{"id":1975,"date":"2009-11-18T19:44:42","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T23:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.2beerguys.com\/blog\/?p=1975"},"modified":"2009-11-18T19:44:42","modified_gmt":"2009-11-18T23:44:42","slug":"gritty_christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/18\/gritty_christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Beer Profile: Gritty McDuffs Christmas Ale"},"content":{"rendered":"

GRITTY MCDUFF\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S BREWING COMPANY WRAPPING UP 2009 WITH “BEST NEW ENGLAND BEER” RECOGNITION AND RELEASE OF CHRISTMAS ALE<\/strong>
\n\"Gritty<\/p>\n

Portland, ME<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Gritty McDuff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s <\/strong>(www.grittys.com), Maine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s oldest brew pub since Prohibition, is capping off another successful year with release of its seasonal \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Christmas Ale,<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and a nod for its \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Best Brown Ale<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in Sant\u00c3\u00a9 magazine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s annual Food+Wine+Spirits Review.<\/p>\n

Available now through December 31, Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Christmas Ale is a robust bitter that will be served on draft at Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three Maine brew pub locations (Portland, Freeport and Lewiston\/Auburn)<\/strong>. The ale also will be available on draft in select bars and restaurants throughout the region and at beer retailers throughout New England in 6- and 12-packs, 22-ounce bottles and mini-kegs.<\/p>\n

\"Gritty<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This robust Extra Special Bitter-style beer has a full-bodied, malty taste,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d according to Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Marketing Director Thomas Wilson. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Its slightly roasted undertone is just the right flavor for the season and offers a nice palate for holiday food pairings. Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Christmas Ale is always a party pleaser.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Made with English Pale and Crystal Malts <\/strong>and a touch of Roasted Barley<\/strong>, a blend of Clusters, Styrian Goldings, Saaz and Yakima Goldings leaf hops<\/strong> round out this hearty brew. The dark red-amber color ale has no additives, fruits or spices, and has an ABV of 6.2%.<\/p>\n

In related business news, Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Best Brown Ale\u00e2\u20ac\u009d earned a slot on Sant\u00c3\u00a9 magazine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s list of five \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Best New England Beers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The smooth, dark, red-amber ale was described in the piece as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a great session beer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153big bold flavors\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6balanced by flavors of pine and citrus.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The recent news from Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s caps off a year of growth and promising business developments for the Maine-based craft-brewing company. Beer experts and enthusiasts welcomed Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new \u00e2\u20ac\u015321 IPA,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d crafted to mark Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 21 years of brewing, which debuted at the Maine Brewers Festival and went on to earn a silver medal at the prestigious Great British Beer Festival. Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also earned coverage and accolades from a variety of regional and national press throughout the year, including Forbes.com, Every Day with Rachael Ray, DRAFT, Cosmopolitan, The Boston Globe and BonAppetit.com. A favorite on the Portland dining and brewing scene, Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s was voted \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Best Brew Pub\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by readers of The Phoenix and, for the tenth straight year, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Portland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Best Bar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the annual readers poll sponsored by the Maine Sunday Telegram.<\/p>\n

Gritty McDuff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s beers are available throughout New England in a growing number of bars, restaurants, pubs, taverns, supermarkets, beer and wine shops, convenience stores, and other beer retailers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Other related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beer Release: Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Halloween Ale \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Is it too early to get your spook on?<\/a>
\nBEER Profiles: Vacationland Summer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Exit 11 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Helles Blond Bock and More<\/a>
\nGritty McDuff is named official beer of the Dempsey Challenge Cycling Fundraiser<\/a><\/p>\n

Excellent Beer and Award-Winning Pubs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its founding in 1988, Gritty McDuff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, Maine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first brew pub since Prohibition, has brewed creative, quality beers that have earned awards ranging from repeat First Place wins at the annual Real Ale Festival in Chicago, to their most recent award: a silver medal at the prestigious 2007 Great British Beer Festival for Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cask-conditioned version of the 21 IPA. Gritty’s Brew Pubs also have frequently won in statewide polls the titles of “Maine’s Best Brew Pub,” “Best Maine Microbrew,” and “Best Bar.”<\/p>\n

In addition to brewing, Gritty McDuff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s operates three popular brew pubs in Maine. Located in Portland, Freeport and Auburn, the locations draw crowds of all ages. Known for their four seasonal ales and five year-round ales, tempting pub fare and welcoming atmosphere, Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pubs have been named an Editor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick by Cond\u00c3\u00a9 Nast Traveler, highlighted as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a legend among New England brewpubs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by The Boston Globe, and cited by Playboy.com as one of the best bars in America. Gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s has earned numerous accolades from a wide variety of beer blogs and industry press outlets, as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GRITTY MCDUFF\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S BREWING COMPANY WRAPPING UP 2009 WITH “BEST NEW ENGLAND BEER” RECOGNITION AND RELEASE OF CHRISTMAS ALE Portland, ME \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Gritty McDuff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (www.grittys.com), Maine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s oldest brew pub since Prohibition, is capping off another successful year with release of its seasonal \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Christmas Ale,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and a nod for its \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Best Brown Ale\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in Sant\u00c3\u00a9 magazine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s annual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[548,286],"tags":[864,285],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Grittys7.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1975"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1980,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975\/revisions\/1980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2beerguys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}