Earth Bread + Brewery: Colonial Ale

By Christopher Kampel

Several months back I was talking to a couple guys at a local Philly brewpub (General Lafayette...which isn't so good) and I learned of a place in Mt. Airy called Earth Bread & Brewery. Reminiscent of our beloved Selinsgrove Brewing Company, their beers are all small batch experiments that are never duplicated. At any given time they have about four house beers on and some great guest beers to boot. They also make their own wholesome hearth-baked flatbreads which are pretty darn good and perfect with a house made beer. Check out their website - www.earthbreadbrewery.com/.

Over the past couple of weeks I've found myself sitting at the bar chatting with some friendly local beer and music fanatics over a great brew named the "Colonial Ale." Appropriately described as "a dark throwback beer" with a mere 3.7% ABV this one couldn't go down any easier. After numerous whiffs pulling me through time and places of the past I landed in the woods surrounded by fallen leaves and that good musty smell Fall air brings. Maybe its my hopes for an early autumn arrival surfacing, but make no mistake this one is perfect for a warm summer evening. Full of flavor from the tip of the tongue to a swallow's bottom this beer is certain to consistently deliver. It is completely clean, fresh, smooth and brown. Far from complex yet no where near boring, the Colonial Ale has steady river-like flow about it. To quote the familiar bartender it is "balanced, mellow, and easy" - the definition of a session beer. Served in 13 or 20 oz glasses, it is being gulped down and unfortunately will be gone by the end of the month.

The Session #42 A Special Place, A Special beer

By Michael Stein

The South Fork. Out there, the bumper stickers read “The End” in description of Montauk, Long Island’s easternmost point. And somewhere in between “The End” and the City That Never Sleeps, lies “The Hamptons.” It’s a place often cited within the scriptures of New York art history. Its been home to a plethora of artists just to name a few: Jackson Pollock, Alec Baldwin and Steven Spielberg (also host to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ fantastic white parties). The list reads like a who’s who of contributors and influencers of national dialogue. The South Fork has also been giving what many Americans consider the ultimate sacrifice for freedom for over a century: the lives of their sons and daughters. I’m speaking of a special place where many Americans would not expect to find any personal sacrifice.

It’s a place many Americans associate with the greed of Wall Street. It’s a place where the “haves” and the “have nots” both spend time on the beach. It’s a place where the service industry brings in workers from many countries—Australia, Belarus, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, and Russia—just to name a few. The place I’m talking about is East Hampton, New York and the brewery that reminds me most of my roots here is the Southampton Publick House and Brewery.

The neighborhood that most reminds me of the East End is Springs neighborhood. No, not “the Springs,” just “Springs.” The way the year-rounders say it. Chances are if you are a year-rounder, or a Bonacker, you’ve never contemplated how you say where you’re from. Bonacker is truncated from the word Accabonac, otherwise the people of Accabonac Bay. Such is the nature of places that are unaware of their own significance. These places are magnificent because they do not question their place in history or time. They do not rest on their laurels because they are too busy cranking the mill, harvesting the barley and hammering the tap into the bung before cellaring the firkin.

The Southampton Publick house has a fantastic list of “products.” They have faith in what they’re selling; it’s as obvious as looking at the bottle and seeing brewmaster Phil Markowski’s face. Markowski has created products on par with almost every beer in your craft beer superstore (for me, it’s Total Wine in McLean, VA). Their products range the spectrum from their Abbot 12 (10.5%) to their Montauk Light (3.5%). For a parity taste, I’d take Montauk Light over Bud Light, Miller Lite or Coors Light, any day. While at the brewpub I was able to sample the seasonal Southampton Keller Pils which is single-hopped with the Hallertau Tradition. This pilsner is a fantastic representation of the style and is an amazing summer-sipper. This beer is a lawnmower beer in the best way possible, however it is so thirst quenching you may want one before, during and once your done mowing the lawn. At 5% alcohol by volume it would seem tempting not to put away a half a six-pack before the lawn is looking high and tight.

Beyond the Keller Pils and the Abbot 12 the two standout beers were their award-winning Saison Deluxe (7.4%) and their newly released VIC “antique” Porter (7.2%). The Victorian barrel-aged Brettanomyces porter was truly a unique ale. The bottles’ description reads, “VIC is what we imagine a typical London Porter tasted like during the Victorian era when beer was stored in wood and Brettanomyces was the rule, not the exception.”

When I first tried Markowski’s (now world-famous) double white I was a sophomore in college. I had bought the 22 oz bomber from Bavarian Beverage in Elmsford, New York. These bombers are on every table in the brewpub—filled with olive oil. Now you can buy six packs of double white in many more places than you could back then (they’re even at my local Harris Teeter and Giant supermarkets in Arlington, VA). Back in the days of its bomber release, the words “secret ale” were printed on the bottle. I originally thought that Southampton was in England, perhaps a brewery funded by a king or member of the monarchy. Well Southampton is in England, but not the Southampton Publick House. It has taken me six years to make it out to the pub but I was like a kid in a candy store once we got there. Despite having had Southampton’s double white many times since they were last only offered in bombers, I had yet to try it on draft. My fiancé ordered the double white and it did not disappoint. With the amazing flagship double white on draft, in combination with the three specialty beers—Deluxe Saison, Abbot 12 and the VIC Porter—I can honestly say that the over-300 mile trip was well worth the travel. A pilgrimage to this special place is a journey I look forward to making again next summer.

Ch ch ch changes

By Michael Stein

East Hampton has changed. There are more retail stores on Main Street than ever before. While the town of East Hampton is no stranger to commerce, the stores and shops have historically been varied. Where once was Barefoot Contessa, a prepared food store owned by Ina Garten, now stands a clothing store. Where Long Island Sound once stood (East Hampton’s sole record shop), now stands a clothing shop. Where Ralph Lauren now stands, there once was a toy store, complete with kid-sized Boogie Boards and dozens of kite varieties. Coach came. Tiffany’s came. The list goes on.

Was there a shadow committee of fashion-Nazis conspiring to make East Hampton a Mecca for Long Island shopping? Maybe. Though it’s highly unlikely.

Amongst other things I’ve noticed, Blue Point Brewing Company, the only Long Island brew I can buy in Virginia, has switched to twist-off bottle caps. Last summer I needed a church key to open their tasty IPA, Hoptical Illusion during a righteous beach drum circle in Watermill. This summer I could crack the beer with a flick of the wrist. “Who cares about such a subtle change?” You may ask. The truth is likely that not many care, but as a homebrewer I care. I choose to reuse my glass bottles.

Blue Point can no longer serve as a vessel for my homebrew; one beer and the brown glass goes into the blue bin. Some metropolitan restaurants, such as the newly opened Meridian Pint, have chosen to offer up their glass, in particular their 750 milliliters bottles to homebrewers. Such reusable methods are often overlooked but are of great interest to those wishing to reduce and reuse. While relatively “cheap” brand-new bottle sales can be found over the internet, many homebrewers choose to bottle in 750 ml bottles, if not for their “authentic” Belgian appearance, then for their gift-like presentation.

I wonder what the switch from sealed caps to twist-off means? Does it mean greater access? Could it mean that more beer can be consumed with a twist off cap? Certainly Bud Light, Coors Light and Miller Lite all have twist off bottle caps. Could it just mean the brewery is spending less on its bottling operation? Maybe. Chances are I’m reading too much into it.

I called Peconic Beverage in Amagansett, just to see how much a keg of Blue Point’s award-winning Toasted Lager cost. $180. A keg of Yuengling Lager? $92. Such is the parity, or lack there of, with Lagers. Such is the parity or lack thereof with macros vs. micros.

With all this talk of change on my recent vacation, it got me thinking back to my first year as a student in Selinsgrove, PA at Susquehanna University. Somehow our freshman Writing and Thinking class had gotten on the subject of beer. Professor Tom Bailey was discussing a recent visit to New York City (this was in 2002) Yuengling had been offered at a bar as a “standout beer.” At $5.00 a pint, the marketing of “standout” might have been offered as to account for the cost. Sure, Yuengling was tastier than Bud, Coors or Miller, but you could have a Bud Lite for $3 and then buy a Metro Card to take you to Brooklyn, the Bronx or Queens with your left over money (where beer would indubitably be cheaper). Professor Bailey was genuinely surprised at how pricey Yuengling had become. Of course at that time you could get a pint of lager in Selinsgrove for $2.50, before I knew the difference between macro, micro and nano breweries.

I’m not sure when Yuengling switched to twist off caps. But I know that when I first started drinking Lagunitas’ brew, they had a twist off cap. Now I’m finding more and more that their caps are pry off, which is of great benefit to me as a homebrewer. As most homebrewers agree, a pry off cap keeps a seal much better—over long periods of time—comparatively to a twist off.

What’s your experience with bottle caps? Can you recall a time when there was no such thing as twist off? Were you alive the time the “beer tab” was a handy dandy new invention? Perhaps it is the obsessive eye for detail, but we choose to discuss these differences in beers because in the end, I would argue, the better the homebrewer the more exquisite her/his attention to detail.