Project WorkSAFE, Vermont’s Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Program, is pleased to announce that Long Trail Brewing of Bridgewater Corners has successfully completed and met the requirements of the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).
The company and the Vermont Department of Labor’s, Project WorkSAFE Program began working on the certification process over 12 months ago.
“We applaud the employees and management of Long Trail Brewing in this accomplishment, especially in these tough economic times” said Scott Meyer, Manager of Project WorkSAFE.
“We are excited about Long Trail’s continued leadership as a Vermont based brewer”, said Brian Walsh, President of Long Trail Brewing. Walsh went on to emphasize, “The SHARP recognition is an extension of the company’s passion to make award winning beer, but with emphasis on a safe and healthy environment for our brewing team.”
My latest featured article for RateBeer’s The Hop Press… posted on Saturday, March 27th.
I have talked before about the planning work being done for my May vacation this year. Work has been super busy for the last 9 months or so and I am really looking forward to the break; though it is still about 6 weeks away. As we discussed what might be on the travel itinerary this year, all sorts of thoughts spun through my head about where we might go for this vacation. It should probably come as no surprise that “beer” was, at least initially, part of the discussion.
My latest featured article for RateBeer’s The Hop Press… posted on Saturday, March 20th.
Until the advent of the 21st century, beer brewers went to great lengths to protect their beer from the flavors that storage in wooden vessels might impart. In a definite reversal of these traditions, modern brewers have acknowledged what wine makers and distillers have known for centuries and are embracing the wooden vessel (barrel, cask, etc) as an enticing way to add unique and delicious flavors to their beers.
My latest featured article for RateBeer’s The Hop Press… posted on Saturday, March 13th.
As spring arrives, so do the beers more appropriate to the season; a return of beers more suited to the warmer weather and a transition between the heavy/alcoholic beers of winter and the much lighter beers of summer. Traditionally these spring beers have included some of the broad category German bockbiers, but also include a number of other beers (depending upon which “expert” you choose to believe); Belgian wits and other wheat beers of various types, fruit beers, Saisons and stouts seem to round out everyone’s list.
One of the most interesting beers that I have ever had… the Dogfish description reads…
Similar to a beer brewed in China some 9,000 years ago, Chateau Jiahu used a recipe that included rice, honey, and grape and hawthorn fruits. The formula was obtained from archaeologists who derived it from the residues of pottery jars found in the late Stone Age village of Jiahu in northern China. The residues are the earliest direct evidence of brewed beverages in ancient China.
… and what I thought of it (not bad)…
Pours a clear orange-amber in color with a very small white head and low carbonation. Aroma is not strong, but there is some honey, grapes, green apples and other fruity esters. Flavor is fairly sweet with the grapes and honey dominating the profile. Never had hawthorn (if it has this in it), but there are some flavors that I cannot identify clearly. Some hop bitterness that offsets some of the sweetness. Finish is quite sweet and lingering. I think that it is OK, but it may be a bit too unusual for some folks…
My latest featured article for RateBeer’s The Hop Press… posted on Saturday, March 6th.
I recently interviewed Jeff Baker, the wine and beer manager for one of my favorite Vermont beer stores, The Beverage Warehouse , and when I asked him about his favorite beer he was very quick to let me know that there where really just two classes of beer; “Belgians and non-Belgians and the Belgians are the best”. I have to admit that, while I thoroughly enjoy many types and styles of beer, the Belgians (those actually produced in Belgium) and Belgian-styles (those produced elsewhere) are among my favorites as well.
