Good morning, all, and happy Sunday to you. As I’m sure we’re all sitting here this morning recovering from great beer-filled weekends, I wanted to post some links and stories of interest.

First, the Sam Adams Beer Lover’s Choice program is back for 2009. You may remember in 2008 when the Blackberry Whit beat out the Coffee Stout for mass distribution for the year. Well this year, the contest is between a Pils and an “Ale” (correct me if I’m wrong but I thought Sam Adams already made an Ale?). They’re being described as:

Samuel Adams Pils
Similar to a traditional Czech Pilsner, our Samuel Adams Pils is brewed with a blend of five Noble hops varieties from each of the world’s only remaining Noble Hops growing regions. The spicy, herbal and citrus hop character is well balanced by the Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner malt, adding honeyed malt character and full body without adding sweetness. ABV is 5.2%

Samuel Adams Ale
This IPA style Ale is brewed with a carefully selected blend of hops from top German, English and American growing regions. It is dry hopped with Anthamum, Simcoe and East Kent Golding hops for a powerful fruity and earthy aroma. The intense hop character is balanced by the old German style malt lending a unique sweetness, full body and tart finish. ABV is 5.8%

To find Beer Lover’s Choice events near you so that you can taste the two potential brews and cast your vote for your favorite, check out the Beer Lover’s Choice website.

Once again, Chow.com has chosen their top ten summer beers for 2009. The beers making the list this year are:

1. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
2. Bell’s Oberon
3. Dogfish Head Festina Pêche
4. Russian River Brewing Company Blind Pig IPA
5. Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
6. The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel Ale
7. Nøgne Saison
8. Brouwerij Kerkom Bink Blond
9. Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
10. Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus

For a brief write-up of each beer and a peak as last year’s list, check out the article on CHOW.com. Which is your favorite from the list?

The folks at Flavorwire.com were lucky enough to (virtually) sit down with DIY filmmaker Anat Baron who recently created the beer industry documentary Beer Wars for a brief but informative interview.

We planned on only discussing the film — which which follows the owners of Dogfish Head and Sam Adams as they go toe-to-toe with that largest and most powerful brewery in the United States — but in the process, she schooled us in the history of brewing legislation and broke our hearts with the news that one of our favorite Trappist beers now has more in common with Bud Light than Chimay.

Check out the Baron interview at Flavorwire.com and do your best to catch Beer Wars in a theater near you.

And lastly, check out the latest issue of The Maine Magazine (formally Port City Life) or follow this link for a brief quote from yours truly (they think I’m an expert! heh) about what new-for-summer-2009 Maine beers to drink.

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!

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!

A week ago today (deadlines, shmedlines; that’s why I’m a blogger) I was lucky enough to finagle a media invite to the ribbon cutting ceremony (THANK YOU!) at the brand new Sea Dog Brewing Co. brewpub in nearby South Portland, Maine (the space formally occupied by Eggspectations). It was a very fun morning and I’m very thankful for the invite. A tasty breakfast was shared — may I recommend the eggs Benedict, which were nice and lemony, just the way I like ‘em — with the Sea Dog/Shipyard PR & Social Media crew (follow them on Twitter @SeaDogBrewing) and I had a nice chat with the pub’s manager, Dale Carrier, and with Fred Forsley, mastermind behind the entire Shipyard empire.

The folks at Sea Dog have done great things with the space and have turned a previously bland and rather large, impersonal space into a very friendly brewpub feel — due in large part to the fantastic artwork by Robert Cochrane of Cape Elizabeth which can be seen throughout the restaurant, including the absolutely enormous Barney the Sea Dog portrait, made entirely of bottle caps, which hangs beyond the bar — virtually overnight.

Sea Dog is now open from 7:00am to 1:00am every day and the best part is that they will be serving breakfast that entire time. I’m personally really psyched to head over there around 10pm to catch a late-night Sox game on the big screen and gobble down some eggs and an oatmeal stout. While the pub definitely has a nice family friendly environment — their Captain Eli’s Rootbeer is also on tap for the kiddos — and will undoubtedly do well at dinner time, being one of very few non-chain dinner spots in the Maine Mall area, I personally am most excited to have another late-night option in town that has both good beer and good food (which are surprisingly hard to come by in Portland); I just wish it was within walking distance .

The new Sea Dog is definitely a welcome addition to the Greater Portland food & beer landscape and I will definitely be planning many a visit there, starting with one this Memorial Day Weekend. See you there!

I am literally out the door heading to Worcester for the alumni/graduation weekend at Clark U (my Alma Mater) but wanted to be sure and post an event listing that definitely everyone in Maine and probably anyone within driving distace of Portland will want to check out!

This Thursday May 21st is the one year anniversary of operations at Novare Res and publican Eric Michaud is throwing one helluva bash to celebrate. Straight from the mouth of the man himself,

[We're] releasing a collaboration brew with Marshall Wharf, it’s our “haus bier” called Priums Tumultus.  A light, pale, belgian-style trappist table beer concocted from one of my homebrew recipes.  [We're also] tapping the first ever firkin of Maine mead [from Maine Mead Works].  And a ridiculous draught line up including Cantillon, Taras Boulba, and De Struisse Black Albert.  There’s bound to be other festivities as well

The festivities and incredible lineup of beers will be going on from open to close on Thursday the 21st. I hope to see you there (I’ll be wearing my new “BlogAboutBeer.com is blogging this” t-shirt from MarketLeverage, so be sure and say hi if you spot me). Cheers!