People should envy me. I envy me.

My Portland buddies Bill and Todd, knowing my love of both beer and Western shirts, got me what might be the most awesome Christmas present ever. Yes, you should be jealous.

Flying Saucer Christmas Party and Coat Drive

(I just noticed that this is my 666th post. Augh!)

Hey Austinites, go be a lush for a good cause:

Flying Saucer
The Triangle, 47th @ Lamar (512) 454- PINT (7468)

Follow Us on Twitter: FlyingSaucerAus
http://www.beerknurd.com

Jester King's First Seasonal

Press release from one of Austin's newest breweries below. Clearly these guys are having fun with their young business. Can't wait to try some!

Press Release: Jester King Set to Release Black Metal Imperial Stout Jester King Craft Brewery
13005 Fitzhugh Road
Austin, TX 78736
(512) 364-7278
jkcb@jesterkingbrewery.com

AUSTIN, TEXAS Jester King Craft Brewery is set to release their first ever seasonal beer – Black Metal Imperial Stout, a.k.a. Suds of Northern Darkness, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte. Black Metal is a cruel and punishing beer fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will. We are pretty sure that Kreator wrote the song “Impossible Brutality” about this beer while drinking it during their Extreme Aggression Tour.

Black Metal is Jester King’s winter seasonal release. Weighing in at about 10% ABV, it’s filled with huge flavors of roast, chocolate, burnt malt and alcohol and carries a hint of leather. We encourage Black Metal to be enjoyed from a snifter at a serving temperature between 57 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit.

Black Metal is currently available only in kegs. It will be available in 750mL bottles later this winter. If you would like to have Black Metal at your establishment, please contact us at the phone number listed above.

Imperial Stout

OG: 1.108
ABV: ~10%
IBU: 60

Malt: Maris Otter, Caramalt, Extra Dark Crystal, Brown Malt, Black Malt, Roasted Barley

Hops: Magnum, East Kent Goldings

Water: Texas Hill Country Aquifer Water

Yeast: Dry English Ale

Black Metal Music played to beer during fermentation.

57-61 °F

Independence Pub Crawl

Another beer event to do this weekend, in addition to the Black Star Co-op Grand Opening (see previous post).

Due to some really stupid TABC laws (is there any other kind?), Independence can't name the actual venues of their pub crawl, so you'll have to figure it out from the hints below:

Time	Sunday, December 12 · 1:30pm - 5:30pm
Location	Campus Area
Created By	Independence Brewing Co.
More Info	Come out and join us as we crawl through campus the Sunday after finals! How to Indy Crawl(and get a sweet limited run pint glass) : We will be at the following spots near the times listed below. Punch cards will be passed out at Cuatro's. We will be punching cards throughout, its your responsibility to get it punched at each location, don't forget! We will be moving as a group according to the following schedule: 1:30PM "spanish four"(1004 W 24th) 2:30PM "biblical brothers" (2313 Rio Grande) 3:30PM "shroomin"(2426 Guadalupe) 5:00PM "holy" "wall" spot(2538 Guadalupe St), Black Brew will be playing a show We will give you a punch card and if you get it punched at each location we will give you a limited run Indy Crawl Pint glass!!! Must be 21 years old to participate. Come out and have a good time with us! PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY!!!! Cabs and Buses are readily available in the Campus area!

Black Star Grand Opening Tomorrow

Damn, I've been so busy I almost forgot to post this.

Yes, Black Star Co-op has actually been open for several weeks now, but tomorrow begins the official celebration. See below.

(EDIT: D'oh! Looks like the html is a little wonky, but you get the idea. And if you don't know, Black Star is at North Lamar and Airport Boulevard here in Austin, inside the Midtown Commons development.)

Yes, it’s finally here! Black Star Co-op invites you to join us this weekend, December 10th-12th, for a weekend full of Grand Opening celebrations!

Friday: Grand Opening Party! 6PM-12AM We’ll kick off the festivities with a big outdoor party on Friday, December 10th from 6PM to midnight. Join us for Grand Opening ceremonies, the first tap of our house beers, and a party into the night. Music by Vanessa Lively, the Ugly Beats, Melogrand, and Brownout! The entire evening will be family friendly with free hot apple cider, face painting, and a bounce house. RSVP to the Facebook Event (and share it with your friends!).

Saturday: Eat Local Week's Texas Craft Brewers Mini-Festival, 2-5PM Come back on Saturday afternoon for the Texas Craft Brewers’ Mini-Festival as party of Edible Austin’s Eat Local Week. The event will run from 2-5PM, and tickets are $15. As with other Eat Local Week events, all proceeds will benefit Urban Roots. Normal service at the brewpub will begin after the festival at 5PM. RSVP to the Facebook Event (and share it with your friends!). Purchase tickets at Frontgate Tickets.

Sunday: Traditional Sunday Roast, Charter Member Portraits, and Group Photo, 12PM Finally, we’ll wrap up the weekend with a traditional Sunday Roast and service starting at 12PM. Charter Member-Owners are invited to have their portraits taken from 12-4PM with a group photo of the membership scheduled for 4PM. RSVP to the Facebook Event (and share it with your friends!).

Vote for Me!

Hey beloved readers,

Apparently I've been nominated for "Best Cocktail/Beverage Blog" in the Austin Bloggers Awards. Hey, screw all that "it's an honor just to be nominated" crap, I want to win! So if you think I'm deserving, and you're sober enough to properly point your mouse at the right button, please follow the link below to vote for me an for other blogs in a huge variety of categories:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KM9SYCX

Celis and Shiner: A Look Back at Texas Craft Brewing

I just stumbled across this article in Texas Monthly's online archives. I'm sure it was interesting reading in 1996, when it was originally printed; 14 years later, it's even more interesting. The thrust of the article — written by Patrick Earvolino, who also used to do a lot of writing for us at The Austin Chronicle — was whether it's a good thing for small breweries to get bought out by big companies, with the focus on Spoetzl (Shiner) and Celis.

Of course, we can read the article today with hindsight — Spoetzl got saved from near-certain death by Gambrinus, while Miller's buyout of Celis turned out exactly the opposite, with the bigger brewer driving Celis into near-extinction.

One thing that's really interesting about it — reading the names of beers I'd long forgotten. Anyone remember Shiner Honey Wheat or Pecan Street Brewing?

Give it a read. (You have to register to read the full article, but it's free.)

Holiday edition of "Beer Flights"

The newest edition of my Austin Chronicle beer news column, "Beer Flights," is in today's edition. This one looks at holiday seasonals from local and Texas breweries. Please give it a read.

Shiner Wins Euro Beer Awards

Another press release, this time from Spoetzl:

SHINER BEERS BRING HOME EUROPEAN BEER STAR MEDALS

Small-town Texas Craft Brewer Takes on the Best of the World

NUREMBERG, GERMANY (November 11, 2010) – The Spoetzl Brewery, brewers of the legendary Shiner family of beers, is celebrating its 101 years of excellence in brewing with gold and silver medals awarded today at the prestigious European Beer Star Awards in Nuremberg.

Shiner’s seasonal Oktoberfest won a gold medal in the German Märzen-style category and Shiner 101 Czech-style Pilsner was awarded silver. These categories are typically dominated by German and Czech breweries. For example, in the Bohemian-style Pilsner category, Czech breweries won the gold and bronze medals.

This year more than 950 beers from 33 countries vied for awards in 44 different categories. Judging is held at Doemens Brewing Academy by a panel of 88 beer and brewery experts from around the world.

German and Czech immigrants founded the Central Texas town of Shiner in the late 1800s. It’s not uncommon to hear those languages still spoken there. And the Spoetzl Brewery gets its name from longtime brewmaster Kosmos Spoetzl – born, raised and trained as a brewmaster in Bavaria. So it’s no surprise that the Spoetzl Brewery can turn out fine, handcrafted beers that are loved in America but can stand up to competition from these Old World, classic styles.

“Our small town of Shiner, Texas is big tonight in the world of beer,” said Jimmy Mauric, Shiner’s brewmaster. “Winning the gold medal for Shiner Oktoberfest and the silver for Shiner Czech Pilsner – two traditional styles of Germany and the Czech Republic would make Shiner’s founding fathers immensely proud.”

The European Beer Star Competition is organized by the Association of Private Breweries in Germany, the Association of Private Breweries in Bavaria and the Association of Small and Independent Breweries in Europe. It is considered one of the world’s foremost beer competitions.

Founded in Shiner, Texas (population 2,070), the Spoetzl Brewery is one of America’s oldest independent breweries. While Spoetzl has grown to be the country’s fourth largest craft brewery, every drop of Shiner’s award-winning beer is still handcrafted and bottled by only 66 employees, very near the spot where it all started in 1909.

Fancy Brew From Jester King Out Soon

[Update: In the original version of this post, the headline stated that this is Jester King's first commercial release. Turns out I'm about two weeks behind. JK's Jeffrey Stuffings tells me: "We've had Wytchmaker Rye IPA and Commercial Suicide Dark Mild (not the whiskey barrel aged version) out around town and in a few places in DFW and Houston for about two weeks. At the moment, we're at Draught House, Whip-In, Black Star Co-op and Uncle Billy's."]

Press release from Jester King:

JESTER KING WHISKEY BARREL COMMERCIAL SUICIDE
READY FOR RELEASE

Austin, Texas – Jester King Craft Brewery is set to release a whiskey barrel aged version of Commercial Suicide Oaked Dark Mild. We filled three George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey barrels with Commercial Suicide and let it age. The beer is now ready for release, and we hope to have it in bars beginning this weekend and going into next week.

The base beer, Commercial Suicide, is a blend of 70% dark mild and 30% dark mild aged in medium toast, Kentucky oak barrels (new barrels, not whiskey). At 3.3% ABV, we set out to pack as much flavor as possible into a true session ale. The malted barley and hops in the beer are all English. Here are the ingredients and specs on the base beer:

OG: 1.041
FG: 1.016
IBU: 18
ABV: ~3.3%
SRM: 18
Malts: Crisp Maris Otter, Crisp Brown, Simpsons Caramalt, Simpsons Extra Dark Crystal, Crisp Pale Chocolate
Hops: East Kent Golding
Yeast: English Dry Ale

We have ten kegs and two firkins of Whiskey Barrel Commercial Suicide set for release.

New 'Beer Flights'

The new Austin Chronicle is out, and has another edition of my local beer news column, "Beer Flights." Click the link to check it out.

Yeah, Really!

From "Overheard in the Newsroom":

Copy editor, while reading the police blotter: “If you’re going to steal beer, why would you steal Natural Light?”

South Austin Brewing Event

Yet another of those new Austin brewers, South Austin Brewing, has an event coming up:

Sunday, 7 to 9:30 PM

November 7

Premiere of South Austin Brewing Live Music Series

Preview the brewery’s facilities, enjoy live music, and drink FREE Texas craft beers!

We won’t be brewing yet, but there will be kegs of FREE local beer.

Music is $10. All cover charge goes to the musicians, Americana recording artists AMANDA SHIRES & ROD PICOTT

Bring your valid ID - 21 & older only.

Austin Beer Week: Final Day

Last call, folks: If you want to partake in any Austin Beer Week events, better do it now, because it ends tonight. Schedule below. Also, not listed: Today is the Austin leg of New Belgium's Tour de Fat.

11:00 am
Alamo S. Lamar Badass Beers
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

11:00 am
Beer & Chocolate: Together at Last!
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

11:30 am
Ultimate Brewery & Brewpub Tour
@ Multiple Venues

12:00 pm
Saint Arnold Christmas Ale Tasting
@ Central Market Westgate

3:00 pm
Beer Pong Championship, featuring Franconia Falling Bock in Wooden Cask!
@ HomeField Grill

3:30 pm
Stash-o-Lantern Contest with Independence Brewing
@ Dog & Duck Pub

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

5:00 pm
Texas Craft Brewers Guild - Membership Sign Up
@ The HighBall

5:00 pm
Real Ale Crew & Brew featuring Rare Barrel-Aged Brews
@ The Ginger Man

5:00 pm
ABW’s Last Call -- 1st Round
@ The HighBall

7:00 pm
(512) Cask Night
@ Red’s Porch

7:30 pm
ABW’s Last Call -- Final Round
@ The HighBall

Austin Beer Week, Day 7

Whoops, almost forgot to print today's Austin Beer Week schedule. See below.

Went to Billy's on Burnet last night for a delicious glass of a cask-version (512) Bruin. Yet again, (512) took a beer that didn't impress me much in its original incarnation, but became outstanding when they tinkered with it. I had the same experience with their One – the first version, for last year's one-year anniversary, was unspectacular, but the One.2 (aged in oak, I think?) blew me away at this year's Flying Saucer Fall Beer Fest.

Unfortunately, the Bruin was soured by the performance of the Texas Rangers in the World Series, but that's not the brewer's fault.

Today's lineup (sorry I'm late on some of these):

11:00 am
Alamo S. Lamar Badass Beers
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

3:00 pm
Craft Cheese Meets Craft Beer: Independence Tasting with Antonelli’s Cheese
@ The Ginger Man

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour + NXNW Keg Raffle (4-7)
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

4:00 pm
Deschutes Brewery’s All-Nighter ABW Specials
@ Icenhauer’s

5:00 pm
(512) Brewing Meet & Greet with Brewer/Owner Kevin Brand
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Live Oak Oaktoberfest Cask Night + Meet & Greet
@ Red’s Porch

5:00 pm
Independence Convict Hill Cask Tapping
@ The Ginger Man

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

5:00 pm
Downtown Beer Social: Breckenridge Vanilla Porter!
@ Whole Foods Market - 6th St. & Lamar

5:30 pm
(512) Meet & Greet + Pint Night
@ Clive Bar

6:00 pm
Real Ale Lost Gold IPA Cask - Opal’s on 6th ONLY
@ Opal Divine’s

6:00 pm
Real Ale Meet & Greet
@ Doc’s Motorworks

6:00 pm
Irrational Prix Fixe Beer Dinner
@ Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

6:30 pm
Real Ale Phoenixx Double ESB Cask Tapping
@ Billy’s on Burnet

7:00 pm
Hoppy Halloween! Hoppy Beer Dinner & Movie
@ HomeField Grill

7:00 pm
Hop School IPA Brewpub Bus Tour & Palate Pop Quiz
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

Austin Beer Week, Day 6

Lots of good stuff on today's schedule:

4:00 pm
Alamo S. Lamar Badass Beers
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

4:00 pm
Hop School Collaboration IPA - Draught House Edition
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour (4-7) + ABW Pint Glass, One Mug Club, NXNW Keg Raffle (4-8:30)
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

5:00 pm
New Brewers Meet & Greet
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Downtown Beer Social: North Coast Scrimshaw!
@ Whole Foods Market - 6th St. & Lamar

5:00 pm
Brooklyn Beer Co. Sampling
@ The Ginger Man

5:00 pm
Independence Brewing Convict Hill Stout Cask Night
@ Red’s Porch

6:00 pm
Tilburg’s Dutch Brown Ale Glass Night
@ The Tavern

6:00 pm
Thirsty Planet Pint Night featuring Thirsty Goat, Buckethead IPA & Thirsty Planet Brewers
@ The Tavern

6:00 pm
Real Ale Coffee Porter Tapping w. Crew
@ Black Sheep Lodge

6:00 pm
Acoustic Night at the Jester King Beer Hall
@ Jester King Craft Brewing

6:00 pm
Beer Flavor Analysis - A Blind Tasting
@ Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

6:30 pm
Dogfish Head Bitches Brew Tapping
@ The Ginger Man

7:00 pm
Texas Craft Brewers Guild - Membership Sign Up
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

7:00 pm
North Coast Brewers Dinner
@ Zax Restaurant

7:00 pm
Real Ale Coffee Porter Release & ESB Cask Tapping -- Just Added: Brewhouse Brown Cask!
@ Alamo Drafthouse (Lake Creek)

7:00 pm
(512) Brewing Special Cask Tasting featuring (512) Brewers & BeerTownAustin
@ Billy’s on Burnet

7:30 pm
Cask Tapping Dynamic Duo
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

Craft Beer Hits a Home Run at World Series

I'd love to be taken out to the ballgame: You don't have to settle for crap beer at the World Series. Click here to read about the choices available at the two stadiums, including Rahr and St. Arnold in Arlington.

More Austin Beer Week Stuff

See my previous post for today's Austin Beer Week schedule. I'm adding this extra post because the organizers especially wanted you to know about this event on Saturday at the HighBall.

Austin Beer Week, Day 5

Don't look for me at any Austin Beer Week stuff tonight — I have a little too much month at the end of the money, so I'm gonna hole up at the house with a six-pack of Rahr & Sons Ugly Pug and focus all my psychic energy on pushing the Texas Rangers to a win in game one of the World Series.

That means I need you to step up and cover for me. There's a lot of good beer out there waiting for your liver. Go get it.

Below is tonight's ABW schedule. If I were going out, I'd have to pick that double feature of Strange Brew and Beerfest at Uncle Billy's. Two of the silliest movies ever made.

3:00 pm
Local Pints Day (starts at 3 pm) Meets BEER WARS Movie Night (7:30 pm)
@ Red’s Porch

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

4:00 pm
Alamo S. Lamar Badass Beers
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour (4-7) + ABW Pint Glass, One Mug Club, NXNW Keg Raffle (4-8:30)
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

4:30 pm
Texas Craft Brewers Guild - Membership Sign Up
@ Red’s Porch

5:00 pm
Buy the Beer, Keep the Glass, featuring Chimay White
@ HomeField Grill

5:00 pm
Downtown Beer Social: Victory Lager!
@ Whole Foods Market - 6th St. & Lamar

5:00 pm
Real Ale Pint Night
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Real Ale Barrel-Aged Devil’s Share & ESB Cask Tapping
@ Red’s Porch

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

5:00 pm
Austin Brewers Pint Glass Night
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Rare Crispin Barrel-Aged Cider Tapping - Draught House Edition, Part 2
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

6:00 pm
Two for Texas Wednesday Raffle - All Locations
@ Opal Divine’s

6:00 pm
5-Course Feast of Beers featuring Independence Brewing
@ McCormick & Schmick’s

6:00 pm
Devil’s Backbone Tapping with Real Ale - All Locations
@ Opal Divine’s

6:00 pm
Flensburger Glass Night (Dunkel & Pilsener)
@ The Tavern

6:00 pm
Real Ale Brewing Night with Devil’s Share & Cask Releases + Glass Giveaways
@ Flying Saucer

6:30 pm
Taste of Americana 5-Course Beer Dinner
@ Whole Foods Market - 6th St. & Lamar

7:00 pm
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS German Feast featuring Live Oak Brewing
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

7:00 pm
The Onion Society For Beer Enjoyment
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

8:00 pm
Sierra Nevada Estate Ale Tasting & Trivia Night
@ The Ginger Man

8:30 pm
STRANGE BREW and BEERFEST Double Feature
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

Austin Beer Week, Day 4

Okay, I did make it to NXNW last night after all. Damn, their cask-conditioned IPA was awesome, not that it surprised me in the least. And they had a raffle, and I won not one, not two, but THREE Austin Beer Week pint glasses (see photo). Ha! Suck it! I'm awesome.

Below is Tuesday's ABW schedule. Don't look for me — Tuesday is my poker night. I'll be hoping my lucky streak continues into my cards, and I'll be enjoying my growler full of NXNW IPA (not the cask version, sadly, but I'm sure still great).

(But oh, DAMN I wish I could attend that Divine Reserve vertical tasting.)

4:00 pm
Alamo S. Lamar Badass Beers
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour (4-7) + ABW Pint Glass, One Mug Club Raffle (4-8:30)
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

5:00 pm
Jester King Meet & Greet with Brewer/Owner Jeff Stuffings
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Beer Flight & Tasting Menu
@ Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

5:00 pm
Downtown Beer Social: Real Ale Oktoberfest!
@ Whole Foods Market - 6th St. & Lamar

5:00 pm
Pint Night with (512) Brewery
@ Red’s Porch

6:00 pm
Tapping Barrel-Aged Devil’s Share with Real Ale
@ Zax Restaurant

6:00 pm
Independence Cask Night at Opal Divine’s Marina
@ Opal Divine’s

6:00 pm
Beer + Wine + Conversation with Real Ale & Antonelli’s Cheese
@ FINO Restaurant Patio & Bar

7:00 pm
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve Vertical Tasting #1-9 with Owner/Brewer Brock Wagner
@ The Ginger Man

7:30 pm
Name That Beer Trivia
@ HomeField Grill

8:00 pm
(512) Brewing Meet & Greet
@ Doc’s Backyard Bar & Grill

Twitter Contest for ABW

Hey gang, Independence has a fun Twitter-based contest going on for their Sixth Anniversary and Austin Beer Week. Here's what they told me:

It's a twitter based contest challenging people to describe beer in 6 words. Contestant follow us on @indybrewing and tweet their 6 word entry with the #indy6words tag. Entries must be received before the end of Austin Beer Week, 12 am October 30th. Entries will be judged by Independence Brewing staff, and contest winner will be awarded a VIP private beer tasting for up to 10 people at Independence Brewing.

Austin Beer Week, Day 3

This Austin Beer Week thing is going pretty awesome, in my opinion. The Beer Olympics at the Draught House yesterday was hilarious, and the Craft Austin vs. Beertown Austin bicycle pub crawl was a blast. Met a lot of nice people, drank a lot of good beer. Photos and videos to come.

I might make it out to the NXNW event tonight, but I may be using up all my night-out credits with the family, so perhaps not. Don't want my kids telling their teachers, "Oh, I never see my daddy, he's always at a bar."

Here's today's schedule:

4:00 pm
Alamo S. Lamar Badass Beers
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour (4-7) + ABW Pint Glass, One Mug Club, NXNW Keg Raffle (4-8:30)
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

5:00 pm
Downtown Beer Social: New Belgium Hoptober!
@ Whole Foods Market - 6th St. & Lamar

5:00 pm
Black Star Brewery Tour
@ Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye & Cheese Pairing
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Beer & Cheese Tasting for Minglers (Unmoderated)
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

5:00 pm
Ticket Raffle for 10/30 Ultimate Brewery & Brewpub Tour
@ Red’s Porch

6:00 pm
Victory Brewery Logo Pints & Flights
@ The Ginger Man

6:00 pm
Coffee Porter Tapping with Real Ale - All Locations
@ Opal Divine’s

6:30 pm
Texas Craft Brewers Guild - Membership Sign Up
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

6:30 pm
Brewery Tour and Mug Club Mug Specials for All
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

7:00 pm
Local Beer & Local Sausage Tasting
@ Red’s Porch

7:00 pm
Special Cask Tapping with NXNW Brewer Kevin Roark
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

7:00 pm
Beereoke! Featuring Real Ale
@ HomeField Grill

Austin Beer Week, Day 2

As expected, I had a blast at the Draught House's 42nd Anniversary Party yesterday, one of the events that kicked off Austin Beer Week. Four casks going at any given time — it was heaven. Most impressive: Green Flash's Imperial Red. I have no idea what this beer tastes like regularly — and I'm normally not that big a fan of reds — but the cask treatment made it divinely hoppy and smooth. Southern Star's cask version of their Bombshell Blonde, flavored with honey, jasmine, and something else I can't remember now, was also a winner.

Today, I'll definitely have to join at least some of the bicycling pub crawl being thrown by my beer-blogging colleagues, Craft Austin and Beertown Austin (click on poster at right or link below.) It combines two of my favorite things in the whole world — bicycling and beer — and it's all in my neighborhood. Can't beat that.

Here's today's schedule:

11:00 am
Alamo Mighty Pint WEEK, Roulette Style!
@ Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar)

1:00 pm
Rare Crispin Barrel-Aged Cider Tapping - Draught House Edition, Part 1
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

1:00 pm
Rare Crispin Barrel-Aged Cider Tapping - Ginger Man Edition
@ The Ginger Man

2:00 pm
1st Annual Beer Olympics & ABW Kick-Off Party
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

2:00 pm
MisoHungry and Austin Women’s Beer League Host Beer & Dessert Pairings
@ The Ginger Man

2:00 pm
The BeerTownAustin vs. Craft Austin Ultimate Fanboy Bike Pub Crawl Throwdown 2010
@ Multiple Venues

4:00 pm
Hop School Collaboration IPA - Lovejoy’s Edition
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

4:00 pm
ABW Happy Hour
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

4:00 pm
Special House Brews + Collaboration IPA on Cask All Week
@ Lovejoy’s Tap Room and Brewery

4:00 pm
Hop School Collaboration IPA - NXNW Edition
@ North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery

4:00 pm
Sam Adams Pint WEEK
@ The Ranch

4:00 pm
Sam Adams Boston Lager Pint WEEK
@ Posse East

4:00 pm
Hop School Collaboration IPA - Uncle Billy’s Edition
@ Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que

5:00 pm
Independence Beer & Appetizer Pairings
@ Parkside

7:00 pm
Local Beer & Local Cheese Tasting
@ Red’s Porch

7:00 pm
Beer Before Breakfast, a Moderated Beer Dinner featuring Real Ale Coffee Porter
@ HomeField Grill

TBD
Real Ale Barrel-Aged Devil’s Share Tapping with Real Ale in the House
@ The Dig Pub

Austin Beer Week, Day 1

Okay, beer geeks, let the orgy begin: today through next Saturday is the poorly publicized Austin Beer Week (seriously, if you want your event to get covered, you need to call or e-mail the media, not count on us to discover it via Twitter). But fortunately, I did spot it, so I'll try to help people stay abreast of events. If I make it to anything today, it will probably be for a little bit of the Draught House's 42nd anniversary party. The 41st last year was a blast. Tons of rare beers, including at least four casks flowing at any given time (see photo from last year). Here's today's schedule, go to the website for more details:

1:00 pm
Draught House 42nd Anniversary Party
@ Draught House Pub and Brewery

4:00 pm
Oktoberfest
@ The Ginger Man

4:00 pm
Independence Brewing 6th Anniversary Party
@ Independence Brewing

TBD
Saint Arnold Austin Scavenger Hunt Video Pub Crawl II
@ Multiple Venues

The Worst Beers In the World

Wow, Tequiza missed the list by .01: http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TheWorstBeers.asp

Flip-Flopper

An interesting thing about doing this blog is that I can look back at opinions on certain beers, especially seasonals, and see if my tastes (or maybe the flavor of the beer?) have changed. I just stumbled across this roundup of Oktoberfest beers from last year, wherein I described Real Ale Oktoberfest as "shockingly disappointing" and "very mediocre." Funny, I thought the beer debuted this fall, and I forgot I had tried it before. And now, my opinion could not be more different — I've had a lot of it this year, and love it. I wonder why? Anyone else have taste turnarounds like this?

(Image shamelessly stolen from Craft Austin.)

Quick Review: Magic Hat Odd Notion Fall '10

Bleagh. Definitely not what I was hoping for this evening. It took me a while to pinpoint the flavor, but I finally figured it out: bubblegum. Which I don't mind if I'm drinking a Big Red (that's a brand of soda pop that my non-Southern readers might not be familiar with), but not what I want in a beer. It's growing on me slightly as I get deeper into the glass, so I'll give it a low 'C.' I'll need to follow this up with a hop bomb to get some satisfaction tonight.

Quick Review: Magic Hat hI.P.A.

Finally, a Magic Hat that really impresses me. This Vermont brewery keeps sending me beers to review, and I keep feeling sort of bad about it, because they've consistently underwhelmed me. But the Magic Hat hI.P.A. (high-PA) is very solid hopfest that compares favorably with other examples in this style. It pours out a clear gold, surprisingly considered so often I see this style unfiltered. It's part of a series of seasonal IPAs Magic Hat is releasing (see my review of Blind Faith from the summer). A bright, flowery hop taste, with a wonderful, lingering bitterness on the tongue after the swallow. I'll give it an 'A.'

Goober And The Peas - Hot Women Cold Beer

My theme song, from one of the coolest bands ever:

So Much Beer, So Little Time

Wow, tons of events coming up here in the Austin area, and I can't keep pace with it all. I only have one liver, and not enough hours in the day. Let's do a little run-down, and no doubt I'm missing something here:

• North by Northwest Oktoberfest, Oct. 16-17: A big favorite for my family, I'll probably hit both days of this just because it's so kid-friendly. Oompah bands, German food, German-style brews, bouncy houses and facepainting for the kids, and cute waitresses in dirndls. That's really all I need in this life.
• Flying Saucer Fall Beer Festival, Oct. 16: Apparently those chuckleheads at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission have been screwing with the Flying Saucer and have forced them to modify the setup they originally had planned, but it all sounds too complicated to summarize here. Bottom line, there is still a beerfest, it's happening noon-10pm, and there will be 50 different beers from 30 different breweries.
• Austin Beer Week, Oct. 23-30: An absolutely crazy assortment of activities, too many to list here, spread out all over the city. I won't even try. Just go check out their calendar. At a minimum, I'll definitely try to hit the Draught House's 42nd Anniversary Party on the 23rd, and no doubt I'll go to Black Star Co-op's brewery tour since it's in my neighborhood. The double feature of Strange Brew and Beerfest at Uncle Billy's Brew & Que on the 27th sounds pretty awesome, too. (Note: I really, really wish the people promoting this would have made an outreach to me. I mentioned in my "Beer Flights" column in the Chronicle that it was coming up, but I had no idea of the scope of it until just now. With earlier outreach, I could have done a bang-up feature on it in the Chronicle and really given it good publicity.)

Tour de Fat coming to Austin

This is really more about bicycling than beer, but hey, I love both:

New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat
Wraps up in Austin on October 30

Come ride, dance and experience the ultimate freedom: trading your car for a bike!

Ft. Collins, CO, October 8, 2010 –Clip a card in your spokes and wear your Halloween costume all weekend long…Tour de Fat is back! New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle rolls through 13 cities this year, raising money and sharing bike love. The Tour de Fat finale is once again in Austin, coming to Fiesta Gardens on October 30.

For the fourth year in a row, Tour de Fat is looking for volunteers to accept the swapper challenge. One volunteer in each city will give up their car and receive a hand-built Black Sheep (http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/) commuter bike. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video or essay describing their desire to live sans-car for a year. To submit an application, log on to http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat.

“The car-for-bike swap is the pinnacle of the day, illustrating one person’s true belief in all that a bicycle can offer,” said Bryan Simpson, spokesman for New Belgium. “Bikes represent freedom, fun and fitness while helping the environment. It’s a way of life that we live and share at New Belgium.”

Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds from the Austin stop will go to Yellow Bike Project (http://www.austinyellowbike.org/), Austin Cycling Association (http://www.austincycling.org/index.html) and Austin Ridge Riders (http://www.austinridgeriders.com/). Since its inception 11 years ago, the philanthropic cycling circus has raised more than $1 million on behalf of non-profit organizations.

“A sure sign of fall is the Tour de Fat — a great, traveling party dedicated to bikes and to the people who love bikes,” said ACA President Gilbert Martinez. “Not only is it a great party, but support from the Tour de Fat will help us continue to provide bike safety education to cyclists in Central Texas.”

“At the Yellow Bike Project, we have a huge soft spot for volunteers and donation, so of course we get all googly when the Tour de Fat comes through,” added Pete Dahlberg, Community Coordinator for Austin's Yellow Bike Project. “Over 100 volunteers crop up to make the party happen, and then New Belgium donates the proceeds to local bike non-profits. In between, there's a lot of great variety acts, weird bikes to ride and really good beer.”

“We are very excited to have Tour de Fat return to Austin for the fourth fabulous year!” exclaimed Judi Ronkartz, president of The Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club. “It is an event not to be missed, especially this year on the eve of Halloween. New Belgium’s generosity helps fund all of our Programs which include regular group rides, the Mountain Bike Patrol, Kid Trips and Trail Building and Maintenance projects.”

What: New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat
When: Saturday, October 30, 2010
Where: Austin’s Fiesta Gardens

Tentative Schedule:
9:00 a.m. Bike Parade Registration
10:00 a.m. Bike Parade Launch
11:00 a.m. Performances Begin
12:20 p.m. The SLOW RIDE
1:30 p.m. The Great Bike Story Contest for New Belgium Cruiser Bike
2:35 p.m. Car-for-Bike Trade Celebration
3:50 p.m. Faux Finale
3:55 p.m. Faux-Real Finale
4:00 p.m. Curtain Closes

Acts:
Yard Dogs Road Show (http://www.yarddogsroadshow.com/)
The Dovekins (http://www.myspace.com/dovekins)
A Honeymoon Cabaret (http://www.daredevilchicken.com/honeymoon.html)
YoYo Squared
Americaine: Stupide

Benefitting:
Yellow Bike Project, Austin Cycling Association and Austin Ridge Riders

Sustainable Support:
Keep Austin Beautiful (http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/)

Why Tour de Fat is a Must-Attend Event:

• Tour de Fat encourages everyone to embrace their inner-cyclist and ride the streets as a cohesive carnival of creativity. Each show begins with a costumed bike parade that stops traffic and turns heads along the way. (Costumes are highly encouraged!)

• Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste from each tour stop. The waste diversion rate for 2009 was 94 percent.

• Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds go to local cycling non-profits. Since its inception, Tour de Fat events have raised more than $1.25 million for philanthropy.

• All musical acts perform on a solar-powered stage with decorations made from recycled materials, trucks and transport use biofuel sourced from recycled waste oils, and all vendors operate off the grid.
  
• This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally…non-cyclists are more than welcome to join the festivities.

See http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat for the Tour de Fat credo, schedules, videos and to submit your entry to swap your gas guzzler for a shiny new bicycle. Also visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Belgium-Tour-de-Fat/10150099069050417?ref=ts.

Tour de Fat 2010 schedule:
June 26 – Chicago, Palmer Square Park
July 3 – Milwaukee, Humboldt Park
July 10 – Minneapolis, Loring Park
July 31 – Seattle, Gas Works Park
August 14 – Portland, Waterfront Park
August 21 – Boise, Anne Morrison Park
September 4 – Fort Collins, Mothership
September 11 – Denver, City Park
September 25 – San Francisco, Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park
October 2 – San Diego, Balboa Park
October 9 – Tempe, Tempe Town Park
October 23 – Los Angeles, L.A. Historic Park
October 30 – Austin, Fiesta Gardens

About New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces eight year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Ranger IPA, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

Beer for ACL Fest Weekend

Are you an unrepentant beer snob coming to town for the Austin City Limits Festival? Sadly, your choices for craft beer on the festival grounds will be pretty limited, so follow this link for my recommendations on where to get the good stuff fairly close to Zilker Park (most notably, Uncle Billy's Brew & Que, a short walk away).

(photo is copyright John Anderson; do NOT reprint without his permission.)

Two Sierra Nevada Mini-Reviews

Tumbler: Sierra Nevada's fall seasonal. Meh. Just further reinforced the fact that brown ale is my least favorite style. I much prefer the Oktoberfest brews coming out from other breweries right now.

Kellerweis: Yum! I'm really disappointed I didn't discover this hefeweizen early in the summer instead of just last week, but thankfully, it's not a seasonal, so I can keep getting it. Delicious notes of banana and cloves. Be sure to drink in a glass instead of the bottle, so you can swirl the yeast into it.

Meet the New Brewers

This Saturday, Austin Homebrew Supply wants you to meet several of the new brewers that either recently started or plan to go into business soon in Austin and Central Texas. As you may remember, I wrote profiles of several of these folks back in June in The Austin Chronicle. AHS is located at 9129 Metric Blvd.

Here's the schedule:

"Meet Austin's Newest Brewers" and Lisa White, VP of White Labs

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 9th. Representatives from 6 new Austin breweries and the VP of White Labs will be hanging out and fielding questions throughout the day.

11am-Noon: Hops and Grain
Noon-1pm: Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery
1pm-2pm: South Austin Brewing Company
2pm-3pm: Jester King Brewing Company
3pm-4pm: Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling
4pm-5pm: Circle Brewing Company
5pm-6pm: Lisa White, VP of White Labs

Texas Winners at GABF

Congratulations to Texas' winners (three by Saint Arnold!) at the Great American Beer Festival:

German-Style Kölsch (46 Entries)

GOLD

Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Beer
Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
Houston, TX

Ordinary or Special Bitter (47 Entries)

GOLD

Rio Blanco Pale Ale
Real Ale Brewing Co.
Blanco, TX

Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter (42 Entries)

SILVER

Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
Houston, TX

Scottish-Style Ale (22 Entries)

SILVER

Saint Arnold Oktoberfest
Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
Houston, TX

Munich-Style Helles (42 Entries)

Bronze

Cowboy Lager
The Covey Restaurant & Brewery*
Fort Worth, TX

* Almost immediately after winning this award, the Covey closed down!

Magic Hat Hex

Time for a beer review. Up today: Hex, Magic Hat's fall seasonal.

First impression, a rather candy-ish smell. That was verified by the taste.There's some weird candy taste in there, like licorice or something. Not good for this reviewer, as I don't like licorice. But it's not overpowering. Definitely heavy on the malt, and this was a good day for it – a cool front finally made things feel like fall down here in Texas.

Overall: A solid, if unspectacular, Oktoberfest beer. I'd give it a low B.

It's Oktoberfest Time

Yes! It's that wonderful time of year when the heat finally breaks (which here in Texas only means it drops into the high 80s) and all the breweries start putting out Märzenbiers and other fall seasonals. And best of all, it's party time – every year about now, hits on this blog go way up with people searching for Oktoberfest events in the Austin area.

This year, rather than compile them here, I wrote them up as a cover story for The Austin Chronicle. Please go check it out – I hope it helps you get your oompah on.

Update: At the urging of my friends Clark and Milena, I got off my lazy butt and made it up to Walburg this past Saturday. A little video here.