‘Dark as the Dirt,” the ale

PINE ISLAND — Dana Distributors, Inc. of Goshen has agreed to be the official beer sponsor for the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce’s Black Dirt Feast 2013 .

“We are especially excited to be working with Patrick English, special brands manager at Dana Distributors, and Rich Mattarazzo of the Olde Burnside Brewing Co. in East Hartford, Connecticut, as they create a one-time brew for this year’s Feast, called ‘Dark as the Dirt’,” Pine Island Chamber President John Redman said in the chamber’s press release announcing the brew.

‘Very dark, robust but not heavy’

How did this special brew come about?

“I got together with our head brewer and gave him a quick history lesson on the ‘Black Dirt Region’ and an explanation of why it was being called The Black Dirt Feast,” Mattarazzo said.

“We both agreed this brew had to be dark, very dark and robust, but not on the heavy side,” Mattarazzo added. “It also had to have a lot of flavor, not just one, but many, and of the many, not one more dominant than the others. So, we thought to take the flavors of roasted grain, smoked malt, coffee, mocha, and a slight sweetness and jam it all into a very dark not-so-stuffy brew. It will also have a very faint and pleasant after flavor that we invite the drinker to guess what it is.

“Then we had to give it a name and seeing this is a one time offering we wanted to stay with the theme of the feast – ‘Dark As The Dirt’ was born.”

Olde Burnside Brewing Co., LLC was founded in 2000 alongside nearly a century-old family ice business has been involved in several farm to table events. “We want to note that the ‘not-so-stuffy’ side of the brew represents our farmers, farmers of old and farmers of new, those humble hard-working individuals who don’t take pleasure in bragging of what they do, they just go out every day and get it done,” added Mattarazzo.

The Black Dirt Feast, sponsored by the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce, benefits the local community with a Scholarship Fund and other donations. The 5,500 acre “Black Dirt” region, which is known for its rich soil deposited by melting glaciers, is home to numerous farms whose products are served on family tables and at fine restaurants throughout the region and regularly sold at farmers’ markets from New York City throughout the Hudson Valley. The Black Dirt Feast showcases the produce from local farms and the award-winning chefs who utilize them.

Essential information
This year’s feast tickets are sold out.

For waiting list information, please call 845-258-7008 , visit www.pineislandny.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BlackDirtFeast5.