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 A newsletter of special interest to brewers, the brewing community, chefs, restaurateurs, and members of the beverage alcohol business media.

If you wish to be dropped from this list, please respond to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com . Include the word "remove" in the Subject: line.

(The subscriber list is the sole property of the publisher and will not be sold, given or otherwise distributed.)

 ==============================

Publisher: Peter LaFrance

 ==============================

BEER BASICS.COM 

Vol.09 No.001 --- 27 January 2008

A newsletter of special interest to brewers, the brewing community, chefs, restaurateurs, and members of the beverage alcohol business media.

If you wish to be dropped from this list, please respond to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com

Include the word "remove" in the Subject: line.

(The subscriber list is the sole property of the publisher and will not be sold, given or otherwise distributed.)

 ==============================

Publisher: Peter LaFrance

 ==============================

 

======= THE RANT=======

Greetings,

Welcome to the New Year. I hope you all have a healthy and rewarding one.

As we look into the short range future we see that the hops situation is not going to get better. This is bad news for the home-brewer, brewpub owner and smaller breweries. However, it means adjusting to change and modern brewers have certainly shown that they are agile if not inventive.

Some of you might have noted that the festivities of the past season were not celebrated here. ( Yes, last year was an issue short...) It is not that I didn't appreciate the season. My spin on the issue is that I am saving all those recipes and special beer pairings for that dismal month of February when we all actually need a reason to celebrate. You can look forward to that I assure you.

Now to something rather special to me.

Last year I received a bottle of "Reunion" brew and the material regarding the efforts to raise awareness of the work being done by the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. This year I would like to include the following information on the release of "Reunion 2008" for your consideration.

REUNION A Beer for Hope returns February 17 2008

  • The second annual release of REUNION - A Beer for Hope will take place during the week of February 17, 2008.  This year's beer celebrates the life of Virginia MacLean, the inspiration and one of the founding partners of the REUNION beer collaboration. (See links page at www.reunionbeer.com for stories on the 2007 release).
  • This year's beer is an Organic Red Rye Ale, once again brewed in cooperation with Bison Brewing in Chico, CA.  It is a reddish-amber colored beer, with a pronounced malt forward profile balanced by the delicate spices of the hops and rye.  It is 6.5% alcohol by volume.
  • The beer will be distributed through the SBS-Imports distributor network (www.sbs-imports.com), to approximately 20 states, suggested retail price of $4.99-$5.99 per 22 ounce bottle.
  • Consumers may also mail order (starting mid-February) via the Michael Jackson Rare Beer Club (www.beveragebistro.com)
  • 100% of the profits generated by SBS-Imports will benefit the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR) (www.imbcr.org).
  • Donations to IMBCR accepted via www.reunionbeer.com or directly at the IMBCR site (www.imbcr.org/donate_now.htm)
  • Bottle and label art available upon request.
  • Full press release to follow in early February.

Contact: 
Alan Shapiro - SBS-Imports
206.527.4191 / alanmshapiro@sbs-imports.com

Your response would be appreciated.

Finally, I would appreciate your comments and critiques on this publication.

Just click on  "How am I doing?"  and let me know how I'm doing.

 

Cheers!

Peter LaFrance

 

 

=============== FROM THE WIRES ================

(The latest published news as of 1330 27 January 2008)

Oskar Blues Brewery Grows 51% in 2007, New Brewery Planned to Meet ...
BeerAdvocate.com - Cambridge,MA,USA
The Lyons brewery will continue to produce beers for the company's famed brewpub/music venue there, and will enable Oskar Blues to expand the house beer ...
 

Microbrew stout from NH scores in magazine survey
WCAX - Burlington,VT,USA
AP - January 25, 2008 11:25 AM ET PORTSMOUTH, NH (AP) - A New Hampshire microbrewery is getting some favorable comments from beer drinkers. ...
 

Brews. Dogs. Friends.
Helena Independent Record - Helena,MT,USA
Organizers expected about 1500 microbrew fans to pack the Helena Civic Center ballroom, but said they would not have a ticket count for a few days. ...

 

Lyons brewery hopes to begin production at new plant in March
KJCT8.com - Grand Junction,CO,USA
The brewery hopes to begin producing beer at the new facility in March, leaving the Lyons brewery to focus on supplying its brewpub. ...
 

Beer of the Week: Pranqster Belgium Gold Ale
Tulsa World - Tulsa,OK,USA
About the brewery:
North Coast opened in 1988 as a small brewpub and has won more than 70 awards for its beers. Fun fact: Belgian golden ales are ...
 

The nitty Gritty about beer
Fall River Herald News - MA, USA
By Norman Miller The Gritty McDuff’s brewpub in Portland, Maine, will always have a place in my heart. I still remember my first time. It was July 24, 2004, ...
 

And that's the way it is at 1330 est Sunday 27 January 2008

 

 

======= BeerBasics.com visits... =======

 

This month I took a quick tour of YOUTUBE and found there was more brewing there...

 

Lighthouse Brewing Company in Victoria BC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43erhU9gxPo

 

Sierra Nevada Brewery Tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZOddr9ty40

And a quick look at the Magic Hat bottling line...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1-Pr5EzES8

         

 

=========== TASTING NOTES ===========

( Click on the bold name to get to the notes...)

A taste of...

Buzzsaw Brown Seasonal Ale

Deschutes Brewing Co.

Bend, Oregon USA.

 

A taste of...

Goosinator Doublebock Lager

Left Hand Brewing Co.

Longmont, CO

 

A taste of...

Federal Jack's Royal IPA

Kennebunkport Brewing Co.

Kennebunkport, ME

 - 33 -

 

==============================

Dinners Events and New Product Information

==============================

DINNERS & EVENTS:

Avery Brewing Company Dinners & Events

Beer Lovers Dinner-  The perfect Valentine gift for a beer lover.  A five course meal lovingly paired with ten exceptional ales at the West End Tavern in Boulder.  Full details will be posted on our website in coming weeks.  Reservations will be available then. 

http://www.averybrewing.com/about/news/Events

Thursday, February 14th, West End Tavern in Boulder

Choice City Beer Dinner- Ten extraordinary beers paired with some of the finest (choicest) food in Fort Collins.  Check our website for more details!

Wednesday, February 13th, Choice City Butcher and Deli in Fort Collins

6th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival- For the sixth year in a row Avery Brewing is sponsoring its Strong Ale Fest at Harpo's in Boulder.  Dates are set for April 11th and 12th 2008.  

 

Free State Beer Dinners & Events

Dates set for 19th Anniversary Beer Banquets
The dates for this year’ Banquets are:

Tuesday February 5th
Wednesday February 6th
Tuesday February 12th

All of the Banquets will be held in our Beer Hall dining area at 6:30 PM. We are strongly encouraging everyone to place their reservations through our on-line store. For more detailed information, click here.

Possibility for an additional Beer Banquet

Due to the strong demand for seats at our three Beer Banquets, we are considering adding a 4th Banquet to the calendar. This 4th Banquet would be at
6:30 pm on Wednesday, February 13th.

If you are interested in attending a banquet on this date, please reply to this e-mail and let us know how many seats you would be interested in reserving. If there are enough people who show interest in this date, we will schedule it and let you know how to order tickets. Preference will be given to those who are already on our waiting list.

For more details on our Banquets, visit our web site.

 

(Click on bold headline to get there... )

PRESS RELEASES - NEWS & NOISE

Anderson Valley Celebrates 20th Birthday

AVERY NEWS Hop Shortage? Not here

U.S. Craft Breweries Shine on World Stage

Left Hand Brewery releases Widdershins Barleywine

Rogue releases Imperial Red  to Celebrate Democracy

Web Based Brewing Course now IBD Recognized

Sierra Nevada Going Solar

Stone Brewing Co. New Brewpub

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Tsingtao Beer

 

 

========= CHECK THESE OUT =========

Cask Ale Resource Link-

Alex Hall has put together a very helpful link to on-premise establishments that serve real cask ale.

http://www.cask-ale.co.uk/us/statemenu.html

 

Culinary Cultures LLC        

For chefs, cooks and foodservice professionals.

Chef Ron L. Askew, Executive Director

www.culinarycultures.com

 

The Food Reference Newsletter

Food History, Trivia, Quotes, Humor, Poetry, Recipes

James T.  Ehler, Editor

james@foodreference.com  

http://www.foodreference.com

 

Lew Bryson's Home Page

Beer maven Lew Bryson has a site that deserves a hit or two.

Of special interest is the Pennsylvania Breweries Update Page, for those who have his book Pennsylvania Breweries. Lew Bryson's website also offers frequent updates to his new book, NY Breweries.

www.LewBryson.com

 

Nat Decants Free Newsletter

Wine tips, sips and articles from award-winning wine writer Natalie MacLean. There are no ads and all e-mail addresses are kept confidential.

Contact: natdecants@nataliemaclean.com  or http://www.nataliemaclean.com/  

 

SALUT! (The Webb site.)

This site includes a recipe of the month (all beer-based recipes), a substitution chart so that those not lucky enough to have access to Quebec’s great beers can use an alternative beer, a brief history of beer in Quebec, and a Question & Answer section with Raymond Beauchemin.

www.vehiculepress.com/salut/

 

Restaurants.wikia - http://restaurants.wikia.com

Foodiewikia - http://foodie.wikia.com

 

 ============ DIRECT ACCESS ===========

 

I have not had a chance to check these email addresses. I suggest you use the site addresses if you have any doubts.

 

1) BridgePort Brewing Co.                                                 www.bridgeportbrewing.com  

Paula Troyer, Mkting Mgr. 503-241-7179,                paula.troyer@bridgeportbrewing.com

2) Pete's Brewing Co.                                                       www.peteswicked.com    

Jennifer Shannon, Mkting Mgr. 210-490-9128,         jennifer.shannon@gambrinus.com

3) Spoetzl Brewery Inc.,Shiner, TX:                                    www.shiner.com   

Jay Finnigan, Marketing Manager, 210-490-9128,                jay.finnigan@gambrinus.com

4) Gambrinus:                                                                  www.gambrinus.com   

Ron Christesson, Director of Marketing, 210-490-9128,        ron.christesson@gambrinus.com

5) Rogue Ales                                                                  www.rogue.com  

Michele Becker, Marketing 503-241-3800 x4                       michele@rogue.com

6) Boston Beer Company                                                  www.bostonbeer.com

Michelle Sullivan   617-368-5165                                     michelle.sullivan@bostonbeer.com  

-33-

© Peter LaFrance 2006 

 

HOT-BUTTON

BREWERY INDEX

 

Avery Brewing Co.

BJ's Brewhouse

Boscos Brewing Company

De Proefbrouwerji

Deschutes Brewery

 

Full Sail Brewing Co.

 Great Divide Brewing Co.

Left Hand Brewing Company

Magic Hat Brewing Co.

Merchant Du Vin

 

Sam Adams

Shipyard Brewing Co.

Smuttynose Brewing Co.