The 2nd Annual GREEN RIVER BREW FEST is coming!

Join us on Saturday September 22, 2007, Noon-6pm, Rain or Shine for the 2nd Annual Green River Brew Fest!

Last year's Brew Fest was a great hit and this year's is gearing up to be bigger and better! Nearly 400 people turned out last year in spite of the downpour, and we were able to donate more than $1200 to Warm the Children. This year's Brew Fest to benefit the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society will feature more brews, more music, more food, and more fun!

This year's featured breweries are from Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. We've got a few who had such a great time last year that they wanted to come back. More than 30 brewers will be on hand, doubling last years offerings. This is an exceptional opportunity to try out a wide range of small brewers and specialty beers and ales. Local brewers BBC, People's Pint, Opa Opa, Sam Adams, Paper City and Wachusett will be on hand. Magic Hat, Gritty's, Geary's, Long Trail, Saranac, Allagash, Sebago just to name a few - see the complete list below. These brewers and/or their reps are knowledgeable about the product they're pouring so please feel free to ask questions about their particular brewing process. Come and check out this year's Seasonals and Octoberfests! Bringing a designated driver? We'll also feature a special table offering samples of all the non-alcoholic beers Ryan and Casey has to offer.

There will be a special appearance by Jennifer Tobey's Alter Ego, a local band with an energetic pop/rock feel from noon to 1:45. She'll be followed by Appalachian Still, offering a ..."toe tapping mix of old-time Americana, folk and bluegrass..." from 1-3pm and Hot Day At The Zoo a "fiercely progressive, band that's pioneering music their fans are calling 'ZooGrass'!" from 4-6pm. The Cigar Room of West Springfield will be here as well - they were a huge hit at our International Brewer's Show in June. We're also featuring Chubby's Sauces, and food from Herm's, Antonio's Pizza and the People's Pint. Come expecting great music, great beer, and good food all under the tents at Ryan and Casey Liquors, 55 Main Street in Greenfield Massachusetts. Bring your lawn chair, stake out a spot, and enjoy!

To get your tickets, visit the Green River Brew Fest home page. Tickets are available for pre-order online. Ticket includes admission to all three beer tents, live music, snacks, an R&C sampling glass and a collector's pint glass from one of the participating breweries. Order tickets now for pick-up at the event and be sure to bring your I.D. as tickets are not for sale to anyone under 21 years of age. One Ticket Per ID; 21+ must have valid ID present with address matching payment to pick up ticket. No refunds, no exceptions so please follow directions carefully!

Sponsored by Dillon Chevrolet, Ryan and Casey Liquors, Herm's Restaurant and Davis Web and Creative

We've been thinking about having an in-store OktoberFest - but that may be too much beer to try in-store at one event; you'd all leave here loaded!! Instead it'll probably be spread out between the four weekends of the month, with brats, pretzels, Octoberfests, pumpkin brews, fall ales, ciders and mead wine - but not too off course, 'cause we all know OctoberFest is about THE BEER! If you're interested in something like this, drop a comment and let me know.

What's on tap at 2007 Brew Fest:
Opa Opa
Otter Creek
SaranacLongtrail
Wolaver'sAtlantic
Green Valley Brewing
Red Bridge
Gritty's
Allagash
Tuckerman's
Sebago
BBC
Casco Bay
Offshore Brewing
Sea Dog
Shipyard
Smuttynose
Peak Organic
Geary's
Red Hook
Stone Mill
Paper City
Magic Hat
McNeill's
Stone Coast
Rock Art
Harpoon
Pennichuck
People's Pint
Sam Adams
Wachusett
Sebago

Here at Ryan and Casey we're getting very excited about our first annual International Brewer's Show to be held on Saturday June 23rd from 1-6pm at 55 Main Street in Greenfield, Mass. Co-sponsored by Ryan and Casey, Herm's Restaurant, Dillon Chevrolet, Craft Brewer's Guild and The River, this event promises to take Greenfield by storm! We're gearing up for an awesome day of fun and tasting. Nearly 50 brewers from all over the world will be represented at this event. Tickets are only $15 a head and include your free souvenir glass. There will be food, give-aways, and great times! A multi-national coming together of brewers, this event will bring together beers from Belgium, Germany, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Scotland and the Czech Republic under one tent for one spectacular tasting experience. Expect great food as well - pizza from Antonio's, bratwurst, kielbasa and sausages of all kinds will be available as well as good old American hot dogs and burgers. Goat Rising will bring a selection of excellent cheeses. We're also putting together some exciting dessert options, and a tent exclusively for you cigar aficionados stocked by the Cigar Room in West Springfield. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Shelburne Falls Fire and Ambulance Service.

Other upcoming events at Ryan and Casey Liquors
June 14th - A special tasting for Father's Day of aged cognac at Ryan and Casey. Come experience the finer things in life and take a gift home for Dad. While you're here, grab some tickets for the Internationl Brewer's Show for yourself!

July 12th - Downtown Greenfield Progressive Dinner. Beginning at one end of town, finishing at the other we'll experience some great food and fun along the way! For more information about this exciting event contact Rebecca Kurber at the Greenfield Business Association.

And to update you all on our most recent event - on May 10th we had an enjoyable evening at Famous Bill's Restaurant in Greenfield. A variety of wines were paired with some exceptional foods for a delicious 5 course fine dining experience. We hope to repeat this delightful evening in the coming year.We look forward to seeing you on June 23rd at the Brewfest!

New Beginnings

We're very excited here at R&C about all of the changes that have taken place for us lately. First, we've got a really terrific new website that we're very proud of. We'll be updating and making changes so be sure to check back now and then for new stuff!

Second, we've just gotten some new wines in. Most notably we're now carrying an expanded selection of organic wines. Stellar Organics has just introduced their South African sulfite free organic 2006 Cabernet that features dark red color and has a nose of a dark berry fruit. We've also got Stellar's Live-a-Little really ravishing red and wildly wicked white. Also in-store is Sincerity 2003 Merlot/Cabernet. The 2003 vintage is 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet, made entirely with organically grown grapes.

Organic spirits have hit the market this year, and we're now able to offer costumers an array of gin, vodka and rum all with organic labels; Juniper Green Gin, Utkins U.K.5 Organic Vodka, and Papagayo Rums, plain or spiced. The rum and gin meet the Soil Association's standard of organic purity, while the U.K.5 vodka bears a USDA organic seal.

Organic beers have been slowly making their way onto the market. Wolaver's, Pinkus, Schneider, and Sam Smith have led the way for other producers, such as Green Valley Brewers and Peak Organic Brewing Company. Cantillon Organic Gueuze is an oak-aged and blended lambic called the "champagne of Belgium"

R&C takes people's special requests very seriously. For those facing celiac disease or gluten intolerance we're now offering a variety of gluten-free products. Bard's Tale Beer, Redbridge, Lakefront Brewery, and Ramapo Valley Brewery Passover Honey Beer which is also Kosher for Passover. Hard cider is another great alternative for those who need to stay free of gluten products. We've got Doc's Draft, West County Cider, CiderJack, and Woodchuck Hard Cider. Strongbow, Magners, Cidre Organic and Woodpeckers round out the grouping with imported hard ciders. If someone you know has issues with gluten, let them know about our gluten-free offerings. Many folks are not aware that options for wheat-free products extend beyond wines!!

Check back often and see what we're up to, and feel free to comment on our offerings. As always, if you are looking for a specific product available in Massachusetts, we can and will find it for you!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Ryan and Casey Liquors Blogspot!

This site is intended to be a place that customers, viewers, and interested others can exchange ideas and content related to wine, beer and liquor tasting, pairings, quality, experiences and other related stories! We hope it becomes a great venue for folks, just like you, to ask questions of our product specialists and get real-time answers or information about the thousands of quality libations in this wide, wide world!

As always, please keep the content appropriate. We will moderate this blog and, if relevant as determined by our staff, edit and delete posts that contain objectionable material. That should not suggest editorial control over your ideas, questions and thoughts....but if you drop the "F-Bomb" after a few Mendocino Read Tail Ales a few too many times, or make an error in judgement regarding a member of this or any other community, you will be, in effect, edited.

So grab a glass, snifter, verre, demi-tasse, growler, bottle, can, stein or shot glass of your favorite something-something and sit back and relax. Let's get to know each other.

The Folks at Ryan and Casey Liquors

(oh...yeah...PS, thanks for coming!) :)