One Night Stand with Beer

I woke up Sunday with some of the worse back pain I've ever had. I have no clue what I did, but my back was sore most of the day to the point where I had a hard time moving. When it came time head home, I decided to let Lauren do the driving especially since she offered. While our drive home, I became hungry and suggested stopping somewhere. We were traveling a dark highway through the state of New York when out of nowhere we spotted an Applebees. We were looking to get something quick and the fact that we had a gift card was all the motivation we needed to stop.

Because it was late Sunday night I wasn't in the mood to drink; I even mentioned to Lauren that I planned to order ice tea. Most of the restaurant was closed off so we were seated in the bar section where they had the Heat/Knicks game on. Whenever I go to a restaurant, I always scan the bar area to see what they have on tap even if I don't plan to drink. Looking at the line of beers on tap, I knew each beer expect one. In the middle of the row was a tap that had a barrel on the top which immediately spiked my interest. Intrigued about this beer I questioned the server about this beer and she explained that it was a local beer called Captain Lawrence Pale Ale. It was then that I threw the towel in for ice tea.

I found the beer smooth in taste and refreshing after such a long day. As most of the beers I drank over the weekend were light in color, this was definitely a darker beer. If I were out and saw this beer on tap, I would order this beer again, but because I've never even heard of this before I doubt I'll have another chance to try it. I guess you can say my experience with Captain Lawrence Pale Ale was like a one night stand. It was just nice seeing that an Applebees which advertises being a neighborhood bar and grill actually had some local beer.

If your wondering, No, I didn't order a brewtus.

It's been a long Saturday

Today was a loooooong day. My original plan was to wake up and be out of the house by 10AM the latest to head to Philly for the auto show and lunch. I woke up at 7, and was so drained. I tried staying awake, but couldn't and fell back to sleep. I found myself waking up every hour just to fall back to sleep, before I finally got out of bed around 10:30. With sleeping so late you think I would be awake and ready for the day. But that wasn't the case, as I was still exhausted. I managed to get ready for the day, and headed to Jose Garces Trading Company in Philiadelphia with Lauren. Before going, Lauren informed me that this place did not serve beer but was a BYOB. Since we were going for lunch I opted not to pick up a 6 pack. After being seated I noticed along with the lunch menu the host had provided a wine, liquor and BEER menu. They had a nice selection of beers from different breweries to choose from, but since I was driving in the city I decided to stick with water. The restaurant reminded me of a market you'ld find in the reading terminal serving fresh cheese and deli meats. I did notice they had a section similar to a milk and juice area found in supermarkets that offered local beers such as Dogfish Head and Walt Whitman beer. These beers could be purchased individually, or in 6 or 12 mix and match pack. I did realize that these beers were different than those that were listed on the alcohol menu and were take out only.

After an expensive lunch, which was good just overpriced we headed to the convention center for the Auto Show. Although I've lived in this area for all my life, and with this being an anual event I have never attended and neither has Lauren. Going on a Saturday was a zoo to say the least. There were numerous people of all different backgrounds, but I must admit it was great for people watching. I complained earlier that I questioned if beer would be served, but I was quickly proved wrong. Not only did they serve beer, but there were stands set throughout the convention center that sold beers and even mixed drinks. For a second I thought I was at the Wells Fargo Arena when someone attempted to start a "Let's go Flyers" chant.
I was in the mood to drink, but with prices being at $5.50 a beer and nothing other than miller and bud products being offered, I elected aganist it. Perhaps if there was a micro of craft beer from Dogfish head of Flying Fish I might have grabbed a drink. Instead I got a fresh squezed strawberry lemonade. With the amount of people there stressing me out I could have definately used a brew.

I got home tonight, and was exhausted. Whenever I'm exhausted I am bound to crash, and crash is what I did. I ended up sleeping for a few hours before waking up and heading to Applebees for some food and beers. The food at Applebees is okay but it seems there's always some sort of Happy Hour going on, which is great since each of my beers cost $3. I guess alot of people decided to "eat good in the neighborhood" as this place was packed. It was so packed that I had to park illegally in the parking lot. To my surprise Rudy was serving, so we ended up sitting in his section. Just like the last time I went to the Bees, I ordered several Brewtus, but went with Yeungling rather than the Sams Winter Ale. I'm going to catch a lot of slack, but when it comes to lager I prefer Yeungling over Sam Adams,. However, I find Sam Adams has a better beer selection and better presentation/marketing, and more often I'll order Sam Adams over Yeungling. What made my night even better was that my friend Phil was able to join us for a couple drinks. He didn't drink beer and instead drank Long Island Ice teas, but I'll forgive him for that.

I did realize that I am getting old and boring when on a Saturday night instead of going to a bar or club, I'm at Applebees crushing beers.