Bars | Something's Brewing

East Austin, the ArModelo & Longhorn Caverns

Posted on April 2, 2017April 2, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Beer, Photography, Travel

I spent last weekend in Austin with a few good friends from grad school. We’re spread across the country at the moment – two in Boston, one in Boulder, and one in San Francisco – and decided to get together somewhere that (1) is fun and (2) had cheap direct flights for all of us. Austin delivered on both fronts, easy decision. Before continuing, I have to thank my amazing wife Laura, who encouraged me to have one last weekend away before our son arrives. So, a quick recap on some highlights. I’ve been going to Austin at least once a year since 2012 to visit Laura’s family, and I’m still excited to find excuses to go back. No other US city has Austin’s mix of

The Broken Spoke

Posted on December 1, 2013December 1, 2013 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Music

I spent the Thanksgiving break with my girlfriend’s family in Austin, and finally made it out to The Broken Spoke, a country venue known for some of the best honky tonk in the area. We had tried to go almost a year ago, after it was recommended to me by a friend who lived in Austin for a number of years, only to find out it was closed the day after Christmas. We went back this time and made it in. It’s a pretty interesting place, that from my limited experience, at least appears to capture the Austin country scene well. Inside there are a number of tables surrounding a large dance floor, with a stage in the far back.

Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo

Posted on June 4, 2011June 4, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Beer

I’ve been hearing about this place for years. Finally, the other day, I dropped by: It was everything I hoped it would be. Great beer selection. Awesome bar and beer garden. I tried the Oarsman Sour Mash Wheat. I generally don’t like wheat beers. But I also generally love sour beers. It was delicious.

Meadhall

Posted on April 28, 2011April 28, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Beer, Boston/Cambridge

I went to the grand opening of Meadhall last night. It’s a great new restaurant and bar in Kendall square, with an unbelievable draft selection of 110 beers. I tried two new beers that I highly recommend. The first was the McChouffe Brown Ale by d’Achouffe out of Belgium. It was strong with some maple overtones, but wasn’t too sweet. One of the better browns I’ve had in a while. Oddly, I can’t find it on BeerAdvocate. The second was the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale from the Lexington Brewing Company in Kentucky. It was beer, but it tasted like whiskey. Absolutely delicious. Judging by Meadhall’s impressive tap selection, I’ve still got a lot of work to do. And the food was great

Free Beer!

Posted on February 28, 2011February 28, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Beer, Boston/Cambridge, Current Events, Food

Gotcha, but it’s very close to free. A few classmates and I have been working on the board of a local non-profit organization, Somerville Local First (SLF). SLF helps to build “a sustainable Local First economy by supporting and promoting locally owned and independent businesses, artists and nonprofits” in Somerville. They’re hosting a fundraiser at the Foundry On Elm, a new restaurant and pub in Davis Square, on Wednesday, April 6th from 6:00-8:00pm. Tickets are only $20, and include a beer and wine tasting from 6:00-7:00pm and appetizers from 6:00-8:00pm. Here are a few reasons you should buy a ticket soon: 1. 100% of the money goes to SLF, so you’d be supporting a good cause. 2. The beer is all

The Zeppelin Café

Posted on January 18, 2011January 18, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Travel

Over the past few weeks, I found what I would consider to be the perfect hang-out bar: The Zeppelin Café in Phnom Penh. I heard about it from my guide book, which says this: “Who says vinyl is dead? It lives on here in Phnom Penh, thanks to the owner of this old-skool rock bar, who mans the turntables every night. Fun.” It did sound fun. But I decided to do a little more research before heading over. Lonely Planet ranks it #115 of #117 things to do in Phnom Penh and #558 of #579 things in do in Cambodia. Ouch. Of all the potential things to do in the entire country of Cambodia, apparently only 21 of them are worse