Homebrewers!! Maltose Express will present two homebrew clones
$30.00 per person (tickets in advance)$35.00 at the door.
Price includes all beer. Live music will be provided.
Food will be extra this year.
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Beer News

Tickets for all beer events can be ordered by telephone at Mountview Plaza Wines & Liquors (203) 729-5445 or via e-mail through CTBrews@aol.com.
Brew News-You Heard It Here First!

Here’s some info on what’s happening in the beer world here in CT…

Price Bulletin!! As I am sure all of you have noticed, especially if you are a homebrewer, the costs of raw materials for beer have risen sharply. These additional costs are translating to price increases in the range of $1 to $2 per six pack or 750 ml bottle. Huge increases in the brewers’ costs of hops and malt, coupled with the high fuel costs for transportation, and the weakening dollar overseas affecting all of the imports, have all converged on us resulting in substantially higher prices for quality beers. Hops prices have increased up to tenfold in some cases and malt costs are often up 300 – 400% over last year. Brewers, forced to buy hops on the open market, are seeing exorbitant pricing—if they can find the hops at all. The larger breweries with have long term contracts with malt and hop producers, have not been hurt as much but are still feeling the pinch. What caused this great hop and malt shortage? The rush to produce ethanol based products. Given the hops shortage, the over reaction (my view) to ethanol solutions, and the quick growth cycle of hops once they are planted, we are hoping that plantings will increase and hops prices will come back down in a year or two but this is uncertain. In the meantime, breweries, distributors and retailers have to pass along their additional costs.

B. United International and Shelton Brothers have many unique and interesting offerings coming this year which you can see from their web sites. Many of these are very limited and will be hard to find or get in CT. I would recommend that you contact me if there is something special you are looking for and I can give you input on the availability of these products.

Many of you had the opportunity to try the Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen Weisse beers last year which were very limited. Both versions of this dry hopped German style wheat beer were terrific. Two versions were produced, one from Schneider & sons in Germany (available in bottles only) and one from Brooklyn (available in kegs only). Both breweries are in the process of brewing another batch and bottles of both should be available soon—the Schneider version is due in in mid-April. If you missed out the first time or want to secure some more, please let me know and I will try to fill all orders.

Speaking of Brooklyn Brewery, they are continuing their series of Brewmaster Reserve beers which are available only in kegs (1/6 and _ BBL) and only by special order. Most of these beers are Belgian inspired and represent great values as they usually cost less than half of what a comparable Belgian beer would cost. Here’s the plan for 2008:

Jan. / Feb. Brooklyn Extra Brune (Belgian Abbey beer, 9% abv) SOLD OUT
March/April: Brooklynator Doppelbock (Classic German Doppelbock 7% abv)
May/June: Brooklyner Keller Helles (Unfiltered golden Helles, fresh and hoppy)
July/August: Brooklyn Grand Cru (Belgian pale ale combining the best of a Belgian Tripel and a Witbier)
Sept./Oct: Brooklyn Flemish Gold (6% with a hint of Brettanomyces yeast)
July/August: Brooklyn Grand Cru (French style biere de Garde 8.0%)
If you are interested in any of these, booking ahead is essential as they go quickly (mostly to bars and brewpubs).

One of my favorite Belgian breweries, RegenboogRegenboog, has taken a break from brewing and no more beers are planned for this year. I still have several types available including my favorite, BBBourgondier.

Many of you have asked when Captain Lawrence Brewing (Scott Vaccaro, former head brewer at Danbury’s Colorado Brewpub) is coming to CT. They are almost here…kegs (1/2 BBLs only) are arriving in March with growlers to follow, hopefully in the late spring. The five initial offerings will be Brown Ale, Double IPA, Liquid Gold, Pale Ale, and Smoked Porter.

As some of you know, Victory Brewing has bought the rights to brew Heavyweight Brewings beers. Last year they brewed their version of Percuno’s Hammer. Called Baltic Thunder. Unfortunately, this beer is not available in CT (although I heard that it can be found in MA).

The award winning Cambridge Brewhouse Cambridge Brewhouse

Opa Opa Brewing Company, available in the eastern half of the state is slated to come into the western half of the state soon. I was told March, but I haven’t seen them on my price sheets yet. Maybe April…

Olde Burnside will be introducing a new beer this spring, a wheat ale. New England’s Scotch Ale is also in the tanks and I (and others) are anxiously awaiting its arrival having tasted it at the Bar Real Ale Festival in January.

I have been frustrated in trying to Kasteel Red in stock. Unless I can get my distributor to order some (and so far I haven’t been able to) we will not be getting this in CT. I’ll keep trying.

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New Beer Arrivals

This section is meant to provide viewers with a listing of new beers arriving in our store. It is refreshed every other month or so. Some beers may be very limited and presold based upon our Beer Newsletter e-mailed to our clients. If you would like to be added to our Beer Newsletter list (published approximately bi-monthly), contact Terry Boyd.

May 2008