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June 2009
Be patriotic, drink for a cause
Two thoughts for 4th of July: Everybody needs to go out and have a local beer from (wait for it, wait for it) Independence Brewing.
And then there’s this: Opal Divine’s downtown location at 700 W. Sixth St. is raising breast cancer awareness (and money, of course) with an event they’re calling “Drink Pink — See Red, White & Blue.” There’s music from three acts, wrapping up around 9:30 — just in time for the fireworks for which you’ll have choice seats. They’ll be selling the art-bra calendar and all summer long they’ll be making a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Center of Texas for every prickly pear margarita ordered. The drink includes fresh lime juice, organic agave nectar, prickly pear purée, and water. So good for you…
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Zax cleared to start first grade
Wow, Zax Pints & Plates at 312 Barton Springs Rd. is celebrating its sixth anniversary next Thursday. With good food, an inspired tap wall and great wine, it’s always worth stopping in. But they’re making it a little more worth your while that day, with $6 burgers, pizzas and quesadillas. That’s not a huge savings on those items, which are usually more like $8 or $9. But you can invest the savings into $2.50 pints of select drafts from 4 p.m. to close. Honestly, most of the restaurant-bars that have a lot of beer tend to treat food as an afterthought, but Zax is great.
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Beer and a haircut
Even though my hair is very short and my haircutter is done with me in minutes, sometimes it’s hard to find the time to schedule an appointment, right? Well, here’s an incentive: From 9 a.m. until it’s gone July 3, the Birds Barbershop at 1107 E. Sixth St. is giving away free six-packs of Lone star to the first 50 customers. Details at birdsbarbershop.com or via 457-0400.
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Brewers come to Central Market
From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at both Austin Central Markets they’re having visitors — Breckenridge’s Todd Usry will be in store on N. Lamar Blvd. and Ro Guenzel from LeftHand — on hand to pass out samples and talk about beer. Like that? They’re also planning beer-friendly demos and stuff made with beer, such as bread with oatmeal stout. This is to help roll out CM’s introduction of Cantina, an award-winning lager from Cerveceria La Constancia. I’ve never had it. Anybody?
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Adventures on the beer bus
Last year, groom-to-be John McGuire and his friend, Patrick Rockecharlie, chartered a Rockin’ Ride party bus to take them and a bunch of pals around to area breweries for McGuire’s bachelor party.
“It was so incredible last year we’d have been silly not to do it again,” said McGuire, 30, who designs search engines for Hewlett-Packard.
And so they did. Starting at 11 a.m. on a recent Saturday, these nuts hit Uncle Billy’s, Live Oak, (512), Independence and Uncle Billy’s again.
The great thing about having somebody else drive is your can feel virtuous and responsibly irresponsible. And it was obvious these guys were on to something when they sent out an e-mail to friends and the thing sold out in 12 or so hours — and there was a waiting list. It cost $50 per head, and the goal was simply to cover costs. They had mugs made this time, and a keg of Uncle Billy’s Axe Handle Pale kept them from being parched between stops. The bus was a 24-seater but they only had 19 participants because the keg took up some room.
And yes, they’re going to do it next year.
This isn’t an original idea — local beer blogger Lee Nichols took a bar tour for his 40th birthday last August. But since Lee works for the Austin Chronicle and is therefore ever-mindful of shoring up his man-of-the-people bona fides, those cats took Cap Metro.
Wine tourism is huge business on the West Coast and we could certainly get something similar going here — we have a higher concentration of area breweries than any other Texas city, and the Hill Country is lousy with wineries, too. Some of them are even pretty good.
I’m just sayin’…
(Photos of, from left to right, Doug Powell, Patrick Rockecharlie and John McGuire courtesy Lisa Kueter)
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Fake rednecks drink beer, celebrate Flag Day
That’s Brian Peters, brewer extraordinaire at Uncle Billy’s, in a typical everyday casual outfit.
No, seriously, that’s how he looked Sunday afternoon for UB’s Redneck Brewers Dinner. Note the shades, the Peterbilt hat and the mustard-stained undershirt — that last item a master stroke. Attendees drank beer out of jelly jars and enjoyed bacon-wrapped Spam and jalapenos, fried green tomatoes with Mountain Dew sorbet, meatloaf with redeye gravy and Tater Tot casserole and more.
As you can see from Brian’s get-up, costumes were encouraged and lots of people got in on the act. There were so many redneck-looking people I felt like I was in Rockport, which speaks volumes.
Anyway, great fun and at $25 a really good deal. Let’s do it again next year, shall we?
(American-Statesman photo by Patrick Beach)
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Who loves hops more than anybody?
(512) Brewing’s Nate Seale shows off some ink in progress — hop vines crawling on his arm — after the Stone dinner-“Beer Wars” screening at the Alamo Lake Creek Friday.
(American-Statesman photo by Patrick Beach)
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Stone-“Beer Wars” wrap-up
Yay, Stone Brewing Co. Greg Koch, the founder of the San Diego brewery that lives to poo-poo fizzy yellow American beer, brought a ton of great stuff to the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek Friday night for a dinner and screening of “Beer Wars,” the documentary by Anat Baron, who was also on hand.
Le menu: Chorizo-stuffed fried avocado with tomato-habanero sauce (killer, killer) served with Stone Pale and IPA, oak-smoked chile arbol and cumin-rubbed wild boar ribs in Oaked Bastard barbecue sauce (served on a bun) with Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard 2006 and Oaked Arrogant Bastard, queso fresco- and poblano-stuffed grilled flank steak with grilled corn with Ruination and 2007 Old Guardian barley wine and chocolate tamales with Stone Smoked Porter ice cream.
One bummer: The Imperial Russian Stout didn’t make it. The Old Guardian, however, was breathtaking, extravagantly hopped for a barley wine. But then, those San Diego brewers aren’t all hung up about being incredibly true to style.
Le film: I didn’t see it when it first screened because I was covering Wine & Food Fest, so…Baron takes a light touch to serious subjects — little guys versus big behemoths, the huge amounts of advertising dough the big boys spend to try to convince you their light American lager tastes different from the other guys (an assertion Baron humorously deep-sixes in the film with blind taste tests), the overwhelming amount of political and lobbying power the Bigs have and the desperate need to rejigger the three-tier system.
Probably not an original insight, but the film is kind of the “Super Size Me” of beer and there’s no question where Baron’s sympathies lie. She is, however, witty and quick on her feet. During the Q&A afterwards, when a guy asked a question that seemed more like a speech, Baron cut the guy off by asking, “Do you want to make your own film?”
Koch also took a few questions and proved to be every bit as uncompromising as his beers. “If you like what we do, awesome,” he said. “We love you. If you don’t, that’s fine, too — but you have poor taste.”
One small but delightful revelation: If the T-shirt he was wearing in one scene is any indication, Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione is a Melvins fan. Unsurprisingly, in a film full of charismatic characters (not talking about you, Augie Busch VIII or whatever) Calagione and Koch basically stole the show.
Earlier in the day at the same venue, Koch (who, it must always be pointed out, is not related to Sam Adams’ Jim Koch, despite the same spelling and the pronunciation “Cook”), along with Live Oak’s Chip McElroy and Kevin Brand from (512) moderated a brewers’ roundtable discussion, with about 40 brewers, sales reps, distributor reps and other interested parties. It was a free-wheeling discussion — the free beer helped — that focused largely on efforts to reform the three-tier system in Texas.
(American-Statesman photo of Greg Koch by Patrick Beach)
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Yalumba Aussie wine tasting Friday at Mirabelle
I do love Mirabelle, 8127 Mesa Dr. The servers are great, the wine list is deep and I have vivid dreams about those lobster crisps. And they’ve got a reasonably cheap — $25 — tasting Friday. Press release:
Yalumba Aussie Wine Tasting - National Sales Dir. David Maib, Fri, June 12th @ 6:30pm. $25 (inclusive of tip/tax) 346-7900
Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, British migrant and English brewer, who had brought his family to Angaston seeking a new life. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” - aboriginal for “all the land around”. Five generations and 160 years later Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family owned winery, has grown in size and stature, embodying all that has made the Australian wine success story the envy of winemakers the world over.
In a recent review, Robert Parker awarded more than half of Yalumba 23 wines 90 points and five of them with 96 points or better. In addition, nine of the wines were designated Best Buys*. Of course, Yalumba has been a fixture on Mirabelle’s wine list for years.
Wines to be tasted: Yalumba “Tasmania” Brut Cuvee Yalumba Sauvignon Blanc* Yalumba Viognier* Yalumba Sangiovese Rosé* Yalumba “Wild Ferment” Chardonnay* Ylumba Bush Vine Grenache* Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz * Yalumba Handpicked Mourvedre Grenache Shiraz Yalumba The Signature Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon Yalumba Museum Reserve Antique Tawny
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New cocktails at Cissi’s Market and Wine Bar
Just in time for summer, the upscale seller of foodstuffs at 1400 S. Congress Ave. has some cool new summer drinks, courtesy of executive chef Faith Chan, starting Tuesday of next week. From the press release:
Sake Cocktails
Le Poire - Lemon Simple Syrup, Asian Pear Puree, Sake
Mōjitō - Lime juice, Simple Syrup, Mint, Sake, Topochico/Seltzer Water (I used the accent marks on the “o” to hint/note that we’re using Japanese sake and not tequila) “Ginger Ale” - Fresh Ginger Juice, Shiso Leaves, Splash of Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Sake, Topochico
The Island - Rosemary Simple Syrup, Pineapple Cubes, Sake
Champagne Cocktails
The Rose - Rosehip and Rosebud infused Simple Syrup, Hibiscus Tea, Champagne
The Apple Express - Apple Juice, Champagne, Fresh Nutmeg Sugar
The Garden - Housemade Lavender Lemonade, Prosecco
Blackberry Nights - Fresh Blackberry Puree, Simple Syrup, Prosecco
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Map of best beers in America
Not exactly news but a friend passed this along. It’s a map of the U.S. with a state-by-state ranking showing which states have the most medal-award winning beers.
Not surprisingly, California comes out tops with 474. Texas is a respectable sixth with 133. The more revealing thing, however, is when rankings are adjusted for state population. In that tally, Colorado and Oregon come out tops; Texas registers a dismal #9. As we’ve discussed here before, for a state the size of Texas, we have plenty of good beer but there’s ample room for more.
Related: If you’ve never checked out the Beer Mapping Project, take a look.
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To do for Flag Day: Dress like a redneck, drink good beer
Uncle Billy’s does brewers dinners up good, and here’s one with a twist: For Sunday, Flag Day, they’re having a “Redneck’s Brewers Picnic,” with costumes encouraged. (“Honey, have you see my good wife-beater? No, the black one I used to wax the Camaro.”) The appetizer: Brittany Spears — bacon-wrapped Spam and jalapenos, followed by fried green tomatoes in Mountain Dew sherbet, meatloaf with red eye gravy, colards and Tater Tot casserole and, for dessert, bread pudding made with Twinkies and Ding-Dongs and fried Oreos.
And not to bury the lede, but Brian Peters will have his award-winning Hell In Keller Pils, a couple of India Pale Ales and other good stuff. The reception starts at 4:30 p.m., dinner’s at 5 and tickets are a mere $25. If you want to get them in advance, pop over to 1530 Barton Springs Rd. and have a warm-up pint while you’re at it.
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Stone-“Beer Wars” dinner menu at Alamo Lake Creek
Remember all the bellyaching when the documentary “Beer Wars” screened in theaters that, uh, didn’t have beer? The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek has taken care of that. The film screens at 7:30 p.m. Friday with director Anat Baron and Stone Brewing Co. founder Greg Koch (not to be confused with Jim Koch from Sam Adams), who’s featured in the film.
Not only that, they’ve got a characteristically killer menu for the dinner to accompany the film. From the web site:
The Menu will include:
Chorizo stuffed fried avocado with a tomato habanero sauce *served with Stone Pale Ale and Stone IPA
Oak smoked chile arbol and cumin rubbed wild boar ribs basted in a oaked bastard bbq sauce. *served with Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard 2006 and Oaked Arrogant Bastard
Queso Fresco and poblano stuffed grilled flank steak with grilled corn and cotija *served with Ruination and Old Guardian Barley wine 2007
Chocolate tamales topped with fresh blue and blackberries and imperial stout ice cream *served with Smoked Porter and Imperial Russian Stout
Tickets are $45 via the Alamo site and you should buy early.
And if you can’t make the film-dinner-Q&A, “Beer Wars” runs for another week.
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Drinking alone — where to do it?
Over at the Your A-List we’ve got the results on where you sots like to have a sip when you’re without company. The top three are the Stephen F. Austin Hotel (16 percent), the Driskill and the Ginger Man. I’ll cop to occasionally flying solo at that last one, but here’s a pic of me in my favorite place for non-social drinking.
Others receiving votes
- Driskill Hotel, 14 percent
- Gingerman, 13 percent
- Mean Eyed Cat, 9 percent
- Deep Eddy, 8 percent
- Horseshoe Lounge, 8 percent
- Spider House, 7 percent
- Casino El Camino, 6 percent
- Hotel San Jose, 4 percent
- Mother Egan’s, 3 percent
- Barfly’s, 3 percent
- Twin Peaks, 3 percent
- Flipnotics, 3 percent
- B.D. Riley’s, 3 percent
- Zax, 2 percent
