Bren's Blog O'Breweries

High Falls Brewery's Genny

2005-11-21T16:28:00.000-05:00

The High Falls Brewing Company is the official brewer of Genesee Cream Ale. High Falls brews many different beers, but we will only be considering Genny Cream in this post. It is nothing against the other brews, but I feel that Genny Cream is way better and up to higher quality standards than the other brews. Regardless, Genny is a cream ale that is brewed in upstate New York. Specifically, the brewery is in Rochester and it also brews the popular beer JW Dundee's Honey Brown. Anyway, Genny Cream has a very smooth taste. I first discovered it in a real dive somewhere on the Vermont New York border. I would definitely classify it as a light brew. Genny is also hands down a way better tap beer. I like it out of a bottle, but it is simply amazing from the tap. So, give Genny Cream a try if you find it in a bar anywhere. Since it is a lighter beer, I would heavily recommend drinking Genny with things like chicken or maybe even seafood. It is not want you want to have with darker meats. I should also note that some of the other Genesee brews are good, too. So, give Genesee products a shot if you see the beers out there. I also recommend trying some of the other High Falls brews. The JW Dundee's Honey Brown is definitely a good strong brew. Have a great day and take care.

-bren-

Genny Cream Ale Style: Average Joe
Grade: Stellar (7 of 10)
Drink With: Seafood, Chicken

Southampton Publick House

2005-11-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

Southampton Publick House has been brewing beer for several years. In 1996, SPH was officially recognized as a brewery on Long Island, NY. As many do not know, it is very difficult to establish a successful brewery on Long Island. Southampton Publick certainly has overcome this obstacle and become a great brewery. The bottling operations at the establishment are, at best, minimal. The primary purpose of the brews is to serve in accompaniment with food served at the restaurant. Enough background, let's get to the beer. Southampton makes a fairly wide variety of brews. The year-round brews include Montauk Light, Southampton Secret Ale, Southampton Pale Ale, and Southampton Golden Lager. Out of these brews, I heavily recommend the Southampton Secret Ale. This is an award winning brew that has been served for several years. This brew is a 3 time World Beer Cup medalist. Of these wins, there were two golds and one silver. In addition to the full-timers, Southampton Publick serves an array of seasonal brews which would include Pumpkin Ale, Southampton IPA, and Expresso Stout. The Expresso Stout has local coffee beans brewed into the stout. There is a minimal amount of caffeine in the brew, but it certainly creates a very nice taste. Overall, I would heavily reccomend giving the Southampton Publick House a try. For years, many Long Islanders have enjoyed it. Hopefully, some of you will get a chance to enjoy it as well. I should also note that the food is very good in addition to the fine beer served there. If you are ever in Southampton, go try the Southampton Publick House. Take care and have a great day.

-bren-

Southampton Publick House Beer: Styles vary. Mainly medium to light side of beer.
Grade: Stellar (7 of 10)
Drink with: Burgers, and food at Publick House

Beamish Irish Stout

2005-11-10T16:04:00.000-05:00

Beamish is the first truly foreign beer that is listed on this site. The brew is made in Cork City, Ireland. Coincidentally, it happens to be the same town that most of my family is from. So, I will admit that I have a little bit of partiality to this brew. Anyway, Beamish has been brewing for a long time. Some even suggest that the Beamish & Crawford Brewery may date back as far as 1500. Obviously, the beer must be pretty solid to last for such a long time. Personally, I love this beer so much. For years, I have been drinking Beamish with a wide variety of meals. The brew is definitely a dark brew. Most people are used to Guinness, so it would suffice to compare Beamish to a Guinness like beer. Beamish is very similar in every aspect. However, it is much darker and smoother than Guinness. It should be noted that this beer is very dark and is in fact an Irish Stout. I would refer to it as a "Heavy Hitter" as far as beer is concerned. This brew is for people who are very much into beer. I would certainly recommend trying it. For the first time, you may want to get Beamish on tap so that you can get the full flavor and experience. I definitely think that Beamish is a high quality brew that deserves a fair chance in the race for best Irish Stout. Everyone be sure to have a great day. Take care.

-bren-

Beamish Beer Style: Heavy Hitter (Dark Irish Stout)
Grade: Phenomenal (a 9 of 10)
Drink With: Desserts, Mashed Potatoes

Magic Hat Wins Most Popular Brew in September

2005-11-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

I would just like to say congratulations to Magic Hat Brewing Company on winning in the brew poll from September. Magic Hat won with 44% of the votes, Brooklyn Brewery finished close behind. Congrats Magic Hat, you have earned it.

-bren-

P.S. Check out the new October poll.

Moose Drool

2005-11-03T19:12:00.000-05:00

Moose Drool is brewed by the Big Sky Brewing Company, which is located in Montana. You may be thinking how I could ever find a brewery in Montana. Well, I was in Washington State one week during the past summer. While I was there, I had the privilege of trying a wide variety of northwest brews. Moose Drool stood out as a clear winner from that region. Right off the bat, I was impressed and intrigued by the name. After a day of hiking Mount Rainier, I decided to give the brew a shot. The smooth taste along with the incredible after taste really sold me on Moose Drool. Of course, the fact that I was sitting down to enjoy a beer after a day of hiking on glaciers certainly helped make Moose Drool taste great. However, I still loved the brew when I had it a few days later. Obviously, this means that there was some definitely quality put into this beer. Unfortunately, the brew is not available on the east coast of the United States. So, you must be west of Minnesota in order to enjoy the smooth taste of Moose Drool. Either way, I highly recommend checking this brew out if you are in the Northwest. I had Moose Drool with a burger, and I think it is a combo that stands. I would not trade that meal or brew for anything in the world. It was that good. The bottomline is that Moose Drool is a great brew that all should check out whenever they get the chance. Everyone have a great day and take care. By the way, check out the rating system I have put at the bottom of this post. It will be after every post from here on out.

-bren-

Moose Drool Beer Style: Dark average Joe
Grade: Superb (an 8 of 10)
Drink with: Red Meats

Moosehead Lager

2005-10-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Moosehead is brewed out of Saint John, New Brunswick. Before you jump the gun, New Brunswick is a province in Canada and not the place is New Jersey. Regardless, Moosehead Lager has been brewed for years. The brewery origins go back as far as the 60's. Of course, the 60's may not seem so long ago, but they are significant in the brewing sense. A lot has changed in the brewing industry through that time period, and Moosehead has managed to grow substantially in that time. The brew is available in all 50 states of the US, and it is also available in about 15 countries around the world. So, I think we have heard enough facts. It's time for the real brewing deal on Moosehead. The number one reason why the Moose made this list is because it is liked by many people everywhere. Basically, it falls into my category of an "average Joe" beer, but it is one of the best in that category. The strength of an average Joe beer is the fact that it is good for social settings. Very rarely will people dislike the beer. Of course, many brews would sacrifice some taste in these situations for the general acceptability. In the case of Moosehead, the beer maintains a great taste, and goes well with almost any situation. It is certainly not a dark beer by any means, but the brew falls into a more medium/light sort of category. One way or another, Moosehead has remained one of my favorite brews for years. The nostalgic value along with the quality will keep Mooshead one of my favorite beers for a long time.

-bren-

Newcastle Brown Ale

2005-10-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

Newcastle Brown Ale has been brewed in England for years. In fact, Newcastle is thought to be the first place to brew beer in England. That fact alone shows how good the beer must be to survive to this very day. Of course, changes were made over time to the beer. Regardless, New Castle has been a very good and consistent beer that is proven through time. The brew has a very nice smooth taste, and is among my favorite English beers in existence. I have never had the privilege of visiting the New Castle brewing plant, but I certainly hope to see the factory at some point in my life. It certainly is a very important beer in the fact that it was the first of a whole generation of brews. For years, I have enjoyed the fine taste of New Castle Brown Ale. In Particular, I like to drink it around Christmas time. More specifically, I usually drink it in the early December portion of that season. I also like to eat corned beef when I drink New Castle Brown. I have no idea why I like that combination, but I do. Aside from that, New Castle is strictly a winter brew for me. Regardless, I feel that it is a very solid beer that every beer drinker should have at least once in his or her life. I highly recommend giving this brew a shot if you see it on the shelves. New Castle is sort of a classic beer, and there's a reason for it.

Take care,
-bren-

The Church Brew Works

2005-10-13T13:02:00.000-05:00

The Church Brew Works is a microbrew based out of Pittsburgh, PA. For years, the brewery has produced some fantastic beers in an incredibly unique environment. So, what is this unique environment? Well, the Church Brew Works is based out of an actual church. Years ago, the microbrewery acquired a church, which they planned on converting to a microbrewery and restaurant. Since then, many steps have been taken to transform the church into a microbrewery. Among the many steps, removing religious items and replacing them with brewing and cooking materials were incredibly important. Now, the Church Brew Works is fully functioning and producing some fantastic brews. Personally, I love the Pious Monk Dunkel and the Pipe Organ Pale Ale. These brews are full of quality and flavor. In addition to the great taste, the food and environment add massively to the quality that I associate with this beer. Furthermore, the Church Brew Works recently won a Gold Medal at The Great American Beer Festival for the Mad Brewer Maibock. This is an incredibly high honor, and it further shows the quality of the Church Brew Works beers. I was so impressed with the brewery that I actually made a point to stop by Pittsburgh and eat there one time when I was going to Ohio. The bottom line is that the beer is solid and full of flavor. The addition of food and a great environment have helped make the Church Brew Works something fantastic. The brews taste phenomenol and have been proven in various competitions.

-bren-

Saranac

2005-10-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Saranac is brewed by the Matt Brewing Company, which is based out of the Adirondack Mountains in New York. The best part about this brewing company is that it is still a family-run business. Anyway, Saranac is the name of the brewery that I like. The beers have a nice smooth taste and go down very easily. Personally, I think of Saranac as a good barbeque beer. More specifically, my favorite Saranac brews are the Black & Tan, Lager, and Black Forest. Of the three, the Saranac Black & Tan is my favorite by a long shot. The beer is just a solid brew full of taste, and it happens to be very smooth as well. While I have never been to the actual brewery, I hear that it is a very nice place to visit. Anyone who finds themselves in the Adirondacks should definitely check Saranac out. Another great feature about Saranac is that they have extended the name well beyond beer. For example, Saranac also produces several fountain drinks under the same name. I feel that this further exemplifies the family-orientedness of this brewery. Either way, the beer is great when push comes to shove. If you have never tried a Saranac brew, I seriously recommend the Black & Tan. I will almost guarantee that Saranac will not leave you disappointed. So, give Saranac a shot, and hopefully you will have a new favorite brew. Also, check out the mini poll that will be added to the side of this site shortly. You can vote on your favorite brewery from the month of September. It should be pretty cool once I get it up and running full time.

-Bren-

Long Trail Brewing Company

2005-09-30T14:45:00.000-05:00

Long Trail Brewing Company is based out of Bridgewater Corners, VT. Named after the popular hiking trail, Long Trail has been extremely popular throughout the New England area. Personally, I have met many of the brewers here and talked to them about how they brew the beer. The factory is in superb condition and shows the kind of care and quality that goes into a Long Trail brew. The beers produced by the Long Trail Brewing Company are what I would classify as mainly a medium sort of beer. There is a lot of flavor in the ales, and they certainly are not as dark and bitter as some other beers. Long Trail is well known for the Long Trail Ale, Hibernator, and Blackbeary Wheat. Personally, Hibernator is my favorite of these brews. It has a nice smooth taste that, in my opinion, is hard to beat. Typically, it is a good brew to enjoy with a mice piece of steak or something along those lines. Either way, the brews from Long Trail Brewing Company are of extremely high quality. I have been enjoying them for years, and I hope that some of you will start to like them. Long Trail is a well known and respected name in parts of New England. Personally, I think the laid back but professional attitude of the brewing company has helped a lot with that image. The people at Long Trail are always ready to talk and serve you a beer. I know what you are thinking. You are saying "well duh it's a bar and that's why they are nice to you because they want you to have more." While I would normally agree with that, there is just something genuinely nice about the people at the Long Trail Brewery. That style and charisma shows through in their brews.

The Brooklyn Brewery

2005-09-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

This week the Brooklyn Brewery is the highlight brewer. Coming from New York, the brewery can be found on 11th Street in Brooklyn. For years, the Brooklyn Brewery has produced a wide variety of beers for the New York area. Among the breweries most popular brews are the Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Ale, and Brooklyn Brown Ale. For the most part, I would consider the brews to be on the lighter side of beers. Brooklyn Brewery produces many ales and lagers that would be liked by most average Joe people. The difference, however, is that they are much higher in quality and taste a lot fuller than most average Joe beers. Personally, I am an enormous fan of the Brooklyn Ale. Many people know it as the Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55. The reason for the special name is to honor Brooklyn's 1955 World Champion baseball team. The brew originally became popular in the summer of 2005 when it hit grocery stores in the New York area. All technicalities aside, I really really like this beer and suggest that people give it a shot. The Brooklyn Brewery produces more "user friendly" beers than some of the other companies that I like. For example, Guinness would be considered a less "user friendly" beer by my standards because most people feel it is too dark. Regardless, Brooklyn Brewery is responsible for many fine brews that anyone could enjoy. Furthermore, it is impressive that Brooklyn brews are made in Brooklyn, where there is not a very good brewing environment due to the water supply and hops situation. The bottomline is that Brooklyn Brewery makes some amazing beers that everyone should check out. I am a real big fan of this company, and Brooklyn Brewery deserves all the support it can get.

The Harpoon Brewery

2005-09-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

Harpoon brews beers in Massachusetts and Vermont. More specifically, the company started brewing in Boston, Massachusetts. For years, Harpoon has made many fine brews for the locals to enjoy. The brewing plant in Vermont was started when Harpoon took over the Catamount Brewing Company based out of Windsor, VT. Since the take over, Harpoon has moved to a much larger factory location. In this location, all of the Harpoon brews are made along with the Catamount 9 Lives Ale, which remains popular throughout the area. Among the most popular Harpoon beers are Munich Dark, Octoberfest, and IPA. All brews have a uniques taste, while maintaining a very high degree of quality. Recentyl, Harpoon has begun a 100 Barrel Series of beers. Accorrding to this series, a Harpoon brewer will select his/her own style of brew every month or so. The brewer will then make only a 100 barrel quantity of the brew in an old fashioned style. The series has been extremely popular, and it produces some of the highest quality beers that I have ever tasted. All of the 100 Barrel Series is brewed in the plant in Vermont. Also, the brewer's signature is added to the bottom of the beers label at this brewing site. When all is said and done, I highly recommend trying Harpoon brews. The amount of quality that you get for the price is unparallelled but most brewing companies. If you see Harpoon in the store, it is more than worth the buy. The brews tend to be a little bit darker, but they are extremely flavorful. The Catamount 9 Lives alone contains more than 4 fruits in the brew. So, the brews made by Harpoon Brewery are great and should be enjoyed by all.

Take care,
-Bren-

Magic Hat Brewing Company

2005-09-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

Magic Hat is a brewing company based out of South Burlington, VT. The company was founded by a guy named Bob when he built a beer tap on his kitchen sink. Since then, Magic Hat has been making great beer for everyone to enjoy away from the sink. Among the most popular brews are Number 9, Humble Patience, and Hocus Pocus. For the most part, the brews are a little bit darker then most people are used to, but they are rich in flavor. The names for the brews, or elixirs as Magic Hat calls them, are derived from people and events in the Vermont area. For the most part, the brewing company has a very hippy feel to it. Before every factory tour, a gong is rung to commence the tour. There is a flea market in front of the brewing plant, and they put basketball nets on the sides of the brew tanks. The bottomline is that the people at Magic Hat Brewing Company are really cool down to earth people. I feel that this essence flows straight into the Magic Hat brews. So, go out and pick up some Magic Hat. There are different types for everyone. Personally, I like Humble Patience and Blind Faith the best. It's up to you to find out which you like best. Of course, I will be more than happy to help you figure that out. If you have any questions about their beer, please visit the Magic Hat website or send me a message. Of course, you are more than welcome and even encouraged to ask via this site.

Ello Ello

2005-09-01T13:22:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody. My name is Bren Donohue and this is my blog about breweries. I am very serious when it comes to my beer and breweries because I went to college originally to get a degree in brewing. So, I am hoping that this site will help people recognize some beers that I believe to be of high quality. Since I am from Long Island, most of the breweries listed will be from the east coast of the US. However, there may be one or two imports listed. I am not really sure yet because I need to see what beers wow me this year. Right now, I can safely say that there are a few that will make the list automatically unless something drastic happens. When you are reading my posts, please feel free to think of questions or suggestions that you have for my messages. For example, I can be deeper and more technical about how the beer is made, what it tastes like, or who makes it at any time. So, never be shy to tell me what you want to hear. Also, I personally favor darker beers so you may realize that as you read my posts. However, there is no need to worry if you like lighter beers. I will definitely post on at least one or two high quality light beers. My goal is to get something for everyone up here. The bottomline is that I am a kid from Long Island who goes to the University of Delaware, and I hope to better some of the beer choices made in this world. So sit back and relax, we have a semester of brews ahead of us.
Take care
-Bren-