Ein Prosit! Oktoberfest at Next Act

On Tuesday I met up with some friends at Next Act for their September edition of Cask Night. This month the cask held Alley Kat's Ein Prosit! Oktoberfest - a fruity, malty beer that's perfect for fall. It was so lovely we even went over to Alley Kat this evening for the official launch of the brew and picked up a six pack. (The Red Dragon Double IPA was also released today. Unlike the above brew, this IPA is incredibly hoppy.)

Besides the beer, Next Act was featuring a slightly strange burger that I couldn't resist - a peanut butter and bacon jam burger. Not surprisingly, the combo was incredibly rich, though it was tasty. Smooth peanut butter covered the bottom half of the bun, while jam and lots of garlic covered the top half. I was a fan at first bite, and I think Brenna was too.

All in all, another excellent cask night in Edmonton.

Cask Night at Next Act

The Next Act has been doing Cask Nights with Alley Kat, similar to Sugarbowl's, for several months now. Finally a first Tuesday of the month aligned with my schedule and Brenna and I met after work for a cask aged brew.

I've been shut out of several of Sugarbowl's Cask Nights - stuck at the door without a pint - so was happy to find Next Act fairly full with a couple tables to spare about 30 minutes before the cask would be tapped, with a small lineup forming once 6pm arrived.

After enjoying a pint of Brewberry Blueberry Wheat Ale along with a fish sandwich for me ($14) and a veggie burger (aka. The Drama Queen; $13) for Brenna, the cask was announced. We were looking forward to a pint of the Neopolean Neapolitan Stout but unfortunately found that the cask would be sans the strawberry and vanilla.

In the end the chocolate stout was a little too hoppy for our liking and wasn't as enjoyable as the creamy, slightly sweet Neapolitan Stout released last summer (it has also been re-released this summer and is available at Sherbrooke).

 

This cask certainly wasn't our favourite, but as we left we realized what we love about cask nights or new bottles of beer is that you never know quite what you're in for. Sometimes it's amazing, and once in awhile not so much. So I'm still hoping many more of my first Tuesdays of the month will include a trip to The Next Act for more cask sampling.

P.S. A couple (semi-sunny) weeks ago we finally got around to opening a lone bottle of the now retired Single Star - Alley Kat's Three Bears Oatmeal Stout aged in a Jack Daniel's barrel - that had been in the fridge since April. I really loved this one - rich with all the caramels from the whisky, and very enjoyable with Sunterra's bison, salsa and cheddar burgers.

A Next Act brunch

This past Saturday morning began perfectly as we stepped into Strathcona market and saw some green things at Morinville and Gull Valley Greenhouses. Completely unexpected, we've been eating green beans and arugula this week. So it's spring to me... for a couple moments anyhow.

As we left the market we decided it was finally time to head back to Next Act to check out the brunch situation, something we had been meaning to do for awhile now. The place was about half full with families and friends (ie. many post market shoppers) as we arrived around 11:30. We settled into a mimosa and a pint of Full Moon ($4 for the new moon!) and looked over the menus - both lunch and brunch are on starting at 11am.

Charles didn't waver from our last visit, again going with the pulled pork sandwich ($12) from the lunch menu. I was torn between the 'Pulled Pork Melt' (hashbrowns, pulled pork, poached egg, cheese, pea shoots and house salsa; $12) and the breakfast burrito ($10). I eventually decided on the latter, easily swayed by the thought of avocado and black beans.

Our food came out in no time, and as I cut into my crispy burrito, I was happy to find it full of soft scrambled eggs, plenty of avocado, green peppers, cheese and black beans. Though a little 'heat' would have been welcome, the salsa definitely added a bright freshness to the mix, and the crispy potatoes were a nice addition on the side - a little smoky and slightly spicy. My favourite thing on the plate was the smoothie shot - fresh and hinting at a blender full of banana, it was a great finish to the dish. Charles seemed to enjoy his pulled pork sandwich even more than our initial visit - a little more smoky, sticky and flavourful this time, I was working on the burrito long after the sandwich disappeared.

After our successful dinner stop last October, we were happy to find the same comfortable, friendly space and service, along with a small but well rounded brunch menu that added even more to Next Act's appeal. While we love venturing outside Old Strathcona, it's always nice to re-discover great spots in your own neighbourhood.

Next Act Pub
8224 104 Street
780.433.9345
Hours: M-Th (11am - 1am); F-Sa (11am - 2am); Su (11am - 2pm)

This past Sunday Next Act began the first of a series of Family Dinner Nights. Keep an eye on their website for details on the next one. Reservations required.