Proske's Direct Line to Ninkasi

Are you running an outdoor beer event?

If so, contact Tapastre's Mike Proske. Because it appears he's on a first-name basis with both the Beer Gods and the Weather Gods. They often work in tandem, you know.

Take this past weekend, for example. Proske and his crew again turned the street in front of his fabulous tapas restaurant Tapastre into a tented beer mall, complete with beer vendors, food vendors and music vendors. But while the tents might have proved helpful in the event of a downpour, this weekend they were there for shade from a bright sun. That the humidity was also comfortably low made Proske's annual Somerville Craft Beer Fest another home run for both the city and lovers of good beer.

In attendance--and proffering their awesome wares-- was a VIP list of breweries, which included the likes of Abita Beer, Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Beer, Tröegs Brewing Company, Weyerbacher Brewing, Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, Flounder Brewing, Carton Brewing, Kane Brewing Company, Angry Erik Brewing, 902 Brewing Co., Yards Brewing Company, Alpine, Flying Dog, Oskar Blues, Schlafly, Down East, B.Nektar, New Belgium, Clown Shoes, Captain Lawrence, Boulevard, Anderson Valley, New Jersey Beer Co, Cricket Hill, Forgotten Boardwalk, Ramstein, Brix City, Jersey Girl, Flounder, Magnify, Conclave and others.

There was also plenty of food from local downtown Somerville restaurants like Division Cafe, Court House Sub Shop, Katili's Chocolates and others. Even Proske's distinguished chef, Carlton Greenawalt, was on hand, but pumping beer, not making outstanding tapas, his usual forte. And of course, there was live music which kept the crowd pumped from the moment the gates opened.

Being on two wheels, I had to be careful as to how many beers I was sampling, and having come from a Titusville pub where DogFish Head 60-Minute IPA served as my liquid lunch, I was under even stricter limits. But I did manage to find the Flounder Tent, though the Flounder himself had just departed, and there I had an absolutely wonderful IPA called "Genevieve's IPA." Named for the assistant brewmaster's grammy, this was an outstanding 6% offering, loaded with citrus notes and a luscious body, but not so hoppy that my cheeks caved in. Some IPA's these days can cave in ALL your cheeks, you know.

Nor did that happen when I visited Angry Erik's tent. Heide Hassing and Erik himself were on hand to chat, and I've gotta tell ya, Heide is doing some incredible things at her brewery. She gave me a sample of something called "Troll Baby." Designed as a "session" IPA, it almost didn't see the light of day, as Heide will not make a beer that is weak in the flavor department. This Troll Baby was not in that category. Flavorful, with just the right touch of hops and a superlative mouthfeel, this "Baby" could see serious session duty at just 5%. That a 5% beer even came out of Angry Erik's tanks is really the news story, considering the average ABV of their (now) forty beers is 7% or higher. And there's word that "Troll Baby's Mama" may be making her appearance soon.

Of course, for The PubScout, a any beer under 8% is considered sessionable. But Demented's Scarlet Night, a deliciously chewy red ale which comes in at 5.8%, had a nice balance of malt and hops, but the malt dominated to great effect. A pretty beer--and a pretty smooth and tasty beer--Scarlet Night would pair well with a host of foods, from chicken to game to Mexican to many Italian dishes--even with sauce (or "gravy" if that's how you roll).

Another outstanding beer, proffered to yours truly by stunning Ashley (below), was Flying Dog's the "Truth." An Imperial IPA (DIPA) that registers at 8.7%, this is one helluva beer. Exceptionally well balanced, with citrus, stone fruit and floral notes and a very nice malt profile in the background, this beer is just another reason I gravitate to Flying Dog products. Very well made, expertly balanced and crafted, this beer would pair well with a host of cheeses, but it's pretty darned good all by itself.

But four beers was my limit for this sun-splashed afternoon, as I still had to ride home on two wheels. What with Ninkasi and the Weather Gods busily watching over Mike Proske's Somerville event, I didn't want to impose by also asking them to watch over me as I rumbled down 287.

It was so perfect a day, that there was actually no traffic on that absolute worst of Jersey roadways at rush hour, even though it was between 4 and 6:30 PM. I was amazed at that. Then I realized it was a Sunday. But I thanked Ninkasi anyway.

And speaking of thanks, I hope the Somerville town fathers (and mothers) thank Mike Proske for what he's bringing to the Somerville table. His fine Tapastre restaurant is one thing, but this annual event puts Somerville squarely on the official NJ Beer Map.

Cheers!

The PubScout