Dogfish Head and Alamo Drafthouse Team Up for Film Fest

Alamo Drafthouse (the best damn theater in the world) and Dogfish Head (one of the best breweries on the planet) are teaming up for the 3rd annual "Off-Centered Film Fest" at the Alamo Lake Creek location April 3 & 4.

Film submissions must:
• Be no longer than 5 minutes
• include a storyline containing the concept of an underdog OR be a mock ad
• must reference Dogfish Head OR have Dogfish Head product

Read the full press release here.

Austin, you're a bunch of drunks

Congratulations, Austin — in this year's list of the drunkest cities in America, Men's Health magazine has ranked you seventh! No doubt, this is due in part to the fact that Austin is home to the drunkest motherfucker in the world. I'm just glad I could do my part. With some assistance from the famous Austinite in this photo.

A $400 beer?!?

Seriously. Damn, and my wife thinks I'm pissing away money when I shell out $10 for a bottle of something fancy-schmancy. Somebody let me know what this tastes like, because I doubt I'll be getting a bottle.

Brewers Dinner at Uncle Billy's

I won't be there, but this looks like fun. And Ear for Beer has posted a menu:

I'm Famous!

These past (almost) two years of beer blogging have paid off. M'Lady discovered that somebody found her site after doing a Google image search on the phrase "drunk motherfucker," and guess what image was No. 7? In the WHOLE WORLD, mind you! Out of all the possibilities on the Intertubes!

I discovered that if you change the phrase to "drunk-ass motherfucker," I go up to No. 3. Look baby, there's your daddy on the Internet!

Rule No. 31

From Modern Drunkard magazine's "86 Rules of Boozing":


If you have been roommates with someone more than six months, you may drink all their beer, even if it's hidden, as long as you leave them one.

Black Star Co-op Event Saturday

Unfortunately, I probably won't make it. But you should go. These events always produce some tasty brew.

Dear Members and Friends,

Don't forget that our November Beer Social will take place tomorrow night, January 19th, from 7-10 PM at The Compound (1300 E 4th St). It will be cold, but it should be clear, and we'll have chimineas and tasty beer to keep you warm.

Please join us for music by Graham Wilkinson & The Underground Township, good people, good times, and of course, great beer!

These are exciting times for Black Star Co-op. Earlier this week the Board appointed a location search committee to find us a real home, and our Member-Investor Share Offering is going to the printer this afternoon.

Now is the time to become a Charter Member, and as mentioned in our earlier announcement, we've set a goal of 20 new member-owners at this Beer Social. To reach that goal we need just 2% (two percent!) of the non-members reading this message to join the Co-op tomorrow night. As an added bonus (owning a bar wasn't enough???), all new Charter Members will receive a free Black Star Co-op pint glass.

If you can't make it to the event, we are also offering the free pint glass to all new Charter Members who join on our website before the end of the Beer Social. Become a member-owner here:

http://www.blackstar.coop/become-a-member

What: January Beer Social
When: Saturday, 1/19 from 7-10PM
Where: The Compound, 1300 E 4th St

See you tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Black Star Co-op

Apologies

Okay, I never would have loaded that Jim Breuer video below if I knew it would automatically start playing every time you go to my blog. It annoys me, too. Please bear with me — after a couple more posts, it will be gone from my front page.

Oh Damn This Is Funny

I suspect the Beer Anti-Snob will laugh at this as hard as I did, but perhaps not for the same reasons.

Teens Get Drunk On Award-Winning Microbrew

Review of BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

The only thing better than drinking beer is getting paid to drink beer. Check out my review of BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse that was printed today in The Austin Chronicle.

Flying Saucer Cruise

No, not a trip on a flying saucer — rather, a cruise sponsored by the bar chain named the Flying Saucer, which just opened up an Austin location. I suppose I really ought to turn this blog into pay operation and charge these guys for advertising, but ah hell, this sounds cool enough that it deserves publicity. Here's the press release they sent me:

Flying Saucer Presents Spring Brews Cruise

Dallas, Texas, Jan. 14, 2008 – The Flying Saucer will present its first Spring Brews Cruise May 3-8 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas.

The five-night Western Caribbean cruise will feature seminars and beer tastings with Julie Bradford, editor-in-chief of All About Beer; Sam Calagione, author and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; and Adam Avery, president and brewmaster of Avery Brewing Co. [Lee asks: "What — no one from Full Sail or Anchor Steam?"]

“At The Flying Saucer, we’re dedicated to elevating the perception of beer and educating our customers about the great craft beers that are available. Hosting an event like this is a part of that,” said Shannon Wynne, owner of The Flying Saucer. “It’s rare to have these beer experts together at one event, much less a series of seminars, and some of the featured beers will be limited editions. This cruise is something beer enthusiasts won’t want to miss.”

Reservations are available through The Flying Saucer’s Dallas office, and space is limited. Rates are $849 for an inside stateroom, $949 for an ocean view stateroom and $1,299 for a junior ocean view suite. Pricing is per person, based on double occupancy and includes accommodations, all meals, entertainment, beer seminars and tastings and all port fees, taxes and gratuities. A deposit of $100 is due at the time of booking, and reservations must be made by Feb. 29.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium was founded in 1995 in Fort Worth, Texas. Offering a wide variety of imported and domestic quality craft beers, as well as a full pub menu, The Flying Saucer family has now expanded to 12 locations in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Another location is expected to open in Kansas City, Mo., in 2008.

For more information about the cruise or to make reservations, please contact Mike Currie at Cruise Holidays at (817) 421-7447 or dreammaker@cruiseholidays.com. Cruise Holidays will then advise passengers on how to register online.

Flying Saucer write-up coming soon

Sorry, I was too tipsy Thursday night and too busy Friday night to write up the new Flying Saucer, and now I'm too busy watching my Texas Longhorns struggle against my wife's sorry-ass Mizzou Tigers in basketball. Maybe I'll get to it tonight — I can combine it with a review of the Opal Divine's Marina location, to which I'll be making my first-ever visit tonight. In the meantime, entertain yourself with this review by Josh, an excellent beer-blogging colleague of mine here in Austin.

Jim Breuer's "The Party"

Hanging out at the Flying Saucer last night (which was awesome, by the way — more on that later) Lance mentioned this comedy routine, which has a useful analogy from an appropriately named comedian:

RE-CORRECTION: Flying Saucer IS opening Thursday

Well, so much for me being an accurate source of info. Disregard what this post said earlier today. I was a little unclear on what the Flying Saucer's PR person was saying, but apparently, despite appearances on Tuesday, the new beer bar at the Triangle (see my previous posts) really is going to open on Thursday. So maybe I'll go check it out after all.

Flying Saucer Opening an Austin Location

Flying Saucer, a Fort Worth-based chain of 11 beer bars, is opening a location here in Austin. Which would have me excited on its own, but I'm positively giddy because the new one will be pretty close to my house. It's going to be in the Triangle (the fairly new development between Lamar, Guadalupe, and 45th Street), which is already the site of one my favorite Italian restaurants, Mandola's. And if the picture shown from their website is any indication, I'm gonna like this place.

This is an excerpt from an e-mail I got from their PR person:

Not only does the Saucer provide an incredible beer selection, but the owners try to really elevate the perception of beer. As I’m sure you know, people are now considering beer much in the same way they do wine – as something to accompany and complement a meal, not just wash it down, and something to be appreciated in its own right. The Saucer’s menu changes seasonally to reflect the different types of beer that are popular at different times of year and to allow customers to sample a greater variety. It also explores beer and food pairings, with its menu featuring a guide as to what to pair with what. The waitstaff, too, is well-educated on the different varieties of beer and can easily make recommendations to customers.

Opening day is Thursday. See you there.

Rule No. 29

From Modern Drunkard magazine's "86 Rules of Boozing":


If you owe someone twenty dollars or less, you may pay them back in beer.

First in a series: Modern Drunkard's 86 Rules of Boozing

I should have subscribed to Modern Drunkard magazine at least two years ago, but I still haven't done it. I shall rectify that soon. In the meantime, to make amends, I shall post selected excerpts from the magazine's "86 Rules of Boozing" — the ones that pertain to beer.

Rule No.8: "When the bartender is slammed, resist the powerful urge to order a slightly-dirty, very-dry, in-and-out, super-chilled half-and-half martini with a lemon twist. Limit orders to beer, straight shots and two-part cocktails."