{"id":675,"date":"2017-02-28T16:20:04","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T16:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/?p=675"},"modified":"2017-03-01T17:05:57","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T17:05:57","slug":"beer-week-chronicles-episode-2-tap-takeovers-take-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/2017\/02\/beer-week-chronicles-episode-2-tap-takeovers-take-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Beer Week Chronicles – Episode 2: Tap Takeovers Take Over Town"},"content":{"rendered":"
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Just another Thursday in Saratoga… with suds!
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\nHarvey’s sign out front told me I had arrived at the vortex of downtown to begin my mission. Yet this was just the first stop on my photo-invasion itinerary.<\/p>\n
The Hunt for Antwerpen<\/strong> Complicating matters is that I was assigned a multi-venue situation. To document tap takeovers by Breweries near and far, spreading that good cheer and PR, at various locales on the evenings preceding Saturday’s Beer Summit…. So the game plan called for research, and good timing above all. Which is what brought me to Harvey’s Phila Street front door first on my dance card.<\/p>\n And here’s why: In truth, Guinness has only recently expanded its offerings to the USA, making a foray into the lighter color market with its Blonde release, and the astonishingly smooth Nitro IPA. But for years, it was Guinness, Guinness Stout, some export permutations of same, and – that’s about it.<\/p>\n However, in Ireland and Europe for a few years now, Guinness’ St. James\u2019s Gate brewery enlisted a small group of talented Guinness brewers to play with old and new recipes, and encouraged them to be crafty and innovative. That’s The Brewers Project in a nutshell.<\/p>\n The two recent releases, Rye Pale Ale and Antwerpen Stout, were fantastic. In the summer, I’ll go lighter, but after the track closes, I’m a dark beer guy. Basically, I could rotate these two year-round and be more than happy.<\/p>\n So consider that a tout. These have just been made available locally in beverage centers and select taverns. Check it out. <\/p>\n Those who made this their stop for the evening would be very happy. I could’ve hung with these folks all night. But I had a train to catch. Or rather, a crawl. I told you timing was everything! Behold Brew Salt! That’s Patrick displaying perfect technique at Saratoga Brewing Co.
\nAfter enlisting the aid of Ace Photog Gail Carmichael Stein in our last episode (see: Kickoff Tuesday <\/a>), wherein Gail perfectly captured the Kickoff Party at Saratoga Brewing, I faced Thursday in solo mode. <\/p>\n
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\nSpokesmodel Tess from Harvey’s tells the tale. Guinness was in town. Might as well start with an HOF. In truth, Guinness should lease Porche’s slogan, for really, there is no substitute.
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\nIt was “Pour Your Own Guinness Night,” and we came upon tonight’s performer, Padraig Timoney, in pre-game mode. The Guinness ambassador allowed Padraig a photo op while his first pour settled, and then instructed him on the technique for a fantastic finish… A+ Padraig!
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\nWell, that was fun. But I was here for these:
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\nAnytime you see something called The Guinness Brewer’s Project, you pay attention. Certainly other brewers and devotees do. <\/p>\n
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\nI Love<\/del> Drink New York<\/strong>
\nIt’s the NYS Pub Crawl, arriving at the third leg of their journey at
\nbailey’s cafe`!<\/a>. Organized by DeCrescente Distributors, the Crawlers had already crawled through Caroline St. Pub and Spa City Tap and Barrel, savoring specials on the DeCrescente family of fine NY craft offerings. <\/p>\n
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\nThe crawlers were next to crawl to the Saratoga City Tavern, ETA 8 PM. Things would be well lubricated at that point, no doubt. I would catch up with them later. But I had time for an interlude, so I called for my driver (safety first!) and we were off to play.
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\nLife in the Salt (Gold)Mines<\/strong>
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\nAlways had a soft spot for these guys. A few years ago, I dug out something on a local biz starting out with a simple slogan… ‘Play With Your Brew’… Salting your beverage has been around ever since bored kids waiting for their food at restaurants existed, but Kerri, Robin and Patrick have elevated the concept to new (and flavorable) heights.<\/p>\n
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