Smuttfest 2012

Father’s Day weekend, and I’ve always told Jenn that I would rather do things than get things.  So when Dad said he’d be up for travelling up to Portland, ME for the day on Saturday, it was a no brainer that we would go since Portland is one of my favorite beer cities in America.  Our first stop was lunch, so we stopped by Sebago BP for a bite to eat.  Sebago (http://sebagobrewing.com/) had recently relocated close to the ferry docks, and they always had a good menu and selection of beer.  The beer choice was easy; a dry hopped Citra IPA on cask really hit the spot.  The food choice was tougher; I was going to go with the hefe-weizen steamed mussels but  thought I would need something a bit more fulfilling for later on so I went with their Cheddar Ale soup and the pub pretzels.  They certainly hit the spot, and when I was able to put the family on their boat ride, I headed over to Novare Res for Smuttfest.

Novare Res (http://novareresbiercafe.com/) was having an event highlighting Smuttynose beer called Smuttfest (great name), turning over all the taps to their brews.  I sat at the bar and quickly made friends with the bartender and customers (they liked the beer book).  I started with the Homunculus on cask, dry hopped with Motueka hops from New Zealand, a Belgian IPA at ~10% ABV.  I got a cheese plate with English Red Leicester to balance out the beer.  They had two specialty beers on drafts that had been aged in bourbon barrels for over a year; their Robust Porter (by far the best beer of the day) and their Belgian Stout.  I wrapped up my beer selections with a pair from Smuttynose’s short batch series; their Brett and I, a wild American ale, and their Satchmo, a porter brewed with black trumpet mushrooms.  The beer and company were fantastic.  I bumped into a couple of the Portsmouth Brewery’s brewers and bought them a beer for their hospitality a few weeks back.  I had a great day, and was glad that Jenn was there to drive me home.

Sunday was Father’s Day, so Jenn and the kids took me down to the Portsmouth Brewery for lunch before we headed back to NY.  The Saison that Wayne and I had helped brew was on tap and on cask (bonus).  The draft was great, a little sweeter than I had expected (Jenn said she liked it that way).  On cask, Tod had added in tri-peppercorns (black white, and pink) and this helped counteract the sweetness of the beer with a spicy finish.  It was fantastic.  Jenn shared her chicken nachos (I got ALL of the jalapenos) while I indulged myself with a Shepherd’s Pie made with their stout and lamb.  The food and beer were the perfect Father’s day present.

We took the road less travelled on the way home, the Mohawk Trail, and enjoyed the scenery along the way.  We stopped in Greenfield for some dessert at the People’s Pint brewpub.  I got a pickled egg and their Farmer Brown ale on cask while the kids enjoyed some chocolate mousse and a strawberry rhubarb pie ala mode.  It was a great weekend, being together as a family.  The fact that Jenn allowed me to pick the itinerary made it all the more sweeter. – 6055/12452

“I’m off for a quiet pint – followed by 15 noisy ones.” – Gareth Chilcott