Greetings to one and all. We have had our eleven months of winter and now it is time for our one month of bad sledding. Old Man Winter has finally loosened his grip. No more 30 below zero mornings. No more dogs stuck to fire hydrants. Just smooth sailing right into summer. That first sign of spring, the Littleton Homebrewer's Competition has come and gone. Congratulations to Dave Chase for his Best in Show win and to Fran Wainwright for his impressive back to back First Place awards. It was an evening of fun, good food, great beer and fabulous prizes for all. Our friends from Harpoon, Moat Mountain, Tuckerman's, Franconia Notch and the Italian Oasis Breweries were on hand to help with the judging and provide us with samples of their fine beer and ale, as well as their critical support for this time-honored event.

Sadly, this year, participants at the competition were unable to tour the Franconia Notch Brewery on the evening of the Competition this year due to an emergency reconstruction project. While brewer John Wolfenberger was vacationing in Ireland during the worst part of the winter, the heat failed in his brewery. The ensuing freeze-up caused havoc with his plumbing and he was unable to brew for several weeks while he rebuilt his equipment. Fortunately, the beer in kegs in his refrigerator and insulated tanks came through with flying colors, so he was still able to service his widespread accounts. Most of his interior plumbing did not fare as well. The copper water lines had to be replaced, including that wonder of modern technology, John's suspended wort chiller.

I have stopped by Franconia Notch several times over the past several weeks to find John hard at work repairing the damage. Imagine my delight, when last Wednesday as I drove by, I noticed the tell-tale steam issuing forth from the open doors and the heavy aroma of malt in the air. John was brewing a batch of his River Driver, a malty Brown Ale, and he informed me that he had already done a batch of his Grail Pale Ale earlier. All is well in the North Country once again! As we talked, John told me of his plans for brewing an Imperial IPA in the near future. I can't wait to try that one! He also mentioned that he is exploring the possibility of holding some type of brewery event at some point over the summer.

If you haven't tried the Franconia Notch beers yet, they can be found at several locations around the state, including The Barley House in Concord, The Coat of Arms in Portsmouth, The Barley Pub in Dover, The Dutch Treat in Franconia, Case and Keg in the Lakes Region, The Clamshell in Littleton or at the brewery, behind the Clamshell.

Another happy story concerns the revitalized New Hampshire Craft Brewers. This group that is made up of many of the micro-breweries in the state has started to meet again to monitor pending legislation that affects the brewing industry and to promote New Hampshire beer. At their most recent meeting, mention was made of exploring the possibility of organizing a statewide homebrew contest. I will keep an eye on this topic and report on developments.
Until next time, HAPPY HOMEBREWING!