March 2009 Archives

In case you missed it, the excise tax looks like a go:

Wine won't be sold in grocery stores; beer tax increase

The above article also answers the question "what does New York STILL have in common with Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Utah?"

Tickets for Ommegang's Belgium comes to Cooperstown event go on sale tomorrow, April 1st at noon.  If you're interested in attending this one, you need to pull the trigger, fast.

The actual event is July 31st and August 1st.  From Ommegang's site:

Friday July 31st details:
Multi-course catered dinner with beer pairings. Guest speakers. Live band.

Saturday August 1st details:
12 noon- doors open.
-2-6pm- Belgian and Belgian-style beer tasting. 45-50 breweries and 5+ Belgian Specialy Importers. All in all over 200 beers to sample.
-3 pm- Live music begins (bands and schedule TBA).
-Food vended seperately all day.
-7 pm- Ommegang beer stand opens.
-After dark- Bonfire and Beatles movies.

Tickets for this go quickly, so check out the official site for full pricing and ticket information.

Hop stocks are up 24% this year, on the heels of a 32% increase in hop acreage in the United States according to this article from Capital Press based in Salem, Oregon.

From my perspective, I hope this translates into lower prices at the store.  It seems that prices are always going up, and then stay up.  Like Hersheys!  (Don't mind me).

Having more hops than they can sell will be bad for farmers, but there's still time to see how this pans out. From the article:

Last year, beer sales increased about one-half of one percent, to $101 billion, according to the Brewers Association. Within that industry, the craft brewing sector - which includes microbreweries and brewpubs - grew by more than 10 percent in sales, to $6.3 billion...

Welcome to the first edition of "This Week in Blog,"  a summation of highlights from (mostly) beer-oriented blogs in (mostly) NYS from (mostly) the last week.

Did I miss something that might fit the list that you enjoyed this week?  Post'er to the comments.

Onward!

NY Craft Beer Examiner:
Manhattan Cask Ale Festival recap: What went down the fastest?
Interesting list here of which beers ran out the fastest.  #1 - Voodoo Big Black Voodoo Daddy.

The Foaming Head
Video Review of Ithaca's Double IPA
Yeah, this was last week, but I didn't DO a blog round-up last week, did I?

CNYBrew
Fermentation Friday: Spring Cleaning
Asks... ""How will you grow or change as a homebrewer this Spring?" Which reminds me I need to order my rhizomes...

Hack A Day
Brew Fridge Thermostat
Suggested by @rtgirard for all the geeks out there :)

Thom's Beer Blog
The Extreme Beer Fest Part II
A visit to Beer Advocate's Extreme Beer Fest with a few reviews of Ithaca brews.

Appellation Beer
Book Review: Tasting Beer
Reading... safe to do while drinking.

The iconic homebrewing advocate and writer Charlie Papazian writes a blog of sorts for the Examiner.com, and is running a poll to determine "Beer City USA."  I am one of many who have a well-worn copy of his "Joy of Homebrewing." Well, obviously this poll is more for fun than a definitive answer, but it did get me thinking about what city in NY might qualify.  Currently, New York City is the only NY contender on the list.

Any thoughts to as the #1 Beer City in the empire state?  #1 Beer Town?

Papazian's poll runs through Noon (Mountain Time) on May 7th.

The Buffalo News published an opinion piece today that advocates a 25 cents per drink alcohol tax in New York State.  The opinion is in response to The Buffalo News' original opinion piece in favor of expanding wine sales to supermarkets.

The closing argument:

We shouldn't have to ask the question, "How much is it worth in alcohol deaths and accidents to raise general tax revenue?" Instead of allowing easier accessibility of alcohol, raise alcohol taxes and save lives in the process.

Across the country, governors and state legislators are trying to plug gaping holes in their budgets. Federal bailout money only goes so far. Are heavier taxes on beer a good option to boost revenue?

Take a peek inside Brooklyn's Sixpoint Brewery in this Wall Street Journal video. 

I picked this off of Sixpoint's Twitter feed, and you can follow them, too: @sixpoint.

Well, today's St. Patrick's Day.  And until Guinness succeeds in it's lobby to make the day a national holiday, most of us probably have to work.  Not me, but that's another story.  Technically I celebrated St. Patrick's by going to a parade last Saturday morning.  You may have as well, or may be going to something similar this coming Saturday.

There's a lot to think about, beer-wise.  There's the obvious beverage options to show your pride and/or blend in enough to avoid confrontation with a drunk guy wearing a lot of green out to prove he's the most legit leprechaun on the block. Aforementioned Guinness, Harp, Killian, Smithwicks, etc. will all do the job just fine.  Or some Budweiser with green food-coloring. Erin Go Bragh!

I ended up having Hennepin.  This actually worked out pretty well.  Flavorful, but not too heavy for the morning hours.  I had a Dogfish Head, too, but not sure how that fits into the equation.  Someone I was with also tried Saranac's newish Irish Red Ale.  Not a bad choice for combining blatant Irish appeal with a New York beer.  On Twitter, @DrinkCraftBeer gave me a good suggestion, "Sixpoint's Sweet Action for an all day session beer..."

That's really what it's all about; being able to drink a tasty beer that won't kick your ass.  I'm all for a Guinness and the like, but self-admittedly, I'm not quite Irish enough to enjoy something that thick in the morning hours.  After noon, all bets are off.  If I had a brought a vial of green food coloring with me, I could have done a hack-job and Irished up my Hennepin.  Next time.

A footnote: In Brooklyn today and looking for a few St. Patrick's Day drinking buddies?  Check out this Meet-up I was alerted to (thanks). 

MEDIA RELEASE
PULASKI, N.Y., March 12, 2009  --  Statement from Assemblyman William A. Barclay

I am very disappointed that the Governor did not remove the excise beer tax in his recent round of tax eliminations from his proposed budget.  The Governor proposes to increase the tax on every gallon of beer produced in New York from $.11 to $.24 per gallon.

If passed, the tax will hit Anheuser-Busch in Baldwinsville especially hard.  Their plant alone produces 7.6 million barrels every year. Further, the tax will put the 900 jobs in jeopardy. Plant spokespersons have said if they are taxed further, they will stop producing in New York.

I'm also concerned about wine makers.  Our state has promoted wine trails and encouraged wineries to come here and, now, they too are in jeopardy of being taxed $.51 per gallon of wine produced, up from $.19.

Additionally, with this budget, a $.13 floor tax would be imposed on every gallon of beer.  The floor tax further penalizes beer manufacturer and distributors, as it requires businesses to pay for the beer they have not sold but is on their property by June 22.  Similarly, the governor proposes a $.32 floor tax for every gallon of wine.

Our businesses and job suppliers are who we want to stay here but if Paterson's budget passes with these taxes, I fear both jobs and businesses will find somewhere where it is less costly to do business.

### 

If you'd like to sample the wares of Sackets Harbor Brewery without having to hire a team of sled dogs or renting a snowmobile (It's cold up there!), here's two opportunities:

In Hamilton at The Colgate Inn, Saturday, March 14
This is a nice place, and your beers come with a five-course meal.  Cost: $40.

In Baldwinsville at the Mohegan Manor, Saturday, March 28
Haven't been to Mohegan Manor, but I'm sure it's nice, too.  A six-course meal with beer pairings.

I found this information at Syracuse.com's "Drinks" blog by Don Cazentre.  You can find more information on the two events there.

Hey all you... er, what do you call people who use Twitter?  I'm pretty new to this.  Twitterers? Tweeters? Certainly not Twits.

Anyway, all you twitter-using, Web 2.0'ed, social-savvy folks can check us out at http://www.twitter.com/brewauthority, and I promise you won't be overloaded.  It's pretty amazing to see the flood of craft beer twittering that goes on.

If you didn't already notice the link on the site, you can also be the Brew Authority's friend on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/brewauthority

From Ithaca Beer on Twitter:

Head down to Grace Tavern (2229 Grays Ferry Ave.) Try a rare treat of ours: 2007 All NY HOP Double IPA! Can't get it anywhere else, Really!

If you're in the Ithaca area this would be a great opportunity to try a beer made with NY grown hops.  Another good beer that uses at least some NY hops is Cooperstown Brewery's Back Yard IPA.

Going to be ordering rhizomes soon to begin my own New York hop-growing odyssey.  Wish me luck.

A little aftershock from the High Falls Brewery sale to KPS- the president and CEO Norm Snyder is stepping down:

High Falls Brewery staffers said Tuesday that company president and chief executive Norm Snyder has resigned from the company, effective immediately.

More from Rochester's WXXI here.

The New York Times laments television's invasion of the pub scene, and Stephen K. Hindy of Brooklyn Brewery is looking for a place he can think.

Is TV the bane of your neighborhood bar?

Beer is great for inducing conversation.  Television is great for killing it.  And no, banal one-line cheers and jeers at a sports game don't count.

On the other hand, sometimes you don't want to talk to someone.  Then the television is your friend.

Or, you have no one to talk to.  Then you have a place to rest your attention besides looking into your beer.

Then again, television usually sucks, and you don't even have the remote to endlessly search for something better that probably isn't there anyway.

Ideally, you can go to the pub with another human being you trust.  Then you have conversation, and no television is definitely a good thing.  After a beer or two, the friend might leave, but by now you'll be feeling OK.

Still, bring your cell or blackberry or iphone just in case.  Then you can pretend to use it if all else fails, and people will think someone cares about you. 

If they think another human has found you acceptable, you just might be able to jumpstart another conversation.  And so on.

Mark your calendar: April 16th is the one-night movie event for the documentary Beer Wars, fresh as that bottle of craft beer you just cracked open.

Beer Wars is a sudsy spin on the classic David vs. Goliath dynamic, documenting the rise of the craft beer industry under the shadow of the domestic behemoths.  Director Anat Baron takes us behind the scenes for what promises to be a revealing look into the ultra-competitive beer industry.  Baron has experience working for Mike's Hard Lemonade, and she also studied at Cornell (Relevance = NY connection.  We are the New York Brew Authority, after all).

Here is the trailer for your perusal:

...And an impressive list of New York Theaters that will be showing Beer Wars on April 16th- followed by a live Q&A with Ben Stein (Click here for a complete list and ticket info):

  C.H. Evans Brewing Company at the Albany Pump Station is exactly what a great brewpub should be, with award-winning beer, tasty food and a fantastic environment.  Armed with a deep thirst, empty stomach and a camera, I recently visited the establishment for the benefit of the readership.

Let's start with the beer.  The "Kick-ass Brown" is a three time Great American Beer Festival gold medalist in the brown ale category, most recently in 2008.  This is a hoppy, malty beer with great balance.  The other beers they make are very good, too.  I recommend getting the sampler and going through the lot.

Great beer doesn't necessarily make a great brewpub.  Essential, yes, but a brewpub lives and dies as a restaurant, so the food has to be able to stand up to the beer it's paired with.  The Albany Pump Station does not falter in this regard.  The menu offers a varied selection of both entrees and prices.  I have yet to order something I didn't like, and I've heard the sentiment echoed from other patrons.

Finally, the environment is both spacious and intimate, with soaring headspace and great lighting.  Take the stairs up for a sweeping overview of the dining and bar area, and give yourself a self-guided "tour" of the brewery.

The Albany Pump Station is easily accessible in downtown Albany, and is conveniently located near attractions like the Times Union Center and the Palace Theater.  Check out the official site for directions, hours, the menu and more. 

A view from above.

Self-guided tour.

Sampler. (Photo courtesy Heather)

Thinking about the weekend? The Examiner.com has a post by Mike Pomranz that gives "6 reasons for New York beer drinkers to head down to Philly Beer Week."

Just be prepared for a little New York "trash talk."

I'm not sure anyone needs six entire reasons.  The two words "beer week" sort of speak for themselves.

Are you a craft beer drinker in the eyes of Neilsen, those rating and profiling super-experts?  The Baltimore Sun runs a blog "Kasper on Tap" that asked the same question.  Apparently Neilsen has profiled the craft beer drinker, and now it's time to see if you fit the bill.

I'll start with myself.

1. Lives in a two-person household with a combined income over 75K.

Hmmm.  Would a one-person household need an income of $37,500, in that case?  I think we can round down for the lower cost of living in upstate New York, too.  Check.

2. Is a Caucasian who lives in a cosmopolitan center.

Yes and Nooooooooo.

3. Is either a boomer or a millennial.

Sadly, I did not know what a "millennial" was, or if I was one.  According to Wikipedia, I am.  I don't have to like it, though. 

4. Skews toward active leisure activities.

I love active leisure activities.  Ping-Pong is active, and don't tell me otherwise. 

5. Is a heavy Internet user.

Check.

6. Reads a lot of newspapers.

Not quite sure I understand the connection to drinking craft beer, but I'm not a profiling expert.  And the answer is yes.

7. Listens to sports on the radio and watches the Golf Channel.

NO.

That gives me a score of 5.5 out of 7, making me a 79% craft beer drinker, according to Neilsen.  How do you stack up?

The Upstate New York Homebrewer's Association is holding their 31st Annual/20th Empire State Open Homebrew Competition.  And there's still time to enter.

Dropoff locations in Buffalo and Syracuse will be accepting entries through March 7th at noon.  The Rochester dropoff location will be accepting entries through March 14th at 10am.  And you have the option to ship your entry, too.

The cost is $6 per entry, and there are several prizes, including the one for the beer that wins "Best in Show."  That lucky brew will be produced by Rohrbach's in Rochester!

For complete, official information including dropoff locations and all the prizes, visit the UNYHA site. 

Thanks to TG for emailing the post suggestion.

Beer and music.  Music and beer.  Is there a better combination?

Keegan Ales has an impressive calendar of events for March.  I counted 16 nights of music- that's over half the month!  "Where there is never a cover...usually," the Keegan Ales site proudly and ambiguously proclaims.  Sounds like the price is right to me.

A few of the musical guests:

• Myles Mancuso
• Ratboy
• The Big Bang Jazz Gang
• Elephant Graveyard
• The Big Shoe
• MacCana
• Bobby Messano Band
• The Big Takeover
• John Esposito Trio
• ...and more

More information at the Keegan Ales site, of course.  And don't forget to try the murky and delicious Mother's Milk while you're out.

February has come and gone, and so has the first month of existence for The NY Brew Authority on the Web.

Thanks to the 271 unique visitors that visited us 599 times to generate over 2,000 pageviews viewing 26 blog posts during the shortest month of the year.

See you in March!