HARPOON BREWERY - Amoskeag Beverages

Spring 2013 | V.3
AMOSKEAG BEVERAGES
LAGER
THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
RICH
DOYLE
HARPOON BREWERY
Retail Edge Seasonals The Beer Guy New Products Programs
COUNTERFEIT IDs | SPRING SELECTIONS | WORKING THE BEER WORLD THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Letter toTHE TRADE
In This
ISSUE
Cover Story .........................1
Brewer Highlight ..................2
The Beverage King ...............3
The Common Man ................4
It is hard to believe that spring is right around the corner, given the amount of
snow that has fallen this winter…however, it is upon us. Spring is the season of
hope and renewal. When encouraged by the increase of light and warmth, we
find energy to take the necessary action to face the new day. Especially in these
tough times, a tangible experience of a new start can be tremendously helpful.
This applies personally and to business as well.
So what has Amoskeag Beverages decided to do? A little spring cleaning. Most
people think of spring cleaning around the house and in the yard, but have you
ever thought of trying it at work? Businesses can pump new life into their
organization by transferring this springtime routine to the workplace.
Amoskeag Beverages is excited about our recent company reorganization. There
is a renewed energy in the air after a long snowy winter and we feel fresh and
filled with promise. We are looking forward to a successful partnership with all
of our accounts. By working together, as Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett says,
“Anything is possible!”
2013 is filled with promise and we feel great about this…it feels like spring
fever! Right now it’s time to put this spring fever into action, grab some of that
energy and funnel it into your business. Kevin Emmons, Amoskeag Beverages
VP/Marketing Director says, “When you give your business a thorough goingover, you will prosper.”
New Products ......................5
Seasonal Selections...............7
Available Year-Round.........10
Perfect for the Season
Programs ..........................11
Retail Edge........................12
The Beer Guy ....................13
Once again, thank you, and let us assure you that we will continue to provide
you with the quality products you have come to expect and the highest level of
service you deserve.
Ed Murphy
VP/General Manager
Tom Bullock
President
Kevin Emmons
VP/Marketing Director
Heady Times is published four times a year, courtesy
of Amoskeag Beverages.
CoverSTORY
Lager: The Undiscovered Country
by Lew Bryson*
“S
I N C E B R E W I N G T H E F I R S T B AT C H O F
Samuel Adams Boston Lager in my kitchen in 1984, we
have brewed and sold hundreds of different styles of beer,
but at the end of the day I always come back to the original,”
says Jim Koch, Founder and Brewer of Samuel Adams…the
original lager.
And yet…“lager” means so much more than Jim Koch’s tasty and
very successful beer. Here in New Hampshire, we live in Craft
Lager Land. We are blessed with a concentration of some of the
best lager-making craft brewers in the country like Smuttynose
out of Portsmouth and Otter Creek in Vermont. We like coldbrewed beer!
But you’d never know it if you asked most “alpha beer geeks.”
They tend to dismiss lagers, largely because the mainstream
brands they loudly disrespect are all lagers. Silly beer geeks. That’s
like dismissing crisp baguettes and tangy sourdough because you
think Wonder Bread is soft and bland. They feel that if it’s not an
IPA, if it’s not wildly aromatic and stuffed with hops, it ain’t craft!
Speak softly to these people, and hand them a glass of Samuel Adams
Noble Pils. The bountiful Noble hop aroma will suck them in, the bright
effervescence will excite them and the clean malt body will have them
reaching for another before they even realize it’s a lager! Got a bigbeer geek? Hit them right between the eyes with a Victory Prima Pils;
a big, beefy pilsner, yet rounded and straightforward as only a lager
can be. Bang!
That’s when you can take a moment to remind
them that lagers are harder to make than ales. As
one lager brewer once said to me, “Ales! I could
teach a chimp to make ales. I brew lagers.” He was
exaggerating, but lagers are much less forgiving of
errors, the cold maturation takes three to four times
as long as ales and lager’s straightforward and
clean nature means that a brewer has nowhere
to hide.
All true, and it all adds up to lagers being more
expensive to make. Their yeast strains need more
care, which means more lab equipment and more
time for yeast cultures to grow. Some lagers use a
decoction mashing process. It’s too involved to explain,
but it takes more energy. The cold maturation means
more energy for chilling the tanks and the longer
maturation time means brewers need to buy (and
maintain, and plumb, and find space for) more tanks to
put out the same amount of beer. But the hard part is that they can’t
really charge more to cover those costs; the consumer doesn’t see them.
Craft lager brewers are a stubborn lot who really do it more for love
than money.
Is it worth it? I absolutely
believe so, and I try to
introduce people to great
craft lagers all the time.
Despite the notion that
lagers are bland, or
too simple, or not
hoppy; that one just
makes me laugh,
there are lagers
that can go toeto-toe with ales.
Let’s have a look.
Does your geek like stouts and
porters? Try a Smuttynose Baltic
Porter, it’s big and bold with
flavors of coffee, dark fruit and
raisins. Also there are dunkel
lagers. Harpoon 100 Barrel
Oak Aged Dunkel is a great
one: dark, aromatic and flavorful
malts combine with lager’s
classic smooth drinkability. Or try
a classic from a German brewer:
St. Pauli Girl is a rippling river
of toasty sweet malt, so flavorful
and friendly.
And lagers have something ales
don’t. One of the most popular
seasonal beers in the world, the
beer of Oktoberfest, is the malty
amber beauty also known as
Märzen. Third Shift
Amber Lager is a new
Marzen-style amber lager
from MillerCoors. The
sweet maltiness of this
brew dominates slightly
over a clean, hop
bitterness.
Lagers are an
underappreciated segment
of craft beer and for that to
be true in America’s craft
lager heartland is just a
shame. Let’s get some lager
love going!
*Lew Bryson is a renowned beer writer, based in Philadelphia.
www.amoskeagbeverages.com HeadyTimes v.3
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BrewerHIGHLIGHT
Rich Doyle, Chairman and CEO
Harpoon Brewery
L
OCATED ON BOSTON’S WATERFRONT, THE HARPOON
Brewery is one of New England’s largest craft breweries. It was
founded in 1986 by Harvard classmates Rich Doyle and Dan
Kenary. Today, the award-winning beers produced by Harpoon can be
found in 26 states. Under Doyle’s stewardship, the brewery strives to
live up to its motto “Love Beer. Love Life.” by creating great beer
drinking experiences for beer lovers. Earlier this year, Harpoon
unveiled a new visitor center and beer hall to welcome more guests to
the brewery for tours and tastings. 2013 also marks the 20th
Anniversary of the brewery’s flagship, Harpoon IPA, and they will be
celebrating their love for IPA throughout the year.
H.T. Why did two guys from Harvard want to open a brewery?
R.D. We started the Harpoon Brewery in 1986 because – like today –
we loved beer and wanted more good choices. While traveling in
Europe after college, we drank many wonderfully diverse, fresh, local
Rich Doyle (left) and Dan Kenary, founders of the Harpoon Brewery
“Harpoon ‘crafts’ the best beers you’ll ever drink.”
beers. We also saw firsthand how important local breweries are. We
still revel in making great beer and sharing that joy with our friends
and neighbors. We’re all about great beer, fun and interesting choices.
H.T. You began brewing Harpoon IPA in 1993. What drew you to that
style?
R.D. There weren’t any out there. We took inspiration from the English,
but used hops from the Pacific Northwest. Like the very first English pale
ale, our beer made a statement. People loved it, and they still do!
H.T. Where does your inspiration come from?
R.D. We draw on numerous brewing traditions to make our beers, but
we always add our own interpretation. Otherwise it wouldn’t be any
fun. We started making cider because we didn’t like the sweet ones on
the market. It was a challenge and now I think Harpoon Cider is as
good as it gets. I like to poach mussels in it. The blend of the cider’s
subtle sweetness and briny mussels is amazing.
H.T. Can you tell us about your Leviathan and 100 Barrel Series?
R.D. It might sound redundant but we want to focus on variety and give
ourselves the freedom to be creative, even visionary. The Harpoon 100
Barrel Series is a return to our brewing roots. We call it the 100 Barrel
Series because that’s exactly what it is -- one-of-a-kind, limited batch
creations, fashioned by Harpoon brewers. Every couple of months a
different brewer will choose a style, develop a recipe and brew the
beer. Leviathan beers are a way for us to experiment with stronger
flavors. We have always wanted to challenge ourselves as brewers and
offer drinkers a broader range of tastes and styles.
H.T. Your summer beer is a bit unusual. What made you decide to
explore the Kolsch style?
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R.D. I love this beer’s crisp, dry finish, it’s
really refreshing. The style originated in the
German city of Cologne. Kolsch ales have
characteristics that many people associate
with lagers. Summer Beer is brewed with
ale yeast, but like other northern German
light ales, it is straw gold in color with a
light body and mild flavor.
H.T. Your UFO tap handle is really
interesting, in a Jetsons sort of way. Why
so different?
R.D. UFO Hefeweizen was something
different for us and frankly we were a little
scared, so we created a separate identity
for it. But it caught on immediately. We
added Raspberry, UFO Pale Ale, UFO
White and we most recently released
UFO Pumpkin.
H.T. Tell me something that most people
don’t realize about your beers.
R.D. We don’t pasteurize any of our beers.
That means we have to be very exact in our
brewing techniques and filtering capabilities.
It’s tougher to brew that way, but the great
taste of the beer makes it worth the extra
effort. I guess I want people to know that we
don’t just make beer. Harpoon “crafts” the
best beers you’ll ever drink.
Off-PremiseSPOTLIGHT
The Beverage King
W
ith a name like The Beverage King, its
no wonder the customers of this familyowned and operated store, located in
West Lebanon, are given the royal treatment
when it comes to service and selection. The goal
of owners, Rich and Sally Houle is to provide
the widest selection of beer in the Upper Valley
in addition to an extensive variety of wine, soft
drinks, water and tobacco.
Heady Times sat down with the Houles who
shared the history of The Beverage King and
how the business has grown and developed
over the last 50 years. The Beverage King
was opened in July of 1955 by Sally’s
stepfather, Earl Heath, Jr., better known in
the community as “Boze”. He purchased a
four-room farmhouse on Church Street in
Lebanon and filled each room with a different
type of product. One room was dedicated to beer, another to
soda; one was used for tobacco, and the last for groceries. He named
the store, Church Street Market.
Owners of The Beverage King,
Sally and Rich Houle
In 1960, Boze moved the business to High Street and changed the name
to reflect its location. In the mid-70s, he opened another store in West
Lebanon and called the new spot, The Beverage King. He
gave it the name as his goal was to be the
“King of Price and Selection” in the
Upper Valley. At the height of The
Beverage King’s success, there were
stores in Claremont, Hanover and White
River Junction, VT. In the early ’80s, in
need of more space, a former paint store
on Interchange Drive became the newest
home of The Beverage King. This is when
Sally and Rich took over ownership. Today,
there is only one location, in a prime spot,
making it convenient for customers to stop in.
Sally and Rich met while she was working at
The Beverage King and Rich was with a local
beer distributor. “Knowing both sides of the
business really helps us,” says Rich. The couple
work together to maintain the store’s reputation
as the “Premiere Specialty Shop in the Upper
Valley.”
Along with their regular customers, who make up nearly 75% of their
sales, The Beverage King attracts many new customers as well. “Tour
buses heading to and from Canada stop in to take advantage of our
great products and selection, while college events at Dartmouth and our
beer tastings bring in different beer-buying crowds.”
The Beverage King also has a terrific website and Facebook page that
are regularly maintained and their Keg Club is a great way to save on
barrel purchases, while giving customers a chance to try different brews.
The store houses at least 30 different barrels at all times, but customers
The Beverage King, Interchange Drive, West Lebanon
are able to order from the draught beer
portfolio which includes over 100 different
selections.
As Heady Times walked through the store, a
customer scooped up a 30 pack of Coors
Light, smiled and said, “This is the only
place I come to get my beer.” By the looks
of the satisfied customers, The Beverage
King is continuing with tradition and will be
in business for years to come.
www.amoskeagbeverages.com HeadyTimes v.3
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On-PremiseSPOTLIGHT
The Common Man
T
alk about your quintessential Granite State
establishments, The Common Man family of
restaurants encompasses all things New
Hampshire. Whether you’re heading north, south, east
or west…there’s a Common Man nestled in a
community near you.
Heady Times had the pleasure of meeting with the
ever busy Diane Downing (at the Ashland location,
home of the first Common Man restaurant) who
partners with renowned restaurateur, Alex Ray in
running one of the most popular restaurant chains in
the state. Diane has been the woman beside the
man (in this case Alex Ray, owner and founder of
The Common Man restaurants) but she has also been the
woman in charge of some very important aspects of the “Man” for more
than 30 years. Diane came aboard in the 70s and has held almost every
position, from server to partner.
Diane and Alex take pride in finding unique “vintage locations” and
transforming them into top-notch eateries. Diane scours the state looking
for one-of-a-kind artifacts to decorate the restaurants’ interiors. The
charming feel of the Ashland location brings you back in time with
exposed beams and antique-filled rooms. Not looking to expand this
year, the duo plan to “regroup and put a shine on” the existing
locations.
The cozy bar at the Ashland location boasts many local and regional
beer selections. “No matter the season, our Common Man Ale, produced
by Smuttynose Brewery, is always a top seller,” says Jason Lyons, CEO of
The Common Man. “We also work closely with Boston Beer and
Harpoon.” Having weekly manager specials on various brews keeps
patrons coming in to sample new items. Jason and Diane are also quick
to compliment Amoskeag Beverages, telling Heady Times, “We’ve been
in business a very long time and part of our success is due to our
partnerships, like the one we have with Amoskeag.”
Each of the staff members of the busy restaurant put their heart
and soul into everything they do. This is apparent in the
longevity of the 20 plus Common Man locations and over 1200
employees whom Diane and Alex treasure deeply. “We have
cultivated a family-friendly environment,” says Downing. “I send
out handwritten birthday greetings to each employee every
year.” The two truly value the time and dedication of their staff.
Living up to the company’s mantra of “doing well by doing
good,” much time is spent on charity work. You’d be hard
pressed to find a more philanthropic group of people. The
partners are also hoping to win a bid, put out by the state of
New Hampshire’s Department of Transportation, to design,
construct and maintain the rest areas off of Interstate 93 in
Hooksett. Alex says he is hoping to, “build something that would
be more than just services. It would be more like contributing to
New Hampshire’s branding and imaging, using our major
gateway through New Hampshire.” Heady Times is hoping they
get this opportunity.
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Diane Downing of The Common Man
NewPRODUCTS
Angry Orchard
Crisp Apple in Cans
The Return of the Banquet
Bottle From the 1930s
This crisp and refreshing cider mixes
the sweetness of apples with a subtle
dryness for a balanced taste. The fresh
apple aroma and slightly sweet, ripe
apple flavor make this cider hard to
resist. And it is now available in 12 oz.
cans! ABV: 5% Packages: 12 oz. cans in
addition to 12 oz. bottles and draught
Availability: 12 oz. cans available yearround, beginning in April. All other
packages available now, year-round
This summer, Coors Banquet is reintroducing the
stubby bottle to elevate the brand’s heritage
and authenticity. The actual post-Prohibition
stubby bottle from 1936 was the inspiration
for the new Coors Banquet bottle design and
research shows consumers love this bottle!
Guinness Black Lager Cans
In keeping with the upward trend of Coors Banquet
on-premise, this unique bottle will help continue the
momentum of growth and drive awareness with
new drinkers.
A unique combination of brewing
techniques is what makes this lager
like no other. Brewed using two
different varieties of hops (Saaz and
Cascade) and a proprietary
Guinness lager yeast, Black Lager
offers a new, refreshing taste profile.
After maturation, the beer is cold
filtered at sub-zero degrees,
following traditional lager brewing
methods. However, it is formulated
using Guinness’ signature dark
roasted malt, ensuring the flavor and character
consumers expect. Dark brown in color with a slightly
tan head, this is a malty brew with roasted coffee and
chocolate notes. Clean and slightly sweet, Black Lager is
medium-light in body with moderate carbonation,
making it a smooth, easy-drinking beer. This lager,
worthy of the name Guinness, is now available in cans!
ABV: 4.5% Packages/Availability: 11.2 oz. cans as well
as 11.2 oz. bottles available now, year-round.
Smirnoff Ice Black
Wild Berry
Smirnoff Ice Black has set a new standard for
taste and refreshment, delivering bold
interpretations of broadly appealing,
refreshing flavors. Smirnoff Ice Black drinkers
will enjoy the delicious New Wild Berry
flavor with its jammy/juicy strawberry
character upfront and seedy, raspberry
finish. Wild Berry is a unique liquid that is
highly appealing and will attract new and
existing drinkers. With Smirnoff Ice Black you get all of
the boldness without the burn; intense flavor meets
smooth drinking. ABV: 4.58% Package: 23.5 oz cans
only Availability: Year-round, beginning in May
Beginning June 1, a full replacement of 4/6
and 24 loose corrugated packs will occur – all
other packs will remain longneck. A series of POS tools
will be available to help support the brand’s launch of
the 12 oz. stubby bottle at retail including, metal tackers,
coasters, cooler door decals and table tents.
Coors Light Rocky Mountain
Refreshment Bottles
Beginning in April, Coors Light is utilizing special
edition “Cold Hard Fact” and “Refreshing Phrase”
bottle labels to elevate its “Most Refreshing
Summer” campaign and bring Rocky Mountain
Cold Refreshment to life at retail. Designed to
engage consumers in the on-premise, the Cold
Hard Facts featured on each bottle are fun,
unexpected trivia, all relating to the Rocky
Mountains and Coors Light. The first phase of
Coors Light 12 oz. specialty bottles will feature 17
different versions of trivia on the body label to engage
consumers during the months of April and May. Then in
June, the bottle design will be refreshed again offering
consumers more than 70 new facts and phrases.
Did you know?
Bottle Label Cold Hard Fact: The Rocky Mountains on
the Coors Light logo were inspired by Wilson Peak
in Colorado.
Smirnoff Ice Premium Mixed
Drinks in 24 oz. Boppers
The new single serve Boppers from Smirnoff Ice
offer bartenders inspired, malt-mixed drinks in a
new convenient format. They will also expand
single serve opportunities in delis and take-out
stores. Boppers will be available in Blueberry
Lemonade, Cranberry Lime and Screwdriver
flavors, all in newly designed packaging.
ABV: 5.8% Package: 24 oz. bottles only
Availability: Now, year-round
www.amoskeagbeverages.com HeadyTimes v.3
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NewPRODUCTS
Moat Mountain
Iron Mike
Pale Ale
This crisp, dry ale has a
medium bitterness and
mouth feel. The taste
follows the nose with
toasted grain, floral hops,
toffee undertones and hints
of orange peel and
grapefruit. Iron Mike Pale
Ale finishes hoppy and clean. ABV: 5.6 % Packages:
24 oz. cans and draught Availability: Now, year-round
Moat Mountain Bone Shaker
Brown Ale
Moat Mountain’s interpretation of an English-style brown
ale, Bone Shaker has a biscuit-like smoothness with a
rich, malt body and balancing hop bitterness. Both the
aroma and taste have notes of toasty grains, nuts,
chocolate and caramel. ABV: 5.4% Packages: 24 oz.
cans and draught Availability: Now, year-round
Time Traveler Shandy
At the Traveler Beer Company,
they brew beers that are
refreshing and exciting and
expand the definition of what a
craft beer should be. This is a
vibrant wheat beer brewed with
real strawberry for a subtle yet
complex flavor. ABV: 4.4%
Package: 12oz. bottles only
Availability: April
Redd’s Apple Ale
Redd’s has a welcoming, fresh-picked apple
aroma balanced with a hint of malt sweetness.
It’s the color of Golden Delicious apples with a
crisp ale foam. ABV: 5% Packages: 12 oz.
bottles and 16 oz. cans Availablity: Yearround, beginning in March
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Third Shift
Amber Lager
Third Shift is a gold medal-winning
amber lager brewed by a band of
MillerCoors brewers whose passion for
brewing didn’t stop when the day shift
was over. By getting together during
their downtime to experiment with beer
styles and flavors, this band of brewers
developed an amber lager with a sweet
maltiness that dominates slightly over a
clean, hop bitterness. ABV: 5.3%
Packages: 12 oz. bottles and 16 oz. cans
Availability: Year-round, beginning in March
Red Bull Editions
Red Bull has launched
their new “Editions”
line in three varieties,
Red Edition, Silver
Edition and Blue
Edition. Taste has long
been a barrier to new
consumers entering the
energy drink category,
but the “Editions” offer
the same benefits of
Red Bull Energy with
sweet cranberry, fresh
lime and fruity blueberry flavors. What’s your
favorite Edition? Package: 8.4 oz. cans only
Availability: Now, year-round
Mike’s Hard Frozen Pouches
Freeze. Squeeze. Please. Mike’s has done it again! All it
takes is a freezer to turn Mike’s Hard Lemonade into the
most refreshing Mike’s yet! Available in Lemonade, Black
Cherry Lemonade, Margarita and Strawberry Lemonade
flavors, Mike’s Hard Frozen Pouches are cold, hard,
refreshing and fun. ABV: 5% Package: 10 oz. pouches
only Availability: Year-round, beginning in late March
SeasonalSELECTIONS
When Demand Exceeds Supply
Narragansett Summer Ale
Many of our craft seasonal and specialty releases are
available in limited quantities. Breweries only produce a
certain amount of their specialty beers and Amoskeag does
all they can to get as much product as possible. In addition,
this magazine is compiled months prior to the decision
made by the brewery to allocate their products to the
wholesaler. Variations in production for some of these
limited release offerings will fluctuate, resulting in lower
quantities than anticipated. If you are interested in
something you see in this publication and it is out of stock
when you place your order, please contact your Amoskeag
Beverages sales representative to discuss a similar product.
Narragansett Summer is a light
session ale made with 2-row
pale malt and Citra hops. The
Citra hops deliver aromas of
citrus and passion fruit without
overpowering the taste buds. The
beer is blonde in color with a
mild kiss of hops that
complements the pale malt
perfectly, making it extremely
drinkable. The superior drinkability
and lower alcohol content make
this beer perfect for summer sessions on the beach, the
boat, the backyard patio or at the ballgame. ABV: 4.2%
Packages: 16 oz. cans and draught Availability: April
Sierra Nevada
Hoptimum WholeCone Imperial IPA
Sierra Nevada’s one-of-a-kind
hurricane of whole-cone hop
flavor is back for 2013 in their
High Altitude Series. This massive
hop-forward monster features
many new school hop varieties
including Magnum, Citra, Simcoe
and new experimental hops that
have yet to be named! Hoptimum is hopped in the kettle,
dry-hopped, then torpedoed for the most intense hop
flavors ever conjured in a whole-cone imperial IPA.
Hoptimum features notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac,
cedar and notes of tropical fruit among its complex hop
assault. ABV: 10.4% Packages: Limited quantities of
12 oz. bottles and draught Availability: May
Sierra Nevada Southern
Hemisphere Harvest Ale
Spring always welcomes the first
installment of Sierra Nevada’s
legendary Harvest Ale series with
the release of Southern
Hemisphere Harvest Ale. This
fresh-hop ale is made with unique
hops from New Zealand, which
are picked, dried and shipped to
the brewery within seven days of
the fields. The interesting spicy
and floral hops including Southern
Cross, Pacifica and Motueka
varieties are unlike any of their cousins grown north of
the equator. This is the sixth release of this one-of-a-kind
beer and a great addition to the world of fresh-hop ales.
ABV: 6.7% Packages: Limited quantities of 24 oz. bottles
and draught Availability: May
Woodchuck Hard Cider
Private Reserve Pink
Reclaiming your life after cancer is a
challenge and Woodchuck Hard
Cider wants to help survivors meet
that challenge. Woodchuck Pink
was crafted to honor that effort. The
cidery’s monetary donation supports
the Vermont-based breast cancer
survivor and supporter
organization, Dragonheart whose
NOW (Network on Wellness)
mission offers programs centered on exercise,
nutrition and education to enable cancer survivors to
live life well. Delicate in body, yet full of crisp apple
taste – raise a bottle of Woodchuck Pink Hard Cider to
all cancer survivors. ABV: 5.5% Package: 12 oz. bottles
only Availability: Now!
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
The first hints of good weather
and sunshine always means that
Summerfest isn’t far behind. Sierra
Nevada’s summer seasonal is
back for 2013. This crisp and
refreshing Bohemian-style pilsner is
one of the jewels in the brewery’s
seasonal lineup. Brewed with
imported European malts and
featuring premium spicy and floral
Saaz, Spalter and Select hops,
Summerfest is the perfect beer
when temperatures start to rise. ABV: 5%
Packages: 12 oz. bottles and draught Availability: April
www.amoskeagbeverages.com HeadyTimes v.3
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SeasonalSELECTIONS
Samuel Adams Beers of Summer
Variety Pack
The Beers of Summer Variety Pack
is chock full of six delicious brews
including: Boston Lager, Summer
Ale, Belgian Session and three new
beers! Little White Rye (exclusive to
this pack) is innocent yet beguiling;
a hazy golden brew that appears
to be a classic witbier with its
bright notes of orange citrus and
coriander, but there’s a bit more
mischief up its sleeve. Behind its sweet
exterior lies an intriguing blend of white sage and rye
for an earthy, spicy and thoroughly refreshing brew.
Blueberry Hill Lager (exclusive to this pack) is a fresh
take on a fruit beer. This crisp, unfiltered lager is aged
on blueberries for a pleasant blueberry aroma and taste.
To take this fruity character in a new direction, it is
brewed with Tettnang Noble hops for an added subtle
citrus note. Porch Rocker (new to Beers of Summer)
is a mix of beer and tart, sparkling lemonade.
Availability: Mid-March
Samuel Adams
Porch Rocker
Samuel Adams’ brewers were
inspired to make Porch Rocker
on a trip to Germany where
they enjoyed Radlers in beer
gardens across Bavaria. A
traditional Bavarian Radler is
beer mixed with German-style
lemonade or lemon soda. To
create Porch Rocker, they first brewed a
Helles beer, a straw-blond lager with a light maltiness
and subtle hop note. Real lemon was then added to
create the best balance of sweetness, subtle tartness and
effervescence. The result is a bright and satisfying
brew that is the perfect complement to warm days
and relaxing on the porch. ABV: 4.5%
Package: 12 oz. bottles only Availability: May
Samuel Adams Summer Ale
This American wheat ale uses malted wheat,
lemon peel and Grains of Paradise to create a
crisp taste, spicy flavor and medium body. The
ale fermentation imparts a background tropical
fruit note reminiscent of mangos and
peaches. All of these flavors come together
to create a thirst-quenching, clean-finishing
beer, perfect for those warm summer days.
ABV: 5.3% Packages: 12 oz. bottles, 12 oz.
cans and draught Availability: Late March
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Harpoon Welcomes Back the Cans
Harpoon IPA, Harpoon
Summer Beer and UFO
White will be returning in
cans this spring. Harpoon
cans are 100% recyclable –
pack them in, pack
them out. Availability: MidMarch
Harpoon Summer Beer
This light and refreshing Kölsch-style beer
appears to resemble a lager rather than an ale.
The style is a testimony to the broad spectrum of
characteristics an ale can produce, as well as the
brewer’s art. The body is soft and delicate with
a dry, crisp finish. ABV: 4.8% Packages: 12 oz.
bottles and draught Availability: Late March
Harpoon Summer Vacation
You don’t need to take any time off
to enjoy a vacation. With the
Harpoon Summer Vacation
variety pack, some friends, a
grill and warm weather, even
an afternoon at home can be a
vacation! This summer mix
features: Harpoon IPA, the
copper-colored ale with a
medium body and balanced
hop character, UFO White, a
refreshing ale spiced with orange
peel and coriander, Harpoon Summer
Beer, a light ale with a crisp, dry finish and the new,
limited edition Harpoon Midsummer Fling, a refreshing
beer brewed with hints of lemongrass and elderflower.
So take a vacation – any time you want – with
Harpoon! Availability: Mid-March
Sebago Hefeweizen
This hefeweizen is a golden,
unfiltered wheat beer with
origins in Bavaria. Sebago is
fermented with a traditional
German yeast strain which
produces a unique, spicy
fruitiness and wonderful
carbonation. Malted red
wheat gives it a light, crisp
body and light mouth feel for
a classic thirst quencher. ABV: 4.2% Packages: 12 oz.
bottles and draught Availability: April
SeasonalSELECTIONS
Saranac
12 Beers of Summer
The popular Saranac summer mix pack is back with an
all new look and two brand new beers – Session Ale
and Wildflower Ale. Session Ale is an extremely
drinkable, light ale with a nice hop flavor and aroma,
brewed to be “sessionable.” Wildflower Ale gets its
name from the
wildflower honey
and wild calendula
flowers used in
brewing the unique
ale. These two
interesting brews join
four other Saranac
favorites including:
Saranac Kolsch,
Rye IPA, White IPA
and Pale Ale.
Availability: April
Magic Hat
Elder Betty
Elder Betty is a weissstyle ale with bready
malt flavor balanced by
a touch of hops and
complemented by the
tart berry flavors of
elderberry. This delicious
brew is perfect for all
your warm weather
activities. ABV: 5.5%
Packages: 12 oz. bottles, 12 oz. cans and draught
Availability: Late March
Leininkugel
Big Eddy Imperial IPA
This beer is made with five
distinctive hops, hand-selected
from the Pacific Northwest and
added at every stage of the
brewing process, providing a
bold interpretation of the earthy
hop bitterness of an authentic
Imperial IPA. ABV: 9%
Package: 12 oz. bottles only
Availability: March
Moat Mountain Belgian Tripel
Deceptively strong, this golden ale has a creamy, rockywhite head with complex flavors and aromas of spice,
yeast, alcohol and fruit. The use of Belgian candi sugar
lightens the body while contributing additional intricate
flavors and aromas of cotton candy, warming esters and
floral hops. The bitterness from both the hops and the
yeast, balances out the large malt bill in this smooth,
medium-bodied beer. The
substantial carbonation lends
to a warming, dry alcohol
finish. ABV: 8.9%
Package: 22 oz. bottles only
Availability: Now, in
limited quantities
Moat Mountain
Matilda’s Red
Matilda’s is Moat
Mountain’s version of a
classic Irish red ale. It is
copper in color and
unfiltered for a full mouth
feel. Initial flavors of
caramel and toffee give
way to a lightly roasted, grainy
finish. It is firmly bittered to balance the malt sweetness,
providing for an easy-drinking session beer. ABV: 5.4%
Packages: 22 oz. bottles and draught Availability: Now,
in limited quantities
Moat Mountain Blueberry Ale
An American-style ale, Moat Mountain Blueberry is light,
clean and crisp with a gentle fruit finish and a medium
blueberry nose. Beer first, fruit second: the blueberries
are steamed separately and the extracted juices are
added during fermentation. ABV: 4.5% Packages:
22 oz. bottles and draught Availability: Now, in
limited quantities (previously a seasonal, now available
year-round)
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SeasonalSELECTIONS Available Year-Round
Abita Spring IPA
This West Coast-style IPA
has an up-front, intense
hop flavor and aroma.
Amarillo and
Centennial hops give
the brew its rich and
resinous flavors of
citrus and spice. This
bright pale ale has a
clean, crisp taste and
bright pale color.
ABV: 6.25% Package:
12 oz. bottles only Availability: Now!
Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager
Strawberry Harvest Lager is
brewed with pilsner and
wheat malts and
Vanguard hops. Real
Louisiana strawberry
juice is added after
filtration, resulting in a
crisp lager with a
sweet strawberry
flavor, aroma and
haze. ABV: 4.2%
Package: 12 oz.
bottles only
Availability: April
PERFECT FOR THE SEASON
Allagash White
This year the unfiltered Allagash White will
turn 18. Many consider it a classic, an
oldie-but-goody, a spring time, or anytime,
“go to.”
Owner Rob Tod fell in love with Belgian
beers after being introduced to Celis
White back in 1994. The beloved Peter
Celis actually saved the style from
extinction back in the 1960s, a decade
after the last White beer brewery closed
in Belgium. Tod started Allagash Brewing
Co. in July of 1995 at a time when Belgian-style white
beers in the U.S. were barely existent.
The beer spends nearly three weeks fermenting before
shipping. A special proprietary 2-row barley malt blend
from Briess is combined with four other grains to create
the signature body and head. The coriander produces a
subtle spice aroma while the house yeast and curacao
(bitter orange peel) contribute to a fruity palate.
When the Red Sox are taking their first cracks at bat this
spring, grab a pint of this spicy, crisp and fruity offering.
Should we talk podium time? Allagash White has won
the Gold medal at the last two consecutive World Beer
Cups in 2010 and 2012.
Hailing from the land of lobster rolls, seafood is a best
bet with Allagash White, but it is also great with salads,
goat cheese and apple pie. ABV: 5% Packages: 12 oz.
bottles and draught Availability: Year-round
Allagash Odyssey
Odyssey is a dark wheat beer aged for 10
months. A portion is aged in oak barrels
and the remainder in stainless tanks. The
grain bill includes 2-row barley, malted
wheat and a generous amount of roasted
barley. This deep brown-colored beer
boasts an aroma of black treacle and
raisin. Candi sugar, a traditional
ingredient in some Belgian beers, is
added during the boil. The flavor
hints at dates with a mildly roasted
finish, imparted by aging in both
medium and heavy toast American
Oak barrels. The finish is dry,
punctuated by vanilla. ABV: 10.4%
Package: 750 ml bottles only
Availability: Very limited quantities
in mid-March
10 HeadyTimes v.3 www.amoskeagbeverages.com
Verdi For
Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is Sunday,
May 12th. Show her your
love in Italian with Verdi,
the sparkling Italian fun.
Programs
Molson Canadian: The Call of the Cup
When the Stanley
Cup® Playoffs begin,
the passion felt among
hockey’s diehard fans
is incomparable. This
is the time when they
truly savor the gravity
and the glory tied to
every decision made
on the ice – because
nothing is insignificant when the
Cup™ is at stake. This 2013 Playoff
Season, Molson Canadian’s Call of
the Cup™ program connects with
hockey’s most avid fans by making
them part of the journey to the
Stanley Cup®.
It’s game 7. First period. Your star
goalie just let in 3 quick goals. What
do you do?
With 60 different Playoffinspired debates, Molson
Canadian bottles will
feature back labels that
prompt live conversation
among hockey’s avid
fans throughout the
Playoffs. What’s more, a
unique digital element
allows drinkers to
“officially vote” online, with the
chance to see and comment on what
other hockey fans think about the
decisions that define who will win the
Stanley Cup®.
In addition to debate-inspiring back
labels on Molson Canadian bottles,
the Stanley Cup® is featured on five
secondary packages (12pk bottles,
24pk bottles, 18pk cans, 24pk cans,
April 1 – June 30, 2013
30pk cans) and all can
primaries (12 oz., 16 oz.,
24 oz.). With the Stanley
Cup® front and center, this
packaging provides a turnkey
tool to create retail displays
and brings exciting news to
the on-premise, particularly in
strong hockey accounts.
A variety of bold Stanley Cup®
POS, including a display spectacular,
reflective plaque and tap handle,
creates an exciting atmosphere that
shows hockey’s most avid fans that
Molson Canadian shares their
passion for every minute of the
journey to the Stanley Cup®.
NHL, THE NHL SHIELD AND THE WORD MARK AND
IMAGE OF THE STANLEY CUP ARE REGISTERED
TRADEMARKS OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE.
© NHL 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Play Him or Pull Him?
Celebrate Cinco With
Modelo Especial
Cash in on your customers’ anticipation for Cinco de
Mayo, the biggest fiesta of the year with Modelo
Especial, the #3 imported beer in the U.S. and winner
of 18 consecutive Impact Hot Brand Awards. Modelo
Especial is building excitement for the holiday with an
all new promotion for 2013. Thematic, bilingual POS
features festive cut-paper designs and captures the
energy and tradition of the fiesta. Join one of the
fastest growing brands in the industry and make your
Cinco de Mayo one to celebrate!
This year, Cinco de Mayo will be the official
kickoff to summer, giving your customers an even
bigger reason to celebrate. Dial up the excitement
and pump up sales with all new thematic POS
that captures the good times of the celebration
and features the beer of choice for the holiday.
Get your customers in the summer mind-set with
Corona de Mayo and turn hotter profits this
season. Heat up the celebration in any account
with the #1-selling U.S. import!
www.amoskeagbeverages.com HeadyTimes v.3 11
RetailEDGE
Fake IDs and the “Good Faith” Defense
Fake IDs are big business. And some are so sophisticated that they can pass through scanners without
being detected. Last year, this prompted a group of United States Senators to send a letter to the
Chinese Ambassador asking their government to take action against the most notorious offender, ID
Chief, and other online companies that produce fake IDs. ID Chief is now out of business.
For $200 a minor was able to
purchase a “good fake”, as the kids
refer to them, and purchase alcohol.
Bars, restaurants and off-site catering
companies should follow the letter of
the law, and accept only the IDs
legally acceptable in New
Hampshire* and adhere to the
F.E.A.R. method when examining any
form of identification. F.E.A.R. stands
for Feel, Examine, Ask questions
(what’s your zip code for example)
and Return.
attempt to validate an ID, most judges
would be inclined to give you the
benefit of the doubt in the case of a
lawsuit or a citation for serving
minors. Some retailers who are
suspicious that an ID is a good fake
have made photo copies of them to
have on file in case there are
questions down the line. This is what
is known as the good faith defense. It
takes a bit of time and people don’t
always bother to do it, but it is the
best form of protection out there.
You should assume that every
customer walking through your door
is a State Police decoy. There is no
doubt that there are some very good
counterfeit IDs out there, but if you
and your staff make every reasonable
We encourage you to take all the
necessary precautions as evidence of
your good faith effort to sell alcohol
only to individuals who are 21
or older.
Good Faith
Legal Forms
of Defense
Polaroid photographs
Photocopies
Videotapes
ID swipe machines
A completed declaration
of age card
*The IDs Legally accepted in New Hampshire are: A valid driver’s license issued by the state of New Hampshire or another state or province of Canada
which bears the date of birth, name, address and picture of the licensee, a state issued ID, an armed services identification card or a valid passport from
a country with whom the United States maintains diplomatic relations. Photographic identification presented under this section shall be consistent with the
appearance of the person, and shall not be expired and shall be correct and free of alteration, erasure, blemish, or other impairment.
Moat Mountain
Moat Mountain Smoke House and
Brewing Company is a locally owned
and operated restaurant, brewery and
inn located in the White Mountains
region of New Hampshire.
In the summer of 2000, the Moat
opened in the renovated historic
Hoffman House (built in the 1840s) and
became the first microbrew pub in
North Conway. The water quality for all
of their beers is superb and is the first
step in their award-winning beers. They
brew approximately 2,000 barrels per
year, half of which are sold off-premise.
By self-distributing in NH, from Mount
Washington Valley to the Seacoast,
Moat Mountain has been able to build
their brand with a loyal customer base.
In other regions of New Hampshire and
across Maine they utilize distributor
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relations with Amoskeag Beverages
and Mariner Beverages.
In February 2011, the brewery began
packaging their most popular beer,
Iron Mike Pale Ale. The Moat is the
first small brewery in the U.S. to
embrace the 24 oz. can. Throughout
the U.S., microbreweries have chosen
cans over glass to not only protect
their beer from light degradation, but
also to choose a package that really
makes sense to the recycling-minded
consumer on the go.
In April 2012 they released their
second big can, Bone Shaker Brown
Ale. This addition to the well-known Iron
Mike will be embraced by those who
appreciate and enjoy locally made craft
beer in fine packaging.
Moat Mountain Brewing Company is
expanding operations in 2013. They
will be restoring a late 1700s barn
where they plan to construct a twolevel, 9,000 square foot production
brewery in the historic dance hall
space of the barn. The Limmer Boot
Company will remain adjacent as it
continues its decades of custom boot
making. The Moat also plans to
expand with an automated canning
line as part of their development
project. Stay tuned…..Fear No Beer!
The BeerGUY
Working the Beer World Through Social Media
Back in the day,
I found beer
through a trio of
printed guides:
Michael Jackson’s
Pocket Guide to
Beer, Steve
Jackson’s On Tap
bar and brewery guides and Pat
Baker’s Guide to North American
Beer. These were niche market
booklets (Baker’s was a guide to
every good beer bar in North
America and was all of 40 pages
long) that were hard to find,
somewhat out-of-date almost as soon
as they were printed, and weren’t all
that easily shared. There were some
early character-based online services
that had devoted beer areas –
CompuServe, Prodigy, USENET
social life completely:
the cell phone.
Happens all the time,
“Yeah, I’m drinking it
right now! Get over
here, dude, it’s on tap
and it’s awesome!”
That’s not just cool, it’s
changed how things
happen. Case in point:
last year, I came up
with the idea for
“Session Beer Day,” a
day to celebrate greattasting beer at lower
alcohol levels. Thing
was, April 7 was the perfect day for
it – in 1933, Americans celebrated
the partial end of Prohibition on that
day by drinking millions of gallons of
by Lew Bryson
What to do? Start with your
best beers, the stuff you have
that other places don’t, the
stuff you just got in, and
what’s cool about it. When
they come in, get the word
out, say why you got them,
when they’re going on sale.
Add your specials and tell
the people why you like
those regular beers.
Most importantly though,
express your opinions!
Come right out and say it:
this new beer’s a killer! The
other beer they did last
year? Not so hot! And ask some
questions: should we do growlers?
Do you like the new tap lineup?
What brewer would you like to see
“From nothing, to world-wide, in less than three weeks!”
newsgroups – and some email lists
that are still around, like the
HomeBrew Digest and DC-Beer. But
getting beer news and spreading it
wasn’t easy.
Compare it to today. The amount of
information you can find immediately
is endless. You find beer on Facebook
and Twitter, of course, and the major
beer rating/forum sites like
BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, but there
are hundreds of beer bloggers, social
media-type services like Untappd that
are dedicated to beer, city-wide realtime taplists, beer news sites like
BeerNews and BeerPulse and the
ever-expanding coverage of Beer
Business Daily.
There are more beer magazines than
ever, more coverage of beer in
mainstream news sources (and more
of it actually correct, too) and beer’s
even getting on TV. Maybe the
biggest change in immediate beer
information is the one that’s changed
4.0% beer – and that was only 19
days away!
visit? Get people engaged, become
a source of useful information or
entertaining controversy, and they’ll
pay attention.
I started Tweeting and posting on
Facebook and blogging and working
with the people at Untappd. On the
morning of April 7 people were
checking in that they were drinking
session beer in Indonesia, Italy,
Africa, and there were events across
the U.S. From nothing, to world-wide,
in less than three weeks!
Once you get it off the ground,
you’ve got to keep it up. Put up those
new beers, note your events and
follow what other people are saying
(so you can re-broadcast the
interesting stuff to your followers). It’s
work, but on the other hand, it’s free!
How can you work that? How can
you get hooked up and use the new
media to build your beer biz? First
thing to know is that the only reason I
was able to make Session Beer Day
happen was that I had a fair number
of people already listening to me,
following my feed, because I’d been
putting up content that interested
them, not just “My event happens this
Friday, come buy great beer @mybar
#rarecoolbeer”. If you’re going to
make social media work for you, you
have to get people hooked.
You’ll have to gauge the success of
your work by responses and sales. The
better and more varied your beer
program, the more this kind of thing
can do for you, because these days,
people are checking the media feeds
for new beers and new places. Get
them in a few times with a good social
media program, and they’ll soon
realize that the easiest thing to do is
just drop in to see what’s new...which
is exactly what we used to do back in
the day. Social media just makes it
more fun, and easier to start.
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510 Hall Street
Bow, NH 03304-3105
Amoskeag Beverages Partners With New Hampshire the Beautiful
At Amoskeag Beverages, continued
success depends upon our people,
our communities and our environment.
Amoskeag has always been
committed to the responsible use of
environmental resources. “We pride
ourselves on being good corporate
citizens,” says Paul Malandrino, VP
of Operations. “As part of our Green
Initiative, Amoskeag has worked
closely with New Hampshire the
Beautiful, Inc. (NHtB), a private, nonprofit, charitable trust that helps
encourage and facilitate recycling
efforts throughout New Hampshire.”
Founded in 1983 and funded by the
beer, soft drink and grocery
industries, NHtB offers municipal
recycling grants and signs, anti-litter
programs, educational programs for
elementary schools and technical
assistance to recycling programs
across New Hampshire. With over
$2.5 million in grants to date, NHtB
positively impacts our cities and towns
on a daily basis and continues to
support recycling and anti-litter
initiatives statewide.
Scott Schaier (left) Executive Director of Beer Distributors of NH and board member of New Hampshire the Beautiful,
congratulates Paul Malandrino VP of Operations for Amoskeag Beverages, on their recycling efforts.
Hey, here’s a fun fact…did you know that if you spread the cans, bottles
and shrink wrap (that Amoskeag recycles) across the land, it would go
from the warehouse in Bow, New Hampshire to the Coors Brewery in
Golden, Colorado!