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A great beer book coming in April
That’s right, the 1,001 things you must do before you die series now tackles beer (Universe, $36.95, lots of pretty color pictures, vintage ads and the like). Dividing the beer by color — from amber to specialty — more than 40 beer experts from around the globe weigh in, browsing the book is more like armchair traveling than anything else. I mean, I know I’m not going to get to South Korea anytime soon, and I can’t get too excited about the bland lager that’s featured here, the main selling point of which is it doesn’t taste like much of anything so it goes well with a variety of food. Some endorsement. There’s always water if taste is a problem. One I’d really like to get my hands on, however: The Green Peppercorn Tripewl from the Brewer’s Art brewpub in Baltimore. And I was just there, dangit.
I was impressed with how many of these I hadn’t heard of — and even a style, “Italian-style barleywine” — and while the book lacks the geographic organization and singular authoratative voice found in Michael Jackson’s New World Guide to Beer, it’s been close to a decade and a half since that book’s been updated — and quite a lot has happened in the beer world since then.
I also detect something of a contrarian streak in general editor Adrian Tierney-Jone (yes, he’s British) with the inclusion of Pabst Blue Ribbon, justified as illustrative of America’s gloomy post-Prohibition decades-long hangover of bad beer. But Blue Moon? MolsonCoors has owned them for longer than most people have known that little brewery existed.
As best I can tell, no Texas breweries are represented, not even Pete’s of San Antonio. An unsurprising shame. Come on, Texans, get out there and brew something that makes it into the second edition of this book.
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Mixing drinks: It’s science!
San Francisco’s Exploratorium Museum had this thing on “The Science of Cocktails” and Boingboing.net has this pretty comprehensive post, including recipes, bar trick videos and more. Check the thing out and you’ll feel like you’d been there for the fundraiser.
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Rare Anchor anniversary beer on its way
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of their move into Anchor’s current facility, Fritz Maytag and friends brewed Anchor Humming Ale, an American pale with a rare and unusual hop, Nelson Sauvin.
Anchor’s rep will be on hand Tuesday when they tap it at the Ginger Man, so if you’re interested I’d put it on my calendar now.
It’ll also be on at the Flying Saucer. Only a few kegs are coming our way, so hurry.
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They’re making a movie about Michael Jackson
Beer Hunter Movie Trailer from John Richards on Vimeo.
Here’s the story. Apparently the film will premiere at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Filmmaker J.R. Richards shot the DVDs for Jackson’s rare beer club.
Jackson had Parkinson’s disease and died in 2007, but if you’ve got good beer in your fridge today, it’s in large part thanks to Jackson, whose writing, research and enthusiasm preserved tradition and helped spark the blazing innovation we’re enjoying today. And he was a really nice guy. I enjoyed the pleasure of his company exactly three whole times but remember each one fondly.
Proceeds from the film go to fund Parkinson’s research. Movie web site here.
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To get you in the mood for those Super Bowl commercials
Fun ad. Beer, bromance and Australian accents:
Speaking of the Super Bowl, are you all putting special stuff in your larder to watch the game at home, or are you heading to a bar? If the latter, what’s your favorite bar that fits the game day bill — that is, someplace with lots of great beer and decent TVs? Author of the most interesting comment wins a copy of Max Watman’s new book, “Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine.”
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Your bar tab could be a lot worse
See this post on the $10,000 martini and more.
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Are you in Austin? Then you’re probably drunk
Men’s Health magazine has a ranking out of the drunkest cities in America and guess what? We’re #5! Editors created a “statistical sobriety checkpoint, based on factors such as death rates from liver disease, frequency of binge drinking, number of drunk driving arrests and alcohol-related crashes and more.
Fresno, Calif., was #1, San Antonio 37. The least drunk of the top 100 cities was Boston. Obviously there was no research done at Fenway Park.
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Alamo gourmet dinner with wine by the dude from Tool
Did you know that Tool/A Perfect World frontman/enigma Maynard James Keenan has a whole other life as a winemaker? True. And there’s a documentary film about his viticultural adventures. UPDATE: I’m told the man himself will not be making an appearance, except on celluloid, because the movie is premiering everywhere that day and Keenan has “other commitments.” Mosaic Wine Group tells me Keenan and mentor Eric Glomski may be making a swing through Texas “possibly later this year.” Original press release:
“Blood Into Wine” - Special Feast Screening Friday February 19th (Special Feast Screening), Saturday February 20th (General Admission Screening)
Friday Feast Screening is $55 (cost includes admission, feast, and wine pairings. Price does not include gratuity), Saturday General Admission Screening is $9 7:30pm on both nights
“Blood into Wine” is the widely anticipated documentary that shares the story of Tool/A Perfect Circle/Puscifer front man Maynard James Keenan and his mentor Eric Glomski as they pioneer winemaking in the hostile deserts of Arizona.
Keenan’s various musical entities have sold over 10 million records in the US alone while the man himself has revealed little of his personal life. “Blood Into Wine” gives unprecedented insight into Keenan’s world and his motivations for taking on the arduous task of bringing winemaking to the region’s unforgiving landscape and how winemaking fits into Keenan’s creative trajectory.
Because we are such fans of music, movies, and well crafted beverages at the Drafthouse, we have decided to take the opening of this film to the next level. We are working with the good folks at Arizona Stronghold and Caduceus to offer a multi-course gourmet meal with wines featured in the film to accompany the screening. So, for oneophiles, the documentary lover, or just the hardcore fans of Maynard, have we got an event for you! For those who feel the feast screening is a bit too decadent, we will also screen the film the following night for general admission prices.
The menu for Friday’s Feast screening will include:
Chicken liver ravioli with Tazi beurre blanc sauce *paired with Arizona Stronghold 08 Tazi White
Parsnip bisque with crispy pork belly *paired with Arizona Stronghold 08 Mangus Red
Merkin braised pork cheeks with gorgonzola polenta and rocket puree *paired with Merkin Vineyards 06 Chupacabra Red
Goat cheese cheesecake with almond crust and mixed berry compote *paired with Caduceus 07 Primer Paso Red
**Pork belly, pork cheeks, and chicken livers are all from local farm, Richardson Farms. Goat Cheese is also from a local dairy farm. Pure Luck Almonds are straight from Maynard’s farm in Arizona.
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Small-batch Belgian ales in San Marcos
Silas Parker, who spent a little time helping out at Bruce Collie’s former pub in Wimberley, is now brewing half-barrel (15 gallon) batches at the Root Cellar Cafe in San Marcos. Pending Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approval, they were aiming to have the operation running on Super Bowl Sunday.
Parker is not kegging, only bottling in 24-ounce bottles with cage-and-cork tops, and the beer will be available to go as well as on site. Everything’s done by hand. The labels are even screen-printed by hand (no digital!) and printed on recycled paper. “I want to brew a beer that’s as small and as potent as San Marcos itself,” Parker said.
His plan is to have three standard Belgians available at all times, a light blonde, a dubel and trippel — “the standard Belgian formula, the 1-2-3 punch,” as well as other stuff.
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Sam Adams had fun with Phil
Belated amusement: Phil may have seen his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter, but the village elders posed with Sam Adams’ springtime pils, which includes five varieties of Noble hops.
(Photo courtesy Michael Ishman/Punxsutawney Spirit)
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Atop the rainy day to-do list
Ad in today’s paper says 20 percent off ALL BEER at Central Market. Run!
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I made bacon-infused vodka over the weekend
Has anybody tried this? I found myself standing over a pan of sizzling porky goodness Saturday morning and thought, Hmm…
Of course there are recipes all over the Interwebs and little if any agreement on proper procedure. This Instructable calls for infusion of merely 30 minutes in the freezer, after which you pull off the frozen fat and strain the vodka to remove any residual bits of bacon.
Other recipes say put it in the fridge, still others in a dark cupboard. Some call for a full pound of bacon, some for just a few strips, some for just the fat and not the meat itself.
Then there’s the question of time: Thirty minutes? Overnight? A week? Two weeks? And supposedly the end result will be a little on the cloudy side. Some say using Irish moss, a clarifier in some home brew recipes, will take care of that.
I went for three strips and a fair amount of drippings and stuck the jar in a cupboard. I’ll check it in a week and see if I go blind. Any advice?
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Firkin Friday at the Draught House
Starting at 3 p.m. today they’ll have a cask of Real Ale’s Phoenixx Double E.S.B. AND they’re giving away a logo glass with every pint sold. Such a deal. The merriment starts at 3 p.m. Draught House site here
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Deschutes’ once-in-a-decade release
I’m a fan of their Jubel Ale. Next month they releasing, in limited quantities, Jubel 2010, a version of their strong winter seasonal described as “Jubel on steroids.” Sounds promising, and the last time that made it was in 2000. We’re inquiring on whether it will be available here.
UPDATE: A representative from the brewery’s PR firm says they’re working with the “Texas government,” which needs to confirm the alcohol by volume content stated on the label, which is around 10 percent.
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Dogfish Head news
Heard from their national sales guy and Central Texas native Claus Hagelman, who reports the Delaware brewery is optimistic about getting more of their beers into the Texas market. He’s hopeful that they can get Black and Blue and maybe even Squall, their absolutely outstanding Imperial IPA. Bring it on.
Red & White is already turning up in stores in the East, so it should be here in a matter of days.
Speaking of seasonals, Hagelman says this year’s version of the springtime favorite Aprihop is looking promising — “good and hoppy,” as he puts it. That should make Her Royal Blondness happy.
Finally, don’t forget the DFH Off-Centered Film Festival is coming again later this spring to the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek. It’s one of the highlights of the Austin beer calendar and they’re taking submissions now.
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New York Times discovers growlers
It’s here. I absolutely love the Times’ Dining & Food section, but there beer coverage is consistently, reliably behind the curve. This from the same paper that long refused to call pop music music at all.
But hey! Growlers are the “beer accessory of the moment!” Moms with strollers are toting them around Park Slope!
Even a source quoted in the story calls nonsense on the fake trend: “Growlers have been around since Christ was a child. We’re not doing anything new.”
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Beer across BookPeople
Our man Travis Poling, who blogs at Beer Across Texas, will be at BookPeople at 7 Thursday night to talk about (and of course sell) the book he co-authored of the same name. You may recall Poling, who used to write for the San Antonio Express-News, was kind enough to take the American-Statesman’s beer columnist on a beer tour of San Antonio last summer. Good man!
Stop in, buy his book even if you have one and enjoy a refreshment from St. Arnold. If he acts a little tipsy it’s my fault: We’re tentatively planning on hitting the Ginger Man before his appearance. This is work, people.
UPDATE: He’s also got an appearance at the Barnes & Noble in Round Rock from 2-4 p.m. February 20th. Address: 2701 Parker Road, Bldg A, Ste 700.
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Special events all through February at Freetail
Have you been to Freetail Brewing in San Antonio yet? If not, February’s your month. Press release below offers a post-Valentine’s beer dinner tantalizing rarities and more. Here we go:
FREETAIL BREWING CO. ANNOUNCES FEB-BREW-ARY FESTIVITIES Release of Barrel Aged La Muerta Bottles & Winter Beer Dinner Highlight Month of Beer Related Events
(January 20, 2009) San Antonio, TX - Freetail Brewing Co. announces a month-long celebration of all things beer dubbed “Feb-BREW-ary.” The February 13th limited edition bottle-release of a barrel-aged version of La Muerta—the brewery’s rare, much sought-after and highly rated imperial stout—highlights the events along with a special winter beer dinner on the 15th.
Festivities kick off with PorterFest II on the 6th, featuring a selection of interesting riffs on the brewery’s Torpor Porter. “Early February is a perfect time for PorterFest,” said Freetail brewer Jason Davis. “The rich, chocolaty, roast character is perfect for a cold winter’s eve. Or a balmy winter’s eve, depending on what the weather decides to throw at us.” Last year’s PorterFest included varieties such as Bourbon, Vanilla, Ginger, Cherry, Pecan and Chipotle. Special kegs will be tapped beginning at noon. There is no admission fee for PorterFest; pints will be available for $4.50, and 4-oz samples for $1.50.
On the 13th, Freetail will release 22-oz bottles of a bourbon barrel aged version of its imperial stout, La Muerta. “We significantly increased bottle production of the regular version for the last release, and they sold out in one day,” said Freetail Founder & Chief Executive Officer Scott Metzger. “With the buzz already building up around this beer, we wanted to create a way to get it into the hands of our most loyal customers first.” To do so, Freetail mailed out a coupon in its e-newsletter on January 1st, granting the holder the right to purchase a bottle when they go on sale at 11am. In the event that not all bottles are sold to coupon-holders, bottles will then be released to the general public. Bottles are $12 each and are limited to one per person.
The brewery will once again play host to a beer dinner on February 15th with four courses individually paired with six different Freetail beers. “This is a perfect Valentine’s day gift for the beer lover in your life,” said Metzger. “Unlike dinners we’ve done in the past, this one is going to focus on special beers we’ve made in small batches but don’t necessarily have concrete plans to release to the general public. We create a lot of unique things out of experimentation, including some the brewers don’t even tell me about. This will be a special treat for the Freetail fans out there as they’ll get to see yet another side of our brewer’s creativity.” The full menu is available on the company’s website. Tickets are $45 and do not include tax or gratuity. Space is limited to 40 guests and Freetail’s beer dinners typically sell out, so advance reservations are required.
On February 20th, Davis will lead a beer and cheese tasting seminar at 2pm. The event will pair rich, flavorful cheeses with a variety of beers and include a discussion on how the two complement one another. The event costs $15/person, no reservations required.
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Jester King buys brewhouse, fermenters
Still more progress at Austin’s first brewery ranch. Jester King Craft Brewery has acquired a brewhouse from British Columbia and four 30-barrel fermenters. More concrete (ha!) news of progress: They’ll be pouring the foundation later this month.
Lots more info here.
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Make your beer prediction for tonight’s game
Longhorn fans: Will you be drinking Celebration or Ruination tonight? I’m predicting Celebration, if only because I moved all of mine inside from the garage ahead of the killer cold snap.
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Gotcher burnt orange beer right here
As Austin prepares to descend into utter madness in advance of tonight’s big footballer contest, this just in: Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub at 9012 Research Blvd. will have burnt orange beer to keep you hydrated while you yell at the TV.
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Looking forward to trying it! Like their summer ale too.
... read the full comment by Ikal 1150 Wines of Argentina | Comment on Rare Anchor anniversary beer on its way Read Rare Anchor anniversary beer on its way
I dont know what to say to ‘bacon infused vodka’ other than - genius, pure genius. We did a rhubarb infused vodka and let it sit a month, results weren’t so good. A week sounds about right- good luck!
... read the full comment by John Piccirillo | Comment on I made bacon-infused vodka over the weekend Read I made bacon-infused vodka over the weekend
Whenever I see a new beer from Dog Head Fish on the shelves, its a must try. For years, their pioneering spirit has been held in high regard, and tasty, too.
... read the full comment by H.Diaz | Comment on Dogfish Head news Read Dogfish Head news
Great idea, but will this work over the long run?
... read the full comment by trucos ruleta | Comment on What's your favorite holiday cheer beer? Read What's your favorite holiday cheer beer?
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