Carton Brewing's Wit Whale...Comes Ashore Just in Time for Summer (VIDEO)

Circa Restaurant...Beer & Cheese. Yes, Please.

More than eight years ago I moved to rural Hunterdon County and an even more rural town there.  Craft beer wasn't exactly easy to find or close to home.  Just a few years later I spotted a very welcome sight during a drive home one day.  A new restaurant was opening on Main Street of the small boro of my neighboring town, High Bridge, NJ.  Circa, with it's open-air porch, promised to bring some craft beer taps to the beer wasteland that was my new home.

I admit, it took some time for me to check it out, but since visiting that first time we've gone back again and again.  Their food is fresh, homemade and delicious...and while they won't break any records with their number of beer taps, they do deserve mounds of credit for focusing on quality over quantity.

As of today, they have eight craft beer taps (no macros here!) with two taps dedicated to New Jersey's own Carton Brewing as well as one for nearby Weyerbacher's renamed witte offering, White Sun Wit.  The list changes pretty regularly, but you can easily check online to see what will be waiting for you at Circa's own website.  I guarantee you'll find more than a couple you'd enjoy drinking.

When, not if, you visit be sure to sit on the porch with a tasty craft beer and at least a plate (or 2) of their cheese offering.  You'll be served three amazing cheeses (types change depending on availability/quality), some fresh cut fruit, fresh honey/walnuts and their signature sautéed onions.

The rest of their menu is as uniquely varied, interesting and incredibly fresh.  The food is flavorful and prepared with care.  Thankfully, Circa is here...now...making it the area's destination for great food and craft beer.  If you don't believe me, check out the New York Times' write up here.

So head on over and be sure to check out Circa's craft beers (and cheese!).  And if you see this guy on the porch be sure to let him know you've joined the craft beer "brewsade" too!

Cheers!
Z
#jointhebrewsade

Circa Restaurant

37 Main Street.

High Bridge, NJ 08829

Reservations 908-638-5560

Circa is a fun, intimate restaurant located in the small town of High Bridge, just outside of Clinton, NJ.

We offer the best in seasonally fresh & inventive cuisine, and rely strongly on local farms and producers to make our menus possible. Our internationally inspired wine list and extensive bar are hand crafted to compliment our global cuisine.

The dress at Circa is casual. Reservations are always appreciated, and are recommended on weekends.

Craft Beer...At What Price?

Let me start by saying I'm an ignoramus.  I have to tell you upfront that I do not know how much it costs the average craft brewery to brew a six-pack of their standard IPA or a 750ml bottle of their year-round stout.  It might cost them $6.  Maybe a $1.  I'll be it's neither, but somewhere in between.  I know it's likely a heck of a lot more than it costs SABMiller or one of the other macro-giants.  

But still, beer prices have been on the rise across the board.  Are we seeing an endless upward trend in the average price of 6-pack (or God forbid, downsized 4-pack).  I won't call out breweries or beers by name, but you've surely noticed it yourself.  That $7.99 or $8.99 six-pack of craft tastiness you used to eagerly snap up is now $9.99 or $10.99 or even more.  Or maybe it's still $8.99, but now it's in a 4-pack.  Quick math says it may only be a buck or two, but that's a 20% increase or more.

Chart courtesy Brewer's Association

This begs the question, is the cost to brew a quality craft beer increasing that quickly?  I've read that raw material costs are on the rise.  Those costs get passed on from producer to consumer, and I have no problem with that.  Reports show that, while hop acreage increased YOY in 2012, the yield actually decreased (source).  In a similar twist of grain-related fate, the cost of barely has been on a fairly steady 3-year rise...a 250%+ increase from Summer 2009 to Summer 2012 (source).  However, despite the seeming squeeze on resources "craft beer numbers were up: 18% more breweries in the U.S., 15% more beer produced by volume, a 17% increase in sales, and a whopping rise of 72% in American craft beer exports." - Time Magazine (3.22.2013).  Production has, most certainly, not gone down as a result.

I just can't help but feel that maybe some breweries are piggybacking off their more popular beers, and their high demand, to increase prices across the portfolio.  Maybe it truly is the rising cost of raw materials combined with increased demand that is pushing craft beer prices up and up.  Could it be that retailers are picking our pockets without the knowledge of breweries or distributors (it does happen)?  Perhaps it's a combination of all of these factors.  

And I know, I know.  If I want a craft product, I have to pay craft prices.  If I want a high quality beer, I have to pay higher prices.  If I think it's too expensive I don't have to buy it.  I understand how the free market works.  But frankly, I do have to buy it.  I can't drink macro beer anymore...and maybe that's a factor too.  They've got me...right where they want me.

Spring Has Sprung & NYC Craft Beer Festival Will Be Hopping

It was just over one year ago that the first American Craft Beer Festival was held in NYC at the Lexington Armory to rave reviews.  Well, Spring 2013 is upon us and the team has put a new twist on an "old" favorite.  March 30th is the date you should have marked on your calendar to attend the NYC Craft Beer Festival's Spring Seasonals celebration at the Lexington Armory which will play host to over 75 craft beer breweries.  Those craft brewers will be offering up nearly 150 seasonal selections.  Word on the street is that Founders Brewing's vaunted Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) will be making a pre-release appearance at the event!

The NYC Craft Beer Festival is offering two sessions, 12:30 PM-4:00 PM, and 6:00 PM-9:30 PM.  Tickets are on-sale now at NYCCraftBeerFest.com.  They're going fast and won't last much longer, so don't delay!

“The NYC Craft Beer Festival is a true celebration of the American craft beer experience. We invite the country’s best craft brewers to come together at one time, in one place, so attendees can sample a careful selection of the best Spring seasonal brews the brewers have to offer,” said Jim Pickett, Founder Gotham Artisanal and event consultant.

Among the several other speakers and seminars, Giancarlo and Sarah Annese from BeerUnion.com, will hold a seminar & blind tasting to explore the question, “What is "Craft" beer, really?” Attendees will  participate in a blind tasting of Craft beers alongside non-craft beers to see if they can tell the difference. A spirited discussion will focus on the official definition of "craft" beer, and what it may mean to you.

VIP and Connoisseur ticket holders can enter the Armory an hour earlier and have access to the beer, the brewers and the food during this first hour. This is a great time to speak with some of your favorite brewer representatives.

Just 150 Connoisseur tickets are available for purchase per session. The Connoisseur package offers a speedy entrance line to the Armory and access to the exclusive Connoisseurs Lounge for the entire session where there will be an additional 15-18 rare beers not found on the Grand Tasting floor. 

Craft beer-centric food offerings will be available from NYC hot spots Cooper's Craft Kitchen and Tavern 29.  So don't miss the festival's triumphant return to the Lexington Armory on March 30th.  It'll be here before you know it!

Cheers!