-Hugh Sisson

Since I started in the beer business in 1989, I have always thought of March 17 as the official “opening day” for beer season.  The daffodils pop up, crocuses croak, I dig out my smoker and fire up some brisket, and – as the days begin to get longer and slightly warmer – beer drinking seems to be even more appropriate than ever.  And of course this has nothing to do with the grand and glorious day celebrating our universal Irish heritage!

This is also the season of both March Madness and the start of baseball and lacrosse.  While I admit I’m not much of a basketball fan, I have always enjoyed March Madness for the sheer athleticism demonstrated by the college players.  You have to respect that they are leaving 100% on the court – nothing is held back – and the games are consistently exciting.

The return of big league baseball (I’ve always been a huge Baltimore Orioles fan – even when it was painful) is certainly a rite of spring, and so is the return of lacrosse.  And while beer drinking at lacrosse games was never a big deal, beer and baseball are certainly great mutual past times.

So I have never completely figured out why I am supposed to “beware the ides of March.”  I guess if your name is Caesar things can get a little dicey, but for the rest of us I say bring it on – Beer Season has officially begun!  AARGH!

-Hugh

I won a case of beer from Jim Koch of Sam Adams on the Ravens/Patriots game.
Got to admit I’m feeling a bit cocky. I now have Super Bowl bets with 3 San Francisco area breweries – Anchor (the Godfather), 21st Amendment, and Anderson Valley. Sort of adds to the whole rivalry thing, but my wife will tell me I am being a bit excessive.

And it’s the Harbaugh Bowl – what were the odds on that? That would have been a nice bet at the start of the season.

And let’s see – Raven’s purple, Loose Cannon purple – get your purple on!

So here’s my prayer:

Our Flacco, now Super Bowl bound,
Thy will throw this game three touchdown passes.
Give us we pray ten first downs from Rice,
And lead us not into the wide right kick,
But deliver us from dropped passes,
For thine is the Boldin, the Pitta, and the Smith,
Forever and ever, touch down!

Cheers!

Hugh 

For 2013, we decided that creating a section of our portfolio called Uncharted Waters made a lot of sense; this wood-aging series allows us to experiment and grow, and is consistent with our branding. The first beer in that series will be Siren Noire aged in a bourbon barrel, to be released just after the New Year. We decided that growing our cask program–the nation’s largest I believe–also makes sense, and you can look for more cask offerings as the year progresses. We also decided to put our toe in the canned beer arena with Loose CANnon, coming out in late March, and two other beers to follow.

I am looking forward to 2013, but much the same way that I have looked forward to the last few years. While the brewery is hard work and certainly has its frustrations, for the most part, we all are happy with the work and seem to have a “seize the day” attitude. Looking back and then looking forward, I think that may be the greatest blessing of all: to like what you do and step to the plate every day swinging for the fences. I am sure I will miss the ball a few times, but you can bet I am enjoying the game.

I wish you all the best of holidays and the brightest of hopes for the year to come.

-Hugh Sisson

Truthfully, I am not sure that is totally fair. I can do a “hail fellow, well met” with the best of them. Sit down and celebrate over a pint–I’m your man! Make the last slice of Smithfield ham disappear with gusto–right in my wheelhouse! So you can see I am not completely useless!

Perhaps a better way of looking at the holidaze might be taking a “team approach”-–i.e., employ your various assets according to their strengths. The shoppers concentrate on shopping, the decorators focus on decorating, and the celebrators, well, celebrate. Seems like a good way to me – everybody doing what they are good at – not sweating the small stuff.

So this year I suggest this system to all. Carpe diem and all that good stuff. Ultimately it seems better to focus on enjoying the time with friends and family–not getting all worked up about the details–and taking a brief moment to count our blessings with those we cherish.

I wish everyone smooth sailing through the holidaze–relax and enjoy. There will be plenty of opportunities for stress when they are over!

-Hugh