Friday, May 28, 2010

Nature versus FIBC: A Day at Stone Barns

Road trip! Earlier this week, we took a little spin on the New York State Thruway up to the Stone Barns Center For Food & Agriculture in Tarrytown. We’re on the prowl for fresh local ingredients to include in our fall brew and couldn’t imagine a more scenic place to kick off our agricultural education. Housed on the former Rockefeller dairy farm, the impossibly elegant property was donated in memory of Peggy Rockefeller, a champion of farmland protection.


Berries, thyme, pigs, and hops, the list of possible ingredients grown at Stone Barns runs as long and deep as your love for our Lighthouse Ale. Stone Barns also plays host to Blue Hill Farm restaurant (yes, sister to the highly praised eatery in Manhattan) where the menu is dictated by the land. Mike Greenberg, the events planner, also oversees the restaurant’s beer offerings. We sat down with Mike to get sense of what’s typically available in late summer, and in what quantities. A conversation is all good and well but we couldn’t wait to commune with the earth and see the crops for ourselves. Mike gave us directions, drew a vague map in the air and set us loose.


We made ourselves at home and visited the animal pens, the greenhouses and the air-conditioned gift shop. We’ve got many ideas brewing (HA!) which means a lot to sort through before we settle on which ingredients and where to source them from.

Things were going really well, ideas were flowing, inspiration was running rampant. That is until we came across the chicken coup. Their inner hunter-gatherer took over and all bets were off; it was the Glassman brothers versus the chicks. Watch the video to see who won...


Stay tuned for the next step in our farming saga!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Shadfest 2010: What You Missed

Blue skies, views of the Hudson River, Lighthouse Ale, a chance to raise awareness about the declining shad population, Red Wagon IPA. Lots of good folks came out to Shadfest 2010 in Garrison, New York to get behind the movement to protect the disappearing shads.

We had fun, we poured lots of beer, we supported an important cause, we met great people. Come to think of it, why weren’t you there? While you should definitely plan on getting tickets to the event next year, it’s not too late to donate NOW!


Regretting you didn’t go? We’ve put together a little video showing…what you missed. You're welcome!

Monday, May 10, 2010

To That Couple Whose Names We Didn't Catch...

You're welcome! We had a sneaking suspicion that wherever Fire Island Beer went, good things followed. Last week, some folks from Team Fire Island Beer Company took a sunset spin aboard the Adirondack, an 80' schooner that sails out of Chelsea Piers. We've teamed up with the organizers to do three beer & cheese pairings over the course of the summer and wanted to preview the amazing trip ourselves.

Sometime after we sailed past the Statue of Liberty, our captain announced that two of our fellow seafaring friends had just become engaged.


Was it the sunset? The perfect weather? The beer? Their undying love for one another? Perhaps. But we like to think it was the happy-go-lucky, great things are on the horizon vibe we brought aboard that did the trick.

Fire Island Beer: 1
Cupid: 0

For your chance to get engaged, or just take in amazing views of Manhattan while sampling Fire Island Lighthouse Ale and Red Wagon IPA, visit http://www.zerve.com/SailNYC/Beer and use the promo code "Fireisland" to save $5 per ticket.


Dates are 6/15, 7/20, 8/17 with the sailboat departing at 6:45PM and returning at 8:45PM from Pier 62 on the West Side of Manhattan.