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By Scottie, July 20, 2010 4:32 am

G’day mates!

My blog and Twitter accounts have been dormant for a couple of months due to a pretty large move from Washington, DC to Melbourne, Australia; the land of the Crocodile Hunter and Crocodile Dundee, koalas and kangaroos (which I actually had for dinner last night…yummy).

While in Australia, I will try to capture the spirit and culture of the Australian craft beer scene. I will also continue my craft brewery interview series (sorry everyone who’s interviews have been put on hold) and highlight breweries here in Australia and in New Zealand.

Cheers!

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By Scottie, February 21, 2010 12:10 pm

The Beer Wench

I recently had the privilege of participating in the Beer Wench’s beer blogger interview series. Click here to check out the full interview!

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By Scottie, January 3, 2010 11:04 pm

Tasting Room

Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to get a private tour of the Erie Brewing Company – the only independently owned microbrewery in my hometown of Erie, PA. Bill Bleil, Vice President and Treasurer, was kind enough to allow me to sample some of their beers (reviews to come) and show me around the brewery.

Erie Brewing Company was founded in October of 1993 and has been growing in popularity in the Great Lakes region ever since. They support the Erie area by purchasing bottles, growlers, artwork, T-shirts, and tap-handles from local companies. The beautifully hand-carved tap-handles in the tasting room (pictured to the right) are made by the Amish.

In 2008, Erie Brewing company’s Railbender Ale, their flagship beer, won the Bronze Medal in the Scottish Style Ale category at the Great American Beer Festival. This past year it won the Gold Medal by finishing first out of 29 other Scottish Style Ales.

Vat of Mad Anthony's APA

Erie Brewing Company’s year-round beers:

• Railbender Ale
• Mad Anthony’s APA
• Presque Isle Pilsner
• Misery Bay IPA

Seasonal specialties:

• Drake’s Crude Oatmeal Stout
• Golden Fleece Maibock
• Derailed Black Cherry Cream Ale
• Heritage Alt
• Fallenbock
• Ol’ Red Cease and Desist

Erie Brewing Company’s beers are currently available in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Oregon. Click here for more
information on retailers in these states.

Bottling Line

Although I grew up in Erie, Pa, I knew little about the local brewery. Over the years, the city of Erie has had breweries come and go, but Erie Brewing Company has survived because of its unique selection of award winning beers. This small microbrewery is a great example of the growth the craft beer industry is experiencing and it’s always great to see a local company succeed.

Thank you again Bill for the tour and keep up the great work!

Brewery website: http://www.eriebrewingco.com/