by Sean on February 8, 2012
Regular followers of this blog will know that I am a fan of the Kickstarter method of raising funds to build a brewery. I think it is a great way to get the local community actually invested in a company and also the wider craft beer community can feel closer together too. And if you want to help out the scene in Mississippi then take a look at this….
“Lucky Town Brewing Company is a new planned brewery in Mississippi, and although there is no brewery within 150 miles of Jackson, the craft beer community here is thriving. Mississippi suffers from some of the strictest beer legislation in the country, which is one reason why there is only one production brewery located in Mississippi currently. Since the laws do not allow for many to bring their beer to Mississippi, we at Lucky Town intend to give the local craft beer enthusiasts a broader choice.
Lucky Town recently launched a Kickstarter project, and our goal is to raise at least $20,000 to help cover some of our up front costs such as license fees, insurance costs, keg expenses, and ingredients costs among others. We raised over $6,000 in the first 10 days, and with the support we have locally we feel confident that we can reach our goal.”
by Sean on February 7, 2012
Fresh off the release of their anniversary beer, Deuce, the Eagle Rock crew will be bringing Libertine back in a release party tomorrow night.
Here are the details…..”Yay! Libertine is coming back online after a long long wait! Our Belgian Amber Wit is made with honey and is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat for you and your hunny bunny to share… Or if you don’t like to share, then get a growler for each of you!
Whether you’re having it for Valentine’s Day or not, hurry up and get some because it won’t last long!
@iHeartPies will be onsite as well, to feed you some amazing treats (and gift ideas?)
It’s also TRIVIA NIGHT, so come test your brains against our Trivia Hosts…ones MIT, one drives things on Mars. Three rounds per night, and your welcome to join in at anytime. Each round you and your team (no more than 4) can win the best prize off all, FREE BEER. The nights overall winner gets some ERB swag to go with their already great night. What more could you ask for?”
by Sean on February 7, 2012
Anchor Brewing has unveiled a new line of beers going by the name of the “Zymaster Series,” which will have its coming out party during San Francisco Beer Week.
It will be a modern re-creation of a lager using California malt and cluster hops to match up with what may have been brewed back in the days before even Anchor Brewing started up. To read up on the research that went into creating this new beer check out the Brookston Beer Bulletin HERE.
by Sean on February 6, 2012
It seems like peppers are “hot” in the brewing world what with 11-11-11 from Stone and this from New Belgium.
“Cocoa Molé combines chocolate, cinnamon and plentiful ancho, guajillo and chipotle chilies for a sweet and spicy burst of flavor. Brewed with pale, caramel-80, chocolate, dark chocolate malts and a healthy dash of chocolate rye, Cocoa Molé presents midnight dark with a subtle reddish hue, lifting a pillowy, burnished head. It starts on the tongue with a swirl of chocolate malt that dissolves into the warm embers of a peppery heat. Alcohol by volume is nine percent and it will be available on draft and in 22-ounce bombers.”
by Sean on February 6, 2012
“Four native sons are hoping that the name recognition generated from the 15-year-old Coen brothers flick will help launch their fledgling brewing company in North Dakota’s largest city. Their first beer is called Wood Chipper, a whimsical reference to the famous prop from the movie.”
I am surprised that that name hadn’t been appropriated earlier. It is perfect for a palate wrecking IPA. And now the Fargo Beer Company is sending it out to North Dakota (which could use more breweries, if for the only reason that I could knock it off my tried a beer from each state list)
by Sean on February 5, 2012
by Sean on February 5, 2012
One of the side benefits of traveling in this world of great craft beer is the artwork that you come across. I am usually a fan of minimalist design with colors that are outside the normal palette. Which is why I really liked the design that won for the Threadless IPA.
Finch’s beer got 171 design submissions to grace the can of their IPA. It is a fascinating look at what people think of and can draw to fit on a can of beer. And I like how the design called back to the other cans but wasn’t bound to it. The font for the name is well done too. It has a sewing look to it but it can be read and easily too.
All I can say is, “Put a bird on it”.
by Sean on February 4, 2012
by Sean on February 4, 2012
On Thursday night, I ventured two towns over to Pasadena to the bustling Congregation Alehouse in Pasadena. (The newest chapter of the three strong alehouses) for TAPS night with brewmaster Victor Novak in the house.
Here are some photos of the night…..
Travis from Congregation with Victor
My favorite beer of the night. Crystal Pils.
My second favorite of the night was the coffee aromatic Mocha Stout.
The TAPS barleywine.
Me with Travis.
by Sean on February 3, 2012
The Washington Beer Blog is hosting this month and here is the topic du Jour
“These days people take growlers for granted. In my neck of the woods, growlers are a relatively new phenomenon. I don’t recall exactly when they appeared on the local beer scene but it could not have been more than eight or ten years ago. Maybe they existed in obscurity before. My memory fails me. Today growlers are everywhere. I think. Growlers are very common around the Pacific Northwest, anyway. I cannot speak to their popularity elsewhere. I’d love to know.”
Boy does this topic come at an awkward time. Or maybe it is destiny.
I have been blogging about the growler situation in California for awhile to the point where I even put a petition widget on my website. I got some interest and some offers of help but the wheels have been spinning in the same spot until earlier this month when someone influential in the Twitter-sphere mentioned it and I suddenly got a massive (for me) influx of signatures on the petition.
Which is great but I have a new-ish job and the time to work this issue the right way is just not there for me. But I do not want this momentum to wane and blink out. So here is an unpaid job opportunity for the California beer lover with connections to breweries and the tourism arm of the State of California as well as the people who govern liquor laws in the Golden state. Maybe that is one person or three (or more).
Here’s the deal: The State of California does not allow plain growlers to be filled by breweries. The growler must be purchased from the brewery who is filling it. So, you can’t take your Eagle Rock Brewery growler to Golden Road and get it filled. Or vice-versa. And you can’t have a mason jar or any other container filled with your favorite beer like they can in Portland. That means some people have second homes filled with growlers from all the different California brewers or they have to pick and choose which growlers to buy and only get fill-ups at those places.
My proposal is simple. Have a statewide “Brewed in California” growler that can be filled at participating breweries from north to south and all points in-between.
This project needs someone to take the helm and drive.
