Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year, beer lovers! It's not really a big event with the Wort Hog household, but we do like to go out even if we don't stay up until midnight. We decided to end 2009 with a meal and drinks at Swagger; for dinner I had Beef on Weck, which was fantastic. The au jus was beefy and properly salted (why on earth does most au jus taste like a marinade for a salt lick?), but my fries were kind of soft instead of crispy. I said goodbye to 2009 with a Leffe, a Manhattan cocktail (with Anchor's Old Potrero), and a Goose Island Matilda. The Manhattan was served on the rocks rather than up, but I quite liked it that way - and it was very well done. Mr Wort Hog had the Waldo Trucker sandwich with mouth-wateringly awesome onion rings, Lagunitas IPA, Bully! Porter, and Avery Salvation (if memory serves me correctly). 

While we enjoyed our meals & beers, someone at a booth ordered a Dead Texan - a burger with bacon, egg, jalapeño, lettuce, onion, tomato, and grilled cheese sandwiches instead of a burger bun. The description just doesn't do its impressive stature justice; I've GOT to get this some time (or maybe I've just been watching too much Man vs Food lately...).

When we figured out we weren't going to make it to midnight, we decided to stop off at Mike's Wine & Spirits in the same building to check out the beer selection. We were pleased to find a great beer store that's much closer to our Waldo home than Royal Liquor. While Royal has a better selection, Mike's does really well at providing a good selection of several craft beers. I picked up a couple from Samuel Smith's - Strawberry Ale & Winter Welcome; John grabbed a sixer of Dixie Blackened Lager and a bottle of Hop Stoopid (it still amazes me that this fantastic IIPA is only $3.99 for 22oz).

Though we got home loaded up with beer, we ended the night drinking the bottle of B. Nektar Margarita I brought back from Michigan last week. Made with honey, agave nectar, lime juice, and lime & orange zest, it is reminiscent of - yes - a Margarita. It's not cheap, but was one of the best meads I've ever had. Though we don't get B Nektar here, if you're ever in Michigan pick up a bottle of their mead. I got mine at Whole Foods.

So there you have it - New Year's Eve, Wort Hog style. It reminded me of how much I love Waldo and that this really is a great area in Kansas City for craft beer. Waldo Pizza, 75th Street Brewery, Swagger, Mike's, and even The Well to some extent (thanks Drunk Monkey for the info!). If you haven't been to this area in a while, it's worth a visit. Cheers!