The event: Bats & Beers
The time: 8/11/2011
The venue: Pool deck overlooking downtown Austin and Town Lake
The mission: To connect brew masters, chefs and engaged people of Austin to explore creations and collaborations in the craft beer world of Austin
Why is it called Bats & Beers? Because people have a perfect view to watch the bats fly while drinking tasty Austin craft beer. Need I say more?
This past Thursday marked the first official Bats & Beers event put on by Nate Taylor, Lucas Duffey, and me. I may be a little biased, but it was an absolute success. Jester King Craft Brewery, an amazing farmhouse brewery in Austin, was the showcased brewery. Jeff Stuffings, owner and brewer, was the man of the hour and guest speaker. We had Drink'in the Sunbelt, an incredible hoppy wheat beer, Wytchmaker, a bad ass rye IPA, and Black Metal, a huge Imperial Stout for people to taste. People seemed to flock to the Drink'in the Sunbelt to beat the heat, but by the end of the night people started braving the heat and started drinking Black Metal (coincidence people started getting really chatty after that?).
Here's what Jeff Stuffings had to say about the event:
'Bats & Beers is a really well run event in a beautiful setting that pays great attention to detail when it comes to beer, brewing, food pairings and beer education. I highly recommend you check it out.'
We also provided a tray of three different cheeses from Antonelli's Cheese Shop, and each one paired with a different Jester King beer. Thank you Antonelli's for an amazing assortment, and damn those pairings were spot on. Check out our tasting menus below.
People seemed to really enjoy talking with Jeff about their beers, and Jeff seemed to really enjoy educating everyone on the beers as well. We also had a couple special guests in attendance. Scott Hovey from Adelbert's Brewery, Chris Orf from Orf Brewing, Jennie Chen from MisoHungry, and Aaron Franklin from Franklin Barbeque all came to enjoy the great beer and great company. Aaron said he'd bring leftover bbq if he had any, but we just laughed at that. The words 'Franklin Barbeque' and 'leftovers' do not go together.
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| Jeff Stuffings |
So overall, it was a hell of a good time. I forgot to take a picture of it, but we had 21 empty Jester King bottles by the end of the night. Empty Jester King bottles = happy people. Jeff was also kind enough to get up in front of everybody and speak to the crowd about the beers they were tasting. Reading it on the menu is one thing, but hearing it from the man himself gives the beer a different personality altogether.
Best part of the night: Jeff was ambushed by Nate to blind taste a beer. Jeff had no idea what it was and when he was shown what it was, his reaction was priceless. Check it out.
Stay tuned on the Bats & Beers Facebook page for updates on upcoming events. Cheers!
