june state beer challenge 2013

Tap Wall at Craft Pride Dedicated to Texas Craft Beer

It's almost June, which can only mean one thing! No no, it's not just a month indicative of sweaty faces, pit stains and an 'I'll do anything for some air conditioning' attitude. It's also a month to embrace local craft beer. That's right, it's once again time for the June State Beer Challenge!

What's the June State Beer Challenge? I'll tell you. It's a month dedicated to only drinking beer produced in the state you are currently residing in. The rules are simple, for the whole month of June, you can only drink beer produced in the state you are currently in. If you visit another state during the month of June (i.e vacation in Montana, business trip to Arizona) you switch over to that state. Simple.

This will be the third year for me doing this. It's been a wonderful experience each time and a great way to truly appreciate the selection your state has to offer. You can read about all of my previous adventures here.

I really encourage you to take this challenge as well. It's not only fun (I mean seriously, you get to drink beer), but it is truly a wonderful way to embrace your local beer scene and cherish the heart and soul that is put into each and every one of the locally produced pints you drink.

If you want to take the challenge with me, do so by commenting below on where you will be taking the challenge.

Keep up with the challenge by following us on Twitter (@stayhoppyaustin) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/youstayhoppyaustin) and by using the Twitter hashtag #StateBeer. I will also be periodically posting updates here on what I have been drinking and where. So join me on this quest!

Cheers, and support your local brewers!

Current Participants:
@MattMcGinnis
@dannylittle1
@TheOrtiz01
@Circle5ive
@Texahawkeye
@AgentMarshall
@MFR_MikeRyan
@wheninaustin
@caskaustin
Blair Davis Adair
Reddit_cctx
@OughtwaitesAles
Nicole & Adam
@KenleyLeigh
Jessica Romigh
@carlosarellano
@reifsnid
@TheUnwashedBeerGeek
@kettersbetter
@guionrichard
@jtruty
@snax
Jason Youngblood
@notreeSe
@fitzbr45
Clay Spence
@bcbshell
@whatisboom

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pinthouse pizza belgian beer fest - may 18

Have you ever dreamed of bathing in Belgian beer? No? Okay, I guess that's just me.

This Saturday, May 18, as a part of American Craft Beer Week Pinthouse Pizza is holding a Belgian Beer Fest that includes 2 sessions, tons of Belgian Beer to try including some local and some Jean Claude Van Damme movies playing all day.

Details:

When: May 18

   Session 1: 12-4pm

   Session 2: 5-9pm

Where: Pinthouse Pizza

Cost: $25

Site URL: http://phpbelgianbeerfest.eventbrite.com/

Also: Limited edition Pinthouse Pizza Belgian Beerfest glassware, 1 raffle ticket and 4 tickets, each good for a 6 oz. tasting. Additional tasting tickets will be available for purchase for $3 each (cash only).

Beer:

Brouwerij Wolf 7

Brouwerij Wolf 9

Les 3 Fourquets Lupulus

Brouwers Verzet Oud Bruin

Brouwerij de Dool Ter Dolen Kriek

Brouwerij de Dool Ter Dolen Armand

Vliegende Paard Brouwers Pearis Quad

Vliegende Paard Brouwers Pearis Saison

New Belgium Cascara Quad

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Monk's Cafe

Brouwerij Bavik Petrus Aged Pale

Brouwerij Bavik Petrus Oud Bruin

Brouwerij Bavik Petrus Aged Red

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Piraat

Brasserie de Silly Scotch De Silly

Brouwerij The Musketeers Troubadour Westkust

Brouwerij The Musketeers Troubadour Speciale

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Gulden Draak

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Klokke Roeland

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Gulden Draak 9000

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Tripel Van De Garre

Brasserie St. Feuillien Brune

Brasserie St. Feuillien Saison

Brasserie St. Feuillien Tripel

Brasserie St. Feuillien Speciale

Brouwerij Rodenbach Classic

Brouwerij Rodenbach Grand Cru

Brouwerij Palm Speciale Ale

Brouwerij Palm Estaminet

Brouwerij Bockor Cuvee De Jacobins Rouge

Chimay Tripel White

Affligem Brouwerij  Affligem Blonde

Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont

Brasserie LeFebvre Blanche de Bruxelles

Brasserie LeFebvre Barbar

Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Tremens

Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte Duchesse De Bourgogne

Brouwerij St Bernardus Abt 12

Brouwerij Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet

Brouwerij Liefmans Cuvee-Brut

Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad with Plums

Ommegang Art of Darkness

Ommegang Rare Vos

Ommegang Iron Throne

Real Ale 17th Anniversary

South Austin Brewery

Hops & Grain

Hops & Grain

Adelbert's Philosophizer

Adelbert's Naken Nun

Pinthouse Pizza Belgian Blonde Ale (also will be a cask conditioned pin of this)

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celebrate american craft beer week - may 13-19

American Craft Beer Week is a celebration of not only craft beer, but of the human spirit and the plight of the underdog rising from the ashes, or in this case spilled beer, of the mega breweries and reclaiming American beer for the quality it once stood for.

Hm, I don't know about all of that actually. Really it's just an incredible excuse to drink amazing local craft beer all week long. Get your taste buds (and liver) ready for a week long celebration of American craft beer. Here are some of the events happening in the greater Austin area!

*Even if you're unable to make any of these events, be sure to go out and grab some American craft beer for your fridge. Hell, if you have a friend that only drinks Coors Light, buy a sixer of Austin Beerworks Peacemaker or Hops & Grain Zoe for said friend and watch their eyes light up as they sip on nirvana.

*Please comment with any additional events you know of. This will be a 'growing live' post and we will keep it as updated as possible for everyone.

Monday

Beer Dinner with Hops & Grain at Drink.Well (6-9pm)

Firestone Walker Pale31 cask and Parabola keg tapping at Chicago House (6pm)

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Jester King Black Metal w/ food pairing: Cabrito Mole Tacos

Cask Night at Black Star Co-op

 - Cask conditioned Elba with pears, fresh ginger, anise, and clove

(512) Brewing and Sixpoint Night at Whip in

Sixpoint Night at Draught House

Deschutes and Full Sail Night at Flying Saucer

Lagunitas Night at Easy Tiger (plus ping pong tournament)

Special Tapping at Red's Porch

 - Full Sail Imperial Stout

Founders Tappings at Brew Exchange - Dirty Bastard, Centennial IPA and Red Rye IPA. Limited glasses

Saint Arnold BB3 Release at Homefield Grill

Tuesday

Samuel Adams Special Tappings at Chicago House (5pm)

 - Little White Rye, Honey Queen, New World Tripel, Grumpy Monk

Special Tapping at The Dig Pub

 - Ballast Point Dorado IIPA and glass night for Sculpin

Boulevard Event at Pinthouse (6pm)

Brooklyn Brewery Night at Easy Tiger

Oskar Blues, Brooklyn, Stone and Harpoon Night at Flying Saucer

Hops & Grain, Boulevard and Founders Night at Whip in

Firestone Walker Night at Hopfields (5:30pm)

 - Sucaba, Parabola ('12 and '13) and Velvet Marlin

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Cask of Indy Oatmeal Stout w/ Bourbon Bacon Oak w/ food pairing: Curry w/ Bourbon Marinated Goat 

Rahr and Sons Tap Takeover at Austin Ale House

 - w/ firkin

Thirsty Planet Tappings at Brew Exchange

- Franklin Smoked Porter,Thirsty Goat and Bucket Head IPA. Limited amount of glasses while supplies last.

New Belgium Night at BB Rovers (7pm)

Oskar Blues Pint Night at Flying Saucer

- Barrel Aged G’Knight and Old Chub Nitro

Rahr and Son’s Tap Takeover at Austin Ale House

Dogfish Head Tasting at Draught House

- Burton Baton, Indian Brown, Raison D’etre, Rhizing Bines, and Sah’tea. All paired with Antonelli’s cheese. Randall the Enamel Animal will be there.

Wednesday

Cinebrew Series featuring Jester King at Violet Crown (7pm)

 -  Ticket holders will have the opportunity to experience 5oz pours from their highly sought after "Metal" series

Special Tappings at Hi Hat Public House

- New Belgium & Alpine Brewing Super IPA, a rare release from Firestone Walker (Parabola keg, Sucaba bottles to buy for on-site or off-site) - special giveaways from both breweries raffle ticket style

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Austin Beerworks Heisenberg KristalWeizen (2nd Anniversary Ale)

4.7% ABV. A Light German wheat ale, not bitter, highly quaffable

Food pairing: Schnitzel w/ sourkraut

Ballast Point Event at Pinthouse (6pm)

 - Special Ballast Point Sculpin cheese

Firestone Walker Tappings at Brew Exchange 

- Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin and featuring DBA, Union Jack, and Wookey Jack. Also releasing a small amount of Parabola bottles. Limited amount of glasses while supplies last.

Real Ale Special Tappings at Hopfields (4:30pm)

 - 4 Squared, 17th Anniversary

Independence Brewing Night at Austin Ale House

Thirsty Planet and North Coast Night at Whip in

Sierra Nevada Tap Takeover at Flying Saucer

Firestone Walker Night at Draught House

Hops & Grain Cask at Chicago House 

- Brown del Roble w/ cocoa nibs and coffee (6pm)

Dogfish Head Night at Easy Tiger

Spec’s (Arbor Walk) Beer Fest

Rahr and Son’s Beer Sampling at HEB Slaughter Ln

Rahr and Son’s Brewery at Moontower Saloon

Rahr and Son’s Tap Takeover at Whole Foods on Lamar

Thursday

Lakewood Tap Takeover at Chicago House (5pm)

 - 5 taps, 1 cask

Real Ale Night at Easy Tiger (5-7pm)

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Southern Star Red Cockaded West Coast-Style Imperial Red

8.5%, 110 IBUs – Thoroughly hoppy with sturdy base of English malt and rye; named after an endangered woodpecker species that lives in Conroe

Food pairing: Fish ‘n’ chips w/ bacon tartar sauce

Special Tappings at Hi Hat Public House

 - Left Hand Brewing JuJu Ginger Beer & Twin Sisters DIPA w/ special giveaways from the brewery (again raffle ticket style)

Stone Tappings at Brew Exchange - Stone Russian Imperial Stout Expresso. Limited amount of glasses while supplies last.

Hops & Grain Event at Pinthouse (6pm)

 - Rare H&G beers, along with talks from Joe and Josh about everything beer

 - More info: http://www.hopsandgrain.com/2013/05/hop-experience-for-acbw/

Jester King Discussion and Pairing Night at Hopfields (6pm)

 - Viking Metal, Salt Lick Collab

Deschutes + Full Sail Night at Draught House

Lagunitas, Firestone Walker and New Belgium Night at Flying Saucer

Real Ale and New Belgium Night at Whip in

Thirsty Planet Night at Red's Porch

Cask Night at Billy's on Burnet

 - Real Ale Brewer's Cut Blonde Barleywine

Live Oak Liberation IPA on Cask at BB Rover’s

Rahr and Son’s Summertime Wheat Pint Glass Night at The Dig Pub

Friday

All the Tasting Rooms

 - Hops & Grain (2-6pm)

 - Adelbert's (5-8pm)

 - Austin Beerworks (5-8pm)

Thirsty Planet Pint Night at Chicago House (5pm)

 - Buckethead IPA, Franklin Smoked Porter, Yellow Armadillo, Glassware

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Real Ale 17th Anniversary Belgian Strong Ale

14% - Golden-orange in color w/ lots of fruit and spice from the yeast

Food pairing: Chicken ‘n’ bacon waffles w/ Belgian beer syrup

Twisted X Open House (5-8pm)

Ballast Point Tappings at Brew Exchange - Ballast Point Dorado and Victory At Sea and featuring Sculpin IPA. Limited amount of glasses while supplies last.

Hops & Grain Barrel Aged Flight at Hopfields (4:30pm)

 - 3 different barrel aged beers, 6 oz each

Firestone Walker Tap Takeover at Whole Foods Happy Trails (6:30pm)

Left Hand Brewing Night at Draught House

Breckenridge and Green Flash Night at Flying Saucer

Independence and Ballast Point Night at Whip in

Sierra Nevada Night at Easy Tiger

Bitch Beer’s Time of the Month at Hi Hat (7pm)

 - Collab beer w/ Adelbert’s

Ballast Point Night at BB Rovers

 - 5 beers to sample

Firestone Walker Event at Pinthouse (6pm)

 - Verticals of Parabola on tap

Saturday

Belgian Beer Fest at Pinthouse Pizza

Tap Takeover at Hi Hat Public House featuring Hops & Grain

Green Flash Night at Draught House

Dogfish Head and Victory Night at Flying Saucer

Live Oak, Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head Night at Whip in

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Saint Arnold Icon Green Amarillo Hefeweizen

5.4% - Unfiltered German Wheat Ale w/ healthy dose of Amarillo hops that yield big floral and tropical aromatics

Food pairing: Smoked cantaloupe chicken w/ mango habanero salsa

4th Tap Brewing Co-op Graduation Ceremony

 - https://www.facebook.com/events/354282284684235/?notif_t=plan_user_invited

Ommegang Night at Easy Tiger

All the Tasting Rooms/Tours

 - Thirsty Planet (11am-3pm)

 - Hops & Grain (12-4pm)

 - Jester King (1-4pm)

 - Rogness (1-4pm)

 - Adelbert's (1-4pm)

Sunday

Special Tapping at Craft Pride

 - Ranger Creek Strawberry Milk Stout

6% - Fresh strawberries from Poteet mesh w/ creamy chocolate and roast, robust but smooth and satisfying

Food pairing: Old school Mexican vanilla ice cream atop chocolate bacon brownie

New Belgium Night at Draught House

Real Ale BBQ Patio Night at Flying Saucer

Ballast Point Tasting Event at Hopfields (6pm)

 - Limited beers being brought by Ballast Point

Jester King and Namaste (Whip in) Night at Whip in

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bar hoppin in austin - whole foods happy trails

Whole Foods? As in, the grocery store?

Yes, you heard me correctly, Whole Foods has a bar. Actually, three Whole Foods locations (a fourth soon in the Domain area) have bars within the grocery store where you can take a break from the strenuous activity that is grocery shopping and sip on local craft beer or vino on tap. Or you can buy a bottle of beer or wine, have the bartender crack it open, sit back and enjoy your beverage along with some food. Afterwards, you can stumble back to your cart and drunk grocery shop to buy a shit ton of Pirate's Booty for later. Genius.

The location in question for this post is within the Arbor Trails shopping center in South Austin. It's tucked away in the back of the store (conveniently located by the sushi and deli) and is, to be quite frank, hardly noticeable. That's probably what they're going for, but it's quaint, subtle and very charming for being a bar within a grocery store. Not only that, but the bar is made up of supplies that are dye-free, aluminum-free and Non-GMO (don't quote me on that). I believe they offer eight beers (combination of local and regional) along with three or four wines on tap as well. You can drink at the bar or take a to-go cup to take around with you while shopping (just be careful not to get a SUI, Shopping Under the Influence). You can also fill up your most coveted growler to take home with you (great growler prices).

Because of this, and amazingly friendly service, Whole Foods Arbor Trails is beginning to turn into my new one-stop shop. Stay tuned as we check out the other locations. Cheers!

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hi hat public house craft beer bottle share 4/14

Share the beer!

By Daniel Reifsnider

Hi Hat Public House is now holding regular bottle shares at their sweet ass place on East 6th (if you haven't been get your ass out there now!) and two of the YSHA team members were lucky enough to attend this super secretive beerapalooza. In fact, it was so secretive that if you didn't have your head up your ass you probably heard about it, which in actuality means that it wasn't secretive at all.

While there were some Austin beer celebraties there, such as An Avenue, the Beer Evangelist, a few of the Bitch Beer girls, and our awesome and welcoming host William Bearden and Hi Hat, it was in fact centered on the gloriousness of sharing beer. 

And because beer was the center of the show here, as is any proper bottle share, I'll let the amazingness of this day be conveyed through pictures for this one. But, as The Format says, "Pictures only prove you can't convince," you'll just need to attend the next share to get the full experience.

Standout beers of the day:

• Pliny the Elder - I mean, come on.
• All of the Freetail beers
• Urban Chestnut - brought from St. Louis by Carlos, they had a good Zwickelbier
• A Magnum bottle of Anchor Christmas Ale 2008 - from when the Beer Evangelist worked there as a wee lil tot preaching the gospel of beer.

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real ale 17th anniversary party recap

Enter If You Dare

By Daniel

On a bright, slightly cloudy Saturday, Real Ale Brewery decided to hold their 17^th anniversary party and oh what a glorious day it was.

Because Real Ale decides to only hold their tasting hours on Friday, and because the fates have cursed me with always having to work until 5 PM on Friday, this was my first time out to Blanco and the Real Ale property. And even though I felt I was reasonably prepared for another brewery party, I couldn’t have been further from the truth because the truth is, Real Ale is an entirely different brewery animal.

With their giant new building that holds their canning line and some storage space, the space at Real Ale is perfect for an enormous birthday party. Seriously, if you've ever seen one of those shitty daytime MTV shows about 16 year old girls wanting huge birthday parties (I’m not saying I've seen them) then Real Ale knew exactly how to crush all those shitty teenage dreams into pure shame, insolence, and vanity and oh what a beautiful sight it was.

This party was made even better by the fact that by the end of the night, everyone, no matter the gender, ended up watering the entire brush area surrounding the brewery. I will say however, that getting screamed at by drunken women to find my own damn pissing spot wasn't taken kindly, especially when that pissing spot was claimed by me hours earlier. The Bitch Beer girls even had the same idea as me (it was a damn good idea).

Moving on, the beer at this anniversary party was absolutely fantastic as was pretty much guaranteed. Actually, even though I didn't drink all the beer that was offered, I have no doubts that it was all absolutely fantastic. For myself though, I spent the majority of my beer tickets (and imaginary beer tickets) on the Mysterium Verum beers, especially Empire (wild, barrel-aged Lost Gold IPA), and the 17^th Anniversary Ale (a Belgian strong pale ale). Oh, and Hans’ Pils in cans was a clear winner as well.

Overall, despite the overwhelming drunkenness that I found myself in at the end of the day, Real Ale threw an amazing anniversary party and I can’t wait for them to turn one year older and for me to claim another spot in their brush.

Favorite beers of the day:

• Empire - if you haven't had this yet, shame on you.
• 17th Anniversary Ale - a belgian strong pale ale that has a great belgian yeast aroma with a fruity, spicy taste that makes it very deceptive. I believe it clocks in at 14% abv.
• Morgul - a bourbon barrel aged porter that has a great roasted malt character made even better by the bourbon barrel.
• Hans' Pils - it's now in cans! Whooooo!

Before the Party Got Started

Look Ma! It's in Cans!

17th Anniversary Belgian Strong Pale Ale

In Full Swing

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alamo drafthouse and dogfish head off centered film fest - interview with sam calagione and beer list

OCFF 2011

The 'Oh-So-Much-Fun' event known as the Off Centered Film Fest is fast approaching (4/18-4/20). Put on by Austin icon Alamo Drafthouse and Deleware legend Dogfish Head Brewery, the off centered fest aims to bring together film, beer and everything in between while supporting the Texas Craft Brewer's Guild.

The YSHA team was fortunate enough to score a 15 minute phone interview with the founder of Dogfish Head, Sam Calagione. His cool demeanor and off centered outlook on beer has led him to become one of the fastest growing breweries in America, along with gaining a James Beard nomination and a television series on Travel Channel known as Brew Masters (no longer running unfortunately). Unfortunately, my damn droid decided not to record our wonderful conversation, even though it said 'Recording in Progress.' Damn you phone! Oh well, I was able to recapture some of what was said.


Question from Daniel: What was your very first craft beer experience?
Sam said when he turned 21 he started work at a beer bar. Before that, he was only used to the big macro beers and light lagers. He said he still remembers his first sips of Chimay Red and Sierra Nevada Celebration. After that he started homebrewing and just knew it was what he was supposed to do.

He even asked me what my first one was. I proceeded to tell him about my first Samuel Adams Boston Lager when I was a sophomore in college, and how it really started my passion for beer.

Question from Carlos: How do you think technology has affected the craft beer community (blogs, twitter, phone apps like BeerQuest and forums like reddit or Beer Advocate)?
He said it's the number one tool for their marketing via FB and Twitter, so technology is very important to them at Dogfish. I then asked since there's so much information out there now because of this technology, how can we as craft beer advocates help guide craft beer newbies in the right direction? He said being a beer geek rather than a beer snob/jerk is very important. Truly sharing your passion with people and not just trying to show off your knowledge is something we should strive for.

We then got into the Off Centered Film Fest, and Sam's love for Texas and Texas craft beer. 

As you've probably noticed each year, more and more Texas craft beer tents have been showing up at OCFF Rolling Roadshow. As one of the craft beer pioneers, what is it like seeing that kind of craft beer growth? 
He said it is always great visiting places and seeing the growth. He loves coming to Texas, he stated he always feels at home coming here. He then said their motto is Off Centered Ales for Off Centered People, and there is no better city than Austin for that. He then proceeded to give a big shout out to the Texas Craft Brewers Guild for all they've done to help with Texas beer laws. He said he tips his hat to them.

Now for the serious questions!

What's the craziest, and I mean absolute craziest, beer you've ever brewed?
In 1998ish, the brewpub brewed a beer with peppercorn and lavender. Comments from customers  said it was like kissing a flower because it was so floral.

When can we expect a 240 min IPA?
Sam chuckled a bit and said the technology isn't quite there yet. Just like how we want jet packs, can't get there yet so we just have to wait for the 240 minute IPA.

Chuck Norris or Mr. T?
'You can't fuck with Chuck Norris.'

Who do you think could shotgun a beer faster?: Jim Koch or Ken Grossman?
He said he's good friends with both, but Jim Koch after a long day can really put some beer down the gullet.

And there you have it! I could have talked to him for hours, he even seemed to really enjoy it.

And now onto the beer list for this year's OCFF Rolling Roadshow (4/18) featuring the movie Friday.

(512) Brewing Co.: Double IPA (first release of this year’s batch)
(512) Brewing Co.: Pecan Porter
Adelbert’s Brewery: Barrel Aged Dancing Monks
Adelbert’s Brewery: Naked Nun
Austin Beerworks: Black Thunder Shwarzbier
Austin Beerworks: Heavy Machinery Black IPA
Circle Brewing Co.: Bourbon Barrel Aged Envy Amber
Circle Brewing Co.: Hop Overboard Pale Ale
Dogfish Head Brewery:  90 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head Brewery: Indian Brown RANDALLIZED with coffee beans
Guadalupe Brewing Co.: Guadalupe IPA
Guadalupe Brewing Co.: Texas Honey Scotch Ale
Hops & Grain Brewing: Mean Irene Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Alt
Hops & Grain Brewing: The One they Call Zoe Pale Lager
Independence Brewing Co.: Bombus Belgian Ale with honey
Independence Brewing Co.: Stash IPA
Infamous Brewing Co.: Hijack Cream Ale
Infamous Brewing Co.: Infamous IPA
Jester King Craft Brewery: Black Metal Russian Imperial Stout
Jester King Craft Brewery: Viking Metal Barrel Aged Gotlandsdricka
Live Oak Brewing Co.: Double Dry Hopped Liberation IPA Gravity Keg
Live Oak Brewing Co.: Keller Pilz (unfiltered Live Oak Pilz) Gravity Keg
Real Ale Brewing Co.:  4 Squared Blonde Ale
Real Ale Brewing Co.:  Real Heavy Scotch Ale
Rogness Brewing Co.: Beardy Guard Biere de Garde
Rogness Brewing Co.: Bella Belgian Golden Ale
South Austin Brewing Co.:  Belgian Golden Ale
South Austin Brewing Co.:  Saison D’Austin
Thirsty Planet Brewing Co.: Bucket Head IPA
Thirsty Planet Brewing Co.: Smoked Porter
Twisted X Brewing Co.: Fuego Jalapeno Pilsner
Twisted X Brewing Co.: Senor Viejo Tequila Barrel Aged Imperial Schwarzbier

Hope to see everyone there on Thursday, it's going to be great!

Previous years recaps.

http://www.youstayhoppyaustin.com/2012/04/off-centered-film-fest-blazing-saddles_23.html

http://www.youstayhoppyaustin.com/2011/04/off-centered-film-fest-strange-brew.html

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texas craft breweries you may not know about

There are a few Texas craft breweries out there right now that have become so well known they seem to have gained a cult following (just follow the yearly Saint Arnold Divine Reserve release to see what I'm talking about). Some of that has to do with good timing. Some of that has to do with marketing and social media. Some of that just has to do with the fact that they produce some damn fine beer. However, there are some newer breweries out there that are smaller and less known cranking out some fine ales, and they deserve some recognition. Here are a few of those breweries that are available in Austin (in no particular order) that you may not know about but should find a way to taste their beer. Support your local brewers. Cheers!

Cedar Creek Brewery (Kegs and 16 oz cans)
Seven Points, TX
 - Scruffy's Smoked Alt - A deliciously smoky representation of the popular German altbier style. The smoke is pretty intense in the aroma, but the smokey flavors are well balanced against the malty sweetness and light hop bitterness.

Lone Pint Brewery (Keg only at this point)
Magnolia, TX
 - 667 Neighbor of the Beast IPA - Lots of sweet and fruity aromas dominate the nose on this beer. The flavors aren't half bad either, making this a nice smooth American IPA.

Branchline Brewing (Keg only at this point)
San Antonio, TX
  - Woodcutter Rye IPA - Another American IPA makes this list but with the addition of that lightly spicy rye. It's not as bitter as I was expecting, but a more balanced and clean finish makes this beer quite drinkable.

Infamous Brewing (Keg only at this point, but plans to can)
Austin, TX
 - Hijack Cream Ale - Take a trip back to the 60's with this beer that hugs the barrier between ale and lager. Light and crisp with a hint of hop bitterness makes this easy to drink for non craft drinkers, and a nice session beer for craft beer lovers.

Texas Big Beer Brewery (Kegs and 22 oz bombers)
Buna, TX
 - Big Texas Blonde - I'm not a fan of this at all. Too boozy, sugary and a lack of head makes this one a letdown in my opinion. However...
 - Texas Crude (robust porter) - Easily one of the better robust porters you can find out there. I highly recommend picking this one up to experience its big dark roasty flavors.

Pedernales Brewing (Kegs and 12 oz six packs)
Fredericksburg, TX
 - Classic Hefe-Weizen (pictured above) - Light, fruity and cloudy with hints of banana and clove makes this a winner in my book. The banana doesn't taste or smell artificial and it's not overpowering either, which can happen quite often with this style. Since Live Oak doesn't bottle their hefe yet, this is a damn good substitute for hot Texas summer days.

Places you can find these beers
 - Craft Pride
 - Banger's
 - Draught House
 - Austin Ale House
 - Various bottle shops for Texas Big Beer, Cedar Creek and Pedernales (Whip in, Sunrise, East 1st Grocery, Spec's, HEB, etc...)

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rant of the day - bud light straw-ber-rita

OMG! Have you heard the big news y'all? Those crazy folks over at AB-InBev have done it again and outdid themselves with this one. Seriously, this might be the best news I've heard since JT started going on tour again.

Bud Light Straw-ber-rita.

Yes, you heard correctly, strawberry flavored margarita beer stemming from one of the best beers on the planet, Bud Light.

Bud Light description:
Introduced nationally in 1982, Bud Light is brewed with a malt and hops ratio different from Budweiser for a distinctively crisp taste with fewer calories.

What's that ratio? I must know! Whatever it is, it's even more perfect with the addition of refined sugar, food dyes and flavor additives. And it's made with natural flavors, so you KNOW they're supporting local farmers and using thousands of pounds of pureed strawberries.

“The response to Lime-A-Rita, especially among non-beer drinkers, was tremendous, and we knew we’d tapped into a winning insight we could build on,” said Rob McCarthy , vice president, Bud Light. “Strawberries and margaritas have long gone hand-in-hand. Straw-Ber-Rita is a unique twist on a familiar flavor that only Bud Light Lime can deliver.”

You are so right Rob McCarthy, strawberries and pale lagers have always gone hand-in-hand too so mixing in the margarita aspect is just pure genius. And everybody knows nothing can deliver on that crisp sweet strawberry flavor quite like Bud Light

And look at what those good ol' boys down in the marketing group did. The name. It's just so dang cute. Straw-ber-rita. See what they did? They mixed strawberry and margarita to make one word. I think I just peed a little.

I can't wait to be sipping on this little concoction. In fact, I might get a little crazy and do 50/50 mixes of the lime-a-rita AND straw-ber-rita. Don't say I won't!

Local brewers, you better do something to keep up with these crazy brewers at AB-InBev.

http://www.youstayhoppyaustin.com/2012/04/perfect-margarita-nice-try-bud-light.html

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an austinite does nyc

By Daniel Reifsnider

As SXSW started rolling into town, I did what most self respecting Austinites do and got the hell out of town with my girlfriend, Callie. It's not that I'm not a fan of the drunken hipsters that seem to flood this town in droves or anything; I just felt like I needed a nice and relaxing vacation from it all. So where did we go?

Why the largest, garbage ridden city in all of this great country of course: New York City (which not surprisingly happens to have more drunken hipsters than all of Texas combined, but screw it anyway).

It's true what they all say, NYC is a big city and there's hardly any time to explore everything it has to offer. So I said to hell with it and decided that we would focus on the small things (or most important things) like beer and beautiful artwork.

Note: this post will talk about the beer part. If you're here to read up on the beautiful artwork, I suggest visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art's website.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about beer. Now I know that the lists of places to go has been done before, and like me you've probably said to yourself after reading those types of posts "who gives a shit?" Perhaps that's why I've organized this post by the places I went to in absolutely no order at all, and is much less a list than me just trying to remember where the hell we went and what we did while we were there. Or maybe this post is me saying to myself "who gives a shit?"...Either way, let's get started.

Rattle N Fun

The first night we were there I decided above all that we had to go to Rattle N Hum.

Outside Rattle N Hum

I won't fill you in on the boring details why I decided that we had to visit Rattle N Hum first, but it probably had something to do with hearing that they have killer IPA fries (thanks Rich aka Craft Beer ATX!), and that it was close to a subway stop that I knew how to get to. NYC's subway map is confusing as hell, but that's another story.

Upon walking up to Rattle N Hum, the first thing I noticed was that it's directly next to a shitty dive bar that was touting their $3 Bud-Light drafts, and deciding that this wasn't a good enough deal for a glass of piss, I decided to walk through the door that had a Delirium Tremens chalkboard in front of it. Good thing I chose that door, because we were greeted upon an amazing beer bar the likes of which most of Austin has seen (seriously though, it's a sweet-ass place).

Painting on the Wall

After walking in I decided to go straight to the tap handles and see which ones I could identify. After scanning the taps I probably only knew of about five or so out of forty. This might not seem that bad to you, but I felt like I had just been shamed something awful at a fraternity and everyone was bent over me laughing.

The five taps I did recognize (okay it was more like 10), were good. I'm talking Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout good. So I actually didn't feel that bad, since I knew I was going to be drinking good that night.

Despite how amazing the tap list was, the atmosphere was just right as well. Not too pretentious and not too underwhelming; the entire atmosphere was great for a northeast beer bar that knows what it has on tap.

Rattle N Hum Tap List

The waitresses were awesome too. Callie asked if they had any shirts left that she could buy and the waitress came back with an underwhelming selection, but she did give us some free shirts they had leftover from an event they did with Blue Point Brewing (score, free schwag!).

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout at Rattle N Hum

I won't recount everything I ordered, or how long we ended up staying here (it was a long time) but I will say this without hesitation: Rattle N Hum was one of my favorite beer bars that I visited during my entire trip. It reminded me of a small Draught House with the patio tables placed inside and the waitstaff turned into women (sweet!). It was absolutely fantastic. And if you're hungry, I highly recommend the IPA fries as well since those were the perfect compliments to the great tap list they had.

One downside that stood out to me though (well, mostly Callie) was that they only had two unisex bathrooms. This wasn't a big deal to me since they smelled and looked like the men's bathrooms at Draught House (ah, the sweet smell of male urine), but she didn't much care for that.

SingleCut Beersmiths Billy Full Stack Double IPA at Rattle N Hum

Pony Up

The next night (I think) I was left to my own devices, which to me means find the nearest beer bar you can and stay there all night long and walk home after. So, after countless hours of research, i.e. 10 minutes or so, I decided to pay a visit to the reputable Pony Bar UES.

As far as I know, the Pony Bar UES isn't the first (that title belongs to the Hell's Kitchen Pony Bar I believe) but it is the better of the two depending on the tap selection at the time and the time I went to the Pony Bar UES, this was the case.

I had five new beers that I hadn't had before in this order: Smuttynose Big A IPA on cask, Captain Lawrence Imperial Smoked Porter, Two Brothers The Bitter End, The Bruery Humulas Lager, and Pretty Things Saint Botolph's Town ale. Thank goodness for having a smartphone and using it while drunk or I'd have no recollection of these beers. And thankfully I didn't send Callie any obscene drunk texts that night too (you know what I'm talking about).

Smuttynose Big A IPA at the Pony Bar UES

Anyway, maybe you've had these beers, maybe you haven't, but the standout from the night was the Big A on cask. This was a fantastic beer that even deserves it's own picture.

I don't remember a lot from this place. The only pictures I have from my time spent at the Pony Bar UES are of each beer I had, so maybe this is why I don't remember that much of the actual physical space.

What I do remember though is that the barstaff were all pretty chill, and they even had this bell they'd ring when a new beer was put on tap (it scared the shit out of me the first time since I was sitting right next to it). Also, I got stuck into a conversation with a regular who ordered about four things from the menu for takeout and said the food there was solid, despite it being all bar food. He also told me all about his sister who lives in Houston, and tried to talk to me about the Astros, but at that point I just started to politely nod.

The Blind (Bling) Tiger

The next day while I was recovering, we visited a place that doesn't deserve to be mentioned third, Blind Tiger.

Outside of Blind Tiger

I bet most people here in Austin, who are into craft beer have at least heard of the Blind Tiger, so I won't spend much time trying to convince you that it's a kick ass place.

The tap list is on a chalkboard along with great sounding charcuterie plates. There's a fireplace in the back. Even the non decorated tap handles make this place out to be an authentic American craft beer bar. I'm not sure why and don't ask me to explain it. The waitstaff were pretty badass too.

Row of Taps at Blind Tiger

Blind Tiger is located in the middle of Greenwich Village more or less, and what this means is that it's close to a university (NYU), a huge hipster collective, and all sorts of strange people. But don't let the strange people scare you, it's just like going over to east Austin!

Strange People at Blind Tiger

Behind the Bar at Blind Tiger

Blind Tiger Chalkboard

Blind Tiger is an awesome craft beer bar. This might be because they had a Hill Farmstead beer on tap (Edward) when I visited or because the bartender gave a pint of it to me for free when the keg of it blew (see, they're bad ass ). Either way, this was probably without a doubt my favorite beer bar in all of NYC, and I highly recommend anyone into beer go if they're in NYC.

Need Food Now

Afterwards, Callie and I were pretty starved so we went to grab some food just down the street at this pizza place called Keste.

Awning outside of Keste

I knew absolutely nothing about Keste before walking in, except that Callie heard it was supposed to be pretty good. That was an understatement. Holy crap was this pizza good.

They even had a small Italian beer list, and I graciously (ha!) ordered an Italian saison from Piccolo Birrificio called Sesonette.

But enough about the beer for a moment. Let's talk about this pizza. I ordered the Regina Margherita pizza with halved grape tomatoes on top and holy shit was it amazing. The crust was perfectly soft and giving, but it still retained that crispiness from the wood fired oven. After I ate the whole pizza (no way was I sharing) I still craved more and more. Man it was good.

Also, the waiters were either amazing actors who had to find other work since their current production of some Italian play I don't know wasn't currently showing, or these guys were authentic Italians because I could hardly understand a single word they were saying to me.

Pizza Oven at Keste

Regina Margherita at Keste

If you've ever eaten at the backspace here in Austin, it was in the same style. But man oh man was this pizza good, and it's seriously less than a block away from one of the best beer bars in NYC. This has got to be one of the best memories from the entire trip.

However, if you find yourself quenched of thirst but still very hungry and not in the mood for some great pizza, and instead you're in the mood for say some awesome cheese, head just a little bit past Keste to Murray's Cheese Bar.

Murray's Cheese Bar is a great little place that specializes in all things cheese and is the restaurant of the actual Murray's Cheese Shop just two doors down. I won't go into much detail about it here, but just know that they have an amazing selection of cheese plates (or flights as they call them). Also, Callie and I could not get enough of the Buffalo Cheese Curds (and just thinking about those tiny little balls of fried cheese coated in buffalo sauce makes me want to commit terrible acts for some right now). I also had the cheese flight called the Funkmaster, and while it wasn't as funky as James Brown, it was damn funky and so very tasty. I seriously ate all of the Funkmaster cheese before I could grab a picture. Sucks for you.

Inside of Murray's Cheese Bar

Buffalo Cheese Curds at Murray's Cheese Bar

No Sleep till Brooklyn

Callie and I didn't go out for a little bit after our soiree in Greenwich Village, but we did make it out to Brooklyn the last day we were in town. Why? Because of two places I had in mind: Spuyten Duyvil and Brooklyn Brewery.

We rode the subway into Brooklyn (Williamsburg) from Manhattan, and got off at a stop smack dab in between both of these places. So, we decided to walk a little around Williamsburg for a bit and made our way down to Spuyten Duyvil.

One note about Williamsburg: it's now the epitome of hipster. It's like the hipster mecca, except for real. I didn't expect to see so many freaking hipsters in one place outside of east Austin, and Williamsburg puts the hipster quota of east Austin to shame. That's all I have to say about that.

Entrance to Spuyten Duyvil

Why did I choose to go to Spuyten Duyvil out of the countless other places in Brooklyn? Well first, because I had been reading about it on BA for a long time now. Second, I knew it to be one of the best Belgium beer bars this side of the ocean. And third, because I just said to hell with it and decided on going here. I mean, look at the entrance! Who wouldn't want to go to a place where the only way to distinguish that you're at the right place is by a tiny ass mailbox with the name of the place hidden behind iron, red bars?

Tiny Ass Mailbox Outside of Spuytin Duyvil

Anyway, I'm glad I decided to go here, because it was well worth it. This place is not only a Belgium beer mecca in the US, but it's also just an amazing beer bar to begin with. The first thought I had after walking in was that I had gotten lost (thanks tiny ass mailbox!) and ended up in some random coffee shop. But I quickly realized that there were taps of beer to be seen and the chalkboard had familiar names of beer on it (such as a 1994 Sam Adams Triple Bock for $85).

Taps at Spuyten Duyvil

Callie and I found a place to sit and I ordered a beer from a cocky, self-important bartender (I ordered Dieu Du Ciel Solstice and the guy looked at me like "what the hell did you say to me?") went back and sat down and we took in our surroundings. The place was pretty busy, but we were fairly isolated sitting right in front of the bar and it was nice to enjoy a couple of Beligum (and Canadian) beers.

Bock at Spuyten Duyvil

Overall, I'd say we both enjoyed our time at Spuyten Duyvil, despite the punk-ass bartender. The beer selection alone is definitely a good reason to come visit this place. 

After the beers, we decided to head out and walk over to the oh-so-famous Brooklyn Brewery.

Entrance to Brooklyn Brewery Tap Room

Tanks at Brooklyn Brewery

I'm not going to spend anytime discussing who or what Brooklyn Brewery is. I don't even plan to spend that much time discussing it in general, simply because I was pretty much let down by the trip out there. Part of this was my fault: we visited it on a Sunday when it seemed most of the people in NYC decide to go there instead of their local bar and drink nothing but Brooklyn Lager (not that I'm saying anything bad about Brooklyn Lager, because I love that beer). Overall though, the time there was a solid meh.

Brooklyn Brewery Tap Room

Tap Board at Brooklyn Brewery

It was one of those deals where you had to buy tokens at the little "gift shop" and then exchange those tokens for beer. Now I don't know what the laws in New York are, but I didn't leave Texas just to have to drink like I'm at a brewery in Texas. So that sucked. 

By the time we showed up, they had already run out of their firkin, which was a dry hopped bitter that sounded pretty good (bummer). 

Also, I don't know if this happens only on Sundays, but they served the beer is disposable plastic cups. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little weird for a world renowned brewery? 

I know, they couldn't have controlled any of these reasons (I'm not sure about the tokens though), but these reasons still spoiled our trip out there. I'd like to go back one day and maybe visit the tap room on a weekday to check it out.

So after a little time spent there, we decided to leave and head back to Manhattan. This sadly was our last day there and we had to fly out at noon the next day.

Overall, we had a great time in NYC filled with tremendous amounts of good craft beer, great food, and plenty of stories about punk-ass bartenders. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it. Just be sure to buy a subway pass since we were completely dependent on it, take in the local sites, and above all: try to avoid the mountains of garbage on the sidewalks at night.

Here's a couple more places that I don't have the patience to do a full write up about right now:

• Top Hops—It's like a northeastern Whip In. This place has a great selection of craft beer on tap and a kick-ass selection of beers to go in the fridges in the back. And while they do have empty bottles of Hill Farmstead's beers laying around, they actually don't have any of their beers in stock (bastards). Also, I don't think they serve great Indian food either, but oh well.
• Old Town Bar—A nice little dive bar that actually has some damn good wings and burgers. They even have a dumbwaiter that carries the food down from the kitchen upstairs (who the hell puts a kitchen upstairs?). Grab a pint of Blue Point Toasted Lager at the bar and enjoy your time. Just don't expect craft beer miracles or shit like that.
• Alewife—Man I wish we had gotten the time to go out to this place since it sounds freaking awesome, and I've heard equally great things from the community. A sore spot on an otherwise fantastic trip. If you're ever in that part of town definitely check this place out, and if you brag about going there to me I'll hurt you. Although, now that I think about it, this entire post has basically been me bragging about my awesome trip to NYC. Screw it...I've already written it and you've already read it. Suckers.

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