Author: John

Ever wanted to ask fellow club members if anyone was brewing this weekend? Or had a particular strain of yeast? Or wanted to go to that beer even this weekend? Or had an urgent technical problem?

In an effort to foster increased intereaction amongst us FSB’ers, I have taken it upon myself to start the First State Homebrewers Google Group.

http://groups.google.com/group/firststatebrewers/about

This is designed to provide up-to-the-moment info that we may wish to share with each other Re: all things beer.

In addition to the blog, this allows everyone to contact everyone else, and you will have the option to receive all updates by email instantaneously, or once a day as a bundle ~ however you like !!!

To avoid spam, etc. this is an invite only page, so feel free to share this to all members and non-members within the local community and bordering areas (Delmarva, SE Penn, NJ, etc.)

Contact me directly for an invite

jbbiggins@comcast.net

See you online!

Email from HEAVYWEIGHT:

Hello everyone-

Our next open house is Saturday, June 3rd from 1-5 pm. We’ll be pouring a few new beers (which will also be available in 750ml): Doug’s Colonial Ale and Black Ocean ’06. We may also have some of the Rye beer to sample (no bottles yet). You can purchase (to go) 750ml bottles of the Ste-ve (Belgian-style pale) and Old Salty Bourbon ’05. We’ll also we collecting can/non-perishable food for our local foodbank. Please bring a few cans or dry goods for the cause. You may also bring any beer that you wish to share with the hoard. Hope you can make it.

Thanks,
Tom and Peggy

No mention of them closing shop, but my guess is this is pretty much the last public date they will have.

So …. who’s up for a trip?

Use the Comment section below to voice your interest

If you have been following the news, Anheuser-Busch has been acquiring stake many well known brands for distribution purposes (Red Hook, Pyramid; now Goose Island).

They are behemoths with their own distribution networks, and with their new partners in craft brewing, they have the ability to squeeze out the little guy.

Case in point ~ from the Weyerbacher website:

If you’re in New Jersey, you may need to push your store to get this brew in [DOUBLE SIMCOE IPA -ed.]. With Anheuser-Bush’s push to distribute microbrews in NJ, many stores are not as open to bringing in new products right now. This information is according to our NJ wholesaler, Hunterdon Dist, in Phillipsburg. They suggest you strongly advise your store to bring in this beer or it may get passed on for no good reason. According to some, stores in NJ have been avalanched with new brands lately.

Let you voice be heard on this subject!

!!! Refuse and Resist !!!

Copy & use this clip art at will !!!

John Biggins here, excercising his first post as an FSB blogger. Hopefully all will go smoothly!

Yesterday was the BRANDYWINE CRAFT BEER FEST at Iron Hill-Media. The Good News is that there were some fantastic brews among the 25 invited breweries. Standouts I can recall (alas, no notes were taken) included WEYERBACHER Double Simcoe IPA, IRON HILL Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial Stout, and STEWART’S 2005 Bourbon Barrel Barleywine. Luckily there were plenty of great Pilsners, Hefeweizens, and Belgian Whites to choose from to re-hydrate on a pleasant sunny Satuday afternoon.

The bad news has been confirmed: HEAVYWEIGHT BREWERY is shutting down at the end of June. Tom Baker is closing down the Ocean Twp site, so stock up on all your bottles, as they will be all gone soon. The semi-good news is that he is not giving up totally, but planning on opening a brewpub (in PA, I’m told ~ details not firm on my end) which means we can probably expect a selection of highly quaffable brews plus the few rotating/seasonal high-gravs for which he is famous.