Beer Enlightenment Chapter One: Misty Seacoast Hops

The alarm goes off at a crisp 6 in the morning, I am lost in my own body and have trouble remembering why I set it so early on my day off. Then it dawns on me, "oh yeah beer...right." Not just any beer, I remind myself, the apparent mecca of brews for beer geeks and beer lovers not only all over New England but apparently as far as Maryland and Florida. I am talking of course about Kate the Great. A strong Russian Imperial Stout brewed once a year at the Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth, NH. A new discovery for me in my first real week as a beer blogger, talk about timing.

What makes American craft beer so great? Is it the people surrounding it and the people within it's culture? It is a mission of discovery, curiosity, and pleasure in the most primal of ways. When we imbibe we most certainly always want something that not only is full of surprises but seduces the palate and leaves us grinning ear to ear. So what makes craft beer so especially great in New England? That is an entirely different story in itself and this my friends, is only a chapter in that story of which there is no end in sight.

When I made the final ambitious move two weeks ago on a career path that has been brewing (pun definitely intended), one way or another throughout college and in recent years to make beer my muse once and for all, I had no clue that I would become enlightened so soon. Seems far too deep when regarding beer right? Yeah, I'm pretty poetic but this is truth, simple and plain.

Where does someone find inspiration when writing about despair? Women mostly, but what happens when the writer opts to write about joy? He finds comfort in simplicity and this breeds happiness, true pleasure. Joy so great, people will wait almost twelve hours in line for a taste of it...literally.

The truth is, New Englanders love their beer. With every season giving us the perfect opportunity to gather and celebrate, it is our given privilege to do so. So when we're told that a locally crafted beer that has been ranked as the second best beer in America is available only one day a year and when it's gone it's gone till the next, oh we will gather and we're sure as hell going to celebrate rain or shine.

Waking up for beer isn't as easy as one might think. It requires dedication, fortitude and an ability to put your pants on correctly before you head out the door. I could have shut the alarm off and slept, and the thought crossed my mind, but passion breeds unguarded enthusiasm and I rose like a...well let's just say I made it out of bed intact.

No time for coffee, I'll stop at a Dunkin's on the way. How else would a small town New Hampshire guy get going before drinking at noon? I arrive at my good friend and trusty photographer Nick's house where he appears to be as bright and chipper as one can possibly be at 8 am. Beer is exciting after all and how often is it that one of your friends invites you along to sample some of the best with him for professional purposes. Yeah, I'd want to hang out with me too if I didn't already do it 24/7.

All ego aside, It is nice to have him along. He is my wandering eyes when I merely listen and observe, so we make quite the team in our Boondock Saints-esque nearly matching pea coats (not planned just overall good style) and minimalist equipment. After a few hairy trips to the seacoast on 95, I opt for the more scenic path instead and hop bomb down route 4. There is a heavy fog lifting off of Northwood Lake and the surrounding hills, giving us an eerie backdrop to the cinema about to unravel.

Portsmouth seems slow driving in, not much activity on the damp, foggy streets. That is until we approach the golden frothy mug, which is far better than golden arches and see the patient rain soaked masses stretched around the block and then some, eagerly waiting for their open sesame on Market Street. After we find a parking spot along a side street a few blocks away with a two hour limit, we make our way to the brewery, which is much easier to find in the sunlight compared to our last excursion here. 'Only two hours till the tapping? I'm getting a ticket for sure,' I think to myself.

Upon approaching the brewery, the crowd seems quite larger than it had from the car. It's almost as though the beer is a celebrity in itself, and people seem to be keeping busy with conversation, football, breakfast and cigars from a nearby shop. After getting a few shots of the early morning abiders, we take our spot in line as we are not well known enough to push our way inside with press badges. Yet being amongst the crowd reminds me why we're here...beer.

We are not here for recognition, though we receive some small notice from familiar faces once inside. We are here for the beer, we are here to immerse ourselves in the culture surrounding it, and the culture is the people who wait as early as midnight to be the first in line and the culture is the people who walk up and take the last spot in line with no idea how long they will be there but they wait anyway. The culture is the people who take this day off just to be there, just for a taste of something they know they'll have to wait another year for when it's over. Is that the power of craft beer? I'll let you know when I figure that out but I'd be hard pressed to say it isn't a huge part of it.

After almost two hours in line, I see a sudden urge of movement ahead, much like a herd of sheep we slowly trample our way to the door. The crowd begins becoming more lively and colorful and new friends begin popping out of nowhere as jokes are told and a few smart ass remarks bring us closer together as the anticipation builds. Confusion sets in as we approach the door, will they be able to take us before the group behind us, they can seat a 5 and a 4 top (business lingo for a party of aforementioned numbers) but not a 2 and a 7. Quite the dilemma but as I mentioned, the people are what make the scene, so we choose to group up with 3 of our fellow beer companions while the rest of their party is sat elsewhere. Sacrifices will be made in the name of beer.

Our new line friends, Brian, Greg and Chris mirror our excitement for Kate and after we blow through the introductions we get down to beer. These are some seasoned Kate the Great veterans and they drop a little history on us about their rendezvous with Kate's of the past. I've been told that she changes every year, that she's never the same even though the recipe itself stays the same and I begin wondering if I may have missed out on something years prior. Oh well I am here now and there is "research" to be done.

Our adorably witty waitress rightfully assumes we want a round of Kate's, as if we were here for the free toast points and butter, which are pretty fantastic by the way. After a mere five minutes of listening to everyone around us enjoy their stouts, our round arrives. Like giddy school children we jump to attention like Christmas morning and smile at one another as if to say 'our time has come.'

The details of my tryst with Kate can be found in my review but on a more philosophical note I will delve into where good, special craft beer brings me and the rest of the hopped up population of beer freaks mentally, and how we may have reached enlightenment at some point in our travels...beer nirvana if you will. Any beer will make you drunk if you have enough, but you will rarely reach an inner, peaceful understanding of who you are and what your role is in the scheme of things by downing a few Schlitz. Most likely you'll end up where we've all been at some point; stumbling around making pizza bites at 2 am and watching Family Guy.

No, beer enlightenment is reached when one beer, one specially made craft beer can make you sit back for a moment, take it in and let it seduce your thoughts. You forget about the clutter surrounding you, and reach deep within yourself to commit to the enjoyment and the experience. Have I reached this point with other beers? Of course I have. It is what keeps me coming back, it is what keeps me taking risks and submerging myself into it's world and jumping out of mine. But the Portsmouth Brewery is onto something when they offer this annual brew because when you're in the presence of a beer that, unless you won a bottle, won't be available until the following year, you take extra care to let it control you. Kate the Great, as it's name implies, has the allure and personality of a beautiful woman and I enjoy her as such.

I pick up on the subtle nuances, the specialty flavors, the care and dedication a few people took to make this one experience for me enjoyable. When you can taste all of these things; the people, the area, the craftsmanship, the passion, the dedication and the excitement all in one sip of a beer, that my friends is beer enlightenment.

My enlightenment was not only found in this special beer, but in coming to peace with the fact that this moment in time sums up perfectly what I choose to do as a profession even if the pay is slim to none. It defines why we beer lovers travel, why we anticipate special releases and most importantly, why we choose craft beer over the rest. Craft beer isn't just something you should buy at a store at the recommendation of a friend, it's something you should seek out, take in the area from which it was born, get to know it's people, it's creators and I guarantee you will never look at beer the same way again.

Have I reached the mountain top yet? There is no doubt that I have not, but I know this; I have a lifetime of catching up to do and I look forward to taking you all along with me in my travels to find peace within beer. It is my hope, that you too will seek out your own beer enlightenment and never look back...(to be continued, but never finished).

Be sure to check out my review of Kate the Great here...Official Review.