Let's Just Rename It 'Lee Nichols Day'

Check it out, y'all: I'm this week's subject of "What's In Your Fridge Friday," a regular feature of Addie Broyles' Relish Austin blog on Austin360.com (the Austin American-Statesman's entertainment website).

Beer Camp?

Not sure if this is a beer snob event or just a plain old beer drinking event, but either way it could be fun: http://sxsw.beercamp.com/

Poll: What's your favorite seasonal bock of 2010?

I'm really partial to a good (true) bock, and I've really enjoyed three of them this year: Sierra Nevada Glissade, Abita Mardi Gras Bock, and Saint Arnold Spring Bock. I can't wait to try the Maibock from Boulevard, but it's not out until April, and I'm not certain they'll send it to Texas.

What is your favorite seasonal bock of this year? One of those? Another? Register your vote in the Comments section. (And don't say Shiner – it's neither a true bock nor seasonal.)

Beer Events Coming to Austin

Saint Arnold Brewing will hold its first-ever Austin Pub Crawl on Feb. 19. Craft Austin has the details.

And on Feb. 27, the new Beer Connoisseur magazine will promote the release of its second issue with a big shindig at Independence Brewing, with a pre- and post-party at the Ginger Man (including a shuttle to and from the brewery). Click on the image for info, or go to http://www.beerconnoisseur.com/issue-two-release-party.

UPDATE: Amy from Independence tells me: "We've invited all the other area breweries to bring their beers over to the brewery for the event for a beer tasting fest. So far we have commitments from: Real Ale, Saint Arnold, Live Oak, 512 Brewing, North by Northwest, and Uncle Billy's."

Rahr & Sons roof collapse

I'm a bit behind on my current events – apparently Fort Worth's Rahr & Sons Brewing suffered a roof collapse in the recent snowstorm up there. Texas Beer has coverage.

I Believe in Superstitions

It's been a policy of mine for a while now that, whenever I'm watching a sports event, I only drink beer local to whatever team I'm rooting for. Which means a lot of Texas beers, since I'm primarily a Longhorn fan, and Boulevard whenever I'm cheering for my wife's Mizzou Tigers.

This weekend, I started to think there might really be something to this. Saturday was that rare occasion when I actually had no Texas beer in my fridge, and instead I drank some Breckenridge Lucky U IPA while watching the 'Horns basketball team play a pretty weak Oklahoma Sooners team. The Lucky U was anything but, and my team suffered an embarrassing loss.

Then, last night, I exercised what was surely some bad party etiquette and eschewed the small North by Northwest keg available in favor of the Abita Turbo Dog and Jockamo IPA I brought – and by god, the most hapless franchise in the NFL actually won the Super Bowl. Congratulations, Saints! (I wanted some of their Mardi Gras Bock, which I've been loving lately, but it seems Saints Fever wiped out local supplies.)

Tonight, the Longhorns try to get back on track against the Jayhawks. Hopefully, finishing off that keg of NXNW Py Jingo will help. (And since I guess Boulevard could technically be considered as much a Jayhawk beer as Mizzou beer, I'll be staying away from that.)

Are You a Good Judge of Beer?

From Wednesday's Washington Post:

Calling all beer lovers

How much do you love beer? If you consider yourself obsessed, then you're qualified to become a panelist in The Post's fourth annual Beer Madness tournament. Panelists will help Food section columnist Greg Kitsock and Fritz Hahn of the Going Out Gurus whittle 32 beers down to one champion. This year, we're taking a cue from the Olympics and opening the gates to foreign beers.

To apply, send a one-sentence e-mail by Monday to food@washpost.com, with "Beer Madness" in the subject line, explaining why you would make an excellent judge of beer. Also include your date of birth (you must be 21 or older to participate), address (for identity-verification purposes only) and daytime phone number and a description of your beer of choice.

Bonus points if you're funny. We're looking for a diverse lineup, so attach a photo if you'd like.

Three Reasons Why You Should Go to NXNW TODAY

I've sung the virtues of seasonal drinking many times, and North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery is proving me correct right now. I stopped in this afternoon to spend some of last night's poker winnings on a growler of their Dunkelweizen (currently replacing Hefeweizen on their regular beer menu), and came away with so much more.

I haven't tried this year's Dunkelweizen yet — the growler awaits in my beer fridge, and I'll enjoy it with a Texas Lady Longhorns basketball game tonight — but I suspect it will be every bit as good as last year, with those rich tones of banana and cream.

I meant to just grab the growler and go, but then the Espresso Imperial Stout caught my eye. Coffee? Stout? Imperial? What's not to like? I stayed for just one pint, and it was well worth it. And at 7% alcohol, it wasn't quite as incapacitating as many products with "imperial" in their name, so I could enjoy it and head back to work. My only complaint was that it was served too cold. I recommend letting your glass sit for as long as you can stand it before the first sip.

But oh, my wandering eye! Right below the EIS on the seasonal beer board was Bourbon Barrel Aged Holiday Ale. Now NXNW's regular Holiday Ale was already a supremely fine barleywine, but aged in a bourbon barrel? Could it make a great thing even greater? Okay, I couldn't go quite yet. I requested just a tiny taster, and wow … the truly sublime beers don't just please your taste buds, they make your head swim with the deliciousness, and this one did just that.

As the word "seasonal" implies, these beer won't be available forever. I strongly recommend you get down there ASAP before they're gone.