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Slow Fest – A Celebration of Session Beer

Tim Brady — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:49:25 +0000

In April, the first ever Slow Fest was held in Boston, MA. Put on by Dig Publishing (the folks who publish Beer Advocate Magazine), Slow Fest was a celebration of low alcohol beers (under 5% alcohol by volume or ABV). As a big “session beer” fan (a term used to describe lower alcohol beers) I was excited to get a chance to attend this event.

The Slow Fest included over 30 breweries, including some that would surprise you to know brew quite a few low alcohol beers, like Stone and Victory. In addition, the Slow Fest incorporated an element of slow food to accompany the “slow” beer.

Slow Food is a movement that is centered around getting people to be more aware of where their food comes from and taking the time to enjoy meals. It’s essentially the complete opposite of “Fast Food”. A perfect pairing for craft beer, which despite a debate on the definition of the term, really is the opposite of mass produced beer.

The event was a great chance to try a lot of flavorfull beers, perfect as the temperatures rise and session beers become more of what I crave.

Hopefully they will do this event again next year. If they do I will certainly be there, and as always, I”’ be here for the beer.

American Craft Beer Fest ACBF Boston MA 2010

Tim Brady — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:49:56 +0000

In this quick episode, I take a trip out to Boston for the night to check out the East Coast’s largest craft beer event – the American Craft Beer Fest.

With over 80 breweries and 400+ beers available to sample, the fest is well equipped to handle the 12,000 attendees that will pass through in the weekend.

I had the chance to talk to the founders of Beer Advocate and this event, the Alström Brothers, Jason and Todd, about this 3rd year event. Even as the doors just opened, they shared expansion plans for next year. The Bro’s have really raised the bar on craft beer festivals and often tailor those events to the craft beer lover. In this case, they share that the ACBF is geared more toward introducing craft beer to those who may not make it an everyday first choice.

Overall the event had that feel to it, but not in a bad way. There was a strong regional representation, with most brands being from MA and the surrounding area. It gave me an opportunity to revisit some of my local favorites, as well as sample some new breweries I had yet to try. I attended the Friday night session, which is usually the quieter of the 3 sessions, and didn’t have to wait long to taste anything. I was impressed that the longest lines were at some of the smallest breweries, a testament to the crowd and the work that Beer Advocate (and other craft beer supporters) do to put focus on these smaller brands.

Overall it was a nice night out in Boston and it was great to see some fellow beer geek friends that I tend to only run into at these events. I look forward to the next Beer Advocate event, sure to be shared right here – on here for the beer!

PS – If you are interested in attending tonight, there are still tickets remaining on the Beer Advocate website.

Brattleboro Brewers Festival 2010

Tim Brady — Wed, 26 May 2010 22:55:12 +0000

We are happy to say that the first ever Brattleboro Brewers Festival was this past weekend and it was a great time. 40 breweries were represented, with many brewmasters and owners actually coming out to show their support and pour. Big breweries and small came together with great music from local favorites Peter Miles and Terrapin Island as well as great food from Vermont Country Deli (who actually created 7 dishes with beers from the festival), North End Butchers and Top of the Hill Grill. Thankfully the weather held out and it was a beautiful day for a festival.

Check out our video to see a quick overview of the event (we were pretty busy during and didn’t get to give it a real “hereforthebeer” production). There is also a great series of photos of the festival taken by Mallory Finnley over on her Flickr page.

If you were able to come out for the fest, we would love to know your thoughts – post a comment here or on facebook. If you didn’t make it this year, we hope that you will be able to make it next year. Keep an eye on the Brattleboro Brew Fest website or right here on here for the beer for the details. Cheers!

Northshire Brewery in Bennington, VT

Amy Brady — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:08:23 +0000

It’s been a great year for Vermont beer. Since January of 2010 Vermont has welcomed three new breweries including Northshire Brewery in Bennington, VT; The Brewery at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT and Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro, VT.

In this video we meet Earl McGoff from Northshire Brewery. Earl and his friend Chris opened Northshire Brewery as a passion project. The both continue to hold their full time jobs, opening the brewery in a garage building right behind their current employer. Talk about taking your home brewing hobby to a larger scale. These guys scored a used 7 barrel setup from a brewery in Florida and are just putting beers into the market this month.

Their flagship beer is the Equinox Pilsner, which is kept in the fermentation tanks for a full 8 weeks. Earl realizes that this is not the most cost effective way to produce a Pilsner, but in his opinion it is the right way to produce a Pilsner. At 4.2% ABV this is the perfect summer beer. We hope you enjoy meeting Earl as much as we did and if you would like to try this beer, stay with us at Forty Putney Road B&B where we have it on draft. Or you could just try it at one of the other few lucky pubs to have it. But why not make a weekend out of it with us at our inn :)

Speaking of making a weekend out of it – this weekend we will have the opportunity to meet Allan Van Anda the brewer at The Brewery at Trapp Family Lodge and Shawn Hill from Hill Farmstead Brewery at the first annual Brattleboro Brewers Festival and Pub Crawl. Tickets are still available, we hope that you will join us there!

National Homebrew Day

Dan Keashen — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:02:06 +0000

We didn’t produce a homebrew day video this year (check out our video from last year here). This year’s video contest entries are posted and I have been watching them all morning (here) on YouTube and it’s making me thirsty.

Fortunately our newest contributor (an actual writer!) Dan spent National Homebrew Day at his first brew day event, in Maple Shade NJ. Here’s his story…

MAPLE SHADE, NJ – The cast iron bell had rung and then was rung again for good measure. It was the sign that the Barley Legal Home Brew club reached its 100 gallon goal in the parking lot of the Iron Hill Brewery. Home brewers from the Philadelphia region pitched their tents and set-up their brewing equipment on a steamy blacktopped parking lot as a tribute to National Homebrew Day.

National Homebrew Day’s lineage dates back to 1988 when Congress proclaimed May 7 to be a celebrated day by beer geeks across the country. With that said, home brewing goes hand in hand with the founding of our country. You only have to look back to our founding father Thomas Jefferson, who kept a small brewery in his home.

Under the blistering sun, Chris Lapierre, the head brewer at Iron Hill’s Maple Shade, New Jersey location, cut a steady path from the brewery to the festival assisting local home brewers with water and other supplies to make sure the event got off the ground. Wearing his brewing galoshes and wiping sweat from his brow, Lapierre said Iron Hill played a critical role in providing the space, but local motivation was the catalyst for the event.

“This how I started out – I was a home brewer before I got into the business. Two out of the three owners of Iron Hill use to brew beer and play soccer together, that was their passion and that’s how they go into this business,” Lapierre said. “We have a great following from home brewers and they are our best customers, so we do as much as we can to support them.” Lapierre said Iron Hill offers second runnings to home brewers and provides the home brew club, Barley Legal, with its back dining room as meeting place.

As the music blared and grills were turned on high, about 30 home brew teams were working on a variety of different styles of beer. Dave Greenbaum was doing his part for the celebration by brewing a wheat beer and keeping an altbier and scotch ale on tap to quench his thirst while laboring over the mash and monitoring the brewing process.

“I got into brewing back in 1993 and really enjoyed the camaraderie that is created with other brewers,” Greenbaum said. “There is no competition out here, just a bunch of guys enjoying the day talking, creating and drinking beer.”

Close by, Vince Masciandaro and his son were brewing an American pale ale. He spoke enthusiastically on the benefits of home brewing.

“We are brewing beer just as good as the big guys and this is an economical way to drink beer,” Masciandaro said. “Look at this, you got all these guys out here sharing ideas and having a good time and speaking the same language.”

As the day winded down Lapierre looked back over the parking lot and admired the equipment that many of the brewers trucked in from all over the region.

“I’ll tell you what, a lot of this equipment is really impressive and I’m jealous of some beer that is being brewed our here today.”

Novare Res Bier Cafe Portland Maine

Tim Brady — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:57:15 +0000

We have been busy getting ready for the Brattleboro Brewers Festival recently and unfortunately that has put a damper on editing our videos. So that explains Amy’s winter clothes in this video from our great Portland Maine trip. In this episode we check out Novare Res Bier Cafe. A killer downtown beer bar hidden in the back of an alleyway in Portland.

We got a full tour from their beer manager Shahin Khojastehzad and shared a few great beers including the Rosé de Gambrinus from Cantillon which we had never tried (Side note, we are completely getting into the sour beers recently. Chris Lively would be so proud).

Novare Res has probably the coolest mug club we have ever seen, with a chained up gated room for mug holders to secure their belongings and chill on busy nights. The atmosphere, food and of course beer list, were all top notch.

Fun fact, the Novare Res was opened by the former Moan and Dove manager Eric Michaud. As a tribute to the connection, one bar stool from the Moan and Dove is at Novare Res while one of their bar stools is down at the Moan and Dove.

Well, back to preparing the beer list for the Brattleboro Brewers Festival, hope to see you there and if you stop by Novare Res (as you should) tell them that here for the beer sent you!

Novare Res Bier Cafe
novareresbiercafe.com
4 Canal Plz
Portland, ME 04101-4034
(207) 761-2437

Maine Beer Company

Tim Brady — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:14:08 +0000

A few ~~weeks~~ months ago we took a trip to Portland Maine and were lucky enough to get to peep into Maine Beer Company. Co-Founder David Kleban gave us a tour around the small startup brewery and talked to us about their beer and their plans.

The Peeper Ale (or Spring Peeper as it was called at the time) is a fresh west-coast style (their description) hoppy pale ale. The beer was certainly good, but it seems that David and his brother Dan will be hanging onto their day jobs for now, only brewing as time permits. The folks over at the Portland based beer blog www.blogaboutbeer.com did a nice post on the brewery and the beer, so be sure to check that out.

Maine Beer Company will also be at our first ever Brattleboro Brewers Festival this May, in Brattleboro Vermont. So if you are looking to meet Dan and David or to try their newest brews, be sure to swing by the here for the beer tent at the fest.

On a side note, sorry for the delay in getting these out there. We have some really exciting news (that we can’t share until the end of the summer!) that has kept us from being able to upload anything for a few weeks. We appreciate your patience (and the couple of “are you guys ok?” emails!) as we get back in the swing of things here.

We were lucky enough to score a few bottles of Spring Peeper Ale so I think we will be popping one open this evening in celebration of our getting back to the blog :)

Vermont Bans Out of State Beer

Tim Brady — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:20:31 +0000

In a shocking move this morning, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas announced that, in an effort to support local brewers, out of state beers would no longer be allowed in the State of Vermont.

“It’s a difficult time for small businesses and breweries in Vermont are feeling the impact.” Said local beer mogul, Moe Szyslak. “This move will help Vermont beer thrive.”

One of the biggest concerns is the border towns. Many Vermonters already cross into tax free New Hampshire to do their shopping and some are concerned that this may lead to them heading over the border for their drinking.

“Vermont has so many great beers, I don’t know why anyone would have to leave the state for a beer.” Szyslak continued, “I personally sell a lot of Duff in my Springfield pub, but I am not averse to selling some Otter Creek or McNeils up here.”

We will continue to keep you up to date on this story. A follow up press conference is scheduled for today, April 1st, at 4pm.

For all of the latest be sure to keep an eye on here for the beer or follow us on facebook or twitter.

The Brewers Plate 2010

Dan Keashen — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:49:51 +0000

The sixth annual Brewers Plate event was held for the first time at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Standing in the shadows of Franklin Field, brewers and restaurateurs from throughout the Philadelphia region came together in the name of craft beer and in support of the non-profit Fair Food. The gala was held among 4,000 year artifacts from ancient Egypt which provided a backdrop for Philadelphia’s foodies and beer geeks as they comingled in the name of charity.

“This is a huge event and the people are here for good beer,” David Hoffman, of Climax Brewing, said. “We have people here that are more aware of craft beer, and know that the Philly and New York area are turning out some damn good beer. This event shows that brewing ain’t all about the west coast and hop bombs – it’s about solid balanced beer.”

While Hoffman riffed on brewing in the region and served up his nut brown ale, he was well positioned next to Village Whiskey as they passed out samples of their bbq pork sandwich. The small speakeasy themed restaurant was serving up a perfect compliment to the surrounding brewers’ beer from Flying Fish and Dog Fish Head.

For the brewers and chefs, this was a place to present their creations and educate the consumer. Beau Baden, brew master from the Bethlehem BrewWorks, said the venue provided him with a unique opportunity.

“People that come to this event are usually curious and have a lot of questions,” Baden said. “This gives us a chance, as a craft brewery, to really showcase our beers and explain how well they go with the food selections here tonight. We can tell people how well spicy food can be complimented by hoppy beer, which sets this event apart from others.”

After a taste of the Boaks Russian Imperial stout paired with chocolate cupcakes and a solid Beligan Golden Ale from Triumph Brewing, it was time to go downstairs and explore the rest of the show.

A favorite attraction downstairs was a sampling of cheeses from the Pennsylvania Farmstead and Artisan Cheese Alliance, and the tremendous offerings from DiBruno Bros. Bill Covaleski brought two gems with him from his Victory Brewing Co. – the Smokin’ Oats Porter and St. Boisterous- a full bodied lager in the traditional Maibock style. Both beers provided an excellent pairing with the selection of cheeses and gourmet chocolates from John & Kira.

For the general public this event is a day to celebrate and unite craft beer and gourmet food from the region. Covaleski emphasizes that for the event organizers, the real focus of the day is on raising funds and supporting a nonprofit that works to promote healthy, local food systems.

All proceeds from the event benefited Fair Food, which is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing locally grown food to the marketplace and promoting a humane, sustainable agriculture system for the Greater Philadelphia region.

For more information visit the Brewers Plate website or keep an eye on here for the beer for the latest from the Philadelphia area from our newest contributor, Dan.

Kate The Great 2010

Tim Brady — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:41:03 +0000

VIDEO – This video is just a quick look at another fun filled Kate the Great day at Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth New Hampshire (check out last year’s adventure here). While the bottles were gone by 5:30am, the taps were flowing with what brewmaster Tod Mot called “his best work ever”.

We love “beer day’s” as they bring together a community of like minded (beer geeky) people and allow for a day of great beer conversation and sampling. Even though there was some talk of the desperation to get a bottle of Kate, the talk was more often about the individuals quest than it was of their disappointment. The moral of the story shared by most: be here really early next year if you want a bottle of this great beer.

In the end it was another great event hosted by Portsmouth Brewery and another tasty glass of Kate the Great for here for the beer. Who knows, one of these years we might just get out there early enough to meet this guy…

HereForTheBeer.com » Beer Blog

Slow Fest – A Celebration of Session Beer

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American Craft Beer Fest ACBF Boston MA 2010

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Vermont Bans Out of State Beer

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