The Grain Bill

Week #23 - Dan Conway

2011-08-16T19:48:00.004-04:00

Walk into any beer bar or bottle shop within the coastal parameters of New York and the Southernmost inches of Virginia and one name rings out. It's the easy name drop in the book. Whether its a conversation with an owner, a bartender, a rep from a competing wholesaler makes no difference...all the people know one man:

Left Hand Dan

The name blows my mind because everyone here knew him before his days repping the great beers of Left Hand Brewing Company. The first time I mentioned his name in conversation in Virginia the guy at the bar said, "Who?" so I described the handlebar mustache and possibility of an orange hunting hat and the guy said, 'His name's not Conway, it's Left Hand Dan.' Mind blown.

I don't think I've seen a brewery rep so loved yet in my three quick years in this biz. People will line up to tell you a story about hanging out at an event with Dan Conway. And seriously people....the dude sells a lot of beer.

In his own words, Mr. Dan Conway

So bring us up to speed on the life and times of Dan Conway in the Craft Beer business. You've been keeping Philly drinking for a good many years. How did it all begin and how did that road lead to Left Hand?

Well Joel… I happened into this business on purpose. I was a Computer Science Major at Temple University in North Philadelphia and the rest is history… Actually scratch that I was a Computer Science student who realized I wasn’t really cut out for coding despite the fact I knew my way around a Commodore 64 (youngins Google: Commodore 64 if you can find a system that still works play their version of Family Feud, it’s still my favorite game).

Soon after that I realized that film was more up my alley. Editing film and relocating to center city Philadelphia I began my life as an honor student working in the service industry. After a series of concierge positions at area hotels I realized that people liked talking to me. I then grew weary of dealing with people interested in the same thing “What time is check out?”.

I soon left and started working at a bodega down the street from where I lived and found my niche. This bodega was named the Foodery, located at 10th and Pine Street. It was there that with a lack of direction that I gained a fondness for craft and imported beer. Soon after starting there I became the manager and had the establishment function as my “Center City Office” for my freelance editing business. I attracted clients and friends that shared an appreciation for the finer things in life. Working there I established a report with the local beer community (brewers, bartenders, bar owners, dishwashers, ect.).

Growing tired of the day to day I decided to branch out and try working for a beer distributor. I worked as a bar consultant even though my initial title was: Sales Representative. Continuing on I decided try my hand at managing a Brew Pub as well as sales. After some time I went back to bartending and bar-backing for awhile to clear my head. I never want to think of myself as a salesperson. I’d prefer to be known and an individual that promotes options that work. For the record some of my best friends work on the opposite side of the bar. Actually to jump ahead to your next question my favorite quality of a bar is the staff as a whole. It’s kind of like that movie 300 only everyone is normally cool. Anyway there was a mutual interest between Left Hand Brewing and I and so it was agreed that I could function as their Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager. For 2 years and some change they have remained good friends and above average co-workers. In words: Solid People.

What does an ideal bar look like to you? What combination of things, personalities, edibles, drinkables, and other factors all swirl together to create an ideal bar setting?

Bars are funny places for different reasons. If you asked me what is my favorite bar was I’d automatically reply: “What you trying to get into?”. Personally I’m more about who I’m hanging with and what makes everybody feel comfortable enough to enjoy themselves. That’s kind of what it’s all about right? To be concise I’ll go into each of your suggested categories and try to answer them in one word:

- Personalities – Timeless
- Edibles – Appropriate
- Drinkables – Artisan
- Other Factors – Relative

Not trying to cop out on this question but there is something for every season in my eyes and I enjoy them all on different levels.

What do you love about the beer that you sell and what do you love about working for Left Hand?

As for the beers I can honestly say I haven’t had a bad one and I can’t say that about many breweries. Also I like that their beers are approachable rather than off-putting. I love turning people on to their first craft beer because I speak their language. Nobody needs to feel dumb, it’s just beer. I guess you could say I love that Left Hand lets me enjoy what I do and let me do it in my own way. I’ve made so many friends with this job it just seems to be infinitely doomed for good times. And I got to work on the label designs this time around.

I asked Ranger for tales from the trip, so I should probably get your take on it as well. How would you describe the mania that was the Oxymoron tour?

Fun. There is something about driving around in a pick-up around Virginia for a week that really just makes you think “damn this job is solid.” Again my main love for the job is all the people that I’ve met. Ranger is one of these particular fellows and I really enjoyed the experience of exploring the terrain with new eyes and with someone to converse with on the reg. Usually I’m on the road listening to tunes or stand-up but I really enjoyed having one of my buds along for the ride. As for the trip it was grueling after the first few stops but I was having a blast (Thanks for driving Ranger, I got next). No brewery reps. really do a tour together where I’m from but we’re friends on the ground level so everybody saw us as people. We weren’t just those guys trying to sell you something we wanted to be there and that came through every night. I liked that. Events across the board were well received and we had a different story for every event. For the unabridged version check out the cave drawings somewhere between Blue Mountain Brewery and Devil’s Backbone. The main story was everybody had a good time with a good beer in their hand. When tiggers and turtles get along you know all is right with the world.

And while we're at it, I know you've got stories from the long, lonesome highway. What's one of the crazier things that's happened to you while on the road selling beer?

Well… shit. I’d guess the craziest story would be when I was going the speed limit and got pulled over by a state trooper because he thought I was his friend’s cousins named “Hackensack.” He realized his error and we parted ways. I got a warning for looking like someone he thought he knew.

What is one thing that everyone (like, everyone in America) should know about Dan Conway?

I will never remember your name the first time… unless I give you a nickname the first time I see you. (very few exceptions on this rule and no offense).

Who would win in a wrestling match: Cameron Saunders or Nima Hadien?

Jivad.

While answering:

Beer - An excellent porter I’ve never had before

Music - Woods

Visuals - Poster from the Black Angels’ tour I caught at the first Unitarian Church

Soundscape - South Broad Street Philadelphia, Pa

Chair - Comfortable

Quote – “Do your damn thing.”

Thought – Love all you guys… even you Joel

Easy,

Dan

Week #22 - Cameron Saunders

2011-06-03T09:09:00.003-04:00

As morning creeps in and front of house staffs across Philly begin to brace themselves for a marathon week of capacity crowds, special guests, special events, people wanting what they can't have, people wanting more of what there's none left of, and the yearly hysteria that is Philly Beer Week there's one guy out there that's shifted into cruise control. At this point he's been going out of his mind for the last three weeks, he's wrangled more tap handles than you can shake a stick at, he's coordinated and tracked down beer for, like, 80 beer menus, and somehow he managed a workout or 12 in there to. He's Cameron Saunders, the dude that sells all that Shangy's beer in Philly. Cameron threw himself head first into beer distribution and quickly became the guy that everybody loves to have a beer with. To use one of his phrases (and there are many) we've had lunches that are just epic.

If you see Cameron this week in your travels pat him on the back, buy him a beer, and offer him a ride to the next bar.

How long were you interested in beer and thinking about the beer business before you got hired by Shangy's?

Well, I have been drinking craft beer since 2000 when I was going to school down in Florida. I was already drinking beers like Sierra Nevada, Red Hook, and Pete’s Wicked Ale, but the kicker was when my wife Jes and I went to a Belgian bar down there and were blown away at what a great beer should be like. The bartender kept giving us free samples of Chimay, Corsendonk, Duvel, and Lindemans.

From that day we both were hooked on great beers and constantly were trying new beers. I started home brewing in 2006. That helped me gain a better knowledge of how beer is made and all the science and hard work involved. I was in sales already and figured why not try to combine what I love with what I’m good at.

I went to a bar all the time called Quotations in Media and became friends with the owner, Mike. He helped get me in contact with Shangy’s. They were looking for a sales rep in Philly in the near future. That near future took about six months of follow up and finally I got a call to go on an interview. Two weeks later I was hired and now I’m a beer industry lifer! I love the business, the people in it, and most importantly the beers I’m selling.

Whenever I come back to Philly it seems like you have stories upon stories of events. What are some of the craziest ones you recall?

We did a Bell’s Brewing event during Philly Beer Week 2010 where they brought 31 different beers to City Tap House. There were about 600 people there at one point trying to get their hands on all the special beers that never leave the brewpub. It was NUTS!

This is more about me getting crazy but Hans Peter Drexler, head brew master of Schneider Brewery in Germany, came over for a couple days. The day before he left we did a daylong tour of the city with events starting at 11:30AM. We had four different events set up throughout the day. At each bar we drank about four half liters of the delicious nectar. If you know Schneider you know his beers are all hovering around 7- 8.5% ABV. Then the Eisbock firkin comes out,12% ABV, and then the schnapps shots. By the time 1AM rolls around I crawl in a cab and may or may not have forgot where I lived and told the driver to let me off here. That “here” was about 4 miles from home and I pretty much walked through the hood to get there. Again, that may or may not have happened.

This business is all about relationships. Is it hard sometimes to have tough business conversations in an industry full of cool people that you're working with one minute and partying with the next?

Yes it is! You see these people every week for sales calls, then you go hang out at their bar for beers at night. You get to be really close to a lot of the owners and managers who make the business decisions. If they happen to be down with our company it can be a tough thing to say 'Hey man I really need to talk to you about our numbers'. We are down such and such percent with you and really need to figure a way to get back on track. That’s a hard thing to have to switch the buddy buddy off and get back to a strictly business persona. Luckily, it doesn’t happen often.

Tap Handles are awesome, right? In your opinion, what's the best way for tap handles to get from brewery (or manufacturer/warehouse) to the tap tower at the bars on your sales route?

There’s no way I could hate tap handles any more than I do now! They are the bane of my existence. It’s a constant struggle to make sure every bar has all the right handles. Breweries can’t send us enough handles and we don’t order enough of them so I’m always robbing Peter to pay Paul. The best way to deal with them is blow them all up and use generic handles. Then people might actually buy a beer based on style or flavor instead of, “Hey I want the beer with the pencil handle or the one with the shotgun or witch on it.” Yes I know, I’m bitter!

What does Craft Beer as a whole need right now? (more events? less events? more session beers?)

I absolutely think we need better-made session beers. The craft beer drinker probably is drinking beers with an average of 7% ABV and higher. You can only sustain drinking those for so long at that rate. The whole point of drinking beer is to hang out with friends and have great conversations and to meet some new people. Maybe because it tastes amazing too but it’s hard to hang out if you’re hammered three beers in within an hour at the bar.

I think all the breweries will at some point come back around to nice low alcohol beers that you can knock back all night. It will help them sell more beer and help the bars make more money. New Holland, as you know, is a great example of this. The Mad Hatter IPA is 5.5% ABV and tastes amazing. It’s a beer that satisfies the hop head but something you can sit back and enjoy the ride with too. I love how all the core brands are really low alcohol beers but don’t lack anything in the flavor department. (end New Holland plug)

What's your favorite thing about working in Philly?

I would have to say the vast amount of beer available to us! We have almost every brand worth drinking at this point. Philly is one of if not THE best beer drinking city in the country and because of that you can hardly go to any restaurant without finding great craft beers on their menu. That makes my job easier because the average Joe here knows a lot about beer and already knows the brands I sell before I even walk in the door. It’s great.

If you could put together Cameron's Ultimate Beer Dinner where in Philly would it be and what beers would be served?

Hmmmm. I’m gonna go with Osteria. They have such a good array of beer friendly food including cheese plates, salads, pastas, pizza, and dishes with meats you don’t see all the time. I would have a sour beer dinner there including Lost Abbey Red Poppy, Girardin Geuze, Russian River Consecration, and Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek. I would also add in Tripel Karmeliet for the dessert just because I can.

If you could have one beer, from Shangy's or otherwise, on the kegerator at all times what would it be?

Why would you do this to me?? That’s a really tough question but I’m not going to take the easy way out. I would probably say either Bell’s Two Hearted or Avery Joe’s Pilsner. I am really on a pilsner kick right now. It’s such a nice beer to sit back and drink all night without getting too hammered.

Ok tough question here...for one reason or another you can only go to one more Phish show. Maybe you're losing your hearing from too many Biscuits shows or you develop an allergy to veggie burritos, something. What venue would you want to see them at and if you could call the encore what would it be?

I would probably say Red Rocks only because I’ve never been there before and it seems to be an epic place to see a show. The encore is a tough question but I would say Crosseyed and Painless into Punch You in the Eye. That sounds perfect as long as I still have a good beer in my hand and they haven’t stopped selling yet.

Week #20 - Matt Simpson

2011-05-20T10:57:00.005-04:00

Bridging the gap between a beer and its final destination is sort of a shared responsibility that falls on the shoulders of every advocate and champion of the craft beer movement. Without a blossoming field of new beer drinkers (and more educated current beer drinkers) a beer can go to package and then slowly draw to its demise if there is not an element of understanding about that beer's application out in the world of sensory pleasure. Professionally, brewers spread the word and market themselves through a variety of channels; at wholesale, sales reps taste and educate their accounts on what is new, what is available, and what people are drinking elsewhere. In the best of scenarios, retailers and their staffs are guiding consumers through their purchases. Beyond that, beer can hit the shelf or hit the tap and fly right out there door...or it can go to a sad state of purgatory, degrading and sadly falling to a state far from the brewers' intention or hope. The fate of that beer lies almost solely in all of the outlined steps prior.

Enter Matt Simpson, The Beer Sommelier. Matt's efforts touch all of the aforementioned paths and dig a trench to an all important x-factor: The curious craft beer consumer. Through a variety of consultation and informative services, Matt educates restaurant and retail shop staffs, he guides curious drinkers through Beer 101, food pairing possibilities, and an increased knowledge of how beer goes from raw materials to a half empty pint. Combining a wealth of knowledge and experience, Simpson's efforts touch both the provider and the consumer and in some cases even the unexpected TV viewer who's prime for an all important 'What's this craft beer stuff?' moment. Most recently Matt has released The Beer Expert App, which from all I can tell is the mack daddy of all beer apps. Drawing from a library of 300,000 beers, it is beer knowledge on call, at your fingertips. Enough from me though, check out the story behind The Beer Sommelier...

You're a Jersey Boy that calls Atlanta home. What led you to the South?

Well, originally, I worked in Journalism and broadcasting/tv/video…I moved to Atlanta for a job in that field. But after years of its ins and outs driving me nuts, I decided to open The Beer Sommelier® for business and follow my passion, instead of my training.

When did you start homebrewing? What styles do you most like to brew?

I began brewing some time about 2003. My teacher/mentor was Mark Nelson, one of the two creators of Georgians for World Class Beer, the organization that was instrumental in the lifting of Georgia’s 6% abv cap. Back then, my tastes were fairly myopic. I tended towards really big beers – the bigger, the better. That, combined with the fact that I have a hard time drinking great quantities in any reasonable time (which is why I bottle to this day, for cellaring, as opposed to kegging), led me to only create styles like barleywines, imperial stouts and Belgian strong ales. On the occasions I brew these days, I still make big styles (my last creation was an 18% sweet mead), but am considering a sour sometime in the future.

At what point did you decide that beer was something you were more than just interested in? How did the decision to take on the role of educator come about?

As I mentioned earlier, I really got sick of not only being in and out of work, but always working for “the man.” My last external engagement involved working for a friend’s company, who’d committed to partnering in eventually opening a craft beer store in Atlanta. When that prospect fell through, I decided it was time to open my own beer business – one that negated the need for massive overhead, startup costs and time and monetary investments. Having already had decades of craft beer experience (thousands of sampled beers, brewing, travel, writing, co-founding and editing TheBeerCellar.com, etc.), it was simply a matter of creating and protecting the company, gaining credibility, forging industry relationships and MAPs (marketing, advertising & promotions). The latter being possibly the most important, since you can be the best at what you do, but if nobody knows you exist, what’s the point? Fortunately, my writing and creative background allowed me to create my own marketing materials, including ads, business cards, press releases, web site (with much help from my developer, Geoff Coleman), social networking sites, etc. Then it was just a matter of earning my BJCP certification, seeking major writing outlets for columns and finding new revenue streams. I think the biggest success to date for The Beer Sommelier®, will be our The Beer Expert app – powered by RateBeer.com. Imagine being able to walk into any package store, grocery, or brewpub, and having immediate access to the information and user reviews for any beer in front of you, simply by speaking its name into your phone. Now that’s exciting!

How did you go about organizing or approaching the way the Beer Education 101 class at Emory University would work and the sources that students would study from?

It was simply a matter of forming a plan. So I created a class itinerary that covered all the bases, in the most logical order; what beer’s made of, how it’s brewed, styles, history, beer & food pairing. I then created a 30-page primer and PowerPoint presentation, to illustrate my ideas and went about teaching the course. I provided all the ingredients for taste and smell, the beer for sampling (two or more styles each class) and homebrewing equipment, for hands-on inspection. It was lots of work, but fun. Much like any entrepreneurial venture, when I realized I could be doing these classes myself, I began to do so. They’ve been sporadic thus far, due to life’s adventures and diversions, but I plan to do more in 2011.

Your Beer Expert website offers a variety of services where virtually anyone could hire you to inform and guide a tasting, pairing, staff training, or event. How long have you been 'open for business' so to speak?

I “opened my doors” in 2007. I’ll never forget walking out of the city building with my first business license. I was very proud and full of dreams.

Of your on-premise customers, do you find that restaurants and bars come to you because their customers are putting the pressure on them to carry craft beer?

Either that, or they see the writing on the wall themselves, and know that with a relatively small fee to me, they can exponentially increase the knowledge of their employees, in turn, increasing their bottom line. I often tell the story of “Ryan,” a server at a local beer bar, over a decade ago. Every time my friends and I came in, he’d ask us what we’d like, knowing we kind of knew our stuff about beer. If we showed either indifference or curiosity about anything new, he’d always make suggestions that reflected our style tastes…or sometimes just surprise us. And he never steered us wrong. In fact, we’d usually buy 2-3 more pints, simply based on his personable, educated and persuasive personality. This anecdote perfectly illustrates the power of staff education and its positive impact on a retail establishment’s bottom line.

Can restaurants come to you looking to take an existing or past manager's beer program to the next level?

Sure thing. I’ve got a huge list (two pages) of marketing plans, that may be used by either bars, package stores, or restaurants. Their implementation is a win-win for the retailer – at the very least, they’ll drum up business and create buzz. As I tell them, even “break even” programs are a winning proposition for the house. Even if they don’t generate tons of revenue, their clientele walk away happy and satisfied. And happy customers tell other folks, who in turn, become new customers.

Is there one general message that you have about beer that you try to convey or instill in your clients, regardless of the service they request, or the level of knowledge they have?

There are two, actually. First, is to sample, sample, sample. The only way to know if you like something, is to try it. I can’t tell you how many wine folks I’ve met, who swear they don’t like beer, only to be swayed by something I offer them – say, a saison, imperial stout, or lambic. It’s very heartening to see their faces, once they realize that macro lagers aren’t the only beverages that qualify as “beer.” The other tenet I try to impose on folks with whom I meet, is education. Knowledge is power, plain and simple. The fact that many wine lovers don’t know that there’s an entire bell curve of styles, spanning a history of hundreds to thousands of years, is a reflection of the lack of beer education to which we’ve become accustomed in the U.S. I aim to help reverse that trend. My company slogan is “My cellar of expertise, to your table of knowledge,” but my business model and personal motto is “Bringing craft beer to the masses.” It’s what drives me in what I do.

I watched several clips of you on television from your site. How many more times do we have to watch TV personalities say, "Oh, we're talking about beer like its wine," before we're just on TV talking about beer? It seems like every news or Morning Show appearance I see by someone from the beer community there's this general joking tone that comes from the hosts. Why do you think it is that beer doesn't get taken as seriously by these types of media outlets?

It’s a simple matter of past marketing. But it’s changing. In the past, macro lagers have marketed themselves in a lowest-common-denominator manner…selling their products, not based on their quality or consistency, but with models, sports figures and talking animals. So that’s the image we have of the products and the people who drink them. But not only is that marketing changing, to reflect the hard work, craftsmanship, ingredients and overall quality of the products, the perception of said products and companies is starting to change as well. Videos like “I am a Craft Brewer,” movies like “Beer Wars” and marketing like that of Boston Brewing are helping to increase public awareness that there is no more time-honored, complex, fun yet serious beverage on the planet, than beer. While some beer geeks disagree, my school of thought is that we in the beer community need to hyper-market ourselves to the point in which we find ourselves with a cache, perception and respect above that of wine, before we can relax and take a step back.

Your website lists yours as, "One of the largest, most robust and comprehensive beer cellars in the world". Is there one beer in there that you'd sacrifice all others to keep? What are the prize pieces of the collection?

Lol. I am pretty proud of my cellar and have some pretty rare stuff (Southampton Double Icebock – 100 total bottles, Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze, Roots Epic jeraboam –100 total bottles, BA Speedway from Pete Zein’s personal collection, Hair of the Dog Adambier Batch #1, Stone Vertical Epic 020202, a 22+ year vertical of Bigfoot, etc.), but to tell the truth, the bottom line is that they’re all beer and meant to be drunk. Eventually. ;-) And really some of the best beer I’ve ever had, has been homebrew. Live the dream, homebrewers!

Week #18 - Jason Ingram

2011-05-06T12:01:00.002-04:00

The world of Craft Beer is made of an intricate web of stories, personalities, and backgrounds. The people that create that web have so many things in common when it comes to beer, but often bring a huge variety of other interests and tales to the table when it comes to the world outside of our precious liquids. Jason Ingram is one of those folks with some really cool tales. His connection to some of the great unsung heroes of American music is fascinating, which makes conversation over a beer really interesting. No one had ever broken down the lyrics to a Robert Earl Keen song to me or transformed a bar in the Outer Banks into a Honky Tonk before my very eyes until I started to hang out with Jason. And know this, nothing stands between him and the Auburn Tigers.

Always running hard to bring the beers of Left Hand Brewing Company to the Carolinas and points further south, Jason's dedication to serving the craft beer community is remarkable and the beer he's out there selling is some of the best in the country.

How long have you been working for Left Hand?

I started with Left Hand in May of 2009.

What led you to the beer business?

My first job out of college was in Marketing in the front office of the Atlanta Braves. I loved the job. I realized that I always needed to work in an industry that I was passionate about. From an early age (drinking age) I seemed to like better more interesting beers. I completely fell in Love with Craft Beer and specifically the idea of small companies that turned to the ultimate American success story. I knew that I needed to be a part of this crazy industry. I also realized that I was not a going to be a brewer, but my talents were in discussing beer and getting people excited about it.

There can definitely be some challenges to working hundreds of miles away from your brewery, but growth in far off lands certainly comes with its own set of rewards. If you had your preference would the brewery be right in your back yard or as far away as it is?

That is very true that sometimes I face disadvantages being away from the brewery. If I need any supplies or would like to take someone by to see it, it would be nice if that were accessible. But Left Hand is located in beautiful and fun Colorado so I am always super excited to get to visit. So it also has its advantages as well.

What are some things that people probably don't know about Left Hand, but should?

Just how small we actually are. We are growing at a brisk pace but most people have not the slightest idea that although we sell beer in around 30 states … we only have around 35 employees. We have a great set of folks that work extremely hard to make world class beer. It is a challenge but we are all so in love with what we do.

What's your favorite thing about working for Left Hand....and what's your favorite beer from the brewery?

I love so many things but specifically about Left Hand would probably be the way in which we as employees are treated. I really feel a true since of partnership within the company. It motivates me to do my best and pull my weight to continue to grow along with Left Hand. Favorite beer changes with whatever hour of the day it is. At this moment: Nitro Sawtooth. An American ESB on a nitro pour with an ABV in the 4% range is floating my boat.

What are some of your favorite places to go out for a beer in your territory?

I am spoiled in that I live only a couple of miles from the famous Brick Store Pub. But in addition: Red Light Red Light and The Ravenous Pig in Orlando. Datz Deli in Tampa. 8oz Burger Bar in South Beach (We sell Milk Stout draft on South Beach Miami… how cool is that? Craft beer is everywhere). 12 South Taproom in Nashville. The Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta. The J-Clyde in Birmingham. A whole bunch of others.

And when you need to get away from the beer world? What do you do for fun?

Funny as even when I am on vacation and not working I always try to find the local brewery or brewpub to visit. I love beer too much to ever really get away from it. Even when I do not feel like drinking beer I never tire from talking about craft beer. That is how I know I am in the right job. That said I love Auburn Football more than life. So my interests are My Wife, Sports, and Craft Beer. And depending on what mood she is in is how they get ranked :)

Week #17 - Nancy Maddaloni

2011-04-29T11:51:00.003-04:00

Looking for beer in New Jersey has gotten a whole lot cooler in the last few months. All channels of social media got a shot in the arm when Hunterdon Brewing Company, distributor of many fine beer brands, moved Nancy Maddaloni from their sales force to their communication blitzkrieg of the interwebs. In just a few turns of the calendar pages Nancy has made finding beer and beer events in the Garden State interesting and easy all in one shot. With a rapid fire twitter account (@hunterdonbrew) and probably the best beer wholesaler website that I've ever seen, Nancy and Hunterdon are pushing forward in this digital age and using social media to increase consumer knowledge, increase visibility for their numerous suppliers, and increase sales. It's very awesome, and so is she....so here's Nancy.

In the last half of 2010 you stepped away from a role in Sales and into the world of Social Media & Communications, what has your new position enabled you to accomplish
that you couldn't before?

You mean, aside from wearing my slippers to work? Mostly I enjoy spreading the word to our retailers and NJ consumers about all the great things happening in the world of craft beer. Everyday there are more and more news articles about our brands and tons of awards are being won everyday, so there is plenty to keep me writing, blurbing, blogging and tweeting. It has also been really nice communicating with the great people that work at our breweries and getting to know them on more of a personal basis.

Do you miss driving in circles around North Jersey sometimes?

Only when it's a torrential rainstorm and I know Hoboken is flooded. No, just kidding. Although that did give me an excuse to wear my cool orange boots!
I don't miss driving in circles, parking illegally and searching under the seat cushions for quarters, but I do miss some of the super nice people at my accounts.

How vital is social media in the world of Craft Beer these days?

Beer geeks love to talk... (most of the times they won't shut up!) and they love to listen. The social media is a terrific way for craft breweries to reach millions of people without even leaving their front door. Through facebook, twitter and blogs, retailers and consumers are becoming more interested in and more educated about the world of craft beer. Beer geeks are forming communities both online and in their local areas. Taking a few minutes here and there to send out bits of info about a beer, or even about what is going on in the brewery is really exciting to people who sit at desk jobs all day. It is pretty cool to see the amount of buzz that is circling the craft beer scene now and I think the social media has a lot to do with that.

Without a doubt Hunterdon Distributors has the best beer portfolio in the state of New Jersey. How has Hunterdon helped to grow craft beer's popularity?

We have a team of passionate beer geeks who are committed to transforming non-believers into craft beer drinkers. Sometimes it takes years to get product into one particular shop or restaurant...so it's a lot of perseverance....but that one bottle placement can open up 10 more doors by word of mouth. Repeat that a few hundred times and I think that is why NJ is a great place to drink craft beer today.

Meet our awesome staff here: http://www.hunterdonbrewing.com/staff.html

What kind of changes have you seen in the market during your time with Hunterdon?

It's pretty crazy the amount of changes. When I first started I only had a handful of accounts in Hoboken and Jersey City. People would laugh in my face when I asked them to try craft beer. Now I think we have close to 100 accounts just in those two towns and the amount of people calling us every week to open up an account is pretty impressive. It's like everyone just woke up. The best is when people who scoffed at canned beer call up and say they would like to order some. I love that.

What is one misconception you think the beer consuming public has about the way that the beer business works?

When I tell people what I do they think I just sit around and drink beer all day. Oh and they think I get a lot of free schwag.

What one beer do you always want to have a case of in your house?

Joel, I am pretty indecisive. One beer is not doable. How about I tell you a couple beers I would have on hand for each season or each mood?

Its a rainy, blustery fall day outside: Smuttynose Robust Porter

I'm feeling bitter: Great Divide Fresh Hop

It's a beautiful summer day: Allagash White

I just got back from a trip on my time machine: Avery Ale to the Chief!

What's the deal with cheesesteaks in North Jersey? I've had one at Piccolo's and one at Biggie's and they are much different than cheesesteaks in Philly. They're all delicious, don't get me wrong....

I'm no expert but Piccolo's cheesesteaks are super duper yummy. They actually use real steak and a real piece of cheese and have these delicious cherry peppers that are making me salivate just thinking of them. They should have a throw-down with Pat and Geno. I would like a cheesesteak now please.

Week #16 - Jon Brandt

2011-04-22T07:58:00.003-04:00

Jon Brandt makes nights and weekends better. He demystifies gift giving and puts the right liquids on your dinner table when you're just not sure what belongs there. He can tell you what you might like better than you yourself might know. That's right beer and wine shoppers in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Jon Brandt is at Rick's Wine and Gourmet waiting for you. A Michigan boy from the get go, Jon's travels and trades brought him to the DC area where he know stands amid an intense selection of the finest beer and wine available to Virginians. His insight is only matched by his helpfulness, but that does not take opinion out of the game at all. Jon's blog, Notes From The Beermudgeon, is a look at beer critically, sometimes through the eyes of the expert but other times through the all important eyes of the Retailer (See: Open Letter to DFH). Selection isn't the only reason I send people to Rick's Wine and Gourmet, I send them there because I know they'll love Jon the second the start talking to him.

One thing I often see at off-premise shops is the staff's knowledge of some of their customers buying habits. With Rick's having such a thorough inventory of both wine and beer, do you see much cross over with people buying up both or are customers predominantly only buying one or the other?

I would say that our customers are predominantly either beer drinkers/buyers or wine drinkers/buyers. The nice thing is, however, that there are occasions when people on one side of the aisle need to cross over to the other side -- and we are there to help, given our knowledge of both and of our regular customers' tastes. There are, of course, many customers who happily indulge in products throughout the store.

In addition to beer, your knowledge of and background in wine is rather sophisticated. What tools from the CSW training program have informed your palate and your approach to thinking about beer?

The CSW program is geared more toward knowledge of wine than toward taste and description of wine. I'd say that the thing about wine that most influences my palate is the 50+ wines that I get to sample every week from our sales reps and winery reps. Those tastings then influence my thinking about how things taste and also expands my vocabulary to describe what I am tasting. (Parenthetically, I wish more beer people would sample their wares with us in the manner that the wine people do. It's really helpful.)

If, hypothetically, one had a reason to attempt swaying wine drinkers over to craft beer, what would be good steps to take? What should be avoided?

I am often amazed that the same people who have very refined wine palates have very pedestrian (i.e. Bud, Miller, Coors) tastes in beer. The best thing to do is to simply get those wine drinkers to taste interesting craft beers and let them decide for themselves. That's why we have our weekly tastings at Rick's. People will sample 5-6 wines, then have the opportunity to try 5-6 beers as well. Often, the wine people are surprised to find they like some beers that they would have never tried otherwise. What to be avoided? Well, something I struggle with is to not be condescending about people's choices ("White zinfandel? Surely you jest! Fat Tire? That swill?!) while still offering alternatives that might help them along the path of palate development.

Since coming on as the beer manager at Rick's, how have you seen the beer section of the store change? Have beer customers changed?

Since joining the Rick's staff as beer manager in October 2008, the sheer number of brands available to us has expanded significantly, but our shelf space has not. I am constantly trying to find ways to shoehorn in a few more brands, but often that has to come at the expense of less-popular brands. One key example is the Dominion Brewing Co. (a.k.a. Old Dominion); five to seven years ago, it was probably our best-selling brand, with lots of brand loyalty among our customers. However, when Dominion was bought out by a consortium that included Anheuser-Busch, then was moved from Ashburn, Va., to Dover, Del., and fiddled with many of Old Dominion's recipes, demand for the brand waned significantly -- to the point that I no longer carry any of their beers and they are rarely requested. Our main customer base is quite savvy to the comings and goings of the beer world and are constantly evolving.

What are some struggles that a beer buyer goes through? What's the tough part of the job?

One of the toughest parts of the job of a beer buyer is when a brewery creates what I would call "false" demand through advertising, promotions, TV shows, etc., then does not provide us with enough product to meet the demand they have created. (Examples: Sam Adams Utopias, Dogfish Head Bitches Brew.) Customers are understandably frustrated when they are told a beer they have read about or seen on TV isn't available -- it creates a lot of extra, unnecessary work for the store to have to explain why those beers aren't available. Another problem are the beer geek hoarders -- the people who want to get multiple cases of semi-rare brews like Bell's Hop Slam, Founders KBS, Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA or Stone's latest anniversary beer. What people don't understand is that we do not have an unlimited supply of these beers and we have a large customer base looking for them. If I wanted to make it easy on myself, I'd just sell the five cases of Hop Slam to the first five people who ask for it, make my money and move on. But I usually have 50+ customers on a waiting list for Hop Slam each year and I try to dole it out equitably. I think that most (but certainly not all) our customers appreciate that.

What makes it enjoyable?

First, I enjoy educating our customers about beer -- it's origins and history, its variety, ways to pair it with food, etc. Second, It's fun to track down a particular beer that someone has been looking for for years and actually find it for them. I also enjoy doing private tastings for people and doing events like our Beer Cruise on the Potomac.

What's one thing that you wish consumers understood more clearly about beer retailers?

As indicated above, people should understand that retailers can only sell the beers (and wines) that are available to them. Just because you can get Pliny the Elder in Philadelphia doesn't mean that I am stupid or inept for not having it at our store; Russian River simply doesn't distribute their products to Virginia and there's nothing I can do to help that. Similarly, some distributors that carry a particular brand may not carry all their beers, which is frustrating to our customers and us as well. Believe me, we want to sell you all the beers you are looking for -- we just can't get them all. I do wish customers would appreciate the large and diverse number of beers they can get rather than complain about the few they can't get.

If you were quarantined inside of Rick's for an unknown amount of time, what is the one item in inventory that would disappear most quickly?

Depending on the time of year, it would probably be Bell's Two Hearted Ale or Bell's Oberon (sorry, Joel). But, I'm sure I'd tire even of those -- I just enjoy trying lots of new things at least once and also returning to my old standbys (like New Holland Mad Hatter!) to see how they are doing.

Week #15 - Gina Talley

2011-04-15T09:32:00.003-04:00

I couldn't be more excited about this week's interview. For those of you reading this that do not know Gina Talley I'm jealous about what is going to happen to you when you check out her blog.

Gina Talley and I first crossed paths during that first year at Teresa's Next Door when the place seemed to be on its own orbit. In many, many ways it still is it's own suburban planet, but there was something in the air surrounding that place before people grew accustomed to the amazing things that happen there. People were freaking out about it. It was a mystical time and a mystical place. Gina's knowledge of beer and food shined at Teresa's, which is a testament to their staff trainings and her constant personal quest to learn every detail about all things food and drink. Combine this with her being a self-admitted service industry geek and it's not hard to figure out why we became fast friends. Gina's blog, Femme Fermental is an honest look at food and drink wherever she goes. Her rap list of employers includes Teresa's Next Door, Maia, & Tria and she's got great stories to tell. So, here it is then. Gina Talley, in her own words...

Bring us up to speed on how Gina Talley became the Femme Fermental. At what point did things start clicking in your mind about food and beer and wine and restaurants?

Not surprisingly, this whole thing involves working at a few restaurants, and meeting a few people. While I was mildly into food during college, I never really knew what it meant to be “into” food. I lived in Philly during college and accidentally went to some great restaurants. In 2003, for my 19th birthday, I went to Django; I had no idea what it was, what the concept was, or that I was eating Bryan Sikora’s food.

I started at Teresa’s Café in Wayne and got into food. Then, with the idea of Teresa’s Next Door floating around, I started to get into beer. I bought an intro book on Belgian beer and went to Monk’s for the first time. I was really dorky back then; I took notes in the book. I still do that now, but never when I’m actually sitting in the restaurant. Essentially, the beer side of me developed just before Teresa’s Next Door opened.

The wine side came later. I remained a beer snob for a few years. Wine seemed esoteric and unattainable. When I worked at the infamous Maia, I met Melissa Monosoff. I credit Melissa, now a Master Sommelier, with demystifying wine for me. The layouts of her menus made sense, I learned basic styles, and retained enough to get by for the time. Then I enrolled in the WSET program and started working at Tria.
I decided to go for the blog once I had a good name for it. I was tired of just being a critic in my head. And a few people were tired of listening to me complain about Philly restaurants.

What were some of your early discoveries on the beer side of things? Beers or places or people?

Once I decided to get into beer, a few places were indispensable to me. First, Monk’s Café. I went there as much as I possibly could. I also went to Tria Café, late at night. I was still newly into beer, and I found some solid stylistic examples there.

Then I found a beer store on Beer Advocate: State Line Liquor, in Elkton, MD. I started venturing down there to buy single bottles. Pennsylvania is a hard place to learn about different beers in a very cost effective manner.

Specifically, the first beer I remember being blown away by was Monk’s Café Sour. I was SO into this beer that I actually bought a case of it. Now, I don’t drink it. But, it was my introduction to sour beers. I call it a gateway sour because, while it tastes far too sweet for me now, it will blow your mind if you’ve never tasted a sour beer. I quickly got into serious sours: lambics and gueuzes.

I love on the blog where you say that you're a, "Semi-retired restaurant employee by obsession," I find it totally relatable. What is it about restaurants that makes some people just fall in love with the work? What is it about the service industry that you find so irresistible?

When I went back to school a year and a half ago, I figured I better change my blog description. Semi-retired made sense. I’m not willing to give up the industry entirely; this past summer I went back to working at Tria. I love working at restaurants.

I think there are a few things that make people fall in love with the industry; the people, the pace, and the lifestyle. While many of these qualities aren’t likely to seem like a good thing, to people in the industry it just makes sense. Working in a fast-paced work environment creates (at its best) a sense of camaraderie amongst employees. The pace can also be particularly addicting. In a busy restaurant, hours will fly by and you won’t even notice. The other benefits include an instant group of potential friends: a group of people usually in the same place in life, who also happen to enjoy drinking. This last part can be both the best and the worst part about the business. Everything about it can go so right, or it can go so wrong.
Oh, and the money’s pretty good too.

What's one lesson that you will take away from your years in the business?

Give the guest what they want. The cost of fixing a problem right away is less than the cost of losing a guest. It’s the little things that can be the difference between going back to a restaurant, and telling five friends never to go there. This includes being attuned to the details. I love it when I go to a restaurant and they’ve thought of some service detail that I’ve never seen before.

You did a little bit of everything at Tria. How does working in someplace so tuned into the details and the tiny bits of our favorite fermentables inform your palate and sensibilities for all things wine, beer, and food?

Tria is all about developing amazing systems. Everything is systematized. This includes the way that you learn about beer, wine and cheese. I started working at Tria thinking that I knew so much about beer. But, really, I had no idea how to categorize everything. I didn’t know how to put what I knew into useful language to help guests figure out what they want to drink. Now, when I think about a new beer, wine, or cheese I’ve tried, I put it into a category in my head.

Alright, down to brass tacks. I've been at the table with you for two of the benchmark meals of my life: Talula's during the Sikora years and Suckling Pig at Amada. If you could take one of the two places and plop it down in Amherst, which one are you taking up the coast? Do you go with the always changing sensory jamboree of Talula's or the always consistently awesome Amada?

This question is really, really tough. Talula’s would fit very well in Amherst. The Pioneer Valley is the number one produce-producing region in New England. Talula’s would have a ton of great farmers to work with for their menus. On the other hand, Amherst needs a “fancy” restaurant, badly. But, personally, I’d take Talula’s during the Sikora years. Those meals were so memorable.

Also, you were at THE dinner...Garces & Garrett. What from that night remains present in your mind?

The third course: Pato Verde. Duck confit, beer rice, and fava beans paired with Brooklyn Local 2. I can still taste this dish. The duck was perfect, the beer rice was perfect, and the beer paired so well. This dinner was the first time I had Local 2, and it has proved to be one of my favorite beers. I paired beers for a dinner party this past summer and used Brooklyn Local 1 and Local 2. While Garrett can be quite a handful, his beers really do pair well with food.

Get ready for it.......lightning round:

Most versatile style of beer for pairing and why?

Cliché as it is, it’s true: saison. It has everything you need: spice, fruitiness, carbonation, and balance. It’s a go-to beer.

Hardest style of wine to pair and why?

A white or red with terrible American oak. It’s just gross.

What's one thing food fad or trend that needs to just die already?

This might be blasphemy, and I sound like a terrible snob, but someone has to say it: restaurant week. Restaurant week has devolved into a terrible experience for all. The restaurants that participate loathe it, the restaurants that don’t participate loathe it, and the people who enjoy good food at good restaurants on a regular basis loathe it. Restaurant week menus aren’t exciting; they are clear attempts to save on food-costs and to cater to the unadventurous palate. And now, restaurant week has been extended to restaurant month. It was a great idea to begin with, and in “these tough economic times” it still seems like a great idea. But, it has transformed into a pretty mediocre experience for everyone involved. Maybe it doesn’t have to go, but it certainly has to change.

What's one dish or style of food that you're dying to try, but still haven't had the chance?

This is pretty lame of me, but I haven’t made it to Bibou. I really want to try the Pied de Porc: braised pig foot stuffed with foie gras.

Beef or Pork?

Beef in its purist form, pork in all its incarnations.

Week #14 - Dan Becker

2011-04-07T21:59:00.003-04:00

We're going Coast to Coast this week for an interview with the co-creator of one of the beer world's best news and information websites. The Full Pint (thefullpint.com) is a national beer news site that posts great brewer interviews, news, and style descriptions and examples. Full Pint is practically a news ticker with it's finger on the pulse of the beer industry. Stories break on Full Pint and stories are explored in depth with an industry minded tone.

Dan hails from Pitman, NJ and is a long time Phillies and Eagles fan. Ladies and gents, I present: Dan Becker...

How did The Full Pint come about? What made you and Jon decide to go for it?

Jon and I are college buddies. We've been doing IT as a trade, and wanted to put our love of beer together with our online media skills and make that our full time job. 3 years ago, we were one of the first Wordpress based beer websites out there, we were cheered on by the craft brewing community, so we decided to keep pushing forward.

One thing that I really like about the site is that you have such rich local coverage to the area that you're based in, but have enlisted the help of writers, "in the field" in other beer regions. How long into running the site did you guys decide to branch out and grab regional contributors?

It's very hard keeping a balance of national craft beer news coverage when you have San Diego in your back yard. They have over a dozen world class craft breweries, innovating and shaping many of the brewing and beer marketing trends in the rest of the country. A smart man named Sage Osterfeld of Port Brewing told us early in the project to cover other regions. He said San Diegan craft beer enthusiasts have a pretty good grip on the scene, but there are many new emerging craft beer havens that need to be heard and covered. We have had a handful of great contributors in areas outside of California soon after we started, with the main goal of diversifying our perspective on craft beer. While we don't actively advertise the fact, we always welcome a new perspective in the form of a regional contributor.

What's the ultimate vision for the site? Where do you want to take The Full Pint in the future and what will it take to get there?

We know that traditional media in its current form (newspapers, magazines) are falling behind new media (online publications and netcasts). We want to be the first place people go to for current info in the craft beer world, whether they are in the industry or an enthusiast. We think with the shift to online and digital content, we have a chance to be the household name for craft beer publications. With our progress and the huge progress craft beer is making, we think this is obtainable.

What's your favorite thing about West Coast beer?

For me, the way IPAs are brewed is my favorite thing about West Coast beer. Some will argue they are over hopped, and not exhibiting balance. I find them to be amazing, delicious, addictive and refreshing. As for West Coast beer in general, the region makes some of the best big beers and sours around.

How about LA specifically? How does it rate as a beer town? Most of my readers are on the East Coast, so what should we know about LA if we're coming to town?

Los Angeles has started to realize the craft beer revolution is amongst us. While we are still in the developmental phases of craft brewing, we have an abundance of beer bars, serving some of the best Southern California has to offer. Los Angeles is one of the biggest, most spread out areas of people in the nation. That has been a hinderance as far as molding a new craft community like say a Philadelphia or Chicago. I would like to predict in the next five years, we will have a half-dozen new, quality craft breweries. As I've mentioned before, we have plenty of folks thirsty for fresh craft beer, we just need the brewers to make it feasible to make it.

What can you tell us about LA Beer Week? Was 2009's Beer Week vastly different than 2010's?

LA Beer Week 2009 and 2010 were almost night and day. Because we are such a young craft beer city, we had to take a plunge into the deep end to see what would interest the locals. With 2010, we had way more events, and many of the events appealed to our well established foodie culture. There is a huge crossover market with craft beer and foodies that is just waiting to be exploited. Think wine pairing but far less douchey. Everyone involved in LA Beer Week 2010 was very passionate about raising craft beer awareness in LA, and it felt good to be a part of that team.

In these interviews I've been spinning the 'Desert Island Beer Question' many different ways. So for you I want to ask: You've got a kegorator at home and can put one bottomless keg on tap. Always fresh, always at its peak and never runs dry. What's the one keg you're sinking your coupler into?

Russian River's Pliny The Elder. I think after a few weeks, I'd be tolerant to the 8% abv.

Week #13 - David Turley

2011-04-01T08:09:00.003-04:00

Heading up the coast from North Carolina, where most of these interviewees are from so far, I'm pulling the car over in Virginia and hanging out with a great blogger from Fredericksburg, VA. David Turley's 'Musings Over A Pint' is a great blog to keep informed about what's happening with the state of beer in Virginia, but it is also considerably more than that. David is one of the rare bloggers that allows all of his thoughts, curiosities, and beliefs to hold equal space on his site, rather than shelving them to be beer and beer only. David covers a wide range of topics so you never know what you're going to get when you go to the blog, which keeps things fresh and quite interesting. There aren't an abundance of folks blogging about specific beers and events from the region spanning from DC to Richmond, so Musings is one of the few places you can read about the great beer coming out of that area.

Raise a pint and let it be your muse. Ladies and gents...David Turley.

I've made this note for a few different blogger interviews now and not really done much with it, so here goes: Why blog? What was the reason you started a beer blog?

I had not planned on starting a beer blog specifically. Initially I was just going to chat about my thoughts on many subjects, hence the "musings" in the blog name. However, I was focusing a lot of my activities at the time around craft beer, so that's the direction it which it took off, covering craft beer, especially around Virginia. I've recently made an effort to expand the posts to include other interests and topics that might come up as I am "musing over a pint with friends." Rest assured, it will be still be mostly about craft beer.

How much do you think beer culture has changed in your area since you started blogging?

The craft beer culture in Virginia, and the Fredericksburg region, in particular, has exploded in the past few years. When I started writing "Musings Over a Pint" the only local brewery was Blue & Gray. There were a couple of pubs here that had some of the more widely distributed beers (Bells, Sierra Nevada) as well as Virginia beers such as Blue & Gray, Legend, Old Dominion, but it really was a craft beer desert.

Since that time Battlefield Brewing started brewing at a local pub, named of all things, The Pub. Blue & Gray Brewing opened Lee's Retreat Brewpub at their brewery. We even got a few decent "beer bars." Capital Ale House opened in Fredericksburg bringing a wide selection of craft beers, both draft and bottles. The Fredericksburg Pub (not to be confused with the aforementioned The Pub) is another new local establishment that has a decent selection of beers.

At the retail level, Total Wine, Wegman's, and two locally owned shops, kybecca and Virginia Wine Experience, all help to make a wide variety of beers available here without the need to travel to Richmond or Northern Virginia.
Virginia breweries such as Blue Mountain, Devils Backbone, Starr Hill, and Mad Fox have been bringing the spotlight to Virginia with increasing frequency in recent years. Smaller breweries such as Wolf Hills, Wild Wolf, Shooting Creek, are frequently in the news. What's great is that beers from even these small regional brewers are showing up at restaurants throughout the state. It's an exciting time to be a craft beer fan in Virginia.

2008 was a huge blogging for you, Musings Over A Pint average close to a post a day for the year. Is there a 'pre-production' phase to your blogging where a post ends up being expansions of notes or blue prints you've written down or do you let an idea rumble around your head until it's time to sit down and post it to the blog?

Yea, 2008 was insane. I was intensely focused on craft beer and it showed on the blog and the traveling to support it. Of course, that took time away from my many other interests. I took a bit of a break in 2010 from regular blogging. It wasn't something that was planned, it just happened. In 2011, so far, I've been posting regularly, often multiple times a day. Even though I remain extremely busy with family and career commitments, I've found that sitting down a cranking out a blog post or two is a great way to unwind.

I rarely write blog posts in advance. I get an idea and run with it. On occasion I keep an idea in my head for a day or two until I have time to sit down and write. But there's no long editorial process. Blog posts are typically published the same day they are written. If I get an idea or come across something that I think might be interesting to someone else, I'll simply run with it. After all, we're just musing.

One aspect of Musings Over A Pint that I really like is how much Virginia beer news I can read on the site. There are a lot of great brewing outfits in VA that seem to get over shadowed by larger breweries in neighboring states. What do you love about your local brewers? Is there a feeling that you've got some of these breweries all to yourself?

I might have had it to myself, but I started blogging. :-) Seriously, I get lots of email from folks coming to Virginia and Fredericksburg who are looking for advice when visiting. The Fredericksburg region is a major tourist destination. It's a thrill to get those notes and I love sharing ideas and information. It's really funny though, I often feel that Virginia breweries are more well-known outside of Virginia than they are to the "locals." Blue & Gray Brewing has been around for nearly nine years and I still run into folks that live here who have never heard of them.

As far as being overshadowed by larger breweries in neighboring states, I really think that it's mostly a matter of distribution. We've seen the number of awards won in recent years by Virginia brewers; the quality is definitely there. But you have to search out some of these local beers. Even drinkers who go for good beer and eschew the factory beers are influenced by what they see on the local retail shelves. It's only us fanatics that subscribe to magazines and travel to beer fests! I hope in some small way "Musings Over a Pint" helps to spread the word. The posts get picked up by the local interest and tourism blogs and I think that's been beneficial in letting folks know what's going on in their back yard.

If we're travelling to Fredericksburg where should we be going to sit down to good food and good beer?

It's really where your tastes lie. Good food and fresh local beer? Lee's Retreat at Blue & Gray Brewery offers both, and has become my neighborhood pub of choice. The Pub is a worthwhile stop, and there's beer brewed onsite as well. Can't get a wide selection of beers in your hometown? Then it's Capital Ale House. There are few beer bars anywhere that match the selection there.

Heck, it's a small town, you can easily visit all of these places, and more!

Given your location almost smack dab between Washington, DC & Richmond, VA do you have a preference for either if you're travelling with beery intentions?

That's a tough question to answer. I rarely travel to either destination specifically for beer. It so happens that we have some good friends in Northern Virginia, so that's the direction we end up going when we get out and about. Northern Virginia has many great beer spots, but we really don't get up there much. The Dogfish Head Ale Houses and Mad Fox Brewing are stops that we've recently enjoyed.

Parting shot: Favorite Virginian beer & why?

Trying to get me in trouble are you? I typically don't answer the "favorite beer" question, there are just too many to choose from. My "favorites" usually revolve around those beers I've recently enjoyed. Blue & Gray Stonewall Stout is a local favorite I've enjoyed for years. It has a good balance of roasted malt with a hint of sweetness. Also, I never missed getting Blue & Gray's Oktoberfest the day it's released each fall.

Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA is another favorite. I'm a hop-head at heart and Starr Hill created an exceptional IPA that's "up front" enough to satisfy that craving, yet balanced enough to keep drinking. It used to be a seasonal release, but I'm glad they make this year-round now.

In fact, as I write this I'm drinking a Starr Hill Pale Ale and finding it quite satisfying. So, at this very moment, it's my favorite Virginia beer. :-)

Week #12 - Stan Hieronymus

2011-03-25T10:16:00.003-04:00

This week's interview is a trip down a very long road of beer journeys, beer recipes, brewer interviews, fact finding, and beer tasting. It's a look through pages upon pages that sit on many a brewer's shelf. This week's interview is with the one and only Stan Hieronymus. My first introduction to Mr. Hieronymus' work actually resulted in a huge turning point for me in my understanding of the business side of beer. A wealth of beer writers all turned up to debate in a post on one of Stan's blogs, Appellation Beer, and I proceeded to see the multi-faceted monster that is beer writing. Many people know Stan from his book Brew Like A Monk (or more recently Brewing With Wheat), but I wanted to dig a little deeper so we could know Stan beyond bound pages and blog entries. Ladies and gents...Stan Heironymus.

Since writing is a singular act that's broadcasted out to a world of readers, how has putting beer into your own words affected your personal understanding of your relationship with beer itself? What has writing taught you about the people of the beer world and the places where beer comes from?

I write about beer for several different audiences, notably consumers, the selling trade, the brewing trade, hobbyist brewers - there's obviously a lot of overlap. Doing my job well means thinking about what beer means to the reader - which, when things are going smoothly, might also be what really matters to me. It's a good day when I learn something, and a better one when I can tell other people about something new to them or cause them to think about something else in a new way.

Goofy as it might sound, writing about a brewer isn't necessarily any different than writing about a high school music teacher who began coaching the tennis team because one of his star pupils asked him to (something I did in an earlier life). I enjoy watching people figure things out. One of the best ways to learn about and from a brewer is talking to him (or her) while he (or she) is at work - meaning the brewer may interrupt our conversation to get something more important done.

Place? The best beers come to life in a very particular place and are particular to that place. Of course place can elevate an otherwise pedestrian beers to pretty substantial heights when it comes to life again in the glass, or - unfortunately - wreck the best of beers.

I love the tagline to your blog, "In Search of the Soul of Beer". In your five years of writing Appellation Beer, how close have you gotten to the soul of the matter?

I've had some fascinating conversations with brewers about the essence of beer or what constitutes "soul." A bit surprising because often these are "meat and potatoes" guys, who know the science of beer inside and out. I'm still asking the questions, but one of these years I guess I'll have to come to some sort of conclusion and put it on paper (or a screen, of course). One interesting idea suggested by a brewer who seldom puts his boots on anymore (such is how the business works - supervising is important) is that the energy - soul, if you want - that the people doing the physical labor put into a batch has to “go somewhere.”

In your recent Beer Rules, you write that, 'You cannot know all there is to know about beer', and you're the same guy that gave us 15 chapters on one grain in "Brewing with Wheat". Is it comforting or maddening for you that you can break something down all the way to its core (or multiple cores, I suppose) and still admit that you can never learn everything about it?

It can be liberating. If you waited to "know everything" you'd never be able to write anything. One thing I love about brewing is that there is not just one way to do things. I try to present a range, talking to brewers about the choices they make and why. Of course, it helps if readers are on board with the idea. My books occasionally get panned by people who expect more absolutes.

What was it about brewing with wheat or drinking wheat beers that made you decide to write a book dedicated to brewing with it?

Honestly, it wasn't my idea. Ray Daniels, still the head of Brewers Publications at the time, suggested BP needed a book on wheat. Since our family was planning a sabbatical that would take us through regions closely associated with wheat beers (Belgium, the south of Germany, Berlin, Leipzig, Portland, Kansas City) I wrote an outline.

I had to find a story, or a collection of stories, that wasn't contrived. We talked about a book that might have included "alternative" grains - that is everything beyond barley. Rye is certainly worth of writing about, and there is a spelt subculture that merits at least a magazine article. But wheat, and wheat itself, made a complete story.

The research portion alone for "Brew Like A Monk" seems like a dream come true for many beer drinkers. Was it? What was the process of pulling your material together like for that book?

I wish the research could have been more leisurely. Something you should allot years for.

The monastery brewers totally spoiled me. I went in thinking the book would be American-centric. How Americans brew beers inspired by the Belgians. First, I was surprised that I even got into the monastery breweries. I believed what turned out to be a myth, that everything about brewing in Belgium is secretive. Of course, I benefited in part from the timing. For instance, Rochefort was just beginning (in 2004) to become more accessible. I really don’t know why the monks at Westvleteren opened their doors to me. Anyway, the brewers kept answering my questions so I asked more. They didn’t provide complete recipes, but everything about process (pitching rates, fermentation temperatures, times, bottling regimen, etc) that constitutes the how.

That's what spoiled me. Now when I visit any brewery - be it in Germany, Italy or Texas - I'm disappointed when brewers are reluctant to share what they seem to consider secrets.

Speaking of myths, I learned early on researching the history of monastery brewing how much misinformation was/is floating around. Really, not only history, but facts about current practices and ingredients. Just because you can read something on the internet, and in multiple languages, doesn't mean it is accurate. You need to track down source material, or find references that already have, and you need to talk to the people actually brewing the beer.

Because I thought at the outset it would be focused more on "the American way" I mailed just about every American microbrewery then making an "abbey style" beer to learn more about their approaches. I included an offer to ask the questions they really wanted answers to when I visited Belgium. Understanding what they needed to know, and getting answers when I could - or at least presenting the options - became central to the book. So I did that again for “Brewing With Wheat” and will again for the next book.

Is there a new book in the works? Other than maintaining your multiple blogs, what are you up to?

The next book will be called "For the Love of Hops," so you can guess the focus. It is the second in Brewers Publications' four-part series about ingredients. The first, about yeast, just came out. The others will focus on water and malt. You'll see less writing in my blogs in the next year because this book is going to take most of my time. A lot to learn, then to write about. I’m excited and terrified. It will be out in September of 2012.

Like with "Brew Like a Monk" and "Brewing With Wheat" I'm collecting questions that potential readers would like to see answered. Anybody can pitch in at www.fortheloveofhops.com.

The Fantasy Beer Dinners portion of your blog is such absolutely fun reading. Could you give us some insight on the guests you chose for your personal Fantasy Beer Dinner?

Thanks. I picked four who I think would strike up a conversation I could just sit back and enjoy. Much of what I do involves collecting stories. Some great ones to eavesdrop on here.

I started with A.A. Applegate, my great grandfather. He was a berry farmer in central Illinois, and a lay preacher and the local correspondent for two area newspapers. He also ran for local office on the Prohibition ticket. The other choices were Woody Guthrie, Williams Shakespeare and Tom Wicker, who I hope anybody reading this knows wrote (and still writes) excellent fiction and non-fiction. Four masters of communication - you'll have to trust me about my great grandfather - but I expect the ideas they'd discuss ultimately would be more interesting than talk about how they communicated with readers or listeners.

Because of A.A., I was thinking in terms of comfort food, the sort of meal he would be offered in somebody's home after preaching a Sunday sermon. Maybe I should have thought it out better. After all, A.A. didn't drink. Session beers, whatever they are, go well with comfort food. So how about an old-style (meaning one with a little more hops than you get in Munich these days) helles or British bitter with the meal?

Ok, fantasy question of my own here....Bottomless case: What's the one beer you want a case of that will never run dry?

This isn't the only beer I drink from now on, right? And it would always be fresh?

If so, Westmalle Extra, brewed about twice a year for the monks themselves to drink. A little over 5% abv, very dry, wonderful noble hop flavor and bitterness. Simple, but beautiful.

Week #11 - David Gonzalez

2011-03-18T08:42:00.003-04:00

Keeping up with the Charlotte Craft Beer Week theme of last week with Darrin, this week we're talking to Dave Gonzalez of Alternative Beverage in Belmont, NC. Managing operations and brewing on the store's Brewmagic system, Dave continues his role as an important member of North Carolina's expanding craft beer landscape. Another story of a from up North finding his home in the South, Dave's brewing career began in Maine at Belfast Bay and continued with the Gordon Biersch Group where he called Rock Bottom his home for a good many years. Now homebrewers and curious beer fans have full access to his knowledge and expertise at Alternative Beverage.

You've been up and down the East Coast a bit so far in your brewing career. How did you get your first apprentice gig in New York and what led you up to Maine for those early brewing years of yours?

Yeah, I'm from Long Island, New York, and that's where I got my start. I went to college (SUNY-Stony Brook) to become a History teacher. After I graduated, and waiting for the fall to start teaching, I got a job in a beer distributor. We literally had 100's of different beers on our walls. So, every day, I would go home with 2-3 different ones to explore the world of beer. One day, I was in a coffee joint near where I went to school. I was wearing a sweatshirt from a brewpub (now defunct James Bay Brewing Company) across the street that I had gotten. When I turned around to leave, the guy behind me was wearing the same shirt. So, we started chatting and bs-ing. Turned out he was one of the owners and Head Brewer. When I told him about my interest in beer and brewing, he invited me to spend a day with him. So, I did, and got hooked. I was spending any available time there. Eventually, after a year, I gave up teaching and was working at the distributor and brewery all the time. After some time, they convinced me to go to brewing school (Siebel). So, I did. By this time, this brewery was closing, so I went back to the distributor full time. What led me to Maine was my folks. They had gone up there on vacation. One of the guys I worked with at James Bay had moved up there to start up a place. I told my folks that if they were in the area of his brewery (now defunct Rocky Bay Brewing Company) to stop in and say hi for me. Well, they did; And my Mom wanting me to get a gig suggested that I work there. So, I did. I was there for a few months, then went to Belfast Bay Brewing Company (I actually was living in this town: Rocky Bay was located in Rockland; 30 miles south of Belfast). By the time I took that job, the girl that I was living with (from NY too) and I had decided to move to North Carolina due to friends and family being in the state. btw- she is not whom I am married to (LOL).

I had known someone at Carolina Beer and Beverage (right when they were first starting). He invited me down for an assistant brewer's interview. I didn't get a definitive answer from them, but was moving to the area. I walked into Rock Bottom and got hired on the spot. The rest is history.

How would you describe Siebel's effect on your approach to the craft? Did the Brewing Technology short course give you more of a fine tuning of the knowledge you in with or did you walk away with a head full of new information?

I took Siebel's Short Course in Brewing Technology in June 1997: A long time ago. When I did, I had only apprenticed (worked for beer) at James Bay BC. So, I had only been in a small brewpub. When I took the class there were folks from Miller, Coors (seperate at the time), Guinness, Heineken, etc. So, the class was geared towards the bigger guys. But, I did take the info I learned and applied it to the smaller scale. Even though I had done a bunch of reading (being a homebrewer first), I was still new to the industry and making beer commercially. That being said, a lot of the information was new. Though, like I said earlier, some of it I could apply and use. For me, the best, and favorite, part of it was the sensory evaluation classes: getting to know off-flavors and why. Theory is theory and hands on is hands on.

Are there any mistakes you made as a young brewer that you think back on now and just shake your head?

Of course! Everyone does it. If they don't they're lying (LOL). I have recently made mistakes and said the same thing. Being a brewer is constantly learning and adapting.

What can you say about brewing under the 'corporate structure'? A younger version of myself was definitely guilty of avoiding Rock Bottom for a while, until I realized that one of my area’s really great brewers was working there. Is there a lot of stigma behind brewing for a chain or is there still a lot of room to express yourself with the beers?

Corporate brewing has its advantages and disadvantages (though, any situation has this). I'll say it was interesting. I remember when I first started with Rock Bottom/Gordon Biersch, I was telling a well known beer writer (that I'm now very good friends with), and he saying, "Why would you want to go there? They go through brewers left and right." I was shocked. Though, my career with them lasted 11+ years. Yeah, there are a few corporate brewing chains out there, but to be honest, they have mostly great brewers that make great beers. I thought the same way as you about Hops. I have a friend who still works for them who makes great beers. You just have to go in, get to know the brewer and try their beers for yourself. Everyone, and beer, deserves a chance.

As far as part two of this question, it depends on the corporate structure (look at the give a beer a chance statement above). With my last employer, there was some that was mandated, and some creativity. It all depends on the situation.
To this day, what's the best batch of beer you've brewed or your biggest personal accomplishment as a brewer (...or both)?

I never like to pat myself on the back. Though, there have been times (LOL). One day, my wife and I were sitting at Rock Bottom's bar sipping on a pint, and I said, "Man, that's really good". Nikki said, "See, you do make good beer." It was a Belgian Witbier that I had come up with the recipe (btw- that batch lasted 7 days!) There are a few others. The Spiced Pumpkin Ale I made for a few years I take pride in. The reason being was that my boss at the time HATED pumpkin beers, so I had to convince him to let me do it (show him the numbers of how that style of beer sold in this market). he eventually "caved" and let me do it. There were also a few cask beers that I'm proud of: The Mexican Devil (Jalapeno Tequila Pilsner), and The Yeti (Bourbon Stout) (this one I won a Gold Medal with). I also brewed a batch of Prospector's Pilsner that won a Gold Medal that I'm proud of. When it was announced, it was the first Gold Medal of the night, and the other folks in the room I think were caught off guard. I think I got a lot of respect that night (LOL).

I know you've got some beer distribution experience under your belt as well. What do you like about that side of the business?

I actually like that side of the business a lot. The place was a small mom & pop, but did decent business. I liked the work and people there. I still have good friends that work there (12 years after I left).

As far as that side of the business, even though you have competitors, there's camaraderie. Though, in brewing, I call it fraternal. Most everyone will help each other out. So, there's that difference there.

You have been in Charlotte for over a decade now. Just from what I know of conversation, Pop The Cap, changes in the market, etc there has been a great deal of change in beer culture in North Carolina. How has Charlotte adapted with that change? Has Charlotte come into it's own yet in the beer realm?

I think Charlotte, as well as the rest of the state, has expanded it's taste buds because of Pop The Cap. There are so many more beer places, more variety of beer in the market and being brewed in the market because of it. Even at Rock Bottom, when I first started there, the Light Lager out sold any of the other beers. Over the past 5-6 years, I noticed a change in the product mix of the IPA, Brown Ale, etc moving up, as the Light Lager went down and then the numbers became equal. There were many times, then these other beers out sold the Light Lager and such.

Though, I still think Charlotte has some room to grow. I've heard it referred to "Nascar Country" and "The Bible Belt". So, there are plenty of folks who love their lighter beers, or no beer at all. It's changing, but I still think it has a ways to go.

Can you explain your involvement with Charlotte Craft Beer Week? What are some of the goals that the committee has for 2011?

I am on the Board of Organizers for Charlotte Craft Beer Week. This coming year will be year #2 for us. There were a few other "beer weeks" in Charlotte in the past (that I advised on), but CCBW is different: Better, more diverse.

You ask a good question. I think basically educating Charlotte and it's surrounding areas of what a great beer place it can be. Having educational, fun, and great events that go well and are well attended. Getting the name that Charlotte is a great place for beer!

If you could have one beer always waiting for you in the fridge after a long day of brewing, what would it be?

A cold, free one (LOL). That's the typical answer. Seriously, there are many. I'm not necessarily a fan of specific beers, but styles. Yes, I have beers that I absolutely love, but I constantly like to try beers that I haven't had before or not in a long time. I guess one beer would be Olde Hickory's Bardstown Brand. It's freakin' unbelievable! But, I don' t know if I'd want that after a long day of brewing.

To answer this question, there's a time and place for almost every beer. What I like is beer memories. I remember playing softball with a company my Dad used to work for. At the end of the inning, on a hot summer day, I went to the cooler, dug my hand in the ice water and grabbed out a can of Budweiser. I chugged 3 cans before the inning changed, and it tasted fantastic. Though, I will RARELY go to a bar and order one (I can't remember the last time I had one). It's all in the time and moment.

Everyone in the business is somewhat of a "beer geek". I guess I am too. Ever since I was 18 (shh...don't tell my folks) I have kept a list of all the beers I've ever had. I think I am currently around 3,800 different brands.

Week #10 - Darrin Pikarsky

2011-03-11T11:09:00.002-05:00

To celebrate the official kickoff of Charlotte Craft Beer Week 2011 today's interview is with one of the key links in the CCBW chain. Darrin PIkarsky has been an integral part of Charlotte, NC's burgeoning craft beer scene. His Charlotte Beer Club has exposed hundreds of the Queen City's residents to great craft beer from their hometown brewery to beers from all corners of the globe.

Taking his efforts a step further, Darrin and several other appointed committee members joined forces in 2010 to organize the first Charlotte Craft Beer Week with great success. In it's sophmore year Charlotte Craft Beer Week will boast another schedule filled with great, focused beer events.

Ladies and gents, get to know Darrin Pikarsky...

As a Charlotte resident, you've done quite a lot to help grow beer culutre in the Queen City. Did you originally take on projects like Charlotte Beer Club and Charlotte Craft Beer Week because you saw a void that needed to be filled or was it more of an attempt to add to an already thriving beer culture in your city?

It was definitely more of a large void that needed to be filled in Charlotte. I had been enjoying craft beers & great imports from Europe since the late 80's in Syracuse NY before moving here in early 1999. In '99, there were slim pickins' to choose from due to the low limits on alcohol in North Carolina. When 2005's "Pop The Cap" removed the alcohol restrictions, the growth of craft beers started to find its’ way to Charlotte. Festivals were far and few in the state as well. I remember the 1st ever Charlotte Oktoberfest, there was like 100 people there (if that!). Now there's 5,000!

How has Meetup.com allowed you to find so many people in Charlotte interested in craft beer? I think the number of members is over 1,000? How many of members do you have actively coming out to events?

Meetup.com was something I stumbled on while doing some research on real estate networking. I quickly discovered it was the right place to pull people together with various interests. Charlotte is a highly sought after city for people looking to relocate from other cities. People from great beer states miss their hometown brews. By our "Mem-BEERS" requesting them from retailers and distributors, our demands are being met, of course there's ALWAYS room for more brands here. The number of members is now over 1,000 in about 2.5 years. We have approximately 300-400 that come out on occasion and another few hundred that come out every few months due to traveling and family commitments. Sometimes I don't see members for 6 months and they'll pop in to an event because it's a brewery they miss from home or something they haven't tried yet. They make it perfectly clear to me that they are joining us for their love of great beer.

I've been to several Beer Club events and even had the pleasure of presenting beers to the group. How do the events come about? Do bars and restaurants come to you looking to do something in particular or are you and your fellow organizers out there pitching events to different venues?

Dr. Joel you are always welcome to any and all of our events. You're like a cult hero, the crazy uncle or a Muppet to us, I'm not sure which one or maybe it's a combo of all 3 (LOL!)! It's a little bit of both. I'm very selective in where I will do a Charlotte Beer Club event. I have many places throughout Charlotte calling and emailing me. I receive about 25 requests per week for us to come out to various establishments. I decline most offers since most of them are looking to make a quick buck off of a large group. This brings me to hit the road and visit the familiar places and try some new places to book events. I book all the events myself. If it's not a good fit or good event, I blame myself. I have too much invested to let others book my events, plus it keeps me up to speed on the Charlotte beer scene, getting around town.

Can you describe for me the months and weeks leading up to the first Charlotte Craft Beer Week? All of the events I was at were well attended and a lot of fun. How many hours would you say that you and the rest of committee put into the planning side of CCBW?

We are heading into our 2nd year. The months before last year’s event, started out with me hitting up a group Charlotte beer enthusiasts that know the Charlotte beer market inside and out. I asked them if they would back me and be a part of the committee, if I put this together. They are a great bunch of guys. I have known all of them for a good number of years in Charlotte. The guys in the committee have been a huge part of the Charlotte beer culture over the last decade. We have brewers, brewery owners, distributors, regional managers and others that were very excited to be a part of this. We all volunteer our time and donate our time. It's truly a grass roots effort. Each event last year and this year is hand selected by the CCBW committee. We know events. We know what works in this market. We meet a few times a month until we get into the 90-120 day window, then it's many times per month.

Do you have a favorite event or favorite moment from last year's beer week?

I was a proud poppa last year for our inaugural CCBW. Obviously I couldn't make all of the events. I think I made about half of them. I would have to say The Freak Fest at The Common Market in South End was my favorite. We had great beers including one off's and a cask, a ton of people of all ages and a live freak show. A girl on a bed of nails, fire swallowers, human pin cushions, a live punk band and much more. It was unbelievable to see the reactions to the entertainment from the crowd. What a blast! Although, I heard from others on the committee that the Beasts Of The East Big Beer tasting and The Cask Festival were great as well.

With one year under your belt what big lessons came out of the initial execution of beer week?

We do not want to get too big too fast. We still want to hand select every event to ensure quality. We want everyone that attends to have a great time and we want every brewery and hosting establishment to get a good crowd. It's easy to open up your calendar and let everyone do whatever you want and have 2, 3, 400 events. You can't ensure good events that way, we don't want that. We're more of the thought of quality not quantity. A few great, hand selected events every night.

Several cities in North Carolina have their own identity when it comes to craft beer. Asheville has a ton of local options, the Triangle has its’ own brewing scene emerging, all the way out on the coast Wilmington has some great places for beer. How would you describe Charlotte's craft beer identity?

Charlotte is lucky enough to be right smack dab in the middle of it all! We get it from all sides. Charlotte is definitely about one to two years into a beer revolution and I do not think we are even close to peakin' yet. Our identity would best be described as the cog that turns the wheels in the surrounding cities.

Do you have a favorite place to sit down for a beer in Charlotte?

It would be my front porch or back patio with a Belgian, barleywine or imperial stout and a cigar. There are new places popping up all over the Charlotte region. I enjoy a place with a decent selection of beers and comfortable surroundings. I'm not one typically for loud bars that are 6 people deep.

Ok, so let's say a beer bar opens up right next door to you. The owner decides to let you choose one beer to be on tap for as long as your neighbors. It can only be one beer, but he'll keep ordering keg after keg. What beer are you putting on tap?

Ohhhh you're good Dr. Joel, really good! If a bar would open up right next door to me, my go to beer would be...Brewery Ommegang Abbey Ale from Cooperstown NY. It's a city I have visited many times over the years going to the Baseball HOF before the brewery was there. It's only about 2 1/2 hours from my home town of Syracuse NY, so consider it a homer selection. It's very easy to drink with an incredible nose. It gives me a taste of Belgium while supporting our own local craft breweries in the USA.

Week #9 - An Bui

2011-03-04T07:29:00.005-05:00

Behind every craft beer drinker that has found beauty in beer that’s full of flavor and made with honest ingredients there is someone that helped them get there. Always enthusiastic, helpful, and magnetic in their exuberance for the art of craft beer, this gateway ambassador is there with the right beer at the right time. An Bui is that guy. An’s excitement for craft beer is contagious to the point where telling his customers about great beer isn’t enough – he’s gone viral. Whether you’re sitting at Mekong in Richmond, VA or watching An’s Beer TV on youtube there is no chance that his love of beer won’t draw you in too. I believe that An is in Belgium as I type this, so let’s consider this week’s interview a toast to a man that is right where most of us would rather be right now.

Ladies and gents, get to know An Bui.

Mekong is one of the only places I know of on the East Coast that's marrying craft beer and Vietnamese food. Have you turned a lot of customers onto craft beer who were just coming for great Vietnamese food?

YES! We've found that Mekong's food and craft beer make the perfect pairing. Our customers enjoy unique experiences and I think the chance to experience something new, like Craft beer and Vietnamese food together, has become an attraction.

With all that you do to educate people about craft beer through Beer TV and events like World War Beer a few years ago, do you think you've been able to give craft beer drinkers in Richmond a new appreciation for Vietnamese cuisine?

I'd like to think so. We are equally as passionate about our food as we are craft beer. I think customers who come for our beer selection are intrigued by our cuisine. Mekong takes great care in providing a well rounded experience. Passion is the key. If someone sees that you are passionate about something, and take great care to cultivate an experience, then they are intrigued.

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I was going to a party in high-school, and always hated the taste of the beers there, so I grabbed a Paulaner Salvator off the shelf, simply because I liked the label. It was sweeter than I'd had before, and very drinkable. The rest as they say is history.

What are some of your favorite styles of beer? What styles are we most likely to find on tap at Mekong?

I love Belgians, IPA's, and Sours. Mekong has a wide variety on tap. Changes daily. Lot's of Belgians and small craft beer. I'm an avid supporter of small craft breweries. You won't find any larger corporations on tap at Mekong.

Do you have a favorite beer moment or event so far that's happened at your restaurant?

January 2010. Mekong held a "BFM Beer Tasting". Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes. Amazing, amazing experience.

How would you describe the 'beer scene' in Richmond?

I would describe it simply as, a revolution. The "beer scene" is rapidly growing and expanding everyday. It's a wonderful time to be in Richmond. Here, peoples’ eyes are constantly being open to beer’s potential. I couldn't be happier!

I love Beer TV! What made you decide to start doing the show?

I wanted to share my knowledge and passion with as many people as possible. I feel it's important that everyone become aware of the possibilities of beer. It's an art form, and the more people who understand that the better. As I said before, beer is my passion. It's my life and my love, second only to my family. I want to open communications with beer lovers from all over the world, I would like us to become one big, united, global beer community. This is a way to do that .

Any beer events in the works for 2011 that we should put on our calendars?

Yes! We will be tapping an aged barrel of New Holland's Dragon's Milk for a very special event!

Week #8 - Sean Lily Wilson

2011-02-25T10:16:00.003-05:00

My first introduction to Sean Lily Wilson and Fullsteam Brewery was much like many, many other peoples': I heard about it on the internet. Fullsteam has a lot of buzz to be buzzing about, but one of the great stories leading up to the brewery's opening was how cool this brewery and these dudes...seemed. You already knew them because they were hitting social media with a full court press. Fast forward to CBC 2010 and the Storytelling panel that has popped up numerous times in this interview series: Sean's assessment of how social media made Fullsteam a regular name before an ounce of beer hit the market was majorly impressive. Fast forward yet again to the current: Fullsteam's approach to brewing for their community, including their local producers, and lifting many ships with their mighty tide is the feel good story that you may not have heard yet and the story is, in many ways, textbook for how to get your beer on the radar in this digital age. Ok, now rewind. North Carolina pops its 6% abv cap and Sean Lily Wilson was right there in the trenches.

See this man, shake his hand, cheers his beer and get to know Sean Lily Wilson...

With Fullsteam you celebrate and highlight many of the wonderful crops and traditions of the South. Is the brewery the culmination of two ideas coming together: Wanting to open a brewery and wanting to find a way to support your local producers on a large scale or was the idea always to open a brewery that utilizes locally grown ingredients?

Southern ingredients and Southern traditions were always central to Fullsteam’s concept, ever since brewer Chris Davis and I first envisioned starting a brewery four years ago. We changed our mind plenty along the way: our first idea was more farmhouse brewery and restaurant. Over time, we realized that Durhamites wanted a hometown brewery more than a brewpub/restaurant. But the common thread was always incorporating local ingredients in the brewing process.

I love Fullsteam's ultimate goal of a brewery sustained fully by what's within local means. Agriculturally, what would have to change to make that happen? Is malted barley the biggest obstacle?

Yes, our biggest challenge will be obtaining locally-malted barley and local hops, which account for the overwhelming majority of beer’s farmed inputs. It’s one thing to brew with local adjuncts – the most local we go is Carver, which is brewed with 500 pounds of local sweet potatoes per batch (one-third of the beer’s base fermentables). But our goal is to make Fullsteam Southern Lager -- heck, all of our beers – as local as possible. This includes local barley and hops. Yes, it’s ambitious – but with new strains and advances in farm sciences, I see every reason to believe that local hops and local barley is possible in my lifetime.

We want to encourage farmers that if they can grow it, keep it consistent, and price it fairly, we will buy it…and we believe customers will buy local. The biggest challenge I see isn’t in the growing of these items, it’s in the post-harvest infrastructure: the malting and kilning of grain; the threshing, drying, and pelletizing of hops. And, of course, pricing the ingredients competitively.

Our vision is to make distinctly Southern beer. If that means our beer has a slightly different character because we use regional ingredients, then that’s a success in my book. Of course, all this presumes that quality and taste are never sacrificed.

How did you hookup with Brooks Hamaker and Chris Davis? What do each of you bring to the table to make Fullsteam a reality?

Chris and I met at a Pop The Cap dinner I hosted at the Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill in 2006. We kept talking and scheming, and I have an incredible amount of respect and appreciation for Chris’ patience as we worked to make the brewery a reality.

As we got closer to finding equipment and nailing down a space, it became clear we needed a “been there, done that” professional. A mutual friend of Brooks’ and mine, Dean McCord, introduced us at the 2009 Southern Foodways Alliance symposium in Oxford, Mississippi. Brooks, Chris and I had actually met at the ’08 SFA symposium, but Dean suggested we start talking specifics. Brooks was the founding brewer at Abita and was looking to get back into brewing.

It’s one thing to know how to brew beer, but it’s another skill entirely to know how to set up a brewery. Brooks brings both skills to the table. He also tends to favor more traditional beers, whereas Chris, with his homebrewing background, is more about experimentation and pushing the envelope.

I focus on front-of-the-house tasks like sales, delivery (for now), tavern management, marketing, and social media. Beer-wise, I bring some ideas to the table, and Chris and Brooks generally take them to the next level. For example, while I had the idea for Working Man’s Lunch (a beer inspired by MoonPies and RC Cola), it was Brooks and Chris who schemed up the idea of using a Weihenstephan yeast to throw off some vanilla and banana-like notes to the beer, to mimic the sweet biscuityness of a MoonPie. I wouldn’t have thought of that.

With two product lines representing two different roads you're going down on the brewing side, have you seen more reaction towards the Workers' Compensation line of true-to-style beers or more on the side of Plow to Pint beers utilizing ingredients like sweet potatoes, persimmon, and house-smoked malt?

The Fullsteam business plan states that we “expect to be known for our Plow-to-Pint offerings, but we’ll likely sell a lot more of the Workers’ Compensation beers.” I think we got that just about right. Many people know we brew a beer that smells and tastes like bacon (Hogwash, a hickory-smoked porter), but it’s our only bona fide slow-moving beer. We sell a lot more Fullsteam Southern Lager and Rocket Science IPA. That said, Carver sweet potato lager is a huge hit, and that’s in the Plow-to-Pint series.

Sometimes it’s hard to know how to categorize our beers – like Working Man’s Lunch. It’s not really “Plow-to-Pint,” because the ingredients aren’t really local. We do use local chocolate from a great artisan purveyor out of Raleigh, Escazu. But it’s not a “true-to-style” beer, either…because of that whole hefe yeast thing, which makes the beer more of a dark ale than a traditional stout. And people reading this might think, “whatever, it’s not a big deal,” but it has all these implications, from the eventual look of the label to the type of package it goes in. I guess I just don’t ever want our “series” approach to constrain us. If I want to brew a Black IPA, we should be able to do that. Is a black IPA “true-to-style?” If not, must we make it “Plow-to-Pint?” Our own labels can be a challenge.

I'm assuming there will be some seasonality necessary in the Plow to Pint lineup? How does availability and any inconsistency of raw materials (size, yield, difference in what flavors/sugars you're extracting) each time they're harvested affect the final product and your approach to production?

I liken our Plow-to-Pint approach to that of wine: agricultural products vary from year-to-year. We should celebrate this variance.

At times, it bugs me that most brewers make pumpkin beers from canned pumpkin (or spices that suggest pumpkin) in freakin’ July – when pumpkins are still green – just so the beer can match the season. Now I’m not naïve enough to think that a pumpkin beer should come out in December (after the pumpkin harvest and when the beer is finally ready), because people have been trained to get pumpkin beers in October.

But I really struggle with this.

Our industry marries beer to its social, cultural, and emotional contexts. Not its agricultural roots. It’s part of the reason most people don’t know what beer is made from – they know little to nothing of the harvesting methods.

We’re finishing up a beer called First Frost – it’s a winter ale brewed with 75 pounds of local persimmons. Southern tradition has it that persimmons are best after the first frost: the fruit is nice and sugary by then, and the unpleasant tannins are mostly eliminated. We started picking persimmons after our first frost, which ultimately means the beer won’t be ready until late January – well after the first frost.

Soon enough we’re going to see a warm-up in temperatures, and the last thing we’re going to be thinking about is the autumn frost date. So how does Fullsteam handle this? I don’t want to freeze persimmons to launch the beer the following October. That feels so inauthentic to me. I want to celebrate the harvest. People in the South should know what a persimmon is: when it’s harvested, what it tastes like, where you can find them. Is this a winning proposition for our customer base? Do we risk having a winter beer sitting on store shelves in April because we’re committed to working within the seasons? I don’t yet know. We don’t have a year’s worth of experience to know. But I love the challenge. Sorry for the long answer.

The first thing that sparked my interest about Fullsteam was hearing about the brewery during your panel at CBC and learning how much interest and buzz you'd created online before you were even open. How important was that initial period of raising awareness to your brewery as you built up your site and prepared to open up?

Oh man, that means a lot to me. We are very fortunate that Fullsteam’s build-out coincided nicely with the mainstream acceptance of social media. Not only did blogging, Facebook, and Twitter help us generate interest and excitement, but I know I secured some investors as they followed our story online. It wasn’t as direct as my friend and fellow CBC panelist Erik Lars Myers’ efforts (using Kickstarter to raise money for Mystery Brewing Company), but our online presence helped us raise money more quickly. No doubt about it.

To ramble on this a bit more: I am surprised by how “ordinary” a lot of brewery communication is online. Some of the best ongoing communication with our fans and friends is only tangentially related to beer: discussions on the best music of the year, crazy inventions from 100 years ago, odes to The Room and unintentionally bad movies. My goal is to talk with, not at. I like it, and I can’t think of doing it any other way. Though I admit it is a little jarring for some, particularly those who believe a business’ online tone and timbre should sound like traditional PR.

How many years in the making was Pop The Cap and what prompted you to head the campaign of bringing more sane beer laws to North Carolina?

The short answer: it took three years from wanting to change the law to actually having the law changed. That’s a pretty short timeframe, especially considering the push was to relax an alcohol law in a Southern state.

The long answer:
In 2002, a good friend of mine from business school, JP Cardona, invited me to an after-party. “You’ve never had beers like this before,” he told me. And boy, was he was right: beers I had never heard of…barleywines, corked-and-caged rarities, double IPAs. I thought I knew about craft beer – after all, I shopped at the local grocery store to buy Sam Adams and local beer – but I had no idea this world of specialty beer existed. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

That was my craft beer epiphany moment. JP told me that night about North Carolina’s 6 percent alcohol limit. I thought about all the incredible flavors I had just enjoyed and thought, wow, that’s a really stupid law. Especially because our state-run liquor stores sold Everclear. So I thought I’d try to figure out what it took to change the law.

Anyways, I was unemployed at the time. This was after the tech bubble, and I was a technology startup guy. So I was networking a lot, looking for work…and getting increasingly interested in craft beer. As I started networking in the beer world, I quickly discovered All About Beer Magazine and the World Beer Festival, located here in Durham. At that time, the head of both, Daniel Bradford, was also leading the Brewers Association of America (BAA), which has since merged with the Brewers Association.

I called Daniel, introduced myself, and in typical Daniel fashion, he had me working the next day, stuffing envelopes. Here I was talking beer and politics with Daniel, Julie Johnson, and Pete Johnson (now of the BA). It was incredible.

Within a few weeks, Julie and I had gathered a group together of about 40 people disgruntled with the 6% alcohol cap. Many of these folks were homebrewers, though the group also included some retailers and at least one beer writer (Tony Kiss of Asheville). We had enough of a spark from that group to get started, though we were incredibly naïve in knowing what to do. We thought a petition would help. A petition! It’s almost laughable now. We quickly realized we needed a lobbyist to represent our cause, and the inestimable Theresa Kostrzewa took us on as a client.

There’s a lot more to the story, but this is already crazy-long. It’s largely still online at http://popthecap.org.

I am enamored with beer culture in North Carolina. I love travelling there for work and have a lot of friends from up North that have traveled to NC for reasons strictly pertaining to beer. Since I've only visited post-Cap Popping, could you explain a little bit about what the beer landscape was like before the limit on ABV went from 6 to 15 percent?

North Carolina didn’t have the variety and scope, but it had the passion and skill. Breweries like Carolina Brewery, Highland, and many others were in-place and making great beer. The biggest impact was on the store shelves, where you just wouldn’t see the range of beer you do now. Of course, many more N.C. breweries have opened since 2005, but I think that’s generally a function of the craft beer explosion. More breweries are opening up everywhere.

Where would you say beer in North Carolina is headed? With a ton of great brewers, festivals, and a lots of awesome retail options, what should people peeking in from afar be most clued into about the future of beer in NC?

I suspect North Carolina beer is going to get more adventuresome. Our focus is using local ingredients and local traditions to try and define Southern beer. That’s our niche. As new breweries come on the scene, they’ll work to establish their own niche: farmhouse ales, canned beer, session ales, sours, and new approaches and angles. I believe it’s going to bring a friendly competitiveness that will push our state along in terms of beer innovation and creativity. Perhaps soon we won’t be looking westward for trends and ideas, but we’ll be developing our own in-state.

I do hope that, in spite of this inevitable competition, we remain collaborative and upbeat and relatively free of snark. It’s beer. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s the beverage of celebration and community. One of the GREAT things about North Carolina is just how upbeat its citizens and brewers are on craft beer. I’ll be disappointed if North Carolinians become jaded, seeking the unicorn instead of enjoying the moment.

How about Fullsteam specifically? What's on the horizon for the early part of 2011?

We just released our first sour beer, Sour Mashed Sweet Potato, and soon we’ll be releasing First Frost, the winter persimmon beer. Soon it’ll be time for Pastinaak, a farmhouse ale made with parsnips and Liborius Gollhardt, a sour rhubarb ale. Spring and summer can’t come soon enough.

Week #7 - Billy Mellon

2011-02-18T11:05:00.004-05:00

Billy Mellon (pictured on the left here) is one of those guys whose official job title tells only a small part of the story. Billy recently opened the stunning Manna in Wilmington, NC after a run on the distributor side of on and off premise alcohol sales. Those that know Mr. Mellon though know that he's a constant source of 'everybody wins' ideas to elevate beer, wine, food, music and just about everything in between. Voicemails from Billy in his distributor days usually started with a, "So hey I wanted to get your thoughts on something..." followed by a scheme to get your beer to a new audience in a new way that no one had ever thought of. This is the kind of guy that needed a constant canvas to paint on because he was just too good to leave his mark on everyone else's businesses. He orchestrated one of the coolest beer events I've ever been a part of last year complete with a hidden beer tasting amidst a rock and roll show. If you're in or travelling through the Port City stop in for a meal at Manna.

We met while you were in beer and wine wholesale, but you were in restaurants before that right?

I was "stolen" by the wholesale business from the food industry--nearly 20 years of experience.

How valuable of an experience is it for someone running a restuarant to have spent many of their days selling beer and wine to tons of other restaurants, buyers, chefs and owners?

It makes me understand the business end much better--a lot like when I switched from "buyer" to seller--now I am back as the buyer and I am more dialed into the relationships that occur between the two sides. I know how to better select wines, I am more comfortable with esoteric varietals and regions; I can relate to the salesman's situation much closer and I know the right "questions" to ask with regards to what needs to move and what wines/beers are at discounted prices, sales, etc...

How much of the sales perspective informed your approach to Manna?

Again, now I have the experience of how to get the most from my salespeople. I understand the practice of allocations (when they are available, how much, who's carrying them) and now I am a much better buyer with those key elements in my arsenal: basically, I am more informed=dangerous.

In what ways is the drinks menu at the restaurant is an expression of your fondness and experience with both wine and beer?

I have always been into networks. That said, I have tried to increase the web of those networks within the friendships/relationships that I have derived from the wholesale business. I try to support the artisans and be as local as possible when it comes to selecting wines and beers. I have focused my brands on those people who are in the business of selling "great" products and enjoy what they do--these people tend to work for people with those same goals...goals that I try to maintain within the framework of our concept. It makes selling them to customers more meaningful and the network grows.

The food menu is so descriptive. It's killing me being so far away! I know part of the goal with Manna was to elevate the dining scene in Wilmington and even though you've only been open a short time do you feel like you've begun to reach that goal?

We're on the right track but nowhere near where we want to be. We want to unify the culinary scene of Wilmington to be up there with the likes of the Charlestons, Ashevilles of the world. Hopefully, we can create a scene of successful restaurant groups that have the same goals as we do and make our city a destination for people who love to eat. No "scene" can be like that with limited options for dining.

Wilmington is such a charming city and really unique when compared to a lot of other cities on the coast. What do you like most about it?

It has a "grip" on me that I cannot explain. I moved here in '95 to live for a few summers and I have yet to leave. I've had many chances to leave: SF, Austin, Atlanta, Italy but always found more reasons to stay. I have a large circle of friends that span a vast group of people. it would be hard to replace all of those networks anywhere else. I mean, I have friends in city council, lawyers, doctors, builders, electricians, musicians, the list goes on and on. If I need something, I got a fix in my phone. Besides the beach adds something to the mix, too.

Ok, so Manna closes for the night. Where are you headed out to for a few drinks? And what are you drinking?

Satellite is still my go to spot. They continue to improve their venue--Dusty has added an outdoor movie screen (16 X 20) and a back yard "garden". It still has the best vibe and the best beer. I will typically have a glass of wine that I pair with what the chef makes me for supper and then it'll be a couple of craft beers: most recently, Cold Mountain and Terrapin Wake and Bake. (love to get a shot at picking up some of that New Holland hop tequila....hint)

You've turned me on to a number of bands just through your facebook posts. What's your involvement with Wilmington Unplugged?

I basically am the organizer of the "group". It's a monthly showcase highlighting local talent to perform on one stage with 4 other acts. They get 25 minutes to perform and I've got to meet and witness some fantastic artists over the last 4 years of the event. The monthly has spawned "Super Unplugged" where I branch out to find regional acts to play for a "listening audience" and pair them with the "best of the unplugged..." locals.

What should we be on the lookout for from Manna in 2011?

Hopefully, that we are still open and paying our bills. The goal is to be ahead of the curve in terms of our take on the American restaurant and never being satisfied with being "good"; filled with people who love our product and continuing to get better with every dinner and drink we serve; happy to be doing what it is that truly drives us....making food, beverage and personality "casserole."

Week #6 - Dean Browell

2011-02-11T08:46:00.003-05:00

Dean Browell is Executive Vice President at Feedback, an agency that takes Social Media to the next, well... a deeper, well... a more informed and strategical level. Feedback's research and analytical processes allow companies to make social media even more powerful and Dean is right at the heart of the matter. He is the next installment of interviews with the members of the Storytelling panel at 2010's CBC in Chicago and I find what Dean brings to the social media conversation just fascinating. Dean is a Richmond, VA resident and a big music fan. All of these things make him pretty cool in my book. Without anything further, Dean Browell...

The interaction of different age groups online has been a point of study for you, if you had to put all of craft beer into an age group where do we fall in line? In the realm of Social Media, do we get it? Are we getting there? We're hip, right?

Great question...
I'd say the hipness is growing, but there's still a ton of room for improvement. When you consider how relatively cheaply and easily you can utilize social media to grow an audience (compared to say, TV and print) combined with the fact that the people that would pay a little more for a craft beer are the same people who are likely online and savvy, it's a serious wonder that the entire industry isn't doing it better. Especially since so much about craft beer is about telling your story, this medium is perfect. That's what last year's panel with Charlie, Fullsteam and Erik was about ( http://alewhale.net/ ).

Here's the thing, and it's not at all just the problem of craft beer as many industries are facing this, but the craft beer audience is out ahead of the industry itself right now. It's a really odd thing that the average person knows how to market themselves online better than some breweries. (Can you imagine the average person being able to make TV commercials better than businesses in the 1960's?) My earlier statement about the craft beer buyers being likely to be online - well that's becoming more true for everyone across the board. Look at the Pew research from last summer with people over 50 making up nearly half of all social media users -- when the GRANDPARENTS of college-age drinkers are on Facebook, what excuses are left for not understanding the ubiquity?

There's something else that I want to point out, and I've been skewered in the past for saying it. In fact right before my first appearance at CBC I made a comment on Twitter and got jumped all over for it, but I stand by that initial outsider's observation: The online craft beer community has trended toward the divisive (reviews, critique, cynical fandom) rather than the inclusive. Not everyone is like that, but it doesn't take much prodding around to uncover elitism. And what is so stunning to me, and this is what got me in trouble, is noting that of all things the wine industry has managed to take the opposite approach and somehow be more inclusive. Years ago now there were massive social networks for wine drinkers online, all helping you find your taste, get comfortable in the environment and be proud about your own personal taste. Meanwhile in some craft beer forums you can get your internet throat cut for saying you really enjoy a mild over an IPA. When you see the socialization of wine online it makes me irritated because craft beer, in my opinion, is far more democratic and social an industry, but that's not always reflected. Sure wine snobs are still there and it's not like every vineyard has a Facebook Page. But where is craft beer's Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) ? How did the snobbiest of all drinking pastimes manage to lap the pub crawlers? What's next, absinthe drinkers?

If I'm a craft brewery who's small and making great beer, but limited in the resources of time and availability, marketing-wise is there one thing I should definitely be doing online? Is an active and vocal following on Facebook more powerful than a website that may not get updated often enough? Is there a priority system with these online opportunities?

There are two necessary ingredients to a good social web presence: consistency and authenticity. If your website isn't updated regularly, don't design your website so it looks like it was supposed to be updated regularly (resulting in a "cobwebs" look). People know your website will say nice things about you, so LET IT - let it be the repository for all kinds of information. But then let the discussion and the "person behind the curtain" feel come through in social. The odd photo of the mash, the video of a tasting and reactions, asking your fans what they think of a new release... It's conversational. So what I would suggest is let the website be static if it means you'll have more time to keep the community aspect of a Facebook Page going. Commit to updating 1-3 times a week, even something small. Point people to your social presence from your website. But manage your expectations based on the time you put in. be on Facebook, at least. But take a long look at the geographies you serve and determine WHERE your audiences are talking and how and make an informed decision as to how to proceed. Not every city is the same. That's what we do at Feedback more than anything: research the cultures people serve and make informed recommendations as to how to intersect.

How about a craft brewery who is willing to commit some time and maybe even personnel to marketing and the world of social media, but doesn't know a tweet from a blog post? What services are out there to help them get started?

There are some great 101s out there. But my first bit of advice is do not go out and try and learn everything. Not every tool is probably right for you anyway. The one with critical mass is Facebook so that may be your easiest target. Sign up personally. Create a private group for your key personnel and communicate with each other. Try it out, see what it lets you do. Play. Same way you play with recipes. Get comfortable with the variables and the options.

Knowing that you're a huge music fan and seeing the impact of music's sales and distribution online, how vastly different is the social media game when your product can be fully experienced while sitting at the computer? To keep up, should craft brewers be trying to make beer as interactive as possible? Is there something to be learned from something so quickly gratifying as a download?

Well if there's a single lesson it's how the music industry let their entire audience get so far out in front of them without finding a way to tell their story, while individual artists who took the time to observe and play in the space ran away with the crown and actually made money (see: Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails) while reinventing the fandom and reaping live event money as well.

One thing craft beer can learn is how they can make sure they are encouraging fandom of their beers, brands, stories, even when people aren't sitting in front of a tap or with a bottle in their hand. That one guy from your pub who loves your Belgian White still loves it when he's sitting on an office chair instead of a stool, the difference is he can still be Tweeting and sharing his love for your beer even when he's not drinking it. Goodness knows that at 4pm he's already thinking about drinking it - why not encourage him to make others daydream about the same?
Interactivity is key, but it sounds like it's something new they have to learn - but it's not. It's the same interactions they've been having with new and regular customers their whole lives. We can just see it now. Word of mouth we can see.

When did you start drinking craft beer? Was there one beer or experience that sealed the deal for you?

I was lucky. My Dad is a big fan of trying new food from all over the world and we traveled a lot. So I was influenced very early to try things and not accept the norm. My Dad is still one of my favorite people to drink craft beer with, he recently brought back Andechs from Munich wrapped in his socks from a trip to Germany. Anyway, by the time I got to legal drinking age, ahem, I was also lucky enough to have college roommates with great taste in beer. One was from Malvern, PA and after every break would return with cases of Yuengling which was as "common" a beer we would ever drink - and then we'd go to a little craft beer and wine store called, The Caboose in Ashland, VA (we were at Randolph-Macon) and buy mixed six packs and try everything. So i wish I could point to a singular experience, but it was really just being surrounded by people who didn't accept the status quo and encouraged trying new tastes.

If we're coming to Richmond, VA and we want the following things where should we be shopping...

A meal of great food and great beer:

Capital Ale House (and they have a few in the area). Great food and a ridiculous beer selection.

Great sixpacks or big bottles to go:

The Caboose in Ashland, VA is still around: http://caboosewine.com/

But to be frank we're also lucky in Richmond that Legend is sold in most of our grocery stores.

Vinyl for our growing (no matter how obsessively) record collection:

Deep Groove. Hands down. But also visit Plan 9's basement.

A live show:

The National is a favorite venue for sure, but there's some great little places as well like The Camel. But you seriously can't beat a great show at The National.

Week #5 - John Haggerty

2011-02-04T09:28:00.003-05:00

John Haggerty is the brewmaster at New Holland Brewery and someone who I have learned so much from over the last 2 1/2 years. John's brewing philosophy is largely centered around the idea of balance, which is a beauty in beer I hadn't thought nearly as much about prior to hopping on board at New Holland. John's experiences studying beer in Germany have resulted in lots of great stories as well as a very traditional approach to much of the beer brewed at New Holland. With cues taken from the old world German brewers, John's influlence on how I think about beer has been massive. And, as it turns out, he's a really fun guy too. A lover of soul music and good food, Hags brings an excitement to our company that always keeps things interesting.

John is in Philly right now for a string of events through the weekend. Catch us tonight at Iron Hill West Chester from 5pm - 7pm then at Kraftwork tomorrow night for a huge draft and soul music explosion, finishing up at South Philly Tap Room for a pre-Super Bowl Beer Brunch from Noon - 3pm. Come out and say hi.

Bring us up to speed on your brewing career, where did you study? Where did you get your first brewing jobs?

Well as you know, brewing is an accumulation of both practical and formal education. So I think that every brewing experience you have informs the final product. That also means that one continues to learn everyday from the new experiences that any individual should constantly be confronted with. In terms of formal education, I received my undergraduate degree from Miami University, Oxford, OH from the Fine Arts department in Architecture. I received my professional degree in brewing from the VLB (Versuchs- und Lehranstalt fur Brauerei), Berlin, GR – I graduated in 2002. My first professional brewing job was with The Big Time Brewery and Alehouse, Seattle, WA in 1993.

When did you come on board at New Holland and how did the opportunity come about? Do you remember what the job interview was like?

I started at New Holland around Labor Day of 2002, shortly after returning from study at the VLB. The process of getting hired was a little unique in that I didn’t really know anything about New Holland when Brett Vanderkamp contacted me. New Holland was a much smaller interest at that time. Anyway, I had sent a number of resumes out, like newly graduated students are wont to do, one of them landed on the desk of an old colleague, Dennis Holland, who I knew from my time in Washington (He was running the Leavenworth Brewing Co., Leavenworth, WA while I worked at The Big Time so we used to cross paths at festivals, etc.). At this point Dennis was working at The B.O.B., a Grand Rapids, MI based brewpub, and knew Brett and the New Holland crew. When Brett mentioned to Dennis that he was looking for someone to take over the operation of the production facility Dennis suggested Brett talk to me, which, fortunately, he did. So it goes to show you what networking can do for you. Anyway, originally I spent a lot of time speaking with Brett via email since I was in Germany and he was in Holland, MI. When I returned to the states we arranged to meet in conjunction with Brett’s other partners, Dave White (who is still with New Holland and directs our restaurant operations) and Jason Spaulding (who is no longer with New Holland). We discussed what they were looking for out of the candidate for this position and what they wanted for the brewery as a whole. A lot of what they wanted to achieve dovetailed with what I wanted to do – essentially, be heavily involved in the product development and growth of a craft based brewing interest. Anyway, we were all on the same page. The interview was quite informal with us sitting around a table in the pub discussing all sorts of things. In the end, we were talking about the fact that the new pub was being opened (the ‘new’ pub meaning our current pub which is only ‘new’ at this point if you happen to have been around for the ‘old’ one which had been located at the old facility on Fairbanks Ave. which is now Hope College’s soccer field) and that they really were already behind in making a decision regarding this position. My recollection was that we left the meeting more or less agreeing to work together and simply had to negotiate the compensation package, which, obviously, we did. Anyway, we worked it out and I jumped in with two feet – none of this ‘dipping your toe in the water’ stuff. It was full go from the beginning. I inherited one staff member, Jacob Derylo – so he and I ran everything at first. We would work 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day and then when Jacob and I got done making beer I would head down to the pub and put another 8 hours on the clock helping to build out the pub. It was a lot of work but it was great! I got to know Brett, Dave and Jason very well very quickly that way. Plus I was new in town and didn’t really have anything else to do so why not. Anyway, it was great and it has been great ever since.

How would you describe your philosophy or approach to designing and brewing beers?

First and foremost we are trying to create a sense of balance between all the flavor profiles that occur in the beer. Within any given style of beer that might mean that a given flavor may take the lead or fall back depending on what the style calls for. However, every flavor, every ingredient has its place and when done in concert with those that it is working with then we strike the balance that makes for complex, unique and quaffable beers.

What is one thing you wish more people knew or understood about Craft Beer or the beer industry as a whole?

Hmm, that is a tough question. There are a lot of things that I think are misunderstood about what actually goes on in a brewery. For example, it seems that there are a lot of people who think that using modern tools or techniques makes what you produce less than if you are producing according to processes or techniques that are centuries old. I don’t know if I buy that. I think sometimes using older techniques can be interesting but to enslave yourself to those ideas I think is a mistake. But is that “the one thing” I would want to discuss, I don’t know. I guess in the end I would like everyone to know that it is as rewarding as they think it is, it is 100 times harder than they ever would believe it is, and it is nowhere near as glamorous as some people might try to make it out to be. But in the end, I love it so here I am.

Tonight's event at Iron Hill was a direct invite from brewer Larry Horwitz. How do you and Larry know each other?

Well I know both Larry and his wife, Whitney, who works for Victory Brewing Co. Both are just fabulously fun, great people. Anyway, we have shared a number of meals together over the years at various events/conferences. We were introduced to each other via a mutual friend, Lauren Salazar, of New Belgium Brewing. Anyway, I think this all started out from the fact that we all like to drink great beer and eat great food so I guess Larry figured we would be good company to invite out to his pub to share I pint or two with his clientele. I am glad he did and I am really looking forward to it!

We're pouring Cabin Fever at the Iron Hill event. Where did the concept for the beer come from? Why is it a great winter seasonal?

Well, that’s kind of a long story but I will see what I can do to condense it down. . . . .

It started with the sales team requesting we make a ‘brown ale’. They felt that a hole existed in the lineup and what we needed to fill that hole with was a ‘brown ale’. I use quotation marks around ‘brown’ because when I asked Fred, our sales director, if he meant he wanted me to make an actual Brown Ale to style or if he simply wanted a beer that was simply ‘brown in color’. He responded with the latter. That was perfect for me as I have not really been a fan of traditional Brown Ales. I find them to be a little boring frankly but that is me and I certainly do not expect anyone to quit drinking or making traditional Brown Ales simply because I don’t care much for them. Anyway, there were a number of different things I was thinking about at the time that kind of came together in this beer. The first was the fact that we really wanted to try out this new Carmel Rye malt. It has this great raisin-like flavor to it. I had been searching around for something to replace the Special B that De Wolf Cosyn used to make before being sold to Cargill who rolled it into Dingemann’s – which makes great malt by the way, it’s just that the Special B changed when they did that – so, anyway, I found this Carmel Rye malt from Simpson’s that I thought had potential to do that and I thought it would be great to give it a run in this beer. I mean, essentially I could make it taste like whatever we wanted because we weren’t trying to hit a style at all – just a color. So, we had that going for us. We were also looking at a lot of fermentation techniques in regard to lager yeast strains. I had been reading a lot about how Belgian brewers will use lager strains but ferment them warm or even hot in order to get some weird flavors out of them. So we wanted to try that. And finally, we used another Belgian technique of increasing the kettle gravity through the use of sugar. So in the end we found a way to marry all these things together. The beer is really quite big but can drink a little lighter than it might otherwise appear if we used an ale strain. It makes it slightly deceiving. Originally, we fermented it really hot in order to try and funkify it. But after some messing around we found that fermenting it at a more traditional ale temperature actually made the beer much more pleasing. The lager strain really makes a clean beer even in the mid to high 60’s F. So that is where we have left it. It has been a bit of an experiment from when we first introduced it but we seem to have come into its wheelhouse over the last couple of years.

Is there one beer for you that you see as perfection? That one beer that the first time you discovered it just really floored you?

If you mean: do I see any particular brand of beer as perfection then I would say no, that doesn’t exist. At least not every time. I think perfection is very fleeting. You might have a beer paired with the right food to be taken with the right company and it is all occurring in the right atmosphere under the ideal circumstances. At that point that beer might represent perfection. But when I drink it the next day while watching the ball game then maybe it is just a beer. Follow? So perfection is something to strive for and, maybe if you are lucky, achieve for a moment but it isn’t something that you can hold and possess. Now, having said that, I have had beers that during given moments in my life I have been profoundly impressed with (i.e. perhaps they floored me). Do they still continue to do that? I don’t know, but I know I still drink them when I have the opportunity. For example, I am heading to Cigar City Brewing in Tampa during my vacation in order to have a pint of their Humidor IPA (hopefully it will be on tap!) because I had it at the 2010 GABF and it was my favorite beer of the event. It was unique and drinkable at the same time – that can be a very difficult thing to pull off. So, I figure I need to at least pay them a visit and see what is going on over there.

What percentage would you rate the chances of people seeing your dance moves at the Soul Shakedown Party at Kraftwork tomorrow night?

Better than fifty-fifty (you are the DJ after all Joel)

I know it's been a while since you've been here, but do you have any great Philly memories to share?

My friends Guy Hagner and Tom Clark of Berwick Brewing Co. (this was previous to its opening as One Guy Brewing) taking me out for cheese steaks at some random neighborhood Philly joint. How can you beat that?

Week #4 - Audra Marotta

2011-01-28T08:29:00.003-05:00

The Craft Beer business is one that definitely rewards hard work and by those standards Audra Marotta is a well decorated medal winner. Offering her vast knowledge of finance and infrastructure she has helped both new and established craft breweries to build a strong and sustainable base beneath themselves. Audra's unique niche in the brewing industry is her deep understanding and love of beer itself, which allows her to apply an informed perspective of financial guidance to the everyday applications and needs of a growing brewery. Her efforts do not stop with craft brewers, as her Violent Orchid consulting firm is aimed towards all forms of small creative businesses. 2011 has been pretty good to Audra so far: A new gig with a great brewery, a panel at the upcoming Craft Brewers Conference in California, a recent step into a Director's role at Weaver Street Market...see what I mean about hard work being rewarded?

Ladies and Gents, Audra Marotta....

You bring an interesting perspective and talent to craft beer, one that is vital, but very behind the scenes. At what point for you did the world of numbers meet up with the world of craft beer?

I prefer building a financial and operational infrastructure behind the scenes to allow a company to grow sustainably over the long term. Though I've been working in the world of numbers over the past decade and a half while enjoying alcoholic beverages most of my life (I'm Eastern European, so I was allowed), the two didn't officially collide until I was hired by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery as their Controller. Once I started working at Dogfish, one of the first things I did was start building a network of accounting and finance professionals within the craft beer world. This is such a unique niche within the food/beverages industry, and every brewery operates differently. I knew I'd learn the most from those who had been immersed in it for much longer than I had. When optimizing systems or developing new processes, you need to spend a lot of time listening and learning before acting. Previous experiences may not always prove relevant when dealing with craft beer. Let's just say I spent more time reading, asking questions, conversing, and then asking more questions than I had for any other industry up to that point.

How important is it for a brewery to have a good comprehension of the numbers side of things in a time where so many breweries are still able to grow, expand, and open new markets and STILL not be able to satisfy demand?

With all this explosive growth the craft beer sector is experiencing, now (more than ever) is a crucial time to gain a solid understanding of trends, mix, margins, profitability, and ratios, as well as to establish a longer-term (at least 2-year) financial and capex investment plan. It saddens me when a brewery/brewpub is allowing sales to grow by 50% or more year-over-year without their knowing what a brand of beer costs to produce or how much of their liquidity is tied up in slow-moving inventory. When a brewery is growing, it needs to have a solid grasp of cash flow management in order to ensure resources are being spent optimally. Each dollar tied up in inventory sitting in the warehouse is a dollar that could have been spent paying off a loan or invested in a new fermenting tank. It doesn't matter how much revenue is coming in the door if you end up running out of cash.

If a brewery doesn't have the time, it should bring in contracted help to design and develop a financially-focused information systems framework (or optimize the one currently used) to provide the brewery the guidance it would need to maintain a sustainable growth rate and make appropriate investments in the equipment needed at the right time in order to support that growth rate while maintaining healthy cash flow.

Lack of time is not an excuse for poor information systems. I know the bank will liken that to 'the dog ate my homework'. Line of credit increase: denied. Not good times.

From what I gather your work with Violent Orchid is not solely directed at craft breweries, but do you take on breweries as clients? Could you explain what services Violent Orchid offers to potential clients?

It's funny you ask this *laughs*, as 100% of my current revenue is coming from craft breweries! Violent Orchid is a consultancy focused on empowering the creative community with the management tools, education, exposure, and voice to succeed. We offer accounting (including accounting information systems), finance, marketing, and operations guidance, anything from process audits and building costing templates to benchmarking performance, developing business plans, and implementing financial management software solutions. Our focus lies with craft breweries, not-for-profits, startups/small businesses, and artists, but as I just mentioned, all our paying clients happen to be craft breweries right now...so I feel right at home! Our goal is to provide an entity C-level direction without the financial burden of C-level salary. As I was one of the few from the University of North Carolina who signed the MBAOath.org, I believed this was my path to creating value responsibly. You can get more information about us by checking out all my contact deets at the bottom.

How did you get involved with the NC Brewer's Guild and what type of work are you doing with them?

When the North Carolina Brewer's Guild started up in 2009, I believe I was the first (then) out-of-state enthusiast member who signed up. Though I was working for Dogfish Head, I still felt very tied to the North Carolina beer scene. When I moved back home to North Carolina from Delaware, I contacted the Managing Director of the guild to see if they needed any help. He connected me with the Treasurer, and the rest is history.

I created a custom-tailored chart of accounts, set up the financial system infrastructure, and mapped all the items to the appropriate lines on the informational (tax) return to provide the Board the information they would need to measure performance and meet organizational objectives. I then trained the Executive Director and Treasurer on the system and its use. Though I'm recognized as the guild's Financial Advisor, I'm also spearheading the guild's educational programming initiatives. Our first educational event brought six of North Carolina's highly respected brewers together on a panel to discuss recipe development. Our next event will be in Asheville in February. In fact, I'm busy planning it as we speak!

Whenever I'm home and working up North it seems like I invariably end up talking about beer culture in North Carolina. The state really lends itself to a strong craft beer community because you can get almost anywhere in a short amount of time, so visiting all of these different breweries or pubs or great bottle shops is kind of a breeze. As a community, how have the people of North Carolina embraced the craft beer culture that continues to grow there?

Every time I think about how our community has embraced the craft beer culture here, I can't help but smile. Being involved in the North Carolina beer scene, whether as an enthusiast, an employee, or a blogger carries a badge of pride that is hard to define. I'm amazed by how many people choose to volunteer at each of our breweries, and each who does carries this spark in their eye as they chatter on about the beers brewed. It seems almost every night of the week finds a scheduled beer dinner, sampling, or gathering throughout a rotating circle of establishments. The pairing of local beer with local music has defined certain regions of our state as the go-tos for Thursday and Friday evening entertainment. Interest and participation in beer education, homebrewing and homebrew clubs has risen. North Carolina Brewer's Guild enthusiast memberships keep growing steadily. It's very hard NOT to get excited about the promise and passion our state carries for well-crafted local brew.

Where's your favorite place in North Carolina to sit down for a beer?

This isn't a fair question. This is like choosing a favorite pair of heels or a favorite Russian Imperial Stout. It can't be done. I love Federal in Durham, The Wooden Nickel in Hillsborough, Rec Billiards in Winston-Salem, and Thirsty Monk in Asheville. Mother Earth Brewing's tap room in Kinston is uber groovy, and Pisgah Brewing's space in Black Mountain is so relaxed. Big Boss Brewing's tavern in Raleigh is like family to me, while I feel Catawba Valley's taproom is synonymous with community. And don't even get me started on how awesomesauce Bruisin' Ales is in Asheville. The day slips by oh-so-easily there when immersed in conversation while being surrounded by one of the most fantasmo bottle selections in the state. You can't make me choose one. It's not fair. If it's in North Carolina, and there's craft beer served, it's likely a favorite place of mine.

Between Fullsteam and Mystery Brewing Co, how exciting is it to be living smack dab in the middle of some serious brewing innovation right now?

Imagine you're a four year-old who gets a pony on Christmas morning. And in its mouth the pony is holding passes for Disney World. And Lion-O from Thundercats is on the pony's back. Lion-O is holding a hot fudge sundae in one hand and a Red Ryder BB gun in the other. And did I mention the pony is floating on a magic carpet?

It's that exciting.

I am kind of a freak about Weaver Street Market. I love it. It reminds me of a frequent lunch and grocery stop up the road from me at home, so it is really comforting to have a place like that to go to when I'm on the road. How did you get involved with Weaver Street and what are you doing for them?

Our food shopping options were very limited when we moved to Hillsborough in 2006. Thankfully, the Weaver Street Market co-op opened its food preparation center and its third store in Hillsborough shortly after. I signed up as a consumer-owner right after it opened its doors. Drawn to its mission, providing a vibrant, sustainable commercial center for the community of owners and potential owners that is cooperative; local; ecological; primary; fair; inclusive; interactive; empowering; educational; and is reliant on community support, I chose to run for its Board of Directors during the summer. There were three of us running for one consumer-owner spot, and I was so honored to be the one elected! I will start my service in January 2011.

We are directly accountable to the consumer owners for the activities and accomplishments of the store. Specifically, it is my job to interact with the owners to understand their values and vision for the store; to develop, monitor, and revise policies that guide the store to achieving outcomes consistent with the owners' values and vision; and to ensure that management achieves the goals set by the entire board.

You recently (like, really recently) joined Mother Earth Brewery as their Chief Financial Officer, had you been working with them previously or did the opportunity come up independent of your previous work with breweries?

I had worked with them for a short spell as a Violent Orchid consultant back in December. We kept communication lines open over a period of six weeks after that. Stephen and Trent asked me to come out in January to explore a possible peace, love, and beer connection. Next thing I knew we were all looking in the same direction and the path for me to take was obvious. Everything just felt right and I could genuinely relate to every person who was a part of Mother Earth already. I gave every co-worker a huge hug my first day. I count my lucky stars every day that such an exciting opportunity arose. Sometimes things just come together.

Do you have a favorite Mother Earth beer?

My favorite Mother Earth beer is currently Old Neighborhood. Josh outdid himself with this porter! But with the canning line coming aboard this spring, there are two new brands we'll be brewing that I can't wait to try already! To be continued, I guess?

Travel-wise, where have you not been that you really want to go on a beer trip?

Within the US borders, I haven't been lucky enough to spend any time in Oregon yet. I'd love to fly into Portland, rent a car, and take a 10-12 day driving vacation throughout the state visiting breweries/brewpubs while getting lost in the state's beauty. My favorite vacations have been those without an itinerary. When you love meeting new people as much as I do, you just can't plan, nor impose a time limit on an inspirational conversation.

Outside the US, I haven't been to Belgium since I was a little girl. I would love to return as an adult to explore the countryside, abbeys, chocolatiers, and breweries, staying at small inns and on farms rather than in hotels. I have several Dutch friends who live in area, so it would be a great opportunity to catch up and visit with them as well.

I'm very excited to hear that you will be presenting at Craft Brewer's Conference in 2011. What can people expect if they come to your seminars?

You wouldn't believe how excited I was when I received the call from the Brewer's Association accepting my proposal! Expect a water balloon fight, some Napoleon Dynamite-style dancing, Peeps, and purple-striped leg warmers....wait, that was something else....

My presentation will be focused on cost accounting for brewpubs and information systems for breweries. I plan to survey the crowd beforehand to ensure we tackle some of the most pressing and confusing issues we in the craft beer world are experiencing, then work that in with a general accounting tutorial focused on the brewing process. It will be a hoot n' holler for the numbers junkies, and I'm stoked to be presenting a topic that is a strength of mine.

Let's continue the conversation!

Audra's Facebook http://www.facebook.com/audragmarotta

Audra's personal Twitter http://www.twitter.com/audragmarotta

Audra's biz Twitter http://www.twitter.com/violent_orchid

Audra's LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/agm1127

Violent Orchid's website: http://www.violent-orchid.com (under development)

Week #3 - Maaike Brender A Brandis

2011-01-22T00:22:00.011-05:00

Maaike Brender A Brandis is part owner of Cape Fear Wine & Beer in Wilmington, NC - she runs a bar that is as much a diamond in the rough in its' own city as the city itself is a diamond in the rough inside of a large, active beer state. The selection of the beers at Cape Fear is a reflection of Maaike's smart buying and immense beer knowledge and sensibility. Brimming with music and good people, Cape Fear Wine & Beer is a "Must Add' for any trips down the East coast.

How did Cape Fear Wine and Beer come about and when did you open for business?

My business partner, Lector Bennett, opened Cape Fear Wine & Beer in July of 2003 and I became President in September 2006, just a few months after turning 21. I thought, I had never run a bar before but if I desired a truly great beer bar and worked to make it a reality, I would be successful. I had been homebrewing in Canada since I was 17 years old so beer was already familiar terroir to me. To be a young female in the beer industry in the south was at times difficult but completely worth all of the headaches.

Two years ago we left our original location of 800 sq. ft. for a 3600 sq. ft. spot on the main drag of downtown Wilmington and have never looked back. Our capacity tripled and so did the beer selection. We now boast 300+ bottles and 19 rotating taps with only the best American, German, Belgian and UK beers, including a beer engine for cask ale and cask-conditioned beers. Though we are not limited to beers from only those countries, we are rather focused on them. It is not rare to see Brazilian, Canadian, Dutch, Polish, or Russian beers in our coolers. We allow our customers to mix-and-match their own 6 packs so the combinations and permutations are endless. We also have one of the best and most diverse wine selections in the area.

We are a work in progress, as all good things are. We'll never claim perfection but always work towards it. But the day we hit it is the day the challenge is done.

How would you describe your customers and/or the general beer buying public in Wilmington?

Wilmington's scene is very diverse. There's a core of loyal beer drinkers that are well-read and have sought out exactly what they want. Even other bars have, for the most part, good beer offerings. It's not uncommon to see a few good placements around town. But the concentration of craft beer is not quite there. People are frequently willing to try new beers which is a nice change of pace. We're no Asheville but we gain momentum in the south for sales.

Our spot is a destination for good beer so we frequently have folks with specific requests. Many regulars have come in off the street with limited knowledge but leave our spot as connoisseurs. I like to think we've done a great service for good beer in our city.

We've got some great distributors in the state that make it easy to procure a wide variety of great beers for our customers. I keep hearing about states' distributing battles and alcohol caps and I feel very fortunate to be operating in the state of North Carolina.

It's hard not to immediately get the feel of Cape Fear Wine and Beer the second you walk through the door. How do you feel that your bar is different from others in Wilmington?

First and foremost, we all grew up with the tenets of punk rock and DIY and that is reflected in the physical appearance of our bar. Everything in here was built by hand. Our establishment has been described as one part German beer hall, one part British pub, one part record store, and one part tattoo parlour. We've become successful without many characteristics of other mainstream bars around. There's no loud live music so you can enjoy conversation, and we've forgone the meat market aspect so all of our customers feel comfortable. We refuse to sell BMC (Bud-Miller-Coors), which is unheard of here. All of our staff are well-trained and can answer any question about any beer. All of this makes us an incredibly unique business in town and I think people really crave that change of pace. Plus, we're all really proud of all of our accomplishments, including involvement in Pop the Cap and various distribution battles. We're also part of the international organization Beer Church and we have several charity events for our region throughout the year.

Music is always a highlight when I'm in Cape Fear, how big of a role does music play in the bar? Is it a dream come true to fill up a jukebox with your favorite albums or do you eventually suffer from over-exposure?

Music is an integral part of our atmosphere. We pride ourselves on our jukebox which is mostly punk rock, metal and ska, but we also have Johnny Cash, B-52's, Benny Goodman, Devo, and a variety of types of music. People say those last few bands aren't very punk rock, but we think that a wide palate for music is punk rock, no matter the varietal of music.

There are a few songs that we hear several times a night but that's a reality we have to accept. It's mostly the more popular punk rock bands. I hear “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” a few times more than I'd like to. But at least it's not the same Top 40songs over and over again. Even folks who aren't into our type of music are going to find something they recognize and like, and that adds to their comfort level. Though the fans of D.I. and The Avengers enjoy talking obscure punk rock with us.

You've got a strong musical background, what band(s) have you played in?

As a brass player, I've been in several jazz and ska bands. Most notably, the Madd Hatters, a ska-punk band that was based here in Wilmington, NC. I've had the fortune of playing several key spots up and down the east coast, including CBGB's & The Continental in NYC and Club 215 in Philly. I also toured with several bands in Canada: Running on Empty, Dianthus, and a brief stint on the road with my pals, One Shot Left. Even when I wasn't in a band, I was frequently touring with friends' bands, lugging around amps and selling merchandise.

I was trained classically on piano but picked up trombone and baritone in grade school. After that, I taught myself trumpet and tuba. I've got an eclectic collection of horns, including a slide trumpet, a pocket trumpet, a valve trombone, and a white fiberglass sousaphone. (There's nothing like rocking out with an instrument almost as big as you are, swinging it around like it's nothing!)

Do you still play?

My musical career has definitely taken a backseat to my career in the beer industry. I joke about playing music never paying my mortgage, yet it is still an integral part of my life. On first glance, anybody will see my entire back covered in musical-themed tattoos. Coming from a family of musicians, it will always be something near and dear to me. My maternal grandfather penned the tune, “Everybody Loves Somebody” (popularized by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra) among others from that era, and my grandmother sang and danced on Broadway. Music flows through my veins along with beer and, I suppose, blood.

Is there a place online where we can hear your music?

Unfortunately, there is not. There is a place online to view my beer list, however. www.capefearwineandbeer.net or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wilmington-NC/Cape-Fear-Wine-Beer/95550077889

Cooler gig: Musician or Publican?

It's arguable. I miss touring and traveling every day. I miss the nomadic lifestyle and constantly being around musicians. I miss playing music! However, I do enjoy being able to have a stable relationship and sleeping in my own bed every night.

Just like I come from musicians, I come from beer people. I've seen photos of our family's alehouse in Switzerland. Our family crest has bocks alternating torches. My Dutch uncle grows hops in his backyard. This is second nature; it's something I am good at, and I enjoy it.

Plus, there's the beer industry's too-numerous-to-count perks. I've met some of the best people I will ever meet in this industry. I drink the world's best beer. We promote an industry whose tenets I can stand behind. (I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I sold BMC for a living.) I don't have to worry about how many visible tattoos I have, or if I want to wear a hockey jersey to work, or if I want to dye my hair fire-engine red and black!

What beer do you always want to have a case of at your house?

My favourite poolside beers are Anderson Valley Boont Amber in cans, Fuller's London Pride cans, Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA and Ska ESB cans. (We have a rule at my house: No glass by the pool.) The general rule for household beers is the darker, the better, but we like wheats in summer and Belgians anytime. (Plus, I'm a huge sucker for a well-made amber ale.) The big brew for the house this winter will be the tart cherry chocolate oaked bourbon imperial porter we will brew. I also see a Terrapin Wake & Bake (coffee chocolate oatmeal imperial stout) clone in our future.

Though our fridge isn't limited to any of those specifics. If it's well-made and flavourful, I'm gonna drink the hell out of it, no matter who brewed it.

Week #2 - Dustin Walker

2011-01-14T07:52:00.003-05:00

The man they call Ranger, Dustin Walker, is Terrapin Brewery’s Regional Manager for Virginia & North Carolina. Every rep has their own approach to the job and I really admire Ranger's ability to be all business one second and all fun the next. Talking beer with him is awesome too, he’s been to Cantillon and loves sours. Every time I peel back a layer of the Terrapin story it gets cooler and cooler and Ranger is no different. Moving up to North Carolina's 'Triangle' area from Georgia, Mr. Walker is doing great things for Craft Beer in cities like Raleigh, but also has a knack for wiggling into some of the smaller towns in his territory that are thirsty for the good stuff. If you’re in VA/NC you can catch him at one of his zillion events. He comes to see us in Philly every once in a while too. Ladies & Gents, Dustin Walker...

I always get a huge team-work vibe out of all you Terrapin guys. What's your favorite part about the people you work with?

I really love working for Terrapin for two big reasons. I believe that we make wonderful, delicious beer, and the people that I get to work with are awesome folks! I would consider everyone on the sales team as close friends. We actually all hang out together a good bit away from the work scene. It was through the folks at Terrapin that my eyes were opened to all the different and amazing craft brews and breweries out there.

How long have you been with the brewery?

I have been with Terrapin since August 18th, 2008. It was the day that I started my dream job. Before I was hired by Terrapin, I used to work for a distributor in Athens, Georgia, and they were actually the first to distribute Terrapin's beer. I was even in the warehouse when the first shipment of Terrapin came through the door on a little box truck full of torpedo kegs. I remember it clearly because that was the first time I had ever seen 1/6bbl kegs. I was 18 at the time.

What's the biggest thing you've learned in the beer business?

I've learned that is doesn't take millions of dollars in marketing to sell beer. At the end of the day, its all about the liquid inside the bottle that makes the most difference.

So...the Oxymoron tour. Sounded like a lot of fun and sounded a bit painful. What can you say about it?

Dan Conway from Left Hand brewing and I did a 6 day, 10 event tour of Virginia at the end of October to celebrate the Midnight Project collaboration our breweries do together each year. This year's collaboration was called "Oxymoron." It was a week long, grueling tour of tastings and bar events that reeked havoc on our livers but was something we both enjoyed and will hopefully get to do again...maybe not 10 events in 6 days though. We both thought we were going to hate each other when it was over. I mean two hungover, grown ass men in a single cab pickup truck for 6 days. We keep asking ourselves, "What were we thinking?" The booze helped, but we became better friends in the end.

The collaboration beers are always exciting. Are they planned really far in advance or do the guys just let you know, 'Hey we're gonna go do this. Get ready to sell it.'?

We know what style the beer is going to be before they start brewing. The reps from Left Hand and I get events set up before beers are released. Dan and I wanted to blow it up big in Virginia, so we worked on the tour for about 3 months getting everything lined up.

After Philly Beer Week you told me you were really impressed with the food at the bars in Philly. Where else in your territory are you finding great food?

Craft beer reps are lucky because great food and great beer come hand in hand. Almost everywhere I go for a market visit, I can find great food. Richmond, Arlington, Raleigh and Charlotte all have great places to eat. The food in Philly seems like it is raised up to another level though. Even the bar food is amazing!

2010 was your first Philly Beer Week right? What'd you think?

I thought that Philly Beer Week was a great time. It was hands down the best beer week that I have ever been a part of. So many great bars, great beers and great events... so little time. Hopefully I will get to help out again this year.

I've had a couple of retailers tell me how active Terrapin is in reaching out to them, showing the brewing facility, etc. How important is it to you guys to convey that sense of where the beer comes from to the people who ultimately end up selling directly to the consumer?

Its very important to us that the retailers have a sense of where the beer comes from. One of our goals is to connect Terrapin to our retailers in some capacity. Bridging that connection with our company and beer gives the retailer an experience they typically want to convey to the potential customer. We also believe that it is our role as a craft brewery to educate, show people about the brewing process, and tell the story of Terrapin.

What's in store for 2011? What do we need to keep an extra space in the fridge for?

2011 is going to be a great brewing year for us! Tomfoolery "Black Saison" is slated to be next in the Side Project lineup. We are also looking at brewing another beer in the "Crunkles" lineup to follow Capt'n Crunkles. The exact style is still under wraps, but it will be in the form of an IPA. Rye Squared and Monk's Revenge will also return in the Monster Beer Tour series this Spring.

In your dream cellar, what's the one case of beer that would never run out?

Geez... that's a tough question. I would say the original Liefmans Goudenband before they were shut down then reopened would have to be in there. But if it were my dream, and it is damnit! I would also have a case of Hopzilla!

*Ranger is pictured above with his awesome wife Kristin

Week #1 - Erik Lars Myers

2011-01-07T07:52:00.006-05:00

I met Erik Lars Myers (briefly) at Craft Brewers Conference in 2010. I'd sat in a panel titled 'Storytelling' that Erik was a part of and several of the things he'd keyed in on grabbed my attention. Drawing parallels from other experiences in his life and connecting them to Craft Beer was big for me as my mind tends to do something very similar, so I understood what he was trying to say and got a lot out of it. It was this panel that I learned of Erik's blog and began to follow his story more closely. As you'll read Erik is busy at work starting up a brewery of his own. Between his brewery's site and Erik's blog there's a lot of great brewing and industry info and both are great examples of incorporating social media into your webpage presence. After you read the interview check out this blog post and tromp around the Mystery Brewing website. There's a great story to catch up on.

I caught up with Erik just after he'd finished Siebel's Concise Course in Brewing Technology...

Looks like I caught you at an interesting time. What's your overall reaction to your time at Siebel in Chicago?

The Concise Course is kinda like brewery boot camp. They cover an enormous amount of information in a really short amount of time, which can be kind of intimidating. In a lot of ways, I wish it was harder; we spent 40 hours per week for two weeks sitting in a classroom watching Powerpoint presentations. It was a TON of information, but not particularly challenging. It might have been nice to have a field trip or two to see some practical applications of the information we were given. I think if you had spent some time in a brewery, it was probably a lot easier to see how it all fit together. The homebrewers in the class may have been a little overwhelmed at times.

I enjoyed it. I feel like I took a lot of practical information home with me, but experience is always the best teacher.

A lot of times when I'm on the road I find myself comparing beer culture to that which I'm used to at home. Any similarities or glaring differences between what's going on in Chicago and what you're used to in North Carolina or even just in Durham?

It’s interesting that you ask this because I thought about it a lot while I was in Chicago. I moved down to North Carolina from Boston in 2003. When I moved down, Boston was beginning its craft beer renaissance after the late-90’s lull that it went through. When I got to North Carolina, there was a 6% alcohol cap on beer and it was hard to find a good craft beer selection. I remember being really happy that I could find Yuengling Porter, and being really excited when a local bar finally got Widmer’s Hefeweissen in. There was really only one bar in the area with a decent beer selection (Tyler’s – they’re still a favorite) and one brewpub (Carolina Brewery – also still a favorite) that I liked and I spent a lot of time at those.

Once we “Popped the Cap” in 2005, beer culture in the state kind of exploded. We’ve had literally dozens of new breweries open, you started seeing a good selection of beer from other states and other countries and, in general, I’ve felt like North Carolina is as good a place to get a beer as anywhere else.

This past visit to Chicago sort of changed that view for me. The last time I was in Chicago was for the Craft Brewers Conference in April, and while I was really impressed by the vast selection of beer available, it seemed really inflated (and trust me, it was) because there were people from 1,000 other breweries in town, and a lot of them brought beer. This time, I had a different eye on the experience and what I realized is that North Carolina (wonderfully, really) still has a lot of growth ahead of it.

I noticed, this time, how much more variety is available in Chicago – but that’s not as simple as it sounds. I remember going into a package store in Chicago to look at the beer selection and thinking, “This is big, but there’s not that much more beer here than in the store right down the street from my house.” Truth. You’re probably talking about a 20% volume difference. Four aisles instead of three, but on the other hand, the store I have has five-tall shelves and this store only had three-tall shelves, so probably not even 20%. But the variety difference was significant.

It’s not so much that they have more or different breweries – obviously, they have more Midwestern breweries, and fewer Southern breweries. Our selection is opposite. But the types of beer represented were different. They were more adventurous. It wasn’t just your normal pale ale, IPA, APA, porter, stout kind of line up, but a lot more beer from breweries that were stretching limits a little: more sour beer, more barrel-aged stuff, more – and different – combo-styles like Black IPA or Belgian IPA, and a significantly larger availability of beers from around the rest of the world.

I think that the North Carolina beer culture is still early in its blossom. You certainly have small pockets of really special stuff down here, of really great variety and people who appreciate it, but the overall selection is still fairly staid.

I will say this in favor of North Carolina beer culture: If I am out at the store buying beer, I almost always buy local, North Carolina beer – not just because I like supporting my local brewery, but because we have a wide style selection and they’re all well-made. It’s really pretty great.

The deficit in the beer availability is not what’s locally made, but what’s imported into the state by distributors. The local breweries get it, but I think the distributors are still lagging behind.

With North Carolina really on the rise in all things beer, how important is it for the NC Brewer's Guild to have a website that is a constant source of information for people to know just how much is going on with the state's brewers?

It’s vital.

We’re a pretty tech savvy state – we’ve got a big financial and corporate population, a lot of great colleges and universities, and a quickly growing tech market. Those are people who are going to be checking in on the web pretty much constantly. They’re plugged in and ready to receive information, and they want to enjoy their local beer culture.

Geographically, we’re a big state with isolated population centers. Getting the word out physically – with billboards, or pamphlets, or even just showing up at beer festivals – is difficult.

We’re also a comparatively small beer-drinking population. I remember Sean at Fullsteam saying, a year or so ago, that if you work out the math (with a few guesstimates), that one out of every 100 beers consumed in North Carolina is a locally-produced craft beer – 1%.

We still have a lot of market to reach. The web is, by far, the most efficient way to reach it.

There are a good many brewers out there that will tell you they don't know the first thing about Twitter or Blogging or what they want their website to look like. How important is it becoming for craft breweries to find their voice in the social media world?

Oh man. I could write a book about this. The only thing that surprises me more than businesses without a Twitter account is a business that has a Twitter account but has no tweets.

Social media is like buying a billboard space where you can consistently control the message and where the people who see it are ALL interested in your product and ALL have the ability to share your billboard with countless others instantly. The only difference is that billboards cost a lot of money and social media costs a little time.

It’s ridiculous not to use it.

People like to say that craft breweries are really cutting edge in their use of technology, and I agree … in the brewhouse. On the computer, I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s because I’ve worked in the tech market. Are they more cutting edge in their technology use than the local yarn store? Sure, yeah. But, there’s still a long way to go for the whole industry.

Right now we have a few individuals in the industry that are really good, many who try who are on the right track but not quite there, and a wide swath that just don’t understand how to use technology to their advantage. A lot of people still think about social media as a noise machine – a new way to send out ads, or press releases or something – instead of a way to develop relationships with their fans.

With a lot of younger brewers and breweries coming of age it seems as though there's a shift happening where breweries are able to have their message travel further and quicker than in the past where many of today's long standing breweries had a longer regional and grass roots start up period. What else must a brewery with a hot internet buzz or awesome Twitter account do to ensure that their flame doesn't burn out when the next best brewery blows up on the internet?

First, you need to realize that just a buzz does not constitute your consistent loyal audience. There will be a lot of people who only key in on you at certain times. Your long-term audience, the ones that you need to be true to, are the ones that are following you AFTER the buzz dies down.

I think that the trap that people fall into is trying to come up with the next gimmick to keep attention on themselves, maybe by making a super-high alcohol beer, or packaging it inside a dead weasel. It works, but people get jaded.

I think that in order for a brewery to be most successful with social media and to use it best in the long-term, they need to get comfortable with the fact that they won’t always be the center of attention for everybody. (But you’ll always be the center of attention for somebody.) That next hot buzz brewery will also lose its buzz in a little while, and you need to be there for people to look back to when that bubble has burst.

The answer is: Come up with a consistent strategy, use it, stick to it, and let the buzz rise and fall around you.

Seeing your friend Sean Lily Wilson create an amazing presence on the web before his brewery opened, how hopeful or confident are you that Mystery Brewing Company will have the same allure and effect?

Heh. Sean is a tough act to follow. He’s an incredibly savvy marketer.

I do hope that I have a good web presence before opening, but I’m a little wary of getting people too involved online before I open the door. One of things that I observed with Fullsteam is that a few months before they had product out, there was a consistent kind of clamor online of, “So, where’s the beer? Where’s the beer?”

You can’t really fault him for it, either. Starting a brewery involves a lot of waiting and a lot of things that happen behind the scenes away from the (potential) customer’s eyes. It’s easy for them to become impatient because they see things as moving slowly when, in reality, things are moving as quickly as they can considering licensing, installation, inspections, and on and on and on. I know that Sean thought he was going to open well before he could, but was delayed for a myriad of unpredictable reasons. But that’s difficult to explain to someone who just wants to sit in a tavern and buy a beer.

I’m already starting to get those questions, privately, and I’m still months away from producing product, so I’m loathe to start that defense online. At the same time, I’m planning on opening the process up a little more than usual so that people can see why it’s taking so damn long.

I’m working on a redesign of my website right now (target January 2011 for wide release) and part of that is going to be regular updates of what’s going on inside the space and inside my head and trying to open up lines of communication between myself and people who are potentially interested in the brewery and my beer.

I really hadn't heard about Kickstarter until I started reading up on Mystery Brewing Co. I've got to imagine there was a sort of 'click and cross your fingers' thing going in the very beginning? Can you describe how you felt seeing the pledges reach and eventually exceed your goal?

I think “click and cross your fingers” is the most apt description I’ve heard of that first day. It is sickeningly terrifying to put your ideas and dreams (to say nothing of a video of yourself – ugh) out into a public forum and hope that people will like it enough to give you the money in order to do it. And, I’m not kidding myself – that was a lot of money. I worked my ass off for that thing, and I still consider myself incredibly lucky. Thus far, I’m the only brewery that’s tried to get any sort of significant amount of seed money via Kickstarter and succeeded.

The day that I reached my goal was a Tuesday. Tuesday, in my job at the time, was meeting day. The prior day and a half had seen an enormous pledge drive working through in which one particular interested party (and backer) had suggested doing a 50% matching-funds drive, so that for each $1 pledged in a certain time frame, they would pledge $0.50. It was an incredible opportunity, and I was trying to push it as hard as possible without annoying the ever-livin’ crap out of everybody that I knew (I probably failed at that particular goal). The matching-funds drive ended at noon on that Tuesday – which was exactly when I was supposed to be giving a presentation at a meeting.

So, at 11:00, with thousands of dollars left to go, I went to my meeting. At 1 PM, when I returned to my desk and checked in with Kickstarter I promptly gave up on getting any more work done for the rest of the day. We ended up raising a little over $17,000 over a 36-hour period (and we raised another $3,000 in the week after that). I was elated, excited, and actually physically shaking when I found out, but mostly? I was incredibly humbled.

Having your hopes and dreams validated and supported by your friends and family is amazing. But I also had them validated by well over 100 people that I didn’t know whatsoever. Over 50% of my backers are people that I don’t know. Some of them are convoluted relationships away: a friend’s friend’s father, an old roommate’s old roommate – that kind of thing. But it was also people who randomly saw a Facebook ad, or a Google ad, or picked up a random flyer in a coffee shop somewhere and decided: This sounds cool, I’m going to give money to it.

It really gives you a faith-in-humanity-type feeling.

It also makes you realize how many people like good beer.

I'm loving a lot of the words you've used to describe the beers you plan to brew at Mystery (Session, Heirloom, Non-traditional, Rustic), as well as your goal of, "Testing the boundaries of creativity and style". Can you go into detail about any of the first beers we'll be seeing?

Absolutely! One of the first beers I plan to make – and one that I hope will stick around through the years – is my saison. I’m a huge fan of dry beers, and an enormous fan of farmhouse ales, and they hit almost all of those words there.

My saison is just above the table beer range – right around 5% - and a good portion of the grist is rye. It gives the beer a lot of body for being light and dry and also lends a really fantastic peppery flavor that really blends into the fairly high noble hop character. What I think really makes it stand apart, though, is that I finish it with Centennial hops - but not with a ton – I’m getting enough hop character on it to really give you a nice round grassy and citrusy finish without obscuring the important flavors in the beer which, of course, come from the yeast.
I have my own saison yeast that I’ve been using for some time now. I cultured it out of a bottle a while back and have been making saisons with it for a little while. After one beer I noticed it go through a significant flavor change, and I called up a yeast scientist I know to have him isolate it and make sure it was clean.

Now, I’ve got it banked as a proprietary strain at White Labs. It’s a really robust yeast – my saisons finish off with a gravity right around 1 – and they ferment high. I’ve had fermentations range upward of 85F. They come out with a really wonderful ester profile. This yeast gives me a lot of pineapple/pear aromas and flavors that I think are really fantastic. It’s an incredibly refreshing beer.

In general, I’ll be making drier, more malt-driven beers, taking advantage of flavor differences in different malts AND grains – I use a lot of unmalted wheat, rye, and buckwheat – and using hops more as a spice than a forward-character of the beer. I like to think of beer a lot like cooking. If you made a nice lemon-rosemary chicken and it came out only tasting like rosemary and not like lemon or chicken, or even the wonderful caramelization that you get from cooking, I’m not sure you’d be entirely happy with the outcome. You certainly wouldn’t sell it, would you?

How widely do you plan to distribute upon opening?

Not very. My distribution philosophy is to go deep before going wide. Before I leave my area of North Carolina, I’d like to make sure that I have a solid distribution in local beer bars and, most importantly, good restaurants that are committed to serving good beer alongside good food, before I even distribute to the rest of the state, much less outside of it.

That said, if I can figure out how to make it work, I’d really like to have target release points in key cities and states that allow me to, say, have one tap handle in Boston, one tap handle in New York, one tap handle in Chicago, and one tap handle in San Francisco – something like that. The distribution laws are the bear, there, but if I can make it work that is what I’d like to do.

What is the primary thing you want people to know about Mystery Brewing Company as you get closer and closer to presenting your first beers for public consumption?

I guess the main thing that I want people to think about when they think of Mystery is of consistent quality. My plan involves changing the beer lineup a lot – like all the time: seasonal-only, no flagship, or whatever. If you love my saison, be ready for the summer because that’s when you’ll get it, that kind of thing. What I want as my consistent point is quality. I want every beer that leaves my brewery to be the absolute best it can be so that when a person sees a Mystery beer on tap somewhere, if they haven’t had it before, I want them to say to themselves: I need to try that; their beer is always great.

So I want people to know: The beers may change, but the quality will always be in the same place.

What it is (and what it will be)...

2011-01-06T10:37:00.002-05:00

Ok, so this whole thing gets under way tomorrow morning and the general goal will be to post these every Friday. Before it gets rolling though I wanted to give you a little background, let you know where I'm coming from and what to expect.

My travels with New Holland Brewery have taken me to so many places I'd not have gone or known about and allowed me to meet such cool, great interesting people. There are so many different things going on in the craft beer industry and so many people to learn from. My hope is that as you check in on this project you will learn some new faces and names in craft beer and also learn a bit more about the people you already know. At the same time I hope to shed light on some of the things that fly under the radar, but are so crucial to the way craft beer works, is made, is distributed, is enjoyed, is read about, is learned, and is perceived.

Let's see what happens. See you tomorrow.

The Year of the Interview

2011-01-03T12:12:00.002-05:00

So it's that time of year again: grand announcements, plans, resolutions, plots, schemes, promises. I've hung up my camera on the other blog and have something new and interesting that I'm hoping people enjoy as much as I have in the few weeks I've been working on it so far:

In 2011 I will post one interview about beer right here on the Grain Bill every single week. 52 interviews covering every aspect of the beer industry and this beer culture of ours. I am really excited for the interviews I've already completed and just as excited to see where the project goes from here. So don't be shy beer people, if you want to be involved drop me a line. Posting begins this week....be on the lookout.

I Christmas Alone....the winter mix

2010-12-28T08:12:00.004-05:00

Aimed at the first snow of the winter I am just about on time with the delivery of my winter mix, a depressing collection of songs to keep those cold days more bitter than sweet. A note: The idea for this mix was born during the making of Creature Comforts as I would come across songs I liked, but kept saying, "Too sad" as I tossed them back on the heap.

So for no reason other than my own amusement I offer you, "I Christmas Alone...Just Quietly Awesome" my attempt at one of the most depressing Christmas CDs of all time. I should also note the contributions of Bob Marley & The Wailers of all people, who curated this mix with me as I found several old songs of theirs that were just as sad as anything else you'd want to hear at 3 AM on a snowy night while you stare at the windows with a drink in hand, just waiting for the sharp scrape of a plow to come along and cut everyone's dreams of a snow day down to bare asphalt. Enjoy!

Tracks below....

Tracklist:

1. Intro - Throw A Blanket Over Me
2. There She Goes - Bob Marley & The Wailers
3. Long, Long Winter - Curtis Mayfield
4. The Rains Came - Big Sambo & The Housewreckers
5. If At Last - ???
6. Can't Believe That You're Gone - Denny Beline & The Blues Busters
7. Here Today - The Beach Boys
8. I'm Not Bitter - The Minus 5
9. Eyepennies - PJ Harvey (w/ Sparklehorse)
10. It Hurts To Be Alone - The Wailers
11. In The Station - Armando Piazza
12. Bodies & Minds - Great Lake Swimmers
13. Secrets - Edison Woods
14. View From Below - The Minus 5
15. Winter's Going - Bonnie Dobson
16. Thunder In My Heart - Timmy Shaw
17. My Cup - Bob Marley & The Wailers
18. How Can You Be So Cold - Lee Mitchell
19. Nobody Cares For Me - Lloyd Henriques
20. Send Me That Love - Bob Marley & The Wailers
21. Sing It Again - Beck
22. Outro - We Need The Eggs......

(...I'm sorry to you for my body...and my mind.)

1/1/11......it begins.

2010-12-02T10:10:00.001-05:00

I've got news. The Grainbill is going B I G in 2011. As Adam Mundy would say, 'Stay Tuned'..........................

A Full Explanation of Subtlety, Balance, and Moderate ABV Levels is in order so that people that talk loudly and proudly start to get it...

2010-10-24T10:15:00.004-04:00

Maybe I'll get on here and do that one day.

Hey Grainbill, I still love ya kid.

I'm tired of people mistaking balance for boredom. One day they'll get big boy tastebuds and understand.

Creature Comforts - Fall of 2010

2010-09-23T22:57:00.003-04:00

The planned fall mix and what actually ended up becoming the fall mix are two entirely different things, although the theme has more or less remained intact. What started as a collection of thoughts and ideas from my friends followed often by songs that those same friends have shared with me turned, originally out of neccessity, into a look at what my own creature comforts seem to be. Fall is a time of year for me that I find hard to put fully into words. The way that this season changes is more satisfying or awakening or inspiring to me than the others and it always marks the coming of my ideal climate and favorite holidays. ("And hoodies, everybody loves hoodies" - Harvey Globetrotter, B-Reel) One day I'll move to where it's fall all the time.

To all those friends I called, recorded, or threatened to call and record: Maybe next time, my technology game is not yet at the level to pull it all off properly. Some of the songs are just too good for me to not lead in with a few words from the friends that showed them to me...so they'll have to wait. Others are here though, along with songs and artists that I really love listening to. Hope you enjoy. Tracklist will be down below. As always, I suggest some headphones and going in without the tracklist the first time around.

Creature Comforts - Dr. Joel (Fall 2010)

Intro - Comforts
Market Fresh - Broken Social Scene
Michigan Girls - Califone
Dynamite Walls - Hayden
Street People - Bobby Charles
Jesus Was A Capricorn - Kris Kristofferson
I Still Miss Someone - Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band
He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart) - Levon & The Hawks
Better Day - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
Mykonos - Fleet Foxes
Eugene - Andrew Bird
Cosmos & Demos - Devendra Banhart
Island Cottage - Sea Oleena
Early Morning - Troyka
The Wild Kindness - Silver Jews
Gotta Cheer Up - Cotton Jones Basket Ride
Ferdinand The Imposter - The Band
Christ For President - Billy Bragg & Wilco
Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window - Bob Dylan
Outro - Learn Cheap...and Spin on the Wheel

PITTSBURGH!

2010-06-04T09:08:00.001-04:00

Events, Events, Events

2010-05-17T15:58:00.003-04:00

Welcome To American Craft Beer Week! For many of us every week is American Craft Beer Week: We're going to our local brewpub, drinking some of our favorite beers at home or out with friends, brewing our own beer, reading through brewery websites and books and blogs. This week is about expanding those ideas and extending the reach of the overall message of all things American Craft Beer. I can hear my buddy Hoge from Highland Brewing Co right now, perched atop a bar in the Outer Banks, "Thanks for coming out here tonight to drink American...Craft...Beer!" This week breweries across the country are celebrating with special events, special beers on at their pubs, and a host of other great ways to toast this beer we all love so dearly.

Just as we approach Philly Beer Week very soon there's still time to get out this week and drink some great beer before a little rest for the insane amount of events for PBW 2010. Here's what I'm up to....

Weds, May 19 - 6pm to ? - Beer & Cheese Night @ Craft Ale House w/ New Holland Brewery & Calkins Creamery

Jay from Calkins and myself will be on hand tasting beer & cheese with a nice list of pairings for the night. Calkins will be showcasing some of the delicious products from their farm in Honesdale, PA and I will be featuring some great beers including one which will be tapped for the first time in the Philly area.

Fri May 21 - Beer Academy @ Bella Vista Distributors - $5 (includes class and samples)

A discussion and presentation on all things New Holland. I'll dive into the history of our brewery and brewing philosophy, present our portfolio and speak on our ideas, plans, and motivations in a rousing fashion. Call Bella Vista for any other details.
*I'll also be grabbing a piping hot bowl of pho beforehand if anyone cares to join me...email me

NEXT UPDATE: Philly Beer Week 2010, my plans, my events, and my deep thoughts.....

Aristan Spirits

2010-05-06T12:40:00.001-04:00

Envious and You

2010-04-21T14:08:00.002-04:00

These are the places in the Philly area/burbs that I know have Envious right now. I will announce more as it gets there. Very, very limited so this is the only place I'll put the info out there.

Right now:

Union Jack's Manatawny
Capone's

Soon:

A place that I eat and drink at quite frequently (other than my kitchen)

&

A place that I'll pair beer & cheese soon on the date the beer and cheese will be paired

&

A place I have DJ'd at

News'd Up and Updating

2010-04-19T10:14:00.002-04:00

- Recent Interview with Amy Strauss (yes, THE Amy Strauss!) on my other blog as well as my duties with New Holland Brewing Company. Read it HERE.

- Looking to do a snappy little review of Louisville, KY when I get some time. New places opening, existing places that I finally got a chance to check out, maybe even some etc's.

- Big trip to North Carolina starting tomorrow that will include a Michigan Beer Dinner at one of my favorite places anywhere, The Raleigh Times Bar, World Beer Fest Raleigh, and several events that will include a moped rally, a hidden beer tasting, and a pig pickin' with great beer called Swine Spectator. Recaps will abound.

- Did my part to close out Sly Fox's original Phoenixville location yesterday. After about 15 years in one spot the guys and gal's will trot across the street and be ready for the masses when the goats run on May 2.

The car's about to be packed up with beer gear and lots of new tunes. So in celebration I leave you with this song that's been stuck in my head for days:

This Is About Cows

2010-03-04T04:11:00.007-05:00

So you know the part in, “I am a Craft Brewer” when the line, “I don’t put corn in my beer” is delivered? Well that means a lot. Yes because of tradition, yes because it’s a representative ingredient in a product that We all agree is inferior yet sold as gold, but also because it represents a downward spiral in agriculture, consumerism, moral responsibility and the reshaping of modern man the likes of which I can only really hope to comment on in this blog post.

Admittedly, I’m just a student of what I am about to go on a tour de force rant about. I know details beyond the surface level, but every fact, number, reason, and explanation aren’t something I can give you. If you are truly interested, curious, or looking for a deeper study of this I would recommend the book Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and the films Food, Inc and The Future of Food to gain a clearer understanding. From there a lot more information is available, but these are great places to start.

My introduction to this corn thing really started as I began to think more and more about the Craft Beer Drinker. What do I think the Craft Beer Drinker is, what do I think the Craft Beer Drinker does when they’re not drinking craft beer? Where do they eat? What else is in their fridge? These are just a couple of the questions that came to be, but they’re important ones. At some point somewhere in my travels something caught my eye or my ear. For all the people I’ve shared a conversation or a beer with over the past few years I’d noticed that this thing called Craft Beer was either a springboard or landing pad for a lot of other great things associated with quality in people’s lives. Some people, like me, arrived at an appreciation for great cheese through beer pairings, the work of great chefs and their approaches to cuisine through beer dinners or exciting alignments of craft brewers and great restaurants, and an alternative to the white bread, corn-fed, genetically modified groceries all around me. Other people had this great understanding of great food and in many cases wine or spirits and when craft beer came of age it only made sense for them to include it in their pursuits of quality.

This led me to the farmer’s market. That led me to talking to people who rely on their community to keep themselves and their land alive. This led me (eventually, after a couple more stops) to a golf course on the western side of Michigan and the 2009 Hatter Days Golf Outing for New Holland Brewery’s 12th Anniversary. We had a gentleman get up and speak to our impressive assortment of brewery staff, wholesale partners, retail account guests, and friends of all those mentioned afore. I’ll find out the man’s name and post it here, but he spoke to us all about the importance of supporting our communities by supporting the local folks who live and work in our communities. Michigan was hit hard by the recent economic downturn and this rally cry was heartfelt and important, but most vital for me was the following fact:

"$.68 of every dollar spent stays in your community when you buy from a local business, only $.43 stays when you spend the same dollar in a chain store*."

This was aided later when I was doing a beer tasting at Bocktown Beer & Grille in Pittsburgh when I noticed a sign on the wall with the same statistic, but issuing the following challenge, “If you spend $50 per month at a local business rather than a chain then X amount of dollars would remain in the community…now if every employed citizen in Pittsburgh did the same thing then X amount of dollars would remain in the city”. I can tell you, the number was really impressive. (UPDATE: Some coverage of the 3/50 Project with my homie Dilla HERE.)

I’ve seen the same set of facts reported a few different ways and depending on the particulars of each study the results do change slightly, but the main point is a that you’ll always be keeping more money in the community, amongst your neighbors, amongst people who have taken a chance on turning a passion into a profession, amongst people who have the same concerns as you about what goes on in the town and city that surrounds you by supporting locals. Starting to sound a bit like the explanation of why you support craft beer that you’ve undoubtedly told to a family member at dinner or an acquaintance at a party or in the office or maybe even the guy sitting next to you at the bar? I’ve done it, I’ve watched other people do it; it happens all the time. We support craft brewers because they are taking the time (and courage) to craft something that is not the zombified commercial shell of what this product used to or should be. We support them because they’re the little guy and we believe in them… and we know they can’t do it without us. We operate craft breweries for the same reasons, we are passionate about giving people a great product, keeping traditions alive while making new ones and making a statement that there is more to beer than what you see on TV and are bombarded with as marketing dollars and teams build towering displays deploying sales gimmick after sales gimmick.

So what on Earth does this have to do with corn? Well let’s take a trip to the farm right quick…As of the end of 2000 corn was being grown on 72.7 million acres of American land and was sold for about $15 billion in that calendar year (Source: EPA http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html ). Pretty awesome for farmers right? Well there’s one small problem with that: It’s way, way, way more corn than we actually need. So much so that it drops corn prices to the point where corn is bought for less than it costs to produce it. So a lot of these farmers operate at a loss and receive government subsidies to ‘even things out’ if you will. So if we’ve got way more corn than we need how will we possibly eat it all? Well, we can turn some into ethanol and require fuel companies to use it in the gas for our cars, we can use it to make tires, toothpaste, body lotion, batteries, glue, & shoe polish, we can have scientists turn it into high fructose corn syrup and then have research teams figure out how to tap into America’s ‘elastic appetite’ and feed us way more calories than our bodies actually need (making us the fattest and unhealthiest version of humans in all of history)**.

There is another solution for all that corn, but first, more bad news: Growing that much corn is pretty bad for the land too. Traditionally crops were rotated to give the soil a chance to regain its nutrients from the sun properly, for more humus to build up in the soil to keep the land strong. No worries though, a seed company just went ahead and genetically modified seeds so that corn can be grown over and over again as long as they’ve got a steady supply of fertilizers and are kept safe by pesticides. Damn all those fossil fuels it takes to keep this part of the supply chain chugging along, damn the drinking water, damn those farmers who wanted to save their own seeds and farm traditionally (they faced lawsuits even if the genetically modified seed pollen blew onto their crops thus germinating them and making them property of the Monsanto Corporation). Granted the latter half of the damning was over soybeans, but they’re produced in just as much over abundance as corn, they just don’t bring in as much money.

So what else could we do with all that extra corn. I mean it’s not like we could take an animal whose body was never meant to eat and digest corn, whose role in the food chain involved digesting the grass that humans can’t (not until we all grow a rumen anyway) so that when we eat them we finally get those nutrients from the grass, who had a great part in naturally fertilizing land and restoring nutrients…I mean we couldn’t just feed it to that animal, right? Could we?

Of course we could. The appeal of corn-fed beef kind of seems less appealing when you realize that cows were never supposed to eat corn in the first place. It makes them sick. Here’s the upside though, it fattens them up quicker and makes for pretty marbling once they’ve been butchered so they only have to eat it for the better part of a year because they’re taken to slaughter at the age of 14 to 15 months rather than 3 or 4 or 5 years like they were when they grazed and ate grass. Oh plus, they don’t have it so bad, I mean they’re pumped full of antibiotics so they can survive the changes happening due to the completely unnatural change of diet. Them’s good eats. And people have the nerve to talk square about foie gras.

So then, before the cows there’s big piles of corn and all the fuel it takes to move them. Then there’s the cows it’s fed to who’re then made into hamburger meat and steaks for the supermarket and for the Applebee’s down in the shopping center and all the fuel it takes to move that around across the country. But hey, you can get a cheeseburger for $1 at the drive thru. As a result of this system of growing corn with fossil fuel, transporting it with fossil fuel, feeding it to cows who need antibiotics (some made with corn) just to eat it, transporting their meat with fossil fuel, etc, etc, that dollar burger actually comes at a pretty great expense, no?

Alright then, let’s wrangle this thing back in here so I can be on my way. What else can we do with the corn? Let’s use it in the beer. I mean corn liquor harkens back to great old-timey traditions, no? So why not put it in a manly beer, a beer that says “I am American” a beer with a taste as cold as a mountain (does that even makes sense? “Mmm my beer tastes as cold as a mountain range,”) a beer that can be made and sold cheaply and advertised to oblivion since people buy what they are told to buy. Corn in beer is more than just a junk ingredient going into a junk product. It’s a statement that the people who control huge sums of money (I won’t even try to tackle the political side of this corn thing) can alter the way the ground beneath us is used, alter the natural environment, diet, and quality of life of the better part of an entire species (wow, am I talking about the cows or the humans now?) and in some very distinct cases poison people (did I not mention E Coli is a major situation with these cows?) all in the name of Bigger, Faster, Cheaper.

I’m not up for that. I’m not too interested in it. Am I completely immune to it? No way. It’s bordering on impossible to cut industrial corn out of your life, however, I can make a lot of conscious decisions about who I look to when it’s time to fill my fridge. Forks Farm, Mountain View Poultry, Country Time Farm, and Backyard Bison all have amazing meats raised humanely and sell at my local farmer’s market. Birchrun Hills & Shellbark make great cheeses and Jack’s Farm, North Star Orchard, and Charlestown Farm also all sell at the market and some of these folks (many of them, and more) sell to my local natural foods grocer Kimberton Whole Foods. Some of them supply local restaurants like Alba. Other local farms will supply some up and coming bar/restaurants (more on that later) and the list of restaurants in the burbs and in the city utilizing the efforts of PASA and Buy Fresh, Buy Local are growing and growing.

The point of the story is that in some ways junk beer and junk groceries and junk habits of consuming low quality substitutes for great, fresh, local food products go hand in hand. It’s time to take ownership of this standard of quality that people hold dearly and will wax verbose about after a few tulips of big beer. Talk the talk, but finish the sentence. Walk the walk, but leave the trail in better shape than you found it. Drink good, eat good, buy good.

* http://www.bigboxtoolkit.com/images/pdf/Premium.pdf from http://www.newrules.org/retail/rules/economic-impact-review

** http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=10

Have a few jars...

2010-02-22T09:35:00.003-05:00

After a (okay I'm gonna keep in line with the title here) brilliant beer brunch at Teresa's Next Door yesterday - which saw friends, family, and a long standing Pennsylvania Restuarant Dude licking his plate clean - there's some serious beer to be had a TND right now. From New Holland the following are currently on tap:

2008 Black Tulip Tripel
2008 Night Tripper Imperial Stout
Poet Oatmeal Stout (On Cask)
Mad Hatter IPA
Charkoota Rye Smoked Doppelbock

Go in for a few jars mate. I've got to run to the Iron City for a couple days here so I'll have to see what's standing upon my return.

Also, gear up for more beer and chocolate action - come to Friendfest!

Of Ganache & Grain

2010-02-16T10:46:00.007-05:00

Beer & Chocolate have been a major theme for me in February: a point of press, pairing, study, & enjoyment I've borrowed my Dad's sweet tooth for this whitewashed second month of ours. I've tasted through a grand amount of really great truffles, chocolates, caramels, & fruit pastes and had great beer to sip along with them every step of the way. At this point halfway through the month the result of some of these tastings have come to light, others have been training grounds or practice runs for the beer & chocolate that await later in the month. Here's the rundown:

Tasting Beer & Chocolate at Aux Petits Delices:
A morning of pairing hosted by Chef Patrick Gauthron and led by Matt Guyer for the always up for beer time local website AroundMainLine.com - check out the story HERE.

Friendfest's Elite Pairing Study:
Preparation (i.e. tasting, making notes, tasting again, making more notes) with the chocolates of Gail Ambrosius which will be paired with beer from New Holland Brewery at a special presentation during Friendfest at the Kutztown Fairgrounds in Kutztown, PA on 2/27. I'll be guiding the tasting session and speaking on both the chocolate and the beer. (Tickets available but moving quickly. Tickets for the Festival as well as tickets for the pairing available HERE.) To learn more about Friend Inc's community service efforts check out their website.

Savor 2009 Beer & Chocolate Salon:
So finally in preperation for Friendfest I've been listening to the Ambrosius Chocolate & New Holland Brewery beer and chocolate Salon from Savor 2009 courtesy of our friend Jeff Bearer at Craft Beer Radio. You can listen to the Salon HERE, and while you're on the site check out a few episodes of Craft Beer Radio. The Savor Salon was hosted by Gail Ambrosius & The Beervangelist, Fred Beultmann.

In betweener

2010-02-14T09:08:00.003-05:00

A Valentine's related post is on it's way (well, as close as we get to Valentine's Day around here anyway), but til then read up on some winter beers since we are most certainly still in winter mode.

Linksalot

2010-02-10T17:24:00.006-05:00

I am spending these snowy days trying to decide whether or not to unleash my always-curious-now-confirmed-nourished-and-ready-to-blow-in-a-fireball-of-hippie-protester-do gooder-i'm mad as hell and just can't take it anymore-look-craft-beer-drinker, "Your discerning palate can't stop at the beer fridge if you're going to talk trash on trash beer, because trash bread and trash beef and trash produce is the same trash" explosion-of-what-i've-been-planning-to-post kinda way. So for now I'm just gonna put up a whole bunch of links for you folks sitting at work or at home or on a bus and want to be entertained by the kinds of things I like or find entertaining or humorous. So enjoy.

Your pal,

Dr. Joel Linksalot

Food:
Scrapple was born where I live. And Phoodie is one of my all time favorite websites.

I'm knee deep (well considering it's February I guess I'm only ankle deep) into a project for the year. So I'm plugging my other blog. It's HERE.

Crif Dogs NYC - Haven't been, but fills a recurring theme in my life.

The Institute - They've got a new menu, ya know. Heather & Charlie are the Karl Malone / John Stockton of the Philly bar game.

Two Guys That I Absolutely Love .
Seriously, if you're squemish about seeing animals in that in between stage of alive and on your plate don't click the link in the period.

Entertainment:

One Man Dancing

My man Michael Pollan on Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me

Some of my favorite episodes of This American Life

The sketch that started it all.

Mr. Show

Ok, Let's Get Serious for a Few:

Talyor Mali

Saul Williams

"Hot As A Pistol"

Music (The MPC Edition):

Jel

Exile

Rootdown

Araab

The Thriller Routine

And Then Because .

Beer Dining At Tuskies

2010-01-30T11:20:00.008-05:00

So the first full day on the road put me in the gentle hands of one of my favorite people to work with, Jon from Hop & Wine Beverage in Virginia. Hop & Wine distributes our beer to all of Virginia as well as DC and they do a mighty job of it. Working with Jon is always about more than just selling beer though, it's about the food. It's fitting that our final destination for the night was the Tuscarora Mill since we'd fattened ourselves with lunch there last summer (Read about it), but we had many things to see, do, and eat before we'd get there. A tasting at Red, White, & Bleu was in order for purposes of spreading my professional gospel. Last time I was in Falls Church the Stachowski meats were just starting to get out and about and this was where I'd learned about them (and tasted an amazing Duck Proscuitto). The charcuterie case was looking strong and Stachowski accounted for the vast majority. I need to ship some of this stuff back to PA soon or just end one of my trips in VA for a change so I can bring some of his amazing offerings home with me.

So after a bit of wheeling, dealing, peddling, tasting, and instigating we needed to eat some food. Now Jon has made sure I've been well fed in the past but on this day he, literally, looked me in the eye, thought for a second and said, "You're ready for Super Chicken."

Now I'm fired up. I'm going into the intersanctum of Local Gem Dining. The Northern VA/DC area has quite a bit of Peruvian Chicken stops: Crisp & Juicy, El Pollo Rico, Super Chicken, the list actually goes on and on. Jon assured me that Super Chicken was the one and only place I needed to be concerned about.

Peruvian Chicken is a preparation that employs a spice rub (cumin, paprika, and others) and rotisserie style cooking to produce a succulent and delicious chicken flanked by two sauces: Aji & Huancaina. To read up on read ups...click it.

As you stand in line and look at the clever quartering out delicious looking birds you stare right into the mouth of the spit....

As you move down and choose sides (Yucca, Plantains, salads, Peruvian style fried rice) you also choose your cut, pay up, and hope for a seat. I couldn't have been more excited to eat Super Chicken. I was starving, it had been built up so perfectly by Jon, and the whole joint smelled delicious.

Hot damn, was that good. I actually peeked back at my phone several times through the day at that picture wondering when I'd eat food as good again, not remembering it would be only a few hours until Jon & I were deep in the plates of fine food. Eventually we rounded out the sales day and fancied up for dinner. Tuscarora Mill, (as you've read from my link above) was a highlight meal of 2009 for me. From the day we were sitting at Tuskies for lunch I made it a point to get lined up with a beer dinner and just 6 months later the preparations had been made, the tickets sold, the tasting meeting held (that's a meeting I wish I was in town for), and the night had come. We had about 27 people for dinner, which isn't too shabby for a January night in my estimation. Chef Patrick Dinh took a multi-ethnic approach to the dinner menu and really knocked everyone's socks off. By the time he and his sous-chef came out to speak everyone was ready with a hearty round of applause.

So without further ado, a walk through Tuscarora Mill & New Holland Brewery's most recent beer dinner:

Thai Spiced Beef Jerky & Daikon Pickles with Full Circle Kolsch Style Ale

Moroccan Chicken On Cous Cous with Preserved Lemon & Olives with Golden Cap Saison

Spicy Caramel Pork On Sticky Rice with Cashews & Tangy Onions with Cabin Fever Brown Ale

Sesame Seared Lamb Loin On Crispy Noodle Cake with Napa Cabbage with Imperial Mad Hatter

Bourbon & Cola Braised Short Ribs with Smoked Coleslaw & German Potato Salad with Dragon's Milk

Banana Creme Pie with Macadamia Crust with 2006 & 2008 Vintages of Pilgrim's Dole Barrel Aged Wheat Wine

The food was incredible, the pairings were spot on, the beer was tasting wonderful. For night one of a two and a half week journey things were certainly getting off on the right food I'd say. More to follow, but enough for now.

Homeward Bound

2010-01-28T08:04:00.003-05:00

This is what I did....

View Larger Map

And now I'm coming home to cool my heels before the next big run. I've got updates coming: A beer dinner recap, an easter egg to my new blog, some pictures of food in the form of a January highlight reel. Possible rambling about Giant Eagle Market District's complete owning of Wegman's in the chain grocer with everything (but competitive beer margins) to offer category, who even knows what else. Until then...tunes that got my through the miles:

Beer Brunching with Teresa's Next Door

2010-01-08T17:46:00.005-05:00

Just announced, just figured out, just causing my stomach to grumble in anticipation.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21st @ Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, PA

New Holland Beer Brunch

COURSE 1
Fruit Terrine & Black Tulip Sabayon served with Black Tulip Belgian Tripel

COURSE 2
Biscuits & Charkoota Rye Sausage Gravy served with Charkoota Rye Smoked Dopplebock

COURSE 3
Dragon's Milk Pastry served with Dragon's Milk

$25 / seat (price covers food & beer - reserve in advance)

All beers will be on tap in addition to Mad Hatter IPA and a cask conditioned version of the Poet Oatmeal Stout on the handpump. Get in touch with Teresa's to reserve your seat.

2009: The Year in Pictures

2010-01-01T10:59:00.028-05:00

I did take a healthy amount of pictures in 2009, so here's what the year looked like for me. I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I should have, but this is a pretty good idea of what the year was like for me. First time on the West Coast, a day on the farm canning tomatoes, food, beer, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, hiking, records, abandoned amusement park, hotels..........

to look at any picture a little bigger just click on it.

So here's the deal....

2010-01-01T10:09:00.007-05:00

...the deal is that I'm taking on a new adventure for a new year. In the small troposphere that is my blog it's fitting that this post comes on the heels of the Hot Dog Tour post because I had this idea on that very day. For all of 2010, exactly one year, from the last bites of my dessert after the clock ticked 2009 to the past to whatever bites i'm eating as 2011 is ready to become real i will be taking a picture of every single thing that i eat. A year in food. I am really excited for this and looking back through my mental slideshow I kind of wish I'd done it for '09.

So I won't be posting every single day or anything like that (i mean i'm struggling to keep it at a monthly basis these days), but i will definitely drop picture updates here and there when something comes along. Everything from the biggest meal to the smallest bite or handfull of something, it will all be photographed. I've got a logging format already worked out in my little food notebook and I'm ready to roll. I won't be rating the food or anything like that, but i figure there'll be a lot to be told just by looking at the log itself.

I don't really know what I plan to do with this once it's done, but i've got a year to figure out the 'why' part of this thing. Google informed me that this has already been done and put into a book . I might grab the book and hang onto it until I'm done. Like I said, no idea why i'm doing this, but i'd just as soon not have outside influence so it becomes whatever it's supposed to become. So then. Without further ado, the first thing I ate in 2010....

January 1 - 12:01 a.m.
Toasted Hazelnut Cake w/ carmelized figs & marscapone sorbet
Majolica: Phoenixville, PA

So that's the deal. If you see me eating something, please remind me to take a picture of it. I just realized this clementine went down without so much as a thought towards taking a pic.

January 1 - 10:29 a.m.
Clementine (Roxy)
At home: Phoenixville, PA

Happy New Year!

Iron City Hot Dog Tour

2009-12-04T23:32:00.026-05:00

Something that's been in the works for a few weeks now finally came about on my most recent trip to Pittsburgh. And while I'm on the subject here's my deal with Pittsburgh: I didn't like it at first, like not at all - but now I'm a huge fan. I didn't really know that you had to 'get the hang' of a city, but each time I've gone to Pittsburgh for work in the last year and a half or so (maybe 7 or 8 trips now) I like it more and more. It's all neighborhoods (sound familiar?), there's such cool stuff to do and there's some darn good food. They have a lot of traditions and unique touches which are definitely signs of a good city.

So one thing that people I talk to are surprised to hear is that Pittsburgh is a big Hot Dog town. My initial thought was that the six pack shops choose hot dogs to get past Pennsylvania laws regarding the sales of beer as singles and six packs. Easy to make, throw some tables in the joint and away we go. This is supported by hot dogs being found in some places with amazing beer selections - D's Sixpacks & Dogs in Swissvale and Three Sons in Wexford. But alas, the dogs and no beers joints popped up in conversation too. This is seriously a great town to eat hot dogs in.

Its tough, I mean I've been making major strides this year in eating better, yet my fondness for street food and simple food in general hasn't ebbed or waned or whathaveyinz. And really, who passes up an invitation to a hot dog tour?

So my tour guide & esteemed cohort prepared the proper document (and a batch of homemade bacon ice cream to commemorate the occasion) and before I knew it I was in Oakdale getting ready to take to the streets on a rainy afternoon into evening into the night. Mentally I was ready for this. Coming off of an 8 day vacation that revolved largely around eating, then Thanksgiving this seemed easy. And if you're sitting there wondering if we could handle it I will just spoil it for you right now: We made with ease.

When discussions began about this epic trip through the weinered underbelly began we weren't sure if we needed contraints to really make this a scientific look at these dogs or if we ordered the house specialty when available. Parts of us wanted to, sure, but really I think we approached it correctly using the 'just order what you want' mentality. This would hold true throughout the tour with the exception of our first stop.

The Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe has several locations in the Pittsburgh area. We hit the Green Tree location because it made the most sense for our route. Keep in mind there were some breaks in here, but the first two stops were something like 4 miles apart so it was a good and smart circuitous route, but the pace is what made all of this possible. So this stoppe (get that?) went against the grain in that I was told what to order. Certain places just have that thing that you've got to get and if you can't take a recommendation from your tour guide, who can you take one from?

We started off the tour with not only a chili cheese dog for each of us, but an order of chili cheese fries too. Because at Brighton, that's just what you're supposed to get.

A handbook was produced by the ever talented tour guide and we used it at each shop to rate and take notes on our dogs. There was a rating scale of 1 to 5 dogs across several categories. You'll notice the categories below as I show you my personal rating at each place.

Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe

Type of Dog Ordered: Chilli Cheese Dog

Dog Presentation: 3 Dogs
Dog Quality: 3.5 Dogs
Bun Quality: 4 Dogs
Toppings: 4 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 4.5 Dogs

Notes:

Presentation wise, I believe that with dogs sloppy can be good. But you've got to go all the way if you're going that route. Could have been more onions and they could've been bigger. Chili & Cheese combo was divine. I've definitely had much less flavorful chili than this on a dog.

Overall Score = 18 dogs (out of a possible 25)

On to the second stop we went. As I said, just about 4 miles or so from stop to stop. This one was not only new to me, of course, but also new to my tour guide. I knew looking at the menu one trip wasn't going to do the trick, but man did it leave an impression.

The website-less Dormont Dogs was a cute little joint in the middle of a neighborhood setup with just four tables or so. I got the impression that it's mostly a takeout joint for locals. This was our first taste of the "gourmet-style" dog for the day.

I threw a dangerous curveball in the Dormont ordering line. After my guide ordered up her dog I audibled from my original plan and placed an order for two dogs. This sent a look of shock across both of our faces. Ask me about an impulse buy and I’ll tell the story of the Arkansas Ave. Dog, the daily special on the day of our visit. Only the second stop of the trip and I already can’t resist ordering us into the danger zone of stomach busting oblivion by piling the Arkansas on top of my Illinois Ave and her Memphis Ave Dog.

Hers was a combo of cheese, those fried onions (think green bean casserole), and bbq sauce (pictured solo, above) and mine were as follows (pictured in a pair, above):

Illinois Ave Dog - a pretty classic Chicago dog (as you can see) although instead of sport peppers the used ringed banana peppers. We would find an authentic Chicago style dog later on in the tour.

Arkansas Ave Dog - A really surprising dog. Sounded on good on a chalkboard, appearance made me feel as though I may encounter 'the buyer's remorse', but it completely won me over by being absolutely delicious. It was a dog with melted cheddar, bacon, horseradish sauce, and green onions. Visually I was made nervous by the melted cheese slice (if you're gonna do a hot dog tour you're signing up for heart attack cheese and when you don't get it it's kind of a let down) and minor amount of creamy horseradish sauce, but I've gotta say this was a near perfect dog. Each bite was better and better. The combo (and proportions) of ingredients were just perfect for this dog.

Dormont Dogs - 2911 Glenmore Avenue, Pittsburgh

Type of Dog Ordered: Illinois Ave

Dog Presentation: 5 Dogs
Dog Quality: 4.5 Dogs
Bun Quality: 3.5 Dogs
Toppings: 4.5 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 4.75 Dogs

Notes:
Pretty darn close to a Chicago dog. Mustard was on point - peppers were yellow banana peppers though. My fear confirmed: fancy dog = fancy bun. Bun was good, there was just too much of it. Took away from the great things going on with the dog itself.

Overall Score: 22.25 Dogs

Type of Dog Ordered: Arkansas Ave

Dog Presentation: 4.5 Dogs
Dog Quality: 4.25 Dogs
Bun Quality: 4 Dogs
Toppings: 4.75 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 4.75 Dogs

Notes:
Wow! Sleeper. Had a lot working against it on the plate, but everything worked together perfectly. Bun vs. Ingredients battle was better here, got to taste more dog and toppings than bread.

Overall Score: 22.25 Dogs

From Dormont we had to make a sort of a mad dash. Our next stop was closing soon and was in the heart of downtown. They've got plenty of seating, but finding parking and getting served might not both be able to happen. It was crucial that we got our dogs, so we prioritized. We hit the loading zone and threw on some 4 Ways, I ran in and had the task of ordering.

The Franktuary has a pretty awesome menu. Full of highlights, full of local and organic ingredients, and for those not clicking on the link I'll just tell you:

"The Colossus

A flaming volcano of franks! Served on a bed of spinach, stuffed with kettle chips, and topped with every condiment!

Small - four franks - $15 or Large - eight franks - $28"

The Colossus did not lend itself to a hot dog tour with two more stops after this one nor did it seem like a fitting choice to be eaten in the car. So I went two dogs that my guide and I would share:

The Pittsburgh (for obvious reasons) and the Polumalanesian (which I think is a Steelers thing). The latter was the daily special.

The Pittsburgh (above) is a dog with "smushed" pierogies and coleslaw. It was a fun dog, that met mixed reviews and would be the catalyst for Hot Dog Tour controversy. The scoring of this dog can be a bit perplexing, but in my mind it all makes perfect sense. This work of the Franktuary had a lot going for it: Presentation was stellar, they had my favorite buns of the day, everything was top rate. The problem I ran into was this dog was quite un-harmonious. The slaw was good, the pierogies were good, the dog itself was good, the bun was good...but the sum of all the parts did not make for a good dog. It wasn't the meshing of pork two ways, cheddar, horseradish, and scallions that I'd experienced with the Arkansas Ave Dog. Still though, when all the parts are top notch the tale of the tape tells the story:

Franktuary

Type of Dog Ordered: The Pittsburgh

Dog Presentation: 5 Dogs
Dog Quality: 4.5 Dogs
Bun Quality: 4.75 Dogs
Toppings: 4.75 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 3.75 Dogs

Notes:
All toppings were great, dog and bun were great, everything together was not in harmony. Fun texture though.

Overall Score: 22.75 Dogs

So as you can see (below) we've got a bit of a problem with topping distribution on the Polumalanesian. We were very excited by the combination of ingredients here: onions, mango salsa...again, a dog with a lot going for it.

Unfortunately, this one fell flat on two counts. Not enough toppings and it really needed another element to it. Possibly some heat to go with that sweet? Something was missing from this one.

Type of Dog Ordered: The P.......

Dog Presentation: 2 Dogs
Dog Quality: 4.75 Dogs
Bun Quality: 4.75 Dogs
Toppings: 3.5 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 3.5 Dogs

Notes:
Needed a lot more mango salsa...needed another element, it was just 1 + 2, nothing more.

Overall Score: 18.5 Dogs

It seemed as though we didn't experience Franktuary at their best. Their menu is too impressive to let this stand as our sole impression of the place. We have vowed to go back when we've got time to sit down and try a few things and get the full on Franktuary experience.

So now it was finally time to get down and dirty. And I'm talking about The "O".

The Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland has quite a bit of fan fare and legend surrounding it. I'm not going to pretend to know any of it, because I don't. But Timothy McNulty does.

The O reminds me of Jim's Steaks a bit. It was pretty slow when we were there, but at peak time it's the kind of joint where it seems like walking in and being in line are one motion. The hot dog operation is seperate from burgers, fries, etc. So that tells me these guys crank out some serious dogs. We both went pretty classic here at the O: I with a dog, spicy mustard, raw onions, and sauerkraut. She with a straight up cheese dog.

You can't see me, but I just shook my head. This trip had all the makings of a classic, mouthwatering, greasy, warm, perfect hot dog experience. But alas, not hitting an peak time did not see the O in its finest hour. Our dogs seemed to have been done and were just warming on the flat top for a while. Her cheese was said to have been a delight. My mustard was the highlight.

Type of Dog Ordered: Dog w/ kraut, spicy mustard, raw onions

Dog Presentation: 4 Dogs
Dog Quality: 3.5 Dogs
Bun Quality: 4 Dogs
Toppings: 2.5 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 3.5 Dogs

Notes:
Finally someone did sloppy right. The dog was piled high with kraut and a liberal spread of mustard. Two things held this dog back from the greatness that I expect could be found at the O: the kraut was cold and kind of dry. There's nothing better than piping hot kraut on a dog and the bun getting just a little soggy from the juice (I realize that's going to sound like the opposite of awesome to lots of people) and the aforementioned issue of the dog being done and just kept warm. This could have been a highlight of the tour.

Overall Score: 17.5 Dogs

With one stop to go we were both feeling pretty darn good about finishing out the tour with no major problems of combustion or any CPR needs. The finish line was another Pittsburgh dog joint with some acclaim to its name. I was very excited to get to D's Six Pax & Dogz while they were serving food. I'd missed food service by like 10 minutes earlier this fall after the Steel City Big Pour. This was a night that led to quite a few beers at their bar, an 80's dance party, and the most miserable hailing of a taxi cab of my entire life. Note to all travellers...Pittsburgh's cab situation is not like the situation you have at home.

So D's has got a pretty good name for itself in the hot dog game and their menu is a testament to their reputation. A lot of creative dog options greet you at D's as does their enormous selection of great beers.

I went with the Big Ben (above, left) while Ms. Tour Guide went with the Chicago Dog. The Chicago (above, right) was pretty darn authentic: A Vienna dog, sport peppers, celery salt, pickle spear, mustard, relish = the realness. It looked delicious. I think I may have taken a bite? I know that I was at least offered one.

The Big Ben was a fun creation that followed the theme of Pittsburgh's stuffed-full-o-stuff food items that are popular around town. Big Ben had good 'ol fashion heart attack cheese, cole slaw, and french fries jammed on top of the dog. Underneath all those toppings was a nice, big juicy hot dog that bursting with a ton of flavor on its own.

D's Six Pax & Dogz

Type of Dog Ordered: The Big Ben

Dog Presentation: 4.75 Dogs
Dog Quality: 4.75 Dogs
Bun Quality: 4 Dogs
Toppings: 4.5 Dogs
Overall Dog Taste: 4.5 Dogs

Notes:
Piled high in a small tray that gives a sense of urgency to keep the sloppiness contained. First bite was all toppings, I didnt even hit the dog (BIG POINTS). Harmony of the toppings was spectacular, best actual hot dog of the day too.

Overall Score: 22.50

My first hot dog tour of the Iron City was a huge success. It's great to know that there will be a part 2 with other locations and most likely a return to Franktuary, possibly to tackle the Colossus.

Before I finally let you away from the tale of this adventure it's only fitting that I share the results in all categories.

THE TALE OF THE TAPE:

Best Bun: Franktuary

Best Dog Quality: D's

Best Toppings: (tie) Dormont & D's

Best Presentation: Dormont (Illinois Ave Dog)

Best Overall Dog Taste: (tie) D's for Big Ben & Dormont for Illinois Ave Dog

The Underdog Award: The Arkansas Ave Dog (Dormont Dogs)

Best In Show: Big Ben (D's Six Pax & Dogz)

Expect more food tour coverage in the year of 20 & 10.

Pacific Drift - Tales of the Coast

2009-11-06T14:52:00.005-05:00

Just throwing this up for Friday folks winding down to the weekend. I'll post up a track list and a cover when I have time.

Pacific Drift - Fall 2009 - A mix for three guys wandering through Portland, OR and Seattle, WA for the first time.

The Northern Liberties Beer Buffet

2009-09-29T12:46:00.005-04:00

I've got some stuff on my mind. I have literally had a post in my head since April and was waiting on one piece of ammo to come in the mail. It still hasn't so as soon as I get a sec to do what I need to for that post it'll happen. Until then, come drink beer with me. Tomorrow Sept 30th from 7pm to 9pm......

...and if you didn't have dinner plans, now you do.

Weds - Sept 30th
7pm - 9pm @ The Abbaye
637 North 3rd St.
No. Libs.

Pint Night w/ New Holland Brewing Company
$10 gets you a pint glass to take home and all the beer you can drink.

What? Yep. I know.

We are pouring the following beers:

Ichabod Pumpkin Ale
The Poet Oatmeal Stout
Charkoota Rye (dopplebock with cherry wood smoked malt)

It's gonna be la bomba. One of the first chances to taste Charkoota in the city. If you've never eaten at the Abbaye I'd suggest thinking about it for din din too. I'm a big fan of their foodstuffs.

Any questions let me know. Hope to see some folks out and hoist a beer in a temperate fall fashion.

Illustration used with permission of the artist, Michele Melcher. Check out her illustrations here.

Right Things.

2009-09-14T22:32:00.010-04:00

I had planned to come on here awhile ago and go on and on and on about how cool Construction Junction in Pittsburgh is. But then I got busy and neglected all things Grain Bill for a while. Well, it kind of worked out better that way because now I can speak about the Junction not only from what I'd gleaned from conversation, but because I was there. For a beer festival. And it was awesome.

a glimpse inside of the junction

Construction Junction salvages building materials to keep them from landfills and to offer people out there an opportunity to save on building costs while conserving materials and reducing waste. Everything from display cases, windows, and shutters to lighting, plumbing, and tools is available. Open 7 days a week, the place should be seen to be believed. It's enormous.

And those folks love good beer.

The Steel City Big Pour is a zero waste beer festival that combines great art and craft beer with awareness, information, and a glimpse into a fully functioning recycling mecca. Held on site at Construction Junction patrons (and brewers alike) get to see the enormity of the operation. With local co-ops and local-centric restaurants offering food, local artists creating on the spot, and a hard working crew sorting and carting away every last piece of trash, there was plenty of opportunity for patrons to get the idea that it's crucial to think about who we're buying from, how they're making it, and what to do with it when we're done.

the longshot

the setup, featuring the patented Bocktown/New Holland twister board

I was hanging with some of my favorite folks from the western side of the keystone, Bocktown Beer & Grill. I was set up in the Bocktown Beer Garden and had a blast. I poured beer (with Woody Chandler doing his part to chip for a bit), watched some cool chainsaw scultping, and made a futuristic goat toy out of recycled doo-dads. It was a lot of fun to hang with Bocktown, they are all so into what they're doing and they're doing it so good.

Inside the big show they were raffling off salvaged fridges that were converted to kegorators and decorated by local artists. They were all very cool, this one was my favorite.

So whether we need more reminders or not, here's some important links. Do a little something this week, pull your weight. Do the same thing next week, then every day. Keep it going.

PASA

PA Food Co-ops
Great Article about The Hunger Farm in Edible Allegheny Magazine
Listing of Available CSA programs
Article on Philly's Solar Trash Compactors

Feel free to drop more good links in the comments section.

Everywhere.

2009-09-02T22:54:00.006-04:00

Aye carumba.

I was supposed to blog so many times. Those of you who haven't talked with me recently might not know this, but maybe the lack of posts would imply, i have been travelling a lot and i have been waaaay busy. It's a bit late for a full recap, so i am just going to mention the really good stuff, maybe point you towards some things.

West Asheville, NC: The Admiral

This exhumed dive bar is one of the highlights of my recent travels. I didn't get to spend nearly the time i'd have liked to there, but i will be back. Bought in the past few years and turned into a hangout with good beer and great food, The Admiral is the kind of place you'd be blessed to have around the corner. An exciting and ever-changing food menu with a combination of local and exotic ingredients, there's more to choose from than you'll do in one sitting.

Here's the kicker: Best jukebox i've ever seen in my life. Here's what i typed in the notepad on my phone as i was being driven away:

Os Mutantes
Jorge y Gil (great album, people. Check it out)
Captain Beefheart (Safe as Milk)
T Rex
Ram by Paul McCartney
John Coltrane
Elvin Jones
Silver Jews (American Water)

I think there was Bonnie Koloc too. There were a lot more, had we been there in the beginning of the work day i'd probably have remembered a lot more when it came time to type them in my phone.

Another helpful fact for West Asheville Travelers: there's a music venue across the street with good beer on tap and Harvest Records whose roster is just sick is also across the street.

Harvest Records Artists:
Akron/Family
Budos Band
Brightblack Morning Light
Bonnie Prince Billy
Kurt Vile
The Books
Espers
and more....
--------------------------------

Washington, DC: Little Miss Whiskey's

It's a wood grain door with either a hood ornament or an old tap marker for a door handle. That's it. No sign, no nothin'. And it's awesome. Mark Thorpe's follow up to Jimmy Valentine's is a knock out. You can get lost in the decor alone. With Dragon's Milk a proud member of the great beer selections, this is a place i need to spend a long night in. Thorpe's collection of concert posters pulls together the antique store explosion of mind warp knick-knackery that adorns most of the rest of the place. You can lose your mind here.

Little Miss Whiskey's Back Patio

Little Miss Whiskey's Interior
--------------------------------------
Arlington, VA: Galaxy Hut

Not my first trip to Galaxy Hut, but my first session there. We ended up sitting in the silo outback and i managed to meet a gal who's family moved to Pottstown (where i was born and grown), she'd just come back from a trip out there and hung out at Craft Ale House. Small world.

The Galaxy Hut is a bustling boom of conversation. Folks pack into the tables and it gets loud, raucous and ridiculously fun. Great beers on tap and a tiny kitchen make this place the perfect spot to go with a group of folks who can sink in and chat the night away (even if you're halfway to a yell).

Galaxy Hut is also right around the corner from a great, great kebab place that stays open late. I also found a 24 hour kebab hut in Arlington on the same trip.
----------------------------------------
Asheville, NC: Bruisin' Ales

Bruisin' Ales is up there with the likes of the great take out spots that are always mentioned in beer talk. When they support a brewery they hit you with a good chunk of the lineup, which to breweries is crucial, but their enthusiasm towards the beers that they like is what makes Bruisin' Ales what it is. One of those rare places (although the numbers are growing) where you can sample from draft or get a growler (correct me on growler fills if i'm wrong - if not now, soon). This isn't the biggest shop out there, but the attention to detail and the selection of what to have on hand is top notch.

----------------------------------------

That's it for now. Bedtime, more from the road to come, because i'm still on it.

It happened.

2009-08-27T14:20:00.002-04:00

I tried to embed the clip but it was off center, so click the link and enjoy the video of the Publican/New Holland Beer Dinner. The two things I am most jealous to have not done in 2009 both involve the cast of characters you see here.

http://www.recurvemedia.com/recurvetube/media/81/The_PublicanNew_Holland_Beer_Dinner_Ep._3/

in the land of the fresh and the whole

2009-07-28T13:53:00.005-04:00

Well. I know people still read my blog because several of you have asked or called to find out how things are going with (in the words of Tobias Funke) 'the great experiment'. They're going darn good man. Like i said last time, it wasn't a huge stretch, but the past month definitely required a lot more planning ahead in the food department. Also simple necessities, like paper towels, needed just a touch more planning because my sources aren't open late night like the chain folks are.

My persepctive on keeping it local to the point of depending on the people in your community didn't change necessarily, but it definitely became clearer. As you follow the link from one producer to the next, from one event or market organizer to the next you see this big connection, a community of like minds whose desire or need to serve their community is made possible by the community supporting them back.

I discovered a great mid-week market at Anselma (in between Exton and Phoenixville) and watched my friend's new baking operation grow in leaps and bounds. I'll point you towards her in just a bit. Fresh herbs from down the street inspired a future beer event (i hope), fresh produce, fruit, meats, and cheese inspired a great market dinner on the porch with my friends, a great cookbook inspired me to start rebuilding my pantry.

To my suprise the cookbook in mention is a big help to my baker friend too, so away we go...

Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson is a good read and a good cookbook at the same time. There is a huge breakdown of ingredient types, their traits, what to look for, what to avoid, etc. It's awesome. From simple to decadent foods, its all possible, but what I like most is the direction towarss some of the take away information that you can incorporate into your everyday cooking. The book is a great source of information, knowledge and help, which is exactly what i needed. Thanks to Chrissy Mart for an awesome bday gift.

Swanson also has a great blog/recipe journal. It's here.

The link comes to me from Janet. She runs the Wildflower Cafe and makes the best darned baked goods i've had in a long time. I am polishing off my last Cafe Mokka Cookie from last week's order as i type. She does everything from biscotti and granola to cookies and muffins to spice rubs and beer bread. It's way awesome. We were having a Heidi Swanson conversation last week and she told me she set up a blog from Wildflower Cafe...so check it out here why don't you? She takes orders via email weekly (get on her list for the weekly offerings) and sets up at the Anselma Farmer's market.

I said this thing would be a three post series and it will be. Next time i'll tie beer into this whole thing and if all works out properly have an event to tell you about.

OH. Before i go...I got my juicer! Juiceman Jr. is treating me really well. If you're a reader of fine local beer blogs than you'll be pleased to know that the object of my bromance got one the same weekend. It's awesome and for a guy like me who loves ginger but didn't have many practical ways of getting it inside of me beyond sushi and the crystalized jawns, i know have ginger root to finish my juicings. Apples, carrots, ginger. So so good.

The Declaration of Independents

2009-07-03T11:55:00.005-04:00

a.k.a. Chainless.

So i think this will probably be a three part series thing. It should culminate with something that's been on my mind for a while, but i need to build on the idea a bit so here we are at the beginning. For the entire month of July i'm encouraging you out there to go chainless. Goodbye Acme, goodbye Giant, goodbye Whole Foods*. Go the whole month supporting only local independent retailers. I think a lot of us do our fair share to support the little guy, but i think a month away from chains will do us all good. It's something i've wanted to do for a while, but being on the road makes it tough to find the little guy when there's often a small window of time or an opportunity at the end of a very long road to grab a bite or some necessities.

(*i think Whole Foods is awesome, i think they hire great beer buyers who are allowed to make independent decisions and cater to their neighborhoods and i'm sure that carries over to their other departments as well. So while i am probably saying goodbye to Acme and Giant forever to Whole Foods Market i am just saying, 'See ya in August'.)

My hope through this all is to get a clearer understanding of a sustainable life dependent only upon my neighbors, local producers, and folks who made up their minds long ago to step away from the faceless production of our daily goods. There's two reasons i am choosing to make a change towards whom i spend my dollars with: for one i believe that we need to grow our communities and have a strong investment in where we choose to live. For two i believe in whole foods, i believe in foods that are produced with me and my health in mind. The shortcuts taken to simply sell processed foods are both wasteful and unhealthy and i want far, far fewer of them in my diet and in my life.

For me i don't see this being a challenge, i see it more like taking a step closer to a more responsible and thought out approach to my little slice of Earth. I don't have to look (or travel too far) to find plenty of folks to stock my kitchen and my pantry: the Spanish and Brazillian bodegas in Phoenixville have everything from herbs to queso fresco to fresh and dried meats, the farmer's market here is one of the best in the area: Charlestown and Jack's Farms have me more than covered for produce, Fork Farms and Backyard Bison have me covered for meat. Pat from Pottstown has me covered for soap and shampoo bars.

Then there's Kimberton Whole Foods. Not that Whole Foods, Kimberton is a neighborhood whole and natural foods grocery store, cafe, and apothocary. It's awesome. I've been going there since I was in like 10th grade or something. When i first started going the Kimberton location was the one and only, now with outposts in Douglassville and Downingtown KWF's reach to our nearby neighbors is stretching from county to county.

When i'd first gone, it was just for the cafe'...homemade soups, sandwiches, wraps. But as i got a little older, learned a little more, i started finding new gems in the grocery aisles and began putting pieces together on what seemed like a completely different way of life that i'd never known before.

Maybe that's a bit dramatic, i don't know, but to connect this to beer (this is a beer blog still, right?) what's different between all of this beer i drink that's made from honest, true, and WHOLE, ingredients and taking the same approach to the food i put inside of myself. I mean are a bottle of Bud and a Big Mac all that different when you look at where they come from, how they're produced, and who is selling them to me?

Again, i'm not making some cold turkey change from golden arches to golden acres, i said bye-bye to chain dining a while back, but it's time to take another step with this whole thing. On my last trip to New Holland i learned that $.70 from every dollar spent with a local independent retailer stays in the community, while that same $.70 leaves when spent with a large chain.

Now i'm making to exceptions or concessions here...i think i can do gas without hitting a Sunoco or Lukoil or Hess or Wawa, but my list of little gas-ups owned by ma and pa is quite small. So i am gonna try hard in that department, but if i am nearing E i may have to surrender my bucks. The second is a juicer. I want a juicer, bad. All of my suggestions on where to get one have gone against my plan. I am not done searching yet, but i want to juice some fruits and veggies ASAP, so if you've got a lead please drop me a line.

So why all of a sudden? Why am i so fired up?

Well, i'm home for a month. I can actually concentrate on this for a bit. It's been on my mind for a while and i've been trying to hard to help out the locals in each of these towns i land in, but like i said, sometimes options are few and far between. Also, it falls in line with some of my recent reading and learning, plus i think it's the right thing to do. Plus i watched The Future of Food in a few installments in my hotel rooms recently. You can watch it for free on Hulu and i think you should.

So that's it. If you want to join me i'd love to hear from you. If we have enough people hopping in we can get an email chain going with suggestions or a list of people's favorite places.

I'll be popping back in with part 2 soon enough. I'll be digging a bit deeper into what Whole Foods and Natural Foods actually are, some great books on the topic, the relation between craft beer and a lot of the true, whole, and slow foods movements in the country and in our area. Until then, enjoy some of these links:

http://www.pasafarming.org/
www.buylocalpa.org
www.goodfoodneighborhood.com
http://mightyfoods.com/

links should all work now...thank you Bob!

Turn Three at the P.O.P.E.

2009-06-30T11:11:00.003-04:00

The past few weeks have seen several Philly Beer Joints celebrate anniversaries. I am back in town and will be celebrating with the gang at the Pub On Passyunk East tonight. Good food, good/rare/special/cool beer, and friends. Come on out people.

On the move...

2009-06-23T09:29:00.002-04:00

...updates to come.

Till then:

Chicagoist, Pt 3

2009-06-18T00:39:00.003-04:00

Fred said, 'We should've had you out on Wednesday for the dinner.'
Jeff said, 'We ate so much, i went back for thirds. You'd have loved it.'

Sigh. I missed this dinner by a day, not even a full day, I arrived in Holland for Hatter Days while people were still sleeping off their Knickerbocker. Ah well, the chronicle continues...

READ IT.

Off to Boston for American Craft Beer Fest tomorrow.

One jockey box will flow with Golden Cap and 2009 Dragon's Milk all weekend long.
One jockey box will feature such fabulous side by sides as:

*Brother Jacob's Dubbel & Black Tulip Tripel
*Imperial Hatter DIPA and Oak Aged Mad Hatter (Woodford barrels)
*Dragon's Milk 08, 07

Plus 2006 Dragon's Milk at each session which means at some point during the fest there will be a 4 year vertical of the Milk. It's a beautiful thing.

Chicagoist, Part II

2009-06-17T10:10:00.003-04:00

The next piece of the Publican/New Holland Chronicle. Biere De Garde brewday...

READ IT.

More links as they come.

Summer Reading...a brush with The Mystery.

2009-06-16T23:19:00.005-04:00

So i've finished two books since summer officially started. I'm on an old kick and a new one. I literally just finished B Is for Beer by my main man Tom Robbins. Now if it's possible to place someone on your list of favorite authors after reading just one of his books than Tom Robbins is that man on that list (oh, Jonathan Safran Foer is there too). To be fair, as of today i've now read two books by Robbins. A friend hipped me to Jitterbug Perfume a few years back and i ate it up with a spoon. I used to listen to Book of Silk while reading it in my parents living room and used to sit and eat at the Sunflower Cafe while getting ready to finish it.

Ok, so i'm straying already. B is For Beer was a good time. There's some reading between the lines of this simply put "Children's Book for Grown-ups" that poke certain fun at certain folks (or organizations) and there are certain lessons to be heeded and not forgotten by those of us with a tasting schedule that's, well, frequent. At the heart of things though, there's talk of the beauty, of the fun, of the excitement, of The Mystery that make this a good beer book. It's funny, when you sit back with this book and think about the style it's written in (children's tale, simplified explanations) you can actually see how important it is for the uneducated to be taught.

I'm also completely jazzed up on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which has been mentioned here a few times already. It was a fun and interesting read that has made me seriously reasses my eating and spending habits and was the camel's back breaker for me in some ways. Check it out.

From there I'm moving on to Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, you can see the theme growing and building. The time is right.

I also found a great cookbook that i am very excited about. Perla Meyers' The Seasonal Kitchen breaks down a seasonal approach to the year, cooking what's fresh and available and makes planning out meals based on what your local farmers can give you a very do-able task. In the Fall section there are soups, root veggies, etc while there is a whole section discussing summer vegetables.

I grabbed most of the books mentioned here at Wolfgang Books in Phoenixville. Mr. Jason really knows his stuff and is an all around great dude. Stopping in to Wolfgang isn't something i do nearly enough, but i always leave impressed. Climb the stairs people.

I have Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer on the list for this summer as well. In addition to Homocide by David Simon. Anyhow, i should put a closing thought of some sort here to wrap this all up neatly, but i am too tired and just wanna hit the way.

Further chronicles...

2009-06-16T00:05:00.003-04:00

The Chicagoist follows the Publican / New Holland collabo....tune in to Chicagoist all week as Chuck Sudo recaps the two day throwdown in Holland.

READ IT

And also, just because this is Chicago related (thanks to Phil Kool for the heads up).

Paul Kahan & The Publican Crew @ New Holland

2009-06-11T11:04:00.006-04:00

Chicago loves New Holland and New Holland loves Chicago. Easy as pie.

Storied and accoladed chef Paul Kahan and his crew from Chi-town's Publican, a beer focused restaurant that soucres much of their menu from local and organic farms, came to our brewery to make a menu, have some fun and brew a beer. They hail from other notable Chicago spots like Blackbird and avec, they have James Beard (and other) awards & nominations left and right, and they are passionate about good beer. The seasonal and essentials-only aspect of their menu mimics and compliments craft beer in a very interesting way, those in town should certainly make a point to stop in.

More about Paul here.

More about Publican here.

From Recurve Media, I present episode one from their recent trip...

WATCH IT

Stay tuned for further adventures and updates on this project.

Heirloom - A Mix To Spring By

2009-06-02T16:18:00.004-04:00

It's that time again, another mix from the desk of Dr. Joel. Usually for me spring brings on a deluge of reggae and other feel good stuff and i've definitely been listening to my fair share (Bus Rider's Sweltering Fever, Rerog's 6 Dollar Mix, Early Wailers sides from 1970 - 72), my mind was elsewhere as Spring began to emerge this year. I am almost done reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (and family) and i couldn't have been given this book at a better time (Thank You Fred). I hit the Phoenixville Farmer's Market hard last year, i saw a total switch in my grocery buying habits and needs. Talula's Table and their charcuterie blew me away, the work of Rod from Backyard Bison spoils me since i am able to see him on a weekly basis.

I've long been a big supporter of the little guy, but over the last year i went in even deeper. As i drove around and around from fall to spring i'd gotten a chance to take part in a lot of different towns' local activities. Beer dinners with local ingredients, i happened upon a nice little farmer's market on Wednesdays in Purcelville, VA right before walking in to one of my events, lots of local meats, cheeses, and produce all over the Eastern side of the country. I was blown away by the Holland farmer's market when i was there in September, i was blown even further away by the work of Matt Millar who i was introduced to on the same trip.

So this mix has a very apparent theme, in some ways it sort of tells a story - there is a concept and dramatic happenings that follow from start to end, at least i think there are anyway. So enjoy, astute listeners will notice one track repeated from my fall mix. As with last time, i'd encourage listening before viewing the track list below, but i know that's not everyone's cup of tea. Enjoy locavores, enjoy.

Heirloom - Spring/Summer 2009

And beyond ado....the track list:

28 years old...really?

2009-06-02T14:58:00.004-04:00

Those tuned into Suz's blog noticed her putting entertainment before ego recently and sad as i am to say it, i am gonna go ahead and do just the same here today. Ya know it'd be great to blame the fine print or something like that on today's little disaster, but really i only have myself to point the finger at here.

I have been travelling quite a bit lately as some of you know and in the back of my mind for the past two weeks or so has been a repeating reminder to grab a new bottle of dishwashing detergent. It hasn't been a major issue since i've spent more of the last two weeks in hotel rooms than my apartment, but after a bit of cooking post-Savor it was high time to clear the sink and start over. I've been a bit more green over the past few months than ever before and when i thought i'd picked up a dandy little product from Seventh Generation things seemed to all be falling into place. The product is great, it's plant based rather than petroleum based, so i am doing my part to cut into the world's oil woes right there.

The main problem i ran into with this product? It wasn't actually meant for dishwashers. In my haste i failed to fully read the label:

'Tough on Grease' - This is good
'Gentle on Hands' - This, yes this, is where it does not apply in my case. You see, it needn't be gentle on hands if you are using a D I S H W A S H E R .

Do green guys even use dishwashers? Sigh, i don't know. My pittance for this ridiculous act of carelessness? All dishes washed by hand until i am done the bottle.

Saveur

2009-06-01T00:45:00.003-04:00

People, if you get a chance to hit Savor next year don't pass up the opportunity. It was a lot of fun and a crop above the mayhem of normal beer fests. Brewery folks behind the tables all night and really, really good beer being poured. Delicious pairings and less of a crush at each breweries table. Plus DC is a fun town. It was my first time running through town and hitting a lot of the must-see beer joints.

I won't make much with the ado here, sleep is a priority. Here a few pics.

S A V O R .

2009-05-30T11:42:00.005-04:00

Early morning drop off at Savor, the room looks awesome.

Golden Cap Saison and Dragon's Milk pouring on the main floor, Fred and Gail's Salon will feature some amazing pairings:

#1) Fig infused truffle & Sundog Amber Ale
#2) Shitake truffle & Dragon’s Milk – Barrel Aged Stout
#4) Lemongrass & ginger truffle & Black Tulip Trippel
#5) Seasalted Caramel and Pilgrim’s Dole Wheatwine
#5a)Raspberry truffle with cacao nibs
b)Cinnamon & cayenne truffle with Night Tripper Imperial Stout

SAVOR.

Well worth all those $ .50 tolls

2009-05-26T23:12:00.003-04:00

NoVa, where it all goes down. I have been to Northern VA several times in the last year. There's a bunch of good beer going on and as i learn more and more each trip, there is some amazing food. Best part of it all of course is that in most cases the two can be found in the same place at the same time.

After reading and hearing about the triumvirat of Magnolia at the Mill, Tuscarora Mill, and Fire Works, i finally got a chance to hit all three in a couple of hours last week and holy smokes, talk about a best foot forward. Now, in eye catching 'list' format is a quick word on each for those in the area who may only have time for one.

Fire Works - Leesburg, VA

We popped our heads in just for a beer and a hello and the hunger that was majorly present prior ballooned when the smell of the wood grill hit me. The pizza special of the day featured shrimps, ramps, and fiddleheads. Oh how i love seasonality. Everything looked and smelled delicious and after a pint of Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown it was time to see about some lunch of our own.

Tuscarora Mill - Leesburg, VA

Tuskies had a strong lunch crowd. A good weekday lunch crowd tips the odds towards the probability of a nice plate of food. The taps are set low, just under the bar so you have to look down at the markers to see what's on (aside from the up to date beer list of course) and after turning down an Aventinus draft (i'll have to make a run to Quotations) we set about ordering and just grabbed a little bit of everything. My lunch mates and i settled on a small mid-day feast and darn near cleared every inch of every plate. We had house charcuterie with a really nice country pate, pork rillette, soppresatta, chorizo, and pepperoni before diving into a plate of sweet breads, a nice seared ahi with soba noodles, Cippino with lobster butter, little necks, mussels, corvina, and scallops, broiled trout with fresh asparagus (tis the season, ya know) and one of the day's specials: Tempura oysters on spinach salad with lava salt. Wow, that's lunch mind you. Stone Brewing just did a beer dinner at Tuskies and i would go to any of their events in a heartbeat. The staff knows their beer and their food and it's mighty good. Those in the area can rush in to see if our Golden Cap Saison is still on tap.

Magnolia's at the Mill - Purcellville, VA

Mile long tap towers in a beautiful old building greet you at Magnolia's and chef Mark Morrocco's food is just plain out of site. We were in for the New Holland beer dinner and i found myself keeping my beer intro's on the short side because i couldn't let myself stray from any of the courses for very long. A nice, fun crowd came out for the event and the pairings were spot on. A'la a little cut and paste i present you the menu:

Greeting Beer
Full Circle Kolsch-Style Ale

1st Course
Chilled Sweet Corn & Crab Soup
With Avocado & Chili Oil
Golden Cap Saison Ale

2nd Course
Hickory Grilled Lamb Slider
With Harissa & Mint Aioli
Served with Spring Herb Tabouli
Mad Hatter IPA

3rd Course
Soft Shell Crab
With Pickled Green Tomatoes
Black Tulip Trippel

4th Course
Hickory Grilled Veal Medallion
With Dijon Rosemary Potatoes Au Gratin
Dragons Milk Aged Oak Barrel Ale

5th Course
Espresso Panna Cotta
With Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
Poet Stout

Finale
Existential Ale
Water-Barley-Hops-Yeast
That’s it

I loved the pairings here. Dragon's Milk and Black Tulip both, because of their strength and construction, often end up as dessert beers and i was very excited to see these earlier in the meal. Every single course was more amazing than the one prior. I still have the taste of the panna cotta on my tongue.

So there you have it. All three are sure fire can't misses if you are in the area. Also some great finds on this trip were products from the Haskins Family Farm, the wonderful selection & delectable BBQ @ Paeonian Grocery, as well as James his hard work at Red, White, & Bleu in Fall's Church.

The latterest of the above in addition to great beer, wine, cheese, and meats had some exciting news (and samples to share) this was my first time hearing and tasting anything (a smoked duck sausage that was just amazing) from Jamie Stachowski. Stories of an outlandish looking man who smells like a smokehouse had me, the list of different charcuterie he offers was the nail in the coffin. Other than restaurants, it seems Red, White, and Bleu is the only place you can buy Stachowski's offerings for home use.

In all, a great pre-Savor trip with fun food surprises.

The Guys in Robes, My Favorite Beer Style, Promises of a Spring Mix Grain Bill Post Explosion!!

2009-05-18T09:31:00.004-04:00

5/17/08 - The KBS Brunch, Round Two. More dudes, more robes.

As always, Sunday's themed Beer Brunch at Teresa's Next Door brought a hearty crowd. Great food, good beer, and a bunch of familiar faces is always a great start to a Sunday. To go all statistical on you: the number of attendees in robes doubled from last year. Those are staggering numbers right there.

If you click around this site enough you'll notice a certain badge of bravery awarded to a certain Big someone after a certain bar opened to the public in the final moments of 2008. Well the beer involved in that whole ordeal has lead to another fine beer drinking spring for this quill tipped keyboard tappist. I've had quite a few Keller Bier(s)come my way recently and am loving every last one of them. Off the top of my head...Sly Fox Keller Pils (of course), Liberty Steakhouse Keller Bier, Monschoff Keller, Voodoo Pilzilla.

Local dudes and their mentions of the style:

Joe Sixpack

Lew Bryson I swear he mentions it in there if you keep reading. Fun one from the archives.

Also, another dude named Keller.

Fianlly, last and foremost: I am hashing out a Spring Mix slowly but surely. I hope to have it done by summer, as is usually the pace. The name i love, the cover (if i can pull it off) will be my finest photoshop work to date...so now all i need are the songs. Anyhow, it'll have a farmer theme and will be a great addition to any drive or bike ride to bars with great outdoor seating like Union Jacks, Bocktown in Pittsburgh, Pazzo's in Lexington, Iron Hills and Sly Foxes, The Tiki Bar, The Sidecar, The Northside, The P.O.P.E., and on and on and on.

Now, if anyone can hook me up with an mp3 of the song below it'd be most appreciated. A studio version would be proper, but i will be a begger not a choser here so if anyone can make that happen it'd help tremendously.

Hoots & Hellmouth: What Good Are Plowshares...
by eikonproductions

*Top photo courtesy of The Holland Mobile Imaging Service LLC

If you haven't seen it yet...

2009-04-27T17:26:00.000-04:00

Call it a party...

2009-04-23T11:34:00.006-04:00

This Sunday...7pm. Meet me at The P.O.P.E.

4 New Holland Beers on tap, plus Dr. Joel on the wheels of steel! It's going to be a fun night of good beers and good tunes and if that's not enough of an excuse to come out and hang in South Philly than i don't know what to tell you champ.

funk soul rock latin breaks raer willy wonka?

Sorry for the late notice on this one, i am still getting my sea legs beneath me after the long journey.

This Beer Wagon Kills Flies

2009-04-12T17:34:00.005-04:00

*Boredom alert: there are pictures of food below*

My windshield is covered in the gritty dreams of flies and bugs from hives and hideouts all over the East Coast. I haven't been in my apartment since 4/2. I'm not going to be there until 4/19. What's the occassion? Golden Cap Saison, our new spring and summer seasonal. A delicious farmhouse ale made with spelt from our farmer friends in Washington State.

The swing into Virginia was unfortunately delayed by a bit of sickness, most of you reading this probably got it. I think everybody got it. I may have caught it just by reading about it on the internets. Anyhow, i missed what looked like an amazing New Holland Beer Dinner at Can Can in Richmond, VA. Mr. George held things down at the dinner while i wondered how cold you can feel and how much of a fever you can have at the same time.

So on then to NoVa. Northern Virginia is full of great beer spots, from bars with mile long walls of taps to classy brewpubs to a flagship Whole Foods in Fairfax where you can sit down mid-shopping and have some crab cakes or ribs and have a craft beer on tap. The day we stopped by New Holland, Stone, and Weyerbacher had three of the four taps. That's umm...well guys, that's next level. Whether this type of thing makes it to PA i'll have to ask Mr. Bryson about (i am way behind on my PA grocery, six pack, etc sales reading), but i can tell you for sure that my trips to both Whole Foods and Wegman's on this trip found stores very focused on serving up craft beer.

Another hotspot for me was Carpool's Reston location, a fun bar with many great craft beers on tap. Let my extensive quality control efforts assure you all: The Poet is pouring just fine in there. Whatever you do, don't challenge Rama to a game of shuffleboard, the man is a hustler.

On to The Triangle. The Raleigh/Durham area is packed with great places to grab a bite to eat and a good beer. They've got big places like Tyler's who are known for their many great beers and savy staff. Flying Saucer has their anchor dropped in town as well. Then there's a slew of up and coming bars doing great things for the area. Places like Sitti, Busy Bee, and The Borough, and The Raleigh Times Bar are all pulling the weight of resurgence and doing a mighty fine job of it. The Raleigh Times is serious. They have a beer list that could stop a truck full of BA's dead in their tracks. Marraige Parfait, JW Lee's, the list goes on. I spent the night (all but the sleeping part) at Raleigh Times for a Dragon's Milk and Poet promo and had a blast. They have some amazing ideas and an amazing attitude towards their business and the potential of craft beer throughout the entire Raleigh area. A bunch of thumbs up from this guy. Oh, the food...it looks delicious.

Still going (I'm on the road here, remember?) on down to Charleston, SC. Have you been here? Holy smokes, this place is amazing. I hit town with just a hot second to get settled in before a Growl and Greet at the new beer outpost, Charleston Beer Exchange. Should you find yourself in Charleston, stop in and say hi to Rich and Scott, these are great guys who are very serious about beer. They've already gathered a loyal following and its due largely in part to their great service, great selection, and exciting specialty beers. So this is where i get jealous about the retail beer situation in other states. This is one little shop and it works simply like this: Walk in, buy single bottles, buy six packs, get a growler filled and be on your way. I mean what these guys are able to serve with their limited space is pretty incredible. Think Capone's with no bar, but growlers still available. It is le' bomba.

A new beer friend recently told me about a Philly tansport down to this area. Stefan Visilis stepped out of the Triumph Old City brewpub and came down the coast to open Farringdon Bistropub with his wife and their friends Dan & Amy. The whole mess of them are Charleston restaurant vets and are bringing craft beer and well thought out food to Summerville, SC. They're already a hit among the beer contingent. I had some fine beers and a great chicken salad sandwich (with apples, raisins, and yellow curry) over lunch and a great beer chat with owner Dan and bartender Michelle. They are committed to supporting local products both on their taps and in their kitchen. Look up Low Country Local First and the Sustainable Food Initiative for more info.

And that brings me to the finest meal of my trip so far....take thee to Chai's on King Street. Chai's is a great combination of comfortable surroundings, classy decor, and a great list of tapas that's pulled off just incredibly. The beer list is well put together and there were some goodies left over from a recent Allagash dinner that made our stop even more exciting. I am going to borrow Gina's hat here for a hot second and take you through.

We started with a pint of Hop Art from Coast, we'd been on the hunt for this beer since Friday evening. The Coast guys do a great job with their beers. A quick relay of the night's specials revealed our first course...

Bread Salad with Heirloom Tomato, Arugula, Feta, Balsamic, and a fried Pancetta wheel

We got a taste of some special things that were hanging in the kitchen as well. Deep fried ginger? Tasty, interesting. Then a great ice cream made with Allagash black. Wow, amazing flavors, amazing idea.

A little Micros slip led to our next plate...

Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi on an oil dipped ciabatta crostini with daikon sprouts and a sriracha aoili.

More raw stuff coming at you...

Tartare Trio - Tuna, Salmon, and Beef with Wonton Chips.

The return of the belly:

Pork belly over spaghetti squash with a reduction of its own braising liquid. My butter knife practically fell through the belly.

The meat wagon did not stop its wheels yet either, next up:

Lefthand Juju Ginger braised short ribs and rice. The meat and the bone hardly even knew each other anymore. Amazing flavors, nice soft texture, really really delicious.

Finishing up now...Duck confit lettuce wraps. As with everything before...delicious.

Gossip in the Grain

2009-04-12T17:17:00.002-04:00

Whoa whoa whoa. Guess who's still alive? This guy. A formal apology? I dunno. Sorry y'all i got all caught up in a lot of stuff. But i've been thinking about the Grain Bill for a while, realizing that i'm neglecting whatever's been going on here, whatever direction it's been taking.

Two blog posts for you here...one chronicling all that i should have already posted about and one bringing you rapidly up to speed with where i've been, where i am right now and where i'm about to be.

So then. Philly Beer Week. Remember that? Remember when this blog was leading right up to it? Well things got super busy before, during, and after. New Holland had a nice showing during the week. All of our events were well attended and there were lots of familiar faces. Burlesque was a highlight of course, the joint was packed. Our food based efforts were all great too...smackdown @ the Side Car, Library Beer with Teresa's Next Door, and a great night of pairings and fun at Jose Pistola's. I have a special ripple on my belly that says, "Smoke Em If You Got Em Was Here".

Right after Philly it was a slow moving few days and then a jaunt out to Pittsburgh. On the way I had a terrific and relaxing lunch with my pals at Selin's Grove before letting my GPS take me to the wrong Cranberry, PA. Philly folks please take this advice: Take an afternoon and check out the Selin's Grove Brewery. They're open Sundays. The drive is great, the food is great, the beer is great. Mostly session beers, delicious session beers. I took a great scotch ale on to Pittsburgh, which i slowly worked through at my hotel over my three day stay.

Piitsburgh's burbs showed me the greatness that is Bocktown Beer & Grille. Amazing beer coolers, great food menu, fun attitude that's all about the beer. This place is awesome. I'll let some cool event news fly in due time, just need to tidy up some details. For now i'll just say that June 23rd and 24th would be great days to hang out there with yours truly.

Ok ok ok. On to current times. See you in the next post.

Also....a Grain Bill IOU:

I have great pictures taken at the New Holland Library Dinner during Philly Beer Week. I will post them soon.

A Month Full of Sundays

2009-03-16T15:46:00.004-04:00

Mr. Paul Oliver has a really cool blog going on over at The Devil's Accountant. He takes on a monthly theme and writes brilliantly on the topic all while highlighting great books. It's a very cool set up.

March is dedicated to booze and while i'd planned to mention it otherwise, there is a New Holland tie in as well. The Accountant will be posting up a cool piece on some of New Holland's literarily named beers, so be sure to take a look.

He's hitting some very cool local bars in search of a well mixed drink from a resurfaced text. Check him out.

www.devilsaccountant.com

Tasty Tuesday, a pre-Beer Week drink for us all.

2009-02-26T22:26:00.003-05:00

Philly Beer Week, holy smokes. This year for me is a million ways different than last year, but somehow the sight of Beer Week adverts on the back of Septa buses all over the city today got me really excited and ready to roll.

I've got seats left for my two dinners. Jose Pistola's just did a New Holland Beer & Cheese pairing over the weekend that i missed while at my Union Jacks event (several of those beers still on tap) and i will be in the house at Teresa's Next Door all night long this coming Tuesday, March 3rd with Night Tripper on tap. I might even let a few details slip about which vintages of which beers will be served. If you don't have plans for Sunday on opening weekend, come out and i'll tell you all about it. If you do have plans, come on out anyway, there's not a lot of Night Tripper in Philly.