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March 19, 2008
23:35
Free the Hops
» ‎ Pub Crawlin'

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I’ve been so busy at work that I’ve been collapsing at home, unable to concentrate long enough to post, much less think about beer or anything else.

Well, there was that Bullfrog Smoked Porter my dad sent us, some Guinness left-over from the Irish Pumpkin Pie I baked, and the firkin tapping at Selin’s Grove which I have yet to post about - an event with Olde Frosty IPA on cask, Raspberry Baltic Porter and Snake Drive Stout.

Okay, I lied about the “not thinking of beer” part.

Regardless, I was inspired when I got home after a 12-hour day of work and sat down with D to watch the YouTube video featuring clips from the March 4 Alabama House of Representatives debate on HB196.

Through friendships we made with a contingent of Beer Advocate folks last April and September, I’ve learned a lot about the crazy laws in AL. Yes, they make PA look like a wonderland for beer (in terms of variety and availability on cask, we really are lucky.) It was disappointing to hear how stringent their laws are on homebrewing, container sizes, alcohol percentage…

In Alabama, beer is the only beverage with alcohol by volume restrictions. Wine, malt liquor and hard liquor have no restrictions. The law being proposed would put the limit at 13.9% ABV for beer (it is currently 6%.) In comparison, 190 proof liquor can be purchased in any Alabama state-run ABC store. I don’t know what our wine and liquor limits are in PA, and I’ve been playing librarian all day - I don’t feel like looking it up right now. But I do want to share a few quotes from opponents to the bill in the March 4 debate:

“What’s wrong with the beer we got? I mean, the beer we got drink pretty good, don’t it?” - Rep. Alvin Holmes
“You know, personally, I wanna keep those hops in captivity!” - Rep. Richard Laird “These are young people people from…I will use the term…from, maybe from Germany, that came in with Mercedes” - Rep. Thomas Jackson, when asked to explain who the Free the Hops Foundation is. “Most of this beer comes from other countries…it is wrong, it’s wrong to…[stumbles]…sell alcohol and put it to the lips of teenage kids. And that’s exactly what this bill is going to do.” - Rep. DuWayne Bridges

The Gourmet Beer Bill did pass - 48 yeas to 42 nays - a passage nearly four years in the making, which now goes on to the Senate.

Good luck, ya’ll. We’ll be watching and hoping for sensible legislation in Alabama. And I’ll be wearing my Free the Hops t-shirt when I go touring the breweries of Minnesota and Wisconsin next week.

23:08
Vine Park has Growlers!
» ‎ MNBeer - By, for and about Minnesota beer. Dedicated to MN breweries, brewpubs & homebrew

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After months (years?) of red tape, Vine Park Brewing has the appropriate license and is ready to dish it out!

From BA:

Vine Park Brewing in Saint Paul is proud to offer their first Growlers of beer for commercial sale. Our first batch is our Mulligan Ale, a highly hopped American Style IPA, brewed to be similar in style to Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale or Surly Furious.

There are only four kegs to each of our batches so we expect them to sell fast.

Vinepark is open T-F from 11 AM til 8 PM, and Saturday from 9:00 AM til 4 PM.

More info to follow.
If you have questions call us at 651-228-1355

22:37
Bless This Beer
» ‎ Musings Over a Pint

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Beer has long been a source of nourishment for some monks during the Lenten fast. Beer lovers can thank Catholic monks for developing many of the fine, and often strong, beers we enjoy today. We've been exploring some of these inspired beers over the past few weeks. Interestingly, before the true nature of yeast was understood, British brewers referred to this mysterious substance simply as 'God is Good', giving credit where credit is due. Indeed The Roman Ritual even includes a blessing for beer:
Lord, bless this creature, beer, which by your kindness and power has been produced from kernels of grain, and let it be a healthful drink for mankind. Grant that whoever drinks it with thanksgiving to your holy name may find it a help in body and in soul; through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

I'll drink to that!

However it seems not everyone would agree with the sentiment. Listen to this debate in the Alabama House of Representatives. This exchange over the "Free the Hops" legislation is at first humorous. But on further reflection, as one realizes that these are elected government officials, debating the rights of citizens, the situation becomes more troublesome.

22:17
Acadia Grand Re-Opening or Re-Grand Opening???
» ‎ MNBeer - By, for and about Minnesota beer. Dedicated to MN breweries, brewpubs & homebrew

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Acadia Cafe is having it’s Grand Re-Opening (or is it Re-Grand Opening???) next Friday, 3/28. Same great beers, same friendly staff, same live music, just a new location. I’ve had a chance to stop in several times and have enjoyed all my visits….sober or otherwise.

22:07
Recent Beer Cellaring Links From Around The Web
» ‎ The Brew Basement

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Hello everyone! I am VERY excited tonight - tomorrow is my absolute favorite beer drinking day of the year. Yes, it’s the first day of the NCAA college basketball tournament here in America (Go Siena!). Sports just doesn’t get better then this as far as I’m concerned.

I was going to write out a somewhat large science article, but screw it. I just don’t have the focus. Instead, let’s just check out some of the recent cellaring links from across the web.

Take some to and check out this pair of articles from beer authors (and bloggers) extraordinaire Stan Hieronymus and Lew Bryson both musing about the famous Belgian Brett-laced beer Orval. There’s some great discussion of the how the funky Brettanomyces character develops over time, and whether or not this beer is better fresh or aged. See Orval: I’ve never had this beer before (or maybe I have) (Bryson) and When is Orval best? (Hieronymus). If you’re interested in learning more about what Brett yeast are and how they impact beer, be sure to check out my articles on the subject, the first one being Brettanomyces: Putting Some Wild Funk In Your Beer.

There’s been a couple sightings of vintage smoked beers around the web recently. The Fermenting Barrel recently tried out a 10-year old Alaskan Smoked Porter, while The Brew Site tries out an aged Rogue Smoke Ale.

Pub Crawlin’ has a cool write up of a beer tasting event where several different vintage brews were broken out. The Thomas Hardy’s Ale from 1986 (22 years old!) was the winner of the evening!

And finally, I loved this tasting of the Belgian Pale Ale Duvel from Virgina Law Weekly (what a crazy place for a beer review!) I don’t have this beer cellared yet, but I will soon!

Have fun checking them out!

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com

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22:07
Recent Beer Cellaring Links From Around The Web
» ‎ The Brew Basement

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Hello everyone! I am VERY excited tonight - tomorrow is my absolute favorite beer drinking day of the year. Yes, it’s the first day of the NCAA college basketball tournament here in America (Go Siena!). Sports just doesn’t get better then this as far as I’m concerned.

I was going to write out a somewhat large science article, but screw it. I just don’t have the focus. Instead, let’s just check out some of the recent cellaring links from across the web.

Take some to and check out this pair of articles from beer authors (and bloggers) extraordinaire Stan Hieronymus and Lew Bryson both musing about the famous Belgian Brett-laced beer Orval. There’s some great discussion of the how the funky Brettanomyces character develops over time, and whether or not this beer is better fresh or aged. See Orval: I’ve never had this beer before (or maybe I have) (Bryson) and When is Orval best? (Hieronymus). If you’re interested in learning more about what Brett yeast are and how they impact beer, be sure to check out my articles on the subject, the first one being Brettanomyces: Putting Some Wild Funk In Your Beer.

There’s been a couple sightings of vintage smoked beers around the web recently. The Fermenting Barrel recently tried out a 10-year old Alaskan Smoked Porter, while The Brew Site tries out an aged Rogue Smoke Ale.

Pub Crawlin’ has a cool write up of a beer tasting event where several different vintage brews were broken out. The Thomas Hardy’s Ale from 1986 (22 years old!) was the winner of the evening!

And finally, I loved this tasting of the Belgian Pale Ale Duvel from Virgina Law Weekly (what a crazy place for a beer review!) I don’t have this beer cellared yet, but I will soon!

Have fun checking them out!

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com

ShareThis

21:51
Best Thing About Your Site: Exton Beverage Center - Exton, PA
» ‎ Beer Bits 2

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Who?
This is a bit of a local non-homebrew beer play here. Although I have purchased kegerator stuff from there ;-) Anyway, I just stopped over at Exton Beverage Center in Exton, PA. Greg, the owner, was there and we chatted for a bit. He mentioned that he gets hits from this site to his every now and then. I'm happy to help out anyway I can. Gotta support the local guys that deserve it :-)

What do I like best about this site?
It isn't about the site at all really. Exton Beverage Center is a solid Pennsylvania beer distributor (its a PA thing) that handles some of the finest beer you can get your hands on in the state of Pennsylvania. Their sixtel selection has to be one of their crown jewels though. Check it out! They are open in the afternoon on Sundays too (again a PA novelty thing).

Cheers!

21:35
Arborfest 2008
» ‎ MNBeer - By, for and about Minnesota beer. Dedicated to MN breweries, brewpubs & homebrew

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April 25, 2008
5:30 pm to 9:00 pm
[www.familytreeclinic.org]

What: Arborfest is an evening featuring the best locally hand-crafted beers to sample, music, tasty eats, a brewery swag raffle & competition, non-alcoholic drinks, and a darn good time!

When: Friday, April 25th from 5:30 - 9pm

Where: Arborfest is held inside Kagin Commons on the Macalester College Campus. 1600 Grand Ave St. Paul MN 55105.

How Much: $45 (includes processing fees) gets you a commemorative tasting glass which you can fill with your choice of over 50+ different beer samples, live music, food and a festive atmosphere. $30 of the ticket price is tax deductable - your ticket acts as receipt.

21:17
Buy yourself something pretty
» ‎ a beer sort of blog

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I stopped by Batson on my way home tonight. Picked up some beer for the hubby, who had a full day, and 2 kinds of beer for me, who is having a full day/week/month/year. For him was the-beer-who-cannot-be-named, and for me, two little experiments:

An 8.45 oz bottle of Sam Adams Triple Bock. It cost $4.30 at Batson, and the hand written shelf sign read, "Poor Man's Utopia." I had no idea what it was, so I bought it. According to the Beer Advocate, it is something Sam Adams brewed for limited releases, with the most recent being 1997. So technically, this beer was brewed last the year I turned 21, if not before. Neat. Straight from the site:
We recommend serving it at room temperature in a snifter a few ounces at a time - one bottle should generously serve two to three. Its warming malt character and fruit esters make it an ideal after dinner aperitif. Due to legal restrictions, Samuel Adams® Triple Bock® can not be sold in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia.
It is a crazy, black, oily looking substance, that apparently many dislike and contains massive amounts of alcohol. So I need a crazy beer testing friend for sharing. The husband won't drink motor oil!

The other is a Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout. Double chocolate stout just sounds yummy, and the site calls it decadent. I am hoping so. Decadent would be nice right now.

21:04
#195 ODell - Imperial Stout
» ‎ Year of Beer

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The prefix Imperial is thrown on beers frequently. Russian Imperial Stout is the only BJCP recognized imperial style, but there are Imperial IPAs and Imperial Porters available. The Russian Imperial Stout was named because the beer had more alcohol so it could make the trip to Russia to be giving to the Imperial family.

This imperial stout has a lot of oxidized raisin aroma mixed with some earthy and roasted smells. The color is black and opaque. The head is thick and brown with long lasting retention.

The taste is very malty and roasty. The malt flavors are dark roast malt and coffee with some tannins just tons of dark malt taste. There is a hint of hop floral flavors and hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied. The finish is dry and roasty with a tannin bitterness.

There is just too much dark malt in this beer. I was excited for an imperial stout, but I think it is too much. This reminds me of the Guinness extra stout, better than the Guinness but both with too much malt. And too dry a finish.

20:57
Book Review: "Beer and Skittles", Richard Boston
» ‎ A Good Beer Blog

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A Good Beer Blog --
This arrived from a used book shop in the UK yesterday and, today being off sick, it was a great opportunity to rip through this book in record pace. Richard Boston was the columnist for the then Manchester Guardian whose weekly "Boston on Beer" is credited as being as important as the early days of CAMRA in raising public awareness of the impending loss of real ale that England faced in the early 1970s. He passed away late in 2006.
I had hoped that this book would be a reprinting of his columns but it is more of a reworking from the point of view in 1976 - not a bad thing but it covers a lot of ground later beer writers like Cornell, Brown and Haydon dealt with in more detail. That being said, it is still a real treat. Boston left beer behind and went on to many other things in his life with a engaging eccentricity but his 1970s beer writing played an important role in preparing the public appetite for the writings of Michael Jackson whose first book, The English Pub was published in the same year.
The book includes information on the history of beer; home brewing and cooking with beer; a guide to where to find real ale 32 years ago as well as a handy discussion on the elements of the pub. This section includes descriptions of games such as Toad in the Hole and Bar Billiards - and contains a passage of incredible value, a description of both the rules and manners required to play shove-ha'penny. Through my tireless (but somewhat fruitless) efforts in relation to The Pub Game Project, I have placed shove-ha'penny on the list of those games I might actually get to play. Manners, as is the biggest part of any game, are critical:
How do you decide if a coin is in, or if it is just touching the line? Some boards have sunken brass dividing lines that can be raised to see if they move the coin or not. Some players run the edge of a piece of paper or the blade of a knife or engineering feelers between the coin and the line. This is poor stuff. The rule is that the coin must not only be in, it must be clearly seen to be in. If you have to ask a scorer for a decision, then it's out. A good player will never argue the issue.
Throughout the book, Boston is both grumpily entertaining and keenly critical. Of CAMRA he writes "it has been said that some of their members would drink castor oil if it came from a hand pump and would reject nectar if it had no more than looked at carbon dioxide." Filled with relevant poetic quotes, illustrative anecdotes as well as charm, it captures a moment in time that has turned out to be critical to the development of real ale in the UK as well as North American craft brewing. Long out of publication, Beer and Skittles is well worth the sort of price you will pay if you find it second hand

20:06
Top 6 - Best Beer Supermarkets in New Zealand
» ‎ RealBeer.co.nz

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Yes it has been a few weeks since the last Top 6, and yes Neil you were right, a weekly post is harder than it seems. I think the Top 6 Beer Towns was too big for the format, too much information, on top of that, coordinating the release of Epic Lager, I just haven't had the time or focus. Anyway back into it with Top 6 Best Beer Supermarkets The Top 6 are.....

19:55
London's Little Italy
» ‎ Stonch's Beer Blog

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London's Little Italy

18:52
Dissoved O2 Part 2
» ‎ Homebrew Beer Blog

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Just a quick update on my dissolved O2 adventures. I updated the earlier post to note that four days after oxygenating the jug of water is still holding over 15 ppm of O2. That’s basically 2x atmosphere. That’s a bit surprising. This is a big dump on the whole diffusion protection theory – at least in a glass carboy.

Last week I also ran my experiment. I made two 0.75 gal batches of test wort. 1.048 w/ 0.3g yeast nutrient. I pitched a fresh-ish vial of WLP833, and using mrmalty, I figure with its age it’s about 1.5 million cells/ml/P in each. One got a little more because splitting a vial isn’t all that easy. Anyway, one got 10 ppm of O2, the other got blasted. I put both at about 56 degrees until signs of fermentation, then dropped it to 48.

Fermentation is wrapping up on that experiment. The 10 ppm one got the extra yeast, so hopefully that isn’t going to mess things up. It started to show fermentation about 5-6 hours earlier than the other. Right now the supersaturated jug is a little sulfury, so it seems to be a day behind or so. I poured a test and it’s way too early to get a smell test, particularly with the sulfur one. It could simply be powers of suggestion, but I think I might with carbonation drops for a full effect.

I mention this now because Thursday I’m planning to brew up that Two Hearted clone. I plan to take the second runnings and make up two more 3/4 gal test batches. I’ve got a starter of WLP820 ready for it. This will test actual wort, and not extract, and also it will run through the starter process. I plan to do one with 10 ppm and supersaturate again and see what happens.

Really though, I need to do a full split batch again. With the IPA, I’ll do that with 8 ppm and see what happens. I never really had issues that ale yeast, but it will be interesting to see if there’s some kind of difference, hopefully an improvement.
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18:48
The best thing about your homebrew site...
» ‎ Beer Bits 2

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Yep that's what I'm gonna tell you. I've let my list of links I'm checkin' out get too big. I need to harvest some of those and move them on up to my regular list or something. While I'm sorting through this stuff I'll post what I like about your site right here.

Maybe I'll come up with a new way to categorize them. We'll see.

Cheers!

17:41
Easter Monday at The Abbot on the Hill
» ‎ Great Canadian Pubs and Beer

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On March 7th, I headed over to the Summerhill LCBO to visit the Roland and Russell team, as they poured samples of Urbock 23 and chatted with interested customers. They even gave me a bottle of Gouden Caroule Easter Beer, which has a great label.

The owners of the Abbot on the Hill were also there handing out some delicious appetizers and handing out menu's to their wonderful gastropub. I got talking with Adam (1 of the owners) about the Easter menu they are preparing and last night he emailed me a copy and a brief update on what's happening on the Hill.

- We are launching Abbot Ale on draft soon and have exclusive rights to it in Toronto

- We are Officialy launching Bavaria for Premier Brands and have a Three course dinner lined up in mid April where a representative from the Bavaria Brewery will be speaking about Bavaria, Le Trappe , and last but not least the La Trappe Bock. This Bock is the only trappist bock in existence and it is the 1st time in the western hemisphere. There will only be one keg of the Bock and then its gone.

For those that have visited the Hill, you know how well they pair their food with beer, so it's no surprise how fabulous this menu sounds. For those that haven't made it there yet, it is definitely worth a visit. The food is great, the beer is fresh and unique and the servers are both very knowledgeable and friendly.

Here is the five course Easter Monday Menu:
There will be seatings at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM, and the cost is $65. Call (416) 920-9074 to reserve.
Margriet
A Belgium one of a kind. Brewed to honour two powerful founding women from the town of Mechelen.

Seared sea scallops
Frissee salad
Lime chilli dressing

St Martin Blonde
The epitome of true abbey ale.

Smoked salmon stuffed cucumber
Gazpacho drizzle

St Martin Brune
The darker more mature sibling to the St Martin Blonde

Gorgonzola and brie cheesecake
Pruscitto
Raisin puree

Gouden Caroule Easter Beer
Bold lemony, with a rich and creamy head. Only 2000 cases are made a year.

Rabbit fricassee
Apricot preserves
Spiced pecans

Boscoulis
Exclusive to Abbot on the Hill. Fruity and jammy with the perfect combination of sweet and tart attributes.

Battered banana & homemade cider ice cream

17:23
A Dozen Great Beers on tap when Hopworks opens on March 25th
» ‎ The Beer Here - OregonLive.com

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From Hopworks brewer Ben Love: When we open next tuesday we'll be pouring 12 beers. HUB Lager, Velvet ESB, Crosstown Pale, Hopworks IPA, Survival "Seven Grain" Stout, Deluxe Organic Ale, Cultivator Doppelbock, El Diablo, Abominable Winter Ale, Kentucky Christmas...

17:19
Black and Everything
» ‎ Brookston Beer Bulletin

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My friend and colleague, Greg Kitsock, had an article last week in the Washington Post that got me thinking. It was titled Another Layer of Enjoyment and tackled the issue of blending beer, especially with Guinness, as in beer cocktails. It was written to coincide, one presumes, with the then impending St. Patrick’s Day holiday. The two most common of these are a Black & Tan — which Guinness has long promoted as Guinness and Bass Ale (the two shared distribution for many years) — and a Half & Half, which is Guinness and Harp Lager, also a Guinness product. Obviously generic stout and a pale ale or lager may be substituted, but as Guinness has promoted the combinations for such a long time, they are well and truly most closely associated with those brands. I once got into a huge row with the copy editor that Beverages & more used to employ when she changed my text for our March newsletter and switched Black & Tan to Guinness and Harp, and vice versa, without consulting me, so the paper went out to thousands of Club Bev members (the company’s loyalty card) with the wrong information and my name on the item as the author. She was one of those insufferable people who felt they already knew everything and couldn’t conceive of ever being wrong. Surprisingly enough, many continue to spread confusion, with plenty of websites — even bartending websites — with conflicting definitions, including a few that contradict themselves. So perhaps the dilemma is not as well-settled as I believed.

Even Wikipedia, which states that the term Black & Tan, in its meaning as a mixed beer drink, was first recorded in 1899. It’s not listed in my OED, so I can’t confirm that. But after beginning by claiming the two drinks are as I think they should be, they later in the article state that “[t]he two most common types of Black and Tan in the United States use Guinness Draught (not Extra Stout) and either Bass, or Harp Lager,” [my emphasis] which at best is contradictory. When you consider that Harp Lager was first launched in 1960, it’s seems hard to imagine that after 61 years of Black & Tan meaning one thing that it should suddenly make no difference what kind of beer is used, but then I presume the Wikipedia folks who wrote that entry were not on to the finer points of what makes a lager and an ale different. Perhaps they simply assumed a light colored beer is a light colored beer.

I know these drinks are just marketing gimmicks, and possibly not even worthy of discussion, but that ’s the anal-retentive in me. Is there some confusion about what goes in a martini or a gin and tonic? I just think there should be some consensus, that’s all. Am I asking too much? Anyway, there are actually plenty more of these type of mixed beer drinks, many of which are black and something, like black and red or black and orange. Wikipedia has a huge list and a website, No Sheep, has a few more as well. Personally, my favorite thing to add to Guinness is just a few drops Crème de Cassis, which gives it just a touch of berry sweetness. But I’ve never had a name for it — I suppose I could call it a black & currant or a black & black.

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17:10
Duh dun DDDDDDUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH
» ‎ Flossmoor Beer Blog

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17:06
Homebrewing a Blonde Abbey Ale
» ‎ Nate's Beer and Brewing Blog

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It's pretty crappy out today, like it has been all week, and the rain just keeps coming. Well, what better activity to chase away the March blahs than beer brewing!

This evening, I'm making a partial mash-extract Blonde Abbey Ale, based on a Leffe Blonde clone recipe.

To start, I'm adding 3.5qt of 155 °F filtered water to: 2.5lb 2-row pilsner malt; 4.0oz each Belgian biscuit, Belgian aromatic, German Munich malts; and 2.0oz honey malt.

I let that sit at ~141 °F for 30 minutes. Now, I'm borrowing a simple picnic cooler and putting the grains into a grain sock, so adequately mixing the grains is difficult and I'm sure I'm going to have cold spots in there which will affect the efficiency. But it's my first partial mash (PM), so not everything is optimal. My next step will be to buy my own mini cooler (this is Dave's cooler) and add a screen at the bottom so that I don't have to keep using grain socks.

While this was going on, I brought 2 gallons of filtered water to a boil on the stove. By the time 30 minutes was up, the water was down to about 200 °F. I added roughly 1.5qts of this into the cooler to bring the temperature up to ~150 °F, and I let that sit for 60 minutes.

At this point Jon arrived, and we chatted for a bit over a Weihenstephaner Korbinian, a German Doppelbock. He stepped out for an errand, and I prepped the sparge water by bringing the temperature up to ~178 °F.

Sparged and drew off enough liquor, as best I could ... difficult without a true grain bed. Regardless, I got at least 1.5 gallons of wort. Brought this to a boil, then added 6lbs of Extra Light DME, then added enough water to make ~2.5 gallons for the boil.

After the hot break, I added about 5oz of clear candi sugar and 1oz of Brewers Gold (6.8%AA). Boiled for 45 minutes and added irish moss and about 0.7oz of Hallertau Hersbrucker (3.3%AA) for flavor. Meanwhile, Jon had returned with Autumn, and we watched some goofy crap on YouTube, like Star Wars kid and the Sarah Silverman/Jimmy Kimmel video war (with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck) ... all the while sipping a nice Nils Oscar Imperial Stout, which I'd had before during a hedonistic RateBeer Summer Gathering in Stockholm (Jul 04). Good to try it again.

Boiled another 15 minutes, killed the heat, and put the pot in the sink to chill. Brought the volume up to ~5.2 gallons and checked the O.G. (1.072!). I then added a slap pack of Wyeast 1214 Abbey Ale and a year+old pack of Wyeast 1762 Abbey Ale II. Temperature was about 65 °F, so I capped it off and set the bucket next to the radiator.

And that, for a rainy Wednesday, is that.

17:06
The Bells are tolling-----for us thankfully!!
» ‎ What's Brewin' in the Florida Panhandle!

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Stopped in to our local convenience market last Saturday to pick up a few brews for the FSU baseball game that afternoon.....wasn't looking for anything special just a few Widemers or something of the like to quench that "more than one beer" baseball thirst. The usual selection wouldn't normally make you look twice, but as I scanned the brew cooler my eyes were met with a huge surprise. Not one, not two, but six varieties of beer produced by one of my top 5 US microbrewers....Bells Brewing out of Kalamazoo MI. Let's see they had the Amber Ale, Oberon Ale, Two Hearted Ale, Special Double Cream Stout, Kalamazoo Stout, Java Stout, and their superb Expedition Stout. They're all premium priced, but if you've ever ordered it online (like me) you'd see that the price is very competitive with internet sales....plus it's just a short drive away. Chan's on the beach has Two Hearted and Oberon (probably Kalamazoo too) right now. I'd imagine they'll have the others soon.....but there's no way I ever would've thought this local grocery would carry brew from this outstanding Michigan brewery. Wow, if we can get their Hopslam and Third Coast Ale I'll not need to look for my beer anyplace else. Do yourself a favor....try some...heck, try them all!! You'll not be disappointed. UPDATE****Chris from Chans notified me that they currently stock all the above Bells brews which is great news for you denizens of the beach side of town.....stop by and give Bells a try!! ****

16:58
Hook & Ladder Brewing Company Makes Long Island Debut at Craft Beer Festival
» ‎ CURE FOR WHAT ALES YOU

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The Hook & Ladder Brewing Company, one of the fastest growing craft brewery companies in the country, will be making their Long Island debut at the Spring Craft Beer Festival on March 29th at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.

“Festival attendees are in for a real treat,” said Andy Calimano, Event Producer. “Not only does Hook & Ladder produce some awesome beer, they are also tremendous supporters of the firefighter community. It will be great to see them expand their fan base here on Long Island,” he added.

Awarded a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Golden Ale, the Hook & Ladder Brewing Company from Silver Spring, Maryland is also praised for the financial support they give back to the local firefighter communities. Brew Master and Founder, Rich Fleischer, is a Maryland firefighter who has combined his two passions to create the Hook & Ladder Brewing Company.

Through their donation programs, A Penny in Every Pint® and A Quarter in Every Case™, they give back to support the firefighter community where each beer purchase is made. In the last 18 months alone, they donated $30,000 to burn centers and hospitals helping firefighters recover from injury.

Hook & Ladder brewing company produces three beers: Hook & Ladder Golden Ale®, a premium beer with a light to medium body; the Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown®, a smooth and refreshing beer loaded with flavor; and the Hook & Ladder LIGHTER™, a flavorful beer with a lighter body.

“We are thrilled to introduce our beer, for the first time ever, to Long Islanders at the Spring Craft Beer Festival. We can’t wait to do some sampling at the fest and we look forward to meeting many of the local firefighters who attend,” said Fleischer. “We’ve already met with hospital administrators in both Nassau and Suffolk to ready our give back programs on Long Island,” he added.

The 2nd annual Spring Craft Beer Festival brings together more than 50 of the nation’s top craft breweries for a spectacular tasting event. The event will have two sessions: 12-4pm and 5:30-9:30pm. A limited number of tickets will be sold. Tickets can be purchased at www.springcraftbeerfestival.com or at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum’s box office during regular business hours for $45 each. Designated driver tickets are available for $10 each. 21+ with valid photo ID only.

The event is produced by Starfish Junction Productions and sponsored by WBAB 102.3 FM, Long Island Press, Superstar Beverage, and TJ Finleys. This event will raise funds for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and a food drive will be conducted for Long Island Cares. This event is sanctioned by the New York State Brewers Association.

April 25, 2008
5:30 pm	to	9:00 pm

really simple BEER syndication » March 19, 2008

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