Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Work has had me jumping (shut up, KROC), visiting such exciting far-flung places as Olean, NY. However, that does not mean I haven’t had time to enjoy good beer. My pick for the week: Brooklyn Keller Helles by the Brooklyn Brewery.

Now the phonetic nature of this surprisingly light-colored and clear Kellerbier dictates the inevitable corruption of one’s order to ‘I’ll have a Hellen Keller.’ Apparently, some people (the women who stared daggers into my temple when hearing me order this at the Tap & Mallet, for example) find this insensitive. But what can you do? I turned to her with my charmingest smile and said “You know, one thing Helen Keller did have was a sense of taste.”

Usually, Kellerbier (literally “Cellar Beer”) is unfiltered, so it appears cloudy, and amberish in color. BKH is not a true Kellerbier though, more of a hybrid combining Kellerbier’s hoppier flavor with the maltiness and appearance of a Munich style Helles. As such, the beer is deep golden and crystal clear. The taste is reminiscent of a hoppier Spaten. It’s quite nice as an outdoor summer beer and my intention is to sample this gem often.

In the Soccer world, the Euro 2008 tournament is starting up. And anyone with any sense is supporting the German team, or at least quaking in fear of their superior skill and tactics. I’ve been a Germany supporter since I was a little kid, and I’m pleased at the strong team they’re bringing to the tournament. Apparently, Tap & Mallet owner Joe mcBane has also seen the light. As you can see from the pic, the England native, obviously disgusted with the pitiful performance of the disqualified English team, has switched allegiances.

Naturally, watching the German team will require copious amounts of German beer. We’ll be watching the games at Monty’s Korner, and I know they have Spaten Optimator on tap, but if I consume too many of those I might wake up in the lades’ room, sans pants, so I’m gonna harass manager Jen Clark to pick up a gentler alternative, like Spaten Helles or Gaffel Koelsch.

The Sisters of Murphy will be playing on Friday, June 13. My Irish band, featuring Bruce Lish, brewer for the Rohrbach Brewing Company, will be making a mockery of Irish culture at Monty’s Krown on Monroe Ave in Rochester at 10:30pm. This is our first show since the big St. Patrick’s Day extravaganza, when we played to a packed High Fidelity, and we’d personally prefer if you opted not to miss it.

-Mark