If you’ve ever wanted to test your beer geekiness, set your alarm for 3 AM so you can get up, drive to a different state, and wait in the rain for hours for a beer.

If you actually get up and do it, you’re as big a beer geek as me (but possibly not as tough as these guys).

Monday, March 1st was Kate the Great Day at the Portsmouth Brewery, the latest uber-hyped beer release in the craft beer world. In December of 2007, Beer Advocate magazine named Portsmouth’s Russian Imperial Stout Kate the Great the best beer in America – and the second best in the world. The stout also clocks in as part of the 100th percentile club here on RateBeer, and reviews around the web give the beer really high marks. The love of the well-brewed beer, along with it’s rarity (the brewery only has the capacity to brew about 10 barrels a batch) makes Kate one of the “gotta catch ‘em all” white whales of the craft beer community.

Portsmouth had an elegantly simple setup for the release, based around some capacity problems created by the huge number of people buying the beer in bottles and on draft last year. While the 2009 release saw the bottles and tapping of the kegs happen at the same time, in 2010 the releases were staggered. Around 4:30 in the morning, a Portsmouth employee started to give out pages from a page-a-day calendar to the line at the door of the brewery. Each page promised 2 bottles of Kate the Great, with bottle sales starting at 9 AM. The restaurant and bar were then opening at 11, and the kegs of Kate were tapped at 11:30. The aim was to allow people only getting bottles to get in and out quickly, and to prevent the restaurant from filling to capacity before everyone could get in and try there beer.

My crew (myself, my pal Ryan, Luke from BlogAboutBeer.com and our significant others) made it to Portsmouth around 4:50 and received December calendar pages – which means over 350 people had already been through. If you’re wondering how much the hype has grown for this beer in the last year, in 2009 I arrived after 9  and only got a page a few days later in the calendar. By a bit after 5, all the bottles were spoken for. At this point, the line for a table in the brewery – and Kate the Great on tap – was already stretching around the blog.

With calendar pages in hand, our group retreated to a local cafe to warm up, get out of the rain, and caffeinate. By the time we meandered back to the brewery around 8, the line for the brewery opening  stretched around the block.  There was a bit of confusion in the crowd about exactly who got bottles, what the line was for, and some other specifics of the event. Of course, there were also a few grouchy folks that didn’t get their pages and weren’t happy about a wait of at least 3 hours until the pub opening. In general the line was cheerful and upbeat despite the weather.

Last year, I wrote about the long wait to get in and buy my bottles – a few hours out in the February cold. This year, things were much, much smoother as soon as bottle sales started. The group of page-holders huddled around the brewery entrance, and by 9:30 or so our December group was already through the door. A trip down the stairs to Portsmouth’s downstairs bar, and minutes later we were each 20 bucks lighter and 2 bottles of Kate the Great richer.

During out pre-dawn drive, we all discussed staying in Portsmouth to give Kate a shot on tap – but our tune changed when we saw the rain-soaked line wrapping around the block before 10 AM. Talking amongst ourselves about discretion, valor, and so on, we decided instead to hit the tours of Smuttynose and Redhook for some more great local beer before heading back to Maine. It sounds like we might have been a bit premature – most everyone in line at that point got into the restaurant before one in the afternoon, and you could pretty much walk right into the bar and try the brew on tap during the late afternoon.

By 5:30, the 2010 batch of Kate was all gone.

Kudos to the staff at Portsmouth and (most of) the crowd of beer lovers for making Kate the Great day such a fun, successful release. I’m sure I wasn’t the only RateBeerian at the event – what did everyone else think of the Portsmouth Brewery’s most notorious release?

What the posts boil down to is that the internet tends to make people into (excuse my language) assholes, and this isn’t a good way to share, promote or grow the world of craft beer. At best, this kind of attitude makes the community seem hard to break into and kind of insular. At worst, it makes craft beer fans – and by extension, any beer brewed by an independent brewery – completely unapproachable.

I’m aware that this isn’t a new discovery, since I’m sure people have been jerks on computers since the first scientist that transcribed “you suck, dude” into binary. Still, I think it’s worth mentioning, if only as a wake-up call to beer geeks who act in a way that drives away both craft beer drinkers and non-geeks alike.

Remember; even though you’re on the internet and the only face you have for most of the other posters is an adorable avatar, there’s a real person with real feelings behind the forum posts. This extends to craft brewers, most of whom put their blood, sweat and tears into brewing really good beer. True, they don’t always succeed. And true, some are taking shortcuts and knowingly making cheap mediocre beer in hopes of making a quick buck. But before you rip into the new IPA from Johnny McLocal Brewery and suggest that the brewery shut down and the brewer’s wife leave him, consider offering some constructive criticism instead. If you had a beer you didn’t like, it’s cathartic to rip into it, for sure. If you’re taking the time to post online – where other people are going to read it – it’s better for you, your audience and even the brewery to put down the emotional hand grenades and talk honestly about what you did like about the beer and constructively about what you would change.

It’s also worth mentioning something that seems to be forgotten with distressing regularity; beer tastes and enjoyment are by and large subjective, not objective. There is an objective manner to look at beers, for sure, in the BJCP guidelines. These offer a great way to look at beers and judge them against the standards of a style. Taste and enjoyment, however, are subjective fields that are dragged into the world of objectivity. My tastes in beer, intelligence, my right to opine on beer and even my sexuality (yay, ad hominems)  are called into question when I dare to say that one of my favorite go-to brews is New Belgium’s Fat Tire. Remember what it means if you don’t like a beer – it just means that you don’t like the beer.

Pretty much everyone in the world of craft beer, from authors to brewers to bloggers to documentary directors, does this because we’re passionate about good beer. Even in a growing industry, opening a craft brewery is a far cry from gaining instant wealth. Very few beer authors or beer website operators make enough to call it their day job, and the pickings are slimmer for beer bloggers and freelancers. Before you cut down the Alstroms, or Hop Press writers, or Anat Baron, or your fellow community members, remember that they aren’t anonymous evildoers trying to force you to drink bad beer or kill the industry – they (we) are advocates, just like you. We love craft beer, and want to see it succeed. It sucks to be attacked when we’re coming at the industry from a place of love just like you.

I’ll end with the closing words from the New Brew Thursday post, since they summed their thoughts up far better than I can sum up mine;

With all the new craft beer drinkers coming into our online community every day, what impression do we want them to get ? That we are a bunch of beer snobs, or beer douche-bags that won’t accept them because they can’t explain the difference between a Barley Wine and an IPA .. or do we want them to see us as a group of buddies who love beer, and want to enjoy their journey through craft beer as much as we enjoyed our own ?

I choose the latter. Even if you don’t agree with Anat, NBT and I, I’d ask that you at least think of this post before the next time you rip into someone’s beer or beer tastes.

After a month away, it’s time to return to my look at the breweries, beer stores, brewpubs and bars of the Pine Tree State. For February, we’ll be looking at three popular beer haunts that reside on a mile-long stretch of Forest Avenue in Portland. For locals and visitors looking to experience what Maine beer has to offer, RSVP Discount Beverage, Maine Brewing Supply and The Great Lost Bear should be familiar names.

RSVP Discount Beverage Center

RSVP is simply a utilitarian place to get some beer. The service sucks, the policies governing sales to out-of-staters can be asinine, and it isn’t much to look at. If you can put those aside – or if you go in knowing what you’re looking for – RSVP does offer one of the best beer selections in Maine for some of the lowest prices.

I’ll get the bad out of the way first. The store has historically had legendarily poor service, and while there are a handful of beer experts on staff the majority wouldn’t know a stout from a lager. RSVP is basically a place to redeem bottles and get cheap booze, and just happens to have an insanely good selection. This isn’t helped by the fact that the place strictly enforces a policy of not selling to anyone with an out-of-state license under the age of 25. Also, RSVP isn’t much to look at, as it’s basically a converted warehouse. Cement floors, a square floor plan and no windows don’t make for great ambiance.

Now, if you can get past this – if you don’t want much more than a huge, cheap selection of beer to browse on your own – RSVP has a lot to offer. A long bank of coolers and big beer aisle stock nearly everything that has distribution in the state of Maine, be it domestic or international. Everything bottled from every Maine brewery is represented, and limited batches from around the country are deeply stocked. I’m regularly surprised that RSVP seems to get new Maine arrivals before other local shops, and rare beers seem to last longer than at other stores.

Beer only takes up about a third of the floor space, with liquor and wine occupying the rest of the real estate. Prices on all three are as low as you’ll find in Portland, with most bombers and sixers running at least .50 and often more than a dollar cheaper than at Whole Foods, Downeast Beverage or Tully’s. If you’re lucky enough to strike up a conversation with RSVP’s beer guy, you can end up getting even better discounts or access to some rare gems.

Again, RSVP isn’t pretty. You’ll find better looking places and friendlier staff without looking too far up the road. But if you want to look at one of the state’s cheapest and largest selections, RSVP is the place to go.

RSVP Discount Beverage Center
887 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04103-4107
(207) 773-8808

Maine Brewing Supply

Until the arrival of Maine Brewing Supply to Forest Avenue a couple of years ago, there wasn’t a great place to go in Portland to get brewing supplies. The Hop Shop has long been a favorite of Portlanders, but the location in Gray left people who didn’t want to leave the city without a place to shop. With the arrival of Maine Brewing Supply, Portland residents are only a couple miles from hops, grain and yeast wherever they are in the Forest City.

Owners Rob and Gaylin Zimmerman supply everything you’d want in order to whip up some beer, soda, mead or wine at home. You’ll find a wide range of dry and liquid yeast, plenty of grains (which they’ll gladly crush for you), hops, recipe kits and dry and liquid extracts. The equipment selection is superb, with a great selection of full home setups along with every concievable piece of equipment on the shelf to buy a la carte. The brewing supplies are rounded out by a selection of adjuncts and flavorings, plenty of cleaners and sanitizers, brewing books and DVDs, and the biggest selection of different bottle types I’ve ever seen. If you’re just looking for a beer to drink while you brew, Zimmerman stocks a smart selection of higher-end brews by the bottle or six-pack.

Rob is also an incredibly knowledgeable brewer, and is as comfortable brainstorming and problem-solving with an expert brewer as with showing a beginner the ropes. Prices are fair, although a bit higher than at the Hop Shop or Oak Hill Beverage. The slight (10% at most) premium is worth the conveniece and service you’ll find at Maine Brewing Supply.

Maine Brewing Supply
542 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 791-2739

The Great Lost Bear

It is terribly hard to think of something to say about the Great Lost Bear (GLB) that hasn’t already been said.

Now in their 31st year, the GLB is an institution on the Maine beer scene. Since opening in 1979, the beer selection has steadily expanded… from eight beer taps to twenty four, then thirty six, and now sixty-five taps. Five of these taps make up “Allagash Alley”, a dedicated section of the lineup for brews on tap from Maine’s Allagash Brewing. The other sixty host a rotating selection of beers from around the world, although at least a third are always devoted to Maine brewed beer. They also have four different casks, usually featuring local brews.

Every Monday and Tuesday at the Bear is “short beer” night, with 23 oz pours for the price of a pint. Thursdays are “showcase” nights, and every Thursday the GLB hosts an event with cheap pours from a brewery or of a style of beer. Thursday nights are always a blast, and beer celebs like Garrett Oliver, Sam Calagione and Rob Todd have been known to work the taps when their brewery is featured.

As for the non-beer part of the experience, the Bear satisfies. Food is American bar fare, with some of the best burgers in Portland along with plenty of salads, sandwiches, specials and vegetarian options. The newest regular menu option is a beast worthy of Man vs. Food; the Cheesus Burger (a burger sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches) is as extreme as any of the beers on the menu. Prices are about what you’d expect for a Portland restaurant (8-12 bucks for most of the entrees) and portions are massive.

There are a lot of comments deriding the service at the Great Lost Bear, and I’ll go right ahead and say the service isn’t fast. Still, I wouldn’t say it’s bad. I’ve been going almost weekly for the last three years (a benefit of living two blocks away) and the staff has always been attentive, friendly, and quick to attend to our needs. It’s just kind of slow. If you don’t come expecting to speed in and out, your expectations won’t be dashed.

Pro tip; go on a Thursday with a date, and you can get a 2+ person serving of nachos and each get a beer for under twenty bucks.

The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 772-0300

BADD isn’t anything you’ll find on the DSM-IV, although most beer geeks are probably already familiar with it. It is a problem I’ve struggled with more and more as I’ve moved into the world of beer enthusiasts. If you aren’t yet aware of BADD, it is essentially an aversion to drinking a beer – especially a beer you’re familiar with – for too long. Symptoms include an overwhelming thirst for the unknown and untasted, a wanderlust to get new brews, and, distressingly, a lack of interest in familiar brews.

I won’t lie – I’m writing this post because, this weekend, all three of the symptoms hit me pretty hard. First off, the overwhelming thirst for beer I haven’t tried yet. After a weekend of skiing in the western mountains here in Maine, I was passing the Sunday River Brewing Company on my way out of Newry. Sunday River’s beers don’t have the greatest reputation here on RateBeer – most of their brews struggle to get a score over 3, and the beers on tap on Sunday weren’t particularly well-regarded. But – and this is the important part – I haven’t had much from Sunday River. While I knew that I could pick up a growler at Bray’s or a six-pack at RSVP on my way home, I went for the unknown, despite not knowing if the beer was any good.

This happens to me again and again. On Monday, I got hit with symptom number two – wanderlust. Portland is a city that doesn’t lack great brewers, beer bars or beer distribution. There are more than a few local beers I haven’t had a chance to try yet, and plenty of beers distributed in Maine I’ve never tasted. Why, then, did I find myself driving to Portsmouth, NH on Monday afternoon? The answer, my friends, is again the unknown. New Hampshire doesn’t have beer distribution that is terribly different from Maine, but it has the Portsmouth Brewery and a handful of beers from Manchester Brewing, White Birch, and Blue Point that we can’t get here. I’m sure some people would think I’m nutty for taking a weekday trip to grab some beer in a different state, but it’s just another symptom of BADD.

Finally, the most distressing symptom – alack of interest in familiar brews. If I’ve had a beer before, I almost always pass it by to try something new or different; something unknown. When I go to my local bottle shop in the mood for a double IPA, for example, I know that I can’t go wrong with a Dogfish Head 90 Minute or a Stone Ruination, two of my all-time favorites. But if there’s a new DIPA I’ve never had before on the shelf, game over man. I’ll pick it up almost every time. Why have an old favorite when there’s a new beer that probably isn’t as good but has the potential to be a new favorite? It’s the same thing that drives me to New Hampshire, to Sunday River Brewing, to new beers on tap and to trade for unknown local gems instead of the big white whale beers.

Am I the only person like this? If it comes down to a beer you know is good and something you’ve never had (that might be considered worse by popular opinion), which do you tend to go for? Do you have it BADD, or do you have more self-control than yours truly?

When most people picture a bar in a bookstore, they envision the ever-popular coffee or smoothie bar. In fact, the idea of a cup of coffee and a good book are nearly inseparable in many minds. Stop at almost any Borders or Barnes and Noble and you’ll find a Seattle’s Best or Starbucks cafe. The number of indie booksellers with coffee shops isn’t insignificant either, and even libraries are adding coffee and pastries for browsing readers.

It should come as no surprise that when I picture a bar in a bookstore, something different comes to mind. In my mind, beer and books are a perfect match. Book clubs have latched onto the idea, and breweries are hosting their own book clubs. It makes sense – a little liquid courage gets book discussion going, and bars benefit from a pleasant group pumping money into their draft lines.

A few booksellers and brewers – God bless ‘em – have married brews and books. Seattle’s Bookstore Bar, Skye Book and Brew in Dayton, and The Spotty Dog in New York all offer up pints and paperbacks stateside. The Bacchus Bar and Bookshop in Madrid slings the two on the other side of the Atlantic.

Each of these shops has their own charm. The Bookstore Bar has an eclectic selection of books, free for people to peruse and only $5.00 each to purchase. Not only that, but they have a cool beer deal based on Mariners slugger Ken Griffey Jr.’s batting average. Skye Book and Brew has two floors of new and used books, brews their own beer, and offers a great book swap program – swap two used books of yours for one of theirs. Spotty Dog serves up super artisanal beer (including their local Evan’s Ale) along with books and art supplies. Over in Spain, Bacchus Bar and Bookshop has thousands of English-language books on their first floor and a full bar on their second. They also can claim the best motto of the bunch – “Come in for a book, stay for a beer.”

And one final one I came across after starting this piece – Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe in Washington DC. I’m glad I spotted it, since the store holds the honor of being voted Washington’s best bookstore and the claim of “the first Bookstore/Cafe in the country to feature cappuccino, espresso, a full bar and food.” Plus, check out that tap list!

I have a lot of (possibly crazy) ideas of how bookstores need to evolve and stay vital in the next few decades. While I don’t think a bar in every bookstore is the right idea, I think a move towards addressing niches and becoming a fun third place for book lovers is absolutely vital. In my mind, these four stores are a successful step in that direction.

Of course, I’m also the kind of guy that finds a few beers and a couple books with someone romantic.

Did I miss any bookstore/bar combos? Can anyone tell us anything about Benjamin Brown Books and Billiards or George Washington Bookstore and Tavern, two intriguing combos without websites? Why isn’t there a place like this in Portland, ME yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

image courtesy of brewsci.com

…OK, so beer doesn’t really cure cancer.  I know that’s a hyperbolic headline up there with something from the Weekly World News.

Still, it’s hard not to be excited about the cancer-fighting properties of beer that have been getting quite a bit of press this week.

Britain’s second-largest paper, the UK Daily Mail, reported this week on the cancer-fighting properties of xanthohumol – a substance found in hops.  While scientists have known for years that xanthohumol helps to block the production of excess estrogen, this new study by the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg was the first to show that the substance can inhibit the “excessive action of testosterone.”  Since excessive hormones can stimulate undue cell growth (and thus, can lead to cancer), a substance that inhibits this growth has potential as a cancer-fighting drug.  Xanthohumol also prevents “the release of a protein called PSA which encourages the spread of prostate cancer.”

And it’s in beer!  The hoppier the better, too, since hops are the magic ingredient that brings xanthohumol to beer.

Of course, it’s easy to dismiss an article like this as another example of media hullabaloo – “HEY LOOK, something you thought was bad for you is good for you!”  We’ve seen plenty of articles over the years touting the health benefits of wine, red meat, chocolate, and other “bad” food and drink.  Still, the new findings about xanthohumol join quite the laundry list of beer benefits.

For example;

• Beer helps you fulfill your daily requirements for vitamins – specifically, A, D, E and B-vitamins. A couple pints will give you “35% of the daily requirement of vitamin B6, 20% of the requirement of B2 and 65% of the requirement of Niacin.”
• Beer can help lower you chance of coronary heart disease.  The decrease in heart disease risk for moderate drinkers isn’t insignificant.  In fact, the decrease in risk is pretty substantial – 40%-60%, according to a 2004 study by the NIAAA.
• Light to moderate beer drinkers would decrease their chances of suffering a stroke by 20%, according to a 1999 study in the The New England Journal of Medicine.
• Beer – especially a good robust brew – provides plenty of fiber.  A couple of beer contain 20% of the recommended daily intake of fiber on average.  Some beers even provide up to 60%.
• Moderate beer consumption has been proven to have a positive effect on bone health – specifically, on bone mineral density.  A recent Tufts University study found that “high levels of an ingredient that enables the deposit of calcium and other minerals into bone tissue.”
• Beer lowers inhibitions, and thus increases the likelihood of a drinker singing karaoke.  I’m not sure about the health benefits of singing a Bon Jovi track to a bar, but I’m going to guess it’s a net positive.
• Drinking a bit of beer or wine also helps to increase the production of HDL (aka “good”) cholesterol.  High HDL levels can help remove bad cholesterol, and thus help keep arteries clear.

Obviously, the key (noted in all of these studies) is moderation.  I know that you RateBeerians already knew that, but it’s worth mentioning to cover my own hide – I don’t want people over-drinking and blaming me when they don’t become pictures of health.  Drinking a beer a night or a couple beers a week, though?  There’s no question that beer’s effect on the body isn’t all puppies and rainbows, and I don’t think doctor’s offices will have attached bars any time soon, but the stuff is looking pretty damn good.

Did I miss any notable health benefits of our favorite libation?  Do the health benefits of beer even enter your mind when you’re deciding whether to have a drink?  Are my glasses just too rose-colored, or should we celebrate every announcement of a benefit of beer?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to help myself to a cancer-fighting, vitamin-providing, stroke-preventing pint of Coney Island Lager.

I would guess that when most people think of “craft beer” and “Portland”, the city on their mind isn’t in Maine.

After all, Oregon has done a great job fostering their image as a beer paradise, with Portland as the sudsy capitol.  Oregon is one of the two largest hop-producing states in the country, and five of the biggest breweries in the country are in Oregon.  In Portland itself, there are 30 craft breweries within the city limits.  No matter where you are, you’re never more than 15 minutes from a craft brewery.

But I’m not here to talk about beer on the left coast – Hop Press columnist Jon Abernathy is doing a fine job of that himself.  No, I’m endeavoring to have Maine grab a little bit of that beer nirvana mental market share.

Maine doesn’t have the sheer number of breweries that a state like Oregon does, but it’s certainly no slouch in the numbers game.  The Maine Brewer’s Guild boasts 21 members, and there are some small non-member brewers like the Bag and Kettle and Three Tide Restaurant that push the number of breweries even higher.

Most of Maine’s popular breweries, like a lot of New England craft brewers, focus on English-style ales.  Dry stouts, pub ales, bitters and robust porters are all wicked easy to find in the Easternmost state.  Still, there’s plenty of hope in Maine if you aren’t a fan of British beers.  Allagash steps up as one of the premier Belgian-style breweries in the US, Marshall Wharf represents the world of “extreme” brewing, and there are a handful of brewers making what I can only call American beer.

Today, I’ll introduce you to two craft breweries here in my hometown of Portland.  There’s a lot of history and potential in these two breweries – DL Geary Brewing is the oldest craft brewery in the state at about 24 years old, and Maine Beer Company is the newest.  I’ll start filling in the rest of the chronology next month.

DL Geary Brewing

D.L. Geary Brewing Company is probably one of the main reasons we have so many great craft breweries here in Maine.  The brewery opened in 1986, back when there were only about a dozen microbreweries in the US.  Both D.L. and the brewery have been pioneering forces in the American brewing world, and paved the way (and prepared the tastebuds of Mainers) for the score of craft brewers in the state today.  For a great look at all Geary has done for the world of beer, I suggest reading the interview with D.L. in Brian Yaeger’s excellent Red, White and Brew.

The brewery’s flagship beer, Geary’s Pale Ale, is a classic British pale ale with some tangy fruitiness from an imported Hampshire yeast strain.  The year-round brews from D.L. are rounded out by the popular HSA Strong Ale and London Porter, the winner of a NYT blind taste test a few years back.  Noticably absent from the year-round schedule is the omnipresent  style of IPA – instead, the brewery’s seasonal Winter Ale fits into that style.

Geary’s has also jumped into the world of “big” beer in recent years, releasing two different 4-packed imperial brews.  The Imperial IPA and Wee Heavy Scottish Ale are both big and traditional beers, and the brewery has been smart about slowly introducing these great beers to the market.  Too many breweries seem to throw ever beer they can at the wall to see what sticks, but D.L. Geary has seen steady growth by brewing just a few great beers.

After a few years of brewing in the UK and over two decades here in Maine, Geary has earned his reputation as a craft brewing pioneer.  Now, I know that a lot of American beer geeks aren’t in love with British-style beers – and I know there’s more than enough to go around in Maine.  If you can get past that and get your hands on a Geary’s Pale Ale, you’ll have a chance to drink not only a tasty brew, but one of the harbringers of the craft beer revolution in New England.

DL Geary Brewing Company
38 Evergreen Drive
Portland, ME 04103
(207) 878-2337

Maine Beer Company

In contrast to the old statesman of Geary’s, the Maine Beer Company is the newest brewery in the Pine Tree State.

Maine Beer Company is an incredibly small brewery (Nanobrewery?  Picobrewery?) located on Industrial Way here in Portland.  Started in 2009 by two homebrewing brothers, MBC brews on a small 2-barrel brewing system, focusing on brewing one recipe at a time.  Rather than being artificially prepared for the shelves, MBC bottle conditions all their ales.  The brewing brothers certainly have their hearts in the right place – their electricity is 100% wind power, they donate all their used grain, yeast and grain bags to local farmers, and 1% of their sales are donated to environmental non-profits.

So far, the Maine Beer Company has only bottled and released one brew – the Spring Peeper Ale.  An APA in the style of west coast brews like the Stone Pale Ale, the Spring Peeper is definitely a breath of fresh air for Maine locovores.  Although it isn’t the only citrusy, biscuity pale ale you can buy in Maine, it is the only one brewed here – and is different that anything being put out by other Maine brewers.

As for the future of the brewery, brothers Dave and Dan are looking cautiously forward.  In the coming year, big goals include more brewing equipment, entering more markets, and signing with a distributor so Dave doesn’t need to drop off every case of beer himself.  Even with the expansion, the brothers are thinking small; always being able to bottle condition their beers, as well as producing experimental small batches are important to them.  They also plan to always offer the majority of their beer by the bottle, rather than kegging it all.

With only one beer in their quiver so far, it is hard to tell exactly what the future holds for Maine Beer Company.  If they stick true to their mission and brew more beers half as good as their first, the brewery stands to become a major player in the already-crowded Maine beer scene.

Not bad for two brothers from away.

Maine Beer Company
1 Industrial Way, #3
Portland, ME 04103
207.221.3159

It looks like the approach of 2010 is on the mind of many of the writers at the Hop Press.  With the holidays keeping me from reading any new beer books, going to any events or trying too many new brews, the mere hours separating us from 2010 are a perfect excuse for me to throw in my two cents as well.

Call it what you want – a bucket list, New Brew Year’s Resolutions, my wish list for the world of beer – here are the beers I want to try, the beers I want to try again, the breweries I want to visit and some changes I wouldn’t mind seeing in brewers and beer fans.

Beers to Try;
I’m not so much into the gotta-catch-em all, rarest of the rare “white whale” mindset, but I guess I can get away with it if I’m making a bucket list.  I’m entering 2010 on a serious sour kick, so getting my hands on something like Lost Abbey’s Isabelle Proximus, Russian River’s Consecration or Captain Lawrence’s Cuvee de Castleton is a definite goal.  I’ve never had the patience to age beers before, but managed to squirrel away a 2006 Alaskan Smoked Porter from my time living in Juneau that I’d like to crack next year.  I also resolve to, one way or another, try the famed Dark Lord in 2010.

Beers to Have Again;
There’s a few beers that I’ve only had once before that I liked so much that I’m resolving to drink them again some time this year.  The Shorts Uber Goober, Foothills Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate and Surly Two are all beers that I remember as unbelievable, and I’d like to give them another try to see if they hold up.  On the other hand, I’m going to try and track down a bottle of the Brooklyn Black Ops to see if my bad first impression of the brew was the result of an “off” bottle or a serious disconnect with most other beer geeks’ opinions.

Places to Go;
I’d like to make 2010 the year I make pilgrimages to some of my favorite breweries – specifically Brooklyn and Dogfish Head.

The Industry;
It’s pretty impossible to get what I want from the beer industry in 2010, because I’m of two minds.  Essentially, I’d like to see even more extreme beers and a move towards more sessionable and balanced beers.  From super-hoppy beers to sours to exotic ingredients, brewers are pushing what people think of when they think of beer.  I definitely don’t want to see this creativity wane in the coming year.  On the other hand (and call me crazy), I love a sub-5% alcohol, balanced. “boring” beer.  I’d like to see more breweries take 2010 to work on smooth, balanced beers that I can have a few of in one sitting.  I’m a beer geek paradox.  Luckily, there are enough brewers in the country to hit both targets.

Beer Fans;
Seriously, guys, cool it!  Beer is fun!  Beer is exciting!  OF COURSE beer serving temperature, glassware, and the number of taps at a bar are important.  And it can be a nice lark to talk about which big brewery is slipping, what brewery everyone loves that you think sucks, and how everything is getting worse and more boring.  It’s fun to geek out about beer, but take 2010 to ENJOY your beer and accentuate the positive!

Looking forward to an exciting 2010!  Cheers and Happy New Year Beer!

There’s little doubt that, believer or no, a good number of RateBeerians will find themselves enjoying some holiday libations during the next few weeks.  With these drinks already in hand, it makes sense to pair the brews with some of the books we’ll be reading for the holidays and the Christmas movies playing 24 hours a day.

Like any geeky list, this is all opinion and far from comprehensive.  In the comments, feel free to add your own pairings or tell me why I’m 100% wrong about mine.  Cheers!

A Kidnapped Santa Claus by Alex Robinson and Theakston Old Peculier
L Frank Baum’s classic story, along with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, was one of the first to cement old man Claus’ popularity in the modern Christmas tradition.  for such an old story, I of course have to pair the book with Old Peculier, one of my favorite old ales and a fantastic winter warmer.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and AleSmith YuleSmith
Yulesmith, an imperial red, is quite different from most winter seasonals. While the majority of winter warmers tend to be sweet and heavy on the malt, AleSmith’s brew has some amped-up yuletide hoppiness. It only made sense to pair one of the bitterest winter brews I’ve had with the story of cranky, miserly and bitter old Ebenezer Scrooge.

Elf and Southern Tier Creme Brulee
Although it has only been out a little over half a decade, Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies and already considered by some a classic Christmas film. The movie benefits from clever writing and some real belly laughs, just enough to balance out the almost sickeningly sweet story. This sugary sweetness led me to pair Elf with the Southern Tier Creme Brulee, the sweetest beer I could think of.

Scrooged and Stone Ruination IPA
Another one of my favorite Christmas movies, featuring a masterful performance from Bill Murray. The film is undeniably black comedy, deftly swinging from laugh-out-loud funny to heartbreaking from scene to scene. Francis Xavier Cross strikes me as even more bitter and foul than Scrooge, so I’m pairing the film with the bitterest beer I could think of, the tongue puckering, bitter beer face-inducing (and absolutely delicious) Stone Ruination.

Jan Brett’s The Night Before Christmas and Ridgeway Reindeer’s Revolt
This pick is a bit more tongue in cheek. A couple years ago here in Maine, there was a huge kerfuffle about the Ridgeway Christmas beers. Essentially, there was a move to ban the beers because people were worried that the cartoon labels (featuring elves, reindeer and Santa) would appeal to children and, I don’t know, turn them into seasonal alcoholics or something. Well, I’d like to pair a beer for adults with artwork that appeals to children and a book for children that appeals to adults. Brett’s take on The Night Before Christmas is a beautifully told and illustrated version that will appeal to you, no matter your age.

Frank McCourt’s Angela and the Baby Jesus and Guinness Special Export
Although he was born in Brooklyn, New York, I always associate the late McCourt with Ireland – in no small part because of his phenomenal book Angela’s Ashes. This association led me to pair McCourt’s final book, Angela and the Baby Jesus, with an Irish beer. It makes sense in my head, at least – one of my favorite American exports to Ireland with a fantastic Irish export, the roasty, vanilla-tinged Guinness Export Stout.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris and Brooklyn Winter Ale
One of the funniest collections of Christmas stories out there, Holidays on Ice includes the Santaland Diaries, the essay that catapulted David Sedaris to fame. The story, of which the audio version is a must-listen in my home every year, details the author’s stint working as a Christmas elf at Macy’s department store. Since the Macy’s flagship store – the one Sedaris worked at – is in New York, I paired the book with one of my favorite New York breweries.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss and Berliner Kindl Weisse with Waldmeistersirup
It’s a green, sour beer! The Grinch is a green, sour dude! Need I say more?

It’s A Wonderful Life and Lost Abbey Angel’s Share
Yet another obvious one. It’s hard not to think of Clarence when someone mentions an angel, and Lost Abbey’s Angel’s Share is a near-perfect beer to sip during this near-perfect holiday film. The brew is strong enough to be a sipper throughout the entire movie, with last year’s version clocking in north of 12% alcohol. Finally, one last connection – cherish your Angel’s Share if you get your hands on it, because getting it up in the northeast would be something of a Christmas miracle.

Apparently, I’m not the first one to think that beer and books are a match made in heaven.

Recently, I settled on making a beer book display at the store after brainstorming about entertaining books for holiday gifts. Along with the books – brewing how-to books, travel guides and memoirs – I needed some other ancillary stuff to make the display really pop. Maine pint glasses, some colorful cards, maybe a bottle or two. Still, something was missing.

Musing over the missing pieces (and a pint) last night, Rogue’s Shakespeare Stout popped into mind. Surely, that wasn’t the only brewery that took inspiration from the literary world. I’m a smart guy, but I certainly am not the first lover of brews and books.

Wouldn’t you know it, there are tons of beers that draw inspiration from the world’s great literature. Some of the names are pretty obvious, some a bit more subtle. Either way, I now have to resolve to try them all. What kind of booklover would I be otherwise?

So here it is; the most comprehensive list of book-related beer names ever compiled. For most of the brews, I’ve simply named the book or author that inspired the name. If they take a bit more explaining, I try to offer a bit of background.

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De La Senne Taras Boulba – Gogol’s Taras Bulba.

Avery Mephistopheles – Mephostophiles, by Faust.

Rogue Shakespeare Stout – The bard himself, William Shakespeare.

Mighty Oak Brewery’s Oscar Wilde Mild – Pretty obvious, right? Named for famously witty Irishman Oscar Wilde.

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig – A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. The Fezziwigs are the owners of the warehouse business Scrooge worked at as a lad.

Baltimore-Washington Beer Works’ The Raven – The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe. The Raven is brewed in Poe’s native Baltimore, and a nod to the author’s most famous work.

Sweetwater The Grapes of Cask – The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

Bad Habits’ The Hops of Wrath – The Grapes of Wrath again, natch.

Mattingly 1984 Golden Ale – 1984, by George Orwell.

Lost Abbey Inferno – Dante’s Inferno.

Grand Rapids A Clockwork Orange and Watch City Clockwork Orange – Both (a cream ale and an orange-flavored wit) are named after Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.

Philadelphia Brewing Company Walt Wit – Walt Whitman, transcendentalist and (unfortunately) prohibitionist.

Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale – Henry W. Longfellow. Fun fact – HWL was born at the current site of the Shipyard Brewery!

Rock Bottom Catcher in the Rye – Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger.

Bell’s Oberon – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare. Oberon (or Auberon) is the King of faeries in Shakespeare’s play.

New Holland’s The Poet – While it isn’t entirely clear from the description, the label for The Poet suggests it is another brew named for Poe’s The Raven.

New Holland’s Mad Hatter – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.

O’Hanlon’s Thomas Hardy’s Ale – English author and naturalist Thomas Hardy.

East End Ugly American – Eugene Burdick and William Lederer’s The Ugly American.

Cisco Whale’s Tale Pale Ale – Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville. Though it isn’t obvious (other than the spelling of the word “tale” in the name), the brewery higher-ups have confirmed that the beer is named for Melville’s eponymous whale.

Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder – Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and (most importantly for this list) author. For good measure we can also include the brewery’s Pliny the Younger, named after Pliny’s nephew, who was also an author.

Bridgeport Brewing Ebenezer Ale – A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Named after that Scrooge I mentioned above.

New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale – The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale – Heavy-drinking Hemingway finally gets on the list with this beer named after his two-parted, Big Two-Hearted River.

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There are also a few breweries with whole stables of beer that seem to be inspired by great literature. Church-Key Brewing Co. in Ontario taps the Grains of Wrath IPA (Grapes of Wrath), Brave New Wheat (Huxley’s Brave New World) and Lactese Falcon (The Maltese Falcon), among others. Twain’s of Decatur, GA draws all their inspiration from one author, the father of American literature. Brews include Tidy Soul Smoked Dunkelweiss, Wit and Humor Bavarian Wheat Ale, Mad Happy Pale Ale, Stubborn River Bitter, and Three Lies Cocoa Stout. Flying Dog takes inspiration from Hunter S. Thompson – not only are their beers named things like Snake Bite IPA and Gonzo Porter, but their label and swag artwork is done by Thompson’s pal Ralph Steadman. Finally, Baron Brewing recently announced the Grimm Brothers Series – six special beers (Seven Swabians Eisbock, Rumpelstiltskin Rauch Doppelbock, Bremen Town Musicians Big Doppelbock, Rapunzel WeizenStarkBier, Juniper Tree Klosterbock and Frog King Winter Bock) named for the Grimm Brothers stories.

Of course, I’m sure there are TONS that I’ve missed. Please chime in with some comments to let me know more brews named after books and authors.

Cheers!