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August 27, 2012

Beertography has MOVED!

Update your bookmarks! Beertography has moved off of Blogger. beertography.com will continue to get you where you need to go. We have some exciting news today, so go check it out now!

August 3, 2012

Brooklyn Brewery Fiat Lux

the last sip
This past Monday, the Brooklyn Brewery invited a lucky few to the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg Brooklyn to try the newest in their Brewmaster's Reserve Series. Fiat Lux or "Let There Be Light" is a 6.1% Belgian Wit made with lime peel and Indian coriander. As we had our first few sips on the hotel's rooftop overlooking the Manhattan skyline, we all agreed that it was the welcomed antithesis to what we've seen in the craft beer world lately; where pumpkin beers are hitting store shelves in mid-July.



Brewmaster Garrett Oliver spoke of wanting to create a beer that would be perfect for the right now of early July but would still be enjoyable come the cooler nights of September and October. At one point, Garrett compared this beer to a Binaca blast. While not the best sell for a beer, what he meant was that unlike some other beers, the finish of Fiat Lux left a refreshing sensation on the palate. Garrett then paused and added that it really isn't about the first taste. Once a customer orders a beer, they've made their decision. The brewery has made its sale. What it's really about is the last sip, as that is when the consumer decides whether or not to have another one. In the case of Fiat Lux, I was sold. More please!



Fiat Lux is a draught-only release. For more info, check out Brooklyn Brewery's website. Then watch this awesome video by Transient Pictures:

July 30, 2012

Portland Maine Beer Road Trip



Today I'm happy to feature a guest post by Steve Gitlin who recently traveled to Portland, Maine to check out all it has to offer in the ways of good beer. Steve submitted all of these awesome photos and if you scroll down he breaks it down for you between having to drive and walk around town. I'm actually going to be going up to Maine in September so this is really helpful for me having never been to Portland. I hope this helps you out too!

Allagash Brewing Company

Allagash Curieux barrels, aging to perfection


Flatbread Company

The Great Lost Bear
Gritty McDuff's
Gritty's taps

Maine Brewing Co.

Nova Res Bier Cafe

Portland Lobster Co.

Steve enjoying lobster and great beer
Rising Tide Brewing Company

Sebago Brewing Company
Sebago taps

Shipyard Brewing Co.
Shipyard taps

Day 1: Driving Stops
A) Portland Head Light - best scenic site of the trip, non-beer related
B) Allagash Brewing Company - name speaks for itself, but only better in person
C) Maine Beer Company - small batch brewers
D) The Great Lost Bear - more of a local pub, with an enormous selection.  Put in a session!
E) Rising Tide Brewing Company - small startup that does artisanal hand crafted ales
F) Peak Brewing - non pictured as tours were unavailable our weekend, but the beers are great and I wish I could have visited
G) Bier Cellar - best spot to buy beer to bring home/to the room

Day 2: Walking Spots
A) Gritty McDuffs - Maine's original brew pub
B) Portland Lobster Company - must do lobster rolls and great local craft selection
C) Sebago Brewing Company - brew pub with extremely fresh beers
D) Shipyard Brewing Company - the local hero
E) Flatbread Company - wood-oven organic pizza with 20 taps to choose = no brainer
G) Novare Res Bier Cafe - the most popular spot in Portland and a place where we all feel right at home

July 27, 2012

Beer It Forward Update 7/27



The Beer It Forward claims another victim! Johnny received this great package from Marek (L to R):

12oz Founders Cerise
12oz Weyerbacher Heresy
12oz Troegs Hop Back Amber
750ml The Bruery 4 Calling Birds
750ml Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale
12oz Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
12oz Weyerbacher Last Chance IPA
12oz Sixpoint Resin

This is our SIXTH Target Hit! We're really chugging along now, we've got SEVEN more to go! Johnny will now select his target and try to mail his package by 8/1.

July 20, 2012

Rock Hops Beertography Contest


Hey now! As you may or may not already be aware, myself and the illustrious beer writer extrodinaire John Holl are curating the craft beer list for a beer & music festival called Rock Hops. It's taking place Saturday August 11th in Mercer County Park, NJ and features music by Dark Star Orchestra, Bernie Worrell, Quimby Mountain Band, Citizens Band Radio and Lucid. Doors for this all-day Music Jam open at 1:30pm.


What beers might John and myself have selected you ask? Well, take a look at the list here! But this is a celebration of not just awesome craft beer, but also American music. There's even going to be seminars on the beer/music connection by John Holl and Jeff Cioletti of Beverage World Magazine! 

But what fun would it be if we didn't have a Beertography Contest where you could win VIP tickets? Of course we'll do that! We want to see your beertography combined with what you think represents American music. Be as creative as possible.

Want to enter? Here's what you do:

1. Like Rock Hops on Facebook.
2. Take some awesome beertography that also includes something/someone/somewhere that you think defines American music.
3. Post your photo to Facebook and tag Rock Hops Facebook wall as well as the Beertography Facebook page.

It's that simple! We'll keep the contest open until next Friday July 27th at 4pm EST. From there, we'll pick our favorite as well as a runner up. The winner will receive 2 VIP tickets (a $130 value) to the Rock Hops American Music & Craft Beer Tasting. The Runner up will receive 2 All-Day Rock passes. Details on both are below.


ROCK HOPS CONNOISSEUR VIP PACKAGE
Doors to Rock Hops: 1:30 PM
Connoisseur Pavilion Hours: 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Dark Star Orchestra 
Doors to venue: 1:30 PM
Access to select rare beer tastings in the Connoisseur Pavilion from from 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Dark Star Orchestra show 
Complimentary tasting glass
Music all Day
Access to VIP Concert viewing area & bar close to stage
Access to VIP restrooms
Access to Seminars & Vendor Village
Food vendors - “Ring of Fire"



ALL DAY ROCK PASS
Doors: 1:30 PM
Music all day
Activities
Great Craft Beer for sale by the cup
Food vendors - “Ring of Fire"
Access to Seminars & Vendor Village
Dark Star Orchestra show

July 10, 2012

July 4th Holiday Beertography

@JonAlfield
Well, it sure looks like everyone had a pretty fantastic Fourth of July... I know I did. Here's what you were drinking and photographing over the (unfortunately middle of the week) holiday. I got a ton of submissions thru the #beertography hash tag on twitter, so here are just a few of my favorites.

July 3, 2012

Fourth of July Beertography

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA on the Delaware Bay
Happy Fourth of July! What are you doing to celebrate Independence Day? Watching the movie Independence Day? Maybe. Grilling? More likely. Drinking delicious craft beer? Definitely. So, since you're definitely going to be drinking some great beer, why not snap a photo of it? Especially since you'll probably be drinking it outside, making for some great beer backdrops.

Email your photos to beertography@gmail.com or tag your tweet with the #beertography hash tag and I'll post my favorite entries later in the week!

Happy Fourth. Don't blow yourself up.

July 2, 2012

BOOM! Beer It Forward Update 7/2



The Beer It Forward claims another victim! Marek received this great package from Joe this past Friday (L to R):

12oz Sixpoint Resin
12oz Bells Two Hearted Ale
12oz Bells Amber Ale
12oz Bells Oberon Ale
12oz Avery Samael's Oak Aged Ale
22oz Hoppin Frog D.O.R.I.S. the Destroyer Double Imperial Stout
22oz New Holland Oak Aged Mad Hatter
25oz Jester King Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout

This is our FIFTH Target Hit! We're really chugging along now, we've got EIGHT more to go! Marek will now select his target and try to mail his package by 7/9.

June 27, 2012

New Jersey Craft Beer Bus Tour




UPDATE: This trip has been postponed. Anyone who bought tickets should have received a refund. Stay tuned for further details about rescheduling!



Attention Tri-State area residents! Do you want to visit Kane and Carton breweries, two of New Jersey's newest and most hyped breweries? How about a special private tour of Kane Brewing Company by Michael Kane himself? I helped plan this bus trip that will be happening on Sunday July 15th. If you're interested, buy your tickets before Saturday or it'll be too late! Here's the info:



Monmouth County Bus Tour

SUNDAY, JULY 15
We will be opening ticket sales for 30 seats on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets are $75 dollars and NJCB members will receive a 10% discount.  Ticket sales close on June 30 at 11:59PM.


Price includes round-trip transportation from Newark Penn or Metro Park to 2 Breweries and 3 bars/restaurants. Also included will be 2 beers and  some food*
Target times:
9:00am - Pickup at Newark Penn Station
9:40am - Pickup at Metro Park 
10:45am - Kane Brewery (private) Tour and Samples
12:15pm - Brickwall Tavern 1 beer
2:00pm - Carton Brewery Tour and Samples
3:30pm - Twin Light Taphouse 1 beer and shared food trays
5:45pm - Maloney's Pub & Grill
7:15pm - Metro Park drop-off
8:00pm - Newark Penn Station drop-off

Lastly, Edison Ale House is offering a complimentary beer to anyone on the tour after the final drop-off at Newark Penn Station. Just show your NJCB wristband for your beer.
*Everyone will have the opportunity and is encouraged to buy growlers and swag from the breweries. Please remember that the breweries are making room for us and only benefit if you purchase beer or merchandise. 
Any extra beers at the bars will be on a pay as you go basis.   Please bring cash as it will be easier to get the orders processed with the large group.
Maloney's is giving all on tour a discount on beers.

You will be able to order food at any of the bar/restaurants, but we encourage everyone to pack some food as a full meal will not be provided and time constraints may not allow for 30 people to order their own food at the restaurants. 
We will also be bringing some beer on the bus for passengers.  Bottle shares are also encouraged!
We also welcome any members that can not make the full trip to join us at any of the our stops.  It will be pay as you go. Nothing will be included.

IMPORTANT INFO
Please be sure to be at pickup locations 15 minutes prior to scheduled pickup time. Don't get left at the bus stop! 

NJCB Members, please use the code provided to your in your email on our order page.  Be sure to alert us in the comments section of the order where you will be boarding the bus.

NJCB also asks that if you require driving after the final drop-offs to please have a Designated Driver. NJCB is not responsible after you have been dropped off to Newark Penn Station or Metro Park.

THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS NOR STORE CREDIT ISSUED.
Book here by June 30 to secure your seat!

Guest Post: Four Saints Brewing Company

Today on the site we've got something a bit different. A friend of Beertography, Joel McClosky is in the process of starting up a new brewery called Four Saints Brewing Company in Asheboro, NC. Joel and his co-founder Andrew have been hard at work getting this thing off the ground for a long time and now find themselves in the final stretch. 

Since Joel is a friend of the site, an avid beertographer and a Beer It Forward participant, I wanted to give him an opportunity to introduce his new brewery to you here. And if you felt like it, you could donate to his Kickstarter campaign to help see his dreams come to fruition. 

Cheers to Joel and Andrew and I can't wait to have a Four Saints beer!




   
“I’m too young to die.  I haven’t lived yet; I haven’t seen Italy or Spain.”
~ A recent quote from a conversation

Ever walk into a pub, bottle shop, or brewery and have a similar thought?
A thought that we beer fans, connoisseurs, and snobs will never experience all of it? 

Those beers that are only available in small markets, but end up at the top of every Best Beer list, tease us constantly.  Or, those one day events that most of us cannot drop a few hundred bucks on to get to.  Don’t forget about the breweries that offer insane in-house offerings that are bragged about via Facebook and Twitter.  Aye, we are all too young to die.

Description: http://www.wakefieldliquors.com/images/beerwall1.jpg
As the craft beer world continues to expand, the Beer Bucket List grows lengthier and more daunting.  A small pang of anxiety attacks as we enter the dens of opportunity, hoping and praying to choose wisely.

When I think of great beer, there are two things that I might consider to be of greater importance.
The people I’m with and the surrounding community.
I say this with full conviction - no beer has ever changed my life.  The conversation or experience had with others, possibly with a beer, has changed me.   So, I find it necessary to remind myself of a few things to keep me grounded and aware.




Description: C:\Users\jmcclosky\Dropbox\FSBC\Event Pictures\Gastonia\photo 111.JPGIt is the people, not the place or the beer.

I’ve had some great beer in my life so far.  I’ve also made some great beer as a part of Four Saints Brewing Company (http://bit.ly/K1lPu0). 

Each of those beers drank and each of those places visited really are the most superficial parts of those experiences.  The connections made, renewed, or ended during those times are the essence of what brings meaning to the craft beer experience. 

The people we are meeting as we work through our Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/LmbeaM) have been some of the most inspiring, caring, intelligent, funny, and genuine people we have ever met.  Our beer has been the beginning of some great friendships and partnerships. And, with success or failure of our brewery, those will last.    


Description: C:\Users\jmcclosky\Dropbox\FSBC\Event Pictures\VA Beach HQ\_MG_8955.jpgAs social animals, we crave the sharing of an experience more than the experience itself.

Ever been drinking a great beer by your lonesome, and thought “I wish so-and-so was here to try this.”?  I have.  It’s a little like riding a roller coaster by yourself.  It may be exhilarating, but it’s lonely.  Our hearts and minds race when we run into someone who knows what we’ve experienced or are experiencing.  We can learn a lot from those around us. 

Craft beer is meant to be a social experience.  Craft beer is a conversational lubricant.  When you sit at the pub, don’t be afraid to engage the stranger to your right or left.  Ready to imbibe that beer you’ve been cellaring for three years?  Call someone to join you.  S/he may be the key to something deep within your heart or psyche.  Or, at least they’ll be one less person to explain the beer’s amazingness (or awfulness) to the next day.



Description: C:\Users\jmcclosky\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\stout stein-4.jpgRecognize the exotic nature of your local community.
While living in Dublin through a graduate program, at first, I walked around the city awestruck – mostly at the fact I was in Dublin.  I wandered streets, some lighted and some not, finding everything exotic – i.e., “I’ve never had Irish milk!  Oh my!”  Day in and day out, I found something new to appreciate.  I drank only Guinness. 

Then, one day it happened.  I found myself in front of the television, watching a rerun of an American show I had already seen.  Maybe I was yearning for home; but it caused an epiphany.

Regardless of where we are, at some point it all becomes mundane and ‘meh’.  At that point I made a conscious decision to make wherever I was, for however long I was there, for whatever reason an exotic experience.  It takes a little work, an open mind, and willingness to truly accept your current place in the Big Picture to do this. 

Craft beer again offers us this chance.  With each local brewery of varying sizes and niches a beer drinker should rarely find him/herself struggling for that exotic experience.  Make the connection with the bartender or actual brewer, talk with the locals and regulars (you can tell who they are), observe the people and place.  Local breweries and brewpubs can be an amazing link to the parts of the community that are unfound as of yet.  You’ll soon find yourself sitting in a jungle with new species of animals sitting all around you.  Hell, you’ll be a new species yourself to some of the other explorers.  Let’s hope they don’t plan to mount you on their trophy wall.

The growth of the craft beer world is sometimes scary; hoping it doesn’t implode again like the mid-90s. Hoping the return to a buy local mentality is real and not some manufactured mantra of the moment. Because, buying local isn’t just about a financial reinvestment into communities – it’s a human reinvestment into the one thing that makes everything spectacular. Human connection, awareness, and compassion along with great beer and great people can help those great communities revive, resonate, and revel in renaissance.

Description: C:\Users\jmcclosky\Dropbox\FSBC\Event Pictures\Pete's Tasting\Potter's Clay.jpg
Too young to die?  Yep. 
I still haven’t met my neighbor across the street.  It’s about time to split a sixer with him (or her). 

June 25, 2012

Beertography Weekend Leftovers

Founders Dirty Bastard by Jesse Land

So after the popular Memorial Day Weekend Contest a few weeks ago, I still had quite a few pretty amazing submissions that I still wanted to share. Check out these great examples of beertography and enjoy!

BrewDog 5am Saint by Rebecca Patrick - thebakeandbrew.com

CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing by Sean Buchan aka Beertographer

 Hill Farmstead Anniversary Party by Shawn @takeanotherswig
  
Victory Prima Pils by Steve Brupbacher - the-bru.blogspot.com

June 18, 2012

Best in Weekend Beertography

Avery IPA by MarathonBlake 
This is going to be a new weekly column highlighting my favorite Beertography from the past weekend. I scour the #beertography hash tag on twitter and constantly retweet my favorites, but here is where I'll showcase my absolute favorites. People are getting REALLY good at beertographying (that's a word right?) so I have to share.

Heady Topper at Phish in Atlantic City by goldenmonkey
Dale's Pale Ale by JR_III
Brooklyn Waterfront Beer Festival by cheersngoodbeer
Firestone Walker Parabola by jeremybebeau