BEER PLACES: Power Park One of Charleston’s Better-Beer Destinations
Who’d a thunk it? Just about a year ago I wrote a blog lamenting the lack of a decent beer selection at Appalachian Park, save for our beer vending friend “Mitch – The Elder Beer-Man” and his special selection of better brews. This year, I get the feeling Mitch’s vending business may not be doing as well as in years past.
The beer selection at the park has grown to include several beers from Mountaineer Brewing Company: Magic Hat and Hoegaarden. The transition started taking place near the end of the season last year. But I thought I would wait to see if the great beer selection returned this year before I committed to doing a blog on the subject.
If you enjoy drinking the good stuff at the game, you might as well just forget about such things as “Two for Tuesday” or “Buck Night”; the good beers stay full price any time you go, costing a buck more than an equal amount of macro-swill at normal price. It’s a small price to pay to feed your liver the better stuff. You only get one or two livers in a lifetime (unless you’re David Crosby).
The specialty tap selection, though small compared to that in a real beer town like Philly or Chicago, puts Power Park in the running as one of the better places to have a beer in Charleston! It still has a long way to go before it catches up to the likes of O’Kays Restaurant, but Kay of O’Kays can’t host a baseball game in her place either. The Park’s atmosphere makes up for much of the disparity (I’ll just make sure my 10th innings are spent at O’Kay’s).
A word of caution: “Beware the faux-craft forces.” The Park has an exclusive contract with Central Distributing, the Anheuser-Busch guys. Central gets due credit for bringing in the better beer, but the geniuses at A-B keep throwing marketing dollars at some really crappy brews hoping they can fool you into thinking that it’s good craft beer. I don’t know if this type of silliness is the result of a bet between a couple A-B marketing execs (like the guys who “bet” each other in the movie “Trading Places”), where one guys says “C’mon this is crap! No one will drink this stuff!” and the other says “Wanna Bet? I’ll bet you a buck that if I launch some crazy ad campaign and throw enough money at it… I can make them drink! “You’re on!”
The park is selling one of the” A-Bominations” called Landshark, a Corona-like lager that is being sold via some sort of joint marketing venture with Jimmy Buffet (Yawn...). I think they are also selling the other one called “Shock-Top”, allegedly a witbier, adorned with a picture of an orange slice with sunglasses and a Mohawk haircut. Need I say more?
I hope to see you out at one of the games! I’ll be the guy paying $5.50 for a “Mounty-Pale” on buck night and smiling from ear to ear!
May 27th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Rich, just got back from San Diego….damn, we need to move out there. It’s sad to say that having Hoegaarden on tap somewhere makes the place one of the better beer joints we can enjoy in Charleston. I got to hit up Stone, Alesmith, and Coronado Brewing Company. I missed Lost Abbey by about an hour (too much time spent at Stone). There were a few others that I would’ve made it to, but the whole ‘working’ thing ruined that idea. We need to move out there…
May 28th, 2008 at 6:46 am
It’s Sooo True.
Sometimes I feel kind of silly having to write such things, but unfortunately, having Hoegaarden on tap in these parts, really does put you on the “Best beer places in Charleston” list.
We have a long way to go and I will keep writing about whatever or wherever “good beer” exists here in beer starved WV.
The only way we will change our beer destiny is by developing a demand for better beer; my blog and articles are just one part of the effort.
Keep spreading the gospel of St. Arnoldus…
I bet Alesmith was really great… They do some interesting stuff.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Rich, thanks for the post. You’re right: the craft kiosk at APP immediately qualifies it as one of the better beer places in Charleston (if not the entire state - been to West Virginia Brewing Co. lately? Sad, sad). However, I’ve got a partial bone to pick.
Why go hater on A-B? Yes, it’s responsible for most of the crap people in this town drink, but it IS capable of making a decent beer, as is SAB Miller and Molson-Coors. (e.g. Bare Knuckle, Lienenkeugel, and Blue Moon, respectively). Not great beer, mind you, but decent. And anything - I repeat: ANYTHING - that helps wean the public off of their American macro lager is a good thing.
Case in point. I worked in Pittsburgh with a guy last year who was a Lite/Corona drinker. I convinced him (well, the hot young brewery reps did, but I was egging him on) to order Blue Moons one night. He liked them and switched. Then I got him - no bar-babes this time - to try a Hoegaarten. He liked that. Then the spring seasonals from Victory, Troegs, et al. made their appearance. I got him to try those. From the initial baby steps he’s gone on to become a full fledged beer-ite.
Yes, I cringe whenever I see a Coors Light ad and yes, I know that the marketing crew at BMC is trying to fool us with “craft” stlye packaging and all, but if the beer’s good, why complain? Now if the beer sucks, well…
May 28th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Buddy, it’s all the same.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I applaud the folks Power Park for their beer upgrade efforts–now, if they would only work on concession stand efficiency.
We were there Saturday evening and the service was terrible. Most Little League programs have better organized and more efficient concessions, albeit without beer.
May 30th, 2008 at 10:41 am
The good beer stand is top notch.
Those folks in the concession stands where you buy food are ridiculous. Last time I was there, there were at least five people (quite possibly more) working behind one stand and they only had one register running and it would take like five minutes to get a corndog - after having had to stand in line.
May 30th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Geez! What happened to little league? Our little leauge (Go Chelsea!) not only served beer, but they had a beer vending machine in the club house! The league’s biggest fund raiser was the annual “Beer Bust” where one could drink schmidt’s in vast quantity and chew away on some of the tastiest steamed clams on the East coast.
Did the availability of beer assure that everyone in attendance was going to get drunk and unruly and all of the kids grow up to be Sterno-bums? Not at all… We grew up with the example of adults showing us what to expect and how to moderately and responsibly consume alcohol (except for coach Hank, R.I.P..).
I guess that revelation partially explains why I am the way I am
(I can eat three times my body weight in clams and crabs… And beer? let’s just say I have been known to consume it̷