The calendar crept past the first day of fall the other day and marked the end of another summer. The house is finally cooling down to the point where it is comfortable to brew again. I celebrated by brewing up a batch of ESB to chase the cobwebs out of my home brewery. I have plans to experiment with some Mead and some Braggot soon. I will also be taking the plunge and trying my hand at some serious all-grain brewing in the 10-15 gallon range this fall. I have collected most of the gadgets and gizmos that I will need for this project.

I recently paused to reflect on some of the highlights of this past summer. In July, I had the pleasure of attending Harpoon’s Annual BBQ Competition. I volunteered to help out with parking lot patrol for a shift on Saturday and after I had done my duty, I enjoyed some great food and some of my favorite- Harpoon IPA. It was a great event, complete with live music and a Strongman Competition (women too!). One of the competitors was Brown University Student who became a spur of the moment competitor on a dare. He held his own against the big boys who play this game regularly and became a favorite of the crowd.

In early August, Don Merrill and I took our yearly trip to Rhode Island to see a PawSox game and visit with our friends at the Pawtucket, RI fire Department. We also include a visit the Trinity Brewing Co. in Providence in order to sample some of brewer Sean Larkin’s excellent offerings. This year, Sean has been working with a high-gravity Belgian Abby style beer with great results. The food at Trinity was a delight as always and a lively blues band that played that evening rounded out an enjoyable visit.

The following morning found us at Crosby and Baker’s Westport, MA warehouse to pick up a load and visit with the good folks who supply the lion’s share of brewing supplies to retailers and breweries in civilized parts of the universe. Across the parking lot from Crosby’s is a small package store with the most incredible selection of imported and domestic beer that I have yet seen in my travels. After talking beer with the knowledgeable proprietor for quite a while, we loaded up with beer that we don’t normally see and headed back up to the tundra.

I attended the Homebrewers Jamboree in Campton in early September and had a fun-filled weekend. Friday night, I caught ZZ Top at Meadowbrook Farm and headed for the campground afterward. Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day full of old friends, beer, new friends, beer, food, beer, fun and games and, oh yeah, beer. Dave Page brought out the Big Beer Bottle and Stevie A. provided entertainment and commentary with his DJ system. 

Up and coming events of interest include Harpoon’s Octoberfest on October 11th & 12th at the Windsor Brewery. Be there or be square. Also of interest is the Brew Crew’s planned October 19th visit to Maine for a brewing session at Steve Loignon’s Sharpleigh Hops. I got to meet Steve at the Jamboree and was impressed to see homebrewing supply sales in capable hands in the State of Maine.

Well, that’s it for this month. Until next time, HAPPY HOMEBREWING!