Showing posts with label Gloucester Daily Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gloucester Daily Times. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Deadliest Batch - Homebrewing with T 'n T
Please check out Tom and TJ's online half hour show -- The Deadliest Batch, Homebrewing with T 'n T -- being done with the good folks over at the Gloucester Times, here's the link to check it out Wednesday nights at 7pm to see it live: http://food.gloucestertimes.com/. If you can't see it live, click on the "Wine & Beverage Videos" Tab and scroll to see the videos on file. And if you miss last weeks episode you can watch it on the website or come on down to the pub Wednesdays at 8:15pm and watch it on our HUUUGE 42" screen.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Documentary examines the dichotomy of the beer industry, American dream
Gloucester Daily Times, By Alexandra Saville, Correspondent
Beer. Is it really possible to see the American Dream drenched in the amber, foamy alcohol that we have all come to enjoy? Anat Baron, former general manager of Mike's Hard Lemonade, explores this in her documentary, "Beer Wars."
The film, released nationally on DVD last week, delves deeper than what is ordered at a local bar or restaurant. "Beer Wars" looks at beer as an icon, a culture, a business, even as a symbol of the American Dream.
The beer industry is a multifaceted business that is more complicated than what is seen on the surface. For the small independent brewers, it is their perfected blend, their life's work, realized. A beer that is unique and individual is brewed with the sweat, blood, and tears, of independent, sprouting businesses. However, independent craft beer breweries, such as Boston Beer Co., Yuengling, and Dogfish Head, only make up a tiny percent of the industry's yearly income. About 78 percent of the annual revenue is brought in by beer's "Big Three" — Miller, Coors and Anheuser-Busch.
Taste tour around the country
But this was not the first beer documentary released in recent years. Jeremy Goldberg of Cape Ann Brewing Co. in Gloucester was featured in a full-length documentary released in 2004 titled "American Beer, a Bockumentary," produced by his childhood friend Paul Kermizian.
In 2002, he was among a group of five friends who traveled across the country, exploring the world of craft beer in the United States by stopping at 38 breweries in 40 days; two years later this road trip would become their documentary.
"We went from Maine to California, up to Seattle and down to New Orleans, and all the little places in between," said Goldberg.
This experience was a catalyst for Goldberg to enter the beer brewing industry.
He was working in a small finance firm in Manhattan on Sept, 11, 2001.
"I was one of those people you saw running from the collapsing buildings. We started leaving after the second plane hit," recalled Goldberg. He had planned to leave that job in December anyway, when he was invited by Kermizian to be part of the beer documentary.
"I was planning on moving, and since I was between jobs, he asked if I was interested," he said.
As a result of the documentary experience, Kermizian entered the beer business in Brooklyn and Goldberg started Cape Ann Brewing Co. in Gloucester.
The dichotomy of the beer war
The Baron documentary takes a different angle, looking at the competition between the big brewers and the small brewers.
The "war" is being fueled by television with the catalyst of consumerism. The "battle ground" is the liquor stores. There is a lot at stake for such a simple beverage choice; the industry has become a microcosm for everything capitalism, for all that works in America, and for everything that we as a nation should be simultaneously proud and ashamed of.
"Beer Wars" takes viewers on a trip complete with hops, barley and bars, as Baron interviews several owners of small microbreweries who divulge their work ethic and their thoughts on never being as recognizable as the "Big Three," despite putting in the tremendous effort required to start a company from scratch.
The story of Anheuser-Busch was once described as one of "classic American dedication," but can it still be considered that now? According to Baron's documentary, the formula for Anheuser-Busch's light lager has little room for improvement and their behemoth profit numbers can be directly tied to their equally large marketing expenses. The film begs the question: Has decades of repetitive marketing brainwashed America into thinking they want a light beer with less taste?
Can it still be considered "classic American dedication" when the story ends with the American company selling out to a Belgium beverage giant known as InBev?
During the documentary Baron tried to answer the "brainwashing" question by holding a taste test using Miller Lite, Coors Light and Bud Light. She asked some of "America's beer drinkers" to decide which of the "Big Three" they were drinking. Even staunch "Bud Light guys" or a "serious Coors gal" couldn't tell the difference between the three light beers. When asked "What makes you a Coors Light guy?" one consumer responded, "Habit."
"The Big Three have been selling 'sameness' for years," says Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head brewery in New Jersey, and one brewer of this "David and Goliath" story.
It's a strange dichotomy. Does the American Dream always default to the bottom line, or does pride in your product still count for something? The founder of Boston Beer Co. and Samuel Adams beer, Jim Koch, admits that it is an uphill battle.
"A company like Anheuser Busch is 100 times our size. They literally spill more beer off their packing line than I make in a year. My passionate life's work is their waste," Koch explains during the film.
No matter which side of the fence you stand on, one thing is for sure — the craft beer movement is growing and America is in the middle of a beer renaissance. In the midst of a poor economy, where the Big Three are experiencing sagging revenues, the craft beer segment is the only segment that is improving, according to the film.
At Cape Ann Brewing Co., Goldberg isn't concerned about the "Beer War," or the David vs. Goliath scenario. Theirs is a "story about the David." Of course, Goldberg understands that the Big Three offer the cheapest drink and the beer that most have grown up with. But he, and many craft brewers like him, are excited to put out a quality beer that will be supported by "people looking for authentic, local brews that give value to a dollar."
The 2004 documentary, "American Beer, a Bockumentary," is available at Cape Ann Brewing, or at sixhundred.com. "Beer Wars," is available at local retailers as well as online at beerwarsmovie.com.
Staff writers Gail McCarthy and Scott Pytlik contributed to this story.
Home Brewing Basics with T. J. Peckham of Cape Ann Brewery
Home brewing was actually outlawed at the end of prohibition. In 1979 President Carter, at the urging of his brother Billy, changed the law to allow legal home brewing. Homebrewers often become craft brewers, making beer for a living.
Charlie Papazian wrote the "bible" of home brewing - "The Joy of Homebrewing". He founded the AHA (American Homebrewing Association). They have a magazine and their web site is www.beertown.org.
Ingredients:
Water
Grains (malted barley and adjuncts)
Hops
Yeast
Equipment:
5-7 Gallon Stainless Steel Pot
Thermometer
5 gallon glass Carboy fermenter
Bottle capper and caps
Air lock
Kitchen scale
Bottle filler with tubing and siphon hose
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Mesh strainers
Rubber stops
Large spoons
Large funnel
Bottle brush for cleaning bottles
Wort chiller
48 beer bottles
Beer. Is it really possible to see the American Dream drenched in the amber, foamy alcohol that we have all come to enjoy? Anat Baron, former general manager of Mike's Hard Lemonade, explores this in her documentary, "Beer Wars."
The film, released nationally on DVD last week, delves deeper than what is ordered at a local bar or restaurant. "Beer Wars" looks at beer as an icon, a culture, a business, even as a symbol of the American Dream.
The beer industry is a multifaceted business that is more complicated than what is seen on the surface. For the small independent brewers, it is their perfected blend, their life's work, realized. A beer that is unique and individual is brewed with the sweat, blood, and tears, of independent, sprouting businesses. However, independent craft beer breweries, such as Boston Beer Co., Yuengling, and Dogfish Head, only make up a tiny percent of the industry's yearly income. About 78 percent of the annual revenue is brought in by beer's "Big Three" — Miller, Coors and Anheuser-Busch.
Taste tour around the country
But this was not the first beer documentary released in recent years. Jeremy Goldberg of Cape Ann Brewing Co. in Gloucester was featured in a full-length documentary released in 2004 titled "American Beer, a Bockumentary," produced by his childhood friend Paul Kermizian.
In 2002, he was among a group of five friends who traveled across the country, exploring the world of craft beer in the United States by stopping at 38 breweries in 40 days; two years later this road trip would become their documentary.
"We went from Maine to California, up to Seattle and down to New Orleans, and all the little places in between," said Goldberg.
This experience was a catalyst for Goldberg to enter the beer brewing industry.
He was working in a small finance firm in Manhattan on Sept, 11, 2001.
"I was one of those people you saw running from the collapsing buildings. We started leaving after the second plane hit," recalled Goldberg. He had planned to leave that job in December anyway, when he was invited by Kermizian to be part of the beer documentary.
"I was planning on moving, and since I was between jobs, he asked if I was interested," he said.
As a result of the documentary experience, Kermizian entered the beer business in Brooklyn and Goldberg started Cape Ann Brewing Co. in Gloucester.
The dichotomy of the beer war
The Baron documentary takes a different angle, looking at the competition between the big brewers and the small brewers.
The "war" is being fueled by television with the catalyst of consumerism. The "battle ground" is the liquor stores. There is a lot at stake for such a simple beverage choice; the industry has become a microcosm for everything capitalism, for all that works in America, and for everything that we as a nation should be simultaneously proud and ashamed of.
"Beer Wars" takes viewers on a trip complete with hops, barley and bars, as Baron interviews several owners of small microbreweries who divulge their work ethic and their thoughts on never being as recognizable as the "Big Three," despite putting in the tremendous effort required to start a company from scratch.
The story of Anheuser-Busch was once described as one of "classic American dedication," but can it still be considered that now? According to Baron's documentary, the formula for Anheuser-Busch's light lager has little room for improvement and their behemoth profit numbers can be directly tied to their equally large marketing expenses. The film begs the question: Has decades of repetitive marketing brainwashed America into thinking they want a light beer with less taste?
Can it still be considered "classic American dedication" when the story ends with the American company selling out to a Belgium beverage giant known as InBev?
During the documentary Baron tried to answer the "brainwashing" question by holding a taste test using Miller Lite, Coors Light and Bud Light. She asked some of "America's beer drinkers" to decide which of the "Big Three" they were drinking. Even staunch "Bud Light guys" or a "serious Coors gal" couldn't tell the difference between the three light beers. When asked "What makes you a Coors Light guy?" one consumer responded, "Habit."
"The Big Three have been selling 'sameness' for years," says Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head brewery in New Jersey, and one brewer of this "David and Goliath" story.
It's a strange dichotomy. Does the American Dream always default to the bottom line, or does pride in your product still count for something? The founder of Boston Beer Co. and Samuel Adams beer, Jim Koch, admits that it is an uphill battle.
"A company like Anheuser Busch is 100 times our size. They literally spill more beer off their packing line than I make in a year. My passionate life's work is their waste," Koch explains during the film.
No matter which side of the fence you stand on, one thing is for sure — the craft beer movement is growing and America is in the middle of a beer renaissance. In the midst of a poor economy, where the Big Three are experiencing sagging revenues, the craft beer segment is the only segment that is improving, according to the film.
At Cape Ann Brewing Co., Goldberg isn't concerned about the "Beer War," or the David vs. Goliath scenario. Theirs is a "story about the David." Of course, Goldberg understands that the Big Three offer the cheapest drink and the beer that most have grown up with. But he, and many craft brewers like him, are excited to put out a quality beer that will be supported by "people looking for authentic, local brews that give value to a dollar."
The 2004 documentary, "American Beer, a Bockumentary," is available at Cape Ann Brewing, or at sixhundred.com. "Beer Wars," is available at local retailers as well as online at beerwarsmovie.com.
Staff writers Gail McCarthy and Scott Pytlik contributed to this story.
Home Brewing Basics with T. J. Peckham of Cape Ann Brewery
Home brewing was actually outlawed at the end of prohibition. In 1979 President Carter, at the urging of his brother Billy, changed the law to allow legal home brewing. Homebrewers often become craft brewers, making beer for a living.
Charlie Papazian wrote the "bible" of home brewing - "The Joy of Homebrewing". He founded the AHA (American Homebrewing Association). They have a magazine and their web site is www.beertown.org.
Ingredients:
Water
Grains (malted barley and adjuncts)
Hops
Yeast
Equipment:
5-7 Gallon Stainless Steel Pot
Thermometer
5 gallon glass Carboy fermenter
Bottle capper and caps
Air lock
Kitchen scale
Bottle filler with tubing and siphon hose
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Mesh strainers
Rubber stops
Large spoons
Large funnel
Bottle brush for cleaning bottles
Wort chiller
48 beer bottles
Basic Home Brew Beer Recipe
This is an American-Style Microbrewed Pale Ale that is easy to make and easy to drink. It provides an excellent introduction to the art of brewing for the first time brewer.
Before beginning to brew this recipe, you'll need to make sure you have all the required equipment and ingredients. See Basic Brewing Equipment for a list.
Ingredients:
1 can (3.75 lbs) Coopers "Bitter" Brewing Kit
2 lbs of gold or light dry malt extract
1 oz Cascade hops (pellets)
Instructions:
Bring one gallon of water to a boil in an uncovered pan large enough to hold 1.5 to 2 gallons.
While heating the water:
Remove the plastic lid and yeast packet from the top of the Cooperâs extract can. Put the can in a container of very hot tap water so that the thick paste inside will soften.
Clean and sanitize your "brew day" equipment according to the directions found in Sanitation.
When the water has come to a boil:
Open the can of extract from the bottom, pour the contents into the pan with the water. (Scrape out with a spatula, rinse with a small amount of hot water.) Stir until dissolved. Add the dry malt extract. Stir until dissolved. When this comes back to a boil, add the hop pellets and boil for 5 more minutes.
During the boil, empty the sanitizing solution from fermenter. Then fill the fermenter about one-half to two-thirds full (approximately 3 gallons) with cold tap water.
At the end of the boil time, turn off the fire under the kettle. The strong, unfermented beer now contained in the pot is called "wort." (Pronounced "wirt.")
Carefully pour this wort into the fermenter containing the cold water. If your fermenter is marked in gallons, add additional cold water, if needed, to bring to total volume to 5 gallons.
Put the clean, sanitized floating thermometer into the fermenter so that you can check the temperature periodically. Set the lid for the fermentation bucket loosely on top while the wort is cooling.
Adapted from All About Beer Magazine
Quick facts about the beer industry
Source: beerwarsmovie.com
This is an American-Style Microbrewed Pale Ale that is easy to make and easy to drink. It provides an excellent introduction to the art of brewing for the first time brewer.
Before beginning to brew this recipe, you'll need to make sure you have all the required equipment and ingredients. See Basic Brewing Equipment for a list.
Ingredients:
1 can (3.75 lbs) Coopers "Bitter" Brewing Kit
2 lbs of gold or light dry malt extract
1 oz Cascade hops (pellets)
Instructions:
Bring one gallon of water to a boil in an uncovered pan large enough to hold 1.5 to 2 gallons.
While heating the water:
Remove the plastic lid and yeast packet from the top of the Cooperâs extract can. Put the can in a container of very hot tap water so that the thick paste inside will soften.
Clean and sanitize your "brew day" equipment according to the directions found in Sanitation.
When the water has come to a boil:
Open the can of extract from the bottom, pour the contents into the pan with the water. (Scrape out with a spatula, rinse with a small amount of hot water.) Stir until dissolved. Add the dry malt extract. Stir until dissolved. When this comes back to a boil, add the hop pellets and boil for 5 more minutes.
During the boil, empty the sanitizing solution from fermenter. Then fill the fermenter about one-half to two-thirds full (approximately 3 gallons) with cold tap water.
At the end of the boil time, turn off the fire under the kettle. The strong, unfermented beer now contained in the pot is called "wort." (Pronounced "wirt.")
Carefully pour this wort into the fermenter containing the cold water. If your fermenter is marked in gallons, add additional cold water, if needed, to bring to total volume to 5 gallons.
Put the clean, sanitized floating thermometer into the fermenter so that you can check the temperature periodically. Set the lid for the fermentation bucket loosely on top while the wort is cooling.
Adapted from All About Beer Magazine
Quick facts about the beer industry
- Eighty percent of the beer made in the United States is now controlled by two companies, one based in Belgium and one in South Africa.
- The top American owned brewer is Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams).
- Anheuser-Busch took 40 years to get to 50% of the beer industry from 12%.
- Bud, Miller and Coors' beers are made using rice or corn as adjuncts to the original ingredients (water, yeast, malt and hops).
- On average, every American now lives within 10 miles of a brewery.
- Beer is the second most popular beverage in the world, coming in behind tea.
- Beer is sometimes referred to as "liquid bread" because brewer's yeast is a rich source of nutrients. Beer can contain magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin and B vitamins.
- The freshest beer is found at your local brewery.
- Beer is one of the most regulated industries in America with over 37,000 beer laws.
- The United States is the only country in the world with a three tier system for alcohol distribution.
- It is illegal for brewers to sell beer online.
- Beer is sold in over 531,000 retail establishments.
- Directly and indirectly, the beer industry employs approximately 1.7 million Americans, paying them almost $55 billion in wages and benefits.
- In 2006, the beer industry recorded 2.2% growth, hitting an all-time record of over 210 million barrels of beer.
Source: beerwarsmovie.com
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/archivesearch/local_story_273002608.html
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A brewing triumph: Pub's debut caps 2-year struggle for founders
By Robert CannStaff Writer
Gloucester Daily Times
Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
And while today's grand opening of Cape Ann Brewing Co.'s Brewpub has left some feeling contrary, for its supporters, and co-founder Jeremy Goldberg, "it's a struggle that's finally come to fruition."
Cape Ann Brewing Co. first tried to open its doors, and its taps, to serve microbrews from its 27 Commercial St. site in May 2007. However, after meeting strong opposition from Fort Square and Beach Court residents, the city Licensing Board decided not to issue a license.
"We called it a soft opening; we let our regulars know about us," Goldberg said. "This grand opening is to let everybody know."
Golberg said the grand opening will have raffles, trivia, complimentary chowder from Turner Seafood and chips and salsa from Chili Choice.
"It's just kind of welcoming Gloucester to us," Goldberg said. "It's a big thank you for the people who have supported us in the past." According to Goldberg, Cape Ann Brewing Co. has a "Farmer's Brewing Pouring Permit" to serve beer, which means it can only serve beer that brewed in-house. The pub cannot serve liquor, or even its own bottled beer, which is brewed and bottled in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
While the brew pub, which is open today from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., serves food, it doesn't have its own kitchen.
"We're trying to bring in food from local establishments," Goldberg said. The brew pub will serve food from Panorama Pizza, Ned's Groceria and Sasquatch Smoked Fish, among o
Gloucester Daily Times
Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
And while today's grand opening of Cape Ann Brewing Co.'s Brewpub has left some feeling contrary, for its supporters, and co-founder Jeremy Goldberg, "it's a struggle that's finally come to fruition."
Cape Ann Brewing Co. first tried to open its doors, and its taps, to serve microbrews from its 27 Commercial St. site in May 2007. However, after meeting strong opposition from Fort Square and Beach Court residents, the city Licensing Board decided not to issue a license.
"We thought it was going to happen in May of 2007," said Goldberg, who added that "it wasn't really an option to give up."
A year later, Goldberg and his brother-in-law Michael Beaton, who is co-owner of the Brewing Co., went before the Licensing Board once again. this time for a license to pour beer for four hours a day during three days of Fiesta.
They got it, and Goldberg said, "it was phenomenal."
A year later, Goldberg and his brother-in-law Michael Beaton, who is co-owner of the Brewing Co., went before the Licensing Board once again. this time for a license to pour beer for four hours a day during three days of Fiesta.
They got it, and Goldberg said, "it was phenomenal."
"The crowd was as diverse as it gets: old, young, all walks of life," Goldberg said. "It was as good as we could have ever expected it to be."
Golberg said that since "Fiesta went off without a hitch," the Brewing Co. decided it was once again time to try for a year-round license to serve. By late January, the Licensing Board approved, and the Brewing Co. received a license in mid-February and held a "soft opening."
Golberg said that since "Fiesta went off without a hitch," the Brewing Co. decided it was once again time to try for a year-round license to serve. By late January, the Licensing Board approved, and the Brewing Co. received a license in mid-February and held a "soft opening."
"We called it a soft opening; we let our regulars know about us," Goldberg said. "This grand opening is to let everybody know."
Golberg said the grand opening will have raffles, trivia, complimentary chowder from Turner Seafood and chips and salsa from Chili Choice.
"It's just kind of welcoming Gloucester to us," Goldberg said. "It's a big thank you for the people who have supported us in the past." According to Goldberg, Cape Ann Brewing Co. has a "Farmer's Brewing Pouring Permit" to serve beer, which means it can only serve beer that brewed in-house. The pub cannot serve liquor, or even its own bottled beer, which is brewed and bottled in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
While the brew pub, which is open today from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., serves food, it doesn't have its own kitchen.
"We're trying to bring in food from local establishments," Goldberg said. The brew pub will serve food from Panorama Pizza, Ned's Groceria and Sasquatch Smoked Fish, among o
thers.
"Our focus is to help Gloucester grow along with us," he said.
Goldberg says he looks to Gloucester and the sea for inspiration for his beers. "The history of Gloucester is something that is important to the people of Gloucester, and as such, it's something that we made very important to the Cape Ann Brewing Co."
Goldberg, the comapny's brew master, said that whenever the staff comes up with a new beer, they try to make it relate to the sea.
One of the seven beers that they'll be pouring today is The Fisherman's Tea Party, a barley wine-style beer that features three varieties of tea that were dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party.
As for the brew pub's opposition, some in the immediate neighborhood aren't thrilled about the opening.
"Our focus is to help Gloucester grow along with us," he said.
Goldberg says he looks to Gloucester and the sea for inspiration for his beers. "The history of Gloucester is something that is important to the people of Gloucester, and as such, it's something that we made very important to the Cape Ann Brewing Co."
Goldberg, the comapny's brew master, said that whenever the staff comes up with a new beer, they try to make it relate to the sea.
One of the seven beers that they'll be pouring today is The Fisherman's Tea Party, a barley wine-style beer that features three varieties of tea that were dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party.
As for the brew pub's opposition, some in the immediate neighborhood aren't thrilled about the opening.
Joseph Palmisano, who grew up near the Brewing Co.'s location and owns an apartment building in the vicinity, said he believes the "neighborhood's been getting stepped on."
"We're not against brewing beer, we just don't want a pub in front," he said. Palmisano fears that loud patrons will wake up his tenants late at night and disturb the neighborhood.
While Golberg said Cape Ann Brewing Co. has had a "tenuous" relationship with its neighbors — and didn't do everything it could have to reach out at first — he says the owners have been doing more to improve the relationship lately.
Goldberg said he gave out his cell phone number to those who live nearby, and the Brewing Co. had started privately throwing away its used grain and has raised the stacks from its boilers so that the smell from the production would be less noticeable.
Goldberg said giving up in the struggle to serve beer wasn't ever an option.
"There were many nights that I questioned if this was a good idea, but we persevered and kept going," he said.
Goldberg says he fell in love with the beer industry after quitting his job as a Wall Street broker after Sept. 11, 2001, and making a documentary called "American Beer," which took him to 38 breweries in 40 days
He said it's a friendly industry and "all the breweries help each other out."
"You're competition isn't your competition," Goldberg said. "We're all in this for good beer."
"We're not against brewing beer, we just don't want a pub in front," he said. Palmisano fears that loud patrons will wake up his tenants late at night and disturb the neighborhood.
While Golberg said Cape Ann Brewing Co. has had a "tenuous" relationship with its neighbors — and didn't do everything it could have to reach out at first — he says the owners have been doing more to improve the relationship lately.
Goldberg said he gave out his cell phone number to those who live nearby, and the Brewing Co. had started privately throwing away its used grain and has raised the stacks from its boilers so that the smell from the production would be less noticeable.
Goldberg said giving up in the struggle to serve beer wasn't ever an option.
"There were many nights that I questioned if this was a good idea, but we persevered and kept going," he said.
Goldberg says he fell in love with the beer industry after quitting his job as a Wall Street broker after Sept. 11, 2001, and making a documentary called "American Beer," which took him to 38 breweries in 40 days
He said it's a friendly industry and "all the breweries help each other out."
"You're competition isn't your competition," Goldberg said. "We're all in this for good beer."
Nick Drayer of Rockport enjoys a few slices of pizza and a beer with some conversation with bartender Dylan L'Abbe-Lindquist at Cape Ann Brewing Co. yesterday afternoon. After receiving its pouring license, Cape Ann Brewing Co. will be holding its grand opening today, offering tours, pub eats, trivia and its Fisherman's Brew.
Photo by Mary Muckenhoupt / ©2009 Gloucester Daily Times
IF YOU GO
What: Cape Ann Brewing Co.'s grand opening
Where: 27 Commercial St.
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
Details: Seven beers on tap, pub eats, trivia, tours.
IF YOU GO
What: Cape Ann Brewing Co.'s grand opening
Where: 27 Commercial St.
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
Details: Seven beers on tap, pub eats, trivia, tours.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Gloucester: Business slow as Brewery opens in Fort
By Michael Farrell
Staff writer
Gloucester Daily Times
It was wait-and-see for both sides yesterday as Cape Ann Brewery started serving customers on the first day of its three-day temporary license to sell beer during Fiesta.
Earlier this month, crowds of supporters and opponents showed up when the Licensing Board considered the request from Gloucester's only micro-brewery to serve its product to visitors during Fiesta. Fort neighbors and members of the Fiesta Committee were opposed, saying that drinking should not be part of Fiesta.
Brewery owner Michael Beaton said business was slow for the first few hours after the brewery, on Commercial Street near St. Peter's Square, opened at 4 p.m. yesterday.
There were about 20 customers in the first hour, but Beaton said things were going pretty well. Inside a handful of people were quietly sipping their brews, sitting in wicker rocking chairs or at the bar. Outside, Beaton hung out with police Sgt. Anthony Parisi, who was assigned to make sure all went well at the brewery. His presence was part of the conditions of the brewpub being open.
It was quiet. Which is what the aim was, said Beaton, "(A) casual, chill atmosphere. That's what we're going for."
If it can show the city that its business attracts a good clientele, that people do not emerge drunk, and they don't cause problems during Fiesta — a time not exactly known for discretion when drinking — Beaton is hopeful the city will consider giving the brewery a long-term license.
Inside, visitors were being educated about brewing as they sampled various beers and settled on which one they wanted for $4 a glass.
Among the people learning about beer were three sailors on liberty from the USS Whidbey Island, anchored in the harbor for Fiesta. "It was a really neat experience," said sailor Dustin Smith about the tour.
Later, Frank Luchart and his wife Joan, senior citizens from Magnolia, came in. After buying a glass, Luchart was coaxed to put his face in a hole that had been cut into the head of a large cutout of the fisherman's logo, based on the Man of the Wheel statue, and had his picture taken.
"It's like a winery," his wife exclaimed, talking about a vineyard they had visited near San Diego, Calif., with their children. But the cutout the California vineyard has people stick their face through is of a person stomping grapes. And like the brewery, the vineyard gave tours and tasting. Some comparisons could be made between a brew pub and a California vineyard, but Luchart's wife said, "I didn't see any trees, though."
Beaton may be optimistic about the brewery, but his neighbors in the Fort a more skeptical.
Annette Tarantino, who was enjoying the evening with her neighbors, the Demetris, on their porch across from the brewery, said, "So far, so good." It had only been an hour and a half.
Tarantino believes, like Beaton, that once the Friday and Saturday Fiesta crowds come around, that the brew pub will get busier. However, unlike Beaton, she expects it will contribute to the drunkenness, as already half-inebriated revellers go in and come out drunk.
"A bar doesn't belong in a residential neighborhood," she said.
The Fort community has lots of elderly people and 30 kids living in it.
Vito Demetri said later that right now the brew pub is not a problem because of the overall party atmosphere of Fiesta. But once the party ends, if the brewery has a long-term license, the party will continue, exposing the community to second-hand smoke and foul language.
Beaton, however, believes that more development of the Fort will help to reduce crime in the area. Currently, there are lots of warehouses in the area that provide a haven for the drug deals that he has seen happen there.
But as the streets are cleaned up, businesses such as the proposed Marriott hotel come in, and customers start to wander lighted streets, Beaton believes the brewpub will help improve the community.
Yesterday, though, the Brewery's account executive, T.J. Peckham, said, "we're just excited to have people in here."
Staff writer
Gloucester Daily Times
It was wait-and-see for both sides yesterday as Cape Ann Brewery started serving customers on the first day of its three-day temporary license to sell beer during Fiesta.
Earlier this month, crowds of supporters and opponents showed up when the Licensing Board considered the request from Gloucester's only micro-brewery to serve its product to visitors during Fiesta. Fort neighbors and members of the Fiesta Committee were opposed, saying that drinking should not be part of Fiesta.
Brewery owner Michael Beaton said business was slow for the first few hours after the brewery, on Commercial Street near St. Peter's Square, opened at 4 p.m. yesterday.
There were about 20 customers in the first hour, but Beaton said things were going pretty well. Inside a handful of people were quietly sipping their brews, sitting in wicker rocking chairs or at the bar. Outside, Beaton hung out with police Sgt. Anthony Parisi, who was assigned to make sure all went well at the brewery. His presence was part of the conditions of the brewpub being open.
It was quiet. Which is what the aim was, said Beaton, "(A) casual, chill atmosphere. That's what we're going for."
If it can show the city that its business attracts a good clientele, that people do not emerge drunk, and they don't cause problems during Fiesta — a time not exactly known for discretion when drinking — Beaton is hopeful the city will consider giving the brewery a long-term license.
Inside, visitors were being educated about brewing as they sampled various beers and settled on which one they wanted for $4 a glass.
Among the people learning about beer were three sailors on liberty from the USS Whidbey Island, anchored in the harbor for Fiesta. "It was a really neat experience," said sailor Dustin Smith about the tour.
Later, Frank Luchart and his wife Joan, senior citizens from Magnolia, came in. After buying a glass, Luchart was coaxed to put his face in a hole that had been cut into the head of a large cutout of the fisherman's logo, based on the Man of the Wheel statue, and had his picture taken.
"It's like a winery," his wife exclaimed, talking about a vineyard they had visited near San Diego, Calif., with their children. But the cutout the California vineyard has people stick their face through is of a person stomping grapes. And like the brewery, the vineyard gave tours and tasting. Some comparisons could be made between a brew pub and a California vineyard, but Luchart's wife said, "I didn't see any trees, though."
Beaton may be optimistic about the brewery, but his neighbors in the Fort a more skeptical.
Annette Tarantino, who was enjoying the evening with her neighbors, the Demetris, on their porch across from the brewery, said, "So far, so good." It had only been an hour and a half.
Tarantino believes, like Beaton, that once the Friday and Saturday Fiesta crowds come around, that the brew pub will get busier. However, unlike Beaton, she expects it will contribute to the drunkenness, as already half-inebriated revellers go in and come out drunk.
"A bar doesn't belong in a residential neighborhood," she said.
The Fort community has lots of elderly people and 30 kids living in it.
Vito Demetri said later that right now the brew pub is not a problem because of the overall party atmosphere of Fiesta. But once the party ends, if the brewery has a long-term license, the party will continue, exposing the community to second-hand smoke and foul language.
Beaton, however, believes that more development of the Fort will help to reduce crime in the area. Currently, there are lots of warehouses in the area that provide a haven for the drug deals that he has seen happen there.
But as the streets are cleaned up, businesses such as the proposed Marriott hotel come in, and customers start to wander lighted streets, Beaton believes the brewpub will help improve the community.
Yesterday, though, the Brewery's account executive, T.J. Peckham, said, "we're just excited to have people in here."
Monday, April 30, 2007
Brewery grows by hops and bounds
Sam Carter
Gloucester Daily Times
Cape Ann’s sole brewery has taken the East Coast by storm, its beer sailing into the hands of connoisseurs from the black fly-infested swamps of eastern Maine and south across the Mason-Dixon Line.
“The way it’s been going lately, we’ve been running out,” said Cape Ann Brewing Co. president Michael Beaton, 42, who, with his business partner, brother-in-law and brewmaster Jeremy Goldberg, 31, boiled up the first batches of Fisherman’s Brew just three years ago.
“If things keep going the way they have, we may have to move to another building in a few years. We might even have to open another brewery in another state,” he said.
Production at Cape Ann Brewing has doubled every year, from the first year’s 295 barrels to last year’s 1,300 barrels. By the end of next month, almost 2,000 barrels of Fisherman’s Brew, India Pale Ale, ale and seasonal beers will have been brewed, kegged and bottled. A barrel is equivalent to 31 gallons, or two half-barrel kegs, which are the standard dispensing units under a commercial bar.
The problem with such rapid expansion, Beaton said, has been a chronic whistling for more beer from distributors wherever Fisherman’s Brew can be found. That is Massachusetts, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland and, later this summer, Rhode Island. Beaton and Goldberg just cannot seem to keep up with demand.
The eight conditioning tanks, four fermenters and one each of boiling and steeping kettles here in Gloucester simply are not enough to satiate beer drinkers’ craving for the brewery’s plenitude of selections. A couple of years ago, Goldberg and Beaton had to contract with nearby Mercury Brewing Co., makers of Ipswich Ale, to produce 60 barrels of beer for every 20 here in Gloucester. Mercury Brewing also does all the bottling of Fisherman’s Brew, whereas the Gloucester plant does only half-barrel and quarter-barrel kegs.
“If we could get a couple more conditioning tanks and one more fermenter,” Beaton said, “we could dramatically increase our capacity.”
But that would cause a problem in the Gloucester brewery, located on Commercial Street, across from St. Peter’s Square. A single conditioning tank, which holds 20 barrels, is the size of a Dodge Caravan. A fermenting tank is more like a Chevy Astrovan.
Just trying to fit three more of those tanks in the back room of Goldberg and Beaton’s brewery would take some creative placement. The last thing they want is to have to move into the front room of their establishment.
That front room is where Goldberg and Beaton have already built a fancy hardwood bar, designed to look like a ship’s hull and with a quarter inch of varnish on the bartop, and enough German beer hall-style, rough pine tables to seat up to 60 people. The hope, they say, is that the zoning board will soon allow them to open their “tasting room” to the public.
The secret to their success, Goldberg says, is frequent sampling.
“We have to sample our product pretty much daily. Quality control is an important part of this business. You can’t just look at the specific gravity or at the color — you have to taste it,” he said. “There’s a secret to it, I guess. There’s a significance.”
“When we built the place, we did it with the idea that we would grow into it,” Beaton said. “Everybody used to say we’d be surprised how quickly we grew out of this place and we were like, ‘That would be nice.’ We didn’t figure it would occur this fast.”
“Am I surprised by our growth? No. We’ve been making a good product and there’s a demand for it,” Goldberg said. “There’s demand for good beer. We’re not really competing with Budweiser. While we’re sort of competing with the other microbreweries, there’s a feeling in the industry to just make really good beer. There are more and more people discovering its joys. As people start demanding better food and entertainment, they start demanding better beer and that’s what this beer is supposed to be: bold, flavorful and different. It’s supposed to offend the palate and make it step up and say, ‘Whoa.’ So, if anything, I’m surprised that we’re not growing any faster.”
Gloucester Daily Times
Cape Ann’s sole brewery has taken the East Coast by storm, its beer sailing into the hands of connoisseurs from the black fly-infested swamps of eastern Maine and south across the Mason-Dixon Line.
“The way it’s been going lately, we’ve been running out,” said Cape Ann Brewing Co. president Michael Beaton, 42, who, with his business partner, brother-in-law and brewmaster Jeremy Goldberg, 31, boiled up the first batches of Fisherman’s Brew just three years ago.
“If things keep going the way they have, we may have to move to another building in a few years. We might even have to open another brewery in another state,” he said.
Production at Cape Ann Brewing has doubled every year, from the first year’s 295 barrels to last year’s 1,300 barrels. By the end of next month, almost 2,000 barrels of Fisherman’s Brew, India Pale Ale, ale and seasonal beers will have been brewed, kegged and bottled. A barrel is equivalent to 31 gallons, or two half-barrel kegs, which are the standard dispensing units under a commercial bar.
The problem with such rapid expansion, Beaton said, has been a chronic whistling for more beer from distributors wherever Fisherman’s Brew can be found. That is Massachusetts, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland and, later this summer, Rhode Island. Beaton and Goldberg just cannot seem to keep up with demand.
The eight conditioning tanks, four fermenters and one each of boiling and steeping kettles here in Gloucester simply are not enough to satiate beer drinkers’ craving for the brewery’s plenitude of selections. A couple of years ago, Goldberg and Beaton had to contract with nearby Mercury Brewing Co., makers of Ipswich Ale, to produce 60 barrels of beer for every 20 here in Gloucester. Mercury Brewing also does all the bottling of Fisherman’s Brew, whereas the Gloucester plant does only half-barrel and quarter-barrel kegs.
“If we could get a couple more conditioning tanks and one more fermenter,” Beaton said, “we could dramatically increase our capacity.”
But that would cause a problem in the Gloucester brewery, located on Commercial Street, across from St. Peter’s Square. A single conditioning tank, which holds 20 barrels, is the size of a Dodge Caravan. A fermenting tank is more like a Chevy Astrovan.
Just trying to fit three more of those tanks in the back room of Goldberg and Beaton’s brewery would take some creative placement. The last thing they want is to have to move into the front room of their establishment.
That front room is where Goldberg and Beaton have already built a fancy hardwood bar, designed to look like a ship’s hull and with a quarter inch of varnish on the bartop, and enough German beer hall-style, rough pine tables to seat up to 60 people. The hope, they say, is that the zoning board will soon allow them to open their “tasting room” to the public.
The secret to their success, Goldberg says, is frequent sampling.
“We have to sample our product pretty much daily. Quality control is an important part of this business. You can’t just look at the specific gravity or at the color — you have to taste it,” he said. “There’s a secret to it, I guess. There’s a significance.”
“When we built the place, we did it with the idea that we would grow into it,” Beaton said. “Everybody used to say we’d be surprised how quickly we grew out of this place and we were like, ‘That would be nice.’ We didn’t figure it would occur this fast.”
“Am I surprised by our growth? No. We’ve been making a good product and there’s a demand for it,” Goldberg said. “There’s demand for good beer. We’re not really competing with Budweiser. While we’re sort of competing with the other microbreweries, there’s a feeling in the industry to just make really good beer. There are more and more people discovering its joys. As people start demanding better food and entertainment, they start demanding better beer and that’s what this beer is supposed to be: bold, flavorful and different. It’s supposed to offend the palate and make it step up and say, ‘Whoa.’ So, if anything, I’m surprised that we’re not growing any faster.”
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