We have a quandary of sorts. Hop 15 or Not?
As you may know, we’re supposed to brew and release our epic double IPA, Hop 15, a couple of times a year — August and February. Well it’s almost February now, but we’re doing so well with our other double IPA, Mongo, that’s it a little difficult to justify tying up major tank time to brew a batch of an IPA that is, uhhh… let’s just say not for the faint of tongue. So there’s some back and forth going on behind the scenes as to what we should do.
Some of the crew says “Mongo be damned, we need to brew a big, fat batch of Hop 15 and get that hop monster out to our customers far and wide.” Another faction says “we can’t go without Mongo, let’s skip Hop 15 this time and maybe we’ll brew it in the summer.”
And then there’s a third, middle of the road group, that thinks brewing a smaller batch and sending it into limited (read: no bottles and who knows who will get it) distribution is the best solution.
Needless to say, we’re kind of at an impasse. So we’re kicking it to you, the consumer and asking what you think. Should we go whole-hop, half-hop or skip it altogether? Vote in the poll below and let us know.
Press Play and Let's Rock
This Saturday, January 21, 2012 will mark the release of the first track in our ultimate Box Set, kicking off a year-long series of super-limited beer releases inspired by those great anthem rock tunes of our youth. (Feel free to wave your lighters in the air… for you younger kids that’s what we waved at the concert before cell phones with big screens.)
Because the Box Set beers are so limited, the release process will be different than the usual, so we’ve posted everything you need to know on the Box Set page here.
On the same page you’ll also find details on Track 1, (aka Runnin’ With the Devil), which is one of the “Fresh Tracks“. It’s aged in wine barrels and spiked with Cab Sauvignon grapes and our own Brett cultures. Definitely a devilish brew…
Side note: because of some labeling “issues” with Track 1 (we’ll let you guess what they were), this release has a special label that will appear only on this version of the brew. The Full Box Set release of Track 1 will have a different label in line with the others.
Central Californian wins The Lost Abbey’s first Commercial Conclave competition with story of surfing Good Samaritan
SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Congratulations to Mario Gutierrez of Selma, California. His concept for a 30 second commercial titled “Sunburned Monk” was named the winner in The Lost Abbey’s first Commercial Conclave Competition.
The contest, which ran throughout the month of December, asked fans to submit their ideas for a 30 second to one minute commercial advertising Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey beers. The best concept, as determined by a panel of Port Brewing employees, will be produced as a broadcast commercial for the brewery with the winner on set with the cast and crew for the filming.
“We were really surprised at how many people submitted ideas, including full scripts and even some videos,” said Ryan Tillotson, The Lost Abbey’s multimedia supervisor and director for the upcoming shoot. “There were a lot of great submissions, but a few really stood out from the others,” he said.
Gutierrez’ concept, “Sunburned Monk”, a story of a beach-going monk who helps a surfer, was chosen for the “clever way it captured both the Port Brewing and Lost Abbey brands without a single word being spoken,” Tillotson said.
As grand prize winner, Gutierrez will receive an all expenses paid trip to San Diego, VIP treatment at the brewery, and go on set to assist in the filming of the commercial.
Production is scheduled to begin in February with the commercial premiering some time in late March or early April.
Two other winners were also named in the Conclave Competition. First runner up went to Simon Ford of San Pedro, California for his concept “Perfect Session”, in which the day of a Port Brewing brewer parallels a surfer’s perfect session on the water. Second runner up went to Dave A. Keenan (location unknown) for his submission, “Runaway Monk”, which details the “real” source of The Lost Abbey’s beers.
Both winners will have their concepts developed into commercial shorts later in the year.
Craft Brewery will issue a limited edition music-inspired beer each month in 2012, culminating in a collector’s box set
SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Get ready to crank the stereo up to 12. In January 2012, The Lost Abbey will begin a year-long series of special edition beer releases inspired by classic rock anthems invoking Heaven and Hell. Each month the brewery will release one new beer, culminating in December with a complete boxed gift set of all twelve. Each “track” released will be limited to a total of 450 bottles and available exclusively in the brewery’s tasting room.
Three Collections
The Box Set releases are divided into three collections of four titles each:
Re-Masters – Barrel-aged spins of The Lost Abbey mainstays
Re-Mixes – New blends created from The Lost Abbey archives
Fresh Tracks – All new beers brewed specifically for Box Set
Each release will be offered in a 375ml corked, hood-and-wire format and include its own original art. Beers will represent the full gamut of The Lost Abbey’s signature stylings, including fruit and spiced beers, wood-aged brews, sours, wild, and spontaneously-fermented ales.
Tasting Room Only
Because of the extremely limited nature of these beers, there will be no general distribution of Box Set releases. Individual tracks, priced at $15 each, will be available exclusively in the brewery tasting room on a first come, first serve basis and will be required to be opened and consumed on premises to prevent unauthorized re-distribution. Empty bottles may be taken off premises but will include measures to prevent counterfeit re-packaging.
The first track, an ode to Van Halen’s 1978 anthem, “Runnin’ With The Devil”, is scheduled for release January 21, 2012. Details will be available on The Lost Abbey website in mid January.
Subsequent tracks will be released the third Saturday of each month throughout the year, culminating in the release of the full 12-bottle packaged gift set in early December.
About Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey
Founded in 2006, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey produces an extensive line-up of award-winning ales and lagers. Under the direction of legendary brewmaster and co-founder Tomme Arthur, the brewery was named 2007 Great American Beer Festival Small Brewery of the Year, and 2008 World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery. The company’s beers, many of which are aged in oak barrels for 12 months or longer, are universally recognized for their complexity, unique flavors, and bold, boundary-pushing styles. For more information, contact Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069, telephone (800) 918-6816, and on the web at www.lostabbey.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Sage Osterfeld, Media & Communications Liaison
sage@lostabbey.com
(800) 918-6816 x 104
Well, word is out — beginning in January, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey will be distributing in New Jersey! Below is the official press release from our new distribution partners for the Garden State, Hunterdon Distributors.
(Note: Tomme will be heading East in early January to help celebrate our launch. Keep an eye on our events calendar for appearances in the area.)
Hunterdon Welcomes Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey to New Jersey
Phillipsburg, NJ – December 13, 2011 – The New Year will bring a wave of excitement to beer enthusiasts in New Jersey. Hunterdon Distributors is pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement to distribute the highly acclaimed beers of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. In addition to an assortment of their most well-known beers, the inaugural launch will feature a special draft-only release brewed exclusively for the New Jersey market. Official release parties have already been scheduled for the first week of 2012.
Based in San Diego and founded in 2006, Port Brewing Company is comprised of two of the most highly regarded labels in the country: Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. The Port Brewing line includes more aggressive and assertively hopped American & West coast-style beers, while The Lost Abbey concentrates on a unique collection of barrel-aged and Belgian-style ales.
Led by Tomme Arthur, one of the nation’s most well-respected craft brewers, both brands have found their way to the top of the craft beer charts with dozens of medals and media accolades to speak of over the last five years. Port Brewing was awarded both “Small Brewery of the Year” and “Small Brewer of the Year” at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival and “Champion Brewery” and “Champion Brewmaster” in the Small Brewery category at the 2008 World Beer Cup. All of their products have received near-perfect ratings on both Ratebeer.com and Beer Advocate.
With distribution in only eight US markets, products from both Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey have become some of the most sought-after in the industry. The company has always taken a conservative approach to expansion while putting more emphasis on providing a unique and well crafted product. When the time came to open a new market on the East Coast, they felt New Jersey was a perfect fit.
As stated by Tomme Arthur: “Hunterdon’s reputation precedes it. A lot of our good friends in the brewing industry have their beer represented by Hunterdon and have nothing but good things to say about the company.”
Hunterdon Distributors is proud to be adding Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey to its already impressive product offering in the state of New Jersey. Please visit Hunterdon’s website at www.hunterdonbrewing.com as details regarding the official release parties will be posted soon.
About Hunterdon Distributors
Hunterdon was founded in 1996 and has grown steadily over the years into a company with sixty-five full-time employees. Hunterdon has raised the bar for craft beverage availability and selection in the state by providing the most diverse and sought-after portfolio the market has to offer. The company currently represents over fifty domestic craft brands, hundreds of imports and a unique line of micro-distilled spirits, sakes, ciders and meads. Owners Mike Short and Dave Masterson continue to focus on bringing quality products to the New Jersey consumer.
We’re celebrating Hump Day with the first Food Truck roundup in North San Diego County!
Join us this Wednesday, December 7 from 5pm to 8pm as we kick off a new tradition celebrating making it “over the hump” with great craft beer and a fantastic food truck gathering outside our tasting room.
Hosted by our food truck friends, Mad Maui BBQ, every two weeks there’ll be a rotating line up of trucks available for your foodie pleasure!
Details:
When: 5pm – 8pm, Wednesday, December 7, 2011 (and every two weeks thereafter)
Where: Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey, 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069
Beverage Industry publisher Bevnet opens their winter conference today with a special conference segment dedicated to the craft beer business. The eponymously named Craft Beer Session includes speakers, education and networking opportunities for folks starting their own breweries. Among the panelists at the session will be our own Tomme Arthur who, along with the Bruery’s Benjamin Weiss and a couple members of the design community, will be discussing branding and packaging.
According to the Bevnet website, the Los Angeles-based conference is sold out, but they’re offering a free live webcast for anyone who wants to watch. Tomme’s scheduled to speak a little after 4pm Pacific time, so if you’d like to tune in, you can here: http://livestream.com/bevnetcom.
If you’re interested in seeing what the other topics and speakers are, you can see the full conference agenda here: http://www.brewbound.com/conference.
How often is it you’re sitting around with friends enjoying a great beer when a great idea for a beer commercial strikes? (If your answer is “never”, you’re drinking the wrong beer.) Well, here’s your opportunity to put that creativity to work and possibly win a trip to San Diego to go on set and help bring your commercial concept to life!
In early 2012 we’ll be filming our first broadcast-ready commercial, and we’re looking to our Faithful Followers to tell us how they’d introduce our brewery and its products to those who’ve yet to be enlightened. To help stimulate everyone’s creativity we’re holding a competition all December long for the best commercial concept! Judged by our in-house Conclave, three winners will receive Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey merchandise and wearbles. And our Grand Prize winner will be coming to San Diego!
Grand prize
An all expenses-paid two-day trip to San Diego, V.I.P. status at Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey and go on set to film the commercial with our acclaimed in-house director, Ryan Tillotson and his production crew!
The Rules
Idea submissions may be as simple as a few lines describing the overall concept, or as detailed as a complete script with action and dialogue. (Length is up to you, but the more details the better.)
Concept submissions can be for both or either brands (Port Brewing, The Lost Abbey) The subject matter can be for the brand or a specific beer.
Submitted concepts must be unique, original and yours. (Plagiarism is bad)
Submit as many concepts as you like, but each concept must be submitted individually. Multiple submissions of the same concept will be disqualified.
Concepts must be submitted by 11:59:59 PM Pacific Time on December 31, 2011.
How we’ll be judging
Concepts will be judged by a wholly subjective and very opinionated Conclave of Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey Cardinals (aka: employees).
Judging criteria include but are not limited to originality, cleverness, brand/product representation, budget requirements and feasibility.
Winners will be notified the week of January 16, 2012. (Look for the white puff of smoke from the east end of the Abbey.)
If you’re ready to submit your concept for consideration, Click here to enter!
The Fine Print
Entrants must be 21 years or older as of December 1, 2011. Employees of Port Brewing Company and their family members are not eligible to enter. All concepts submitted for consideration become the property of Port Brewing. Winners agree to have their likeness used in Port Brewing marketing and media materials.
Cuvee de Tomme 2011
The long wait is over! Cuvee de Tomme 2011 is scheduled for release in the brewery on Saturday December 17, 2011.
While larger than the 2010 release, the total run for this year’s CdT is still extremely limited, so bottles will be a brewery-only release while draft will be available in limited quantity here in Southern California.
Kevin Hopkins, Hospitality Manager
If you’ve had the opportunity to visit The Lost Abbey Tasting Room in the past couple of months, you’ve probably noticed a new (old) face behind the bar. Kevin Hopkins
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Kevin Hopkins, manager of our new Hospitality department.
As the HM, Kevin’s responsible for overseeing pretty much all of our customer-facing operations including customer service, the tasting room, tours, parties, and special events — both in the brewery and around San Diego (whew).
Those of you who have been members of The Faithful for some time will probably recognize Kevin from his frequent volunteer work at our special events (competence doesn’t go unpunished around here, so we brought him on board and put him in charge), but he’s actually been a craft beer connoisseur long before Lost Abbey — a couple of decades, in fact — first in the U.K. and Europe and later right here in San Diego.
When he’s not serving beer and propounding the superiority of upper Yakima over lower Yakima hops or the many virtues of a good stout, you’ll find Kevin looking up — literally.
Kevin’s a long-time flying buff who doesn’t just love the sound of a plane thundering overhead, he loved it so much, he spent years managing airshows full of them. No too coincidentally, he’s also an accomplished pilot who takes to the air as often as he can. (Good thing too. We need someone to captain The Lost Abbey Airship Gabriel.)
You can catch Kevin in the tasting room most weekdays and the occasional weekend. For all his latest tasting room and local updates, you can also follow him on twitter at @LostAbbeyKevin. On other days, just look overhead. If you see a plane pulling barrel rolls, that’s probably him.
First Ever: Commercial Conclave
Send us a concept for a commercial; win and you get it filmed! Got an Idea for an Ad?
You know the scenario. You’re sitting there with your friends, enjoying a perfect glass of craft beer, and suddenly you’ve got a great idea for a commercial. (If this has never happened to you, you are drinking the wrong kind of beer.)
Well now here’s you’re chance to capitalize on your creativity!
The whole month of December we’ll be accepting submissions for Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey 60 second commercial concepts. From all the submissions we’ll select one concept (via a very serious Conclave process) to be filmed as an actual advertisement for our brewery. The winner will receive an all expenses-paid two-day trip to San Diego, V.I.P. status at Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey and go on set to film the commercial with our acclaimed in-house director, Ryan Tillotson!
Full details, rules, limits, legalese and fine print will be available on The Lost Abbey website starting December 1, 2011.
