Maine Event Part 2: The Rematch

So much time to drink... so little time to blog. I recently was scolded the other day about my blog. Yes, I admit... I'm not as consistent with my posts as I wish I was. Hopefully, it's about the QUALITY, not the QUANTITY. I HAVE been much more consistent with my tweets though... I mean, that's what a blog is in a sense. To enlighten people that read your blog about things that they might not have known about. When you tweet something, you're pointing your followers in a direction that they might not have if you didn't. My friends over @RelicBrewing and @RandomPink coined the term, "Nano-Blog" this last wkd. It works, right? Alright... let get to it.

I've had some fantastic... umm.... BREW-tastic adventures the past few weeks, all over New England. The next few posts might be a bit out-dated and a little out of order... But I saw a tweet the other day the sparked an idea to get this post up.

It was a link to this article titled, "Top Ten Craft Beer Cities to Visit". I quickly clicked through the obvious choices here: Fort Collins, CO... Portland, OR... San Diego, CA... and then I saw it: Portland, Maine. About two weeks ago, two of my sisters and I decided to head out and tour Portland, Maine for the day. One of my sisters lives IN Maine, and Portland is only about 25 minutes away from her. Since it's so close to her I've been meaning to check it out for some time now. Given the rest of our wkd's activities, we could only devote one full day to our BREWtastic Voyage, but it was well worth it. And I'm already looking forward to the next trip.

We were focused. Our first stop was one of my favorite breweries, the Allagash Brewing Company. Our tour was scheduled for 12:30 so my OTHER sister departed CT around 8:30am without a minute to spare. We picked up our Maine sister got to the brewery JUST in time for the tour... and as if I couldn't LOVE Allagash any more, they STARTED with the tasting. They led off with their flagship, Allagash White... then the Victor (brewed with cabernet franc grapes), followed by the Tripel and lastly... (drumroll)... the Curieux. If you don't know the Curieux, you are MISSING out. It's a beautiful sweeter beer aged in Jim Beam barrels. They explained that in order for bourbon to be considered bourbon, it can only sit in the barrel once. Allagash has an agreement with Jim Beam that when the bourbon is done aging, the barrels get shipped up to Portland. Allagash uses these barrels only once and there you have it... Curieux. And after one sip... you can taste all 11% of this tasty treat.

Along the tour, our awesome tour guide, Ashley, took us into the CURIEUX ROOM (also known as Heaven). There are barrels from floor to ceiling and as you walk in, you're instantly hit with the sweet smell of bourbon.

One of the "cool"er parts of the tour actually happened AFTER the tour itself where we got to check out the Coolship. It resembles a small one room shed with an flat shallow pan that takes up most of the room. Hot wort is added to this pan and allowed to cool overnight (rather than forced to cool using wort chillers). Along with the opened air cooling, the natural occurring yeast from the air gets into the wort. This is what ferments the beer. The interesting thing about this whole process is that it's the first known one outside of Belgium. There you go... Allagash, yet again, pushing themselves to achieve great things.

That was the START of our adventure. We then checked out the much, much smaller, newer Maine Beer Company. That was a quick visit but still cool to walk in, meet some very cool people and try some tasty beers. I even bought their "Thank You, Allen" that's only available at the brewery.

After about two hours of sampling and empty stomachs... we needed a base. So we headed over to The Great Lost Bear. A measely 60+ beers on tap. SAY WHAT?! Shut yo mouth. We had some delicious teriyaki mushrooms with a pepper dipping sauce, and some cajun style wings. And with over 60 beers to choose from, we had to jump into a sampler:

Green Flash Hop Head Red

Six Point Spice of Life: Crystal Hop

Geary Special Ale

Baxter Stowaway IPA

Allagash Odyssey

Never had any of these beers in my life... all very good. Loved the Allagash... my favorite might have been the Six Point. Green Flash was good, but very complex.

As the black clouds started forming, we quickly found shelter at another staple in the Portland Beer Diet... Novare Rae Bier Cafe. This wonderful place touts 25 rotating drafts, 2 hand pumps, and over 500 bottles. And look... we were there on the day of a Green Flash Takeover. Ok... Let's go.

I kicked things off with the notorious IPA known as the Palate Wrecker, which has over 100 IBUs (International Bittering Units). The bartender warned me that this would kick the @#$* out of my tongue, and I loved it! And with Green Flash making a name for themselves in CT now, this is one to look for, especially for you hopheads out there. This is also a great place to get a little nosh. We had a nice cheese/meat plate and some duck tacos. They also have a mug club / dungeon looking place. Basically you get a "scorecard" and have one year to try all of the beers on the card. If you fill it out, you're awarded a mug that's kept in this dungeon looking type place. Complete with lock and chain and heavy iron door. Very, very cool.

And since we were in the area (once the rain had stopped)... we walked over to one of Maine's Original Brew Pubs, Gritty McDuff's. After wrecking our palates, and trying all sorts of crazy brews, it was nice to get a balanced Vacationland Summer Ale and an IPA.

I have to admit... after Gritty's we were beer'd out. But what a day it was. So if you are looking for a place that's only a few hours from CT where you won't break the bank... head up to Portland, Maine. There are SO many other places to check out including Geary's, Shipyard or restaurants like Nosh or 3 Dollar Dewey's. You could EASILY spend a wkd up there. Just make sure you stretch out your liver first.

As the Welcome to Maine sign reads, "The Way Life Should Be." Cheers... and safe travels.

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So on the heels of my Maine excursion... word JUST came out yesterday that one of my favorite brew pubs is having... wait for it... an ALLAGASH BASH!! It's one thing to find a great Allagash beer on draft... it's COMPLETELY other thing to take over 10! Mark your calendar, kiddos...

WHEN: Thursday, June 28th @ 6pm

WHERE: Backstage, 84 Main Street, Torrington

Allagash continues to establish themselves as one of the BEST in the craft beer industry. And to have them come all the way to CT for this is nothing short of incredible. Just two weeks ago, I drove over 3 hours to try some of these beers... and come next Thursday, 10 of them will be in little ol' Torrington. Check out this lineup:

White

Curieux

Yakuza

Tripel

Dubbel

Black

Four

Blonde

Victor

Victoria

Food pairings, giveaways, and MORE. A craft beer lovers dream and a night not to be missed.

Harpoon Catamount Maple Wheat (100 Barrel Series)

Harpoon Brewery
American Pale Wheat Ale
Alcohol by Volume: (ABV) 6.8%

My colleague recently visited the Harpoon brewery and was thoughtful enough to bring me back a fresh growler of Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series, Catamount Maple Wheat for me.

(Yum! Beer for breakfast?)

I did a little research to learn that this is Harpoon’s second attempt at this beer and it’s made with genuine Vermont maple syrup. Got to love local products using local products. The website reads:

“The balance of malts and hops allows the distinct flavor and aroma of real Vermont maple syrup to take the lead. The maple sweetness and body blankets this velvety amber beer showcasing one of New England’s most beloved traditions.”

Sounds awesome and different - let’s dive in.

The pour: A nice fluffy white head and the color of the beer, as to be expected it was an amber red, maple color

The nose: Not much going on. I am getting a little bit of sweet, bread notes, but it’s not overly sugary, or woody like I may have thought

The taste: A very bubbly brew with burnt caramel flavors and a strong bitter malt flavor. The finish is somewhat medicinal. It’s interesting because it doesn’t have that light crisp wheat flavor that I expected. It's more of a lager. Also, I hate to say it – but where’s the maple? Had it not been in the name I wouldn’t have been looking for it. I was expecting a sweet, grassy, wheat beer but got something much different instead.

It’s drinkable, but had I not had a growler and just ordered a pint at the pub, I would have grabbed the beer list and changed it up.

I always appreciate new recipes that bring together New England, but this was just ok for me. Grade: B

Customize Your Brew

I hope you all are enjoying your American Craft Beer Week as much as I am. Monday, my friends and I did a vertical tasting of the Anchor Merry Xmas Happy New Year Ale from 2007, 2008 and 2009... Tuesday, I picked up my Hefeweizen home brew and hooked it up to my kegerator... then, we enjoyed some Hatch Plug Ale and Marauder IPA from Cavalry Brewing... and yesterday we kicked the night off up at Backstage up in Torrington. Yea, its been a good beer week.

Speaking of... I have to admit, there are a lot of cool things about this beverage. In case you haven't gathered the idea that I enjoy a beer from time to time. (Hint: I have a blog devoted to the suds!) And given my new found obsession, er... hobby, the important thing I've learned over the last few years is that you can NEVER stop learned new things. But here's the main thing: HAVE FUN. You might know more than someone else, but it's all in the name of beer. So compare notes, check your ego at the door and let's all drink some beer and have fun. Now between craft beer and home brewing (which I'm attempting to get into), there is SO much I need to learn and continue to pick up. Styles, hops, varieties, history, releases... What's an Ale? What's a Lager? Why is it called Witbier? What would this beer go with with...? What type of glass should I pour it in? It's all in the name of fun. So don't forget in the explosion that is been CRAFT BEER... to have fun with all of this.

And in the name of fun... I give you something that kinda, well... yeah, I'll say it - it BLEW my mind. Revolutionary. The first time I heard about this new found discovery the first thing I thought of was: How have I never thought of doing this?! I admittedly still have not attempted this... but with a little planning, you could really impress your friends or perhaps just surprise yourself!

If you know ANYTHING about craft beer, you must familiarize yourself with Dogfish Owner and Brewmaster, Sam Caligione. Since its inception, Sam has become one of the true pioneers of the craft beer movement. A few months ago, I started hearing about a new invention down at Dogfish called the RANDALL. It appears to be a somewhat simple filtering device. It's stuffed with some type of flavor enhancer (hops, coffee beans, nuts, etc) that'll change the profile of the beer you are drinking... then it's hooked up to a draft line... and the beer runs through... and BOOM... you have your very own infused beer!

The problem is... most people don't have a draft system... or the space... or even a RANDALL... Until, Sam and the Dogfish crew came out with the RANDALL JR !!! It's basically a 16 oz container with a screen at the top. Just like it's big brother, you stuff the Randall Jr with whatever floats your boat, add beer... place in the fridge for about 10 minutes... and VOILA!! An IPA could just be an IPA... but with this sucker, you could have a Sorachi Ace Hop Infused IPA... or a Hazelnut Coffee Infused Imperial Porter... the possibilities are ENDLESS!!

So let me guess... you're reading this blog... went right to the Dogfish website... and noticed that the Randall Jr is SOLD OUT. (Cue Price Is Right "Horns of Failure"). Yeah I did the same thing... When they get more on their site... I'll probably order one too... but in the meantime... take matters into your own hands!

All you REALLY need is a container with some type of straining setup like a loose leaf tea infuser... or do what our friends over at Relic Brewing did a few weeks ago at their Friday Open House. The Brewmaster, Mark, took his popular Fortnight IPA and poured it into a french press that was loaded with whole leaf hops (I forget exactly which type he used). After about 10 minutes, he pushed down the screen only far enough so that the hops would get strained out and BAM, there you had a hop infused Fortnight IPA.

With a little planning... a french press... tea infuser... or if you were lucky enough to snag a Randall Jr from Dogfish... you can really revolutionize the way you enjoy craft beer!! Remember... add your ingredients... add beer... put it in the fridge for 10 minutes... and there you have it.

Enjoy the rest of ACBW!!

For more information on any of the breweries mentioned above, check out their websites below:

Cavalry Brewing: cavalrybrewing.com

Relic Brewing: relicbeer.com

Dogfish Brewing: dogfish.com

American Craft Beer Week: craftbeer.com/pages/news-and-events/american-craft-beer-week

Check out the DOGFISH commercial for the Randall Jr: http://youtu.be/OhP7NVrVEfA

Can't We All Just Get Along??

Why yes, yes we can.

But that's not how it used to be...


Not long ago... Anheuser-Busch stormed its way to the top of the Beer Mountain. They were one of 3 games in town along with Miller and Coors. AB dominated so much of the beer world, it forced a merger between Miller and Coors. Even with that merger, AB still controlled most of the beer in the US. It was a dog eat dog world out there.

As I've mentioned before, if anyone is every curious about this - check out the beer-umentary called BEER WARS. These days, most people have a form of Netflix so check out the streaming movies and you can find it there. It gives you some great insight on what's our there... and explains why passionate craft beer drinkers are as passionate as they are.

That was then... this is now.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... this is a great time to be a craft beer drinker. I mean, you've also heard it said, "Life's too short for... [fill in whatever applies to you]. So WHY can't the same be said about beer?

Admittedly, the big dawgs are still doing their thing. I am beer. Here me roar. Grrrr. They're making sub-par beer at best... no taste... blah... buying out the little guys and trying to continually dominate the market. But if you look closely, some of the top notch craft brewers are doing some pretty amazing things.

Here are some popular craft brewers, just to name a few: Sam Adams, Dogfish, Stone, Victory, Avery, Russian River, Green Flash, Sierra Nevada... Maybe you've heard of a few, or even all of them. All are doing well enough to stand on their own. But here's the kicker... they're not. What you are seeing these days is a new era of collaborative beers... and those that are paying attention are enjoying all the benefits.

In CT, Sam Adams beer is huge. Owner, Jim Koch is doing a lot of smart things. For "Joe Beer Drinker" most times, people will start the season by drinking a Sam Seasonal. It's nice out... Sam Summer. It's autumn, Sam Octoberfest... it's cold out, Sam Winter. You could easily see him try and dominate the market as well with what they're offering...

Or take, Sam Caligione of Dogfish (Head Brewmaster/Owner). Dogfish offers up a great lineup of beers, Raison d'Etre, My Antonia, Red and White, Punkin Ale, World Wide Stout, 60 Min, 90 Min, 120 min (if you can find it!) just to name a few. He doesn't really have to go beyond the walls of the brewery in Delaware to be successful...


But they do.

Check out the correspondence that I found thanks to http://beerstreetjournal.com:

I’m psyched! I love your idea of a collaboration beer for Savor! Can I throw out an idea to the get the process started? We still have some of the original barrels from 1993/94 used for Samula Adams Triple Bock. I think they were the first oak barrels used for beer with this barrel aging thing was just beginning. I think it would be cool to use those same barrels for our collaboration. We should think of something different to do with them this time around. And maybe some other boundaries of brewing to mess with. Any thoughts? Just brew it! -Jim

Barrel one? High gravity flower tinctures? You’ve got some sweet tools in your brewer’s utility belt Jim. As the Joker said of Batman, “Where does he get those wonderful toys!?” Sounds like a great direction for this recipe. I found some yummy rose syrup made with lemon juice and rose pedals in Turin, Italy. I will send some up for you guys to play with in the lab. I think we could add some in the whirl and it will marry-up to your muti-flower tincture in a sexy way down steam. I like what you wrote about the power of the flowers Jim. In fact, I suggest we simply call this beer Savor Flowers. By interweaving the beer and event names we can drive home the point that craft beer and beautiful foods belong together. - Sam

Taking two brewers who OBVIOUSLY know what they are doing based on the success of their respective breweries over the years... and having them get together to collaborate is a gift to us all. So Jim and Sam got together last year and concatenated a beer called Savor Flowers. Sadly, most of these collabortive beers have limited distribution, but if you are lucky enough to come across one, don't delay.

I'm sure there are a LOT more collaborations out there, so please excuse my CT East Coast bias... but other breweries that I have to showcase here are Stone Brewing Co and Victory Brewing. Along with Dogfish, they came up with a beer a few years ago called Saison Du Buff. Check out the video below:



Stone Brewing Co, as I mentioned a moment ago, is also leading the charge for collaborations... Chocolate Cherry Stout, Highway 78 Scotch Ale, Japanese Green Tea IPA. Follow this link to see what else they're offering up: STONE COLLABORATIONS

I'm so glad that the mindset of these craft brew front runners is not to take their ball and go home... but cooperate with one another and push the envelope of what there is to offer. Just because you do things a certain, doesn't make it right all the time so why not learn something new from your fellow brewer? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It's a great time to be a craft beer drinker.

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On the local front... Goose Island Brewing Company has stormed into CT with a vengeance. This week they are tap-ually taking over ALL FOUR Plan B Restaurant: Simbury, Glastonbury, Milford and West Hartford. In addition they were at Eli Cannon's last night in Middletown. They'll feature (5) of their featured drafts (and each restaurant will also have their top-of-the-line offerings). Here's their schedule moving forward for those that want to go check it out for themselves:

Milford Plan B, April 18 @ 7:30 p.m.
Simsbury Plan B, April 19 @ 6 p.m.
Wood-n-Tap Hartford, April 24 @ 6:30 p.m. (Beer & Food Pairing, $48)
West Hartford Plan B, April 26 @ 6 p.m.


From time to time, I've had the pleasure of having Goose Island when visiting friends in NYC... so this is GREAT news for the residents of CT. For those that can't make the above events, keep an eye our for the Goose at your local packy.


There's also rumor that Brooklyn's own Six Point Brewery will also be invading the beer fortress of solitude known as Connecticut. If this is in fact true... you don't want to miss out on what these guys bring to the table. Great things are on the horizon for good ol' CT.

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For more information on all things CT Craft Beer related... check out the CT BEER TRAIL.

Happy St. Paddy's Edition: Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
4.30 ABV %

As the Irish half of Beer411, I thought it was appropriate to weigh in on one of my favorite Irish pints, and remind everyone that while green beer is festive, it still tastes like Budweiser, because it is. It just has green food coloring in it - gross.

Instead, tap into the wealth of the Irish drinking season with a REAL brew from the country; Guinness, Smithwick’s, Murphy’s, Kilkenny or Beamish.

My favorite of late would have to be the Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale. It’s tough to find, but a good Irish pub usually has it on tap. For Instance the Burren in Somerville, where every other person in the bar has a Gaelic accent, is known to pour this from time to time, especially around St. Paddy’s.

This beer has an amazing history and is older than some countries, with a heritage dating back to the fourteenth century. Until recently, a pub in Washington, D.C. was the only place in the US that carried it, thankfully that’s changed.

The beer pours amber red with a creamy white head that dissipates quickly. The nose isn’t powerful, but you definitely pick up a toasty aroma with caramel malts, and some earthy tones.

The taste is refreshing and light. It feels very creamy on the tongue, but it’s not heavy. It’s sweet with caramel flavors, roasted barley and notes of tea and honey. It has that great malty-red after taste that I love.

This beer makes for easy drinking and it reminds me of the cross between a red ale and a stout, two of my favorite beers. The bartender described it as Smithwick's with less hops and creamy like a Guinness.

Happy St. Paddy’s to all my Irish and wannabe Irish kin out there. Be safe and remember cab drivers are your friends.

I leave you with one of my favorite Irish proverbs:
“May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going and the insight to know when you're going too far.”
Slainte!

Beer411 Profiles: Spitzer's Corner, NYC

Website: spitzerscorner.com

Everything happens for a reason. (Grandma Leone would always say...)


This past weekend, I was invited to perform at The Living Room (livingroomny.com) with some amazing musicians... all in support for a Brooklyn-based Theatre Company called the Smith Street Stage (smithstreetstage.com). And as luck would have it, many friends and family came out to show their love.

The concert was such a blast... The talent that I had the pleasure of performing with was top notch. I'm still in awe as I look back at the pictures. The focus was a tribute to Bob Dylan, so everyone picked out their favorite tune (or tunes) and simply rocked the house. Songs ranging from "Things Have Changed" to "All Along the Watchtower" to "Like a Rolling Stone" among MANY others. We closed the night with a rousing rendition of "I Shall Be Released." Chills.

I was grateful that one of the supporters in the house was fellow Beer411 Blogger KayTeeStinch...!! So you knew we had the makings for a fantastic evening ahead of us. We wanted to hit a cool little craft beer place in the Lower East Side and I knew EXACTLY where to go. Last year, completely by accident, my girlfriend and I stumbled upon this great place called: Spitzer's Corner (101 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002). We had a few great beers at the time and some wonderful kobe beef sliders with a bowl of pickles. Yes, you order pickles by the bowl there. I knew that once I was asked to perform at the Living Room for the Bob Dylan Tribute THIS year, I knew exactly where we were going after the show. And lucky for KayTee and I, we convinced a few friends to join us on our craft beer jaunt. My other cousin Kelly... not to mention Lynn... Brandi... Jyll... Meredith... and Kathy!!

I don't want to speak for my cousin KayTee, but I think it was love at first beer (SEE above picture). It was a packed house, but we ninja'ed our way right up near the bar and set up shop. I had the Green Flash 30th Street Pale Ale earlier in the night and was ready to do more damage. On a side note, Spitzers Corner mentioned that they were only one of 6 brew pubs to snag the highly sought after 30th Street Pale Ale. Hey... anyone that has that kinda pull around here is a friend of mine. After the first round... we ended up ordering some awesome hand cut fries. A must when doing the "work" that we were doing. Every time someone ordered a new beer... everyone around them wanted to try it. It was so much fun comparing notes like that... From Chile Beers, to Seasonal Beers, to Blonde Ales, to Porters...

My favorite on the night...? I'd have to give the nod to Stone's Vertical Epic 11.11.11. You just hardly ever see this tasty guy on draft. Pours a dark amber in color. The spicy characteristics up front along with a mild malt backbone and great fruits just make this beer so complex and delicious all at the same time. The chilies are definitely an unusual key factor in this beer, but are perfectly subtle. If the Belgian yeasts used in this beer is Michael Jordan, then the chilies are the Scottie Pippen. Does that make sense? And its a 9.4% abv offering so enjoy one and move onto something else... otherwise, your night at Spitzer's may be a short one.

Other highlights on the night included:
Ommegang Adoration
Fisherman's Navigator
Goose Island Matilda
Alphabet City BC Easy Blonde
Southern Tier Old Man Winter
Stone Smoked Porter
And others that I'm probably forgetting...
(at this point in the night, be happy that I remembered the ones that I did.)

Between the talent at the Bob Dylan Tribute show, the support, the beers, and the company (Kelly, KayTee, Jyll, Kathy, Lynn, Meredith and BRANDI (see, I told you that I'd mention you! And in CAPS, too!)... Everything totally happened for a reason this night. See what I did there?? All n' all, it was an amazing night with amazing people.

So if you find yourself down on the Lower East Side... and are searching that perfect NYC place with great little noshy food and delicious craft beerness that'll make you want to write about in your blog the following Tuesday... hit up Spitzer's Corner.

...Tell 'em Beer411 sent ya.

(which won't get you anything, but hey, you can still mention it!)

Backstage goes FULL FRONTAL

Hey CT Beer fans,

If you are in the area... you DON'T want to miss this. Tucked up in the Northwest corner is a little gem known as Backstage: Eat, Drink, Live.

THIS THURSDAY, they are letting the VICTORY BREWING COMPANY takeover their front 12 taps!! Yes, 12 taps!! With offerings including:

-Victory Braumeister Pils
-Victory Festbier
-Victory Golden Monkey Triple Ale
-Victory Headwaters Pale Ale
-Victory Hop Devil IPA
-Victory Hop Wallop (oh, hell yeah.)
-Victory Lager
-Victory Moonglow Weizenbock
-Victory Prima
-Victory St. Victorious
-Victory Storm King Stout
-Victory Yakima Glory

Raffles, Hats, Shirts, Glasses, Pitchers... Giveaways galore!!

And don't forget to let them know that you want them to be a part of the CT Beer Trail!!

Follow THEM ALL on Twitter!

Backstage: Eat, Drink, Live (@BackstageEDL)
Victory Brewing Co: (@VictoryBeer)
CT Beer Trail: (@CTBeerTrail)