Heavy Seas Expansion Plan details

(future taproom rendering courtesy of Heavy Seas)
Long been a fan of Heavy Seas and their pioneering ways for better beer in the Baltimore region since the early-to-mid-90s. Owner Hugh Sisson grew into Heavy Seas from his early days in brewing at Sisson's, then at Clipper City, which morphed into Heavy Seas. And nearly five years ago, former Philadelphian Chris Leonard (General Lafayette) was brought on as Heavy Seas' head brewer. Good people there. Full disclosure: they hosted me for a book signing event in their taproom back in 2015, complete with a custom brewed firkin of Loose Cannon.

Speaking of Loose Cannon, they could leave me with that beer alone and I'd be happy. But, other core beers are just as fine including Cutlass Vienna Lager, Powder Monkey Pale, and Peg Leg Imperial Stout. If the Uncharted Waters series of specialty beers released during the year are any indication of the new "freedom" that brewers will have in the 15-bbl brewhouse described below where "no beer style will be off limits", I think the Baltimore area beer lovers will be in for a treat at the new Heavy Seas.

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Heavy Seas Beer Announces Tap Room Expansion Details and New Small-Batch Brewhouse

BALTIMORE (May 8, 2018)—Baltimore-based independent brewery, Heavy Seas Beer, has officially begun a renovation and expansion project, due to be completed June 2019. The endeavor will include a full Tap Room renovation and the addition of a new component to the business, a 15 bbl small-batch brewhouse.

“With these renovations, our new guests, along with loyal customers, will now be able to enjoy their beer in a much larger, livelier setting that truly represents Heavy Seas,” said Director of Marketing & Hospitality at Heavy Seas, Sarah West. “Craft beer enthusiasts from all over will be able to visit and sample award-winning favorites like Loose Cannon as well as new, limited-edition beers from the small-batch brewhouse. There will always be something new to try.”

The renovated Tap Room will be seven times larger than the current space and will feature a private event room. The new setting will be transformed into a sleek, modern destination that embodies the Heavy Seas brand.

It’s very important to Heavy Seas to support the local community since Baltimore has been the brewery’s home for the past 23 years. Therefore, local craftsmen are creating one-of-a-kind tables made completely from reclaimed wood, and Maryland-based designers will be enlisted to design imagery for the expanded space and new product offerings.

The addition of the 15 bbl brewhouse will give the team of brewers the creative freedom to develop a series of beers unique to the Tap Room. These limited releases will break away from the more classic styles Heavy Seas is best known for and include beers that experiment with new hop varieties and different yeast strains. No beer style will be off limits, anything and everything is possible. The first releases will be available for tasting as early as June 2018.

About Heavy Seas Beer
Heavy Seas Beer was founded in 1995 and underwent a major expansion in 2010 with the installation of 11 new fermentation vessels and three new brite tanks, expanding brewery capabilities by 160 percent. Heavy Seas Beer now produces 23 different beer styles, distributes to 20 states as well as Washington D.C. and has become one of the most respected and award-winning craft breweries on the East Coast. Heavy Seas was named Beer Connoisseur Magazine’s 2017 Brewery of the Year.

Experience Heavy Seas Beer
The Tap Room will remain open during renovations, allowing guests to watch the transformation as it unfolds. Weekend and insider brewery tours, starting at $7 per person, will continue to be offered with new themes rotating throughout the year. All tours include a souvenir pint glass and beer sampling.

To learn more about Heavy Seas Beer, visit www.hsbeer.com or follow Heavy Seas Beer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for announcements and special event details.

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2018. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

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December 2017: Beer News update, part 1

More news of the sudsy sort.

~ Update on Guinness in the U.S. [Link to Draft Magazine]

~ Suburban Station has forever needed more food and drink, particularly drink. [Link to Foobooz/Philadelphia Magazine]

~ Stirring the cloudy, mirky pot. Kudos Mr. Oliver. [Link to The Morning Advertiser]

~ Left Hand's response. [Link to Courthouse News Service]

~ Hey look, another list. This one, though, a solid one if for no other reason than it's backed up with fully thought-out sentences as justification for each brewery's inclusion. [Link to Paste Magazine]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

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May 2017: News update, part 2

Just a few things to share with you this week.

~ This is one way to think about recent big beer, little beer battles. [link to The Full Pint]

~ Wonderful news for Baltimore. [link to Union Craft's website]

~ Lots of al fresco beers this summer in Philly. [link to Parks On Tap]

~ And, lastly, a plug for my favorite beers encountered last week. [link right back here to The Brew Lounge]

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© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com

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Beer News You Should Know - Jan.-Feb. 2016

The pace of change in the beer world has never been greater. As the industry continues to move and shake, rattle and roll, and find its footing to move confidently into the future, the only constant is change.

On a somewhat regular basis, I'm going to attempt to keep you in the know with some of the most noteworthy news items happening. I'll focus primarily on the region (defined as I see fit) centered around my home turf of Philadelphia. And, considering I wrote a book about the PA, NJ, MD, and DE beer scenes and continuously stay abreast of changes within those four states, I'll likely cover newsy happenings from Erie to the Eastern Shore, Bayonne to Baltimore, and Pittsburgh back to Philly.

Let's try to knock off the first two months of 2016 in succinct bulletpoints and see where we go from there. Of course, if I missed anything you deem noteworthy, please hit up the comments below.

(in no particular order, seriously)

Mispillion River - as the Philly market continues to house one of the country's most diverse retail beer collections from around the world, it's great to see new ones available in the Philly market from just a few miles down the road in Milford, Del. Keep your eyes open for three-year-old Mispillion River Brewing Company and their excellent beers such as Beach Bum Joe (Belgian Pale) and Double Chin (Double IPA).  [Link to Philly Beer Scene]

Southern Tier - on the heels of announcing the joint venture/partnership/don't-call-it-a-sellout with Victory Brewing Company, a plan to open a brewpub in Pittsburgh's North Shore neighborhood was announced by Southern Tier Brewing Company. The Lakewood, NY-based brewery plans to set up along the bank of the Allegheny River in between Heinz Field and PNC Park and joins Penn Brewery, Grist House Brewing Company, and Draai Laag Brewing Company on Pittsburgh's increasingly popular North Shore across from downtown. [Link to STBC's news page]

Victory - speaking of that joint venture between Victory and Southern Tier, all short-term signs point to continued business as usual. Under the Artisanal Brewing Ventures holding company, Victory's 52 original investors get paid out in a combination of stock shares and cash and Ron Barchet becomes COO. According to VBC, the previously-planned brewpub for Leesburg, Va. is currently on hold. Will be interesting to see if they fold in any additional mid- to small-tier breweries in the coming months. [Link to Victory Brewing Company]

ShawneeCraft - ShawneeCraft Brewing Company is a standout brewing operation in northeast Pennsylvania on the doorstep of the Pocono Mountains. They recently announced that the grand opening for Scratch – their unique and collaborative food-beer retail operation inside the Easton Public Market in downtown Easton, Pa. – will be on March 18. [Link to Scratch's website]

Boaks - One of NJ's earliest homebrewers to turn pro, Brian Boaks and his Boaks beer have been around festivals and here and there for quite a few years. Now, he's decided to close up shop and deplete his inventory at a bunch of "Farewell Tour" upcoming events. The Great Beer Expo in Philly on June 4 will be one of the last chances to get his commercially brewed Boaks beer. [Link to Boaks' blog]

Susquehanna - the only time I visited Susquehanna Brewing Company, I was surprised such a beautiful brewing facility had no real tasting room. That's about to be rectified tomorrow, March 5, and that's a really good thing considering some of my favorite beers from them (thinking: Southern Rye IPA, Pils Noir, and especially the Goldencold Lager) that should be enjoyed by the glassful while sitting and chatting with others. [Link to SBC's tour page]

Saucony Creek - Also tomorrow, March 5, Kutztown, Pa. will see its Saucony Creek Brewing Company add on a gastropub, extending the experience of a visit to the brewery. Check out the announcement for all the festivities surrounding the opening and the brewery's third anniversary celebration. [Link to SCBC's press release]

Homebrewers - The Homebrew Con (formerly known as National Homebrewers Conference - can't imagine the need for name change, but I digress) is descending upon Baltimore, Md. from June 9-11. The most amazing confluence of education, events, vendors, and beer judging will take over the city's convention center and, I'm sure, dozens of bars and breweries for an unforgettable experience. I look forward to covering the excellent event in the excellent city of Baltimore; attendees are in for a treat. Maybe I should plug my book for advice of what to see/do! [Link to NHC event website]

New Jersey - I was surveyed and contributed to New Jersey Monthly's sweet 16 of brewery braketology with my top six breweries (ask nicely, and I might share that list with you). This is a mighty fine list from the Garden State. Now it's up to you to crown the best. [Link to New Jersey Monthly]

Sly Fox - Gosh, I recall ten years ago when the thought of merging running and beer events elicited hardly anything but scoffs and jeers. My running/beer events that I conducted were always wildly popular, but nothing like what breweries and bars have come up with these days. Case in point: check out the Sly Fox Fox Trot 5-K and accompanying Tap, Tunes, & Trucks festival. [Link to Sly Fox's event page]

Yards - Looks like Yards is ready to grow again. Hard to believe that the once-spacious building on Delaware Avenue is already reaching capacity. Read the article; stay away from the comments. [Link to Philly.com]

Meeting Of The Malts - Finally, a meeting of some of the brightest minds and most recognizable figures in the brewing industry are set up for a triple play of events in Bethlehem, Pa. on March 24. Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada), Jim Koch (Boston Beer), and Dick Yuengling (D.G. Yuengling & Son) will hold court from 7:15 p.m.-9:30 p.m. under the banner of Meeting of the Malts to discuss the current state of affairs in the business of beer. Bookending this event, at which time a five-course beer-pairing meal will be served, the Pennsylvania Brewpub Festival will happen from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. and a "Prohibition Party" will take place from 10:15 p.m.-12 a.m. at The Foundry Room in the Sands Casino Resort. Should be a fun, educational, and tasty night. [Link to Brewers of PA event page]

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Weekly Brew Bits Update: 2/13/12

Here we head in to the lovey-dovey time of the month and there's plenty of lovey-dovey news to share with you all.

PHILADELPHIA
~ Union Transfer near the Delaware River waterfront in Philly. Don't know much about it yet, but here are some notes from Michael Klein at Philly.com. Looks like they're targeting May. The location is the old Rock Lobster. And, the concept is beer garden (yawn...oops, did I say that?).

~ Providing some of the best sports coverage in Philadelphia, Crossing Broad gets a firsthand look (video included) at the coming Xfinity Live! at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which will be complete with a Victory Beer Garden in less than a couple months.

~ This is just pure fun. You sort of need some sports and advertising history under your belt to "get this" and it's pretty darn funny. Plus, being a Phillies fan and knowing Larry Anderson is part of the fun. I met him at the bar before a dinner at Primavera Pizza Kitchen in Ardmore many years ago. Fun guy and completely well-fit for this role.

~ Sure, it's another Top X list but they're always fun discussion starting points, so the shout-outs (i.e. the ones that are more personal to me and therefore carry strong recommendations to you all) go out to: #50 The Alembic Bar (sister establishment to San Francisco's fine Magnolia Brewery & Restaurant); #42 Comstock Saloon (housed in the former San Francisco Brewing Company building that dates back nearly 150 years); #29 Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company (often cited as one of Philly's better ones); and #14 Southwark (Sazerac, period). And, it obviously proves that I spend most of my bar time in the "less classical/traditional" cocktail bars. Eh, watchya gonna do?


EASTERN PA, NJ, DE, AND OTHER NEARBY PARTS OF MID-ATLANTIC
~ Just outside of Philly, in a town called Ardmore where another great beer project (called Tired Hands) is brewing, comes word of The Beer Shoppe that could open in as little as a few months and promises to be a rather unique concept, particularly for the area. Philly.com has the details and quotes.

~ When it comes to all things Belgian in the States, it's pretty certain that very little else generates as much excitement as does Max's annual Belgian Beer Fest in Baltimore. Here's the skinny for this coming weekend's soiree at Max's.


THE REST OF PLANET EARTH
~ I don't get this crazy idea of pilgrimages and waiting in ridiculous lines. But, then again, many don't understand why I camp on the brewery grounds of Ommegang for a weekend either. This event caught the eye of the local news team in North Carolina.

~ SF Beer Week may be underway, but Strong Beer Month will continue all month long. Get out your punch cards and your designated drivers (or BART).

~ And, speaking of San Francisco, there's a new Homebrewers Guild. Check them out on their website and their Facebook page.

~ What the heck, let's add to the Pliny The Younger craze. Russian River has a blog update with some words and stories that you may enjoy.

~ Oh, and one last thing. The Weekly Pint has launched and claims to be ready to let you know everything you need to know about beer. Give 'em a look-see and let 'em know what you think. It's being spearheaded by Christian DeBenedetti, author of The Great American Ale Trail.

While I was out....

....on a Rhine and Moselle Rivers cruise with the esteemed Mr. Stephen Beaumont (beer cruise tour director of 'Beers on the Rhine'), things appeared to be humming along as per usual in and around Philadelphia. As I continue to dig out from around 2,000 emails, 3,000 RSS feeds, hundreds of missed Facebook and Twitter connections, and hundreds of podcasts, it will be nearly impossible to catch up with everything that I might have missed. But, that was the intentional direction of this trip--it was designed to be a vacation away from everything. For almost 17 days, I did absolutely no Facebook updates or RSS surfing and replied only to the emails that looked like they required a timely reply. Prior to leaving on October 8th (Happy Birthday to me :), I wrote around eight articles to be posted on a scheduled basis at both The Brew Lounge and After Hours at The Brew Lounge (Washington Times Communities). So, while it may have looked to some of you that I was still actively on line, nothing could have been farther from the truth--and, it was good! Now, I'm back and getting re-engaged. Here's a bit of what I missed that I could glean from various sources. If I missed something important, like responding to your email, please forgive me and gently nudge me with a follow-up e-mail. - Lew Bryson reported on PBC's Harvest from the Hood. I saw a shelf-full's worth at Wegmans this morning and, if it wan't 5am (y'know...jet lag...the body clock thing), would have purchased a bottle or two to bring home. This is a fine beer to do such a thing. - Adam the NonconFermist was busy. Not only did he finish his garage floor in preparation for a new homebrew system, but he was able to sneak some time in at Iron Hill's West Chester location where they were conducting a homebrew contest. (And, here's a link to Iron Hill's take on the event.) - Victory will be at Rattle 'n' Hum in NYC on 11/2/10. Lots of their beer like only Rattle 'n' Hum can do it. Reportedly 40 lines, plus cask, and Bill Covaleski too. - More from Lew...he'll be at Craft Ale House in Limerick tomorrow (10/26) and he's fond of their Pennsylvania lineup in honor of his book promotion tour that he'll be there for. Check it out and see if you agree. - I haven't quite figured out the whos and whats of Thirsty Girl yet, but Whitney Thompson of Victory Brewing is one of them. A nice bit of reading about her over on the Facebook page. - Just a few miles south down I-95, Alexander Mitchell covered Baltimore Beer Week with passion and a lot of ambition and motivation. Check out his site and scroll through some of the fun stuff that he posted along the way. I get a feeling that if we hadn't been out of the country, an overnight trip to Baltimore during BBW would not have been out of the question. - Back home here in Philly, Joe Sixpack discussed pre-Prohibition as both a time period for beers as well as a modern-day style. He also touches on the very cool event occurring this coming weekend in a cemetery--yes, a cemetery. - Jack Curtin, last but certainly never least, kvetched a bit over session beers. I'm not sure if there was any motivation to the posting other than wanting to start a conversation. Basically, my response is that a session beer is very personal when it comes to ABV level. Because of my size and my eating and drinking habits, I've always considered my own "session level" to be at around 5.0%-5.5% Do you feel differently? Go to Jack's site and contribute to the conversation. - Bringing this full circle to Steve Beaumont, he, on the other hand, did take his laptop with him and manage to squeeze in some blog posts and Facebook updates. Scroll through and find a couple of Rhine-related postings of his over here. My telling of the 16+ days in Europe will have to wait until I can wade through 1,000+ pictures, dozens of videos, and scribbled notes (oh, typed ones, too, on my iPhone) and determine just exactly how to present some slimmed down portion of them to you. Until such time...