The dust has settled in Portsmouth after the crazy 22 hour period of Kate the Great scratch ticket sales. The dust has not settled on the social media stage, though. From Friday at 5pm until Saturday at 2pm, everyone dropped what they were doing to get their hands on a stack of tickets in hopes to win the chance the buy a bottle of the Russian Imperial Stout.

“Not enough notice”

The instant reaction did not seem good, as many complained of the short notice of the ticket sales, but here is my opinion on that. I think they did it the best they could, if they announced on Monday of last week, that they would be selling tickets on Friday, we would basically have a 2nd Kate the Great day and would ruin the town. Not giving enough notice is not a valid argument, that’s how they always announce when Kate is on tap during random times of the year. You have a general idea, but its always a surprise in the end.

“The odds are rigged”

Another major pain point for people was the odds. While the odds were greater this year, as there were more (smaller sized) bottles available, they didn’t reflect in many of the ticket sales. I don’t gamble, so I only bought 10 tickets, which was less than the allowed of 15 per person. I only had a 20 on me and wasn’t going to spend any more. The odds of winning were 1 in 7 as opposed to 1 in 11 last year.

When I got there, I was told person X won 7 out of 15 and 2 people went 15 for 15. That would make anyone think the tickets aren’t “shuffled” properly before selling. But it’s for that reason alone you have to remember, its a lottery. All 2,000 winners could have been in the first 2,000 tickets and that’s the chance you as a gambler make, unfortunately. The second day I didn’t hear many stories of BIG winners but there were indeed winners out there. You can’t blame anyone for the odds not being in your favor. Last year I lost on all the tickets I had (20) and this year I won 7 out of my 10 tickets. Next year is a new year, new odds.

“Pre Determined Tickets”

If you enlarge the above photo, you can indeed tell by looking at the top left corner of the scratch area if the ticket is a winner or a loser. Apparently some folks were mad at this fact. To that I say, what does that matter? I highly doubt the brewery is part of some conspiracy.

Conclusion

I love the scratch ticket idea because its fun and it raises money for charity. More importantly, its less of a hazard to the town on March 5 when all the bottles are pre-bought and the people in line are for draft only. I think this is the idea behind the tickets in the first place. If they had a bigger facility on some bigger land, I am sure they would bring back the Kate the Great Day of years past, but downtown Portsmouth is not suited for an event like that (my opinion). It’s a regional event just like a lot of the other regional big beer release days in the US.

In the end, there will never be a way to please everyone, so the complainers will stand out amongst the crowd. If you can make it to Kate the Great Day on March 5, awesome. However, if you can’t don’t think it’s some end of the world event. It is a great beer and the hype is worth it, but life moves on and there are plenty of other beers to please the palette that are worth searching for.

Portsmouth Beer Week starts Saturday and ends on Kate the Great Day! For all the information you need, check out www.PortsmouthBeerWeek.com

Cheers,
B

Guinness, the sweet nectar of Dublin. I would love to meet a beer lover who does not like Guinness. It seems that the perfectly poured Guinness could win over even the biggest disbeliever.

Guinness has asked me to represent New Hampshire and rally beer drinkers across the world to pledge they they will have a Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day. This is all part of their hope to set a world record!

From today until March 17, Guinness is trying to get in their own Book of Records by throwing ‘The Largest St. Patrick’s Day Celebration’. All you have to is pledge that you will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Guinness (how hard can that be?). To pledge, click on the link below and put you name in. How cool would it be to be part of a Guinness world record?

For every pledge submitted with the link below, I will donate $1 to Pints for Prostates (up to $1000!). On top of that, you can enter to win an all expenses paid trip to the Guinness Brewery for their September Aurthur Guinness Music Festival at St. James Gate in Dublin! At the end of the contest, if I have the highest amount of pledges of any participating blogger, I could win a trip to Dublin myself.

While I am representing NH, anyone can pledge with the link below, so here is your chance to help 4 people

• Help Guinness- For attempting to set the world record
• Help Pints for Prostates- They get $1 of each pledge with my referral code(up to $1000)
• Help Yourself- You can enter to win a trip to Dublin
• Help Me- I could win a trip if I have the most pledges of any of the 50 State reps

How to Pledge (Use Promo Code SEAC)

You do not have to be in New Hampshire to pledge for me either. To pledge, Click this link, and click Count Me In. The form asks for first name, country, zip and optional code. Please use the referral code SEAC.

Let’s raise some money and raise a pint!

Cheers,
B

After months of planning, the 2beerguys and I have put together what we think is a solid panel to go with the East Coast Premier of the Love of Beer movie on Friday March 2 at the Music Hall in Portsmouth (Click here for tickets).

Our thoughts behind doing a panel is similar to what we saw in Portland, OR. It’s great to watch a movie, but its even better to host a discussion afterwards with some of the areas most influential women in craft beer. We are very proud to announce the following four panelists that will be speaking after the movie.

Tickets are $8.50 and can be purchased in advance at this link here and can also be purchased at the door. The lounge bar will open at 6pm for a meet and greet social and the film will begin at 7pm. After the film the panel will begin. Check out the Facebook Event Page for the most up to date information.

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
B

Last week, the Seacoast lost the area’s most beloved beer store, Smiley’s. I have praised the store before, but in a state where good beer is hard to come by in the stores, you could always count on Smileys to have the goods.

For more than one reason they were forced to shut their business down. From what I can gather it spurs from some money issues and the poor state of the building as a whole. I don’t want to misspeak for them, out of respect, but if I end up speaking with Lyn I will try to get the story. Nevertheless, in order to raise money in hopes to reopen the Dover institution, Fury’s in Dover is putting on an all day benefit on Sunday to help Smileys out.

Check out the Facebook event page here for info: http://www.facebook.com/events/157311111052027/

Time: 12pm – Close
Suggested Donation of $10

If you make it out there, send me a photo. I can’t be their due to the Hampton Half Marathon, but I expect to hear good things from Fury’s.

Cheers!
Brian

50 Local, a restaurant up in Downtown Kennebunk, is having a beer dinner featuring the great beers from Maine Beer Co. Thursday March 1 @ 6pm! Check out the menu:

———-

Hors d’oeuvres & Cheese (Served with Peeper Ale)

gougers
artisan cheese
duck prosc, gorg honey chip
cured fish
chevre fritter

Charcuterie (Served with Lunch IPA)

hop sausage
pate de champagne
moussaline
glazed pork belly
beer brined beef tounge

Cavatelli Pasta (Served with Zoe Amber Ale)

braised pork aigre deux, goat
cheese, roasted tomatoes,
spinach

Chocolate Stout Cake (Served with Mean Old Tom Stout)

malted milk crunch, dulce de
leche, vanilla gelato

———-

Tickets are only $55 a person. To purchase a reservation please call 207 985 0850. Reservations may be purchased at 50 Local restaurant during business hours. Or by email or website request at www.localkennebunk.com. If you go, let me know and take some pictures, it sounds like it will be a great dinner. My personal favorite from Maine is Zoe, but everyone seems to line up for Lunch, as it usually sells out quick.

Cheers,
B

My best friend Mike (@Momeredith) attended the Victoria Station Tap Takeover last night in Salem, MA. I was hoping to attend but I had another event over at Wachusett Brewery, so I sent Mike on assignment!

Breweries featured were Cisco, Mayflower, Fisherman’s, Notch, Cody and Berkshire Brewing Company.

Cody was head and shoulders above the rest with their Honey Ginger ale. Truly blew everyone away with a unique flavors of honey and an after taste of ginger. Smelled like a dream bringing all the flavors and scents together. Another crowd favorite was the Notch Black Lager. Smooth and to the point with nothing more than dark, smooth taste.

Best salesman of the night was the rep from Berkshire Brewing Company. Sold our Western Mass favorites with gusto offering plenty of samples and a brief history lesson on why they bottle their product in Pints, Growlers and Kegs.

The staff at Victoria Station did a bang up job keeping the buffet stocked and the beers flowing all night. Great entertainment for Nick Consone and others including our very own Andrew Harding!

Overall, great event with awesome people. Tons of swag and a great atmosphere and for $20 bucks we ate and drank like kings all night.

More photos:

Thanks Mike!

In last week’s post, I talked about breweries that kicked butt from the start and maintained the quality of their relatively small lineup of beer. This week is about a brewery that do things differently in a good way. This is the kick off to my Brewery Profile series.

In a previous post, I listed the breweries who are part of the Brewers Supporting Agriculture movement and I am a huge supporter of this. More information can be found here (link). Throwback does this and then some. When Throwback launched less than a year ago, they stood out (and still stand out) above the rest of the breweries by not just sourcing their grain from local farms, but sourcing the majority of ingredients from farms in the area.

While you may think this is just a phase for this brewery, think again. This is the foundation of Throwback’s existence. Nicole and Annette put local ingredients in every beer they produce. From the local wheat in their Hog Happy Hefeweizen, to the local maple syrup in their Maple Kissed Wheat Porter. There is more hard work in every pint that goes far and beyond the brewing process.

Once more, they are tipping their caps to both stout lovers and more local farms by creating their Unafraid of the Dark Stout Series. I’m am positive this is what I have been waiting for as a stout lover, a punch card for stouts! Here is a peak at 4 of the 6 beers they will be making for this series.

• Wake Robin Farm Chocolate Ginger Stout
• White Heron Chai Porter
• Meadow’s Mirth Fennel Flower Stout
• Brookford Farm Hidatsa Squash Porter

Meadows Mirth was released on Thursday 1/13 and I stopped by to get my club card and pick up a growler. 2 things I noticed. One, since my fiancee doesn’t like stouts that much, I have to drink an entire growler myself (scared face) and 2, since my fiancee doesn’t like stouts that much, I have get to drink an entire growler myself (super happy face)! Luckily I was able to share the growler with Sean, Amber, Ryan and Ian of 2beerguys and it was enjoyed by all. The love for Throwback goes beyond North Hampton, with beer lovers flooding the Portsmouth Gaslight from all over last weekend for their tap takeover and draft release of their Fat Alberta Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Stout.

While this statement may seem contrary to my previous post, I enjoy watching and tasting the experiments from Nicole and Annette. The fennel stout comes from taking left over fennel flowers and trying it in a stout. One of my favorite experiments from them is their Spicy Bohemian, where they grilled Jalapenos on a grill outside their brewery and tossed them in the brew. The result is liquid nachos in the best of ways. Once they are happy with the recipe, they put it on tap and you can guarantee its going to be a solid product. While I don’t think other breweries will go full boar into local sourcing of all of their ingredients, Throwback definitely started the trend if there will ever be one.

Don’t believe me? I asked a couple of Throwback fans what they love about Throwback:

Aubrey (@starshaped)

Throwback stands out because of their size! I love seeing a brewery grow from homebrewing to a small operations facility with a tasting room. Also, their beers make them really stand out in my mind, with all the great and unusual ingredients they use. My favorites are the jalapeno pilsner they brewed this past summer, and, of course, I love Fat Alberta! I love the spicy, but not overwhelming, flavor of the jalapeno pilsner and the smooth, nutty and chocolatey taste of the big elephant. I’m very excited to try their Unafraid of the Dark beers; running an awesome stout club so early on in their brewing career makes them stand out to me, too. I just love Throwback!

Rich(@rstorch)

Hands down, Annette and Nicole are what make Throwback stand out from other breweries. Sure, they’re both female and have been praised for being entrepreneurs and starting their own business in a male dominated industry, which is fantastic. But that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s their positive attitude. Their adventurous spirit. Their approachability. Their kindness and willingness to take the time to have a personal conversation with you at the brewery even when it’s chaotically busy. It’s the fact that they’re downright good people and lose sleep at night worrying that you won’t like their beer or get a chance to try a special brew not because they think their brand or reputation will be tarnished, but because they truly care about you and hate to disappoint. They have graciously invited the community into their little microcosm and the response has been outstanding. Without doubt, being able to call both of them friends was one of the highlights of 2011. I love all of their beers, but Dippity Do is the one that I keep going back to again and again

Doreen(@beerzengirl)

Throwback stands apart because of the it philosophy on brewing. The choice to source as local as they can. Coupled with the fact that the owners are both women. On a personal level I really like Throwback because I started following their journey from the beginning. I met Nicole & Annette while the paint of thr logo was still fresh on the wall. And I’ve cheered them every step of the way as they continued to gain one success after another. They’re working hard & making great beer. My favorite from the first sip has been Fat Alberta. Of course I’d choose a stout. It’s unique flavor of chocolate & peanut butter made me fall in love with it. But I also enjoy their maple kissed porter. The maple is just sweet enough & not over powering.

If you have yet to visit Throwback I suggest getting a map (if you are unfamiliar with the area) and stopping by for a taste and a growler fill. You can also find their bottles in some stores around town. For more information about Annette and Nicole head over to the Throwback website.

Cheers,
B

**Disclaimer** The below is a post from my point of view only. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I hope the underlying concepts of the post are understood and not misconstrued. Cheers!

In New England alone, there has been a recent surge of new breweries to the market. Which makes me think there is something to be said in this day in age of craft beer about a Brewery that hits home runs with all of their beer. With these new breweries starting up, it will be easy to get traction/excitement due in part to social media and spreading the word. However, you wonder after tasting their beer if some of these breweries worked out all the kinks before launching. Don’t get me wrong, its rare to come off the block with a fantastic lineup of beers, but I think aspiring brewers should take the time, especially in 2012, to focus on a solid product before launching.

A quote form Ian Cowpar from 2beerguys.com
———–

These are, indeed, high times for new breweries, and it would be easy to pay attention to trends in the industry and gravitate towards them. However, in order to really differentiate yourself, you have to be able to create something that is transcendent. For a brewery, a measured and well-executed launch can result in one or two products that they know in their gut are the absolute best that they’re able to produce. A less-than-well-received product has the potential to do more damage to the brewery’s overall reputation than an excellent beer could ever do to enhance it. If a customers first experience is not a great one, you may never get them to come back to try again.

———–

Looking back on 2011 there were plenty of breweries with a line-up of beer that would make me go to the store for more but I don’t necessarily enjoy all of their beer. There were however, smaller breweries in the area that have done it right from the start.

Maine

Rising Tide (Portland, ME)
Arguably my favorite brewery from last year. While everyone does not like Stouts, I can easily offer up Ishmael, a super flavorful Copper Ale and/or Daymark, their American Pale Ale. They get high marks from me on all 5 of their beers. It says a lot about a brewery who can produce 5 different styles of beers and I am a fan of all of them.

• Polaris
• Daymark
• Ursa Minor
• Ishmael
• Atlantis

Baxter (Lewiston, ME)
Baxter is expanding faster than their building allows, so within the same year they opened they have begun expanding. They did a bold move by coming out with 2 beers and waiting almost a year to bring on a 3rd beer to their rotation. The can revolution started here, folks, no matter what anyone tells you.

• Pamola Pale
• Amber Road
• Stowaway IPA

Bull Jagger (Portland, ME)
Bull Jagger is run buy a couple of guys who perfected the Lager recipe, put it in bottles and put it on shelves. This is the mantra that should be adopted by everyone. Quality over Quantity. I can’t wait for their 2nd beer to hit the stores but they have made one heck of an impression with their Portland Lager. Stay tuned for their 2nd beer which I hear is coming very shortly.

• Portland Lager

Massachusetts

Notch
A brewery with a passion for session beers. I enjoy these beers very much because I thoroughly enjoy drinking many different styles of session beers. I love the idea of drinking a session Black Lager and the result is excellent.

• Session Ale
• Session Pils
• Saison
• Cerne Pivo
• BSA Harvest

New Hampshire

Tuckerman Brewing Co. (Conway, NH)
Tuckerman has been around since 1998 and I can recommend any of their beer to any beer lover. They have a strong presence on the taps in my town and is always considered a go to when I’m looking for something easy to drink with great flavor. 4 solid beers in 13 years, no messing around here.

• Pale Ale
• Headwall Alt
• Altitude
• 6288 Stout

Vermont

Switchback (Burlington, VT)
I was first introduced to Switchback when I visited Burlington in 2010 and I have sang their praises ever since. They are only in draft but can be found as far as Portsmouth (RiRa). If you get a chance, try any one of their beers and let me know what you think.

• Ale
• Amber
• Porter
• Roasted Red
• Brown

In conclusion, the above breweries I can safely say to someone “get any beer from them and you will enjoy it”. While none of them are doing any “shock and awe” recipes that you will see in a Dogfish beer, nor do they get lines outside their brewery in a Dark Lord or Kate the Great Day fashion, they remain consistent, and that is key. In 2012, find those quality beers in that large quantity of new breweries that will pop up. It is ok to to not like the first line up of beer from a new brewery, but I challenge you not to lose focus on those who got it right from the get go. Now it should go without saying that this is all my opinion. You may not enjoy a beer from one of the breweries above, and that’s totally fine.

Are there any breweries you can say you enjoy all of their beers? To me it shows the brewery took the time to perfect the recipe before going to market.

Cheers,
B

It’s that time of year again folks! Kate the Great Day is nearly upon us and this year their are a couple significant changes. The scratch tickets are still in affect but this year Kate will be bottled in 330ml (11.16 oz) bottles, allowing for more of it to be sold. Check below for the latest details. Also, for fun, if you didn’t see my video of me scratching my tickets, check out that video below.

Kate Day 2012, by the Numbers (Full Details)

• Date: March 5 !
• This year’s batch size: 14 barrels (420 gallons)
• Number of bottles available for purchase: 2,000 (last year, 900)
• Size of a bottle: 330ml (11.16 oz)
• Price of a bottle: $8
• Date scratch tickets go on sale: ABOUT three weeks before Kate Day.
• Number of scratch tickets available for purchase: 15,000 (last year, 10,000)
• Price of a scratch ticket: $2
• Funds raised through scratch ticket sales, to be contributed to charity: up to $30,000 (depending on number of scratch tickets sold)
• Odds of obtaining a winning ticket: 1 in 7.5 (last year, 1 in 11)
• Time the Brewery opens on Kate Day: 11:00 AM.
• Time Kate is tapped: around 11:30 AM.
• Time Kate runs out: That depends on you.

For more information on KTG Day and other events head over to www.PortsmouthBeerWeek.com

Cheers,
B

Saturday 2/25: Seacoast Winter Brew Fest

We are teaming up with Gaslight to host the first ever Seacoast Winter Brew Fest. This festival will showcase 15+ Breweries and 30+ Beers. Tickets will be on sale shortly but here are the details I can give out:

When: Saturday February 25, 2012
Where: Portsmouth Gaslight 3rd Floor

Session Details (all sessions include appetizers provided by Gaslight)
VIP Session*- 1: 11:00-12:00 PM (includes admission to Session 1): $60
Session 1 – 12:00-3:00 PM: $40
Session 2 – 4:00 – 7:00 PM: $40

*VIP session includes early access to the festival, meet and great with local brewers and a selection of beers available only during the VIP session (to be announced soon). Advanced purchase only. – limited number of tickets.

Stay tuned for more information. I will send out the link to the tickets when I get it.

Friday 3/2: The Love of Beer Movie/Panel at Music Hall, Portsmouth

Where: Music Hall, Portsmouth
When: Friday March 2, 2012

For those who haven’t been to the Music Hall, see the beautiful photo above taken by Phil Case Cohen. On March 2, we will be screening “The Love of Beer” movie and hosting a panel at this 800 seat venue!

About The Love of Beer:

The Love of Beer is a feature length documentary celebrating the women in the Pacific NW beer industry. Produced by Lingering Illocutions and created by Alison Grayson, The Love of Beer stars Bend Brewing’s Tonya Cornett and Saraveza’s Sarah Pederson and featuresTeri Fahrendorf, Lisa Morrison, Gayle Goschie, Amy Welch. The Love of Beer is an intimate portrayal of craft beer’s female forerunners. Staying true to cinema vierte, these women tell their stories in their own words and through their own actions. Check out our trailer to learn more.

At the end of the movie we will be hosting a panel with very special guests (to be announced soon). Tickets will be available through the Music Hall website (link) soon and will be $8.50. You can’t beat that! A bunch of beer bloggers saw this movie in Portland, OR last August and I can truly say you have never seen a movie like this before. There is no better way to spend a Friday night than around a lot of beer lovers with good beer, good movie and good conversation. I will post the link to the tickets as soon as it becomes available. Consider this a save the date for a great evening in Portsmouth.

Those are just 2 of the events going on during Portsmouth Beer Week. For more information, check out PortsmouthBeerWeek.com

Cheers,
B