Tag: Kickstarter

A Visit to Two Rivers Brewing in Easton, PA

~ Ken Valley ~ Leave a comment
Two Rivers Brewing
Two Rivers Brewing

Over the holidays, I was excited to go East to visit the family.  Even more so, after pledging on Kickstarter, I was anxious to visit the new brewery in Easton, Pennsylvania: Two Rivers Brewing.

The brewpub serves a New Orleans-inspired menu, with staples like Gumbo and Poutine.  At the time of our visit, they hadn’t started brewing beer yet due to a re-planning of the brewery floor (full tanks are heavy!).  They were, however, serving a lot of very local beers (within 30 miles), including a few from Weyerbacher, the other Easton brewery.

Our party tried the gumbo (great!) and duck fat fries (better than great!) as appetizers.  The ladies each ordered a seafood dish, while the guys ordered different sandwiches on the menu.  All of the food was outstanding, and the brewery quickly became a favorite with our group.

After our meal, I spoke with Troy Reynard, one of the owners, and told him how excited I was for them.  I mentioned that all I wanted for Christmas from my entire family was the $500-level Kickstarter experience, which included a brew day with the head brewer.  The head brewer is Wayne Milford, whose last job was a brewer at Dogfish Head Brewing.  The brew day experience is a bit different because it includes a bit of creative freedom from yours truly, and I am excited for them to begin brewing and have the opportunity to take part.  We finished off the evening with Troy giving me the additional Kickstarter rewards, which included a growler (which I lent to my brother-in-law), a pint glass, a nice t-shirt, and other assorted swag.

We had a great time in the historic building-turned-brewery, and I look forward to visiting them every time I make it out to the East Coast.  Have you had a chance to check out Two Rivers Brewing?  What did you think?

Heartbreak Brewing on Kickstarter

~ Ken Valley ~ Leave a comment
Heartbreak Brewing
Heartbreak Brewing

A startup brewery in Des Moines, Heartbreak Brewing, is trying a new way to fund a portion of the new nano-brewery, Kickstarter.  If you aren’t familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a new way to crowd-source funding for a variety of projects, including music, movies, and, in Heartbreak Brewing’s case, beer brewing.

What makes Heartbreak Brewing unique is it’s planning on going completely electric for reduced cost and reduced carbon footprint.  I spoke with Dan Haggerty, Jr., the owner, and he gave some of the initial details about the brewery:

  • They plan on starting small and expand
  • They will initially keg their beers and bottle some of the main beers.  He also mentioned they are going to support a bottle recycling program that will give points toward growler refills and merchandise.
  • The distribution will start in Des Moines, and go outward from there

I’ve contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that ends June 1st, 2012.  Support more good beer, and help the new brewery!