River Horse Brewing Picks Winner For "Voice of River Horse" Competition

And the winner is...

ME!

Hahaha! Ever since my first sips of Double Wit and Hop-a-lot-amus, I have been hooked on everything River Horse has to offer. From their subtle Lager to their potent Tripel Horse, 'New Jersey's Oldest Brewery' commands a modest-- but consistent-- crowd to try their rotating sample of drafts every weekend at the Lambertville, NJ brewhouse. Right across the bridge from the prosperous town of New Hope, PA, Lambertville offers the perfect setting for the hand crafted beers that River Horse provides their fans. Peppered with artisanal restaurants, art galleries, and other boutiques, it becomes quite easy to spend the day hoping back-and-forth from place to place.

Sampling and touring the River Horse Brewing Company became a common Sunday afternoon tradition while visiting one of my best friends and former college roommate Mike Ghigiarelli in Newtown, PA. So, when I heard that they were looking for someone to help makeover their voicemail greeting via one of their patented fan contests, it had seemed like all of the stars had aligned. You see, I pride myself on having a pretty stellar-- even sillier-- radio voice. So, I gave the contest a shot after imbibing in some Unibroue Trois Pistoles at my father's house.

About a month later, I got a call from the brewery on my way home from a day trip to Baltimore telling me that I had won! I couldn't believe it! What are the perks to this victory? A case of their beer and, what I consider to be the dominant honor, the prestige of being the voice of the brewery. So, I'll keep you updated on the process of this opportunity and, until then, grab a sixer (or case) of some River Horse brew to help me celebrate.

American Craft Beer Week (May 16-22)

I wanted to share this inspiring video about the upcoming American Craft Beer Week. Pass it along to fellow beer lovers or somebody who doesn't know what they're missing. Also, check out CraftBeer.com for an always updating list of events that are scheduled to celebrate American Craft Beer.

Selling Craft Beer by Greg Koch

I wanted to pass along this video-- while reminiscent of a training video you would watch on your first day at a new job-- that is aimed to help educate and offer incentive to bar and restaurant owners who might be weary of offering those "weird, microbrewed beers" at their establishments. Greg really does an excellent job in giving practical examples and introducing some target audience theory throughout this informative press release. But anyways, enjoy and pass it along to any business owners you might know... or just a friend who shares your craft beer enthusiasm. Let's get more and more craft beer into our favorite watering holes.

Beer Porn: February 16, 2011

A little bored but don't have too much to talk about today. And since deciding to treat my beer as less of a collection and more like-- well, beer-- I have been accumulating some pretty tantalizing beer pornography (beer geek lingo for some glamor shots of prized beers before consumption). So, enjoy!

After having sampled this beer at a beer festival or two, I finally got my hands on a bottle via a traveling buddy. All I can say is that I cannot wait for its distribution to expand and give everyone in the world a shot at this beautifully crisp, double IPA. It just screams Simcoe & Centennial hops.

Grabbed this on my way through Delaware and was very excited to crack it open. Being a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Three Floyds, I knew I was in for a treat. Very interesting, yet easy drinking. Complexities included spicy Belgian yeast and a dash of cardamom.

 

 

 

 

A late-Winter/early-Spring tradition for Northeastern beer geeks. An assault of hops balanced with the malt backbone of an Amber Ale. Hands down, my favorite Spring seasonal and something worth hanging onto for both the cold Winter nights and thawing Spring afternoons.

A dry-hopped, bottle-conditioned version of Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA. Certainly a refreshing new life breathed into this Double IPA staple.

Happened to be in the area the week that this was released over August of 2010. One of the most interesting new beers I've had all year. Dominated by your traditional Imperial Stout roasted chocolate suggestions followed by a tease of sweet honey at the end of the finish. I forget if this was announced to be brewed again in 2011, but I sure hope so. If you see this, grab it! Quite an experience.

Almost flinched when I saw this on the shelves in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Needless to say, I had high hopes for this offering from a relatively, spanking new IPA that has been catching some serious buzz. Every single element that has been boasted for this Oak Barrel-aged IPA makes this hazy, citrusy, complex hop missile a must-try!

 Thanks for checking out the blog and feel free to shoot me any questions or suggestions for this little project at BradBeneski85@gmail.com!

Bottles of Beer or Museum Relics?

I have begun to notice a growing problem with how I view my beer stash. I have been treating my beer a little too preciously. Like many habits, this practice isn't a bad thing until it gets out of hand. For instance, say its minutes before movie, television show or a game that I've been looking forward to watching. What could be better? Of course! A nice beer to compliment this next hour or so of relaxation and electronic stimuli. I then find myself standing in front of a cold cabinet of proverbial "Do Not Touch" signs pasted over my collection of special occasion beer. Longing to have something that us beer nerds call "Session Beers", I end up settling for something less than satisfying. Usually, one of the Yuengling Lagers or other adjunct lagers usually designated for tailgates or post-lawnmowing.

Which brings me to my new resolution that I have decided to implement. Its as simple as: "Drink your damn beer!" So, today I cracked into one of my most prized finds: Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout. I had no plans for the next couple hours and was looking to enjoy a tasty beer. After an admittedly extended beer porn session before actually drinking the pitch black beauty, I sat down to a variety of college basketball games and just took it in. Every roasty nuance-- every sweet morsel of bourbon, coffee, and lactic sweetness-- every bit of alcohol heat and intoxication just took over my disposition until I had another epiphany. Special occasions don't have to necessarily be celebrated with beer. Instead, beer can command whether an occasion is special or not. If not for enjoying this hand-crafted beast of a beer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, I might have just been mindlessly scouring Facebook or-- more ironically-- surfing BeerAdvocate to read reviews of beers. Instead, this amazing beer helped me truly enjoy an hour of my lazy Saturday afternoon during a miserable, sleeting, snowy fit of whether outside of my windows.

PiP Introduction

Pennsylvania loves beer. Philadelphia is constantly amongst "Best Beer Drinking City" debates and we have approximately 75 breweries in our state (20th per capita according to a study by the Brewer's Association). We have big, industrial breweries pumping out brands like Samuel Adams (70% of Samuel Adams' production is done in Pennsylvania), we have old breweries producing traditional pre-Prohibition style lagers (Yuengling, which is no secret, being the oldest functioning brewery in America), and we have micro- and nanobreweries pushing the envelope of both extreme and traditional brewing methods. Yes, you don't have to travel to far across Pennsylvania to run into some interesting beer.

That is why I have decided to name this little blog "Pints in Pennsylvania". There will be no exclusivity to Pennsylvania beer issues or news, but there will be a local spin added to the site. So, craft beer lovers from all over-- as well as my lovely Commonwealth-- will benefit from bookmarking the address.

I guess a small introduction of myself would be in line about now: I am a 25 year-old Pennsylvania State University alumni. I graduated in 2010 with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. I worked for a handful of newspapers and magazines as a staff writer and columnist. I took a brief sabbatical from the editorial industry to chase a dream in music. After a handful of tours with artists who I grew up idolizing, the band broke up and I am now back trying to find my purpose. I have been obsessed with beer ever since I turned 21. I did so while living in State College and had a terrific institution known as Zeno's Pub to usher me into the world of better beer. I am always looking to take a road trip in the name of beer. I am also turning any other trip into brewery visits ("Hey guys, if we take this next exit, 'So and So' Brewing Company is only 2 miles out of the way!").

My professional goals include two different roads that would dreams come true. The first being a full-time writing job with a newspaper or magazine. I am experienced in both hard news, feature writing, and as a columnist. The second option I am pursuing is a career in the beer industry. I would eagerly accept the challenge to both show what I know about the industry and absorb much more from those willing to teach it to me.

Anyways! Thanks for checking out the blog and I hope you find either a little entertainment or education on a topic in which I am very passionate: Beer.