Last Saturday Beeriety & Girls’ Pint Out got 45 of our closest friends together for a private tour of the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston. It was a great chance to see old friends, meet new ones and learn a thing or two about beer. A great time was had by all.
Winter got you down…?
Warm-up with Beeriety & Girls’ Pint Out at Boston’s premiere Scottish pub – THE HAVEN!
Stop by on Thursday Feb. 10th between 6:00 & 8:00 pm for appetizers, fun, and most importantly LOTS of Scottish beer.
Don’t know much about Scottish beer? No problem. We’ll be offering three different flights, ranging from $8-$10, so you can learn a bit about Scotland and the particular geographic conditions that make its beer so unique. Owner and resident Scotsman, Jason, will be on hand to help us taste our away across his homeland.
To sweeten the deal even more, when you buy any flight you can add a Scotch Egg for only $5.00!
The Haven is located in Jamaica Plain, an easy distance from the Orange or Green [E] lines and an even easier distance from the #39 bus.
As we all know by now the secret to a good winter is a beer with more robust flavors, aged notes, and plenty of ABV to keep us feeling warm. So in keeping with the winter spirit, my roommate and I decided to brew up something unique and sweet for the coming winter storm. Straight out of the book “Extreme Brewing” by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head fame, we attempted to brew the “Crandaddy Braggot”, which, if you can’t deduce from the title, is a braggot.
Last year, we gave you a number of beer-themed gift ideas in our 2009 Beeriety Gift Guide. This year, we’re going to add a few things to that list, check it twice, and give you a a few tips to brighten the season for your favorite beer nerd (or yourself!)
Glassware/Kitchenware:
Using the right glassware is important, but using fun glassware is also important. Give your beer a little panache by putting it in a re-purposed bottle of your favorite beer. Or if you’re feeling a little mischievous, try out some mustache pint glasses instead. All stocked up on glasses? You can also buy re-purposed bottles to be used as cheese-plates, cutting boards, or just as stylish wall art. If the idea of gifting glassware gives you pause, shop around for some less-breakable housewares: beer-y kitchen towels, a handy beer-cap basket, or a fun beer-opening technology from Capcatchers would all make great options!
Bath Products:
In the past we’ve talked about all of the ways you can use beer on your body and not just in it. Give your favorite beer-enthusiast a bottle of beer they can’t drink with Lush’s Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo. Made with real stout and bumped up with some additional brewer’s yeast, this concoction promotes shiny hair and healthy scalps for men and women alike. If you’re unsure about putting beer in your hair, try out a beer soap – you can find dozens of varieties on Etsy or possibly even at your local brewery!
Clothes & Jewelry:
If the beer-lover in your life has a favorite brewery, check their online store for t-shirts, hats, or even socks so he or she can show some pride. However, you can also find great fashions that celebrate beer more generally at places Craft Beer Clothing or even grab a hand-made gem like these hops, barley, & wheat silk-screened ties.There are also a number of jewelery-makers who use beer bottles, cans or caps as the material for their designs – from sterling silver-backed bracelets and cuff-links to something as simple as bottle cap earrings to something as unique as a beer-opener ring!
Seasonal:
‘Tis the season, so if you happen to be a decking a tree, some halls, or anything else that could use a good decking, throw some beer-themed ornaments into your wintry mix
If you’re a little craftier, you could also make your own beer-themed crafts. You can make your own jewelry, ornaments, and other home decor out from your favorite beers cans or caps. If you’re not crafting-savvy, go back to our friends at Etsy and check out what they have to offer!
The brewery is Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, California. The brewery is solar powered. The brews are made from all natural ingredients. The canned six pack uses an eco-friendly holder. The brewery itself was first housed in the basement of the The Buckhorn Saloon. The beer is Summer Solstice, and it is quite the surprise.
More and more I find myself enamored with the smell of hops. Now, I’m no hophead, but there is something about dumping Amarillo pellets into the brew kettle or manning the hop back that really gets to me. Although I may go for a malty porter more often than a sharp IPA, the utilization of hops while brewing has really got my mind—and palate—intrigued.
The history of spices in beer is as old and varied as beer itself. Despite the fact that hops have become the predominant spicing agent used in most contemporary styles, that was not always the case. In areas where hops are not native or easily grown the role of hops was frequently played by another bitter and/or mildly anti-septic plant, such as marigold, burdock, juniper, or heather. In fact, during the Middle Ages, a substance known as gruit (a mash-up of various herbs and spices) was used to provide the same preservative and flavoring benefits that hops can provide. As recently as the Renaissance, spicing beer was still fairly common all across Europe. Grains of Paradise (a peppery member of the ginger family) was particularly popular and was most likely used to cover over the stale or sour flavors of beer that had been improperly made or stored.
Today we’re going to take a look at the five beers that most define they way we think about beer. Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, they have shaped what beer is for the average consumer.
Budweiser – Regardless of how you feel about Budweiser, you can’t deny the huge role it has had in creating the modern American beer landscape. Wherever you are in the US, you can find a bottle, can or draft of Budweiser. Sure, Bud Light has replaced Budweiser as Anheuser-Busch’s signature brand, but it was good ol’ Bud that paved the way. A-B won over the masses thanks to Bud’s universal availability and year after year of clever commercials. Although certainly not the first light lager, Budweiser’s own special blend of corn and rice makes for an “easy to drink” beer that’s great for folks that don’t really like beer.
Guinness – It’s hard to overstate the influence of Guinness stout. For many (including myself), it was the first non-light lager beer they ever tried. In many ways it can be thought of as a gateway beer, introducing many to the world of beer beyond Budweiser. They’ve accomplished this with their velvety smooth texture and lightly roasted flavors. Although Guinness has a reputation as an extremely heavy beer, it’s deceptively smooth and light, which makes it dangerously easy to drink.
Anchor Steam - The original American craft beer. As we mentioned on Tuesday, Anchor Steam was the first brewery after Prohibition to brew without adjuncts or fillers, making it the first craft brewery. When Fritz Maytag bought the failing Anchor Brewing Company in 1965, he probably had no idea it would lead to the craft beer movement, but it did. Anchor Steam showed the world that American beer could be unique, substantial and delicious. The beer itself is a lovely hybrid of the best qualities of ales and lagers. It combines the light and smooth aspects of lager with the warm, round flavors of ale. It’s certainly worth a try.
Sam Adams Boston Lager – While Anchor Steam was the first American craft brewery, Sam Adams was the first to expand their distribution to a national scale. This enabled almost everyone in American to get a taste of lager done the proper way. Without any adjuncts like corn or rice in their beer, Sam Adams became the first American lager to be sold in Germany under their strict beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot. Sam Adams lager is notably hoppy for a lager, something the company takes considerable pride in, which they should. It’s delicious.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – Over the last ten years, much of the experimentation and innovation among craft brewers has happened in the realm of hops, and this is the one that started it all. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one hoppy beer, even by pale ale standards. It delivers a massive hop taste that’s citrusy and floral, really showcasing what hoppy beer can be. Their signature use of Cascade hops also helped usher in that variety as the American hop. To this day, most American IPAs and pale ales have some Cascade in them.
What beers have really influenced the way you think about beer? Where do these beers stack up in your Top 5? Leave us a comment and let us know what your favorites are and where we missed the mark. And as always next time you have a brew let us know by tweeting what you drank and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.
