We all know that beer makes the world go round. It’s the drink that brings adults together to share ideas and speak freely. It’s what we want after a long week of work, school, kids, life.
And it’s one of the centerpieces of the Somewhat North Of Boston Film Festival.
The festival has traditionally held beer tastings on the first night (this year will feature tastings every night of the festival at Red River starting at 5 p.m.), and a local brewer is always featured. Like the Black Ice Pond Hockey tournament – another popular, marquee event for Concord – the SNOB Film Festival spurs the creation of a one-off beer, available only at local bars for a very limited run. These beers often acquire cult status, and die-hards know to get out there and drink it up before it’s gone forever.
This year’s featured brewer is Great North Aleworks in Manchester. The brewery has only been up and running for a few months, but they haven’t wasted any time in getting their name – and product – out there.
Great North is brewing something called SNOBier as the festival’s official libation, and it has many qualities that make it the perfect beer for an autumn film festival in Concord.
Brian Parda, a Concord resident who handles sales and marketing at Great North Aleworks, said the company’s quality control manager – who used to work at Harpoon – had been itching to use this recipe for an amber lager he’d been sitting on for a while.
It’s a festbier, which is German for – you guessed it, fest beer. Those Germans always make it so easy for us English-speakers to figure out what they’re trying to say!
“That was the ah-ha moment,” Parda said of talking to SNOB Executive Director Jay Doherty about brewing a beer for the festival. “What better type of beer for a festival than a festbier?” Good point.
And it’s made practically right down the street, which also fits with the local flavor of the festival.
Speaking of flavor, what does SNOBier taste like, anyway? Is it one of those “snobby” aficionado beers that most people wouldn’t enjoy?
“It’s a really, really great beer because, what I like about it is that it’s a beer that any beer drinker can appreciate,” Parda said. “Whether you’re a light pilsner drinker or if you’re looking for double IPAs, I think you can appreciate it as well. So it really is a beer for everyone, and it’s very flavorful – more malty than hoppy. Great balance. Not too sweet.”
Sounds pretty good.
And, “it’s a nice amber color, which seems to make sense for this time of year.”
It sounds like Great North Aleworks just might have created the most perfect beer possible for this festival (no disrespect to past brewers, though).
It will be available at most places downtown, including Penuche’s, the Barley House, True Brew and Hermanos, and Parda said some towns outside of Concord are also interested. He said he’ll keep a running list on the company’s website (greatnorthaleworks.com) of bars that will be pouring it.
But remember, get it while it’s – well, not hot, but you get the idea. “It’s a one-time special release,” Parda said.
It’s also worth noting, Parda said, that SNOBier will only be available on tap. The company cans all of its beer, but this one won’t be going into cans.
It’s a big deal for a brand-new brewery to land the coveted designation as the festival’s official brewer, given all the traffic the festival generates and how many people will be tasting the beer.
“This is a first for us – we’ve only been in business for about two months now,” Parda said. “I’ve known Jay and worked with him in the past, so I approached him and asked if he had anyone doing it yet and he hadn’t. They were interested in having us. Hopefully this is the first of many for us. These kinds of things are great opportunities to provide a unique beer for a unique event.”
For the past couple years, SNOB has had a beer documentary (this year’s is Brew Hampshire, about local breweries), and in conjunction with that there’s always been a pre-film tasting. They’re doing that again this year on Thursday night, and GNA will be part of that tasting along with Able Ebenezer of Merrimack and 603 of Londonderry, Parda said.
So we can’t talk about movies and beer without mentioning Red River Theatres, the downtown movie theater that plays unconventional films and sells beer.
You better believe they’ll be a part of the festival.
Mike Hogan, who has volunteered at Red River since they first opened, said they, too, will be pouring SNOBier – while it lasts.
“We don’t usually do draft beer, just for special occasions,” he said. Thankfully the SNOB Film Festival qualifies as a special occasion.
If you can’t make it to Red River during the festival, there’s a chance you might still be able to try the beer after.
“We’ll keep pouring it until it’s gone,” Hogan said. “But it’s usually a pretty busy weekend. The first night is usually the busiest night for beer people. That’s when they show the beer movie.”
Hogan said he’s one of those beer people. He’s been a home-brewer for about 20 years, and he can appreciate a nice stout or a hopsy IPA. He even worked his magic and got to taste SNOBier before it makes its world premiere.
“I had a small sample, and I thought it was awesome,” he said.
But whether you’re a hard-core beer enthusiast who travels hours away to find the most obscure brews or just a casual drinker who can’t tell the difference between Bud Light and Arrogant Bastard Ale, the point of it all is to get together, relax and have a few laughs.
“For me, beer drinking is a social thing,” Parda said. “I think it’s one of those things that does bring people together.”
So this weekend, round up some friends and family members and head downtown to check out some cool movies, groovy tunes and great beer. Because like the craft beer scene, the SNOB beer tastings are also kicking it up a notch. The traditional tasting on Thursday to start the festival will be joined by tastings on Friday and Saturday, too.
For more information, go to facebook.com/SNOBFilmFestival or greatnorthaleworks.com.
