November 2009 Archives

Snapperhead IPA gets canned at Butternuts Beer & Ale

If you've ever enjoyed a Moo Thunder Stout or Porkslap Pale Ale you're probably familiar with the name Butternuts and the brewery's colorfully branded line of craft beers.  Amusing labels and good beer are just two reasons Butternuts is interesting.  They also distribute most of their beer in cans.

The Brew Authority was recently in the greater Cooperstown area to check out the operations of some outstanding New York breweries.  First stop:  Butternuts.

We pulled into Butternuts early on a Saturday afternoon.  The Butternuts' Website didn't have any information on visiting, so we were taking our chances and hoping to get lucky.

Located in rural Garrattsville, NY, the brewery blends in with the pastoral landscape.  When we pulled up, the brewery didn't seem to be open.  Peeking inside, however, we could see and hear that canning was in process, but didn't see anyone around, and certainly didn't want to get in the way.

Butternuts' unassuming exterior in Garrattsville, NY

A fresh batch of Snapperhead is hatched.

As we were about to leave, however, the brewery owner Chuck Williamson happened out the front.  He was very friendly, albeit busy, but gladly let us take a look inside and snap a few photos of the Snapperhead IPA getting canned.

Williamson said that although they don't have official tours, they get frequent visitors during the summer months.  He also mentioned they were in the process of building a tasting area that should be in operation for the spring or early summer in 2010.

Brewery Ommegang

Butternuts isn't officially on the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, but it's only a half-hour drive over back roads to Brewery Ommegang.

I have been to Brewery Ommegang several times, and it is always a fun stop.  The brewery is set up for visitors, and has tours, free tastings, and a gift shop.

A lot is and has been said about the brewery in blogs and beyond, but I did hear a few interesting nuggets on the tour.  The brewery is currently building a new warehouse space to house more raw ingredients and store packaged beer.  Also, the brewery has recently been designated as a regional brewery, up from a microbrewery.  A regional brewery is defined as a brewery that outputs between 15,000 and 2,000,000 barrels of beer a year.

Cooperstown Brewing Company

Cooperstown Brewing Company is always my favorite stop on the Cooperstown Beverage Trail.  If Butternuts is new and intriguing, and Ommegang is lauded and visitor friendly, Cooperstown Brewing Co., in Milford, NY, is unpretentious and down to earth.

The tour and tasting at Cooperstown Brewing Co. is a couple of bucks, but worth the investment.  My experience has routinely been that you get the most knowledgeable tours and information from the people that work there.

I asked if the brewery had anything new in the works, and they said that they pretty much had their seven styles, and that was that.  Although I love trying new, experimental brews, there is something to be said for the quality and consistency in each Cooperstown beer.  Less than a mile from Brewery Ommegang, you'd be missing out not to stop by. 

This week in blog... the lazy, post-Thanksgiving edition.

The New York Times
Beer Connoisseurs Defy Hurdles to Start Breweries
Sixpoint is prominently featured in this well-written and interesting article.

The Hop Press
Trashy Beer
An article from a new "supergroup" beer blog ruminates on the "trashy beers" we used to (still do?) love.

The Foaming Head
Saranac 12 Beers of Winter
The Foaming Head's take on Saranac's winter release.  Always a thoughtful review here.

Drinks Blog
Beer of the Week: Ommegang Adoration
Adoration Ale's unsual spicing makes it a good pick to try something different over the holidays.

52Brews
Fermenting Tanks at Chelsea Brewing
For those who like fewer words with their picture. 

Is it too early to mention Christmas?

How about a family-friendly holiday event at one of your favorite breweries?

Brewery Ommegang will be visited by the Belgian Santa Claus, Sint Niklaas, on Saturday, December 12th.  Tucked away in the rural countryside near Cooperstown, NY, the brewery makes an ideal location to celebrate the season.

The Belgian Santa will be bringing gifts and treats for the kids.  Sleigh rides will be given on the grounds, and all can enjoy Belgian waffles, Clementines, Belgian Speculaas cookies, hot chocolate, hot cider, and candies. 

Oh, and the adults can also enjoy tasting Ommegang's other treats.

The event is free, and is scheduled from 12 - 5 pm.  Visit the official site for more information.

So, earlier today a tweet came my way from @dundeebeer about soap made from their Honey Brown Lager, which I retweeted on to my Twitter followers.  At $3.99 it seemed like quite the steal. And I guess I'm not the only person who thought so, because the item is now sold out today despite being listed only yesterday (November 16th).  Behold the power of social online networking or whatever it's called.

The Honey Brown may be gone, at least for while, but there are a few more beer soaps if you check out the link.  Nice way to beat the Black Friday crowds for your giftshopping.

Paste Magazine has published a list of the top 25 American breweries of this decade, and two New York State breweries, Brewery Ommegang and Brooklyn Brewery are included.

Lists, of course, are highly subjective, and this particular list gives very little insight into what qualifications were used to create it.

That said, the list is interesting and not entirely off base.  At very least, it's a good discussion-starter.

Join The New York Brew Authority as we sample Southern Tier Brewing's  UnEarthly Imperial IPA and discuss recent craft beer news.  This is episode three, and we like to think each one is better than the last.  Let us know what you think!

Subscribe to podcast | Download MP3

If you've been reading along, you know that the New York Brew Authority had a special opportunity to visit the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, NY where Saranac is made (You can also listen to our podcast about the experience). 

You might be asking yourself, "how can I do that?"

Well, the answer to your question is "drink Saranac." 

If you want a chance to get a free trip and an insider's peek at the brewery's operations, all you have to do is purchase this year's 12 Beers of Winter. 

Randomly placed inside this year's 12 Beers of Winter are "Golden Tickets."  If you're lucky enough to find one, it means you've won a VIP tour of the Saranac Brewery, plus dinner and accomodations for two.

Good luck, and don't make yourself sick eating too much chocolate... um, I mean beer.

I posted earlier about a glut of hops leading to more supply than demand, and hops being left to rot on their vines rather than to lose money harvesting them.

Well, here's another effect of last year's hop shortage: Microbrewers are locked into contracts based on last year's high prices.

From Yakima's KIMATV:

Miller (a head brewer) says he's paying around 10 dollars more per pound than what hops are going for right now. It's forced him to bump up his prices 10-15 cents per pint and change his recipes reducing his hop variety by more than half.

Read the full story here.

Got a newsletter from Syracuse's Empire Brewing Co. with their events for Syracuse Beer Week, and I thought I would share them with you.  I apologize for not getting this out Sunday for the official start of the week, but there's plenty left to check out.  Also, for all Syracuse Beer Week events, check out the official site.  There are a LOT of them.

Empire Brewing Co.'s Beer Week Schedule:

sunday november 1st
9 PM BEER, CHEESE & CHOCOLATE
Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garret Oliver will be hosting a Brooklyn beer, cheese & chocolate pairing, followed by a bottle & book signing.
 
monday november 2nd
6:30 PM EMPIRE BEER DINNER
A five course NYS farm produced food & Empire beer pairing. $45 per person (includes tax and gratuity). Seating is limited. Call 475-BEER for reservations.
 
tuesday november 3rd
BARLEY WINE RELEASE
Empire's annual Election Day Barley Wine taps today.
 
wednesday november 4th
3-5 PM HOME BREW COMPETITION
Home brewers are invited to bring in their self-made microbrews. Winners announced at 5 pm.
 
thursday november 5th
6:30 PM BREWMASTERS DINNER
Empire's beer featured at this five course beer & food pairing at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
 
friday november 6th
EMPIRE FIRKIN FRIDAY
Cask conditioned Maple porter & Amber Ale
 
saturday november 7th
2 PM BRATWURST EATING CONTEST
(featuring Liehs & Steigerwald Brats)
Music performed by The Enzian Bavarian Band