Rock Bottom Actually Tops

Work is the reason most people drink, because it is the source of the income you spend on drinking. See, you thought I was going to say it's because work is the place you go for eight hours a day to have the life sucked out of you. Well that's true too. Drink that life back in - in the form of unfiltered yeast!

The other day (ok at this rate like a month ago, I'm the world's worst blogger), in order to try to forget how miserable our jobs make us, my coworkers and I went to the local brewpub Rock Bottom in the bottom floor of the King of Prussia mall. I'm not much for the mall anymore, but I'm not one to miss a good drinking opportunity. As it turns out, this was actually a great drinking opportunity. Rock Bottom was tapping its Scotch Ale, Naughty Scot, that night and the brewer was on hand for a meet and greet. You can follow him on Twitter here. They also handed out a pint to everyone in the bar, which was pretty cool.

I got a chance to talk with Brian the Brewer for a bit, and he's a really swell dude. You really should follow his tweeting. If you ever want to talk to a brewer, just say you do a little home brewing.  This is guaranteed to get their attention because home brew is probably where the brewer started on his or her career path.  It also lets them know that you probably didn't walk into their brew pub and order a Miller Lite, unless it was for comedic effect.  Brewers, from the few pros whom I've met, are very happy people. This is probably because they spend their time getting paid to do something they love, and because they get to drink for free.  I imagine you save a lot of money as a brewer, unless you really hate the taste of your own beer.  The bartenders at this joint also knew their shit. Apparently they only want beer geeks behind the bar there, which is very much appreciated. There are a lot of brew pubs who are far better known for their beer (cough cough Victory cough cough) whose bartenders can't tell the difference between a lager and a log, and there is little more frustrating about going to a brew pub and getting dumbfounded looks when you ask about one of their beers. The folks at Rock Bottom know what's up, and that is as important to the brew pub experience as the beer itself.

Speaking of beer, I didn't do a lot of sampling at Rock Bottom.  I found the Sub Zero IPA early on and stuck with it, except for my free Naughty Scot. The IPA was exquisite, its hearty dose of American Simcoe hops lending a heavily floral and citrus taste without being overly aggressive. I'd put this right up there with any IPA I've had, and I can't wait until it shows up on their taps again (we were on the last keg that night, and it is long gone by now).

The Scot was also quite tasty, though its heavy caramel maltiness would not make this a good session beer.  Unless you really, really hate your job.  Then pretty much anything will work. I suggest cheap tequila, and lots of it.

I'm looking forward to hitting this place up more often, as it's a microbrew that actually seems to put the beer first. The food is also great - try the Mac 'n Chicken.  It's mac and chee with chunks of fried chicken in it. Totally heart healthy, and every bit as satisfying as it sounds.

Cheers!