Epic Ice Standing

As we sit on the cusp of the first big Nor'easter of the winter, I find myself reflecting on the warm months of summer. We had a lot of fun this summer, despite being busier than we ever have been. We went to some great beer festivals and sponsored a few 5k's, marathons, and triathlons.

On July 10, Renee, Dan Henry, Charlie, Brown Dog Bill Harris, and I ran the beer tent at the Urban Epic Triathlon in Portland, Maine. Business was slow, and a pending thunderstorm meant we had to find a way to entertain ourselves. Luckily, Dan and Charlie stepped up.

2010 Wheat Wine

Here's a quick clip of the beginning of the 2010 Wheat Wine bottling run. The bottles are just coming out of the filler, having been capped and rinsed off.

These bottles will condition for a bit and then begin shipping on December 20.

A Report from the Blue Hen State

Hopefully you all tuned in to the Punkin' Chunkin' show that Discovery Channel aired on Thanksgiving Night. I was looking closely for Smuttynose logos and by my count, I saw nine.  It was a pretty fascinating show.  At the least it offered some great people watching but, on a higher level, watching these chunkin' teams was a striking illustration of the passion with which some people follow their muse.

Dan Henry, our Eastern New England Field Manager, went to Delaware with the American Chunker team, and shot some video, which we now present to you, our Smuttynose TV viewers.

Short Batch Series #12 Test Batch, Clips #1 and #2

Charlie, Smuttynose's Oak aging Funkdafier, and Matt, a local homebrewer, are brewing the pilot batch for Short Batch #12.

Roll out the Barrel!

So, we aren't really rolling out a barrel, but we are opening it up.  Our Wood-Aging Funkdafier, Sheik C. Ice (a.k.a. Charlie Ireland) pulls a sample of beer from one of these magical beer enhancement devices.  He'll explain it all in the clip.   You'll also get a chance to meet Nelson "Brownie" Brown, the man who runs our bottle filler.  Every time you pry-off a cap from a delicious bottle of Smuttynose, take a second and thank him.

Interview with Paul Barber

I can't tell you how many times I get asked about the two old guys on the Finestkind IPA label.  People at beer festivals, tour-goers here at Smuttynose, and even my Mom want to know who those men are and where we found them.  While I've enjoyed the bits and pieces I've heard over my time here at Smuttynose, I thought it would make more sense to sit down with one of the spokesmodels for an interview.  I sat down with Paul a few weeks ago and got this interview.

Paul is a very interesting man.   He's polite, soft-spoken and has led quite an interesting life.   In addition to being on a beer label, he was a selectman for Duxbury, MA, had a Model A Ford as his first car and is a World Master in bridge. He's also an avid supporter of the Bowdoin Men's Soccer team. I had a wonderful time talking to him on the shoot day.

You can meet him this Saturday, October 2, at the New Hampshire Brewer's Fest at Redhook. Please come by and say hello. Even if you can't make it, please enjoy this interview.

Susanne Delaney from the Portsmouth Criterium

Yesterday, I interviewed Susanne Delaney, Race Director for the Portsmouth Criterium.  This year's race (the sixth annual) takes place this Sunday, September 19.  Downtown Portsmouth will be invaded with svelte, spandex-clad cyclists from around New England as well as throngs of spectators (7,000 last year).  It's a great event that transforms downtown into a snow fence-lined race course.

There are a few events I'd like to highlight before the video.  First of all, everything starts at 9am with a pancake breakfast ON Market Street, right in front of the Portsmouth Brewery.  The racing starts up around 11am with a kid's race and the continues throughout the day.

We'd also like to let you know about our Criterium Refuelling Station partners.  The Gaslight, The Blue Mermaid, and The Chef's Table are all featuring food specials and will have limited Criterium/Smuttynose pint glasses, while supplies last.    Please visit http://smuttynose.com/2010-race-day-specials.html for more details.

Without further adieu, here's Susanne:

Interview with Kevin from the Foaming Head

Kevin from the Foaming Head, a New York-centric beer website.  Kevin stopped by last Friday, for this interview with Dave, as well as a tour.  I ended up hanging out with him and watching the Blue Angels soar through the sky.  He's got a real passion for his project and seems very motivated for success.  Check out his handiwork both here and at The Foaming Pint




He also sent along some Blue Angels photos:

Thanks to Kevin at the Foaming Head for letting use his photos and video.

Zahm Shake Series #2

Tom Ostromecky, a.k.a. "the Hippie," shakes it for you good people at home. He says this is his natural technique. We say, "Thank God for safety glasses." Enjoy!

Zahm Shake #1

In the perpetual quest to create Smuttynose TV content, we're beginning a series of videos that document the Zahm shaking techniques of our brewers. In this first clip, Dan Schubert, our lead brewer, explains the process of checking the carbonation level in finished beer. It involves the copious shaking of a Zahm-Nagel SS-60. If you want to know more you should just watch the video.

Tank 21 Joins Smutty!

On June 10th, 2010, a rainy Thursday, we got a new fermenter. It's the last tank we can install at our current site on Heritage Avenue in Portsmouth. The fermenter, also know as Tank 21, was made by JV Northwest in Canby, Oregon. It's 22.5' tall and 9' 10" in diameter. This 7,200 pound behemoth can hold 8,024 gallons of Smuttynose beer and weighs almost four tons!

The rain meant we had to split the process over two days. Thursday saw the unloading of the tank onto our lawn. The next day was sunny, so we were able to take the roof off the fermentation room and drop the tank in. Here are some videos from this process.

We are very proud to say that the tank is now online and filled with around 220 barrels of IPA.

Bacon and Beer Fest

Excellent video coverage of Boston's recent Bacon & Beer Fest, courtesy of French Oak TV. Here JT explains the alchemy behind Charlie's Bacon Brown Dog Ale.

How to Make a Man Cry: The Bacon & Beer Fest from French Oak TV on Vimeo.

Smuttynose Brewing Company's Suppliers Say Hello.

Dan Henry Interviewed on Matt Webster's Craft Beer Revolution

Hanami Ale on Japanese TV

Smuttynose Bacon Brown Ale & Dry Porking

At Beer Advocate's recent Extreme Beer Festival in Boston our own Dan Henry was pouring Bacon Brown Ale, brewed specially for this event. In this video, shot by the folks from FloridaSPL, Dan describes this one-of-a-kind beer and reveals Charlie's secret Dry Porking technique.

2010 Smuttynose Hanami is Bottled

Last week we bottled this year's Hanami Ale, our spring seasonal. This beer, brewed with large amounts of pure, tart cherry juice, is our homage to the Japanese tradition of "hanami" or cherry blossom viewing. We'll start shipping Hanami next week. Like the cherry blossoms themselves, this beer's season is brief, and it disappears quickly. Cheers!

Our first run of Big A IPA in 12-ounce bottles.