This post is (mostly) unrelated to beer, except that I’ll “check in” at beer-related venues and beer-related events as much as possible. That and I like to build a community among the BlogAboutBeer.com readers as much as possible, too. Therefore, I signed up for foursquare.com a few days ago and added their BlackBerry application so that I can “check in” on the go. If you use Foursquare yourself, please become my friend @livingstonmedia (the same name as my Twitter handle).
If you’re unfamiliar with Foursquare, it is a web and mobile application that allows registered users to connect with friends and update their current locations. Points and “badges” are then awarded for “checking in” at venues (such as bars, restaurants, stores, ballgames, etc.). Users can also choose to have their Twitter and/or their Facebook accounts updated by Foursquare when they check in somewhere. If you visit a venue more than anyone else in the Foursquare system, you are crowned the “mayor” of that location and your mayorship is shown off on your profile.
Possibly the neatest behind-the-scenes thing about Foursquare however is the fact that the application can notify the owners of companies/bars/what-have-you when members are visiting their establishment and many companies have begun to offer discounts when users check-in, or special “mayor privledges”, etc. It’d be great to see some more beer-themed venues offering such discounts. Maybe $1 off drafts, for instance?
Registration for the 2010 Trails To Ale 10k road race along the oceanfront here in beautiful Portland, Maine opens tomorrow, Saturday March 27th. The Portland Trails race, which is set to take place on Sunday, September 19, 2010, is a full 10k road race along the Eastern Prom trail and around Back Bay, ending at the Portland Company on outer Fore Street in the East End.
But what makes this event both fun and unique — more so than any old road race — is that the course ends at a warehouse full of Portland Pie pizza, Whole Foods Market snacks and lots and lots of Shipyard beer (hence the name, Trails to Ale). Not only have I recently begun to run a bit myself (and am participating in my first 5k this Sunday), but I really enjoy unique events like this one which make great use of beer-as-reward. Oh, and there will also be post-race massages provided AND the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad will provide free train rides from the finish line at East End Beach to the after-party at the Portland Company; pretty freakin’ cool.
Registration for the Portland Trails 2010 Trails to Ale 10k begins online tomorrow morning at 9:00am at active.com/running/portland-me/portland-trails-10k-trail-to-ale-2010, and the first 400 registrants receive a free technical fabric race teeshirt from Mizuno. However, last year the race had more than 1000 runners participate, so be sure and sign up early. All proceeds, I believe, go to help Portland Trails. See you on the race track!
Just wanted to wish everyone a safe, joyous and beer-filled St. Patrick’s Day. Irish or not, it’s a great day to celebrate and shake the winter doldrums and cabin fever, especially on a nearly 60 degree sunny day in Maine in mid-March when it feels like Spring finally can’t be that far off.
The concept of trading hard-to-find beers among fans has been around for a long time and chances are that if you’re a self-proclaimed “beer geek” you’ve either traded beer yourself or have friends who do. I first wrote about (well to be fair, Josh @ brewsandbooks.com wrote a guest post and I published it) the phenomenon in October of last year here — but the tradition of beer trading goes much beyond that — and its popularity has only increased with the burgeoning trend of special beer release days, such as Kate Day at the Portsmouth Brewery, Dark Lord Day from Three Floyds, the release of Sexual Chocolate from Foothills, Vagabond from Allagash; the list goes on, across the country.
The results of a disc golf themed "beer-it-forward" trade conducted by Russ from TwinBeer.com
So it’s interesting to see the trend getting some media attention outside of the beer world. The large food & drink themed site, Chow.com, recently wrote a piece on the rising popularity of beer trading (please ignore the gross inaccuracies about Kate Day in the opening paragraph; no one ‘reserved bottles the day before’) with instructions on how to trade (or how people get away with it currently, since it is technically illegal) and a list of some of the more sought-after beers people are looking to trade for on the popular beer forum, BeerAdvocate.
Check out the piece for yourself; who knows what you’d be able to snag for that bottle of Black Tuesday from The Bruery you’ve been stashing away. Do any of the readers out there have any experience with beer trading? Please share (if you are willing & able) in the comment section!
Tickets went on sale yesterday for the 3rd annual American Craft Beer Festival. Sponsored by BeerAdvocate and Harpoon Brewery, the American Craft Beer Fest features over 325 craft beers from over 80 American brewers. The festival is held at the Seaport World Trader Center on the waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts. The ACBF is the largest annual craft beer festival on the east coast.
This year’s event will take place over two days, June 18th and 19th; tickets are $40 a piece (plus service charges) and unlike many beer festivals — including all those here in Maine — include unlimited 2 ounce pours (no drink tickets required). Be sure and get your tickets early, however, as all sessions of the ACBF will undoubtedly sell out. For more information, visit beeradvocate.com/acbf/
tomorrow, Saturday March 27th. The Portland Trails race, which is set to take place on Sunday, September 19, 2010, is a full 10k road race along the Eastern Prom trail and around Back Bay, ending at the Portland Company on outer Fore Street in the East End.
Hi and welcome to Blog About Beer. My name is Logan and I live just north of Portland, Oregon, a city that has more craft breweries than any other in the US. I'm a full time marketer, blogger, and dad to the most beautiful girl in the world. I'm also a homebrewing and craft beer fanatic.