counting backwards

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

The East Coast is far superior than the West in terms of sandwiches. Last night, after the comic convention, I ended up in Brooklyn at the famous L&B Spumoni Gardens and had half of chicken parmeggiana hero (with some grilled onions and peppers thrown on it for kicks), and it was probably The Greatest Chicken Parm Ever. I can’t overstate this enough. It’s difficult to write about it without staring longingly out my Staten Island window toward Brooklyn. I know we’ll be together again. One day. Dear, dear sandwich.

That may seem a bit much, but keep in mind that for seven years I lived in a place where sprouts were a common sandwich topping.

What was I saying? The beer? Yes. The West Coast does seem to trump the East when it comes to microbreweries. Back in sleepy lil’ Chico alone, we had two breweries: the well known and respected (for good reason) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (I only really like their winter seasonal Celebration Ale and Pale Bock, which is a smooth malt liquor beverage that will turn you into a raving lunatic) and Butte Creek, a less-sexy all organic brewery that makes Mt. Shasta Pale Ale and other personal favorites. And that’s just scratching the surface. There are great brews all over California, Oregon and Washington. Must be all the hippies.

The East Coast has Sam Adams (eh) and Yuengling, which makes a damn good lager, but I’m more of an ale person. On a recent shopping trip to Walbaum’s, I found a six pack of Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale (brewed in New Hampshire), and my curiosity got the better of me. It’s sort of like Moose Drool, but not as sweet—a thick, heavy brown ale that packs a bit of a punch. I’m looking forward to trying more of what they have to offer, and not just because I’m a drunk.