Tomme | 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 »
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Abbey Scribe | November 19, 2009

Brookston Beer Bulletin’s Jay Brooks has a list of the best new breweries that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Guess who tops that list? Yep, Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey!

From the article:

…many new breweries have seen a phenomenal amount of success in a relatively short time. Undoubtedly, the market has changed considerably from where it was pre-millennium and that probably accounts for more favorable conditions for new craft brewers. But alone that’s not enough to account for it all. Some of these new breweries just stepped up and kicked butt. So for my 20th Top 10 list, here are my choices for the ten most important and influential breweries that began within the last ten years.

Thanks for the nod, Jay. And thanks to all of you for helping us make it to the top!

» Read the full article here (via Brookston Beer Bulletin)

Category: In The News, News Releases | 2 Comments »
Tags: Brookston Beer Bulletin, craft beer, top 10

Abbey Scribe | April 14, 2009

It’s been a big past couple of weeks in the Media for our Tomme Arthur and The Lost Abbey brands. In case you missed them, here’s a quick round-up of the stories:

Beer Spotlight: The Lost Abbey Red Poppy
Mutineer Magazine

From the article:

From years of trying Abbey style ales Co-owner of Pizza Port Vince Marsaglia developed a love for them and was set on creating some of his own, but he needed a brewer who could bring his vision to life. When brewer Tomme Arthur was brought on-board in 1997 The Lost Abbey was born. Red Poppy is one of their Non-Denominational Ales…

» Read the rest of the story (via Mutineer Magazine)

Lost Abbey Avant Garde, Beer America TV, Ep. 51
Beer America TV

Video Summary:

The Lost Abbey checks in with a remarkable beer that is a step above crowd. Tomme Arthur and the Port Brewing Company continue to produce excellent beers, and the Avant Garde is no exception!

» Watch the video (via Beer America TV)

Your Beer Smells Like a Goat
Chow.com

From the article:

Novice brewers generally learn how to avoid making beer that tastes like old, dirty socks. In the University of California–Davis brewing science program, students are taught to guard against contamination by Brettanomyces, or Brett for short, a wild yeast often found in the air that’s nearly impossible to get rid of once it invades your equipment…

» Read the full story (via Chow.com)

American craft brewers inspired by Belgian-style sour beers
Chicago Tribune

From the article:

Most of the time, commercial brewing is an exacting and predictable science. When Greg Hall, brewmaster at Goose Island Brewing Co., decides what day to brew Honkers Ale, the brewery’s malty English bitter, he also can determine the exact dates he’ll filter and bottle the finished product.

» Read the rest of the article (via Chicago Tribune)

Category: In The News | No Comments »
Tags: belgian beer, brettanomyces, chicago tribune, chow, magazine, mutineer, red poppy, tomme arthur

Tomme | November 3, 2008

Today, the Worthington Globe published my response to a letter authored by Rev. Sickmeyer. Here’s the link. Enjoy.

Category: In The News | No Comments »
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