Wednesday Cup O’ Mead

Howdy friends.

I have been really busy trying to find a job (and drinking) since I got to NYC, so I haven’t had much time to work on the blog. This thing has gotten so fun, that I actually get upset when I’m not able to update or post something. But, since it’s Wednesday, and I have a little free time, I thought I’d bring yall an ice-cold, heaping cup o’ mead. In honor of this article’s subtle moniker, and because we haven’t ever had a beer article, I thought I would share with you some of finest brews I’ve had since I arrived in New York Cizzay. Since my long black ship rounded Ithaka and landed here in New Amsterdam I have partaken in a few hecatombs (all in my honor), flaying fatty thighs, eating the crispest chines. With such rich and salty meats, your noblest captain was sure to need a hearty swig of the celestial juice. If you are in New York City, the best place to buy imported, microbrew, and craft beer by the bottle is without a doubt New Beer Distributors. This place is to beer what Menelaus’ great hall was to desultory BJ’s from Helen. New Beer is basically a huge garage full of beer. They literally have EVERYTHING. You can pick individual beers from 6 packs, find rare single bottles from earlier seasons, from your standard 12 oz beer all the way to a fuckin’ magnum sized bottle of Stone Double Bastard. They separate all the beers by country, and I would say they have easily more than 1000 different types of beer at any given time. It’s actually quite overwhelming. I picked up a Chimay Triple, a Dogfishhead Midas Touch and Raison D’etra, a Stone Ruination IPA, a Don de Dieu from Unibroue, and a 750ml (ATTN BOB RILEY: I can buy kegs, but not big bottles? The fuck?) Brooklyn Local 1. I also spent some time in The Ginger Man and The Blind Tiger, two exceptional beer bars. Here is a list of my top 5 beers since I arrived. Since I’ve drank so many lately, I will leave you to read the reviews on BeerAdvocate.com, which is linked in the beer names.

Allagash FOUR

This beer is simply amazing. Enjoyed this American quadruple on tap at the Blind Tiger on Bleeker Street.

Brooklyn Local 1

Bought this big 750ml bottle of Belgian Strong Pale Ale at New Beer on Crystie St. Great value for this local favorite.

Stone Double Bastard

Had this at the Ginger Man, an absurdly badass beer bar on 36^rd St and 5th ave. Probably my favorite Ale right now. Unbelievable.

St. Bernardus Abt 12

Another Quadruple, this one of the traditional Belgian style.

Chimay Tripel (White)

Maybe my favorite beer (although this is always in contention), and easily the best tripel I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. Chimay is one of 7 breweries in the world that is officially a ”trappist” brewery, that is, beer is brewed or controlled by Trappist monks.

So, if you find yourself in New York, take advantage of the incredible beer selection at almost every corner. Any Whole Foods, especially the one on Houston and Crystie (only a few blocks north of New Beer), will have a great selection. Beer bars are everywhere, and they usually have a great environment and delicious food to go along with the suds. Here is a list of my favorite beer bars in NYC (with links).

d.b.a, The Ginger Man, Blind Tiger, Rattle N’ Hum

I am in NYC until further notice, then back to that 256 for a while. Hope to see yall (no not you blogger.com troll) soon and share some cold adult beverages. Oh yeah, and pray I get a job.

Ὀδυσσεύς Bombay

Just some thoughts w/ pictures

Cartagena at night

I have been quite busy traveling the last two weeks here in Colombia, and I thought I would share some of my experiences. Last week I was in Cartagena on the Caribbean coast of the country, and was completely blown away. To give my fellow Gringos a sense of what this place is like imagine a mix of New Orleans, Sicily, and Miami. Myself and crack college football analyst and friend of WBPT “Abigail” stayed in a colonial home turned 7-room hotel in the heart of the historic district. We were a short walk from the some of the oldest plazas in Colombia, fascinating restaurants and bars, and the Caribbean Sea. Old town Cartagena is situated within 400 year old stone walls the Spanish built to protect the city from naval attacks, and you can actually walk along the top of them. We went as far as drinking Margarita pitchers on top of them. We also had the chance to take a speedboat tour out to the Rosario Islands and Baru Island off

Plaza de San Pedro, Cartagena

the coast of the city. Watching the sea change colors literally 5 or 6 times, feeling up a sea cucumber while snorkeling, admiring Pablo Escobar’s former private island and drinking cold beer on a white sand beach makes you just want to give up on civilized life and just move down there to sell fresh fish to Speedo-clad Euro trash and assorted Colombianas…

Of course, like just about everywhere in this extraordinary yet contradictory country, massive poverty was omnipresent. Whether it is the herds of panhandlers on the beach trying to sell you jewelry and sarongs, or the beautiful old black women selling fruit off the baskets on their heads, the struggle of the local poor is as overbearing as the Caribbean sun. On our way back from the Islands, we stopped to drop off our tour guide (Juancho, who aside from his whitey-tighty swimsuit, was just about the most pleasant dude you can imagine) on a dock near Boca Chica, a shanty town on the outskirts of Cartagena. As soon as our boat slowed down to drop him off, about 5 or 6 little black kids dived out of their canoes, swam up to us and reached their skinny and wet arms into the boat, hoping for a coin, or the smallest handout. Truly

Playa Blanca, Baru Island

the most shockingly depressing moment I’ve witnessed since I arrived in Colombia in September, and a heartbreaking metaphor of this deeply unequal country.

I hope many of you can someday visit Cartagena, and Colombia in general, as it is an ecological wonder full of some of the friendliest people on the planet, world-class restaurants and hotels, and a slew of some of the sexiest broads I’ve ever seen (sorry Abigail). Coming to Colombia, and exploring places such as Cartagena, Bogota, Medellin as well as smaller colonial gems such as Villa de Leyva and rural mountain cities like Silvania and Sasaima, gives you not only a more amplified world-view, but a renewed sense of humanity, and appreciation for the smile that graces the faces of so many people as they endure the immense struggle of supporting themselves and their families under the most extreme and often absurd situations.  Open your mind, visit Colombia.

Cartagena

 

Candelaria, Bogota

Plaza Bolivar, Bogota

Plaza de Botero, Medellin

View of Medellin from El Poblado

Ὀδυσσεύς Bombay