As I mentioned on my blog, there were a few different concerts going on New Year's Eve. I attended J. Roddy Walston and The Business at Rams Head Live! There were three opening bands—newbies Alto Verde, local rapper Mickey Free, and power rockers Beard (who were a perfect intro to the headliner). Before the show, J. Roddy was hanging out around the bar, drinking beers, and chatting with fans. He said it felt good to be home after an exhausting, whirlwind tour to promote their first major label album, on Vagrant Records.

Rams Head Live! provided a complimentary Fordham beer toast (who needs Champagne?) and, just after midnight, J. Roddy Walston and The Business took the stage. The frontman toasted the crowd, wished them a Happy New Year, and then the band blasted their way through a cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." They then powered through their self-titled album, including favorite "Don't Break The Needle," piano-driven "Brave Man's Death," and screamy "Uh Oh Rock & Roll." They also covered Little Richard's "Lucille" and played humorous throwback "Sally Bangs." Other great live tracks included the 50's-like "I Don't Wanna Hear It" and the preachy "Use Your Language."

It was cool to see J. Roddy on a bigger stage. Though the setting was less intimate than their usual venues, their sound was more explosive. And the crowd was just about as energetic as J. Roddy himself—with his signature hair flipping and piano pounding. But the audience didn't get as raucous at typical J. Roddy shows, I guess because there was a sense that, since it was New Year's Eve, you had to keep it a little classy. But their typical climactic ending of "Used to Did" had everyone belting out the lyrics and head-banging along. The show got out a little before 2 a.m., giving fans nearly two hours of rock and roll to ring in the new year.

[Image: courtesy of flickr.com/photos/miscelena]

I'm not sure what I like more about this holiday drink: its taste or its name. I have a mid-December birthday, so I'm always trying to think of festive winter drinks to make for my parties. This year I made what's known as a Snuggler, aka spiked hot chocolate. I used a package of Swiss Miss and DeKuyper peppermint schnapps. For every five ounces of hot chocolate, use one ounce of the schnapps (which can be adjusted depending on how strong you want it). 

The drink is essentially hot chocolate with a subtle, spicy peppermint accent. You can also make it fun by adding a toppings bar, complete with mini-marshmallows, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. To spice it up, you can use Whipped Lightning, a fairly new alcohol-infused whipped cream.

Cheers to a happy, fun-filled holiday season!

[Image: courtesy of eshebystephanie.blogspot.com]

Yesterday I got a chance to meet with Justin Cunningham and Charles Bisland, the entrepreneurs behind Barhopolis (known locally as BarsBaltimore.com). Barhopolis is a website, Facebook app, and iPhone app that compiles all of the bars in a specific area, with daily updates of current specials and events going on at each of them. Essentially, it combines the power of Yelp and local event listings so you're never without something to do. What makes Barhopolis uniqe is that the information about specials and events is provided by the bars themselves and updated daily (at 3 a.m.) to keep it fresh.

Annapolis natives Cunningham and Bisland came up with the idea for Barhopolis when they were over in Europe and wanted to be more informed about the bars around them. The conept is that locals and tourists alike can use Barhopolis to see what bars are around them, how they've been reviewed by others, and what the specific specials and events are. The site also allows users to join "VIP text clubs," where they can receive exclusive specials at bars. Cunningham and Bisland are also looking into suggesting bars in other cities based on bars you like here in Baltimore. Currently, Barhopolis serves the Baltimore, Annapolis, D.C., Ocean City, Pittsburgh, and Raleigh areas.

It's a pretty genius idea, as it provides users with the most informed and up-to-date bar hopping experience possible. While 20 percent of their users are tourists, Cunningham and Bisland explained that their main focus is to cater to locals. By giving locals all this information at their fingertips, they hope to provide the best nightlife experience possible. "We're not trying to make every Tuesday night New Year's Eve," Bisland said. "We're just trying to point out the local gems, and make every event they put on a little bit better."

I spent this past weekend in Bethany Beach watching close friends of mine tie the knot (congrats!). Before that, though, I got a chance to take a tour of the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, Delaware—about half-an-hour from Rehoboth and 45 minutes from Bethany. I've always loved Dogfish Head beer for its bold flavors and creative, avant-garde marketing (Johnny Cask might be the best beer name ever), so I was anxious to get a peek at the brewery.

We made our reservations in advance, but, tickets are free and include a tour of the craft brewery, as well as four samples of beer at the end. The tour started out in the brewhouse where our guide gave us a mini-history of the company. Founder Sam Calagione opened the Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach in June 1995 when he was just 25 years old. What started out as a 12-gallon brewery system in Rehoboth is now a 100,000-square-foot operation in a converted cannery in Milton, as well as the Rehoboth restaurant and distillery. Dogfish Head now distributes to 25 states and is the 16th best selling craft brewer in America.

The tour then moved into the cellar, where much of the aging beer is stored. This room contained massive tanks, including handmade wooden ones, used to age various beers, such as the intensely dark 12-percent Paraguayan Palo Santo (akin to a darker Guinness). Our guide talked about the key to fresh ingredients—and even passed around some hops for us to smell and keep if we wanted. He also explained that Dogfish Head beers are "continually hopped," giving it its ultra-bitter taste. For example, 60 Minute IPA is made with 60 hops additions over a 60-minute boil. 

At the conclusion of the tour, we're led to the bar/gift shop to sample some brews. The first of the four was, not surprisingly, Punkin, Dogfish Head's take on a pumpkin ale. Punkin is a spicy, full-bodied beer with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon—perfect for fall. We then sampled my favorite of the four, Pangaea. This was a spicy, ginger-flavored ale with, apparently, ingredients from every continent (I'm a little skeptical on the water from Antarctica).

Then we tried Olde School Barleywine, which is a whopping 15-percent ABV (remember this is all free!) This is a well-aged, bold beer with accents of dates and figs. The last sample was the aforementioned Palo Santo, a very bold, dark ale with earthy wooden flavors (probably due to the casks it's aged in). After you're good and buzzed, they let you loose in the gift shop to buy various memorabilia (beer-scented soap, anyone?). It's an unabashed, genius strategy, I must say. 

Overall, the Dogfish Head tour was fun, educational, and and an absolute steal. It feels good to support local-ish brewpubs that put thought and care into the ales they're making. Also, check out Heavy Seas and Flying Dog's tours if you want to stay closer to home. Cheers!

[Images: courtesy of me and dogfish.com]