Thurdsday,
January 21st, 2010
d/b/a
Another fantastic DNO began at d/b/a, a place known on the street for a great selection of brews on tap—and really bad service! I'd been here many times myself, but a quick check in the DNO archives shows no record of us ever making it here (hard to believe THAT, though). My experience has been that the place can be ridiculously crowded, the staff are not particularly knowledgable, and the beer is not cheap—still, the quality of the beer is pretty righteous!
An astonishing amount of beer was consumed. Fortunately, some of it was in 10 oz. pours instead of pints. I personally drank:
- Kira White (pint) [I think I dated this girl once...]
- Southampton Imperial Porter (pint)
- Heavy Seas "Pegleg" Stout (10 oz. hand-drawn cask ale)
- De Koninck (10 oz.)
- Nogne Winter Ale (10 oz.)
- Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (10 oz.)
- Old Pecker Head (pint)
There were a couple of surprizes. I'm not a huge fan of Belgian ales—they tend to be a bit too sour for my taste. [I know this instantly identifies me as a novice beer drinker among beer snobs everywhere, but I call 'em as I see 'em.] The Kira White was an eminently drinkable witbier, and the De Koninck was complex and fruity with a definite grapefruit note—but without a trace of sour flavor! I would definitely try this again.
And I admit to having low expectations of the Norwegian Nøgne Winter Ale, I mean, what do Norwegians know about beer? Well, it turns out my friends in Norge certainly know a thing or two about winter, and the Winter Ale was rich and chocolatey. Skål!!!
Through a freak of coincidence, Robert and "P" each came wearing the same shirt. Now, Ladies, did they let that blow their groove and stomp off mad? No, it's just an occasion to drink more, a task we undertook with gusto!
We had the entire back patio of d/b/a to ourselves; I don't think the other patrons realized that it was enclosed and heated. We couldn't have asked for more: a quiet private space with plenty of awesome beer! We split, though when they closed the patio at 10:00 PM. We then headed over to Katz's for a nosh. ==>
† Chillaxin':
v., chil ⋅ lax′ ⋅ in, A condition in which euphoric relaxation is achieved. Typically accompanied by the use of high-quality beers and ales as a catalyst to reach this state. (a portmanteau from the Old English ciele, to cool, + the Latin relaxare, to loosen).
