Monthly Archives: May 2008

American Craft Beer Week 2008 Kicks Off in Washington D.C.

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American Craft Beer Week 2008

(Washington D.C.) – It is American Craft Beer Week and there are surprisingly few major events going on across the country. In Massachusetts, for instance, there are only two registered American Craft Beer Week events, one by Harpoon and one by Boston Beer Co. Most of the fun will be taking place right in Washington D.C. this week with the Brickskeller, the NBWA/BREWERS Legislative Conference, and Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience marking the occasion.

Charlie Papazian, Founder of the American Brewers Association, talks about the conference and the Savor event at his blog so I won’t go into depth on those here. Just know that the list of brewers who will be in attendance at Savor is impressive (see link).

Next best to Savor is the Brickskeller’s Lupulin Reunulin event May 12-14. The Five Guys and a Barrel team responsible for contributing to and brewing Lost Abbey Isabelle Proximus will be on hand (on Monday?) to share that beer and others. Each brewery will have something there including Allagash Tripel Roselaire, Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, and others. Cost is $35.

There’s a big event taking place in Aarhus, Denmark (for our Denmark readers!) this week as well: Ølfestival (beerfestival) in Aarhus

Russian River Brewing provides Consecration and Pliny the Elder update

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Russian River Pliny the Elder

[Please see update on Russian River Brewing expansion and Pliny the Elder bottle release to take place in July here]

(Santa Rosa, CA) – Russian River Brewing issued an update on Russian River Consecration, the newest beer in the barrel-aged series that we first reported on this past Friday. As Jay Brooks reported yesterday after his trip to the new brewery, the first beer officially brewed at the new brewery was Consecration (Batch 002). Brooks reported that the second batch would be slightly different from the first as it is brewed with bitter orange peel though Natalie Cilurzo, Co-Owner, makes it sound as if the second batch was brewed with black currants (like Batch 001). Color us confused. As far as release dates are concerned, batch 001 was made at the brewpub a while back and is still anyone’s guess (2nd half 2008). Batch 001 was a test batch released only at the brewpub a while back. Batch 002 should be a late Q1 2009 release (around March).

We also discovered that they brewed the first batch of Russian River Pliny the Elder to appear in bottles. The beer should go out in bottles next month.

Weyerbacher Alpha to be tapped at The Drafting Room on May 15

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Weyerbacher Alpha Brewer\'s Select Series - courtesy of Weyerbacher Brewing

(Spring House and Exton, PA) – Here is the first look at Weyerbacher Alpha, the first beer in the new Brewer’s Select Series, set to be tapped at both Drafting Room locations this coming Thursday at 6pm. The Belgian Tripel should be released in bottles around that time as well though the specifics aren’t yet known. Keep checking The Beeryard website for updates.

Midnight Sun Brewing lot leads FredFest 2008 auction with $300 bid

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Midnight Sun Brewing FredFest 2008 beers - courtesy of Liquid Solutions

(Oregon City, OR) – Quick update on the FredFest 2008 auction hosted by Liquid Solutions going on this weekend. We are at the halfway point on the auctions and the Midnight Sun Brewing lot pictured above leads with a $300 bid placed by Jimbowood. The Hair of the Dog Dave bottles, which were brewed 14 years ago, are going for $175 to $200 apiece. Will any of these auctions hit $500?

Lost Abbey Isabelle Proximus due late June, more Angel’s Share in December

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Lost Abbey Angel\'s Share - courtesy of The Lost Abbey and Port Brewing


(San Marcos, CA) – Tomme Arthur, Brewmaster at The Lost Abbey and Port Brewing, updated his Brewer’s Log on Friday, noting some interesting developments at the brewery over the past few months. Mixed in the shuffle were two updates for which we’ve been waiting:

The highly anticipated Isabelle Proximus was launched. It turned into an amazing beer and we can’t wait to get the barrels reloaded and make more. The beer has been labeled and should see the light of day in late June- just in time for the summer swelter.

In February we acquired more oak barrels. Specifically, we added 100 new Brandy barrels and 50 more Bourbon barrels. Since then, we have filled 50 Brandy Barrels of Angel’s Share which we hope to release in time for Christmas. We’ll be filling the other 50 in the next month.

Just to clarify, Lost Abbey Isabelle Proximus has not yet been released in bottles. The beer, however, was made available for the Five Guys and a Barrel event (pics) and for the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego last month. The bad news is that the bottle release will be delayed until late June. The good news is that the Arthur implies that the beer won’t just be a one-off. This potentially means that the beer may see some distribution in the long-term. [note: Joris of Babblebelt.com wrote a nice piece last month summarizing the back story of the beer and some legal controversy surrounding its name.]

It also appears as though Lost Abbey The Angel’s Share may see some distribution in the future with the purchase of 100 new brandy barrels. And it looks like Arthur has plans to brew up another batch for aging in bourbon barrels as well.

One thing that is confusing from this post is that he says that the Lost Abbey Inferno Ale label is not yet finished yet the beers have already been released. Will the label be getting a facelift?

To read the full post, which includes more info on new equipment and a humorous reference to a recent eBay listing, click over to the official blog.

Russian River Consecration becomes the newest beer in barrel-aged lineup

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Russian River Consecration front label - courtesy of Russian River Brewing

2/14 Update: The beer was released early and is now available in bottles in California stores.

Update 1 and Update 2 (most recent)

(Santa Rosa, CA) – Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey isn’t the only recent World Beer Cup Champion quietly working on new beers. We discovered late last night that fellow champ, Vinnie Cilurzo, has a new one resting in barrels over at Russian River Brewing. All signs point to Russian River Consecration being released in 375 mL bottles sometime in 2008. [update: 1st batch should be released in March/spring 2009]

Russian River Consecration back label - courtesy of Russian River BrewingAccording to the label, Russian River Toronado 20th Anniversary Ale inspired this new beer. From the brewery’s website:

Consecration is a dark Belgian style ale aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Not only do we use Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococcus, we also add currants to beer while it is aging in the barrels.

By the time the beer is released, it will have been aged for nine months.

Meanwhile, Jay Brooks of The Brookston Beer Bulletin also featured the brewery in a post last night showcasing Russian River La Fleurette, a very “floral” offering now available on tap at the pub. Brooks got pictures of the whole brewing process (we’re linking to him a lot in this post because his blog IS that damn good).

Lastly, Brooks mentions that the new brewery may be operating “any day now.”

Beernews.org Friday Weekly Round-up: Stl Brewers Fest, FredFest 2008, and Portsmouth Kate the Great

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2008 St. Louis Brewers Festival - photo courtesy of stlbrewersfest.com

Another beer week is in the books! The week’s stories are noted below beginning with two big events taking place this weekend. See below.

Beer Auctions and Events:

1. Hair of the Dog Dave, rare beers highlight FredFest 2008 auction.

2. St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival takes place this weekend.

3. Founders Brewing finally released some non-beer details about Founders Fest 2008.



New beer releases, announcements, and approvals

1. (Partial) Portsmouth Kate the Great release details were announced.

2. Avery Fifteen was released.

3. New Cadillac Mountain Stout 6-packs hit store shelves.

4. Terrapin Roggenrauchbier got label approval; it will be Terrapin Side Project beer #2.

5. Flying Dog Brewing released Flying Dog Kerberos, a Belgian Pale Ale.

6. Baron Brewing released its first beer in the Brothers Grimm Series: Baron Seven Swabians Eisbock.

7. We revealed that Great Divide Brewing will get an image enhancement this year.



General News:

1. The guy who made the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer coffin overtook the beer news spotlight for the week.

Terrapin Roggenrauchbier is Terrapin Side Project beer #2

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Terrapin Roggenrauchbier - courtesy of Terrapin Beer Co

[Update: This beer is available as of 6/19]

(Athens, GA) – Terrapin Beer Co. just got label approval on its second beer as part of the Terrapin Side project. The label bills this next one-off as “a combination of a Roggenbier and Rauchbier, two German classics;” as a result, there will be both rye and smoke flavors in this beer. The German Beer Institute sites gives some good information on both styles. A release date has not yet been revealed.

Terrapin Hop Shortage Ale, the first beer in the series, has received warm reviews on Beer Advocate.

Hair of the Dog Dave, rare beers highlight FredFest 2008 auction

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Hair of the Dog Dave Midnight Sun M Hair of the Dog Adambier

(Oregon City, OR) – Online beer retailer, Liquid Solutions, is in charge of running what will go down as one of the biggest beer auctions of the year. All proceeds from the Fredfest 2008 auction will go to Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon in honor of the late beer writer, Michael Jackson. The event started as a surprise birthday for Fred Eckhardt, the Dean of American Beer Writers (link?), according to OregonLive’s John Foylston. Highlighting the auctions are some truly special beers including three bottles of the elusive Hair of the Dog Dave, now the #2-rated beer in the world on RateBeer. Some of the other bottles involved:

  • Westvleteren 12 1997 – #1 beer according to both RateBeer and Beer Advocate


  • Rodenbach Alexander 1991 – Unranked at RateBeer but would place in the top 50 (or 100 if you factor in other retired beers)


  • Midnight Sun M (retired) – Same as Rodenbach Alexander


  • Anchor Brewing Michael Jackson’s 60th Birthday Beer – never reviewed


  • Hair of the Dog Adambier


There is a lot more up for bid from various breweries. Bidding starts on Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday. See the official website for more information.

Great Divide Brewing to change its look?

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Great Divide Denver Pale Ale
Great Divide Denver Pale Ale 04 version Great Divide Denver Pale Ale 07 version


(Denver, CO) – It appears as though Great Divide Brewing is set to change its image for the third time in four years. Pictured at lower left is the label for Great Divide Denver Pale Ale back in 2004. The one pictured at lower right is the look with which most of us are familiar as it has been featured for the past few years.

The question is whether the new look will only apply to Denver Pale Ale, DPA and the other flagship brands, or eventually apply to their entire lineup. Given that the labels for Whiskey-Aged Yeti and Old Ruffian are aligned with the current scheme, we expect that the new label will be “tested” in the local market and possibly rolled out later next year for Great Divide’s other brands. For what our money is worth, we like the change.

On a side note, the brewery released its newsletter with no mention of the new whiskey-aged beers. It’s likely that they will be released in the second half of 2008.

Upcoming Beer Releases List launched (but still in-progress)

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I estimate that this is 20%? complete but I said that I would have a list up last night/this morning so here it is. Expect a revamped list in a different format within a week or two with links, etc. I am certain that this will be the most up-to-date list for upcoming beer releases very soon.

The column to the right are just some random informative notes. Again, this list will be revamped over the next week or two!

BREAKING: Portsmouth Kate the Great update

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Portsmouth Brewery(Portsmouth, NH) – Portsmouth brewer, Tyler Jones, has updated his blog with news on Portsmouth Kate the Great availability. There will only be ten cases of bombers at the brewery on June 24th and 25th. A maximum of five cases of the imperial stout will be available each morning until the rest of the supply is gone. The beer gets tapped at 2:27 pm on June 24.

Founders Brewing reveals Founders Fest 2008 details

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Founders Brewing(Grand Rapids, MI) – Another quick update as this just caught my eye. Unfortunately no beer details yet, but save the date: Founders Brewing announced that Founders Fest 2008 will take place on June 21 from 3pm to 11pm. The event will be an outdoors beer and music festival this year for the first time. More details can be found at the brewery’s Myspace page.

Beer notes Part III: Cadillac Mountain Stout update

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Cadillac Mountain Stout - Courtesy of Bar Harbor Brewing[Update: Upcoming Beer Release "Calendar" will be uploaded late tonight!! Some of you will see it posted by the time you wake up on Wednesday. There should be over 200 beers on the list if not more for this first run. Note that most of the dates are just estimates provided by brewers given the nature of the business but we hope to refine it over time.]

Cadillac Mountain Stout 6-packs have finally arrived in Maine. As we mentioned before, ownership changed hands after the start of the year and the beer will, at the least, see some subtle changes as a result. Beer Advocate veteran, WickedPete, was able to clear up some of the confusion as to how Bar Harbor Brewing’s beers are being produced. According to new owner, Andre Lozano:

Cadillac Stout, Thunder Hole, and Harbor Lighthouse ARE being contracted at Geary’s using Geary’s labor, water, and yeast (Geary’s wouldn’t let them bring in new yeast). The fruit beers are being made at their facility. The new beers are filtered and not bottle conditioned.

It is a considerable change for a beer listed in the top 60 in the world at Beer Advocate. Some are scrounging up any old Cadillac Mountain Stout bombers from the original production facility left over on store shelves in fear that the beer has undergone extensive changes. It will certainly be interesting to see the reviews from this point going forward; will people give the ‘new’ beer a fair shot?

Other notes:

  • Deschutes Brewery has finally made Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale available in the Dallas/Fort Worth area starting this week.
  • Flying Dog Kerberos, a Belgian-style Tripel, has also hit store shelves in select markets this week.

Beer Notes Part II: FredFest 2008, Weyerbacher’s new line, Victory Brewing re-opens

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Victory Brewing

The Beeryard, based in Pennsylvania, reported two interesting tidbits recently. First, Victory Brewing just completed renovations that it began back in February and is set to re-open the restaurant this Wednesday morning, May 7. Additionally, fellow Pennsylvania brewery, Weyerbacher, will be starting a super-limited production of a series of “Brewers Choice” beers that will be available at the brewery during Saturday tours. The first release will be a Belgian Pale Ale in mid-May. Each beer in the series will be limited to 50-60 cases.

Hair of the Dog Fred Fest 2008 will be taking place this upcoming Saturday, May 10 from 2pm to 6pm. Tickets are $50 (according to the brewery website but $20 or $25 at Ratebeer, hmm) for the event which features 16 breweries on tap. The tap list can be found at the RateBeer event page. Some of the highlights are Hair of the Dog Cask Fred and Deschutes Coffee infused 20K Imperial Bourbon Porter. Additionally, there is both a silent auction and an online auction associated with the event in which breweries contibute some rare bottles out of their collections. In honor of Michael Jackson, Hair of the Dog will donate proceeds to Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon.

The St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival begins on Friday (technically Thursday because of a beer dinner) and is a three (or four) day event. 60 beers will be available from area brewers, including the likes of O’Fallon and Schlafly. Click over to the official site for more details.

Captain Lawrence Brewing will be holding its 2nd Anniversary Party next Saturday, May 17 from noon-6pm. Tickets are $20 per person. More info here.

Lastly, Avery Brewing will be holding another Maharaja Double IPA release party this Friday from 4 to 7pm. Tickets are $10 apiece. More info is available at the website.

Man creates Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can coffin

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Pabst Blue Ribbon(South Chicago Heights, IL) – While I was working on tonight’s post, I found this little treasure over the wire. A man in Illinois has built what the Associated Press is calling a “beer can coffin” (a.k.a. a silver coffin with a 2 piece plastic PBRlabel on top of it). Click on the USA Today link above for the image.

I’d be surprised if this hasn’t caught on in the sports world yet: nicely matted two piece labels of your favorite team that you can easily apply to the top of a coffin. Fatheads caught on, right? Those giant life-size things you stick up on your wall… On a side note, I wonder how much a Dark Lord one would go for on eBay.

Either way, I feel warm inside knowing that the last sight his loved ones will see of him as his coffin is lowered into the ground is a giant Pabst Blue Ribbon sticker.

Beer notes Part I: Avery Fifteen update, Maui Brewing, Baron Brewing, and a new Gouden Carolus

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Avery Fifteen Anniversary Ale - Courtesy of Avery BrewingAvery Fifteen, the Anniversary Ale commemorating Avery Brewing’s 15th birthday, was originally slated for release much later but will now be released this coming week (beginning Monday). Those who were lucky enough to get to the release party on Wednesday were able to pick up some bottles already. Refer to our first post for more information about the beer.

Maui Brewing - Courtesy of Maui BrewingMaui Brewing just began releasing its beers in California exclusively through BevMo according to a press release last week. The brewery is distributing to 33 stores for now. Two of the three available beers, Maui CoCoNut Porter, Maui Big Swell IPA, and Maui Bikini Blonde Lager, won medals at the 2008 World Beer Cup as well (not the Big Swell).

Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor - Courtesy of Het AnkerBrouwerij Het Anker may be shipping a new beer to the U.S. in the near future. Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor may be available in certain spots in Belgium already but reader, Austin of the “Hey, Beer Guy” blog, was able to try a bottle at The Map Room in Chicago recently. The description reads like it is a lightly hopped Belgian Pale Ale. Refer to the link above for the meaning behind the name.

baron-grimm-brothers-series-seven-swabiansFinally, little known German beer specialist, Baron Brewing, out of Seattle, held a release party for Baron Seven Swabians Eisbock today. The beer also went on sale in limited quantities on May 1. In addition, Baron recently revealed its plans to continue a series of big beer releases under the Grimm Brothers line. The full list is available at the official website (linked above).

Beernews.org Friday Weekly Round-up: From DLD 2008 to Anniversary Parties

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courtesy of Lost AbbeyFor those of you who have not been following beernews.org on a regular basis since its inception, here are a just a few articles to wet your palettes (a.k.a. things we’ve been tracking). Click on the Archives links on the lower left to see what else we’ve been posting…

Founders Imperial Stout and Porter to make long-awaited return in 08

Mott sets June-July timetable for Portsmouth Kate the Great” [Posted back in March; he's since set a June 24 release date]

Southern Tier Creme Brulee and Cherry Saison get approval

Deschutes to release Black Butte XX as part of its Special Reserve Series in June.


Beer stories of the week:



General News:

1. Dark Lord Day 2008 troubles overshadow spirit of the event

2. Magic Hat purchases Pyramid Brewing.

3. Dogfish Head continues to makes its way around California after a years-long absence (90 Minute IPA, Palo Santo Marron, and Midas Touch for now)

4. Rumors started floating around on the BA forums that the new Toronado pub will open up in San Diego on May 24.

5. A fast food restaurant, Iowa Castle, started selling beer at its drive-through window … and then stopped five days later.




New beer releases/announcements:

1. Struise Black Albert bottles and Pannepot Cafe to arrive in US this summer

2. Announced that a number of Rogue beers are coming out later in 2008.

3. Ommegang Rouge will become Brewery Ommegang’s first Flemish sour red ale when it goes on tap later this year.


Events:

1. Homebrewers around the globe will celebrate Big Brew tomorrow, a.k.a. National Homebrew Day. Click over to the Brewers’ Association for more info.

2. Port Brewing 2nd Anniversary with the release of Port Brewing Cuvee de Tomme and others

3. New England Real Ale Exhibition concludes tomorrow (Saturday)

4. Cambridge Brewing 19th Anniversary with 19+ beers on tap Friday and Saturday

5. Deschutes opens its Portland Pub in grand style on Friday night.

6. Great Taste of the Midwest 2008 tickets go on sale at select locations at noon on Sunday.

What’s Hot in the Beer Forums This Week

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Join in on some of the week’s busiest discussions:

Beer Advocate:

Winner of the Week:
Beer Snobs Are Their Own Double-Edged Sword

If you could have a beer with anyone? Who would It be and why?

Why are BMC’s so hated, by so many?

Anheuser-Busch launches Bud Light Lime

Ratebeer:

Dark Lord – worth the hype or no?

Oaked Dark Lord Retired?

Best American IPA?

Cambrige Brewing Co. celebrates 19th Anniversary with Blunderbuss Barleywine, Cerise Cassee, others

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Cambridge Brewing Company

Cambridge Brewing Co. is holding its 19th anniversary party tonight with an incredible draught list and dinner specials. According to General Manager, Chris Punis, “Owner Phil Bannatyne founded CBC (the oldest craft-brewery in the greater Boston area) in late 1988 and after 6 months of personally piecing together the restaurant, kitchen and brewery [...], he opened the CBC, officially, on the first Friday of May, 1989.” This also marks the 15th year that Will Meyers has been Brewmaster. It is a two-day event running from 5pm-1am today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) though some beers may run out on the first night. The tap list can be found at the Cambridge Brewing Co. website.

Between this and the New England Real Ale Exhibition (NERAX), Boston may just be the place to be this weekend.