Events for Week of December 6, 2010

Picture courtesy of directorofpeoria.com.

After Big Wood Fest this past Thursday, we dedicated this weekend to laying low (aside from the Friday night trip to a casino). We did however indulge in Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co. (Akron, OH) B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout, Great Divide Chocolate Yeti and Russian River Pliny the Elder.

I sit here writing events and sipping on this delicious Cranberry Saison homebrew. Thanks guys! But now for your week in beer.

 

Monday, December 6, 2010

 

Smuttynose Short Release Party: Peoria, Illinois

5:00PM-10:00PM @ Kelleher’s Irish Pub

Several beers from their everyday lineup, plus a few from Smuttynose‘s “Short Batch Series” will be available. What is this “Short Batch Series”? See below for a description from their website:

The Smuttynose Short Batch Series- brewed in volumes anywhere between 20 and 30 barrels, these limited-release, experimental beers are available on draft only and found at select beer bars up and down the East Coast. We normally release a few batches in a year, so they go quickly.

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

 

Jolly Pumpkin Rare Beer Auction: Ann Arbor, Michigan

7:00PM-9:00PM @ Jolly Pumpkin Brewing

This is epic, for a good cause and a great way to spice up your beer collection with rare and aged Jolly Pumpkin beers. Here are some of the beers that will be auctioned:
Biere de Mars Grand Reserve (16 months on Oak)
Perseguidor 1
Oro de Calabaza (from 2004, 2006, 2006)
La Roja (2005 and 2006)
Fuego del Otono (2005)
Lambicus Dexterius

 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

 

Christmas Beer Dinner: Lake Zurich, Illinois

6:30PM-8:30PM @ Binny’s Beverage Depot

Binny’s has something to say:

Join us for our biggest tasting of the year! Sample over 30 different brews from 7 different countries. This is rare opportunity to try some of the most sought after and highly rated beers from around the world.

Cost is $10 W/Binny’s Card / $15 non-members. Call (847)438-1437 for more information.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Harpoon Tap Takeover: New Haven, Connecticut

8:00PM-10:00PM @ Prime 16

Join Prime 16 tonight with Harpoon Co-founder Rich Doyle and experience Nine different drafts including rare and vintage releases from the Leviathan and 100 bbl Series, 2 casks, and a few year round favorites.

 

Friday, December 10, 2010

 

Christmas in Belgium: Cleveland, Ohio

11:00AM-11:00PM @ Buckeye Brewing Co.

This beer list is amazing and will provide you with a broad range of Belgium  style beers (most are from Belgium).

Join us for Christmas in Belgium 2010, a pay-as-you-go celebration featuring tons of holiday beers on tap. So far, we’ve got:

-Affligem Noël (Christmas Ale)
-Delirium Noël
-Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)
-Corsendonk Christmas Ale ’09
-Buckeye Christmas Girl
-Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux
-N’Ice Chouffe ’09
-St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
-Bush de Noël (Scaldis Noel)
-De Ranke Père Noël
-Achilles Serafijn Christmas Angel
-Struise Tsjeeses
-Mikkeller Santas Little Helper ’09
-Mikkeller Red/White Christmas
-Mikkeller Ris a la M’ale

The festivities start 12-10 at 11:00AM when we open and continue all weekend long, or until the beer is gone! Come celebrate the season with us!

 

 

Saturday, December 11, 2010

 

Goose Island Belgium Ale Tasting: Cincinnati, Ohio

1:00PM-3:00PM @ Bigg’s Hyde Park

Today you will taste the amazing Belgium brews from Goose Island. An American brewery that focuses on bringing styles such as Belgium Blondes, Saisons and Sour Ales to our back door. Sofie, Matilda, Pere Jacques, Fleur & Demolition will all be available.

 

Sunday, December 12, 2010

 

Ommegang Beer Dinner: Seattle, Washington

6:30PM-8:30PM @ The Leary Traveler

The Traveler is teaming up with Ommegang Brewing, for a very special Holiday Beer Dinner. A 5 course meal featuring local meat and produce paired with some of the breweries finest styles of local craft beer. Dinner is at 6:30 PM and seating is limited. Ticket purchase will reserve your seat and tickets will be $45.

 

What event around the country did you attend this week?

Cheers!

 

Notes of a Beer Nerd: Saint Somewhere Brewing Co.’s Saison Athene

Saint Somewhere Brewing Co.'s Saison Athene

***This was originally published on 1/1/2010. But with it being summer, and with St. Somewhere finally distributing to Seattle – its time to whet your appetite for a damn tasty saison.***

Enjoyed on 12/23/2009

Brewery: Saint Somewhere Brewing Co.

Location: Tarpon Springs, FL

Beer: Saison Athene

Web: http://www.saintsomewherebrewing.com/

Presentation: 750 ML – Brown Glass Bottle, corked and caged

Vintage: 2009

Style: Belgian Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 7.5%

IBU: N/A

Hops: N/A

Malt: N/A

Vessel: Tulip

Recommended Serving Temp: 50 degrees

Notes from the bottle: Saison Athene is brewed in the spirit of the great farmhouse ales of the Wellonia, a region of Belgium near the French border.  Saison translates to “season” and was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be enjoyed in the summer.  Saison Athene is brewed in Florida, the land of the endless summer, and can be enjoyed year-round.  Spicy, rustic, refreshingly hoppy, a little wild and funky with a dry finish, Athene is hand crafted with attention to the Art of Brewing using only the finest ingredients. Unfiltered and bottle conditioned, Athene can be cellared like a fine wine.  The flavor and aroma will continue to develop and change for several years, but why wait?  Take one to enjoy now and another to save for a special occasion.

Food Pairings: Thai, sausage, hot summer picnic food

Cheese Pairings: Camembert, asiago, gorgonzola

Beer Advocate: B+

Rate Beer: 90 (3.56)

Timperialstout’s Notes:

Saint Somewhere Brewing Co. is the latest addition to the long list of breweries that have added Washington State to their distributorship this year.  I hadn’t ever heard of this one before I saw it at 99 Bottles in Federal Way and co-owner Tiffany expressed her excitement about its arrival.  She had apparently been asking her distributor to carry it for some time, and alas, it arrived.  I’d like to thoroughly thank her for her efforts.  This is an amazing saison.

Saint Somewhere is a small batch craft brewery that produces bottle-conditioned, un-filtered Belgian-style ales.  They only brew with Belgian malts and whole leaf, noble hops.  Along with the use of their own Belgian yeast strain, they use their own dark candi sugar and inject a dose of Brettanomyces yeast at bottling.

As of now it appears as though they only bottle 3 different brews: Saison Athene (Belgian Saison/Farmhouse Ale, found here), Lectio Divina (Belgian Strong Pale Ale, review coming soon), and their newest, Pays du Soleil (Belgian Dubbel, not available in WA, that I know of).  The brewery website says they only distribute to FL, NY, PA, and MA.

Saison is the French word for “season” and is a beer style, sometimes called a Farmhouse Ale, that was developed in the French speaking region of Belgium.  Traditionally, they were brewed in the winter months for the farm workers to enjoy in late summer, read: harvest season.  It’s clearly winter in North America, and us here at Beer Blotter have been doing our best to bring the winter/Christmas beers to the forefront, but sometimes…It’s really fun to get into a beer from/for the opposite season and fantasize about the exciting elements that define the season furthest from us.  Before moving on I’d like to briefly return to the idea of brewing a special beer for the farm workers.  Now I realize that the advent of water treatment has rendered this concept defunct, but man do I wish my boss would feed me this brew (or any beer at all for that matter) on the busiest days of the year.  I’d work like a damn dog!

She pours a cloudy gold that’s just so inviting and bright.  Strong carbonation for sure.  A beast of a voluminous, rocky head rises on the pour and leaves thick blobs on the glass.  It’s slow to subside and never really completely dissipates.  Bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass for quite a bit, fooling the eye into seeing chunky, bottle-conditioning yeast.  Though this is indeed bottle-conditioned and a layer of white sludge can easily be seen on the bottom of the bottle, there doesn’t seem to be any loose yeast settling in my glass.  Never-the-less, the fluid has poor clarity…chalked full of flavor.

According to the ratebeer.com page, this one was brewed with chamomile, fresh rosemary and black pepper.  How on Earth does the website not say that?!  The pepper was evident before I read that, and now that chamomile flowers are on the mind I can pick them up, but rosemary, not catching it.  I am getting a lot of clove, cinnamon, green apple, earthy hay, and a little funk from the Brett.  Actually, that cinnamon aroma is quite relevant, and perplexing.  Slightly medicinal.  Really, really inviting scent.

The flavors, for the most part, match the scent, which is epic (not sure if I mentioned that).  The carbonation makes the flavors pop and the funky Brett adds to the complexity without being overbearing. The aftertaste is dry, but fills me with ideas of what I’m tasting and urges me to take another swig.  Hops present a lot of citrus, mostly lemon, a drizzle of pineapple juice, but all-in-all, an acidity that dances with the funk and makes me giddy for more.  I would venture to say this is the best saison I have ever had, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I bought it.  Needless to say, I will be buying more of this one, not only to enjoy it again in all its glory, but to support the brewery’s decision to ship to WA (or the distributor’s decision to acquire it).
I now must plead to you.  Try this beer, soon.  And if you like it, keep buying it so that we show FL that WA knows and loves great craft brewing, and hopefully we will then be able to get any and every beer that Saint Somewhere ever makes, and our lives will be better for it.

If you like Saison Athene, you should try…

Dupont ‘s Avec les Bons Voeux; Southhampton’s Saison; and Ommegang’s Hennepin

Disclaimer: This beer was purchased on my own with my own hard earned money at a local bottle shop.

Events for the Week of December 14, 2009

Check out Beachwood BBQ this week in celebration of their 3rd Anniversary. Great beers on tap!

Another weekend has wizzed by leaving us lost and alone on a Monday evening. But do not fret, Beer Blotter is here to liven up your week with some great beer and beer events.  So lets take a gander at what is “goin’ down” this week.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Swift Hibernian Lounge 14th Anniversary: New York, New York

5:00 PM until close @Swift Hibernation Lounge

Featuring beers such as Troegs Mad Elf, a cherry/honey infused ale, Goose Island Boubon County Stout, (need we say more?) Sierra/Dogfish Life and Limb, a strong beer brewed in collaboration by head brewers Ken Grossman and Sam Calagione , Dogfishead Chicory Stout and Ommegang Adoration, a strong, dark Belgium beer. What a line up!  Located in the East Village, Swift Hibernation Lounge has an old world pub atmosphere which is great for a relaxing Monday night!

Jolly Pumpkin Maraciabo Especial Release Party: Ann Arbor, Michigan

4:00- 6:00 PM @ Jolly Pumpkin Brewery

Get it while its hot and off the market! Come taste Jolly Pumpkin’s Maraciabo Especial, a rich brown ale inspired by the monastic brews in Belgium and the flavors of the tropics. With a complex palate and an overall sour quality, www.ratebeer.com gives Maraciabo Especial an A-.  This beer sounds amazing and please report back to Beer Blotter if you get the chance to try it!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Bell’s Two Hearted Cask Night: Raleigh, North Carolina

6:00 PM- 12:00 AM @ Busy Bee Cafe

This IPA by Bell’s Brewery is sweet and floral as opposed to bitter. The crisp finish and hop presence is smoothed over when served at room temperature. This beer is well balanced and available year round! Tonight is Busy Bee Cafe’s inaugural cask night.

He’brew Brewery Night: Brooklyn, New York

Starts at 6:00 PM @ Bar Great Harry

The beers are priced as usual, meats and cheeses will be free and the line up for goes something like this:

• Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. / NY / 10% / 12oz
• Genesis / NY / 5.6% / 16oz
• Jewbelation 12 / NY / 12% / 12oz
• Jewbelation 13 / NY / 13% / 12oz
• Messiah Bold / NY / 5.6% / 16oz
• Origin (Barrel-aged) / NY / 8% / 12oz
• Rejewvenator / NY / 7.8% / 16oz

Made under the Schmaltz Brewing Company, He’brew, “the Chosen beer” makes quality products and a wide range of styles.  People from the great borough of Brooklyn, come support a once Western, but now local brewery!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Extreme Winter Beers: New York, New York

5:00PM until December 22, 2009 @ Rattle N’ Hum

Today marks the day that Rattle N’ Hum unveils their winter beer tap list and man is it a list! Just to name a few, like 1/3 of the list (click on each beer for a description): 21st Amendment ‘Monks Blood’, Allagash Grand cru, Dupont Avec le bon vouex, Rogue Yellow snow, Lagunitas Cappuccino, Southern Tier Old Man Winter and Scaldis Noel.

Tasting of Harpoon’s limited edition Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, Ginger Wheat Ale.: East Hampton, Massachusetts

7:00 PM- 9:00 PM @ Amy’s Place

Come warm these cold winter nights with a pint of Harpoon Brewery’s Ginger Wheat Ale.  The Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Ginger Wheat Ale is an ode to brewer Scott Shirley’s favorite spice, ginger. The earthy, warming flavor of this golden-hued ale is derived from fresh ginger.

Cask Alert: Renton, Washington

4:00 PM@ Black Raven Brewery

Enjoy a glass of the brewery’s sold out Wisdom Seeker Double IPA, the only cask of it made. Get there early and drink up!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Puget Soundkeepers Alliance Event: Seattle, Washington

7:00PM- close @ The Beveridge Place Pub

Featuring Fish Brewing Co.’s Soundkeeper Pale Ale, a cask of Winterfish and Mudshark Porter.  A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Puget Soundkeepers Alliance, an organization dedicated to reducing the pollution of the Puget Sound by making polluters accountable to the law and promotiong education and cooperation in the effort to protect the Sound. Drink some beer for a good cause. Save the Sound!

Brooklyn Invades Staten Island: Staten Island, New York

8:00 PM – until close @ The Wild Goose

Brooklyn Brewery takes a trip across the Verazzano bridge into the neighboring borough of Staten Island.  Brooklyn Brewery will be featuring seasonal favorite Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, the latest Brewmasters Reserve, Backbreaker, another secret vintage Brewmasters Reserve no longer available, and more! In addition, look for new Brooklyn bottles never before seen here including Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse, Monster Ale, their barley wine, Brooklyn Weisse, and of course both Local 1 and Local 2.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Heavy Seas Firkin Friday: Ellicott City, Maryland

5:00PM-8:00PM @ Judge’s Bench

Join the founder of Clipper City Brewing Co.’s Heavy Seas, Hugh Sisson, and have a very special one-of-a-kind Heavy Seas firkin. Maryland grown hops have been added to the Loose Cannon, a hop monster with over 3 pounds of hops along with a few secret ingredients. Other Heavy Seas beers on tap too! Great beer & free stuff!

Yoga Holiday Happy Hour: Philadlphia, Pennsylvania

6:00 PM- 8:00 PM @ Yoga on the Ridge

Yoga + Beer: It’s two of your favorite relaxations combined in a one-of-a-kind evening of holiday cheer. Join owner, Teresa for a Vinyasa Yoga Class.  After class, attendees will gather for a tutored tasting of unusual, richly flavored holiday beers and winter warmers. Good for the mind and the soul!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Free Brewery Tours of Chelsea Brewing Co.: New York, New York

2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM @ Chelsea Brewing Company

Come take a tour of the brewery located on Pier 59 in Manhattan, receive FREE samples and discounted pints after the tour. The brewery consists of a copper and brass 30 barrel brewhouse, six 60 barrel uni-tanks, four 30 uni-tanks, two 60 barrel bright beer tanks and six 15 barrel servers.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Closing Day of Beachwood BBQ’s 3rd Anniversary: Seal Beach, California

All day @ Beachwood BBQ

Beachwood BBQ, local barbecue joint boast craft beers on a daily basis.  Today is the last day to get beers featured for the restaurant’s 3rd anniversary. The tap list for the week of their anniversary includes: Hair of The Dog Fred 06, Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper, Lost Abbey Barrel Aged Gift of The Magi 08 and Mikkeler Santa’s Little Helper.  We highly recommend ordering Fred by Hair of the Dog, an amazing beer with a caramel flavor that coats your mouth.

Specialty Bottle Sale: Seattle, Washington

1:00 PM- 5:oo PM @ The Beveridge Place Pub

Stop by Beveridge Place Pub and check out the inventory being sold at retail prices. We don’t know exactly what will be up for grabs, so get there early and stake your claim!

And that’s that, the week of December 14, 2009. Stay merry during the days leading up to Christmas and if you go to one of these events or have an event suggestion, leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com!  Cheers!