Posted By Tomme on March 9, 2010

This line comes to us from that Cinematic blockbuster of a movie that was Revenge of the Nerds II. In an opening scene a few of the young college Nerds head to Florida for Spring Break. One of the youngest members of the group purchases beer with a fake ID only to be busted as he’s heading out the door. For some reason, I can’t seem to shake that scene from the movie.

It could be because my friend Brendan Hartranft (who owns three great beer bars in Philadelphia) was raided by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PCLB) last week. Apparently, the “Fuzz” was working on an “anonymous” tip that his bars Memphis Tap Room, Local 44 and Resurrection were stocked with illegal beers.

What made them illegal? That’s a good question.

Apparently, many of the beers that were deemed illegal were unregistered in the state of Pennsylvania. Essentially, we’re talking about a paper pushing incident. It must have been some sight to see as all three locations were simultaneously “raided” at the same time by officers packing heat.

I got word of this bust on Friday when we landed in Oakland for the Wine Warehouse meeting. Apparently, our beers were part of the contraband seized (it sounds way cooler than it is). It seems that we have neglected to register a couple of our brands and have been “breaking the law…”

So today, I am in registration mode.

It also means that I get to cut a check for $75 per brand of beer for which we’re missing registration.

God, I love a good registration day. NOT!

Hopefully, things for Brendan and Leigh (His wife and business partner) will settle down. It sucks that this happened. They say any press is good press but in this case, I’m inclined to believe that being raided by the PLCB isn’t what most of us would want.

Here’s a link that has many of the bloggers from Pennsylvania discussing what went down. Check out their webpages for detailed accounts.

As for me, I have to go register our beers. I don’t feel the need to be busted anymore for breaking the law.

Category: Brewer's Blog, In The News, Out and About | 1 Comment »
Tags:

Posted By Tomme on March 3, 2010

When I was a younger brewer in training, my family spent our summer’s vacationing just South of Big Sur California each summer. It was usually August when we would load up my grandparents 5th wheel trailer and head out for a week of beach camping. We also spent time visiting Monterrey and San Francisco. I have very fond memories of each trip to Northern California.

As a brewer, I’ve lost track of how many times I have pointed my vehicle north on Interstate 5 or the 101 with the Bay Area (or beyond) as my final destination. It would seem that you cannot be a true lover of beer without making the pilgrimage to the birth place of Craft Brewing in this country. And, while I never found myself needing to hitch hike to get there, it was always a journey.

And so it is, that we’re about to celebrate our 4th Anniversary of brewing in San Marcos at Port Brewing (May of 2010), as we embark on another journey.

This Friday March 5th, Matt and I will head to Richmond, CA., home of Wine Warehouse North where we will introduce our beers to a sales force numbering about 90 people. This is very big news for us here at Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey.

We have patiently waited (some would say too long) to find a distributor for our beers in Northern California.

I for one, am very excited by this new partnership as it will allow us to focus on expanding our production and territorial reach. It’s no secret, we have been growing at a steady and manageable level since we opened our doors. Last year, we added no new territories as we sought to grow our brands with our new Microstar Keg Contract.

That was last year.

This is a “Go” year. I have been telling anyone who would listen to me for the past 6 months that this would be a “Go” year for us. I knew we would be focusing our energies on growing Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey closer to home. They call this sort of thing “Protecting your own Backyard.” Me, I call it simple math. California supports one of the largest economic opportunities for us and one that frankly we have neglected for too long.

I know this because yesterday, a truck backed up to our loading dock and pulled away 20 pallets of beer heavier. This may not seem like much beer for some brewers out there, but it’s a massive departure from our first few months when the Stone trucks would pickup 1-2 pallets worth of beer from us a week. Certainly, we don’t expect that each shipment will be 20 pallets large (although we can always dream). Yet, there was an air of accomplishment yesterday.

After work, we sat around and shared some beers. We remarked at the day that was Monday March 1, 2010. It’s not often a truckload of beer leaves our warehouse (as in exactly never before yesterday). Who knows, it may be another 4 years before this happens again (doubtful but possible). It was a great day on so many fronts.

So Northern California, here we come! It’s been a long time in the making and hopefully, we’ll live up to all the hype. 2010 promises to be a “Go” year.

And you know what? “Go” rhymes with “Grow”, which sounds pretty good to me.

Category: Brewer's Blog, Out and About | 1 Comment »
Tags: california, distribution, Lost Abbey, Port Brewing, san francisco

Posted By Tomme on February 26, 2010

It’s Friday and I finally have my desk cleared of all the clutter that piled up in my absence. On Wednesday evening, I returned from another week on the road into Boston and Philadelphia. I must be insane. First of all, I keep booking flights to the east coast during February when everyone is pining to be in San Diego. Secondly, my liver has decided that week long trips are getting to be too much especially when it involves drinking at the Extreme Beer Fest and spending time in Philly with Curt Decker and Tom Peters.

It was a great trip as I got to ship out a bunch of our new and forthcoming releases. For Boston, we tapped the only East Coast keg of Angel’s Share Grand Cru, along with Red Poppy 2010, Framboise de Amarosa and other great beers. We have been working on these beers and tasting their progress for many months now and felt they would be well received. And they most certainly were. The Grand Cru is something that I think is expressive now but has the attributes to be amazing many many years from now.

Down in Philly, we had another Lost Abbey beer dinner at Monk’s Cafe. Very few places in this country know how to cook and pair food with beer better than Tom Peters so it’s never a let down when we go there. There were 54 tickets to the beer dinner offered this year and it took them 10 minutes to sell it out. Thank you to the kind souls in The City of Brotherly Lover who waited in the frigid conditions in January to secure tickets. We hope we made it worth your while.

The dinner started out with Red Poppy being served alongside Pate with a cherry sauce. The second course was Tartare of Salmon and Caviar paired with Carnevale 2009. The third course was the start of what is known as the “Monk’s Double Meat Course(s).” It was Quail stuffed with Sausage and Wild Rice. Tom paired this with Framboise de Amarosa and it was delightful. I think everyone knows I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy which is why the fourth course of Oso Buco and Potato Ravioli was high on my list. It did not disappoint and it was paired with Ten Commandments and Lost And Found. The Ten Commandments with its’ Honey, Rosemary and Caramelized Raisins really owned the dish- Sublime.

I told the crowd that I was most looking forward to the fifth course as it was a cheese and beer pairing. I found it amusing that I would be most drawn to the cheese and beer pairing as it meant that Monk’s actually didn’t cook anything for the dish. Yet, it was the beers that I wanted to showcase. Tom offered up Angel’s Share Grand Cru paired with an English Stilton that was beyond silly. We also had Veritas 007 (wiith Cabernet Franc Grapes) on the menu. This was paired with a Swiss Sheep’s Milk cheese. I would have had more then one plate of each had dessert not been put in front of me. The final pairing of the evening was Cuvee de TomMe with a Molten Lava Cherry Cake. Sweet mother of Nomutu Nectar. I was spent when this thing was over. Monk’s had officially risen to the challenge yet again and woven one of the most mystical tapestries of gastronomy for our beers that I have ever been a part of.

I think I gained about 8 lbs on this trip. Considering the amount of ridiculous food and beer that was always being put in front of me, it’s hard not to do so. I’m living life at 222 these days. It’s more than I like to carry around but sometimes you just can’t say no. This was but one week of my shrinking life. Albeit a very good one.

Category: Brewer's Blog, Out and About | 1 Comment »
Tags:

Posted By Abbey Scribe on February 22, 2010

In This Issue

Around the Brewhouse

Greetings from Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. Our beloved Director of Brewery Operations is taking this issue off from his column as he’s on the East Coast this week doing several special appearances (or, as we call it: “Being Tomme Arthur”).

Not to worry, however, as we’ve still got a lot of news for you. Read on.

Expansion Updates

First off, our tasting room expansion is nearly complete. As you’ve probably read in previous newsletters, via the website, Facebook, etc., back in late November we began a major expansion of our tasting room and warehouse / barrel room / cold storage.

We’re please to report that the expansion – save a few minor details – is complete. With the construction of the new warehouse and barrel room across the lot from the brewhouse and tasting room, we’ve not only been able to bump our barrel library to 800-plus barrels, but also nearly double the size of our tasting bar to 42 feet, add 14 more taps for fresh beers, and create a vintage bottle list for visitors who would like to sample some our rarer delights. Combine that with our swanky lighting, new bottle cabinetry and hip bistro-style barrel tables, and you’ve got a tasting room experience quite unlike anything else.

You can learn more about our tasting room on our website here: http://www.lostabbey.com/tasting-room/

A New (Old) Face

Along with our with our new tasting room, we’re also pleased to announce our new tasting room and special events manager, Terri Osterfeld.

Those of you familiar with Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey know that Terri (aka: “Beer Molly”) has been a staple behind the bar on weekends since late 2006.

But with our fancy new digs and the ever-expanding crowds, we started needing her here a lot more than just weekends. So as of January 1 Terri became a full-time employee in charge of the tasting room, merchandise, special events, and online sales. Now she’s here Wednesdays through Sundays, serving beers, filling orders, coordinating tours and basically keeping the public side of our operation running smoothly.

If you ever have a chance to drop by the brewery or purchase anything from our online store, Terri’s the girl who handles it for you, so make sure to say hi. She can be reached at terri@lostabbey.com or through our website at: http://www.portbrewing.com/visit-us/contact-the-tasting-room/

Extended Tasting Room Hours

Oh, and speaking of Terri, now that she’s on board fulltime, we have newly extended tasting room days and hours. They are as follows:

• Wednesday: 1pm to 5pm – Growler Fills & Bottles Sales only
• Thursday: 12pm to 5pm – Growler Fills & Bottles Sales only
• Friday: 2pm to 8pm – Full Tasting Room (Tasters, Pints, Growlers & Bottles)
• Saturday: 12pm to 5pm – Full Tasting Room (Tasters, Pints, Growlers & Bottles)
• Sunday: 12pm to 4pm – Full Tasting Room (Tasters, Pints, Growlers & Bottles)
• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday: Closed

You can all the info on our tasting room (beers on tap, vintage bottles, special events, etc.) by visitng our website at: http://www.lostabbey.com/tasting-room/

Barrels for Sale

As you’re probably aware, we have quite an extensive collection of barrels in which we age beers. What you might not know, however, is that many of those barrels — especially our spirit barrels (bourbon, brandy, sherry) — we only use once.

Oh, they still impart lots of flavor and character, but the style of beer combined with the volume we’re producing really dictates that we used fresh distilled spirit barrels.

As a result, we have a regular supply of whole (empty) barrels that we’re willing to part with for very little. Not only do these barrels have great flavor, but there color and character are something to behold too. So if you’re a homebrewer, a gardener (yes, they make great planters), a craftsman, or any one of hundreds of other people who has use for gently-used spirit barrels, these are just $25 each (whole 33gal barrel) when you pick up it up.

If you’re interested, visit our website here: http://www.portbrewing.com/buy-our-beers/buy-a-barrel/

Upcoming Events

Carnevale di Lost Abbey

Saturday, February 27th is our 3rd Carnevale di Lost Abbey Masquerade party. An annual bash held in honor of the release of our 2009 GABF Gold Medal-winning Carnevale Ale, we’ll be serving up food by our house chef Vince, live music by the Professors, and a huge tap and bottle list of great Port Brewing and Lost Abbey beers.

The masquerade is from 7pm to 11pm and food and music are free for everyone who shows up in costume and mask. It’s $10 for those without a costume (we will, however, provide you with a mask). Beers are all regular price.

More information, visit the Lost Abbey website at: http://www.lostabbey.com/3rd-annual-carnevale-di-lost-abbey-masquerade-party/

New Website

Hey, did you notice that our Port Brewing website has an all new look? Check it out at: http://www.portbrewing.com

New Releases

• Carnevale Ale
  Saison with Brettanomyces
  Releases: Feb. 27, 2010
• Serpent’s Stout
  Sweet Stout
  Releases: Feb. 6, 2010
• Midnight Sessions
  Black Lager
  Releases: Jan. 23, 2010

» More upcoming releases

Category: Newsletters | No Comments »
Tags: brewery, february, Lost Abbey, new people, newsletter, Port Brewing