Tonight at Pixel, a “pin” of Oaked Nut Brown. I did one of these last month at The Old Toad (http://www.theoldtoad.com/)in Rochester, and the vanillin in the oak really set off the Nut Brown nicely!
For the uninitiated, Eric Asimov of the New York Times wrote a nice intro on cask ale yesterday….
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/dining/24pour.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Come on out and join the movement! 7Pm ’til it’s gone.
Alright already. Time to get back in the swing. We’ve had our best (read: busiest) summer EVER, and we can come up for air a little bit and get motivated to stay on top of the blogging thing. A lot has happened since I last posted… I’ve totally dropped the ball on keeping you guys updated, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you guys about BAABF, BCTC, our first ever IBF (it was awesome) or the GABF. Find it in your hearts to forgive me and let’s move on, shall we?
Our second brew on Friday was our 267th of the year 2007. Why is this significant? Because we knocked out ONLY 266 times in 2006. By the end of October we’ll be about 250 barrels ahead of all of ’06, and if we can finish the year out strong we should be at least 20% bigger than last year, somewhere around 6500 bbls! The crew is a little tired, a little hungover from the Great American Beer Festival(no, we didn’t medal, but we did win hearts and minds), and despite the fact that we’ve had to continue sweating through this unusually warm autumn(thank you, Gold Bond!) morale is pretty high. We’re sharpening our pencils and figuring out how much beer we can make out of our facility next year, and what equipment and staffing we’ll need to continue this growth. Things are good, and I feel like we’re finally hitting our stride production-wise. Look out Pennsylvania, we are finally ready to fill your shelves, draft lines and bellies with delicious beer.
I hear some of you asking, “What’s in it for me, Chief?” More. Great. Beer. This week we’ll be releasing Gorges Smoked Porter, v. 2007. It’s bigger and more sumptuous than ever, deep black and rich with a more subtle smokiness than in years past, and our signature fruity yeast character is accentuated further by copious use of Amarillo Hops. Come on down for a sample and a growler fill on Friday. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
“But I can’t wait until Friday, Chief!” Well, I really dropped the ball last week. I forgot to tell you about an exciting new devleopment here in I-town. Those of you who are local to us know why Pixel has become one of my favorite hangouts. There’s always something new on draft (hello, Houblon Chouffe!) and Jim and his crew love what we’re doing at IBC. Anyway, in cooperation with Pixel Lounge, we are proud to present a weekly tapping of a “pin” of cask-conditioned ale at 7PM every Thursday evening. This week, Oaked Nut Brown. Yum.
“What if I don’t live in Ithaca?” Well, if you are in New England, get your ass to the “Return of the Belgian Beer Fest”(http://beeradvocate.com/fests/bbf). I’ll be there wih a bunch of goodies, including our first ever “sour” beer, Noot Bruin. I suggest not missing this fest if you like Belgian and Belgian-inspired Beer. If you are in The metro-NYC area, there’s Brewtopia (http://brewtopiafest.com/digest/), where Eric will be pouring our Beer.
Well, I’ve got to go get cleaned up for Danny Garner’s(our case-packing, keg-washing, storyteller extraordinare) wedding this afternoon in Upper Buttermilk Falls State Park. Join me in wishing congratulations to Dan and Lin, and maybe we’ll be able to get some photos of the nuptials up here before too long!
More soon, I promise!
-The Chief