A Thing or Two About Festivals.....

          One of the coolest things about being an active member (read fan) of the craft beer community is that breweries and other beer-related organizations love to throw festivals in order to  get people to come out and drink. I had the extreme pleasure of being recon-ed into one of these festivals (thanks Mrs. Hall) today and felt that it was high time that someone really shed some light on these fantastic beer-themed trade shows.

          Although The Sun 10th Anniversary Winefest was geared toward wine and other wine-related businesses, I have to take my hat off to the the people at Mohegan Sun for setting your boy up with a pretty neat section just for my tasting pleasure (read beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!!!!!). I was surprised to find a number of craft (and I admit, a few big players) represented in this very intimate setting. If you haven't been, imagine tables filled with swag material and lots of ice cold beer accompanied by a representative who loves to tell you about how good his/her product is.

          I really enjoyed getting to the beer early ( I had a nice buzz before 12) and getting the opportunity to talk to a number of sales reps from breweries including Dogfish Head, Heavy Seas, Merchant Du Vin, Smuttynose, and Blue Point to name just a few. When they heard that I did a blog, they all tended to sidle up and ask me what I thought about their product (I said I liked it even if I didn't) and wanted to talk to me not only about their beer, but what I did. This is one reason why I enjoy this community so much. We as beer drinkers are generally interested in each other. People often dont like to let us out in public because they often associate us with the fights that get caught on camera at sporting events. In all honesty though, we are a peace keeping bunch who like to pontificate about Lauter Tuns and the amount and time that Brettanomyces Lambicus takes to funkify our favorite Belgian Lambics.

          I guess what I'm really trying to say, is that you don't see Coca Cola or bottled water conventions for a reason.Us beer geeks have a lot to talk about. This industry continues to grow and change daily, and one of the easiest ways that we can continue to grow is to pass on information by holding these meet-and-greets. I don't want to brag but I know a lot about brewing and the beer industry, but what a great way to pick up more knowledge and to meet the face of the people making your favorite beverage.

Final Thought: If you love beer, and get the opportunity to go to a beer festival, shell out the freakin dough and have a blast. This is about so much more than the drinking. Let me know what you think....

@CTbeerfiend

Beer in my Backyard????

          So what exactly does Beer in my Backyard mean? Do I literally have a fermentation tank behind my house where I make sweet sweet boozey magic? Not exactly. Well I suppose I could, but that's not really what I'm going for here.

          I chose this name because I think that the title really applies to what we are seeing in the craft beer community at this very moment. In my backyard, it feels like every time I turn around there is a great new local brew to try. Connecticut breweries are starting to pop up at a larger rate than at any time in our states past (a trend that is common in almost all other states), and are beginning to make a mark far past New England. Last year, I saw the inaugural Mohegon Sun BrewFest pop up out of nowhere to bring people from near and far together for a great introduction to some of the great beer that this state has to offer.

          With the growth of this industry, and the variety and sheer amount of beer available from great breweries constantly increasing, we see a direct reflection when we go into Whole Foods Market, or our local beer cave alike. There is a lot of freaking great beer out there!!! The demand is high and people are willing to try anything that isn't associated with the Rockies (sorry guys :( ). Bars are also catching on and I've started seeing higher quality and "harder" to get beers on menus all over the state. On a visit to The Ginger Man (thanks Casey!) last year, I was treated to one of the best beer menus that I have seen to date. I recommend going out of your way for experiences like these because this is just what they are..... experiences.

          This blog goes well beyond the idea of popping the tab, or clawing the cap off of your favorite brew. It's about living this experience to the fullest and sharing your "backyard" stories with everyone. This isn't just about me and my "backyard". This is about a collective discovery and adventure in "our" beer world. Hopefully, any of you who really do enjoy good beer can think of something whether it be a specific beer, a great bar, or a memorable experience (or anything in between) that is worth sharing. This was intended to be your blog as much as it is mine. So I implore you, go out and live the experience... tell the world what your "backyard" has to offer.

@CTbeerfiend

Hello STOUT Fellow

A brief lesson on one of life's most mysterious brews

       When thinking about beer styles and flavor profiles, their aren't many that can match the complexity and wide range like a good old stout. Now I know that a lot of you can only equate the word stout with a certain famous Irish beer that was once billed as being good "for your strength", but this coal black beer has more attitude than Roseanne Barr at the DMV line.
          Stouts are neat because they can be sweet or or very bitter. They can be heavy and viscous like oil, or runny and rather one dimensional. They are often described as "meaty", "smokey" or "roasty" and can be brewed with anything from chocolate to shellfish (yes I said shellfish). Stouts are also quite fantastic because they age well in barrels and tend to take on some (or a lot) of the characteristics of these aging vessels.
          Although I wouldn't say that stouts are even near the top of my list of favorite beer styles, I find them to be quite intriguing. On a routine visit to a decent beer establishment, I would place my bet that you will see a few different examples of this marvelous style. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what happened when I went into Sonoma Wine and Spirits the other day. My good friend Ron had just gotten a case each of the Goose Island Night Stalker and the Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout. Now, as I mentioned before, as a whole I'm not particularly fond of stouts, but I have had a few that are simply mind-blowingly good (North Coast Old Rasputin is one of my favorite U.S. stouts). At this point, I said to myself "wouldn't it be a great idea to try both of these stouts back-to-back and compare my notes on each." Gee Dustin, you sure are full of good ideas sometimes.
         I shared the beer with my girlfriend/tasting assistant Lani, and we both came up with a combined list for each. The Goose Island Night Stalker clocks in at 11.5% ABV and reminded me of a dark chocolate brownie. It pours black coffee black with very little head and had lingering aromas of molasses, espresso and had a bit of an earthy quality. With a slight burn in the chest, I took this one like a pro and Lani compared it's sweet/smokey combination to a good BBQ sauce.
         Where my first beer was sweet and surprisingly hoppy, the Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout brought to mind notes of coconut, marzipan and bourbon-soaked raisins. Very full bodied with a sea salt caramel finish, this beer played with my taste buds like a a fine index finger to a harp string. The coffee was surprisingly toned down, but also quite complex. Redolent of a latte (coffee with steamed milk), this beer was stellar! The balance between sweet and off-salty reminded me of kettle corn and for this factor alone I will definitely go out of my way to get another bottle.
         Goose Island is a great brewery and probably Illinois' most well known. In light of this little "competition" I just want to be clear that this process wasn't about declaring one beer better than the next. I simply wanted to illustrate how the same style of beer, from the same brewery (even bottled within about a week of one another) can taste so vastly different. if you're the least bit interested in beer, do your mouth a favor and drink lots of it. Try everything, and don't let one less than perfect beer keep you away from drinking that style. Stouts are a fabulous place to start, so if you get the chance, line up a few and let me know what you think. Happy stouting!

Beer in my Backyard blog
Twitter- @CTbeerfiend

New Brewery Meet New Blog

       Going along with my natural love for the art of brewing (and drinking) beer, comes my fascination with how and where beer is made. While some people choose to relax on their days off, maybe play a few rounds of golf or catch up on ironing clothes, I'm out canvassing the state and beyond for these pilsener producing palaces.
       My latest adventure began when I dropped by to say hello to my friend Ron at my local beer store (be cure to check out Sonoma Wines and Spirits if you're ever near Glastonbury) and couldn't believe that there were three beers that I had never tasted, much less even seen. A brewery in MY backyard that I hadn't known about? Preposterous you might say, and this is exactly how I felt. Little did I know that Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford (CT) would be so prepared for me!
       The three beers that I had were all well above average (little did I know that they were being brewed by a legend of the industry), and I knew that I had to find out more. Their double IPA "Road 2 Ruin", has a pleasant lingering hop presence that continues to remind me of why I love craft beer. With a piney twang and lots of citrus on the nose and palate, this is a double that I feel would be geared toward drinkers who find Lagunitas and other IPA heavy brewers too over the top. Their Ol' Factory Pils is clean and nimble. Far from the popular commercialized versions on the shelf, this is a beer that you want to play on your team. Lastly, and my favorite so far, is their Honeyspot Road white IPA. Earthy and herbal with hints of rosemary and tonic water, this beer leaves me wanting, nee needing more. The perfect balance between hoppy and sweet, this beer hits all the marks like a sharpshooter.
       With all of this wonderful beer drinking I decided that I needed to visit the brewery as soon as possible. I took a day trip with my lovely girlfriend/head photographer and spent my birthday with the fine folks at Two Roads viewing their set up and tasting some of the freshest beer I've had in awhile. The brewery is housed in the old Baird building and was built in the early twentieth century, this adds character and charm to the brewery.
       I was quite surprised to see just how much was going on at Two Roads. Normally, you don't expect to see a set up this polished and ready to run in a brewery this young. The equipment was well made and they have a beautiful tasting room equipped their current line up on tap as well as growler fillers on the second floor. I was also quite pleased to spot a couple barrels that appear to be aging something as yet unreleased (I was given a little inside scoop from my tour guide and new best friend Emily, but I don't want to spoil anything!). If you visit and get the privilege of taking a tour, ask to see their keg cooler (it blew my mind).
       So this is what beerinmybackyard is all about. A good deal of drinking, some discovery and ultimately getting to share these experiences with my friends (that's you guys). I hope that you all get a chance to visit Two Roads Brewing Company in person, I can't wait to see the fantastic work they're going to do in Connecticut and beyond.
       Thanks guys and dolls, and remember to take some time to think not only about the beer that you are drinking, but the people that make it all possible!!!

       p.s. the address is as follows so VISIT!!!!!: 1700 Stratford Avenue, Stratford, CT 06615. 203 335  2010

Untappd- CTbeerfiend
Twitter- @CTbeerfiend

Welcome!!!!!!

Hi, and welcome to my blog!!!

I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, so I'm just going to give it my best shot.

       It's really funny how things change. Something that originally appears to be insignificant suddenly takes on new importance in your life. I suspect that we all have something like this, whether it be a relationship to a person, a move to a new location or even an object.

       My object is BEER.

       I know that those of you who settle for those little-flavored, fizzy straw-colored concoctions think that I'm a bit crazy and really couldn't have a passion for this right? Well..... you are right, because the beer that I am talking about has quite literally changed my world. It isn't little-flavored, but tastes of ingredients from the farthest reaches of our planet. It can be cloyingly sweet, or lip-wrenchingly bitter. The beer I enjoy ranges from a pale gold, to the darkest "1,000 league under the sea" black, as well as every hue in between. Some of the beer myself and like-minded beer afficianados or "geeks" (as we often say proudly), enjoy can even border on being flat.
       I was sixteen and looking for a hobby (don't be crazy, I wasn't drinking it yet!). I began my journey into the beer world by collecting coasters which up until that time I had assumed were for simply resting your glass on when one wasn't sipping. I was fascinated by the different shapes, the many different styles, the advertising and the stories behind these brands (most of which were foreign to me). I wanted to know as much as I could about this strange concoction that was currently off limits to my teenage lips.
       I began to search for information about my coasters and the companies that they came from. I wrote letters to many different breweries asking for coasters and information, two things which I had an unquenchable appetite for.
       As time went on and I became older, I began to drink (and brew) a lot of beer-I simply couldn't get enough of the stuff. Not only could enough of it make me act like even more of an idiot than I was at the time, I actually found that it tasted quite good. I tried everything and really began to build my knowledge of what made good beer, and the people behind these great ideas.
       That's where this blog come in. I've read enough so that I feel that I'm ready to share and to pass along my love for the sudsy stuff. I'd like a spot where I can permanently affix my feelings and opinions about this wonderful nectar that was sent down from above solely to please me :). This will be a blog about my exploits and excursions across the map that is beer in my backyard. I will focus first-and-foremost on my home state of Connecticut and what we are brewing. Secondly though, I will explore my "backyard" be it from a neighboring state, or my "backyard" on a future (hopefully really neat) trip. I know that there are a ton of blogs out there about reviews and information, so naturally you will see a bit of this too. Who knows, maybe I will learn to blog while I learn to drink.....
       I thank you for reading, and I really hope you visit often. I plan on doing this well (me.... ego????), and will put a lot into it especially if people find it enjoyable and helpful. Let me know what I can do differently or change, blogging is new to me.

Very Truly Yours,
         Dustin Aston, The CTbeerfiend

p.s. Don't forget to add me @CTbeerfiend on Twitter