Happy New Year!

Oro De Calabaza and lobster. Not too shabby.

Another list

Everyone likes a list. This one is from the Brookston Beer Bulletin:

http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/top-10-beer-stories-of-2008/

Top 5

My Top 5 Beers this year in no particular order:

5. Celebration Ale, after returning from unhoppy western Europe (Jan 2008).
4. My first Hercules Double IPA (Mar 2008).
3. Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve #6, cellared for 6 months (Dec. 2008).
2. Real Ale's Devil's Backbone (May 2008).
1. Any Draught House Pub beer (2008).

Wrapping up 2008

Rick Seller has a good article over at DRAFT summing up this past year in beer. No Austin or Texas love, but I feel in two to three years we will be force to reckon with (hopefully).

Twitter Time

To expand my web presence and to offer you more content, I have joined twitter. Twitter is like a micro blog. The four most recent posts, or twitters will appear over there in the right column. Next time you check the blog and find no new posts, fear not, look right and hopefully I have at least added a few quick twitters. If not, I must really be slacking.

Whoooahh, total blog lag

Sorry about the bloglag. Being here in Orlando, at my parents, is sort of like being in a blackhole. Not that there is no good beer to be found.

Knightly Spirits is five minutes away. Sometimes I just stop in to stare at the bottles. Other times, I sneak back without my wife and blow 30 bucks without batting an eye. It is very easy to get carried away there. I try not to shop there without a budget.

I am currently enjoying a DFH Palo Santo whilst uploading my holiday photos. Pondering whether a second Palo Santo would be totally decedent.

Fire Sale

Flying Saucer's Fire Sales are often pretty weak. But last night was a goodie. Mirror Pond Pale Ale, which makes for a good night. They also had Jasperilla on tap, very tasty. I noticed too late that they had Live Oaks Weizenbock, damn. Who's had it? Good?

Live Oak Weizenbock

Chip from Live Oak will be "debuting" their Weizenbock tonight at Opal Divine's Marina.

So I've heard.

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR SOMEBODY (OR YOURSELF)

From Saint Arnold's:
We have put on eBay the opportunity for you and up to 3 of your friends to sample Divine Reserve Nos. 1 through 7 with brewer Brock Wagner (beers not included - see below for how that works). Brock will sit down with the group and all 5 people (Brock will be enjoying the beers with you) will taste each beer, discuss how the recipe came to be, the style and flavors in the beer, and how it is aging. These beers proved very popular and all sold out within a day at most retailers. Saint Arnold held back a few cases of each release and locked them up in the cold box for aging. All have aged spectacularly.

All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Orange Show to support the Art Car Parade, the Orange Show monument, the Beer Can House and other activities of this great Houston organization.

A mutually acceptable time and place for the tasting will be arranged after the completion of the auction. It can be anyplace (office, home, etc.) as long as it is in the Houston area. (If there is interest, we may do this again in other Texas cities, so email us separately about that.)

The beer: The winner of this auction will be earning the right to purchase two bottles each of Divine Reserves 1-7 (thus, 14 bottles total), from a local retailer for the tasting. Only the winner will have the secret password. There will be no other way to purchase these bottles. Estimated budget for this purchase: $40. This expense is separate from and not included in the auction.

Happy bidding!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230314813949&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

Thirsty Thursday #17

The Czar
by Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 11.73%

Tasty. This is like the fourth Avery beer I've done for Thirsty Thursday. I should broaden my horizons I guess. But this beer is soo good, I couldn't let it slip by without telling you. It is a seasonal so get it now. Avery is distributed pretty far now, so chances are you can get it. Go on now, what are you sitting around for?

It is a pretty standard imperial stout in most regards, but the flavor puts it over the top for me. I pick up caramel and apple, well I guess just caramel apple, whatever. It's delicious.

Better reviews here.

Dissapointment?

I just finished a bottle of Lost Abbey's Gift of the Magi. It is not often I get to enjoy Lost Abbey's offerings. This was a bottle my brother brought back from San Francisco.

It was flat. Possibly a bad bottle. The cork made no popping sound when opening. It poured with almost no head, only the slightest bit of lacing. The aroma and flavor were alright, but I just could not get over the lackluster appearance. I didn't not enjoy the beer, it was pretty good, but I am not sure I could fully appreciate it because of it's beginnings.

I want to try another bottle. Where will I get another bottle? Most likely, unless they start distributing here, I will never have this beer again.

Oh, Texas!

Whip In Brewpub - Bring it on!

I was cruisin' the new menu for Whip In and I saw this. Another Austin brewpub? The more the merrier.

http://www.whipin.com/

(512) Brewer's Dinner

A bit pricey for me right now. Let me know how it goes. More info here.