The Infamous Smuttynose Axe Murders

If you've joined us on a tour of Smuttynose, or read some portions of our website, you've probably heard us mention the Smuttynose axe murders.  We don't really get into the story because we'd rather talk about beer, though we do sometimes mention the Anita Shreve novel, The Weight of Water and the film of the same name, which uses the murders as a narrative device.

Shreve wasn't the first person to write about the axe murders, which took place on March 6, 1873.  The poet Celia Thaxton recounted the tale in her essay, A Memorable Murder, which was originally published in The Atlantic Monthly, in May, 1875.  Thaxter grew up on the Isles of Shoals, where her father was a lighthouse keeper.  After marrying and moving to the mainland, Thaxter later returned to the Shoals and was living on them when the murders took place.  Though I didn't include it in this blog post (it's a bit long to paste or embed), you can read Thaxter's piece here.

I do want to include the The New York Times synopsis of the events, which is obviously much shorter.  Please note the correct spelling of "Smuttynose," as found on anything we've made.




There is a fair amount of information about the axe murders around the web, should you be inclined to learn more.  You can also visit the Isles of Shoals on one of the many charters that depart from Rye Harbor.  I went out last summer on the Uncle Oscar and they were fantastic.

Thanks for making yours a Smutty,

JT

2011 Imperial Stout and a few other notes

We're sad to say that the release of our 2011 Imperial Stout, the second release in this year's Big Beer Series has been pushed back.  Shipping will now begin on March 14.   This is a part of our marketing ploy to compete with Guinness.

Also, I want to remind you that it's not too late to sign up for the The Big Beer Series Subscription.  Some newer subscribers have asked which beer will be the first of their subscription.  That's be determined by when you sign up.  If we've already released a Big Beer, then we can't include it in your subscription.  If there's a beer you know you definitely want, then don't delay, sign up today!

We will be participating in the 15th annual NERAX festival.  If you're a real ale lover, please stop by the George F. Dilboy Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Somerville, MA sometime between March 30 and April 2.  In addition to sending a firkin of Shoals Pale Ale, we're very proud to be sponsoring pint glasses this year.  We've designed a great Smuttynose/NERAX imperial pint glass that will available for rent or purchase exclusively at the festival.  Check out http://www.nerax.org/ for more info.

Finally, Portsmouth Craft Beer Week is fast approaching.  We've got a slate of events leading up to Portsmouth Brewery's Kate the Great release on March 7.  We will be offering a 2pm Smuttynose tour on March 7.

That's it for today.  Hopefully, I'll have a positive new bottling line update about the new filler tomorrow.

Have a great Wednesday,

JT

A few of you may be missing something...

...and boy do I mean a few.

A rare outtake from the Hanami label shoot.  That giant lizard finally won.

Hanami Ale, our spring seasonal release, has been discontinued.  We've had one or two emails asking for release dates, but being discontinued doesn't lend itself to scheduling a release date.  Instead, we decided to extend Winter Ale season and begin Summer Weizen earlier (we just bottled the first round right before we removed our old bottle filler last week), essentially bridging the gap left by Hanami.

There were several reasons for this, but none more vital than slow sales.  Slow sales in and of themselves aren't always a problem, but with seasonal beers, conventional wisdom says they need to sell so a brewery maintain its placements on shelves and in coolers.

Hanami was an odd beer in the sense that it wasn't easy to classify.  Sure, it was a fruit beer but "fruit beer" typically means one of two things.  The first fruit beer style is typically a light, innocuous, golden beers, which may or may not be brewed with wheat, and then get a dosing of  fruit or fruit extracts.  Once the modifier "Belgian" gets thrown in, a second sub-style of sour, tart, fruited lambics enters the discussion..

Hanami wasn't really like any of these beers.  It lacked a dryness that would have accentuated the tartness from the cherry juice, which basically means it wasn't "lambicky" enough.  What the beer did have, was a broader range of flavors beyond the typical American-style fruit beers. This neither-one-nor-the-other character of Hanami left beer drinkers, wholesalers, and sales people scratching their heads.  Some people really loved it and a few actively hated it.  I'm not haughty enough to claim that this beer was ahead of its time, but I'm also not willing to say it was bad; it was just very unique in the most literal sense.

So with this blog post, I officially put Hanami to rest, while wallowing in the irony of several pallets of freshly-bottled Summer Weizen in our warehouse, while over a foot of snow sits on the ground, right outside my window.

Thanks for making yours a Smutty!

JT

Portsmouth Craft Beer Long Weekend Celebrates Locally-Brewed, World-Class Beer

A significant portion of Portsmouth was built by beer.  Frank Jones Brewery, once the largest in America, left a long-lasting imprint all over town and exported large amounts of its beer to the UK, before the blighting hand of  Prohibition swept through the Seacoast.  By 1950, there were no local breweries in operation.  

Cut to 1991:   After a few decades of dormancy, brewing came back to Portsmouth when Peter and Janet Egelston opened the Portsmouth Brewery on Market Street.  Smuttynose was soon to follow in 1994 and together, these two long-serving Portsmouth breweries are providing the nucleus for the second Portsmouth Craft Beer Long Weekend, which runs from March 2-7, 2011.  This week of beer celebrations will peak with the Portsmouth Brewery’s annual Kate the Great Russian Imperial Stout release on March 7. 

The last three or four years have seen beer weeks spring up all over the country, with Philadelphia’s being the largest, comprised of over 1,000 events.  These elongated celebrations seek to drawattention to not only the beers themselves, but to establiushments who support these bold brewers.  Portsmouth’s will be on the smaller end of the scale, but that just means there’s much more room to grow.  “We’ve got beer and food pairing events, rare keg tappings, and meet the brewer events,” says Bill Harris, Smuttynose’s New Hampshire Field Manager, “ we’re even showing a beer-themed movie, all in the name of sharing and promoting the world class beer that’s brewed right here in Portsmouth.  However, you don’t have to take my word for it,” says Harris, “come have a beer and see for yourself.”  The events will showcase many different aspects of craft beer: it’s versatility when paired with food, how well certain beers can age, as well as beer’s ability to bring people together.

Event Schedule:

Tuesday March 1st-Tuesday March 8th 

·         Smuttynose is taking over the taps at the Barley Pub for “Seven Days of Sin”  leading up to the Seacoast’s biggest Fat Tuesday bash on the 8^th.

Wednesday March 2nd

·        

      Smuttynose – J. Lohr, Beer vs. Wine Dinner at the Blue Mermaid:  Reception will start at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.  We’re pairing with J. Lohr Winery for another culinary throwdown.  If you want to see why beer is better with food than wine, call the Blue Mermaid for reservations, (603) 427-2583

·        

      "Meet the Brewers" at the Portsmouth Brewery.   We will have brewers from Smuttynose and the Portsmouth Brewery on hand to answer any questions customers may have.  Meet the Creator of Kate the Great!  Marvel at his bearded visage!  6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Thursday March 3rd:

 Smuttynose Rare Beer Tapping at the Press Room: Featuring rare and vintage beers.  A real live       Smuttynose brewer will be in attendance from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

 Smuttynose Rare Beer Tapping at RiRa:  Featuring our current Big Beer and a selection from the vintage cellar.  Much like the Press Room, you can meet an actual Smuttynose brewer and ask them any questions, but dating advice will cost you money.  8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Friday March 4th:  

·       

      Smuttynose Rare Beer Tapping at The River House:  Vintage Smuttynose Beer with a tugboat view.  6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

·       

      Smuttynose Rare Beer Tasting at Pocos Cantina:  Featuring 2011 Barleywine and something from the vintage cellar.  There’s a water view here and you can get a nice tequila back to go with your Barleywine.  8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Saturday March 5th: 

   ·        

      Smuttynose Pub Crawl:  We will begin by “Tapping the Barrels” at the Coat of Arms 2p.m.  Blue Mermaid, Fat Belly’s, Poco’s, The River House, RiRa, and The Press Room to follow.  We’ll be tapping three cask conditioned Smuttynose beers at the Coat of Arms-the most ever in Portsmouth!

Sunday March 6th:  

·       

     Smuttynose Beer Geek Brunch at the Chef’s Table:  An open-to-the-public brunch featuring Smuttynose Big Beers, vintage beers, and giveaways.  Who doesn’t love Baltic Porter with pancakes?  10 a.m.-2 p.m.

·        

      Smuttynose, Pizza, and A Movie: replicate your typical Friday night, but in public, with better beer and an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet.  The featured film is American Beer, a documentary about the ultimate beer run: 38 breweries in 40 days!  5pm-8pm  Please call the Gaslight for reservations 430-9122. 

Monday March 7th:

·        

      Kate the Great Day!   Doors will open at 11 and the first Kate will be poured at 12:30.  We have no idea what time lines will begin forming but it could be very early.  The Portsmouth Brewery’s Website has all the information about Kate the Great Day events.  http://www.portsmouthbrewery.com

 Smuttynose Brewery Tour:  We'll be offering a special brewery tour at 2pm on Kate the Great Day.  Unfortunately, we won't be able to receive visitors until around 1:30, but that'll give yo plenty of time to drink a glass of Kate before coming across town to see us.

We hope to see you out and about in downtown Portsmouth!

2011 Barleywine

We'll be shipping out 2011 Barleywine, the first release of the 2011 Big Beer Series.  Here are some ramblings about the beer.  I hope you enjoy them a fraction as much as you will enjoy the beer itself.

            The history of Barleywine is the subject of much discussion; consensus has yet to be reached on the origins of the name or the style.  One thing we do know is that Bass brewed “No. 1 Barleywine,” in 1903, making the first beer to publicly use that name.  Otherwise, we only know that the tradition of British-brewed strong ales goes back for centuries.

            While the American tradition doesn’t go back nearly as far, barleywines have also been a mainstay of our craft brewing culture, which is rooted in the English tradition.  The earliest American barleywine, Anchor Brewing’s Old Foghorn, was first brewed in 1975 and soon other California breweries followed suit, brewing these strong malty ales as special releases, increasing hopping rates to leave their own uniquely American stamp. 

            We first brewed Smuttynose Barleywine around 1998, a time when strong beers of 8 or 9 % were still quite rare and had an aura of danger and mysteriousness about them, like most of the women in James Bond movies.  While the tastes of craft beer diehards have changed, our Barleywine hasn’t.  It’s a beer you can depend on, like grilled cheese and tomato soup on a cold winter’s day.

            We start with over one and a half tons of malt to brew about 775 gallons of Barleywine.  That same amount of malt yields more than twice as much Finestkind IPA.   European specialty malts contribute body and rich toffee and candy flavors that are complemented with the svelte taste of Santiam and Galena hops.

There are few better combinations that pairing Smuttynose Barleywine with delicious artisanal cheese.  We’re especially fond of crystallized, aged Gouda and Clothbound Cabot Cheddar from Greenboro, VT.  If cheese isn’t your thing, you can pair spicy against Smuttynose Barleywine with a habanero apple crisp with a caramel drizzle or use the beer to poach pears with ginger.  Trust us, you won’t need vanilla ice cream!

ACCOLADES

“This 11%-ABV slightly hazy, copper, thick-headed treat tasted like orange candy slices basted with hop oil, which might not sound good but, oh, it was!”  

Washington City Paper; May, 2010

Named to GQ Magazine’s “50 Beers to Try Right Now”  April, 2010

STAT BOX

11.6% ABV

65 IBU

Malts: North American 2-Row, Crisp Pale Ale, Caramunich, Aromatic, Special B, Carahell 2 DH

Hops; Simcoe, Santiam, Galena;  Dry-hop Centennial

Yeast;  California Ale

You Thought Your Homebrewing Hobby was Out of Control...

This Thursday, after you're full of turkey and stuffed with stuffing, gather the family around the old boob tube and tune into the Discovery Channel at 8pm.  Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, from Mythbusters, will be hosting a one-hour special that tells the narrative of the 25th World Championship Punkin' Chunkin'.  American Chunker, our chunkin' team will be on the show, but you'll have to tune in to see the results if you've haven't read them somewhere else already.

The remnants of one of the biggest storms of the year, Nicole, were bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic region over Hallowe'en.  Rainfall records were set and inches of mud were created.  Even though the rain had largely stopped pouring, the winds were still blowing.  The weather was no match for   Bridgewater, Delaware was hosting the 25th Annual Punkin' Chunkin'.  Dan Henry, our Eastern New England Field Manager was in Bridgewater, Delaware to document the event as our chunking friends, American Chunker, shot for glory.  Here are some of his photos.  

Long Distance Portrait with Mud
by Dan Henry
2010
Digital Photograph

 If you're curious why Victory is in the Smuttynose blog, it's because they also 

sponsor a chunkin' team.  That other team's beer isn't as good.  

Maggie Snayd representing the 'Nose

The wind was so strong it was more powerful than our beer
bottle weights.  Thank goodness Dan Henry was there to save the day!

This meeting of the minds is so intense they needed hard hats!

Nothing like hanging out with
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale between shots!

That cab is where the action takes place.  Note
the strategically placed logo.

With all that mud, does your hair matter that much?

Dude!  Where are your feet?

Brian LaBrie, American Chunker captain,
lays it down for Jamie and Adam.

Dan and Maggie aren't even fazed by the mud.  

Aw shucks...American Chunker sure is cool....

The point...the whole damn point.

The Firing Line

Adam prepares for his close-up.
 He's a cowboy, on a steel horse.

Lord of the Pies?

Beer Dinner at Nosh

December 12 at 5:30pm, Nosh Kitchen Bar in Portland, Maine will be hosting a Smuttynose Beer Dinner.  The four course menu is loaded with delicious, meaty treats and each course is being paired with one of our Big Beers.  

Peter Egelston, Smuttynose's owner and founder, will be in the house that night, along with a number of our staff.  We'd love to meet you, so please join us.

One of the best ways I can describe Nosh, is to call it a food exaggerator.  There is a trend in the culinary world to take existing food types and dishes and blow them beyond their traditional form.  Kind of like Nigel Tufnel's "amp that goes to eleven" in Spinal Tap.  Nosh has chosen meat as its form of expression and, my God, do they do it well.  Through several visits there, I've had a pork belly Reuben, house-cured tempura bacon, and the Apocalypse Now burger, which is comprised of house ground beef patties, pork belly, fois gras, American cheese, house mayo, and macerated cherries and oranges.  They've recently added a Bolognese Sloppy Joe.  I think you get the idea.

Here is the dinner menu:

Course 1) Mini Charcuterie Plate comprised of Fois Gras Torchone w/Cranberry Jam, Rabbit Rillettes with Smuttynose braised Mustard Seed, Head Cheese with Old Brown Dog Gastrique

Paired with Maibock

Course 2) Maine Shrimp Rangoons served with house Kim Chi and Shrimp Fume, Mint

Paired with Big A IPA

Course 3) Beef Roulade-Beef rolled with Speck, Fontina cheese, Pine Nuts, Raisins and Tomato Sauce served with Seared, Butter-Poached Fingerling Potatoes

Paired with Baltic Porter

Course 4) Cheese Course-Winnimere wrapped in Lardo  and served Chestnut Honey, Toasted Hazelnuts and Candied Bacon.

Paired with Wheat Wine

Tickets are $65 per person.  To book your spot, you can call Nosh directly at 207-553-2227.  Our friends at Novare Res Bier Cafe can also take your information while you're having a pint.  They might even have a few rare barrel-aged Smuttynose beers on tap after the dinner.  Those beers might be the J. Lohr Chardonnay Barrel Tripel and the Utopias-barrel Baltic Porter.

Nosh is on Congress Street, a few blocks away from both the Portland Museum of Art as well as the International Cryptozoology Museum.  Why not make a day trip out of it?

The Mermaid Speaks!

I recently sent a questionnaire to Miss Dixie Von Trixie, the model found on our Star Island Single label.  If you're like me, you've often wondered where that flame-haired mermaid came from.  Here's a peak beyond the flipper!

Name: 

Amanda Suter (aka Dixie von Trixie),  Dixie is my stage name as a burlesque performer.

Occupation:

Vintage clothing dealer, graphic designer, burlesque performer, singer, artist, jewelry designer, all around nutty gal.

Relation to Smuttynose:

Joanne came into my work, which at that time, was a vintage clothing boutique in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego. She was here for Craft Brewers Conference (in 2008). She asked me if I would ever be interested in posing as a mermaid. I exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?! That's like my childhood dream come true!" So, she snapped a pic of me to show Peter on her cell phone and the rest is history.

Astrological sign and your last night meal on Death Row:

I'm an Aries in every sense. Even down to the fire red hair. My last meal would probably be Paneer Tikka Masala with lots of saffron rice, garlic naan bread and mint chutney. To drink, I think I would have an ice cream float made with Raspberry Lambic beer.

Have you modeled before?  What for?

Yes I have. I started modeling at age 17. A photography teacher took notice of me in high school (nothing creepy! haha) and wanted to do some vintage-styled shots. From this, various pro photographers contacted me for various things, usually always vintage-styled. There was a time back in the early 2000's where the whole vintage pinup model thing really took off in Southern California. There were a small handful of girls who became well known for this and I was one of them. I've been in ads for the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau, been in ads as Miss Beauty Bar for Las Vegas, been in calendars for Speedvision, been on numerous record and cd covers around the world, and have been portrayed in famous subculture art pieces. I was also asked to pose for pictures by the famous couture clothing designer Jeremy Scott at his home in Los Angeles. It's been a wild and crazy ride.

What did you think when we first contacted you?

This is AWESOME!!! I can't wait to try my fin on!!!

What all do you remember about the shoot and your trip to NH?

It was so much fun. Portsmouth was so lovely, old, and gorgeous. I loved looking around the town. My boyfriend loved all of the beer, haha. And the beaches are so different than our beaches here in Southern California. I loved them and how these amazing huge old houses were by themselves right by the beach. It looked like something out of a movie. Oh and the old graveyards in peoples' yards, I LOVED that. So cool. Anyhow, the day we shot it was cold and rainy outside. I was so freaked out that my hair was going to completely fall down. Here I was in just a bikini top and my fin in freezing cold water, having to pose all these different ways and look super happy go lucky. But the minute I got in the water my body adjusted and I was fine- it was so weird. And my hair withstood the rain! It was a miracle. But everyone was so great and generous to my boyfriend and I. The whole experience was such a fun, happy time for me. I love telling people about it. 

 How did you discover your calling for burlesque dancing?  What keeps you shimmying and shawing?

Well, I love to sing. Back when I was 22, I was singing karaoke at this hipster bar in San Diego. These girls approached me about joining their burlesque troupe that night; they liked my presence on stage. I didn't know a hoot about burlesque back then. That was 7 years ago. That was the only troupe in SD at the time. I was in that troupe until we dismantled back in 2006. From there, I started my own troupe and we are still together to this day. We have girls all over the West Coast in my troupe and I've been featured in various publications because of my work in burlesque. I perform a lot more on my own now but we will still get all together for the occasional fabulous show here and there. Burlesque is a way to let loose; it's fun. You get to make outrageous costumes and people really dig it. Women especially love to watch it. 

People ask all the time about your hair in the photo (which is the same in all your other photos).  Is it a wig?

Nope, it's my hair. I started dying it this color, "Crimson," about 5 years ago. People have always thought that my hair is a wig in it's various different colors and lengths. I just have tons of hair on my head. Thanks Dad! I'm known for my hair. It always weirds me out because, come on people, it's just hair! ;)

San Diego is a beer town.  Are you a beer drinker?  If so what would I find in your fridge?

Hahaha you're gonna hate this, but I'm not much of a beer girl. When I do drink beer it's usually in the form of a Michelada (mexican beer, lime juice, various sauces and seasonings), or a Red Beer (beer with Bloody Mary mix in it). However, I do drink my Star Island Single beer with a mexican seasoning called Tajin (a Mexican spice blend of chilis, salt, and dehydrated lime juice)  in it. I also tend to like sour ales. Oh yes, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE any of the Lambic fruity beers. My dad is a HUGE beer drinker / snob though. He loves really strong, skunky IPA's. Those are really popular here in SD. 

Tell me about Dixie?  What should we all know that doesn’t come across on the page?  How much of your offstage persona shows up on stage?

 Dixie is Amanda. If anything, Amanda is even naughtier than Dixie, haha. Dixie is known as the Southern Belle from Hell- a little south of the border (being so close to Mexico) and a little Deep South (my family's roots).  Dixie is campy and fun and glamorous, but also creepy and weird. I grew up idolizing Bettie Page and Jessica Rabbit, (I owe both of them a lot for who I am on stage) as well as the old Russ Meyer girls, from his movies. I think Dixie is a combo of all of them, but then, so am I. My whole life revolves around vintage things. I'm a vintage-styled girl with a kick-in-the-pants modern edge.

What else should we know about you?

That I want to come back and visit Portsmouth!!! :D

If you're looking for some great jewelry, check out Dixie's Etsy shop, Magenta Tarantula: http://www.etsy.com/shop/magentatarantula