Hugh Sisson
Host, Cellar NotesAs General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Hugh J. Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sissons, located in Federal Hill. A fifth generation Baltimorean, Hugh has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing.
In the mid-eighties, Hugh Sisson saw the potential for a small brewery in Baltimore, an historically "big beer" town. After researching the industry at its heart - in Germany, England, and the U.S. west coast - Hugh, with the help of Senator George W. Della, Jr., successfully lobbied the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation required to open a brew pub in Maryland.
After the inception of craft brew in Baltimore, Hugh immersed himself in the development and market recognition of both Sisson's and its beers. He is a member of the Master Brewers Association of America, the Institute for Fermentation and Brewing Studies, and sits on the Executive Committee for the Brewers Association of Maryland. He has served as President of the Cross Street Irregulars Home Brew Club and along with Al Spoler, he has been co-hosting Cellar Notes since 1992.
-
Unjustly vilified by Hollywood, merlot offers a great deal of flavor, soft texture and fine, relaxing drinking. -
It's fall and time for Al to go on the hunt for tasty zinfandels with a lot of character. -
After years of making cookie-cutter fruit bombs, the Aussies have shown signs of adding finesse to their chardonnays. -
The public is becoming more familiar with Sicilian wines, and now Al has found the Luna Gaia family of wines that show off the best Sicilian grapes.
-
As Al Spoler says, you need pink wine to go with the pink September sunsets. Here are some choices we checked out.
-
An essential component of any Jewish High Holy Day dinners, kosher wines have taken off in quality lately. -
From the Adriatic coast of Italy comes one of their most popular wines: verdicchio. This dry, classy white is a mainstay in cafés across the country. -
As an avid gardener I know how much pleasure my garden can be when it's in full bloom. It's a feast for the eyes, and it always improves my mood just to gaze upon it. My colleague Chef Jerry Pellegrino will take that concept of floral beauty one step further by putting some flowers right on the plate. -
Not many people have heard of, let alone sampled, Blaufränkische or Lemberger, but you're missing a treat. These light fruity wines are a delight.
-
Vermentino has become one of our favorite Italian whites, never grown far from the sea, its ripe firm flavors are very food-friendly.
