New England Brewfest

Ok beer lovers here it is the 2012 NH Craft Beer Week trivia contest. To celebrate the first ever NH Craft Beer Week we are having a contest to give away two tickets to the NE Brew Fest, which is the closing event of Beer Week. Read the rules, put on your thinking cap, and get ready to play. The first question drops tomorrow morning. 

The Rules:
1. "Like" us on Facebook --> NH Craft Beer Week

2. "Follow" us on Twitter --> @NHBeerWeek

3. Questions will be posted on our Facebook page and on our twitter feed.  The Answer Must be posted on our Facebook page.

4. First Person to answer each question correctly gets their name in the drawing for 2 VIP tickets* to the New England Brew Fest on June 30th.  

5. You may only win once

6.  The contests ends on the 22nd of June, at that time all the winning names will be entered into a drawing to pick the final winner.

*Only 200 available! Includes admission to VIP Session featuring exclusive beers PLUS general admission ticket with official tasting glass, 10 sample tickets, 2012 New England Brewfest T-Shirt, preferred parking, Biggie Pass to save $100's while in the area, opportunity to meet & greet with bands, and swag bag upon entry. Must be 21 years or older to win these tickets and you will be expected to show a valid ID when picking up your tickets.

Gruit, what does that word mean?  For the serious beer geek, and I mean the proverbial Yoda of the beer world it is a beer that was given its bittering qualities from herbs and spices rather hops.  This is how beer was made before hops were known to have bittering and preservative qualities.  This style is seeing a small resurgence in the American craft beer world these days because the growing segment of beer enthusiasts are generally willing to try new and non-traditional beers. 

So why am I telling you this? Because, soon you will have access to this new/old style of beer and right here in NH to boot.  Earth Eagle Brewings, based in Portsmouth, and stared by Alex McDonald (owner of A&G homebrewing) and Butch Heilshorn is New Hampshire’s newest brewery in planning.  They are slated to open in mid summer/early fall and they are deep in the process of state and federal licensing process, as well as their brewery build out which McDonald told me about:

It took a few months to get through the city planning board and building inspectors to get the necessary permits to start so we are a few weeks away from finishing the construction and will be sending in the TTB paperwork in the next week or two. We have most of our equipment in place and hope that the paperwork process will go smoothly.

This newest of New Hampshire’s growing family of breweries will be another hyper-local nano-brewery because of their small batch size, which Alex also told me about:                                  

We are going to start on our 10 gallon system that I built a few years ago and will brew artisan ales with gruits being a good 40% of our product line up, we are looking for 2 more 55 gallon pots so we can construct our 1 bbl system. We will be selling by the growler, out of our tasting room, and then start working on label approval for 22oz bottles.

So then it is time for a little beer math:

Small batch size + Hyper-locality + Non-traditional styles of beer =  Beer I really want to try

I am looking forward to sampling Earth Eagle Brewings creations but unfortunately, we will probably not see these guys and their unique brews at the New England Brew Fest this year. Hopefully, you will be able to try their beer at their tap room soon.  If you would like to learn more about Earth Eagle Brewing then follow the links below to their blog and show them some love but liking them on their Facebook page.

A&G Homebrew Supply Facebook Page

Earth Eagle Brewing Facebook Page

Earth Eagle Brewing Blog

Hops are that little plant you hear so much about in beer commercials.  It gives bitterness, flavor (yes there is a difference), and aroma to beer.  For over a century, hops were grown right here in New England until disease began to take a toll on production.  They were first used in the early 700’s in the Hallertau area of modern Germany. Jumping ahead to the 1600’s when the Massachusetts Company introduced hops to the colonies; they were grown first on small scale and later as a commercial crop.  This went on until the 1920’s when production began to transition to the pacific north west.

Hops prefer to grow in the temperate climates that are found in northern Europe and the Northern United States. Together the New England states and New York were producing up to one millions pounds of hops annually in the 1850’s.  Today, Washington and Oregon and Idaho are the biggest producers of hops in the United States, with smaller farms cropping up again in our region.

The Northeast Hop Alliance (NEHA) is a group that is trying to reinvigorate hops as a commercial crop in New England and New York. Organized in 2001, the NEHA (http://nehopalliance.org/) has been a driving force in rebuilding hop production in this corner of the United States. They are focusing their initiative in New England and New York and have gained over 100 members since the organizations inception. The members include growers, educators, brewers, and historians as well as the Cornell Cooperative Extension of NY and University of Vermont Crops and Soils team as advisors.  The goal of the Northeast Hop Alliance is to make hop growing profitable again in this traditional growing region by reintroducing hop production to our cultural heritage through agricultural tourism and public education.

            According NEHA, current production in New York totals 50 to 60 acres, and is some what less in the other New England states.  Most of these are delivered to craft breweries all through the Northeast.  One of New Hampshire’s newest breweries, Throwback Brewing (http://throwbackbrewery.com/), receives its hops from Foothill Hops (http://www.foothillhops.com/) in New York. As a matter of contrast hop production in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho takes place on 30,000 acres.  The northeast has a long way to go to catch up, but every year there is growth in the local market and feedback from local breweries is encouraging.  

White Birch Brewing – Brewery Profile

1339 Hooksett Road

Hooksett NH

(603) – 224 – 8593

White Birch Brewing is a New Hampshire brewery that focuses on taste rather than style.  They started small and have grown to meet the demand for their beers that an increasing number of people are coming to enjoy.

The People

            White Birch Brewing is owned and operated by Bill and Ellen Herlicka; they opened for business in 2009 as the Granite States first nano-brewery.  Mr. Herlicka worked in the business world as well as being an avid home brewer. When layoffs struck, he and his wife took a chance and opened the brewery, structuring it on a flavor forward perspective.  White Birches other staff is comprised of: Brian Parda who is Head of Marketing, Chris Shea the head brewer and formerly from Schlafly Brewing in St. Louis, and Ben Martin who is a brewery assistant and a graduate from the brewery’s apprentice program.  Then there are the apprentices who come to the brewery one day a week for six months to learn about the world of professional brewing.  This lively staff runs a brewery that does beer education with home brewers, community based programs to aid the less fortunate, and participates in many craft beer oriented events through out the year.

The Brewery

            White Birch Brewery started by producing eclectic single barrel batches and focusing on bottling the beer rather than kegging as most new breweries do.  They produce an extensive line of beers that focus on taste rather than adherence to style guide lines.  In fact their line of beers rivals that of some of the largest breweries in the state. 

In the last two years the brewery has increased the amount of beer they brew in each batch from one to seven barrels. And then late last year they moved to a bigger building.  This, unfortunately, caused them some problems.  The building had a number of issues that required immediate repair and caused a 2 month stoppage in brewing while they brought the building up to code.  However because of the size and potential and location of the building, there is room for the brewery to expand in future years.

            An active barrel aging program, consisting of 23 wooden barrels, gives the brewery another avenue to put their own unique flavor into the beer that they produce.  From their web site:

We love how aging a beer in a barrel can influence and change it over time.  Each barrel has a unique flavor and aroma and there’s no hard fast schedule for aging a beer.  As such, we slowly age our beers, sample periodically and release only when we feel the beer is ready. We can’t see any other way to work with barrels and hope you appreciate the results too.

While expensive, both financially and in terms of space, owner and head brewer alike say that the flavors produced from the barrels are worth the price.  

One other distinguishing facet to this brewery is the apprentice program that they run. It is not associated with any of the mainstream brewing schools but they offer aspiring brewers hands on education that opens their eyes to the realities of being a professional brewer.  Mr. Herlicka describes this as a no holds barred education where apprentices work at the brewery one day a week for six months, learning every job in the process of making beer.  One of the final steps in an apprentice’s education is brewing their interpretation of a style of beer.  This beer has been part of the focus of their time at the brewery, and is presented at a graduation party upon completion of their education.

The Philosophy

            While many breweries focus on style as a means to make a beer, White Birch focuses on taste.  Their motto says it all “Finely Crafted, Small Batch Ales”. Brian Parda, the head of marketing, says that they do a lot of experimenting to get the beers they have.  Herlicka says that the inspiration for his beers comes from his home brewing roots as well as flavors and experiences he finds through out daily life.   

White Birch is one of a number of small NH craft breweries that are challenging the perception of style as the driving force behind brewing.  They craft an expansive line of artisan, eclectic beers in small batches.  Owner Bill Herlicka says his beers aren’t for everyone, but the brewery has developed quite a following. White Birch beers can be found at most quality bottle shops in New Hampshire, and as far away as New York.

Woodstock Inn and Station brewery

135 Main Street

North Woodstock, NH

03262

(603)-745-3951

            Woodstock Inn and Station Brewery opened in 1982 and began brewing it’s own beer in 1995.  They are one of New Hampshire’s most well known brewpubs and, as I have noted in an earlier article, they are growing.  They are currently undertaking a 2.9 million (yes I said million) dollar expansion.  This expansion affects the whole facility not just the brewery.  The additions will include: increased seating in the restaurant, a function space, bigger brewery, as well as some alternative energy sources.  Exciting times in northern NH and my recent conversation with Scott Rice, owner of Woodstock, helped me to understand the changes that are going on.

The Brewery

Woodstock Inn and Station Brewery, one of New Hampshire’s most well known brewpubs, is having growing pains.  They have hit a point in beer sales where they can bring all their beer production under their own roof.  Currently, only 1300 barrels of beer a year is made at the northern NH brewpub and is used to fulfill demand at the hotel and restaurant. The rest of the beer sold by the brewery, which totals about 4500 barrels, is currently made at Shipyard Brewing in Portland, Maine.

5000 barrels was the magic number that Mr. Rice says allows them to expand and bring every thing back in to New Hampshire.  Woodstock uses a seven barrel (217 gallon) brew house to feed the hotel and restaurant.  In order to maintain their overall production, they will be investing in a 30 barrel (930 gallon) brew house as well as 30 and 60 barrel fermentors and a new bottling line with plans for a small canning line in the future.  According to Mr. Rice, the increased fermenting capacity will allow them to ramp up production on their full time and seasonal beers as well as bring back some brews that were retired.  I am sure that there will also be room for some new beers in the future as well.  Woodstock has an incredible amount of distribution for a small brewery and they plan to solidify their footprint in New Hampshire because Rice says “we are a New Hampshire business”.  Woodstock will also be entering the arena of green companies.  The new building, that will house the brewery and a function space, will have 85 solar panels on the roof equaling 20 kilovolts of electricity production, the largest north of Concord, according to their blog.  With this they will be adding an industrial sized pellet stove to create heat and hot water for the brewery and the rest of the building.

The Plan

The time line for this project has already begun with the moving of the Deachman building, which acts as a guest house, to a new spot on the property.  This allows an open area for the new building to be built.  The Deachman building was a guest house that Woodstock has invested a lot of time and money into over the years which is the reason for moving it rather than demolishing the building and building a new one else where.  At this point the vacated area is being used for parking but in March of this year, the main bar will shut down and construction will begin.  The main bar should reopen sometime in July, the brewery by October, and the rest of the project by December 2012.  The hotel, restaurant and a second bar will remain open throughout the construction.

Over all, the expansion will be doing a lot for this northern NH business as well as the town.  When finished, Woodstock Inn and Station Brewery will be adding more jobs and attracting more visitors which will bring more revenue into both the business and town.  Woodstock will be adding 40 seats to the restaurant, a 150 seat function space, enlarge the brewery, and bring beer production back those who care the most about it.

For more of my writings on this and other beer subjects, go to: www.nhbeerscene.blogspot.com

Smuttynose Brewing

225 Heritage Drive

Portsmouth, NH 03801

603 436 4026

           Smuttynose is the oldest New Hampshire based brewery in the state and is named for a small island in the Isle of Shoals archipelago.  The logo is an image of the Common Harbor Seal that is commonly seen in the Gulf of Maine.  The brewery was created in 1994 by Peter Egelston. He attended an auction at the old Frank Jones Brewing Company, and agreed to buy it as a joint effort between himself and the owner of the former Ipswich brewing Company (now Mercury Brewing).  The partnership between the two men ended shortly after the deal was completed.  Smuttynose is currently situated at the site of the old Frank Jones brewery, with some of the remaining tanks still in use today. From this small beginning, comes a brewery that has become synonymous with New Hampshire.   Today, my guide John “JT” Thompson Smuttynose’s Minister of Propaganda, showed me the inner-workings of the brewery and how it will be changing over the next year due to two major projects they are undertaking.

The Brewery

            As it stands now, Smuttynose is pretty close to its maximum beer making capacity.  They use a fifty barrel brew house two to four times a day, 5 days a week to fulfill the demand for their beer.  With this system they brewed almost 40,000 bbls (barrels) over the past year but with increasing demand, they must increase production.  This leads us to the first of two expansion projects the brewery is undertaking.

                                                                                                                                The first project that is underway as we speak is the addition of new tanks in the brewery at the Heritage Avenue facility (their current location) adding almost 10,000 bbls to the yearly output.  There will be three 200 bbl fermentors, a 200 bbl brite tank, and a new kegging machine being put in a new renovated portion of the brewery.  For those of you who don’t know, a brite beer tank is a vessel where the beer goes after fermentation to settle out any remaining yeast of other particulates.  This is a necessary step at Smuttynose, because they don’t filter their beer before packaging.  JT says that these tanks will enable Smuttynose to keep up with demand for Old Brown Dog Ale, which was contracted brewed by another company.  It will also allow them to expand their Big Beer Series, as well as release some new products, that my guide preferred not to talk about.  The tank installation is slated to be completed early in 2012.

            The second, larger project that the brewery is working on is one that has given them quite a bit of trouble over the years.  This is the third attempt to find a new permanent location for the brewery.  The first site they selected was in the town of Newmarket in 2004.  Smuttynose wanted to rehabilitate an old mill and install the brewery as well as a restaurant. The town was unable to reach a decision and thus ended the first endeavor.  The second attempt, on a plot of land in Portsmouth, had a similar end due to community resistance to the project.  Today, Smuttynose is repurposing the Towle Farm property in Hampton, New Hampshire to be the new home of the brewery.  They are rehabilitating some of the current structures to be used as a visitor center, restaurant, and offices.  The brewery will be a purpose built building where most of the equipment they now own will be installed. This project is expected to be finished sometime in 2013.   

The Beer

         Smuttynose produces quite a few styles of beer, including the only Saison I have had from a New Hampshire brewery.  They offer year round and seasonal beers, a Big Beer Series, and a hard to get Short Batch Series. 

Full Time Beers

Shoals Pale Ale – An English Style Pale Ale

Old Brown Dog – An American Brown Ale

Star Island Single – A Abbey Style Ale

Finest Kind IPA – An IPA

Robust Porter – A Classic Porter

Big A IPA – A Double IPA

Seasonal Beers:

Summer Weizen – Summer Wheat Ale brewed with Chamomile

Pumpkin Ale – Traditional Pumpkin Ale

Winter Ale – Loosely styled after a Belgian Dubbel

Big Beer Series:

            The Big Beer series is best explained by the information on their website:

“Big Beers in Big Bottles”: Launched in 1998, our Big Beer Series consists of rotating editions of limited release beers. Because of the small quantities we produce, and the sporadic nature of their release, coupled with the fact that we don’t make every style every year, these beers are sometimes maddeningly hard to find.”

 I did, however, want to explain the subscription part of it.  You can sign up to get a half or full case of each of the next nine releases in the series.  With the subscription you get: 54 or 108 bottles of beer depending on your subscription level, glassware, enrollment in Portsmouth Brewery’s Imperial Pint Club, and invitation to the release parties.  You will get a notice of the up-coming release and then you go to the brewery to pick it up. 

Short Batch Series

            This is a series that is created in twenty to thirty barrel single batches, and is available in draught form only.  You can find these beers in bars on the east coast.

             Smuttynose has been described as the “Home Brand” of New Hampshire. They are a successful craft beer brewery that is working hard to increase their production to meet the demands of a growing craft beer following.  They offer an array of beer, are widely distributed up and down the east coast, and they are building a new home for their brewery complete with restaurant and visitors center.  With all this going on, I think we can look for some exciting new changes in the years to come.

For more of my writings on this and other beer subjects, go to: www.nhbeerscene.blogspot.com

Smuttynose recently announced their plans for another expansion project to signifcantly increase their yearly production.  This email from Mr Thompson at Smuttynose explains what they are doing at one of New Hampshires oldest breweries.

     This expansion follows the same template of our most recent expansion, completed in the summer of 2010, but there are a few significant differences this time around. We'll be adding three 200bbl fermenters and a 200bbl bright beer tank as well as a second "Bulldog" kegging machine. The modularized nature of the project will give us the ability to add a fourth fermenter not long after the first three are online which isn't a definite but it's definitely on the table. Our growth has been just on either side of 30% this year (which we weren't exactly expecting), so this expansion is meant to allow us to better keep up with the growing demand, to bring Old Brown Dog production back in house and still be able to keep up with our smaller brands like Robust Porter and Star Island Single as well as allowing us to brew 200bbls of each Big Beer Release.  Over the last week we've had concrete guys in our warehouse, jackhammering, backhoeing and sawing up the existing concrete floor to put in the necessary ceiling reinforcements for the ceiling lift. Once those are in we can begin increasing the roof height and adding the roof portal through which the tanks will be craned. Our plumber has also been in pre-running glycol pipes for the coolant system connections. JV Northwest, the tank fabricator had a four month wait, (which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows what's happening with craft beer right now) so we expect to be able to take delivery of the tanks in early 2012 and put them right into place and work.

Here are some pictures that Mr. Thompson kindly sent me showing the work that is going on.

You can find more New Hampshire centric beer infor at  http://www.nhbeerscene.blogspot.com

     Brew fest you say! They're important? Why? If these are the things running through your head when you read the title of this article then, believe me, you are not alone. Before I became passionate about beer, I would have said that festivals were just an excuse to drink. But as my passion for beer grew, so too, did my dreams. I dream of someday opening a craft beer store, selling the finest that beer has to offer. That dream opened my eyes to the real reason festivals exsist. Well, three reasons actually: The expansion of our personal horizons as it relates to beer, meeting and thus, supporting our local breweries and taking ownership of our local beer culture. I think that New Hampshires breweries have much to offer and have been the craft beer communties little secret for long enough. It's high time everybody knows what we know.

     At beer festivals you have unencumbered access to both the brewers and their product. This provides an opportunity for learning about the brewery, the beer and the philosophy behind it's making. Brew fests allow for sampling a spectrum of styles that can broaden the beer lovers horizons. Where else, for the price of admission, do you get the chance to try so many beers that you may not be willing to try if you had to invest in a six pack. Being exposed to new styles of beer tranlates into less confusion and time spent trying to decide what to get while staring through the glass door at the cooler in the store.

     Lets talk about another reason to visit festivals, one that is less about the beer and more about being an active supporting member of your communty. Supporting local businesses. There is a big difference between buying from one of the big three nationally distributed brands and a local brewery. A study conducted by Andersonville Development Corporation in Chicago that I recently read states that 

For every $100 spent at a national chain, only $43 stays in the community. If that same $100 is spent at locally owned independent store $68 stays in the community.

When you buy from one of our local breweries, that money is reinvested in the local economy. This is especially true when our breweries are buying their supplies from local businesses. One such example is Tuckerman Brewing Company in Conway, NH. An excerpt from their website:

Tuckerman Brewing Co. is committed to sustainable manufacturing with help from local New England companies. In other words, thinking green and supporting New England’s economy! Currently, TBC’s six pack carriers are manufactured in Hooksett, NH; case boxes come from Maine and are made using a sustainable forestry initiative.

Throwback Brewery in North Hampton NH, is another brewery that has based it's business on being an integral part of the local economy. They are working hard to find the supplies they need from local businesses. From their Vision Statement:

Just as more and more people increasingly want to know where their food comes from, we believe that people will also want to know where their beer comes from. Similarly, just as more folks are increasingly concerned about the carbon footprint and the costs associated with transporting their food across the country, we believe folks will soon start thinking the same way about their beer. To that end, our vision is to create beer that is sourced 100% from local ingredients and enjoyed in the local New England area.

These two businesses are not the only ones following this ethical and responsible path of operation. All our local breweries need us to invest in them, so they can return that investment to us.

     The third and probably most important reason for attending events like the New England Brewfest is that by doing so, you are taking ownership of your local beer culture. By attending fests, tastings and beer dinners, you show people that beer is not just a fizzy yellow drink. You are saying that you feel beer is worth spending your hard earned money and time on. You become both it's proponent and the driving force in the market. By talking to you at fests and other beer events, brewers learn what the public wants to be drinking. This is how a smart, succesful brewer stays ahead of the trend curve. Very much like supporting you favorite sports team, you can support good beer. Attend a brewfest, buy teeshirts, buy their beer and talk to your friends about what you like.

     All over New England, great beer is being produced in so many diverse styles. A brewfest is one of the most economical ways to sample different styles of beer. For this one day, you can meet the brewers, try their products and hear their ideas. Brewers don't get rich from making beer, but what they do get is the satisfaction of hand crafting a drink that has, for millenia, tied civilization together. So when you start planning your summer excursions, make room in your busy schedule to come to Lincoln, NH. for a great brewfest. You will be helping to support your local breweries as well as good beer culture.

                                                                                        Cheers - Bill