Smuttynose Brewers Notes: Hello, My Name is Joe.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Hello, My Name is Joe.

Joe Grotto, by the Smuttynose Swamp

We'd like to welcome Joe Grotto to the Smuttynose Sales Staff. He'll be taking the reins as our Eastern New England Field Manager, overseeing all things Smutty in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Eastern Massachusetts. Joe's experience on the other store of the retail counter, should prove valuable and we can't wait to see what he does.

Since he's only been with us for a day and a half, we couldn't really write a funny bio for Joe, so here he is in his own words:

Mr. Grotto was born near Chicago, spending his formative years amongst loud music, sausage, Italian beef, real pizza and Old Style. Halfway through high school, his migration east began with two years in Pittsburgh spending time with loud music, pierogies, fries in sandwiches and salads, and Iron City. Amherst was next, with a four year tenure at UMASS resulting in a BA in Philosophy and some quality time spent with the finer things in life: loud music, cheap beer, and burritos. After realizing the futility of having earned a BA in Philosophy, he figured it was best to go to graduate school. So off to Boston - Somerville, actually - and Emerson College for a MA in Visual and Media Arts and more loud music, more burritos and, finally, great beer and booze. After graduation in 2003, he became the full time beer buyer at Liquor World in the Porter Square neighborhood of Cambridge and has since signed on with Smuttynose in the spring of 2011. Joe currently enjoys his music loud, his beer craft and his booze in general. Joe still lives and loves in Somerville. He also loves Somerville. When not peddling Smutty, Joe spends his time with his lovely bride-to-be Krista and their two handsome cats Ruby and Spencer as well as playing bass very loudly with Boston's very loud Motherboar.

And here's Motherboar at Great Scott in Allston, MA playing Grillin' and Killin'. Please note the bass player. That's Joe.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Upcoming Beer Releases

These dates show when we expect to release these beers at our Smerch Store. Shipments to our distribution partners will coincide with their order cycles, so you'll see new releases a little bit after the dates you see below.
Pumpkin Ale - August
Smuttlabs: Brett & I - Shipping Now!
Big Beer Series: Tripel (brand new release!) August 16
Smuttlabs: Schmutzig - August 23
Now and Then Series: Cluster's Last Stand - (Stone Collaboration) August 30
Winter Ale - October 15
Smuttlabs: Oak-Aged Tripel - TBD
Smuttlabs: Strawberry Short Weisse - Fall 2014
Smuttlabs: White IPA - TBD
Big Beer Series: S'muttonator (double bock) - November
Full Time: Baltic Porter - 12oz Four Pack, Fall 2014
Full Time: Really Old Brown Dog - 12oz Four Pack, Fall 2014
Durty (we promise to brew more) - December 13

The Smuttynose Big Beer Series

Since 1998, Smuttynose Brewing has offered its Big Beer Series, specialty beers released seasonally in very limited quantities. Although some styles appear every year, others get dropped or added to the lineup, or simply take a sabbatical for a year or two. Adding to the free-form nature of this series, our brewers are encouraged to tweak, change and experiment with recipes from one year to the next, so that one year's edition may be subtly or dramatically different from the next (or it may be exactly the same).

Since 2002, our Executive Brewer, David Yarrington, has contributed notes on each new edition of the Series, as well as on other seasonal beers, such as our Pumpkin Ale. Sometimes the notes are extensive; sometimes, if little or no changes have been made to the previous year's edition, they will be brief.

By the way, all Smuttynose Big Beers are bottle conditioned and will age quite nicely if stored properly. Starting in 2005, we've "vintage" dated our Big Beer labels to help you keep your cellar organized.

Smuttlabs

“How many things are we upon the brink of discovering if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?” -Mary Shelley

We’re very proud of each of our Smuttynose beers, but our brewing staff has many ideas that can’t be done on a large scale; this is where Smuttlabs comes into play. From barrel-aging and beer souring to culinary collaborations and special projects that just don’t fit anywhere else, if a project is out of the ordinary, unique or time consuming, you can bet it’ll bear the Smuttlabs name.

In 2007, we began these experimental brewings, with a beer called “The Gnome” (which became Homunculus in the Big Beer Series), under the Short Batch Series name. As we’ve increased production and volumes of these eccentric beers, we’ve rechristened them “Smuttlabs,” to reflect the creative experimentation found in each batch.

Smuttlabs releases seek to bridge the gap between “rare” and “hard to find.” Brewing on these terms, success can take different forms. Some releases may have semi-regular production and others may never see a mash tun again. There will constantly be Smuttlabs beers in all phases of production from conception, to brewing and fermentation to aging and packaging.

We’ll announce Smuttlabs beers here on our blog, through social media as well as our website. We know you’ll have just as much fun seeking them out and drinking them as we do brewing them.

Smuttynose Brewers Notes

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Hello, My Name is Joe.

No comments:

Smuttynose Logo

Upcoming Beer Releases

The Smuttynose Big Beer Series

Smuttlabs

Related websites & blogs

Archive

Contributors