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The Alaskan Brewing Co. has announced a great contest which will both reward one lucky beer fan and help make great strides in improving the environment.

Similar in theme to the “Best Job In The World” craze which swept the world a few months ago, on July 1st four ocean-minded individuals will be chosen to maintain a healthier Pacific Ocean and coastline. From the official Alaskan Brewing press release,

With ideas as simple as cutting the plastic rings on a six-pack of soda, or as grand as inventing a biodegradable beverage bottle, the four individuals with the topmost suggestions will join the Coastal CODE in Yakutat this fall for the 2009 Alaskan Coastal Expedition.

The four chosen “CODE Keepers,” will embark on a week-long journey of Alaskan adventures including sustainable fishing and surfing, hosted by Alaskan Brewing Co., Alaska Airlines and Wend Magazine. They will learn about the impact of marine debris and how to make a difference for their own local coastlines, while helping preserve the shores of Alaska by leading a multi-day beach cleanup.

Simply put, winners will experience true outdoor adventures while learning how to help maintain healthy coastlines. The all expenses paid, week-long journey will include sustainable fishing, surfing, zip lining, and much more (including spending plenty of time at the brewery itself).

Applicants can submit ideas on the Coastal CODE Web site, Facebook or Twitter. All submissions are due by July 1, and chosen finalists will be asked to submit a formal application further explaining their ideas. The 2009 Alaskan Coastal Expedition will head to Alaska on September 14 and culminate in the Coastal CODE’s home port of Juneau, Alaska with a fund raising concert and cleanup activities for International Coastal Cleanup Day on September 19.

Good luck, all!

I’m about to head out on a three day jaunt through the woods of Crawford Notch, NH (with a very important stop at Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery in North Conway on my way home) but I found a great article from the Durango Herald this morning which I wanted to pass along.

The article highlights a few Colorado breweries — Ska Brewing Co. and Steamworks Brewing Co. — who have recently discovered the benefits of putting their beer in cans. According to the Durango Herald,

When Ska Brewing Co. debuted a beer in February, it released the ale in bottles and cans, hoping to capitalize on a growing trend in the brewing industry.

Five months later, cans of the Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale are outselling the same beer in bottles by 2-to-1.

Ska is selling so many cans the company is struggling to brew enough beer to keep up. The Durango brewery recently added two, 2,790-gallon fermenting tanks to fulfill demand.

And how fitting is it that this year marks the 50th anniversary of beer in cans (Coors first canned beer in 1959 at its facility in Golden, CO). But Oskar Blues was the first craft brewery to really put its beers in cans — they first put Dale’s Pale Ale in cans in 2002 — and since then, growth in the segment has exploded. Today, forty North American craft brewers now can their beer, including seven in Colorado alone.

“The bottle inevitably falls short of the can,” said Gamble [beer manager at Star Liquors in Durango], citing fresher smells and sharper taste from cans. “It generally seems to be a little bit better product.”

Brewers touted the portability of beer cans that can be taken on the river, to the golf course or down the trail. Aluminum cans are also more easily recyclable and lighter to transport.

The article from the Durango Herald is a good read and one which helps to further taut the benefits of cans over bottles when it comes to better beer. What do you think? What’s your favorite canned beer?

It’s been a crazy week plus ’round here. Chelsea and I are getting ready to move next week (still in Portland, just to another quieter and less expensive neighborhood) and it’s really unbelievable how much stuff we have packed into our current apartment over the last two years. I don’t even know where half of it came from! But I haven’t written anything in awhile and I was feeling the itch to post, so I’ll wade through the moving boxes to my laptop to report on noteworthy notes and fun upcoming events.

Firstly, for you Mainers out there, be sure and pay a visit to Novare Res tomorrow (Tuesday June 23rd), as they’ll be visited by the folks at Marshall Wharf Brewing in Belfast (Maine, that is). The brewers and owners from Marshall Wharf will be on hand all day pouring 14 different beers, some of which they’ve concocted specifically for this event. If you’re within striking distance of Novare and have never experienced the fine ales of Marshall Wharf (or even if you have), it’s a definite don’t-miss!

Next, if you’re in need of something to do this Independence Day and are up for a little road trip, head on up to Kennebeck River Brewing Co. in The Forks, ME for their Red, White and BREW! weekend where you’ll be able to raft the river, enjoy a river-side bbq, and take part in a beer tasting and brewery tour. Plus there will be live music and all pints of their 6 house brews will be only $3 all weekend. But, I’ve got a free camping voucher for one lucky reader. First person to email me saying they want the voucher can camp free for one night (either Friday July 3rd or Saturday July 4th) at Northern Outdoors (reservations required). Shoot me and email and its yours!

And lastly, I wanted to wish a belated happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! My Dad and I had a great beer-filled day yesterday, with lunch at Sebago Brewing Co. followed by the splitting of the bottle of Allagash Gargamel I had stored away for a special occasion. It was an incredible beer, one of the most interesting I have ever had. There aren’t any left at the brewery but if you can find someone with a bottle to trade on BeerAdvocate, I highly recommend you trade for it! What is Gargamel, you ask? According to Allagash, it’s:

a Belgian Style sour ale, is the first offering in our limited release 375 ml series. Our brewers used a blend of American 2-row barley Malt, Raw and Malted wheat and selected caramel malt to brew this 9.20 % ABV beer. After primary fermentation the beer was inoculated with our house Brettanomyces aged in French Oak wine barrels with a generous amount of local raspberries for over 18 months. Gargamel’s aroma is full of un-ripened raspberry, vanilla and citrus notes. This medium bodied beer has hints of biscuit and graham cracker with a clean, fruity and refreshingly tart finish.

With an overall rating of A+ on B.A., this is one you definitely need to track down. How did you and your Pop spend Father’s Day?

EDIT: The free night of camping voucher has been awarded. Congratulations to Josh Sites of Carmel, ME and thank you everyone for participating!

I just wanted to pass along a neat article from MSN which friend passed to me a few days ago about an extremely microbrewing trend emerging around the country which I had never heard of called “Nanobrewing”. According to MSN,

“The nanobrewery concept allows one or a few good craft brewers to spend a few weekends a month brewing batches of beer that can be sold to pubs in their communities,” Hall, a full-time physicist, told Newsday in March. “The model isn’t one that focuses on eventual growth. The nanobrewer isn’t going to quit his day job. They are brewing because they love the process and want to share the results with the people in their neighborhoods,”

The article goes on to explain how Nanobreweries are capitalizing on the new-found (or re-energized) DIY ethos in America and the breweries themselves, if you can call them that, are recalling a historical time way-back-when when people would brew for their households and communities on a very, very micro level.

The Nanobrewery concept reminds me a lot of CSAs for beer. I thought it was a neat example of, I guess, one step above homebrewing and really exemplifies the “craft” in craft beer. What the article didn’t explain was just how small you have to be to qualify as a “Nanobrewery” (are there any special requirements or are they all under the radar?). There are some pretty damn small breweries here in the Northeast but I hadn’t ever heard the term before. Do you have a favorite local Nanobrewery, or do you belong to one yourself?

I received three bottles of the new Deschutes summer Seasonal, Twilight Ale in the mail from the brewery the other day and it reaffirmed my jealousy of all you left coasters who have all of Deschutes tasty brews so readily available.

The Twilight Ale is a great summer seasonal release because it’s light enough and “easy drinkin” enough to enjoy in a lawn chair after a hard summer day’s work — and at a modest 5% ABV, you could presumably enjoy a couple of them without much repercussion — but it’s still flavorful enough and full-bodied enough to keep the drinking session interesting. From the accompanying press release,

Twilight Ale is a straw-colored ale with a vigorous hop essence and a subtle, wafer-like body that complements the flavor of this special seasonal brew. It is a unique blend of four hops and malts: Cara-Pils and Carastan malts with the late addition of whole flower Cascade, Amarillo and Tettnang hops.

Brewer John Abraham said, “The malts of Twilight Ale are at once offset and complemented by citrus and floral aromas that come from the whole flower hops. The overall result is a crisp, effervescent, highly drinkable ale. I consider it the perfect hot weather quencher.”

Personally, I don’t know if I would call the hop presence “vigorous” but it was citrusy and smooth; a result, I’m guessing, of the dry hopping. I also wouldn’t call the malt-presence “subtle” either, as I got a lot of wafer and biscuit flavors out of the glass. Great white lacing, too. The little bit of malty sweetness picked up at the end is quite pleasant, too, and each sip leaves behind a nice-but-not-overpowering dryness. With an overall “B” rating on BeerAdvocate, it seems plenty of you out there agree: this is a great example of what a summer session beer should be like. I went through 2 of the 3 sample bottles which were sent to me pretty quickly but I think I’ll save the 3rd bottle for an especially warm, especially taxing summer weekend.

Note: If you represent a brewery and would like your beer reviewed here on BlogAboutBeer, please contact me.

I don’t know if I’ve ever made it abundantly clear here before or not, but I am a vegetarian (and have been for almost exactly 13 years). So, needless to say, the majority of beer & food pairings or recipes involving beer that come across my inbox go right into the virtual trashcan because they so often revolve around meat.

So I was pretty excited to read in the May/June newsletter from Samuel Adams — which appeared this afternoon — a recipe for Grilled Summer Vegetables with Samuel Adams Summer Ale Vinaigrette (Recipe by Chef David Burke) and thought I would reprint it in case any readers out there face the same dilemmas I do about their beer recipes. And even if you’re a carnivore, the dish sounds delicious and I’m sure it would make for a great side dish, so don’t discount it. Anyway, enjoy:

For the Vegetables:
* 1 bunch asparagus
* 8-10 pc. Peeled baby carrots
* 1 red pepper
* 1 yellow pepper
* 1 medium zucchini cut in 1/3 inch slices
* 1 medium yellow squash cut in 1/3 inch slices
* 1 red onion cut in ½ inch slices
* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
* sea salt & fresh ground pepper

For the Marinade:
* 1 tsp fresh thyme
* 1 tsp fresh oregano
* 1 tsp chopped fresh chive
* 1 tsp minced shallot
* 1 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
* 1 cup canola oil

For the Summer Ale Vinaigrette:
* 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
* 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
* ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
* 2 tbsp Samuel Adams Summer Ale
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (chive, tarragon, parsley)
* Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:
Separately blanch asparagus & carrots in boiling, salted water. Cut carrots in half lengthwise. Whisk together all ingredients for marinade and coat zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion. Lightly coat peppers in olive oil with salt & pepper and grill, turning frequently until pepper is charred all around. Wrap each pepper in paper towel and set aside. Season vegetables with salt & pepper and grill on both sides until warmed through. When peppers cool slightly, carefully remove stem & seeds. Using back of a paring knife, carefully remove skin. Whisk together all garnish ingredients and lightly dress vegetables.

[From SamuelAdams.com]

Sorry for the slow down in posts over the last week; it’s been a crazy few days ’round here. But I did want to write quickly and remind all the locals that the second annual Maine Grains and Grapes Festival is coming right up.

The festival is slated for Saturday June 20th at the Androscoggin Bank Calisee in Lewiston. According to the festival hosts — the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce,

Pouring more than 50 different ales, beers, and wines, the 2009 Maine Grains and Grapes Festival is the quintessential celebration of Maine’s brewers and vintners. Ticket holders choose one of two sessions (3:00 pm or 7:30 pm) to sample up to 10 varieties of their choice while listening to outstanding local bands and winning great prizes.

Gritty McDuff’s has added another incentive. All people purchasing tickets for the afternoon session will receive a $5 off coupon which can be used at their Auburn, Freeport or Portland brew pubs.

Tickets are $25 a piece and are good for one of either session. Tickets can be purchased online at mainegrainsandgrapes.com, or by calling the Colisee box office at (207) 783-2009.

The Grains & Grapes Festival did very well in its inaugural year in 2008 and although my biggest complaint — the overpowering size of the Colisee — hasn’t changed, hopefully they’ve worked out the rest of the year one kinks and will host another kick ass gathering of Maine beers!

The American Craft Beer Festival presented by BeerAdvocate.com is a little more than two weeks away and, even though they have a ridiculous policy of not allowing bloggers to have press passes — even though we cover the industry better than anyone — I’m still going to do them the service of mentioning the festival (because I’m a nice guy like that).

The ACBF will be held on June 19th and 20th at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston. The folks at BA just announced the finalized lineup of breweries and it looks like another definitely don’t miss festival. For more information on the festival itself or to purchase tickets in advance, check out BeerAdvocate.com/acbf. The breweries from across the country who will be in attendance are:

21st Amendment Brewery (CA)
Allagash Brewing Co. (ME)
Anderson Valley Brewing Co. (CA)
Arcadia Brewing Co. (MI)
Ballast Point Brewing (CO)
Bear Republic Brewing Co. (CA)
Beer Works (MA)
Berkshire Brewing Co. (MA)
Blue Hills Brewery (MA)
Boston Beer Co. (MA)
Boulder Beer Co. (CO)
Brewery Ommegang (NY)
Brooklyn Brewery (NY)
Cambridge Brewing Co. (MA)
Cape Ann Brewing Co. (MA)
Cisco Brewers (MA)
Clipper City Brewing Co. (MD)
Coastal Extreme Brewing (RI)
Deschutes Brewery (OR)
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (DE)
Flying Dog Brewery (MD)
Foothills Brewing (NC)
Gardner Ale House (MA)
Great Divide Brewing Co. (CO)
Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. (ME)
Harpoon Brewery (MA)
Haverhill Brewery (MA)
High & Mighty Beer Co. (MA)
Honest Town Brewery (MA)
Ithaca Beer Co. (NY)
John Harvard’s Brew House – Cambridge (MA)
John Harvard’s Brew House – Framingham (MA)
Kennebec River Brewery (ME)
Left Hand Brewing Co. (CO)
Long Trail Brewing Co. (VT)
Mad River Brewing Co. (CA)
Magic Hat Brewing Co. (VT)
Mayflower Brewing Co. (MA)
McNeill’s Brewery (VT)
Mercury Brewing Co. (MA)
Narragansett Brewing Co. (RI)
New England Brewing Co. (CT)
New Holland Brewing Co. (MI)
Odell Brewing Co. (CO)
Opa Opa Brewing Co. (MA)
Oskar Blues Brewery (CO)
Otter Creek Brewing / Wolaver’s (VT)
Paper City Brewery (MA)
Pennichuck Brewing Co. (NH)
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (MA)
Rogue Ales (OR)
Sebago Brewing Co. (ME)
Sherwood Forest Brewers (MA)
Shipyard Brewing Co. (ME)
Shmaltz Brewing Co. (CA)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (CA)
Sixpoint Craft Ales (NY)
Smuttynose Brewing Co. (NH)
Southampton Publick House (NY)
Southern Tier Brewing Co. (NY)
Stone Brewing Co. (CA)
Stoudts Brewing Co. (PA)
Surly Brewing Co. (MN)
Terrapin Beer Co. (GA)
The Cambridge House (CT)
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery (NC)
The Matt Brewing Co. (NY)
Tuckerman Brewing Co. (NH)
Uinta Brewing Co. (UT)
Victory Brewing Co. (PA)
Wachusett Brewing Co. (MA)
Watch City Brewing Co. (MA)
Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (PA)
Woodstock Inn Brewery (NH)

For a complete list of all of the beer each brewery will be serving so you can draft your plan of attack in advance, check out the complete lineup at BeerAdvocate.com/acbf/beer. Cheers.

Alright, I’m going to have to go ahead and say that this beer-and-Twitter mashup is the single coolest one I’ve seen yet! It came across the Twitosphere today today 360i, a digital marketing agency in New York, has created a system that causes their office beer tap — I know, I want one too — to send a tweet every time a pour is completed. The account, known as Tweeting Bar (@tweetingbar), even let’s the office (and its followers) know when the keg needs to be replaced!

Tweeting Bar came about after the agency’s Creative Team began researching sensor technologies which would have the ability to tweet. They started talking to the folks at Keg-Meter and worked with them to create a custom product that is able to send flow data via a serial port.

The company shares some more details about the project on their blog:

“Within days, we had the product in hand. In studying the device, Mike and 360i Tech VP Tim Driscoll learned how its sensor “felt” the beer being sucked down the hose. After adjusting the meter sensitivity so the numbers on the LED readout accurately reflected the change in volume, they then ensured the signals were being transferred down the serial cable. Mike and Tim wired the apparatus up to the serial port, drew another 12-ounces and hoped for the best.

It worked! Characters appeared on the laptop screen each time a draft was drawn. The tap could now make noise, even if he didn’t have anything to say yet. Each time Mike and Tim pulled a draft, new random characters appeared on the screen. Though the tap’s lexicon was painfully limited, this was the consistency – and promise – they’d hoped to see. It was now time to configure the server and software.”

See how the Tweeting Bar works in the demo YouTube video:

Beside the obvious awesomeness factor of a Tweeting keg to big Twitter fans such as yours truly, this invention also begs the question of the potential usefulness of the application — if you can call it that — to bars, pubs and breweries to use from a marketing angle. I wonder how long it will be before 360i releases a version to the public and how many pubs will gobble it up. Definitely keep your eyes peeled.

People-powered, Twitter-inspired beers seem to be all the rage in the quickly growing craft beer two point oh scene. In fact, you may remember a couple of months ago when the Bay Area’s 21st Amendment Brewing brewed what they called a #twitterbrew, during which the brewery’s followers could track the brewing process and follow along through frequent posts to TwitPic.com.

Well, now it looks like Fort Collins’ Odell Brewing (@odellbrewing) has gone and taken things one step further. According to The Coloradoan,

The beer is Odell’s first Twitter community inspired beer, meaning followers of the company’s Twitter page were able to “tweet” their sugges-tions [sic] for what style the beer should be and vote on the beer’s color, strength, body and hops character.

Twitter followers of the brewery even were able to vote on the Twitter-inspired names such as: Darkside, Hashtag Schwarz, Fail Whale Black Ale and the winner by five votes, Blackbird.

Now that the beer is brewed and the name has been selected, Odell is keeping the beer’s buzz going by letting its followers submit designs for the beer’s tap handle design via direct message. Anyone can then vote on their favorite design over at Polldaddy (you don’t need to be on Twitter or following Odell to vote) by clicking here. There are definitely some great designs up so far, check ‘em out.

The final limited release Schwarz Beer will be released at the brewery’s tap room in Fort Collins during the tapping party this Saturday. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the first limited release will only be available in the brewery’s tap room, and will not be sold in stores.