Total Wine Opening in Austin

Open in Mueller or GTFO! If you are opening something (besides a brewery/brew pub, or a really cool bar) that is outside 5 miles of Mueller, where I live, I don't care. BUT I can't be selfish. I must serve my adoring fans. And I know a lot of you live down south. This one is for you. This is way south, like almost Buda, but still counts as Austin I guess.

No idea if that is the actual store, but what does it matter? Just like Best Buy, you know what to expect, atmosphere-wise. Anyway, here is the info, straight from the source:

Total Wine & More is thrilled to be opening our newest store in Sunset Valley, Texas!

The new store will be in the Sunset Valley Village Shopping Center, right next to the Nordstrom Rack — join us for our Grand Opening festivities starting Thursday May 21 at 4:00 P.M. (Click here to see more about our store and all of the Grand Opening activities).

This is our ninth store in Texas, but our first in the Austin capital area and we’re looking forward to settling in as Austinites. We are excited to be members of this vibrant and expanding neighborhood and can’t wait to dig in and get involved in this amazing community.

Stop by the store this weekend and join us in supporting The Long Center for the Performing Arts — Total Wine & More will be donating a portion of our proceeds to the Long Center! We’ll have music provided by the Austin Opera Company as well as tastings with Wagner Family of Wines, Fall Creek Vineyards, Austin Eastciders in our Brewery District! We will also have giveaways and other in-store events like Gentleman Jack Whiskey, Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Jack Daniels Single Barrel bottle engraving and tasting—come in and explore our incredible selection of local products, craft beers, wines and spirits.

Make sure to “Like” us on Facebook to stay up to date on all the upcoming events and latest product arrivals at our newest store in Texas.

Already planning on joining us for our Grand Opening events? Share your experience on social media with the hashtag #totalwineGO. Our social team will be sharing the very best experiences and photos on our social accounts.

Bummer: Freetail Suspends Plans for Houston Brewpub

You've probably seen this already today:

For
Immediate Release

SAN ANTONIO-BASED BREWERY SUSPENDS PLANS FOR SECOND LOCATION

(July 27, 2011) San Antonio, TX – Having previously announced expansion into the Houston market, Freetail Brewing Co. will announce the indefinite suspension of plans for a second location — citing concerns over access to capital.

“As I moved forward with the Freetail Houston project, I began to run into an increasing level of resistance in capital markets. A brewpub is a good project for downtown Houston, but the deal is simply not there for me at this time,” explained Freetail Founder & CEO, Scott Metzger. “When we announced the project on May 17, we also stated there were financial considerations to be addressed. Those considerations are ultimately what put this project on hold indefinitely, and no other reason. To move forward with the project at this time would be irresponsible and an injustice to my company and the City of Houston.

“For now my focus will be to continue growing our successful original location, which has internal expansion needs of its own, and moving forward in the battle for fair reform of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, as it relates to the activities of our state’s brewpubs and breweries,” added Metzger.

Freetail Brewing Co. is founded on the pursuit of creating exciting, innovative and unique world class beer and beer-centric cuisine. We embrace the laid back and fun-loving Texas culture and set out to create products that mirror the lifestyle of our diverse and rapidly growing community. We believe in promoting an increased appreciation of craft beer and its responsible enjoyment. We believe in going above and beyond customer expectations not only through our products, but also through exceptional customer service. We believe in providing a dining and leisure experience unmatched in the local community. And in case you didn’t get it the first time… we believe in having fun.

For more information visit www.freetailbrewing.com.

Rogness Brewing Co.

Add another one for Austin(ish)! Welcome to the fray Rogness.

Twisted X Siesta

Keg collar label for Twisted X's Siesta just popped up on Beernews.org. I love a prickly pear, just hope this one is not going to be suupper sweet.

My worries apparently are for naught:

This is a new concept beer Tex Mex lager infused with real prickly pear - the color is definitely unique, but it's all beer with a light citrus back flavor (nothing sweet about this one) - coming soon !

Adelbert's Brewery Update

Adelbert's Brewery recently posted some new photos of their growing brewery. As always, follow the action here.





The bottling line.

Hopfields

A new beer bar is in the works. It's called Hopfields and it is located at 3110 Guadalupe (kind of near Wheatsville Co-op). They are still in the construction phase and looking at a late-summer opening. The concept? This is how they break it down: "craft beer, French style street food, and savory drinks." Follow the action:

Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Next Jester King and Mikkeller Collab Update

At it again. Last night JK posted of an update on their blog. I think they had told us before that they planned on brewing a TX version of Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Brunch, with smoked malts and chipotle peppers (lot of smokiness). But now they've given us an idea of when that would happen — November.

With all that smoke, it kind of kills the idea of beer geek brunch. Not that it won't be a good beer. I love smoked beers, especially with chipotle smoke and heat (Remember their Chipotle Porter ? Sooo good). Maybe they should figure out a way to make a Beer Geek Brunch with migas. There you go guys. Run with that.

Summer Lovin'

This is happening over at ABG.

Weedwacker Bottles

This is old news. Old news can still be good news. And this IS good news:

Weedwacker is now in bottles! It should start showing up on store shelves tomorrow. The label looks similar to Lawnmower except the yard has gone to seed. Oh, and the white sticky across the Lawnmower label that announces "Weedwacker". You will note its nice, hazy appearance, the result of both the fact that it is not filtered and that hefeweizen yeast is notorious for not flocking. We hope you enjoy this beer as much as we are!

Hops & Grain Tap Handles

 

Looking good. From Larry.

Look Inside Easy Tiger

Eater Austin gives us a sneak peak at the newest addition to the Austin beer scene: Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden. More photos as well at their Facebook page.

Double Horn Brewery Open

Double Horn Brewing Company in Marble Falls is open for business. They even had a ribbon cutting ceremony. On offer:

Watermill Wheat: A straight forward, easy drinking, golden colored wheat ale whose crisp bready notes are balanced by a mild hop character and a subtle fruitiness from our house yeast.

1855 Pale Ale: An assertive American style pale ale in which mild caramel notes showcase the citrusy character of the iconic hop varieties of the Pacific Northwest.

Locked Antler Amber: A medium bodied, copper colored ale where rich malt flavors from Munich and a variety of crystal malts are enhanced by a blend of continental and English hops.

Texas Weather Tap: Our brewer’s choice offering which, like our infamous Texas weather, can change at a moments notice and range from mild to extreme. Selections will no doubt include the boldest of IPAs and the biggest of stouts, but will also feature the traditional styles of Germany and England as well as experimental and hybrid styles influenced by the irreverent ales of Belgium. Check in routinely to see what the weather has in store for you.

I think a daytrip to Marble Falls is in order.

h/t: TEXAS BEER

Jester King / Mikkeller Drink’in the Sunbelt to be Bottled Apparently UPDATED

*UPDATE, from Jester King Jeff:

We dry hopped it yesterday. We'll bottle it in about ten days, then it will take two to three weeks to bottle condition.

Drinkin'in the Sunbelt in bottles. Sounds good. I hope these show up before summer really starts slammin' us.

h/t: Beernews.org

Real Ale Stuff

From Real Ale:

We've been putting the final touches on the plans for our upcoming expansion project. If all goes according to plan, in the next few months we'll proceed with the construction of a new warehouse and a new packaging hall.

We are also pleased to announce that we'll be working with award winning Lake/Flato architects out of San Antonio on our new tasting room and events center. We're big fans of their work and can't wait to see what they come up with.

.....

15th Anniversary Ale - it's official and it's in the tank, this year our Anniversary Ale is a formidable Russian Imperial Stout. We brewed it last week and all indications are that it will more than live up to its reputation - dark, powerful, complex, mysterious. A truly majestic ale for this momentous occasion.

.....

Here's the latest word on the Mysterium Verum program straight from the cellar:

- Erik is fairly certain that our first bourbon barrel aged offering is almost ready. This yet to be named Porter (no coffee) has really developed some nice qualities from the bourbon barrel.

- There is Highlander and Kraken currently aging in barrels but it is still too soon to know when those will be ready for release.

- Now that the Lost Gold IPA is brewed all year there will be more Empire (barrel-aged IPA) available in the near and far future.

- We have a Mysterium Verum in a steel tank for the first time and it's doing some interesting things. More info as soon as we know more.

- Still no official word yet on when MV will be in bottles. We are definitely exploring all of our format options.

Read the entire newsletter here.

Saint Arnold Weedwacker is Back Next Week

From Saint Arnold:

Weedwacker will be released next week on draft. Package will not be available until June. You will hopefully be seeing Weedwacker pop up in a lot of your favorite pubs and restaurants starting next week, especially since we are having a Summer Pils shortage (we sold more Summer Pils in the first two weeks of its release this year than we did over the first two months of its release last year - we won't be caught up on Summer Pils production until late May since it takes 6 weeks to make this beer).

When the packaged Weedwacker becomes available in June, it will be replacing Texas Wheat. Yes, we know that this is a favorite of many of you, but it is by far our slowest selling beer and we hope that you will find Weedwacker to be a much more exciting replacement. The last batch of Texas Wheat is being packaged late this week so it should be available through May.

New Beer Announced from Twisted X (and Republic Tequila)

Barely open and Twisted X is already working on a collaboration. They've announced they will be partnering with Republic Tequila:

. . . announces new beer concept and partnership with Austin’s own Republic Tequila. A barrel aged Imperial Black Lager – Schwarzbier is in the making to be named Señor Viejo . . .

I’ve emailed Twisted X to see if we can have a few more details. Update later.

Boulevard Imperial Stout, NOW WITH BRETT

Whoops:

"It is Batch #2 of the 2011 Imperial Stout that exhibits the Brettanomyces trait. In retrospect, we should have called attention to this Brett character on the label. Because we didn’t, and because some consumers got a beer that was different from the one they had a legitimate right to expect, we’re offering a refund to anybody who feels shortchanged, and who can reasonably demonstrate that they did in fact buy a bottle of Batch #2 of our 2011 Imperial Stout."

I'd drink that.

Twisted X Brewing Co. - Coming (Very) Soon

Just got an email from Twisted X. The big news is that they are set to launch in less than a month. Congratulations guys. Also he attached the above photo of their tap handle. I like em. More details about initial release party coming next week.

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

Nice to see Real Ale popping up on the list this year. Congrats to Shiner and Saint Arnold (I think Saint Arnold was on last year's list) as well. Texas coming up. From the Brewers Association:

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies (Based on 2010 beer sales volume)

Rank Brewing Company City State
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 Deschutes Brewery Bend OR
6 Independent Brewers United (IBU)* Burlington VT
7 Matt Brewing Co. Utica NY
8 Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Galesburg MI
9 Harpoon Brewery Boston MA
10 Boulevard Brewing Co. Kansas City MO
11 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton DE
12 Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Co. Juneau AK
13 Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners VT
14 Stone Brewing Co. Escondido CA
15 Abita Brewing Co. Abita Springs LA
16 Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn NY
17 Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma CA
18 Full Sail Brewing Co. Hood River OR
19 Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland ME
20 Summit Brewing Co. St. Paul MN
21 New Glarus Brewing Co. New Glarus WI
22 Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland OH
23 Anchor Brewing Co. San Francisco CA
24 Kona Brewery LLC* Kailua-Kona HI
25 Rogue Ales Newport OR
26 Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Paso Robles CA
27 Sweetwater Brewing Co. Atlanta GA
28 Flying Dog Brewery Frederick MD
29 Victory Brewing Co. Downingtown PA
30 Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. San Jose CA
31 BJ’s Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc. Huntington Beach CA
32 Stevens Point Brewery Co. Stevens Point WI
33 Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins CO
34 BridgePort Brewing Co.* Portland OR
35 Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurants Louisville CO
36 Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont CO
37 Blue Point Brewing Co. Patchogue NY
38 Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe Eureka CA
39 Big Sky Brewing Co. Missoula MT
40 North Coast Brewing Co. Inc. Fort Bragg CA
41 Mac and Jack’s Brewery Redmond WA
42 The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. Maplewood MO
43 Bear Republic Brewing Co. Cloverdale CA
44 Karl Strauss Brewing Co. San Diego CA
45 Breckenridge Brewery Denver CO
46 Utah Brewers Cooperative Salt Lake City UT
47 Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants Chattanooga TN
48 Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Houston TX
49 Real Ale Brewing Co. Blanco TX
50 Ninkasi Brewing Co. Eugene OR

Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster’s Reserve Coming to Texas

Good news to start out the week:

We are excited to announce that our Brewmaster’s Reserve line of draft-only specialty beers has broken the borders of Texas, and will for the first time be available State-wide.