GOOSE ISLAND BLACK FRIDAY!!

For the second year in a row we will host the Goose Island Black Friday Bourbon Country release. This was a huge success last year and we don’t see why it won’t be again. We will be opening our doors at 9am on Friday, November 25th. Once the doors open, we will be funneling people into our tasting room where we will have the Barleywine, Coffee, and Brand Stout. It will be first come, first serve, so I would recommend getting here early. To put it in perspective, the first people showed up last year around 5:30am. We will have a limit on the Brand Stout, but it will be over a case. We have not decided the limits on the Barleywine yet, but due to the lack of stock on Coffee, we will be limiting it to one bottle per person. We will also have previous years’ Barleywine and Brand Stout for sale as well.

While waiting in line and walking around the store, we will be pouring samples of the 2016 Brand Stout, 2014 Brand Stout and 2014 Barleywine as well as be handing out free pastries. Hopefully everyone will not eat so much the day before that they cannot wolf down a few sweet treats.

Ciders of Spain and Food Pairings

Come try an incredibly diverse range of Spanish ciders paired with foods that bring out their unique earthy, tart and sour qualities. The “sidra” will be paired with an assortment of charcuterie such as cured meats, olives, earthy cheeses, and even a fig almond torta.  Styles range from traditionals which are close to sour beer, sparklers reminiscent of Champagne, Prosecco & Albarino, to  a wild yeast fermented pear and sherry-like frost cider. Except for the dessert frost cider, all the offerings are uncommonly dry, low in sugar and exceedingly refreshing.
No cost to participate, just bring an appetite for learning and discover why “sidra” is arguably the most food friendly and storied of fermented beverages, with a legacy dating back more than 3000 years! The tasting will be led by Ken Zuckerman of Ciders of Spain, a 20 year veteran educator in craft beer, artisanal food & cider.

Kona

We’re starting the November sales a little early.  We’ll have Kona pouring Castaway IPA, Big Wave Golden Ale, Fire Rock Pale Ale, Longboard Lager, and their fresh on the market seasonal, Pipeline Porter, all pouring Friday October 28th.  12 Packs of Kona will also be $12.99 from the start of the tasting through November.

Goose Island Wild Ales

Goose Island has been taking over tap lines all over the place and takes over at the end of the year with Bourbon County.  What is probably their least known, or maybe better would be least tried, line up is their collection of Belgian-inspired wild ales.  So on October 27th, we will have a tasting to spotlight these beers.  We will do ALL of the wild ales.  Considering they range from $10-$32, this tasting is a rare opportunity to taste all of these back to back.

We will be opening Sofie, Matilda, Lolita, Halia, Gillian, Juliet, and Madame Rose.

More details to come, so stay tuned.  Also, keep an eye out for the Hop on the Bus with more details.

Sam Adams Stein Hoisting Competition.

You might have seen this in a Sam Adams commercial.  A bunch of people standing in a circle, holding a full beer stein out in front of them for as long as they can.  What you might not have known is that if you can hold a stein in front of you long enough, Sam Adams will send you to Las Vegas to compete in the National Stein Hoisting competition.  The winner of that will be sent to next years Oktoberfest in Munich to compete in the World Championships.  Think you’ve got the shoulder strength and endurance to go all the way?  Come out Saturday October 15th when we will be an official location for people to try to qualify for this competition.  People will be hoisting steins outside, but we will also be grilling up burgers and hotdogs.  On the inside, we’ll have tastings of Sam Adams, Angry Orchard, and Truly Seltzer.  We’ll have plenty of beer swag for people to take home, but the top times will bring home their own Steins. Everyone who enters the competition will be part of a raffle for a charcoal grill courtesy of Sam Adams. Come test your shoulder endurance and join us Saturday October 15th from 1-3pm.

Stony Creek #1

Despite being relatively new to our shelves and to Massachusetts, Stony Creek is making an impact.  Their Cranky line up has everything you need.  Little Cranky is the session IPA, Cranky their IPA, and Big Cranky is their double IPA.  Besides these staples, they have beers for those looking for something other than hoppiness.  Recently their Dock Time won a gold medal for Amber beer and I think it is maybe the best amber we have on our shelves.  But I’ll let you all come to your own conclusions at our first Brewery of the Month tasting.  July 9th, 1-3pm.