This Beer Wagon Kills Flies

*Boredom alert: there are pictures of food below*

My windshield is covered in the gritty dreams of flies and bugs from hives and hideouts all over the East Coast. I haven't been in my apartment since 4/2. I'm not going to be there until 4/19. What's the occassion? Golden Cap Saison, our new spring and summer seasonal. A delicious farmhouse ale made with spelt from our farmer friends in Washington State.

The swing into Virginia was unfortunately delayed by a bit of sickness, most of you reading this probably got it. I think everybody got it. I may have caught it just by reading about it on the internets. Anyhow, i missed what looked like an amazing New Holland Beer Dinner at Can Can in Richmond, VA. Mr. George held things down at the dinner while i wondered how cold you can feel and how much of a fever you can have at the same time.

So on then to NoVa. Northern Virginia is full of great beer spots, from bars with mile long walls of taps to classy brewpubs to a flagship Whole Foods in Fairfax where you can sit down mid-shopping and have some crab cakes or ribs and have a craft beer on tap. The day we stopped by New Holland, Stone, and Weyerbacher had three of the four taps. That's umm...well guys, that's next level. Whether this type of thing makes it to PA i'll have to ask Mr. Bryson about (i am way behind on my PA grocery, six pack, etc sales reading), but i can tell you for sure that my trips to both Whole Foods and Wegman's on this trip found stores very focused on serving up craft beer.

Another hotspot for me was Carpool's Reston location, a fun bar with many great craft beers on tap. Let my extensive quality control efforts assure you all: The Poet is pouring just fine in there. Whatever you do, don't challenge Rama to a game of shuffleboard, the man is a hustler.

On to The Triangle. The Raleigh/Durham area is packed with great places to grab a bite to eat and a good beer. They've got big places like Tyler's who are known for their many great beers and savy staff. Flying Saucer has their anchor dropped in town as well. Then there's a slew of up and coming bars doing great things for the area. Places like Sitti, Busy Bee, and The Borough, and The Raleigh Times Bar are all pulling the weight of resurgence and doing a mighty fine job of it. The Raleigh Times is serious. They have a beer list that could stop a truck full of BA's dead in their tracks. Marraige Parfait, JW Lee's, the list goes on. I spent the night (all but the sleeping part) at Raleigh Times for a Dragon's Milk and Poet promo and had a blast. They have some amazing ideas and an amazing attitude towards their business and the potential of craft beer throughout the entire Raleigh area. A bunch of thumbs up from this guy. Oh, the food...it looks delicious.

Still going (I'm on the road here, remember?) on down to Charleston, SC. Have you been here? Holy smokes, this place is amazing. I hit town with just a hot second to get settled in before a Growl and Greet at the new beer outpost, Charleston Beer Exchange. Should you find yourself in Charleston, stop in and say hi to Rich and Scott, these are great guys who are very serious about beer. They've already gathered a loyal following and its due largely in part to their great service, great selection, and exciting specialty beers. So this is where i get jealous about the retail beer situation in other states. This is one little shop and it works simply like this: Walk in, buy single bottles, buy six packs, get a growler filled and be on your way. I mean what these guys are able to serve with their limited space is pretty incredible. Think Capone's with no bar, but growlers still available. It is le' bomba.

A new beer friend recently told me about a Philly tansport down to this area. Stefan Visilis stepped out of the Triumph Old City brewpub and came down the coast to open Farringdon Bistropub with his wife and their friends Dan & Amy. The whole mess of them are Charleston restaurant vets and are bringing craft beer and well thought out food to Summerville, SC. They're already a hit among the beer contingent. I had some fine beers and a great chicken salad sandwich (with apples, raisins, and yellow curry) over lunch and a great beer chat with owner Dan and bartender Michelle. They are committed to supporting local products both on their taps and in their kitchen. Look up Low Country Local First and the Sustainable Food Initiative for more info.

And that brings me to the finest meal of my trip so far....take thee to Chai's on King Street. Chai's is a great combination of comfortable surroundings, classy decor, and a great list of tapas that's pulled off just incredibly. The beer list is well put together and there were some goodies left over from a recent Allagash dinner that made our stop even more exciting. I am going to borrow Gina's hat here for a hot second and take you through.

We started with a pint of Hop Art from Coast, we'd been on the hunt for this beer since Friday evening. The Coast guys do a great job with their beers. A quick relay of the night's specials revealed our first course...



Bread Salad with Heirloom Tomato, Arugula, Feta, Balsamic, and a fried Pancetta wheel

We got a taste of some special things that were hanging in the kitchen as well. Deep fried ginger? Tasty, interesting. Then a great ice cream made with Allagash black. Wow, amazing flavors, amazing idea.

A little Micros slip led to our next plate...



Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi on an oil dipped ciabatta crostini with daikon sprouts and a sriracha aoili.

More raw stuff coming at you...



Tartare Trio - Tuna, Salmon, and Beef with Wonton Chips.

The return of the belly:



Pork belly over spaghetti squash with a reduction of its own braising liquid. My butter knife practically fell through the belly.

The meat wagon did not stop its wheels yet either, next up:



Lefthand Juju Ginger braised short ribs and rice. The meat and the bone hardly even knew each other anymore. Amazing flavors, nice soft texture, really really delicious.

Finishing up now...Duck confit lettuce wraps. As with everything before...delicious.

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Gossip in the Grain

Whoa whoa whoa. Guess who's still alive? This guy. A formal apology? I dunno. Sorry y'all i got all caught up in a lot of stuff. But i've been thinking about the Grain Bill for a while, realizing that i'm neglecting whatever's been going on here, whatever direction it's been taking.

Two blog posts for you here...one chronicling all that i should have already posted about and one bringing you rapidly up to speed with where i've been, where i am right now and where i'm about to be.

So then. Philly Beer Week. Remember that? Remember when this blog was leading right up to it? Well things got super busy before, during, and after. New Holland had a nice showing during the week. All of our events were well attended and there were lots of familiar faces. Burlesque was a highlight of course, the joint was packed. Our food based efforts were all great too...smackdown @ the Side Car, Library Beer with Teresa's Next Door, and a great night of pairings and fun at Jose Pistola's. I have a special ripple on my belly that says, "Smoke Em If You Got Em Was Here".

Right after Philly it was a slow moving few days and then a jaunt out to Pittsburgh. On the way I had a terrific and relaxing lunch with my pals at Selin's Grove before letting my GPS take me to the wrong Cranberry, PA. Philly folks please take this advice: Take an afternoon and check out the Selin's Grove Brewery. They're open Sundays. The drive is great, the food is great, the beer is great. Mostly session beers, delicious session beers. I took a great scotch ale on to Pittsburgh, which i slowly worked through at my hotel over my three day stay.

Piitsburgh's burbs showed me the greatness that is Bocktown Beer & Grille. Amazing beer coolers, great food menu, fun attitude that's all about the beer. This place is awesome. I'll let some cool event news fly in due time, just need to tidy up some details. For now i'll just say that June 23rd and 24th would be great days to hang out there with yours truly.

Ok ok ok. On to current times. See you in the next post.

Also....a Grain Bill IOU:

I have great pictures taken at the New Holland Library Dinner during Philly Beer Week. I will post them soon. Read more!

A Month Full of Sundays

Mr. Paul Oliver has a really cool blog going on over at The Devil's Accountant. He takes on a monthly theme and writes brilliantly on the topic all while highlighting great books. It's a very cool set up.

March is dedicated to booze and while i'd planned to mention it otherwise, there is a New Holland tie in as well. The Accountant will be posting up a cool piece on some of New Holland's literarily named beers, so be sure to take a look.

He's hitting some very cool local bars in search of a well mixed drink from a resurfaced text. Check him out.

www.devilsaccountant.com Read more!

Tasty Tuesday, a pre-Beer Week drink for us all.

Philly Beer Week, holy smokes. This year for me is a million ways different than last year, but somehow the sight of Beer Week adverts on the back of Septa buses all over the city today got me really excited and ready to roll.

I've got seats left for my two dinners. Jose Pistola's just did a New Holland Beer & Cheese pairing over the weekend that i missed while at my Union Jacks event (several of those beers still on tap) and i will be in the house at Teresa's Next Door all night long this coming Tuesday, March 3rd with Night Tripper on tap. I might even let a few details slip about which vintages of which beers will be served. If you don't have plans for Sunday on opening weekend, come out and i'll tell you all about it. If you do have plans, come on out anyway, there's not a lot of Night Tripper in Philly. Read more!

Hit it with the Hammer, Hit 'Em with the Hatter

See you at Union Jacks Manatawny. We're cracking into the firkin at 4pm. We've got other delights on tap. Pennsylvania debut of 2009 Night Tripper & Existential.







Did i mention that John Michaelson is coming? I am getting him a gift. Read more!

A trip to UJ's and then...PHILLY BEER WEEK

Alas, all info is in and all tallies have been tallied. I am here with news so fresh that 0's and 1's are dribbling down my computer screen (surely they'll have dried by the time you read this).

What's being billed as New Holland Fest at Union Jacks on the Manatawny on Saturday 2/21...PAYG featuring the following beers:

A firkin of Dragon's Milk. Yeah, i said it. A firkin of Dragon's Milk.
Mad Hatter IPA
Sundog Amber Ale
Night Tripper Imperial Stout
Existential Hopwine (Double IPA hops meet a Barleywine backbone)
Pilgrim's Dole Barrel Aged Wheatwine

If ever there was a prelude to the indulgent madness of Philly Beer Week, a night with Tom and his crew is just that.

Philly Beer Week 2009 - New Holland Brewing Co Schedule of Events:

Thursday March 5th - Philly Beer Geek Semi-Finals @ Manayunk Brewery
I'm on the judges panel for the semi-finals. I missed rooting for my man Dell last year, but from all of the stories i hear the Beer Geek events are a blast. I can see a late night trip to Dawson Street on this night as well.

Friday March 6th- Beer & Cheese Smackdown @ The Sidecar Bar & Grille
New Holland's Beervangelist Fred Bueltmann goes head to head with Arcadia President & Founder Tim Suprise in a beer and cheese pairing battle royale. Host/guest referee tba.

Saturday March 7th- Philly Craft Beer Fest @ The Naval Yard
Two sessions of rip roarin', beer pourin' excitement.

Saturday March 7th (Late Night)- New Holland Burlesque & Revue @ The P.O.P.E.
New Holland & Revival Burlesque pair up for the big Beer Fest after party. Show starts around 11pm. PAYG with 7 New Holland Beers on Tap. Join the Beervangelist & yours truly for the Philly debut of the post-prohibition penned, "Bad Girls Love Good Beer".

Sunday March 8th – Meet The Beervangelist @ The Beer Yard
Come hang for some samples and hear about New Holland’s new spring and summer seasonal before dinner at TND. 3pm – 5pm.

Sunday March 8th - Library Dinner @ Teresa's Next Door
We've dug into the New Holland vaults and collaborated with Teresa's on an evening of rare finds from New Holland's 12 year brewing history. If you're a fan of cellared beer and great food, this is the event to be at. Tickets on sale now.

Thursday March 12th - New Holland Dinner @ Jose Pistoles
Senors Parker & Gunn are having New Holland in for one of their two Beer Week dinners. A very special sixtel is making its way for the event, one you're not likely to see in Philly ever again. New Holland preview @ Jose's Saturday Feb 21st. Tickets on sale now.

Friday March 13th - Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em @ Yards
Come out for smoked beer and BBQ. The East Coast debut of a New Holland pub beer: Smoking Jacket Stout. Brewed by pub brewer Jeff Sheehan, this will be another rare New Holland beer in town just for beer week. Come sip from the only 5 gallons of this beer to see our side of I-76. Read more!

'Too Smooth For Safety' - Planning For Philly Beer Week

I've got a meeting to do tomorrow before i officially unleash the New Holland schedule for PBW 2009. I mean, i'm pretty sure it's nothing you can't find on the information interstates or anything, but as far as them all lined up in one spot without Beer Week webpage stroke this'd be another place to check in on it.

I'll tell you a bit about one event right now though, One From The Vault - The New Holland Library Dinner with Teresa's Next Door. Set for March 8th (tickets on sale at TND right now), we'll be going through highlights from 12 years of brewing in Holland, MI. Between the beer and the menu this gonna be a great alternative for the also food centric Brewer's Plate which i was lucky enough to enjoy last year.



Almost one week ago exactly i sat down with the tasting and planning division of Teresa's. The palettes and minds behind the great food at Wayne's premier beer bar huddled up on a snowy afternoon to work through beers big, bold, and old. I won't go into beers or vintages to keep things under wraps for the month, but this is an event you're not likely to see around these parts for a long time.

It is cool to plan an event like this that is very flavor specific, because we talked a good bit about what we're trying to provide for the people who come. What an interesting presentation will be, what different orders of beers will be most exciting or impactful. These are minds that taste through hundreds of beers and wines and cook food over and over and over again. I'd give up the day's pay simply for the osmosis.



Hand labeled bottles and several versions of the New Holland logo and label art were passed around the table with present versions matched against their cellared counterparts. The discussion took us from aging methods and recipe changes to flavor evolutions and before i knew it we had a table full of empty bottles and a bunch of notes jotted down.

Like a lot of the other madness during Philly Beer Week, the goal is to provide something unique and exciting that you can't do everyday. Keep an eye out for my full schedule posted tomorrow or Weds. I haven't had too much time to scope out the entire PBW schedule, but i am already plotting adventures for my few nights off. We're less than a month away from Round Two of Philly Beer Week and everyone i talk to is hard at work and busy as they can be getting ready. It's gonna be a blast.

Mike Ellis (Teresa's Co-Owner), Eladio (Chef), & Mario (Sous Chef)
. Read more!