Libri Divini – May 2010
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From the Director’s Chair
It’s May here in San Diego which means the rains are leaving us and our new equipment is being installed.
Out my office window in the packaging area, our new hood and wire unit has arrived and is now functional. Gone are the days of 16 bottles per minute (by hand). Say hello to 40 bottles per minute as our new hood unit spins away. It’s freakishly fast! The guys aren’t going to know what to do with themselves. I’m very excited about it.
I also just ordered a new refrigeration system for the roof so that our tanks and cold liquor systems will be more efficient. And with this efficiency comes more brewing (Hooray beer)!
All of these changes mean that we’re going to be able to better produce, package and ultimately distribute our beers. For that, I am glad that Spring is ending and Summer is on the horizon. Which reminds me, it’s time to get a batch of SPA going…
4th Anniversary Party
By the time this email reaches you it will probably be a mere 24 hours and counting before our big 4th anniversary party. Last year’s party was kind of a breakthrough year for us (we were expecting 200 people and got over 700), so this year we’re much better prepared.
In order to accommodate everyone, we’ve divided the party into two sessions — an early one that runs from 11am to 3pm and a later one that runs from 4pm to 8pm. We’ve also limited attendance to 300 people to ensure that everyone is comfortable and has access to all the great beer and food.
Beyond that, we’re also spreading our wings a little and showing off our barrelhouse this year, something most patrons in our tasting room never get to see. (The 150-odd barrels in the barrel room are nothing compared to the nearly 1,000 in the barrelhouse.) What’s more, Tomme himself will be leading the tours explaining the philosophy, ideas and methods behind the barrel-aged wonders that have made The Lost Abbey famous.
As always, there will also lots of great Port/Lost Abbey beer, delicious food and great live music, meaning that everyone is guaranteed to have a great time.
If you’re attending (or planning to attend), here’s what you can expect:
Barreled Beers
- The Angel’s Share (bourbon)
- Framboise de Amorosa
- Red Poppy
- Serpent’s Stout (bourbon)
On Tap / Bottles
- Avant Garde, Carnevale, Devotion, Gift of the Magi, Inferno, Judgment Day, Lost & Found, Ten Commandments
- Dawn Patrol, Mongo Double IPA, Panzer Pils, Old Viscosity, Santa’s Little Helper, Shark Attack, Wipeout IPA
Anniversary Verticals
- 2nd Anniversary, 3rd Anniversary and 4th Anniversary
Barrel & Bottle Tasting
- Angel’s Share barrel & bottle tastings
(ever wanted to try beer straight from the barrel and compare it with the bottle version? This is your chance.)
Plus:
- Fresh and fantastic pizza courtesy of Chef Vince’s Magic Pizza trailer (literally a restaurant on wheels)
- Live music in the Barrel Room courtesy of The Professors
- Guided tours of The Lost Abbey Barrelhouse led by Tomme Arthur
- Cool commemorative Lost Abbey 4th Anniversary Beer Wear
As mentioned above, we are strictly limiting attendance to 300 people per session and both sessions are nearly sold out, so if you want to attend, get your tickets now! Tickets are just $15 and include food, a commemorative glass and 8 tasting tickets (additional tickets are available for $1 each). Designated driver tickets are also available for $5 (includes food, sodas and water).
Tickets are available on the Lost Abbey website.
» Click here to buy your tickets now
Faces of Port/Lost Abbey
Matt Wells, Brand Manager
If you’ve attended any of our beer pairings, dinners or appearances lately you’ve probably noticed a guy in a Lost Abbey hat hanging out with Tomme. No it’s not some weird beer stalker; rather it’s our new Brand Manager, Matt Wells.
Matt joined us full time here at our San Marcos World Headquarters at the beginning of the year to head up our expanding national distribution operations and the various new demands that go with it (like attending beer events and promoting our brands across the country).
Born and raised near Phoenix, AZ, Matt’s not entirely new to Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey. Back in 2008 he was actually our second “Larry” (the name we give to all our brewing interns) and, until moving out here a few months ago after graduating from Arizona State University, represented our beers throughout Arizona.
These days when he’s not in the office making sure that our kegs and bottles reach a thirsty public, you’ll find him out and about at events across the country helping spread the good word of Lost Abbey and making sure that our beloved Director of Brewery Operation gets to his next event in one piece.
On the rare occasions Matt’s not out pimping the brand, you’ll find him trundling around town and turning heads in the 1,600 cubic centimeters of caged fury we all know as his classic 1977 Honda CVCC. (Sorry ladies, he’s single but in a committed relationship.)
So the next time you happen to be at one of our many Port Brewing/Lost Abbey events nationwide and you see a guy lurking behind Tomme, if he’s wearing a red or black Lost Abbey cap, please don’t call the police.
Rather step up and say “hi Matt, I read about you in the Lost Abbey newsletter. Love the car.” He’ll like that. And who knows, maybe he’ll give you some cool Lost Abbey schwag. (Probably not, but it certainly can’t hurt.)
Matt can be reached via email at matt@lostabbey.com.
Tomme Tweets!
Great news! Our Director of Brewery Operations passed his Internet exam (Q1: Who invented the Interwebs? A: Al Gore; Q2:What are the Interwebs made of? A: Tubes), so he now has his own Twitter account!
While you should all keep following us @lostabbey, you can now also follow Tomme at @TheTomme and get all the latest musings from Him (aka: one of the most marginally competent brewers of all time)!
New Releases
Here’s what’s new and upcoming from Port Brewing / The LostAbbey
- Framboise de Amorosa
Raspberry Framboise
Released: Apr. 17, 2010 (brewery only) - Anniversary
Strong Pale Ale
Releases: May 15, 2010 - SPA (Summer Pale Ale)
Hoppy Pale Ale
Releases: June 5, 2010 (Draft only) - Witch’s Wit
Belgian Wit
Releases: June 12, 2010 - Older Viscosity
Barrel Aged American Dark Strong Ale
Releases: June 19, 2010 (est.)
