From Allagash: “In October of 2004, we released the first beer in our series of Barrel Aged beers, Allagash Curieux. To make the Curieux (French for “curious”), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics…and also a hint of bourbon flavor!”

The Curieux pours with a light amber hue with brilliant clarity crowned by a healthy white frothy head with decent retention. Head subsides leaving a very nice rich ring of lacing behind with excellent retention. Body remains a light amber with almost no activity. A secondary pour reveals a hazy body from the sediment remaining in the bottle.

The aroma immediately gives a swift hit of doughy lemony yeast that caught our attention. Beyond the dough, a light woody oak aroma started to take over. Following that, the alcohol quickly became dominant creating a slight burn to the nose. The aroma was inviting, but not over-powering.

The initial taste has a mellow sweetness that resonates with subtle vanilla. The alcohol presence of a tripel has been stripped away by the barrel-aging, leaving a very smooth finish in its place. There is a slight bit of bitterness at the end, almost sour.

The Curieux drinks very smoothly leaving an oily film on our mouths. It was so smooth and well-balanced. We knew that there was alcohol (from the bourbon-barrel presence), but it was well masked with the malt-rich body. After it settled, a drying but sticky wood-like presence was left on our tongues.

Overall, this was a very delicious beer. The bourbon presence is noticeable but not overwhelming. The smoothness and drinkability makes this beer very scary – because it will sneak up on you. If you are expecting a fruity, banana-esque Belgian triple, then you might be sad, but take a moment and appreciate the smooth, sweet Curieux.

Score:
Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Finish: 4/5
Overall: 22/30

It was impressively busy for a Wednesday night. By reputation, they are a brew and serve on premise only bar… no distribution. What we weren’t expecting were some of the great guest beers they had on tap. To compliment their own wet hopped beer, they had a draft tower that was pouring Surly Wet, two versions of Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA, each with a different variety of wet hop, and Left Hand’s Warrior IPA. My first beer was the Surly Wet, brewed just outside Minneapolis in Brooklyn Center, MN. Here is my review of the beer:

Pours a ruddy dark amber with a brilliant white thick head with good retention. Uber sticky lacing rings around the glass. Body clarity is slightly hazy with little to no activity in the glass. Aroma is of heavily subdued hops with an evident tone of floral notes that seem to want to jump out of the glass but can’t. Without warning, the initial taste is loaded with lip puckering bitterness with a slightly sweet hop taste that mellows slightly towards the finish. Mouthfeel is dry with a slightly creamy texture and some faint carbonation on the tail end.

Long story short on this guy…incredibly bitter and deceptively mellow aroma. Perfect wet-hopped beer.

My second was the Masala Mama IPA, the reason for us sitting in the bar in the first place:

Pours a light to medium radiant amber with a gorgeous pillowy off-white head with excellent retention. Phenomenal lacing as the head slowly dissipates, although it is persistent and won’t fully disappear. Aroma is delicate with a subtle blend of floral and citrus hops, without being abrasive. Initial taste is moderately bitter and is immediately followed by a sweet grapefruit taste that carries through to the finish. The lingering bitterness slowly fades but remains ever-present. Mouthfeel is watery with just a touch of creaminess, and doesn’t end up overly dry. Slight carbonation dances on the tip of the tongue.

It was excellent. My co-worker had the Mango Mama IPA which was, as you’d expect, everything the Masala Mama was, plus a well-done mango addition.

If you’re a fan of craft beer, and you’re anywhere near Minneapolis, I can say, without hesitation, that it will be worth your while to head into downtown and seek this place out. The Mall of America has its place, but the Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery is a craft beer drinkers paradise.

The blues music was pumped and jacked today at the Nashoba Ski slopes. The crowd was large – even with the extreme weather conditions. It might even have been bigger if the weather was better.

We met some old friends and some new friends today. The blues bands were rocking the house and the crowd was lovin it. It is a well run event, although the security seemed to be a bit over zealous by the end.

Blues ‘N’ Brews is a project of the Westford Rotary Charitable Endowment, Inc. Beneficiaries of the funds raised from this year’s festival include the Multiple Sclerosis Society (Blister Buddies), Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Second Chance Fund for Animal Welfare, Lowell Humane Society, Animal Rescue League of Boston, Massachusetts National Guard Family Support Fund, Friends Forever International Peace Program, and various scholarships and projects supported by Westford Rotary Club.

Live Music – TOP BLUES BANDS
• Dozens of Regional Craft Breweries, PLUS a special booth featuring cask-conditioned ale
• GREAT Food, such as BBQ, grilled chicken, hotdogs/hamburgers, Oktoberfest food, snacks, etc!
• Homebrew Competition awards
• Collectible quality program book featuring bands & breweries
• Raffles, Games, Homebrew Demonstrations, Craft & Vendor Booths, more!

Here are some pictures of the festival:

Brewery Tables and Friends

Tom from Cape Ann Brewing	TJ  – from Cape Ann Brewing Company and Sean
Cape Ann Brewing Company VW Bus	Haverhill Tap
Berkshire Brewing Company	Blue Hills Brewing Company
Bret from Gritty McDuff’s	Thomas and Jansen Clan
Dave from Gardner Ale House	Foam Homebrew Club – Greg
Dan Kochakian – Ale Street News	Joe Z, Dan Kochakian and Sean
Kyle from Harpoon	Harpoon Van
Kristin from Long Trail	Sean and Kristin from Long Trail
Lowell Beer Works	Jeremy from Magic Hat
Bob and Mark from Martha’s Exchange	Ron from Milly’s Tavern and Scott from FOAM
Phil and James from Pennichuck	James from Pennichuck
Peter, Cedric and Chris from Rapscallion Brewing	Peter from Rapscallion Brewing

We can finally share all the pertinent info on this till-now double secret event. This Saturday at precisely 7pm we will be tapping two kegs of Juxtaposition, an “imperial” black pilsner collaboratively brewed last March by Stone Brewing Company, BrewDog, and CBC. Even cooler, our brethren at Stone will tap their kegs at exactly the same time (4pm Pacific)! In all likelihood you will never see this beer available on tap beyond this event, and bottles will be hard to find. Hot damn!

Not enough you say? Well even cooler than that, in honor of the collaborative spirit we’ll be tapping two kegs of extra-special beer from each of our cohorts at 6pm. We’re psyched to be showcasing Stone 080808 Vertical Epic which has been specially aged in wine barrels, plus 2007 Stone Imperial Russian Stout. From our friends across the pond at Brewdog we’ll have a keg of Dogma, plus a cask of Paradox Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels from the Isle of Arran distillery. These beers are hard enough to find on their own, and we’ve got ‘em. If you’ve been to CBC you can appreciate the fact that guest beers are an anomaly to say the least, so this event will be something not to be missed.

……Will Meyers, Brewmaster CBC

I was excited. Not only was this the weekend of my 5 year anniversary, but we did not have any firm plans for Saturday night. Could it be fate? Naaaa – maybe just some luck.

I made a few calls in attempt to round the troops and most everyone was busy — except our good friends George and Kat. On Saturday, we ventured into the city at about 5:00. We planned ahead and brought along some yummy subs for the ride.

Upon our arrival at the Cambridge brewing company, we were surprised to see the light crowd. The bar was almost full, but the exterior seats around the perimeter were empty. We grabbed a place and chatted with a few friends.

At 6:00, the Brewdog Cask Paradox (Isle of Arran), Imperial Stout aged in Scotch whiskey barrels from Isle of Arra (10% abv) from Scotland,  was “released” — well, made available for consumption. It was nice and dark with a large creamy head. The temperature was just right (slightly warm). It was very complex in taste with a mouthful of burnt malts and chocolate, but dominated by the alcohol presence. As you drank more and more, it warmed you from the inside out.

Also available on draft, Stone 2007 Russian Imperial Stout (10% abv), Stone 2008 W.B.A Old Guardian – Barleywine (12.5% abv), and Brewdog Dogma – Strong Scottish Amber Ale (7.8% abv). Guest beers are not a common place for CBC, so this was a very unique night.  As you could image, the Dogma was the most drinkable beer.  Amber in color and very smooth.  Delicious.

At 7:15, Synchronized Toast to Craft, Integrity, and to the Collaborative Spirit (Cambridge Brewing Co. – Stone World Bistro and Gardens). Mitch Steel and the folks celebrating at Stone Brewing Company in California called. A countdown from 10 began and the Juxtaposition celebration began. The bar area was pretty crowded at this point. Will gave a quick speech and thanked everyone for attending the release. He also expressed his joy for this partnership with Stone Brewing Company.

Commercial description:

The Juxtaposition was coined the “worlds best” (and only) Imperial Black Pilsner, collaboratively brewed in March 2009. Stone’s first lager, and one of the hoppiest beers they’ve ever made, it begins very rich on the palate with full maltiness and hints of cocoa and caramel and a firm bitter finish. As it warms, hops take over the palate and contribute a very balanced dryness and complex hop flavors and aroma. A one-night-only event, you will likely never seen Juxtaposition on tap again, and bottles are guaranteed to be hard to find.

The Juxtaposition was dark and had a medium size head.   We were surprised by the initial taste.  Amber’s exact words were “It tastes like Christmas morning!”  Our friend Allister agreed and George added that it tasted like blue spruce.  As dark as it was, you would expect it to be full of burnt and roasted malts dominating the taste, but the hops were so dominant — and interesting.   As you would expect, the alcohol presence was very warming.    We were glad to be part of this experience.

QUICK FACTS
Brewers: James Watt of BrewDog, Scottland, Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing Co., Massachusetts, Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing Co., San Diego

Alc/Vol: 10%

Style: Black Pilsner (and at 10% abv, one might be tempted to call it a Double Black Pilsner)

Other notable items:

• First lager ever brewed at stone.
• A Bohemian lager was used.
• First time using Japanese Sorachi Ace hops and Motueka hops from New Zealand (there are no American hops in this beer).
• First time both mash-hopping and mash-wort hopping a brew.
• First time using more than two kettle hop additions (there were 9 hop additions throughout the wort boiling process).

All in all, only 12 kegs of this beer were ever produced, and 6 kegs were used for the special release party..

Resources:

http://www.stonebrew.com/
http://www.brewdog.com/
http://www.stonebrew.com/beers/other/#juxtaposition

Also on draft was the seasonal beer named Cerise Cassée – Barrel-fermented Sour Wild Ale.  It was soooo tasty.  I really enjoyed the sourness and how smooth it was to drink.

Cerise Cassée is a complex beer in both process and palate.  It begins with a unique, 3-day long sour mash of 100% of the malted barley. This very tart wort is barrel-fermented and aged along with 300 pounds of sour cherries when sent downstairs to the infamous CBC barrel cellar, where it ages for several years in French oak wine barrels.

Throughout this mysterious process a long, slow fermentation takes place with microflora such as Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. Don’t let those things scare you, though, because these barrels and wild beasties of beer contribute a smooth acidity and significant complexity which could otherwise not be attained by “traditional” modern brewing methods.

In the U.S. craft brewing world’s first true Solera-style fermenting and aging program, a portion of each of the Solera barrels (the oldest barrels, which contain a blend of between one and six year old beer) is blended for service annually. Beer from the Criadera (literal trans. – the nursery -barrels containing one year old beer) is blended into the Solera, and the year’s fresh production of new wort and cherries are sent down into the Criadera to begin the process anew.

The resulting tart, effervescent amber-red ale combines aromas and flavors of sour cherries, malt, vanilla and oak tannin, with a finish that defies description in its funky-yet-balanced uniqueness. OG:1.075 FG:1.010 ABV:8.5%

If you have not made it to the CBC to try the Cerise Cassée, you really need to stop in for a pint.  This is not your typical beer.  Expect it to be very sour.  If you can’t handle sour – it’s not for you!!

Enjoy!!

Sean
2Beerguys.com

Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!!

Juxtaposition 2009	Stone 2007 Rusian Imperial Stout
Amber with the Porter Cake	George with the Cask
Kat, Mike from Stone, Sean, Amber and Allister	George, Kat, Amber, and Sean
Toast	Toast 2
CBC Moziac	Sean and Allister
Cerise Cassée	Empty

GRITTY MCDUFF’S BREWING COMPANY’S HALLOWEEN ALE TO HIT SHELVES IN AUGUST

Portland, ME — Maine craft brewer Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Company (www.grittys.com) announced today that its very popular Halloween Ale will hit stores in August. One of the most anticipated annual beer releases, this seasonal favorite will be available through October 31st. An Extra Special Bitter (ESB), full-bodied brew that’s perfect for crisp autumn days, Gritty’s Halloween Ale features a deep amber color, a bold, malty palate and a well-rounded hop finish.

“Halloween Ale is our most popular seasonal beer at Gritty’s,” said Gritty’s Vice President and Master Brewer Ed Stebbins. “August is not too early to start thinking about fall – especially in New England – and enjoying this robust Ale.”

Gritty McDuff’s beers are available throughout New England in a growing number of bars, restaurants, pubs, taverns, supermarkets, beer and wine shops, convenience stores, and other beer retailers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Halloween Ale Specs:

Starting Gravity: 1060
ABV: 6%
Hops: Whitbread Goldings, East Kent Goldings, B.C. Kent
Available: August 4-October 31
Halloween Ale is available in 6- and 12-packs of 12-oz bottles, 22-oz bottles, 5-liter mini kegs, and on draft.

2Beerguy’s official review (from Nov 2006)

This pours a dark amber, caramel color with a minimal, off-white head. Fully diminishing head with hardly any lacing. Aroma is malty, smells tasty. Initial taste is lightly bitter, which lasts right through to the finish with an average duration. Light on the mouth, it has a watery texture with soft carbonation.

Type: Bitter
ABV: 6%
Source: 12 oz. Bottle
Score: 17/30

Excellent Beer and Award-Winning Pubs

Since its founding in 1988, Gritty McDuff’s, Maine’s first brew pub since Prohibition, has brewed creative, quality beers that have earned awards ranging from repeat First Place wins at the annual Real Ale Festival in Chicago, to a silver medal at the prestigious 2007 Great British Beer Festival for Gritty’s cask-conditioned version of its 21 IPA. Gritty’s Brew Pubs also have frequently won in statewide polls the titles of “Maine’s Best Brew Pub,” “Best Maine Microbrew,” and “Best Bar.” Gritty’s 21 IPA debuted at the 2008 Maine Brewers Festival in early November 2008 to rave reviews from attendees.

In addition to brewing, Gritty McDuff’s operates three popular brew pubs in Maine. Located in Portland, Freeport, and Auburn, the locations draw crowds of all ages. Known for their four seasonal ales and five year-round ales, tempting pub fare, and welcoming atmosphere, Gritty’s pubs have been named an Editor’s Pick by Condé Nast Traveler, highlighted as “a legend among New England brewpubs” by The Boston Globe, and cited by Playboy.com as one of the best bars in America. Gritty’s has earned numerous accolades from a wide variety of beer blogs and industry press outlets, as well.

We had rushed to get there, so we decided to grab a bit to eat at the Macaroni Grille (right next door). We were also excited because we got to see the first period of the Bruins playoff game. Yup, they beat Montreal in game 1. (By the time we came back, the parking lot was nearly full.)

Anyway, I digress.

Beer Wars, The movie.

If you’re in the beer scene, you might have heard of it OR you might have seen it posted on our blog. If you haven’t, let us guide through the movie.
The premise of the movie is a David vs. Goliath battle between the small artisan breweries vs. the big guys (aka. Miller, Coors, Anheuser Busch). It’s a documentary that discusses the grass roots efforts of the craft beer industry. [It was filmed similar to a Michael Moore style documentary.]

As the movie began, we were taken back by the writer and director of the movie Arat Baron (who formerly helped grow the Mike’s Lemonade brand). The beginning and end of the movie were live simulcast and since she only had Q cards it started a bit shaky. She would have to stop mid sentence while someone flipped to the next card or start over if the line didn’t flow right. I actually became intrigued by this and it gave her a more believability through the rest of the movie. Her honest quest for answers to the “beer wars” phenomenon along with her background in the industry laid a sturdy foundation for the movie.

The idea for the movie started in September 2005. It showed a very interesting progression from the start of the movie to the end. For example, towards the beginning, there were the BIG 3 (no, not the Boston Celtics big 3) AB, Miller and Coors. During the time while the movie was made, Miller merged with Coors and AB was bought by the International beer power house INBEV.

The story discusses the difficulties that smaller craft breweries face when competing against the larger breweries. The larger breweries have the money to grab a larger amount of shelf space. They have the money to spend on advertising. They sell enough beer to offer the lowest prices and base their revenue on the high volume of sales.

Dogfish head Brewery, out of Milton, Delaware, was featured quite often in the movie. The movie painted a very creative and enthusiastic picture of Sam Calagione, the founder. He has been pushing the boundaries of craft brewing for quite some time. Also featured was Greg Koch (cook) from Stone Brewing Company in California. Even though Sam and Greg are on opposite coasts, they share a similar passion of creating beers that push the traditional boundaries and make the mouths of craft beer enthusiasts water like a raging river.

Also featured in the movie was New Century Brewing Company, founded by Rhonda Kallman. It is interesting that she helped found the Boston Beer Company (aka. Sam Adams), but she has ventured on her own. In a previous story, we mention her adventures with the New Century Brewing Company. Rhonda isn’t a brewer, but she is currently trying to promote sales of her Moon Shot beer brand. Her story showed how difficult it is for a new company to make it in this industry. Unfortunately she didn’t appear to come across this movie too well.

She is marketing a beer to the club scene that is a beer with caffeine. It’s for the person that wants to party from Thursday to Monday. Knowing that the Beer Wars crowd was full of passionate craft beer enthusiasts, it seemed like a backwards approach. The craft beer industry, as I see it, was started by homebrewers that were fed up that they didn’t have a choice. Some homebrewers were bitten by the brewing bug and decided to branch out. You don’t get the bitten without having the ability to create interesting beers and having friends and family confirm their greatness.

For example, Dogfish Head is having amazing success because they created new products that were not available. Slowly, friends and friends of friends started drinking their beer. Then more and more people wanted it. They were able to grow their business and create product identity by creating demand and filling a gap in the market.

If Rhonda’s product was based on product quality and taste, then I would have a different opinion. It seems that the product is based on a gap in the market, but is there demand? I’m not sure. I wish you good luck with your adventure.

After an hour and a half, the movie was over. Then a live group discussion took place – with Ben Stein as the moderator. It seemed like an episode of Politically Correct (the Bill Mahar show). On the panel was Charlie Papazian (famous beer writer and father of home brewing), Greg Koch (from Stone Brewing Company), Sam Calagione (from Dogfish Head Brewing Company), Rhonda Kallman (New Century Brewing Company), Maureen Ogle (Beer Writer), Todd Alstrom (from Beer Advocate) and Arat.

It was interesting. It was obviously un-rehearsed discussion and Ben Stein didn’t really know the background of the entire panel. Sam and Greg tried to explain how they don’t want to get too big for their britches. They don’t have the desire to mass produce beer to just sell a large quantity of beer and make money. They want to create interesting beers for those who love craft beer. Ben Stein asked a good question that was not answered – Why aren’t the big breweries making beers with the similar quality and taste that Stone and Dogfish head are making?

An uncomfortable moment came during one of the short clips that they played. In this particular clip, Todd mentioned that Rhonda’s efforts to grow her brewery were opposite of the craft beer movement. It seemed like the clip was taken out of context of the original question. It came across rather harsh, that he didn’t feel that her brewery would do well. I took it as, her efforts were not based on the quality and taste of the product within the glass. For me, it would have been quality of the beer first and then the caffeine second (this is based on assumptions, because I have not tasted the beer).

The movie left many questions on the table. Also, I felt that it jumped around a bit (sorta like watching the Blair Witch project). At some point, I was getting nauseous and it was hard to keep focus.

Overall, I recommend watching this film. It is very informative and it gives you some behind the scenes of the craft beer industry. It’s not an easy market to penetrate, but you can have fun trying. The next time I watch it, I hope to have a bunch of friends over. I’d like to see their opinions on the movie.

If you’ve seen the movie, please let me know what you think.

Sean
2Beerguys.com
Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!

In January, the 2Beerguys crew went to a beer dinner social at Portsmouth Brewery (Portsmouth NH).  We learned that Kate the Great day was approaching. What is Kate the Great day?

Kate the Great is a Russian Imperial Stout that is brewed by Todd Mott from the Portsmouth Brewery. Todd had been brewing the Russian Imperial Stout for the past few years. In 2007, Kate was recognized by the Beer Advocate Magazine as the best beer in America based on thousands of reviews posted on Beer Advocate over the previous year. During the next release, the beer sold out quickly.

Last June, Peter Egelston (Portsmouth Brewery Owner) came up with the idea to announce the release of Kate the Great, but give out pages of a calendar as a ticket to purchase two bottles. Then at a specific time, release the beer and let the taps flow.

On February 9th 2009, Kate the Great would be release at 1:14. Here is what my day looked like.

Feb 8, 2009
- 6:00 PM: Sean talks to George aka “Wood”. Thankfully George is a self employed cabinet maker. He does a lot of work on weekends, so he has a lot of flexibility in his work time (every day is a work day). We set plans to meet at 5:45 in the AM and drive up to Portsmouth. We both had errands to do, but we knew if we got there by 7:00 we could purchase a ticket and get things done. Sean needed to stop by Allagash Brewery in Portland, Maine and George needed to pick up some lumber in Berwick, Maine. It was perfect. We both had things to combine into the day and feel productive.

- 9:30 PM: I decided to go to sleep early and set the alarm clock for 5:30 AM. This is early for me. I wake up like a bear in the morning. I needed to get some sleep — tomorrow was a long day.

Feb 9, 2009: GAME TIME

- 5:40 AM: I woke up in a daze, not knowing what happened. I checked my alarm clock and noticed that I set it for 5:30 PM. Oh shit. I’m going to be later. I sent a text to George and he was a little behind.

- 6:30 AM: George and I arrived at the Portsmouth Brewery and found a parking spot right in front of the brewery. There were about 12 people there in front of us. SWEET!! We were in line. It was rather cold and EARLY!!!! You could see your breath. It was typical New England Weather, cold – balmy.

- 7:30 AM: The line had grown to about 50 to 75 people long. Ok. What were we waiting for? Well, if we got their early, we could get in line for a ticket — which would allow us to purchase two beers. Yes, I said allow us to purchase two 22 oz bottles.

- 7:45 AM: Line’s getting thicker. Almost already around the corner. Could there be about 100 people here? I think there was. Then I thought…. What am I doing? I’m in line early… in the cold… waiting to purchase a beer. Oh well. I’ve always been intrigued by DARK LORD DAY. Are you familiar? Dark Lord day is hosted by Three Floyds in Munster Indiana. Once a year, beer enthusiasts line up to purchase a Gargantuan Russian Stout brewed with coffee, molasses, and honey; 13% abv. I REALLY REALLY want to go to Dark Lord Day.

- 8:00 AM: The manager for Portsmouth Brewery appears from the fog. LET THE GAMES Begin.
- 8:07 AM: George and I have tickets in hand. Our days are January 14th and 15th.
- 8:30 AM: The line of 100 or so disappears and everyone in the line gets their ticket. Was it worth getting their for 6:30 AM?  Well, yes and no. We could have arrived at 8:31 and wouldn’t have waited a minute in the line. But maybe we would have had Nov/December? Who knows. It was fun. We had a good time talking to other beer lovers. The people at the front of the line arrived at 5:15. I believe that they were from Chicago. Some others near us have traveled from Canada and Northern Virgina. WOW. We felt bad. We only had to drive for about 20 minutes

Our plan was to return around 12:30 to get back in line for the 1:14 release. During the interim, we took two trips to Cabellas and went on a Tour of the Allagash Brewery. Our Belgian beer dinner was the following Thursday and I needed to pick up some materials for the event.

- 12:30 PM: We returned on time. Surprisingly, we didn’t have any problems finding a parking spot. I think it was because the 2 hour parking limit, forced drivers to move their car to a different space. We rounded the corner towards the brewery and saw a couple hundred people outside in line. WOW. LOOK at all the people here for Kate the Great day. We made it towards the door and learned that the restaurant was filled with beer enthusiasts waiting for the official release.

- 1:13 PM: The countdown began and the first beer was poured on 1:14 EST. People cheered and waited with baited breaths to taste Kate the Great.

- 1:20 PM: George and I were lucky to be in the first bunch allowed to purchase bottles. Upon our entry, we saw the large crowd inside.

- 1:23 PM: Bottles in hand. The place was a mad house. Too many people. We had made 3 visits to two different breweries and had not yet tasted any beer.  We were thirsty and hungry.  Time for some great food and drink.  We then headed over to Redhook to enjoy a Saturnalia Red Ale.

Kate the Great Facts:
- There were 950 beers bottled and 425 calendars pages handed out.
- 1 calendar day per customer.
- 2 Beers could be purchased per person
- $10 per bottle
- Calendar days were all gone by 10:00 AM.
- Kate would be available on draft — Expected to sell out within 2-3 days.
- NO GROWLERS.

Do the math. Within a single day, over 600 people visited the Portsmouth Brewery. Patrons eat, drank beer and purchased merchandise. It must have been a great day for revenue.

- 4:30 PM: After picking up the wood, George dropped me off at home. It was a long day and so I sorta took a nap. It was funny when Ryan called and said “What are you doing?” Luckily he could tell that I was sleeping and let me be. Ryan was on his way to Portsmouth Brewery with some co-workers to try Kate the Great.

- 6:30 PM: George, Kat, Ian and I headed back to Portsmouth for dinner. We were meeting Amber and Lisa there.

- 7:00 PM: We arrived at Portsmouth Brewery. Thankfully, it wasn’t as crowded as earlier — but it was still hopping. We headed toward the basement to secure a pint of Kate. We hung out down there for a bit and chatted with  many of our beer friends.  We ate dinner in the restaurant up stairs…6 of us crowded into a 4 person booth.

- 9:30 PM: We left fthe brewery for home. It had been a long day, so Amber and I decided to go for a walk. Portsmouth is a great city for a stroll.  The cold was refreshing and awakening after a long day. We had almost made it to the car, when a nice British man asked us for directions. We tried to point him in the right way, but we soon realized that he was “pissed” and knew he needed a little help. On our walk to the hotel, he explained that he was a member the British Military and had just completed 2 tours in Afghanistan. He was here with 200 of his boys. He was thanked us for helping him. He was very nice and had a positive opinion of the job that the British and American soldiers are doing in Afghanistan.

- 10:30 PM: FINALLY ARRIVED at home.   Day was over — Thanks to Kate, it was a great day.

Kate the Great day is an adventure. If you’re up to the challenge, give it a try next time around.

Hope you enjoyed the day.

Sean
2Beerguys.com

Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!

ABOUT THE STYLE

A chocolate stout is a beer with a noticeable dark chocolate flavor. This flavor is created from the use of darker, more aromatic malt that has been roasted or kilned until it acquires a chocolate color.

BEER CHARACTER
Harpoon Chocolate Stout is brewed with an abundance of chocolate malt and a touch of chocolate.

AVAILABILITY

Available only in Harpoon Wintry Mix Pack

(November 2008 – January 2009)

BEER SPECIFICATIONS
Style: Chocolate Stout

History: brewed since 2008 (limited edition)
Orig. Gravity: 16 P
Color: 190 EBC

ABV: 6.3%
IBU’S: 40
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

Sweet desserts, Fresh strawberries

2Beerguys Review:

Pours a medium to dark brown producing a very healthy, frothy tan colored head with great retention. Body is very dark, allowing very little light to transmit through. Decent lacing on the glass. Aroma is of strong milk chocolate like a Chubba Chub, moderately malty with some sweet overtones. No roasted or burnt malt notes. Creamy on the nose. Initial taste is less milk chocolate and more dark baking chocolate with bittersweet notes up front. At the finish, it mellows a bit allowing some sweeter chocolate notes to come through. Light to medium bodied, it has a malty sweet mouthfeel and creamy texture with soft carbonation.

Very chocolaty. Delicious, very intriguing limited release. Taste is complex, slightly bitter.

Reviewed on December 14th, 2008.
Style Chocolate Stout
ABV 6.3%
Source 12 oz bottle
Overall 21/30
Link to review

Some of the videos are beer reviews with Peter (host) and John Pinkerton from Moon River Brewing Company in Savanah Georgia. The brewery tours are interesting, and the beer reviews are rather comical. You can watch John Pinkerton drink from a beeker, rocking the bull horns and the hand quotes (in the Genesee Cream Ale video). Don’t miss John’s “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” – finger waggle and “Look for those little mits that turn us on – figurative booby squeeze” motions (in Episode 6 – Coney Island).

Episode 7 – Rohrbach Brewing and the Two part series about Palo Santo- Dogfish Head were my favorite.

Episode 7 – Rohrbach Brewing, Rochester NY was very informative.  John Urlab provides very informative in the history of Rohrbach Brewing. It was interesting to learn that their once seasonal Scotch Ale bacame their biggest seller.

The Two part series about Palo Santo – Dogfish Head beer went through the tough process behind creating the largest WOODEN fermintation tanks since prohibition. This video is very rich in the beer making process as well. They were extremely thorough in their research while ”building” this great beer.  We highly recommend to watching it. Both parts combine to be about 20 minutes long.

Overall, they have a good product here. They seem to be in the early stages of their adventure. Keep up the good work.

Sean
2Beerguys.com

Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!

What is Beer America TV?

BeerAmerica.TV will be the first web site to have all the beer video you’ll ever want to see AND be the first beer web site dedicated to the specialty craft brewing world with industry experts and insiders just a click away!

Travel with us as we introduce the most innovative brew pubs, brewing schools, customs, styles and creativity surrounding the culture and sub-culture of craft brewed beer in the U.S. BeerAmerica.TV offers all the answers you’ll ever need about specialty crafted beer. Want to know the best places to have a beer? Just click and watch the video highlights with maps attached!

Beer America will be the first web site of it’s kind dedicated to American specialty crafted beer and our growing thirst for it. With countless wine video blogs – why not beer?

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Beer America TV Launches Website!
Beer America TV is the first video-intensive website that celebrates American craft beer.

Beer America TV is the first video-intensive website that celebrates American craft beer. With industry insiders and unprecedented access, Beer America TV is the best choice for beer video on the web! Click on the link and be prepared to be entertained as well as inspired to go out and try some Craft beer.

Paul Leone has just recently launched the Beer America TV site which is by far the best site of its kind. Although there are few if any that have the depth and scope of what Paul has created with this platform dedicated to the American craft beer world.

As of the writing of this article, there are eight video blogs that are worth the time to watch. High production values as well as thoughtful insight into what makes a beer a good beer. Enjoy this highly interactive site that explores beer.

BeerAmerica.TV will be the first web site to have all the beer video you’ll ever want to see AND be the first beer web site dedicated to the specialty craft brewing world with industry experts and insiders just a click away!

Travel with us as we introduce the most innovative brew pubs, brewing schools, customs, styles and creativity surrounding the culture and sub-culture of craft brewed beer in the U.S. BeerAmerica.TV offers all the answers you’ll ever need about specialty crafted beer. Want to know the best places to have a beer? Just click and watch the video highlights with maps attached!

Beer America will be the first web site of it’s kind dedicated to American specialty crafted beer and our growing thirst for it. With countless wine video blogs – why not beer?

Beer America TV is dedicated to promoting and supporting beer through education.

Drink Responsibly.
Beer can impair your judgement, don’t put yourself in a position where you can harm yourself or others.

Link to article.

Here’s what we said:

Review – Great Divide Brewing Co.’s Hibernation Ale

Commercial Description: “Hibernation Ale is Colorado’s original strong ale — it has been Great Divide’s winter seasonal each year since 1995. Hibernation’s massive flavors are so intense that it requires over three months of aging each year. This lengthy aging process gives Hibernation its revered malty richness, complex hop profile and hearty warming character, which is perfect right out of the bottle or cellared for longer periods of time.”

Review: Pours a dark cloudy amber to brown color producing a massive light brown fizzy head with superb retention. Settles a clear dark amber with a little bit of activity, and the head has become creamy leaving a very nice series of rings on the glass. Aroma is very malty giving off sweet notes with caramel, red licorice, and overall just tasty, inviting aromas. Initial taste is moderately sweet, and the accompanying carbonation carries a heavy sweet taste to the finish with espresso, chocolate and candy sugar. There is some burnt malt bitterness at the finish that provides a bit of balance, and the alcohol barely shows itself. Mouthfeel is ridiculously rich and creamy, as the beer is medium bodied with silky smooth carbonation and velvety creaminess, and just the slightest bit of alcohol at the end, just enough to warm the throat and get you through a cold afternoon.

Reviewed on March 15th, 2008.
Style Strong Ale
ABV 8.1%
Source 12 oz bottle
Overall 23/30

Give it a try. Please let us know if the new release is just as good.

Thanks

Sean
2Beerguys.com

Great Divide Goes Into Hibernation

One of Colorado’s longest-running craft beer traditions returns this month.  Great Divide Brewing Co. will release its award-winning Hibernation Ale-Colorado’s original strong ale-on October 1st.

A true precedent setter in the state’s craft beer history, Hibernation’s rich flavors and winter-warming heft created a stir upon the beer’s debut in 1995. Thirteen years later, Hibernation Ale is now one of the most sought-after winter beers in Colorado.

“We have a lot of history with Hibernation,” says Great Divide founder Brian Dunn, “and it’s a fall tradition for our fans to buy a case of it when it comes out each year. It also personifies our brewery in many ways-it’s edgy but balanced, assertive but elegant. It set the standard for our brewery, especially for the bigger beers we make.”

The beer has also landed a slew of honors for Great Divide, including three Great American Beer Festival honors and a World Beer Cup medal (see below for details). The 2005 vintage of Hibernation Ale was awarded a silver medal in the Aged Beer category at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

“This is one of our best beers for aging,” Dunn says. “As good as the beer is fresh, its malty richness and layered hop flavors go through some wonderful changes over a year’s time. The hops pull back, the malts become more rounded, and the beer develops a nice caramel character you don’t find in the fresh version.”

Hibernation is brewed each summer, dry-hopped, then aged for two months before its release. It’s only available for about 8 weeks each year, from mid-October to mid-December, in limited quantities of draft and 12 ounce bottles, in most Great Divide markets.

Gold Medal, Great American Beer Festival, 1997 – Strong Ale/English-Style Old Ale
Silver Medal, Great American Beer Festival, 2006 – Aged Beer (2005 Vintage)
Silver Medal, World Beer Cup, 1998 – Strong Ale/English-Style Old Ale
Silver Medal, Great American Beer Festival, 2003 – Strong Ale/English-Style Old Ale

Link to article.