1. You hate it when I spell your name Jessie, what else bugs the bejeezus out of you? The birthday song. It’s trite and no one can sing it well. Other than that just this lovely little narcissistic society we’ve created for ourselves.
2. What are you always listening to on your headphones? Usually all sorts of podcasts but mostly comedic by nature. I prefer to walk around with mental stimulation and giggles emitting from my face. It’s helpful too because it makes an onlooker think I’m a crazy person thus blending right in at the transit station.
3. It’s common knowledge that you’re a master Angry Birds player, besides that game, what’s your favorite Smart Phone App? Someone has gravely led you astray. I have a crippling fear of birds and love for bovines of all variety. Therefore, that is a game I would never support. To them I say “GOOD DAY!!” shazaam is pretty neat though. I wonder how It works you know.
4. If you had the choice to record DVD commentary on any movie to be included on the disc, what would it be and what would you wear?It would have to be ” the room ” and I’d wear the same clothes as the main character named Jonny. After all I too am just an average American man.
5. 4th of July is right around the corner, do fireworks still make you go “ooooh… aaaahhhh”? No, just aaahhhh no ooooh. And I should clarify the aaaahh is more of shriek like AAAAAAAHHH!!!!
6. Favorite Seinfeld episode? Only correct answer: the contest.
7. I want to re-ask a question that was asked last week, it’s a good question but Kelsey’s answer sucked… Picture this: We’re building a Lost Abbey Restaurant, and letting the staff each craft and name a meal on the menu… What would be your culinary creation (Sandwich, burrito, crepe, etc)? You know how some people question if the first moon landing was a hoax. I question you for thinking this is a ” good question “. That said, halibut or shark or some kind of higher end fish I guess.
Our lord and lady of the night along with our best mask and best costume winners
Our annual Carnevale masquerade party celebrating the release of our lent beer, Carnevale, was last weekend. Here’s a few photos of the folks who attended.
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.
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.
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.
Date:December 17 December 24, 2011 – 12:00pm – 7:00pm
This will be the release date for Cuvee de Tomme 2011, our multi-award winning bourbon barrel-aged aged strong ale with sour cherries.
Cuvee de Tomme 2011
Release Details:
Style: Cuvee de Tomme 2011
Format: 375ml cork-stoppered bottles
Price: $15 per bottle
Limits: 6 bottles per person
Supplies of this beer are extremely limited. Bottle sales will be brewery only and a select quantity of draft will be available in the Southern California region, however, it will not reach any of our other distribution areas (sorry).
Because we expect this beer to sell out quickly, we’ll open our doors at 11am for registration; bottle sales will begin at 12pm.
Standard disclaimer: This is a barrel-aged beer. As such release dates are subject to change based on the whims of the barrels.
Update 1: 12/14/11 – Release has been delayed by one week to December 24, 2011.
Being here in San Diego, we’re chocked full of great craft breweries. So many in fact that it’s not unusual to see and members of the local brewing community on TV and the radio.
What is unusual, however, is to be driving to work listening to the radio when suddenly the people on air are talking about you (or at least your brewery) being the best in the county — which is exactly what happened to us this morning.
The following is an on air conversation between KPRi 102.1 FM radio personalities Madison and Pamela Howe, and San Diego local beer connoisseur, Robbert Jeffords regarding San Diego Beer Week. Guess who they all agreed as the best brewery in San Diego?
Okay, so you weren’t able to land tickets to our annual Barrel Party Night. No worries, because we’ve got the next best thing — a live streaming broadcast from the party! Our oh-so suave host, Andy Killion, and The Lost Abbey Camera crew will be there to bring you all faces, food, fun (and, of course, barrel-aged beers) as it happens!
Join us as we once again delve into our legendary barrel archives for a one-of-a-kind exploration into the mysteries of The Oak.
Limited to 125 people, guests will be treated to an intimate evening of rare beers paired with hors d’ oeuvres prepared by our Abbey chefs-in-residence. Each guest will also receive a bottle of our extremely limited Veritas 010 release.
Hard to believe it’s already August, but here it is. Around the Abbey we’ve been so busy that we almost didn’t notice summer is just about at an end. Since spring we’ve been brewing so much that we’ve passed our total production for 2010 and are in the midst of yet another expansion to meet demand.
As part of that expansion we recently moved fermenters 7 and 8 (aka: “Heaven” and “Hell” since that’s what had to be moved to get them into the brewhouse) into our production area next door in anticipation of the arrival of a couple more big fermenters in the next few weeks. Tomme’s also made mention of acquiring a couple of new grain silos which will prevent us from running our current one dry each week (it’s hard to make beer when you have no malt).
Moving "Heaven" for more beer
All this new equipment will allow us to keep ramping up production and eliminate some of the off and on shortages we’ve been experiencing. And while there’s no expansion of our distribution territories planned just yet, who knows — 2012 could present some new opportunities for us.
Things have been busy over in the tasting room as well. Even though we’re a tiny operation compared to many of our San Diego craft brewing compatriots, we’re on track to see almost 60,000 (yes, 60,000!) visitors this year. To handle all the new folks we’ve already added an additional 20 taps –for a total of 44 handles — and we’ve got some exciting new remodels in the works for the fall. Look for an announcement with details some time after Labor Day.
All told, it’s pretty good stuff and we owe it all to you, the Faithful. Thank you. You keep drinking and we’ll keep brewing.
New Faces: Meet Ryan Tillotson
Ryan Tillotson, the man behind the lensRecently you may have noticed one the addition of some new multimedia components — photo galleries, video shorts and live broadcasts — the Lost Abbey website and our social media pages. (And if you haven’t noticed, why not?) All this is the work of our new Multimedia Supervisor, Ryan Tillotson, who recently joined us after graduating from film school up in the Los Angeles area.
A gifted guy behind the camera, Ryan is tasked both with documenting life here at the Abbey, and providing you with an informative (and hopefully interesting) look inside the operations of a small American craft brewery.
Beyond providing daily snapshots from around the brewhouse, Ryan has also produced the first two of our “making of” videos (Hot Rocks, La Cruda and Ten Commandments), and our time-lapse silo video. He’s also the man who directed our live broadcasts from the Anniversary Party and Christmas in July. Over the next couple of months you can look forward to plenty more from him.
Ryan’s in the brewhouse most weekdays and a few weekends as well. You’ll also catch him at events around town and some big national ones such as the GABF. If you happen to bump into him anywhere, make sure to say hello. Who knows, he could make you Internet famous…
Stone Brewing’s 15th Anniversary party is just a week away, and as usual we’ll be serving breakfast at the brewery for everyone who wants to carbo-load before heading up to the first session a “stone’s” throw away at Cal State San Marcos.
Beer for Breakfast, August 20, 2011
Our dynamic-duo of chefs, Jason Danderand and Steve Owen will be manning the Magic kitchen and griddling, grilling, frying, smoking and steaming their way through a monster buffet of rib-sticking breakfast foods. As always, the food and fun are free, the beers are regular price.
Each summer we host an intern who spends several weeks with the brew crew learning how to make beer the Port/Lost Abbey way. (We’re not really sure if this hurts or helps in the real world, but whatever.) Our first intern five years ago was named Larry, and even since then we’ve always referred to the summer intern as “The New Larry”.
This year’s Larry (number 5) is Travis Herman who hails from the East Bay area up in Northern California. Travis recently left a career in bio-research and for the past five weeks has been working long hours learning the craft of brewing from the ground up. (Biggest lesson: “brewing is a lot of hard work.”)
Travis’ internship ends today and he, along with his dog, Hudson, who came down here with him, is driving back to Northern California this weekend to rejoin his wife, who is six months pregnant. A quiet, friendly guy with a wry sense of humor and a quick brain, we’re all going to miss him around here and wish him the best of luck in starting his career as a brewer.
If you’re ever in the Bay Area and happen to run into Travis, feel free to call him “Larry”. He’s only one of five to have earned the title, so you know he’ll appreciate it.
End of Summer Sale
Shirts all 25% off through Labor Day
With summer winding down we need to clear some room to make way for new stuff expected this autumn. As a result we’ve put all of our Port and Lost Abbey tanks, T’s and shirts on sale in our online shop. Now through Labor Day (September 5, 2011) you’ll find all these oh-so-cool wearables marked 25% off. Stock is limited to what’s on hand (read “no backorders”). so if you want the best selection you should shop sooner rather than later.
