Word comes from Reno, Nev., of a canned beer competition, supposedly the world's first, on Oct. 23 at Reno's Grand Sierra Theater. It is called CANFEST.
So far, Buckbean Brewing Co., Big Sky Brewing Co., Oskar Blues, Ukiah Brewing Co., Maui Brewing Co., Surly Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co., Uncommon Brewers and Rochester Mills Brewing Co. have confirmed they will be there, according to a press release sent by Buckbean Brewing, the sponsor of the event.
Guest post from Jennifer Null, who lives in Baltimore and plays rugby for The Keystone Women in Philadelphia. She writes a blog, Professional. Rugby. Woman. She previously wrote about "the drink-up" on Kasper on Tap.
The annual Bud Light Can-Am Rugby Tournament has been held at Saranac Lake/Lake Placid the first weekend in August every year for the past 36 years. It is one of the largest tournaments in the world and possibly THE largest in the Northern Hemisphere.
I feel bad for residents in these two rural towns; once a year, they are over taken by loud, rambunctious, eager rugby players, high-school age to their 60s. With brackets for men's teams over age 50, over 45 and over 35, as well as social, competitive and a women's bracket with 20-plus teams, this tournament has made a mark in these two small towns. (As a disclaimer, I can’t imagine we are any worse than what must have happened there in 1980, when the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union.)
This tournament brings thousands of beer drinkers to one place. This can cause some sort strain on bars and restaurants to keep supplies up, but it has been about three years since I went to a place that had run out of something on tap -- so, I think they’re figuring it out.
To mark the beer summit at the White House and to celebrate "the depth and diversity" of the American craft beer movement, Dogfish Head is proposing a nationwide toast at 6 tonight. Check back here right before 6 to see that toast.
Unlike Jeff and Matt, it took me a while to find a local craft beer at Artscape. It was not available at the beer stands; I had to hunt off the beaten path.
I came up dry Friday and Saturday, but by Sunday afternoon I learned that 16-ounce cups of Hook & Ladder on draft, $5, were being served in the lobby of the Charles Theatre.
I got a Backdraft Brown. This is an artful mix of malt and hops, slightly sweet, with a 4.5 percent ABV. Not too big, an ideal, middle of the afternoon brew. I sipped it as I wandered back down Charles street, watching the human foosball game. The Charles street section of booths by the train station, which had a combination carny-artsy feel was, to my mind, the best part of Artscape.
Hook & Ladder, by the way, just broke ground on its new brewery in Silver Spring.
Good for them.
Historically, a trouble with Artscape has been that locals get pushed aside by the nationals.
Guest post from Alexander D, Mitchell IV, a writer for Mid-Atlantic Brewing News who maintains the Beer in Baltimore blog.
Interested in real ale? Interested in a different kind of Fells Point pub crawl than the usual weekend insanity?
You can combine the two tonight, as the Chesapeake Bay Branch of the Society for Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW) sponsors a pub crawl through four bars that will be featuring cask-conditioned real ale.
Those four bars are ...
Continue reading "Real ale pub crawl in Fells Point tonight" »
Most of the folks who attended Savor in D..C. last week spend over $50 a month on beer.
That is what an online survey of 257 folks who had attended the $95 a ticket event says. The survey was taken by Craft Brewers Association.
It found that "when it comes to spending habits, over half (54.9 percent) of surveyed SAVOR attendees said they spend more than $50 per month on beer, while 36.6 percent spend between $25 and $50 and only 8.6 percent spend less than $25 per month."
The respondents also said that the quality of the beer, not price, was the most important factor in their beer-buying decisions.
Sounds like a Washington crowd.
There were four speakers on the tasting panel session I attended at the Savor shindig in Washington Saturday night. And there were four distinctively different views of what type of beer was the best match.
The panelists were Christian De Benedetti a freelance writer, Eric Wallace of the Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., Greg Koch of San Diego's Stone Brewing Co. and Lauren Buzzeo of Wine Enthusiast magazine. 
We members of the audience were given pieces of Maytag blue cheese, dark, nutty chocolate and glasses of four beers, the ones picked by the panelists.
Continue reading "Matching beer with cheese and chocolate: not pretty" »
Over the weekend I went to Savor, the dressed-up pairing of American craft beers and fancy fare in Washington.
It was a scene that thrilled American beer lovers. Sixty-eight breweries from around the nation were pouring two beers each in the great hall of the National Building Museum just off the Judiciary Square Metro stop. Some 1,700 sippers, I would say 40 percent of them women, paid the $95 entry fee. There were also seminars held in rooms off the main hall. I will cover the seminars later. Today, I will write about sipping and eating.
Looking forward to attending Savor, a sold-out food and beer event sponsored by the craft brewers conference Saturday night in Washington, D.C. One drawback: The last session starts at 9:30 p.m. and could end up running dangerously close to my bed time.
This event matches fine foods, such as Maryland crab-cake sliders, with fine beers such as Brooklyn Local 1 Strong Gold Ale and Stoudt's Pils. Can't wait to see which beer wins this matchup.
Here is a list of the food and beer pairings.
I attended last year's Savor session in Washington. Pretty classy.
Anybody else go?
What did you think?
Baltimore Sun photo 2006
The predicted rain held off and there was good weather Sunday, the day I attended the Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too! fundraiser at the Maryland Zoo in Druid Hill Park.
Stalls dispensing beer and selling food and crafts were set up under large leafy trees and ringed a stage where bands played. This sylvan setting made for one of the best venues for any beer event in the state. The crowd was friendly, the lines were short. It was a delightful afternoon.
However, as I noted in a previous post, none of beers poured at this Maryland Zoo event were brewed in the state. Delaware was represented by Dogfish, Fordham and Evolution. Lancaster was there from Pennsylvania. Magic Hat, Ommegang and Sierra Nevada were among the other craft brewers from out of state.
Maryland Zoo officials who tell me tickets for this weekend's fundraiser can be purchased either on line or at the zoo gate.
The price is $45 for non zoo members. Here it the link.
Several comments have asked why there are no local beers being poured at the event. Jane Ballentine, spokeswoman for the zoo said that local breweries had been invited but had chosen not to participate. Since it is now a two-day event, some of the local breweries felt they could not make that commitment, she said.
My Sun colleague Frank Roylance sends word of good beer-drinking weather this weekend. He reports that the weather looks to be sunny on Saturday, and there's a 30 percent chance of showers Sunday. That looks good for Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too!, an event this weekend that brings together beer drinkers, bands and animals, with the latter being well-behaved.
There are two sessions, one Saturday afternoon and one Sunday. Tickets, $45 for nonmembers, are available at Zoo's Web site.
As for the beers, here is the list straight from the animal keeper's mouth.
