Voters Needed - Vote YES! on Question #1

As I'm sure all of the readers know that it is the mid-term elections tomorrow, November 2nd. If you are a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, BrewEngland, all of our friends at Massachusetts breweries and small package stores, as well as all the restaurant owners NEED YOUR HELP!

There is a ballot question up for voting tomorrow (technically, there are three) - Question #1, which is to keep or repeal the 6.25% State Sales Tax on beer, wine, and liquor. You see, alcohol has a state excise tax already assessed to it. Massachusetts' consumers have always paid a substantial excise tax on these purchases. In fact, as all of the MA breweries know (but many others may not) that they are taxed on every single barrel of beer that they produce. SO, basically what this means is that the Massachusetts Government is double-taxing everyone who purchases these types of beverages.

Opponents of a "YES" response have said that alcohol is not a necessity - which I agree, it is not; however, it seems pretty illogical that the government can or should be double-taxing it's citizens. The 6.25% Sales Tax also hurts small business, such as the package store owners and restaurant owners, especially along the New Hampshire border. NH has no sales tax - on anything - so MA residents along the border can simply drive across state lines, buy their beer or other beverages, and come back. This loss of sale is devistating to small business owners trying to make a living.

A "YES" vote would repeal the tax, meaning that these business could regain some of their lost customers, and put more money back in the MA resident's pockets. Something we could all use!

SO, we urge you to go to the polls tomorrow! While you're there, vote for Governor, but equally as important VOTE YES! ON QUESTION #1!

(on a side note, a "YES" vote on Question #3 would roll back the State Sales and Use Tax Rate to 3% versus the current 6.25%. Get more information on Question #3 here)

Weekend Preview

I just wanted to give everyone a friendly reminder that the Curtis Liquors Fall Beer Tasting is happening tomorrow afternoon from 1-4pm at their Weymouth store. If you haven't been to one of their events, I highly recommend going. Sarah and I have been to a few of their wine tastings, and they're never disappointing. Tomorrow's event should be no different.

They will have over 100 craft beers to sample, including beers from their feature brewers, which some are: Cisco, Clipper City, Dogfish Head, Harpoon, Haverhill, Long Trail, Mayflower, Newport Storm, Sam Adams, Southern Tier, Wachusett, and more! They also are advertising that all beers tasted are going to be discounted (except sale items). Six and twelve packs are 10% off, and large single bottles are 15% off!

You can visit the Curits Liquors website for more details, or check out our Upcoming Beer Events section!

Additionally, the Cambridge Brewing Company is hosting their annual Great Pumpkin Fest from 4pm-1am tomorrow night. This year should be even bigger than last year, with 22 pumpkin beers - eight from CBC, and 18 from guests. Tickets are $10, and includes a limited edition Pumpkin Ale glass. Get more details on the CBC and guest beers here! Don't forget to wear your costumes too!!

BrewEngland Visits: Lord Hobo - Cambridge, MA

About a month or two ago, our friend Jenny informed us of a great half price deal online for the restaurant Lord Hobo. I had read an article on Boston.com a few weeks before Jenny told us about the deal, and read it was a great new beer bar located in the old B-Side Lounge location. Being the beer lover that I am, I knew that both Sarah and I had to check it out. A Boston based beer-TweetUp, organized by JD of Lost in the Beer Aisle, was just the excuse we needed to make our first visit.



We decided to hit up my “local” homebrew supply store, Beer & Wine Hobby in Woburn, MA before hand, and then meet up with everyone else. Well, as it turns out, we made such good timing that we were quite a bit early.

Of course we didn't let that deter us, as Lord Hobo happened to be serving brunch (served Sat & Sun 10-3), to which we fully obliged. With it still being before noon, I was clearly still in a bit of a fog. I ordered the Cuban sandwich by accident but when it showed up I was quite surprised. Thanks to my stupefaction, I stumbled upon a very delicious treat! The sandwich was full of tasty braised pork, with pickled vegetables throughout, complemented by delicious French fries!





Sarah opted for the eggs with home fries, which she thoroughly enjoyed. The eggs were fluffy and delicious, and the home fries rivaled any other restaurant. Naturally we enjoyed a few pints with brunch (I will have to fill you in later, as I can't seem to find the beer menu from that day), as we enjoyed our meals.







As we were finishing up our meals, people started to trickle in for the tweet up.



Everyone there for the event got a name tag, dropped their names or business cards into a bowl for a few door prizes, and got to snack on an enormous cheese and cracker platter. We quickly struck up conversations with several people, and got our beer discussion on.



If you plan to driving into Cambridge to visit Lord Hobo, you should plan on spending some time looking for parking. The majority of the parking in the area is residential or by permit only; however, there is some metered parking spots on Hampshire Street. Plan on bringing plenty of quarters if you're lucky enough to find a spot, because you're not likely to leave the bar for a while.

Aside from the extreme lack of parking, the only other negative aspect of Lord Hobo is that it is on the pricey side. The prices for food range from around $9-$14 for brunch and $10-$24 for dinner which is not so bad. However, if you're a huge beer fan like myself, the drinks can quickly add to the tab. The restaurant features a Haverhill Brewery "house beer" for $4, but the rest of the draft list ranges from $5 - $9, but the bottles can get even more expensive. You can't dispute, however, that they have a great line up of beers.

Needless to say, we had a great time! The food was delicious, and the beers were plentiful. We had some great conversations with the people we met, and left with a lot of contacts. I'm pretty sure I went into the beer-TweetUp with approximately 20 followers or so (I started tweeting a few weeks earlier), and left with at least 12 more. Since then Sarah and I have had a great time sharing our tweets with these people.

If you're not already following BrewEngland on Twitter (@brewengland), please click the button above to start following us!

An Old Dog Learns a New Trick

I'm surprised to be finding out today that the Seadog Brewpub, an offspring of the original Seadog Brewing Co. (which opened in 1993 in Camden, Maine), will be opening their second and newest Massachusetts "brewpub" in Woburn, MA. It was originally announced in local newspapers on September 28th that the Maine based company will be moving into the Mishawum Road location formerly occupied by the short-lived Nickles Grille. Prior to that, the property was home to TGI Fridays.

I was unable to find a release giving the date the new doors will open, but I've kept in touch with Emily, the manager of the recently opened Sea Dog Brew Pub Hull. Their fan page states a December opening, but no specific date. I'm hoping to get the actual date from Emily, and share the news with everyone. They're currently in the process of hiring staff, and if you're interested in applying for an open position, please visit their newly created Facebook fan page or send an email to info@seadoghull.com. They'll be hosting a job fair November 10-11 from 11-3pm.

It's unclear if the Woburn location will be brewing their own beer; however, it is unlikely given the status of their Hull location. The Sunset Bay Marina restaurant opened earlier this year, and currently has their beer shipped in from one of their Maine locations.

On a side note, the Hull location will also be closing their doors for the winter on November 28th, so if you were planning on visiting them, you should consider going soon!

Tuesday Night Tasting - Sebago Brewing Co. - Milestone Ale

Sebago Brewing Co – Gorham, ME
Single Batch Series
Milestone Ale 1pt 6oz

Sarah visited one of our favorite beer stores in the world last week, Marty’s Fine Wines in Newton, MA, and picked up this beer for me. I had previously only had the Sebago Brewing Co. Local Harvest Ale, which although I don't remember it clearly it seemed nice, but the Milestone Ale was a nice surprise!



The libation pours a soft orange hued head, with a nice mildly pale red body. It has a citrus inspired scent, with strong malt tones. It is also a full bodied beer, with smooth caramel notes. It’s also a bit sweet, but has a great bitter and hoppy character to it. It has a moderately full mouth feel, with a subtle dryness as well.

The beer itself is moderately drinkable. Like most big beers, or bombers, they can be a bit on the heavy or extreme side. We’ve only seen this in 22 oz bottles, which is probably a good thing as it’s probably priced out of most people’s price range, at $9.95 a bottle; BUT, if you’re looking for a new, limited release beer, it’s worth a try.

The Sebago Brewing Co. currently has four brewpub locations, all located in the great state of Maine. Their current locations are in Kennebunk, Scarborough, Gorham, and Portland. I recently began following Sebago (@sebagobrewing) on Twitter, and found out they're in the process of either renovating or building a new brewpub in Portland. It will give us a new place to visit when we're in town, and I look forward to checking it out soon!

Harpoon Helps - Beer-B-Q

This event is so special it deserved a spot on the front page....

If you weren't aware, Harpoon Brewery has a philanthropic branch of their company formed in 2003 called Harpoon Helps. According to the Harpoon website, their mission is "to support local charities throughout New England with donations of fresh Harpoon Beer and volunteerism hours." Each year they donate thousands of dollars in merchandise, not to mention many free barrels of beer during their dozens of charitable events.

On Sunday November 14, 2010 Harpoon Brewery is proud to hold their 4th Annual Harpoon Helps Grateful Harvest Beer-B-Q at their Boston brewery. With food being prepared by the New England BBQ Society (NEBS), and beer being poured by Harpoon, this fundraiser is sure to be a hit! Tickets are $55 each, and the event is limited to 250 tickets in total, so it will be a reasonably intimate event. The event begins at 3pm with passed hors d'oeurves with beers (I'm assuming to be sold) and the buffet-style, sit-down dinner will be served at 4pm. The price includes turkey with all the trimmings, 3 Harpoon beers (niiiice!), and a commemorative Beer-B-Q beer mug.

If that wasn't great enough, 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank's Food Fund/Turkey Drive. For every $13 donated to the Great Boston Food Bank, they can distribute a 12-14 lb turkey to a family in need. Naturally this is a great cause, so we're hoping people can help out. If you're unable to make the Beer-B-Q, please head to the GBFB website to make a private donation.

For more information on this event, please visit the Harpoon Brewery website or click here.

The brewery has also released their Harpoon Grateful Harvest Ale, which is available in stores now through December in six-packs only. It's a limited release beer, so they only brewed so many barrels. I tried it last week, as well as picked up a six-pack, and it is pretty damn good. On top of being a good beer, $1 from every six pack is also donated to a local food bank in the area it's purchased in.

I will be reviewing the beer here soon! Stay tuned for more details!

Samuel Adams Bru Fest

Once again, the boys in Black and Gold are teaming up with Samuel Adams TOMORROW night before the Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers game, for their first of four scheduled Bru Fests. For all the Bruins games I went to last year (I had full season tickets), I failed to actually attend one of these. I've heard they're pretty fun, so you should definitely go!

The other Bru Fests are scheduled for Nov 11 vs. the HATED Montreal Canadiens (I will be there), March 31, 2011 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Phil who?), and April 6, 2011 vs. New York Islanders.

The event is held in the players' parking lot, just outside the TD Garden on Causeway Street in Boston, and is free for 21+ ticket holders. Tickets for all games are still available through Ticketmaster, and you can find more details by visiting the Boston Bruins website.

Just so no one forgets when they are, I will post them under the Upcoming Beer Events shortly!