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Santa Baby

It’s that time of year when kids across this country are actually dragged by their ears to the malls of America so that they can kick and scream on some watered down version of Santa as he listens to “Little Jaunito” tell him about wanting a “Red Rider Uzi with Matching Bandana.”

I happen to avoid the mall like the plague. As we all know, they don’t sell Cantillon in the Kiosks so what’s the point of trudging through the aisles looking for something that doesn’t exist. I for one believe in Santa Claus but the older I get, the more I tend to want to believe in Cantillon Claus. You know the one that eats the cookies and leaves a bottle of Lou Pepe Framboise behind!

Now that I am a father of a child who “understands” Christmas, it is somewhat more difficult to go shopping. No longer can we go down the aisle at Target and pick up things for her even though she’s sitting in the shopping cart. It sucks. But the upside is it means she’s that much closer to being able to brew her own beer.

As you may recall, last year, we got Sydney her very own My First Homebrewers Kitchen. She has literally worn out the mash paddle with each and every batch. She’s a prodigous kitchen brewer that Sydney. She brews 2-3 times a week just like her dear old dad. Now that she’s a year older, I’ve returned to the crossroads of responsible parenting and Christmas. You see, this year, she wants a bicycle of her very own. Maureen and I are all for that. We have a large carport she can safely ride in so why not. She’s already told Santa that it needs to be Pink. Ok that shouldn’t be too hard.

Yet, as we all know, if you want to be the coolest kid on the block your bike better have some serious accessories on board. So, I’ll be keeping an eye out this year for the kinds of things that are bound to make hers’ the baddest and most trickest trike on the block. I already have a bid on a vintage license plate to hang off the seat. It was easy finding a Duvel Metal License plate. But, they’re a bit more liberal about these things in Belgium. I looked high and low for one in pink but the best I could do was White, Red and Black. Sorry Sydney! Daddy is good. He can turn Barley into beer but he can’t make Duvel pink! (You’ll learn soon enough that’s a job for even bigger corporations)

Now that I have properly decked out the seat of the bike, I’ll be turning my attention to the handle bars. As we all know, no trike would be complete without a beverage holder. So, I found a sweet swivel unit on line (in Chrome no less) that rotates as she rides as to not spill her beverage. As she has graduated from a sippy cup to a real cup this is very important. As we all know, no one likes to cry over spilt milk.

From the same online site, I acquired the requisite Frame and Ice Chest combination for the back deck of the trike. This was a tough sell to her mom. She was concerned that perhaps Sydney would end up with too many beverages on board causing her to become “tipsy.” And as we all know, Drinking and Triking is a serious no no.

This is why I was able to convince her mother that we should absolutely spring for the “My First Pedal Lock Breathalyzer.” Thing is, I’m having a hard time finding one of these. My conversations last year prepared me for the inevitable “I’m sorry sir we don’t stock breathalyzers that read Vitamin D levels on your child’s breath.” But I thought without a doubt, I would be able to acquire one somehow. So if anyone out there knows of a place where I can purchase one, I would really appreciate it. I can’t let Sydney Milk and Trike. That would be irresponsible parenting to say the least.

Oh and speaking of responsible Triking, I have one essential piece that I need to acquire. It seems that Sydney really wants a Pink Princess Helmet. It’s gonna suck when she opens the one on Christmas Day that I got for her. It’s Gray with Flying Pink Elephants (Thank you Delerium Tremens!). Like any great father, I will explain that they were all sold out of the Pink Princess Helmets but had these awesome Pink Dumbo ones in stock. Sydney’s pretty smart so I figure it will take her about a week to figure out those aren’t Dumbo. Flying Elephants yes, Dumbo No.

But it won’t matter. Because by then, she’ll be the coolest kid in the carport. Each morning she’ll peddle out the garage with an ice chest loaded with Milk for her friends. Pink Elephants will flap in the breeze on her helmet as she peddles down the drive. I’ll be momentarily disappointed that Dogfishead was out of Cycling Jerseys in 2T. But Sam will make it up with a trailer for the trike with some kind of new fangled orgonoleptic chocolate infusing milk back as an yet to be invented accessory for her trike.

And on that Friday December 26, 2008 I will smile from work at my uber slick parenting skills. Sydney’s Tricked out Trike will have a Devil for a license plate and a pedal lock should she ever think about overindulging on Vitamin D before peddling. I can go to work each day safe in the knowledge that I have provided for her and that no way in hell is there going to be a cooler kid in the carport than her! And that my friends is what I call responsible parenting…

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My Charlie Brown Halloween

When I was a much younger little brewer in training, the fall holiday season inevitably meant waiting for the Charlie Brown specials to come on tv. Mind you, this is/was before the VCR and now DVD player became a common household item. Today’s kids have no idea what this is like. Each Sunday, Sydney and I get up in the morning and watch all sorts of recorded shows on our Tivo. Mickey Mouse Club House. Check got that. Backyardigans. Check them too.

But it wasn’t always this easy. When we were growing up, you actually had to look in the TV guide to see when the “specials” and holiday shows were scheduled to be on TV. God forbid you were doing something that night because once they were gone, it was wait until the next month. It started each fall with It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. To this day, it remains a classic.

I was reminded of this on Halloween this year as Sydney and I set out to go door to door and Trick or Treat. Sydney was dressed all in black and went as a Kitty Cat for her 3rd Halloween. This year, she was old enough to carry her own candy basket, ring doorbells and say “Trick or Treat.” She also learned that being young has its merits. Typically this meant an extra piece of candy.

But back to Charlie Brown for a moment if you will. As Sydney and I were going door to door in our Condo complex and raking in the candy, I had a poor old Charlie Brown moment. We approached a door and rang the doorbell. This was just as Halloween is scripted. While she was receiving her candy, a group of sensible Collegiate Aged young men were partying on a neighboring balcony. They motioned that we should knock on their door. So we obliged. When the door opened, there was the obligatory exchange of Trick or Treats and Candy earned for such rapport.

There was also a “Hey man, you look like you could use a beer?” (I guess I really looked thirsty)! And, while this may come as a surpise but in my infinite wisdom, I had allowed myself to leave the safety and confines of my house, on a Friday night mind you, without a beer. These dudes sensed my pain. And so one of them procured a can of America’s (er Belgium’s) finest Lager Beer. And so it was that I began to feel like Charlie Brown. Sydney and I backed away from the Condo, looked into her bag at the new candy bars and that’s when it hit me.

I had become Charlie Brown. My duaghter was getting all the kick ass treats and I got the proverbial rock- a can of tepid Budweiser. ARGH!!! So I did what any sensible Blockhead would do and I opened the can of warm American (er Blegian) Lager mouthing the words “we know of no other beer in the world…” No kidding!

We marched on to the next houses and at each stop, I found myself, like Charles Brown, hoping for better. “Oh please oh please, let this one have Sierra Nevada.” And then there was nothing. Well except for that Rock I received at the last house. We advanced on the next row of Condos. “Oh please, oh please, let there be a can of Maui Coconut Porter.” And when the door slammed, I watched as Sydney marveled at her new found bounty all the while I was left muttering about this stupid rock.

By the time we reached the last set of Condos, I was convinced that the beer Gods would shine on me again. I mean they had to right? Just like Linus in the Pumpkin Patch, the beer Gods would rise up and offer me something, anything better than the rock I was currently toting around our community. If Sydney had known what her Daddy was going through, she might have screamed at me like Sally did at Linus that night.

But it wasn’t meant to be. We ended our jaunt through the neighborhood with nary another beer in sight. I returned home with a daughter beaming from ear to ear obviously ecstatic to have learned the true meaning of Halloween. Apparently Halloween is the one night every year where everyone gives you candy and daddy stares into a can of Budweiser and mumbles “Good Grief, all I got was a stupid rock.”

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You can now add Blasphemer to my list of accomplishments!

With apologies to those who have been reading my short blogs of late, this one is going to lack the brevity but hopefully it will be worth it.

Three weeks ago while attending the Great American Beer Festival, I was interviewed by Erik Gorski of the Associated Press. He was writing an article on Religion and Beer. It was published on October 16, 2008 under the title “Finding God at a beer festival.” In the two weeks since it was printed, this piece has been reprinted more times then Declaration of Independence. Perhaps you’ve seen the article? If not, here is the link. We got ample coverage in the article including the all important opening salvo. All told, it was a homerun for The Lost Abbey.

Which brings me to my blog today. Four years ago when we were in the developmental phase for The Lost Abbey, I lead a discussion with Vince, Gina and Jim that discussed the merits and difficulties of a Religious based thematic emphasis for our brand. At that time, I let them know I expected we would upset more than a few people along the way. Frankly, I’m surprised it took so long for this to happen. But it finally happened. This morning in the Worthington Daily Globe (that’s Worthington, Minnesota) a letter from The Rev. Jim Sickmeyer, Pastor of the Worthington Baptist Temple was printed in the paper. Here’s the link to the article. Since I have been waiting over four years to be attacked by the Religious Right, I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

Today was a monumental day. I joined the rank and file of those who fire missives to the editor of newspapers. Here is my letter to the editor. Let’s hope they publish it…

This morning, I received a link to a letter written by The Rev. Jim Sickmeyer Pastor, Worthington Baptist Temple, Worthington Daily Globe. It merited comments. My name is Tomme Arthur and I am one of the Owners and Director of Brewery Operations for The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, CA. We at the Lost Abbey would like to thank The Rev. Jim Sickmeyer for noting our business is rooted in Blasphemy. Unfortunately Reverend, our opinion of The Lost Abbey Brewery is seemingly more positive than your cursory review of our operations based on a newspaper article. But, we’re not here to make apologies for our myopia.

However, we at The Lost Abbey are in the business of producing “Inspired beers for Sinners and Saints alike. Like you, we believe our lives began under the doctrine of free will allowing us the opportunity to make choices for ourselves. We view the production of an alcoholic beverage is something worthy of our time and attention. And our God agrees with us.

In your letter, you have quoted scripture in numerous contexts. Each of these passages speaks not to the consumption of alcohol in moderation only overindulgence. As members of the Brewers Association located in Boulder, CO. we endorse and support their mantra ‘Savor the Flavor Responsibly.” Certainly, excess consumption of any alcoholic beverage can lead to serious problems at home. However, to blithely state “Alcohol has destroyed more lives and ruined more marriages and families than most other issues, and then quote traffic statistics from the NHTSA is Non sequitur at best.

Perhaps you hit the nail squarely on the head when you assert, “isn’t it amazing how alcohol brings out the hypocrisy in society?” We couldn’t agree with you more as your arguments invoke a seemingly intolerant God who blasts away from heaven at the drinkers below. While it may seem incredulous to you, our production of an alcoholic beverage is neither illegal nor illicit. As such, we will continue our morally repugnant practice of turning malted barley into beer. We at The Lost Abbey are operating a World Class Brewery and believe that using religious themes and contexts to frame our beers is neither blasphemous nor morally indignant.

I attended Catholic grade school and high school here in San Diego at St. Augustine High School. I have read my fair share of the bible and understand the ethos of moderation and the spiritual importance of wine as it relates to Christian Doctrines. From the first Miracle at Cana to the Last Supper, wine was a part of rituals and miracles. I’m not one to quote scripture as most Blasphemers are apt to do. But as a sinner, I much prefer ” a feast is made for laughter and wine makes us merry.” (Ecclesiastes 10:19)

I’m Tomme Arthur and I approve this message.

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2008 GABF wrapup

It’s hard to imagine not wanting to drink a beer. But, that’s exactly how I felt yesterday. AND, it was the first day in a VERY long time that I didn’t “want” a beer. Denver has a way of doing that to you. 6 days of marathon like consumption has a way of beating you down. Yes it was an amazing week of beer and I am thankful that it is over (at least the consumption part).

On Saturday afternoon, our Hop 15 earned a bronze medal. That’s it. We were hoping for a few more beers to be awarded medals but it was not to be. Am I bummed? Sure thing. It’s called expectations. We have more than a few. Did I cry about it? Nope. Did I say that it’s just a “crapshoot?” Nope. Why? Because at the end of the day, it remains the best judged competition in the world. AND, if the judges (even the bone headed ones) figure there are better beers on the table (than ours), then that’s the way it works.

This year some of the biggest players in the industry got shut out. It happens every year. We HOPE that it doesn’t happen to us but we were one bronze medal away from joining their frustrations. It sucks (being shut out). But it doesn’t mean we go all chicken little and revert to the “sky is falling” speech patterns.

One medal is nice. More is always appreciated. Yet, if you stood at our booth during any of the first three sessions, you would know that our beer was certainly appreciated. So much so, that we ran out before the end of the third session. Considering that we shipped extra beer for the event, this came as a surprise. We may not have added numerous new medals to our collection but that’s okay. We continue to find consumers eager to embrace our beers.

San Diego wracked up another 13 GABF medals and AleSmith won the Small Brewery of the Year Award. Congratulations to Peter and Company for their acheivement. This means a San Diego based brewery has now won a Small Brewing or Brewpub award at the GABF 4 times since 2003. That says A LOT! Our Pizza Port brothers in Carlsbad won 5 awards which pretty much means they kicked more ass than most states. All told, this is an amazing place to brew and drink beer.

Yes, we may have fell short by our standards of excellence. Not everyone can be Firestone Walker. Mad props to Matt, Freckles and the crew. Their Passion for Pale is obvious. Another GABF is in the books. We’ll have to wait until late September of next year to find out who comes out on top. If I was a betting man, I would have to put some money on the breweries of San Diego coming out ahead of the pack. It seems like old hat but it’s true.

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It’s Go Time!

It’s Friday morning and the 2008 Great American Beer Festival has finished judging all the beers. I am hearing numbers near 3000 beers this year. It will surpass the 2008 World Beer Cup as the largest commercial beer competition in the world. These my friends are exciting times.

Now that my judging duties are done, I can turn my energies to more pressing things (also known as relaxing and getting my drink on) Tonight, I will work the festival floor before heading back to the hotel to consume many of the remaining bottles from the competition. When I finally pass out, it better be for good. You see, I have trouble sleeping the night before the awards. It’s silly but very true.

Tomorrow, around 11 AM, I will hopefully wake and make preparations for the Saturday and the awards ceremony. We’ll gather for our annual Chipotle visit and ensure that we do not break from tradition. This dates back to 2003 when Jeff and I won small brewpub brewery of the year. Since then, you can count on seeing us at Chipotle on Saturday before the fest. We’ll inhale a burrito before heading to the hall.

It will be an antsy morning and early afternoon as we wait for the ceremony. It’s crazy. But then, Chris Swersey will take that stage and with his first “welcome,” it will be go time. As I mentioned in my previous post, I think the beers we have sent this year are amazing. There are always question marks and beers that didn’t travel well but at the end of the day, I have never been more confident about our beers. And confidence in our beers isn’t something I lack. We’ve sent 11 beers. So let’s break them down for you here.

Tomorrow, around 2:00 we’ll find out how we have fared. Let’s just say my expectations are incredibly high. My parents have even traveled to Denver to be a part of the festivities. We’ll open the ceremony like last year with Judgment Day. It took the Gold Medal in Specialty Beers last year and we never looked back. It didn’t win in San Diego but was very well received. The batch we have sent is amazing and really should stand out. However, rumor on the street is that there were “many” beers brewed with raisins entered this year. No surprise there. A raisin beer has won the Gold twice in the last 3 years. If Judgment Day hits the board, it might signal a monster day for us.

We won’t have to wait too long as our next beer is Brouwer’s Imagination Saison and its entered in category 14. American-Belgo Style Ale. This beer won a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup so I know it plays well with the judges. What remains to be seen is how this new category shakes out. I have my thoughts but will share them later. Matt Boney wants to crash the stage should this beer win. Look for a smiling publican if it does.

Cuvee de Tomme will rocket from the gates next at Category 18 Wood and Barrel Aged Sour. Cuvee is our most decorated beer AND it has won the last two Gold Medals at the 2007 GABF and 2008 World Beer Cup. How do I feel about our chances. Let’s just say that Cuvee rarely misses and leave it at that.

The very next category is Aged or Vintage beers. We have 2 beers entered here. The Angel’s Share 2006 and Veritas 003. I think we have two amazing beers in this field of beers. I hate competing with two beers in the same category but this was the best fit. Everyone in our tasting panel picked The 2006 Angel’s Share on their lists. I certainly agree with them. Veritas 003 will most likely get bounced for wood flavors but you just never know…

We’ll have to wait for a while as the lager categories will munch up a good portion of the middle rounds. We come back to play at category at Category 47 Imperial IPA. We entered Hop 15 here. Given how many great Double IPA’s are out there, you won’t find me holding my breath on this one. I didn’t even place it in our top 8 beers which count towards the Brewery of the Year Awards. Awesome beers rule this category. I would like to grace the stage again someday for Hop 15 so let’s hope.

They’ll march through the rest of the American Styles before heading for Belgium. We have entered several beers here. First up is Ne Goeien Saison. This was the collaborative beer that we brewed with Hildegard from Urthel. It’s pretty spot on and may be the best chance we’ve had at winning this award. I’m hoping it happens. The beer scored very well in our tasting panel. Would’t surprise me in the least.

The next category is Belgian and French Style Ales. We dropped Devotion in here to see what would happen. Most of the tasters mentioned too bitter for style. I won’t be ignorant of their scores. However, I still think the softness of this beer makes it a wild card for me.

We’ll be watching the board intently as category 62 is Sour Ales. We have entered Red Poppy and Isabelle Proximus here. I just can’t get away from the marvelous depth of flavors that Isabelle puts forth. This was a unanimous pick last weekend at our tasting. For me, it would be very special. All five of the Brett Pack would join me on stage. That is a photo I’m hoping for.

Red Poppy won a Silver Medal at the World Beer Cup. It’s an awesome beer. I just think it will get buried at this competition. I would love to be pleasantly surprised but wouldn’t bet the farm on it. This is one burly category filled with amazing beers.

Last but certainly not least will be Serpent’s Stout. This is category 72 Imperial Stout. This beer has aged so gracefully, I can’t help but think it has a legitimate shot. This is one mother of a category as well. Even so, this beer tops my list along with Isabelle Proximus.

That’s it. Tomorrow at 1:30, Mayor Hickenlooper will exit the stage and it will be go time. It’s ridiculous to think about a monster day at the GABF given our success of late. But, we’ve put in the the time so forgive us for dreaming of riches and glory. My guys have earned it as well. We’ll see you out there…

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Concrete= Progress

They’re pouring concrete in what used to be our conference room today. For those of you who have visited the Abbey in the last few months, you might have noticed, we’re running out of places to put all of our beers. As such, it was decided that we didn’t “need” the conference room so much as we “needed” a place to put more beer. So, three weeks ago we started demolishing our once cool meeting room and our signature logo pint glass was lost forever. (sorry Sean!)

Today, at 8:30, they backed up the dumptruck and opened the gate as wet concrete flowed through our front door. It was quite the site to see from my office window as loads went by. All in the name of progress I tell you. These days at The Lost Abbey, bottled beer accounts for about 80% of our sales. As such, we can’t afford to shut down the bottling line during the brewing or keg cleaning process. This means that in two weeks time, we’ll be able to accomplish all three tasks simulaneously on any given day. This will mean an increase in our efficiencies and ultimately lead to a greater output of beer. Which as we all know is VERY important.

It’s important as we just came off our busiest two month period in the history of the company. We expect this trend to continue as we begin to brew larger batches of beer and reach out to new territories. Last month we launched in Colorado and it’s looking pretty certain we’ll have beer in Illinois (Chicago to start) by mid November if all goes well. The last month has been stressful beyond belief but that’s what happens when you’re multi-tasking all the time.

Next week, we’re going to turn the screws back up on the brewing side of things. My guys will love the fact that they get to brew again. Lately it seems we have been on a packaging binge. Now that most of the beer is out of the way, we can go back to brewing and bottling bigger batches of beer. With the new packaging area finished, I may even get to start looking at a real bottling line. I have my eye on one. Just don’t tell Jim about it!

That’s about it for now. For those of you in our far reaching territories, we would like you to know that we are currently in conversations with Microstar about a keg contract. If we get this sorted out, we would be able to finally ship draft beer outside of our region. This would be a major bonus. Keep your fingers crossed. I know what I’ve asked Santa to bring me this year. Would a new keg contract and bottling line be sweet? Little Boys can dream don’t you know?