Dropped into Republic on Seven Corners last night for the Lift Bridge firkin of Hop Prop IPA. I’m not sure if it was planned or a someone didn’t realize it but both the Beer School event and The Monthly Pint were going on at the same time so the place was packed. I dropped in around 7pm and the firkin was pretty much dead. $3 pours had been advertised but it would have been nice to know that they were served up in small 10oz glasses when I ordered. Breweries and distributors, if you’re going to sell casks and firkins to bars, please teach the staff how to properly serve them. I watched as my bartender tipped the firkin on it’s edge to get the last bit out. Nothing like a big glass of yeast. The guy next to me definitely got the very last of it with a murky glass that had an almost creme color to it. I imagine he’ll be having a fun time in the bathroom today.
Despite getting the end of the firkin and a good bit of yeast with it the Lift Bridge Hop Prop IPA was very nice. Plenty of citrus and a bit of pine with nice subtle caramel notes. Seek it out on draft-only while it’s around.
The Monthly Pint started out some years ago as a small group of people that got together at a different brewpub or beer bar every month to enjoy craft beer together. After a couple years the organizer didn’t have time in his busy schedule to keep things going but another Meet Up group organizer offered to take over. Since then it’s become much less about craft beer and more of a 30-50 year old singles mixer each month. They do offer drink specials at most events but they’ve changed to now include wine and rail drink specials too. While it’s a fine event for people looking to meet other singles, it’s no longer a gathering of people for the common love and interest in craft beer that it started out as.