At the PLCB hearings...

At the 'beer raid' hearings in Harrisburg. I'll be Tweeting.

Time for a change

As I put out the garbage this morning, I heard the honking of geese overhead. I thought, I have always been more moved by the southward flight of geese than by their springtime return. I don't know why. Fall and winter are my favorite times of year. I loved the deep, snowy winter we just had, and spring annoys me. Maybe it's as simple as the allergies I get in the spring -- miserable time for me -- maybe it's because I've always been a fat booger and warmer weather means no more bulky clothing camouflage. I don't know. But the thought makes me wonder about exploring new directions. It's a time of rebirth. My eyes and my mind are open.

Gotta love this: Berwick Brewing in Mt. Airy

Haven't been able to get to Berwick to try Guy Hagner and Tom Clark's beers? You waited long enough: they're coming to you. Thanks to the beery magic of Earth Bread + Brewery's guest tap policy, Berwick Brewing will be pouring this Thursday, April 8th, with a keep-the-pint event. Guy's bringing Atomic Punk IPA, Raspberry Imperial Porter, Wheat Ale, Hondo Keller Bier and Rauch Bock...all of which you want to try. He'll also be making "some special flatbreads," and I can tell you from personal experience that he's a pizz--er, flatbread fanatic. I'll be there, just for fun. Come on out!

Tradition! A Fallen Friar at Easter Vigil

For over ten years, I have had a tradition of drinking strong beers before singing at the Easter Vigil services at my church. It began when my brother-in-law Carl arrived at the train station for Easter one Saturday afternoon, oh, years ago, when we still had a Taurus station wagon, when Nora was a baby. We loaded his luggage in the back, and he got in the front with a shoebox. What's that, I asked, and he grinned and opened it up: three bottles of Old Dominion Millennium. ... In later years, I would attend the Split Thy Skull barleywine event at Sugar Mom's on the afternoon in question, and make my way home, and sing. Yes, I did, and beautifully, I'd say; others have said so.

I did not falter this year. This afternoon, while cutting up leftover turkey for a skillet of hash (nice, too, with the Worcestershire sauce tang), I polished off a 22 oz. bottle of BridgePort Brewing's Fallen Friar Triple. It was nice: spicy, not flabby and sweet (just the way I like tripels), with a woody/brett tang to it, almost like someone had mixed a bottle of Chimay White and Orval. Tasty. I followed that with a 12 oz. bottle of the newly re-launched Dundee Pale Bock from Genesee. And that, which I am still finishing off, is just plain good: malty, juicy, authoritative.

Fear not. I'm losing weight, but I'm still big enough to ground that much beer. I'm ready to sing. It is the pinnacle of the Christian year. Christ is risen, risen indeed!

Two years at Devil's Den

Devil's Den celebrates their second year (already? Time flies like an arrow (fruit flies like a banana)) tomorrow with drink specials and a free buffet from 2:00 to 5:00. Get on down and have some great craft beers: they're pouring some special stuff. What stuff? Stuff like Russian River Supplication, Bruery Mischief, Sixpoint Gorilla Warfare, Dogfish Head Black & Blue, Allagash Burnham Road, Leipziger Gose, BrewDog Tokyo and many more. 

Pennsylvania Beer Debate tonight on PCN

Just in from Sheetz's "Free My Beer" campaign...the PCN channel will be showing a live debate between MBDA president Dave Shipula and Sheetz general counsel Mike Cortez, tonight at 7 PM. I can't watch this, or call in, prior commitments. Feel free to take any points I may have brought up in the past and make a call!

An URGENT update from Free My Beer

---

The fight to free your beer continues tonight!
You are receiving this urgent update because you are one of more than 125,000 people who signed a petition to make the purchase of beer in Pennsylvania more convenient.

Mike Cortez, VP and General Counsel for Sheetz will go head-to-head with Dave Shipula, President of the Malt Beverage Distributors of PA debating the issue of how beer is sold in Pennsylvania in a live call-in show on “PCN Live” tonight at 7:00 p.m. They will take your comments and questions on the air.

If you want to voice your opinion on the way beer should be sold in Pennsylvania, we want you to call in! 1-877-726-5001.

More action at the Session Beer Project

NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE: I actually have two new posts up on the Session Beer Project blog. One is about a new, tiny brewery in Washington State that has a 3.4% bitter as their flagship (hope they succeed; hope even more that they know what they're getting into!); the other is about a new all-session beer brewing project (contract for now) debuting later this month...at a session beer festival in Boston! I swear I'm not kidding; I'm as pleasantly surprised as you are.

Finally: some Rock & Rye Respect!

Just got this, and I have to say: it's about time that this American classic got a facelift. Gutsy move, to put aside perfectly good four year old rye whiskey for a project like this. Bravo, Sazerac!

Sazerac Launches New Range of Rye Whiskies
Source: Beverage News Report
April 1st, 2010
The Sazerac Company has announced the May 1st launch of a new range of rye whiskeys under the Mr. Boston brand name.
Combining a traditional favorite "Rock & Rye" with the hot new trend for flavored whiskeys the company will be launching a complete new range of flavored "Rock & Rye" whiskeys.
Historically, the Mr. Boston line of rye whiskeys has been anchored by Rock & Rye with lemon at 54 proof.  Each bottle contains a slice of lemon which is placed by hand into the bottle at the company's production facility.  The major market for this product has been Arizona and parts of New Mexico.
The line will be boosted by the addition of six new expressions. Rock & Rye with cherries, Rock & Rye with honey, Rock & Rye with lime, Rock & Rye with Acai berries, Rock & Rye with orange, Rock & Rye with melon.
In keeping with the tradition of Rock & Rye each of the new offerings will contain slices of the particular fruit, each placed in the bottles by hand.  Production manager Noe Prial said "We are excited about the project's potential although it has been logistically challenging lining up fruit vendors, slicing, preparing and then inserting the fruit into 1.75L, Liter, 750ml, 375ml and 200ml bottles.  It takes a lot of attention to detail but the resulting product is phenomenal; spicy four year old rye whiskey with excellent flavor coming from the fruit in the bottle.  We wanted to differentiate ourselves from many of the copycat flavored offerings coming onto the market now and believe this will accomplish that goal".
Planned roll out markets for these whiskies will be in the traditional markets of Arizona and New Mexico, plus west coast and north eastern markets. The company declined to discuss its marketing spend but indicated that it would be substantial. The 1.75L will retail for $19.99 with 750mls priced at $9.99.


Can't wait to try that acai berry; awesomely trendy.

New Trappist Brewery...in Arkansas!

More Amazing News! One-time Philadelphia brewer Tom Cizauskas (first brewer at Manayunk Brewing) has scooped famed Belgian beer explorer Chuck "I've Been There...Twice" Cook with news of an 8th Trappist brewery...in Arkansas! Tom has an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published story on the brewery on his excellent website here.

Uncle Jack Scoops Me Again, Gosh Darn It!

Jack "That Awesome Beer News Machine" Curtin has once again scooped the entire beer press in the Fertile Crescent of beer (that's right, he even scooped Jim Anderson). He's got a ton of news at the Beer Yard today, amazing stuff that you just won't believe. Go read; the links are all here.