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Sep
10
Have you ever roamed the aisles of a grocery store and thought about where the food you’re buying came from? Better yet, ever wonder if it’s really worth it to eat organic, especially when you’re on a budget?
Our goal during Support Local Week is not to pound you with statistics, force you to change your entire lifestyle, or guilt you into submission. (Although, the later is tempting.) Rather, we want to provide simple resources that will enable you to make more informed choices as consumers.
So for Day Two, here are five of our favorite resources for EATing local and organic:
1. The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15
The Environmental Working Group releases both The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15 lists each year as shoppers’ guides to pesticides in produce. The top five of The Dirty Dozen (meaning the most important to buy organic)? Apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches, and strawberries. The Clean(est) of the 15? Onions, sweet corn, pineapple, avocado, and cabbage. Each guide is a crucial tool to help you decide the most important foods to buy organic within your budget.
2. Seasons App
Having watermelon in the winter may be a godsend for pregnancy cravings everywhere, but it’s not exactly how nature intended. As a society, we’ve grown so accustomed to imported fruits and vegetables being available year round that we forget about the seasonality of our favorite produce. By following the natural seasons, with the assistance of this simple phone app, you can experience a greater variety of produce at the peak of freshness (all while supporting local agriculture).
3. Why Buy Organic Meat and Dairy
Most of us instantly think about fruits and veggies when we think about buying local and organic. However, this top 10-style list provides some compelling reasons why buying organic meat and dairy products is not only a healthier choice, but also helps environmental issues like deforestation and air and water pollution.
Most seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help boost immunity and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and more. However, not all types of seafood are safe for regular consumption. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list highlights types of seafood that are low in environmental contaminants and good sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Eat Well Guide is a free online directory for anyone in search of fresh, locally grown, and sustainably produced food in the United States, including family farms, restaurants, farmers’ markets, grocery stores, community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, U-pick orchards, and more.
Know more resources that help you EAT Local? We’d love to hear them. Post your thoughts on our Facebook page or give us a shout on Twitter.
Sep
5
Over the past 6 weeks, we’ve released a series of “Support Local” videos showcasing the creativity, rebelliousness, beauty, and incredible talent in our backyard.
Now, it’s your turn to join in and Support Local.
From Sunday, September 9 to Saturday, September 15, we want you to eat, drink, and shop local for the entire week.
And we’re going to help. Each day will have a different local theme (from eating local to growing it on your own) and we’ll provide resources, research, and advice to make it easy and accessible. Look for that information and more each day of Local Week on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Then, Support Local Week will culminate at our Local Bazaar at the brewery on Saturday, September 15. We partnered with The Common Market on a gathering of farm-to-fork restaurants, local artisans, and live music to celebrate the release of Secret Stash — our Harvest Ale made with locally-sourced ingredients. Admission is free and open to the public (21+). Only the first 500 people will be admitted, so get here early.
Have ideas you want to share on how you Support Local? We’d love to hear them.
Aug
30
From the basic to the decadent, farm-to-fork to food trucks, the fare at our Local Bazaar Saturday, September 15 showcases an incredible range of local providers, including:
- Art and Soul: Farm-to-fork with Southern flair — a drool-worthy DC foodie staple.
- Chef Driven DC: A food truck for those with “champagne taste on a sarsaparilla budget.”
- Rappahannock River Oysters: When we’re not brewing with their oysters, we’re eating them (while drinking our Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout, of course).
- The Perfect Truffle: Pairing beer with chocolate, especially these incredible truffles, is pairing wine with chocolate’s cooler, funnier, and much better looking older brother.
- Palmyra Creamery: Farmstead artisan cheeses with options like Blueberry Cheddar and Garlic Colby.
- Hedgeapple Farm: A grass-fed beef farm just two miles from our brewery. They’re bringing jerky. Lots of jerky.
- Dublin Roasters: Producer of hand-roasted organic and specialty coffee right here in Frederick.
From noon to 5 pm, we’re turning our brewery grounds into an open-air market of food, local artisans, live music, and artist demonstrations to celebrate the release of our Secret Stash Harvest Ale. Helping us out is The Common Market, an organic grocery store that’s Frederick’s only natural food co-op. Admission is free, but limited to 500 people, so get here early.
Aug
28
In a final more tense than the women’s fencing individual sabre face off for Gold between Korea’s Kim Ji Yeon and Russia’s Sophia Velikaia in this year’s Olympiad, Flying Dog Brewery emerged victorious over BrewDog in the UK International Arms Race.
Our Brewmaster Matt Brophy posted the above photo on Facebook moments after winning the International Arms Race. The classic Red, White, Blue, and Camo combination really brings out his golden complexion.
International Arms Race – a Zero IBU IPA – was put to the test on a five-day tour of BrewDog pubs in Scotland (Aberdeen and Glasgow) and England (Newcastle, Manchester, and Camden).
Also put to the test? Our Brewmaster Matt Brophy and VP of Marketing Ben Savage’s livers, ability to cope with men in skirts, inability to use their personal hairdryers, and forced adaptability to the fact that everything is on the wrong side.
In this epic combative collaboration, hops were banned from the battlefield. Instead varying amounts of spearmint, bay leaves, rosemary, juniper berries, and elderflower were used to impart bitterness. It was also decided that each brewer would brew their own version of the beer to highlight the individual brewer’s craft…and avoid as little skin-to-skin contact with other people as possible.
At each event, customers were encouraged to purchase a flight of both Zero IBU IPAs and blindly vote on their favorite. Savage also distributed Flying Dog-branded sunglasses to the crowd, a generous and fitting gift for the three sunny days the UK has each year.
Then, at the end of each night, votes for each version of the beer were tallied. BrewDog won in Aberdeen and Glasgow – obviously a conspiracy by the ghost of William Wallace. But Englanders clearly had better taste, opting for the Flying Dog beer in both Newcastle and Manchester.
Going into the final event in Camden, the stakes were high and tied. Many beers were drunk and until the votes were counted, no one could tell who would reign supreme. But then, the unborn child of Prince William and Princess Kristal announced that Flying Dog was the winner of the International Arms Race in the United Kingdom.
The room fell silent as Brophy (draped in a banner of spangled stars) climbed onto the bar (an eloquent move he perfected as a young man in New Jersey) to address the crowd:
“I believe it was actually King George III who said ‘truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to life.’” [Insert dramatic pause.] “Wait, no it wasn’t. Silly me. It was George Washington that said that.”
From there, Brophy gave a well-deserved thanks to the fine ladies and gents of BrewDog, who “truly did a bloody smashing job of hosting us damn Yankees, setting us up with a guide who has neither a driver’s license nor the ability to drive, and breaking down the nuances of the British dental care system.”
And now? It’s not called International Arms Race for nothing. Brophy, along with Vice President Joe Biden, will return the favor and host BrewDog leader James Watt on a U.S. tour in late September.
As for Savage? He is not allowed to leave the country. Although their Audi rental was “backassward,” his driving habits live up to his name. He is awaiting sentencing from the Queen Mother herself on the 102 speeding tickets he obtained during the five-day trip, during which “they made great time.”
Aug
23
Once a month, we turn our taproom into an art gallery, showcasing a range of local artists and musicians. This Saturday is August’s Local Creativity Showcase with live music by Hard Swimmin’ Fish and the work of:
Michael Gouker
Carl Butler
Marilu Tousignant
Artists Phyllis Liebman and Craig Gavin will also have work on display.
The showcase is free and open to the public (21 and older). It’s from 6 to 9 pm. Space is limited, so get here early.