(Seattle, WA) – SBS Imports and the Seattle Beer Collective are pleased to announce the second annual edition of Cider Summit Seattle. The event will be on Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 11am-7pm at Discovery Center Park in South Lake Union near Westlake & Denny Way.

Last year’s inaugural Cider Summit was the area’s largest-ever tasting of artisanal ciders with over 50 elegantly crafted products from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, California, England, and France. “We received an enthusiastic response from both the producers and attendees,” noted SBC’s Ian Roberts. “We are very excited to be back for year two and reach an even wider audience of cider enthusiasts.”

The owners and cidermakers will be on hand to inform and guide guests through the samplings which will be available in 3-ounce and 6-ounce portions. Each featured cider is made from 100% pressed apples (or pears) and is made without concentrates or other additives. In addition to the superb range of ciders, the event will feature food from Brave Horse Tavern,ongoing demonstrations of apple pressing courtesy of Ryan’s Juice, live music, and even bottle sales to go.

“We believe we’ve created a unique event,” added event co-founder Alan Shapiro of SBS Imports. “The cider selection will be even more diverse this year and the vast majority will be available to taste at $2.00. It should be a great opportunity for attendees to sample many of the best ciders available in the United States if not the world.”

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 (cash only) at the door and are available online via Brown Paper tickets and at many of the area’s leading bottle shops. Admission includes a tasting glass and 10 drink tickets. From 11a-12n arriving guests will receive 2 additional “happy hour” tickets. Additional drink tickets will be available for sale onsite at $2 per ticket. The event is 21 and over only. Dogs will be allowed on event grounds. For more information including a list of participating ciders please visit www.cidersummitnw.com.

Cider Summit Seattle benefits Northwest Cider Association (www.nwcider.org) and The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research (www.imbcr.org). The Northwest Cider Association promotes awareness of artisan produced ciders among the general public and fosters cooperation within the industry for all producers. IMBCR is one of the world’s leading independent research organizations developing effective therapies to increase the quality of life and longevity of myeloma patients. Cider Summit sponsors include Brave Horse Tavern, Click Distributing, Seattle Weekly, and KMTT.

(San Diego, CA) – Attention all craft beer evangelists, brewers, bloggers, and suds-savvy citizens! On Thursday, August 4th 2011, you are cordially invited to participate in the largest international craft beer celebration and virtual conversation the world has ever seen.

International #IPADay is a grassroots movement to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers, and brewers worldwide through social media. On Thursday August 4th, craft beer drinkers across the social sphere and across the globe will raise pints in a collective toast to one of craft beer’s most iconic styles: the India Pale Ale. This celebrated style represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories, and regional flavor variations – making it the perfect style to galvanize craft beer’s social voice.

#IPADay is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. #IPADay is opportunity for breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. Getting involved is easy; the only requirements are an appreciation for great beer and the will to spread the word. Anyone can participate by enjoying IPA with friends, making some noise online with the #IPADay hashtag, and showing the world that craft beer is more than a trend!

Tips on How to Take Part:
1. Organize an #IPADay event at your brewery, brewpub, restaurant, bar, home, or office (Ex: An IPA dinner/cheese pairing/comparative or educational tasting/cask night/tap takeover…). Share your events on the official #IPADay forum at http://www.ratebeer.com.
2. On August 4th, share your photos, videos, blog posts, tasting notes, recipes, and thoughts with the world. Be sure to include the #IPADay hashtag in your posts Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, RateBeer, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Untappd or any other social media site.
3. See what other people are saying by searching “#IPADay” on Google, search.twitter.com, et cetera…
4. Track down your favorite IPA’s, ones you’ve been meaning to try, and ones you’ve never heard of; share them with friends and share your thoughts with the world.
5. Have a good time and know that by sharing your experiences online, you’re strengthening the craft beer community at large.

About International #IPADAY
Founded in 2011 by beer evangelists and social media personalities Ashley V Routson and Ryan A Ross, International #IPADay is the largest grassroots social media-based celebration of craft beer. The goal of #IPADay is to use social media to strengthen the collective voice of craft beer through the simple celebration of beer itself. The success of #IPADay hinges on the passionate voices of beer enthusiasts worldwide and their willingness to share that passion across the social sphere.

For more information on events or how you can support #IPADay, visit http://ipaday.eventbrite.com

Partnership blooms between Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Jim Koch of Samuel Adams as they announce a new limited-edition collaboration brew: SAVOR Flowers

(Washington, D.C.) – Craft beer innovators Sam Calagione and Jim Koch announced they are teaming up to brew the first-ever collaboration beer for SAVOR, the Brewers Association’s annual beer and food pairing event. Sam and Jim bonded over their admiration for each other’s beer rosters, as well as their enthusiasm to push the boundaries of brewing. Inspired by the concept of beer taking its rightful place at the dinner table, Sam and Jim are creating the brew, SAVOR Flowers, to be enjoyed by itself or paired with food.

For ages, adventurous brewmasters have experimented with new varieties and processes surrounding three of beer’s four main ingredients—yeast, hops and barley—in an effort to create new and exciting brews. Jim and Sam decided to tackle beer’s previously untapped ingredient—water—and, through an age-old distillation process, created a rosewater base to be used as the main liquid in the brew. The rosewater inspired them to continue to explore the idea of brewing with flowers. After experimenting with a wide range of varieties, they landed on dried lavender, hibiscus, jasmine and rosebuds mixed in during the brewing process to further enhance the beer’s botanical qualities. As well, on his annual hop selection trip to Bavaria last year, Jim learned about a new hop breed known only as #369, grown for its amped-up floral notes. He was able to obtain 30 pounds of this unique variety from the Yakima, Wash. growing region, adding another dimension to this complex brew.

“Sam and I had a great time gathering these ingredients, and I am excited to collaborate with such an innovative brewer on this beer for SAVOR,” says Jim. “Sam’s originality and imagination are endless—he came up with the creative idea of distilling rosewater for this brew. We share the same intense passion for pushing the conventional definition of what beer can be and we put that same passion into our beers.”

SAVOR Flowers was aged in Barrel One—the same bourbon barrel Jim used to age the premier batch of the first “extreme” beer, Samuel Adams® Triple Bock, in 1993. Barrel One is the first barrel originally used for spirits which was then used to age beer. For the last 18 years it has been filled with Samuel Adams Triple Bock. Since starting out on this extreme beer journey, Jim has been committed to challenging American palates and introducing drinkers to brews that have carved out a new category in the craft beer world.

“Jim is the godfather of craft beer, and he’s got unbelievable ideas about what beer can be, along with the knowledge and palate to make those crazy beer dreams come true,” says Sam. “I am with him on his philosophy and thrilled to be working together on this groundbreaking brew. We share a commitment to elevating beer to its proper infinite height, as both a beverage and a pairing for food.”

SAVOR Flowers will be available exclusively to all attendees of SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, a food and beer pairing event held June 3-4, 2011 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Attendees will have a chance to sample the brew at the event as well as bring a 750mL bottle of the collaboration beer home with them.

THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.

Today, the Company brews more than 30 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world’s finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the “extreme beer” movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers’ perceptions of what beer can be.

The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country’s largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

ABOUT DOGFISH HEAD:
The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when they opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the first state’s first brewpub, opened in the resort beach community of Rehoboth Beach, Del. The company’s very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which essentially were three little kegs with propane burners underneath. Brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant proved to be more than a full time job. When the doors to the pub first opened, they brewed three times a day, five days a week! The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes. The brewers quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when they started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers!

The reputation of Dogfish Head ales quickly grew beyond Delaware’s borders. Thanks to all the company’s employees and every one of their customers, Dogfish Head continues to grow today! The brand is now up to 34 distinct styles of beer that are sold in 27 states, and a half–dozen kinds of hand–crafted spirits… and they still have some ideas in the back of their collective heads.

ABOUT SAVOR: AN AMERICAN CRAFT BEER & FOOD EXPERIENCE:
Now in its fourth year, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience returns to Washington, D.C. and expands from one to two nights. Presented by the Brewers Association (organizers of the Great American Beer Festival®), SAVOR, the benchmark of beer and food events, is a must-attend happening for beer lovers and foodies alike.

Attendees will sample craft beers from 72 small and independent craft brewers who team up with a duo of expert chefs to pair each craft beer with delicious savory and sweet dishes. Educational salons and private tasting salons will provide additional opportunities for attendees to interact with some of America’s most talented craft brewers and chefs.

SOURCE Samuel Adams

(Munster, IN) – Some updates on Dark Lord Day 2011.

The following comes from Three Floyds‘ Lincoln Anderson:

1. Gates open at 10:00 am

2. The Darklord bottle limit will be 4 bottles per person.

3. There will be a lottery for extremely limited, hand bottled, hand numbered barrel aged variations. Guests will exchange their event tickets for a Golden Ticket with a scratch off section. If their ticket scratches off as a winner, they will have the opportunity to purchase one bottle of one of the four variations in addition to the 4 bottles of Darklord. The variations are:

Darklord aged in Pappy Van Winkle 23 year barrels
Darklord aged in brandy barrels
Darklord aged in brandy barrels with vanilla beans
Darklord de Muerte, DL aged in bourbon barrels with ancho and guajillo peppers

These hand bottled, hand numbered, hand waxed bottles will sell for $50.00.

Also of note, the guest tap list is posted over on DarkLordDay.com. It looks like Founders Brewing will be the best-represented guest brewery on tap though there are at least a few dozen beers to check out.

(Fort Collins, CO) – On April 22, 2011, the craft brewers of Fort Collins will join forces to brew a collaboration beer for the mother of all beer weeks.

Nine local breweries (C.B. & Potts, Coopersmith’s, Crooked Stave, Equinox, Fort Collins Brewery, Funkwerks, New Belgium, Odell Brewing, and Pateros Creek) will work together to craft the unique brew in honor of American Craft Beer Week.

“American Craft Beer Week (ACBW) is all about recognizing and celebrating craft brewers and craft beer culture,” said Doug Odell, founder of Odell Brewing Company. “This collaboration lets us do that and have fun making something special for the craft beer drinkers in our hometown community.”

Brewers from each local brewery worked together to create the beer recipe and will participate in two simultaneous brews at Coopersmith’s and Equinox on Friday, April 22nd. The finished blend will be poured at each brewery’s location, throughout the city, during American Craft Beer Week (May 16-22, 2011).

For more information on American Craft Beer Week, please visit www.craftbeer.com.

(Munster, IN) – An update on today’s earlier story and some other notes…

4/20 Update: Just in case there was any misinterpretation of what I wrote earlier, I changed the wording from “Bourbon Barrel and Brandy Barrel with Vanilla Beans” to “Brandy Barrel Dark Lord with Vanilla Beans and (some version of) Bourbon Barrel Dark Lord.” The separation of the two should be more clear now.

I nibbled and got what I could though some of the key info that people really want just isn’t available yet…

Three Floyds Sales Manager, Lincoln Anderson, confirmed that there will be a number of variations of Dark Lord released at this next Saturday’s event but that not all of them will be available in bottles. For those that will be, like Brandy Barrel Dark Lord with Vanilla Beans and (some version of) Bourbon Barrel Dark Lord, there will be a small number of each in bottles and a “lottery” will be held at the event for a chance to buy them. Anderson said that the system will be fair and completely random. As for the “666″ on the Metromix bottle pic, the number sounded high to him in terms of actual count.

He also didn’t have a bottle count or bottle limit number available for the original Dark Lord. Bottle limit and more details on the lottery will be revealed closer to the event.

Anderson read off some breweries that will have beers there on tap but this is, by no means, a complete tap list:

• The Bruery
• Pizza Port
• Dogfish Head
• Founders
• Schlafly
• Victory
• Goose Island
• Furthermore
• a bunch of Indiana breweries (there may even be an Indiana “section”)

Other non Dark Lord Day brewery notes…

Anderson also confirmed that they are planning to bottle Zombie Dust eventually, probably in 6-packs, but that it is not high on the priority list right now.

The brewery will pass the 20,000 barrel production mark this fall per NWI Times. Three Floyds added a whirlpool which will help with efficiency and Anderson noted that they are considering their options for increasing capacity. They are not looking into expanding into new markets anytime soon though.

This past week, 3 Kings Pale Ale, a collaboration with Sun King Brewing, debuted on tap. Almost all of the beer will be allocated between the two breweries. Indiana breweries producing less than 20,000 barrels get tax breaks, self-distribution rights and on-site sale privileges. Three Floyds and Sun King created 3 Kings to help bring awareness to an initiative to raise that limit. The Senate unanimously approved a measure last week to raise that limit to 30,000 barrels and that bill now goes to the House (and then to the Governor if passed). According to Anderson, it was more of a stopgap measure and more work will need to be done to increase it further.

Finally, another source told me that Urbain Coutteau of Struise will be in town during Chicago Beer Week taking place next month. He will be brewing/collaborating with a few local breweries including Three Floyds, Half Acre and Pipeworks. No further details are available. There are a few details on yesterday’s Pipeworks blog post.

(Munster, IN) – It is amazing how much excitement one photo can generate.

4/20 Update: Confirmed and some other DLD/Three Floyds notes…

In this case, it comes from Metromix Chicago’s Facebook page.

In January, Three Floyds revealed that it had put some Dark Lord with Vanilla Beans in a brandy barrel with the note, “you won’t be disappointed,” and a photo of the barrel which has today’s date from a year ago on it.

The Metromix pic shows a numbered bottled of the beer (1/666) with yellow-colored wax. It looks like a 22 oz. bottle but it’s kind of hard to tell. A comment from the page owner says, “Our lips are sealed!”

There is some speculation on Beer Advocate but nothing has been made official yet. The brewery didn’t immediately return a request seeking comment.

(Escondido, CA) – Dogfish Head has been in the news a lot lately so it’s time to pay a bit of mind to the other fan favorite from the West Coast, Stone Brewing…

Head Brewer, Mitch Steele, recently appeared on The Brewing Network and had a couple interesting things to say:

On wild ales:

“One of the things that I came up to San Francisco to focus on [for the Craft Brewers Conference] was Brettanomyces. We have not done anything with Brettanomyces or any sort of sour thing. We’re looking at having some new buildings at our facility and being able to actually start doing something.

I went up to Vinnie and Natalie’s [Cilurzos of Russian River Brewing] symposium on Tuesday night and picked some peoples’ brains and I was kind of focused on that.”

As for said buildings, Stone Social Media Coordinator, Jacob McKean, said that the brewery is only in the planning stages so it will be a while.

On a new fall release:

This quote (is admittedly bit out of context and) comes after a discussion about whether hop varieties used in the bittering stage matter and the aromatic qualities of Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops. Mitch Steele says, “Citra and Nelson Sauvin are hops we use for bittering and dry hopping. We’ve got a nice amount of it this year and if all goes well, you might see it in a beer in about six months.” When he said, “it,” I got the impression that he was speaking about Citra specifically. Citra was used in the collaborative effort, San Diego County Session Ale, but will this be the first exclusive Stone beer to use Citra?

Six months happens to fall directly between the release dates for the anniversary beer and the Vertical Epic beer so he could be referring to one of those beers…or not.

Other notes (from McKean)…

• On Europe: “No real updates. We’re doing our due diligence on a site in Berlin to see if it would be feasible, but we’re still open to proposals.”
• The brewery is in the midst of a major roll-out in Minnesota, followed quickly by Missouri on April 19th
• Stone is expanding the Stone Company Store and still awaiting ABC approval of our South Park store/growler station
• Oakquinox is April 17th, Sour Fest is coming up in June and tickets for the 15th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival go on-sale in the coming days
• Stone is adding a beer festival to its line-up during San Diego Beer Week called “Pour It Black”, which will feature stouts & porters
• Cherry Chocolate Stout, the winning beer from the AHA Rally & Homebrew Competition, will be brewed soon with the goal of having it ready to serve during the NHC, which will be held in San Diego June 16-18

(Escondido, CA) – Here are the details for the 2011 edition of Stone Oakquinox.

Oakquinox: The Celestial Pairing
of Beer and Wood

Barrel-aged and wood-infused beers are some of our favorites, and it’s so refreshing to know that there’s no shortage of craft breweries making them. (Knock on wood!) So imagine our delight in hosting the second annual Oakquinox, an entire festival that celebrates the combined works of brewer and cooper. It makes us want to let out a righteous “Hallelujah!” in a most angelic timbre!

“Last year’s Oakquinox was a raging success, but we’re taking it up to another level this year,” says “Dr.” Bill Sysak, resident bon vivant and Beverage Supervisor at theStone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. Oakquinox brings over 100 different beers (from 9 different countries) out of the woodwork to converge upon our splendiferous event, making it one of the largest wood-aged beer festivals in the country. “We’ve got some very special beers lined up from around the world,” explains Sysak, “and plenty of treats right from our neck of the woods.”

A $40 ticket ($45 beginning April 1) gets you a commemorative glass and 3-ounce pours of 15 ligneous libations of your choosing. Not to mention Chef Alex and his crew will be whipping up tasty edibles for purchase to help stave off your hunger. We don’t know about you, but that’s more than enough to get us to lumber out of bed on what would have been an otherwise lazy Sunday.

Photo from CBC 2010 in Chicago - copyright Jason Kaplan

(San Francisco, CA) – Some Q&A if you will…

Where can I find out about this year’s conference?

The Brewers Association has an official website set up with details on seminars, trade shows, etc. There are no World Beer Cup awards since those were given last year and are only held every other year.

Where are CBC Week events being held?

Here are some official events. The Bay Area Craft Beer blog has also provided a list of events outside the conference.

What’s this CBC Symposium 4-pack about?

Each year, local brewers make a beer (or beers) specifically for those attending the conference. This year, there is a four pack featuring collaborations from several brewers. Here’s a pic from Brewbound. It is possible that these beers may be available on draft at special events this week but I’m not positive on that.

Here is what is in this year’s 4-pack courtesy of JHenry4 on Beer Advocate:

1) Symposium Sour Brown — collaboration between Russian River and Sierra Nevada, aged in Fritz Maytag’s York Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, 6.2% abv

2) Symposium IPA — collaboration between Drake’s, Triple Rock, and Firehouse, 7.5% abv

3) Symposium Oyster Stout — collaboration between Iron Springs, Marin Brewing, and Magnolia. Brewed with meat, liquor, and shells of over 1000 local Sweetwater oysters, 6.5% abv

4) Symposium New Albion Porter — collaboration between Napa Smith and Black Diamond. Resurrection of the recipe from New Albion, America’s first craft brewery. 5.9% abv

I’m missing out this year. Where are future conferences being held?

As I reported on Twitter last week (shameless plug), Brewers Association Director, Paul Gatza, revealed the following on a recent podcast:

“After San Francisco this year, we’re already booked for San Diego next year, then D.C. in 2013, then Denver in 2014, and then I think we’re going to start looking at the Pacific Northwest in 2015.”

Gatza lamented that they hadn’t held the conference in Portland, Oregon, since 2001 so that could be a prime target for 2015. He also said that New York City is unlikely because room rates are too high for attendees.

Are you at this year’s conference?

Unfortunately not. It’s cliché but maybe next year (or maybe GABF).

(Munster, IN) – Another Three Floyds update…

[3/14 Update: Going on Stubhub starting at $165/ticket. A posting on Craigslist was going for half of that.]

Dark Lord Day tickets sold out in 23 minutes according to a message from the brewery’s Twitter account. Many tweeted with glee but about successfully getting tickets but many also said they ran into sold out messages well before Three Floyds announced that they were sold out, some even within 4 minutes. [3/19 Update: Three Floyds' Facebook page is looking pretty fugly right now.]

There was such a frenzy for tickets that #DLD became a trending topic on Twitter in Chicago. There were nearly 850 tweets within the past hour about the sale.

In other news FFF news, I received this email yesterday from fellow Indiana brewer, Sun King Brewing:

“As you may or may not know, Sun King’s staff recently traveled to Munster to make a collaborative brew with 3 Floyds. Since both breweries make celebrated American pale ales (Alpha King and Osiris, respectively), 3 Floyds owner Nick Floyd, head brewer Barnaby Struve, and Sun King brewer/owners Clay Robinson and Dave Colt quickly agreed on a recipe for 3 Kings Pale Ale, a specialty beer that will be tapped in Munster and Indianapolis in April to draw attention to our lobbying efforts. Lobbying efforts for what you say? Funny you should ask…

According to Indiana law, a brewer cannot operate a tasting room, brew pub, or self-distribute its product if it produces more than 20,000 barrels (approximately 40,000 kegs) a year. With 3 Floyds on pace to exceed 20,000 barrels this year, the brewery is faced with either shutting down its brewpub or it’s brewing operation or moving their entire enterprise to Illinois. Sun King is on pace to hit the 20,000 barrel limit in 2013, when it will either have to stopped self-distributing its product or curtail growth permanently.”

Stay tuned for more details on this collaboration and their legislative battle.

(Munster, IN) – Three Floyds Brewing recently announced Dark Lord Day ticket sales will take place this Saturday. Details below…

Per the brewery’s blog:

Tickets are $10.

When purchasing tickets there will be three time options for bottle sales. (morning, afternoon and late afternoon)
ABC groups

The brewery used to sell them on St. Patrick’s Day but is changing it up this year to what I imagine will be the delight of many and chagrin of a few. Some folks reported in the comments section of that post that they had got 3/17 off from work to make sure they were able to get tickets to the event. At least they didn’t already book a flight based on the previous date. That’s been done before.

(Placentia, CA) – The Bruery and Cigar City Brewing will release Marrón Acidifié toward the end of the month.

From the brewery website…

The Release of Marrón Acidifié will be as follows:

March 25th, 7pm
Rosamunde Sausage Grill, 2832 Mission Street, San Francisco
Grand Release with the folks from The Bruery and Cigar City Brewing in attendance.

March 28th, 12pm
Reserve Society can pick up their allocations at The Bruery Provisions

April 8th
Simultaneous release parties at The Bruery’s Tasting Room and Cigar City’s Tasting Room
(complete with web-broadcast from one to the other)
Marrón Acidifié will also be available at The Bruery Provisions beginning at 5pm

The week following April 8th the beer will be released in California & Florida

The week of April 18th it will be released in IL, NY, NJ, VA, MD, DC, GA with a release event on April 18th at Hopleaf in Chicago with The Bruery’s Jonas Nemura in attendance.

All other markets should receive the beer no later than May 2nd.
(NV, AZ, CO, OR, WA, WI, OH, IN, MA, NC, SC, PA)

(Lochristi, BELGIUM) – The next beer in the Brewmaster’s Collaboration series has been approved.

Broederlijke Liefde Saison label copy:

Brian O’Reilly of Sly Fox Brewing Company joins Dirk Naudts to create the fifth brew in the De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration series. This year’s collaboration celebrates the great brewing cultures of both Philadelphia and Gent.

Broederlijke Liefde if the official Belgian collaboration ale of Philly Beer Week 2011. If you can’t join us in Philadelphia for our annual celebration in June please enjoy this creation in your own celebration of the international brewing community.

Philly Beer Week begins on June 3rd.

(Portland, OR) – Upright Brewing celebrates its 2 Year Anniversary with a Four Play bottle release in two weeks.

[Note: Four Play artwork here]

Sunday March 20th 1-6pm
Upright Brewing
Leftbank Project
240 N. Broadway Suite 002
Portland, OR 97227

http://www.uprightbrewing.com/

Oregon’s only farmhouse inspired craft brewery Upright Brewing is turning 2 years old and celebrating with a party on Sunday March 20th from 1-6pm at the Tasting Room. The party will also mark the return of perhaps the breweries most anticipated annual release Four Play a sour farmhouse cherry wheat beer aged in Pinot Barrels.

About Upright Brewing
During the last two short years the small production brewery just east of the Broadway bridge has been devoted to producing some of Portland’s most diverse range of beers, focusing on a French/Belgian inspired farmhouse-style, but brewing without inhibition as evidenced by their historic takes on English Old Ale and Oyster Stout or their authentic German Gose and Engelberg Pilsener.

Upright recently added three new tanks, using one to produce a year-round hop forward German-style pilsener for draft only. It’s called Engelberg Pils, a nod to Mt. Angel where all of the brewery’s hops are sourced. The other two tanks will enable the brewery to produce more one-off draft beers and also allow production of at least eight annual seasonal bottled batches throughout the year. As always, the numbered beers that Upright has focused on since the beginning will continue to be fermented in our unique open-top tanks. The new year has also brought expanded distribution for Upright’s beers with Lime Ventures now bringing the bottles and occasional draft beer to the Northern California market adding even more west coast cities that include north to Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

About Four Play
In celebration of the brewery anniversary, it’s becoming tradition to release Four Play, a very Belgian-esque beer based on Upright’s wheat beer (named Four) but barrel-aged for a year with cherries, souring yeasts and bacteria. Four Play is blended from former pinot noir barrels that yield a rosy looking sour ale with wonderfully complex aromas and flavors. It’s always a limited release and the 2011 batch is represented by only 67 cases and 3 kegs, all of which the brewers believe is their finest and suitable for cellaring up to 5 years.

About the 2 Year Anniversary Party
In addition to the extremely rare Four Play one of only 3 kegs on draft Upright will also be releasing something even more rare in bottle, last years Apricot Anniversary Ale aged in Ransom Spirits Old Tom Gin Barrels of which there are less than 3 cases of 750ml bottles. To top it off look for a special cask of this years edition of the World Beer Cup award winning Gose stuffed Dry Hops and extra Salt.

Follow Upright Brewing:

Website

http://www.uprightbrewing.com/

Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/UprightBrewing

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/UprightBrewing

Blog

http://uprightbrewingblog.blogspot.com/

(Tampa, FL) – A huge event takes place down in Tampa this Saturday.

Below are the beer details for this Saturday’s Hunaphu’s release. The beer list is impressive. For more on music, food and logistics, head over to Cigar City Brewing‘s blog.

Hunaphu Release Day Details

The first 750 people who receive a wristband will be able to buy Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (up to 4 bottles) when it goes on sale at 6pm. If you are paying by credit card you will be able to pre-pay for your bottles immediately or throughout the day so that you can quickly get your bottles when they go on sale. If there are any bottles left after all 750 people have come to claim/buy their bottles OR 9pm (leaving a 3 hour window for you to claim your bottles if you have a wristband) the remaining bottles will go on sale to the public. Bottles will be for sale ONLY at the brewery. They will not go into distribution.

*Re-Entry is allowed throughout the day so you can come and get your wristband and come back later if you have something else to do, it is not required that you be here all day to claim your bottles at 6pm.

In addition to Hunaphu’s Imperial Stout, we will have other limited bottles for sale in the brewery:

Papaya IPA (Benefit beer for the Florida Brewer’s Guild)
Dirac Imperial Sweet Stout (Mikkeller Collab)
Bohr Imperial Sweet Stout (Mikkeller Collab)
Vuja De (St. Somewhere Collab)
Humidor IPA
Warmer Winter Winter Warmer
Guava Grove

Tap List-

(CC)
Jolly Guava 2011- Only 5 gallons of this one!
Bohr Imperial Sweet Stout – Conceived by Mikkeller, brewed at Cigar City with Wayne.
Dirac Imperial Sweet Stout – Conceived by Wayne, brewed at Cigar City with Mikkel of Mikkeller.
Nielsbohrium- A blend of the Collaboration beers we did with Mikkeller. This is the non barrel aged version, most of it went into Rum Barrels, except for this small amount. This non-rum barrel aged version will be released draft only and will only be available at Hunahpu Day.
Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout 2011
Vuja De’
Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout 2010
Brandy Barrel Aged Zhukov 2010
Red Wine Barrel Aged Vuja De’
Papaya IPA
Peach IPA
Pilot Series Imperial Milk Stout
Grandma’s Funky Sour Berry
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale
East India Dry Stout
East India Brown Ale
El Lector Dark Mild Ale
Jai-Alai IPA
Maduro Brown Ale
Cubano Espresso
Patio Tools Dry Irish Stout
Humidor IPA
More to come…

(Guest Taps)
Green Room Brewing- Head High IPA
Swamphead 10-10-10 Batch # 100 brewed with all Centennial hops
Swamphead Catherine’s Inspiration Imperial Stout
Funky Buddah Maple Bacon Coffee Porter
Dunedin Brewery Black Rye IPA
Shipyard Emporium TBD
St. Somewhere TBD
Sam Adam’s Revolutionary Rye
Everglades Pale Ale
Intuition Brewing Company King Street Stout
Bold City Chinook IPA
More to come…

Below is a list of special release growlers we will be pouring this Saturday during the event. Due to the crowds we expect, we will be pouring only the special release beers listed below in the brewery. Our regular offerings will be available on Friday and Sunday in the tasting room but we will not be filling growlers in the tasting room on Saturday.

Growler List:

Brandy Barrel Aged Zhukov
Red Wine Barrel Aged Vuja De’
Oak Barrel Aged Seabass
Oak Barrel Aged Vuja De’ – Only 5 gallons very limited.
More to come…

(Munster, IN) – A few announcements tonight on one of craft beer’s biggest parties of the year.

Three Floyds Brewing updated its website with some preliminary details regarding this year’s Dark Lord Day event. Here are a few highlights:

The event will take place on Saturday, April 30th.

The biggest change for this year is that a ticket will be required to attend the event. This ticket will also guarantee bottle allocation. Regrettably, changes have to be made to ensure the longevity of the event, safety and shorter lines. Without the ticket, there will be no admission to the premises. More information on ticket sales will be made available in the coming weeks.

It’s worth noting that March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, a tradition the brewery is continuing from prior years.

Three Floyds’ “Minister of Propaganda,” Lincoln Anderson, was on Beer Advocate answering questions on Friday night.

Brewers Association Adds Second Night to Popular Washington, D.C. Event

WHAT:
Now in its fourth year, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience returns to Washington, D.C. and expands from one to two nights. Presented by the Brewers Association (organizers of the Great American Beer Festival®), SAVOR, the benchmark of beer and food events, is a must-attend happening for beer lovers and foodies alike.

Attendees will sample craft beers from 72 small and independent craft brewers who team up with a duo of expert chefs to pair each craft beer with delicious savory and sweet dishes. Educational salons and private tasting salons will provide additional opportunities for attendees to interact with some of America’s most talented craft brewers and chefs.

WHEN:
Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4, 2011, 7:30 – 11:00 PM

WHERE:
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

WHY:
SAVOR’s rapid growth is strong evidence of the public’s appetite for craft beer along with food that complements and accentuates this artfully brewed beverage. In 2010, the event sold out in less than one day, which is why SAVOR has expanded to two nights for 2011. This year promises to be another memorable event for attendees looking to taste the best that America’s small and independent craft brewers have to offer.

TICKETS:
SAVOR tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, March 3, at SavorCraftBeer.com. General Admission tickets for Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4 are $110 and SAVOR Salons are $30 per Salon. Note: Tickets will not be available for sale onsite.

NEW FOR 2011:

Two Expert Chefs Orchestrate Pairings
This year’s menu items and pairings will be carefully designed by expert beer and food pairing chefs from both coasts: Adam Dulye of Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco and Teddy Folkman of Granville Moore’s in Washington, D,C,. The chefs will collaborate with Federal City Catering to create a memorable dining experience.

Adam Dulye’s experience presenting a beer paired dinner at the James Beard House in New York is a testament to his skills. Currently the executive chef at gastropub Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco, Adam was previously the chef at Euclid Hall in Denver and created the craft beer and food pairings presented at the Great American Beer Festival Farm to Table pavilion. He also presented beer and food pairings at the 2009 and 2010 Aspen Food and Wine Festival.
From the East coast, SAVOR welcomes Executive Chef Teddy Folkman of Granville Moore’s in Washington, D.C. Teddy was a participant on season 5 of the show “The Next Food Network Star” and also won an episode of “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.”

Educational Salons and Private Tasting Salons
Nine ticketed Educational Salons, seating 90 people in an auditorium, will feature the culinary and brewing artistry of chefs and craft brewers along with in-depth discussions of flavor and pairings. Some highlights include:

Flying Dog Brewery will team up with Chef Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT restaurant. Voltaggio is a highly accomplished chef and runner-up in season 6 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” The Salon will conclude with the world premiere of the first Flying Dog and Bryan Voltaggio culinary collaboration beer-brewed specifically to pair with VOLT’s eclectic and ever-evolving menu.

Discover the fascinating experience and the fundamental taste of umami. Join Brewers Association President Charlie Papazian as he reveals the basics of why beer and food often create a “wow” experience when paired. First presented in October 2010 at Slow Food’s Salone del Gusto in Italy, Charlie will discuss and demonstrate umami character by presenting food and craft beer combinations. The “wow” of food and beer combination is not about their marriage, but rather the “child” which emerges.

Julia Herz of CraftBeer.com/Brewers Association will moderate and mediate between brewer, chef and journalist contenders competing to win the audience’s vote on their favorite pairing. Principles of beer and food pairing will be covered and take-away attendee resources will be provided. The format is quick, to the point, educational and challenges the audience to think like pairing judges.

Twelve Private Tasting Salons, seating 30 people in an informal lounge setting, will feature some of the “rock stars” of craft brewing. The Private Tasting Salons offer an intimate setting and the opportunity to ask questions and hear stories from icons such as Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada and others TBA.

Full-Size Stemmed Glassware
For the first time ever, SAVOR attendees will receive full-size commemorative glassware for sampling at the event and later for personal use. While sometimes considered peripheral, correct glassware helps great craft beers truly shine-SAVOR aficionados will surely taste the difference!

Beer on video…

Above, CBS gives New Belgium a 7-minute segment on its morning show. The brother of one of the hosts is a brewer there.

Below, Colbert does a humorous bit on the new Walgreens beer, Big Flats 1901. Note: the Colbert video doesn’t seem to be loading (at least in Google Chrome). You can also watch it on Hulu (fast forward to 2:15).

I also included a bonus video from Black Star Beer‘s recent “What would you do for a year of free beer” contest held earlier this month.

(Boulder, CO) – Keynote speakers Fritz Maytag and Ken Grossman will officially open the Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in San Francisco, Calif. on March 23. More than 2,500 of the world’s leading brewers, brewery owners and brewing supply professionals are expected at this year’s CBC.

Maytag and Grossman are slated to engage in a wide-ranging conversation looking back on more than 40 years of craft brewing. Expect anecdotes, reflections and insider stories from these two trailblazers.

Fritz Maytag, former owner of Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, is considered the patriarch of the American craft brewing scene. Maytag bought the historic brewery in 1965, and his focus on improved quality, intensified flavors and new ingredients changed the beer landscape forever. Today, Anchor Brewing remains one of the most traditional breweries in America. Maytag sold the brewery in 2010 to The Griffin Group, entrepreneurs who plan to preserve and expand the iconic brand.

Ken Grossman started Sierra Nevada in 1980 with a background in homebrewing, a hand-built brewhouse and some interesting ideas about beer that were inspired by his visits with Maytag and Jack McAuliffe. Today, Sierra Nevada is one of America’s longest-running craft startups, and is known for its innovation and relentless pursuit of quality.

When Sierra Nevada first opened its doors, there were less than 50 brewing companies in the United States. Today, there are more than 1,600 craft breweries in operation, and American brewers lead the world in variety of styles, innovation, experimentation and quality.

Together, Maytag and Grossman brewed Fritz and Ken’s Ale, a Pioneers Stout, as part of Sierra Nevada’s 30th anniversary series.

“I’m thrilled to welcome two pioneers of the craft brewing industry to the stage at this year’s CBC,” said Paul Gatza, Brewers Association director. “Fritz and Ken have a collaborative relationship and focus on quality and flavor that represents a key part of the heritage of craft brewing.”

Russian River Brewing Co.’s Vinnie Cilurzo came up with the idea of a conversation between these two pioneers to serve as the CBC keynote presentation while attending a dinner at Anchor with his wife Natalie to celebrate the launch of the 30th anniversary beer. Vinnie related, “Throughout the night, Ken and Fritz spoke (a lot). They, of course, spoke about the beers being served, but, mostly they told us old stories and talked about our industry. It was amazing and anyone that was there thought the same thing. I truly felt lucky to be in attendance and hear all the great stories.”

Both brewers are past recipients of the Brewers Association Recognition Award, presented each year to an individual or company whose inspiration, enthusiasm and support have contributed to the brewpub and microbrewery movement. Maytag was bestowed the honor in 1988, and Grossman in 1991.

About the Craft Brewers Conference

The Craft Brewers Conference is known for attracting renowned brewing industry professionals and supporters as keynote speakers. The CBC is the nation’s largest annual gathering of the professional brewing industry. This year’s event takes place March 23-26 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
Conference workshop presenters cover more than 50 topics ranging from technical brewing to brewery management and marketing. A complete list of speakers and selected seminar topics is available on the conference website.

Craft Brewers Conference also includes BrewExpo America®, the nation’s largest trade show for the craft brewing industry, featuring more than 200 of the top vendors in the industry. Attendees will also enjoy numerous social opportunities to sample the diversity of beers available in the San Francisco area.
Learn more about the Craft Brewers Conference at CraftBrewersConference.com.

(San Francisco, CA) – Russian River Brewing is leading the efforts in one of this year’s Craft Brewers’ Conference Symposium beers.

The 2011 edition of the annual conference will be held in San Francisco next month. Per the CBC site:

This year’s attendees will enjoy four CBC Symposium beers! [...] The team at Russian River bottled one a couple of weeks ago and it’s now conditioning in large pallet cages in the brewery before labeling.

This sour brown ale was made by Russian River with Sierra Nevada, using the latter’s Keller Weise yeast for the primary fermentation, and barrel aged with Russian River’s house “bugs and critters” in wine barrels from Fritz Maytag’s York Creek Vineyards. Sampling his creation two weeks after bottling, Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo reports: “The bottle I opened had a giant Cabernet Sauvignon characteristic.”

Sierra Nevada, Founder/Owner, Ken Grossman and Anchor Brewers Chairman, Fritz Maytag, will be delivering the keynote address this year.

Stay tuned for details on the other three beers.

Guests will also be the first and only to taste the 23rd Anniversary brew before it goes into barrels for 12 months. “Changing of the Barrels” is limited to 60 tickets and will include beer and appetizers, live music by the local band Blackout Party, and a night of hanging with the Karl Strauss brew crew. Guests will receive a bottle of the 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout and a commemorative snifter glass.

“We’ve dabbled in barrel aging beers before and I’m excited about this new program where we’ll start aging each of our anniversary beers for an entire year,” says Paul Segura, Karl Strauss Brewmaster. “I think it’s cool that guests will have an exclusive chance to try next year’s Anniversary Old Ale before its aged. Next year, they can come back and see how the beer has changed in the barrels.” Each guest at the event will receive a 33 Bottles of Beer booklet (33beers.com) to write their tasting notes for comparison year after year.

This year’s 22nd Anniversary beer is a Vanilla Imperial Stout, with a portion aged in bourbon barrels for nine months. The barrel-aged beer was then blended with a fresh batch of stout, along with the addition of fresh split Madagascar vanilla beans. The bourbon and vanilla flavors perfectly complement the dark chocolate and warming fishing of this 8.5% sipper, making it an ideal dessert or after dinner drink.

The 22nd Anniversary Stout will be available on tap at select beer bars across Southern California and in 22oz bottles throughout the state starting in mid February. To purchase tickets to the “Changing of the Barrels” VIP Event visit www.karlstrauss.com.

Event details:
Date: February 2, 2011 (our real Anniversary!)
Time: 5pm-8pm
Where: Karl Strauss Brewing Company, 5985 Santa Fe Street, San Diego, CA 92109
Ticket Price: $50 per person, tickets online only (this event will sell out, so buy early)
What’s included: Ticket includes beer and food for the night, live music, a commemorative 22nd Anniversary snifter, and a 22oz bottle of the 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout. This is also the only chance to try the 22nd Anniversary Ale unblended and the 23rd Anniversary Ale before it goes into barrels for 12 months.

22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout Specs:
8.5% ABV
50 IBU
80 SRM

Label Copy:
When we opened in 1989, the most adventurous beer in town was our Downtown After Dark Brown Ale. Our 22nd Anniversary Stout is a tribute to our roots and to those that dared to dream big in San Diego. Brewed with vanilla beans and aged three months in American oak bourbon barrels, this complex Imperial Stout has layers. Nuances of dark chocolate and espresso flavors are underpinned by hints of vanilla, bourbon, and oak. Save a bottle. Like us, this Special Release gets better with age.

###

About Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Karl Strauss Brewing Company is celebrating 22 years of brewing in San Diego. From humble roots, a big vision, and the desire to share handcrafted beer with America’s Finest, Karl Strauss has grown from one brewery restaurant to a local institution—brewing 34,000 barrels in 2010 and operating six successful brewery restaurants across Southern California. The company has not strayed from its pioneering roots with new releases like Big Barrel IIPA and Whistler Imperial Pils, while still capturing hearts and the 2010 WBC and GABF gold medal for long-time favorites like Red Trolley Ale. With distribution solely in California, Karl Strauss is ranked #40 on the list of the country’s top craft breweries. For more information visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739.

http://twitter.com/karl_strauss; http://facebook.com/KarlStraussBrewingCompany

(Athens, OH) – Just received in my inbox…

From Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery Brewmaster, Brad Clark:

These events will feature a bottle release/fest to be held at the brewpub. The fest themes and brews are all subject to change, but I fully intend to pull off all of these as I have stated below. Each brew will range from 16 to 30 cases. The usual 3 bottle limit will be effective for each release and each beer. All events will be held on a Saturday with the exception of the Extravaganza which features a tap take over on Friday and the bottle sale on Saturday. Numbers will be placed outside at 7am that morning. The bottle sales will start at 11am with a second sale starting an hour after the first has concluded. We will open the brewery side at 2pm to unleash an additional 18 taps of great brews (20 taps on the public house side). Firm dates will appear a month before the festival.

February: Stout/ big beer fest

Vanilla Bean Rum Barrel Dark Apparition
Kopi Luwak Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition
Quincedence (Cabernet Barrel Aged Scottish with quince fruit and natural mico flora)

April: One Funky Afternoon (all jackie O’s sours ~18)

Brown Reclouse (Barrel aged sour brown with maple syrup)
Cab Cherryman (cabernet barrel aged sour porter with Cherries)
Grand Wazoo (Bourbon Barrel aged strong dark sour with raspberries)
Orange Oak (barrel aged India Pale wheat with clementines and brett)

June: Hop Fest

Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition
Brandy Barrel Dark Apparition
Bourbon Barrel Sweet Chocolate Love
Kentucky Monk (triple aged in bourbon barrels)

August: Barrel Aged Beer Fest

Rum Barrel Oil Of Aphrodite
Brandy Barrel SuperFly (imperial amber aged in brandy barrels)
Slim Pickens (Barrel aged sour Brown with Sour plums)
Dynamo Hum (barrel aged Framboise)

October: Experimental

Middle Of No Where Stout (Imperial oatmeal stout with honey and maple syrup)
Barrel aged MONW (type of barrel to be determined)
Barrel aged Quad (type of barrel to be determined)
Cabernet Black Betty (Imperial raspberry vanilla porter aged in cabernet barrels)

December: Extravaganza (38 Jackie O’s brews)

Chunga’s Old Bruin (Barrel aged sour brown with cherries)
Wood Ya Honey (bourbon barrel aged honey wheat wine)
Cherry Wood Ya Honey (Bourbon barrel aged honey wheat wine with cherries)
Thorogood (bourbon barrel aged strong scotch ale)
Joe The Plum (thorogood with plums)
Rum Barrel DA (Dark Apparition aged in rum barrels)
Rum Barrel Oil Of Aphrodite

The 9th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest is 2/18 and 2/19 2011

(Boulder, CO) – Avery Brewing Company is pleased to announce plans to present four unique beer tasting experiences in 2011, to be lead off by the 9th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival in February. All four festivals will take place on premise at the Boulder, Colorado based brewery, and three of four will feature beers generously donated from top craft brewers nationwide.

9th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival
February 18th & 19th, 2011, Avery Brewing Company
Tickets ($35) go on sale from www.averybrewing.com on Monday, January 3rd at 8AM MST
Featuring over 80 different strong beers (beers greater than 8% abv) from some of the best breweries across the country, with many beers that are not otherwise available in the State of Colorado. Tickets to this event are extremely limited.

2nd Annual Boulder SourFest
June 11th, 2011, Avery Brewing Company
Tickets ($45) go on sale from www.averybrewing.com in early April 2011.
One of the first festivals in the world to feature beers crafted exclusively in the rare and mysterious tradition of sour ales, the Boulder SourFest is devoted to beers made with sour producing bacteria and/or brettanomyces wild yeast. Tickets to this event are extremely limited.

Avery Anniversary Party
August 7th, 2011, Avery Brewing Company
Tickets available at the door.
Annual pig-roast and summer party at our brewery in Boulder. Avery beers, lots of bands and the best barbeque in Colorado!

Inaugural Boulder IPA Festival
Saturday September 10th, 2011, Avery Brewing Company
Ticket sale date TBD
The first ever Boulder festival in celebration of our favorite beer style: India Pale Ale! We hope to gather over 100 different examples of this style from nearly as many breweries in an effort to showcase the quality and tremendous variety to be found within the India Pale Ale style.

Established in 1993, Avery Brewing Company has developed a reputation as being one of the most daring and visionary breweries in the nation. They are the brewers of Avery IPA, The Maharaja Imperial IPA, White Rascal Belgian Wheat Ale, Mephistopheles’ Stout and eighteen other year-round and seasonal beers. Please go to www.averybrewing.com for more information on Avery Brewing Company and their beers.

(Warren, MI) – The Kuhnhenn Winter Solstice returns next week.

Per a recent newsletter:

“You’ve waited a whole year but it’s finally here. Come visit us on Tuesday, December 21st and Wednesday, December 22nd for the biggest Kuhnhenn party of the year. We’ll be releasing several beers including 4th Dementia, Bourbon Barrel 4th Dementia, 2009 Winter Wonder Lager and on and on and on. We may even be able to find a bottle or two of Raspberry Eisbock. Nick and Reggie will be here to entertain you both nights and we’ll Wassail every hour on the hour beginning at 8PM.”

This bottle release list is unofficial (grabbed from BA):

Fourth Dementia
BB Fourth Dementia
Fourth D – 2007
BB Barley Wine (!)
BB Barley Wine 2008 (!)
Raspberry Eisbock
Extraneous Ale
Solar Eclipse 2009
American Barley Wine
Road Rash 2009
Winter Wonder 2009

Element Dark Element label: the beer on which 6:56 is based

(Millers Falls, MA) – Element Brewing celebrates its first anniversary this Thursday with a beer release party.

Per the brewery website:

Come to help us celebrate our 1st year of business. On December 16th from 5 to 8 we will be hosting an open house at the brewery. We will have entertainment and a toast with our cask conditioned double dark at 6:56pm. (The time of our first sale to the public) Our 6:56, double dark, will go on sale and be available for pick-up. Across the street at the Millers Pub there will be a raffle, appetizers, live piano bar, and other festivities.

Element’s second Interval Ale, Brix, has been released! It is our winter seasonal and has been delivered to various package stores in Massachusetts. Read the complete specs here.

(Winston-Salem, NC) – Foothills Brewing bills this event as, “The return of a legend.”

Here is the scoop via today’s Foothills newsletter:

Let the eager anticipation begin: Sexual Chocolate 2011 is less than two months away. By far our most famous offering, the Sexual Chocolate will return on January 29, 2011 and will be offered both on draft and (for a very, very limited time) in bottles.

This is an event that beer connosieurs won’t want to miss. We’ll release more details as the date nears, so stay posted!

(Amherst, WI) – Central Waters Brewing has announced the date for its anniversary party and a few barrel-aged releases.

First off, Bourbon Cherry Stout and Bourbon Barrel Stout will be packaged this coming Monday according to the brewery’s Facebook page. Expect to see those two beers in stores by year’s end.

Additionally, here’s the anniversary party info as posted by a brewery representative on Beer Advocate:

It’s getting close to that time again – thought we’d get the news out as soon as possible.

Also – we are considering a shuttle this year to Stevens Point in case people want to get hotel rooms there – let me know if there is interest in this.

Also noteworthy, construction is nearly complete on a new warehouse to be used specifically for aging barrels.

(Harrisburg, PA) – End the speculation!

For weeks, people have been wondering when the next release in the Troegs Splinter Series would be and the details have finally come:

From Facebook, “Splinter Black Release Date Announced! Troegs Splinter Black goes on sale Wed, Dec 15, starting at 8am at Troegs Brewery. We have a significantly larger quantity of Splinter Black than other beers in this series. With cold weather approaching, we ask that you don’t stand in line all night.”

Deuane from Beer Advocate offers a few extra details: “Wristbands starting at 6 AM. Two bottle limit. I assume the price will be the same at $22.95. Asking for CASH ONLY purchases.” Take that for what it’s worth.

For a past release, someone even flew in from New Mexico. Craziness. Now, we wait for release details for Troegs Splinter Tan.

(Southampton, NY) – Southampton Publick House has announced the date for its most highly-anticipated release of the season.

From Facebook:

Time: Saturday, January 29, 2011 · 11:30am – 2:30pm
Location: Southampton Publick House

Brewmaster Phil Markowski will be on hand all day long, so bring your copy of his book, Farmhouse Ales, to have him sign it. We will also have copies on hand to purchase.

(Athens, OH) – Beginning Friday, Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery celebrates its fifth anniversary.

The big event may be the bottle sale on Saturday though. As mentioned here, there are over 40+ beers to be had between what is in bottles and what is on tap. Here are four of the eight beers that will be available for sale in bottles that day (Part I can be found here):

Wood Ya Honey – Bourbon Barrel Honey Wheat Wine

Cellar Cuvee 4 – Blend of BB RIS, BB scottish, and Captain Barley Heart (non brett)

(Athens, OH) – Beginning Friday, Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery celebrates its fifth anniversary.

The big event may be the bottle sale on Saturday though. As mentioned here, there are over 40+ beers to be had between what is in bottles and what is on tap. Here are four of the eight beers that will be available for sale in bottles that day (Part II can be found here):

Bourbon Barrel Rt. 33 – Imperial Oatmeal Chocolate Pecan Porter

Captain Barley Heart – Oak barrel aged Old ale with Brett

(Dexter, MI) – Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is holding an auction next week.

Here’s the good word from Northern United Brewing Co. VP Sales, Mike Turriff:

We will be holding a Vintage / Rare beer auction at Jolly Pumpkin Ann Arbor on 12/7/10 at 7 PM. All auction dollars will be donated to the Peace Neighborhood Center which helps families with Social and Economic problems in the Ann Arbor area. We will be bringing down over 40 different bottles of Jolly Pumpkin to auction ranging from 2-6 years old. Here are some highlights:

Lambicus Dexterius (may be only bottles that will be seen for sale outside of ebay and other sites for the year since we may not bottle in 2011)

[Ed. note: That's right. Any rumors that you've heard about LD are false.]

(Waterbury, VT) – The Alchemist made a major beer release announcement.

I say ‘major’ because the release of The Alchemist Heady Topper Double IPA is sure to draw interest from coast to coast. The beer has a 4.62 average after 40+ reviews on Beer Advocate.

Per the brewery blog:

We will be hand bottling a run of Heady Topper in 22 ounce bottles.

This double IPA is sitting on its dry hops as you read this, and it will be presented in the freshest condition possible. We’ve never done anything like this before, so we have no idea what to expect. We only ask that you have patience as we learn. We will be prepared for a line of people, but again, we’ll see…

Make sure to visit The Alchemist website if attending the release as there are some important rules and considerations related to the event.

(Athens, OH) – Jackie O’s Brewpub turns 5.

From today’s blog update:

Well it is that time again to through our big celebration the first weekend of December.

Jackie O’s will be celebrating 5 years of craft brewing December 3rd-5th. All 38 taps will be full of our creations. Music, beer, food, and a bottle sale will be offered during this 3 day celebration.

Friday- taps are loaded with vintage, barrel aged, seasonals, and one offs.

Saturday- Bottle sale of 8 different barrel aged beers.

Sunday- Brunch and a 5 course beer dinner that evening.

Here is a list of the barrel aged brews that will be for sale as part of the bottle sale…

Bourbon Barrel Matriarch – DIPA

Bourbon Barrel Rt. 33 – Imperial Oatmeal Chocolate Pecan Porter

Joe The Plum – Bourbon Barrel Scottish with Plums

Captain Barley Heart – Oak barrel aged Old ale with Brett

Wood Ya Honey – Bourbon Barrel Honey Wheat Wine

Bourbon Berry Grove – Bourbon Barrel Honey Wheat Wine w/ Cherries & bule berries

Bourbon Barrel Black Betty – Imperial Raspberry Vanilla porter

Cellar Cuvee 4 – Blend of BB RIS, BB scottish, and Captain Barley Heart (non brett)

All Bottles will be $16, and there will be a 3 bottle limit for each. More details about start time, breakfast, number system, and case numbers will emerge soon. Expect what the last release was like.

Here is the Tap List…

Dark Apparition late 2010
Dark Apparition early 2010
Dark Apparition Coffee
Dark Apparition Vanilla
Dark Apparition Kopi Lowak
Dark Apparition Turk – Coffee, vanilla, cardamon, orange peal
Dark Apparition Mole – Chilie, coco nibs, star anise, orange peal, cinnamon, vanilla
Dark Apparition Tea Bagged – licorice, sweet fennel, basil, mint
Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition 2009
Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition 2010
Little Ghost – mini DA brown porter
Cellar Cuvee 4
Bourbon Barrel Matriarch
Wood Ya Honey
Bourbon Berry Grove
Captain Barley Heart
Bourbon Barrel Rt. 33
Joe the Plum
Bourbon Barrel Black Betty 2008
Bourbon Barrel Black Betty 2009
Bourbon Barrel Black Betty 2010
Black Betty 2008
Scotish
Sparbock
Barking Pumpkin
Bourbon Barrel Sweet Chocolate Love
Oil of Aphrodite
Bee Keeper – honey wheat wine
Firefly Amber
Java the Stout
Razz Wheat
Mystic Mama
Burnin Hill
Sarah Wheat – Cherry Wheat
Frambrozen
Chomo
Funky South Paw

Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Co. seeks America’s greatest beer lover

(Denver, CO) – Once again, Wynkoop Brewing Company is seeking beer resumes from the nation’s most beer-minded men and women for its 2011 Beerdrinker of the Year contest. The 15th annual contest seeks and honors America’s most passionate, knowledgeable beer lovers and ambassadors.

The Beerdrinker of the Year wins free beer for life at Wynkoop Brewing Company and $250 of beer at their local brewpub or beer bar.

They also win 2011 Beerdrinker of the Year clothing and have their name engraved on the Beerdrinker of the Year trophy at Wynkoop. Plus, they enjoy the lofty acclaim that comes from being named the nation’s greatest beer nut.

“I attended this year’s Great American Beer Festival, “says Bill Howell, the reigning Beerdrinker of the Year, “and all sorts of folks stopped me at events and on the sidewalks. They wanted an autograph or to have their photo taken with me.”

An Alaska community college administrator and teacher of beer appreciation classes, Howell has also seen his beer status rise on his home turf.

“Even in the small town where I live,” he says, “we get tourists who have heard of the Beerdrinker of the Year contest. Last month four guys from Arizona stopped by my local brewpub (St. Elias Brewing in Soldotna, AK) and asked about me. Luckily I was at the bar having a beer, so I got to meet them.”

To enter the contest, applicants must submit beer resumes that include the entrant’s beer philosophy and details on their passion for beer and their 2010 beer experiences. Resumes should also detail the entrant’s understanding of beer and its history and importance to civilization, along with the entrant’s efforts to educate others to the joys of great beer.

Resumes for the Beerdrinker of the Year are reviewed by the nation’s beer experts, beer journalists and previous Beerdrinker winners. The top three entrants are flown to Wynkoop Brewing Company (at Wynkoop’s expense) for the Beerdrinker of the Year National Finals on February 26, 2011.

Resumes must be sent by email to beerdrinker@wynkoop.com, and be received by Wynkoop by no later than December 31, 2010. Each entrant will receive an email confirmation that their resume was received.

A few more rules:
• Resumes cannot exceed three 8 1⁄2″ x 11″ pages and must be written in 12-point or larger font, in Word format.
• Resumes must include the entrant’s home brewpub/beer bar and T-shirt size.
• Do not enter if you are currently employed in the beer-making trade.

For complete details entrants should visit www.wynkoop.com.

At the finals on February 26, a panel of wigged & robed judges (comprised of the nation’s best beer minds and previous Beerdrinker winners) grills the finalists and picks the 2011 winner. The event is open to the public and starts at 2 PM.

(Chicago, IL) – Red Poppy from San Diego County’s Lost Abbey won the Champion Wood Aged Beer for 2010 award at the Nation Wood Aged Beer Competition, held annually during the The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers in Chicago. A Flanders red-style ale, Red Poppy is produced with sour cherries and aged in French oak barrels for one year. “I was shocked to see that Red Poppy took down all the big beers,” said Tomme Arthur, Director of Operations for Port Brewing/Lost Abbey. “At 5.% ABV, it was a bit unexpected (although we do love the beer!)”

Held in early November, The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers is the oldest and largest festival in the world to feature only beers aged in or on wood. Founded in 2003 at Rock Bottom at State and Grand in Chicago, the event was moved to the Chicago Journeyman Plumbers’ Local Union 130 Stephen M. Bailey Auditorium in 2008. Over 1800 people sampled 156 beers (plus two barrel-aged ciders) from breweries representing nearly half of the United States at the eighth annual event on November 6th, 2010.

Over the past eight years, The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers has featured some of the rarest beers in the world from breweries as far away as Alaska and Hawaii as well as at home from the greater Chicagoland area. Attendees can sample beers that may only be available at the brewery and then only for a limited time. “We are thrilled that breweries nationwide choose our event to feature their best wood-aged beer,” said Jeff Sparrow, the event organizer. “Barrel aged craft beer started right here in Chicago,” added Peter Crowley, President of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, “and we are excited to see brewers everywhere push the boundaries with wood aging.”

A panel of industry experts judge each beer in the National Wood Aged Beer Competition against a set of standard guidelines. Each judge has experience with barrel aging and/or significant sensory experience, and award gold, silver and bronze medals in ten categories. Rather than beers being judged largely on wood aging and strength, categories reflect the underlying beer style. Each beer is judged on the basis of how that underlying style reflects the expression of wood and/or barrel character. Several of the most experienced judges selected the best of show from among the category winners: The Champion Wood Aged Beer for 2010.

The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997, dedicated to promote the development and expansion of the craft beer industry in Illinois. More details are available at www.illinoisbeer.com.

(Pacific City, OR) – I was sent a massive media tip sheet from Pelican Pub and Brewery‘s reps within the past hour. Here it is, in full…

“Mother’s Day” is on November 19—only 240 cases of Mother to be released
The Pelican Pub & Brewery will release its famous Mother of All Storms beer on November 19, which the Pelican is naming “Mother’s Day.” Mother of All Storms, formerly known as The Perfect Storm, has caused quite a stir over the last couple years and has sold out quickly. Mother of All Storms is produced in an extremely limited quantity and only 240 cases will be produced in 2010.

This year, the only guaranteed way to get a bottle (or more) of Mother of All Storms is to attend “Mother’s Day” on Friday, November 19 beginning at 8 a.m. or to book the “Mother’s Day” Package for Thursday, November 18 through the Inn at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City.

The “Mother’s Day” Package is for one night only—November 18, the night before the Mother of All Storms is officially released. Those who book it will be guaranteed a case of Mother of All Storms delivered to their room on Mother’s Day (November 19) and avoid the hassle of waiting in line. The package includes one night in a Kiwanda Guest Room at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda on November 18, a guaranteed case of the Mother of All Storms delivered to the room on November 19 and a limited edition Mother of All Storms t-shirt. Please call the Inn at 1-888-965-7001 for more information, pricing or to book your room. Dog-friendly rooms are available.

The Mother of all Storms is based on Stormwatcher’s Winterfest, Pelican’s English-style barleywine. The Mother of All Storms spent four months aging in 1998 Evan Williams Bourbon barrels. Now at its peak, The Mother of All Storms delivers flavors of deep toasted malt, bourbon and oak. The finish rewards with whispers of vanilla, toffee and caramel. It’s best enjoyed with gusts exceeding 60 mph. For full ordering instructions, please go to www.pelicanbrewery.com

Release of Bad Santa, MacPelican’s Wee Heavy Ale and Stormwatcher’s Winterfest
Three of Pelican’s holiday favorites —Bad Santa, MacPelican’s Wee Heavy Ale and Stormwatcher’s Winterfest—are set to release this month. On Friday, November 5, Bad Santa will be available on draft and MacPelican’s Wee Heavy will be available on draft and bottled. The new vintage of Stormwatcher’s Winterfest will release on November 19—the same day as the Mother of All Storms.

About Bad Santa:
You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout the Brewers at Pelican are telling you why, Bad Santa has arrived. This mysterious dark elixir is filled with complex malt flavors and aromas. Toasted malt and roast character blends seamlessly to the alluring herbal hop aroma that comes from copious amounts of Fuggle hops. Bad Santa doesn’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice, he wants this beer on your list.

About MacPelican’s Wee Heavy Ale:
Our version of the “Wee Heavy” Scotch Ale style is literally a batch of MacPelican’s Scottish Ale brewed with half the water and twice the boiling time to create a beer with a massive malty flavor and a deep red color. The aroma hints of rich caramel, cocoa, toffee, and tropical fruit, with a full-bodied mouth feel and a velvety sweet, slightly dry finish. A robust beer with a dangerous, drinkable smoothness.

About Stormwatcher’s Winterfest
Stormwatcher’s Winterfest is the perfect brew to savor on a stormy Oregon Coast day. Its deep amber-red color, massive toasted malt, toffee and caramel aroma, and full-bodied malty flavor lead to a smooth, soft and warming finish. The floral aroma and flavor highlights come from Mt. Hood hops, while a toasted malt sweetness balances a mild, subtle bitterness in the finish. Its big, rich flavor makes it the ideal complement to nasty weather.

Rare vertical tasting available for a limited time
The Pelican crew has brought out every available vintage of its award-winning Stormwatcher’s Winterfest from 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010 as well as the 2009 Mother of All Storms vintage for your drinking pleasure. You don’t want to miss this exciting vertical tasting in which you can sample these different vintages of the famous Stormwatcher’s and Mother of All Storms. Mother of All Storms was named one of the Top 10 Beers in the World last year by Beer Advocate, so hurry in because when it’s gone, it’s gone. For the full Stormwatcher’s and Mother of All Storms experience, purchase a vertical flight in which you can try all the vintages side by side for only $12 (this was last year’s price).

Bridal Ale bottle release this month
The Pelican’s vintage Belgian-style beer, Bridal Ale, will release in mid-November. The combination of the flavor of this beer and its champagne-style bottle makes Bridal Ale a perfect addition to Thanksgiving dinner.

About Bridal Ale:
The country ales of France inspire our vintage special release beer, Bridal Ale. Bridal Ale was originally brewed in celebration of the wedding of two Pelican staff members. This year’s edition of Bridal Ale features a deep copper color and a rich, toasted malt character. Subtle floral hints and fruity notes punctuate the aroma, while a slightly sweet malt flavor and warming effect characterize the finish.

Spend Thanksgiving at the Pelican
Take it easy this year and bring your family to the Pelican Pub & Brewery buffet for Thanksgiving. The buffet will feature traditional Thanksgiving dinner choices for the entire family. Award-winning Pelican beer for the adults and root beer for the kids will be available as well. The buffet will be open on November 25th from noon to 6 p.m. The cost is $20 per adult and $15 per child (12 years and under). For reservations, call the Pelican at 503-965-7007.

Cooking with Beer Classes at the Pelican
During the month of December, the Pelican will hold Cooking and Tasting Classes at the brewery. Each of these classes will include demonstrations and cooking instruction. Afterward, the food you helped prepare will be set up in the banquet room for the class to enjoy. All classes start at 6 p.m. and each class is $30 per person. To make reservations, please call the Pelican t 503-965-7007:

December 2—Beer and Dessert: Pastry chef, Sara Ames, will guide you through how to prepare wonderful desserts made with and paired with beer.
December 9—Cooking with Beer: Pelican executive chef, Ged Aydelott, will introduce the class to the world of beer cuisine.
December 16—Holiday Cooking Class: Impress the family this year and make your holiday dinner more special by making some new beer-incorporated dishes to entertain the family. Pelican executive chef, Ged Aydelott will take the class through how to prepare these delicious creations.

Pelican’s Winter Brewers Dinner date announced
The Pelican’s Fall Brewers Dinner is sold out, but you can reserve your spot now for Pelican’s Winter Brewers Dinner on Saturday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m. The theme is German and the dinner will feature five courses paired with six Pelican beers. Weekend packages are available for purchase through the Inn at Cape Kiwanda and the Cottages at Cape Kiwanda. The package is for two people and includes accommodations for Friday and Saturday night, tickets to Friday’s “Meet the Brewers” reception as well as Saturday’s Brewers Dinner, breakfast at the Pelican on Sunday morning and a 750ml bottle of Pelican Belgian-style ale upon arrival. For more information or to purchase a package, please contact the Inn at Cape Kiwanda at 888-965-7001.

The Pelican Pub and Brewery, located 22 miles south of Tillamook on the majestic Oregon Coast, has become a Northwest landmark for craft beer and fine food enthusiasts. The oceanfront facility includes an outdoor patio and banquet room with unobstructed views of Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock. Celebrating its 14th year in Pacific City, the Pelican has created countless masterpieces such as Kiwanda Cream Ale, which was named to DRAFT Magazine’s Top 25 Beers in the World of 2008 and 2009. Other award-winning brews include India Pelican Ale, MacPelican’s Scottish-Style Ale, Tsunami Stout and Doryman’s Dark. The three-time Great American Beer Festival “Brewpub of the Year” winner is open seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information, call 503-965-7007 or visit ww.PelicanBrewery.com.

(San Antonio, TX) – Lots of news from Freetail Brewing in today’s newsletter:

La Muerta Release Details:

It’s finally here! Perhaps the most anticipated day of the year at Freetail: La Muerta bottle release day, also known as “Dia de La Muerta”.

We tapped this year’s edition on Monday, and the feedback has been that it’s as good as ever.

Details for Saturday: bottles will go on sale promptly at 11:30am. Numbered tickets will distributed to those waiting on the patio starting at 9am. $11/bottle, strictly limited to 4 bottles per person (no exceptions). Production of this year’s batch: 450 bottles.

Of course it wouldn’t be a bottle release without a few other special treats on tap. Look for Até, the next in line of our wine barrel aged series of sour beers. Named after the Greek goddess of delusion, infatuation, blind folly, rash action and reckless impulse who led men down the path to ruin. We’ll also have a cask of dry-hopped Two from our friends at (512) Brewing Co. in Austin and a keg of St. Arnold Divine Reserve #10.

For those of you showing up to be here with the sunrise, we have another secret surprise for you.

La Muerta tasting notes: roast, chocolate, coffee and campfire smoke.

Project: Gemini

You may have caught the recent news of our plans to open another Freetail. Right now we are in the evaluation stages and have identified sites in Houston, New Braunfels, San Marcos and, of course, San Antonio as potential locations. At the end of our evaluation, we may decide the time is not right or the perfect space is not available, but we are looking with the full intent of opening another one. The $3 million dollar project could be operational in as soon as one year and would create 50 new jobs. For updates, keep an eye on our webpage under “Project: Gemini”.

Freetail 2nd Anniversary Party

November is an especially exciting month for us because we get to celebrate our birthday! As always, this year’s festivities will take place the weekend after Thanksgiving, November 26-28. We are invading all of our taps (30) with Freetail beer. Here is a rundown of the festivities.

· Friday November 26: “Bottle of Wits” – 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles for a home-version of our infamous “Battle of Wits”. The 4-pack will include Rye Wit, Spirulina Wit, Jamaica Wit, and Prickly Pear Wit. On sale promptly at 11:30am. Also at 11:30, ceremonial tapping of “Two”, our anniversary beer, a Belgian-style Dubbel.

· Saturday November 27: Bottle release of “Two” at 11:30am. Rick Lozano with a live acoustic set on the patio from 7-10pm.

· Sunday November 28: Mug Club Members Appreciation Party. Mug club members old and new can sign up for 2011 and get $3 mug fills all day. Party starts at 6:30pm and will feature a live auction for Mug #1, with the proceeds above the Membership price benefiting our Race for the Cure team to fight Breast Cancer.

Starting with the beer, Karl Strauss will be releasing SDBW Stout just for the celebration—a complex and flavorful Dry Stout brewed with Star Anise for a subtle licorice character. Also available during SDBW, will be a new Flanders-style Red Ale. This beer’s flavors come in layers, going from tart to bready and finishing like a cherry scone. Other beers out just in time for SDBW include Old Columbia Barleywine—a new full-bodied English-style Barleywine—and the much anticipated Karl Strauss Winter Seasonal, Fullsuit Belgian Brown Ale.

To enjoy this local liquid goodness, Karl Strauss has events planned for every night of SDBW, starting with a kick-off event at Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park. For this event, the brewery has corralled more than 10 of its favorite beers out of the cold box, including the much loved Big Barrel Double IPA and the Gold Medal winning Red Trolley Ale. Later in the week, Karl Strauss will host a variety of events including a beer and cheese pairing class at Venissimo cheese shop, cask night at Churchill’s Pub, pint night at Bluefoot Bar, and a beer & tapas pairing at KnB Cellars. Karl Strauss will be at the official San Diego Brewers Guild opening party and at the closing Beer Garden: a beer and food pairing event. Karl Strauss Brewing Company SDBW Stout will be paired with some delectable desserts by Chef Jason Graham of Cal-de-Vie spa in Vista while Karl Strauss Executive Chef, Gunther Emathinger, will be pairing a roasted Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chop with New English’s Brewers Special Brown Ale.

Throughout San Diego Beer Week, Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurants will offer limited release beers, beer specials, SDBW cask night, beer brunches, and brewery tours. For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com. Share it, cheers.

About Karl Strauss Brewing Company
This year Karl Strauss Brewing Company turns the big 2-1, the most important year in a beer drinker’s life. This coming of age will be celebrated throughout 2010 with a diverse lineup of 35 beers, including 6 year-round favorites, 3 seasonal offerings, and a host of innovative special brews. Located in San Diego and distributed exclusively in Southern California, Karl Strauss currently ranks #40 on the list of Top Craft Breweries in the country. In addition to handcrafting quality beers, Karl Strauss is a leader of the beer and culinary connection at their six local brewery restaurants. For more information visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. http://twitter.com/karl_strauss; http://facebook.com/KarlStraussBrewingCompany

About San Diego Beer Week
San Diego Beer Week promotes San Diego’s thriving craft beer culture by sponsoring a ten-day countywide festival that attracts beer tourism, fosters knowledge of our regional brewing heritage, and serves as a showcase for San Diego’s breweries, restaurants, pubs, and other businesses with ties to the craft beer community. For more information visit www.SDBW.org.