn them around and shoot that way, you get an almost macro effect. with the 50mm lens, i took the pic of the masthead piece on our tap tower. the other is just an ethereal photo done the same way with the other lens. it's a shimmering glass of Ertveld Witte by Pierre Celis.

all i know is that if Pierre Celis and Richard Avedon would be my grandfather's, i'd be pretty stoked!

Jolly Friday

Hi all,

We are very proud to introduce a fantastic new draft. Once again an exclusive we brought it in with the help of Ron the brew master of Jolly Pumpkin. Aged in large oak casks and refermented in the keg, Calabaza Blanca is a Belgian Biere Blanche. Spiced with orange peel and coriander, you'll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderfully dry finish. Coming in at 4.8% ABV this is a perfect summer brew. The oak is very subtle and adds just another layer of complexity without being so extreme.

It has taken months to get this beer here as Jolly Pumpkin is a very small artisan brewery and it came down to one conversation where I said "Come On" one last time then Ron was silent for a second and finally replied "Ok, I'm getting in the truck now and finding my kegs". He usually only kegs for his folks in Dexter Michigan. I feel very blessed and thankful, you will too.

Wednesday Night!!!

Dustin from Terrapin Brewing Company is headed here and he has some beer! We will be tapping that cask Wednesday night at 7pm sharp! This is the fiirst cask we have ever had here at the times so we are stoked come check it out!!!Email me if there are questions at chris@raleightimesbar.com

champagne beer

there will always be the debate about beer versus wine and so forth. some leather-elbowed schmuck will forever decry the virtues of wine and spit at the idea of "good beer". the belgians, in their typical "what? we're not supposed to do that?" way, have created several beers that are brewed in the typical fashion of their style, then shipped to the Champagne region of France to undergo further maturation and fermentation using the methode champanoise. we have two! Malheur Dark Brut and DeUs. both are beautiful with the tiniest hint of champagne yeast and millions of tickly bubbles.

and we also have the OTHER champagne beer.

Miller High Life!

PBR is hard to come by from the distro right now, so for a limited time, we throw a bone to the burdgeoning connoisseurs out there and offer you the FIRST champagne of beers. drink it up!

Newness!

nothing makes a bartender happier than looking at the clock with a mop in hand and realizing that the night was a huge success, the deposit is dead-on and the beer is waiting at a darkened table. nothing, that is, except for maybe sweeping changes to an already heralded menu. so join me in a rousing "hell yes!" as the Times unveils an expanded food and drink menu this week!

all those intricately-designed specials that Corey cooked up over the past year are now residing permanently on the menu. if you haven't had the bean cakes...get thee to a table and notify the server that you have been thusly COMMANDED to eat them. whoa.

as for beer? well, you just have to come in and see. this week, our illustrious beer troll arranged the new comers in the cellar and started stocking the cooler with such beers as Dupont Avril, Vuuve and Rose de Cambrinus. you may call him chris powers, but we call him dedicated beer monkey boy.

come out and check it out!

Ommegang!!! It's McChouffe!!!

I have kegs, that's right blink your eyes a couple of times, KEGS of McChouffe ready for those empty bellies out there. Your not going to find it anywhere on tap...anywhere at all in these parts.
St Bernardus has won hands down the battle of the summer Wits so Ommegang is moving over for the beautiful Belgian strong dark that is McChouffe.
So what we have here is an 8% abv strong dark that tastes of sweet caramel, a balance of sour apples with splashes yeast and fizz. Yum...
McChouffe will surprise you because it is so drinkable, yep one after the other is done easy as you like. This is a great summer brown that you better try with our spicy wings. That is beer bar heaven with food and drink buzz.
The year is shaping up to be a real pounder. It is absolutely astonishing how much draft you folks are drinking.
You people are all responsible for the world wide shortage of urinal cakes I hope you know. Nice job indeed.
-D

Belgium Bound!

So its finally here.........the trip I have been waiting for. I will be travelling to Belgium this Tuesday May 20th. I am fortunate enough to be going with some fellow beer lovers and will have a ball. Here is our itinerary as it stands and I plan on updating the blog as we travel!

*Huyghe Brewery Thursday May 22
-Take train from Airport to Gent St Peters train station. Bus will pick us up and take us to the brewery from there.


-Lunch at 1:00PM at the brewery.

-Tasting of 20 beers.

-Visit of Gent and specialty beer bars.

-Dinner in Gent with the brewery.

*Van Honsebrouck Brewery Friday May 23

-Brewery Tour

-Visit the Chateau and lunch at the Chateau.

-Have a beer at the local pub next to the brewery

-Tour some typical/traditional Belgian pubs in the area. (i.e. get lost/drunk)

-Dinner with the brewery

-Visit the new Van Honsebrouck pub in Gent.



*Het Anker Brewery Saturday May 24

-Brewery tour starts at 11:00AM

-12:30 Lunch

-Tour around Mechelin and visit of typical pubs

- Dinner at typical rustic local restaurant/Pub around Mechelin


*Sunday May 25

-Free day! Probably Brugge!!

-On Sunday evening we have a dinner at Brasserie Carolus at 7:00PM.


Its going to be an amazing time and like I said, I will attempt to update the blog frequently with pictures and stories of the misadventures.

i took one home...

...and it is one of the best drafts I have ever had in my keg box. The Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse is quite the beautiful brew indeed. We picked up all available, which isn't much it all so you better stop by very soon.
The beer is a collaboration between good friends Hans-Peter Drexler and Garret Oliver of the respective brew houses. The idea was each to brew a hopped up weissebock at the friends brewery's yet use the local slant on hop character.
We have both. Garret's is in the bottle, Hans's offering on tap. You have to really think about this brew when you drink it. Get in there and get what it has to offer. Hops here, hops there and a splash more of hops. All different yet harmonious and creates the entire character. The malt balances on a wire in the body and finish and leaves you reaching for the glass again. I won't bother with breaking this beer's flavors down. If you can't get it just stop drinking altogether.
We had to adjust our draft system quite a bit to get this beer pouring right. Another example why it stands alone and rightfully proud. Hopefully you'll get a chance to get 'the dregs' on the bottom of the barrel. It'll be about a full inch of yeast sediment, a hangover helper for sure. Hopfen holds the 8.2% down well as you go through a couple of glasses.
Please don't pass up this one. At writing this there are about 7 canisters left. Here that goes quick. This one will most certainly make your belly glow.

Jager Obama anyone?

it's true. our future president swung through the times bar lasterday like a politician through alaska. it was crowded to say the least!

http://www.tmz.com/2008/05/07/holy-schlitz-obamas-a-big-tipper/
http://www.miamiherald.com/692/story/523656.html

it was a mitzvah!

in other news! we have powered our dead taste-buds through the avery maharaja IPA and are now tapping the Schneider-Brooklyn Hopfen Weisse. this is the Schneider interpretation of the same yeast-base and hop choice and it is DELICATE. like a flowah! delicious and yeasty, yet pale, golden and affirmative on the tongue. i plan on drinking several tonight before they hop a boat back to germany.

Bill Pugh

this is bill pugh. the first day i worked at the raleigh times, way back in march of 2005, he walked in the door smiling and took a seat right smack in front of the PBR tap. and he didn't move till he was done talking to all of us and having three pints. since then, he's made it down almost every single day.

bill is full of stories. sometimes he just wants to drink his beer, but there are days when his eyes twinkle and his voice trails off. he talks of the good old days when there was a bar on the corner (where the Mechanics and Farmers Bank is now) and the dance clubs and nightlife he had "back in the day". yet, he welcomes the new and relishes the old.

for that reason, we treat bill as one of our own, because he well and truly IS the raleigh times bar. if you ever meet him, introduce yourself and have a seat. he may not say much, but if you look at him in the right light, you can almost see the shimmers of history rising off of his brow. rising up into the air and settling back down on what he has claimed as his old/new bar.

thanks bill!

Mared-ce la vie...

there will come a time (probably in the next few hours) when our beloved and perhaps overly delicious Maredsous 8 run will end. i've ordered the flowers and the deli-tray so we can all gather around the tap handle and weep quietly.

but while we mourn the loss of that magical, dry belgian dubbel that graced those perfect flute-shaped glasses, someone will be downstairs tapping a new beer. we don't expect you to welcome it at first. we're not buying you a new dog after telling you that the old dog is living on a farm now. no, we're buying you a HORSE!

and that horse of a beer is Avery Maharajah Double IPA. yes, that's right. the very same beer that got me in trouble when i described it as having a certain "pet odor". the very beer that i NOW know hints at a perfectly-balanced Cascade backbone in it's uric-acid aroma. a beer that stands up, shouts from the orange amber hues of it's soul that it will remind you of pine forests and butter-scotch or it will drain itself into your mouth trying.

and you owe it to your new pet to take a ride. that's right...ride that pony. yeah, i said it.

Beerfest, Beerfest, Beerfest!!!

It's that time of year again. The All About Beer Magazine "World Beer Festival". This years line-up looks pretty solid http://www.allaboutbeer.com/wbfraleigh/beer_lineup.html. Lets just hope they all show! There are a few glaring absences though, one of my favorite breweries Founders will not be represented. We will definitely be out there hocking pickles so come by and say "Hello!" Or stop by between sessions for a cold one!

Music for Drinking Beer (pt. 1)

oh rainy days. waking up without responsibility or requirement; just the gentle insistent tapping of perfectly-spaced raindrops on the bedside window. my curtains give the light a green ocean-foam mist and after stocking the fridge with my nights "events", i pulled my chair luxuriously in front of the iTunes machine.

Fleet Foxes. all the best harmony and qualities of a latter-day Big Star production. buzzing guitar strings, tambourine buried so deep in the mix it almost sounds like the rain buzzing. the voice of a touched angel, azraelic in its ability to raise itself from a stroking syllable into an insistent and begrudginly-holy wail. it grabs the instrumentation by the 6th-notes and pulls it up a half-stride behind and then both spiral like spring samaras back to earth on a puff of breeze. there is, indeed, a wind that none can feel; driving the calculations, emotions and wayward glances of the world. this may just be it.

and right now, i'm having a nice glass of Kasteel Donker. it is the base of Kasteel Brune and right now, it is pulling me up and up, at a relaxing tack, into the beauty of the rest of the evening.

whoa.

Whats New at the Times.

We have a bunch of new additions to our list! We have added the Kasteel Dunker, base beer for the much beloved Kasteel Rouge, and welcomed back our old friend Dekoninck (in the bottle that is).
We are also exploring the "Wide World of Wild Fermentation" with some new lambics. Look for St. Louis Peche and a selection from Cantillon.
The next Brooklyn Brewmasters' Reserve is almost here. It is going to be a Doppelbock. They have based their recipe on traditional German doppelbocks . Using German hops and malts cold fermented with a Bavarian yeast to produce this 'bready, and slightly sweet" brew.
This beer has been brewed by monks for centuries to sustain themselves during the 40 days of Lent. Hence, this solid and hearty style of beer has been nicknamed "liquid-bread". This beer will be available by the end of the month.

The Best of Browns

When Pierre Celis decided to start brewing beer, he was already 40-years-old and disgruntled with the decline in Belgian brewing. After selling his hugely-famous Hoegaarden recipe, Celis dispatched his daughter and son-in-law to oversee the brewing of Celis White (as well as Pale Rider) in Texas. And maybe due to the fact that the french ale-masters aren't famous for surviving long in Texas; wedged between a plethora of german lager brewers, the recipes were absorbed by Miller in 1999.

Celis must be steam-powered, like his brewery, because even when pushing 82-years-old, he's still at it and the hard-packed ground of beer ingenuity splits like the Red Sea at his feet. Proof? Grotten Brown.

Like an over-active child, it explodes on the tongue with a giddy effervescence. It moves throughout the mouth popping it's at-first hidden esters like delicious little bombs. What looks like a standard belgian-style brown ale soon reveals itself as a juggernaut of excitement; a testament to the imagination and re-invention of older styles and exhuberance for brewing. Once cave-aged for maturation, Grotten reveals the opposite of most ideals on cellaring. It hauls itself up and screams gently that it will not go down without first challenging the mouth to a wonderful fight. And the hyperactive child then becomes a fiery adult with complete understanding of it's role in the world.

When poured properly into a Grotten glass; a wide, gaping chalice, the beer forms a ruddy off-white head that sinkholes and leaves a landscape of meringue. Each time I finish a session with Grotten, I'm wary of the feeling that I want more. I know that one is worth experiencing, but two would be an experiment in futility. Which is why I typically move on to Celis' Grotten Felmish Ale...which is exactly what you should do. Try them both in a session! Try the Brown and let it work you over gently. But make sure you give them both a chance before they're gone!