2 Beer Guys Blog

Welcome to the 2 Beer Guys Blog! Here, you will be able to read our stories and adventures as we travel through the world of craft beer.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Bohemian Rhapsody

sean


Anyway the wind blows..... doesn't really matter to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Oops this is about Bohemian Pilsner not Bohemian Rhapsody.

BTW... I greatly apologize for the way over due blog.

On Tuesday, August 1 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, a group of 50 pre-selected individuals (and one guest) visited the Harpoon Brewery for the Bohemian Pilsner release event. The Bohemian Pilsner is the latest release of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series. Ian, Ryan (Thirsty Beard), and I set off on the adventure after a long grueling day of work. (hahaha)

The event was packed when we got there. The bar was fully staffed with Harpoon employees, including Dan Kenary. How often does an employee get to rub elbows with the co-founder and President of a company? Quite often at Harpoon, but you will not find that as often in other industries.

This day was one of the hottest days of the summer. Even with the AC pumping, the room was hot. Our mouths were watering while we stood in the long bar queue. For Pilsner fans, you will not be disappointed with the Bohemian Pilsner. It pours golden yellow with a fizzy head. It's style is very similar to the Czech Pilsner. For an accurate description, read below....

Description of the Bohemian Pilsner:

On one of our yearly Harpoon trips abroad to experience beer culture, we traveled to birthplace of this famous style and were very impressed by the history, freshness, and flavor of this beer. We brewed our Bohemian Pilsner in order to taste those wonderful flavors once again.

Our Pilsner is made from three different European malts including a large portion of Pilsner malt which provided the slightly sweet and malty backbone of the beer. In order to achieve the crisp bitterness and aromatic nose, we brewed with Tetnanger and Czech Saaz hops. The beer was dry hopped with the Saaz as well. The authentic Bohemian Pilsner yeast added depth and after a prolonged lagering period helped produce much of the character of this beer. Our Bohemian Pilsner has a smooth, slightly malty flavor that is balanced with a crisp bitterness and clean hop aroma. It brings back great memories of our trip every time I taste it.

I hope you enjoy it as well.
Cheers-
Dan Kenary - Brewer

This beer was brewed by Harpoon President and co-founder Dan Kenary.

Here is some information on the 100 Barrel Series:

"The Harpoon 100 Barrel Series is a return to our brewing roots. We call it the 100 Barrel Series because that's exactly what it is - one-of-a-kind creations fashioned by a Harpoon brewer, limited to a single 100 barrel batch. Every couple of months a different Harpoon brewer will choose a style, develop a recipe, and brew the beer - from selecting the ingredients to the final filtration. You will find that brewer's signature on each bottle of beer from their batch. So if you like the beer, you'll know who to thank."

Ian, Ryan (Thirsty Beard), and I would like to thank Dan Kenary (Harpoon President) for not only brewing this beer but for his love of the game and devotion to customer satisfaction.

Please check the site later for an official 2BeerGuy review and Score!

Friday, August 11, 2006

Beer University - Baker and Stoney Style

iansean
Last night, Sean and I became graduates of the 2006 class of Beer University at the Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH. 100.3 WHEB, sponsored the event, with Baker and Stoney, the evening drive time team, providing music and give-always to all.

Before we went on the brewery tour, we enjoyed pitchers of their IPA and their new small batch brew, called Redline, along with some yummy grub.

The tour consisted of being led through the tanks, and a description of the steps the beer goes through, all the way from the cryogenically-frozen strains of yeast to the bottling line.

After the tour, we were treated to some of their new fall beer, called Late Harvest, as well as their IPA and the Blonde. Sean has been dubbed "Tasty", and I have been named "Finished".

Last night was the last of the Beer University's for the year, but I'm sure they'll be back strong again next summer, so keep your eyes open for that.

Also, on September 9th, Redhook is having their 10th anniversary music festival, and some pretty good names were thrown around as the acts, so check into that as well.


***************** Updated by Sean ***************

I would also like to thank Stoney and Baker (Gosh.. Stoney never gets his name first) for hosting the event last night. It was hilarious to see them putting snowglobe in his place. Ya had to be there.. I was shocked that the place wasn't packed solid, but it was nice that it was low key.

We will be posting a copy of our diplomas in the gallery.

With every trip to Redhook, I greatly appreciate their focus on putting the customers first. They offer a great variety of tasty beers. I strongly recommend trying their cask conditioned beers.
If you have time, visit and take a tour.

Other attendees: Ryan (aka Thirsty Beard) "Awkward" Jansen and Seth "The Mule" Sands.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Grit-er done

sean
August 6, 2006:

Amber and I visited Gritty McDuff's Brewery in Freeport, Maine. This was my first trip to Gritty's, but Amber had visited before and strongly recommended that we stop.

I was quite surprised when entering the brewery. Small shop in the front and then entering, the restaurant is on the right and the bar is on the left. At the end of the bar, the windows provide a peak into the brewery. The brewery is quite small. At this facility, they bottle most (if not all) of their 22 oz offerings. I believe that they also fill their kegs at this facility. Outside the facility, they had a large outdoor eating area.

Amber and I choose to eat in the restaurant. I stated with a Vacation Land ale. Amber choose to pair a Black Fly Stout with the beer battered fish and chips. She was very pleased with her selection. For desert, we shared a Raspberry Ale, that they only offer on tap at this facility.

Overall, It was a good visit. If you are in Freeport shopping, visit Gritty's before getting on the highway.

Gritty has three locations:

-Portland
- Freeport
- Auburn


We have reviewed many of their offerings, please check out our reviews and comparison table to view the scores. Also, check out your local stores, the Halloween Ale is releasing in late August. Currently, Gritty's distribution reaches from Maine to Connecticut. Soon to be taking over New York.

Visit their website for additional info:

http://www.grittys.com/