From Butler to Freehold, Earth Day 2017

The PubScout's Earth Day 2017 was both busy and rewarding, but it sure chewed up the miles and left a carbon footprint.

As promised, I first headed north to Ramstein brewing in Butler, NJ to pick up some of Greg Zaccardi's 20th Anniversary offering. The guy's been making German style beers almost since I began writing about craft beer in 1996. To put it bluntly, Greg's found his niche.

And apparently his devoted customers always manage to find him when he releases a new beer, which makes parking a challenge. Mother Nature decided I couldn't take two wheels, which was a disappointment somewhat mitigated by the fact that I got the closest parking spot to the entrance upon arrival--which NEVER happens. But I'm not complaining.

As usual, the beer nuts began pouring in in large numbers almost immediately, some of them not even one month old.

His 20th Anniversary beer went through many tweaks before the master brewer got it just to his liking. After all, he says, "My first beer was a wheat beer, so I knew it had to pay tribute to that. And since this is a celebration, champagne was in order. So champagne yeast came into play."

Champagne yeast, however, is notoriously tricky to get "just right," especially when one considers that Greg's Double Platinum Blonde has already made its mark as a Ramstein fave. Improving it wouldn't be easy.

But after some pilot batches and trial and error, Zaccardi managed to get that champagne yeast working remarkably well. The beer offers champagne notes from the nose to the finish--especially in the finish. It's one of the most fragrant beers you may run across, and one that tastes as good as it smells.

Be careful, though, as it's almost a10% ABV monster. If you want to be around for the 25th Anniversary, drink it responsibly, and preferably at a time and place where driving can either be omitted or done by someone else. Because once you taste it, you'll definitely want more than one.

Personally, I didn't think Double Platinum Blonde could get any better. Until today.

From the friendly, packed confines of the brauhaus, I had to head south on 287--and I hate 287, especially between 7 and 10 AM and 4 and 7PM on a weekday. Since this was a Saturday, my "road rage" was stifled a bit. But I was bound for Freehold, NJ, where a wonderful woman was being celebrated for having successfully reached her 85th pass around the sun.

Barbara Hamara was a NJ beer pioneer in a very significant way. Back in 1996, she, along with her daughters Jo Ellen and Penny, took a big chance and opened up NJ's first BOP--Brew on Premise-- and called it The Brewer's Apprentice in Freehold. More than just a home-brew shop, this was a place where you actually brewed your own beer. And the women cleaned up your mess.

I learned of it and went down to do a story back in 1997 for a major beer publication. It was titled, appropriately, "Where the Women Clean Up," and I actually brewed at their facility. You can read that fascinating ancient history here.

Barbara is the "Grandma" mentioned in the story, and though the facility has since moved to larger accommodations--a positive thing, for sure--that family "vibe" is still very much evident in everyday operations.

And it certainly was tonight at the party Barbara's daughters --Jo Ellen, Penny, Jill and Cindy--hosted in her honor. More than one hundred people showed up to pay homage to the "Matriarch of the Malt," all while enjoying excellent food, and of course, fine beer made on premise.