Dallas (Que Theme Song)

So, bad news first: No ginormous haul of fantastic beer. Reason - No rental car, no proximity to any beer stores, plus that whole work thing.

Yes, trade show season is in full effect, this most recent one pulling me away from my desk and whisking me off to Dallas for 6 days.

Good news: I did my homework. This lead me to find a couple of decent beer bars in the vicinity of my hotel. Located in Uptown, both the Idle Rich Pub and the Ginger Man offered enough tasty treats to get me through my stay. Idle Rich offers some great Belgian selections and other beer geek favorites. Good, pub-style fare, too. The real gem, though, is Ginger Man. Having 60ish on tap and over a hundred and a half bottles, this is the true beer bar of Dallas. No liquor, and only a limited wine and food selection (only snacks) help say that. The beers here run the gambit from BMC (Bud Light on tap) to rare locals and everything in between. Reasonable pricing also. This was the bar that beckoned me back again and again. I mean, a Flemish Brown on tap? Tasty.

Now the biggest thing that stood out was the knowledge that the staff at G-Man. Tim, a NJ transplant, was a total beer geek at heart. A brewer himself, Tim was gracious enough to guide me through the best of the local brews. He was the kind of guy who enjoyed working at a beer bar.

On a personal note/rant, this was my first extended exposure to a real beer bar. After said experience, I'm pretty sure I couldn't work in one. Not because it'd be difficult, nor that it wouldn't be fun. I would get friggin' fed up with people walking in and ordering a friggin' Blue Moon when there are 7 other wits and hefeweizens on tap. I guess I should be happy, but jeez. There's a lot of good beer out there, and you're in a place that has a lot of it. Why not try something new. But oh, well. Trendy crowd, trendy beers I guess.

Now that I'm back in the Commonwealth, Justin and I can get down to business. RIS brewday is Saturday. 10 gallons of the yet to be named Impy Stout, half to be bulk-aged on oak chips. Can't Wait. More to come.

Cheers,

Dave