Beer Blotter

People worldwide have participated in the world’s largest annual beer festival for more than 200 years, since its inception in 1810. But because most of your readers will not be able to travel to Munich for this year’s “Oktoberfest” (Sept. 17 – Oct. 3), head to Fremont for the annual Fremont Oktoberfest!

This year, you can expect a beer tasting tent, a beer garden and tons to do with the family. Fremont Oktoberfest starts this Friday, September 23^rd and ends on Sunday, September 25th. Below are some “insider tips” from the Fremont Oktoberfest’s press release:

• Tip #1:  Download the Fremont Oktoberfest iPhone app, presented by the Seattle Times, to plan your Fremont Oktoberfest experience. Customize your tasting experience by alcohol content, style, and brewer, and then share your ratings and tasting notes with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. iPhone app includes event schedule, map, and rate-your-beer feature.

• Tip #2: Stay a while in the Fremont Oktoberfest Village: Free and open to all ages, the Fremont Oktoberfest Village is filled with entertainment, food, and shopping, with two dozen vendors lined up with local wares, artsy crafts, and fall apparel in the Village Market. For the foodies, this festival is an ode to the German bratwurst! Nosh on your favorite, paired up with a block of coveted curly fries, while watching pumpkin goo fly in the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving Contest or cheering on the dogs as they strut their stuff in Sunday’s CityDog Magazine Cover Dog Model Contest.

• Tip #3: Head straight for the stein! If you want to skip the microbrew tastings and go big, purchase a Non-Tasting Admission to the Fremont Oktoberfest Tasting Garden for $15 and head straight to the Tap House Grill Buxom Beer Garden where “buxom” means big! Sit and sip on your choice of a 16oz brew, ½ liter stein or a 1-liter stein of Bayern Oktoberfest and Bayern Pilsener.

• Trick: Buy your tickets in advance. If you purchase your tickets online in advance, consider yourself a VIP! By-pass the lines and make your way into the Fremont Oktoberfest Tasting Garden faster. You can also purchase tickets while you are out and about at an advance ticket outlet. Hurry! Ticket prices do increase on Friday, September 23^rd at 12:01am.

• Secret: Shhhhh… When purchasing tickets online, guests who use promo code YODEL at checkout with receive two extra tasting tokens.

 

Want more Fremont Oktoberfest tips, tricks and secrets? Follow Fremont Oktoberfest on Twitter and Facebook for even MORE insider information. For tickets and festival information, visit FremontOktoberfest.com. Fremont Oktoberfest takes place September 23-25 and is a benefit for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.

 

There is something for everyone this year. Now that we have a little one in tow, we are planning on checking out some of the activities in the Oktoberfest Village as well as taking turns in the beer tasting tent. The tasting garden will feature over 40 breweries including 21st Amendment, Alaskan Brewing Co., Big Sky Brewing Co., Elysian Brewing Co., Firestone Walker, New Belgium Brewing and Sound Brewery. For the full list of breweries, click here!

Head to Santa Monica's Library Alehouse for some amazing brews this week!

Due to my inability to post events on Sunday, I have decided to post on Mondays and give you events from Tuesday through Monday. Hope that is okay. If not, let me know!

This weekend, I indulged in a Black Raven Trickster, Cantillon’s Framboise, New Belgium‘ s La Folie, New Belgium’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Sah’ti, Deschutes Hop Henge and 21st Amendment’s Brew Free or Die IPA. A pretty good weekend in beer, if I say so myself.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Holiday Beer Dinner: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

6:00PM-9:00PM @ Victory Brewing Co.

Nothing like the holidays to have an excuse to splurge! Check out this menu- its simply irresistible, $50.00 per person and paired with Victory Brewing Co. beers.

Duo of Soups
Red pepper bisque and puree of spinach
Served with Prima Pils

Prosciutto wrapped beer blanched asparagus with gruyere mornay sauce
Served with Rauch Porter

Cranberry and chestnut filled turkey breast cutlets with Pursuit giblet gravy and roasted seasonal squash
Served with Pursuit Pale Ale

Cracked barley encrusted oysters with Anaheim chili risotto and saffron aioli
Served with ESB

Cinnamon nutmeg spice cake with Dark Intrigue frosting
Served with Dark Intrigue

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Bourbon County Bottle Signing: Homer Glen, Illinois

6:00PM-9:00PM @ Kenwood Liquors

Bourbon County is one of the best stouts EVER and in my opinion the best beer made by Goose Island. Tonight, stop by one of the two Kenwood Liquor locations and pick up a bottle specially signed by Goose Island Founder John Hall.

Time: 6pm-7pm

Kenwood Liquors
12037 W. 159th Street
Homer Glen, IL 60491
(708) 590-8210

Time: 8pm-9pm

Kenwood Liquors
10750 South Cicero Avenue
Oak Lawn, IL 60453-5402
(708) 424-3580

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Dogfish Head Bash: Montpelier, Vermont

7:00PM-2:00AM @ Three Penny Taproom

This epic tap list includes Dogfish Head‘s best beers:

- Chateau Jiahu
- Theobroma
- Pangaea
- Bitch’s Brew
- My Antonia
- Red & White
- Black & Blue
- Olde School
- 90 Minute
- 60 Minute
- Indian Brown

Friday, December 17, 2010

Week of Wild Friday Tastival: Eugene, Oregon

5:00PM-10:00PM @ Sixteen Tons Beer & Wine

Hot Damn- Featured breweries will include Block 15, Upright, Hair of the Dog, De Dolle, Cantillon, Rodenbach, Russian River, The Bruery, Orval, Cascade, Deschutes, Victory, Lindemans, Oud Beersel, 3 Fonteinen, De Ranke, Haandbryggeriet, New Belgium, Avery, Mikkeller, Ommegang, and more.

Tasting tickets are $1. Beers are 1-4 tickets for 3oz tasters. No entry fee. GO TO THIS!!!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Maui Brewing Launch Party: Denver, Colorado

1:00PM-5:00PM @ Freshcraft

Finally, Maui Brewing has reached Colorado. A state full of beer lovers, it’s about time! The long-awaited time when CoCoNuT Porter, Big Swell IPA & Bikini Blonde Lager hit Colorado are now over.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Twelve Days of Barleywine: Anchorage, Alaska

11:00AM-11:00PM @ Glacier Brewhouse

Stop by Glacier Brewhouse for some barleywines. It’s impressive that a brewery makes an array of this specific style. Today is the 10th day, so time is of the essence.

THE 10th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 19, 2010
1. 2011 Big Woody Barleywine aged in Ukrainian Oak barrel for 10 months. (9.00% abv)
2. 2010 Eisbock aged 8 months in Makers Mark barrels. (9.00%abv)
3. Cask conditioned selection. 2008 Russian Imperial Stout aged 2.67 years in virgin Czech oak barrels. (9.00% abv)
Pay as you go

Monday, December 20, 2010

Library Alehouse Holiday Beer Fest Kickoff: Santa Monica, California

6:00PM-11:00PM @ Library Ale House

$10.00, just $10.00 gets you:

Library Logo Tasting Glass and Your First Beer
…$2.50 – $5 Refills on ALL Holiday Ale Fest Beers throughout the Fest
10% off food during the festival

Tonight is the kick-off event and this will continue for two weeks. But tonight’s tap list includes:

- Nøgne Ø / Jolly Pumpkin / Stone Special Holiday Ale
- Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza
- N’ice Chouffe
- Dogfish Head Pangea
- Dogfish Head Chicory Stout
- Sierra Nevada Celebration
- Anchor Brewing’s Merry Christmas Happy New Year Ale
- Anderson Valley’s Winter Solstice
- Delirium Noel
- Gouden Carolus Noel

What is your favorite beer holiday event? Leave a comment or email me at jess@beerblotter.com!

Mug's Alehouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Oh Thanksgiving – I miss you already. Alas, there is one heck of a week ahead.

A first pouring of our 1st Anniversary beer met a quite amazing meal on Thursday. We followed that up with a journey out to Kitsap, stopping by Silver City Brewing, Der Blokken Brewery and 7 Seas Brewing, along the way. I have got to say that Kitsap is one heck of a trip. The beer gets better each time I visit.

After a day at Mt. Baker on Saturday, we got our first ever taste of the Beer Shrine – North Fork Brewery. Later this week, expect some write ups on some of these wonderful excursions.

Lets embark on a new week in beer:

Monday, November 29, 2010

21st Amendment Beer Dinner: New York, New York

6:00PM-9:00PM @ Spring Lounge

The first of these events features 21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat (in a can!), the newest winter seasonal by 21st Amendment Brewery of San Francisco, and is catered by Jeff Maslanka, head chef of Black Shack Burger in midtown and 67 Burger in Brooklyn. He’ll be serving up short ribs braised in Fireside Chat, along with some seasonal sides that will both highlight and be highlighted by the taste of the beer.

 

The food is complimentary, the beer is not. So bring your wallet and your appetite.

We’ll also be featuring these great brews by 21st Amendment on draught – Brew Free or Die IPA, Back in Black, and Hop Crisis

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Yeast Strains with Mikkeller: New York, New York

7:30PM-9:30PM @ Jimmy’s N0. 43

Join in the sampling of 6 different beers from Mikkeller‘s Yeast Series. This will only cost you $10 and these beers are not only delicious, but will provide insight into this innovative, international brewery.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Holiday Ale Festival: Portland, Oregon

2:00PM-10:00PM @ Pioneer Courthouse Square

Its that time of the year, so gear up for some Christmas beer drinking fun!

The 15th annual Holiday Ale Festival will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 1, and continue through Sunday, Dec. 5 at Pioneer Courthouse Square, located at 701 SW Sixth Ave at the intersection of SW Broadway and Yamhill Streets, immediately on the MAX Light Rail line.

Hours:
Wednesday 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission & Costs:
*FREE* re-admission into the Festival all 5 days with wristband and current year’s mug!

To enter and taste beers, the purchase of an initial tasting package is required. Advance tickets cost $20, or $25 at the door. This package includes a souvenir mug and 10 beer tickets.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Big Wood Barrel-Aged Beer Festival: Seattle, Washington

11:00 AM-Close @ Brouwers Cafe

You’ve read about it here on BeerBlotter.com. This is one of those “can’t miss” beer events that happen in Seattle. The initial tap list has already been handed down by the good folks at Brouwers Cafe. We are astonished at some of the iconic names, including a rare appearance by the elusive Russian River Deviation (a Bottleworks Anniversary beer from several years back).

The event begins at 11:00 AM and will continue through the weekend. If you are trying to sample the big guys (HOTD, Russian River, The Bruery, Lost Abbey), I would suggest getting there early on Thursday. See you there!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Founders Brewing Co. Sampler: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

4:00PM-6:00PM @ Bell’s Beverage

As you might already know, Founders is a Beer Blotter favorite. Although I do not know what beers are pouring- Founders will not disappoint!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Strong Ale Festival: San Diego, California

11:00AM-11:00PM @ Pizza Port Carlsbad

The 14th San Diego Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port Carlsbad will be held Friday and Saturday, December 3rd and 4th. The festival will feature more than 75 beers all over 8% alcohol from all over the United States. Admission is $30 and includes 8 taster tickets each good for a 4 ounce pour. If you can’t make it today, Pizza Port always has stellar beers on tap!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Belgium to Brooklyn: Brooklyn, New York

11:00AM- 11:00PM @ Mugs Ale House

Oh my- this is epic and actually begins on Saturday, December 4th. 5th Annual Belgium 2 Brooklyn Mug’s Ale House Belgian Style Beer Festival: Saturday 12/4/10 & Sunday 12/5/10 from 11 AM onwards. No entrance fee, pay as you go. Over 40 Belgian Style Ales on draft + Mug’s Ale House usual enormous bottle selection.

Check out beeradvocate.com for a full tap list!  Highlights include, ‘t Smisje Speciaal 2009 10.5% ; Struise Tsjeeses 10% ; Mikkeller Santas Little Helper 10.9% and Dogfish Head Au Courant 2003 7% among so many more!

If you have an event you are going to or have an event you want us to post about, please email me at jess@beerblotter.com. Cheers!

BreweryLaw.com: New beer likely raised eyebrows at TTB

***This article was originally published at BreweryLaw.com, a beer law blog published by our legal writer, Reiser Legal LLC***

Well this might not be a topic for dispute, but Stone Brewing‘s latest triangular collaboration has quite a label. The beer – El Camino (Un) Real Black Ale.

The new beer is a collaboration between Stone Brewing, 21st Amendment and Firestone Walker, three of California’s finest brewers. From a quick look at the ingredients, this new collaboration seems to be a spiced fruit basket of ale.

BevLog, one of our favorites beer law websites, ran a story about the new beer after seeing the label submission run across the TTB. As you probably know, the TTB is responsible for approving the labels of beers sold in the US. The mission is to ensure transparency and safety for the beer consumer.

Check out the label above – and be floored by the contents of this new ale. Ingredients such as chia seed, peppercorns, fennel seed and mission figs are seldom seen on your beer label. In fact, they probably remind you more of your easter lamb than your afternoon ale.

The BevLog did some brief research on the contents: (from their site)

This beer has a rather uncommon and unlikely combination of ingredients. The peppercorns are no great surprise, but the alcohol beverages with chia seeds seem to be few and far between. Wiki reports that chia is an Aztec word for oily, and these seeds contain large amounts of oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. (Un)Real El Camino Black Ale is also brewed with fennel seed and mission figs. It is a collaboration among several brewers and is bottled by Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California.

It does not appear that this beer was held up in submission to the TTB. But it is likely that it demanded a bit of research over there. Its nice to see brewers continuing to push the envelope with new and exciting formulas.

Beer Drinkers, Go Green! Happy Earth Day!

Prior to living in Seattle, New Orleans is where I called home. I think it is safe to say that New Orleans is one of the least environmentally conscious of the larger American cities.

In all fairness to this wonderful city, while I was living there (2005-2007), she was going through a rough patch…to say the least.  Now, after living in Seattle for three years, I have embraced the green way of life (well, green for me anyway). I don’t own a car; that is right, I bike and bus it EVERYWHERE.

The thought of placing a glass bottle or can in the garbage makes me ill and I even have thoughts of composting…its a journey, not a destination, OK!

In honor of Earth Day which is this Thursday, April 22, I present to you an article focusing on not only those environmentally conscious breweries but what you can do and drink to celebrate our lovely planet. Right away, New Belgium Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO), Fremont Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA) and 21st Amendment Brewing Co. (San Fransisco, CA) come to mind.

New Belgium aims to reduce their carbon footprint by 25% by utilizing various methods before, during and after the brewing process. For example, New Belgium invested in a more efficient brew kettle called Steinecker’s Merlin.  This brew kettle is deemed more efficient than standard brew kettles because it heats thin sheets of wort rather than the whole kettle at once. Going above and beyond, in 1999, New Belgium became the  largest private consumer of wind-power electricity at that time and the first wind-powered brewery.

Throughout the brewery, green building practices have been implemented. From their website:

Lighting. We take full advantage of the more than 360 days of sunshine in Fort Collins by using UV blocking windows, sun-tubes, and light shelves.

HVAC. Using evaporative coolers, we can condition our 55,000 square foot packaging hall with no compressors, using much less energy.

Materials. In our new packaging hall, the interior wood is beetle kill pine. Summit County, CO, anticipates that mountain pine beetles will kill 98% of their lodgepole pines. So, we’re giving these fallen trees another life.

New Belgium is a model business and an amazing brewery. So next time you drink a Ranger IPA or a Love, remember its all for the good of the planet. How’s that for justified drinking?

Moving right along to 21st Amendment, home of beer in a can.  Microbrews in a can?!?!?!?!? Yes sir and its a growing trend.  21st brews three beers that call the can home: Brew Free or Die IPA, Hell or High Watermelon and the newest of the bunch, Monk’s Blood. Just to throw some numbers your way, we are going to look at the environmental impact of packaging your beer in a can v. a bottle.

To package beer in glass bottles, you are using more than twice the amount of H2O compared to a can.  In the end, the energy savings that accumulate when you recycle a ton of aluminum are far greater than they are for glass—96 percent vs. a mere 26.5 percent. 21st Amendment dares to be different and we applaud you for that!

Now we come full circle to Fremont Brewing Co. in Seattle, WA. Currently, Fremont does not bottle or package their beers, so you have to stop by the brewery for a tasty pint or to fill a growler.

On that note, (although I am unsure of Fremont’s future plans of distribution) draught beer’s environmental impact can be 68% lower than bottled beer, due to packaging differences. Although picking up a six pack is generally more convenient, using recycled containers is better for the environment (shout out to Georgetown Brewing Co. who also does not bottle/package their beers).

Fremont Brewing Co. uses all organic, local ingredients and used brewing equipment. They also focus on energy conservation through increasing natural light through expanded windows and the placement of white walls; exchanging 400 watt halide lights to fluorescent lighting reducing consumption by approximately 50%; and utilizing processed heat waste (from the equipment) to heat the space, instead of using gas blowers.

For more information of how Fremont Brewing is saving our ever endangered environment while brewing delicious beer, click here!

So what to do on Thursday April 22, 2010 to celebrate beer?  Indulge in a beer from an environmentally conscious brewery; fill a growler instead of buying bottles; drink in the dark with the help of some candles and think about what you can do to help save the environment!

Events to consider for Earth Day?

Join Beermongers in Portland, OR for their Earth Day Party!  They will have information about and examples of Tropical Salvage furniture including our new bar.  Information about re-usable bottles such as Captured by Porches, and cans  such as Fearless will be provided.  New Belgium will host a special tasting event from 4pm to 6pm including a unique draft beer and Free samples.

OR

Stop by Hop Cat in Grand Rapids, Michigan at 8PM for their Lights Out Party where you can enjoy beers by candlelight. environmentally friendly AND romantic!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!

NOTE: Home brewing can reduce the environmental impact of beer via less packaging and transportation! Do it.