1/18 Friday Night 5:30 – 9pm.

1/19 Saturday Day 12:30 – 4pm.

1/19 Saturday Night 5:30 – 9pm.

The Winter Jubilee is a craft beer tasting, with well over 60 brewers
and 200+ beers to sample. It has been happening in Boston since 2002,
and gets bigger and better every year. This event will have many of
the best local, regional, national and international brewers in the
world represented- bringing both their known and less common seasonal
brews. This event sells out, so make sure to get your tickets in
advance.

47 Brewers are attending as of 12/19: Angry Orchard, B Nektar Meadery,
Backlash, Bay State, Berkshire, Blue Hills, Blue Moon, Boston
Beerworks, Boulder, Brooklyn, Cape Ann, Cisco, Clown Shoes, Crabbie’s
Ginger Beer, Crispin Cider, Do Can, Diageo, Duvel, Full Sail, Gardner
Ale, Gina, Great Brewers, Greene King, Grittys, Harpoon, Heavy Seas,
Hofbrau, Ireland on the Road, Kennebec River, Lagunitas, Leinenkugel,
Lexington, Moonlight Meadery, Narragansett, Naukabout, Newport Storm,
Olde Burnside, Opa Opa Oskar Blues, Paper City, Peak Organic,
Preference, Revival, Sam Adams, Shipyard, Slumbrew, Southern Tier, St.
Killians Importing, Staropramen, Stiegl, Trinity, Tuckerman, Unibroue,
VT Hard Cider, Watch City, Weihenstephan

Learn more and purchase tickets at http://www.beersummit.com/

Here are some of the rewards that Harpoon has for their friends during
the winter:

Friend’s of Harpoon receive discounted pricing for the Ride & Ski Card
with the following options:

Buy only the card for $20 (Regular price $49)
Buy the card and a lift ticket to a mountain selected by Ride and Ski
for $30. The lift ticket will be at least a $45 value, and will be
from a mountain in either Maine, NH or VT.
Purchase your card here – http://rideandskine.com/harpoon.html

Here is the Friend of Harpoon Offer at Nashoba Valley Ski Area for the
2012/13 Ski Season.

Actually, there are 3 different deals here, so pay attention!

Ski or Ride for $25: Night lift ticket any day of the week between
5-10pm for $25 ($35 value). Show your Friend of Harpoon Card at the
Ski School desk to receive the discount.
Night Rental, Lesson, & Ticket: Learn to ski/ride any night of the
week with a lift ticket, rental, and lesson for $60. Show your Friend
of Harpoon Card at the Ski School desk to receive the discount.
Tubing: $20 admission ($28 value) Mon-Thurs (Non-Holiday/No school
break weeks). Show your Friend of Harpoon Card at the snow tubing
ticket window to receive the discount.

All of the offers for Friend’s of Harpoon can be found here (you’ll
have to sign up if your not a member yet.. its free!):

http://www.friendofharpoon.com/index.cfm?pid=29033

This Saturday, 10/20, Pemberton Farms in Cambridge is hosting a Cider and Mead tasting with over a dozen local companies pouring.  We caught up with Scott from the store to learn more about this event:

BeersIn: What is your role at Pemberton Farms? Tell us about the store and your upcoming event.

Scott:   I have run the beer & spirits dept. here at Pemberton Farms for a long time. We try to focus on local products and small breweries just starting up.  Recently we held a Hyper local beer tasting which included 16 of the most local breweries  which was attended by over 1100 people. With our upcoming event we are trying to highlight the increased popularity of the Hard Cider and Mead categories  by holding our upcoming tasting which we’re calling “Harvest Hoopla.”  We will have approx. 12-14 Cider companies and 5-6 Meaderies pouring samples along with Cider Donuts, Caramel Apples and Pumpkin Decorating for the kids. We’re hoping it will be a family friendly event with fun for all.

More info including the list of which companies will be there can be found on Pemberton Farms Facebook page.

This weekend – September 28th and 29th is 2012′s Octoberfest at the Harpoon Brewery, and should not be missed. German beer and food will be accompanied by traditional German music and chicken dancing!

The Friday session begins at 530 and ends at 11 (doors close at 9) and the Saturday session begins at 2 and ends at 9 (doors close at 7:30). As always, get their early because the lines can get long! And if your ambitious, try to catch a tour on Saturday before the session!

BeersIn:  How long have you been the Beer Manager for the Urban Grape?  During this time, what changes have you seen to the overall receptiveness in the Craft Beer industry?

Ben:  I was hired as the Beer Manager a little more than four months ago. The Craft Beer Industry is an incredibly exciting place to be right now. There are constantly new breweries opening, new styles being brewed, and more people realizing that drinking craft beer is the way to go.

BeersIn:  How long have you been involved in the Craft Beer Industry? What brought you into the industry?

Ben:  I think that anyone who buys craft beer, goes to the festivals, and hits up the breweries, is in some way involved in the craft beer industry. The first beers that I ever had were from a craft brewery in Princeton, NJ called Triumph (their Coffee Stout got me into beer). So I’ve been drinking craft beer for 5 years now. Before my job at the Urban Grape, I was the ‘beer guy’ at another local store for about a year, so I’ve been working in the craft beer industry for a little less than two years. I got into the industry because it was something I was passionate about. I went to the big festivals around Boston and always had a blast, it’s such a warm and welcoming industry, and I realized that I wanted to be more actively involved in it.

BeersIn:  What is the hardest part of your job?  Is working with distributors in the area difficult at times? What are the hurdles that you must overcome?

Ben:  I think that one of the hardest (and also most exciting) parts of my job is staying on top of new beers. With over 2000 breweries in the country, there are constantly new beers coming out that you need to know about. Who aged what beer in what barrel, how many cases are coming into the state, which distributor is carrying it. I check out a number of different online beer publications every day when I get to work. We have some really fantastic sales reps that I meet with on a regular  basis to find the newest and most interesting beers to keep on our shelves.

BeersIn:  Being a wine store first and foremost, how is the overall receptiveness to craft beer at The Urban Grape?

Ben:  We have a fantastic group of beer enthusiasts that come by the store regularly to see what’s new and interesting. I am always striving to get one more person that exclusively drinks wine to try beer as well. With such complex and sophisticated brews out there, it is becoming easier and
easier to get people into craft beer. Out of the 200 or so beers we are carrying at Urban Grape, 98% of them are craft. There really is something for everyone’s palate.

BeersIn:  What would you like to tell customers about The Urban Grape?  If you are in Chestnut Hill, why should you come here?

Ben:  Customers should know that coming to the Urban Grape is coming to a place where the employees really care. The group of people working at the store are incredibly knowledgable, fun, good people. Our owners, TJ and Hadley, have created an environment where customer service comes first. No matter the price point, palate, or need, we love helping people to discover new, quality products. People should also know that we’r opening a new location in Boston’s South End this September! We are going to have more shelf space for beer so we’re looking forward to welcoming city-dwelling beer lovers as well!  Lastly, The Urban Grape is currently carrying more than a dozen gluten free beers. We are committed to giving our gluten intolerant friends good beer to drink! We have some really awesome beers from Brunehaut & Widmer Brothers that are barley based, but have the gluten in them removed after brewing. I had a customer say she was almost overwhelmed by our gluten free choices. That’s what we like to hear!

BeersIn:  What is your favorite beer bar in the Boston Area?  How come?

Ben:  No question, Sunset Grill & Tap in Allston. I didn’t know many people when I came to Boston in 2008, and I lived around the corner. Once or twice a week I would go in and sit at the bar and order flights. The ’beer-tenders’ started to know me, and would always come by with samples of awesome new beers that weren’t on the menu, anything they thought was interesting. I credit Sunset for opening my eyes to a wide array of quality beers.

BeersIn:  What is the best beer that you’ve drank in 2012?

Ben:  Ahh that question.. I think that the best beers and wines you have are usually part of an incredible experience. Would have to say that my best beer of 2012 would have to be my first experience with Cantillon. I spent 45 days earlier this year traveling by myself around Europe drinking beer (rough life). I was in Bruges, Belgium at a fantastic beer bar called Cafe Rose Red. I entrusted my beer selections to the gentleman at the bar, who brought out the bottle of Cantillon. The care he took with the bottle was incredible. It came out in a basket on it’s side, while keeping it in the basket he carefully poured it into it’s proper glassware. The beer was amazing, like nothing I had experienced before. Everything about the beer made it a special one.

BeersIn:  What is the most popular seller for Craft Beer at The Urban Grape? Any surprise brewers/beers that sell well?

Ben:  For our 6-packs, we sell through a ton of Cisco and Dogfish Head. Our sales of Troegs and Oskar Blues have been really awesome recently as well, our customers can’t get enough of them! As far as our larger format beers, we are selling a lot of Jack’s Abby and Pretty Things. I’m also happy to say that we sell a lot of Belgian beer, especially the big robust quads. Belgian beers are some of my favorite, so I love introducing customers to those styles.

BeersIn:  Things your most looking forward in the local beer scene? Nationally?

Ben:  The thing I’m most excited for locally is the opening of Urban Grape South End!!! I am working on increasing our selection to around 400 beers, so we will be bringing some more great craft beer to the South End. We will be a great place for the beer geeks out there to find special producers like Mikkeller, Evil Twin, Yeastie Boys, and Stillwater Ales. Nationally, I’m just excited about the incredible explosion of quality breweries. It’s an awesome time to be part of the craft beer industry.

Photo Credit: Boston Herald

Last month I wrote an article about how the Yardhouse was acquired by Darden Restaurant Group, the owner’s of Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Capital Grill.  This news didn’t sit too well with some Craft Beer fans, as some were concerned that the Yard House would become too commercial, and that the mainstream appeal would hurt the industry.

While these are valid concerns, I’m actually pretty excited about the acquisition. One reason is that this move enables the Yardhouse to expand into new areas where it otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Why?  One simple answer – access to cash.  Darden’s annual sales is around 8 Billion dollars.  This means that Darden can build and expand the Yardhouse chain basically at their own free will.

Where is the most expensive area in Boston to build a new Restaurant?  The answer is the “Innovation District” or, better known as the South Boston Waterfront.  Property values along the water are ever increasing, and development costs are soaring.  If a Restaurant wants to move in to new property along the water it better be prepared to sign a huge lease.  This means that local, independent restaurants and bars don’t really have much of a chance.  Deep pockets are pretty much a prerequisite if you want a waterfront view.

Yesterday, the Boston Herald reported that Pier 8 has 4 bids out to the city by developers, that include restaurants, hotels, and entertainment uses.  Peir 8 is next to the widly succesful Liberty Warf, which hosts a handful of restaurants with deep pockets.

This is where the speculation comes in – One of the more interesting proposals dubbed “Freedom Warf” includes restaurant space, in which Darden has shown interest in.  Does this mean that Darden would open a Yardhouse on Pier 8? That’s not guaranteed, but I don’t see them opening a Capital Grill along the water with DelFreso’s, Morton’s and Smith and Wollansky’s right nextdoor.  And for some reason I’m not sure if a Red Lobster or Olive Garden would jive well with the demographic.

With the Yardhouse’s recent success in Fenway, it doesn’t seem too far fetched to believe that they are planning a second location, and the Seaport District could be the perfect fit.

Disclaimer:  This is pure speculation and rumor mongering on my part.  What do you think?  Do you think that a Yardhouse would fair well at the South Boston Waterfront?

Well, next Monday, August 20th, head over to the Lansdowne Pub in the Fenway area.  They are hosting a Summer Seasonal Beer Diner featuring 4 courses paired with 4 Lagunitas Beers.  Perfect way to wind down the summer.

Here is the menu:

Course 1:  Grilled Summer Vegetable Terrine, Capri Farms Goat Cheese, Sky Veg Lettuce & Champagne Vinaigrette
Beer 1:  New Dogtown Pale Ale

Course 2:  Heirloom tomato salad, Garlic & Herb Clams, Sweet Corn Relish
Beer 2:  Czech Style Pils

Course 3:  Herb Grilled Lamb Chops, Fingerling Potato Salad, Balsamic Grilled Dandelion Greens
Beer 3:  Censored

Course 4:  Peach Cobbler, Lavender Crust & Honey Ice Cream
Beer 4:  Little Sumpin

Best part about this dinner?  It’s only $40.  That really is a steal for what your getting.

Join the event here on their Facebook event page

BeersIn:  Brookline has always been on the forefront of Boston’s Craft Beer scene. How do you think this puts you at an advantage/disadvantage when it comes to providing Craft Beers at BSF? Do the customers require more?

Drew: I don’t see any disadvantages to being in Brookline, only opportunities to attract more people to Craft Beer! We’re in a great location in Brookline too. I try to take into consideration all of my customers’ requests but I can’t make everyone happy because I don’t have enough cooler and building space! That’s probably the only disadvantage we have.

BeersIn:  How long have you been working for BSF? During this time, what changes have you seen to the overall receptiveness in the Craft Beer industry?

Drew: I’ve been behind the scenes consulting Marcello, the owner, with what beers to bring in and whatnot for the past year and one day he offered to hire me part time 3 months ago as the Craft Beer Manager for Baystate Food and Spirits. I immediately became fulltime and dropped my service industry job. Over the past few years I’ve seen Craft Beer boom in sales gaining national attention and more awareness/education to the people of the different styles of beer rather than beer just being watered down fizzy swill.

BeersIn:  What is the hardest part of your job? Is working with distributors in the area difficult at times? What are the hurdles that you must overcome?

Drew: Hardest part is not having enough space in the store to get everything I want and not having enough coolers to keep beers that customers want cold. This also relates to distributors because I sometimes have to say no or refuse some beers that aren’t up to my standards i.e. older dated hoppy ipas and pale ales or mishandled boxes. Only hurdle is trying to spread the word of good beer to the people!

BeersIn: Besides Craft Beer, what other things is Baystate Foods known best for?

Drew: Baystate is a one stop shop with an excellent liquor and wine section with some of the most reasonable prices. Our wine guy, Brian, has a vast knowledge of wine and is actually tutoring the staff and me as well as customers.

BeersIn:  What would you like to tell customers about Baystate Foods? If you are in Brookline, why should you come here?

Drew:  I think i’ve already said it a few times but I honestly feel we are the best kept secret in Boston. Great prices and a constantly expanding selection of beer, wine, liquor, and groceries. Brian, Marcello, and I always try to bring in new beers and wines every week! We have tastings every Thursday and Friday night from 6 to 8pm. Just come check us out and tell me if I’m wrong.

BeersIn: What is your favorite beer bar in the Boston Area? How come?

Drew: Great question. I have too many places I enjoy but Publick House is right down the street from us so I try to say hi to those great folks at PH or I like going to Kinsale in government center since it’s a little bit quieter. Saturdays I’m usually at the Harp near the Garden as they’re the sponsor for my rugby team, Mystic River. Other places I enjoy are Deep Ellum, Sunset/Big City, Lord Hobos, and Cambridge Brewing Company. All great selections and my apologies if I didn’t mention your bar.

BeersIn:  What is the best beer that you’ve drank in 2012?

Drew:  Big head turner for me was Mystic Brewery’s Flor Ventus at the American Craft Beer Festival, heady topper, and having fou foune from Cantillon.

BeersIn:  What is the most popular seller for Craft Beer at BSF? Any surprise brewers/beers that sell well?

Drew:  Hands down Pretty Things, Slumbrew, dogfish head, and Stone Brewery are my stars. Jacks abby, notch, firestone walker, port/lost abbey, and founders are becoming big hits with everybody once they try their brews.

BeersIn:  How long have you been involved in the Craft Beer Industry? What brought you into the industry?

Drew:  I’ve been in the service industry since I was 12 as a busboy and graduated to a server then bartender so I’ve always been around beer, wine, and liquor. Even as an underage college kid (I don’t promote or condone underage drinking) I wasn’t able to enjoy BMC beers and was constantly the butt of the joke that I drank “fancy beers.” Really got into craft beer once I was 21 and had the epiphany that I wanted to be a sales rep or become a brewer a few years ago after befriending some of the reps at the restaurant/bars I was a bartender and now I’m at Baystate as the Craft Beer Manager/Beer Buyer!

BeersIn:  Things your most looking forward in the local beer scene? Nationally?

Drew:  I feel we are blessed to live in MA as we constantly have new breweries popping up everywhere and have one of the best distributions in the country! I’m waiting for Rising Tide and Bull Jagger from Portland, ME to arrive in the state. Trends I see are beers becoming more sessionable (less than 4.5% abv) with Chris Lohring from Notch and a few others leading the way and more sours popping up everywhere. Also the blending of different styles and more lagers.

Thanks again Drew for taking the time to interview with us! Keep up the great work with keeping Bay State Foods stocked with the latest local craft beers!

Have you been to Bay State Foods in Brookline?  What did you think? Let us know in the comments!

Through a few prying tweets, we were lucky enough to nail down an interview with Matt Gray.  Matt runs  Gray Matter Marketing, a Marketing a Promotions company out of Providence, RI, and happens to be the brainchild behind the Cape Cod Brew Fest.  Although Matt gives full disclosure that this is his first venture into the Craft Beer industry via promotions or any other business, he is a life-long fan of Craft and has had a blast creating the Cape event.

BeersIn:  What are you looking forward to the most from your upcoming Cape Cod Brew Fest?

Matt:  The experience itself is just going to be great, everyone I’ve talked to has had positive feedback, and I’m really excited to see how people react to it.

BeersIn:  What do you think is going to make the Cape Cod Beer Fest stand out from the crowd, and be a success.

Matt:   Its going to be a combination of the people – bringing the right people together who are passionate about craft beer, the area, as well as the right breweries.  If a Beer Fest is going to be successful then there should be a selection of beer that people havn’t been able to try, which there will be plenty of.  Also, our live music will be a nice feature as well to set the vibe of the event.

BeersIn:  How does the whole process of creating a Beer Festival work?

Matt:   As a marketing promotions company, its just like any other event. It starts with an idea, then you create a budget and see if the event is viable, then you start to create and build an audience to see if there would be a positive reception to it. We’ve seen that there is, so we’re happy to be able to put this on for everyone.

BeersIn:   Given the rise of Craft Beer events in the Greater Boston area, what makes Cape Cod unique?

Matt:   Brewers were excited to come out to Cape Cod. They understood the appeal, and are anxious to see what we can do.  There are challenges elsewhere, but there really were not that many concerns after the Brewers saw the marketing and the promotions that we are putting behind it, and we are very excited to have them along.

BeersIn:   As a marketer, looking into the future expansion of the Craft Beer Industry, what do you think your most excited about?

Matt:  Locally and nationally, the Craft Beer industry is one of the biggest bright spots in America’s economic landscape. It’s just tremendous to see – the more that local breweries are coming out and are accepted into the mainstream, we will continue to see a positive local economic impact from Craft Beer.

BeersIn:   Favorite style of beer.

Matt:   IPA. Hoppier the better.

BeersIn:   Best beer you’ve drank in 2012?

Matt:   Heavy Seas Loose Cannon

Thanks so much to Matt Grey, we appreciate the time and effort he put in to not only meet and interview with us, but to further expand the Greater Boston Craft Beer Community by bringing this event to the Cape.  We can’t wait for September 29th and to meet everyone down in Falmouth!

What? Havn’t bought your tickets yet? No worries – Buy your tickets now!  Tickets are available for purchase at the Barnstable Country Fairgrounds from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

Email Matt to purchase tix and have them mailed to you (best way to go) - Matt@capecodbrewfest.com

Additional information:

GENERAL ADMISSION: $45.00
• Entry to one session of the the Inaugural Cape Cod Brew Festival
• Entry to the 18th annual Cape Cod Harvest Festival
• Complimentary pint glass
• Unlimited sampling of over 60 styles of beer

VIP ADMISSION: $75.00
• Entry to one session of the Inaugural Cape Cod Brew Festival
• Entry to the 18th annual Cape Cod Harvest Festival
• Complimentary pint glass
• Complimentary event T-Shirt
• Entry to the VIP Sampling Tent with up to 10 additional select/reserve beers to sample
• VIP bathrooms
• Only 100 VIP tickets available per session

DESIGNATED DRIVER: $15.00
• Entry to one session of the Inaugural Cape Cod Brew Festival without sampling
• Complimentary water and soft drinks
• Complimentary pint glass
• Designated Driver passes are only available with the purchase of a full price GA or VIP ticket.

Again, Email Matt to purchase tix and have them mailed to you (best way to go) - Matt@capecodbrewfest.com

On August 18th, hop on over to the Franklin Park Zoo for a beer festival like no other. Tickets are $50, or $60 at the door.  I couldn’t locate a brewery list, but expect the local scene that you’re used to.

Purchase your tickets here