BeerChatt – Let's Talk About Beer.

Chattanooga residents will soon have more choices of locally made alcohol.

Local resident Brad Lumley and his business partner Steve Ruggiero are planning a local beer brewery, called Good Fences Craft Beer.

(From left to right) Good Fences Craft Beer founder Brad Lumley and Barley Mob Brewers President Tony Giannasi, who Lumley said has been instrumental in his development as a brewer. Contributed photo.

“We will launch with one beer,” Lumley said, which will probably be a IPA. “I think we want to put our flagship beer out there first. That is going to get our brand out there.”

This month, owners of The Georgia Winery also announced that after months of work their product, which is made just over the state line in Georgia, is now available in Chattanooga stores.

Both these announcements come on the heels of the unveiling of a Chattanooga-inspired whiskey and the opening of Chattanooga Brewing Company last year.

“We have a lot of great breweries in town,” Lumley said. “People are obviously going to want something different.”

So, Lumley hopes to create a “big and flavorful” beer, he said.

Good Fences
Lumley started brewing in his home a couple of years ago. He started entering and winning contests and friends always asked him to make beer for them.

That’s illegal, so he didn’t do that, but it made him think about creating a business.

He joined forces with his neighbor—hence the name Good Fences—and they decided to start small.

They are currently looking for commercial or light industrial space to set up the brewery and they hope to have their first beer on the market by next June.

Lumley said he will keep his day job and brew during his free time.

“I’m not going to draw a salary (from Good Fences), so every penny we make, we are dumping back into the brewery,” he said.  

State and federal licensing plus equipment is expensive, so the initial goal is to break even and then get investors interested, he said.

Just an investment in equipment can cost $25,000, he said.

Source: International Business Times
By Lord Jorrel Polintan
November 16, 2011 1:30 PM EST
Research has proven that one to two glasses of wine a day is healthy for the body. However, what about the most common of spirits – the beer? Beer has often been painted to be bad for the health, but recent study suggests otherwise.
According to the study done by the Research Laboratories at the Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura “Giovannia Paolo II,” in Campobasso, Italy, drinking beer moderately has the same positive effects that wine has to the cardiovascular health.
Drinking wine moderately – two glasses for men and one glass for women – can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 31% less when compared to those who do not drink. Findings of the study show, for the first time, that drinking slightly more than an English pint a day of beer containing 5% of alcohol has the same protective benefit as wine.
Studying wine and beer separately, Simona Costanzo, first author of the paper, said that they have observed a reduction in cardiovascular risk with low to moderate drinking. However, with increased consumption, the protective advantage disappears up until the risk gets higher.
With these findings of beer being good for fending off the risk of cardiovascular disease, Augusto Di Castelnuovo, the head of the Statistic Unit of Research Laboratories and a pioneer in alcohol epidemiological studies, emphasized moderate and regular drinking, and that there is no place for binge drinking or any other form of heavy consumption.
Di Caselnuovo also cautioned that their data cannot be extrapolated to everybody. Citing women in their fertile age, alcohol can actually slightly raise their risk for some type of cancer, which can counterbalance the positive effect on cardiovascular disease.
The researchers admitted though, that the similarity between wine and beer and their positive effects on cardiovascular health is still unknown. What the researchers are inferring are, since wine and beer are different in composition, all except for alcohol, alcohol could be the key player.
Beer has been the subject of many studies before and since then, many benefits have been found just by drinking the humble spirit moderately. According to HealthMad.com, drinking beer moderately has positive benefits such as:
1. Raising the level of anti-oxidants in the blood stream
2. Source of vitamin B6 which is needed to make hemoglobin, the red coloring in blood
3. Aids in sleep and promotes relaxation
4. Can help reduce blood pressure and levels of insulin in the blood
5. Can reduce the incidence of kidney stones
6. Contains flavanoids which are natural oxidants that help the body protect against diseases

 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is not coming to Blount County, according to the Blount Partnership.

The Chico, Calif,. company notified the Blount Partnership this weekend that they would not build a brewery on property adjacent to the Pellissippi Place research and development park in Alcoa.

According to a press release from the partnership, issues this morning, Blount County has fallen out of contention for the brewery.

“Blount County is no longer under consideration for the Sierra Nevada project,” the release states. “We appreciate the interest the brewing company had in operating a plant in Blount County and understand their reasons for not locating here. The relationships established between Sierra Nevada and the state of Tennessee and county and city officials remain strong. The Blount Partnership will continue to work all business leads to bring more companies and jobs to Blount County.”

Partnership officials did not specify the reasons that Sierra Nevada cited in not choosing Alcoa.

Roanoke, Va., also was crossed off the brewery candidate site list.

More details as they develop online…

The Campaign for Real Ale withdrew its support from a beer festival – after organisers planned to serve drinks in plastic glasses.

Members of CAMRA were expected to turn out in force for the Bath Beer Festival in Somerset, which was held at the city’s Pavilion venue over the weekend. v

But the purists pulled their support after the decision was made to serve beer in plastic beakers – saying the rule goes against the ethos of CAMRA.

Bath and Borders CAMRA branch pubs officer Dr Andrew Swift said: ”It was felt that there would be a drop in attendance because some people would simply refuse to drink out of plastic glasses.”

Dr Smith described the decision to only allow plastic glasses as ”the straw that broke the camel’s back” expressing concerns at the rising costs and the ”irritant” of health and safety rules.

They praised organiser Chris Lilley for promoting real ale but criticised his decision to call it the Bath Beer Festival, describing it as ”misleading”.

A statement from the group said: ”After 33 years of running it successfully, the branch feels that to call his event the Bath Beer Festival – which, under CAMRA’s auspices had side stalls, souvenir glasses and an opportunity to buy the Good Beer Guide at discounted rates – is a trifle misleading and that the name the Pavilion Beer Festival would have been better and more accurate.

”We would also like to make it clear that we did not merely host the Beer Festival – we organised it – every bit of it, which is rather different.

”We would therefore like it be known that we wish Chris Lilley (from the Pavilion) well in his venture.”

Pavilion manager Jenny Jacob admitted her disappointment at CAMRA’s decision but continued with the event, which took place at the weekend.

She said: ”We were very disappointed that CAMRA Bath and Borders branch chose not to host the Bath Beer Festival this year at the Pavilion as the event has a long and successful history and we were keen to help find ways to address the points they raised.”

Thirty years ago a pair of young Americans who had fallen in love with Belgium started importing the virtually unknown beers of that country into the US. Since then Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield have brought us the likes of Duvel, Jenlain, Castelain, Rodenbach, Kwak, Blanche de Bruges, Affligem, Boon’s lambics and Dupont’s Saison.

To celebrate the wonderful culture of Belgian beer that we now enjoy in the US–and their 30th anniversary–they are sponsoring a “Coast-to-Coast Toast” on November 15th and they’ve asked us to invite you all to join in. I know that many of the best beer bars in my hometown of Chicago already have plans to participate and I suspect that many of you will want to do so as well–either as a host at your bar, store or restaurant or as a consumer to enjoy some great beers.

For more on Don and Wendy’s story see this piece by beer writer Lew Bryson http://greatbrewers.com/story/30-years-belgian-beers-happy-anniversary-vanberg-dewulf

For info on how and where to participate in the Coast to Coast toast, check out this link: http://belgianexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Toolkit-08.25.11.pdf

CHATTANOOGA STOUT FACEOFF!

CHATTANOOGA BEST BEER SERIES: FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT THE CHATTANOOGA MARKET
	WHEN: NOVEMBER 6TH 11 AM – 2 PM WHERE: FIRST TENNESSEE PAVILION WHAT: All the STOUTS locally made in Chattanooga, gathered in one place for a blind tasting. WHO: BIG RIVER GRILLE CHATTANOOGA BREWING COMPANY TERMINAL BREWHOUSE MCHALE’S BREWHOUSE MOCCASIN BEND BREWING  HOW: Tickets available at: http://www.eventbee.com/event?eid=822048304

Robert Childers, head rector for The Church of the Good Shepherd on Lookout Mountain, vividly remembers his first experience with small-batch brewing. He was minister to a church in Mentone, Ala., but was visiting the Tennessee Aquarium with his family. When he emerged from the underwater tour it was as if the heavens opened up and the sun shone brightly on a newly opened Big River Brewery. “I just thought, ‘Oh my goodness, what a great gift this is,’” recalls Childers. “It saved me because at the time I was living in a dry county.”

That was nearly 17 years ago. He made his first batch of home brew shortly after that, intrigued by the craft ale he had sampled. And while today his ministerial duties overshadow his hops hobby, Childers has still helped Big River develop its seasonal Scottish Ale recipe, performing a blessing of the cask at the tapping party.

“Now that we live here Big River is still one of my favorites,” says Childers. “They really helped educate the palate of this area.” Tony Giannasi, a software engineer living on Signal Mountain, also credits Big River with his foray into home brewing. After sampling Big River’s Espresso Stout at the Southern Brewers Festival on the riverfront, he had trouble buying it for home consumption. He took matters into his own hands, read a book on home brewing cover to cover and hasn’t looked back.

Today he’s president of the Barley Mob Brewers and the city’s first Certified Cicerone, the equivalent of a beer “sommelier.” He’s also a certified beer judge, only one competition away from judging at the national level. “After you brew a few batches of beer and decide you like it, you can either stay at that level or go crazy; I chose the crazy route,” laughs Giannasi. “Next thing I know I’m heading up the home brewing club.”

And if you think the club is a bunch of drinking buddies dabbling in beer making – think again. The Barley Mob hosts the only Beer Judge Certification Program competition in Chattanooga, and many members participate in national competitions. A handful of them have also become certified judges, meaning they have a comprehensive knowledge of the inches-thick manual of beer styles. Owners of Moccasin Bend Brewery and Chattanooga Brewing Company are also former members.

“Barley Mob is sort of like the farm team for the pros,” jokes Giannasi. “It’s where you work out your processes and get feedback from friends and neighbors. You learn your tastes as well as others’.”

And if you ever sipped a Southern Flyer or a Hot Mama (a specially brewed beer for Taco Mamacita soaked in hot chilies), thank a home brewer. Giannasi credits his beer brotherhood with fueling the local craft beer movement.

“When I first started in 2002 there was Big River and that was it,” he says. “We now have five breweries in town with another one coming in the next year or so.” Giannasi also wants to bring better beer to the masses, hosting a blind beer tasting at the Chattanooga Market the first Sunday of each month. For a $15 ticket, you can enjoy five beers paired with food and vote for the winner. “I’m all about raising Chattanooga’s awareness of craft beer,” he says.

And that is a mission we can all raise a glass to.

CHATTANOOGA BREWING COMPANY

109 Frazier Ave. • chattabrew.com

Open a little more than a year, brewers Mark Marcum and Jonathan Clark aim for easy drinking beer that strikes a perfect balance between sweet and bitter. Focused mainly on wholesale, you can sample their suds in myriad restaurants around town from Taco Mac to Table 2, or drop by for a fill-up during their growler hours Thursday through Saturday.

Tony’s Picks

HILL CITY IPA - “Brash and in your face with American hops, this beer tops the charts for IPA in Chattanooga. It was voted best IPA in the city by the Best Beer Series at the Market.”

OKTOBERFEST LAGER - “This beer was perfected over more than 15 years of home brewing and its commercial cousin shows the love that has been poured into it. It’s very malty and smooth with an easy finish.”

Robert’s Pick

PILSNER - Several restaurants in town have Chattanooga Brewing Company’s Pilsner on tap and it’s a really solid choice. It’s lighter and less bitter than an IPA.

BIG RIVER GRILLE AND BREWING WORKS

222 Broad St. • bigrivergrille.com

A pioneer in the craft beer movement, Big River has opened the door for other brewpubs. It’s also the most decorated brewer in town, boasting a combined 23 medals from the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.

Tony’s Picks

IRONHORSE STOUT - “Hands down, the best stout in Chattanooga right now. It’s malty, roasty and has notes of baking chocolate. Very tasty beer all year round for me.”

VIENNA LAGER - “As one of the few breweries in town set up to make lagers, Big River has had a lot of practice. The Vienna is very malty with hardly any hop notes – just how it is supposed to be. It goes well with almost anything as an easy to drink yet flavorful beer.”

Robert’s Pick

IPA - “One of the big reasons I love Big River is the quality. Their IPA has a good hoppiness but not too aggressive. It’s a solid beer and you know it’s always going to be good. It’s pleasing to the palate but not too filling.”

THE TERMINAL BREWHOUSE

No. 6 14th St. • terminalbrewhouse.com

Brew master Steve Purdie is a fellow home brewer turned pro, educated by the American Brewers Guild before helping launch The Terminal Brewhouse. Each week he whips up a fresh batch of regular and seasonal offerings in the restaurant’s basement-level tanks, which are connected directly to the upstairs taps.

Tony’s Picks

MAGNUM PA - “A model of the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) theory, this beer is hops on top of a medium malt backbone, then another dose of hops. It’s my standard order whenever I go in…”

MIND MELD - “…UNLESS this beer is on tap. A Terminal seasonal in the first quarter of the year, this is an India Brown Ale that adds some malt complexity over the hops for a more balanced pint.”

Robert’s Pick

O.P.P.ESB - “The Terminal’s O.P.P. ESB reminds me of an English Bitter. It’s not as hopped as an IPA and since it has relatively low alcohol content you can enjoy several pints over a long evening.”

McHALE’S BREW HOUSE

724 Ashland Terrace • mchalesbrewhouse.com

Brew master Adam Hale took home more than a dozen medals from home brewing competitions before opening his Scotch/Irish brew pub with cousin, Sidney Hale. Only open since January, McHale’s already enjoys a loyal following by pushing the envelope with unique flavor combinations. Future plans include high gravity and sour/wild beer varieties — a first for the city.

Tony’s Picks

BLOODY IPA - “This was the first dark IPA I had ever had three years ago. Before it was popular, the brewer was making this style as a home brewer. Years of tweaks have created a chewy, caramel chocolate citrus treat in a glass.”

BLACK PIXIE - “A lighter beer but full of flavor. A dark Belgian Ale, perfect with brownies and raspberries.”

MOCCASIN BEND BREWERY

4015 Tennessee Ave. • bendbrewingbeer.com

The tap room at this St. Elmo brewery offers some of the city’s most original recipes, with brew master Chris Hunt infusing his beers with everything from watermelon to pumpkin seeds. With 12 to 13 taps it also offers one of the widest selections, available mainly through weekend brewery tours.

Tony’s Picks

COFFEE STOUT - “This beer is done with local coffee from Pasha Coffee & Tea and is silky and delicious. Drink it with a big chocolate chip cookie or a donut – tasty, not healthy.

HOP SOUP - “It comes and it goes, but it’s worth getting when it’s around. This beer is made with hops, then hop extract to make it explode on your palate. A real experience.”

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