I Love Beer

World's Strongest Beer?

2009-11-27T18:13:00.002-06:00

A Scottish brewery is producing what may be the world's strongest beer: Jeez, THIRTY-TWO PERCENT ABV? Yeesh. Of course, there are some tightasses whining about it. Never mind the fact that whiskey is even stronger.

Mini-Interview With Travis Poling, Beer News

2009-11-25T13:36:00.004-06:00

My semi-monthly beer news column is in this week's Austin Chronicle (which is on the stands today, a day early due to the holiday), as is my mini-interview with Travis Poling, who was at the Draught House recently promoting his new book, Beer Across Texas: A Guide to the Brews and Brewmasters of the Lone Star State, which he coauthored with Paul Hightower. That's Poling in the photo, enjoying something hoppy at Draught House. (photo by me)

If you follow beer blogs and like Texas brews, you're probably familiar with both authors: Poling does the Beer Across Texas blog, and Hightower produces Texas Beer. I recommend the book as a holiday present for the Texas craft beer lover in your life.

Enjoy.

Wanna buy a brewery?

2009-11-18T16:31:00.003-06:00

Looks like Mark Cannon at Eola School is looking to sell. For the unfamiliar: He bought an abandoned schoolhouse out in West Texas near San Angelo that once served a wide spot in the road called Eola, and converted it into a restaurant, hotel, and brewery, which he apparently runs as a one-man show. It'll be too bad if it goes under, because I never got out there to visit. Plus West Texans need good beer.

Tip of the hat to Machuca and other Austin beer bloggers for tipping me off to the eBay listing.

An Anti-Endorsement

2009-11-16T13:16:00.004-06:00

On the whole, I try to keep politics out of this blog, even though my day job is political reporter for Austin's alternative weekly newspaper. Here, I want us take a break from the bitterness that occupies so many other places on the net.

So I'm not gonna use this forum to tell you who to vote for. But I just got some news that compels me to at least tell you who NOT to vote for. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, running for re-election in 2010, just got the endorsement of the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas. Therefore, that makes Perry the enemy of craft beer lovers in Texas.

If you read this blog earlier in the year, you know that WBDT and its lobbyist, Mike McKinney, single-handedly killed off a bill during the 81st Legislative Session that would have allowed microbrewers to sell their product on the premises of the brewery — a sales-boosting opportunity afforded to Texas wineries, but not to beermakers. They also killed a similar bill in 2007 during the 80th session. The wholesalers have a stranglehold on how beer gets from the brewing tanks to you. Understandably, they don't want that stranglehold taken away, but the legislators (and Governor) ought to be serving the public, not the lobby.

So if WBDT is getting whole hog behind Perry, then you can guess how things are gonna go in the unlikely event an on-site sales bill ever reaches his desk.

Now, I'm not going to be disingenuous here: For what it's worth, I'm a big flaming Democrat, and wouldn't vote for Perry anyway. However, I'm not gonna single out one of his opponents for the official I Love Beer endorsement. If you love good beer, vote for whoever you damn well please, just so long as it's not him.

In the Republican primary, Perry is being challenged by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Larry Kilgore, and Debra Medina. In the Democratic primary, declared candidates are Kinky Friedman, Tom Schieffer, and Hank Gilbert, and Farouk Shami is expected to declare soon. Among Libertarians, you have Jeff Daiell, Kenneth Griffith, and Steve Nichols (no relation to yours truly, as far as I know). Fran Cavanaugh is an independent candidate.

It's been rumored that Houston Mayor Bill White might switch from the U.S. Senate race (to replace Hutchison) and jump into the gubernatorial contest. His campaign firmly denies it, but if he did, I think this photo shows why he would quickly jump to the front for my vote.

Black Star Co-op Unveils Brewpub Location

2009-11-12T14:21:00.005-06:00

Exciting news, folks: The Black Star C0-op Brewpub has apparently taken a major step toward transitioning from really neat idea to an actual physical business. On Saturday, they'll host a preview event of what will eventually be their brewpub in the new Crestview Station Midtown Commons development. Sadly, I can't make it, but I'm real fired up about the location, because it's within stumbling distance of my house. Pictured is an aerial rendering of what Crestview Station will look like when it's done; now just imagine a member-owned brewpub in the middle of that.

Toast Fail

2009-11-10T11:39:00.002-06:00

From my very favorite blog, Failblog.org

see more Epic Fails

More beers added to Draught House Party

2009-11-07T08:21:00.004-06:00

I just got an e-mail saying that these beers have been added to the Draught House 41st anniversary party (see post below):

Bear Republlic Racer 5 (cask)
New Belgium Eric's Ale
New Belgium Transatlantique Kreik
(512) Bruin, which will be randallized with Centennial hops
Avery Duguna IPA
Bear Republic Mach 10

gates open @ 1pm
come out and try a Black and Tan cupcake!

Blowout 41st Anniversary at Draught House

2009-11-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

The Draught House will be celebrating its 41st birthday on Saturday with an insane number of fantastic beers, more than any normal human could drink in a day (of course, I suspect I have some superhuman readers).

UPDATE: I was just told that Travis E. Poling, creator of the Beer Across Texas blog, will be at this event to sign copies of his new book of the same name. He coauthored the "guide to the brews and brewmasters of the Lone Star State" with Paul W. Hightower, creator of the Texas Beer blog.

It's time for us to celebrate our longevity again with a big party. We are excited to present a number of special and cask ales to be enjoyed during the festivities. We offer...

Draught-
Our own House made Double IPA,as fresh as it gets with 3 pounds per barrel of American Hops.
Stone Cali-Belgique- a Belgian IPA hybrid
Stone Self Righteous- a Black IPA

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid- big 'ol Imperial IPA
Dogfish Head 120- the biggest IPA of all time?
Live Oak Treehugger- the 3 year old Barley Wine that we all miss...
New Belgium Tart Lychee-3 year old, aged in oak, blended sour ale with lychee and ceylon cinnamon.

Cask-
Brooklyn Pennant- classic English Pale Ale
New Belgium Hoptoberfest- hopped up blond ale
Green Flash Hop Head Red- Red IPA?
Green Flash West Coast IPA- the pinnacle of American IPA's

Allagash Curieux- bourbon barrel aged Triple
Saint Arnold Christmas Ale- probably my favorite SA beer. Very rich and great on cask
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye- excellent rye IPA only made better on cask.

Real Ale Firemans #4- this beer rocks out of the firkin.

these beers can be sampled for $2 each in a commemorative glass
this list will probably increase over the next 2 weeks....

Additionally we have

DJ Jubal spinning a classic soul set from his vast collection of vinyl
Beer trivia games with prizes sponsored by Austin Homebrew Supply
Bourbon and Coke Pork chops on a stick
Jerk Chicken on a stick
Veggie Kabob with mint and yogurt

Saturday Nov. 7th from 1pm-10pm
4112 Medical Pkwy
Austin Texas

78756
www.draughthouse.com
check us on twitter!

Killing Bats = Bad Karma

2009-11-03T17:44:00.004-06:00

The Freetail Brewing Company press release below is a lot more charitable about San Antonio Spurs star Manu Genobli killing a bat that was delaying a game than I am. Learn something about the region in which you live, Genobli. A bat is not a "just a mouse with wings" — bats eat the 5 zillion @#$%ing mosquitoes that can make life a living hell in Texas. We need them, a lot more than we need rich sports stars. I wish the damn thing had bitten him. Or at least, I hope the next time he tries to relax on the back porch of his no doubt lavish house, he gets swarmed by hungry mosquitoes.

UPDATE: Ha ha, I just heard on the news that he has to get a series of rabies shots.

FREETAIL BREWING CO. OFFERS PEACE BETWEEN MANU GINOBILI AND AREA BATS

Locally owned and operated brewpub seeks to draw attention to the value of Mexican Free-tailed Bats

(November 2, 2009) San Antonio, TX – Immediately after Spurs superstar and San Antonio hero Manu Ginobili killed a bat that had twice delayed the basketball team’s game versus the Sacramento Kings, Freetail Brewing Co. has announced it is willing to broker a peace accord between the veteran guard and area flying mammals.

“Mexican Free-tailed Bats are an important part of our local eco-system and the Texas State Legislature has in fact recognized this by naming them the Official Flying Mammal of Texas. Many people may not realize that the San Antonio area is home to the largest population of Mexican Free-tailed bats in the world,” said Freetail Brewing Co. Founder and CEO Scott Metzger. “A single bat can eat up to eight times its body weight of pesky insects in a single night, making them a vital asset to area residents who love sitting on the patio, enjoying a beer and taking in Texas’s beautiful vistas.”

“I don’t think it was a big deal,” Ginobili said, later adding, “It’s just a mouse with wings.”

Metzger has a difference of opinion. “While I don’t think Manu has any interest in stomping on bluebonnets, burning pecan trees, or spitting on the Alamo – I think he should recognize how important these creatures are to our area,” adding that he would love to see Ginobili contribute to Bat Conservation International which owns Bracken Cave, home to over 20 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats.

Metzger had a final message for Ginobili, saying “We know Manu is a great citizen of San Antonio, and we look forward to seeing him fly for more dunks while the bats fly through our skies at night.”

Freetail Brewing Co. is founded on the pursuit of creating exciting, innovative and unique world class beers and wood-fired gourmet pizzas. We embrace the laid back and fun-loving South Central Texas culture and set out to create products that mirror the lifestyle of our diverse and rapidly growing community. We believe in promoting an increased appreciation of craft beer and its responsible enjoyment. We believe in going above and beyond customer expectations not only through our products, but also through exceptional customer service. We believe in providing a dining and leisure experience unmatched in the local community. And in case you didn’t get it the first time… we believe in having fun.
For more information visit www.freetailbrewing.com.

Bike Pub Crawl

2009-11-01T19:05:00.002-06:00

Now this is right up my alley. I'm trying to save up some cash for my wife's 40th birthday blowout, but I may have to join at least some of this.

Perhaps this is how I'll console myself for missing Wurstfest this year.

New Records!

2009-11-01T18:55:00.002-06:00

This post is for statistics geeks only.

The effect of the "In the Can" video continues: A month after boosting me to new records in September, now October has blown those marks away. September's new mark for hits in a month was 5,208, but October more than doubled it: 10,596.

My all-time record for page views was 7,279 last October. This October raised it to 13,009.

Yes, I'm a hit whore. Let's drink a toast to Google.

A Sad Sight

2009-10-30T19:11:00.006-05:00

Look and weep, northwest Austinites. This is all that remains of the once-mighty beer selection at Grape Vine Market's Austin location, which is closing soon. There's still some good Belgian stuff available, if you get down there, including a whole bunch of Grotten Brown from the Pierre Celis Collection. (The liquor pickings are pretty much gone, though. All that's left in the whiskey section is either undrinkable swill or stuff too expensive for me, even on sale.) All beer is 15% off, liquor 25%, wine 30%. I'm gonna miss this place.

Hmm … Not What I'd Stock in My Bar

2009-10-27T09:03:00.004-05:00

A nice bit of photography sent to me from the Pub Knight. Ignore those inferior beers to the right and bottom — I'm sure the goblets are filled with something Belgian.

Big Beer Weekend

2009-10-23T10:41:00.012-05:00

Truly, the fall beer season is upon us. Lots of stuff to do this weekend in Austin. Everything listed is Saturday, except the NXNW event, which is Saturday and Sunday.

Oktoberfest at North by Northwest: My ideal event. Bouncy houses and stuff for the kids, awesome beer, oom-pah music, and German food for me.
The Second Annual Beer Festival at the Flying Saucer: Not so kid-friendly, but maybe the place to go if you don't want kids underfoot? Fantastic beer selection this year.
Independence Brewing's Fifth Anniversary Party: Drink local! They'll be unveiling some new beers, including Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout and a Fifth Anniversary Beer. And bands in the evening.
Oktoberfest at Ginger Man Pub: The first time they've done this. Featuring eight Oktoberfest beers, games, live music and authentic German food.
Oktoberfest in Waterloo Park: Don't know much about this, but thanks to Craft Austin for tipping me off.

And that's all just a warm-up for Wurstfest in New Braunfels, beginning next weekend!

Oktoberfest/fall seasonals I've tried so far:

Live Oak Oaktoberfest: Delicious. Had it at Hyde Park Bar & Grill.
North by Northwest Oktoberfest: Delicious.
Boulevard's Bob's 47 Oktoberfest: Delicious, and seems to get better every year.
Real Ale Oktoberfest: Shockingly disappointing. Very mediocre, a rare let-down from one of my favorite breweries. Had it at Draught House.
Spaten Oktoberfest: Awful. What was I thinking? As soon as I saw it was in green bottles I should have walked away. Probably good on draft, but don't buy it in the store.
Saint Arnold Oktoberfest: Best of the bunch. Oh damn, I love this stuff. As good as those others are, this has a richness that puts them a bit above the rest. Unsurprisingly, they were out last night at Draught House.
New Belgium Hoptober: A really hoppy golden ale, but still has that same kind of richness as the Oktoberfest stuff. Imagine a fall IPA, if you will. This is the best of the fall seasonals in my opinion and really raises the bar for a brewery that already was a standard-setter.
Abita Satsuma Harvest Wit: I never thought of wit as a fall beer, but this is harvest time for Louisiana satsuma oranges, so I guess "harvest" depends on what your local crop is. This very citrusy wit has been a wonderful find for me this year, as I've finally started developing a taste for wits. This is part of Abita's Harvest trio, the others being a Pecan Harvest and Strawberry Harvest. That Pecan Harvest intrigues me; I'll have to go grab some.
Real Ale Coffee Porter: I've been drinking gallons of this lately, as this previously draft-only seasonal is now available in bottles. And a scoop I just got last night: This will be the cask offering at today's Firkin Friday at the Draught House (begins 3pm). Oh man, as much as I love this out of the bottle, I suspect the cask will blow my mind. I'm there.

How Bad Do You Want a Beer?

2009-10-22T16:16:00.000-05:00

Message from Flying Saucer Austin:

Hey Beer Knurds!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

WHAT? FLYING SAUCER 2009 FALL BEER FESTIVAL

WHEN? Saturday, October 24

SHIFT: 4:00 pm to 10 pm

WHERE? The Triangle park, 46th and Lamar

WHY? We are in need of volunteers to pour beer, man the dunking booth and serve snow cones

WHAT YOU WILL GET: Saucer tee shirt, voucher for a free brat and beer of your choice from the pint tent at the end of your shift

To SIGN UP as a volunteer please call 214-969-9321 x228 or email:
diane@anotherplanet.com, with your name, daytime phone number and address.

Once you sign up, you will receive an email with more detailed instructions.
Deadline to register is this Friday, Oct. 23. Please sign up today!

Flying Saucer

47th at Lamar, Austin, TX

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: FlyingSaucerAus
http://www.beerknurd.com

Baking and Beer With Miso Hungry

2009-10-20T16:09:00.002-05:00

I met Jennie Chen at Uncle Billy's recently. She does a really fun blog about cooking with alcohol, including lots of stuff with beer (including some great cupcakes made with 512 Pecan Porter). Check this event out if you have time:

Hi Brewers and Beer Connoisseurs,

I would like to invite you to the October's Addie's Eat-up event. It will be a Cooking and Baking with beer event. It is set for Oct. 22nd, 6-8 pm at the Draught House. I'll be giving a short talk and discussion about baking and cooking with beer as well as beer pairings. The Eat-up is casual and open to the public.

Tentative menu items include: Live Oak Hefeweizen Lemon Curd, Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale Bread, (512) Brewing Pecan Porter Chocolate Bread, (512) Brewing Pecan Porter Brownies, and possibly Brooklyn Brewery Pumpkin Chocolate Cake. Links to some recipes below.

http://misohungrynow.blogspot.com/2009/10/great-american-beer-fest-7-512-brewing.html

http://misohungrynow.blogspot.com/2009/09/beer-bread-recipe-breakdown.html

http://misohungrynow.blogspot.com/2009/10/brooklyn-brewery-pumpkin-ale-chocolate.html
Here's the link to the event. Hope to see ya there! http://www.facebook.com/events.php?ref=sb#/event.php?eid=177693931310&index=1

Jennie

BREAKING NEWS: Grape Vine Market's Austin location closing

2009-10-17T17:03:00.005-05:00

I am despondent. I was just told by staff there that the Grape Vine Market location in Austin is closing. This makes me really sad; ever since I moved into the Crestview neighborhood, it has been one of my favorite places to buy alcohol. Great whiskey selection, tons of wine, amazing beer offerings, and very good customer service. I also have a Spec's equal distance from my house, which has really cheap prices (which I suspect is why Grape Vine is closing), but the selection just isn't quite as good as GVM, and the staff doesn't seem quite as knowledgeable.

The silver lining: The Austin location is having a liquidation sale beginning Monday, so this would be the time to go grab that really expensive Belgian ale or fancy bottle of scotch you've been wanting.

This Could Definitely Sway My Vote

2009-10-15T12:18:00.004-05:00

Yes, that's Houston Mayor (and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate) Bill White holding a T-shirt from his hometown brewery. Okay, John Sharp, how are you gonna counter to get the beer snob demographic back on your side? (picture from Saint Arnold's Facebook page)

Oktoberfest at Zax

2009-10-05T14:56:00.003-05:00

I can't make it to this, which pains me greatly. I bet that cask of Oaktoberfest will be awesome. Maybe you should go and tell me how it was. Zax Pints & Plates is at 312 Barton Springs Road here in Austin.

Oktoberfest Party
Thursday October 8 from 7-10

Break out the Lederhosen and join us here at Zax for the 5th Annual Oktoberfest Party. The party kicks off at 7:00 with a traditional tapping of a cask of Live Oak Oaktoberfest. Get here early and enjoy some of this specially prepared brew while it lasts.

In addition we will feature music from the New Austin Polka Band, Live Oak Beer Brats from Austin's own Smokey Denmark, as well as some other great local and German Oktoberfest beers

A new record!

2009-10-05T14:18:00.004-05:00

People who find statistics boring should out-click now:

I set a new all-time record for visitors in a month in September: 5,208, driven mainly by people searching for the "In the Can" Bud Light Lime ad, which currently accounts for about 75% of my visitors. My previous high was October 2008, which had 5,022.

However, people aren't necessarily sticking around to read my brilliant prose: For the first time, the number of visitors ranking doesn't match the page views ranking. The 6,754 page views only ranks fourth all time. The current record is still that same October 2008, with 7,279 views.

Eh. I guess I can't expect people doing searches for Bud Light Lime to hang around this blog for long.

I'm a bad Texas beer blogger

2009-10-05T14:09:00.005-05:00

Yes, last week was "Drink Texas Beer Week" or something like that. And no, I did not make a single mention of it. Sorry, I was just too busy with other parts of my life. But hey, you Texans don't need to be told that some great beer is being brewed in our state. Especially this one.

Latest Austin Beer News

2009-10-01T08:34:00.001-05:00

My new beer news column in The Austin Chronicle now has a name: "Lee's Beer Flight."

Beer Snob Humor

2009-09-19T18:13:00.004-05:00

Yet another brilliant bit of prose from Frank Kelly Rich of Modern Drunkard magazine, mocking all of us pretentious beer assholes: http://drunkard.com/issues/01-05/0105-beer-snobbery.htm

Okay, it's time for me to finally subscribe to his mag.

Irony

2009-09-19T17:12:00.002-05:00

I just had a huge spike in hits over the past couple of days, and it's clearly due to people searching for that "Bud Light Lime in the can" video ad, which I recently posted. Which of course is hilarious, because I'll likely never allow Bud Light Lime to pass my lips. Or, as Bull E. Vard put it: I think I'd literally rather have it in the can than drink a Bud Light Lime.

Divine Reserve No. 9 Already in the Works

2009-09-19T09:03:00.003-05:00

Ronnie Crocker over at the Houston Chronicle has the scoop: Saint Arnold is already working on Divine Reserve No. 9, an Imperial Stout Pumpkin Ale scheduled for November or December release. That sounds crazy.