Ah, yes, it’s almost New Year’s Eve — probably the biggest drinking night of the year. But it’s always a pain trying to come up with something to do that won’t fall short of expectations. In my opinion, the best New Year’s are when someone hosts a good house party. But if you don’t have one of those lined up, there’s always Portsmouth First Night (with fireworks at 7:30), and of course… the bars.

If it were me, I’d probably catch the early fireworks, grab dinner someplace fancy like The Black Trumpet, and then catch Elsa Cross at the Press Room (just $5). But then, if it were me, I’d probably never leave the Press Room, so you may want to go for something a bit more off the beaten path.

Here’s a rundown of some of the things that are going on around town this New Year’s Eve:

The Black Trumpet

The BT will be open from 4 to 9 p.m., and will be serving a “chef’s whim” menu that will include some brunch items, some dinner, some lunch — pretty much whatever the dude wants. There will also be a 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. seating for New Year’s Eve dinner. The 6 o’clock will be a four-course menu, with wine, for $65. The 9 p.m. is a five-course meal, paired with wine and champagne at midnight, for $95. Sounds pricey, I know, but there is lobster, lamb tenderloin and oysters on the menu.

UPDATE: The Trumpet will also be hosting a “Hangover Supper” on New Year’s Day, from 4 to 9 p.m. I don’t think you have to be hungover in order to attend.

Blue Mermaid

Not a lot of details, because they didn’t get back to us, but according to the music listings, they’ll have live bluegrass music, featuring Rockspring with Seth Gooby, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

UPDATE: The folks at the Blue Mermaid (I almost called it the BM, but that’s kinda gross) just dropped us a line with some more details. Seth Gooby will be opening for Rockspring, the bluegrass band, starting at 9 p.m. On New Year’s Day, they’ll also have brunch starting at 10 a.m. They’ve got New Year’s Day dinner starting at 2 p.m., and open mike night with beer specials in the evening.

The CM Portsmouth will be offering a special New Year’s Eve menu, with a $39.95 set price. There’s all kinds of fancy food, from Roasted Pear and Radicchio Salad, on down to the Pan-Seared Halibut, and Pumpkin Creme Brulee. Dinner is served until 9:30 p.m. Oh, and they’re also gonna have brunch on New Year’s Day. Yum.

Dolphin Striker

Go celebrate New Year’s with Ray and the giant carp! Oh, and they’ve also got The Bob Arens band playing from 8 p.m. to midnight, with no cover charge.

Hilton Garden Inn

Jazz vocalist Sharon Jones will be performing starting at 8:30 p.m. No cover.

The Oar House

The Oar House will have Don Fancy in the piano bar and lounge, and there will be a full dinner menu, along with some New Year’s specials. Dinner will be served from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Portsmouth Gaslight Co.

And now, for the creepiest event of New Year’s Eve — the masquerade ball at Gaslight’s third floor nightclub. If you’ve seen the ads for this, you’re probably already creeped out. It all feels a little too “Eyes Wide Shut” to me. I’m definitely going to be avoiding it. But if you’re up for something on the strange side this New Year’s, it’s actually a fairly inexpensive event. Doors open at 9 p.m., and they’re suggesting “provocative (read: slutty) cocktail attire”. Supposedly, there will be Venetian decor and lighting, and of course a live viewing of the NYC ball drop. The $25 general admission includes Venetian masks (creepy!), noisemakers, confetti, drink specials, light hors d’oeuvres, a champagne toast, and a late night buffet. There’s also a VIP ticket that includes better masks (did I mention that I think they’re creepy?), more food and more booze, but supposedly those are all sold out.

The Press Room

As noted above, the PR will be featuring Elsa Cross and her rockabilly sounds, starting at 9 p.m., for just $5.

The Red Door

The Red Door is having a “black and white” themed New Year’s Eve party, encouraging more formal, black and white attire (I’m guessing this doesn’t include those cheesy tuxedo T-shirts, but you may want to call to be sure). Tickets are $20 and are sold at the bar, and at Fast Eddies Dirty Laundry on Congress Street. Music by Ryan Obermiller.

Ri Ra

Stomping Melvin from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. But trust me, you don’t want to spend New Year’s at Ri Ra. You just don’t.

Happy New Year everyone! We’ll see you next year.

– Mr. X

Drink this while you can. It's seasonal.

It’s always great when I can see my Life Coach just before Christmas. After all, I’ve been drinking beer with the guy for something like 12 years. Pretty good stretch. Our pre-Christmas get together doesn’t always happen. We usually have last-minute gifts to buy for family and friends — even on Christmas Eve.

And this year has been hectic for the both of us. So I was pretty surprised when he showed up at my doorstep late Wednesday afternoon to give me a cold Redhook growler of Longhammer IPA for Christmas. For most of the year, I am like Spock. But I have to admit, I got a little teary when he showed up with that handsome jug of ale.

I get sentimental like that around the holidays.

Aside from his holiday generosity, my Life Coach was really taking one for the team by making sure we had a beer together before Christmas. His jaw was aching from some dental work he had earlier in the day so his beer-drinking ability was hindered considerably.

I won’t say where we stopped in for a beer for the purposes of this story (you’ll see why in a minute), but I settled for a draft of Shipyard Prelude, a holiday winter ale that isn’t a far stretch from Magic Hat’s Howl that I’ve been enjoying quite a bit this season.

My Life Coach wanted a Dogfish 60 Minute, a great IPA. But the man needed a straw to drink his beer. No kidding. That’s some pain. While sipping my Shipyard pain free, I told LC how I was starting to worry that I may not have gotten enough gifts for my Special Lady. This is our first Christmas together. And I get the impression she has a tendency to go overboard on the gift-giving front.

Our bartender, a very cool lady who will remain nameless, started quizzing me about how long I’ve been seeing the Special Lady and what I got her. It turns out, our bartender had her own relationship/gift-giving quandary going on. She had even been asking herself: Is she giving enough?

She has only been seeing her guy just shy of six months and her plan was to buy a few small things and basically present herself in a very special holiday outfit.

“Do I wear it over there or wait?” she asked. “Is the outfit (which he knows about) enough?”

What a question. There’s a lot on the line here, and obviously there’s some serious, decisive business that’s going to go down on Christmas. And here was our bartender really putting some trust in us for some solid man advice.

We had to rise to the occasion. If the BDR crew was around, I don’t think we would have been able to take on the matter seriously. I can just imagine what would have come out of The Captain’s mouth. Mr. X probably would turn red. (He can be shy.) And Fredo… well, it probably wouldn’t be a big deal for him. He has women talking to him about their lingerie collection all the time.

I gave my two cents: play it conservative. But I felt like what I said wasn’t as valuable as my Beer Drinking comrade.

He said: If in doubt, head over to Macro Polo and buy a gag gift of some sort to keep things light.

She liked that.

Once again, my Life Coach comes up big with a simple answer. I don’t know how the man does it (even with a hemmed up mug.) Of course, not everyone gets lucky enough to hear from LC around the holidays. After all, he’s MY Life Coach, not yours.

Safe to say I am making a trip to get a gag gift right now as well. Something small that will hopefully make my Special Lady laugh. I must say, I do love that sound.

Merry Christmas, my fellow Beer Drinkers. Stay safe and enjoy the holidays.

– The Beer Drinker

Big thanks to The Voice at Magic Hat

I feel like I really dodged a bullet by having my plans suddenly scotched on Friday night. That $10 cover charge (and the weak college bar Mr. X wound up at) could really have made for a bad night. But it sounds like he did all right — on the beer front and otherwise.

My venture in Beantown over the weekend turned out much better venue-wise. I suggest if you’re doing any last minute holiday shopping at Downtown Crossing, stop in at Max and Dylan’s over on West Street near the Boston Common. At first, I was pretty disappointed that the Shipyard Export on tap was stale as an old piece of bread under your sink. A second beer (Sam Adams Winter Lager) proved to be much better.

I’m still not sold on this Sam Adams Red business Mr. X  is talking about, but I will have to wait and try it.

Before I forget that our new friend The Voice at Magic Hat sent us a real nice note after I mentioned how I lost the ultimate bottle of a Magic Hat 12 pack last week. I’ve included a picture of some Magic Hat wares he threw in a box for us. Very generous of him. So much so, that I will be donating a good share of these items to you, my dear Beer Drinkers.

I might throw Mr. X a t-shirt or something like that, but I think it’s only right we can give the rest away in 2010 when The Beer Drinking Report celebrates it’s first anniversary.

– The Beer Drinker

Sad news from Rachel over at the Herald. She said Friday was Leo Gagnon’s last night at the Spring Hill Tavern/Dolphin Striker. If you go there often, you’d know that Leo is by far one of the most attentive bartenders in Portsmouth. He’s the kind of guy who would step out from behind the bar to bring you your beer, even if it meant weaving through a drunken crowd. Not sure where he’s headed to, but he will be missed.

– Mr. X

I’m not sure why it’s such a big deal that The Page had dancing, except maybe that the city wants to keep from having another Spin in town. But the recent decision by The Page not to have dancing anymore leaves the Gaslight (you know, the place that’s planning the creepy “Masquerade” New Year’s party?) as the only true “nightclub” in Portsmouth where you’re allowed to dance.
Not that I’m a huge dancer (in fact, if they wanted to ban me from dancing, it would be understandable), but this does seem rather hard to police. I mean, if I’m at the Press Room listening to the Stubbies and I decide to tap my toe a bit, are they gonna put Tristan in cuffs and shut the place down? Or if some cougar is at the Dolphin Striker listening to Family Affair and decides to grind up against The Beer Drinker a bit, are they going to throw her out and hand Ray a ticket?
It’s all rather ridiculous, and I’m not sure why the city even bothered taking this to court. Apparently, now that the city finally has approval for its precious waterfront park on Ceres Street, that monstrosity on Bow Street is finally moving forward, and the epic discussion of whether to charge people to put fliers up on the kiosk outside Breaking New Grounds is over, the City Council just needed something to do.

– Mr. X

Back in my college days, when I finally transitioned from Natty Light over to real beer, the beer I fell in love with was Sam Adams. In fact, you could call it my first love. As I’ve mentioned before, my grandfather used to bring over 12-packs of the stuff on holidays, and it didn’t take long for me to get hooked. This was back when the only Sam you could get was the regular old Sam — no fruit-flavored versions, no seasonal stuff.
For years, Sam was my standby, the beer I would always have in my fridge — even though it was a bit expensive for a college kid. But as more and more microbrews opened, craft beers became more readily available, and my beer tastebuds (beerbuds?) matured, I slowly drifted away from good ol’ Sam. I’d still have a Sam Winter, a Sam Octoberfest, or a Sam Summer from time to time, but I would rarely pick up a six-pack, and most times I would go for something else altogether.
Which brings me to Friday night. I was originally supposed to be drinking with The Beer Drinker, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he wasn’t able to join me. When I went to order a beer with dinner, I was intrigued by the Sam Adams Brick Red. I don’t think it’s that new of a beer — I’ve heard it mentioned before — but I hadn’t tried it yet, so I figured I’d give it a shot.
You know the line from “Old School” where Frank the Tank says, “Once it hits your lips, it’s so good!” That’s exactly how I felt. Never have I had such a tasty, and better yet, such a smooth red. It instantly vaulted to the top of my list of favorite beers, ahead of Red Hook’s Longhammer IPA and Red Hook’s ESB.
It was so good that I had to text The Beer Drinker immediately to let him know about it :

Mr. X: Have u tried sam brick red? Delicious.
The Beer Drinker: Nope. Good as the reserve you drank without me? Ha, ha just kidding.
X: Better than the reserve. My new fave beer. A smooth red, with a hint o cherry.
TBD: Sounds fruity
X: Nah. Good shit.

After two at the first place, I wound up getting another Brick Red at the next bar. Things went downhill from there, due mostly to the fact that I had to pay a $10 cover charge at the third bar. Have I mentioned how much I hate cover charges? Sounds like a subject for a future post…

– Mr. X

Lately, it’s a rare occasion when The Beer Drinker and I hang out in Portsmouth. But it just so happened that on Thursday we were both in town in the middle of the day, so we decided to grab some lunch and catch up. I suggested someplace with beer.

The Beer Drinker countered with Eddie B’s, the new barbecue joint at the old Gracie’s Diner location — you know, right next to Gary’s Beverages.

As we pulled up, we noticed the sign outside, claiming that Eddie B’s has the best barbecue in town. That’s a lofty claim to make, considering that they just opened, and there are at least two other barbecue joints (Muddy River and Mo’s place on Islington). We’d have to see if they could back up the boast.

The decor of the place is pretty cool — lots of old Portsmouth Herald papers and historic pictures from the city’s past on the walls. And it still has that diner feel. There was a decent crowd, but nothing too crazy.

The waitstaff was polite, but when I went to order a beer, I was told that they don’t have beer yet.

“The boys are working on it,” our waitress, Trish, told us.

They’d better. The Beer Drinker had to talk me down a bit, for fear that I was going to go Ri Ra on Eddie B’s in this post. Don’t worry. I’ll give them a chance to get their act together. But if they don’t get beer soon, I probably won’t be back.

I went for the brisket sandwich, while The Beer Drinker opted for pulled pork.

The brisket was good. But then, I think I was spoiled that one time that I had brisket at a BBQ joint in NYC. Nothing has come  close since. The mac and cheese was incredible. Overall, a pretty good meal at a pretty decent price, but they’ve still got some work to do. I’m sure that given some time, they’ll be fine.

Then just as we were getting ready to leave, this group of three senior citizens sat down at a table behind us. No sooner had they sat down than they started talking about, get this… Jay-Z. The Beer Drinker and I were dumbfounded. Then they launched into a discussion about the Colbert Report. These may be the coolest old ladies in town! I would have bought them a beer, too, but…

Anyway, since we don’t get together that often these days, I figured I’d add in what The Beer Drinker had to say about his Eddie B’s experience.

The pulled pork sandwich was pretty good, but I wish it had a little more kick/spice to it and maybe more of a smoked flavor. I prefer the real slow-cooked style of BBQ. So as far as I’m concerned, the crown still lies with Goody Coles over in Brentwood. Eating there is like going to church for BBQ fans. That said, the mac and cheese at Eddie B’s is probably the best in town. And that’s a pretty huge compliment if you’ve ever tried it at Mo’s. I get a feeling their strength is comfort food, so I’m interested to see what else will roll out on their menu in the months ahead. Also, seeing what they will serve for beer — especially being a neighbor to Gary’s — already has my wheels turning.

Our service was prompt, but I feel like we were being rushed. Not good when you’re trying to talk shop with Mr. X. I mean, sometimes it takes a while for us to spit everything out to one another.. . I really hope Eddie B’s serves breakfast because I would like to try that. Portsmouth is really short on decent, middle-of-the-road breakfast joints these days, especially within walking distance to downtown.

So there it is. The word from The Beer Drinker. Thanks, Eddie B’s. We’ll be back and good luck.

– Mr. X

Oh... the pain. The pain!

It really blows when you’re about a block from your crib, all happy that you scored one of your favorite winter 12-packs (Magic Hat Howl) for only $11.99 at the local Hannaford when suddenly the cardboard grips rips itself away from the one hand that was holding it.

Yup. Crash. One dead soldier on arrival. Actually, before arrival. Beer on the sidewalk. Soggy cardboard bottom. Crushed glass. My J. Crew jacket I wear to work now reeking of beer. Hey, accidents happen. I dig.

But c’mon, Magic Hat. Now I am left with the question: where am I going to go to quench the thirst I had for that one beer now lost to the world?

Chances are, it was probably the best tasting bottle in the whole damn 12-pack. It was the probably the one bottle out of the 8,365,534,235,634 brewed in 2009 in which something really special happened in the brewing process, something so special it became such a great, great beer, one that would make you swear that you would drink Howl for life.

You would pledge your allegiance to Howl to life and stop drinking all other beers. You would buy enough Howl in the winter to have enough stock yearround.

You would lobby Tristan to keep a couple of kegs in the fridge for summer. But lo, my fellow Beer Drinkers.  Lo, indeed. Now that will not happen.

So where will I go to quench this thirst and ease my pain? Will I go seek out a PBR pounder at D St.? Will I seek out pint nights again and again searching… searching endlessly for that perfect beer?

It’s bad enough I have been harboring a crush on Howl in recent weeks and Roxy Rolles before that. What’s a man to do? Better yet, what are you gonna do, Magic Hat? I’m pretty sure Smuttynose wouldn’t do me like that with those flimsy boxes. I don’t even think Flying Dog comes in a box like that. True, those boxes probably keep the cost of the beer down. I appreciate that. But man, suffering the loss of a beer like that is hard to take.

– The Beer Drinker

Look for this guy on Flying Dog's Imperial Porter

My old man stocks cans of Keystone (about 30 or so at a time) in this fridge he has down in his basement. He keeps that thing as cold as a meat locker — 365 days a year — even though he hates spending a dime on the heat during the winter.

That damn beer taste like lighter fluid to me, even when its been sitting in temps that cold. So before I got out of town last week, I made a Gary’s Bevy run and grabbed a couple of bottles of big beer to try during my house sitting gig.

I nabbed a four pack of Flying Dog’s Gonzo Imperial Porter, too. Because I had some other plans outside of just house sitting in the Bay State. Tristan brought over a few bottles of Flying Dog during the summer. The Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale that he brought me isn’t as dirty as it sounds, my fellow Beer Drinkers. In fact, it’s quite smooth. When I sipped my first bottle of Gonzo over the weekend, man … I was impressed all over again. I am a big fan of stouts and porters. But here’s what’s so great about the Gonzo Imperial Porter: it’s malty, smooth yet rich and tastes great when it’s really cold. I mean cold like my old man’s fridge.

My Special Lady actually has a separate fridge in her kitchen just for beer. (I don’t call her the Special Lady for nothing.) So, when I had my first Gonzo, I was really wild about it. But I think that’s the intended effect — whether you have a beer fridge or not.

Flying Dog’s Gonzo is actually a tribute to Hunter S. Thompson, which is pretty neat. I don’t remember much mention of porter when I read “The Rum Diary”, but there was definitely some beer drinking in that book. It was a really fine tale overall and makes me want to return to Puerto Rico every time I read it. Of course, the local dudes down there like the gringo beer these days like Coors Light, Budweiser, etc.

Speaking of Bud … despite my best efforts to drink some of the finer beer Portsmouth has to offer (Mr. X always accuses me of being fancy), I had to hang at a VFW not far from my hometown for a poker game one night while I was away, where the order was Budweiser bottle ad-naseum. After my luck ran out, I was sitting at the bar when my cell phone rang.

The Captain called, and even though he had many, many more beers than I had, it was really good to hear from him. I had got to see him briefly earlier that day during a road trip up north. I even got to spend a few minutes at a coffee shop to meet up with Our Man From Concord before heading off to the big poker game.

There’s nothing I would have liked more than to have stuck around town so I could have a smoke with those gents at Castro’s. But the holiday season is always full of running around and not much time for seeing people. I’m still running. But now back in Portsmouth. I haven’t begun X-Mas shopping. What do you really get a guy like Tristan anyway? Is My Life Coach expecting something exceptional this year after all those counseling sessions over the summer? More things for me to consider.

I will say, Mr. X’s recent mention of our upcoming one-year anniversary here at The Beer Drinking Report is starting to get me enthused. Who would have thought so much could go down in a year? It all started with me slipping on some ice. You better watch it when it starts to get slippery around here this winter, my fellow Beer Drinkers. You never know what might happen next.

– The Beer Drinker

Upon returning from Florida last week, I noticed to my dismay that it had finally changed over from fall to winter. There was snow on the ground, and it was cold… damn cold. Then, last week came the one-year anniversary of the big ice storm of ‘08, and it got me thinking back to a year ago at this time.

I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on that night. The power went out just about everywhere, so most of the city was dark, except for one small portion of Daniel Street. So The Beer Drinker and I headed to Daniel Street Tavern, one of the few places that had any power. There we were, pounding our PBR talls, when the owner called up and told the bartender to buy a round for everyone on him. It was a pretty classy move, and one that ensured my loyalty to the place for as long as it stays open.

In keeping with the theme of helping Beer Drinkers survive the long Portsmouth winter, the Gaslight is offering a pretty cool deal right now anytime it snows. When there are flakes in the air, you can get a Guinness draft for just $1 — that’s right, only a buck. Not bad.

Anyway, one other thing that this cold weather got me thinking about was the Beer Drinking Report itself. You see, at this time last year, it didn’t even exist. We’re coming up on the BDR’s first anniversary next month, and to celebrate, The Beer Drinker and I have been talking about offering some giveaways to reward our loyal readers. We’re still working out the details, but it will probably get started in the coming weeks. Check back here for details on how to win free beer-related schwag that we’ve dug up from our collection.

Until then, stay warm Beer Drinkers!

– Mr. X