August 2009 Archives

The Barley Blog
Southern Tier Pumking (review)
Came across this review on my Twitter feed.  I've been enjoying the Southern Tier offererings a lot lately, and this seasonal brew looks like one to try.  You can follow Barley Blog updates on Twitter via @barleyblog

20 Watts
A loud, beer-soaked weekend in Ithaca
Add some top-notch music to the Ithaca Brewfest and you've got a weekend.

Bacon Today
Bacon Beer in Brookyln Brewery
In the works?  I have not had a bacon-flavored beer as of yet...

The Freeman's Journal
150 Years Ago, Thousands Would Be Harvesting Crop In 'Hop City'
There's hops a-growing by the Cooperstown Brewing Co.

I came across an interesting article from the Poughkeepsie Journal earlier this month detailing the history of the Vassar Brewery.  Yes- the same Vassar as the college.  The family fortunes began with a small homebrew operation on a farm that would expand into a brewery in the city.

Read the article here.

September is almost here, and so is the Ithaca Brewfest.  From the official site:

Join Ithaca Beer Company, Cayuga Radio Group, and Wegmans on Saturday, September 5, 2009 from 3:00 - 7:00 PM for the 3rd Annual Ithaca Brew Fest at beautiful Stewart Park at the base of Cayuga Lake. Sample beers poured by over 40 local, regional, national, and international breweries. Snack on sizzling and savory food from local eateries. Take in musical performances by Sim Redmond Band, Kevin Kinsella, and The Mutron Warriors....

General admission tickets are $30 in advance and $40 the day of the event.  Check out Ithacabrewfest.com for more details including a sizable list of expected breweries in attendance.

Utica Club fans have reason to cheer- canning is back in action at the FX Matt Brewing Company.  The canning operation had been damaged last year in a fire.  Nice article from the Utica Observer-Dispatch on the news, as well a few reader comments and notes on a storage expansion at the brewery.

Busy weekend ahead, so this one's a little early.  But robust.

NY Craft Beer Examiner
4 Beers I Am Pissed I Can't Get in New York
I'm torn between being shocked that there are four beers that are hard to get in NYC, and playing a tiny violin for someone living in one of the greatest cities on earth but still finds something to complain about :)

Reuters
Economy unleashes 'perfect storm' for boutique beer
Okay... so not a blog.  Far from it.  But a good story out of New York about how craft beer is positioned in the current economy.  Earthshattering, no.  But did you know that beer tastes good and is cheaper than wine?  Huh.

Syracuse.com Drinks Blog
The number of American breweries reaches a 100-year high
While large, corporate breweries dwindle, the total number has reached a 100-year high.  New York State boasts at least 60 of the nation's 1,525 breweries.

CNYBrew
My Hops Harvest Video
Locally grown hops and a locally made harvest video.  Looks good, and I may be soon be harvesting my first crop!

The Syracuse New Times has a really great article on following the New York State Brewery Trail.  You know, the kind that actually has plenty of detailed writing and photos.  A rarity...

Read the article here.

On Beer and Drinking
Ommegang 2009
That's right, Belgium comes to Cooperstown was last weekend.

CNYBrew
Hops Harvest with Ben
An instructional how-to video posted here to help you harvest your hops.  Enough alliteration for you?  Something's been eating my hops...

Post-Standard "Drinks" Blog
Syracuse-area beer fans: WSOD (What Should Obama Drink)?
This is a great blog, BTW.  My answer:  Almost anything other than Bud Light.

Beer Slugger
Ithaca Beer Co: Apricot Wheat
A short and complimentary review.

The Syracuse Post-Standard reports that a reunion will be held for former employees of an Oswego County Miller plant that closed in the 90's:

The reunion...will be a chance for former co-workers to renew friendships, catch up and talk about what happened in the years since the brewery's closing.

Full story here.

Two recent articles from Examiner columnist Charlie Papazian caught my eye.  One gives a glowing review of the FX Matt (Saranac) Brewery in Utica, NY, and the other acknowledges the good work being done in Cooperstown by Brewery Ommegang.  Homebrewers are familiar with Papazian as an author and the face of homebrewing advocacy for decades.

Papazian makes the strong statement that "there's no other brewery in America that reveals the history and transition of America's brewery culture better than the Saranac-Matt Brewing Company."

You can read the full column of his Saranac visit here.

As of Brewery Ommegang, Papazian says it "combines the charm of Belgium and the rural fabric of America in formulating a unique local beer culture."

You can read the full column of his Ommegang visit here.