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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.

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 :)

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…

Shipyard Brewing

Tim Brady — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:50:01 +0000

VIDEO – Our trip to Portland had to include a visit to the legendary Shipyard Brewing Company. What we didn’t expect was to be offered the opportunity to chat with founder and Master Brewer Alan Pugsley.

Beyond Shipyard, Alan has been instrumental in the building of many breweries around the globe and introducing the distinctive Ringwood yeast to New England. Alan is certainly an icon in the brewing world, especially in New England. Pugsley built the brew house and helped to design Geary’s Pale Ale for D.L. Geary’s Brewery, which is the oldest brewery in New England and one of the original “micro’s”. Alan continued to design brewereies for Gritty McDuffs and Federal Jacks among many others, before launching his own brewery and brand – Shipyard Brewing Company – in 1994.

In this video we talk to Alan about the brewery, Shipyard’s plans for 2010, Pugsley’s work designing brew houses and Shipyard’s current large contract brewing operation.

In a related note, we received an email today from Shipyard sharing that the Pugsley Signature Series beers which are mentioned in the video will be available soon in 12oz 4 packs as well.

Be sure to check out all of our Portland adventures, and stay tuned to here for the beer for even more from our trip to Maine. Cheers!

Geary’s Brewing Company – Portland Maine

Tim Brady — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:19:23 +0000

During our recent trip to Portland, we stopped in at D.L. Geary Brewery and got to talk to David Geary about his beers and Geary’s brewery. Geary’s brews traditional styles and focuses on session beers, including their Pale Ale and Hampshire Ale. However, recently they have dabbled a bit in more “experimental” styles, “knuckling under the tyranny of the hop” as David shares and brewing an Imperial IPA and a crazy dry hopped creation which will be coming out this summer.

David gave us some of the background of the growing brewery and their need to expand (anyone have a 100 barrel system for them?). According to David, they are currently running a “22,000 square foot brewery in an 18,000 square foot building”. But you wouldn’t get that feeling (ok, aside from the row of storage boxes out back) as the facility is really well laid out and organized.

We really appreciated Davids matter of fact personality and his focus on lower alcohol beers with flavor. There is something to be said for how solidly rated every beer from D.L. Geary’s is on the major beer rating sites. While we all appreciate the occasional extreme beer, it’s the staples like Geary’s Pale Ale that are my go to, more often than not.

For more from our trip to Portland, check out the Portland Maine section of here for the beer or follow along with us on Twitter. For more about Geary’s check out their website (and yes, you can order your Geary’s thong here!).

Great Lost Bear – Portland Maine

Tim Brady — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:19:22 +0000

It’s winter in Vermont, which means some quiet weekdays at our Inn. Perfect time of year for another road trip – and this time we head to Portland Maine for a week of awesome beer adventures.

We start our trip at the Great Lost Bear after hearing about it from some of you on Twitter. It’s no surprise that you recommended it, what a cool spot. A great draft list of dozens of Maine beers, as well as some random New England favorites and of course a few Belgians – all served up in a comfortable casual atmosphere. Not to mention a solid menu of good reasonably priced food. A great combination in any beer lovers book.

In this episode we talk with Mike Dickson, the bar manager at the Great Lost Bear about the pubs choice to go “micro” (in 1990 no less) and their killer specials.

The Great Lost Bear had just what we love about a good beer bar – a comfortable and non-pretentious environment that supports their local scene (check out the Allagash Alley) and encourages folks to try new things.

If you are ever in Portland Maine, make this a must stop. And be sure to keep an eye on the rest of our Maine adventure on here for the beer!

The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 772-0300
www.greatlostbear.com

Coffee Beer and Ice Fishing

Tim Brady — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:05:27 +0000

In this weeks episode I head down to the ice behind our Vermont inn for some early morning ice fishing with my friend Doug (Amy was stuck inside making breakfast for the guests). Ice fishing starts early, and pretty much requires beer – so the question begged, what is the perfect ice fishing beer. This time we go with a coffee theme – sampling several coffee infused beers.

We start with Southern Tiers Jah Vah Imperial Stout, give Long Trails Imperial Coffee Stout a try, sample the BBC Coffehouse Porter and wrap with the Wolavers Alta Gracia Coffee Porter – all without catching a single fish…

Luckily, before the day was out we did catch a fish – and climb back up the hill to the inn.

The extreme cold meant these beers were a bit colder than I would have liked, which leads me to wonder what the best cold weather beer would be? Any suggestions?

If you would like to know some more about ice fishing – check out Doug’s website Brattleboro Outdoors. Cheers from here for the beer!

Women and Beer – Mariah Calagione from Dogfish Head Brewery

Amy Brady — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:04:46 +0000

Welcome to another in our Women and Beer videos series. Meet Mariah Calagione, wife of Sam Calagione, from Dogfish Head Brewery. Filming took place at the Sierra Grille in Northampton, MA at their Night Before the Night Before Christmas – Dogfish Head Vintage Beer Dinner. Mariah talks to us about her role with Dogfish Head Brewery.

Men tend to dominate the beer world. Through this series of videos we hope to show the world that although women are not always on the front lines, they are an integral part of the craft beer industry. Certainly more integral than bouncing around in bikinis on beer commercials.

The craft beer industry with its many flavorful offerings, has made beer more appealing to a female audience. Through this series we hope to dispel the myths and perhaps help some of the guys out their understand the female palette so they can share their love of beer with their wife or girlfriend. If you missed it check out our interview with the Beer Babe, a fellow advocate for women and craft beer. Stay tuned for more videos in this series, until then cheers from here for the beer.

Happy New Year 2010

Tim Brady — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:26:21 +0000

Happy New Year everyone. For the New Year we are launching an additional series of videos. We envision this series to include a question and answer segment. We need your help to make this a success. Send us your questions either in this post on facebook, twitter, U-Tube, Blip…etc. We will do our best to find the answers for you. Remember nothing is too silly. We have some T-Shirts and Hats that Brooklyn Brewing Company gave us to launch this new series, so the first three questions we use we will send you some Brooklyn swag.

We look forward to an amazing 2010! See you all this year on here for the beer, Cheers.

HereForTheBeer.com » Videos

Slow Fest – A Celebration of Session Beer

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Maine Beer Company

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The Brewers Plate 2010

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Kate The Great 2010

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Shipyard Brewing

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Geary’s Brewing Company – Portland Maine

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Great Lost Bear – Portland Maine

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Coffee Beer and Ice Fishing

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Women and Beer – Mariah Calagione from Dogfish Head Brewery

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Happy New Year 2010

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