By Joe Russo
WHAT’S NEW IN THE BREW SCENE
The Latest Thirst-Quenchers in the Valley
When I was asked to write the beer and brewing section for Vibe’s spring issue, my first response was, “Why me?” A logical question, since I don’t consider myself a writer and I am new to the brewing scene. Then it evolved into, “Why not me?” After all, I have a passion for craft beer that is hard to match. I dive into things head-first and I am not afraid to take a chance. So, here we are. Like a lot of people, I grew up drinking the massproduced lagers, and eventually tried a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Wow, the flavor was completely foreign, yet it blew me away. I wasn’t sure if I even liked it, but I tried it again … and again. This new style of beer had me hooked, so I tried some of the other craft brews hitting the market. I eventually fell in love with this whole new world of craft beer, but that wasn’t enough. I knew I wanted to brew beer, but it was just a dream.
Then my friend Victoria unknowingly changed my entire life with a 1-gallon, all-grain home brew kit she gave me as a gift. Neither Victoria nor I could have imagined that years later I would be the cask ale brewer at Sea Dog Brewing Company in North Conway. I also work at The Moat Mountain Brewing company’s production facility. In the past I have worked at Hobbs Brewery and Tavern in Ossipee, as well as the SAP House Meadery in Center Ossipee, NH. It all started with my first beer from that 1-gallon kit, and my insatiable appetite to learn more about brewing and improve my beers. I researched making beer all over the internet, listened to the plethora of podcasts about brewing, and eventually joined a local homebrew club. I would visit breweries and be amazed at all the stainless steel and the science behind brewing. To me, this was art in a glass. I would seek out new styles and flavors, then go home and try to replicate them for myself. Most notably I fell in love with the India pale ale (IPA) type of beer. This includes West Coast styles, to Brut, to single hopped, double hopped, triple hopped and our very own New England
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