Good timing!

So my mother-in-law comes down for a visit from Kansas City, which always a joyous occasion because — besides the fact that I love her dearly — she always brings me a case of beer from Boulevard, one of the best breweries in the country, whose stuff is available throughout the midwest, but alas, not in Texas. It's pretty much the only thing I drink when I'm in KC. And this time, she not only brought me their bestselling pale ale, but also a sixer of their Christmas beer, Nutcracker Ale, which we didn't have time to finish during our winter visit and left there.

Now at first, my thought on the sunny day that she arrived was to stash this in the fridge until next winter. But the next day, the world turned upside down — a freakish winter mini-storm blew in … in April! Temperatures in the 30s, sleet here in Austin, snow just a few miles north of here. Utterly bizarre. This sort of thing never happens in Texas, except perhaps in panhandle. My day at the Texas Relays — which are usually all about sandals, shades, and sunscreen — was completely ruined. But now I'm at home and comforting myself with a beer that was perfectly tailored for cold weather. Thanks Fran!

Speaking of Boulevard, it sounds like they're gearing up to do some really interesting Belgian-like stuff. They were a major part of good article on craft beers in The Kansas City Star. I would love to link to it, but the Star's website apparently has already either gotten rid of the article or hidden it away in a for-pay archive. But to sum it up, in fall of this year they will make available a saison, something called Double-Wide India Pale Ale, a quadrupel, and something called Ol' Clarence — a version of their Bully Porter that spends a year in a Tennessee bourbon barrel. And in the winter they'll release a dubbel.