HereForTheBeer.com » Brewpubs

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…

Dogfish Head – The Story Behind the Name and the Brewery

Tim Brady — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:41:44 +0000

VIDEO – On the night before the night before Christmas in 2009, we attended a beer dinner at the Sierra Grill in Northampton Massachusetts. The dinner was hosted by Sam Calagione, the founder and president of Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Delaware. Throughout the night, Sam shared some great stories about himself and the brewery. This is the first is a series of episodes sharing those anecdotes with you.

In this video Sam talks about how Dogfish Head got its name, how the brewery was started and a bit about the recent world of Dogfish Head. Be sure to check out the other segments from this event right here, on here for the beer!

Victory Brewing Company

Amy Brady — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:55:25 +0000

This episode features Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA. I talk with co-founder and brewer Ron Barchet about there newly renovated pub and brewery. Ron shares some of the history of the growing Victory Brewing Company and introduces their attempt at using Bret in their new variation of the Hop Devil.

Being from the Philadelphia area we have been fans of Victory Brewing Company for many years now. I was impressed from the first moment we walked through the doors. Our last visit to Victory was about 3 years ago. Back then the pub had an industrial charm and was plopped in the center of the brewery, separated by big glass walls. While Tim really liked the industrial “realness” of the old pub, the new place is far more cozy and efficient.

Because of all the great footage we got with Ron, we have split this episode into 2 parts. This is a general interview and look around the pub and restaurant. The next episode will be the full brewery tour – with a great look at some of the things that separate Victory from the crowd. If you haven’t already seen it, we also have a cool segment on their 20 flavor growler filler.

A final note – these episodes were taped in April of 2009, but the death of our editing computer held off their release until now.

Terrapin Beer Company – Athens, Georgia

Amy Brady — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:00:39 +0000

In this episode, we head to Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, GA. We meet with owners and co-founders John Cochran and Brian “Spike” Buckowski, who is also the head brewer.

We were lucky enough to be there on a Saturday evening, just in time to enjoy their beer tasting and tour. I must admit this was one of the most entertaining brewery tastings I had ever been to. The atmosphere was great, we were outside on a beautiful sunny evening, with games and live music playing. No surprise that there was a really impressive turnout. I felt like I was at a picnic in the park, but with access to much better beer! Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5:30pm – 7:30pm they open the doors for these beer tastings and tours. The only requirement is that you purchase an $8.00 Terrapin Pint Glass from the gift shop, this pint glass includes tickets that are good for 8 4-oz sample pours of beer. Tours run every half hour during the tasting. A great way to start off your evening.

This Georgia beer is not yet available in New England, but over Christmas we received a box in the mail containing two Terrapin Beers: Big Hoppy Monster (Imperial Red Ale) and India Style Brown Ale. One of our wonderful guests at our Vermont B&B, Forty Putney Road (they were from Georgia) had sent them as a gift. It only took a few sips to recognize the quality of these beers, Terrapin was immediately added to our must visit list. Luckily it wasn’t long before we were in the area for an innkeeping conference and were able to take the field trip. Of course, Other than the quality of these beers I of course really enjoyed the branding…I just love that turtle…he gets to do everything.

In the video John gives us some insite into the branding and that crazy turle while Spike gives us an inside look at some new beers he is working on. We enjoyed meeting both John and Spike and hope that you all enjoy our video. We will see you next time on Here for the Beer … Cheers!

People’s Pint – Greenfield Massachusetts

Amy Brady — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:45:44 +0000

In this episode we speak to Jeremy Krusas, Head Brewer at the People’s Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Jeremy explains his inspiring story of how he became the Brewmaster at the People’s Pint. We take a look inside the brewery and than the Pub. Tim and I frequent the People’s Pint about once a month as it is only 25 minutes south of Brattleboro, VT. We do some of the shopping for our B&B in Greenfield, so we pop into the People’s Pint for dinner and drinks before. There are plenty of places to eat in downtown Greenfield, we choose the People’s Pint because of the fresh food and fresh beer. They use farm fresh products from local farmers and organic produce when ever possible, which is something we also stand behind. We also love the sense of community in this pub, you can always find a host of locals bellied up to the bar to chat with. The People’s Pint also supports the local art community by displaying rotating art from local artists throughout the Pub. We are happy to support this local brewery and pub.

The People’s Pint is open Monday – Friday from 4pm-12am and Saturday – Sunday from 12pm – close (Note: the kitchen closes at 10pm). I would suggest giving them a call to ensure they are open if you are traveling a far distance, they are privatly owned and have been know to close up for vacations. Another tip you should know is that they do not accept credit cards so make sure you have cash, if you forget there is an ATM across the street. Perhaps we will see you at the People’s Pint someday, if not we will see you here next time on HerefortheBeer … Cheers.

Northampton Brewery Grand Re-Opening – Northampton, MA

Amy Brady — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:45:53 +0000

The Northampton Brewery in Northampton, Massachusetts opened its doors in 1987, making them one of if not the first microbrewery in New England. Now over 20 years later they are celebrating their Grand Re-Opening. After 20 years of wear and tear it was time to give the Northampton Brewery a face lift. In the video owner, Janet Egelston, explains that they choose to use environmentally friendly materials to complete the renovations.

Not only did the Northampton Brewery get a little work done they also recently went and got themselves a new Head Brewer, Donald Pacher. He has been the Head Brewer at Northampton Brewery for just a little over 1 year. He has brought new life to the beers there. We had the privilege to sample the two beers brewed just for the Grand Re-Opening … Beyond Mean Green and Hopzilla. In the video, beer writer George Lenker (a.k.a The Beer Nut) gives us his take on the Hopzilla.

This was one happening party! We enjoyed good food, creative beer, and live music by The Primate Fiasco a local Dixieland Band. We look forward to stopping back and tasting some more of Donald’s creations. If we don’t catch you at the Northampton Brewery we hope to see you next time right here on HerefortheBeer.

Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA Simul-Cask at the Sierra Grille Northampton MA

Amy Brady — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:52:15 +0000

We attended the Dogfish Head 75 Minute Simul-Cask aka Johnny Cask at The Sierra Grille in Northampton, MA. At precisely 7:50pm the beer began pouring. The 75 Minute IPA is a mixture of the ever so popular Dogfish Head 60 and 90 Minute IPAs with a special whole leaf cascade dry-hopping session. After hopping, the beer was transferred into firkin’s where fresh yeast and Maple Syrup were added. What a fun event this turned out to be. We love the creative ways that Sam and the Dogfish Head team bring beer lovers together.

We were invited to this event by the owner of The Sierra Grille, O’Brian Tomalin. Though we went for the beer, we left with a great first impression of The Sierra Grille. The food was excellent, served in a tapas style. The menu offered a wide variety of reasonably priced small plate options , including $3 desserts. Don’t worry if you have a big appetite the menu also offers about 8 full entrees. The beer selection was top notch including, among others, HE’BREW Jewbalation Twelve and Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

We would like to thank The Sierra Grille for hosting this event and look forward to stopping in again. We would also like to say hello to all of the awesome beer lovers who attended, we enjoyed meeting you all. If we do not see you at The Sierra Grille, we will see you next time on Here for the Beer!

Tim and Tom Talk Trappist

Tim Brady — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:00:36 +0000

In this episode we meet with Tom Bedell, who has been writing about beer (and golf) since 1985. Tim and Tom sit down to talk about Trappist Ales, at a local Brattleboro bar, Windham Wines. Tom toured all of the Trappist Monastery’s in Belgium and gives us some insight as to what makes these breweries and their beers different. While Tim and Tom talk mainly about Chimay, Westmalle, Orval, and Rochefort – Tom talks about all 7 Trappist breweries and clears up some of the questions about these world class beers.

Quarterly, Tom hosts a beer tasting at Windham Wine Bar. This bar is located in our home town of Brattleboro, Vermont so be sure to stay with us at Forty Putney Road B&B while you are in town, we are even in walking distance to Windham Wines. If you have been to any of the Trappist Monastery’s in Belgium please feel free to share your experiance in the comments below. We would love to live vicariously through you and get some tips for our inevitable trip to visit them ourselves.

Kate the Great Day – Portsmouth Brewery New Hampshire

Tim Brady — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:48:16 +0000

In this episode we travel to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to join a crowd of fellow beer enthusiasts at the Portsmouth Brewery for Kate the Great Day. Amy chats with brewmaster Tod Mott about the mysteries of Kate, and talks to many of her fans from around the country. (Yes, this is supposed to be our Thursday post, we got excited and posted it early!)

Brewmaster Tod Mott is the creator of this epic Russian Imperial Stout. To many in New England Tod is the King of Craft Brewing, this is pretty evident when you see the hundreds of beer fans from across the country lined up outside of the Portsmouth Brewery to try to get a taste of Kate. Tod has been brewing beer in New England for many years and help spur the microbrew revolution in the 1980′s. He has been a mentor to many young brews through out New England. If any brewer deserves this kind of fame for having brewed such a great beer it is Tod Mott.

The question that many want answered is “Is Kate really that Great or is this just a bunch of hype?” Both Brewmaster, Tod Mott and Owner, Peter Egelston seem legitimately (and of course pleasantly) surprised by the incredible following this beer has grown to have. They both attribute Kate the Great’s success and fame to a combination of word of mouth and internet sites like Beer Advocate where users have rated this beer favorably. After tasting Kate ourselves, we would agree with the many positive reviews that she has received. Kate the Great is certainly a delicious and well balanced representation of an Imperial Stout. Of course, that’s just it… it’s all just a matter of opinion.

In all the trip and experience at the pub for this event was a lot of fun, which is what any beer adventure should be! The energy was high and the attendance was impressive at this red carpet event. Not only was the room packed with beer enthusiasts from around the country, but mixed in were an “A” list of brewers and other beer world celebs. We hope you enjoy our video of our day with Kate and we look forard to seeing you there next year!

Otter Creek Brewery – Interview with New Brewmaster Mike Gerhart

Amherst Brewing Company – Amherst, Massachusetts

Amy Brady — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:27:26 +0000

Amherst Brewing Company also know as ABC, is located in downtown Amherst, Massachusetts. In this college town where cheap beer and dollar shots would be expected, ABC is a refreshing change. Mike Yates, head brewer at ABC, was kind enough to spend a little time with us and show us around this innovative brewery and pub.

Though this place looks like a small operation they amazingly have enough space to produce about 8-10 beers on draft, one on cask, and they even have enough room to regularly produce a lager. For the new beer lovers, lagers typically take about 3 weeks to ferment, which makes it a difficult style for may small breweries to work with as they often need the tank space.

One of ABC’s most unique creations is the Heather Ale. This beer is a 2003 and 2004 silver medal winner for them at the Great American Brew Festival. What makes this beer so interesting is that the hops are replaced by the flower Heather. It take about three times the amount of Heather to make this flavorful beer than the amount of hops used in most of their other beers.

In all we really enjoy ABC. They have a solid menu with typical pub fare. We have enjoyed their burgers, sandwiches and salads many times. (The Amherst Brewing Company is just about 30 minutes south of our Brattleboro Vermont Inn).

The best tip I can give you while their standard line up of beers are great, when they are running something seasonal it is usually a new recipe and pretty darn creative. Most recently we enjoyed the Super Stout. This chocolate oatmeal stout served on cask was absolutely delicious. On other trips we have enjoyed the Gold 250 an impressive Imperial IPA. The beers at ABC are well balanced and highly drinkable. We would like to thank Mike and his assistant John for showing us around ABC and continuing to produce consitent and delicious beer…we will see you next week!

HereForTheBeer.com » Brewpubs

Kate The Great 2010

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