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Living life at 222

It’s Friday and I finally have my desk cleared of all the clutter that piled up in my absence. On Wednesday evening, I returned from another week on the road into Boston and Philadelphia. I must be insane. First of all, I keep booking flights to the east coast during February when everyone is pining to be in San Diego. Secondly, my liver has decided that week long trips are getting to be too much especially when it involves drinking at the Extreme Beer Fest and spending time in Philly with Curt Decker and Tom Peters.

Living life at 222

It was a great trip as I got to ship out a bunch of our new and forthcoming releases. For Boston, we tapped the only East Coast keg of Angel’s Share Grand Cru, along with Red Poppy 2010, Framboise de Amarosa and other great beers. We have been working on these beers and tasting their progress for many months now and felt they would be well received. And they most certainly were. The Grand Cru is something that I think is expressive now but has the attributes to be amazing many many years from now.

Down in Philly, we had another Lost Abbey beer dinner at Monk’s Cafe. Very few places in this country know how to cook and pair food with beer better than Tom Peters so it’s never a let down when we go there. There were 54 tickets to the beer dinner offered this year and it took them 10 minutes to sell it out. Thank you to the kind souls in The City of Brotherly Lover who waited in the frigid conditions in January to secure tickets. We hope we made it worth your while.

The dinner started out with Red Poppy being served alongside Pate with a cherry sauce. The second course was Tartare of Salmon and Caviar paired with Carnevale 2009. The third course was the start of what is known as the “Monk’s Double Meat Course(s).” It was Quail stuffed with Sausage and Wild Rice. Tom paired this with Framboise de Amarosa and it was delightful. I think everyone knows I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy which is why the fourth course of Oso Buco and Potato Ravioli was high on my list. It did not disappoint and it was paired with Ten Commandments and Lost And Found. The Ten Commandments with its’ Honey, Rosemary and Caramelized Raisins really owned the dish- Sublime.

I told the crowd that I was most looking forward to the fifth course as it was a cheese and beer pairing. I found it amusing that I would be most drawn to the cheese and beer pairing as it meant that Monk’s actually didn’t cook anything for the dish. Yet, it was the beers that I wanted to showcase. Tom offered up Angel’s Share Grand Cru paired with an English Stilton that was beyond silly. We also had Veritas 007 (wiith Cabernet Franc Grapes) on the menu. This was paired with a Swiss Sheep’s Milk cheese. I would have had more then one plate of each had dessert not been put in front of me. The final pairing of the evening was Cuvee de TomMe with a Molten Lava Cherry Cake. Sweet mother of Nomutu Nectar. I was spent when this thing was over. Monk’s had officially risen to the challenge yet again and woven one of the most mystical tapestries of gastronomy for our beers that I have ever been a part of.

I think I gained about 8 lbs on this trip. Considering the amount of ridiculous food and beer that was always being put in front of me, it’s hard not to do so. I’m living life at 222 these days. It’s more than I like to carry around but sometimes you just can’t say no. This was but one week of my shrinking life. Albeit a very good one.

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Libri Divini – February 2010

In This Issue

Around the Brewhouse

Greetings from Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. Our beloved Director of Brewery Operations is taking this issue off from his column as he’s on the East Coast this week doing several special appearances (or, as we call it: “Being Tomme Arthur”).

Not to worry, however, as we’ve still got a lot of news for you. Read on.

Expansion Updates

First off, our tasting room expansion is nearly complete. As you’ve probably read in previous newsletters, via the website, Facebook, etc., back in late November we began a major expansion of our tasting room and warehouse / barrel room / cold storage.

We’re please to report that the expansion — save a few minor details — is complete. With the construction of the new warehouse and barrel room across the lot from the brewhouse and tasting room, we’ve not only been able to bump our barrel library to 800-plus barrels, but also nearly double the size of our tasting bar to 42 feet, add 14 more taps for fresh beers, and create a vintage bottle list for visitors who would like to sample some our rarer delights. Combine that with our swanky lighting, new bottle cabinetry and hip bistro-style barrel tables, and you’ve got a tasting room experience quite unlike anything else.

You can learn more about our tasting room on our website here: http://www.lostabbey.com/tasting-room/

A New (Old) Face

Terri Osterfeld, Tasting Room & Special Events Manager
Along with our with our new tasting room, we’re also pleased to announce our new tasting room and special events manager, Terri Osterfeld.

Those of you familiar with Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey know that Terri (aka: “Beer Molly”) has been a staple behind the bar on weekends since late 2006.

But with our fancy new digs and the ever-expanding crowds, we started needing her here a lot more than just weekends. So as of January 1 Terri became a full-time employee in charge of the tasting room, merchandise, special events, and online sales. Now she’s here Wednesdays through Sundays, serving beers, filling orders, coordinating tours and basically keeping the public side of our operation running smoothly.

If you ever have a chance to drop by the brewery or purchase anything from our online store, Terri’s the girl who handles it for you, so make sure to say hi. She can be reached at terri@lostabbey.com or through our website at: http://www.portbrewing.com/visit-us/contact-the-tasting-room/

Extended Tasting Room Hours

Oh, and speaking of Terri, now that she’s on board fulltime, we have newly extended tasting room days and hours. They are as follows:

  • Wednesday: 1pm to 5pm – Growler Fills & Bottles Sales only
  • Thursday: 12pm to 5pm – Growler Fills & Bottles Sales only
  • Friday: 2pm to 8pm – Full Tasting Room (Tasters, Pints, Growlers & Bottles)
  • Saturday: 12pm to 5pm – Full Tasting Room (Tasters, Pints, Growlers & Bottles)
  • Sunday: 12pm to 4pm – Full Tasting Room (Tasters, Pints, Growlers & Bottles)
  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday: Closed

You can all the info on our tasting room (beers on tap, vintage bottles, special events, etc.) by visitng our website at: http://www.lostabbey.com/tasting-room/

Barrels for Sale

Lost Abbey Barrels

As you’re probably aware, we have quite an extensive collection of barrels in which we age beers. What you might not know, however, is that many of those barrels — especially our spirit barrels (bourbon, brandy, sherry) — we only use once.

Oh, they still impart lots of flavor and character, but the style of beer combined with the volume we’re producing really dictates that we used fresh distilled spirit barrels.

As a result, we have a regular supply of whole (empty) barrels that we’re willing to part with for very little. Not only do these barrels have great flavor, but there color and character are something to behold too. So if you’re a homebrewer, a gardener (yes, they make great planters), a craftsman, or any one of hundreds of other people who has use for gently-used spirit barrels, these are just $25 each (whole 33gal barrel) when you pick up it up.

If you’re interested, visit our website here: http://www.portbrewing.com/buy-our-beers/buy-a-barrel/

Upcoming Events

Carnevale di Lost Abbey

Carnevale di LostAbbey Masquerade Party
Saturday, February 27th is our 3rd Carnevale di Lost Abbey Masquerade party. An annual bash held in honor of the release of our 2009 GABF Gold Medal-winning Carnevale Ale, we’ll be serving up food by our house chef Vince, live music by the Professors, and a huge tap and bottle list of great Port Brewing and Lost Abbey beers.

The masquerade is from 7pm to 11pm and food and music are free for everyone who shows up in costume and mask. It’s $10 for those without a costume (we will, however, provide you with a mask). Beers are all regular price.

More information, visit the Lost Abbey website at: http://www.lostabbey.com/3rd-annual-carnevale-di-lost-abbey-masquerade-party/

New Website

Hey, did you notice that our Port Brewing website has an all new look? Check it out at: http://www.portbrewing.com

New Releases

» More upcoming releases