Tuesday Night Tastin' @ Eli Cannon's, Middletown

Location: Eli Cannon's Tap Room, Middletown

Date: Tuesday,  May 1 7:00PM - 9:00PM                                    

The Skinny:  The awesome people at Eli Cannon’s Tap Room in Middletown are teaming up with the great folks at Sebago Brewing Company for this special tasting event.   There will be 7 different Sebago brews on tap.  Amongst the 7 will be 3 IPAs (one of which will be a cask IPA!!!)  For a complete rundown of the Sebago Brewing Company selections that will be featured at Eli Cannon’s Tap Room on Tuesday, look here:

Citra Dry-Hopped Full Throttle IPA CASK

Frye's Leap IPA

Frye's Leap IPA is an intense experience. It is a hoppy medium-bodied ale and is full of character. From the caramel malt which gives our IPA its golden color to the distinct fruity hoppiness, this beer is every bit as exciting as its namesake, the popular cliffs on Sebago Lake. Enjoy this refreshing beer with seafood, spicy foods and all things grilled. Take the Leap!

Full Throttle IPA

Big juicy American hops burst from this unfiltered deep amber ale. The caramel sweetness takes a backseat only to the abundance of citrusy, piney flavors and aromas. Dominated by Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Falconer's Flight hops, our double IPA has been dry-hopped for over a month.

Barleywine 2011

2011 Barleywine is Sebago Brewing Company's boldest beer ever at 9.7% ABV, 60 IBUs, and an extended barrel-aging time. This beer is a blend of Old World influence and modern day ingredients and technique. Domestic malt and distinctly American hops produce this rich, full bodied ale. On top of it all, this beer was barrel-aged in charred oak bourbon barrels for over eight months. The end result is an unfiltered dark ruby colored ale with very intense aromatics.

Elegan's Saison

This style is renowned for its complex fruitiness and aroma. Elegans Saison (6.1% ABV) is a smooth ruby red colored winter version brewed with Pineapple Sage, an herb from the mountains of Central America long used as a tension reliever. Pineapple sage (salvia elegans) imparts delicate fragrances of lemongrass and tangerine to compliment the bready malt aroma and caramelized sugar flavors. A balanced bitterness ends each sip and cleanses the palate, leaving you thirsty for more.

Hefewiezen

Our Hefeweizen is a golden unfiltered wheat beer with it’s origins from Bavaria. We ferment it with a traditional German yeast strain which produces a unique spicy fruitiness and wonderful carbonation. Malted red wheat gives it a light crisp body and dense white head. Please sit back and enjoy our summertime seasonal beer!

Saddleback Ale    

Saddleback Ale is a crisp light all malt beer with roots from an Eastern European lager. The Czech hops balance the pale malt, revealing balance and natural drinkability. Saddleback Ale is the perfect session beer.

Random Draft List Posting: Prime 16, New Haven

Location:  Prime 16, New Haven

Date:  Today (April 28th)   

The Skinny:  Check out today's awesome draft list at Prime 16 in New Haven.  I count 20 different craft beers!  Easily more than half a dozen different beer styles!  Not a single repeat brewery on the list, as far as I can tell (Spreading the tap love around...very nice)! 

As an IPA lover, this tap list also hits the spot.  Prime 16 has an IPA, a 2xIPA and an Imperial IPA on tap today.  Good Stuff!

If you are looking for some home state brewed goodness, then they have that too.  They are featuring New England Elm City Lager!

Four-Way Tap Showdown! (Friday, April 27th) Plan B vs Plan B vs Plan B vs Plan B

So which Plan B location has the best draft list today.  Well here they are:

Plan B Glastonbury:

Sebago Elegans Saison
Narragansett
Southern Tier Mokah
Brooklyn Pennant
Pyramid Outburst
Ommegang Witte
BBC Lost Sailor
Wolavers Wildflower Wheat
Blue Point No Apologies
... Dogfish Black and Blue
Capt Lawrence Porter
New England Galaxy
Goose Island Sophie
Long Trail Double IPA

Plan B West Hartford:

Dogfish 90 Minute
Stone IPA
Long Trail Coffee Stout
Blue Point Hoptical Illusion
Allagash White
Narragansett
Brooklyn Lager
Harpoon Rich and Dan's Rye IPA
Peak Organic Nut Brown
... Goose Island Sofie
North Coast Red Seal
Dales Deviant IPA
Lagunitas Doppel Wiezen
Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat

Plan B Simsbury:

Dogfish Head Aprihop
Goose Island 312
Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale
Brooklyn Lager
Long Trail Triple Bag
Southerntier Sun Hop
BBC Lost Sailor IPA
Blue Point Toasted Lager
Wolavers Wildflower Wheat
... Oskar Blues Mama Lil Yella Pil
Orange County Copper Ale
Smuttynose Robust Porter
Narragansett

Plan B Milford:

Oskar Blue Dales Pale Ale
Ipswich Oatmeal Stout
RJ Rockers Son Of A Peach
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Goose Island Matilda
Southern Tier Black Bumer Barely Wheat
Harpoon IPA
Weyebacher Uniform Rye
New England Galaxy Pale
... Long Trail Double Bag
Sierra Nevada Ovila Dubbel
Ommegang Rare Vos
Narragansett
Southampton Double White

Well, those all look delicious but let us analyze this a few different ways.  Each Plan B location offers a roughly similar amount of taps, so no advantage there. 

IPAs:  As an IPA aficionado, I count at least 2 that I know of at Plan B Glastonbury (I must admit I am not familiar with every brew name), I count 5 at Plan B West Hartford!, I count at least 3 IPAs at Plan B Simsbury and at least 2 at Plan B Milford.

Connecticut Beers:  It's always nice when CT Beer Bars feature some CT Brewed Beers, so let us take a look.  Plan B Glastonbury and Plan B Milford each have New England Galaxy Pale Ale on tap, but no other CT selections and Plan B West Hartford and Plan B Simsbury currently feature 0 CT Brewed Beers.

Variety:  In truly amazing fashion, at all four Plan B locations, there is no more than one beer from any one brewery on tap!  That is to say, for each 15 or so taps at each Plan B location, each tap is occupied by a beer from a different brewery.  Great variety! and job well done Plan B folks.

The Skinny:  So to make it simple, if you are looking for awesome craft beer, then head to any Plan B location.  If you specifically are in the mood for IPAs, then Plan B West Hartford is the place to go and if you are in the mood for a Connecticut brewer beer than head to either Plan B Glastonbury or Plan B Milford.

Happy Craft Beer Drinkin  :)

Brewery Event: Relic Brewing

Location: Relic Brewing, 95B Whiting Street, Plainville

Date:  Friday, April 27th, 5:00PM - 7:00PM & Saturday, April 28th 12:00PM - 3:00PM

The Skinny:  If you are looking for a place to get your Connecticut Craft Beer fill this weekend, then look no further.  Head on over to Relic Brewing in Plainville.  They will be open tonight and tomorrow afternoon for tastings.  You will also be able to purchase growlers to be filled so you can take home your favorite Relic Brews!  On tap at Relic Brewing will be Fortnight (a fantastic IPA) and Whiting St (Their signature Ale).  There will also be bottles of Prologue.

Growlers will be available in 64ounces and 32ounces (but seriously, who gets chooses the little growler? haha)

So head on over to Relic Brewing in Plainville for some good beer, a good time and to support a Connecticut Brewery.

For more info head to their website.

Beer Festival: Harmonies & Hops

 

Festival:  Harmonies & Hops

Location: Danielson Adventure Sports, 16 Furnace Street, Danielson


Date/Time:  Saturday, May 5th 2:00PM - 6:00PM 

Ticket Prices: $30 Per person in advance, $50 Per couple in advance ($40 Per person at the door, $60 Per couple at the door)

The Skinny:  This will be the 1st annual Harmonies and Hops (LOVE the name) beer and wine tasting Festival!  For the price of admission you get treated to Beer, Wine, Music, a Pasta dinner and a Bicycle stunt show from 9 time National Trials Champion Mike Steidley!  You also get a commemorative beer or wine glass!

The music will be in the form of a Battle of the Bands competition and there will also be a home brew competition!

Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday to me.


To purchase advance tickets head to:  North East Wines and Spirits, DAS, Bousquet's, Five Mile Outfitter and Pizza Pizzaz..

To enter home brew competition:  Call Zok's Home Brew and Wine making supplies at 860-456-7704

All proceeds from this event benefit Danielson Main Street Inc.

This is a rain or shine all ages event, must be 21 to enter beer/wine tasting.

For More Information please call:  860-774-6010

Coalhouse Pizza Goes IPcrAzy!!!

Location:  Coalhouse Pizza, Stamford

Date: Right Now

The Skinny:  The folks at Coalhouse Pizza have gone off their rocker with this insane IPA list.  IPAs are currently dominating 15 of their 52 taps!!!  If you live anywhere in or near the state of Connecticut then you must must must head to Coalhouse to get your IPA fix.  There will be 15 savory IPAs, representing 10 different breweries flowing from their taps!   Including New England Brewing's own Gandhi-Bot Double IPA!

Here is the full rundown:

Dogfish Head Aprihop IPA
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
Southern Tier Oaked Unearthly
Ithaca Flower Power IPA
NEB Gandhi-Bot IPA
Victory Hop Wallop
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
Sebago Full Throttle IPA
Stone IPA
Stone Ruination IPA
Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA
Dogfish Head Burton Baton
Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion