Thirsty Thursday #22

Urthel Samaranth
by De Leyerth Brouwerijen (Urthel), Ruiselede, Belgium
Style: Quadrupel
ABV: 11-12%

I had this Sunday night actually. Our weekend was a schlep-fest and I needed a brew to take the edge off. This one did quite nicely. I love quads. Spicy. Dark fruit flavors. Who doesn't love a fig? Fig newton?

This was a good beer, but I have to say, for the money you can get a better quadruple. My favorite currently is Boulevard's Sixth Glass, made right here in the ole US of A. Kansas City, MO to be exact.

Try both. See if you agree.

Local 2 - Texas

Best email all week:

Hi Aaron -

Local 2 should make it to Texas sometime in June. We are excited about its arrival...it has been a long wait! Thank you for your support of the Brooklyn brand. Cheers!

Nadine
Brooklyn Brewery
Texas Brand Manager

This beer is so good. Much better than Local 1, a great beer as well. Local 3 is gonna kill me.

BLU Cafe?

Blue Cafe, located downtown in the 360 Condominiums, is hosting a "Meet the Brewer" event tonight with (512) Brewing. Kevin will be there shaking hands and kissing babies, spreading the word of real good beer (read: not BLUE MOON) to yuppies and lurkers. Details:

Taste the (512) IPA, WIT, ALT, Pecan Porter.Buy a pint and take the (512) glass. One glass per customer Meet the Owner/Brewer and schedule a tour of (512)!

It's tonight. Sorry for the late notice. I probably will not make it out.

La Folie Bottles

What would I do without the BeerAdvocate Southwest Forum? I probably would have 80% less material on this blog, for sure.

I got good news and bad news! Good news, La Folie has landed in Texas. Hopefully, it will be hitting stores this coming week. Beautiful 750ML corked and aged bottles.

Bad News, Austin only...for the immediate future. Don't be alarmed, it will find it's way all over, but looks like some of us will have to make a road trip.

The reason for Austin only is due to the packaging change. New Belgium is switching from 750ML corked and caged bottles to 22oz bombers. Austin is getting the last of the 750s, the rest of the state will see the new bombers soon after that.

La Folie is good. Really good. I've had my fair share on tap in the past month. But people go ape shit over this stuff.

I would be happy just to have this available on draught. It would keep it "special" for me. Especially considering my bar visits have wained in the past few months. This bottle business is going to ruin it.

Not sure if I even want to put this up. Oh well. This video's been cropping up all over the beer-net. It's well made. And it's super cheesy (admit it) and a bit (well more than a bit) self righteous. I felt like hiding under my desk whilst watching it.


I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Oh, Hell Yeah

Being a lover of beer and soon to be parent, I could not have been happier to see this headline on Slate this morning:



I have not read the article yet. Knowing Slate, the actual article may have nothing to do with beer. Check it out here.

Reading Patrick Beach’s beer column in today’s Statesman I was pointed to Liquid Austin:

… the blog covers not just beer but wine and spirits, as well. We're aiming to keep you painfully up-to-date on local events and new offerings, and to that end we're updating it at least daily. (OK, trying to aim to make an effort to update it daily.) …

Good, yet another source to steal info from.

Let’s start it off: Real Ale is making (made) a new beer for the Lake Creek Alamo Draft House.

Now Real has brewed Drafthouse ESB for the Alamo Lake Creek, and the big reveal is Friday from 6-8 p.m. Real owner Brad Farbstein will be hanging out in the lobby and giving out samples of FREE BEER (did I just bury the lede?) while they last. They’ll have Drafthouse ESB and cask-conditioned ESB.

Hop Heads Rejoice

Year round in TX soon. So says TheGentleman.

Uncle Billy's is Two!

I guess I know where I am having lunch (and dinner) next Thursday.

Canis Major Mixed 8-Pack

Big taste is sometimes delivered in small bottles, just like in Flying Dog Brewery's new(ish) Canis Major Mixed 8-Pack of 7oz. Bottles. Two samples of four bold beers in small puppy-sized bottles. All in one box. Perfect for sharing, sampling and arguing about which one is your favorite. Look for these on the shelves of your favorite retailer, and if you don't see them, ask.

So far I've had the Double Dog (decent), the barleywine (ok) and the Gonzo imperial porter (Damned good!). I do not want to jump the gun, since I have not had the tripel yet, but the imperial porter (baltic porter) is the best of the bunch. It's worth getting the pack just for that beer.

Cheapskate

Beer Wars came out tonight. I would have liked to see the Ben Stein led discussion afterward. The peeps on Twitter had a lot of good and bad things to say about the movie and the discussion. Viewing those I am glad I did not fork over the money. I will wait for it on Netflix.

Firkin Friday @ Draught House - 4/17/09

Taxes done. Celebrate at the Draught House:

So the Widdershins was not universally loved but I don't think anyone can hate Dry Hopped (with Amarillo) Bear Republic Racer 5. Tapping at 5pm or so.

Yeah the Widdernshins blew, but I know I love Racer 5. So this is a pretty sure thing.

Also, don't miss these on tap as well:



Return spent.

Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout

I consider myself a fairly smart person, but I spent about 20 minutes on Guinness website trying to figure out how to find info on their 250th Anniversary Stout. It was like a bad trip. Eventually I found this:

This is the year to celebrate! That’s why our Master Brewer has created the limited edition Guinness® 250 Anniversary Stout.

We used a proprietary brewhouse process that combines the use of stout and ale malt for a distinctive carbonated stout with a clean, smooth finish. This is the first new Guinness® stout we’ve introduced to the US since we first started importing Guinness® Draught in 1967, but it’s only available for a limited time. So starting on
April 24th, get out with some friends and try a pint of our brand new brew!

Whatever. I'll give it a try. It's available now. I've seen it. It is out there....

Read the reviews here.

Live Oak 12th Anniversary Party

From Live Oak:

It is that time of the year again, when Live Oak Brewing Company is having our world renowned Anniversary Party. This one celebrates our 12th year of delivering hand-crafted tasty brews to Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, San Marcos, Houston and even Alpine. It is our opportunity to say thanks for all you do for Live Oak.

As usual, the party will be at the brewery from noon to 6pm with live music all day long.

White Mountain Foods, our next-door neighbors, will have samples of their awesome food as will Smokey Denmark (Big Bark beer bratwurst), Innocent Chocolate, Main Root (root beer), Nada Moo (dairy-free frozen desserts), and Mary Louise Butters Brownies.

Meals on Wheels and More will also be set up at the party to tell how you can become involved in your community and to raffle off some goodies.

The music will be provided by:
Murray and the Superlights
Jane
Bond
Leo Rondeau
The Lennings
Corine Rose

All of these
musicians are great. We are lucky to get them to our party, and to live in a city with such talent. You should come just for the opportunity to see them, never mind the beer and food and fun.

Hope y'all can make it.

Party Info:
Live Oak Brewing Co.
3301-B E. 5th St. (come around to 4th St. for entrance to party)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Noon to 6 p.m.

Bring proper ID if you plan to sample any beer.

Mo Casks, Mo Problems

Well, not really. I am getting used to this Saucer Thursday, Draught House Friday schedule:

(512) Pecan Porter Cask @ Flying Saucer Austin Thursday 4-16

Tasty. Cask Conditioned, maybe tastier. We will see.

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies by Beer Sales Volume

From the Brewers Association:

1 Boston Beer Co. Boston MA
2 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico CA
3 New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
4 Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TX
5 Pyramid Breweries Inc. Seattle WA
6 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
7 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
8 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
9 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
10 Magic Hat Brewing Co. Burlington VT
11 Alaskan Brewing Co. Juneau AK
12 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
13 Bell's Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
14 Kona Brewing Co. Kailua-Kona HI
15 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
16 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
17 Summit Brewing Co. Saint Paul MN
18 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
19 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
20 The Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
21 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
22 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
23 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
24 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
25 Rogue Ales/Oregon Brewing Co. Newport OR
26 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
27 The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
28 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
29 SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
30 Flying Dog Brewing Co. Frederick MD
31 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery Huntington Beach CA
32 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
33 BridgePort Brewing Co. Portland OR
34 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
35 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
36 Mac and Jack's Brewery Redmond WA
37 Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT
38 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants Chattanooga TN
39 Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA
40 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
41 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
42 Otter Creek Brewing Co. Middlebury VT
43 Utah Brewers Cooperative Salt Lake City UT
44 North Coast Brewing Co. Fort Bragg CA
45 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
46 Boulder Beer Co. Boulder CO
47 Pete's Brewing Co. San Antonio TX
48 McMenamins Breweries Portland OR
49 Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boonville CA
50 The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. St Louis MO

Pouring at the Flying Saucer

I know you are all probably heading to the Draught House tonight for Firkin Friday (see last post). But it's a longish (for some of us lucky souls) weekend so there is time to check out more than just one bar. The Saucer has some taps on in which you might be interested:

Wiesen Edel-Weisse
Harpoon Hefe
Magic Hat #9
SA Spring Bock
Rasputin
Real Ale Sisyphus 2008
Southern Star Blonde
La Folie
Maharaja
Hop Rod Rye
DFH 120 Minute IPA

It is a good time to be drinking beer in Austin. I would suggest you skip the Harpoon Hefeweizen and Magic Hat #9. You know what, forget that, try them, if you like them great, but I almost guarantee you won't.

Left Hand Widdershins @ Draught House Tonight

From Josh at the Draught House:

Tomorrow (around 5pm) we will tap a cask of brandy barrel aged, dry hopped Left Hand Widdershins Barley Wine. Only two of these were produced, so come by and try a rare treat. This will be the first of a semi regular Firkin Friday with exciting cask beers not often seen.

Check out Left Hand's website. It's galactic.

Thirsty Thursday #21

Avery Brabant
by Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 8.65%

Not too sour. Definitely a wild ale. A bit different than I was expecting. To tell you the truth I wanted more funkiness out of it. This beer was aged in Zinfandel barrels, which is easy to see...well taste. Whilst drinking this my burps tasted like "wine burps." Too much information?

I have a few more bottles I am going to hold onto for a while. I think they released this beer too early. But what the hell do I know?

Avery Brabant

More sours please. Available now (since last week). Find it if you can. 12oz. bottles. I found a few at Whole Foods. Flying Saucer has them for 18 DOLLARS!!!! That is a HUGE markup. Good luck finding some. More info on finding it in Austin.

From Avery:

Beer Style: Barrel-Aged Wild Ale
Alcohol By Volume: 8.7%

Experimentation. Ales and lagers that defy styles or categories. This is what we are about: our driving force, our passion. To further facilitate this innovative spirit, we've developed our Barrel-Aged Series, where anything, and we mean ANYTHING, goes! Brewed for those as adventurous as we are!

No. 1 Brabant is a luscious dark ale fermented with two strains of wild yeast brettanomyces) then aged for 8 months in Zinfandel barrels. We hope you enjoy
sifting through the vast layers of complexity in this mysterious ale.

Serve at 45 to 55 degrees F

Another beautiful day, another beautiful beer.

I skipped the monthly Austin BA tasting for I had projects around the homestead to complete. Never fear, I took a time out to have a tasting of my own though.

Gotta blame the lack of bloggage on the good weather. Go outside. Have a good beer.