Independence News

More lazy cut-and-paste blogging from me. This e-mail I got from Independence had some interesting stuff:

Pint Glass Nights
We have a string of buy the pint keep the glass nights coming up in the next few weeks. We tried to spread them across town so that everyone can come out and enjoy a brew with us! On Tuesday the 23rd at 7pm we will be at Draft Pick featuring Freestyle Wheat. On September 1st 7pm we will be at Black Sheep Lodge with Austin Amber. And for you folks up North we will be at Mr. Tramps this Friday the 19th at 7pm also with Austin Amber.

More Tanks!
We received a very special delivery this week, 2 new fermenters and 1 new brite tank. These tanks will help us turn even more water into brew for your drinking pleasure! Finding a space to put them..... well that’s another story.

Saison
Have you had our Summer seasonal Saison? It is a Belgian influenced Summer ale with Clementine zest, pink peppercorns and star anise. It is a great summer time companion but won’t be here for long! It is draft only so get out to you favorite watering hole and drink some.

All Seeing Eye(PA)
Millineum, Nugget, Cascade. Just three of the 7 hops in our latest Brewluminati brew. Imperial IPA? Double IPA? You be the judge, what we will say is that it was brewed in commemoration of brew number 1,000 and we would have never got here without you all. Sightings have been reported at Whole Foods Bar Lamar, Barley Swine, Draught House, Opal’s Divine and Red’’orch. Open your third eye.

Braggot
More Brewluminati activity. Do you remember our 6th anniversary brew? The Braggot was brewed with a ton of locally sourced Good Flow Wildflower honey. Well, we have reason to believe that it may return soon...

Gettin Sauced
BBQ sauce competition at a brewery? No it’s not a dream, join us on August 27th for brew, BBQ, live music and more. Admission is free as are the complimentary brew samples. If you would like to sample all of the BBQ sauces, wristbands are $8 in advance and $10 dollars at the door. More info at http://www.gettinsauced.com/

New Houston-Area Brewery: Buffalo Bayou

Check out this real estate blog for some preliminary info on a new Houston-area brewery, Buffalo Bayou Brewing. Tip of the hat to my friend Bill for pointing me to it. Picture is from the blog, so presumably it's copyright of Swamplot.

Flowers? Screw That, I Want a Beer Bouquet

Hey, here's a fun (and Austin-based) gift idea: Send someone you love a Beer Bouquet. Sounds good to me. And their inventory includes more than just megabeers: You can get good craft brews from the likes of Spoetzl (Shiner), Sam Adams, Boulevard and Brooklyn and imports like Spaten. They have some non-alcoholic choices too, including root beers from Abita and Saint Arnold.

I think they should re-think that slogan, though. I know plenty of women who would like one of these. More than flowers.

Brewing and Flavor Analysis Class at Black Star Co-op

Wow, I really should attend this. Black Star Co-op is offering a couple of classes on brewing and flavor analysis, coming up on Aug. 14 and 21. They say: "The 101 class will be for beginner homebrewers and beer appreciators. The 201 class will be for intermediate and advanced homebrewers and beer aficionados." I have to say, learning from Jeff Young would be a treat considering how good his Black Star beers have been. Click on that link for more details and to register.

Austin Beerworks Firkin Tonight

This sounds interesting: Austin Beerworks, one of the rash of new microbreweries that have popped up in Austin, is presenting a firkin at Billy's on Burnet tonight that combines characteristics of their IPA and their black beer. More info at Beer Town Austin, the event's sponsor.

Birds and Bock: A Party

So there's this barbershop chain in Austin called Birds, and they've had a habit for a while now of providing beer with your haircut. They recently inked a partnership with Shiner Bock, and now they're throwing a party on August 18 at their South Congress location to celebrate. Check out the poster below for details:

An Ode to Beer

This just got passed on to me by a good beer-drinking buddy. I'm surprised I haven't heard this song yet — it's by one of Austin's best bands, the Asylum Street Spankers. Yeesh, I've really fallen out of touch with the local music scene since I quit being a music critic.