July/August/September/October/November GOOD BEER News..."Oh sure, now that you're all like, POPULAR you don't have time to write a newsletter anymore."
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EastEndBrewing
Oct 28, 2010, 1:33:32 PM10/28/10
to "GOOD BEER News" from East End Brewing
Hello Long-Lost GOOD BEER Fans!
I know, I know. It's been about 4 months since we've talked. So I
just wanted to start off by saying, it's not you. It's me. Weeks
keep clipping by, and you've not heard a peep. Beer Festivals,
Tastings, Farm Dinners, and so very many New Beers… they all come and
go without so much as a word of warning here.
But then, schedule a Reverse Keg Ride and open up a New Growler Shop,
and suddenly somebody gets all chatty??? Well sure! Some things just
can’t go unsaid.
I’ll get to all of that REVERSE KEG RIDE info (Nov 6th!), and the
official announcement of our NEW GROWLER SHOP LOCATION in a little
bit. But for now, let's try to leave all of that separation anxiety
behind us, play along like none of this ever happened, and get caught
up… over a few beers, shall we?
NEW BEERS: Is it okay to call them "new" if they've already been
released and sold out? For now, I'll say yes. Here's the backlog...
and the front log of what’s to come.
- SESSION ALE #40: Wood St. Kvass
We've brewed this downright weird beer so many times now, that soaking
60 loaves of stale rye bread in hot water overnight to make a liquid
we ferment with bread yeast the next day… well it almost seems
"normal". So this time, we mixed it up a bit, brewed it a little
starchier than usual and diverted a good portion of this batch to oak
barrels for hot-aging this summer, in hopes of making some of that
wonderful lactic sourness we saw in the early batches....and boy, did
it deliver! We're going to let this sleeper of a project finish out
over the cold months of winter, so the beer can condition, clarify,
and ready itself for bottles by Spring. We’ll release it under the
name DEBASER which aside from the possibly obvious musical reference,
is also a really bad pun about the incredibly high level of acidity
and sourness in this beer. Yum!
- SESSION ALE #41: BlackberRye Ale
Yes, we brewed a rare FRUIT BEER! Usually they’re not my thing
personally speaking, as they're often too sweet, or have a really
rough and astringent finish to them. But Brendan convinced me he
could make a good one, and of course, he can. And now it's all gone.
- SESSION ALE #42: Slartibartfast
Someone once said "Drink up. The world's about to end." So, we brewed
a beer to answer the ultimate question. A nice English Style Best
Bitter. It’s gone too.
- SESSION ALE #43 BluebeRye Ale
Okay, so they’re getting a little less rare around here. But this
one’s gone too.
- SESSION ALE #44:"Weisse this beer sour?"(aka Big Pour Brew)
There's a big push these days to brew the most extreme "beer" in the
world, sometimes upwards of 50% alcohol. With an 11% barleywine in
our catalog, we're not shy about going big, but we try to balance that
out with the idea of brewing a beer that you might actually want to
drink. And while the humor and charm of a packaging a rare beer
inside a squirrel carcass is not lost on us (look it up), we will
instead opt for non-extreme re-usable Growlers for our entry in the
extreme category. Yes, we're jumping on the "extreme" bandwagon, but
I think ours may be rolling backwards, down the hill, in the other
direction.
A stinky 3-day sour mash to make a champagne-like beer that's just
under 3% abv??? You bet! There’s still a couple kegs kicking around
at the brewery for Growler fills, but it’s definitely winding down.
Berliner Weisse is wonderful style of beer for people who are “Sour
Curious”, but are maybe a little scared off by all the funk that an
un-fruited Lambic can bring to the glass. So give it a try. I've
said it before: SOUR is replacing STRONG as the new HOPPY. Any minute
now…
- SESSION ALE #45: “Redd Up Red Ale”
Our very first Red Ale, quickly redd up into your Growlers, is now
fully depleted. But I have a feeling it will come back around at some
point. Maybe it was the crowd-sourced name we got from our GOOD
FRIENDS on Twitter?
- SESSION ALE #46: Bitter End 2010
Our annual tradition of “Small Beer” brewed from the second runnings
of our Gratitude Barleywine. It’s quite different this year from
previous models, and it’s still on tap… for now.
- SESSION ALE #47: RaspberRye Ale
The third in our increasingly less-rare fruit beer series, just went
on tap October 22nd weekend at the brewery and the Growler Shop in the
Strip. Like its more-rare fruit beer predecessors, it’s been a big
mover, so get some while the getting is good!
-T.R.A.S.H. HOMEBREW CONTEST WINNER: “EAST END SESSION BEER AWARD”
Dave Mutschler brewed a Pils and entered it into the biggest homebrew
contest in town, and it scored quite well. So, we took his recipe,
scaled it up, and brewed it on the big rig. "Czech Please!" is a nice
hoppy (think “European hoppy”) lager that will go on tap in another
week or two, once it's finished lagering. But Dave gets the first
Growler, okay?
- (the beer we can't call) EYE OPENER COFFEE PORTER IS BACK!
Featuring our two favorite brewed beverages in the same glass, we did
a double batch of this beer, and in addition to packaging a bunch of
kegs, we bottled just over half of it in 1 liter swingtops so that it
will be around for a while. And this time, we used coffee from our
newest, bestest, GOOD FRIENDS at Commonplace Coffee, a local roaster
putting out some of the freshest, tastiest coffee I’ve ever had. They
do their roasting in Indiana PA, but you can find their beans around
town in all the better coffee joints, including their very own shop on
Forbes in Squirrel Hill. Plus, their website even sounds beer
friendly: www.IPACoffee.com, so how perfect is that?
Look for the release in a few weeks, possibly draft coming out before
bottles as we wait for labels to come through. Watch the website for
an announcement.
-HOMEWOOD RESERVE 2010 RETURNS
I probably mentioned before that we’ve got a bunch of Bourbon Barrels
in here, full of Black Strap Stout and aging for a few months. In a
few more weeks, we’ll bottle it all up and release this beer as our
special Homewood Reserve. You’ll also see the odd firkin or keg here
and there as well, just to help get the word out. More on this beer
as it progresses.
-FESTIVAL OF DARKNESS II:
With the return of Homewood Reserve, Coffee Porter, and Snow Melt
Winter Ale, regular offerings like Fat Gary Nut Brown Ale, and Black
Strap Stout, and our current bottled beer, Illustration Ale (Belgian
Dark Strong Ale)…it seems like we’re at a bit of a tipping point with
darker beer offerings. So we’re going to add one more to the list, a
big robust Oatmeal Stout that will go on tap only at the brewery, and
call it our Festival of Darkness II.
While we don’t have the capacity to roll them all out at once, bit by
bit we’ll let them sneak up on you, just like the short days of
winter. Except this year, you’ll be properly prepared. Bigger than
the F.O.D. we did two years back, we’ll feature a total of SEVEN
DIFFERENT TREATMENTS (also known as BEERS) to combat your “Seasonal
Affected Disorder” which comes on as the days get shorter and the
nights get long. Wow. I know I’m already feeling better, just
thinking about it.
---end of old/new beer list---
GROWLERS IN THE STRIP DISTRICT: COME AND GET IT!
I know you're not used to going for Growler fills in easy-to-find
locations, but I hope you can adapt. We've got a brand new Growler
Shop up and running in the new Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip
District. Yes, I said GROWLER SHOP. It's the very first place in the
state of PA where a brewery is selling Growlers of fresh beer outside
of the brewery, not in a bar. And believe it or not, there is no
rioting in the streets, civilization is not crumbling, in wave after
wave of rampant immorality. It's completely legal, and (brace
yourselves)... we're even open on Sundays.
Granted with four beers on tap, the selection isn't quite as diverse
as it is at the brewery, and we don't carry our Home Made Root Beer,
Kegs or BIG bottles there. But for that quick Friday-after-work
fillup, or capping off the all-day Saturday in the Strip District
shopping extravaganza, or even that Sunday afternoon "whoops, I forgot
to get beer for the game" pickup, it will certainly do the trick. And
we’ve got plenty of spare jugs around.
The tap list at the Market will be in constant rotation, so watch the
website and the Twitter feed for the latest updates on what's pouring
at BOTH locations. And for more info about the new Pittsburgh Public
Market, including a map to the place, the Market's Hours, and our
Growler Shop Hours, have a look here: http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/869.
I'll see you in the Strip!
REVERSE KEG RIDE IS JUST OVER ONE WEEK AWAY!
I know you love the Keg Ride. I do too. It’s just such an incredibly
unique mix of bikes, fun, and beer. I can’t wait until the next one.
So like last year, we've decided to use the notion of bringing those
empty Pedal Pale Ale kegs back to the brewery as a flimsy excuse to
hold another group ride, raise a little cash for a worthwhile charity,
and tap a new beer. Works for me! I could give you more details
about what it's all about, but instead, here's a web page with all of
the particulars on it, including a place where you can REGISTER for
it: http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/874
So go sign up right now. In addition to going LEGIT this time, with
insurance, permits, and marshals, we're even going to feed you! Did I
mention you should register now? I'm sure you won't regret it. Oh,
and if you can manage… bring everyone you know. I’ll be sure to have
enough beer and fun to go around.
SAME TIME NEXT MONTH?
Whew! That wasn’t so hard. Can we put that in the past now? I’m not
sure if I’ll be able to keep the pace of monthly newsletters with all
that’s happening at the brewery these days. But, I’ll still try. If
you don’t hear from me for a while, just don’t take it personally.
And I invite all 2,800 of you GOOD BEER Fans reading this to check in
on the website regularly for more updates. Or better still, take a
look at www.twitter.com/EastEndBrewing once in a while. You don’t
have to sign up for Twitter if all you want to do is read our
updates. But if you do sign up, you get to join the conversation. Or
not.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you ALL in the morning on November
6th, with your bike, ready to help get those empties returned to the
brewery, safe and sound.
Cheers,
Scott
BUY A GOOD FRIEND A GOOD BEER (tm)
www.EastEndBrewing.com
http://twitter.com/EastEndBrewing
I know, I know. It's been about 4 months since we've talked. So I
just wanted to start off by saying, it's not you. It's me. Weeks
keep clipping by, and you've not heard a peep. Beer Festivals,
Tastings, Farm Dinners, and so very many New Beers… they all come and
go without so much as a word of warning here.
But then, schedule a Reverse Keg Ride and open up a New Growler Shop,
and suddenly somebody gets all chatty??? Well sure! Some things just
can’t go unsaid.
I’ll get to all of that REVERSE KEG RIDE info (Nov 6th!), and the
official announcement of our NEW GROWLER SHOP LOCATION in a little
bit. But for now, let's try to leave all of that separation anxiety
behind us, play along like none of this ever happened, and get caught
up… over a few beers, shall we?
NEW BEERS: Is it okay to call them "new" if they've already been
released and sold out? For now, I'll say yes. Here's the backlog...
and the front log of what’s to come.
- SESSION ALE #40: Wood St. Kvass
We've brewed this downright weird beer so many times now, that soaking
60 loaves of stale rye bread in hot water overnight to make a liquid
we ferment with bread yeast the next day… well it almost seems
"normal". So this time, we mixed it up a bit, brewed it a little
starchier than usual and diverted a good portion of this batch to oak
barrels for hot-aging this summer, in hopes of making some of that
wonderful lactic sourness we saw in the early batches....and boy, did
it deliver! We're going to let this sleeper of a project finish out
over the cold months of winter, so the beer can condition, clarify,
and ready itself for bottles by Spring. We’ll release it under the
name DEBASER which aside from the possibly obvious musical reference,
is also a really bad pun about the incredibly high level of acidity
and sourness in this beer. Yum!
- SESSION ALE #41: BlackberRye Ale
Yes, we brewed a rare FRUIT BEER! Usually they’re not my thing
personally speaking, as they're often too sweet, or have a really
rough and astringent finish to them. But Brendan convinced me he
could make a good one, and of course, he can. And now it's all gone.
- SESSION ALE #42: Slartibartfast
Someone once said "Drink up. The world's about to end." So, we brewed
a beer to answer the ultimate question. A nice English Style Best
Bitter. It’s gone too.
- SESSION ALE #43 BluebeRye Ale
Okay, so they’re getting a little less rare around here. But this
one’s gone too.
- SESSION ALE #44:"Weisse this beer sour?"(aka Big Pour Brew)
There's a big push these days to brew the most extreme "beer" in the
world, sometimes upwards of 50% alcohol. With an 11% barleywine in
our catalog, we're not shy about going big, but we try to balance that
out with the idea of brewing a beer that you might actually want to
drink. And while the humor and charm of a packaging a rare beer
inside a squirrel carcass is not lost on us (look it up), we will
instead opt for non-extreme re-usable Growlers for our entry in the
extreme category. Yes, we're jumping on the "extreme" bandwagon, but
I think ours may be rolling backwards, down the hill, in the other
direction.
A stinky 3-day sour mash to make a champagne-like beer that's just
under 3% abv??? You bet! There’s still a couple kegs kicking around
at the brewery for Growler fills, but it’s definitely winding down.
Berliner Weisse is wonderful style of beer for people who are “Sour
Curious”, but are maybe a little scared off by all the funk that an
un-fruited Lambic can bring to the glass. So give it a try. I've
said it before: SOUR is replacing STRONG as the new HOPPY. Any minute
now…
- SESSION ALE #45: “Redd Up Red Ale”
Our very first Red Ale, quickly redd up into your Growlers, is now
fully depleted. But I have a feeling it will come back around at some
point. Maybe it was the crowd-sourced name we got from our GOOD
FRIENDS on Twitter?
- SESSION ALE #46: Bitter End 2010
Our annual tradition of “Small Beer” brewed from the second runnings
of our Gratitude Barleywine. It’s quite different this year from
previous models, and it’s still on tap… for now.
- SESSION ALE #47: RaspberRye Ale
The third in our increasingly less-rare fruit beer series, just went
on tap October 22nd weekend at the brewery and the Growler Shop in the
Strip. Like its more-rare fruit beer predecessors, it’s been a big
mover, so get some while the getting is good!
-T.R.A.S.H. HOMEBREW CONTEST WINNER: “EAST END SESSION BEER AWARD”
Dave Mutschler brewed a Pils and entered it into the biggest homebrew
contest in town, and it scored quite well. So, we took his recipe,
scaled it up, and brewed it on the big rig. "Czech Please!" is a nice
hoppy (think “European hoppy”) lager that will go on tap in another
week or two, once it's finished lagering. But Dave gets the first
Growler, okay?
- (the beer we can't call) EYE OPENER COFFEE PORTER IS BACK!
Featuring our two favorite brewed beverages in the same glass, we did
a double batch of this beer, and in addition to packaging a bunch of
kegs, we bottled just over half of it in 1 liter swingtops so that it
will be around for a while. And this time, we used coffee from our
newest, bestest, GOOD FRIENDS at Commonplace Coffee, a local roaster
putting out some of the freshest, tastiest coffee I’ve ever had. They
do their roasting in Indiana PA, but you can find their beans around
town in all the better coffee joints, including their very own shop on
Forbes in Squirrel Hill. Plus, their website even sounds beer
friendly: www.IPACoffee.com, so how perfect is that?
Look for the release in a few weeks, possibly draft coming out before
bottles as we wait for labels to come through. Watch the website for
an announcement.
-HOMEWOOD RESERVE 2010 RETURNS
I probably mentioned before that we’ve got a bunch of Bourbon Barrels
in here, full of Black Strap Stout and aging for a few months. In a
few more weeks, we’ll bottle it all up and release this beer as our
special Homewood Reserve. You’ll also see the odd firkin or keg here
and there as well, just to help get the word out. More on this beer
as it progresses.
-FESTIVAL OF DARKNESS II:
With the return of Homewood Reserve, Coffee Porter, and Snow Melt
Winter Ale, regular offerings like Fat Gary Nut Brown Ale, and Black
Strap Stout, and our current bottled beer, Illustration Ale (Belgian
Dark Strong Ale)…it seems like we’re at a bit of a tipping point with
darker beer offerings. So we’re going to add one more to the list, a
big robust Oatmeal Stout that will go on tap only at the brewery, and
call it our Festival of Darkness II.
While we don’t have the capacity to roll them all out at once, bit by
bit we’ll let them sneak up on you, just like the short days of
winter. Except this year, you’ll be properly prepared. Bigger than
the F.O.D. we did two years back, we’ll feature a total of SEVEN
DIFFERENT TREATMENTS (also known as BEERS) to combat your “Seasonal
Affected Disorder” which comes on as the days get shorter and the
nights get long. Wow. I know I’m already feeling better, just
thinking about it.
---end of old/new beer list---
GROWLERS IN THE STRIP DISTRICT: COME AND GET IT!
I know you're not used to going for Growler fills in easy-to-find
locations, but I hope you can adapt. We've got a brand new Growler
Shop up and running in the new Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip
District. Yes, I said GROWLER SHOP. It's the very first place in the
state of PA where a brewery is selling Growlers of fresh beer outside
of the brewery, not in a bar. And believe it or not, there is no
rioting in the streets, civilization is not crumbling, in wave after
wave of rampant immorality. It's completely legal, and (brace
yourselves)... we're even open on Sundays.
Granted with four beers on tap, the selection isn't quite as diverse
as it is at the brewery, and we don't carry our Home Made Root Beer,
Kegs or BIG bottles there. But for that quick Friday-after-work
fillup, or capping off the all-day Saturday in the Strip District
shopping extravaganza, or even that Sunday afternoon "whoops, I forgot
to get beer for the game" pickup, it will certainly do the trick. And
we’ve got plenty of spare jugs around.
The tap list at the Market will be in constant rotation, so watch the
website and the Twitter feed for the latest updates on what's pouring
at BOTH locations. And for more info about the new Pittsburgh Public
Market, including a map to the place, the Market's Hours, and our
Growler Shop Hours, have a look here: http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/869.
I'll see you in the Strip!
REVERSE KEG RIDE IS JUST OVER ONE WEEK AWAY!
I know you love the Keg Ride. I do too. It’s just such an incredibly
unique mix of bikes, fun, and beer. I can’t wait until the next one.
So like last year, we've decided to use the notion of bringing those
empty Pedal Pale Ale kegs back to the brewery as a flimsy excuse to
hold another group ride, raise a little cash for a worthwhile charity,
and tap a new beer. Works for me! I could give you more details
about what it's all about, but instead, here's a web page with all of
the particulars on it, including a place where you can REGISTER for
it: http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/874
So go sign up right now. In addition to going LEGIT this time, with
insurance, permits, and marshals, we're even going to feed you! Did I
mention you should register now? I'm sure you won't regret it. Oh,
and if you can manage… bring everyone you know. I’ll be sure to have
enough beer and fun to go around.
SAME TIME NEXT MONTH?
Whew! That wasn’t so hard. Can we put that in the past now? I’m not
sure if I’ll be able to keep the pace of monthly newsletters with all
that’s happening at the brewery these days. But, I’ll still try. If
you don’t hear from me for a while, just don’t take it personally.
And I invite all 2,800 of you GOOD BEER Fans reading this to check in
on the website regularly for more updates. Or better still, take a
look at www.twitter.com/EastEndBrewing once in a while. You don’t
have to sign up for Twitter if all you want to do is read our
updates. But if you do sign up, you get to join the conversation. Or
not.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you ALL in the morning on November
6th, with your bike, ready to help get those empties returned to the
brewery, safe and sound.
Cheers,
Scott
BUY A GOOD FRIEND A GOOD BEER (tm)
www.EastEndBrewing.com
http://twitter.com/EastEndBrewing
EastEndBrewing
Nov 5, 2010, 7:59:55 AM11/5/10
to "GOOD BEER News" from East End Brewing
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