Friday night I held a bottle sharing night at A&G Homebrew. Saying it was a fun night would be an understatement. Alex and Gretchen graciously allowed 40 beer lovers through their doors to celebrate my 2 year blogging anniversary. I think Andy put it best way saying “The bottle share was like a mini craft beer festival: 2oz cups, and more choices than I could possibly drink.”

Everyone who signed up was asked to bring a bottle or 2 of something they wanted to share with thirsty beer drinkers. Names like Black Albert, Russian River Damnation, Allagash Ghoulschip, Lawsons, Heady Topper, Hill Farmstead, names you will never see under the same roof, and definitely not in New Hampshire were all in attendance.

I got food for everyone from The District, tasty food I should say. Duck Confit Won Tons, Sushi, Bratwurst Steamed Buns kept everyone’s tastebuds happy. Big thank you to District for helping out with the food for the event!

The highlight of the night, besides trying beers I would never have had the chance to try, was raising money for the late Ben Harris, who died from an exploding keg at Red Hook a couple weeks ago. The night started out with an empty Red Hook growler with a simple note attached. By the end of the night the growler was filled to the brim with over $300 in donations. Before I sat down to write this post I went over to Red Hook to give the donations in a card for Alysa Harris. I would like to thank all of those who helped with the donations, ad those who have donated separately from last nights event. Ben was loved by everyone who knew him, and the Red Hook family appreciates all of the support.

All in all I was thrilled to have everyone come and hang out and have great beer. Every style of beer was represented and without knowing who was bringing what I don’t think any two people brought the same beer, which is magical. There’s no doubt we will do this again so stay tuned for updates. For the rest of the photos from the night check out the album on the Facebook Page.

Happy American Craft Beer Week!

Cheers,
B

American Craft Beer Week snuck up on me, I’ll admit it. But while I was forgetting about it, there are plenty of things in the works at the pubs in town. Here are some of the events happening at your favorite places. I will update as I hear of more events. Everything kicks off Monday May 14 and ends on Sunday May 20.

Portsmouth Brewery

Monday: Ann Czaja, Master Chocolatier from Lindt, brings her expertise to the Jimmy LaPanza Lounge for a four beer/four chocolate pairing with our Head Brewer, Tod Mott. The event starts at 6pm and lasts an hour. You don’t need reservations, but space is limited to 40 people on a first come, first serve basis.

Tuesday: For the first time in nearly eighteen years, we’ll have nothing but Portsmouth Brewery beers on tap during our first Portsmouth Brewery Tap Takeover. When we open for business, we’ll have all ten lines filled with our own beer, NO Smuttynose, NO guest beers. The line up will be fleshed out by some vintage selections of big beers from our archive.

Also on Tuesday, you can get a peek behind the curtain as Chef Todd Sweet hosts an educational demonstration on how you can cook with beer from 6pm-7pm in the LaPanza Lounge. Like the Lindt Chocolate event, the first 40 chefs to arrive will be admitted to learn from Chef’s decades of culinary experience.

Wednesday: Our second masters pairing of the week! Cheese expert Robert Aguirre, returns to the LaPanza Lounge from 6pm-7pm to present four Portsmouth Brewery beers with four New Hampshire cheeses. Robert was our guest at one of the first beer socials and we’re very excited to enjoy another round of amazing combinations. Like other LaPanza Lounge events, this one is also complimentary, first come, first serve and limited to 40 people.

Thursday: Meet the Brewers! Thursday’s LaPanza social brings together brewers from three area breweries; David Yarrington from Smuttynose, Annette Lee from Throwback and of course, our own Tod Mott. Ask your questions about commercial brewing, share a high five or find out their astrological signs. It’s your chance to rub elbows with the folks that fuel fermentation. You guessed it; this free event also lasts from 6-7, is general admission (no reservations) and limited to 40 people.

Friday: We’re pleased to announce the Return of Firkin Friday! We’ll begin pouring 10.8 cask-conditioned, Columbus-dry-hopped gallons of Black IPA, from a firkin on the bar starting at 11:30am. How long will it last? You’ll have to decide for yourselves…

In addition to these unique events, everyday we’ll raise a toast to American Craft Beer at noon and 5pm and offer tours at 3pm.

Portsmouth Gaslight Co.

Gaslight will have a special 3 course meal, each course paired with a different Smuttynose beer. This menu will run all week in addition to their recently released (and tasty looking) summer menu.

1st Course:
Star Island Belgian Single
Smoked Tomato & Tarragon Soup

2nd Course:
Smuttynose Vunderbar
Schweine-Schnitzel
Thinly pounded pork loin lightly breaded and pan fried. Served with candied beets and warm potato salad finished with a lemon butter pan sauce.

3rd Course:
Baltic Porter
Honey Plum Cheese Cake.
NY style cheese cake with a porter plum coulis, hand whipped cream and a drizzle of organic honey.

Ri Ra

This was posted on Ri Ra’s Facebook page:
“We will be having some great limited release beers from some great brewers all week long a different beer for every day of the week. Make sure to check back as we will post more info towards the end of the week.”

I’ll keep you all posted if there was anything I missed. If you know of something going on during American Craft Beer Week, email me. For more information on ACBW check out the official website here

Cheers,
B

I spent the weekend with some new brews from Magic Hat. The Summer 12 pack is on the shelves now and I picked up the 2 newest additions, Elder Betty and Pistil. Here’s the run down:

Elder Betty

Aroma: Bready malts, sweet and sour berries
Appearance: Hazy golden
Flavor: slowly malty w. a touch of hops and tart berry
Mouthfeel: Lot carbonation w. a clean finish
Malt: 2-row Pale, Wheat
Hops: Apollo
Additives: Elderberry
OG in Degrees Plato: 13.1
SRM: 4.0
IBUs: 13
ABV: 5.5%

My thoughts
Elder Betty started out with a slightly sour/funky smell but the taste was not sour but floral and a hint of berry. This is a really light summer beer that has some similarities as #9 but lighter. I get a little citrus as well. This is a nice refreshing beer!

Pistil

Aroma: Lemon, citrus, grassy
Appearance: Golden yellow
Flavor: Smooth malt body, slight sour acidity
Mouthfeel: Slightly puckering, medium body
Malt: 2-row Pale, Acidulated
Hops: Apollo, Northern Brewer
Additives: Dandelion leaves
OG in Degrees Plato: 11
SRM: 3
IBUs: 20
ABV: 4.5%

My thoughts
Pistil is surprisingly malty but light with some very slight floral notes. Tis is a summer beer I can get into. I would put this one above some of the other leading summer brews. There is an earthy taste that I believe come from the dandelion leaves but it definitely isn’t overpowering

#9

#9 isn’t new to any beer lover. However, it’s now more portable. Magic Hat is canning #9 so you can transport it with you on your picnics, trips, etc. and it tastes just as good as it does on draft (which can be found in a number of places in Portsmouth).

Where Can You Find It?

Here is a photo I took at Hannaford in Portsmouth. You can find the variety pack almost everywhere in Portsmouth and surrounding stores. They also had the 6-packs of Elder Betty, which will go nicely in my fridge . As far as the Magic Hat cans go, those may be tougher to find around here, but the bottles are everywhere and a number of bars have it on tap in the area.

These are three great beers to get you in the mood just in time for all of the decks to open on the Seacoast! For those of you that haven’t made it up to the Magic Hat Brewery in Burlington you should make some plans to get up there. It will not disappoint. Or better yet, make a weekend out of it. As of today you can purchase tickets to the 2012 VT Brewers Festival. There will be a lot of special beers there from Magic Hat and other great brewers. For more information check out the website (http://vtbrewfest.com/)

Cheers,
B

I received the following note, updating us all on the tragedy a couple days ago at Redhook.

—–
We are grateful for the outpouring of support that we’ve received from the community after Tuesday’s tragic accident in Portsmouth. Ben Harris had been a member of the Redhook family for more than seven years, first working at the Cataqua Pub and most recently as part of our brewing operations team. His wife, Alysha Miller, is expecting his child and is also part of the Redhook family as a server in our pub. Ben was a wonderful man, a dedicated member of our team and a friend to all who knew him. We are heartbroken by this tragedy and are grieving with the family.

We would like to thank the community and the media for respecting the family’s privacy as well as that of our employees as we mourn together. We would also like to thank our family of employees for their support in this process, as this is an extremely difficult time for all of us and our top priority is taking care of Ben’s family and our team.

There is an assessment underway to reveal exactly what happened Tuesday morning. Although the investigation is still in process, there are several facts that we can confirm:

· The accident was caused by an exploding plastic keg ;
· The keg was not owned or used by Redhook Brewery or any other CBA brewery;
· It is normal protocol for the brewery to receive kegs that aren’t ours from time to time;
· Ben was handling the keg at the time it exploded.

It is extremely important to us that we understand exactly what happened before we share additional information about this tragedy. There is an evaluation in progress and we can assure you that we will issue further information when the report is complete.

In the meantime, we ask for continued thoughts and prayers for Ben’s family, friends, and everyone touched by this accident.

The family asks that memorial contributions be made to: The Alysha Miller Harris Baby Fund c/o TD Bank, 20 International Drive, Portsmouth, NH, 03801, (603) 430-3812.

Thank you,
Andy Thomas

——

Today is is sad day in Portsmouth. According to Seacoast Online, a brewery worker died from injuries related to the explosion of a beer keg at the Redhook Ale Brewery Tuesday morning.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120424-NEWS-120429891

UPDATE 2:05PM

I recieved the following statement from Redhook:

All,

We are saddened by the tragic event that occurred at the Portsmouth brewery this morning resulting in the death of one of our employees. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family. Out of respect for his family we are not releasing his name at this time.

We are doing everything in our power to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic accident, and have closed down all non-essential operations at the Portsmouth brewery, including the pub, while the investigation continues.

We believe it would not be appropriate to comment further until the investigation is concluded. Our sympathy is with his family and everyone touched by the tragedy.

Thank you,
Andy Thomas
VP of Commercial Operations

UPDATE 3:07pm

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim as well as the Redhook family. If I hear any updates I will be sure to update.

Brian

From Portsmouth Brewery’s Facebook page:

The votes have been tallied and we’re excited to announce we’ve won two “Best of New Hampshire” awards: Best Local Beer” and “Favorite Restaurant-Seacoast Region.”

The one thing I thoroughly enjoy about the Brewery is there changing menu. Chef Todd always seems to keep it fresh and exciting. This isn’t just pub food, folks, there is something for everyone. Brewer Tod churns through a lot of beer in the small space they have. Their rotating taps will have something for everyone as well. Don’t forget to ask what’s on cask because it’s always something new and tasty.

I asked JT, Minister of Propaganda for the Portsmouth brewery how he feels about the awards:

It’s always gratifying to win awards that come from popular votes so both of these awards really have some omph behind them. And really, who doesn’t like being called “The Best” at what they do?

I also asked what his favorite Portsmouth Brewery menu item and favorite beer was:

Chorizo Burger and Whipper Snapper American Mild

The Chorizo Burger is insane, and I highly recommend it as one of the best burgers in town.

More information should show up on the Best of NH site soon.

Congrats to the Brewery!
Cheers,
B

Join Throwback Brewery & the Blue Mermaid for a fundraiser for Seacoast Local on Tuesday April 17. Enjoy 4 stations pairing local beer and local foods.

Station 1
Herbed Goat Cheese and Potato Croquettese served with a lime jalapeno cream dipping sauce paired with Oma’s Tribute Black Lager

Station 2
Golden and Red beets on Rice and Pea Cakes topped with local honey roasted pecans paired with Hog Happy Hefeweizen

Station 3
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Satays with suns-plash salsa paired with Hopstuck Red IPA

Station 4
Pan Seared Duck Breast with a Serrano Chili Jam paired with Campfire Smoked Porter

For more information and to get you tickets click this link.

Cheers,
B

Join me Friday, May 11 at 7pm for some good beer and good times. I am celebrating my 2 years of beer blogging in Portsmouth with a bottle share night at A&G Homebrew Supply!

Requirements

• Bring some great beer to share with some fellow beer lovers. Preferabbly something rare to the area or something from your secret stash
• You must sign up through the Eventbrite page, as space is limited (No Walk-Ins)

Grab your tickets here: http://bevlabshare.eventbrite.com/

More details to come as they become available. If you have any questions please email me at SeacoastBeverageLab@gmail.com

Cheers!
Brian

There is a new eatery set to open in Hampton. The Community Oven is located in the old Brother’s North Plaza (845 Lafayette Rd, Hampton) and will be serving up Wood Fired pizzas, delicious looking salads and deserts such as the “Gourmet Marshmallow Roast” that has you roasting marshmallows at your table!

As far as beer is concerned, don’t you worry as there are 16 draft lines serving up some great local beer. That’s the focus behind this tap list, making sure you have a selection of the Seacoast’s finest brews. Here is the starting line up:

1. Widmer Hefeweizen
2. Sea Dog Blueberry
3. Kona Longboard Lager
4. Harpoon Cider
5. Harpoon IPA
6. Peak Organic Seasonal
7. Peak Local Series/Specialty Release
8. Peak Nut Brown
9. Long Trail IPA
10. Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat
11. Magic Hat #9
12. Berkshire Drayman’s Porter
13. Tuckerman Pale Ale
14. North Coast Red Seal
15. Throwback Brewery Love Me Long Time Pilsner
16. Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA

I just got back from my quick visit and I have to say the space is great and looks and feels like nothing I’ve seen on the Lafayette Rd strip, and that’s a good thing. The Community Oven is currently planning on a grand opening Friday April 13. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything about an earlier soft opening..

**UPDATE**
The grand opening is set for Friday April 13 at 5pm!

For more information check out their Facebook page and check out their menu (link). Let me know if you stopped by and what you thought.

Cheers,
B

I thought I would have had a bigger post for my 2 year anniversary, boasting about my accomplishments and achievements in beer but its more of a thank you letter to everyone. I never thought after writing a post 2 years ago about a square off between the 4 Sam Adams Seasonals, would I be here with so much more knowledge and so many more friends in the beer world.

I won’t list everyone’s name because I will miss someone for sure. But as far as fellow bloggers are concerned, I thank them everyday by having them on the right side of my site. I learn every day from you guys and gals and enjoy reading and talking about beer when I have nothing to write about. I thought I would be a ghost writer, too. I didn’t have the guts to go out and meet people and I didn’t want anyone to know my name but enjoy my musings. I learned quickly this can’t be the case. There is too big a community to hide in the dark. Writing about beer is only half about being a beer blogger.

As I’ve said to many people, you don’t need to be a beer blogger to write about beer. There are some perks for those that really work hard but I enjoy publishing my thoughts in print and talking about it in the bar. I know more beer lovers than beer bloggers and we are all equal. We all have thoughts about beer, it’s all a matter of how we like to put out thoughts out there. The one negative I have about becoming a beer writer or just a beer lover in general is definitely the health aspect. I was lucky enough to come into the beer world as a runner, but moderation is key even for the most athletic person.

The next year I would like to focus on being active in the community. So hopefully you will be seeing me, my name or my influence in the bars and shops in town. As always if you have any missions for me I would love to hear your ideas.

Cheers to another year!
Brian