52Brews - Great Beer

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16 glorious days in Europe, 2200 mediocre photos, and 2 weeks of post-vacation depression is all it takes to change the world.

I sampled the Aperol in Venice, I scaled the bell tower in Bruges, and I beheld the Beefeaters in London. I went to the mountains, I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain, and I bless the rains down in Africa... And soon I'll beget the 3-part story of my journey.

Stay tuned.

tagged

52Brews in Bruges,

European tour,

craft beer | |

Sunday

Jun132010

Strangford Lough St. Patrick's Best and Legbiter

posted

Sun, June 13, 2010 in

Brew Reviews,

Irish |

Sometime in mid-May I was contacted by some marketing reps of Stranford Lough Brewing Company asking if I'd be interested in reviewing their products. SLBC is a young Irish brewery located in Killyleagh, County Down, that recently decided to expand operations to the United States. They are looking for some exposure here in the states, and I suppose they deemed 52Brews an appropriate platform.

Technically this was only the second company to reach out to me for a review (Buckbean Brewing had contacted me some time ago, unfortunately I never received their shipment); and I did some quick preliminary research to make sure they were legit. Everything passed the sniff test, so I happily agreed to do the review. Something I didn't do - and I should have done - was warn them that my review would be entirely honest, and I would offer full disclosure to you all that the product was sent to me for review.

While any company should recognize this risk, and make the connection without being forewarned, I feel it was in poor journalistic practice on my part that I neglected to provide that disclaimer to the SLBC reps. The misleading factor about this site is that all of my reviews are positive. This is because I only review products that I recommend. While reviewing products that are shipped to me is a welcome change, it does introduce an awkward opportunity for disappointment - both on my end and on theirs.

This is the awkward story of disappointment - both on my end... and presumably on theirs.

Click to read more ...

tagged

English Bitter,

English Pale Ale | |

Thursday

Apr082010

Flying Fish Exit 16

posted

Thu, April 8, 2010 in

American,

Brew Reviews |

They call New Jersey "The Garden State". Others have some choice nicknames for this oft ragged-upon melting-pot, and I call it home.

The irony of "The Garden State" is the outsider's perception, which tends to stray far from the lush green fertile lands the title implies. I'm told the state does output a noteworthy volume of produce, and I know there are some rural spans, but really... that sort of thing isn't going on where I live. The scene by me is a dense suburban commercial haven, a destination for shoppers and restaurant-goers while home to thousands of New York City commuters.

Our commuters traverse a complex system of highways, bridges, and tunnels through our beautiful marshlands, scenic woodlands, and a mechanized industrial utopia. The central pipeline for the commuters' carnival? That, my friends, is a 122 mile stretch of rubber-scorched asphalt called the New Jersey Turnpike.

Honoring our great home state, Flying Fish, New Jersey's largest craft brewer, offers the "Exit Series", each named after a different exit on the Turnpike.

Click to read more ...

tagged

IPA,

beer review,

flying fish | |

Friday

Mar052010

Beer: what's in it for me?

posted

Fri, March 5, 2010 in

Just for Fun |

After twenty eight years I am now pleased to be
In a place to reflect on my life openly;
If one thing is missing, a response to my plea-
I'm asking you, Beer: what's in it for me?

Click to read more ...

tagged

beer poetry,

creative writing | |

Wednesday

Mar032010

52Brews featured by The Beer Wench

posted

Wed, March 3, 2010 in

Beer Bloggers |

This past Sunday, The Beer Wench was kind enough to post a profile of me on her site: DrinkWithTheWench.com. This is one in a long series of blogger interviews, a thoughtful and clever tribute to the online blogging community. On a side note, and much less exciting - this is chance to see the real face behind 52Brews. You may wish to shield your eyes... consider yourselves warned.

For those of you who don't know The Beer Wench, (and I suspect this is very few of my readers, if any) I would encourage you to head on over to her site, pronto. Ashley is one of these people with such zeal and passion behind her work that her enthusiasm and love of the brew is most powerfully contagious. She has scoured the country in search of the finest beer, interviewed brewers, shaken up tasting events and torn up Twitter like no other. To borrow a phrase from her: She's a big deal #justsaying.

My thanks to The Beer Wench both for this posting and to the fine work she's done giving craft beer a good name. Now, ON TO THE INTERVIEW

tagged

beer bloggers,

featured posting,

interview,

the beer wench | |

Saturday

Feb132010

Video: Vertical '08/'09 Founders Breakfast Stout

posted

Sat, February 13, 2010 in

Brew Reviews,

Video |

Brew Review: Founders Breakfast Stout

vertical tasting - '08 / '09 Founders Breakfast Stout from 52brews on Vimeo.

I was a little nervous for my first time in front of the camera, but I made it out alive, despite some rambling. That said I think I made my point: I love this beer. Check out my review from a while back here:

Enjoy the video review - Your feedback is always valued.

tagged

founders,

stout,

vertical tasting,

video | |