July 2009 Archives

From a Wall Street Journal "blog" --

"We think it's great that the President is getting together over beers to have an important discussion. A lot of good solutions have surfaced when people can relax and talk over a couple cold ones," Rich Lozyniak, chief executive of Rochester, N.Y.-based Genesee, said in a statement entitled "Make It a Genny Mr. President. "We just hope the next time the President has a beer, he chooses an American beer, made by American workers, at an American-owned brewery like Genesee."

More Here.

Above:  It's a SEAL! Get it?

New Yorkers bike to the bars with the "good bear seal" for Good Beer Month in this New York Times bloggicle:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/of-bikes-bars-and-beers/

Also:  Lance Armstrong's favorite beer.

More information on Good Beer Month and Bike to the Bars here:

http://www.goodbeerseal.com/

Rohrbach Brewing Co. of Rochester, NY presents the Flour City Brewers' Fest on Saturday, August 15.  Tickets are $25 in advance.

"Flour City" is a nickname for Rochester, referring to it's former preponderance of flour mills.  The more you know.

The brewfest features both local and national breweries.  Last year over 45 breweries participated.

The event has a nice, informative site at http://www.fcbrewfest.com including video highlights from last year.

New York authorized beer tastings in 2007, and more states are poised to follow that trend, according to an article in USA Today.

From the article:

While wine tastings have become commonplace, states from Vermont to Texas to Washington have moved to let people take a sip of a cold one before deciding what brand to buy...

Complete article.

Friday and Saturday started off what has become an unofficial NY beer weekend.  Friday  was a going away night in Saratoga that started out at The Olde Saratoga Brewing Co. where I got to try to their new IPA.  An added bonus was that the tastings were free while we were there.

Saturday started out with a nice time on a friend's deck, more Saratoga IPA in hand.  Incidentally, the beer tasted even better a little warmer than it was served at the official tasting room.  I also got to try Butternuts' Heinweisse which had previously evaded me.

Next stop was a couple thoughtful enough to bring back two growlers from the Keuka Brewing Company: Full Sail Stout Ale and Hoppy Laker IPA.  What, is it my birthday or something?  Thanks!  Plus a taste of Ithaca Beer's Nut Brown Ale.

Who knows... there's still some time left in the weekend, too.

Slashfood
Mayor Bloomberg Declares July 'Good Beer Month' In New York City
So... wonder how that's going.

The Foaming Head
Genesee Brewery lights up
A light that's been out for over 40 years in Rochester is lit again.

Drinks with Don Cazentre
In Syracuse, Middle Ages Brewing Co. celebrates 14th Anniversary with a Brown Ale
Another chance to write "Hear ye!" in a blog post.

Reaching for the stars
Brew Trips
This guy (The Taste Master) has some very "detailed" accounts of his beer travels...

Note - recurring summer beer event.

Alive After 5 begins this friday, 6 to 10pm.

Five stages of live music in Patchogue, NY- July 17th, July 24th, August 7th & August 14th.  And Blue Point beer.  Free admission!

Read Alive After 5 reviews at Yelp.

An outstanding event from an outstanding local brewery.

Middle Ages Brewing of Syracuse, NY announces their 14th anniversary celebration, August 2nd, 2009. Live music and admission is free.

Middle Ages' "Duke of Winship" is a top 10 scotch ale in the 2009 US Open Beer Championship.  My one word review:  Delicious! 

Another Brooklyn related read, an interview with Steve Hindy of Brooklyn Brewery.  Topics include homebrewing in the Middle East and getting started with beer distribution in the 1980s.

Read The Columbus-Dispatch article here.

Interesting article from The New York Times about the "rise, fall and resurrection of the Brooklyn beer scene."

From the article:

For a while the beer flowed from Brooklyn as if from a broken spigot. With 45 breweries at the turn of the century -- including 11 on one 12-block stretch in Williamsburg -- at its peak, Brooklyn produced a significant share of the nation's beer.

Read the whole thing here.

Drink Craft Beer
Southern Tier Mokah Beer Ice Cream Recipe
A great New York State beer meets ice cream!  Perfect idea for the hot summer months.  I may have to give this one a try.

Oh... A Beer
Saranac Summer Brew
A positive if not glowing review for Saranac's lager and lemonade combo.  I've heard a lot of good buzz about this concoction, and enjoyed a 6-pack of it a while back.  Also perfect for the hot summer months.

The Syracuse Post Standard
Downtown on centerstage at brew fest
Nice lengthy article and photo cover the Empire Brew Fest in Syracuse today.

The Freemans Journal
Huey Lewis at Ommegang
A photo.  How about some beer instead?

Are you the type that likes to plan ahead?  The Foaming Head has made some updates to their events page, so check it out.  I was lazily perusing my brewauthority Twitter feed (225 followers and counting!) when I saw the tweet from the Foaming Head and gave it a click.  And BAM- there I was.  My picture with K. Burns of the said Foaming Head at TAP-NY.  Great event, another story.

Note to self:  Wear hat that matches outfit next time.

The Saranac Thursday on July 23rd may well be one of the best deals of the summer.  For the usual $5 admission that includes your first Saranac, add three hours of Enter The Haggis.  Usually, larger acts at the brewery are scheduled separately and cost quite a bit more. 

Unfamiliar with the band? From the Enter The Haggis Bio page:

Over the past three albums and five years, Toronto's Celtic rock band Enter The Haggis has found itself at the center of a grassroots success story ever teetering on the brink of mainstream success. From playing Celtic festivals to headlining them, and from the festival circuit to selling out multiple nights in rock venues, ETH has blazed a path with heavy and almost constant touring up and down the East Coast, to Canada, the West Coast and back again, winning over success one fan, one town, one region at a time.

Saranac Thursdays are on- can you guess- thursdays from 5:30 - 8:30pm in the courtyard of the FX Matt Brewery in Utica NY.