The Conduit
Stories from the Abbey
News and Events
Port Brewing Announces “Board Meeting”
Imperial brown ale brewed with coffee and cocoa is brewery’s first addition to its year-round line-up in two years
SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Award-winning craft brewery Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey today announced a new addition to its portfolio produced under the company's Port Brewing label. Board Meeting Brown Ale, an imperial brown ale brewed with coffee and cocoa nibs, will join Port favorites Wipeout IPA, Shark Attack Imperial Red, Old Viscosity and Mongo Double IPA, as a year-round offering from the brewery in February 2013. It is the first new beer to be added to the Port Brewing regular line-up since Mongo's release in early 2010.
"Between our Lost Abbey and Port Brewing labels we produce a really broad variety of beers; over three dozen in all," said Port Brewing director of brewery operations, Tomme Arthur. "Interestingly, we've never produced a brown ale, so Board Meeting seemed a natural fit in our portfolio."Port Brewing beers are typically boldly-flavored American and hop-forward West Coast style ales or lagers, and Board Meeting Brown Ale is no exception. An amplified brown ale, the beer is brewed with liberal additions of coffee from local San Diego roasters, Ryan Brothers, and cocoa nibs sourced from famed San Francisco chocolate maker TCHO. Alcohol by volume is 8.5%."Board Meeting offers the malty richness and assertive hop presence that you expect in an American brown ale, but enhanced with pronounced roasted coffee and bitter chocolate aromas and flavors," Arthur said. "I think people will enjoy this beer by itself and at the table paired with meat dishes like pork, roasts and barbeque. I imagine it’d be pretty good washing down a sausage omelet at breakfast too."As with the other members of the Port Brewing year-round portfolio, Board Meeting brown ale will be available in 22 ounce bottles and on draft throughout the brewery's distribution network. Consumers should expect to see it on tap in draft houses and on retailer's shelves by mid February 2013.About Port Brewing / The Lost AbbeyFounded in 2006, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey produces an extensive line-up of continental and American-inspired ales and lagers. Under the direction of legendary brewmaster and co-founder Tomme Arthur, the brewery has garnered dozens of awards in its six year history including the 2007 Great American Beer Festival Small Brewery of the Year, and 2008 World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery. The company's beers, many of which are aged in oak barrels for 12 months or longer, are universally recognized for their complexity, unique flavors, and bold, boundary-pushing styles. For more information, contact Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069, telephone (800) 918-6816, and on the web at www.lostabbeydev.wpengine.com.
Update: What's Special for our 6th Anniversary Party This Weekend
Epic alert: Amazing food, great music, and a tap list that's the craft beer equivalent of The Avengers.
We just got the word from the DOBO and our hospitality manager, Kevin Hopkins, on the final arrangements for our Anniversary party this weekend. Needless to say, if you're not attending, you're going to miss the event of the weekend. Here's the updates:
- Gourmet Food Truck Triumvirate:In past years we've served up barbeque and pizza courtesy of our in-house pit masters and cousins at Pizza Port. This year, however, we're cranking it up a notch and inviting in a trio of our favorite gourmet food trucks to literally create an outdoor food court filled with three continents of incredible eats.Food Trucks Include:
- Casanova Fish Tacos
- Red Oven Pizza
- Slow Cal BBQ
- Epic Tap List:Not only will all 26 taps in the tasting room be flowing, but in addition to the regular line-up Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey liquid awesomeness, we're also loading the line-up with our biggest collection of limited-edition wonders ever. Specialty Taps:
- The Angel’s Share - Bourbon Barrel (v. 2011) - 3 tickets/ea
- Anniversary Ale (v. 2012)
- Deliverance (v. 2012) - 3 tickets/ea
- Framboise de Amorosa (v. 2012) - 3 tickets/ea
- Hop-15 (spring 2012 release)
- Red Poppy (v. 2012) - 3 tickets/ea
- Santa’s Little Helper - Bourbon Barrel (v. 2011) - 3 tickets/ea
And for the first time ever on tap:
- Inferno Ale
- Music For The Masses
- Additional Tickets Now AvailableWith a little re-arranging we were able to make additional room for a few more of our friends, so we've made more tickets available! So if you tried to get tickets last week, but were told that we were sold out, fear not! We've released a new batch of tickets for both sessions. You will want to hurry, though -- while we did make more tickets available, it's not that many more, so we expect them to sell out quickly once again. (» buy tickets here.)
The Details
LocationPort Brewing / The Lost Abbey, 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069.Date / Time(s):Saturday May 12, 2011-Two sessions
Each guest will receive a commemorative tasting glass, 8 beer tasting tickets and food (additional taster tickets are $1 each).Tickets
- $20 per session
- Each session limited to 400 people
We've sold out completely each year, so make sure to get your tickets early! (It's unlikely we'll have any at the door.) 21 and older only please. ID will be required.Purchase Tickets: (via Brown Paper Tickets)
Watch the 6th Anniversary Video Promo
And The Winner Is... Sunburned Monk
Central Californian wins The Lost Abbey's first Commercial Conclave competition with story of surfing Good Samaritan
SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- Congratulations to Mario Gutierrez of Selma, California. His concept for a 30 second commercial titled "Sunburned Monk" was named the winner in The Lost Abbey's first Commercial Conclave Competition.
The contest, which ran throughout the month of December, asked fans to submit their ideas for a 30 second to one minute commercial advertising Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey beers. The best concept, as determined by a panel of Port Brewing employees, will be produced as a broadcast commercial for the brewery with the winner on set with the cast and crew for the filming."We were really surprised at how many people submitted ideas, including full scripts and even some videos," said Ryan Tillotson, The Lost Abbey's multimedia supervisor and director for the upcoming shoot. "There were a lot of great submissions, but a few really stood out from the others," he said.Gutierrez' concept, "Sunburned Monk", a story of a beach-going monk who helps a surfer, was chosen for the "clever way it captured both the Port Brewing and Lost Abbey brands without a single word being spoken," Tillotson said.As grand prize winner, Gutierrez will receive an all expenses paid trip to San Diego, VIP treatment at the brewery, and go on set to assist in the filming of the commercial.Production is scheduled to begin in February with the commercial premiering some time in late March or early April.Two other winners were also named in the Conclave Competition. First runner up went to Simon Ford of San Pedro, California for his concept "Perfect Session", in which the day of a Port Brewing brewer parallels a surfer's perfect session on the water. Second runner up went to Dave A. Keenan (location unknown) for his submission, "Runaway Monk", which details the "real" source of The Lost Abbey's beers.Both winners will have their concepts developed into commercial shorts later in the year.
We're Coming to New Jersey!
Well, word is out -- beginning in January, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey will be distributing in New Jersey! Below is the official press release from our new distribution partners for the Garden State, Hunterdon Distributors.(Note: Tomme will be heading East in early January to help celebrate our launch. Keep an eye on our events calendar for appearances in the area.)
Hunterdon Welcomes Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey to New Jersey
Phillipsburg, NJ – December 13, 2011 – The New Year will bring a wave of excitement to beer enthusiasts in New Jersey. Hunterdon Distributors is pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement to distribute the highly acclaimed beers of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. In addition to an assortment of their most well-known beers, the inaugural launch will feature a special draft-only release brewed exclusively for the New Jersey market. Official release parties have already been scheduled for the first week of 2012.Based in San Diego and founded in 2006, Port Brewing Company is comprised of two of the most highly regarded labels in the country: Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. The Port Brewing line includes more aggressive and assertively hopped American & West coast-style beers, while The Lost Abbey concentrates on a unique collection of barrel-aged and Belgian-style ales.Led by Tomme Arthur, one of the nation’s most well-respected craft brewers, both brands have found their way to the top of the craft beer charts with dozens of medals and media accolades to speak of over the last five years. Port Brewing was awarded both “Small Brewery of the Year” and “Small Brewer of the Year” at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival and “Champion Brewery” and “Champion Brewmaster” in the Small Brewery category at the 2008 World Beer Cup. All of their products have received near-perfect ratings on both Ratebeer.com and Beer Advocate.With distribution in only eight US markets, products from both Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey have become some of the most sought-after in the industry. The company has always taken a conservative approach to expansion while putting more emphasis on providing a unique and well crafted product. When the time came to open a new market on the East Coast, they felt New Jersey was a perfect fit.As stated by Tomme Arthur: “Hunterdon's reputation precedes it. A lot of our good friends in the brewing industry have their beer represented by Hunterdon and have nothing but good things to say about the company.”Hunterdon Distributors is proud to be adding Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey to its already impressive product offering in the state of New Jersey. Please visit Hunterdon’s website at www.hunterdonbrewing.com as details regarding the official release parties will be posted soon.About Hunterdon DistributorsHunterdon was founded in 1996 and has grown steadily over the years into a company with sixty-five full-time employees. Hunterdon has raised the bar for craft beverage availability and selection in the state by providing the most diverse and sought-after portfolio the market has to offer. The company currently represents over fifty domestic craft brands, hundreds of imports and a unique line of micro-distilled spirits, sakes, ciders and meads. Owners Mike Short and Dave Masterson continue to focus on bringing quality products to the New Jersey consumer.
Commercial Conclave Competition
How often is it you're sitting around with friends enjoying a great beer when a great idea for a beer commercial strikes? (If your answer is "never", you're drinking the wrong beer.) Well, here's your opportunity to put that creativity to work and possibly win a trip to San Diego to go on set and help bring your commercial concept to life!
In early 2012 we'll be filming our first broadcast-ready commercial, and we're looking to our Faithful Followers to tell us how they'd introduce our brewery and its products to those who've yet to be enlightened. To help stimulate everyone's creativity we're holding a competition all December long for the best commercial concept! Judged by our in-house Conclave, three winners will receive Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey merchandise and wearbles. And our Grand Prize winner will be coming to San Diego!Grand prizeAn all expenses-paid two-day trip to San Diego, V.I.P. status at Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey and go on set to film the commercial with our acclaimed in-house director, Ryan Tillotson and his production crew!
The Rules
- Idea submissions may be as simple as a few lines describing the overall concept, or as detailed as a complete script with action and dialogue. (Length is up to you, but the more details the better.)
- Concept submissions can be for both or either brands (Port Brewing, The Lost Abbey) The subject matter can be for the brand or a specific beer.
- Submitted concepts must be unique, original and yours. (Plagiarism is bad)
- Submit as many concepts as you like, but each concept must be submitted individually. Multiple submissions of the same concept will be disqualified.
- Concepts must be submitted by 11:59:59 PM Pacific Time on December 31, 2011.
How we'll be judging
- Concepts will be judged by a wholly subjective and very opinionated Conclave of Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey Cardinals (aka: employees).
- Judging criteria include but are not limited to originality, cleverness, brand/product representation, budget requirements and feasibility.
- Winners will be notified the week of January 16, 2012. (Look for the white puff of smoke from the east end of the Abbey.)
If you're ready to submit your concept for consideration, Click here to enter!
The Fine Print
Entrants must be 21 years or older as of December 1, 2011. Employees of Port Brewing Company and their family members are not eligible to enter. All concepts submitted for consideration become the property of Port Brewing. Winners agree to have their likeness used in Port Brewing marketing and media materials.
Video: Grain Silo Becomes a Giant Barrel
If you've ever been to the brewery, you know that it's a humble building in the middle of a nondescript industrial park where all the buildings look the same. We used to tell people "look for the grain silo out front", but even that three story tank was hard to find because it was the same color as the building and tucked behind a tree.So in April of 2011 we commissioned artist Sean Dominguez (the same artist who does all of the paintings that become the Lost Abbey labels) to transform our silo from a drab off-white cylinder into a 30-foot tall "wooden barrel" that would be nearly impossible to miss. Over the next several weeks, armed with a fistful of paintbrushes, a few cans of paint and an industrial lift, Sean did just that.In this, the second entry in our new video gallery, Lost Abbey's multimedia man, Ryan Tillotson, captures Sean at work and collapsing 2 weeks into an interesting 3 minute time-lapse video. Enjoy!
Photos from High Tide brewing weekend
Despite a couple of minor setbacks (an emergency root canal for our head brewer, and a hop truck break down that had it arrive 10 hours late) our Labor Day weekend brewing of High Tide fresh/wet-hopped IPA turned out to be a big success. The beer should be out by the end of the month and will go into our distribution network from coast to coast. In the meantime, here's a few photos to show you what brewing a fresh-hopped IPA looks like.[nggallery id=23]
Lost Abbey Pre-Stone Brunch 2010
Here are some photos from our annual brunch held the morning of Stone Brewing's 14th Anniversary Celebration on August 21, 2010.[nggallery id=22]
Beer Release: Older Viscosity 2010
This is the release of 2010 Older Viscosity (Old Viscosity aged 1 year in bourbon barrels).Release Details:Bottle: 375mlPrice: $15Purchase Limit: NoneThis beer is not a highly limited release and will be in general distribution.For more information on Older Viscosity visit:http://www.portbrewing.com/our-beers/old-viscosity/For distribution and availability in your area visit:http://www.lostabbeydev.wpengine.com/find-our-beers/
Beer Release: Anniversary Ale
This is the release day for Anniversary Ale, our strong pale ale that celebrates our birthday.This is a general release and will be available in bottle and on draft throughout our distribution network.
Port / Lost Abbey 4th Anniversary Party
Brewery to celebrate its fourth birthday May 8th with food, music and two new beer releases
Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey will celebrate its fourth anniversary on Saturday May 8, 2010 with a big, two-session party at the brewery. Items on tap for the daylong festivities include specialty kegs from the barrel archives, bottled beer releases, food by our in-house chef, and live music from special guests, The Professors.Brews, Food and Entertainment
As part of the day’s events, in what is now an anniversary tradition, brewmaster Tomme Arthur, will delve into the storied Lost Abbey barrel archives and give guests an opportunity to sample rare brews from past years. Port Brewing Chef-in-Residence, Vince Marsaglia, and his 20 foot mobile outdoor kitchen and barbeque will be on hand to steam, bake, broil, BBQ and fry their way through a stunning assortment of five-star foods.
Additionally, local music sensations, The Professors, will be on-hand to perform their brand of "sophisticated surf music" live.
The Details
LocationThe Port Brewing Fourth Anniversary Celebration is Saturday, May 8, 2010 at our facilities located at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069.Time(s)This year, we're dividing the celebration into two sessions -- the first from 11am to 3pm and the second from 4pm to 8pm. For a $15/session admission guests will receive a commemorative tasting glass, 8 beer tasting tickets and food (additional taster tickets are $1 each). Ticket sales are available online and will be strictly limited for each session. (Click here for tickets.)ReleasesThis weekend we'll be releasing two beers for 2010:
Other Good Stuff
- Food: Chef Vince will be rolling out his magic pizza trailer (and whatever else he decides to bring) and serving up an assortment of fresh-prepared foods like only Chef Vince can. (Read: bring your appetite.)
- Music: By the Professors -- they'll having you rocking, rolling, shimmying and shaking in no time.
- Specialties: Look for special bottles, and secret taps all day long!
Buy Tickets OnlineRemember, we're limiting admission for each session, so get your tickets early! (It's unlikely we'll have any at the door.)
Northern California or Bust
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.
Libri Divini - February 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.lostabbeydev.wpengine.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.lostabbeydev.wpengine.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.lostabbeydev.wpengine.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
Holiday Tasting Room Hours
We're pleased to announce extended tasting room hours for the holidays! For the weeks of Christmas and New Years, our hours will be as follow:
Special Holiday Tasting Room Hours:
Christmas Week
|
New Year's Week:
|
You can read all the details about our newly re-modeled tasting room right here, get directions, etc. right here.We also have this week's Vintage Bottle list here.
Libri Divini - September, 2009
Divine Words | Volume 1, Issue 1
In This Issue
- Musings From The Director's Chair
- New Faces at The Lost Abbey
- Brewery Updates
- Third Annual Barrel Tasting Night
- Fall Beer Releases
- Upcoming Events
Musings From The Director's Chair
Greetings from Your Director of Brewery Operations.I'm sure many of you wonder what I actually do around here. Me too. It's kind of strange being a Director. I mean I don't yell "Cut." I don't "frame scenes" in the air with my hands and I most certainly don't hide behind the lens in a Directors Chair. Nope, what I do matters around here. I show up each and every day (except Sundays, that's family day) and I support the brand.What this means exactly know one knows.Like today, I am being asked to support the Lost Abbey brand of information communication by writing this piece. Tomorrow, I will show my support as Mike and Ryan stuff body bag after body bag of Fresh Hops in the dry hopping tank. On Thursday, I'll make some beer (it still won't be enough brewing for me) and on Friday, I'll settle into the bar and rehash the week with each of you.Being a Director is still very weird to me. It's like having Business Attention Deficit Disorder. I always have things to do but seemingly never get any of them done. But at the end of each and every day, there is always beer. So I guess, I should get used to life as a Director as long as there's all this beer around, it can't be that bad.Can it?
New Faces at The Lost Abbey
One of the reasons we can now restrict Tomme's activities to his actual job of "directing" operations (as well as company figurehead and sex symbol) here at Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey, is we've got a couple of new folks handling our brewing operation. They actually joined us back at the beginning of the year, but we've all been so busy that we haven't had time to introduce them properly. So we're making ammends now. Allow us to introduce our new faces:
Mike Rodriguez, Head BrewerMike hails from Kansas City, MO where, prior to joining us, he was a brewer and cellarman for the famed Boulevard Brewing for the past six years. Before that he was head brewer at The Power Plant restaurant and brewery in Parkville, MO.Mike's wealth of skills and experience from his time at Boulevard is the driving factor behind our ability to scale production upward to meet the growing demand for our beers nationwide.When he's not running the brewhouse, Mike loves to play rugby and, in true Kansas City native style, BBQ just about anything that fits on a grill.He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of the lines from just about every romantic comedy and action-adventure movie made in America since 1975. If you ever have a chance to drop by the brewery or see him at an appearance, buy him a beer and ask him to act out all the characters in Die Hard.
Gordon Gerski, Brewer & Bottling Line WranglerLike Mike, Gordon, or "Gordie" as everyone calls him, comes to us from Boulevard Brewing and The Power Plant before that.One of Gordie's jobs while at Boulevard was to run and maintain their bottling line, a skill that's come in handy here at the Abbey since our shiny new bottling line is of the same make (albiet much smaller than Boulevard's). As anyone who's ever run a bottling line can tell you, keeping one of those Rube Goldbergian contraptions running smoothly is no simple feat, so his knowledge of which dials to turn and knobs to fiddle with (or which panel to kick) are invaluable to us.Outside of the brewery Gordie's an avid cyclist who enjoys climbing and decending our local mountains on a bike with ridiculously thin tires. He's also got a very large husky named Molly who can bark her ABCs.
Brewery Updates
Beyond just new faces, we've also been growing our brewery like gangbusters. Earlier this year we acquired two new fermenters, Heaven and Hell, named for what had to be moved to get them into the brewhouse (See the photo album here). The aforementioned bottling line is now up and running (most of the time) which has increased our bottling capacity from a couple hundred cases a week to well over 1,000.We also acquired several hundred more oak barrels, pushing our total to over 500, and signed a keg contract that'll allow us to significantly increase our draft accounts across the country (read: more fresh beer for you).As you might guess, all of the new stuff has significantly increased our storage requirements, so we also added 10,000 square feet of warehouse space to handle our rapidly growing distribution.And in the coming months you'll be seeing even more changes. This fall we'll also be adding cold storage to our warehouse allowing us to move shipment-ready kegs out of the brewery, tear down the exiting coldbox, and build a brand new tasting bar complete with a fancy refrigeration unit to keep some of the rare stuff chilled and ready for tasting. So when you visit the brewery, you'll not only be able to sample our regular fare, but you'll also be able to experience some of our epic beers from the reserve (2006 Cuvee de Tomme anyone?).Finally, just this past week, we added a new feature to our tasting hours -- food in the form of Marty and his amazing hot dog cart. Marty's the real deal, and his authentic New York hot dogs, brats, cheesesteak sandwiches and other streetside eats are simply amazing (inexpensive too). So the next time you're down to the brewery for a tasting, or a new beer release, make sure to grab a dog or two -- you'll be glad you did!
Third Annual Barrel Tasting Night
Here's an event you won't want to miss -- Each year a limited number of guests are invited to join the Port Brewing family as we delve into the barrel archives to sample a few of the specialties waiting within. Barrel Tasting Night is limited to 125 lucky people who will be the first to taste craft releases aged as long as two years by brewmaster Tomme Arthur and crew.This year is our third annual Barrel Tasting Night which will be held on Saturday, November 7 to coincide with the kickoff of San Diego Beer Week.The event is from 7pm to 10pm and includes a number of incredibly rare beers coupled with hors d’ oeuvres and fine foods prepared by The Lost Abbey chef in residence, Vince Marsaglia.Tickets to the event are $80 each, $150 for a couple, and are guaranteed to sell out quickly. If you're going to be in town that week, this is definitely a "can't miss" event.You'll find all the information on our website here. Tickets are available online here.
Beer Releases For Fall 2009
Here's what on tap for release over the next few months (please note that all dates are estimates). If you're in an area in which we distribute (click here for a map), you should see these start to hit your favorite tap rooms and store shelves in 7 to 14 days after release.
- Sept. 1 -- Panzer Pils, Imperial Pilsner
- Sept. 18 -- High Tide, Fresh Hopped IPA
- Oct. 19 -- Santa's Little Helper, Russian Imperial Stout
- Nov. 2 -- Gift of the Magi, Holiday Golden Ale
Upcoming Events
Here’s a list of upcoming events for the next few weeks. You can always find a full list of events, appearances and releases on our website.
- Sept. 24 - 26 -- Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO
- Oct. 9 -- Beer for Boobs fundraiser, Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey
- Oct. 10 -- Sinners & Saints Party, Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey
- Oct. 29 -- Port Brewing Dinner, The Crossings at Carlsbad
- Oct. 30 -- Boos and Brews Night, Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey
- Nov. 7 -- Third Annual Barrel Tasting Night, Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey
Click here for our full calendar of events.
3rd Anniversary Ale
Port Brewing's 3rd Anniversary Ale, a double IPA, will release on this day. It will be available in 22 ounce bottles. There will be no quantity purchase limits and this beer should be distributed nationwide.