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
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
In December of 2008 the Brick Store Pub was named the #2 Best Beer Bar on the Planet Earth, by Beer Advocate Magazine. It is pretty easy to see why this Beer Bar is a favorite of many. From the casual and conversation centered atmosphere (no TV’s or blaring music) to the incredible selection of unique and interesting beers to a competent staff which is well educated about the beers – Brick Store Pub truly stands out in the crowd. Add all of that to a solid menu of tasty food and you have a winner.
In this first episode from Brick Store (we seperated out our tour of their cellar – it is worthy of its own episode) we talk with co-owner Dave Blanchard about the restaurant and pub and how they played an integral part in converting Georgia into a haven for beer lovers and take a look around the pub and restaurant.
Be sure to keep an eye on our site (or subscribe, or follow us on Twitter) for part 2 of this episode where we head downstairs with Lee Dickson (beer manager) on an exclusive tour of their beer cellar.
If you are in the Atlanta area be sure to check out The Brick Store Pub. It’s just an easy train ride to Decatur, the train leaves you just about a block away from the Pub.
Brick Store Pub
125 E. Court Square
Decatur, Georgia 30030
phone: (404) 687-0990 WebsiteMap
In this video, we are flying out of The Philadelphia International Airport on our way to Atlanta, GA.
The Philadelphia International Airport, much like every other airport in America, is a place of pure frustration.
By the time you park your car and take a shuttle to your terminal or perhaps a family member or friend is dropping you off, you attempt to unpack your car while security is yelling “move your car”… you are already ready to burst…I know I am! Then you have to figure out what line to get into, hope that the silly computer works and can find your reservation so you do not have to wait in the really long line for an “agent” who is inevitably bothered by your presence. Next you head off to security where you are stripped of most of your clothes and belongings… Not to mention the ridiculous 4oz containers and plastic zip lock bags.
Once you manage to repack your bags and put your clothes back on, it’s certainly time for a beer. And while there is a time and a place for every beer – I hate to drop $7 for a Miller Lite. Luckily, recently there has been a subtle movement in the airport bars to introduce some micros.
Prior to our trip we got an email from Martin Clinton at Cheapflights.com. Martin lives in New England and was an early fan of our site. Turns out they not only list cheap flights, but also offer traveler tips, including a list of decent beer bars (pdf) in the airports. He sent us an press release from Jet Rock Bar and Grill which indicated they were devoting a third of their taps to locally produced mirobrewed beer. When we arrived there we found Victory, Troegs, Flying Fish, Yards, and more. I asked the manager, why add microbrewed beer now? His answer was simple…”because that is what the customers want.” Score one for craft beer!
We hope you enjoy our video of the Philadelphia International Airport along with the other videos during our trip to Atlanta, GA. Check out the Georgia beer scene at the Classic City Brew Fest, Terrapin Beer Company, plus coming up shortly – the Brick Store Pub, Leon’s Full Service, Trappeze, and the Atlanta International Airport. Be sure to connect with us on Twitter to find out when all of our videos are released! We will see you next time on Here For The Beer!
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!
Welcome to our new website and video blog. You could always start by catching up on who we are and why we are doing this, but there is no need to read if you don’t want to – its all basically covered in the beginning of this video.
Our first video trip is to Ebenezers Pub in Lovell Maine. This bar was recently rated the “#1 beer bar on the planet” by Beer Advocate. So naturally, we decided to take the road trip up from our Vermont Inn to check it out!
The first thing you need to know is that there is not a lot of lodging in the area, so book a room in advance (especially in the off season). We stayed at the Oxford House Inn in Fryeburg, ME. The second thing you need to know is that you should throw away your GPS and Google Map directions. Not only were they both inaccurate, but our GPS swore we were in Maine when we were still in New Hampshire. (Useful directions can be found at the end of this post).
Once you have found Ebenezers it’s all uphill from there. We have been to many beer bars and to be frank from the outside, this one did not strike us as very impressive. Even an initial glance around the inside leaves you wondering – after all, its a small pub with about 36 taps and 4 bottle coolers. There were about 5 seats at the bar and 2 high top tables. The dining room only had about 5 tables. We were there in December so their large deck was closed, but when its open it probably adds another 10 tables. Pretty much the run of the mill beer bar. Of course, then we sat down and the party began.
A totally friendly server named Hannah brought over some menus. She made us feel very comfortable and welcome. We ordered up some food and then studied the beer menu. That is when it hit us HARD that this is not your average beer bar. The beer menu is beyond impressive with several beers we had never even heard of. To top that off, they were all in stock. Even better than that Hannah was really knowledgeable about beer (she chalks it up to lots of practice) and was able to point us to some great choices from the taps. Of course, we started with a Black Albert (their signature beer, brewed by De Struise Brewers specially for Ebenezers). After we finished eating the owner Chris stopped by our table to say hello. He was upbeat, fun and gracious. Chris introduced us to several great beers at the bar (Amy tried the Mikkeller Stateside IPA and I had a bottle of this years Pannepot). Chris then offered us a tour of his cellar, which we jumped on without hesitation. (Be sure to check out our video of our trip to the Beer Cellar at Ebenezers to see all of the great beer we sampled.)
By the time we left Ebenezers it was clear to see that what had been the biggest challenge of this pub, was also their greatest advantage. The fact that they are a small pub in “middle of no where” Maine is what helps make this place so phenomenal. The personal service, great in stock selection and friendly atmosphere all added to an amazing selection of beers and an incredible host truly do make this the best beer bar we have ever been to.
Being innkeepers of a small Bed and Breakfast in New England we have come to discover that it is the personal connections with our guests and the personal touches to our B&B that make the biggest impact on their return business. We found the same to be true at Ebenezers. We will definitely be back.
If you are headed to Ebenezers, they are located at 44 Allen Road in Lovell Maine. To get there, take route 302 until it branches off onto Route 5. Take Route 5 up to the golf course and pay attention to the small tourist signs on the side of the road. There are signs for Ebenezers on both sides (both directions, don’t ask why we know that…) that will send you onto the very small and unpaved Allen Road. Ebenezers is just up this road on the left, in the dark wooden house. Enter through the covered deck area. Tell them Tim and Amy sent you! (and beer advocate of course!).
