SBM 27: BBC Day 2

After a morning full of presentations, it was time for our beer paired lunch sponsored by The National Beer Wholesalers Association.  From Gazpacho to Boston Cream Pie, our taste buds were tantalized with the unique tastes from coast to coast.  While I couldn't enjoy the Crab Cake with Fennel Salad, the chef made sure to create a Tofu version of the same flavor profile for me to enjoy, pictured here.  With beers from Rogue, Stillwater, Lagunitas, and Allagash, it was difficult not to fall in love with every pairing.  Our bellies full, we settled in for a few more talks prior to heading out for Live Beer Blogging.

Live Beer Blogging.  At first, I didn't quite understand what this was all going to be about.  When we got to the Burke Distributing/Massachusetts Beverage Alliance event, a dozen tables were spread out amongst the racks of beer.  Wifi hotspots, tasting glasses, and antsy brewers were everywhere.  This was going to be Beer Speed Dating.  While my experience with real speed dating was tiring and unimpressive, this version was highly entertaining.  Brewers came around with their creations, poured samples, chatted about their passion, and answered our rapid fire questions in five minute intervals.  While they were presenting, us bloggers were busy snapping pictures, taking notes, and Tweeting.  A live Twitter feed projected our thoughts on the front wall of the warehouse. Some notable tastes were the Backyahd IPA from Foolproof Brewing Company and the Catalyst DIPA from Backlash Beer Company.  Needless to say, this hophead was finally happy with these darn good East Coast IPAs.

Next stop, Harpoon Brewery.  How can you not love being greeted with trays upon trays of delicious local Boston beer?  Being New England's largest brewery, Harpoon did it right with a reception in their warehouse, which turned into a brewery tour, and ended with an amazing dinner in their Beer Hall.  I quickly became a huge fan of their Black IPA and Cider.  With flatbreads, a variety of salads, and free flowing beer, we were beyond satisfied.  Another event was still on the horizon:  the well talked about and often referenced Beer Social.

What are two girls to do when the beloved Beer Social is running a bit late?  Crash a haunted graveyard tour and seek out the Cheers sound stage bar, of course!  With my partner in crime, NW Beer Babe, we ventured off on foot downtown Boston.  We first came upon a haunted tour entering a small yet distinctive cemetery.  With memorials from the likes of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Benjamin Franklin, this Ghost and Gravestones tour was fascinating.  Afterwards, we headed to Cheers for some cold beers, great bartenders, and a mysteriously scored staff polo.  Then it was back to the hotel for the Beer Social, that was now in full swing, and an after party beer tasting that lasted right up until I needed to return my rental car to the airport.  What a way to close out a fantastic weekend!

SBM 26: BBC Day 1

After a much needed stop at a Starbucks in Portland, ME, I was back on the road.  This time, the oldest brewery in New Hampshire was on the agenda for lunch.  The Portsmouth Brewery opened its doors to all of us bloggers, letting us taste everything we wanted and serving us tasty morsels to boot.  My favorite pint was the Ginga Ninja, a ginger IPA with lots of flavor and just the right amount of ginger to compliment the hops.  Before leaving Portsmouth, I made sure to check out the Redhook Brewery facility.  Looking just like the one back home, I circled the parking lot and headed down to Boston.

On a good tip from local beer blogger Two Girls One Beer, I headed into the Belmont area to stock up on some canned beers from the Craft Beer Cellar.  Over the years, I have realized that stashing cans in my luggage, in lieu of bottles, decreased the likelihood that my cargo would turn everything I owned into beer soup.  I picked up a dozen or so cans of East Coast brews and then was off to fight some downtown Boston traffic.

With the tour bus full of all my Pre Conference friends stuck in traffic, I perused the trade show in the hotel lobby.  Lots of samples kept me entertained until 150 beer bloggers boarded three tour buses to head on out to the Boston Beer Company.  Greeted with a can of Boston Lager, we all gathered in the brewhouse to hear some words from Julia Herz of the Brewers Association and Jim Koch from the Boston Beer Company.  Small group barrel room tasting of the ever sought after Utopia, buffet style small plates made with Samuel Adams beer, and lots of great conversation made this evening a hit.  It was hard to believe that once we got on the bus there was yet another event to attend at Stoddards.

Pyrates, pints, and poets...oh my!  Arriving at Stoddard's Fine Food and Ale we were met with tasting glasses, eyepatches, and limericks to solve, courtesy of Heavy Seas.  When it didn't seem like we could taste yet another beer, we rallyed and enjoyed them all.  My standout favorite was Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels.  I eagerly passed around my tasting glass for others to try, which left me with an empty glass.  Good thing unlimited tastes were the theme of the night.  A couple more brews down the hatch and then we all called it a night.

SBM 25: BBC13 Pre Conference

Picture this.  You've been up all night in an airport.  You've just driven through three New England States.  All you want is to check in to your hotel, take a shower, and nap for days.  But wait, you are at the Beer Bloggers' Conference.  There will be no rest.  There will be no nap.  Instead, you are whisked away on an 18 person tour bus to your first stop:  Allagash Brewing.  An impressive brewery tour, including an exclusive koelschip siting, ending with four unique samples (my favorite of these being the Curieux: a Bourbon Barrel aged Tripel) allowed for some much needed get to know you time among bloggers.

Rising Tide Brewing Company
With time for one more stop before our official BBC13 Pre Conference, we stopped in at Rising Tide.   Food truck, Cornhole boards, and a distillery next door made this locale all around perfect.  A local truffle maker was present with chocolate morsels to pair perfectly with the beer samples.  While I didn't indulge on those, I did sample RT's wears.  My favorite sip was Ismael, a malty rich Copper Ale weighing in at 4.9%.  While I could have spent the afternoon hanging out at this laid back brewery, it was time to head downtown Portland, ME to taste some much anticipated Cabot Creamery Cheeses and Geary's Beers.

Beer pairing dinner at Sebago Brewing Company.
Satisfied with the ample cheese and beer tasting over at Cabot's, along with the meeting of the rest of the Pre Conference bloggers, we all headed over in the light drizzle to Sebago Brewing Company.  Who would have thought that back home in Seattle, I was missing out on 90 degree temps.  Highlights of the beer dinner included the Brie, Apple, and Caramelized Onion flatbread, the blogger brewed Citra Saaz Down, and this Bonfire Rye Ale that had yet to be released.  Being on the Eastern Seaboard lent itself to many offerings including shellfish.  The staff at Sebago went above and beyond to make sure that I had a delicious alternative that didn't land me in the hospital.

SBM 24: Traveling to Beer Bloggers' Conference

Let's be honest here, folks.  When the Starbucks line at SeaTac airport wraps around half of the N Concourse, the last thing one wants at 7am in the morning is a beer.  Wait, on second thought, maybe it should have been the first thing I reached for.  Not knowing if I was going to get on the 9am flight or the 10:30pm one, I loaded up on the caffeine needed to camp out in a carpeted corner among bitter travelers.  Equipped with a five shot Americano, my fully charged GearPower, and plenty of backlogged blogging to accomplish, I settled in for the long haul.  Turns out, when you have plenty of patience, waiting at an airport all day isn't that bad.  With days upon days of drinking beer ahead of me, I knew that I could catch up on this day's lack of barley brew in no time.

www.starbucks.com