Sales Siren Meredith Checks out the Boston Craft Beer Scene

Written by Meredith Pyron.This Columbus Day weekend, I was fortunate to receive an all expense paid trip with my better half to Boston. We arrived at the Charlotte Airport in what would have been sufficient time to grab a beer near the gate before departure. However, following suit with my typically comical life, a particular cylindrical container caused a TSA emergency. When we were finally cleared by security, we sprinted toward our gate, shouting to the gate attendants calling our name that "We're here! We're coming!”

We landed early in Boston and headed straight to the lovely restaurant, Rialto, in Harvard Square. The craft beer menu was small, albeit mighty. I asked the Bostonian bartender what his favorite local craft beer was, and I was presented an ice cold “Jack D' Or,” an American ale by Pretty Things (Westport, MA). This delicious first release from Pretty Things came in at 6.40% and scored a 90 from Beer Advocate. I indulged in a few glasses of this before deciding to give another Pretty Things brew a try.

Next, I tried “Baby Tree,” an Abbey Quadruple that did not disappoint. This 9.00% beauty is deep brown in color with a splash of red highlighting. While it is no longer brewed with dried plums, the taste of other fruits made this a delightful treat. Had I not ordered the extraordinarily filling Ricotta Parmesan Gnocchi, I would have definitely had another glass (or two) of the Baby Tree.

Boston has so much to offer as a player in the craft beer scene. It has a plethora of local breweries. I regret that I did not have more time to visit them all! The rest of our trip was spent enjoying quality time with family. All in all, my first trip to Boston was a true delight with the ability to indulge in the local craft brews. I enjoyed a great deal of good food and drink. As a true Southern Belle, however, I was not sad to board the plane home at the end of the weekend and get back home to the Queen City.

Sales Siren Kate Experiences New Hampshire Craft Beer, Surf and Veggies

Written by Kate BarattiniI was sitting on an ocean front porch on Folly Beach, SC, drinking a craft beer after a nice sunny surf session in an 80 degree ocean when my Mom called.

"Do you want to come to New Hampshire with me this weekend?" she asked.

Without even thinking twice my response was, "Yes!"

It was the responsible decision to make in a matter such as this. New England meant two things to me; delicious craft brewed beers and rocky point breaks in icy cold water. It didn't matter that it was a 17-hour drive, nor did it matter that I would have to slip into that rubber suit of warmth in order to surf 3 ft. peelers. All that mattered was that I was going with my Mom and this trip would be free of charge, leaving me more money to spend on good beer.

I have been dreaming of this trip long before I had the chance to go. We were fortunate to stay with friends on an old family farm that once belonged to Colonel William Prescott, who hung out with good ol' folk like Paul Revere. For those that don't know, Colonel Prescott once said, "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes," during the Revolutionary War. While historically the Colonel was a killer, this guy had one helluva garden: Tomatoes, brussel sprouts, swan gourds, green onions, kale for days, and flowers like you would not believe (see right).

Kate's Veggie NH BountyLife in NH was already awesome and I hadn't even had a beer yet. A storm had been a brewin' and I was waiting for it to hightail NE to me, so I could catch some offshore sliders. When it did, I met up with a few friends and we surfed until we had noodle arms. After, we did what any smart human would do... we drank.

First stop: Portsmouth Brewery. Portsmouth is in, you guessed it, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Portsmouth is the sister brewery to Smuttynose. I've had my share of Smutty's IPAs and I thoroughly enjoyed its 75 IBU's of magic. My toes were still numb from the icy water and sure enough that IPA warmed me up in an alcoholic heartbeat. The IPA had a larger body, but the finish was bitter and dry which just kept me wanting more. I was quite appreciative. Then I noticed something I had never tried before, a Gruit, or Ancient Herbed Ale. If you ever come across a Gruit and you have never tried one, then ladies and gentlemen you need to balls-up and try something new! I will admit if I see one again I may not double down, but it is definitely something I believe every beer enthusiast should try.

This Gruit poured a burgundy-gold color and smelled like Thanksgiving treats. It tasted like an alcoholic kombucha. I stand by my word... if you love kombucha, you will drink the heck out of a Gruit... and in due time you will feel the results.

There were other breweries that made the list of places I would drink after surfing and they offered up some delicious pours, but you'll have to go to New Hampshire yourself to see what she has to offer. She sure does have a lot!

A Second Introduction Is In Order...

Though fairly new to the beer scene, I am highly immersed in all things craft beer. I am an avid homebrewer and have completed the first step in the Certified Cicerone program with plans to complete the second in Ashesville this coming April. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned this just yet, I hear it’s not so easy. Oh well. Some of the first craft beers that captured my attention were Delirium Tremens, Youngs Double Chocolate Stout, and Rochefort 8. The complexity and wide range of flavor profiles and aromas are fascinating to me.

I graduated from UNCC with a finance degree and an economics minor. I pictured myself being an extremely wealthy and successful investment banker with multiple houses and boats; that is, before I realized finance is miserably boring (sorry, finance people). The beer industry is a much better fit for my laid-back personality. Dave is even allowing me to choose my own fancy title for my role with Skull Coast as “Sales Representative.” After much consideration, I narrowed my options to a few, being “Ale Wench,” “Sales Strumpet,” and “Sales Siren.” Though all are fun names, I figured that both “wench” and “strumpet” have a bit of a negative connotation. With that being said, I would like to formally introduce myself as the “Sales Siren.” Since this is a job that I’ve wanted since my first sip of Gallows Point Porter, I am thrilled to be the newest addition to the team. I look forward to meeting everyone soon!

Cheers!

Alexa Long

twitter.com/NCBeerGirl

alexa@skullcoastbrewing.com