The Year in Beer - 2010

Man, I can't believe 2010 is over. It's been a very busy and hectic, but fun year. Sarah and I started our beer adventures several years ago, but didn't start documenting it until last year. Even then, we were so busy we couldn't dedicate the time needed to keep up with BrewEngland, but made it a point to contribute this year.

And so we did! We went from blogging (sadly) only nine times in 2009 to 92 in 2010. It's still not as much as we wanted, but I think we did a much better job. We created a Facebook Fan page, and as I write this have 447 fans! I wonder where we'll be this time next year? We also started to use Twitter (@brewengland), and have had a great time with that.

In all, this year has seen the following:

32 Beer Reviews - I found 3 that I never put up...those will come soon.
11 Breweries visited - we visited White Birch Brewing, but didn't post
8 Adventures in Homebrewing Posts
5 Beer Events
3 Brewpubs reviewed

BrewEngland was also featured in an article written by Norman Miller (aka: the Real Beer Nut) in his column for the Metrowest Daily News on New England Beer Bloggers. You can read the full article here.

So what were my favorites of this year?

Top 3 Beers (reviewed)
1.) Wachusett Milk Stout
2.) Smuttynose Big A IPA
3.) Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project Baby Tree Quadrupel

Top 3 Beers (not reviewed)
1.) Mayflower IPA
2.) Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Oyster Stout
3.) Cape Ann Brewing Greenhorn IPA

Favorite Brewery Tour
Mayflower Brewing Co. - Plymouth, MA

Favorite Beer Event
Lamb Jam

So what's up for 2011?

Well, the most exciting event happening in the near future is the "Cure Me I'm Irish" charitable event happening on March 5, 2011 in Randolph, MA. We're very much looking forward to solidifying the brewers line up, and hoping that you all can make it.

Sarah and I are planning to visit the new Cape Ann Brewing Co. brewery and pub in Gloucester as well as the Sea Dog Brew Pub in Woburn, MA in the upcoming weeks. We're definitely going to get to the Public House, American Craft, and Deep Ellum in the Boston area, and Novare Res in Portland, ME soon as well.

Expect reviews of the Horseshoe Pub & Restaurant, which is located in Hudson, MA. I've been there twice, and is a great place. You can expect a review of Jimmy the Greek's, located in Old Orchard Beach, ME, one of our favorite stops in the summertime. We'll also bring you a review of the Portsmouth Brewery, a sister company of the Smuttynose Brewing Co.

You can also look forward to brewery tours of (likely) Wachusett Brewing Co, Wormtown Brewery, Willamantic Brewing Co, Coastal Extreme Brewing Co., Allagash Brewing, Peak Organic, and more! We'll be on the look out for new brewpubs to visit as well.

We're also hoping to redesign the site quite a bit, to make it more user friendly. New logos, new links, etc. I'm working with Chris Cappella, a web designer and graphic artist, on a new look that will be nice! He did a lot of work for the Edison brand beer, and has been designing for a while. I look forward to the upgrade.

Finaly, I'd like to brew more of my own beer. I only got to brew four or five batches, but need to kick start the homebrewing back up. I have ingredients for several beers at home, now I just need to make time to brew them.

We want to thank all of our readers, fans, and anyone who has stumbled upon the blog. We look forward to bringing you more great beer related stuff from our great New England area breweries and brewers in 2011!

Cheers!

Adam & Sarah