beer Club

Crossroads Brewery

2012-02-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

OUTRAGE

India Pale Ale

7% abv

Outrage is an IPA (India Pale Ale) featuring the robust and

assertive flavors of American hops balanced by a slightly

sweet malt body and high alcohol content.

We use only the highest quality English malts to create a

bright copper color and smooth rich body for this ale. Maris

Otter Pale Malt, Crystal Malt, and a small addition of Wheat

Malt supply the backbone and alcohol sweetness that help

balance out this beer.

However hops are the real feature of Outrage. Simcoe,

Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Citra hops are added

throughout the brewing process to yield an assertive hop

bitterness reminiscent of grapefruit, a fruity and sweet

hop flavor, and a complex aroma with notes of citrus

(orange, tangerine and grapefruit), spice, and earthiness.

Dry hopping (adding hops directly to the tank during the

fermentation process) helps to further accentuate the

wonderful and unique aromas of the five American hop

varieties.

Look for huge flavor and aroma from Outrage Ale with a

noticeable “kick” from the alcohol content.

The Tower is thinking field trip the 17th anybody in?

Cafe Ommegang

2012-02-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

America’s 100 best beer bars: 2011

2012-01-24T17:10:00.000-05:00

America’s 100 best beer bars: 2011
This warm weather makes a guy want to roam the country side looking for beer.
Clicking the above link makes it easier.

A little Malting History

2012-01-12T16:29:00.001-05:00

Here is a some Malting History from the nice folks at Valley Malt. Be sure to check out their Malt of the month club

For anyone who has seen our website or asked us why we started a malt-house in Hadley, MA you know our story. We liked to homebrew and support local agriculture so we started a malthouse. That is the story, but is it the whole story?

To tell the truth we were not avid homebrewers, just liked to make beer about once a month. We consider ourselves localvores but still buy bananas from Trader Joe’s when we want them. So why did we decide to build a malthouse? All I can really say is once the idea of starting a malthouse came into my mind; I just could not stop thinking about it. Malting was and still is what occupies my brain at least half of my waking hours.

It was 2 years ago that we were writing our business plan and hoping that someone would give us the money needed to build our business. During that time, I had become immersed in research about malting and growing malting barley and most of that research lead me into the past. I had found a librarian at UMASS that was willing to help me find old USDA farmer bulletins about barley and malting. These old articles helped me to trace varieties of barley that were grown in New England in the 1600′s. Around that time I was told by a historian in Hadley that she remembers hearing about a malthouse right down field from where we live. I loved hearing that but was reluctant to believe it.

I could not find much evidence of actual malthouses in New England except for Frank Jones in Portsmouth, NH. When I have time, I still do internet searches to try to find more evidence of malthouses in New England and low and behold last week I hit the jackpot. Through googlebooks I found a text from 1905 called The History of Hadley written by Sylvester Judd. In this book on page 66 is a paragraph that mentions 3 maltsters that lived in Hadley in the mid 1600′s. John Barnard and his son Francis and Andrew Warner. With these names I was able to do more research using online genealogy sites and old maps of Hadley. Sure enough Andrew Warner was documented as a maltster. It also looks as though his land was in the original meadow settled and parceled out in Hadley. This is the meadow our malt-house is perched a top and where we now grow our heirloom barley.

There is so much history available about Hadley. What was grown here, how beer was made and sold, how “hops grew wild in the intervales of the CT river”, and now even evidence of who malted those grains some 350 years ago. Right where we are doing it today.

While touring malthouses in the UK this summer, Christian and I were impressed by how each malthouse worked to preserve their history. Tuckers Maltings is a living museum and working malthouse. History about malting and its ties to agriculture were brought to life in humorous ways and many school children tour this facility each year as they are tought about their local history. Walking through Tuckers was like walking back through time 200 years. From the moment you enter through the door at Warminster Maltings you are greeted by old photos, books, and malting tools from hundreds of years before. Chris Garratt, their Head Maltster, confess that he constantly checks Ebay for any old malting books or items that may come up for auction so that he can add them to the collection. It is the former owner of Warminster, Dr. E.S Beaven, who in 1905, himself reached back into history to find the Scandanavian varieties Plumage and Archer which he then bred together to create Plumage Archer. This variety eventually became the grandmother of Marris Otter. The maltings we visited in Scotland were also deeply rooted and extremely proud of their history. If you are still reading this and in case you couldn’t tell, I could seriously go on for hours about this subject. It is fascinating stuff but it does make me wonder, are we doing enough to preserve our history? This kind of history? I know for me and others I have met, it is this kind of history that we are made by.

I would encourage anyone with a little time on their hands to search for references of maltsters, brewers, and/or malthouses in their town. If you find any evidence, I would really like to know about it. It would be so interesting to piece together the history of malting and brewing in America before it became so centralized.

As we look forward toward this new year let’s also continue to look back, for both are full of mystery, excitement, and beer.

Brettanomyces in the Barnyard

2012-01-09T09:57:00.000-05:00

If there isn't enough brett in your beer. You can try barnyard tailgating.

Throwback Brewery

2012-01-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

Within 30 minutes of Landman Landing in Exeter, NH for the New Year’s weekend activities we were off to a brewery the VP had stumbled across earlier in the day. Throwback Brewery. There we found Nicole Carrier (Co-Founder) behind the taps. Nicole poured us some beer and told us some tales. Soon Annette Lee (Brewer/Co-Founder) came out from the back to help out. Their game is local. No Farms = No Beer. They are trying to get as many local ingredients as the can to make their beers. It sounds like it’s helpful that Nicole’s cousin owns Valley Malt in Hadley,MA

For only having tapped their first keg in July things looked to be going well. In the 40 minutes we were there 30 people came by to get their beautiful Throwback growlers filled. They are bottling, they are kegging, they have glassware, they have T- shirts and a great website.

As for the beer--Hop Heads they are not. These are some malty girls. Of the four beers we tried we liked the Maple-Kissed Wheat Porter the best. As the name implies it is not heavy on the maple and the wheat lightens things up nicely. The Maple-Kissed Wheat Porter ended up being the take-home growlers. And the VP bought glasses and I had to get the bride a No Farms = No Beer T-shirt. And we stopped back the next day as well.

Beer Me, Sommelier

2011-12-22T08:40:00.000-05:00

Why beer deserves the same kind of expertise as wine.

By Mark Garrison|Posted Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011, at 1:38 PM ET

"Cicerones" and other beer experts are helping diners discover more sophisticated beers

Photograph by Mario Pusic/Thinkstock.

It’s a busy night at the D.C. restaurant Birch & Barley, as well as its casual upstairs sister joint, ChurchKey. Greg Engert is guiding me through his beverage list with all the knowledge, talent, and grace one would expect from an award-winning sommelier. With a couple crisp queries, he learned enough to make some intriguing recommendations. He didn’t flaunt his knowledge about food and drink, but when I had questions, he gave precise answers about the flavor, aroma, producer, pairing potential, and even the history of the available beverages. Fortunately, there was no attempt at upselling, the odious sin far too many sommeliers commit, a big reason why many diners are suspicious of the entire profession.

The drink he led me to was a perfect choice in that it was not only delicious, but also previously unknown to me. In one recommendation, he delivered the basic services I want from a sommelier: excellent advice and teaching without pedantry. And in my glass? Not wine, but rather an Arcobraeu Zwicklbier, an unfiltered lager from southern Germany.

Engert knows wine, but he specializes in beer. He’s a leading light of a new generation of beer professionals that are working to raise the art and science of selecting and serving beer to the level of wine service. Engert and his peers are rapidly gaining notice from the fine dining establishment. Last year, he was the first ever beer professional to make Food & Wine’s list of top sommeliers. For craft beer to continue growing and improving, there will need to be many more like him.

Well, maybe not quite like him, since he’s got an inimitable manner. He left a Georgetown graduate literature program to dive into the beer world full-time, and he approaches it partly as a humanities professor might, if such professors were young, unpretentious, boundlessly energetic, fast-talking, and decked out in quietly stylish clothes. Get him going and out come elaborate, colorful tales about the evolution and history of a particular beer. It’s beer as narrative, and he’s an entertaining, passionate storyteller. Engert also displays a scientist’s pride as he shows off the elaborate system of climate control and piping, custom-built to guarantee every drop is served through clean lines at the temperature appropriate for each style.

Engert is a character one rarely finds in the wine landscape. One of the joys of good beer is that it’s far more accessible than the sometimes elitist and expensive wine world. Before I explored the new movement in beer service, I was a bit worried that it might be taking the beverage in the direction of wine’s worst excesses. But I don’t worry about that any longer. The people who are working on upgrading service knowledge do want beer to be as respected as fine wine and spirits are. But they are also deeply committed to preserving the affordability and unpretentiousness that set beer apart and to celebrating the breathtaking range of flavors and styles that make it special.

There may be agreement in the industry that great beer deserves top-notch service, but there’s not yet a consensus on what that means. In fact, there’s not even agreement on what to call a well-trained beer server. Engert’s job title is beer director, but he doesn’t mind being called a beer sommelier. (He has put some thought into this.) Some in the beer community find this term problematic, since "sommelier" is tied to the wine world and may imply a professional certification that doesn’t exist.

No one is working harder to coin a new title, and certification, than beer author and educator Ray Daniels. His ideal beer server is called a Cicerone (sis-uh-ROHN), a term he trademarked for the beer training program he started in 2007. The name comes from the word that can mean guide or mentor.

The program’s website states the claim that wine sommeliers might have known enough to choose a good beer for you a few decades ago, but now “the world of beer is just as diverse and complicated as wine. As a result, developing true expertise in beer takes years of focused study and requires constant attention to stay on top of new brands and special beers.” So Daniels set out to build a testing and certification program to create a standard level of knowledge and titles that would signify superior beer knowledge to consumers, similar to the way a Court of Master Sommeliers credential does for wine.

The industry has responded positively. A growing number of brewers, bartenders, and servers have signed up and tested to earn the ascending titles of Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone, and Master Cicerone.

There are thousands qualified at the lowest level, who must pass a detailed multiple-choice test of beer styles, service, storage, and science. (Try to answer some sample test questions here.) Then they’re eligible to try the test for Certified Cicerone designation. Here the exam includes tougher short-answer and essay questions, and naturally, taste tests. There are 300 Certified Cicerones and counting. Less than half of those who take that exam pass. Those who make it can attempt the toughest test, and so far only three people have ever passed the Master Cicerone exam. (The elite three are Rich Higgins, brewmaster at San Francisco’s Social Kitchen & Brewery, Dave Kahle, a Chicago beer consultant and judge, and Andrew Van Til, who works for a Michigan beer distributor. You can find Cicerones in your area online.)

The capitalized names make it all sound awfully precious and formal, but Daniels says that’s not what he’s going for. “The intent of this program is to improve the quality of beer available to consumers in every respect, without changing the accessibility of it,” he explains. “We want Cicerones to be guides, not gods.” The Cicerone program is well respected by many beer professionals, but has a weakness in its singular focus on beer. This approach is enough for beer establishments, but a server working in a restaurant with good beer and wine should be knowledgeable enough to offer smart selections from both.

This is especially important for expanding the audience for excellent beer. If a server is to steer a beer skeptic away from wine to a surprising new experience, that server needs a strong grasp of wine to make the case. I remain grateful to the Roman waiter who pointed my wife and me away from the wine list toward a special bottle from Italy’s excellent brewer Baladin. The beer was a far better match than wine for our spicy dishes, raising the dinner from good to fantastic.

There are new signs all the time of beer’s increasing quality and culinary esteem. With the recent publication of the weighty Oxford Companion to Beer, it finally gets the same encyclopedic treatment Oxford has long afforded wine. A restaurant festooned with Michelin stars now looks outmoded if it doesn’t have substantial beer selections on its wine list. And even average bars and restaurants without a craft beer focus will typically offer at least a couple interesting beers. But all this is of little use to drinkers if the beer isn’t carefully stored, chosen, and served.

Like great wine, great beer deserves well-trained people who can build a strong collection of barrels and bottles, and know how pair them well. Many restaurants and bars have a long way to go, but the example of people like Engert and Daniels points the way to an auspicious future. A well-chosen and expertly-paired beer can be a revelation, so it’s time for more establishments to get their people in the revealing business.

Grand opening Merry Monk

2011-12-20T17:54:00.001-05:00

Grand opening at the Merry Monk Good turn out. Free Ommegang until 6:00 and wild boar ribs. Did anyone about this?

Landman eats Boar Ribs

2011-12-20T07:50:00.002-05:00

So how about that, after all the scheming I turn out to be the only one that goes to the Monk yesterday. I mean that pretty literally, when we got there at around 7:00 they were closing up the shop due to the total lack of customers. Jeremy agreed to stay open for us though and we had the place to ourselves. I had a fleeting worry before we got there that we might need to struggle for a table, I sure got that wrong. Anyway, they treated us great. The chef had just taken a rack of boar ribs from the oven and man were they good. They were slathered in some kind of beer glaze, crispy and tender, just awesome. I had mussels in blue cheese and bacon, a healthy and light snack. The kids both had steak and frites. The steaks have some sort of beer based sauce that the kids loved – maybe I ought to worry about that. We mentioned that we enjoyed the waffles from our last visit and the next thing we knew a plate of steaming waffles, one row spread with a beer and pear reduction and the other a beer and raspberry reduction appeared at our table. Of course there were some damn fine beers along with all that gluttony.

We rolled out of there and all we could say was Wow. Hope no one else finds out about Sunday nights at the Monk

City Beer Hall

2011-12-15T15:02:00.001-05:00

Table Hopping

Eat, drink and be candid

By Steve Barnes | E-mail | About Table Hopping

Search for: city beer hall

Brooklyn, Wandering Star beer events at City Beer Hall

December 14, 2011 at 2:55 pm by Steve Barnes, senior writer

The City Beer Hall in Albany is hosting two upcoming brewery events:

Thursday (12/15): Brooklyn Bonfire Party, featuring $4 per pint of six Brooklyn Brewery beers, chili, s’mores, roasted wienies and a bonfire. From 9 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 22: Wild Game Dinner, featuring four beers from Wandering Star Brewery in Pittsfield, Mass., paired with a wild-game tasting menu (details TBA). $50 per person; advance reservations required and available at City Beer Hall or online.

Lunch at the City Beer Hall

2011-12-12T13:38:00.003-05:00

The City Beer Hall has a small but very nice menu. No pub grub here. There are only 8
items with 2 specials. The Turducken sandwich with cider bacon mayo is
just great. When 7 out of a table of 8 order the turducken its enough to get the
chef to your table. Chef said the turdcken is made in their kitchen.
He pounds the breasts of each bird flat and seasons each one and rolls
them up and puts the duck skin on the outside of the roll. Then the
whole roll is poached. He then slices the turducken, puts it on a roll
with cider bacon mayo and serves a side of fries for under $10.00.

You also get a free 8" pizza with every pint ordered at the bar. You
might think this a cheapo Sysco frozen pizza but its just a nice little
thin crust with sauce and cheese.

The burger, a smallish grass fed beef burger cooked right w/fries, was
reported as very good.

I will be back to try the Mac & Chesse w/ Truffle oil

The Beer.
A good draft list of ever changing craft beer.
Where else in Albany can you get a four glass sampler that you can do a
Biggie Smalls vs Tupac IPA challenge?

Merry Monk Closer Look

2011-12-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

The Club was able to muster 16 for a visit to the Merry Monk on Friday. With 16 Belgian or Belgian-style craft beers on draft and not a Coors Lite onsite how can you go wrong? The room is bright--more of a European-cafe look than the dark, American-speakeasy look. The bar is big with lots of room for the staff to work behind. There are booths and high top tables. There is also a sitting area with leather chairs and a gas fireplace/stove. We had a nice chat with Jerriam who is one of the owners. He seemed to be happy with the response so far. He liked the idea of having a MAS meeting there in the near future. The menu looked good. Mussels and other Belgian-cafe fare. We only had the frites. The dipping sauces are good but the fries were a little too much like standard pub fries and not Pommes Frites. Garden Bistro 24 and Ommagang have the real frites. We ate all of them anyway. The cheese plate was very nice and of a good size. In conclusion I want to be a regular.

First Look Merry Monk by Landman

2011-12-08T15:47:00.001-05:00

Couldn’t resist, had to stop by for a quickie. Mighty awesome beer. Food seemed ok, kind of average. The surroundings are simple and pleasant. Not much of a crowd at 8:30 on opening night. No bad taps, great bottles too. They’re really going to need support to keep up with the costs of having such high end beers. The owners are very friendly, but seem a little worried about whether it will work out. I’ll do my part. KJo’s are planning to go tomorrow @4:30

Cheers,

Landman

Barnes Says Merry Monk to Wednesday

2011-12-06T15:26:00.001-05:00

Table Hopping

Eat, drink and be candid

By Steve Barnes | E-mail | About Table Hopping

Merry Monk to open Wednesday

December 6, 2011 at 11:47 am by Steve Barnes, senior writer

The Merry Monk, a Belgian-themed bar and restaurant at the corner of North Pearl Street and Sheridan Avenue in downtown Albany, will open with lunch service on Wednesday (12/7).

Projected hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Draft beers: Ommegang Abbe, Ommegang Witte, Ommegang Adoration, Ommegang BPA, Ommegang Rare Vos, Liefmans Cuvee Brut, Palm, Maredsous Brune, LaChouffe, Lindemans Frambois, Duvel Single, Unibroue Ephemere Cassis, Chimay triple, Saison Dupont, Monk’s Stout by Dupont and Corsendonk Christmas.

The menu looks good: six kinds of mussels for $8.99 for a pound, $15.99 for 2 pounds, plus frites with a dozen mayo-based dipping sauces, steak frites for $15.99, a few fish and chicken entrées, and a page with apps, salads, sandwiches and burgers.

More beer we can't have

2011-11-30T13:17:00.001-05:00

This from the Hops and Barley Blog www.hopsandbarleyblog.co m

2011 Holiday Ale Fest - Preview

Beer Luvvas,

Tomorrow begins the greatest beer festival of them all: the 2011 Holiday Ale Festival! Here's a look at the beers I'm looking forward to from this year's press release:

Alameda Brewing Papa Noel's Moonlight Reserve - one of my favorite Holiday Olde Ales ramped up by aging in 'whiskey soaked French oak barrels.'

Bison Brewing Barry White's Voice in a Bottle - the first time Bison's chocolate stout has ever been aged in bourbon barrels!

Burnside Brewing Company Barrel Aged Permafrost - I believe this barrel aged winder strong ale is currently on tap at Burnside based on a buddy's report earlier this week.

Columbia River Brewing Drunken Elf Stout - infused with Belgian chocolate and Kona coffee!

Fearless Brewing Mjolnir Imperial IPA - 100 IBUs and I'm a hop-head. Gotta give that one a go.

Firestone Walker Brewing 100% Bourbon Barrel Aged Velvet Merkin - one of my perennial favorites at each HAF.

Fort George Kentucky Girl Stout - another great beer from Fort George, last year did not disappoint.

Laht Neppur Brewing Laughing Boy Stout - another bourbon barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout, but from a Washington brewer that I don't know much about.....

McMenamins Red Nose Rye - an Imperial Rye Ale with only 30 IBUs, but as the annual 'winner' of Mcmenamins' internal brewer competition to choose their offering for HAF, I'm sure it will be great!

Seven Brides Brewing Drunkle 2011 Old Ale - 90 IBUs from Hercules hops

Stone Ruination IPA DDH w/Apollo Hops and American Oak Chips Added - a suped up version of Ruination! This one goes to 100 IBUs!

Looking forward to sharing a quaf or two with you this Holiday Ale Festival Season!

Prost!

2011-11-29T11:26:00.001-05:00

Art Fredette believes Bat Shea’s will be more than just an Irish pub, bar

Published: Sunday, November 27, 2011

Serving Troy and its surrounding communities

By Andrew Beam
The Record
@beam_record

Click to enlarge

TROY — It hasn’t even opened yet but Bat Shea’s Pub owner Art Fredette is buzzing with excitement as he prepares to present his new pub to the Troy Community.

To be clear, it is not just an Irish pub, nor is it just a bar. Fredette’s theme is meant to include the entire Celtic Nation when it comes to its food, which is something he said he really would like to focus on.

“The menu is going to try and have something from every one of the nations,” Fredette said. "We have the symbol of the six Celtic Nations on the wall."

Mike Troidle, the head chef at Bat Shea’s, said focusing on the entire region instead of just one country opens the door to explore various different dishes and provide a wide variety for its customers. He added he will be working with a lot of local and sustainable ingredients when preparing the food.

“It opens up a huge spectrum,” Troidle said. “It gives me so much room to play with. It’s so much more than corn beef and cabbage but it is on there in several different forms.”

Fredette said the area has several Irish bars in Troy and a German bar but not a pure Celtic bar. He is covering areas such as Wales, Isle of Man and Scotland. He refers to it as “an authentic Celtic pub with an old Troy flair.”

The name, Bat Shea, refers to an 1894 murder trial that took place in Troy, which led to the execution of Bartholomew “Bat” Shea, who Fredette holds as his hero, as he believes the man was innocent.

“The whole Bat Shea ties into to the old Troy thing,” Fredette said.

There will also be live entertainment available to patrons that will include Celtic-styled music, which will mostly be acoustic. Fredette said he wants to provide music to people that they will enjoy.

The beer selection will feature drafts such as Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, McSorley’s Irish Pale Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale, Smithwick’s and Guiness. There will also be large selections of domestic beers as well as craft beers in bottles. A full wine list and liquor list will be available as well.

Fredette said the pub will be open in time for people to come through during the Victorian Stroll on Sunday, Dec. 4. The motivation to be open by then is because the event is one of the biggest the City of Troy puts on and because the people behind it have done a great job with it, he’d like to be a part of it.

“It really puts Troy at the forefront,” Fredette said. "They did it so well that Saratoga stole the idea."

Fredette stressed that Bat Shea’s is not going to be just a nightclub where people only get drunk at. He is aiming to make the bar a family-friendly one. He’s not looking for the Jersey Shore.

“It’s not just a bar,” Fredette said. “You can bring your kids here. You can bring grandma here. It’s a restaurant, first and foremost. The nightlife won’t start here until well after 9 p.m.”

Bat Shea's is located at 95 Ferry St.

Merry Monk

2011-11-22T14:37:00.001-05:00

Opening Draft List

Description"	Ommegang Abbey Ommegang BPA Ommegang Witte Ommegang Rare Vos Ommegang Adoration Palm Duvel Single La Chouffe Maredsous Brune Liefmans Cuvee Brut Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp Unibrou Ephemere Saison Dupont Delirium Tremens Chimay Triple Weyerbacher Merry Monk Talked to the owner and he says: "Any Day Now they are just waiting on the SLA"

What Can I Drink at Thanksgiving Besides Wine?

2011-11-16T13:40:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What Can I Drink at Thanksgiving Besides Wine?

By ERIC ASIMOV

I want beer. Any thoughts on which brews would go with the meal?

Just about any good craft beers will do nicely, if you want to know the truth. But here are some specific suggestions.
It’s going to be a long, filling day, so I would start the party with beers that will energize the taste buds. Good pilsners snap you to attention with a lively, bracing bitterness. Lagunitas, Lakefront, Victory andBrooklynall offer good versions, as do Pilsner Urquell and Jever. An alternative might be a Kölsch, a crisp, clean, refreshing German ale, which I love. American versions are hard to find, but Gaffel and Reissdorf fromGermanyare fairly easy to find.
For the feast itself, you can’t go wrong with mildly hoppy pale ales like Flying Dog or Stoudt’s. I love porters, easy-drinking dark beers with a tangy malt character. Geary’sLondonPorter is terrific, as is Samuel Smith Taddy Porter fromEnglandand Deschutes Black Butte, if you live on the West Coast.

A bolder choice would be a Belgian farmhouse ale like Saison Dupont, an airy, spicy brew that is versatile with foods. Even more intrepid would be sour beers, a somewhat vague category of older styles characterized by great acidity. These would include Belgian lambic beers and especially gueuzes, which are incredibly refreshing and complex, and would go beautifully with the feast, though their unexpectedly pungent flavors can be polarizing. Cantillon Gueuze fromBelgiumepitomizes this style. By the way, I will have a lot to say about sour beers next week.

This fracking thing is going to far.

2011-11-16T12:25:00.001-05:00

Water is rather important to beer

Brewery Ommegang, of which 50 percent of its property borders land leased to drilling companies, says in a legal filing that it could be forced to move if fracking starts because of concern for its water supply. Fracking has become a verycontentious issue in the greater Cooperstown area. [Oneonta Daily Star] [NYT]

Birreria

2011-11-09T13:39:00.001-05:00

Birreria

Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

Birreria, a rooftop beer garden.

By JULIA MOSKIN

Details & Reader Reviews

Birreria »

Birreria, 14 stories above the food emporium Eataly, is no one’s idea of an Italian restaurant. This convivial rooftop beer garden is run by the Batali/Bastianich team from Eataly, but its attention is lavished on cabbage and sausage, not pasta or risotto, and a rowdy bar crowd threatens to take over at prime time.
It is easy to be happy there on a balmy evening, watching the staff work the retractable roof with ropes like sailors reefing the sails of a tall ship. Heat lamps, so far, have kept fall’s chill at bay.
Birreria, “brewery” in Italian, makes some beers, presumably incorporating whatever wild yeasts float down from the Empire State Building a few blocks north. But while the stainless casks draw in a young after-work crowd, they do little for the house-made ales, which can be undrinkable. Fortunately there are other options: refreshing American India Pale Ales and the rarely spotted Moretti Bionda on draft; fresh, young Italian wines poured by the carafe or quartino; crisp bottled beers from the artisanal Baladin brewery in Piedmont, the Northern Italian region that inspires much of the food.
The cured meats and cheeses ($11 to $21 for assorted plates) are impeccably handled; roasted sausages ($21) are served with what is undoubtedly the best sauerkraut in Manhattan, tender and served in large leafy chunks. The kraut also comes with a succulent pork shoulder ($19), braised in beer and glazed with apricot.
Meat is not the only matter. On the mushroom menu, a pile of fried shiitakes ($15 to $17) is the high point; among salads, it’s a jumble of potato, cauliflower, cucumbers and olives that serves as a kind of Tyrolean niçoise ($13). Skirt steak ($24) and roasted fish fillet (market price) were perfectly cooked, a rarity.

The Merry Monk

2011-11-08T11:53:00.003-05:00

Table Hopping

Eat, drink and be candid

By Steve Barnes | E-mail | About Table Hopping

Belgian bar coming to coner of North Pearl and Sheridan

November 8, 2011 at 9:40 am by Steve Barnes, senior writer

A bar and restaurant featuring Belgian beer is being developed at the corner of North Pearl Street and Sheridan Avenue in downtown Albany.

Called The Merry Monk, the business is projected to open “within a couple weeks,” according to its Facebook page.

The name, photos showing beer signs and management comments on Facebook indicate beer will include Belgian and Belgian-style brews such as Duvel, Orval, La Chouffe and Ommegang.

The building is owned by Konstantinos Moutopoulos and his brother Steven but is apparently being operated under a management agreement by someone else. The corner location — in years past an annex of the former Big House and later a deli — was an ill-fated bar called The Assembly that the brothersshuttered after five months last year when it became a rowdy college joint. An even shorter-lived attempt, called Corner Bar, folded after five weeks earlier this year after its managers, who also own Blue 82, walked away because of differences with the Moutopouloses.

2011-09-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

Beer to go and a place to sit down and have a good beer and something to eat. What will they think of next. If in Park Slope you must go to BierKarft. Just look at the draft list. I had the Bear Republic Monkey High Black IPA. This being a newer style of beer I never know what to expect. Nice and hoppy with a smooth malty back. Unlike the Lagunitas black IPA I had last night with the man from the bunker. The Lagunitas was 10% and should be called something other than a Black IPA. In a 22oz it was a lot of beer. We were able to get through it. The bride had the Captain Lawrence Freshcnester Pale Ale. Very well crafted pale ale. I do like this brewery. Earlier in the day at Otto I had a Captain Lawrence Kölsch style. The beer I had was very sour. I don't remember Kölsch being that way. As I like sour beers I drank it anyway. Had to get a grower of Dales Pale on cask and a Greenport Hop-Nami cask to bring home. .

Really Boys, Tecate! And the car wash was a good idea

2011-09-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

Three Covina men are behind bars after they allegedly stole a 30-pack of Tecate beer from a market and attempted to escape but crashed a car and hit an employee who chased them, then one ran through a car wash and another left behind his ID.

Andy Huynh, Nicholas Kalscheuer and Nicholas Fiumetto, all 19, were arrested Wednesday on charges of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, according to a Covina police report.

Kalscheuer and Fiumetto entered the Baja Ranch Market about 3 p.m. Wednesday while Huynh remained behind the wheel of a car nearby.

Inside the store, Fiumetto grabbed a 30-pack of beer and the two men ran out. Employees ran after the pair into the parking lot, grabbing and detaining Kalscheuer and later turning him over to police, according to the report.

Fiumetto, meanwhile, threw the beer in the car and jumped in the front passenger seat.

As Huynh pulled out, an employee jumped on the hood of the car to avoid getting run over. Huynh careened through the parking lot, hitting a curb and sending the employee onto the pavement, scraping his arms in the fall, according to the report.

Huynh and Fiumetto ran off. Fiumetto climbed a fence and ran into the Citrus Car Wash next door.

Pepe Pinedo, the car wash manager, was standing amid drying cars when he saw Fiumetto, pursued by two officers, run into the car wash tunnel.

At the time, "there were two cars being washed in the tunnel," Pinedo said. "He got into the wash and the rollers and got all wet.

"By the time, he came out of the car wash, the officer was already on the other end of the tunnel," he continued. "It was kind of funny. It was a nice show."

Huynh ran off but had left his wallet and identification in the car. Police officers contacted him later and convinced him to turn himself in.

All three men are expected to be arraigned in court Friday. Until then, they are being held in Covina City Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

160 beers on tap

2011-09-24T14:20:00.000-04:00

http://www.taphousegrill.com/beer.html

Back to Two Stones. The revolution is on.

2011-09-16T23:47:00.000-04:00

First. Fuck Off Anna says.Fuck the beer club, El Presendende rules and drink Rodentbock. OK Anne seemed to nice to be that vulgar. Maybe she didn't say any of that. I might have been drinking. Talked to Patrick one of the three mangers at Two Stones. Pat says they are doing 30 Kegs a week. Turning over a keg every other day. Oh and they only opened in April. They own 5 firkins that they send out to the brewery's. So they have one cask beer on all the time. Take a look at the keg room. The distributors need to get on board. The beer revolution is on.

Two Stones Pub, Newark, DE

2011-09-15T23:40:00.000-04:00

Two Stones Pub. What a great place 25 taps. Most very interesting. Had a Yard's IPA on cask and Eruption batch #3 IPA Both very nice east coast IPA's And the fish taco's very good as well.

The Ruck

2011-08-23T10:35:00.000-04:00

Pretty Things Field Mouses Farewell on tap at The Ruck. And the wings are still excellent.

Screamen Eagle, Inlet, NY

2011-08-22T12:53:00.000-04:00

Screamen Eagle Inlet, NY

Note from Mahar

2011-08-16T15:30:00.000-04:00

COUPLE OF INTERESTING BEERS ON TAP TODAY

OMMEGANG APHRODITE

PEAR AND RASPBERRY AND 8.9% AND VERY LIMITED

SHIPYARD SMASHED BLUEBERRIES

HYBRID SCOTCH ALE/PORTER INFUSED WITH BLUEBERRIES - 9%

ROGUE JOHN JOHN JUNIPER

ROGUE MAIERFEST

LOST COAST TANGERINE WHEAT

ST. PETERS ORGANIC ALE

FLYING DOG ROAD DOG PORTER

SOUTHERN TIER HARVEST

LOST COAST DOUBLE TROUBLE IPA

MOK on a Tuesday

2011-08-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

The boy and I stopped by The Man O' for lunch yesterday. Original John and new John behind the bar. Fullers ESB on tap, a damn good burger and wildlife out the window. NISM?

Flanagan's pub

2011-08-16T12:13:00.001-04:00

Having just spent a weekend at Pugdom North near Schroon lake, Counsel reports that Flanagan's pub right in the center of the village has a craft brew draft line. Nothing earth-shattering, but some decent beers with a decided emphasis on the local. Counsel and the Chief Engineer both had an UBU ale. They had a couple of Davidson's, a Magic Hat, and an Ommegang that was sadly tapped out. Nods to the mainstream were Yeungling lager and Guinness. The guy next to counsel was "enjoying" a Michelob Ultra. The place was full on a Saturday early afternoon, with many people enjoying pubbish food. Counsel did not eat so cannot comment on food quality.

2011-08-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Thousand Islands appears to be quite devoid of craft beer. The motorboat crowd seems to be more about quantity over quality. A 24 oz. can of Genny for 99 cents. NISM? So when we walked into The Riverside Cafe in Clayton and saw the knob for something called 1812 we had to give it a whirl.
1812 is made by the Sackets Harbor Brewing Co. in Sackets Harbor, NY about 30 miles from Clayton. Its’ a nice clean amber, very reminiscent of Newcastle but with less malt, which makes it quite drinkable.
The Riverside Cafe has good food and riverside dining, right on the main channel looking out on Calumet Island. Try the creamy Manhattan clam chowder. The friendly waitress told us it is the house specialty and they have been serving it for 21 years.

Terrapin Beer Fest

2011-08-02T11:13:00.000-04:00

BeerFEST is Back!

Terrapin is excited to announce that this year’s Beer Festival will be held on
Saturday, August 6 from 2pm-8pm at Terrapin Catering in Staatsburg!

We’ll be celebrating the 5th Anniversary of BeerFEST with over 100 craft beers from more than 20 New York State breweries… plus all-you-can eat terrapin bbq, music and fun!

Get your discounted pre-sale tickets now – avoid lines at the door and you’ll have beer in your hands that much sooner! Call 845-876-3330 or stop by Terrapin in Rhinebeck.

Belgium Comes to Coppertown

2011-07-31T16:30:00.000-04:00

The Ithaca Beer Co

2011-07-10T09:16:00.000-04:00

The bride and I were out crashing around Cayuga Lake for work Friday and Saturday. As they say all work and no play. Stopped at the The Ithaca Beer Co. What a dump. Young filthy hippies everywhere. Old hippies with bags of hops and empty growers. Why and where they got the hops is unknowable. When you pull in to the drive it looks like you are at an old beverage center. Then you see the out of state plates. The place needs more than a lick of paint. There are plans on the wall for a beautiful new brewery. Tasted all the hop head beers on tap. Ended up with two growers of Flower Power for $10.ea. What a steal!

Quick Look Graney's Stout

2011-06-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

Graney's Stout is across the street form Wolfs Bier Garden on Broadway. Great old Albany building (old being relative in Albany since anything really old they raised years ago). Any who. The Translator and I stopped by for lunch on Monday. This again was a quick look as I had to go back to work. So I could only have one. A Victory Donnybrook Stout poured on nitro. At 3.7% it’s a good beer for the lunch goer. Very nice to see someplace pouring w/ nitro on something other than Guinness. They are taking the Stout name thing a little far. Most of the drafts are stouts. With a few Irish reds which need trying. They have one guest IPA. Which had run out. Hummmm. The place is in very big and clean and the staff warm. Lunch was good but boring. What no Graney's Stout famous Shepard's pie? Graney's needs a closer look.

2011-06-23T10:26:00.000-04:00

Hop Crops: Madison County and other New York state hops are in demand for specialty beer industry

Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 12:49 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 1:20 PM

By The Post-Standard

Maria Salatino/ The Post-StandardSteve Miller (Left), New York State's First Hop Specialist and Larry Fisher (right) a Foothill Farm hops farmer stand near a Chinook variety of hops plant at the Foothills Farm in Munnsville, NY. The crops from this farm get distributed to a variety of brewers, including Empire Brewing Company, located in Syracuse, NY.

Steve Miller wants to make hops, a key ingredient in beer, a cash crop in New York state once again.

And with the re-emergence of hops, he wants to make New York state beer as big a tourist attraction as New York state wine has become in the last 35 years.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County hired Miller as the state’s first hops specialist this year.

“My role is to work with the growers to get the information they need to produce a quality product and make money at it,” he said. “I don’t work with growers just in Madison County, I work with all of New York state.

“On the West Coast, you’re looking at 29,000 acres of hops. In New York, it’s 50 acres,” Miller added. “Less than 10 acres are in Madison County (once a nationally recognized hop center).”

The advent of refrigeration decimated the hop fields. Before refrigeration, there were hundreds of small local breweries because beer couldn’t be stored long or shipped far. By the 1950s, hops had disappeared from New York’s agriculture map.

Miller said with refrigeration and the opportunity for longer storage and wider distribution, “Bigger breweries got bigger and a lot of smaller ones disappeared. We’re going in the opposite direction now.”

Rick Pedersen re-introduced hops to the region on his Seneca Castle Farm in Ontario County in 1999, and Kate and Larry Fisher’s Foothills Farms in Munnsville followed with the first larger scale Madison County hop fields.

“There were hops in this area a long time ago, and I felt that because of all of the microbreweries in the area, there was potential for hops to be a cash crop again,” Miller said.

Hop fields are expanding gradually, side by side with the craft beer industry, which today sells 10 percent of the beer consumed in New York, he said. Craft brewers are eager to use the high-quality aromatic hops grown in New York fields, he said, but they have to be sure they can get a steady supply.

“I’m working with 100 people who have hops planted or will plant them this year or next year. At least half are not in the commercial bracket (more than 1,000 plants),” Miller said.

The rest are growing at least a half acre of the flowers, but even people who have only 100 to 200 plants “are selling to home brewers and microbrewers (who are) looking for a special product,” he said. “Microbreweries have expanded by 20 percent over the past 10 years. Some microbreweries are planting their own (hops).”

Growers get from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of dried hops per acre, or enough to make between 5,000 and 7,500 31-gallon barrels of beer, Miller said.

“There are thousands of types of beer,” he said. “That’s part of the interest now. People are looking at beers having individual qualities and trying a lot of different varieties. We want to make New York a destination for people looking for the (beer) products.”

Farm winery legislation passed in 1976 allowed small vineyards to start selling under their own labels, creating a booming tourist industry. Legislation being considered at the state level could do the same thing for the beer industry, Miller said.

“We’re looking at setting up farm breweries across the state. That would require that a large portion of ingredients be grown in New York state,” he said.
That means hops.

By R. Patrick Corbett
Contributing writer

Quick Look The Cask And Rasher

2011-06-21T11:42:00.000-04:00

Put your boat in at the Coxsackie boat launch . Have a lovely day of boating on the mighty Hudson. And on your way out of town be sure to stop at the http://www.thecaskandrasher.com/.

16 good beers on draft and good food. We could only stop for a short one. They had a firkin on the bar with a little coat on it. We will be back for a closer look.

Water Front Ale House, Brooklyn

2011-06-13T23:56:00.000-04:00

So you are in Brooklyn and you want a craft beer with lunch. Well its going to be the http://www.waterfrontalehouse.com/. As far as I can tell nothing else opens until 4:00

Let's start with The Water Front Ale House is not on the water. But it is open for lunch and has a large image of Micheal Jackson on the wall. I found that comforting. The lunch menu was short but interesting. I had the venison burger with IPA sauteed mushrooms and hand cut fries. The Bride had the chicken nachos. Both very good. Burger was cooked to perfection. Loose Canon IPA went well with the burger. Wanted to have Avery's The Reverend. Barley Wine seemed a bit much at lunch. Man I'm getting old. They had all the Brooklyn locals on tap. Sixpoints, Kelso and Brooklyn EIPA. I wasn't ready for a Brooklyn tasting by myself. There is that old thing again. So I had to settle on a "LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUSS" Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale. Feel my pain.

Sierra coming East

2011-06-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

Stan Hieronymus at www.realbeer.com is reporting

The Blount Daily Times and other new sources in Tennessee are reporting extensively about the possibility that Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will build a brewery in the city of Alcoa.
Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson said Tuesday the brewing company is also looking at two other eastern U.S. sites in other states.
“Not just Alcoa, they’re looking at the entire region. Once they landed here, literally, they liked the community,” he said.
To enhance the city’s chances of landing the brewery, the state Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted 10-0 to advance a bill establishing state guidelines for high-alcohol beer to a full floor vote. The measure would ease laws restricting the production of beer stronger than 5% by weight (6.25% by volume).
Sierra Nevada currently produces about 800,000 barrels a year and may reach capacity at its Chico, California, site within three years. Sierra Nevada Communications Coordinator Bill Manley said the company began considering a second brewery several years ago because of the environmental impact of shipping across the entire country.
“We started with a couple of hundred sites, and have narrowed it down to a handful,” Manley said.
The second brewery would brew many of the beers currently also made in California, but not necessarily all specialty beers. It would also be a hub for east coast distribution.
Representatives of Sierra Nevada recently toured potential sites in Alcoa. Manley said they were impressed by the closeness to the mountains, just like the California brewery, and an attention to environmental concerns as exemplified by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirement for the Pellissippi Place business development park.
Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson said the company wants its eastern facility to be a tourist destination, and the proximity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a natural fit. Other pluses include an abundant water supply and logistical issues such as interstate connections and McGhee Tyson Airport.
“Quality of life, conservation issues, being green. They’re a very environmentally conscious company,” Johnson said.

The Moan & Dove and the Dirty Truth

2011-06-13T08:31:00.000-04:00

It was Dad’s 85th birthday and we decided to take a trip through Western Massachusetts with the
destination of Northampton in mind. We traveled along secondary roads, through small hamlets that
time had forgotten. The old architecture and great views were memorable. Finally, we came upon the

Connecticut River Valley and the hustle and bustle of our modern time returned.

We decided to take a small side trip to Amherst for a beer at the Moan and Dove. The Moan and Dove
is on the outskirts of town, in a small strip mall. It has twenty three taps. We arrived at about 3:30 PM

and the place was moderately busy. Dad had the Allagash White. I had to try the Two Headed Beast.

Next, we traveled to Northampton. Our destination was the
Dirty Truth for a beer and dinner. The Dirty Truth is in the
midst of downtown Northampton and we were there on a
Friday evening. Parking was a bit difficult and Dad, being 85,

is not much of a walker. For most people this would not have been a problem and the walk through
town is rather nice. Finding the Dirty Truth is also a bit difficult. Were it not for knowledge of the
street number, we would have walked right by it. The sign is rather small. You need to look in the
upper right corner of the building. We arrived at a good time for there was plenty of seating. I cannot
say the same for when we left. There were thirty two beers on tap. We tried the Avery IPA, Stone
Levitation, and Stone Smoked Porter. All were very good. The menu had some interesting items and
everyone inour group enjoyed their meal. Among our selections were the House Cured Lox Salad; Crawfish,
Chorizo, and Confit Gumbo; P.E.I. Mussels and Handcut Fries; Currywurst; and Pulled BBQ Duck

Breast Sliders.

A nice ride in the country followed by some great beer and food. What more can you ask for?

Moan and Dove: http://www.moananddove.com/

The Dirty Truth: http://www.dirtytruthbeerhall.com/
5263

Saratoga Brewfest

2011-06-09T11:36:00.000-04:00

http://www.saratogabrewfest.com/

The VIP hours sound interesting.

Will DeCrescente ever Get It?

2011-06-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

Table Hopping

Eat, drink and be candid

By Steve Barnes | E-mail | About Table Hopping

DeCrescente expands beer website, hosting party at Jillian’s

June 8, 2011 at 11:35 am by Steve Barnes, senior writer

DeCrescente Distributing, the Mechanicville-based firm that is the leading beer supplier in upstate New York, has turned one of its websites, GotBeer.com, into what the company says is “the ultimate mobile phone and internet search engine, designed to meet the newest needs of today’s beer consumer.”

The site includes an events calendar, information on more than 200 beers — from Affligem, a Belgian blond ale, to Yuengling porter — and a “beer finder” feature that lists bars, restaurants and retail shops that stock each of the beers DeCrescente distributes. Should you have a hankering for McSorley’s Irish ale, for instance, GotBeer runs down eight places near Albany to get it (but, weirdly, not the new Stout, where I had McSorley’s on Monday).

To promote the site, DeCrescente is throwing a free party from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday (6/9) at Jillian’s, 59 North Pearl St., Albany. There will be beer specials ($2.50 bottles/$3 16-ounce cans of Coors Light and Miller Lite), live music, a chance to try out the site on iPads and roving DeCrescente reps handing out free tickets into the VIP room, where there will be food, beer and the chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas.

DeCrescente annually distributes 8.9 million cases of beer and “new age beverages” (Snapple, Arizona teas, etc.) across 11 upstate counties

Ommegang Disappoints. The Blue Mingo does not.

2011-06-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

Last Friday the Tower and I drove out to Ommegang for lunch and to review the new Ommegang restaurant we have been hearing so much about. Well the restaurant was closed. Besides us, at least 17 other people were turned away--something about a concert that night and the musicians needing the restaurant to get loaded before the show. Before you drive all the way to Cooperstown check the Ommegang website for the hours for the restaurant. Oh yeah, you will also have to call. (607) 286 4090. What is this 2009? The site says nothing about a restaurant. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on the part of Landman and Council. Maybe there isn’t any restaurant.

Well dam it. The Tower was faint with hunger and we were in Cooperstown. What to do?

The Blue Mingo. One mile before you get to Cooperstown on Rt. 28 is The Blue Mingo. Lovely old timey charm, great food and you can get Ommegang beers served to you while dining on the shores of Otsego Lake.

BPA served in a BPA glass. Fish tacos and Sriacha-lime-cilantro French fries. The Blue Mingo saves the day

Brown's is 33rd and some interest numbers from Steve Barnes

2011-06-01T14:19:00.000-04:00

Table Hopping

Eat, drink and be candid

By Steve Barnes | E-mail | About Table Hopping

Brown’s Brewing 33rd biggest brewpub in U.S.

June 1, 2011 at 9:20 am by Steve Barnes, senior writer

Brown’s Brewing Co. in Troy in 2010 was the nation’s 33rd largest brewpub by volume of beer brewed, according to statistics on approximately 950 such businesses that are compiled by New Brewer magazine for its annual review. (The charts are not online.) How the locals ranked:

33: Brown’s, Troy: 2,338 barrels (one barrel is 31 gallons).
180: Davidson Brothers., Glens Falls: 1,100 barrels.
241: Albany Pump Station, Albany: 960 barrels.
391: Adirondack Pub & Brewery, Lake George: 704 barrels.

According to Brown’s:

The 2,338 barrel mark represented a 12% increase from the previous year which outpaced the brewpub segment’s growth of 6.9%. Overall, the craft brewing category enjoyed 11% growth in 2010 while the major domestic category, which includes Budweiser, Coors and Miller, was down 1.6%.

For the purposes of the survey, a brewpub is defined as a restaurant-brewery selling at least 25 percent of its beer on site and permitted sell beer to go and/or distribute to outside accounts.

Brown’s is located at 417 River St., Troy

The Silly Beer Hall?

2011-05-23T11:40:00.000-04:00

Table Hopping column: Previewing The City Beer Hall

May 22, 2011 at 10:05 am by Steve Barnes, senior writer

In Sunday’s column, I preview The City Beer Hall, the new place taking over the former Ballingers building in downtown Albany. It opens Thursday (5/26). Short version:

Acknowledging the difficulties Ballingers faced in its incarnations as a pricey nightclub and later a Latin party house, Kaelin Ballinger says, “I think our idea — an upscale building but a very casual atmosphere centered around fun, with reasonable prices — is much more suited to the marketplace.”

Below, Kaelin Ballinger on The City Beer Hall’s mechanical bull. Photo by John Carl D’Annibale/Times Union.

The beer list is after the jump.

Here’s the opening draft list ($5 to $8 per pint; there will also be about 30 beers in bottles and cans; all beer will be available to go, in growlers, six-packs and individually):

Abita Purple Haze raspberry wheat beer (Louisiana)
Brooklyn Brewing lager (Brooklyn)
Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold Belgian-style pale ale (Pleasantville, Westchester County)
Chatham Brewing Scotch ale (Chatham)
Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA (Delaware)
Guinness stout (Ireland)
Genesee Brewing American light lager (Rochester)
Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk stout (Kingston)
Lagunitas IPA (California)
Ommegang Abbey Belgian-style double ale (Cooperstown)
Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard American strong ale (California)
Souther Tier 2X double IPA (Lakewood, Chautauqua County)
Sly Fox pilsner (Pennsylvania)
Troegenator dopplebock (Pennsylvania)
Unibroue Blanche de Chambly Belgian-style wheat beer (Quebec)
Weihenstephaner wheat beer (Germany)

Lets Farm

2011-05-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

Farm brewery bill seeks to revive New York's golden era of hop production

Independent Democrats in the Senate offer ways to grow rural economy, including making beer

By JIMMY VIELKIND Capitol bureau

Published 12:01 a.m., Thursday, May 19, 2011

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Farm-brewery-bill-seeks-to-revive-New-York-s-1385973.php#ixzz1NBbgj5VPALBANY -- If you brew it, they will guzzle.

That's an important piece of a pro-agriculture agenda announced Wednesday by the state Senate's Independent Democratic Conference. Calling agriculture "the backbone of the New York economy," they described bills to help preserve farms and let them grow.

"It is not only essential that we work to actively promote our family farms, but that we also seek ways to make sure they continue to prosper and grow, " said Sen. David Carlucci, D-Rockland County.

He's sponsoring a bill that would give restaurateurs a tax credit equal to 10 percent of the costs of any produce they buy made in New York, branded with the "Pride of New York" label already promulgated by the Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Other bills would make it easier to get financing for farm improvements, allow economic development money to be used for facilities upgrades at farmers markets and make it easier for farmers to sell electricity generated by methane or other means back to the grid.

And then there's the farm brewery bill. Hoping to revive what was once a thriving region for hops production around Cooperstown and throughout the Southern Tier, a bill sponsored by Sen. David Valesky, D-Syracuse, would create a special license for farm brewers.

Currently, large-scale breweries are licensed by a more stringent mechanism. Farm brewers could brew and sell beer -- up to 15,000 barrels a year -- provided they use a certain percentage of hops grown on their own property in the process.

"We grew an awful lot of hops in New York state at one time," said Julie Suarez, director of public policy for the Farm Bureau. "We think farm brewery licenses is one of the key pieces of legislation that will allow some of our farmers to have a little bit more diversification, because guys will spend a lot more money for beer than they will for sweet corn, or onions."

Assemblyman Bill Magee, a Democrat, co-sponsors the farm brewery measure. A vote has not been scheduled in either chamber.

Beer at The Farmer's Market

2011-05-09T11:37:00.000-04:00

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/beer-straight-off-the-farm/

Donna WesselMark VanGlad with hops he used for the beer he will sell Friday at the Union Square GreenAt 8 a.m. Friday, when Mark VanGlad arrives with 50 cases of pale ale at his new stand at Union Square Greenmarket, the moment may not look particularly significant to passers-by.

But Mr. VanGlad’s Tundra Brewery will be the first to sell beer at theGreenmarket, under a law passed in 2009 that allows small-scale breweries in New York to sell at markets. The hops in the ale are among the first to be grown in New York — which once produced most of the nation’s supply — since the crop was wiped out by disease, pests and then Prohibition.

For Mr. VanGlad, 25, who brews the beer from grain he grows in Stamford, N.Y., the venture will be the first time he steps out from his family’s 25-year-old maple syrup stand at the Greenmarket to sell his own product.

“It seemed like I lucked out,” Mr. VanGlad said. “I was in the right place at the right time.”

After decades of tagging along with his father and uncle to the Greenmarket to help sell maple syrup and other treats from their Wood Homestead stand, Mr. VanGlad said the market seemed the natural place to try his luck with his fledgling brewery, and the beer he’s labeled Ma-Pale.

He describes Ma-Pale, which he flavors with his family’s syrup, as mild and hoppy, with a slight aftertaste of maple, but without the syrup’s sweetness. The beer has an alcohol content of 4 to 5 percent, he said, and he will sell six-packs for $13, or two for $25. The pale ale is the first of three beers that he plans to sell at the market. The next will be a red ale made with local honey, followed by a gluten-free sorghum beer.

As a student at Clarkson University, Mr. VanGlad and his roommate discovered home brewing during the cold, bleak winters in Potsdam, N.Y., which reminded him of the tundra and which inspired his brewery’s name. He graduated in 2008 with a double major in supply chain management and entrepreneurship. Two years later, he received his microbrewing licenses for Tundra Brewery.

Mr. VanGlad grew five to six acres of barley last summer on his family’s farm, and planted another similar batch in the fall, which he expects to harvest in a month or so. He has also grown two small plots of hops, and he plans to plant another acre this year, though he expects that he’ll have to purchase some hops to tide him over in between.

Although the avid market for craft beer has nurtured the growth of boutique brewing operations in New York, most of the barley and hops used to make that beer is imported from Europe or elsewhere in America. Local grain production has increased somewhat in recent years, but it is still far from widespread. And hops production is still so tiny in New York that it is not even measured, said Bob Lewis, who works at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets as the special assistant to the commissioner for market development.

Mr. VanGlad’s success using local grains could go a long way to showing others what’s possible, said Mr. Lewis, a founder of the Greenmarket.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “Here’s an example of one brewery that has shown that it can be done, and that the New York State industry that used to be the source of hops and barley for virtually every beer brewed in New York can come back.”

Mr. VanGlad’s timing was impeccable. In 2009, the state passed legislation that allows New York brewers who make less than 60,000 barrels of beer a year to sell at farmers’ markets as well as at county and state fairs. Wineries were already allowed to sell at markets under the Farm Winery Act of 1976.

But for Mr. VanGlad, successfully growing the barley and hops was only half the battle. Like those at the vanguard of other local food movements — small-scale meat producers who lacked slaughterhouses and wheat farmers who lacked mills — Mr. VanGlad found a dearth of infrastructure when it came to processing the products of his agriculture.

To make beer from barley, it must first be malted — soaked in water to germinate, dried with hot air, cleaned and then roasted to the desired darkness. At first, Mr. VanGlad couldn’t find a malt house willing to process a small batch of barley. The handful of malt houses nationwide are mostly giantc plants that deal in 100,000-pound batches, when Mr. VanGlad had only couple thousand pounds of barley. He discovered Valley Malt, a small plant that opened in September in Hadley, Mass., after receiving a tip from an online beer-brewing message board.

“We’re really more of a nano-malt house,” said Andrea Stanley, who along with her husband, Christian Stanley, owns Valley Malt. “We’re trying to do for malting what was done for microbrewing 30 years ago.”

Mr. VanGlad drove a thousand pounds of barley up to Massachusetts in his truck and picked up the malt a few weeks later.

At Greenmarket, Mr. VanGlad’s work dovetails with the organization’s efforts to promote local grain production, said June Russell, the manager of farm inspections, strategic development and regulations.

The new state law allowing brewers to sell at markets does not specify that the beer must be made from local grain, but Greenmarket rules for beverage producers require that all the ingredients be locally grown and that 60 percent must be grown by the sellers themselves, Ms. Russell said. Some craft breweries incorporate New York State grain into their beers, she said, but only Mr. VanGlad is brewing entirely from his own grain.

“We have been trying to engage beer makers in our grains work for the last couple of years,” Ms. Russell said. “It starts with where to refine the barley? And no one was growing barley.”

She had heard about the work that the Stanleys were doing at Valley Malt, Ms. Russell said, and she was delighted to hear that Mr. VanGlad had also discovered them.

This year, Mr. VanGlad has made three 155-gallon batches of pale ale, which each produce 70 cases. He built his brewery from stainless steel milk tanks that he bought second-hand from dairies, staking out his territory in a corner of a building that his family uses to boil maple syrup. Friday will be his first day selling the beer to strangers, he said.

“I’ve had friends and family who have tried it,” he said. “They all seem to like it.”market.

Saratoga Brewfest

2011-05-09T11:29:00.000-04:00

http://www.saratogabrewfest.com/

Nowhere must be Somewhere

2011-05-05T23:37:00.000-04:00

If you find yourself thirsty and in the middle of nowhere, then maybe it’s time for a stop at the Country Inn. Ok, so Krumville isn’t really nowhere, after all it’s just up the road from Kripplebush (areas named before the founder’s recognized the letter “C”). It would be easy to go right by the Country Inn thinking it’s just another place to suck down a Miller light or ten and eat some greasy chicken wings, but stop by and prepare to have your expectations proven wrong. Perhaps a Chimay Triple draft will adjust your thinking, or maybe a draft or two of Corsendonk Brown will put a proper light on this Kountry gem of a place. Feeling a bit more English or concerned about the long ride back to somewhere, then a Fullers ESB draft might suit you better. Regardless, the choices abound, the bar claims list of 500 bottles. Short on time and funds (they don’t take plastic, but do have an ATM) I wasn’t able to properly sample the food or other drafts, but I am sure they will not disappoint. The menu is fully of bistro type stuff – mussels, frites, Chimay braised short ribs- all properly local, though I hope the mussels aren’t from up on Kripple Creek, but the beer, have I already covered that, well its good.
I also have to mention the setting. In the last year they added a beautiful stone patio overlooking a nice beaver pond. The beavers must have been busy elsewhere, but domestic ducks and Canadian geese round out the very peaceful scene. An outdoor fire pit forms the center piece of the patio and begs for a return visit on a cool night. All and all worth a trip from anywhere.
Landman
1380 County Road 2, Krumville, NY, 12461. Telephone 845-657-8956. Open Wednesday through Sunday. http://www.krumville.com/

The Bier Abbey

2011-04-25T16:32:00.000-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bier-Abbey/136963939674123?v=info

There sign is up but no sign of life inside. (yes I was peeking in the widows) Dosen't look like they will make an April opening. And what about Capital City Beer Hall isn't that to open in April. WTF

Restaurant Ommegang

2011-04-25T16:23:00.000-04:00

The word from both Council and Landman is the restaurant at Brewery Ommegang is open and very worth the trip. Council had the mussels and Pommes Frites. Well Landman says the Pommes Frites were the best he ever had. High prise indeed. Ommegang’s site doesn’t even mention a restaurant at all. The feeling from Council is this is a soft opening as all the drafts were not up yet.

CHIMAY VISITS MAHAR'S THURSDAY

2011-04-13T17:05:00.000-04:00

MICHAEL KUHNELL, NATIONAL SALES REP FOR MANNEKEN-BRUSSELS, IMPORTERS OF CHIMAY

AND MAX OSWALD, SALES REP FOR GASKO & MEYER BEER DISTRIBUTORS

WILL BE PAYING MAHAR'S A VISIT ON THURSDAY, APRIL 14,
ARRIVING BETWEEN 5 AND 6

STOP BY AND SAY HELLO, ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT CHIMAY

OR ANY OF THE OTHER FINE PRODUCTS THESE GENTLEMEN BRING US

CHIMAY TRIPLE WILL BE AVAILABLE ON TAP

AS WELL RED AND BLUE BOTTLES

CAN'T PROMISE CHIMAY CHEESE BUT WE ARE TRYING

CHIMAY PRICES WILL BE REDUCED AND HOPEFULLY

THERE WILL BE A FEW DO-DADS TO GIVE AWAY
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ASKING

WE WILL B E OPEN EASTER SUNDAY

FROM 2 - 8

That's Jim yelling not me.

RIP Pierre Celis

2011-04-13T15:48:00.000-04:00

Pierre Celis (21 March 1925 – 9 April 2011) was a Belgian brewer who opened his first brewery in 1966 to revive the wit beer style in his hometown of Hoegaarden.

Don’t judge The Ruck by its cover.

2011-03-29T08:37:00.002-04:00

The ruck is a well-loved local watering hole and well-chewed college bar. Well-worn but clean. Between the locals and the college students The Ruck has enough traffic to keep 28 drafts in good rotation. All the beer was fresh and the lines clean.
Owner Dave feels that 28 is a good number of knobs for The Ruck. He says it assures he will have something in most styles and price range to keep a good steady rotation. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the wings are excellent. If you are looking for a crowd go Friday or Saturday night. If you are looking for a little more of a quiet time to reflect on the fine selection of hand selected beers go Saturday or Sunday late afternoon.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama Make Homebrew

2011-03-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2011/03/obamas-make-history-with-homebrewed.html

Draught Beer Quality Manual

2011-02-28T17:50:00.000-05:00

http://www.draughtquality.org/w/page/18182201/FrontPage

Brewers Association 2011 Beer Style Guideline

2011-02-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

140 styles of beer

http://www.brewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/5183/BA_2011_Beer_Style_Guidlines.pdf

Blind Tiger

2011-02-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

On the corner of Jones and Bleecker in Manhattan is The Blind Tiger. Great little craft beer bar with very good food. Had the wild boar beanless chilly w/ a Avery Dugana. The hops in the Dugana where a nice balance to the warmth of the chilly. Very nice. The place is small and with a fire in the fireplace and the talk about beer and food. Hard to believe this Manhattan. Finished up w/ a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid on Cask. How did I become such a hop head?

The F.X. Matt Brewery

2011-02-11T12:48:00.000-05:00

If you love beer, and enjoy interacting with the public, we have an opportunity for you. The F.X. Matt Brewery is looking for energetic and ambitious people to help sample Saranac beer. Events and promotions are usually on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the late afternoon and evening. The pay is $10/hour. We're holding an open interview Friday, February 11 from 3pm-6pm at Washington Tavern located at 250 Western Ave, Albany. If interested, stop by and look for Brewery Representative Jessica to chat about our current openings. Remember, a love of craft beer is a must. Hope to see you there!

Can't someone from MAS help this Brewery. They should be our Sierra.

The American craft beer scene goes global

2011-02-04T07:52:00.000-05:00

Foreign breweries draw inspiration from U.S. craft brewers, who are increasing exports (and looking to build overseas). There's even a black market for the States' specialty suds.

Stone Brewing of Escondido has its eye on an international market for its craft beer. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

By Jenn Garbee, Special to the Los Angeles Times

February 3, 2011

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While craft beer fans hedge their bets on whether Sunday'sSuper Bowl play-by-play is more suited to hopped-up IPAs or intensely flavored stouts, Greg Koch will be deliberating over a lot more than what to sip on game day. In the coming weeks, the co-owner of Escondido-based Stone Brewing Co. will finalize the location of the first American craft brewery on the European continent.

After decades of taking hops advice from foreign brewers, American craft brewers are beginning to return the favor. Several are now exporting their beers, and others are inviting upstart foreign brewers stateside for a lesson in brewing American favorites such as double IPAs (an India pale ale amped up with extra hops to intensify the flavor). Or, as with Stone, they are getting a surprisingly bubbly reception in the bid for permanent resident status abroad.

"We had no idea we would suddenly need a Stone employee with 'European acquisitions' added to his title," says Koch. After scouting locations in May, Koch and co-owner Steve Wagner received more than 75 brewery site proposals from nine countries, including Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy and Britain. They recently narrowed the playing field to the top two contenders: Bruges, Belgium, and Berlin.

While Stone and other craft brewers have their eyes on the international consumer, their experimental, boldly flavored American beers also have been influencing a new generation of cutting-edge overseas brewers.

"When American craft beer got its start, we were imitating styles from the great brewing nations like Belgium, Germany and the U.K.," says Bob Pease, chief operating officer of the Brewers Assn., the Boulder, Colo.-based nonprofit craft brewers' trade organization. "Now 20 to 25 years later, we've come full circle, and they're looking to us for inspiration, but we're really just getting started overseas."

Like their American colleagues, Scotland's BrewDog and Nøgne Ø of Norway make no apologies for their distinctly "American style" double IPAs and coffee-infused stouts.

James Watt, the 27-year-old co-owner of BrewDog in Fraserburgh, Scotland, credits the absence of longstanding brewing traditions in the United States with encouraging a more creative brewing scene. "Beers in the U.K. have become fairly stuffy and old-fashioned, almost as if brewing traditions here have constrained brewers," he says. "When it comes to beer, we are light-years behind the U.S., and California in particular."

Before opening BrewDog in 2007, Watt and co-owner Martin Dickie visited several Southern California breweries, including Stone Brewing Co. and AleSmith, a San Diego brewery known for its unusual twists on Belgian- and British-style beers. "We really wanted to make beers like the American brewers who completely follow their muse," says Watt. BrewDog's Paradox, a high-alcohol stout aged in whiskey barrels, is noticeably similar to AleSmith's 12% alcohol-by-volume (ABV), bourbon-barrel-aged Speedway Stout; its Punk IPA is described on the brewery's website as a transatlantic fusion made with Chinook hops, an American variety of the herb often used in domestic IPAs.

BrewDog is not alone in its American influence. Hildegard van Ostaden's Urthel Hop It, a 9.5% alcohol IPA, came to fruition after the Belgium brewer tasted American-style IPAs at the 2006 Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival (it is now the brewery's most popular beer). Nøgne Ø, the first craft brewery to introduce IPAs to Norway, was co-founded in Grimstad by a former commercial pilot, Kjetil Jikiun, who purchased home brewing supplies on flight layovers in the U.S. (Stone Brewing Co. has since collaborated with Nøgne Ø on a holiday ale made with California sage and Norwegian juniper berries.)

Although these multicultural brews have increased the demand for American craft beers overseas, getting those IPAs to the customers tasting as good as they did when they left the brewery has not been easy.

"The biggest problem is that fresh, big hoppy flavor we're known for can fade quickly if the beer isn't stored properly or it sits too long in the distribution chain," says Koch. In 2010, Stone reserved most of its 115,000 barrels for stateside sales, shipping very limited quantities to Britain, Sweden, Japan and Singapore.

Pease says the limited shelf life of most craft beers is the primary overseas shipping hurdle. "Most craft beers are not pasteurized like commercial beers, which makes them basically the same as an unpasteurized food product and causes all sorts of export problems. But there are some styles of craft beers that fare better because they contain natural preservatives."

One of those natural preservatives is hops, the bitter herb that enabled the Dutch brewers to ship beer to Britain as early as the 15th century (many of the earliest beers made without hops had a shelf life of less than a week). Pease says craft beers that are heavy on hops and have a high alcohol content, which also acts as a preservative, fare best when being shipped long distances.

Still, navigating the logistics of shipping to multiple countries can be difficult. "It took us two years just to figure out how things work in Italy because the system is somewhat archaic," says Eric Wallace, the 49-year-old co-founder of Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Colo. The former Air Force communications officer lived in Italy and Germany during the 1980s and opened Left Hand Brewing shortly after returning home to Colorado in 1993.

In 2004, the Brewers Assn. launched its Export Development Program with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help American craft breweries meet the increasing demand for their products in international markets. According to the Brewers Assn., since 2003 total U.S. craft beer exports have tripled to more than 1.3 million gallons. (Sweden is the largest importer of American craft beer, followed by Canada, Japan and Denmark.)

Most of those sales are limited to large craft breweries such as Stone, but some small breweries are beginning to test the international waters. The Bruery in Orange County recently began shipping about 100 cases of its spice-infused ales to Europe every quarter as part of a shared shipping arrangement with Green Flash Brewing in San Diego and the Lost Abbey in San Marcos. "Volume-wise, exports really can't happen in large quantities for us, as we just don't make enough beer," says Bruery owner Patrick Rue, who hopes to increase exports in the future as his company expands production.

For large craft breweries, the demand for American beer abroad creates a more pressing problem than shipping headaches. Koch says rising illegal beer trafficking is one reason why Stone decided to build a brewery abroad. "I've seen our beers in Australia, and we don't sell there," he says of the growing underground ring of illegal exports. Koch says black-market beers are often procured from illicit distributors or by individuals who buy a retail store's entire inventory. He hopes to curb illegal sales by making Stone beers more widely available abroad once the brewery is built.

"I have no idea how that Australian beer had been stored or how old it was, but I imagine it didn't get there in a refrigerated truck like we require," Koch says. "Once someone tastes a bad version of our beer, they'll never taste it again."

Wallace believes making sure that those first American beer impressions are good also depends on the quality of foreign brewery start-ups making American styles. "I'm really trying to help new brewers [in Italy] crack their own market and create something for themselves … with beers more focused on flavor," he says. In recent years, Wallace has hosted Italian start-up brewers at his Colorado brewery who want to learn about American brewing practices. "It benefits us all if that craft beer specialty market emerges."

At BrewDog, Watt and Dickie are focusing their efforts on customer education. They recently opened a pub in Aberdeen featuring their brews alongside a small rotating selection of beers from their American friends, including AleSmith, the Bruery and Stone. "We're just at the start of this craft beer movement in the U.K., so we really feel that part of our job is to educate people here about the different kinds of good beers out there, just like American craft brewers did 20 years ago," says Watt.

With the Brewers Assn.'s Export Development Program focused on helping brewers navigate foreign markets, exports to pubs like BrewDog's will likely continue to grow. But for Koch, the decision to build his own foreign brewery rather than increase exports ultimately came down to a very red-white-and-blue business model.

"We like doing things ourselves," he says.

food@latimes.com

Following a Trail of Beer in Belgium

2011-01-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/travel/16beer-journeys.html

Casks at Savanah’s Dublin Underground

2011-01-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't read George de Piro's Beer Nut Blog here is something interesting.

On Thursday, January 20th, Savanah’s Dublin Underground will have three cask beers from BrewDog, a small Scottish brewery with a funky-looking but difficult to navigate website. The casks will be tapped at about 4:00 p.m. I plan on going to work early so I can duck out in time to get a pint or two before dinner.

The beers will be Dogma Scottish Ale, Paradox Arran Imperial Stout aged in Isle of Arran Whiskey casks, and Hardcore IPA, which recieved a gold in the Imperial IPA category at the World Beer Cup in 2010.

I’m not a big fan of whisky barrel-aged beers (the whisky flavor always obscures the beer too much for me), so I might skip that one, but the others sound intriguing. It’s likely that after I have the first two, I’ll at least get a half pint of the Imperial Stout. We’ll see.

The TU's Steve Barnes says Beer Land coming soon

2010-12-28T23:54:00.000-05:00

Beer Land headed for former Ballingers space

December 28, 2010 at 3:09 pm by Steve Barnes, senior writer

Following up on a tidbit I reported a month ago, the former Ballingers nightclub in downtown Albany is being redeveloped as a brew palace called Beer Land. A February opening is projected.

The business is leasing the building, at Howard and Lodge streets, home for decades to the restaurant Ogden’s, from Douglas Ballinger. Ballinger, who with his brothers has owned the New York City club and music venue Webster Hall for more than 20 years, bought the building in 2006 and handsomely renovated it over the course of a year. Ballingers was able to make go of it as a nightclub for three fitful years beforeclosing for good in January 2010.

The owners of Beer Land are Ballinger’s brother Lon, Lon’s son Kaelin and Kenny Schachter; the latter two are responsible for the booking, marketing and and promotion of Webster Hall.

“We want to add something totally unique to the city in a building that is already historically unique,” Schachter tells me.

A 2006 graduate of the University at Albany, Schachter says his familiarity with Albany nightlife, combined with the hard lessons learned at Ballingers and the singularity of Beer Land, will combine to make the new venture succeed where its predecessor did not.

In particular, he says, Beer Land will draw a wider section of the population than Ballingers did, with separate floors of the building targeted at different demographics, and the owners have arranged for free parking in a lot nearby. As the diverse clientele of Wolff’s Biergarten proves, it’s possible to attract a large, diverse clientele to a location off the main drag if the atmosphere is broadly appealing.

As Beer Land, the building will house three distinct environments, Schachter says, including a traditional, albeit not exclusively German, beer hall on the main floor. The basement, a cool grotto clad in Helderberg bluestone, right, will largely retain its look but have a separate theme from the main floor, as will the second floor. Schachter says the partners are not yet ready to release full details of the themes, food service or programming.

Beer Land has been granted conditional approval of its liquor license for bars on all three floors, according to the State Liquor Authority, and plans to install dozens of draft lines for an eclectic selection of beer on tap, to be complemented by a large array of bottled brews.

Duvel acquires de Koninck

2010-12-16T16:49:00.000-05:00

Duvel Moortgat has announced its takeover of the iconic Antwerp based beer: De Koninck, literally ‘the King’ in Flemish. Located in the heart of Antwerp, Brouwerij de Koninck has been brewing since 1933. Its present owners, the Van den Bogaert and Van Bauwel families, have built the brewery into a valuable brand with a solid reputation both nationally and internationally. The brewery reached the peak of its success during the 1990’s with an annual production level of 130,000 hectolitres. More recently, it has struggled against a shrinking beer market and a strong decline in a demand for pale ale. The current annual volume is around 65,000 hectolitres. Bernard Van den Bogaert of De Koninck states: "Because of the small size of our brewery, we have experienced a lack of commercial strength and distribution channels. But this acquisition is a logical step as, during the last couple of years, Duvel Moortgat has proven that it possesses the right experience; and the fact that the two breweries have maintained an excellent relationship for generations adds an extra dimension to this acquisition."

Rare duvel glasses

2010-12-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.jamesclay.co.uk/beer-suppliers/news/505-duvel-eley-kishimoto-glass

Rare duvel glasses selling for $30.00-$60.00 on Ebay

Ommegang to open Belgian café

2010-11-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

This just in from Steve Barnes at The Times Union

Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown is building a new visitors pavilion; this presumably is the “state-of-the-art facility” that will contain a Belgian café mentioned in a job posting for a kitchen manager that is on Ommegang’s website. More details when I have them.

The brewery, located five miles south of Cooperstown on County Route 33, is open noon to 5 p.m. daily for tours.

beer Club

Crossroads Brewery

Cafe Ommegang

America’s 100 best beer bars: 2011

A little Malting History

Brettanomyces in the Barnyard

Throwback Brewery

Beer Me, Sommelier

Why beer deserves the same kind of expertise as wine.

Grand opening Merry Monk

Landman eats Boar Ribs

City Beer Hall

Search for: city beer hall

Lunch at the City Beer Hall

Merry Monk Closer Look

First Look Merry Monk by Landman

Barnes Says Merry Monk to Wednesday

More beer we can't have

This from the Hops and Barley Blog www.hopsandbarleyblog.com

Art Fredette believes Bat Shea’s will be more than just an Irish pub, bar

Merry Monk

What Can I Drink at Thanksgiving Besides Wine?

What Can I Drink at Thanksgiving Besides Wine?

This fracking thing is going to far.

Birreria

Birreria

By JULIA MOSKIN

Details & Reader Reviews

The Merry Monk

Really Boys, Tecate! And the car wash was a good idea

160 beers on tap

Back to Two Stones. The revolution is on.

Two Stones Pub, Newark, DE

The Ruck

Screamen Eagle, Inlet, NY

Note from Mahar

MOK on a Tuesday

Flanagan's pub

Terrapin Beer Fest

Belgium Comes to Coppertown

The Ithaca Beer Co

Quick Look Graney's Stout

Hop Crops: Madison County and other New York state hops are in demand for specialty beer industry

Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 12:49 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 1:20 PM

Quick Look The Cask And Rasher

Water Front Ale House, Brooklyn

Sierra coming East

The Moan & Dove and the Dirty Truth

Saratoga Brewfest

Will DeCrescente ever Get It?

Ommegang Disappoints. The Blue Mingo does not.

Brown's is 33rd and some interest numbers from Steve Barnes

The Silly Beer Hall?

Lets Farm

Farm brewery bill seeks to revive New York's golden era of hop production

Independent Democrats in the Senate offer ways to grow rural economy, including making beer

By JIMMY VIELKIND Capitol bureau

Published 12:01 a.m., Thursday, May 19, 2011

Beer at The Farmer's Market

Saratoga Brewfest

Nowhere must be Somewhere

The Bier Abbey

Restaurant Ommegang

CHIMAY VISITS MAHAR'S THURSDAY

RIP Pierre Celis

Don’t judge The Ruck by its cover.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama Make Homebrew

Draught Beer Quality Manual

Brewers Association 2011 Beer Style Guideline

Blind Tiger

The F.X. Matt Brewery

The American craft beer scene goes global

Foreign breweries draw inspiration from U.S. craft brewers, who are increasing exports (and looking to build overseas). There's even a black market for the States' specialty suds.

Following a Trail of Beer in Belgium

Casks at Savanah’s Dublin Underground

The TU's Steve Barnes says Beer Land coming soon

Duvel acquires de Koninck

Rare duvel glasses

Ommegang to open Belgian café

This from the Hops and Barley Blog www.hopsandbarleyblog.co m