Alamo Moving Ahead on New Brewery Plans

Alamo Beer Company has big plans for San Antonio's east side, although not without controversy. Watch KSAT-TV's report here.

Austin Beer Guide Summer Issue Out Thursday

Like clockwork, the new Austin Beer Guide comes out Thursday. Press release:

Austin Beer Guide Celebrates Release of Summer 2012 Issue at Billy's on Burnet with PATIO-BEER-MAGEDON!

AUSTIN, TX JUNE 28, 2012 - Those soggy bastards that brought you Austin Beer Guide Spring 2012, Winter 2011, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, and Spring 2011 are at it again, and this time it's Summer 2012!

With just barley breaking a sweat, these palate pirates have created what they believe to be the BEST GUIDE YET. In this action packed issue, our heros venture into the dark depths of Austin's dive bar culture, look into the future of packaged beer, agitate brewers for their wheat beer opinions, traverse the best and worst drinking holes of New Braunfels, spend some time with the brains and brawn behind Rogness Brewing, and check in on the mind of award winning brewer, Brian "Swifty" Peters. 

In light of this amazing feat, Austin Beer Guide invites their dear readers to celebrate in the release, nay birth, of the beautiful Summer 2012 issue with an abundance of beer, casked, kegged, and canned, on the patio of Billy's on Burnet, for what some have deemed "PATIO-BEER-MAGEDON!" 

On the evening of June 28th, at 7pm, Billy's will turn their patio and side parking lot into a spectacle of rare and special beers that may only be remotely imagined as the ancient Roman Colosseum, but with casks, kegs, and cans. Austin Beerworks will be debuting their Summer seasonal berliner weisse Eisenhorn, Hops & Grain are bringing out a keg of their Barelywine, a first of the Volumes of Oak series, Jester King will have a cask of their Drinkin' the Sunbelt Collaboration beer with Danish Gyspsy brewer Mikkeller, and Live Oak are bringing a cask so rare and mysterious,not even the Austin Beer Guide know what it will contain! 

And to show their readers how dear they are, any of these beers purchased will come with a collectible Austin Beer Guide #Brewmor Glass or BeerTownAustin 'Stache Glass. And that's not all! Those generous assholes have another freebie for their dear readers so radical it's not fit for print.

In summation:

• Party on, Ted- June 28, 7pm at Billy’s on Burnet’s patio.
• Patio-beer-magedon- Austin Beerworks, Hops & Grain, Jester King, and Live Oak will be pouring some pretty special casks and kegs on the patio. There will also be a nice selection of some of Texas’ finest beer in cans available. Purchase tokens inside, or pay cash outside, enjoy.
• Freebies- Buy a patio beer, keep the ABG #Brewmor glass or BeerTownAustin ‘Stache Glass.
• Summer Reading List- Be the first of your friends to get yr mits on the new guide. Awesome cover by Michael Sieben, new features, some swear words, lots of pictures, and of course, that great guide content you’ve come to rely on.
• Surprises- yeah, we’ve got more up our collective sleeves than this. Come next Thursday night to Billy’s to find out. Here’s a hint- it’s a hot way to keep it cool.

Celis Brewery Returning to Austin!

This is great news for Austin. Press release from Celis' publicist:

CELIS BRAND AND BREWERY RETURNING TO AUSTIN

 June 25, 2012

Austin, Texas--After a long and tenacious pursuit of her famous family name, Christine Celis has successfully brought the Celis Beer brand back into the family fold. Christine, daughter of the world-renowned Belgian brewer, Pierre Celis, will be bringing Celis Beer and the brewery back to Austin, Texas.

“It has been my personal dream and passion to carry on my father’s legacy.  After his death last year, we stepped up the intensity of our plans for a new brewery and re-acquiring the family name was the one thing we really needed to begin moving forward.   Now that we have the right to brew my Dad’s famous recipes under our own name once again, nothing can stop me from making that a reality,” says Christine.

Established in 1966 in Hoegaarden, Belgium, Pierre Celis revived lost recipes for wheat beer from the Middle Ages.  In the late 1970’s, Celis exported his beer, and for the first time, introduced Americans to Belgian wheat beer.  Pierre decided he wanted to move to America and created a new, state of the art brewery in Austin in 1992.  Over the next several years Celis introduced clean, crisp and high quality Belgian brews which quickly attracted national attention. “Celis was the first craft beer founded in Austin and one of the most influential breweries in the country at that time.  Pierre Celis not only introduced the White style Belgian Beer you see everywhere today, but also a whole portfolio of beers that were new to the American market. Pierre Celis encouraged, mentored, and befriended many successful craft brewers around the country, and personally made me a Belgophile,” claims Pete Slosberg, Founder/Creator of Pete’s Wicked Ale.  “He helped turn the image of Belgium from a small country to THE beer mecca in the world.”

“We are receiving a phenomenal show of support from the brewing community.  I have been blown away by the wishes for success and the passion expressed for my father’s achievements and our unique brewing style.  When I called my mother in Belgium to share the news, she went completely silent and I realized she was overcome with emotion,” says Christine.

Christine Celis and her business partner Sushil Tyagi are in discussions with financial investors about building a specialized brewery in Austin; although, they will utilize an existing brewing facility now to bring the new Celis to the market as soon as possible.  Christine says, “We have my Dad’s original family recipes, famous Belgian brewers who worked for us over many years, and a robust distribution network.  If fans would like to keep up with our progress, they can go to http://www.facebook.com/CelisBrewery or follow us on twitter@CelisBrewery. All we need to do now is start making the beer!”

"Week of Wood" at Black Star

Okay, after you've stopped giggling like Beavis and Butt-Head over the name of the event, you'll realize that you really, really want to hit Black Star Co-op every night this week, beginning tonight. Check out the descriptions:

Many of you remember the great beers from last year’s Week of Wood event we had in August. Well get ready for the 2012 edition! We’ll celebrate the presence of wood in craft brewing by tapping a special keg (or two) each day of the week, starting Memorial Day, Monday May 28, through Sunday June 3.

The lineup has been finalized! Check each day to see what barrel-aged goodness we’ll be tapping. If you can’t make it in for a specific tapping, come in when you can. These kegs should be on for a few days.

Mon May 28 – Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Rich Imperial Brown Ale aged in special wood from Paraguay that gives this big brew very unique and complex qualities. (12% ABV; Milton, DE)

Tue May 29 – CASK of 2010 BrewDog Paradox Smokehead
Scottish Imperial Stout aged in oak barrels that aged Smokehead, Ian Macleod’s Single Islay Malt Whisky. (10+% ABV; Fraserburgh, Scotland)

Wed May 30 – Ranger Creek Bourbon Barrel Aged Mesquite Smoked Porter
Featuring malt smoked in-house over Texas mesquite wood, their Porter then aged in their own Texas Bourbon barrels. We’ll also have bottles of their Small Batch No. 1, Oak Aged Rye OPA. (7.5+% ABV; San Antonio, TX)

Thu May 31 - Jester King Whiskey Rodeo
The first batch of their Mikkeller collaboration (originally called Weasel Rodeo); a complex Imperial Oatmeal Stout w/ smoked malt, chipotle peppers, and Vietnamese coffee; but this version is 100% aged in Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace barrels. Whiskey Rodeo also features some Lopi Luwak, the exquisite weasel/civet coffee! We also offer bottles of Beer Geek Rodeo, which you can take home to enjoy. (12% ABV; Austin, TX)

Fri Jun 1 – Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout w/ Coffee & Oak
A special version of their Buried Hatchet (arguably an Imperial Porter), kegged w/ coffee and oak. (8.3% ABV; Conroe, TX)

Sat Jun 2 – Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti & 18th Anniversary Ale
Their Yeti Imperial Stout aged w/ French and American oak, cellared in the keg since November 2011 for extra smoothness.
A bigger version of their award-winning Denver Pale Ale with plenty of American and English hops, then aged in French and American oak to round out the edges and provide a touch of vanilla. (9.5%, 10%ABV; Denver, CO)

Sun Jun 3 – 2011 New Belgium La Folie Sour Brown (& Ooh La La!)
Nicknamed “Rodenbach of the Rockies”, this is a Flanders-style sour ale blended from beers aged 1-3 years in French wine barrels with wild yeasts and bacteria. What’s more, we’ve cellared it an additional year, AND we’ve been holding onto a keg of Ooh La La to pair with it; also from the Lips of Faith series, it’s like an Imperial Framboise (raspberry lambic), released once for Valentines’s Day 2011. (6%, 8.5%ABV; Fort Collins, CO)

Cheers, and may you and yours have a woody week!

Austin Chronicle "Beer Flights," May 11

I just realized that I forgot to post my most recent "Beer Flights" column from the May 11 Austin Chronicle. Please give it a read.

Saint Arnold Releasing Homefront IPA on Thursday

I've always admired those who are willing to sign on the dotted line and risk all to protect us, and that has deepened ever since I started working for a state senator who makes veterans her number-one issue. Here's a way to give back to them and enjoy it at the same time. Press release from Saint Arnold:

Homefront IPA Release
Thursday, May 24
Our single batch special release Homefront IPA will be coming out in 22 oz bottles only for Memorial Day weekend. It is a hop forward IPA with orange peel and orange zest. 100% of the profits from this beer will be going to Operation Homefront, an organization that provides emergency financial and other assistance to families of service members and wounded warriors.
Learn more about Homefront IPA here.

Live Oak to Start Bottling Soon!

This is a great day in the history of Texas beer. According to my Facebook friend Tony Drewry, Live Oak Brewing — which, in my humble opinion, is the best brewery in Texas — is going to start bottling soon. Tony posted this picture to Facebook.