Philly Beer week is finally here

This sounds like an amazing event! Deschutes Brewery is coming to Philly Beer week. On Monday 6/6 they are invading London Grill for some amazing and rare beers, paired with an amazing four course meal. Hope to see you there. Try to buy tickets in advance, this event will likely sell out. Call and make a reservation if you can attend. Here are all the details:

WHEN: Monday, June 6 at 5pm



WHAT: Deschutes Brewery Beer Dinner at London Grill

Join Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery brewmaster Larry Sidor for an evening of unbelievable beer, food and music. Deschutes is in town for Philly Beer Week, and doesn’t have regular distribution in our fair city – so this is a rare chance to sample some of their damn tasty beers. The evening begins at 5p.m. with an “ East Meets West” reception, featuring Deschutes Brewery seasonal beers Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale and Twilight Summer Ale. Also during the reception schmear of smoked salmon rillette with preserved lemon will be served to the musical sounds of the Carol Moog Trio. At 6 pm, the four-course dinner begins, pairing Deschutes ales with everything from salad to dessert. You’ll be feasting on such pairings as Mirror Pond Pale Ale with Locavore Salad; Obsidian Stout with Singapore Soft Shells; Black Butte Porter with braised goat mole; and The Abyss Imperial Stout with ginger gelato. Your palate will thank you!

WHERE:

The London Grill

2301 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130-2515

CONTACT:

1-215-978-4545; www.londongrill.com

Flying Dog Cares About The First Ammendment and Are Not Afraid To Go To Court About It

Frederick, Maryland's Flying Dog Brewery is none to happy with the Michigan State Liquor Control Commission's action of banning Raging Bitch in The Great Lakes State. Teaming up with Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise to overturn Michigan Liquor Control Commission's act of banning Raging Bitch in Michigan. When Flying Dog applied for a license in September of 2009 for Raging Bitch. The label of Flying Bitch is adorned with the artwork of the legendary Ralph Steadman. The Michgian State Liquor Commission stated that the label on Raging Bitch is "detrimental to the public health,safety, and welfare". The attorney representing Flying Dog, Alan Gura of Washington DC's Gura and Possesskky,PLLC's response to the Michigan State Liquor Control Commission, “Regrettably, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and its members have taken it upon themselves to control not merely alcoholic beverages, but speech as well,”. Gura further states “The defendants arbitrarily imposed their personal tastes in banning Raging Bitch, clearly violating Flying Dog’s First Amendment right to free expression.” Gura and Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso announced their legality actions at a craft beer bar Crunchy's in Lansing, Michigan near Michgian University's Campus.

Flying Dog created Raging Bitch, a Belgian Style India Pale ale to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their brewery in 2010. The beer became a smash hit. Raging Bitch is now Flying Dog's number one selling beer.

Upon learning of the lawsuit Steadman, known most notably for his work with Hunter S. Thompson. replied “Freedom of speech and artistic expression is as fundamental to our being as the alphabet itself. I thought censorship went out with D.H. Lawrence’s ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ about 50 years ago! So if you are feeling a strong itch to drink Raging Bitch, just do it and get on with life.”


Flying Dog is seeking lost revenue as a result of the band and to have the beer sold in Michigan. Caruso further elaborates “We believe in free choice,” he said. “We do not believe that Michigan citizens deserve government regulators arbitrarily deciding what their beer should be called.”


Caruso and the rest of the wonderful people at Flying Dog are trying to protect the First Amendment and allow everyone to enjoy their beers. In addition to Raging Bitch, the rest of their beers are fantastic. Drink up. Support them, contact them and tell them you care.

Here is a link to their web page

Stella Artois "Chalice" Cans coming April first

The World's best selling Belgian Beer Stella Artois will soon make a canned version of their beer available in the US. Starting April first 440 ml (or 14.9 oz.)The Chalice picture on the can is shown to demonstrate the preferred glassware for Stella Artois to be drank out of.


This is very exciting news. Such a widely liked and available beer in cans is only going to help people get over their prejudices over canned beer. The Brewer claims their logic for canning beer as "The new Stella Artois can will allow beer connoisseurs to enjoy their favorite Belgian lager at outdoor occasions, such as food and wine festivals, where glass bottles and signature chalices may not be permitted."

picture and story complied from Anheuser-Busch's web page

Worlds's Most Expensive Beer Brewed With Antarctic Ice

Perth, Australia's Nail Brewing brewed 30 bottles of "Antarctic Nail Ale" using water from melted ice from Antarctica. A few bottles have been sold of "Antarctic Nail Ale" but to date the most impressive has been for $1850 for one bottle at an auction this past November. The beer is being put to auction and sold to benefit the Sea Shepard Conservation Society , a 33 year old organization whose mission statement is "to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species".

Nail Brewing's John Stallwood's idea to create "Antarctic Nail Ale" was partially inspired by Scottish Brewery Brewdog's "End Of History". During its inception "End of History" was the most expensive and strongest beer in the world. In addition to being a beer with a price tag of around $770 per bottle and a 55% abv, Brewdog took some heat from environmentalists for packaging "End of History" in dead animal carcasses. Stallwood states “It’s great to sell the most expensive bottle of beer in the world, but it’s all about a good cause. It’s also good that a beer about saving the whales is now most expensive beer in the world, rather than high alcohol beer sold in animal carcasses."


In addition to raising money for a great cause, "Antarctic Nail Ale" is a a very special beer for another reason. “Over 90% of beer is water, so the Antarctic Nail Ale could possibly be the world’s oldest and purest beer,” Stallwood claims.


If you are interested in purchasing a bottle, please check Nail's web page here to see when the bottles will be put on auction in the future. Currently available only in Australia, Nail's flagship beers, Nail Ale and Nail Stout have won many awards and have been generating quite a buzz lately. Nail's decision to help a good cause have brought some good press to the brewery that will hopefully aide their growth in the future. Beer records are meant to be broken. Hopefully more brewers will have the mindset of Stallwood rather than just producing beer in the sheer name of accolades and capitalism.

For more information and donation information on Sea Sheppard Conservation Society check out their web page here

compiled from :
Ecorazzi
and
Nail Brewing's web page

picture from:
Ecorazzi

100 US Craft Breweries Now Involved in Canning

Our good friends at Craftcans.com now claims that 100 Craft breweries can or have announced plans at least one of their beers. 40 states are now involved in counting and currently produce over 250 different beers in cans and growing. Which brewery deserves accolades the this huge milestone? Battle Creek Michigan's Arcadia Brewing Company has acquired a canning line and will began canning later this spring. Arcadia will begin canning their summer favorite, Whitsun. Arcadia's decision to can their refreshing wheat beer will no doubt appease the thirst of beer fans everywhere.

Canned beer is privy to many advantages over bottled beer. Here are just a few of the many advantages of canning: Cans keeps all light out, require 75% less packaging than bottled beer, are more than twice likely to get recycled than glass. Modern cans no longer impart the "metal taste" into the beer. I am very excited for the influx of canned beer. You can defiantly fit more beer cans than bottles in a backpack.


Story compiled from: CraftCans.com

Picture from : Beer47.com

Wood'ja Beer event Tommorow 2/12 At The Nodding Head Brewery and Restaruant in Philadelphia, PA

Barrel aged beers just getting more experimental and popular and Samson Street's finest, The Award Winning Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant is is having a wonderful beer event this weekend on Saturday Feb 12th. Starting at 3 pm some very unique and rare suds will be poured. Barrel aged beers just getting more experimental and popular and Nodding Head is plan This is surely an event not to be missed. Brewer Gordon Grubb's beers never disappoint. The "Phunk" barrel has a phenomenal track record in producing outstanding beers. If you are going to be in town, this is a must!

Here is some more info about the barel aged beers set to be poured for the event :

(Cask Two-Year-Old) Wee Heavier, (9.5%ABV) which is a strong, Scottish-style ale that has been aged in a wooden cask that once held Calvados brandy, and more recently JW Lees Harvest Ale. This ale is very dark in color, and full-bodied with a 'roasty' character and sweet malt flavors. It'll make your belly happy. (Disclaimer: the two-year-old barrel aged beer could possibly be volatile or magnificent. Either way, we have plenty of great back up beers - it's all part of the fun).

Pho-Tay, (7%ABV) which is our O-Tay aged in the Phunk Barrel. This beer started off as a golden ale brewed with eighty-four pounds of organic buckwheat and Belgian yeast, giving it a unique spicy character. It then, of course, picked up oak and brett characteristics.

Saison De La Tete, (6%ABV) which is a blend of a young saison, and a sour barrel aged, low alcohol, hoppy pale ale. Then, we added flavors of brett and oak to the slightly funky saison character.

ALSO: SPECIAL GUEST BEER FROM FRIENDS AT RUSSIAN RIVER

Consecration, (10%ABV) which was aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. They not only use Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus, but also add currants to the beer while it is aging in the barrels.

I am not 100% sure, but I have a feeling Nodding Head will be pouring their additional house beers in addition to the the beers to be tapped for the event. This is a pay as you go (ie pay per beer and no cover charge) beer event.

21st Ammendment Brewery to can their "Bitter American" beer

A session beer in a can. Why not? San Fransisco's 21st Amendment Brewery has decided to release brewpub and previously draft only favorite in cans. 21st Amendment informs us that "4.4% ABV, 42 IBUs, with full hoppy flavors that you would find in an India Pale Ale." "Bitter American" is generously hopped with warrior and cascade hops and dry hopped with simcoe and centennial hops. High gravity beers have their place but 21st Amendment makes a very logical statement as to why they decided to release this beer in the winter " The bigger beers are fun to enjoy, but they sometimes get you in trouble with your significant other, the floor below your bar stool or the morning after for that matter." This beer is defiantly not your typical late winter seasonal.

21st Amendment has become one of my favorite breweries. Canned beer is a wonderful alternative to bottled beer. Canned beer uses 75% less packaging than glass, does not shatter, hides light, not nearly as heavy, and easier to transport. The cans used in brewing today are lined and do not have the metal taste that accompanied the beer you stole from your grandfather's fridge. 21st Amendment are the forefathers of canning styles of beer which have previously been available only in bottles.

This is the third seasonal the San Fransisco based brewery currently can. Their other two seasonals "Hell or High Watermelon", a tasty watermelon wheat beer and "Fireside Chat" a tasty 7.9% abv beer spiced with cocoa nibs. I am always excited to have new beer available in cans and look forward to trying this one. Some of my favorite beers are low gravity beers, you get to try more beers and not fall off you're bar stool. I have never been let down by the wonderful folks at 21st amendment brewery. The beer will be available soon in cans and on draft wherever 21st Amendment beers are sold.

2010 Deschutes Abyss

One the world's most eclat and coveted beers, Deschutes Abyss has just been released. Drink up. Beeradvoate.com ranks this beer #5 in the world. Deschutes never lets a thirsty person down.

Classified as a Double or Imperial stout and pouring a very dark brown with a creamy white head. The Abyss weighs in at 11% ABV and 65 IBU's. Deschutes's highly creative beer is amply hopped and is made with brewers licorice and black strap molasses. The beer is also dry hopped with vanilla beans and cherry bark. Abyss is aged in bourbon, oak, and pinot barrels. The bourbon and licorice are very effervescent and contribute to the complexity of this sipper of a beer.

The Abyss is truly a phenomenal and special beer. If you are lucky enough to find some, I suggest having a bottle right away and putting a few in your cellar for a later day. Deschutes promises that "this precious liquid only gets better with age."

Bend,Oregon's Deschutes is not available everywhere in the US yet. If you wish to see Deschutes in your market, contact your local distributor and tell them you wanna drink Deschutes. They are truly a extraordinary brewery who makes superb beers at a very reasonable price. Their Mirror Pond has long been one my favorite beers.

"Our Side, A Collaborative Gypsy Ale": a beer from masterminds Mikkeller and Stillwater

Two of the world's hottest and most eccentric brewers Mikkel Borg Bjergsø from Denmark and Brian Stillwater from Baltimore, Maryland have joined forces to make a beer. Mikkeller and Stillwater make for an ideal team. Both brewers have been generating amazing results and have been producing some of the most coveted beers in the world. Their joint project beer will certainly generate some buzz. What a wonderful way to start 2011!

"Our Side" is a brand new beer, but the beer's label gives it's lucky recipients some insight "Mikkel and Brian are two of the world’s most unconventional brewers. By designing beers at various breweries around the globe, they have found the freedom to experiment and innovate, resulting in unique beers that often blur the lines of definition. After having met at a festival in Bodegraven, NL the two realized that their first creations both were called Stateside. It was then an obvious decision to make the two recipes into a new product, packed full of piney, resinous hops, and backed by the esters of a farmhouse yeast strain."

Their highly anticipated collaboration beer containing "piney, resninous hops" and fermented with "a farmhouse yeast strain" are elements which promise not to disappoint. This is a new beer and the information on it is sparse, I will post more info when it becomes available.

The Beer makes its official debut later today at 6 pm at 4 very lucky bars. Max’s Taphouse (Baltimore, MD), ChurchKey (Washington, DC), Rustico Restaurant (Ballston, VA) and Rattle & Hum (NYC). I have been to Max's and Rattle N Hum and they are two world class establishments. If you are free later tonight, by all means go have yourself a glass or several of "Our Side". If you make it, please drop me an email and let me know what you think. Cheers.


story compiled from Beerinbaltimore.com