I went into the hospital yesterday to have some surgery done on my foot. I thought I would be able to get my next blog done by now but things have been a bit harder than I expected. I will be sure to get it written by the end of the week. I have some reviews of some awesome beers, some bars and also a couple of recipes. I also was able to check out Ebenezer's basement and who can forget Valentines Day. Porter got me an awesome V-day present. More to come soon, I promise.
Katy Too
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I scream. You scream. We all scream for….. an ice bar?
Ok, picture this. It was one of the coldest nights of the year. Porter and I are standing on the sidewalk in downtown Portland along with another 50 people for FORTY minutes. We were all waiting to go through a hotel, back into the freezing cold courtyard. We have to pay $10 apiece in order to do this. Crazy, right? Well, not exactly. Every year the Portland Harbor Hotel hosts an Ice Bar. They have numerous sculptures and a number of bars all made out of ice. The event is three nights long.
Porter and I went on Saturday, the last night. We had hoped to go to both the ice bar and the downtown showdown. We underestimated how long it would take to get in to the ice bar and therefore never made it to the downtown showdown. (Hey there is always next year!) Though we weren’t able to keep to our original plans we did have a nice evening. After spending less the 30 minutes at the ice bar (We’ll get back to that in a minute) we went to Portland Pie. We love Portland Pie. We actually had our rehearsal dinner there. We finished the night off with a nice stroll through the Old Port back to our car.
So, why 30 minutes at the ice bar? Well, after waiting for forty minutes outside we were finally allowed in. (They let one in for every one out. People didn’t exactly want to leave after waiting so long to get in.) We went up the stairs, bought drink tickets and headed back outside. As soon as we opened the door my body started to thump from the sound and volume of the music. We had to push through a mob of people to get close to the bar. We were standing in one line looking for a beer when we realized it was the martini line. If we weren’t such beer lovers it would have been nice to get a martini although it would have taken us probably 30 minutes to even get close to the bar. They had these really cool ice luges
that they put your martini in to make them extra cold. Once the sea of people parted slightly we could see that there was a bar just for beer. (Remember all of these bars are made from ice!) They only had Shipyard as they were one of the sponsors. It was so cold and so crowded and so loud we grabbed our beers and went inside. Inside they had free food (if you don’t count the entrance fee) but it was quite minimal. We didn’t find out until later (I don’t know why they didn’t publicize this more) that all the money raised goes to area charities. After eating a little something we decided we were going to need something more substantial so we turned to our favorite standby, Portland Pie.
I must admit, I have a bias towards Portland Pie. They have the most amazing buffalo chicken pizza. It has become such a part of our life we knew we had to make it part of our wedding. Even though it isn’t exactly a new thing for us I wrote a review for all of you to enjoy. Surprisingly all the beers I have reviewed (which are all from local breweries and Porter and I drink these brewers regularly) are ones I haven’t tried until now.
Porter and I went on Saturday, the last night. We had hoped to go to both the ice bar and the downtown showdown. We underestimated how long it would take to get in to the ice bar and therefore never made it to the downtown showdown. (Hey there is always next year!) Though we weren’t able to keep to our original plans we did have a nice evening. After spending less the 30 minutes at the ice bar (We’ll get back to that in a minute) we went to Portland Pie. We love Portland Pie. We actually had our rehearsal dinner there. We finished the night off with a nice stroll through the Old Port back to our car.
So, why 30 minutes at the ice bar? Well, after waiting for forty minutes outside we were finally allowed in. (They let one in for every one out. People didn’t exactly want to leave after waiting so long to get in.) We went up the stairs, bought drink tickets and headed back outside. As soon as we opened the door my body started to thump from the sound and volume of the music. We had to push through a mob of people to get close to the bar. We were standing in one line looking for a beer when we realized it was the martini line. If we weren’t such beer lovers it would have been nice to get a martini although it would have taken us probably 30 minutes to even get close to the bar. They had these really cool ice luges
that they put your martini in to make them extra cold. Once the sea of people parted slightly we could see that there was a bar just for beer. (Remember all of these bars are made from ice!) They only had Shipyard as they were one of the sponsors. It was so cold and so crowded and so loud we grabbed our beers and went inside. Inside they had free food (if you don’t count the entrance fee) but it was quite minimal. We didn’t find out until later (I don’t know why they didn’t publicize this more) that all the money raised goes to area charities. After eating a little something we decided we were going to need something more substantial so we turned to our favorite standby, Portland Pie.I must admit, I have a bias towards Portland Pie. They have the most amazing buffalo chicken pizza. It has become such a part of our life we knew we had to make it part of our wedding. Even though it isn’t exactly a new thing for us I wrote a review for all of you to enjoy. Surprisingly all the beers I have reviewed (which are all from local breweries and Porter and I drink these brewers regularly) are ones I haven’t tried until now.
Shipyard Brown Ale
Shipyard Brewing Company
Appearance: Through the plastic cup it appeared to be a coal color. The light was able to flow through it and it seemed quite clear.
Aroma: While it is possible this beer could be quite rich in smells neither Porter nor I were able to find anything distinct. It could have been due to our noses being so very cold.
Overall: While it isn’t anything overly special, I would consider it a very solid brown. A good standby beer.
Shipyard Fuggles IPA
Appearance: It is a light gold and very clear.
Aroma: Our frigid noses were unable to detect any distinct smells.
Taste: I am just starting to be able to drink IPAs but I enjoyed this one. It was not overly hoppy and had a slightly dry aftertaste.
Mouth feel: It has quite a full mouth feel.
Overall: It is a good starter IPA. I am sure I will try it again.
Geary's HSA
Hampshire Special AleAppearance: It is a nice dark caramel color, quite clear.
Aroma: There wasn’t much of a smell that Porter or I could detect. Our noses were quite cold from the walk to Portland Pie so we may just not have been able to smell anything.
Taste: It was served a bit too cold and had minimal carbonation. While there was some hoppiness it wasn’t an overly dry taste. It has a flavor that sticks with you.
Mouth feel: It has a nice fullness to it.
Ice Bar
Beer Selection: As Shipyard was a sponsor of the event it was the only beer being served outside at the ice bars. There could have been different beers being served inside at the full bar but I can’t be certain of this as I didn’t visit it.
Atmosphere: We had a forty minute wait before we were allowed to get in. Once inside we discovered it to be quite crowded and the music was playing extremely loudly.
Service: The staff seemed to be nice enough. There was no one in the beer line so that was nice. The martini line was ridiculous; it would have probably taken over a half hour just to get to the front of the line. One gripe I have would be that the security guard, who was nice, let extra people jump in line instead of making them stand in line like all of the rest of us.
Food Quality: While there was food provided for “free” (there was a $10 entrance fee) it was extremely limited. The only food that was of quality was provided by a local restaurant called Denny Mikes.Price: The prices were about what you would expect for a bar, possibly a bit more. For a novelty type event it was reasonable.
Overall: As a novelty bar goes it was pretty good. I enjoyed the experience but will not be going again next year. I didn't give it a bar stool rating as I felt it wouldn't be exactly fair to rate a novelty bar.
Portland Pie
Beer Selection: They have the normal round up for Maine restaurants, local brews and the fake watery crap. They do have 9 wines on tap which is something that you don’t get to see all that often.
Atmosphere: While I do have a bias towards Portland Pie, I think that anyone would find it warm and inviting. The bar is covered in copper and there is a fireplace in one of the rooms. I don’t remember exactly how many televisions they have but there are quite a few.
Service: The bar tender seemed quite nice and she was attentive. Food Quality: The food is amazing if you are looking for pizza. I have never ventured very far away from their pizza because it is just so good. I would highly recomend the buffalo chicken pizza.
Price: They cost more than your neighborhood pizza joint but you are also paying for a much higher quality pizza.
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