Home > Liquid > Archives > 2010 > March
March 2010
Dogfish Head/Alamo Drafthouse film fest menu
All I can say is wow. From the Alamo Lake Creek web site. Chef Paul Michie has outdone himself again. Fifteen courses, fifteen beers, some of which we can’t get here yet:
Alamo Drafthouse and Dogfish Head Brewery Present: The Dogfish Head Off-Centered Film Festival Friday April 16th and Saturday April 17th Portfolio Tasting on Friday is at 8:00pm; Shorts Screening on Saturday is at 7:30pm Portfolio tasting on Friday is $60, Shorts screening on Saturday is $10
The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek and Dogfish Head Brewery are proud to announce the 2010 Off-Centered Film Festival. Currently in its 3rd year, the Off-Centered Film Festival is a celebration of the independent spirit shared by the Alamo and the good folks at Dogfish Head. Hosted by Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione, the festival will culminate in a two-night fun, jazzy festivity of film and beer at the Alamo Lake Creek. Friday night’s event will include a Dogfish Head portfolio tasting paired with gourmet snacks and appetizers, accompanied by live jazz from local Austin group TOrcH. Saturday nights festivities will include a screening of the 2010 Dogfish Head Off-Centered short films with live music from DJ Orion.
Friday’s tasting will include:
Aprihop w/ Chicken, corn, and black bean fried mini burrito
Raison D’Etre w/ Medjool Date stuffed with gorgonzola, Marcona almond and wrapped in bacon
Black & Blue w/ Crab wonton with blueberry sauce
60 Minute IPA w/ Full Quiver farms white cheddar
Burton Baton w/ Proscuitto, melon, and lime
120 Minute IPA w/ Blue cheese soufflé puff
Chateau Jiahu w/ Pulled pork slider, with house pickled red onions, and spicy mustard
Pangaea w/ BBQ Bison slider with cheddar
Punkin Ale w/ Chorizo/ beef slider with avocado mayo, lettuce, and tomato
Indian Brown Ale w/ House made smoked duck sausage
Palo Santo Marron w/ Chorizo, jack, and cojita quesadilla with roasted tomato salsa
Immort w/ Truffled parmesan cheese fries
Midas Touch w/ Midas Baklava
Raison D’ Extra
Fort w/ Fort Sherbert
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Possibly the most awesome idea ever
This bar in Chicago has self-serve tabletop taps. Here’s the story. It’s a great way to not lose track how much you’ve had. Lots to love about this.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Possibly the most awesome idea ever
This bar in Chicago has self-serve tabletop taps. Here’s the story. It’s a great way to not lose track how much you’ve had. Lots to love about this.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Unfortunate children’s book
This and more over at the Huffington Post.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Balcones distillery takes home prestigious spirits awards from San Francisco competition
Two spirits produced by the Waco-based Balcones Distilling recently won awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, held on March 13 and 14th, 2010. Self-described as one of the most recognized and respected spirits competitions in the world, the competition featured 30 expert judges from an array of backgrounds who evaluated 1024 different spirits, produced in over 57 countries.
The Balcones Baby Blue Hopi blue corn whisky, the first Texas made whisky on the market since Prohibition, and made from roasted Hopi blue corn, earned a double gold medal in the ‘Corn Whiskey’ category. The Balcones Rumble, a rum-like alcohol made from turbinado sugar from Sugarland, Livingston wildflower honey, and Mission figs, won a silver medal in the ‘Other Misc. Spirits’ category.
Be on the lookout for the latest product to come from the distillery before the end of 2010 — a Balcones single malt whisky. According to the distillery, the single malt will be ‘made with traditional ingredients, and aged in new ways.’
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Mug shots of Edwardian English drunks
Here’s how to start your Monday.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
A new one from Lagunitas — coded message free with purchase
This one must have slipped into the market while SXSW was eating my life. The Petaluma, Calif. brewery swears, with a straight face, that it has nothing to do with what is the world’s most alternately enthralling and perplexing band, but that didn’t keep Pitchfork from writing about it.
I just got one at the Whip, which does not yet have Fritz and Ken’s Ale from Sierra Nevada’s 30th anniversary series, which is what I went for.
Anyway, back to Wilco Tango Foxtrot. According to Patrick Orr of the Idaho Statesman, someone he spoke to at Lagu said it’s military jargon and suggested Orr put together the first three letters of the three words.
Really? Military jargon? I thought it was some cousin of the radio codes that gave Wilco’s masterwork “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” its name. OOOOH, I get it. uess it’s just a stupid joke. (Incidentally, I was recently behind an Audi with Texas personalized plates that had those three letters — with the “T” represented as a “7.” Preceding letters were “OMG.” Don’t look now, TxDot, you’ve been punk’d. I’m also reminded of that insane but entertaining conspiracy theory about letter placement on the Lindsey Vonn Sports Illustrated cover.)
How’s the beer? Can’t tell you yet. It’s described as a big brown ale, 7.83 percent ABV. Beer Advocate gives it an A-.
We can talk about this more later. Right now I’m busy reading all the first letters in all the headlines of today’s paper to see what secret propaganda we polluted your minds with. Later I have to go watch “Casablanca” backwards. That way Rick and Ilsa reunite and stay together.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Bill Murray, unofficial bartender of SXSW
You’re getting a tequila shot! And you’re getting a tequila shot!
This is all over the Internet, including YouTube, GQ and New York mag, but here goes:
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Bock ‘n’ rail ya?
Ever since President Andrew Jackson signed legislation to partially fund Capital Metro’s light rail line, it has been the dream of Austinites (then known as “Waterlooians”) to do two things: ride the train and get a beer. And with the red line up and running as of this week, the folks at Black Star Co-Op Pub & Brewery are having a “rail-and-ale beer social” from 4-7 p.m. Friday. Folks are encouraged to ride the train to and from the event, which is good because a) it’s free right now and, b) you’ll be drinking beer. Here’s a map that shows the Crestview station, which is mere steps away from Black Star. The first train is scheduled to arrive at the station at 4:05, so you’ll be fashionably late. Should you choose to get there on your own power, the address for the brewery scheduled to open this summer is 7020 Easy Wind Dr., Suite 100 (right off Airport Blvd.). IMPORTANT: Since the trains started running, according to today’s paper, Austin police have issued 70 tickets because people think it’s OK to stop their cars on or near the tracks. Don’t. Do. That.
The beer socials were critical to building the co-op’s owner-member base, so this is a cool little twist on a successful tradition.
So let’s recap: We have what’s said to be the world’s only cooperatively owned brew pub, 21st century mass transit and universal health care. The socialist dream has been realized!
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
The first of the Sierra Nevada anniversary collaborations
Aaron says it’s at Central Market. Run!
UPDATE: Let’s start a list of where you can’t get it: Whip In, Central Market N. Lamar…
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Geeks Who Drink do Harry Potter
Remember when they did “The Simpsons” at Opal’s a while back? Now Geeks Who Drink are coming to Opal Divine’s Penn Field, 3601 S. Congress Ave., at 3 p.m. April 17 to do a Harry Potter pub quiz, the “Quiz-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. There’s a $500 prize for first place, teams up to six people and dressing up as your favorite character is encouraged.
Details at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=338314549462&index=1.
I’m probably not going to play this one. I thought the Muggles were that children’s musical act from Australia.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Do you really, really love hops?
So how’s everybody been? Sorry I let the cobwebs grow on Liquid Austin during SXSW. I promise to be a good boy from now on.
Among the news I missed is this story forwarded by reader Darrell Mayers on the world’s hoppiest beer.
Holy cow. More than 300 IBUS? I can’t even get my mind around that. Even the brewer says he can barely finish one.
And for something not completely different, Washington journalist Greg Kitsock has the latest on Brew Dog’s newest and stunt-iest beer. (Sorry no link; site’s down for maintenance just now.) He writes:
“Nanny State, an ‘imperial mild’ from the BrewDog microbrewery in Fraserburgh, Scotland, is the anti-Utopias, but just as extreme. It measures 1.1 percent alcohol; you’d be hard-pressed to get tipsy on a case of it. But it is crammed with hops. The brewer’s claimed level of 225 international bitterness units is the most extreme I’ve ever heard. (IBUs measure a beer’s level of alpha acids, the primary bittering compound in hops. For purposes of comparison, Budweiser measures about 12 IBUs; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 37; a typical imperial IPA, 75 to 100.)
Nanny State is a highly eccentric beer, the equivalent of erecting a building 10 stories high and two feet wide. It has a thin chocolate caramel flavor upfront and an acrid, palate-numbing bitterness in back. The beer is a bit of a gimmick. BrewDog launched it as a bookend to its Tokyo, an 18.2 percent alcohol ale that is said to be the strongest beer in Britain.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Circle Brewing news
They’ve secured a space. (And sorry for the light posting this week — SXSXW.) Press release:
You will be pleased to know that we have signed the lease on our brewery location! We are located in North Central Austin, near the corner of Braker Ln. and Kramer Ln, at 2340 W Braker Ln, Suite B, Austin, TX 78758. You can view the location on Google Maps here. We are very excited about the new home for Circle Brewing, boasting a spacious 8,100 sqft for us to grow and expand our operations in the years to come. The geographic location also has a number of benefits for us, specifically allowing easy access to Mopac and I-35 for deliveries to Austin, Round Rock, and beyond. You can also go to the website and check out our blog for a few pictures of the space.
Our lease begins on April 1st, and we anticipate a timeline of approximately six months to build out the brewery and prepare it for operations. While we have much work ahead of us until we are ready for our first brew, we can’t wait to get in the space and get our hands dirty. So, keep spreading the word about Circle Brewing Company, because it is a simple matter of time before we are in your favorite watering hole.
We will keep you updated as things progress. We will also keep a flow of information and pictures of the build out of the brewery space on the blog, so keep checking that for our development progress. It is a very exciting time for Circle Brewing Company and we hope that you are as excited as we are.
Cheers, Ben and Jud
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Brew Dog extravaganza at Draught House Thursday
Assuming you’re not with the whole rest of the world standing outside La Zona Rosa trying to see John Hiatt, Ray Davies and Roky Erickson with Okkervill River Thursday night, our man Josh Wilson at the Draught House Pub & Brewery has an unbeatable deal: A Brew Dog tasting with a half-dozen or more beers, each one crazier than the last, and snacks provided. Stop by for a $25 ticket in advance because this one looks to sell out. The lineup from Wilson:
BrewDog Zeitgeist Black Lager.
4.9% ABV 30 IBU’s
Malts Lager Malt, Caramalt, Munich Malt, Chocolate Malt
Hops Cascade
Zeitgeist does not presume to tell you how it will affect your senses, the experience is yours to define! At the invisible insurrection of the Zeitgeist it was written that the black liquid delivered at once tinges of roast malt and overripe autumnal fruit before revealing its true dark lager credentials with a clean crisp and refreshing finish.
BrewDog Punk IPA.
6% ABV 65 IBU’s
Malts Marris Otter Extra Pale Malt
Hops Chinook Ahtanum, Nelson Sauvin
An inherently contradictory take on a classic style. This is a light golden colour with tropical fruits and a light caramel on the nose. The Palate soon becomes assertive and resinous with the NZ hops balanced by biscuit malt. The finish is aggressive and dry with the hops emerging over the warming alcohol.
BrewDog Dogma Scottish Ale.
7.8% ABV 65 IBU’s
Malts Marris Otter Extra Pale, Caramalt, roasted barley, Dark Krystal Malt, Munich Malt
Hops Bramling Cross, Amarillo
Brewed with Scottish Heather Honey, Poppy Seed, Kola Nut and Guarana.
A conspiracy of transcontinental ingredients infused with some devastatingly BrewDog imaginative thinking.
BrewDog Bashah Black Belgian Double IPA.
8.5% ABV 90 IBU’s
Malt Marris Otter, Dark Crystal, Caramalt, Chocolate Malt
Hops Hercules Warrior, Amarillo, Centenial
Bashah - Black as Sin Hoppy as Hell. The latest collaboration between BrewDog and the Stone Brewing Co from California. Made at BrewDog in Scotland this is a nice amalgamated cocktail of cocoa, sweetened clove, crème caramel with little spikes of lime freshness.
BrewDog Hardcore IPA
9% ABV 100 IBU’s
Malts Marris Otter Extra Pale Malt
Hops Simcoe, Chinook, Amarillo and Warrior
This Golden Imperial Ale rocks! A delicately robust malt toffee canvas is the setting for the ensuing epic. The aromatic kiwi, lychee, pine and big hop flavours kink in and leave your mouth punished and puckering for more. The addictive underlying sweet caramel and full bodied, dry finish ensure you can’t put it down for long.
BrewDog Paradox
10% ABV 70 IBU’s
Malts, Marris Otter, Dark Crystal, Caramalt, Chocolate Malt Roast Barley
Hops Galena, Bramling Cross
Paradox see’s our killer Imperial Stout aged in amazing malt whisky casks from some of Scotland’s most famous distilleries.
The flavours, aromas and intricacies of the whisky are beautifully infused deep into the soul of our smooth, robust base beer.
Isle of Arran is charactised by dark bitter chocolate and autumnal fruits.
Smokehead is a demonic rollercoaster of a beer with smoke, sea salt and oak pulling you ever closer to the dark side.
Tokyo is brewed with jasmine and cranberries as well as a large amount of malts and the finest American hops, was fermented by a skilled team of brewers with a champagne yeast to enable the high ABV. The beer was then dry hopped before being aged on toasted French vanilla oak chips to give it an entirely unique flavour.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Woodford Reserve master distiller Chris Morris visits
And, lucky me, I got to have lunch with him at Opal Divine’s Freehouse Thursday, after which we repaired to the upstairs bar to sample some of the good stuff.
Morris started working weekends at the bourbon distillery at 18 while going to college. Now he’s the top guy at a distillery that uses techniques that were in favor a century ago — they’re essentially using microdistillery techniques to make a mass market product, although, as Morris pointed out, they’ll never be as big as a Jim Beam. For instance, all their notes are hand-written and there’s a minimum of computers and other technology. And, turns out, they’re the only distillery in the world that makes its own barrels, with wood from Minnesota, the Ozarks and Appalachia. They also use unfiltered limestone well water and are the only distillery to triple-distill.
In addition to their flagship, we sampled the fourth release of their Master’s Collection, one-of-a-kind batches, this one aged in seasoned oak. It was much darker and more on the sweet side, with notes of molasses and caramel. Opal’s owner Michael Parker took a taste and said, “Wow. It’s like the holidays all over again.”
Bottles of Master’s Collection are still available in town — going for around $80 or more — but when they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
This whisky is old and insanely expensive
Mortlach, 70 years old! The U.K. online potable puveyor Masters of Malt has it for 9,999 British pounds, or just a little short of $15,000.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Austin Homebrew Supply party now has one thing it lacked
That’s right: a polka band. The New Austin Polka Band. Reader Daniel Augustine is a member. The party is Saturday; older post below.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
St. Patrick’s Day party with an actual Irish guy
That would be Frank Murray, who worked with the Pogues, Thin Lizzy, kirsty MacColl and others. So he knows how to party. And he’s from Dublin. AND he’s throwing what promises to be a memorable St. Pat’s soiree. Press release:
Fleadh Austin: Inaugural St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Presented by Guinness Produced by Rare Media & Hill 16 Wednesday March 17, 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm Free and open to the public 21+ 4th St. Fort - 216 4th St @ San Jacinto 78701 RSVP online at: http://rareaustin.com/fleadh.html
Scheduled to Perform: Broken Records The Lost Brothers Julie Feeney Villagers The Minutes Live music 12-8 pm w/ DJ’s spinning until 10pm. The Mighty Stef The Coronas with special guest BP Fallon’s Death Disco Many special guests TBA
The first Annual Austin Fleadh (Pronounced Flah, the proper Gaelic word for Festival) debuts during St. Patrick’s Day 2010 in the heart of downtown Austin and coinciding with the kickoff of one of America’s best festivals. Free to the public and slated to be the most anticipated St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in Austin, this exciting and authentic Fleadh is poised to establish itself as a yearly event where Ireland’s best new musical talents are presented.
In addition to stunning Irish band line up we are thrilled to have Guinness as an official St. Paddy’s day sponsor where they will be pouring drafts, using the coveted traditional methods. The Fleadh will be held in the heart of SX at the 4th St. Fort (216 E. 4th St 78701 4th and San Jacinto).
Presented by Frank Murray, the iconic manager who broke The Pogues, Thin Lizzy, Glen Hansard, The Frames, Kirsty MacColl, and many more legendary Irish Bands and featuring rock icon BP Fallon’s Death Disco with special surprise guests. BP recently recorded a record with Jack White that has the cult following surrounding this sonic coupling. The first annual Austin Fleadh promises to be an authentic St. Patrick’s day celebration comparable only to being in the streets of Dublin in the motherland itself. Experience contemporary Irish music with all the top emerging bands, there will be traditional fare of fish and chips, meat pies, along with the Guinness and Harp. Mark your calendar for this extraordinary transport to Ireland on her most festive day of the year, the event is free, open to the public, and destined to be the become the place to be every year on St. Patrick’s Day in Austin.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Kilkenny Irish Ale on draft at Fado
If you like Smithwick’s or Boddington’s, give this a try. Kilkenny is a nitrogenated, sessionable Irish red, perfect for sustaining you through watching a soccer game, schlepping to SXSW day shows or, if you dare, braving St. Patrick’s Day festivities downtown.
The color is a nice light amber, the lace stays with you all the way to the end. The style is not my absolute favorite — hops! I demand hops! — but it’s a comfortable, restorative pint, especially sitting in the rambling confines of Fado.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment
Craft beer sales up in ‘09, overall beer sales down
So sayeth the Brewers Association. Press release:
BREWERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2009 CRAFT BREWER SALES NUMBERS
Craft brewer sales grow 7 percent in a year of decreased beer sales for other brewers
Boulder, CO • March 8, 2010—The Brewers Association, the trade association that tabulates production statistics for US breweries, today released 2009 data on the U.S. craft brewing industry. In a year when other brewers saw a slowdown in sales, small and independent craft brewers saw sales dollars increase 10.3 percent and volume increase 7.2 percent2 over 2008, representing a growth of 613,992 barrels equal to roughly 8.5 million cases.
Overall, U.S. beer sales were down approximately 5 million barrels (31 gallons per U.S. barrel) in 2009.
“Beer lovers continue to find great value and enjoyment in fuller flavored craft beers,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “Americans have an increasing appreciation of craft beers, and the growing number of brewers behind them. They’re eager to try the latest seasonal release and to sample a variety of beers from different breweries.”
In 2009, craft brewers represented 4.3 percent of volume and 6.9 percent of retail dollars for the total U.S. beer category. With the total U.S. beer industry representing an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2009 was $7 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2008.
The total number of U.S. craft brewers grew from 1,485 to 1,542 in 2009, and they produced 9,115,635 barrels, up from 8,501,713 barrels in 2008. Overall U.S. beer sales fell from approximately 210.4 million barrels to 205.8 million barrels.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
From the Now I’ve Seen Everything Dept.
At the very end of the Interwebs, there’s a bare-bones appreciation for Milwaukee’s Best, which the author calls “probably the best tasting beer on the planet.”
PROBABLY?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Spring open house at (512) Brewing
If your dance card isn’t full enough with SXSW and what-all, here’s one more thing to keep in mind. From 2-5 p.m. March 20, Kevin Brand’s (512) Brewing is having an open house at the brewery and tapping its spring alt.
You can get three free tastings, or buy a pint glass for $5 and use that one. No plastic, just cash and checks. The brewery is at 407 Radam Lane.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Austin Homebrew’s move just an excuse to party
I’m approximately the last Austin beer blogger to report this, but Austin Homebrew Supply is having a party from noon-5 p.m. March 13 to celebrate its new location at 9129 Metric Blvd.
Expect three bands, food and “frosty beverages” at the 18,000 square-foot facility.
Reminds me. I need to brew again before it gets hot. Oooooh. And their online catalog lists a tripel IPA. I am so stopping by this weekend.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
St. Pat’s at NXNW
And no police in riot gear are expected. Brewer extraordinaire Ty Phelps has an Irish stout going at North By Northwest in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, which is March 17. He’ll also have a cask-conditioned version of the stout and 22-oz. bottles to go. (Or you can get a growler to go, which is my plan.)
Chef George Powell is planning on having Irish soda bread and Irish stew in addition to the usual menu and Jeremy Steding and the Irish Curse Band are playing outside from 6-10 p.m.
In case you’re not familiar with St. Patrick’s Day, it is a holiday in which people descended of immigrants from Europe’s drunkest, most maudlin and depressive — yet quaintly beautiful — land do four things: Drink lots and lots, get into vicious fistfights with family members, cry and wait for somebody to call the cops (known as “robbies” in the old country).
St. Patrick, it’s well known, is famed for casting the potatoes out of Ireland, hurling them in the direction of the hated Brits. What’s less well-known is that, like many of his fellow countrymen, St. Patrick later immigrated to the U.S. and opened a home brew shop in Austin. Like everything else that made the Austin of yesteryear so incredibly precious, it closed right before you got here.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Lots on tap at the Draught House
It’s a homey neighborhood place, not ginormous, but there’s always tons going on at the Draught House Pub & Brewery, and brewer-manager Josh Wilson sounds like he’s about to get even busier: For St. Patrick’s Day (a whole day for me? Aw, ya shouldn’t have) he’ll have his Shamrock Stout, which he describes as a “hopped up” stout with “some secret ingredients.” Cagey devil, that Josh.
Hmm. Can we guess? Lucky Charms? A couple of Shane MacGowan’s teeth?
But wait! There’s more! Wilson reports:
We don’t have anything special planned for it, I’m afraid. But for St. Patricks Day we will have a batch of our Shamrock Stout flowing. It is a hopped up stout made with roasted barley, oats and some secret ingredients.We should have Irish sausage made with Shamrock Stout too. We will also be doing a Guinness glass giveaway.
“As for other stuff…out most recent tappings have been Deschutes Jubel 2010, a version of Ice Jubel, brewed once every 10 years and Widmer Deadlift, an Imperial IPA showcasing Nelson Sauvin hops. (Wednesday) I will tap a cask of Allagash Curieux (very rare). We will serve this on the handpump, so it will be around for a little while. Friday, we will tap a cask of Southern Star Buried Hatchet Imperial Stout for Firkin Friday. I have casks form Deschutes, Brooklyn, Lagunitas and New Belgium coming in soon.
“Soon (in the next few weeks) I will tap Whiskey Century, a whiskey barrel aged version of Century Stout, my house brewed Imperial Stout.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Beer tasting at Spec’s Arbor Walk today
Care to sample something like 20 different beers for free today? You would? Spec’s Arbor Walk, 10515 North MoPac Expressway, is the place to be starting at 5:30 p.m.
They’ll have New Belgium’s Ranger IPA and Mighty Arrow, Red Chair Pale and Hop Henge IPA from Deschutes, Brooklyn’s lager and Local 1, North Coast’s Old Raputin and Red Seal and, get this, Buried Hatchet Stout from Southern Star, which assistant manager Joe Rodriguez says “packs a wallop and it’s delicious.” Southern Star, out of Conroe, is about to have its second anniversary.
Did I mention the free part? It goes until 8 p.m. But get there much after 5:30 and the crowd might look like the picture above.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Garrison Bros. releases its prerelease bourbon today
We talked about this very exciting news here but today, Texas Independence Day, is the official release date. Liquor stores in Blanco and Gillespie counties have had waiting lists, but there’s a chance there’s a stray unclaimed bottle or two out there. Dial! Drive! And read the story to the end before you call or e-mail me; there’s a list of participating potable purveyors at the end of the piece.
UPDATE: Word as of Monday afternoon was Western Beverages and Judy’s Liquors, both in Fredericksburg, may be your best bet. BUT there’s a very good chance all bottles are gone or at least spoken for. Bill Tingler, co-owner of Hill Country Liquor in Blanco, said he started taking orders a couple of weeks back and has folks coming in from all over Texas — and as far away as Las Vegas and St. Louis, Mo. — to claim their bottles. The store had an allocation of 138 bottles and it’s totally sold out.
“This is our 15th year and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Tingler said. “It’s totally amazing.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment
Mudbugs, beer and hockey at Uncle Billy’s
With the exception of the outcome of U.S. vs. Canada in Olympic hockey, Sunday’s Cajun brewers’ dinner at Uncle Billy’s was close to perfect. We started with Brian Peters’ pils — the guy loves to brew lagers and he’s good at it — with first-of-the-season crawfish. Small but tasty. The shrimp were good-sized, though.
Second was a hoppier-than-average amber that Peters describes as “an American version of an Extra Special Bitter” and fried catfish. Third as pale ale with subprisingly spicy gumbo (don’t let that brown roux fool you) and a fresh sourdough baguette. I could have eaten the bread and been happy.
By the time the game was going into overtime we’d moved on to Wood-Eye Rye IPA and crawfish etouffee, followed by a dessert of Bananas Foster in crepes and either Peters’ oatmeal stout or smoked porter. The smoked porter seemed to be the favored brew of the two.
Great beer and a fantastic dinner thanks to chef Charles Dowd.
But boooooo Canada.
Bonus points to this guy for getting his golden retriever to sit in a chair at one of the outside tables. Good dog! How about a beer?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Scene report: Beer Connoisseur party at Independence
The folks from Atlanta came to town to roll out the second issue of the way slick Beer Connoisseur magazine, which fancies itself as the Cigar Aficionado of malted beverages and largely succeeds in that ambition. The party was Saturday at Rob and Amy Cartwright’s Independence Brewing, with beer from Indy as well as North By Northwest.
The current issue of the magazine, a quarterly for now, features an interview with Brooklyn’s Garrett Oliver, a piece on the San Diego brewing scene reviews of 20-some beers and more.
“We’ve been amazed at the reception,” said managing editor Nick Kaye, who worked for years at The New York Times. “There really seems to be a niche for a more sophisticated approach.”
Indeed there is. There’s no shortage of beer publications out there, but too many of them try to make up in enthusiasm what they lack in editorial flair. The voices in the second issue of the magazine are authoratative, well-traveled, enthusiasts but not cheerleaders. And the tasting judges having actual judging bona fides. They’re not just schmoes.
While I was chatting with founder and publisher Lynn Davis, somebody from Independence came over and said to us, “You don’t have a beer. And you don’t have a beer.”
Davis said, “Actually, I’m in recovery.”
Ha, ha, you made a funny…Uh, no, seriously, he is. The top guy at a fancy new beer magazine is a three years’ recovering alcoholic. And good for him.
There are more Sam Malones in the beer business than you would think. They’ve had their time for boozing it up; now they’re all business.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment
Why we love Fail Blog
