http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog en will@cambridgebrewingcompany.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-11T16:22:07+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/draft-magazine-beeradvocate-magazine-pick-cbc-beers-to-top-25/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/draft-magazine-beeradvocate-magazine-pick-cbc-beers-to-top-25/#When:16:22:07Z DRAFT's Top 25 Beers of the Year includes Sgt. Pepper, the Alstrom Brothers pick both Sgt. Pepper and Audacity of Hops! In the Jan/Feb issue of DRAFT Magazine, the DRAFT Staff picked Sgt. Pepper to their Top 25 Beers of the Year. Here’s What they had to say: “Sgt. Pepper (Saison)—Cambridge Brewing Company - Here’s an easy recipe for a killer beer: Take a masterfully brewed saison and add black, pink, white, and green peppercorns. One of Cambridge’s most creative brews, Sgt. Pepper blends peppercorns’ herbal, floral qualities with Belgian yeast. The crisp swallow starts sweet with bready malts and a slight hop bitterness before bursting into pepper spice.” Check the issue out here! http://draftmag.com/magazine/detail/january_february_2010 In Issue #36 of BeerAdvocate Magazine, Jason and Todd Alstrom picked their own favorite beers, including our Audacity of Hops (by invitation of the Brewers Association as Symposium Beer for the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference), which we brewed with our pals at Mayflower Brewery and loads of guest brewers from around New England, and our Sgt. Pepper as well! http://beeradvocate.com/ We are beyond proud to share these “Best Beer” lists with incredible beers from our friends at Ithaca, Dogfish Head, Allagash, Lost Abbey, Russian River, Stone, Duvel Moortgat, and others. Cheers to great beer! ~Will 2010-02-11T16:22:07+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/the-big-secret-at-cbc/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/the-big-secret-at-cbc/#When:23:18:14Z Word has been sneaking out about the double-secret goings-on this week...We can neither confirm nor deny that a TV crew has been working here at CBC on a soon-to-be-aired show focusing on craft beer and food. Nor can we discuss a certain beer-world celebrity who may or may not be hanging out with us. But if you come down for dinner or just an after-work beer, you’ll get to see the action for yourself. We’re not allowed to say much more, but this major-network show is destined for greatness, and you just might get the opportunity for your own 15 minutes of fame on-camera as you enjoy a snifter of 2007 YouEnjoyMyStout. That’s right, we’ve pulled a little something rare and special from the CBC Barrel Cellar to boot! Oh - but you didn’t hear this from me. Shhhhhh! ~Will 2010-02-04T23:18:14+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/post-barleywine-roundup/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/post-barleywine-roundup/#When:18:29:09Z Say, CBC, got any awesome barleywines still on tap after last night's extravaganza? What else is new on tap?You’re in luck! Still on tap after our 6th Annual Barleywine Night, we have a CASK of 2007 Blunderbuss Barleywine that’s been double-dryhopped. Awesome. PLUS there’s a little left of the 2009 Arquebus, Chateau Boswell Chardonnay barrel aged Summer Barleywine (to which our own Betsy Sayers was writing love notes). Yes, there still the 2009 Port wine barrel-aged Blunderbuss as well. AND, new on tap, our latest expression of a teensy little beer known as Tripel Threat. You’ve been warned! ~Will 2010-01-29T18:29:09+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/countdown-to-cbc-barleywine-night/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/countdown-to-cbc-barleywine-night/#When:16:49:18Z Two days to go until this amazing event...The crowds are getting anxious, peppering me with emails and questions: What time does it start? 5pm. How early should I arrive to grab a seat at the bar? Well, that’s up to you, but the bar seats go early. Can I crash on your couch? No. Chef David is in the kitchen perfecting his dishes for the big event. Megan, Kevin, and Ben are hustling in the brewery, making sure the casks are stillaged and the kegs are lining up. CP and the Staff are reviewing menus and descriptions. This is one well-oiled machine at this point. Ten barleywines, all CBC-brewed, nine barleywine-friendly small plates, and a psyched staff ready for the big show. It makes me proud to see events like this come together, and I can’t wait to see how some of these beers show. In case you just woke up, here’s all the info you need: http://cambridgebrewing.com/events/details/barleywine-night-2010/ See ya Thursday! Peace, Will 2010-01-26T16:49:18+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/all-the-news-on-barleywine-night-2010/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/all-the-news-on-barleywine-night-2010/#When:15:25:22Z The full list of TEN CBC barleywines, plus Chef David Drew's Barleywine-friendly tapas menu. Read on!The long-anticipated 2010 Barleywine Night is fast approaching. Here’s all the info you need. Barleywine Night 2010!! Who: CBC, Brewmaster Will Meyers and Executive Chef David Drew (Oh, and that Brewdaddy guy (Phil Bannatyne) who owns the joint;-) What: Our Annual Celebration of Barleywine Where: At CBC of course – 1 Kendall Sq, Bldg 100, Cambridge, MA 02139 When: Thursday, January 28th, 5pm till the wee hours Why: ***10 Barleywines, 2 on cask, 2 wild, 6 different wood finishes/expressions ***Coffee Rubbed Lamb Lollipops, Monkfish Green Curry, Oxtail Stuffed Poblano Pepper, Pomegranate Marinated Quail, Hop Smoked Tuscan Kale – etc How: Easy. Just show up! No tickets needed. No cover. No reservation required (actually we won’t be able to take any reservations that night). Full ‘non-barleywine’ beer list available, as well as our regular dinner menu. ******************* Now the full menus: BEERS by Will Meyers *2009 Blunderbuss, Port Barrel Finish *2009 Blunderbuss, Cedar Wood Finish, CASK - firkin (11 gal.) *2008 Blunderbuss, Buffalo Trace Barrel Finish *2007 Blunderbuss, Double Dryhop Finish, CASK – firkin (11 gal.) *2007 Blunderbuss, Woodford Reserve Barrel Finish *2006 Blunderbuss Barleywine *2005 Blunderbuss Barleywine *2009 Arquebus, Ch. Boswell Chardonnay. Barrel Finish with Brettanomyces. *2008 Arquebus, Silverado Chardonnay Barrel Finish *Arquebus No.1, 2006 Expression (the last!) ******************* Tapas by David Drew Jonah Crab Blunder Bisque Old Bay, Crème Fraiche Potato Chip Chicken Livers Arquebus Onion Marmalade, Beer Mustard, Vinegar Greens Coffee Rubbed Lamb Lollipops Farro, Hazelnuts, Butternut Squash, Vanilla Brown Butter Monkfish Green Curry Jasmine Rice, Grilled Pineapple, Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds Oxtail Stuffed Poblano Pepper Crawfish, Hominy, Black Beans Queso Fresco Pomegranate Marinated Quail Creamed Spinach, Crispy Potato, Barleywine Jus Hop Smoked Tuscan Kale Wild Mushroom Polenta, Candied Root Vegetables, Porcini-Barley Jus, Ricotta Salata Colston Bassett Stilton Honeycomb, Warm Almonds, Iggy’s Sourdough “Queen of Sheba” Chocolate Cake Shortbread, Strawberry Ice Cream A full night of >10% abv beers means you should plan accordingly for safe travel home. Please take public transportation, a taxi, bring a designated driver, or book a hotel room within walking distance of CBC. WORD! 2010-01-18T15:25:22+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/a-brief-brewery-update/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/a-brief-brewery-update/#When:15:45:05Z Awesome honey, Arquebus brew, Blunderbuss on the way!Yesterday we had the pleasure of dragging some oak wine barrels up and down the stairs from the barrel cellar. No, that’s not the exciting part. We spent the day hydrating them so they’d be ready to receive next summer’s batch of Arquebus, the brewing process for which begins today. It’s always a challenge to keep up with the necessary maintenance in the cellar, as heavy barrels and low ceilings don’t generally mix. The day went successfully, though, with nary a backache, let alone any new herniated discs. That left us tired but excited for Tuesday’s brew and we celebrated with a rare bottle of Cantillon lambic aged in cognac barrels. Yum! Today we hit the brewhouse hard with a half-ton of malt, and the day is rolling. We’re psyched in particular about this brew thanks to our friend Mike Graney http://eatlocalhoney.com/, local beekeeper extraordinaire. Yesterday Mike stopped by and dropped off a few five gallon buckets of some amazing late summer honey which is dark and really intense. Strong herbal and floral notes and concentrated sweetness with incredible depth. We use Mike’s honey whenever possible, not only ‘cause he’s cool and his honey is great, but primarily because all his bees are kept right here in Boston. We love the fact that the honey is collected less than five miles from our little brewery! This will all (180#) be added to the Arquebus 2010, some of it going into the kettle at the end of the boil, and the rest added in over the course of primary fermentation. Yup, wild, unfiltered and unpasteurized honey going into the beer without boiling. I guess we’re renegades or something. Maybe you already suspected that. We’ll bring our wort in from the kettle at about 22*Plato, and we’ll add about 50 pounds of honey each day of primary. From there, on day four, we blend in a mix of champagne yeasts to help finish the job, and at this point we add our white wine grape must and send it to the barrel cellar to finish fermentation and then rest on fine lees until late Spring. Target abv will be about 11%, with plenty of fruity/winelike/honey character. This year we’re also targeting a more sauternes-like flavor profile and body. Check in with us next summer and let us know how we did! This week, tomorrow in fact, we’re also bringing up from the barrel cellar our 2009 expression of Blunderbuss Barleywine. It’s been aging in vintage port wine barrels for months, and we think it’s just about perfect. Still showing a little heat from the crazy 13.2%abv, but that’ll continue to mellow. Some of you had the opportunity to preview this beer at our Brewers Dinner last month (which was, by the way, a stupendous event. Chef David and his crew knocked it out of the park!) and it has softened up and come together even more since then. Look for it on tap sometime around the 15th or 16th. Other beers in the tanks currently, patiently awaiting their turn for public adoration, include Weekapaug Gruit (an unhopped herbal beer crafted with sweet gale, Labrador tea, yarrow, nettles, and a host of other groovy things), Darkest Night (our twist on Winter warmer-type beers, subtly roasty with plenty of body and aged on cedar wood for a unique spicy flavor profile. Many thanks to our new friend Wayne Wambles of Cigar City Brewing Company for his inspiration on this! Check ‘em out at http://www.cigarcitybeer.com/http://www.cigarcitybeer.com/), plus there’s an Imperial Red ale just bursting at the seams waiting to assault your palate with malt and hops. This may be the last post from me in awhile - I’m off to travel the Far East in search of new things to ferment! See ya soon, Peace, Will 2009-12-08T15:45:05+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/whats-on-your-thanksgiving-table/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/whats-on-your-thanksgiving-table/#When:17:27:11Z As we give thanks for all we have and celebrate with family and friends, let's remember the benefits of keeping it local and sustainable.This Thanksgiving we hope you will find yourself surrounded by friends and family, and enjoying a table full of great things to eat. Additionally, this is a great time to give thought to your local and sustainable economy, and we hope you’ll visit and support your independent farmers, farm stands, and grocers. Nothing, in my opinion, will help bolster our economy more than focusing on the real individuals who by hand are sustainably growing the food we eat. Additionally, rather than bringing that West Coast pinot or imported French or Italian red wine to the table, consider the local New England wineries and of course, your local breweries. Here at CBC we’ll have plenty of growlers filled and ready - Great Pumpkin, Amber, Pale, Porter, Golden - to accompany your turkey (or tofurkey) and stuffing. In fact, Kevin, Ben, and Travis have been hand-filling dozens upon dozens of ‘em to make sure we don’t run out. We wish you a safe and happy Thaksgiving! Cheers! Peace, Will   2009-11-25T17:27:11+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/howdy-pilgrim/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/howdy-pilgrim/#When:17:32:36Z CBC's newest beer, a Best Bitter, pays homage to our founders with Pilgrim hops and English malt.Well, it’s nearly Thanksgiving, and the start to the Holiday (Beer) Season. What better way to remember our forefathers and foremothers than with a beer they would have joyfully consumed as they broke bread and gave thanks. Brewed in the style of Best Bitter (slightly stronger and more flavorful than Ordinary Bitter), with toasty malt character from English Maris Otter malt. It is serendipitously hopped with a new English varietal called Pilgrim. Seriously. Similar in character to Challenger hops, Pilgrims have a fresh grassy character with subtle earthy notes beneath. This excellent, well-balanced session beer is a classic best bitter, arriving just in time for the holidays, and a reminder that we all have a reason to give thanks. OG:1.045 FG:1.012 ABV: 4.3% 2009-11-24T17:32:36+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/time-for-leftovers/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/time-for-leftovers/#When:21:46:02Z and it's not even Thanksgiving! Nope, these are the remaining beers from our Autumn Brewers Dinner. On tap for a very limited time.If you didn’t make it to CBC last Saturday for our Autumn Brewers Dinner,  you missed an exceptionally good time with fantastic food and great CBC beers. Ask anyone who joined us. Now is your chance, however, to redeem yourself by coming in and helping us polish off the remaining kegs! On tap now: Red God Om Sgt. Pepper Cerise Cassee 2008 Bannatyne’s Scotch Ale Over the next couple days we’ll rotate in: Double Happiness 2007 Dryhopped Blunderbuss Barleywine 2008 Bourbon barrel-aged Blunderbuss Barleywine 2009 Port barrel-aged Blunderbuss Barleywine. Cheers! ~Will 2009-11-16T21:46:02+00:00 http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/molecular-gastronomy-general-gaus-frogs-legs-and-the-brewers-dinner/ http://cambridgebrewing.com/blog/details/molecular-gastronomy-general-gaus-frogs-legs-and-the-brewers-dinner/#When:17:07:26Z So the night will begin with an amuse created by Brewmaster Will Meyers. It’s the Double Happiness Cocktail. It’s Will’s nuptial brew, Double Happiness, with Tangerine Twist, Apple Cider Caviar, and Duck Crackling. The dish/cocktail was inspired by the great (Some say the greatest in the world) Spanish chef Ferran Adriá of El Bulli, whom Will was lucky enough to meet this past year.Hey there, Ok, just one more quick note about Brewer’s dinner… As you know the ‘B.D’. is this Saturday. You should’ve gotten the menu last week. If you didn’t then you can check it out at our site – http://cambridgebrewing.com/events/details/brewers_dinner It’s probably the best CBC brewer’s dinner to date (And I’ve seen quite a few of these dinners in my time!) Chef David and Brewmaster Will have truly outdone themselves. I mean - General Gau’s Frog’s Legs? Maine Lobster Peirogies? Braised Rabbit Stew with Gnocchi, Tomato Confit, Hen of the Woods, Local Spinach, Butternut Squash, Piave Cheese? And the list goes on… I’m especially excited about the ‘amuse’ though. So the night will begin with an amuse created by Brewmaster Will Meyers It’s the Double Happiness Cocktail. It’s Will’s nuptial brew,  Double Happiness (a 10.5% golden ale, chardonnay barrel-aged with lychee fruit), with Tangerine Twist, Apple Cider/Pomegranate Caviar, and Duck Crackling. The dish/cocktail was inspired by the great (Some say the greatest in the world) Spanish chef Ferran Adriá of El Bulli, whom Will was lucky enough to meet this past year. Will is borrowing from Chef Adriá’s work with molecular gastronomy and ‘spherification.’ He’ll be using this ‘spherification’ technique to turn hard cider into apple cider caviar. I don’t even know how to describe it. You’ll just have to see, taste and experience it for yourself. In case you never got the details I’ll just paste them below. Hope to see you Saturday! Best, Chris The Details: Brewer’s Dinner Beer Cuisine Tour De Force 4 Courses (Five with the amuse, but who’s counting) Saturday, November 14 th, 5:30 Prix Fix $75 including tax and gratuity. So it’s a flat $75 night. To request a reservation and to purchase your seats just email or call our AGM Laura.  Laura@cambridgebrewingcompany.com or 617-494-1994 ext. 16 We have 2 seatings available. Seating one is limited to parties of 8 or LESS: With 5:30, 6:00 and 6:30 reservations available. Seating two is open to any size group: With 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00 reservations available. Go ahead and make your reservations today. laura@cambridgebrewingcompany.com or 617-494-1994 ext. 16 2009-11-12T17:07:26+00:00