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Try two warm weather brews

April 24, 2013 By

submitted by Ryan Magaskie, New Hope Beverage

Although winter weather took its’ sweet time leaving the area, spring finally seems to be in full swing. Birds are chirping, hot dogs and hamburgers are sizzling on grills, and the thunderous cheers of baseball fans can be heard for miles. The proper beer is necessary to complete this senses-stimulating season. 

The first beer I have for you to run out and buy is Flying Fish Farmhouse Ale. This is Flying Fish’s summer beer, and if you’re like me, it’s never too early to think about summer.

This refreshing brew pours a vibrant gold. The smell of citrus, (mostly lemon) and hints of banana are immediately apparent. The taste follows the nose at first with mild citrus, followed by sweet buttery malts and finishes with a slight bitterness from the yeast. It’s perfect for a refreshing seventh inning stretch. 

The next beer I have for you is a personal favorite.

Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer is an absolute necessity in my fridge.

A Scottish ale aged in oak barrels, this beer is refreshing, yet bold…simple, yet deeply complex. Pours a clear brown like rich cream soda.

The smell of sweet caramel malts comes rushing upfront. The taste is slightly sweet with hints of vanilla and a finish of bold alcohol, which leaves the pallet desperate for another swig. 

Please enjoy these beers and numerous other styles throughout this spring and as always, please drink responsibly.

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Water damage and the homeowners policy

April 24, 2013 By

submitted by Howard Nenner, Washington Crossing Insurance

An area of concern and confusion for homeowners often arises when there is a water loss in the home. Water losses can happen for a variety of reasons and depending on how the loss happens it might or might not be a covered event in your policy.

The first thing to remember is in order for insurance to respond to any loss the loss must be from a sudden and accidental event. For example, property damaged from a water leak from a pipe, or from an appliance like a washer, refrigerator, or a dishwasher, or a bathtub/shower, is usually covered under the homeowner’s policy, if the loss was sudden and accidental.

The repair to the pipe or appliance itself is not covered by the homeowner’s policy, only the resulting damage to your property and your contents.

Water getting into the house from damage to the roof, windows, doors, walls is covered too.

Again, something other than a lack of maintenance or wear and tear must have caused the loss such as high winds or storms which damaged the property and allowed the water in.

One additional coverage that isn’t always included, but usually can be added, is water loss due to the backup of a sewer and drain. This is where coverage is found, up to a separate limit which you specify, for a sump pump failure even if it fails due to a loss of electricity.

Repairs to outside sewer pipes that break or become clogged aren’t covered in the homeowner’s policy but resulting damage inside the house would be under the sewer and drain coverage.

Water that just seeps into the house from hydrostatic pressure or from poor outside drainage isn’t covered in the homeowners form. That coverage “might” be afforded in a flood policy but that depends on a number of factors as determined in the flood policy’s language.

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Enjoy a lighter brew as the weather turns

March 20, 2013 By

submitted by Ryan Magaskie, New Hope Beverage

Spring. The season of ‘rebirth’ and ‘new beginnings’ continues our love for great beer.

Warmer temperature, pastel colors, and outdoor yard work are right around the corner, and we have a couple of refreshing brews to highlight, that are welcomed treats after mowing the lawn.

Samuel Adams has an impressive pedigree of tasty seasonal beers. They have a knack for capturing the emotions of the season and bottling it for our enjoyment.

Samuel Adams ‘Alpine Spring’ is a perfect example of bottling the lightness of spring. This Keller style brew pours a hazy pale orange. The aroma of fresh cut citrus fruits stand tall with a touch of honey. The upfront taste follows the nose and finishes with hints of floral hops and a little bitterness.

Looking to try something with a bit of an attitude? Look no further than Leinenkugel’s ‘Big Eddy.’ This beer should be enjoyed when you are ready to party and finished with chores, because its 9.5%ABV may leave you unmotivated for yard work.

This Scotch ale pours a dark brown (resembling root beer), with a light brown head. Notes of strong roasted malts, burnt caramel, and a wonderful peat smokiness, sing throughout this beer from start to finish.

“Spring is natures way of saying, ‘let’s party”- Robin Williams.

I, personally, could not agree more. Enjoy the company of friends and welcomed weather, and as always please drink responsibly.

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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with great beer!

February 19, 2013 By

submitted by New Hope Beverage

The chill of winter has started to pack its bags and make room for the freshness of spring. As we awake from our winter hibernation, St. Patrick’s Day gives us another reason to celebrate great beer.

Green shirts, green sunglasses, green faces, and of course boring, flavorless, green beer will be common place on March 17th, but we have some ideas that will keep your St. Paddy’s party rich with tradition, without the food coloring.

This season keep your fridge stocked with “Murphy’s Irish Red Ale.” When poured, the body of this beer is copper toned with an off-white head. Mild malty sweetness dances on the pallet upfront, finishing dry with a hint of bitters that linger on the tongue.

Red ales not your style? Then try “O’Hara’s Irish Stout.” This beer pours a devious opaque black with a dense off-white head. It smells of dark fruit, toasted malts and coffee. The refreshing taste of this stout follows the nose. Finishing dry, and leaving roasted coffee bean flavor on your taste buds.

These two great beers will have even the patron saint of Ireland jealous. But if you want to keep it traditional, nothing spells “St. Patrick’s Day” better than a pint of G-U-I-N-N-E-S-S.

May the luck of the Irish always be with you and please drink responsibly.

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Divorce Q & A

December 11, 2012 By

submitted by Carla V. Risoldi, Risoldi Law Offices, LLC, www.risoldilawoffices.com

Q. My wife and I are planning to divorce.

I anticipate a large settlement from a personal injury case. Should I rush the divorce so I can keep all of the settlement money?

A. The settlement money will be considered “marital property” if the cause of action in your personal injury case “accrued” during the marriage (meaning the date of the injury was after marriage and prior to separation), so the date of divorce is not important.

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Winter is the for creamy stouts and dark ales

December 11, 2012 By

submitted by New Hope Beverage

Whether you wanted it to or not, the cocoon of autumn has burst open to reveal the metamorphosis to winter. Limbs on trees have become all but bare and have lost their vibrancy that we all enjoyed in the fall.

Our homes have transformed into bright vibrant beacons of holiday cheer. The beer we enjoy is no exception to this time of transition.

Gone are the pilsners of summer, replaced by creamy stouts, chewy porters, and rich dark ales.

The Lagunitas Brewing Company out of Petaluma, California brews a particularly tasty beverage called Brown Shugga’. This strong ale’s appearance resembles that of toasted amber accompanied by a thick off-white head.

The aromatics smell of choice floral hops and brown sugar. The taste is not as sweet as you would think and is quickly replaced by a smooth bitterness that last just long enough on your tongue.

Brown Shugga’ is not without its surprises either, as it cleverly masks its hefty 9.9% ABV behind its strong robust flavors.

As the chill of winter penetrates deeper into our bones, and snow cascades down from the heavens, a creamy stout can be a tasty reward after shoveling. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout presented by the brewer Wells & Young’s LTD from England is one of our favorites.

This traditional milk stout is brewed year round has a dark black color with a mocha-colored head. It smells of milk chocolate, toasted malts and licorice.

The taste is chocolaty, with a hint of robust coffee and finishes with a soft bitterness. It’s perfect when curled up next to a fire.

From all of us at New Hope Beverage, have a wonderful and happy holiday season, and remember the best holiday is a safe holiday so please drink responsibly.

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Enjoy some holiday brews

November 6, 2012 By

submitted by New Hope Beverage

The holidays are rapidly approaching. Soon, we will gather around dinner tables, relive stories of the glory days, and toast to triumphs!

The holidays give us so many reasons to be merry – we eat and drink until even our in-laws are our best friends. In our experience a great family meal should be paired with an equally delectable beverage.

We’d like to highlight two beers that marry well with some classic culinary dishes you might run across during this wonderful time of year.

Mad Elf is a seasonal creation brought to you by the Tröegs Brewing Company. The beer pours a light burgundy color and holds a touch of cherry tartness, a flavor that shines through most of the experience. It smells of canned cherries and Christmas mulling spices.

Your first sip brings cherry up front, which fades nicely into a kiss of honey and vanilla before quickly warming you from inside. This beer is perfect for a chilly autumn evening, but with its 11% ABV, it can keep you toasty on the coldest winter night. This beer pairs perfectly with a pork loin roast with potatoes and asparagus.

The second beer we would like to highlight is Coffee Joe Porter made by Philadelphia Brewing Company. This beer is aptly named and that is clear as soon as you open it. Smells of whole ungrounded coffee bean with a trace of dark chocolate.

The taste follows suit starting with coffee blending into a slight sweetness and finished with a bit of acidity. This beer goes great with a porterhouse steak or, if you are like us and sometimes have breakfast for dinner, this is perfect with bacon and eggs.

Experiment and make your own pairings! Cheers!

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Protecting the Stay-at-Home Spouse

October 9, 2012 By

submitted by Lisa Mattox, New York Life Insurance Company

When married couples have young children, often one spouse stays home while the other works outside the home. While most parents understand the necessity of purchasing a life insurance policy on the income earner, few realize the importance of also insuring the stay-at-home spouse.

Being Prepared for the Unexpected

What if the stay-at-home spouse suddenly died? The family would be devastated.

Friends and family members would initially pitch in to help. But eventually they would return to their regular lives. Before the surviving spouse returned to work, a caretaker for the children and home would need to be hired, presenting a potential financial hardship.

Had life insurance been purchased on the stay-at-home parent, however, the family’s needs would have been protected.

Measuring the Value of the Stay-at-Home Spouse

Despite the importance of the stay-at-home parent, there’s little research to quantify its value.

In its 10th annual Mom Salary Survey, Salary.com reported the most popular functions performed by mothers equate to $117,856 per year1 in salary.

It further states the stay-at-home spouse works a 99-hour week, serving as housekeeper, teacher, cook, psychologist and van driver – in short, functioning as a CEO at home.

Flexible, Customizable Choices

The type of policy you select depends on your needs and budget. Term life insurance provides affordable coverage for several years.

In contrast permanent life insurance provides protection for your entire life (provided premiums are paid) and accumulates cash value tax-deferred. This cash value can be accessed (loans accrue interest and reduce policy’s cash value and death benefit).

Plus, riders, available with term and permanent life insurance, enable you to customize your policy to meet and grow with your changing needs.

The loss of a parent is an emotional hardship for a family; purchasing insurance coverage for a stay-at-home spouse can help ensure that it doesn’t become a financial hardship as well.

 

1Salary.com, “Mom Salary Survey,” May 5, 2010.

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Pray for some football

October 9, 2012 By

submitted by Bobby Weber, New Hope Beverage

Bucks County, are you ready for some football!? I know I am. The great Andy Williams was a few months late in his proclamation, as most of us would pronounce this as “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

Aside from the natural enjoyment of the sport, the game brings us together like no other. Sundays become our day of worship, and our man-caves transform into cathedrals, draped in banners, pennants and memorabilia unique to all.

And no game day congregation would be complete without football’s holy water, beer. 

Finding the right beer for a game simply depends on how and where you will be watching. From tailgating in the parking lot, sitting at a bar or watching at the house, there is a beer for you.

For tailgaters the first and obvious start is canned beer. Cans offer many advantages. More fit into a cooler, they can be crushed down and take up less space, and also stay colder than a bottle.

It is also a good idea to consider low-alcohol beers if you are planning on staying at the tailgate for a while. In this situation domestic beers are the way to go. Nothing says true football fan like an ice cold can of Bud or Miller.

With the TV packages available today, you can watch every game and follow your favorite team no matter where they play. Because I am at home I can eat and more importantly drink whatever I am in the mood for.

Usually I go for a double IPA and as it gets later in the season and colder outside I reach for a dark rich imperial porter.

I drink bigger beers at home for a few reasons. The main one is that I have a two-year-old and one more on the way, so gone are the days of drinking a case of beer with the boys on Sunday.

Having just a few double IPAs or imperial porters lets me enjoy my beer but also able to make dinner for the wife and kid.

My favorites are Mad River Double IPA, Stone Smoked Porter, Heavy Seas Peg Leg and Coronado Idiot IPA. 

No matter how you worship this Sunday, as long as you enjoy what you are drinking, it is the right beer for you.  Enjoy the season, hope your team wins (as long as they aren’t playing the Texans)!

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What’s on your tap?

July 31, 2012 By

submitted by Bob Weber, New Hope Beverage

All jobs have their own particular fringe benefits. Employees for airlines get cheaper flight tickets, workers at GAP get a certain percentage off, and so on.

One of the benefits working for New Hope Beverage is the free samples of beer.

After almost a decade in the business, I have been able to try just about every beer the store has ever carried. And after 10 years of trying, it is safe to assume that I have my own list of favorites.

Here is what I am drinking right now.

CALDERA IPA (CANS).  For those of you who have talked to me for any duration in the store, you probably picked up on me being a “hop-head.” Caldera India Pale Ale, or IPA, is out of Ashland, Oregon. The American Northwest is home of the best hops in the world. Using a trifecta of hops including Simcoe and Amarillo, this IPA has all the hop a guy like me would want. It is bitter, floral and finishes with a refreshing citrus and sweet profile. The ABV is 6.1%.  I order 10 of these a week, so come on in and grab one.

BEAR REPUBLIC HOP ROD RYE.  Rye ales can have a dry and complex mouth feel similar to a red merlot wine. The rye grabs a hold of your palate and completely washes it dry with every sip. Hop Rod Rye, out of Cloverdale, California, is a hopped up rye. There is a mild hop aroma and a slight caramel sweetness. With 18% rye malt, the finish is dry and spicy. Enjoy with spicy food as well as mild and sweet cheeses. 

Come in a grab one of these favorites today, or pick up your particular brand.

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