Hey Hey Federal Jack

I'm back! Refreshed and ready for a week of legitimate work! Now, onto my illegitimate work! I'm ready to talk about Beer and Music my people!

So... I'm watching Zane Lamprey on more editions of Three Sheets and realizing that its a special kind of stupid to take on a task in such away as he has. Again, highly recommended show per my blog last night and GREAT inspiration... To never touch beer again... HA!

Either way, I spent this weekend in one of my favorite places, Kennebunkport, Maine! Home of the Ex-president's questionable driving record, over-fished crustatians and water that freezes in November and thaws by August; this place is special and somewhat sacred to me as I spent essentially every summer here as a kid and I wanted my daughter, Emma to have the same beach and summer experiences that I did. Wait... are these the same events that made me what I am today? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea! Well, she's got my genes, so it's too late already! DOOMED! DOOOOOOOMED!!

PRESSING ON...

My wife, the kiddo and I had the opportunity to go to one of my favorite brew-pubs in the North East, Federal Jack's Restauraunt & Brewpub, home of the Kennebunkport Brewing company. Ah, the family that something together, something something together.. (DSS, please disregard. Em won't be drinking till she's forty much less dating...) It's a clean and funky establishment, family friendly etc. I told my wife "this is the kind of pub you could hold an AA meeting in". The food is more or less pub grub but the beer, for the most part is superb. As I've said before, they can't all be zingers! Federal Jack's beer menu is quite remarkable and in fact, they appear to have something for almost everyone. IPA's, Brown Ales, Fruity numbers, Weiss Ales, Stouts, they've got pretty much everything and they do most of them well! I'll start off with the food and service first and work my way up to the high points.

Service: Pleasant enough, our waiter seemed a bit tired... considering it was like 5:00 PM, I'm to assume it was a late night or a rough morning of...of... ummm... uhhh... This is the second time we've been and the waitstaff again are nice enough, but not exactly what I would call attentive. I don't want to have someone jumping all over me (hold that thought... it depends on the person...) but I do expect a check in now and again.

Food: Again, it's pub grub. I didn't have a huge expectations walking in the door and my personal doors were not blow off during the service. Chicken Nachos for the app was decent enough, hard to foul up nachos. The chicken was well seasoned and the guacamole was top notch. Baked & Breaded Halibut for the entree was OK, but honestly a bit dry and somewhat underseasoned. Didn't ask the wife about her meal, but she seemed to be enjoying it and my beloved offspring (I say with noted sarcasm, she's been an unholy beast all day), honestly fired hers down so quickly that I'm not sure she tasted it.

Das Bier!: Normally at a brewpub, they've got a lot of beers that you've never heard of and I've seen a number of situations where the beers advertised do not live up to expectations. If you're in a situation like this and not familiar with the local brews, order the sampler. It's a good was to get a lay of the land and frankly, I just like feeling like a GIANT among my wee beers. Although in this case, be sure that you've got a friend to taste with. Fed Jack's has one of the largest samplers I've ever seen and from experience, I can tell you that it is a formidable foe. They're such tiny beers... what could possibly go wrong?! The Federal Jack's website does not list all of the beers we tasted, but I'll do my best to at the very least get the flavors right.

Goat Island Light: This is a beer that my wife and I disagree on. I didn't think much of it as it was kind of flat from a taste perspective and I thought had a funny after taste. Laurie (the misses) liked it quite a bit. She tends to be a lighter beer fan and in general, assume that if I like the beer, that she doesn't and vice versa. Not totally true but it makes my blog a little shorter...

Export Ale: Again, good beer, solid mouth feel. I would pair this possibly with chicken or a fish & Chips combo. They describe it as a Canadian Ale and I guess I can see it. Again, good enough beer but I'm not on the rooftops about it.

The 'Taint(Girlish giggle)Town Pale Ale is one of my favorites merely by it's naming convention. I've always known the "'taint" as something else "'Taint your balls and it 'taint your... anyway I digress. However it's a fairly new England phrase. "It A'int" becomes "'Taint." The name comes from the fact that the brewery/ restauraunt itself is on the line between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. What's the difference you might ask? Check the town tax rates and get back to me... The beer itself 'taint bad. A little bitter, mid range thickness and a good malt to hop ratio. A well balanced beer overall. I would get this one again... if for nothing else but to order it by name...

The Shipyard Brown Ale: Good 'nuff. I liked this one. It's a standard brown ale and on the whole... huh huh huh (Damn you 'taint Ale!... it's warm and familiar here in the gutter) is very good.

Old THumper: (hiccup) Are we done yet? I liked this one a lot. They described it as the 1985 British Grand Champion beer. It's an traditional english bitter. I liked this one a LOT. The Old Thumper a bit heavier than most beers but stays true to the old English style ales. Even though they call it a bitter, it's got a good balance but has strong enough flavors to hold up to some really spicy foods... that is to say... any food that is not English.

Fuggles IPA: EH... Good taste, true to the style... I'm just sick of IPAs in general.

Blue Fin Stout: I LIKE this one. Smooth, creamy, a little coffee flavor to it. I've had this one before and it was a good reminder. Love it.

Peach beer: Did NOT get the name of this one... it's not on the website and it wasn't on the sheet they gave us. You are a mystery, peach beer... what... is... your name?! I know that this is going to make me sound a little... festive... but I LOVE this beer! It's a lighter beer, amber hue etc. etc. The issue that I usually have with fruit beers is the fact that they're syrupy and stick to my teeth. By and large, there are very few I like. This one was pleasant, not overpowering and you can tell that they brewed it with real fruit. If I'm wrong, I'm impressed by their use of extract. Great balance. I would serve this peach beer with dessert. Pecan Pie, vanilla ice cream or a light sorbet would be appropriate with this one. Again, if you can track it down PICK THIS ONE UP. Great chick beer but 'taint bad for the boys neither... (sorry... sorry! This post is almost done... I promise.)

Summer ale: As far as summer ales go, this was pretty good. Crisp, refreshing and overall a good beer. I liked it enough to get a growler to share with my friends this coming weekend. I would suggest serving this with lemon as they do in the pub.

Either way, Federal Jack's, great time had by all, a winning Bo Sox score, great beer and an old style pub atmosphere made for an excellent evening. Thanks a ton!

Good night gang!

Slainte!

Rob