June 13th, 2012
2012BrewU
10 days until #2012BrewU – What’s it all about?
#2012BrewU
For the next 10 days, you will see us spread the good word about Brew University — sorry for the information overload. Here’s some background on 2beerguys, Amesbury Sports Park and why you should attend Brew U!
This past Thursday at the RiverWalk Brewing (@RiverwalkBeer) debut at the Amesbury Ale House (@Ale_Amesbury), Ryan, Ian and I were all in the same place. That never happens – seriously, never happens — You may see 2beerguys, but not three. But, for Steve and his RiverWalk Brewing Krew — we were all there, including Amber, Lisa, Zach, Elizabeth, Lauren, Ben, Dan, Julie, Todd, River, Kristen and Jen J (in spirit!) and many more members of our local beer community!
While we were enjoying a fresh new brew from Riverwalk, Ian and I were chatting about Brew U. We were curious if others felt like we did about craft beer. Does craft beer move others like it moves us? Looking around the packed Ale House, we had our answer. Proof – the Boston Celtics were playing game 6, while a huge group was here to celebrate Riverwalk and local craft beer. TRUTH – Everyone wanted to hug Steve/Betsy(and their new baby) and many didn’t care what was on the tv.
Why Brew U?
The 2Beerguys started as a beer review group in 2006. Founded by Ian and Sean, the 2Beerguys strived to bring good craft beer to the North Shore. Ryan became the 3rd “beerguy” shortly there after and the trio was complete. When we first started, our beer choices were limited. Many restaurants offered a small selection of beer — light and mass-produced. But our options are improving, and the proof is in the pudding —- the Grog (@GrogNbpt) now has 32 draft lines. Yesterday, they had @MaineBeerCo Lunch IPA on draft — one of the top 10 IPA’s in the country—- ON DRAFT!
Back to WHY —- Almost 7 years ago, we started exploring craft beers. To keep track, we came up with a scoring method (check out how we score). Then we expanded to teaching beer 101 classes at Leary’s Fine Wine and Spirits. Today, we host two beer weeks (North Shore Beer Week /Portsmouth Beer Week) along with other events throughout the year.
Now it’s time for us to continue to propel the craft beer movement forward….bring on the first annual Brew University at the Amesbury Sports Park! We decided to partner with the Sports Park because they have a great reputation for hosting creative events that bring creative folks to our area.
What is Brew U?
Brew U is a combination of the best possible events — Beer Dinner, Home Brewing, Beer Olympics, Education, Music and food. This is a gamble for us – it’s a tough season. The ACBF was two weeks ago (awesome event). There’s “the Festival” in Worcester (legend-dairy), and Amesbury Days brewers festival is the following weekend (always great craft beer!). After all those killer events we hope you have enough energy left for some Brew U fun!
We’ve joined with some excellent partners for this multidimensional event. Alex and Gretchen from A&G operate an serious home brew shop in Portsmouth NH. Anthony — the master of Olympics — is hosting the first ever public beer Olympics event. OH, And then there’s the beer dinner with a solid panel of brewers from Notch and Baxter — along with representatives from Ithaca, Harpoon and Sam Adams. And there’s more — sampling hours with Baxter Brewing, Harpoon Brewery, Long Trail Brewery, Notch Brewery, Woodchuck Cider, Sam Adams, Ithaca Brewery, Ipswich Brewing, Peak Organic, and more.
Don’t miss it!
If you feel overwhelmed with the options, it’s ok – we are all overwhelmed. Sign up for a general admission ticket. Show up early and chat with the home brewers. If you’re inspired, sign up for some home brew classes or if you’re feeling sporty, sign up for the beer Olympics.
If you have questions about the event, let us know.
Sean
2Beerguys.com
Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!