Hop Candy Inc. has been staying quite busy. We ask that Valentine’s orders be placed by Sunday the 5th. We will also be using red boxes, while supply lasts. (no additional charge)
Also, we now have candy in France and are going to be available in California and possible New Jersey.

E-mail responses will be delayed during the next few days, as I will be at Extreme Beer Fest in Boston this weekend. I am volunteering during Night of the Barrels and Saturday Session 1, come say hi.

Cheers!
Phillip

Thanks again to every one that ordered in 2011, we look forward to more repeat customers!
~Phillip

Cheers!

Cheers,
Phillip

I have been quite busy lately, my normal 9-5 has had me all over the East Coast the last few weeks. I found some wonder craftbeer and made new friends at Rattle ‘n Hum Bar. Enjoyed a delectable dinner at Eataly’s Birreria, their rooftop brewpub. I also enjoyed some late night photo ops in Times Square and had my first experience on the New York City subway. All in all that was a wonderful trip. While I was gone, we took a few more orders and have had inquires about reselling Hopolate in several homebrew and craftbeer shops, including ones in Europe!

If you are interested in giving Hopolate for the holidays, please consider getting your orders in by the first week of December. Last year, orders were flying in right up until the 21st and we ‘just’ got them all out in time. We are grateful for your business and want to ensure your items arrive in time, so order often and order early!

Just this past week, I was in Memphis, TN, where I visited my first Flying Saucer Beer Emporium. This was a really fun experience, especially with the interesting decor and server’s attire. I enjoyed some new craftbeer here, such as Yazoo Brewing’s Sue smoked porter and Stone Brewing’s Vertical Epic 11-11-11 which I drank on 11-11-11! Both of these beers were EXCELLENT! You must try them, if given the opportunity. I also tried Magnolia Brewing Southern Pecan Porter, this was OK. Also of note, Ghost River IPA is quite tasty. I will be traveling to NYC again in a few weeks, stay tuned for more Hopolate and Craftbeer news!

Prost,
~Phillip

* Important note – August 4th is International IPA day. You can read about it from Ashley Rouston a.k.a The Beer Wench, at her sit www.DrinkWithTheWench.com

I would also like to point out some other recommend websites:

www.passionbeer.com – Terrific Philadelphia based beer review site

www.beercruiser.net – Wonderful Baltimore based craftbeer site

www.hoptopia.com – Industry leading craftbeer etc site!

brewingsomefun.com – Everything craftbeer, I contribute here

www.phillybeerscene.com – Philadelphia based site, everything craftbeer

www.TheBeerBabe.com – New England based beer blogger

Please be sure to keep up with us and my fellow craftbeer enthusiasts on Twitter and Facebook. Feel free to offer feedback and suggestions.

Prost!

Phillip Green

WOW! Savor is amazing, you should go next year if you missed it. It was a busy day, starting off with lunch between myself, Lisa Zimmer aka @Zimmerino of 10th & Blake  and 2 beer bloggers. We convened at Pizzeria Paridoso, in DuPont Circle. They feature wonderful artisanal pizzas and a quite expansive beer selection. For a small fee, they allowed us to BYOB and enjoy some traded brews.

From here, we proceeded to the Flying Dog / Brewers Association Press Conference at the National Press Club. This included Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog, Sam Calagione President and Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ken Grossman, Founders and Owners of Sierra Nevada, Rick Kempden of Bieren Co, a European wholesaler of American Craft Beer and Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey. They were there to discuss the “American Craft Beer Revolution.” This was available to the public if you RSVP’d or to any Brewers Association member. I was fortunate enough to get to have a complimentary glass of Lost Abbey’s ‘Lost and Found’. This was a terrific big brown / Belgian strong, that was brewed with Wheat, Medium and Dark English Crystal, Special B, Chocolate Malt and raisins. After the conference, I was able to enjoy Sierra Nevada’s Southern Hemisphere Harvest ale. This wonderfully tasty craft beer featured fresh-picked hops from the southern hemisphere. This version features fresh Pacific Hallertau, New Zealand Motueka and New Zealand Southern Cross hops, all from New Zealand. Seek this out and enjoy it fresh!

Moving on, we arrive at Savor, about 90 minutes early. We needed to do so, to get to the Umami salon with Charlie Papazian! This event was about the fascinating experience and the fundamental taste of umami. As Mr. Papazian puts it ” The ‘wow’ of food and beer combination is not about their marriage, but rather the ‘child’ which emerges.” This was a food experience unlike any other pairing, I have ever attended. It was WONDERFUL!

This brings me to Savor, itself. The hall in the National Building Museum, is awe inspiring. Huge arches and skylights, grace this beautiful red brick building. From the moment you walk in, the energy and excitement consume you. We started off working systematically around the the hall, having the suggested pairing with each beer. I typically dump 1/2 my sample, so as to enjoy as many craft beers as possible. The food and beer pairings were very good. Delicious offerings like BBQ ribs, grilled chicken wings and chocolate desserts, were to be found all around the room. As the evening progressed, the food pairings began to get a bit boring. One can only eat the same 6-8 items for so long. So this is when it is time to simply enjoy the beer. Some of the highlights for me were Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter, Dogfish Head / Samuel Adams Savor Flowers, Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious, Great Divide Colette, Harpoon Uber Bock, Odell Brewing Woodcut #5, Lost Abbey Angel’s Share and Red Poppey and Two Brothers Cane & Abel. These were the ones that really stood out to me, but I did have many wonderful brews. If you did not make it this year, put on your list for next time. You should also join the American Homebrewers Association, as  this is a wonderful resource for all homebrewers and craft beer lovers; not to mention, you can pre-order tickets.

On the candy side of things, I took my experimental batch of Hopolate Covered Cherries. This was dark chocolate, infused with Amarillo hops, cherry extract and a small piece of dark cherry in the middle. I am working on some more traditional cherries as well as a truffle style candy.

Until next time, Prost!
~Phillip

Phillip

~Phillip

~Phil