Monday, February 3, 2014

It Was A Cluster-Shuck

I have been telling you about these events here at Heavy Seas for a while now, and now I have one under
my belt to help deliver first-hand details. If you had been here on Saturday at noon, here is what you would have found:
  • Three bars pouring a combined 16 Heavy Seas beers (unlimited sampling!)
  • A cask table pouring five different cask beers, all special in some way, including some cellar releases
  • Table upon table of oyster shuckers popping open a seemingly endless variety of raw Chesapeake Bay oysters, with tables of lemons and horseradish and all of the fixings
  • Three tables of grilled oysters
  • Tables serving pit beef sandwiches, oyster stew, crab dip, cheeses, chocolates and more
You would have gotten all of that for four solid hours for just $60.00. And there was a live band. Talk about a deal. Everyone I talked to was in a great mood, and with the weather cooperating at a balmy mid-forties, it was a pretty awesome day. All of these amenities were spread out through the brewery, bottling department, warehouse and hospitality areas, so you really got the feel that you were in Heavy Seas, because you were. Next up is Real Ale & BBQ on Saturday, March 8th, and this one is only $50.00. Oysters are a little more pricey than BBQ, hence the price difference. The main attraction at Real Ale & BBQ is the real ale. Heavy Seas brewers get to make all kinds of tricked-out casks specially for this event, and they really, really like doing that. Tickets are selling fast, but you can get them here if you are planning on coming.  

You folks will probably not hear from me for a while unless I think of something really important to share with you before Friday. I am catching a flight to Germany on Saturday. I will be in the beer communities of Munich, Vienna, Pilsen, and Prague until the following Sunday the 16th. Here are just a few of the highlights from this trip:
  • Hofbrauhaus and Ayinger Braustuben beer halls in Munich
  • Stift Engelszell Trappist monk brewery in Austria
  • Landbrauhaus Hofstetten farmhouse brewery (Austria)
  • 7Stern brew pub, Vienna, Austria
  • 1516 Brewing in Vienna, where Terrapin's brew master (Spike) will be brewing a collaboration beer
  • Stadtbrauerei Schwarzenberg, Vienna
  • Pilsner Urquell for brewery and lager cellar tour
  • U Flecku, Prague (world's oldest brew pub)
  • Weltenberg brewey (Germany)
  • Schneider Weisses Brauhaus, Kelheim, Germany
That doesn't even include the numerous beer pubs and historical sites we will see along the way. As you can see, there won't be much time for sitting in front of a computer writing blog posts. I will be sure to take a lot of pictures and make a snazzy slide show when I return. Until then, stay warm, stay dry, and keep thinking spring.