All Good Beer

Hay Merchant Anniversary Party

2013-02-12T15:19:00.000-06:00

The Hay Merchant is celebrating their one year anniversary by opening up their cellar and tapping some of that rare stuff that Kevin has been squirrelling away in the back of the cooler. The celebration is on Friday, February 15th and when the doors open at 3:00pm, the first 100 people through them will be getting a special commemorative glass. Here is just a few of the special beers that they have announced:

Avery - Kaiser 2012
Brooklyn - Monster 2008
Dogfish Head - 120 2012
Dogfish Head - Midas Touch
Dogfish Head - Noble Rot
Great Divide - Old Ruffian
Great Divide - Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
Harpoon - Leviathan Quad 2011
Harpoon - Leviathan Czernobog
Jester King - RU-55 (Cask)
Jester King - El Cedro
Karbach - BBA Rodeo Clown (Cask)
Karbach - WBA Krunkin Pumpkin (Cask)
Karbach - BBA Hellfighter 2012 (Batch #1)
Real Ale - Scots Gone Wild
Real Ale - Highlander 2012
Real Ale - Empire 2012
Sierra Nevada - Ovila Quad w/ Sugar Plums
Six Point - 3Beans
Southern Star - BBA Buried Hatchet 2010 (The WORLD’S VERY LAST BARREL of Batch #1)
Stone - Vertical Epic 8,10 and 11,
Stone - Saison Du BUFF
Unibroue - Trois Pistoles 2011
Victory - Helios

I was in there on Saturday for lunch and they had already started clearing out taps in order to make room to put all this beer on for the celebration.

February Glass Night at The Ginger Man

2013-02-06T09:11:00.000-06:00

The Ginger Man has released their list of Glass Nights for the month of February:

6th - Rahr (Iron Thistle)
13th - Widmer (Rotator IPA)
20th - He-Brew (Hop Mana)
27th - Sierra Nevada (Pale Ale)

The glasses are available starting at 6:00pm and only one glass per person with purchase of the beer of the day. As always, the glasses are subject to change and only available while supplies last.

Southern Star's 5th Anniversary Party

2013-02-04T09:14:00.000-06:00

Southern Star has been brewing beer up in Conroe for 5 years now and would like you to help them celebrate that achievement with a party at the brewery on Saturday, March 9th from 6:00pm ~ 10:00pm. The Folk Family Revival band will be performing and The Outlaw Kookers will be on hand selling food (cash only). The regular lineup of beers will be available as well as a few specialty releases.

Tickets are $30 each and include 5 beer tokens and a commemorative mug. Designated drivers get in for only $10 and also get a mug and a free brat or hot dog.

See the 5th Anniversary Party web page for more information and to purchase tickets online.

AHA Rally at Saint Arnold Brewing

2013-02-01T08:32:00.000-06:00

Saint Arnold Brewing is hosting an American Homebrewers Association rally on Sunday, February 24th from 1pm ~ 3pm.

Entrance to the event includes beer samples, VIP brewery tour and a chance to win prices from the AHA and Saint Arnold.

The rally is free for current AHA members and non-members can gain entrance by joining for a discounted rate at the door. Space is limited and you are asked to RSVP online if you plan to attend.

To learn more about the American Homebrewers Association and what a membership can do for you, see the Membership Benefits on their website.

Sierra Nevada Beer Tasting at Flying Saucer

2013-01-31T08:03:00.000-06:00

On Monday, February 4th at 7:00pm, the Flying Saucer (Downtown) and Sierra Nevada Brewing will pair up to host a four course beer pairing. The lineup includes:

Pale Ale - Swedish pickled shrimp
Torpedo - Ground pork lamb lettuce wrap
Ovila Abbey Dubbel - Pot roast
Narwhal Imperial Stout - Narwhal gelato.

Tickets are $30 for U.F.O. members and $35 for non-members.

Brewers Association Launches KegReturn Website

2013-01-30T09:49:00.001-06:00

Whether they're stolen from the back alley behind a bar or simply not brought back to the store, unreturned kegs costs the craft brewing industry $5.3 million dollars a year. Every keg that doesn't make its way back to a brewery means one less keg of beer that brewery can turn back out and sell. As kegs are very expensive and a startup brewery cannot typically afford to purchase very many of them, even the loss of only one or two can make a huge impact on their revenue stream.

To help reunite kegs with their breweries, the Brewers Association has launched KegReturn.com, a site that provides tools to help consumers, homebrewers, retailers, wholesalers, brewers and scrap yards redirect kegs back to the breweries that own the kegs.

"Understanding the issue at hand is a vital part of finding a solution,” said Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and BA Technical Committee chair. “The online resource at KegReturn.com allows people to contact the brewery or their local distributor to return kegs back to the brewery to be filled again with beer. We call on beer lovers and people in the trade to help reunite kegs with their owners.

So, if you see any stray kegs that appear to be lost, please go to KegReturns.com and help it find it's way home. It could mean the difference between your favourite beer being available on tap or not.

Record Number of Texas Breweries Attending 2012 GABF

2012-10-05T14:07:00.001-05:00

There will be a record 578 breweries serving 2,700 beers (the biggest selection ever) in the festival hall at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). There are 676 breweries entered into the competition with 154 first-time entrants. 84 categories of beer will be judged, covering 135 beer styles, as well as the GABF Pro-Am.

Texas has its largest showing ever with 30 breweries listed, up from the previous year of 22.

(512) Brewing Company - Austin
Adelbert's Brewery - Austin
Austin Beerworks - Austin
Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery - Austin
Circle Brewing Company - Austin
Cornel's Brewing Company - Beaumont
Deep Ellum Brewing Company - Dallas
Flix Brewhouse - Round Rock
Fredericksburg Brewing Company, Inc. - Fredericksburg
Freetail Brewing Co. - San Antonio
Hops & Grain Brewing - Austin
Humperdinks Restaurant and Brewery - Dallas
Independence Brewing Co. - Austin
Jester King Craft Brewery - Austin
Karbach Brewing Co. - Houston
Live Oak Brewing Co. - Austin
No Label Brewing Co - Katy
North by Northwest - Austin
Pedernales Brewing Company - Fredericksburg
Peticolas Brewing Company - Dallas
Rahr & Sons Brewing - Fort Worth
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling - San Antonio
Real Ale Brewing Company - Blanco
Rogness Brewing Company - Pflugerville
Saint Arnold Brewing Company - Houston
Southern Star Brewing Company - Conroe
Spoetzl Brewery - Shiner
Thirsty Planet Brewing - Austin
Uncle Billy`s Brew & Que - Austin
Uncle Billy`s Brew & Que - Austin (Lake Travis)

Four breweries from Texas took home medals last year, including a Silver to a brewery on its first appearance at the festival:

Gold (American-Style Amber Lager): Uberbrau - Humperdink's Restaurant and Brewery
Silver (English-Style Summer Ale): Peacemaker - Austin Beerworks
Silver (Kellerbier or Zwickelbier): Bottle Rocket Lager - Uncle Billy's Brew & Que on Lake Travis
Bronze (Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale): Barton Kriek - North by Northwest

The map of the 2012 GABF convention floor is available on the website. The brewery tasting booths are arranged by region of the country and the attending breweries from Texas are in the Southwest section. If you have any specific breweries and beers that are a "must try", I strongly suggest you download the .pdf file and print the the map and mark the location of those booths. It can be overwhelming and chaotic in the convention center (particularly if this is your first time) and you will definitely miss out on some great beers if you just wander up and down the rows (save that for after you've got to the ones you wanted). Have a smartphone? Make sure you download the free GABF app for iPhone and Android.

Growler on Board

2012-09-19T10:48:00.001-05:00

Here's something handy for people that drive around with growlers in their car. The Growler on Board Beer Transportation Unit not only keeps your growler from rolling around in your trunk or the floor, the low density foam that its made of also helps insulate it. According to the website, it can hold standard 1/2 gallon growlers as well as the 2L swing top style with handles and the holes in the bottom of each cavity can be used to hold the growler upside down for drying. The price is $29.95 and available online or at a few retailers.

Don't forget to grab one of the handy warning stickers as well to inform other drivers of your precious cargo.

BeerFeast 2012 at Flying Saucer Sugar Land

2012-09-06T09:54:00.001-05:00

The Flying Saucer's Sugar Land location is hosting their inaugural fall beer festival, BeerFeast 2012, on Saturday, October 27th from 1:00pm to 7:00pm. BeerFeast 2012 will feature more then 40 breweries and 60 different craft beers including rare and limited releases tapped on the hour.

Tickets, which include tasting glass and tasting card good for 12 samples, will be available at a discounted price of $25 beginning on Sept 13th and increase to the full price of $30 on the 27th. A very limited number of VIP tickets will also be available for $65 which includes tasting glass, tasting card, early admission to the festival at noon, food vouchers for attending food trucks, a BeerFeast t-shirt and a brew caddy lanyard to hold the tasting glass. VIP ticket holders will also have a separate line for the hourly rare beer tappings and access to them 10 minutes early. Additional tasting cards will be available for purchase by both regular and VIP ticket holders for $6.

More information and link to purchase tickets will be available soon on the BeerFeast2012 website.

No Label Brewing 1st & 2nd Anniversary Party

2012-08-28T15:21:00.001-05:00

Tickets are now on sale for No Label Brewing's 1st & 2nd anniversary party being held on Sept 22nd from 6:00pm ~ 10:00pm. Tickets are $25 each and include a glass, beer, food and live music as well as a chance to win special prizes.

2012 BrewMasters Craft Beer Festival

2012-08-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

The 3rd annual BrewMasters Craft Beer Festival in Galveston takes the place this Labor Day Weekend. Over 400 craft beers will be available, including one of a kind and hard to get brews in the Taste It First section. In addition to sampling beer at the BrewHaHa Grand Tasting, there are other events such as beer and food pairing, beer and cigar pairing, pub crawl and live music throughout the weekend. See the website for tickets as there is a variety of packages and options (in fact, its almost a little confusing).

2012 Texas Craft Brewers Festival

2012-08-07T08:47:00.000-05:00

The 2012 Texas Craft Brewers Festival is taking place on Saturday, October 6th at Fiesta Gardens in Austin and tickets are now on sale.

A General Admission ticket is $20 which includes a wristband, six 4-oz sampling tokens and a Commemorative TCBF tasting cup. A VIP ticket package is also available which includes a 2-hour meet & greet session with brewers before the festival begins, first access to special limited beers, a festival t-shirt, festival pint glass (upon exiting festival), wristband with six 4-oz sampling tokens and commemorative tasting cup.

A list of participating breweries and available beers will be released closer to the day of the event.

Beer Festival and Food Pairing at the Houston City Club

2012-07-19T14:46:00.003-05:00

The Houston City Club in conjunction with BeerLovers.com is hosting a beer festival and food pairing event on Thursday, July 26th from 5:30pm to 10:00pm.

Representatives from local Texas breweries will be on hand to answer questions and talk about their beer and the Club's Executive Chef will be preparing bite-sized food items paired specifically for the beer being served. There will be a speaking lineup as well including Brock Wagner from Saint Arnold, Ronnie Crocker from the Houston Chronicle and author of Houston Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Bayou City, and also representatives from several of the new Houston breweries such as Fort Bend, City Acre, and Town In City. There's also some great door prizes such as beer gift baskets, private brewery tours, a "design-a-beer" opportunity offered by Bufffalo Bayou and the Club is offering a trip to Barton Creek in Austin.

The event is open to the public but you must RSVP due to limited space (call 713-840-9001 or email Yvette.Matchette@ourclub.com).

Open The Taps Anniversary Party

2012-07-19T08:08:00.000-05:00

Open The Taps (a grassroots organization dedicated to changing Texas beer laws and regulations) is celebrating its first anniversary with a party at Petrol Station on Saturday, July 21st from Noon to 6:00pm. Live music, special cask beers and Petrol Station's new kitchen should be up and running. Come find out what the group has been up to over the past year and their plans for the future.

Tickets for 2012 GABF on Sale July 31

2012-07-18T08:03:00.000-05:00

The 2012 Great American Beer Festival takes place from October 11th to the 13th and members of the American Homebrewers Association and Brewers Association have the opportunity to buy tickets first beginning at 11:00am CST on July 31st. The remaining tickets then go on sale to the general public on August 2nd. If you're considering going, you need to buy your tickets the day they go on sale as they've been selling out faster every year. Almost all tickets were gone last year in 10 days. If you're not already a member, I suggest joining the American Homebrewers Association before July 27 so you can participate in the Member Only Pre-Sale and attend the Member-Only session on Saturday. Tickets are $65 each for the evening sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and $55 for the Saturday afternoon session.

#IPADay Returns on August 2nd

2012-07-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

Started last year by Ashley Routson and Ryan Ross, #IPADay was originally inspired by similar wine events such as #ChardonnayDay and #CabernetDay. Ashley, also known as The Beer Wench, saw it as a way to help make craft beer more accessible to the masses and promote craft beer in general. #IPADay returns on Thursday, August 2nd and you can participate by simply enjoying an IPA (perhaps while introducing a non craft beer drinking friend to the wonderful world of craft beer) and tweeting about it with the #IPADay hashtag.

Tickets on Sale for Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV

2012-06-23T08:46:00.000-05:00

Tickets for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV, an awareness event and fundraiser for the Pints for Prostates campaign are now on sale. The event takes place during the Great American Beer Festival on Friday, Oct. 12th from 1:00pm ~ 4:00pm at the Wynkoop Brewery in Denver.

The price has increased this year to $100, but each attendee receives a commemorative tasting glass, t-shirt, program and pen as well as a three issue trial subscription to All About Beer Magazine. I've attended the previous three events and although the price has increased each year, I still think its worth it. The money goes to a very worthy cause and you get the opportunity try rare beers and meet the brewers who made them. The list of beers that will be served is not available yet, but is typically released closer to the day of the event.

*** UPDATE 08/01/2012 ***
From Pints for Prostates Facebook page:
The Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV is completely sold out! We are looking forward to reaching men through the universal language of beer on Oct. 12 and appreciate the loyal support of craft brewers and beer fans.

Hubbell & Hudson's 3rd Annual Beer & Cheese Festival

2012-06-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, June 30th, Hubbell & Hudson is hosting its 3rd annual Beer & Cheese Festival.

The Beer & Cheese festival is a great way for Houstonians to become acquainted with new and unique pairings of different styled beers and cheeses. Throughout the event, beer and cheese experts will be available to answer questions. Featured local Texas Breweries include Rhar & Sons (Fort Worth, Texas), St. Arnold (Houston, Texas), Karbach (Houston, Texas), Independence (Austin, Texas) and Southern Star (Conroe, Texas).

The event takes place in the store located at 24 Waterway Avenue in The Woodlands from Noon to 5:00pm and admissions is granted with any cash donation to Montgomery County Youth Services.

I attended the Beer & Chesse Festival last year and although it got a pretty crowded in the store, it was still a good event that helped promote craft beer and demonstrate its versatility. If you're going to be up The Woodlands, I definitely suggest checking it out.

2012 Houston Beer Festival

2012-06-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

Everyone remembers the first Houston Beer Festival last year, whether you actually attended it or not. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, you were able to experience the complete fail as it was happening. With all those very public issues and problems, many were quite surprised to see that the organizers had began planning for a festival in 2012 almost immediately after the first one ended. At least they'd know what not to do.

I wasn't at the festival last year, but I attended this year to help setup and work in the Independence Brewing booth. And although I was a little concerned that we'd encounter some of the problems reported at the previous festival and other recent festivals in Austin, I really didn't see any of the issues that caused such an uproar last year. During setup there was some confusion about where specific vendors were supposed to be located and the beer for a few breweries remained locked in a refer trailer until after the gates were open because no one could find the person who had the keys, but everything eventually got sorted out. There were entrance gates all around the park and other then the initial surge of people when the gates first opened, the lines appeared to be pretty short and everyone seemed to be entering pretty smoothly. Water stations and bathrooms were in abundance and there was definitely lots of cups, ice and more importantly, beer. The booths for all the Texas breweries were located in a part of the park that was separate from the main festival area (you had to cross under Rusk to get to it) which was good and bad. It was cool in that it gave that area the feeling of a being at a small Texas craft beer festival, but I wonder how many people may not have even known that section was there or bothered to wander over to it in the hot sun. In the main festival area, the brewery booths and the other vendor booths (food, games, jewelry, etc) were mixed together which made it more difficult to find the breweries. In between Brewery Ommegang and Brooklyn Brewing was a booth for a dog poop scooping business. Nothing against their business, but its not exactly what I'd expect to see when attending a "beer" festival.

Look, as long as Bud Light is being served and Beer Pong is featured, this festival is never going to appeal to the beer geeks out there. However, it was a great festival to introduce new people to the wonderful world of craft beer. There were a lot of people that came to the booth who were already familiar with the beers, but there was also a lot who were trying craft beer for the first time and liking it and that's a good thing.

Below are a few photos I took around the festival during setup and after it was in full swing. Feel free to leave comments about your experience if you were at the festival as well.

Texas Breweries Area

Line at Independence booth

Texas Breweries Area

American Craft Beer Week

2012-05-14T08:29:00.001-05:00

American Craft Beer Week kicks off today with events in all 50 states. From simple tastings to beer dinners to beer festivals, America is celebrating its continuing love and support for Craft Beer this week. The official website has a list of events in your area, but also check with your local beer bars and breweries as all events may not have been added. And don't forget to sign and proudly display your copy of the Declaration of Beer Independence. If you're an active user on Untappd, be sure to check in this week while enjoying an American Craft Beer to receive the special badge.

Local Craft Beer and Burger Pairing at The Counter

2012-05-03T09:57:00.003-05:00

Earlier this year, I posted about the The Counter featuring a special Beer and Burger Pairing Menu. At that time, I also indicated that I would have liked to see more local craft beers used in the pairing. I received a pretty quick response on Twitter from them after my post indicating they would use more local beers in their next pairing. It looks like they held true to their word as I just received notice that their Beer and Burger Pairing Menu for May and June features four beers from No Label Brewing of Katy, TX:

Pairing 1
Burger: Beef mini, shaved cucumber, kalamata olives, feta, tzatziki sauce
Beer: El Hefe - A traditional German Hefeweizen. This beer is light and refreshing with strong notes of banana, cloves, and citrus. Pairs well with the fresh summer flavors of this Greek inspired mini-burger.

Pairing 2
Burger: Beef mini, carrot strings, shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, scallions, kung pao sauce
Beer: Pale Horse Ale - Pale Ale with a significant amount of malts and hops. The hop bite accentuates the kick in the kung pao and the bitterness in the malts balances the earthy meatiness of the shiitake mushrooms.

Pairing 3
Burger: Beef mini, lettuce blend, tomato, sharp provolone, fried onion strings, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
Beer: Mint IPA - This IPA has 11 hop additions using 5 different hops. The bouquet is of strong citrus and pine with a hint of spiciness and soothing mint at the back end.

Pairing 4
Burger: Beef mini, thinly shaved celery, blue cheese, fried onion strings, buffalo wing sauce
Beer: Ridgeback Ale - Dark American Amber with strong flavors of roasted malts. The bitter notes from the malts pairs nicely with the tanginess of the blue cheese and spiciness of the buffalo wing sauce.

The new pairing menu runs from May 3rd to June 28th, but is only available on Thursdays. The owners of No Label Brewing, Brian and Jennifer Royo, will also be on hand at The Woodlands location on May 10th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm and the Washington Ave. location on May 24th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm to answer questions and talk about their beer.

Buffalo Bayou Previewing Summer Ale at Cinco Drinko Party

2012-05-03T09:21:00.002-05:00

If you didn't get a chance to try their beer at the recent Texas Beer Festival (or if you did and want more) Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. will be previewing their summer ale this Saturday during Berryhill's Cinco Drinko event at their Post Oak location. The festivities begin at 2:00pm with live music and discounted food from Berryhill.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing is one of the newest craft breweries to open in Houston. Having only been open since December last year, they're already making a name for themselves by producing unique beers such as their Gingerbread Stout and Chai Porter along with their year-round beer called 1886.

Camp Beer XI - Ciders

2012-05-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

For the first time, beer will not be the center of attention at Camp Beer. With the hot summer days quickly approaching, ciders will instead be in the spot light. The craft cider market has also been on the rise lately and can be a refreshing alternative to a cold beer on a hot day. Tickets are $55 each and are available for purchase online starting at 9:00am Thursday, May 3rd. A list of the ciders being sampled and more information about the event is available on the Camp Beer webpage.

Specialty Beer List for Texas Beer Fest

2012-04-25T10:24:00.000-05:00

The second annual Texas Beer Festival is only days away and the list of specialty beers has been released. One change for this year is that the entire list of speciality beers will be available from the start of the festival instead of tapping different beers at set times throughout the event. This definitely makes it easier to try the various speciality beers, but also mean that there will probably be a rush on some of them at the start of the festival. You will no doubt need to get there early if there is a specific beer(s) that you want to try. However, that's a pretty impressive list of beers and you can't be too disappointed if you miss out on trying one or two. And don't forget, that doesn't include all the regular beers being poured at the brewery booths. Its clearly going to be long day. Pace yourself and drink plenty of water.

Texas Specialty Items

Saint Arnold - Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
Buffalo Brewing - Black IPA with Jaggery, Coconut and Thai Chiles
Karbach - Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter Firkin
Southern Star - Walloon Dry Hopped with Crystal Hops Firkin
No Label - Don Jalapeno
Real Ale - Fireman's 4 (Firkin)
Real Ale - Real Heavy 2011
Rahr and Sons - Regulator Dopplebock
(512) - Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter
Deep Ellum - IPA (Firkin)
Independence - TBA (Firkin)
Independence - Epanoui
- followed by Braggot
Jester King - Black Metal Stout (Firkin)
- followed by Beer Geek Rodeo (Firkin)
Austin Beer Works - Golden Fist
Ranger Creek - Strawberry Milk Stout
Rogness - Yogi Chai Amber

Out of State Specialty Items

Dogfish Head - 120 Minute (2 ounce limit)
Avery - Samaels (2 ounce limit)
Stone - Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean
- followed by Vertical Epic 11.11.11
Brooklyn - Companion
- followed by Mary's Maple Porter
- followed by the Dry Irish Stout
Sierra Nevada - Big Foot 2012 (2 ounce limit)
- followed by Hoptimum
Oskar Blues - Deviant
Santa Fe - Happy Camper (Firkin)
Clown Shoes - TBA (Firkin)
Utah Brewing - Outer Darkness Imperial Stout
Left Hand - Sawtooth ESB
Lindeman's - Pomme
Rogue - John John Dead Guy Ale
New Belgium - Lips of Faith

Girls' Pint Out at Saint Arnold

2012-04-24T10:23:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, April 25th, from 6:00pm ~ 8:00pm, Saint Arnold Brewery will be host to Girls' Pint Out benefitting Bel Inzio, an organization that helps disadvantaged women develop self-confidence and life skills through fitness and nutrition.

Tickets can be purchased online for $17 per lady (with $5 of that going to Bel Inizio) and includes a commemorative pint glass and a fresh-baked Slow Dough Bakery pretzel. They will also be accepting donations of new and gently used running shoes and sportswear. Raffle tickets will also be sold for the chance to win hand-crafted, limited-edition Bel Inizio bracelets and Girls Pint Out t-shirts will be on sale.

Sounds like a great way to get more women interested in craft beer and support a worthy cause at the same time.