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Port Brewing Announces “Board Meeting”

Imperial brown ale brewed with coffee and cocoa is brewery’s first addition to its year-round line-up in two years

SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Award-winning craft brewery Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey today announced a new addition to its portfolio produced under the company’s Port Brewing label. Board Meeting Brown Ale, an imperial brown ale brewed with coffee and cocoa nibs, will join Port favorites Wipeout IPA, Shark Attack Imperial Red, Old Viscosity and Mongo Double IPA, as a year-round offering from the brewery in February 2013. It is the first new beer to be added to the Port Brewing regular line-up since Mongo’s release in early 2010.

Board Meeting Imperial Brown Ale label
Board Meeting Imperial Brown Ale (click for full sized image)

“Between our Lost Abbey and Port Brewing labels we produce a really broad variety of beers; over three dozen in all,” said Port Brewing director of brewery operations, Tomme Arthur. “Interestingly, we’ve never produced a brown ale, so Board Meeting seemed a natural fit in our portfolio.”

Port Brewing beers are typically boldly-flavored American and hop-forward West Coast style ales or lagers, and Board Meeting Brown Ale is no exception. An amplified brown ale, the beer is brewed with liberal additions of coffee from local San Diego roasters, Ryan Brothers, and cocoa nibs sourced from famed San Francisco chocolate maker TCHO. Alcohol by volume is 8.5%.

“Board Meeting offers the malty richness and assertive hop presence that you expect in an American brown ale, but enhanced with pronounced roasted coffee and bitter chocolate aromas and flavors,” Arthur said. “I think people will enjoy this beer by itself and at the table paired with meat dishes like pork, roasts and barbeque. I imagine it’d be pretty good washing down a sausage omelet at breakfast too.”

As with the other members of the Port Brewing year-round portfolio, Board Meeting brown ale will be available in 22 ounce bottles and on draft throughout the brewery’s distribution network. Consumers should expect to see it on tap in draft houses and on retailer’s shelves by mid February 2013.

About Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey
Founded in 2006, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey produces an extensive line-up of continental and American-inspired ales and lagers. Under the direction of legendary brewmaster and co-founder Tomme Arthur, the brewery has garnered dozens of awards in its six year history including the 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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Update: What’s Special for our 6th Anniversary Party This Weekend

Epic alert: Amazing food, great music, and a tap list that’s the craft beer equivalent of The Avengers.

Click here to get your tickets to the Port / The Lost Abbey 6th Anniversary
We just got the word from the DOBO and our hospitality manager, Kevin Hopkins, on the final arrangements for our Anniversary party this weekend. Needless to say, if you’re not attending, you’re going to miss the event of the weekend. Here’s the updates:

  • Gourmet Food Truck Triumvirate:
    In past years we’ve served up barbeque and pizza courtesy of our in-house pit masters and cousins at Pizza Port. This year, however, we’re cranking it up a notch and inviting in a trio of our favorite gourmet food trucks to literally create an outdoor food court filled with three continents of incredible eats.Food Trucks Include:

    • Casanova Fish Tacos
    • Red Oven Pizza
    • Slow Cal BBQ
  • Epic Tap List:
    Not only will all 26 taps in the tasting room be flowing, but in addition to the regular line-up Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey liquid awesomeness, we’re also loading the line-up with our biggest collection of limited-edition wonders ever. Specialty Taps:

    1. The Angel’s Share – Bourbon Barrel (v. 2011) – 3 tickets/ea
    2. Anniversary Ale (v. 2012)
    3. Deliverance (v. 2012) – 3 tickets/ea
    4. Framboise de Amorosa (v. 2012) – 3 tickets/ea
    5. Hop-15 (spring 2012 release)
    6. Red Poppy (v. 2012) – 3 tickets/ea
    7. Santa’s Little Helper – Bourbon Barrel (v. 2011) – 3 tickets/ea

    And for the first time ever on tap:

    • Inferno Ale
  • Music For The Masses
    Squarefish 1:30pm - 3:00pm

    Silverline 4:30pm - 8:00pm
  • Additional Tickets Now Available
    With a little re-arranging we were able to make additional room for a few more of our friends, so we’ve made more tickets available! So if you tried to get tickets last week, but were told that we were sold out, fear not! We’ve released a new batch of tickets for both sessions. You will want to hurry, though — while we did make more tickets available, it’s not that many more, so we expect them to sell out quickly once again. (» buy tickets here.)

The Details

Location
Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey, 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069.

Date / Time(s):

Saturday May 12, 2011-Two sessions

Each guest will receive a commemorative tasting glass, 8 beer tasting tickets and food (additional taster tickets are $1 each).

Tickets

  • $20 per session
  • Each session limited to 400 people

We’ve sold out completely each year, so make sure to get your tickets early! (It’s unlikely we’ll have any at the door.) 21 and older only please. ID will be required.

Purchase Tickets: (via Brown Paper Tickets)

click here to purchase tickets

Watch the 6th Anniversary Video Promo

 

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And The Winner Is… Sunburned Monk

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.

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We’re Coming to New Jersey!

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.

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Commercial Conclave Competition

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.

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Video: Grain Silo Becomes a Giant Barrel

If you’ve ever been to the brewery, you know that it’s a humble building in the middle of a nondescript industrial park where all the buildings look the same. We used to tell people “look for the grain silo out front”, but even that three story tank was hard to find because it was the same color as the building and tucked behind a tree.

So in April of 2011 we commissioned artist Sean Dominguez (the same artist who does all of the paintings that become the Lost Abbey labels) to transform our silo from a drab off-white cylinder into a 30-foot tall “wooden barrel” that would be nearly impossible to miss. Over the next several weeks, armed with a fistful of paintbrushes, a few cans of paint and an industrial lift, Sean did just that.

In this, the second entry in our new video gallery, Lost Abbey’s multimedia man, Ryan Tillotson, captures Sean at work and collapsing 2 weeks into an interesting 3 minute time-lapse video. Enjoy!

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Photos from High Tide brewing weekend

Despite a couple of minor setbacks (an emergency root canal for our head brewer, and a hop truck break down that had it arrive 10 hours late) our Labor Day weekend brewing of High Tide fresh/wet-hopped IPA turned out to be a big success. The beer should be out by the end of the month and will go into our distribution network from coast to coast. In the meantime, here’s a few photos to show you what brewing a fresh-hopped IPA looks like.

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