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August 2010
Tru liquor dinner at Jack Allen’s Kitchen
Tru, of course, is the maker of organic spirits that likes to plant trees when not putting stuff in bottles. Here’s the impressive menu for the dinner Sept. 14 at Jack Allen’s Kitchen:
MENU
First House Cured Jalapeno and Salmon caper and fig jam with Indian fry bread Tru2 Gin, Swedish Bitters, fresh herbs and fresh sparkling cantaloupe fresca aged in mason jars
Second Texas Apple and Pear Chopped Salad Deep Ellum blue cheese and San Saba spicy pecans Tart Lemon Cocktail featuring Tru Organic Lemon Vodka and Crism Organic Hibiscus
Third Fried Green Chile Relleno shredded barbacoa and goat cheese fondue Fresh Fig Daiquiri with Crusoe Organic Rum, Citry Organic Orange Liqueur and a fig foam
Fourth Blue Corn Crusted Sea Bass with green tomato marmalade Refreshing Texas Grapefruit and Herbs with Tru Organic Vodka
Dessert Apple and Walnut Cobbler Chilled Coffee and Almond Milk spiked with Crusoe Organic Spiced Rum,Theia Organic Jasmine Liqueur and Organic Baked Apple Bitters
65.00 All Inclusive
5 paired courses, interactive with Chef Jack Gilmore in the private dining room at Jack Allen’s Kitchen. For reservations, call 852.8558 or email here. Space is limited.
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Unibroue Éphémère
I thought this was supposed to be their spring seasonal but I just saw it at my Spec’s over the weekend. Grabbed a bottle and made it our dessert beer last night.
Given Unibrou’s tendency to make big — and great — Belgian-style beers, I was expecting a lot more body, essentially apple pie in a glass, but this was pleasantly light and more tart than sweet from the apples. A little spice, too, easily light and tart enough to have before dinner, not after. And with only 10 IBUs, the thing had to have the fewest hops of anything I’ve put in my mouth in ages.
Anybody else have thoughts on this one?
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Tour de Vin at Whole Foods rooftop plaza
You can thank the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas for another stellar event. Here’s the press release:
Whole Foods & WFFT Host TOUR DE VIN 2010, Focus on Europe & South America Around the world with wine and food and live music featuring Cienfuegos
WHAT: The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, in partnership with Whole Foods Market and Marquee Event Group, is gearing up for its sixth annual whirlwind tour of fine wine and food, Tour de Vin. Benefiting The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, Tour de Vin features wine from around the world and the best internationally-inspired cuisine in Central Texas.
This year’s Tour de Vin will focus on Europe and South America. The stellar wine list is presented by Republic National Distributing Company and features wine from Italy, France, Argentina, and Chile. This globetrotting culinary showcase and community favorite brings out a vast selection of sweet and savory bites from twenty Central Texas eateries, including Buenos Aires Café, Cuvee Coffee, Fabi + Rosi, Jack Allen’s Kitchen, Maria Maria, NoRTH, Portabla and many more. Cienfuegos will also be featured as the live music guest. For a complete list of participating restaurants and wineries, visit www.winefoodfoundation.org.
New this year is a very special Tour de Vin Pre-Event Tasting, hosted by Whole Foods’ Lamar Culinary Center. Beginning at 5:30 PM, guests to this limited seating event can enjoy four top-rated wines and a global hors d’oeuvres spread courtesy of the Lamar Culinary Center.
TICKETS: Tour de Vin is open to the public, but space is limited and attendees are strongly encouraged to register early. Tickets are $50 per person for Foundation members and $75 per person for the general public. To purchase Tour de Vin tickets (available in September), or to become a WFFT member, visit www.winefoodfoundation.org or contact the Foundation office at 512-327-7555.
WHEN: Thursday, October 7, 2010 WHERE: Whole Foods Market Rooftop Plaza Main Event: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM 525 N. Lamar Blvd. Pre-Event Tasting: 5:30 PM Austin, Texas 78703
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Ginormous beer fest in Galveston Labor Day weekend
I’ve been holding out posting on this because I didn’t want hotel rooms to sell out before I got mine, but holy cow is this one Texas-sized beer festival. The first annual Brewmasters International Beer Festival Sept. 3-6 at Galveston’s Moody Gardens will have more than 70 breweries, some 300 beers, beer lunches and dinners a VIP lounge and OMG NIGHT RANGER! Check out the events list and full details in the link above.
Anybody going? If I go, your faithful beer scribe promises a full report if he can read his notebook.
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Sierra anniversary barley wine on at Opal’s Marina
Wait, wait. Not until Thursday. Press release:
We will be tapping a slim keg of Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale, Jack & Ken’s Black Barleywine this Thursday at 5PM at Opal Divine’s Marina. At least thats what we’re telling everyone else! Newsletter readers can sneak in and get a taste at 4! Just bring the coupon at the end of this newsletter for your own “sneak preview!” There are only 5 gallons available and I’m pretty sure this is the last of it in Austin!
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(512) open house Saturday
Everything you need to know is here.
The big news is they’ve brewed Two, a big, brawny double IPA to commemorate their second anniversary. I am so there.
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What beer causes the quake in “Piranha 3D?”
Who likes beer and cheesy movies? If you do I could use your help.
I swear we were going to go to “Winnebago Man” Saturday night at the Alamo S. Lamar, but it sold out a few hours before showtime so we wound up at “Piranha 3D,” Alexandre Aja’s ridiculously entertaining pile of cheese. Lots of breastage, gratuitous gore and, because it’s about college kids on spring break, beer.
There’s one beer in particular I want to talk about and because it might be considered a spoiler (although the person we’re about to talk about is in the trailer and the screen credits) I’ll give anybody who wants to save the surprise until the end of this graf to leave. OK? OK.
So the movie begins with Richard Dreyfuss fishing on fictional Lake Victoria, Ariz., and — ha, ha, singing “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” He’s got a bottle of beer on the edge of his boat. The boat tips, the bottle tumbles into the lake, seemingly setting off an underwater earthquake that unleashes eleventy billion prehistoric fishies with a taste for coeds marinading in Coppertone and lake water.
But what kind of beer was it? The red on the label made me pretty sure it was a Deschutes Mirror Pond. But this site claims it’s a fictional Amity beer, doubling down on the “Jaws” in-joke. The site also says Dreyfuss drinks Amity beer in “Jaws.” I remember him drinking wine with Roy Scheider and his wife. I remember him drinking coffee and smashing the Styrofoamcup. But I don’t remember beer.
Did anybody catch it? The mystery is making your beer blogger crazy.
Incidentally, I didn’t feel bad at all watching all those people get eviscerated in very creative ways. You don’t take glass on the water, fool.
As an added Monday bonus, here’s a rundown of beer cans in movies and literature courtesy of the Beer Can Museum and Beer Can Hall of Fame.
UPDATE: My friend and colleague Peter Mongillo is our winner. For his hard work, which is to say goofing off instead of doing his own work, Peter gets the rest of the day off with pay. Right, boss?
Here’s the bottle. The label is reddish and round, which is why I took it for a Mirror Pond:
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NXNW goes to 11
Everybody’s favorite northwest Austin restaurant in brewery is pulling a Spinal Tap and raising money for breast cancer research in the process. I rarely miss an opportunity to feel virtuous while drinking beer. Edited press release:
NXNW’s 11th birthday is right around the corner on September 5th, and they are ready to celebrate with an evening of local music, NXNW-crafted brews and fire dancers, all for a good cause! NXNW is encouraging guests to donate $5 at the door to enjoy the evening’s festivities. Some of Austin’s most popular musical acts will be part of the entertainment line-up.
Schedule of events: (Note: In honor of 11 wonderful years, expect something special at eleven past every hour!) • 5:11 p.m. - Opening act Stephen Doster, Bill Carter and Will Sexton • 6:11 p.m. - Jeremy Steding • 7:11 p.m. - cask tapping of anniversary brew • 7:30 p.m. - headliner Red Volkaert • 9:30 p.m. - local fire dancers, Elemental Uprising
NXNW brewers Don Thompson and Kevin Roark will tap a cask of specially made German Pilsner anniversary beer to commemorate the occasion, and, of course, what’s a birthday celebration without cake? Pastry Chef Emily Tipps will prepare a not-to-be-missed anniversary dessert that is sure to delight guests’ taste buds. Nate the Great Balloon Artist will also be a part of the evening’s festivities!
WHEN: Sunday, September 5, 2010 WHERE: North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery 10010 N. Capital of TX Hwy Austin, TX 78759 512-467-6969
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First beer dinner at HomeField Grill
That’s the big new place in Round Rock. A separate part of the joint is a game room, which makes it feel a bit like Dave & Buster’s/sports bar with better beer.
Because Walt Powell does know beer. And he invited Her Royal Blondness and I up for their first beer dinner Thursday night, a celebration of all things wheaty: St. Arnold Weedwhacker (Lawnmower with wheat yeast), a rare New Belgium Lips of Faith Imperial Berliner Weisse (crazy tart), Unibroue’s Wheat Belgian Strong Ale (deep and alluring), Abita’s S.O.S. Weizen Pils (a fundraiser for coastal cleanup, it tasted like good intentions and not much else) and Life Oak’s Hefeweizen, a perfect representation of the style.
Five courses — including a generous portion of grouper — five beers, for $50. Not a bad deal. They’re doing this every month, exploring a different style, so stay tuned to their Facebook.
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A restaurant that really respects beer
My colleague Mike Sutter broke some big for beer fans recently: Bryce Gilmore, he of Odd Duck Farm to Trailer at 1219 S. Lamar Blvd. is set to open Barley Swine at 2024 S. Lamar, in the old Pie Slice Bakery. Gilmore tells sitter the place will be “basically a gastro-pub, focusing on beer paired with really good food.”
Just awesome news. Full post is here.
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“Simpsons” trivia at Opal Divine’s tonight
Geeks Who Drink are doing it again tonight at Opal’s Freehouse on W. Sixth St. Entry fee is $5. Press release:
Yellow Fever: a pub quiz devoted entirely to The Simpsons will take place Tuesday, August 17th 2010 - 8pm. at, yep, Opal Divine’s Freehouse on W. 6th Street in downtown Austin. The cost is $5 per person to play with a cash purse awarded to the winning team.
Whatever exactly Ozzie and Harriet or The Ed Sullivan Show was to previous generations, The Simpsons is that and more to anyone born between, say, 1965 and last Thursday. That’s because unlike so many hyperbolized golden age TV series that everyone adjusted their rabbit eared sets to watch, The Simpsons doesn’t suck.
Sure, they’ve had their share of bad seasons. We’re not trying to deny reality, but all told, it’s an American cultural institution that defies niche marketing in an ever-fragmenting media landscape. It’s something everyone at the office and the truck stop and the bail bond agency can agree on. So what better subject to spend an evening answering questions about while imbibing booze?
The Yellow Fever Quiz: will cover everything from the show’s minor characters to the musical numbers, the catch phrases (Oh no! Ay Carumba! Don’t Have a Cow! Worst. Press Release. Ever!) the holiday episodes, the marketing, the movie, the writers and voice actors… anything yellow with four fingers is game!
Teams can and should dress as their favorite Simpsons character. Moe’s next door WILL be serving flaming Mo cocktails and catering the evening.
There WILL be a cash purse for the winning team. The total amount is based on turnout, but expect it to be $250 on the low end and $500 on the high.
About Geeks Who Drink: Each week, Denver-based Geeks Who Drink hosts live pub quizzes at over 80 bars and restaurants throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
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“Marketplace” piece on Stone’s expansion to Europe
It’s here.
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Alamo Drafthouse rules alcohol is dynamite
But then you already knew that, right?
The Lake Creek and S. Lamar locations are also holding, with the indispensable help of A/V geek Skip Elsheimer, a program of the same name Aug 23 and 24. Press release makes it sound like great fun:
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE & SKIP ELSHEIMER PRESENT AV GEEKS: ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE!
A presentation of vintage 16mm films about the great social lubricant
Mon, Aug 23, 7:00PM, Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek Tues, Aug 24, 7:00PM Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar WHO: ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE & SKIP ELSHEIMER PRESENT AV GEEKS: ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE!
Formerly a mild-mannered computer technician, Skip Elsheimer now spends his time and money collecting, archiving and presenting old 16mm educational films. What started as a hobby 15 years ago has blossomed into a magnificent obsession, and the collection has grown to over 23,000 films gathered from school auctions, thrift stores, closets and dumpsters. Elsheimer presents themed film shows, tours occasionally, runs a burgeoning stock footage clearinghouse, and lives the life he loves. He is one of our heroes.
If you’ve never seen an AV Geeks show before, that’s okay. There’s a first time for everything. Expect a program of several amazing, funny and interesting vintage short films in spectacular speckled, scratched 16mm. It’s a damn blast and, well, it’s kinda educational.
WHAT: AV GEEKS: ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE! Vintage 16mm films about the great social lubricant - both pros and cons.
Films include:
CURIOUS HABITS OF MAN (1972) - A puzzling film where a Canadian party overlaps with a nature documentary.
A CASE FOR BEER (early 1970s) - A guide for convenience store owners on how to cash in on beer profits while looking out for under-aged customers.
ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE (1958) - Tragedy-monger Sid Davis demonstrates to teenagers the slippery slope of alcohol and its ability to destroy lives.
…All this liver-lovin’ fun and more is just waiting to be had!
WHEN: MONDAY, AUGUST 23rd, 2010 @ 7:00 PM WHERE: ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE LAKE CREEK 13729 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78750
WHEN: TUESDAY, AUGUST 24th, 2010 @ 7:00 PM WHERE: ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE SOUTH LAMAR 1120 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
LINKS: Advance Tickets- http://www.drafthouse.com/parknorth/shows.php?id=546 AV Geeks Website- http://www.avgeeks.com/ Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SAdrafthouse AV Geeks Blog Post- http://tinyurl.com/3yl49aa
FULL SCHEDULE: 8/22 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Park North (San Antonio, TX) 8/23 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (Austin, TX) 8/24 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (Austin, TX) 8/27 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Mason (Katy, TX)
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Wear your redneck finery to Uncle Billy’s
They’ve got another redneck beer dinner. Details here.
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St. Arnold dinner at Jack Allen’s Kitchen
That was Tuesday night. Chefs Jack Gilmore and Chris TenEyck at Jack’s really put some thought into the pairings, and brewery founder Brock Wagner was on hand to crack jokes and walk us through the beers. Good times, good times.
“Life is too short to drink bad beer,” said the founder of Texas’ oldest craft brewery, which recently moved into new and vastly larger digs. “Plus you only have one liver.”
We started with blue corn-crusted quail with an assertive jalapeno remoulade, the heat cut by St. Arnold’s Fancy Lawnmower, light and well-built with Hallertau hops. Texas Wheat went great with the shrimp and grits, but the surprise of the night was how well the Elissa IPA took the edge off the goat cheese fondue served with the fried green tomatoes.
Entree? A perfect slice of cocoa-crusted beef tenderloin, which tasted like St. Arnold brown was brewed just to be paired with it.
Dessert was a St. Arnold’s root beer float — which is getting kind of hard to find around the usual spots I used to grab it — with Amy’s Mexican Vanilla. It was a fine night. Good show, sirs.
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Jester King to brew with rain water
Great idea, but does that mean if it doesn’t rain we don’t get beer? The news is here.
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HomeField Grill beer and food pairing dinner
That’s the new place in Round Rock that boasts it is the largest restaurant and has the largest beer selection in all of Williamson County. This menu is a cornucopia of wheats, perfect for summer sipping. And they’re going to be doing this every month. Good reason to brave I-35.
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Thirsty Planet kick-off party at Zax
That’s at 6 p.m. Sept. 1. Zax’s Mike Baldwin says they’ll have food, all three of Thirsty Planet’s beers that are currently available — wheat, amber and the attention-grabbing Buckethead IPA. And you get to keep the pint glass.
In other news, Zax Pints and Plates is changing its name to put a stop to longstanding confusion about what sort of place it is. Baldwin says some folks have even read it as “Pints and Pilates.” It’s an exercise-free zone, although they do have volleyball next door. So say hello to a more simply named Zax Restaurant & Bar.
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Sierra Nevada, actual monks to brew new beers
Great Friday news from Chico. Press release:
Chico, CA (08/06/2010)—Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. announced a partnership with the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux to create the only authentic Trappist-style Abbey ales in America.
For nearly 1000 years, monks have been brewing ales behind monastery walls. Their closely guarded traditions and techniques produced styles of beer unlike anything else in the world. These unique Trappist-style Abbey ales are known for their uncompromising quality and compelling flavor. In 2011, Sierra Nevada and the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux are working to bring this centuries-old tradition to America with Ovila—the nation’s only authentic Trappist-style Abbey Ale.
This series of three Belgian -style Abbey ales is made in accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the monks. Each beer will be only be available for a limited time and will rotate through the seasons. The first beer in the series, scheduled for release in March, will be a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed with authentic Trappist yeast. The second beer in the series, scheduled for release in July, will be a Saison, the traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale made in honor of the Monk’s dedication to labor in the fields surrounding their abbey. The third will be released in time for the holidays. It will be a Trappist-style Quadrupel rich with dark fruit flavors and the unique wine-like characters of these strong Abbey ales.
Proceeds from this project will benefit the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux in their efforts to rebuild an architectural marvel—a 12th century, early-gothic Cistercian chapter house—on their grounds in Vina, California a few miles north of Sierra Nevada’s home in Chico. The medieval chapterhouse—Santa Maria de Ovila—was begun in 1190, near the village of Trillo, Spain. Cistercian monks lived, prayed, and worked there for nearly 800 years. In 1931, California newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst purchased the abbey and shipped it to Northern California. Hearst’s plans were never realized, and the stones fell into disrepair. In 1994, the Trappist-Cistercian monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, gained possession of the ruins, and began the painstaking stone-by-stone reconstruction of the historic abbey.
Located in Vina, California, the Abbey of New Clairvaux is a Cistercian Abbey of Strict Observance (Trappist). The abbey was founded in 1955 on 590 acres of Leland Stanford’s famed Vina Ranch. The monks follow the Rule of St. Benedict—Ora est Labora (Prayer and Work) and spend their days in prayer, meditation, and tending to the labor of the working farm located at the abbey.
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s first microbreweries and remains highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and ingredients of the finest quality. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for their line of beers and ales including the flagship Pale Ale, Torpedo, Porter, Stout, Kellerweis, four seasonal beers, Estate Ale, Harvest Ale series and a host of draft-only specialties. ###
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Raise a glass to Jimmy Carter
Yesterday was International Beer Day, and it was noted that the dude who deregulated the beer industry and sparked the craft beer revolution in the U.S. was the man from Plains. More here.
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Sam Adams tasting Tuesday at Alamo Lake Creek
I’m late posting, but this sounds pretty great. Tuesday, 8 p.m., $65 for lots of beers, a multi-course dinner and the chance to bask in the presence of brewmaster Bob Cannon. Details here. Press release:
Here at the Alamo, we are always looking for a good excuse to kick a few back with some friends. Doubly so if those friends also happen to be rockstars of the brewing industry. It’s hard to talk about craft brewing in America without mentioning Sam Adams, who’s always been a leader in the industry while still maintaining the spirit of a craft brewery. Utopias alone is reason enough to praise Jim Koch’s name every night before you lay your head down to sleep. As a part of our devotion to beers with flavor and how they came to be, we are excited to announce a tasting hosted by none other than Sam Adams brewmaster Bob Cannon. You may not recognize the name, but you sure will recognize the epic facial hair he is sporting in all of the Sam Adams commercials. Word on the street is that up to 5% of all Sam Adams is in fact produced by an ultra-craft brewery located inside of Bob’s goatee. The man has forgotten more about brewing beer than most of us will ever learn. And with a puff of Noble hops aroma (which is his trademark), Bob will arrive ready to discuss the beverage of the Gods while we sample various offerings from the Sam Adams catalogue.
The menu will include:
Sam Adams Light
One Boston Lager Stoney Brook Red
Smoked sardines with Boggy creek farms baby arugula and American Kriek vinaigrette
Two Octoberfest Double Bock
Wurst and Cheese Plate
Three New World Tripel Cream Stout
Richardson Farms Pork Belly braised with cherry and pearl onions in Sam Adams Lager with double bock mashed potatoes, roast local squash
Four Imperial Stout American Kriek
Summer Berry Pudding with Stout creme
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Could you open 200 beers this fast?
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Yet another new Texas brewery
The insanity continues. There’s another one in Katy. Anybody heard anything about No Label Brewing Co.?
