You never know what forces and circumstances are already in play when embarking upon what you assume will be an “ordinary evening of shopping”.
Wednesday evening (Dec 23) was such an evening – last minute Christmas shopping at St. Johns Town Center … GAD … the crowd … but at least the atmosphere was friendly and energized with the anticipation of the arrival of the “Ghost of Christmas Presents”.
Upon completion that last bit of Yuletide shopping, I wanted to treat companion to one of his favorite vices, a cigar or two – and since I'm always on the prowl for new places to try, we decided to travel over to Aromas Cigars, Wine and Martini Bar – and Beer House!
We were a little surprised at the few number of customers when we entered, though it DID get busier before we left. Opting (of course) for the Beer House side of the establishment, we were pleasantly greeted by bartender Crystal. Admittedly learning more about craft beer herself, Crystal was very friendly and informative about their beer selection.
Neat thing I liked about Aromas is the Ice Bar – a strip of frozen condensation running the length of the bar which provides a way of keeping your beer cool a little longer.
We selected and shared the following drafts:
· Highland Brewing Company Thunderstruck Coffee Porter - $6.95
· Terrapin Beer Company Hopsecutioner - $7.95
· Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA - $10.95 … yes, $10.95 ...
Highland says of the Thunderstruck : “This robust porter has a full body with some hints of chocolate from the Chocolate Malt and Midnight Wheat. The mild hop aroma showcases the roasted flavors and subtle fruit and spice notes of the artisan fair-trade, organic coffee, roasted in the neighboring town of Black Mountain” - of course, the coffee flavor was very strong – but the chocolate hints smoothed out any lingering bite.
Terrapin lists the six hops used in making the Hopsecutioner: “Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade (dry hop)” and supplies the ABV (7.2%) and IBUs (78). I am really beginning to appreciate the stronger hop flavors and this one was eye-popping!
Dogfish proudly boasts: “Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute IPA "perhaps the best IPA in America." An imperial IPA best savored from a snifter, 90 Minute has a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.” - I was very impressed with this brew with its eye-opening strong but smooth hop flavor.
Of course, all were great – and I loved the bar and Crystal, our talented bartender … I just wish the cost of their brews was not so high since you can get the same beer much cheaper elsewhere. However, if I am on that side of town and craving a brew, I would consider Aromas again – I would just confirm the price of each brew before making my selection. The prices are not posted - which might be a worthy suggestion for their management.
Companion noted the humidor was well-stocked with an inventory of those cigars you would expect from an upscale cigar vendor. He was quite pleased, almost to the point of tears, when I surprised him with:
· Fuente Fuente Opus X - $28.50
· A. Fuente Gran Reserva Churchill - $8.50
· A. Fuente Rosado Magnum Gran Reserva - $7.50
Owner Carlos greeted us and discussed upcoming cigar events to be held there in the future. He was gracious and I would like to try the Wine and Martini bar side of his business in the future – food menu looks appetizing, as well.
I wish Carlos and the staff at Aromas the best of luck in the Beer House venture; though I realize with prices that high for the draft crafts, it may end up being difficult to maintain, especially in this economy.
But please do put Aromas on your list of destinations – just confirm the price of the brew you are considering before making your final selections – and then sit back enjoy the ice bar, Crystal's service and unique venue for brews here in Jax.
Thanks to Crystal and Carlos for their warm and friendly service – you can see Crystal featured as one of my Ale Angels on my website:
Our visit to Aromas stirred the hops and malt spirit in me and I wanted to finish the evening with a quick brew on our way home at Intuition Ale Works and by our calculations, we could arrive there about 30 minutes prior to Last Call.
I was pleased one of my Ale Angels, Lindsay was working that evening – all I had to say was that I wanted a “Paddle” (a $6 six-glass sampler of the their brews which you can select from all their available brews) and that she knew what I liked and to please make the selections for me.
Lindsay knows I love the dark side, so she provided a tasty combination of the following (descriptions per website):
· TCB Black Rye - This black as night hoppy American ale hints of pine needles, roasty malt, and spicy green peppercorns. It’s related to our Shotgun Shack but with a higher alcohol content at 6.75%. It’ll have you saying “Thank you, thank you very much.”
· The Heel - Black Centennial IPA. Roasty malt notes complement the Centennial hop citrus notes.
· King Street Stout - Imperial stout brewed with two-row malted barley and a variety of roasted and caramel malts.
· Quiet Storm - Belgian dark strong ale.
· Lowdown Porter - Our first beer by Brewer Andrew! Andrew used English pale, chocolate, crystal and black malts along with a German smoked malt to create this perfect autumn brew.
· The Factor - A big ass, full-bodied Scotch ale. Lightly hopped, sweet and malty with a dry finish. Brewed with all English malts & hops and a Scottish ale yeast.
Sitting at the hallowed corner of the bar, companion started a discussion with two young gentlemen in Jax for business from out of town, Erich and Carlton. Their discussion centered around Intuition's offerings and good beer in general. Carlton mentioned he was learning from Erich but appeared to be quite savvy judging from his selections for his paddle.
As Last Call approached (always a sad time of day), Erich casually mentioned that he was a beer-snob of sorts, so companion, in a simply magnanimous gesture, suggested they visit Kickbacks Gastropub to inspect the current inventory … so selfless on his part, eh? …
Of course, we could not allow these two visitors to our fair city to have their first introduction to Kickbacks “all on their lonesome”, could we?
I believe the Jeep was willing to park vertically on its rear wheels to find a spot near Kickback's but a close parking spot in the rear was available.
John was our server and after being seated, I accompanied Erich and Carlton to the bar to see the available taps and to request “The Bible” - a professionally prepared book of available beers there at Kickback's. Erich immediately became engrossed in “The Bible” once seated back at our table. It was like watching an adolescent pouring over each page of his first Playboy!
Erich was amazed at the selection and began ordering brews for us to try – both on draft and in the bottle. He proved his advance beer knowledge to us with his first selections. Not much later, owner Steve Flores dropped by the table to say hello and meet our two new friends.
I must say, I think companion and I could actually see “beer electrons” circling both Steve's and Erich's heads while they discussed the subtle aspects of unique and significantly rare brews available at Kickback's. Once Steve parted company with us, Erich said he was very impressed with Steve's knowledge – actually conceding a bit to Steve in degree of “beer-snobbishness” !
Companion requested Kickback's French Mushroom Spread and Fried Green Beans for the table to share which were both enjoyed by all.
Among the several beers shared that evening at our table included (descriptions per breweries' websites):
· Lagunitas Brewing Company Undercover Investigation Shut Down Ale - Our oxymoronic 'Imperial Mild' - A redux to remember the '05 St. Paddy's Day Massacre. Defiant as to style ... We Can say for sure it is unforgiven and unrepentant.
· Lagunitas Brewing Company Little Sumpin' Wild - Another Big Sister of the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale.... Lots of Malted Wheat for a Curious Malt Complexity & and Fermented with Our Belgian Yeast strain leaving it Huge in Flavor and Satisfaction.
· Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai IPA - Pours copper in color with notes of citrus and tropical fruit in the aroma. Flavor has upfront citrus bitterness with a hint of caramel and citrus and tropical fruit hop notes in the finish.
· Great Divide Brewery Oak Aged Yeti Russian Imperial Stout - A generous infusion of espresso adds yet another layer of complexity to this beer, combining with the vanilla oak character, intense roasty maltiness and bold hop profile to create a whole new breed of mythical creature.
· Dogfish Head Robert Johnson's Hellhound On My Ale - Imperial IPA - Hellhound is a super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse and 10% ABV. It's dry-hopped with 100% Centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length.
· Hoppin' Frog Brewery BORIS – Barrel Aged Oak Imperial Stout - Made from our B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout, that was rated one of the World’s 50 Best Beers, and won the Gold Medal at the GABF in 2008. BARREL-AGED B.O.R.I.S. has picked up rich characters of vanilla, dark fruit, oak, and spice. It’s unbelievably complex and savory
· De Dolle Brouwers Special Reserva Oerbier – 2009 – a fine Belgian aged in oak barrels.
· Schneider Weisse Tap X Mein Nelson Sauvin - “Gesundheit!” …. a Weizen Bock beer by Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn, a brewery in Kelheim, Bavaria.
A dizzying array of fine brews were being crisscrossed about our table for about 3 hours but the time went by all too quickly and sadly. Last Call was announced.
Before parting, Erich said he was going to make Kickback's Gastropub “his place” whenever he visited Jacksonville again. I'm always a little bummed when we have to bod farewell to new friends but realized they needed to get some sleep prior to their meeting later that morning.
After the boys left, companion later SAID we then split a Western Omelet for its “soaking properties” - AND that I even enjoyed it – but I have no recollection of such egg-related pursuits..
So, a most unexpectedly spectacular “ordinary evening of shopping” was thus brought to a close … a blessed night of fellowship of what some would say was a serendipitous meeting with two talented and intelligent people. I prefer to believe it was Divine in nature, though ...
Companion said I was quite a handful getting to the Jeep – moving from the Jeep into the house – and then dressed for bed and finally and thankfully, quietly bedded down. I'll have to take his word for it – I still don't remember ...
Thank you to Steve and his crew at Kickback's, - especially John for serving as perfect hosts, impressing our new friends with their establishment and brews and for putting up with a “highly spirited” but always appreciative, Jax Brew Bitch!
“Lord, I apologize ...”
