Events for Week of February 14, 2011

Calling all Seattliest- stop by Latona for a beer. Pic courtesy of seattleweekly.com.

I hope you snuggled up with a beer on Monday for V. Day and got a bit tipsy. But now for your week in beer.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Southern Tier Cask and Draft Night: Arlington, Virginia

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Rustico – Ballston

Enjoy all that is Southern Tier tonight!

THE SOUTHERN TIER BREWS:
Draft:
Southern Tier Choklat
Southern Tier Krampus
Southern Tier Unearthly
Southern Tier Gemini
Southern Tier Cuvee 3
Southern Tier Backburner

Cask:
Southern Tier 2X IPA

PRICE: Southern Tier beers will be priced by the glass and in 4 oz. tasters.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Silver City Brewing Night: Gig Harbor, Washington

6:00PM-8:00PM @ The Tides Tavern

Featuring Silver City Brewing Co.‘s Ridgetop Red Ale, WhoopPass Double IPA, & Fat Woody Scotch Ale.

Head Brewer and Gig Harbor local Gary Winn will be on hand to share a pint with.

Buy a pint keep the Silver City glass while supplies last & Silver City Brewery giveaways as well!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Allagash with Rob Todd: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

6:00PM-11:00PM @ Union Jack’s

Join amazing brewer, Rob Todd for some even more amazing Allagash beers. Here is what he has is store for you tonight.

Bourbon Black
Big Little Beer
Confluence
Interlude
Curiuex
Tripel
Dubbel
Odyssey
Grand Cru
Hugh Malone
Fluxus 2010
Four
White

Friday, February 18, 2011

Firestone Walker Beer Dinner: Mesa, Arizona

6:30PM-8:30PM @ Il Vinaio

Come join us for a Special Firestone Walker Beer Dinner hosted by Firestone Walker’s ~ David Walker. See below for Beer Dinner Details!.
Menu:

Course 1: Baked Crawfish Cheddar Tart with Pale 31 Pale Ale

Course 2: Grilled Shrimp with Roast Corn & Black Bean Fritter with Double Barrel Ale

Course 3: BBQ Duck Sausage with Okra and Cheesy Grits with Double Jack Imperial IPA

Dessert: Chocolate Bread Pudding with Velvet Merlin Bourbon Barrel Aged Oatmeal Stout

Firestone Walker Beer Dinner Nightcap @ilvinaio: 4oz Tulip of 14th Anniversary Ale!

$29.00 per person / Firestone Glassware included.

See Il Vinaio for Details!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Boulder Strong Beer Festival: Boulder, Colorado

12:00PM-5:00PM @ Avery Brewing Company

Mark your calendars for Friday, February 18th and Saturday, February 19th for the 9th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival! We’ve decided to move this event back to February for 2011, since strong ales seem to taste even better in the dead of winter. This event featured nearly 80 different strong beers over 8% abv in 2010, and we hope to have even more this time around. All attendees will receive 16, two-ounce tasting tickets and a commemorative festival tasting glass with admission, along with the chance to mingle with many of the brewers and creators on the beers on hand. The Friday tasting session will run from 5PM-10PM and the Saturday session will be from 12PM-5PM.

To ensure that all attendees have a fantastic time, we’re limiting ticket sales to 400 tickets per day. Tickets will go on sale for $35 apiece on Monday, January 3rd from our online ticketing partner Ticket Alternative (Friday tickets: Saturday Tickets: ) and from the Avery Tap Room. Tickets will be available at the door only if they do not sell out in advance. Act fast!

We hope to have over 50 participating Breweries this year!! To name just a few who have already committed: Allagash (ME), Avery (CO), Cambridge (MA), Deschutes (OR), Dogfish Head (DE),Moylans (CA), Ommegang (NY), Oskar Blues (CO), Pizza Port (CA), Pumphouse (CO), Redstone Meadery (CO), The Bruery (CA), Trinity Brewing (CO), Victory Brewing (PA)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Keg of Bell’s Hopslam: Raleigh, North Carolina

12:00PM-2:00PM @ Busy Bee Cafe

Looking for something to do on your lazy Sunday? Well go to Busy Bee Cafe and down a couple of Hopslams- Bell’s amazing Double IPA. The keg will be tapped at noon.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Winter into Spring with Rouge: Seattle, Washington

7:00PM-9:00PM @ Latona Pub

Latona is a cool place to get a beer. Tonight they feature Rouge.

If you want us to promote an event or if you want to review an event, then please email me at jess@beerblotter.com or leave a comment! Cheers!

This Week in Beer: Freaking Sweet Events in Your Hood

Ribs. BBQ. Beer....events that shock and awe. Don't miss the Brew Kettle on your Cleveland Beer Week tour

I have usurped control of this column for this week. This is primarily for the sole reason that this is the most mindless and least intimidating of all of our columns. Hooked yet!? No really, I need some spiritual soul seeking, and a look at the beer calendar might just satisfy my urge.

What, pray tell, did our squad do last week, you ask? Lots.  Depending on who you asked, we either visited some pretty amazing beer taps in New Orleans (Brooklyn Detonation Imperial IPA!!!!), hung out at Brouwers Cafe’s Washington Beer Fest, dabbled in a first-time Jillian’s craft beer night, soaked up an epic and undeniably amazing Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Fest (we all were there – no way to miss that) or we brewed a massive batch of our very first pumpkin beer during Harvest Fest 2010.

Yep, we were busy. But, as we spend the week saturating the blog with mouth-watering tales of yesteryear – we focus on the week ahead. Giddy up.

 

Monday, October 18, 2010

 

Hoptoberfest Brewer Shenanigans: Seattle, WA

All Month Long @ Beveridge Place Pub

Since we are already a bit late on this event, I thought I would borrow from the comments of the amazing people over at Washington Beer Blog, Kendall and Kim Jones. Today, they ran a piece on the Elite Eight selections for the Hoptoberfest at Beveridge Place Pub. Hoptoberfest is an annual event spanning the month, during which Beveridge Place Pub slowly eliminates IPAs to eventually select its house IPA for the next year to come.

They are now down to the final eight at the mid-point of the month and the heat is on to make the final 3. Kendall Jones at Washington Beer Blog has been discussing the rumors of brewers sending in-house squadrons down to stuff the ballot box to ensure that they land in the top 3. Black Raven is trying to remain at the top spot, while Boundary Bay is trying to grab back what was their’s just two years ago.

By 6 PM, Kendall and Kim were already there at the Pub. But since that time, nothing to report on. Hopefully, they are simply inundated with enjoyment to give us an update. Regardless, if you want IPA, you still have two weeks of madness over at Beveridge Place Pub. Check it out and don’t forget to vote.

UPDATE: Black Raven sent in a “gorilla” contingent last night. Washington Beer Blog caught it all on video and its a must see. Check it out by following this link.

 

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

 

Can You Handle the Randall?: Cleveland, Ohio

Part 1: 4:30 – 6:30PM @ Winking Lizard Tavern (Gateway Location)

Part 2: 7:00 – 9:00 PM @ Winking Lizard Tavern (Cleveland Heights Location)

If you have yet to explore the wonderful world of Dogfish Head Randalls – do not miss this event! Dogfish Head started using Randall at many of their nationwide events several years back. If you have no idea what this is, check this picture, and then understand that you stuff it full of flavorful things and pump beer through it.

We have had the pleasure of tasting the Aprihop with fresh apricots and hops, as well as the 90 Minute Double IPA with Woodford Reserve soaked oak chips. Both were incredible. Well, now here is your chance at two different locations. More from the event pub kit:

Part 1

Donn B. from Dogfish Head and Kev from Winking Lizard hit the Gateway Winking Lizard Tavern with Randall the Enamel Animal and a keg of 90 Minute IPA! Randall will be packed full of fresh hops and filter the 90 Minute IPA through it imparting even more hoppiness into an already ultra-hoppy Imperial IPA!

Part 2

Randall the Enamel Animal leaves Gateway to make an appearance at the Coventry Winking Lizard Tavern. This time Randall gets packed full of fresh Saaz hops and hooked up to a keg of Dogfish Head Midas Touch. Find out what happens to Midas Touch, Dogfish Head’s mead-like ale, when it gets filtered through Saaz hops! Can you handle Randall?

 

 

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

 

Farm to Table & Field to Pint: Boulder, CO

7:00 – 10:00PM @ Avery Brewing Company

Everybody is going local these days. Join the movement.

Freshcraft is a new bar and restaurant in downtown Denver, with an impressive beer list. They are joining forces with one of our favorites, Avery Brewing, for a night of local food and amazing beer. Check out these fairly rare Avery brews:

Freshcraft is one of Denver’s hottest new craft beer / fresh food joints to hit the scene. Owners Jason and Lucas have a particular fondness for great beer, and that’s where we come in! Freshcraft has devised a three course meal paired with three Avery brews (duganA, Fumator and Out of Sight), and Society members can sit down the for the entire meal or pick and items a la carte. The Avery crew will be out in force for this evening, and Freshcraft will be bringing a speaker from one of their local produce suppliers to talk about farm to table.

 

Thursday, October 21, 2010

 

Founders Night: Cleveland, Ohio

Part of Cleveland Beer Week!!!

6:30 – 9:30 PM @ The Brew Kettle

This is one of our favorite joints in all of Cleveland. The Brew Kettle is putting on a pretty special lineup for the festivities of Cleveland Beer Week, which spans from this past weekend through the end of this weekend.

The Brew Kettle is down in Strongsville, OH, about 20 minutes outside downtown Cleveland. This place has amazing BBQ, phenomenal taps and even a U-Brew component in the back.

We noticed their quite impressive affiliation with Grand Rapids brewer (and my personal favorite) Founders Brewing when we visited back in September. Here is a chance to meet the brewer and taste their hop shocker, Devil Dancer Triple IPA:

Come meet Founder’s John Host and Dave Engbers as they walk you through a lineup of six beers which will include some seasonal/specialty offerings including DEVIL DANCER TRIPLE I.P.A. The beers will be complemented with different appetizers.

For a backup event: do not miss Light Up Night at the ABC Tavern in Cleveland. Founders Brewing’s & Victory Brewing’s brewers will be on hand to pour their amazing ales until 2:00 AM!

 

Friday, October 22, 2010

 

Naked City Brewing’s 2nd Anniversary Party: Seattle, Washington

All day long @ Naked City Brewing & Taphouse

You might have read about this can’t miss event on our website today. I am re-posting because of the urgency of this event. Its happening one day only people – be there. Here is the presser:

Join us for Naked City’s 2nd Anniversary Celebration Friday, October 22nd Open-Close! We will have prize giveaways and some very special one-off beers on tap for the occasion. Here is a sampling: Double Header Anniversary Ale (Oak Aged Imperial IPA) New Riders of the Purple Sage (Blackberry Sage Porter) Tay Yay Inna Win (Barrel Aged Sour Ale) Whiskey Oaked Brimstone & Treacle (Cask Old Ale) The Big Lebrewski (White Russian Imperial Stout) Boo Radley Pumpkin Ale Big Chocolate Wood (2010 Pro-Am by Dan Hansen & Will Fredin) Broken Bicycle (Fresh Hop Saison) You get the picture…Mark your calendars!!!

Backup event: I would have made this THE event, but I feel partial. If you are in Cleveland for beer week, do not miss this one-time event at The Brew Kettle:

Tapping of a keg of Breakfast Stout that was brewed in 2008. Part of Brew Kettle’s vintage and rare keg tapping series (every day at 5pm during Cleveland Beer Week).

 

Saturday, October 23, 2010

 

Bay Area Craft Beer Fest: Martinez, California (near Vallejo, CA)

12:00 (VIP start time) or 1:00 – 5:00 PM @ Martinez Waterfront Park

This is the first go-round for this festival. But, its located in a very cool inland area on the Bay and it has a fairly exhaustive list of Bay Area brewers on tap.

Check out the website for further details on the festival layout and how to get there. Ticket prices are $35.00, and they offer a DD option.

Check out the list right here:

21st Amendment Brewery
Third Street AleWorks
Ale Industries
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Black Diamond Brewing Co.
Blue Frog Grog & Grill
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Gordon Biersch Brewery
Grand Teton Brewing Co.
Hoppy Brewing Company
Iron Springs Pub & Brewery
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Lost Coast Brewery
Marin Brewing Co.
Russian River Brewing Co.
Sierra Nevada
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Stone Brewing
Trumer Brauerei
Two Rivers Cider Co.
Uncommon Brewers

Amazing Alternative: Check out the Pizza Port Hoptoberfest! This string of Southern California brewpubs took major metal home from GABF this year:

Join us for a rooftop party with lots of hoppy beers and a Pig Roast! We’ll be pouring around 40 (yes 40!) beers with tasty hops… wet hops, IPAs, Imperials IPAs, and maybe even a worthy strong pale ale or two!
…
For your convenience and hoppiness, we’ll also be running a bus from Pizza Port Solana Beach and Pizza Port Carlsbad up to the event. $54 includes roundtrip transportation, beer on the bus, and admission into Hoptoberfest. Bus trip ticket will be on sale at pizzaport.com

 

Sunday, October 24, 2010

 

BeerTownAustin & Craft Austin Bike Pub Crawl: Austin, Texas

2:00 – 6:00 PM @ Flying Saucer, Draught House, Thunderbird Coffee Koenig, Billy’s On Burnet, Black Star Co-op

We very seldom come across a beer event down in Texas. But, if we were to find one, we would guess it would be in Austin.

Two great Austin beer groups are joining forces to put together one heck of a beer crawl by bike. So hop on your pedal machine and get moving. You do not want to miss this one:

Join us Sunday, October 24th for the most epic of pub crawls. It will be a clash of the fanboy titans as BeerTownAustin and Craft Austin go head-to-head in gruesome bike-pub-crawling. There will be biking. There will be pub crawling. There may be copying/pasting.

We will start the ride at Flying Saucer, hit up Draught House, then onto Billy’s on Burnet, with a swing through Thunder Bird, and end up at Black Star Co-op, with local beer specials along the way for everyone on the ride.

 

Have anything else to announce? Feel free to post below in comments or contact us at beerblotter@gmail.com! Have good beer drinking!

 

Events for the Week of September 5, 2010

Stop by Wednesday and celebrate the Double Windsor's 1st birthday with an IPA!

Im late. I have an excuse. I just got back from an epic wedding- two great friends, two beer lovers tied the knot. With Bell’s, New Holland and Southern Tier on tap at the wedding (and a growler of 3 Floyds Dreadnaught), I was on Cloud 9 along with the happy couple. Congrats you two- you rock!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

IPA Week: Brooklyn, New York

12:00PM-12:45AM @ The Double Windsor

Tonight, the Double Windsor celebrates year one with IPAs- all week- $5.00 pints.

(ANNIVERSARY PARTY IS SET FOR THURSDAY, SEPT 16TH. CRAZY COOL DRINK & FOOD SPECIALS, DJ’S, LOL-ING, ETC… JOIN THEIR FACEBOOK GROUP TO HEAR MORE ABOUT IT)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Goose Island Harvest Ale Hoppy Hour: Columbus, Ohio

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Park Street Tavern

We literally just left Columbus, Ohio but for those of you who are lucky enough to be in the area, join Goose Island for a casual Harvest Ale kick off! This fall seasonal has the perfect amount of hops & malts to really make fall the “hoppiest” of seasons!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Culinary Connectors Denver BeerFest Walking Tour: Denver, Colorado

3:00PM-5:00PM  @ Various Restaurants

Take a stroll down Denver’s historic streets, taste amazing beer and indulge in decadent foods. This is what you need to know:

Candid & informal chef interactions
Delicious tastings and pairings
12 guests maximum
4 locations
2 hours
$39.00/person

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Lompoc Oktoberfest: Portland, Oregon

12:00PM-8:00PM @ Sidebar and Lompoc’s 5th Quadrent

The brewers at Lompoc Brewing are welcoming autumn with a release party for their fall seasonal Lompoc Oktoberfest. the menu will feature a selection of German sausages with a variety of condiments/toppings. There will also be a traditional accordionist playing beer polka tunes from 2 to 5 pm.  This event is for ages 21 and older. Beers on tap include: Marzen Lager, Barrel Aged Boadicea, Red Scare Imperial Red, Centennial IPA, and 2008 Brewdolph.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Cincinnati Beer Fest: Cincinnati, Ohio

12:00PM-9:00PM @ Fountain Square

3oz beer tastings will start at $1 and there is NO ADMISSION FEE! In addition to over 200 different flavors of beer, there will be over 30 live music acts plus multiple food and merchandise vendors. This festival begins on Friday, September 10th and runs through the weekend.

If you go to an event you want us to post about or just want to chat about beer, please leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com. Cheers!

Events for Week of August 30, 2010

Stop by New Belgium Brewing Co for Tour De Fat this week!

Saturday was a good beer day- Big Al Brewing Co. for a sampler: Tripple, Alt Bier, Abbey Wheat, Smoked Porter and the IPA were all very tasty. The Alt Bier and Abbey Wheat stood out among the crowd. We stopped at Cask in West Seattle, a new wine/beer bar that opened just 5 weeks ago. The owner offers a “to-go” section that focuses on imports. We stayed for just one, Fremont Brewing Co.’s Interurban IPA dry hopped with Cascade hops, Lime, Orange and Grapefruit zest. Damn good. Porter House– just across the street has about 12-15 beers on tap- Pliny the Elder was up for grabs but I went with this new brewery- North Sound Brewing. Both their Stout (classic dry Irish stout served on Nitro) and their IPA were stellar. A night in was filled with IPAs- 7 Seas Ballz Deep Double IPA (in a tall boy can) and an IPA from Yakima Craft Brewing Co. But now for your week in beer:

Monday, August 30, 2010
Southern Tier Tasting: Jacksonville, Florida

4:00PM-7:00PM @ Grassroots Natural Market

Although I do not know what beers will be poured- Southern Tier will not disappoint!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Founders Nemesis Tapping: South Bend, Indiana

8:00PM-10:00PM @ Fiddler’s Hearth Public House

Nemsis, Founders’ Barley Wine is out and available tonight! Stop by and if you get your hands on this, please report back to bb.com. Look for this beer at your local beer bar – you lucky people that live in the mid-west or north east!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Back to (Beer) School, Mikkeller: New York, New York

11:30AM-11:30PM @ The Ginger Man

Get schooled on hops and yeast! The Ginger Man will be featuring Mikkeller’s Single Hop Series and their Yeast Series. The beers in the Single Hop Series use a control recipe with a different hop in each brew, showcasing the flavors and aromas of one variety of hop. Same rules for the Yeast Series, this time with varying yeast strands. The Single Hop Series will be on draught and the Yeast Series will be in bottle format.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Best of the Belgians: Beverly, Massachusetts

6:00PM-9:00PM @ Bogie’s Beer and Wine

Tonight- 15 beers…15 different styles….including Rochfort 8 & 10, Orval, Duvel, and many more. There will also be a special something from De Struise. This event is free, but Bogie’s is asking for a $5.00 donation. All proceeds will be donated to MCPCA Walk for the Animals.

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Little Woody Barrel- Aged Brew Festival 2010: Bend, Oregon

5:00PM-10:00PM @ Des Chutes Historical Museum

The Little Woody celebrates this ancient brewing technique as adapted by American craft brewers, featuring beers aged in wine barrels, whisky barrels and oak barrels, which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer. The Little Woody 2010 will encompass two days-September 3 from 5 -10pm and September 4 from 12pm -10pm on the lawn of the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend. Admission to the event includes a commemorative glass. A tasting package is available and includes a commemorative glass and tasting tickets. For more information click here.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Tour de Fat: Fort Collins, Colorado

10:00AM-4:00PM @ New Belgium Brewing Co.

Annual national moving bike festival put on by hometown heroes New Belgium. Featuring bands, good people, good brews and a damn good reason to get silly! Bring a bike and a funky costume for maximum enjoyment. For more info, click here.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

6th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers: Amana, Iowa

1:00PM-5:00PM @ Millstream Brewing Co.

Iowa microbrews are getting some love today- Come down to the brewery and taste the best beers that Iowa has to offer and meet the brewers who make these great brews as they serve you. Live music, local food will also be part of the event! Proceeds go the the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation and Iowa Brewers Guild.

So thats your week in beer. If you go to an event, want us to post about an event, please leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com! Cheers!

Events for Week of July 5

Watch the World Cup Finals this Sunday at Sunswick 35/35 in Queens, NYC

I’ve been out of service, out-of-town camping on this epic beach located on the most Northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. This weekend, I went on my first backpacking trip. We swam in the Pacific Ocean, sat by a bonfire on a beach, watched sea lions play and learned that beer is a precious commodity. We opted to bring cans of 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA and Oskar Blues’ Scotch Ale. Damn good beers, especially after being chilled in the cold creek. But we are back to civilization and I have the remainder of your week in beer.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Full Sail Pint Night: Hood River, Oregon

5:00PM-9:00PM @ Full Sail Brewing Co.

Beer blotter loves drinking for a cause, so tonight, for every pint of Full Sail purchased and drank, $1 will be donated to benefit for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

BELL’S ON: Louisville, Kentucky

12:00PM-12:00AM @ Louisville Beer Store

The Bell’s Brewery beer menu includes (its incredible):

* Hopslam
* Batch 9000 (Imperial Stout)
* Bourbon Barrel Hell Hath No Fury
* Rye Stout
* Expedition Stout (firkin)
* Oberon
* Two Hearted Ale
* Oarsman Ale (Berliner Weisse)
* Sparkling Ale (Belgian Strong)
* Poolside Cherry Wheat
* Lager of the Lakes
* Amber Ale
* Consecrator Doppelbock

*2oz samples, beer flights, and full size pours (10oz, 12oz, 16oz.) will be available. Select beers will be available for growler fills.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Oskar Blues Tasting: Post Falls, Idaho

5:00PM- 6:30PM @ Enotea, Fine Wine and Beer

Oskar Blues is brewed out of Colorado and comes in cans only (ideal for backpacking!). This brewery makes a range of beers including a double IPA and an Imperial Stout. Stop by Enotea for an informative session on this environmentally conscience brewery. A fun fact: Lightweight cans enable Oskar Blues to reduce its fuel costs and carbon footprint for shipped beer by 35%.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

POP! Fest, Beer and Popcorn: Warrenville, Illinois

1:00PM-5:00PM @ Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery

This sounds interesting- Beer and Gourmet Popcorn pairings with beers from Chicagoland Rock Bottom locations, Goose Island, Flossmoor Station, Gordon Biersch, and Metropolitan Brewing Co. This event costs $15.00.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Victory World Cup Final Event: Queens, New York

2:00PM – 6:00PM @ Sunswick 35/35

Ok, so the USA isnt in the finals, its still a damn exciting event. Come watch the World Cup Final w/8 selections from Victory Brewing Company. The lineup will be announced sometime this week.

Sorry for the short week, but it was nice to get away and be disconnected from all that is life. The camping trip brought up an interesting article idea: what beers are best for backpacking? You want a can, you want strength, but you want something that will be refreshing and taste good when its not chilled. More on that later. But as always, if you have any thoughts, comments, questions about an event, canned beer and camping or anything beer related, leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com. Cheers!

Celebrate Earth Day with Beer!

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.