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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Real Ale Brewing new beer tasting, and bottling news
Head Brewer Erik Ogershok just filled me in on the most recent updates from the Real Ale Brewery. Here’s what’s brewing:
- A special tasting will take place this Friday (April 1) from 2 to 5 p.m. Here are the details, from the man himself:
“In addition to the two beers from our regular lineup, we will offer tastes of three Mysterium Verum beers. They will be Highlander and two beers that remain unnamed at present. These two beers are not available for sale and this will be the first time we will offer them to the public for sampling. Both of them are wild ales, one using an indigenous wild yeast, the other inoculated with a mixed culture of wild yeast and bacteria. Highlander is currently available as a draft only offering, but the other two beers will not be commercially available for some time.”
Also, the brewery will release the Lost Gold IPA in bottles for the first time in mid-April. Previously only available on draft, Erik tells me that the IPA is one of the most popular seasonal beers, so it has been added to the roster of year-round offerings.
Lastly, the second bottling of their spring/early summer seasonal, Devil’s Backbone will be appearing on shelves in mid-April. The beer is a Belgian-style tripel.
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Dogfish Head Off-Centered Film Fest details
Like SXSW, it’s getting bigger. The bulk of this year’s festivities move from the Alamo Lake Creek to the S. Lamar location, but there’s an intriguing pre-game show at Republic Square Park April 14, when the Alamo’s Rolling Roadshow will screen “Strange Brew” with Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione and local brewers in attendance.
Friday night is the seven-course feast at the Alamo S. Lamar, with each course paired with a vintage or hard-to-find DFH beer. Le menu from le web site:
Course One - Seared Diver Scallop with thai red curry, lotus root, baby chard Beer: Namaste
Course Two - Smoked trout mousse with lemon cucumber, English thyme, spring garlic, cumin cracker Beer: Aprihop
Course Three - Koubes - bulgar wheat shell stuffed with roasted eggplant steamed in mushroom broth with spiced pepper and oregano yoghurt sauces Beer: Midas Touch
Course Four - Smoked quail, ramps, wild mushroom empanada with avocado crema Beer: Pangea
Course Five - Seared bison, chimayo chile posole Beer: Raison D’Etre
Course Six - Cherry and Duck confit, barley risotto, fried shallot Beer: Immort
Course Seven - Bittersweet chocolate ganache in a ginger caramel crisp with candied grapefruit Beer: Fort (vintage)
There’s also a 10:30 p.m. screening of “Wet Hot American Summer” featuring Ken Marino and Joe Lo Truglio of “The State.” (Those two and Calagione were college roommates. Joe and Sam will be on hand for the show.)
Saturday the submitted films screen.
Ticket info and pretty much everything else you need to know is here.
Alamo franchise creative director John Gross said after CEO Tim League returned to the merged movie houses last summer, the boss “was really interested in what we accomplished so far and wanted to expand it.”
Dogfish Head, meanwhile, “wanted to reach out a little more to the local beer community,” Gross said. “That was the impetus for the screening of ‘Strange Brew.’ We’re asking (area brewers) to bring their rare things, cask things, vintage things.”
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Texas well represented in San Francisco World Spirits Competition
A handful of Texas spirits won awards at the recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition. If you are unfamiliar with the competition, here are the basics from the website:
“The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the first comprehensive, international spirits judging ever held in the United States on an annual basis. Celebrating its 11th year of awarding spirits excellence, the 2011 Competition was held at the distinguished Hotel Nikko in downtown San Francisco on March 18, 19, and 20.
A record number of entries, 1106 products from 61 countries, were evaluated by 33 of the finest palates from the spirits industry including twelve new judges. These judging panels were comprised of spirits experts from noted restraurants and hotels, well-known spirits journalists from major national media, spirits buyers for large purveyors, and spirits consultants. Judging is based on a blind, consensual procedure ensuring competitive integrity, making this competition the most reputable and recognized competition in the spirits industry.”
The awarded medals represent a true testament to the quality of the growing Texas distilling scene. Here are your Texas winners for this year:
Vodka
Silver Medal, Cinco The Five Star Vodka, Texas, USA [40%] $28.
Silver Medal, Savvy Vodka, Texas, USA [40%] $20.
Bronze Medal, Enchanted Rock Vodka, Texas, USA [40%] $18.
Flavored Vodka
Gold Medal, Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, Texas, USA [70%] $19.
Dark/Gold rum
Silver Medal, Railean Small Cask Reserve Rum, Texas, USA [40%] $30.
Other Agave Spirits
Bronze Medal, Railean El Perico Blue Agave, Texas, USA [40%] $30.
Small Batch Bourbon (10yrs and younger)
Silver Medal, Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 2008 Vintage, Texas, USA [47%] $78.
Corn Whiskey
Silver Medal, Balcones True Blue Corn Whiskey, Cask Strength, Texas, USA [63%] $50.
Also notable: Local entrepreneur Graham Wasilition’s Tenneyson Absinthe (made in France, distributed through Austin) also won a Gold Medal in the absinthe category.
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