NO FEED... NO BLOG.

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday; I had internet issues all day and couldn't get a feed up and running to post. And being behind the bar all afternoon, I couldn't go someplace else to log on.  Things seem to be back to normal today but let's see what happens...

I am anticipating another busy weekend, with the NY Jets kicking off their playoff run.  Jet fans should return in full force now that the regular season is over and the Miami Dolphins are playing golf.  The playoff schedule is as follows:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

New Orleans vs Seattle (4:30pm)

NY Jets vs Indianapolis (8:20pm)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 9

Baltimore vs Kansas City (1pm)

Green Bay vs Philadelphia (4pm)

As always, we'll have drink specials throughout the weekend and all games will be aired w/audio!  My predictions?  Here goes:  New Orleans, Indianapolis, Baltimore and Philadelphia (sorry Jet fans... too much behind the scene drama will bring you down).

Someone asked me how I was doing with "No-Juice January".   For those of you out of the loop, each January I swear off booze for the month, basically to "detox" from all of the holiday celebrating that we do in November/December.  One would think that if you're working in a bar, that this would be an impossible feat.  I am not a big boozer to begin with so cutting it out isn't really that difficult for me.  The hardest thing for me is having to deal with beer reps and their "samples".  I don't really like to bring on new beers without trying them first.  

This year's version of No-Juice January is also a bit more difficult because we finally got some really good beers on tap (Lagunitas Brown Shugga, Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA) and I have to wait until the end of the month to try them out.  *sigh*  Oh well, wish me luck!

2011 kicks off our 20th year of business here in Murray Hill and we plan on celebrating it all year long!  Look out for various events and activities highlighting our 20 years of "Good, Pouring Fun"- For example, next Tuesday, we're celebrating 1-11-11 by going "old school" with $1 domestic draft mugs (not just Bud/Bud Light), honoring our famous DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS, the longest running beer special in Murray Hill!  With events like this, I guarantee you it's going to be a great year!

Thanks for checking in!  As always, go to our website  and our FACEBOOK page to see what's on tap tonight and all weekend long!


Cheers!

NEW BREWS FOR THE NEW YEAR...

Now that we're firmly into the New Year, we've added some new beers to the eclectic rotation we currently have on tap.  Gone from the rotation (but not forgotten): TROEG'S MAD ELF (will return next Christmas) and LONGHAMMER IPA.  Replacing those two are the following:

LAGUNITAS BROWN SHUGGA (Sweet Release). This is a beer that we've been anxiously awaiting for since 2008, it's finally available here in NYC.  Our distributor, knowing how long we've been chomping at the bit for this product by Lagunitas, immediately set aside a couple of kegs for us.  Lucky for us they did because it sold out immediately.  And after you've had a sample of it, you'll understand why.  Here is Brown Shugga, as described by the brewery:

"Brown Shugga was originally a failed attempt to make our Olde GnarlyWine Ale way back in 1997. Boatloads of Brown Sugar were added to the boil in an attempt to rescue the batch. The result was quite different from the Olde GnarlyWine we were looking for, but the Accidental Release of Brown Shugga that year was the beginning of an annual rampage caused by a beer that follows no style guidelines and can best be described as…. Irresponsible.
Cheers!"

So for a change, a mistake turned out to be a good thing.  And let's be honest, how can you go wrong with a name like "Brown Shugga" (Sweet Release)?  But be careful, at 9.9% ABV, while it's smooth as hell, it packs a mean punch.  Think of it as a sweet truth serum.

OTTER CREEK ALPINE BLACK IPA. It seems that Black IPA's are a hot commodity right now and the Alpine Black IPA (produced by Otter Creek Brewery of Vermont) ranks as one of the best on the market right now.  Very dark in appearance, yet with the noticeably smooth hoppy taste that IPA's are known for, the Alpine Black IPA is definitely unique.  Here is the brewery description of the Alpine Black IPA:

"Dark in color and character, this unfiltered Black IPA exudes caramel and roasted notes while highlighting a bold hop bitterness and citrus aroma. Apollo, centennial, and citra hops intermingle with the deep complexities provided by copious amounts of caramel malts and de-husked roasted barley.”

The OTTER CREEK ALPINE BLACK IPA clocks in at 6.0% ABV, so it is relatively easy to drink and it makes for a great session beer.  Lucky for you, it's also our Beer of the Month ($4/pint) so take this opportunity to give it a try.  I promise that you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Tonight marks the first PUB TRIVIA of the year and we're back, lock and loaded with new questions to stump you with!  Sign-up begins around 7pm and the fun kicks off at 8pm!  It's free to play and we have some great prizes up for grabs!  $4 Mixed Well Drinks (for ladies) and $15 Miller High Life buckets all night long!  Get there early as spots fill up quickly!

Cheers!

GOODBYE 2010... HELLO 2011!

New Year's Eve came in like a lamb and well, it sort of went out the same way.  This was our first year where we were actually open to the public for New Year's Eve; the last few years we hosted a private party for the same fun group of regulars but due to other commitments within the group, they were unable to throw their party this year.  I personally was disappointed to hear that because they were a fun bunch and made New Year's Eve fun to work.  But it happens so you deal with it and move on.

That being said, we went into New Year's Eve with no expectations other than to expect to deal with the unexpected. New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day are the two days of the year when you are guaranteed to have problems with amateur drinkers.  It's a given in this business. So while we were expecting a busy night, we were also prepared to deal with anything out of the ordinary.  As it turns out, we didn't get the crazy chaos that one would predict for New Year's Eve.  Instead, it turned out to be a rather laid back affair.

New Year's Day turned out to be busier than expected as the balmy afternoon (temps hit around 50 degrees) brought out loads of people.  There were a lot of folks stopping by for the "Hair of the Dog" pick-me-up while doing that proverbial "Walk of Shame" home.  The bowl games proved to be a nice respite from the hangovers gained from the prior evening's parties.

Things really got going later in the evening as a lot of people got their second wind and began to party like it was New Year's Eve again.  All of the craziness/debauchery that I expected for New Year's Eve ended up taking place on New Year's Day.  There were a lot of dancing, singing and snogging in the corners.  Of course, with the fun stuff comes the idiots.  We even had to throw out a group of idiots because they thought it was okay to use the fruit trays as their own self-serving buffet table.  When asked to stop, they began bitching about how it was no big deal and "What happened to the customer always being right?".  When told how what they were doing was unsanitary, they continued to be difficult about it.  So they had to go.  It became one of those nights.  A very long night at that.

Of course, there was no rest for the weary as we had to turn right around and gear up for the last regular season edition of Brew Crew Sunday.  There were a lot of pivotal games on tap yesterday, which made the afternoon interesting.  The few hardcore Miami Dolphins fans had little to cheer about, however, as their beloved team got CRUSHED in their season finale on the road vs NEW ENGLAND 38-7.  It was an ugly end to what was a fun season at the bar.  The DOLFANS NYC club saw their numbers grow dramatically over the course of the season and helped make Third and Long a destination spot for all fans of the Miami Dolphins fan to visit while in NYC.

The members of the Sunday Brew Crew (or at least those who were still in town) enjoyed the day as they do every Sunday there's a football game:  with pints of beer, Gentleman's  (Maker's Mark gimlets) and generally low-doses of debauchery.  Check out the pics from the day on our FACEBOOK page!

It was a fine way to end a fun regular season of Brew Crew Sunday.  Now that the regular season is over and we know who's in the playoffs, it's now time to step it up a notch and get the ball rolling towards the Super Bowl!  Will there be a NY team in the "Big Game" in February?  Stay tuned....

TODAY:  Hockey and college football take center stage again as the World Jr Hockey Championships reach the semi-final stage (Russia vs Sweden, 3:30pm; USA vs Canada, 7:30pm).  The Orange Bowl takes place tonight with Stanford facing off against Va Tech (8pm).  It's also MUG NIGHT MONDAYS ($1 Bud/Bud Light mugs and $2 all other domestic drafts ALL NIGHT)!  So stop by and enjoy the start of the New Year with us!

NEW YEAR...NEW POST

Still recovering from a long holiday weekend.  Full weekend recap forthcoming later today.  Hope everyone had a great New Year's Weekend!