Monday, December 28, 2009

Flying Dog's Raging Bitch Now Available.

This year marks Flying Dog Breweries 20th year in business and to celebrate that accomplishment they are releasing their newest beer, Raging Bitch. This beer is a rare breed being a Belgian IPA. It has all the bite of an American IPA but brewed with a Belgian yeast to give it a unique Belgian taste.

You can check out it out at the following locations in South Florida:

On Draft:
The Lodge - Boca Raton
Stage 84 - Davie
Rhythm - Boca
Fat Cats- Ft. Lauderdale
Coffee District - Delray
Brother Tuckers - Pompano

In Bottles:
Abraxas Lounge - Miami Beach
Bayside Market - Fort Lauderdale
Big Game Liquors - Miami
BX Beer Depot - Lake Worth
Corner Cafe and Brewery - Tequesta
Dolce Vita - Lake Worth
DRB - Miami
Fat Cats - Ft. Lauderdale
Havana Hideout - Lake Worth
Stop and Shop - Ponce, Coral Gables
Swamp Grass - PBG
The Food Shack - Jupiter
Tio's Liquors - Miami
Total Wine - Ft. Lauderdale, PGA, Pembroke Pines, Aventura
Tryst - Delray
Whole Foods - Wellington

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas

So the post have been lacking this week as I finished up some last minute Christmas stuff. I hope everyone takes sometime over the next few days to enjoy a nice relaxing, joyous time with your family and friends. Share some good beer with all. Have a very Merry Christmas. See you back next week.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Weekend Events


Lots of stuff going on this weekend. Last weekend to get out of the house before the holiday craziness starts.

FRIDAY

Abraxas, South Beach- Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head collaboration Life & Limb will be available for a free sampling, while supplies last. This will probably be your only chance to try this rare beer as all the bottles in South Florida are already sold out. They will also have Dogfish Head rarities Olde School Barleywine and World Wide Stout on tap for your enjoyment. Not to be missed.

9:00pm-11:00pm
Abraxas
407 Meridian Ave
Miami Beach, FL
(305)534-9005

Cervezas, South Miami- This brand new beer bar in South Miami is celebrating it's grand opening tonight and tomorrow. The bar boasts to having 200 bottled beers available and for the next two night they will only run you $3. This would be a good chance to check it out.

4:00pm-2:00am
Cervezas

5835 Sunset Dr.

South Miami, FL


SATURDAY

Total Wine, North Miami- Join Shipyard's Amy Marcoux for a tasting of their winter beer Prelude that is only available for a short time. This is a great beer and this is your chance to try it for free. What else you got going on a Saturday afternoon?

2:00pm-5:00pm
Total Wine
14750 Biscayne Blvd.

North Miami, FL


The Lodge, Boca Raton- It seems that the holiday spirit is lacking a bit this year but not at The Lodge. They are hosting their Christmas Ugly Sweater Party on Saturday from 7:00pm-2:00am. Pull out your ugliest sweater from the closet and get in on a chance to win a prize for having the ugliest one in the place. Draft and food specials all night too.

7:00pm-2:00pm
The Lodge
200 S. Federal Highway

Boca Raton, FL


Urbanite Bistro, Miami- Urbanite is hosting it's monthly beer dinner. A six course meal paired with a different beer for each course for only $40 plus tax and tip. Seats are limited so be sure to call and make a reservation. The last one was a big hit so this one is sure to sell out.

Course I
Holy Mackerel w / Wild Mushroom & White Truffle Risotto

Course II
Santa’s Private Reserve, Rogue Brewer
Duck Confit on Brioche Crostini with Balsamic-Strawberry Gastrique

Course III
Penn Pilsner, Penn Brewing Company
Red Deer & Pork Sausage with White Bean Cassoulet

Course IV
Horn Dog Barley-Wine
Magret Duck with wilted Baby Spinach & Duck Lardon

Course V
Stone Brewery Smoked Porter
Individual Beef Wellington with Grenache-Shallot Reduction

Dessert
Virgin Islands Mango Pale Ale
Asian Pear Cobbler

8:00pm-11:00pm
Urbanite Bistro
62 NE 14th St.

Miami, FL
(305)374-0662

What Beer To Drink?

Saw this posted today on the great Eating On The Road blog. This flowchart is rather funny and truthful. Make sure to head on over to Eating On The Road and check out their other informative and funny posts.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Dogfish Head takes over South Florida

One of Delaware's biggest exports these days comes from the little brewery that could, Dogfish Head. Not only have they been at the forefront of the craft beer movement they have also been involved in making some of the most ancient beer recipes known to man. You'll be able to try some of these ancient ales and also one of their newest over the next few days.


Tonight(Thursday, Dec. 17th) Pacific Time and Dogfish Head will be host an Ancient Ales Beer Dinner. This once in a lifetime event features a five course meal paired up with DFH's ancient ales. These are beers that recipes have been around for thousands of years. You'll get a chance to taste them with an amazing selection of food tonight. You can read all about it here.

Thursday, December 17th
8:00-11:00pm
Pacific Time
35 NE 40th St.
Miami, FL
(305)722-7369
Then Friday you'll have a chance to try Dogfish Head's collaboration with Sierra Nevada, Life & Limb. Sierra Nevada rep Andrew Bradley will bring a few of the remaining bottles of the rare beer to Abraxas to try free samples of. There were only a few cases of the beer in South Florida and from what I can tell they have all be scooped up already. This could be your only chance to try this great beer. Abraxas will not only have Life & Limb for you to try but will also have Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout and Olde School Barleywine on tap. Not only are these beers rare in bottle but extremely rare on tap. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to try these rare beers. The fun starts at 9pm.

Friday, December 18th
9:00pm-11:00pm
Abraxas

407 Meridian Ave
Miami Beach, FL
(305)534-9005
If you are unable to make it to either of these events and still want to get in on some rare Dogfish Head beers I suggest you head out to your local beer store and pick up a bottle of their Squall IPA. This is an collaboration with clothing company Rogues Gallery. The beer is based off DFH's 90min IPA but with a lot more hops. Be sure to get it while you can. You can see more about it in the video below.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Review: The Democratic Republic Of Beer (The DRB)

I've lived in the downtown/Midtown Miami area for about three years now and one of the major things that it has been lacking is a neighborhood bar. A place that, if needed, I could walk home from. That need has finally been met by the newly opened Democratic Republic of Beer or The DRB for short.

The DRB opened about two months ago to a whirlwind of welcome. I had heard about this bar with 400 beers coming a few months before it opened but thought it was too good to be true. I'm glad my skepticism was proven wrong.

I went on the opening Friday and it was a mad house (I guess I wasn't the only one looking for a bar to call my own in the area). The bar was a bit under-stocked and under-staffed that first weekend but I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt that things would get better. I'm glad I did because things turned around nicely.

Since I have gone back they have had every beer I have asked for. And with 400 beers available that is quite a feat. They actually cared that the beer wasn't cold when I ordered one they had just put in the cooler and offered me a different beer and actually knew which of the beers they had were similar in style. They have even done a good job at trying to provide, as close as possible, the proper glassware for each beer as well.

The DRB also has a very cool program called the passport program. You fill out an application when you come in and are entered into the program. Then every time you come in after you can pick a different beer from either a different country or from the same country and you'll earn badges that will eventually end up getting you some sort of prizes - a great reason to keep coming back and trying different beers.

The DRB also has a full menu and, having just started opening for lunch, I stopped by to eat one day. I decided to try the beef sliders. These are one of the best sliders I have ever had. The patties are hand made with a nice bit of spice to them and served on fresh baked rolls. Excellent. I wish I could tell you how the rest of the food is but the sliders are so good I have ordered them every time I've been there since. Friends have had the chicken sliders and said they were also very good. My friend who had them said they were pretty spicy and she likes things really spicy so you may want to avoid those if you don't like spicy food. Everything else that I've seen come past me from the kitchen all looks delicious.

The newly opened upstairs balcony

The ambiance is also one of the key features. The design of The DRB is quite modern without it being overly so and noticeable. The lighting is that perfect level between being too dark to read the menu and too bright that you think you are in a classroom. The TVs behind the bar don't give the place a sports bar feel either but you can still watch sports on the TV if you want. The music that they play is a nice mix between mellow lounge music and good upbeat hits. The newly opened upstairs balcony also gives the place a little more room on those crowded Friday nights.

The DRB has done what few bars have been able to do by treading into being many different things and still doing it well. It's that local modern/sports bar with yummy, classy food and a superb beer selection. They've also thrown in a couple of macro brews for the few that will come and just want a Bud Light. I recommend you come and check it out. It could quite possibly be your new neighborhood bar as well.

Democratic Republic of Beer (The DRB)
255 NE 14th St.
Miami, FL 33132
(305)DRB-4161
www.drbmiami.com
Open: 7 days a week 11:00am-5:00am

Friday, December 11, 2009

Weekend Events



Looking for a little something to do this weekend? Need to unwind a little away from the mall Xmas shopping and before you have to spend days with family you try all year not to see. Well, you are in luck. Lots of great events going on tonight and Sunday to relax before the chaos starts again.

FRIDAY
LUCKY LIQUORS, South Miami- Lucky Liquors will be hosting Santa's Beer Tasting tonight from 8:00pm-10:00pm. For only $12 you get a sampling of loads of different beers(see graphic above). With that $12 you will also get a $5 credit towards anything in the store. They will also have food and giveaways. Looks like a good cheap way to start the night.

Lucky Liquors
7807 SW 40th St.
Miami, FL

8OZ. BURGER BAR, South Beach- 8oz. will be hosting what they are calling "The Best Damn Beer Tasting on The Beach" tonight from 7:00pm-9:00pm. For only $20 you'll get to sample over 30 different beers from the like of Avery, Boulder, Dogfish, Flying Dog, Rogue, Stone, & Victory, including seasonal and limited release items. You'll also be treated to some chef's choice appetizers with your beer. Great way to start out the weekend.

8oz. Burger Bar
1080 Alton Rd.,

Miami Beach, FL

THE LODGE, Boca Raton- Are you a fan of Shipyard and/or Victory beers? Well, you should make your way over to The Lodge tonight. They will have specials on all Victory and Shipyard beers for the evening. Some raffles are planned to so who knows what you might walk out of there with tonight. The fun starts at 8:00pm.

The Lodge
200 S. Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL


ABRAXAS, South Beach- "Relax Have a Beer" Happy Hour is from 5pm to 10pm tonight. List of 2x1 beers include Full Sail Pale Ale, Golden Pheasant, Rogue American Amber, Redhook ESB, Seadog Blueberry Wheat, OB Dale's Pale Ale, Boulder Mojo IPA, Boulder Hazed and Infused, Woodchuck Amber Cider, Hacker-Pschorr Munich and more! plus 2x1 house wines.

Abraxas
407 Meridian Avenue
Miami Beach, FL

SUNDAY
SEMINOLE COCONUT CREEK CASINO- Don't feel like cooking a Sunday meal? Seminole Coconut Creek Casino is host a beer dinner Sunday night from 6:00pm- 9:00pm. I'm not sure what the price is but the menu looks pretty good.

Welcome Beer
Native Lager

Starter
Sumac Dredged Bay Scallop
Honey Apple-Fennel Slaw
paired with Victory Prima Pilsner

First Course
Yellowtail Snapper & Sunchoke Carpaccio
Yuzu Juice-Manini Olive Oil
Arugula
paired Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Second Course
Roasted Pear & Blue Cheese Ravioli
Toasted Walnut Ragu’
paired with Monk in the Trunk Amber Ale

Main Entrée
Re-Harvested Sheppard’s Pie
Slow Roasted Colorado Spring Rack of Lamb
Yukon Potato Round
Johnny Cake Crisp - Green Pea Puree
paired with Left Hand Brewin Company Warrior IPA

Ending
Self Constructed Blueberry Genoise
Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout Crème Anglaise
paired with Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout –Seadog Blue Paw Wheat Ale (Blended)



Keep your calendar open next week cause lots of great events going on. Dogfish Head Ancient Ales Dinner at Pacific Time, Life & Limb tasting at Abraxas, Ugly Sweater Party at The Lodge and lots more.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Dogfish Head Ancient Ales Dinner

Christmas has come early to South Florida. On December 17th the mighty Dogfish Head Brewery will be teaming up with world renowned chef and restaurateur Jonathan Eismann at his Pacific Time restaurant for a collaboration that is nothing short of extraordinary. The menu has me drooling on my keyboard now. For the price of this event you not only get a five course meal paired with five amazing beers but you will also walk away with your own Dogfish Head glass and storybook. And not only will your hunger for food and drink be satisfied but your thirst for knowledge as well with an audio visual presentation from the Dogfish Head rep that evening. This is a once in a lifetime event that you do not want to miss. This is the perfect early Christmas gift that any beer lover will be doing backflips over.

Here is all the info for the event as well as some videos about each of beer that you will be trying that evening. You can even read a great in depth article on how these beers were actually made by clicking here.

Menu:

First course: Pangaea with salt crusted Calamari with lemon sweet chili



Second course: Midas Touch with coriander seared Grouper with curried bananas



Third course: Sahtea with Duck with confit mu shu and pomegranate


Fourth course: Theobroma with indochine Beef with shiitake sauce


Fifth course: Chateau Jiahu with sautern jello with drunken grapes

Thursday, December 17th

8:00pm-11:00pm

Tickets are limited and are $75 in advance and $85 at the door. (you would pay this for the beer alone in stores)

Pacific Time

35 N.E. 40th St.

In the Design District

Miami, FL

To book reservations call (305) 722-7369.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Post-Thanksgiving Beer Tasting

The lineup

So, the beer closet was starting to overflow and I didn't want all this good beer to go to waste. I got together some of my friends that appreciate good beer and had them come over for a post Thanksgiving beer tasting. I pulled the candidates out of the closet and put together a little score card for everyone to keep track of what they liked and disliked. The tasters for the evening where my friends Eddy, Matt, George and Jason. George was running a bit late(nothing new) so we decided to try out a Southampton Double White Ale. Everyone enjoyed it. Wasn't much more than a white ale so not too sure what the double is about. A little more alcohol but without much more alcohol taste.

Matt and George discussing the beers

Finally, George arrived and we got started on the actual tasting. Started things off light and herby with Bison's Organic Honey Basil. This was pretty different for everyone since most aren't used to having basil in their beer. No one was entirely turned off by it and everyone could see really enjoying it with some pasta. We followed it up a winner from Sam Adams Longshot Series, Cranberry Wit. This didn't have quite the cranberry taste that we were all expecting. Not a bad beer but not one I would be searching out again either. River Horse's Double Wit followed up the cranberry wit. People were torn on this one. Some of us enjoyed it more than the Southampton Double and some less. It didn't have quite the aroma of the Southampton but I thought the overall taste was better and more like a wheat beer.

Jason and Eddy

It was now time to leave the wheat beers and started it out with French Broad's Gateway Kolsch. This one did not go over well with anyone. I'm going to say that the beer was probably past it's prime which didn't help. This one got the lowest score of the night from everyone. With kolschs they are either amazing or horrible. I don't think I've ever had one I was really indifferent about. This unfortunately landed on the horrible side. New Belgium's Fat Tire, which followed, made up for it. This one got rave reviews from everyone. Although not the most interesting beer of the night everyone agreed this would be a great session beer. A good balanced beer. Not too heavy, not too light.

The starters

This is where things started to get into the funky side. We cracked open a bottle of De Proef Signature Les Deux Brasseurs Ale. T his belgian strong ale is a collaboration between De Proef and Allagash breweries. I was pleasantly surprised to see that everyone really appreciated this beer. Through the funkiness of it you could pull out the apricot and citrus aromas. Eddy's quote of the night, "It smells like ass, but in a good way." Take that for what it's worth.

We brought things back down a little with a Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale. You can see my original review here. This one I think was a little past it's prime as well. Still not bad and got good ratings from everyone. Still would love to see this available all the time. We kicked up the hops a little more with Rogue's Yellow Snow IPA. This was another one that got rave reviews. Starts with a nice bitter bite and smooths out with some maltiness in the finish. From there we kicked it up another notch with Victory's Hop Wallop. This one had more of a piney aroma than the Yellow Snow. Less of a piney taste than smell. Bit of citrus comes out in it.

Headed over to the maltier side of things and to some bigger beers with Harpoon's Leviathan Series Quad. This was the winner for the night. Sweet and fruity with more of an alcohol taste then most of the other beers. Raisin, figs and dates shown through and everyone was made a fan. Moved along to the always interesting Allagash Four. Four malts, four hops, four sugars, four yeasts and fermented four times. Everyone enjoyed the layering that came out in this beer.

Special Guest

As we were getting to the end we tried out some beers that people won't be having again. We started it off with the Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head collaboration Life and Limb. There is a lot of hype around this beer and I was very excited to try this beer. The use of ingredients from each breweries family farms were used to make the beer I thought was a great idea. Maple syrup from Dogfish and barley from Sierra. The end product unfortunately left me feeling a little flat. Not that it was a bad beer just didn't quite live up to the hype. Nothing really stood out in the beer. The syrup part was very evident while the rest seemed to be covered by it. We moved on to another rare beer collaboration with the Stone/Maui/Ken Schmidt Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter. This one poured very dark. The coffee aroma was very evident. Tasted strong of coffee with some roasted nut and some coconut faintly in the finish. People were divided on this one. We moved on to Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout. This was like a melted dark chocolate bar. I quite enjoyed this one. We finished the tasting off with Mikkeller's Beer Geek Breakfast. This oatmeal stout isn't kidding with it's name. The oatmeal and coffee are very prevalent. Not as thick as other stouts.

Overall, everyone had a great time. Always fun to hang with good friends and enjoy some good beers. Look out for a Christmas/Winter beer tasting coming soon.

You can see the full list of beers and which ones are available in South Florida as well as what everyone's top five beers of the night were below.

TASTING LIST:
Bison Organic Honey Basil (available in South Florida)
Sam Adam's Longshot Cranberry Wit (available in South Florida)
River Horse Double Wit
French Broad Gateway Kolsch
New Belgium Fat Tire (available soon in South Florida)
De Proef Signature Les Deux Brasseurs Ale w/Allagash (available in South Florida)
Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA (available in South Florida)
Victory Hop Wallop (available in South Florida)
Harpoon Leviathan Quad
Allagash Four (available in South Florida)
Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb (available in South Florida)
Stone/Maui/Ken Schmidt Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (available in South Florida)
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast (available in South Florida)

Dave:
  1. Harpoon Leviathan Quad
  2. Allagash Four
  3. Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
  4. New Belgium Fat Tire
  5. Victory Hop Wallop
Matt:
  1. Harpoon Leviathan Quad
  2. Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
  3. Victory Hop Wallop
  4. Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb
  5. Allagash Four
George:
  1. Allagash Four
  2. Harpoon Leviathan Quad
  3. De Proef Signature Les Deux Brasseurs Ale w/Allagash
  4. Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb
  5. Victory Hop Wallop
Eddy:
  1. De Proef Signature Les Deux Brasseurs Ale w/Allagash
  2. Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb
  3. Allagash Four
  4. Harpoon Leviathan Quad
  5. Victory Hop Wallop
Jason:
  1. Harpoon Leviathan Quad
  2. Allagash Four
  3. River Horse Double Wit
  4. Victory Hop Wallop
  5. Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb

Friday, December 4, 2009

World's First Space Beer Goes On Sale


I'm not sure if it's the world or universe's first space beer but it has become a reality. Japanese beer giants Sapporo have unveiled what they are calling "Sapporo Space Barley" will be going on sale. Only a lucky few will be able to purchase the very limited edition beer. This will surely make it one of the most sought after beers. Here is what the press release has to say about the beer.

"Sapporo Breweries Ltd. is launching sales of the world's first beer produced using malt made 100% from "space barley," the progenies of spaceflight barley seeds, This limited offer is exclusive to the Internet and proceeds will go to charity. Applications to purchase the beer, which is dubbed "SAPPORO Space Barley," can be made from December 3 (Thu), 2009 on the dedicated web page set up on our company's website. Two hundred and fifty successful customers will be selected from among the applicants by lottery.


The "space barley" used to make this beer is the fourth generation descendant of the Haruna Nijo malting barley that was developed by Sapporo Breweries and kept in space for five months during 2006 as part of our collaborative research with the Russian Academy of Sciences and Okayama University with the purpose of achieving self-sufficiency in food in the space environment. Since Sapporo Breweries was founded, we have continued to create excellent varieties for raw materials, and we are the only company in the world that operates breeding/research organizations for both barley and hops. This, the world's first sale of this "space beer," is the result of our extended nurturing/development of the required technologies.


We have hosted a range of promotional events that capitalize on "space barley" since 2008 in an effort to foster children's interest in space and science. We also want SAPPORO Space Barley to contribute to the promotion of science education for children and the development of space science research in Japan and Russia by donating all of the proceeds to Okayama University.


It is our hope that our customers will feel able to sit back, relax, and enjoy SAPPORO Space Barley, letting their minds drift through the infinities of space and into dreams of the future.


1. Product name:
SAPPORO Space Barley

2. Raw materials:
Malt, hops

3. Featured contents:
Beer brewed using malt made 100% from "space barley" (fourth generation) Roasted malt was used to bring out a slightly dark color that evokes an image of cosmic space. The beer features a mellow fragrance with a distinctive taste of roasted barley.

4. Volume/number of bottles:
330 ml in a one-way bottle; Bottles are packed in a special box (one box contains six bottles).

5. Package design:
Stars studded against a gradated dark navy background representing cosmic space, with a large star, our corporate symbol, placed at the center. The product name is displayed in the shape of a shooting star, exuding refined taste.

6. Quantity:
Limited to 250 boxes (Purchase limited to one box per person)

7. Price:
10,000 yen per box (including shipping and tax)(ed. about $115 US)
* This beer will be sold for charity, to contribute to the promotion of science education for children and the development of space science research in Japan and Russia, through donation of all proceeds to Okayama University.


8. How to request purchase:
Applications for the lottery to buy the beer are accepted on the dedicated web page set up on our company's website.

URL:
http://www.sapporobeer.jp/spacebarley/index.html
(you may want to learn Japanese before clicking the link)

Purchase will be limited to applicants living in Japan and aged 20 or older.


9. Schedule


Applications accepted:

From December 3(Thu) through 24(Thu), 2009


Lottery results/start of purchase:

January 7 (Thu), 2010


Deadline for purchase:

January 15 (Fri), 2010


Delivery of beer:

Around January 28 (Thu), 2010


Reference:


History of "space barley"


April 2006


Haruna Nijo malting barley developed by Sapporo Breweries through collaborative research with Okayama University and the Russian Academy of Sciences was kept aboard the Zvezda Service Module, a component of the International Space Station (ISS), for five months (first-generation "space barley").


April 2007

Seeded the first-generation "space barley".
November 2007 Harvested the second-generation "space barley"; seeded the second-generation "space barley".

May 2008

Harvested the third-generation "space barley".


October 2008

Trial brewing of the world's first beer made from the third-generation "space barley".


November 2008

Seeded the third-generation "space barley".


January 2009

Tasting events held at breweries nationwide for beer made from the third-generation "space barley".


May 2009

Harvested the fourth-generation "space barley".

August 2009

Hop seeds from Furano, Hokkaido launched into space.

September 2009

Tasting events held at five breweries nationwide for barley tea made from "space barley".


November 2009

Seeded the fourth-generation "space barley".


December 2009

Applications accepted to buy SAPPORO Space Barley-the beer brewed from the fourth-generation "space barley".
"

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Big S Beer Fest

The 14th Annual Beer Fest returns to Huizenga Park in Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow Friday, December 4th. Formerly known as the City Link Beer Fest it has been rechristened the Big S Beer Fest. Tickets are still available at the gate for $25 or $40 for VIP tickets. The VIP tickets give you access to a private VIP area with a full bar and food. The gates open at 6:00pm and goes until 11:00pm. The beer line up looks descent with the likes of Flying Dog, Sierra Nevada, Victory, Holy Mackerel, Starr Hill, Gordan Biersch, Left Hand, Shipyard, Brooklyn, Warsteiner, Oskar Blues, Abita, Magic Hat and a bunch of others making an appearance.

Check out Adam Fine from Fresh Beer talking about some of the beers they will have at the fest.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Win a Pop Up Pub

Victoria Bitter beer from Australia is giving away on of the coolest gifts I've ever seen a beer company give away, the world's first portable Pop Up Pub. It's made out of a wood countertop, canvas sunshade and VB sign. It also comes with two carrying cases, a full bar kit with metal carrying case, stainless steel Coleman Eski cooler and an 11" LCD flatscreen TV. They will be giving one away for the next 75 days. If you want to enter the contest you just have to build your own pop up pub out of items in your backyard and enter it on VB's Facebook page.

Oh, one last thing, you also have to be over 18 years old and a resident of Australia. Buggers.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Review: Lazy Magnolia's Southern Pecan

Mississippi is a place I think of for moonshine more than beer but the Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company is changing that. This is the first beer that I have tried from them and had heard good things. I was a bit skeptical if I was going to like this at first because I'm not a huge fan of pecan pie. Though the beer does have the sweet nutty taste of a pecan pie it doesn't overload you with sticky sweetness. It has a nice dark brown color that goes very well with the whole theme of the beer. The smell of nutty maltyness just made me want to put this to my lips. The tastes were the perfect blend, a bit of sweetness with a very slight bitterness you would expect from a pecan. The mouthfeel was not overwhelmingly sticky, like I was expecting. It actually had a nice bit of carbonation and medium body to it. The roasted malt finish was a great finish to what could be one of my go-to session beers. I picked this beer up while I was in Naples so start requesting it at local stores and bars hopefully we will see it over on this side of the state soon enough.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Beers for Thanksgiving


So it's that time of year again. It's starting to get a little colder out. The Halloween decorations start getting put away and people start getting ready for Christmas. It's that little holiday in between that is one of my favorites, Thanksgiving. I've been getting people asking me lately what beer I will have with my Thanksgiving dinner. It would probably have to be a couple different beers since it is an all day event.

Pre-dinner/Early football games: I'd probably start off with something light. I'd probably pick up a nice pilsner like Victory's Prima Pils or possibly a nice pale ale like something along the lines of Dale's Pale Ale. This will get your ready for the main course ahead.

Dinner: With my Thanksgiving dinner we'll be having a good bit of fruit sprinkled in the meal so I'll want something to help bring those out a little more. I will probably treat myself to a saison for this. Ommegang Hennepin or Saison Dupont would probably be two of my choices for the main course. Saisons can be a bit funky so if they are something you aren't used to you might want to have a pale ale like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or an amber like Stone Levitation. You could also go with something to compliment the carmelization on the turkey skin. A Belgian strong ale, like a Chimay Grande Reserve(Blue), would do a good choice with it's malty-ness and fruit overtones.

Dessert: Depending on what you are having for dessert would help dictate the beer but you can never go wrong with a stout. A good coffee or chocolate stout always work out well. My choice for the occasion will be Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout. With it's great sweet taste it will go well with any dessert. If you are a fan of pumpkin pie I would suggest pairing it with Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Don't be scared off by the imperial part, it's not as strong in taste as you might be thinking.

My best suggestion is to drink something you enjoy for Thanksgiving. Whatever you feel is good is the right selection for you. Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Growlers Now Available at BX Beer Depot


Florida has some strange laws but this one to me seems to be one of the strangest. You are only allowed to sell containers of beer under 32 oz and over one gallon(128oz). I guess those 96oz in between are the problem ounces.

Starting last Friday, BX Beer Depot is the first in South Florida to offer you the chance to fill growlers. Of course, the growlers have to be either under 32oz or over one gallon. With prices ranging from $13.50 to $25.00 for their lineup this week. And what a lineup it is. Not only are these some really great beers, if you can find them in the bottle, but some of these you can only get on tap. And only at BX Beer Depot. So head on over fill up a growler and bring it home to share with your friends.

Beer lineup:
Stone Anniversary
Stone Cali Belgique
Stone Vertical Epic
Lagunitas Little Sumpin Extra
Left Hand/ Terrapin Depth Charge(only 1 of 2 kegs available in South FL)
Star Hill Pale
Star Hill Love
Star Hill Dark Star Stout
Star Hill Jomo Lager

BX Beer Depot
2964 Second Avenue North
Lake Worth, FL 33461
561-965-9494

Friday, November 20, 2009

Homebrewing with The Decemberists

If you are unfamiliar with the Portland, Oregon band The Decemberists you wouldn't be the only ones. This up-and-coming indie rock band has been starting to make a name for themselves in the last couple of years. The Al Gore owned, Current TV, recently caught up with them in Portland to talk to them about their upcoming tour and also about bassist Nate Query's love of brewing beer in his off time. Check out the video below.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Review: Abita's Abbey Ale

Abita is to Louisiana what Shiner is to Texas. This Abbey Ale is something a little different from this Louisiana brewery. Brewed in the Belgian style this Abbey Dubbel ale was more than I was expecting from a brewery that hadn't brewed a beer in this style before. It poured a dark brown with a good inch of frothy head on it. The sweet smell of banana and cloves are the first to hit your nose with some yeasty bready goodness coming up in the rear. The taste isn't far off from the aroma with all of those taste mingling together nicely. It has a bit of a sticky slightly watery mouth feel to it with a good amount of carbonation. It leave you going down with a bit of sweetness but followed with a slight spice bite at the end.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

American Consumer Satisfaction Index shows beer up


The University of Michigan's American Consumer Satisfaction Index has come out today with it's new findings. It shows that even though the US may be in a recession that things are doing better. The overall ACSI has risen 1.4% from where it was just a year ago at the start and, what some might say, the worst of the recession.

Well, some of you might be wondering what the heck the American Consumer Satisfaction Index even is. I'll let them tell you what they are.

"Developed at the University of Michigan, the American Customer Satisfaction Index is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. It is updated each quarter with new measures for different sectors of the economy replacing data from the prior year. The overall ACSI score for a given quarter factors in scores from about 200 companies in 44 industries and from government agencies over the previous four quarters."


So, it is pretty much an indicator of if people think the stuff they are buying is worth the money.

Beer has been one of the categories that is studied by the ACSI that has been on an increase since the recession has started. It has risen 1% to 84% since the last quarter to its highest rating since the ACSI was started in 1994. The study only covers the macrobreweries with Anheuser-Bush InBev with the biggest increase of 4% to 85%. Miller is up 1% to 83% and Coors is down 2% to 81%. There is another section for All Others(no further breakdown on that section) that has an increase of 3.7% to 85%. The increase in AB InBev is accredited to it's lower priced brands like Natural Light and Busch and also for new products like Bud Light Lime and Golden Wheat. Coors decrease in score is accredited to a larger portion of its portfolio being higher priced brands. The merger of Anheuser-Bush and InBev has been a factor in it being able to keep it's prices down by cutting some of it's cost by selling off it's theme parks, cutting 1,000 jobs, and overhauling the management at the company.

In the future I would like to see how the microbrewies play in and what their ACSI scores would be in comparison to the macrobreweries. What would kind of score would you give your favorite breweries? Which ones do you think are worth the money?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Pints For Prostates Biking Fundraiser Nov. 21st in Orlando


So, if you are on this site then you must like beer. Most likely you also know someone with a prostrate(that would be most males). You may also like to bike. Well, this is your lucky day because you'll have a chance to drink, support and bike all at once.

On November 21st, the Mellow Mushroom restaurants in Orlando will be hosting a 24 mile round trip bike ride from the Mellow Mushroom at 11680 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando to the Mellow Mushroom at 2015 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park to support Pints for Prostates. For an entrance fee of $25 you will get the opportunity to sample some of Bell's Brewery's great beers and get to have some Mellow Mushroom pizza at the end of your ride. You will also be entered in a raffle for other great prizes. If the 24 miles is a bit much for you, you can also do a 12 mile ride back from the Winter Park location to the Orlando location. For more details, contact George or Kris at either store- (407)657-7755 for Winter Park or (407)384-4455 for Orlando.


Money raised from the event will go to support the Pints for Prostates campaign. Pints for Prostates was created by Rick Lyke, a drink journalist and prostate cancer survivor, in 2008. It helps to raise awareness about the need for men to get tested for prostate cancer through the language of beer. You can watch the video below to learn more about the cause and you can visit the Pints for Prostates site for more info about the cause and what you can do.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Urbanite Bistro Beer Dinner

The new bistro in town, Urbanite, is set to start it's monthly beer dinners on November 20th. It is a six course meal paired with six different beers. Urbanite is known to use some out of ordinary ingredients that you don't find at a lot of restaurants which should make for an interesting beer dinner. At $35 for six course and six beers you can't go wrong. Make sure to reserve by November 18th to secure your spot. Check out the menu below:

Course I - Woodpecker Pear Cider with Wild Mushroom Empanadas (vegan-white truffle gravy)
Course II - Ayinger Hefe Weizen with Wild Mussels (lemon grass broth with a touch of Thai red curry)
Course III - Victory Pilsner with Alligator Egg Rolls (roasted mango and jalapeno crème)
Course IV - Victory Smoking King Stout with Moroccan Lamb Sliders (tomato, harissa mayo and tabbouleh)
Course V - Rogue Chocolate Stout with Natural Short Rib (braised vegetables and roasted garlic mashed potatoes)
Course VI - Seadog Wild Blueberry with Pear Cobbler

Urbanite Bistro
62 NE 14th St
Miami, FL 33132-1334

(305) 374-0662


DINING ROOM
Lunch, Mon-Fri: 11 am – 3 pm

Dinner, Mon-Sat: 5 pm – 11 pm

Late Night: Thu-Sat, 11 pm – 3:30 am

BAR

Mon-Wed: 11 am – 1 am

Thu-Sat: 11 am – 4 am

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Interview: Bob Gordash of Gordash Beer Company

If you have been in a bar, store or restaurant in the last few years then you are probably familiar with Holy Mackerel. This Florida based beer company has been making quite a name for itself over the last few years, not only in Florida but also around the country. I decided to talk to the man behind the beer, Bob Gordash, about how he got to where he is today and what he has going on in the future.


South Florida Beer Blog: What is your position at Gordash and what do you do?
Bob Gordash: I am the Founder and President of Gordash Beer Company, and as such I test brew every beer that we plan on bringing to market. I also am largely involved in the marketing, sales, and promoting of Holy Mackerel beers.

SFBB: When did the brewery open and how did you get into brewing?
BG: We started business about 3 years ago by bringing to market my Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale which I had already been brewing for about 10 years and tweaking during that period. I got started brewing about 15 years ago by picking up a small kit from the Sharper Image store here in South Florida.

SFBB:
How long have you been brewing beer?
BG: For about 15 years, reading every thing I could get my hands on about the craft and touring many breweries throughout the United States and getting tips from many of the brewers.

SFBB: Did you work in the beer industry before you started brewing and if so, how did it help you in the position you are in now?
BG: As I mentioned I have been brewing for 15 years, but only formed my brewing company 3 years ago. I work for a local beer distributor that specializes in craft beers for about 5 beers and this has helped educate me as to the marketing and sales aspect.

SFBB: Do you remember the first beer you brewed? Was it any good?
BG: The first I ever brewed was a Canadian style ale that I brewed using the Sharper Image kit that I purchased. I was amazed that the beer turned out good, not excellent, but it tasted like beer.

SFBB: You only have Holy Mackerel and Mack In Black right now. Any plans on adding new beers anytime soon?
BG: Yes, I plan on a new beer for early 2010. All I can tell you is that it will be another strong Belgian style ale.

SFBB: What is the process for deciding on new beer recipes?
BG: The process for deciding a new beer recipe for me is the same as a good solid musician has to decide what music to produce on his next album. First and foremost the music has to be something the musician enjoys,but that has to be balanced with something that is marketable.
So it’s much the same with our company we’re not going to brew anything that doesn’t get us excited. At the same time, this is a business and we have to balance that by brewing something that we know is also exciting for the public. I have always loved brewing and drinking the beers of Belgium and in my 15 years of brewing I found that many of my friends who were not familiar with craft beers or Belgian beers also truly enjoy them.


SFBB: You just moved the brewing of the beers from Florida Beer Company in Melbourne to Thomas Creek in SC. Any reason for this?
BG: Actually we continue to use both breweries. Our Mack in Black is still brewed in Melbourne and much of our special golden ale in draft form is still brewed in Melbourne. The change that we made was that our special golden ale bottles are now being brewed at Thomas Creek Brewing in Greenville, South Carolina. One of the main reasons we made this change is that we always wanted our golden ale to be bottled unfiltered and the way that Florida Beer Company is set up it’s just not possible to do this, but by using the Thomas Creek Brewery we are able to keep our golden ale almost identical to the draft version because it now is unfiltered and unpasteurized. We also like the fact that we have 2 breweries that know how to make our beer and because this helps us meet with the demand and also helps some states save on shipping costs depending on their location.

SFBB: Do you ever plan to have your own brewing facility?
BG: This is something that we have always thought about and it is still in the back of our minds, but we feel that first and foremost we need to focus on the sale and marketing of our beers and our next step in that direction would be adding sales people before adding a brewery.

SFBB:
In what states are your beers distributed and do you have plans to expand to other states?
BG: Our beer is distributed in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware and our next step believe it or not is Oklahoma because of requests that we have had from there and also because we have a sales person already in place.

SFBB: What sets your beers apart from others?
BG: If you are speaking about your average every day mainstream beer such as Bud, Miller, Corona, what sets our beers apart would be summed up in one word “flavor”. We’re not interested in producing beers that are void of flavor, watery and as these companies promote as having no after taste. Our goal is to produce beers that are loaded with flavor and that purposely leave an after taste that says “give me some more!”
Of course today there are lots of excellent craft beers available that are full of flavor as well. In fact we enjoy drinking many of them. But still Holy Mackerel beers are set apart from them as well because we strive to do things that are unique, different and daring. We love to play around with spices, for example. And our idea behind Mack in Black was producing an 8% black ale that really doesn’t fit into any style. It looks much like an Imperial Stout but it’s definitely not. It’s much drier and it has a subtle touch of pomegranate.

SFBB: What are some of your favorite beers besides your own?
BG: Recently I had Sweetwater Brewing’s Creeper which was a Belgian style IPA and that really stands out as one of the best beers I have had in a long time. I also enjoyed their Big Belgian Blue Balls which is a strong Belgian ale made with blueberries. Of course some of my favorite beers are Belgian beers like Westmalle Trippel, Chimay White Label and Belgian style beers like Avery Salvation and Allagash Trippel. Of course I enjoy many styles of beers and some other beers that I enjoy are Avery IPA, Smuttynose IPA, Avery Maharajah and Victory Prima Pils.

SFBB: Can we look for you at any beer fests that are coming up?
BG: Yes, all of them. City Link has a beer festival the end of November that we will be attending, the very beginning of December we’ll be attending a beer festival in downtown West Palm Beach and in January we will be in Jupiter for the Jupiter Beer Festival and also Total Wine and 93 Rock are sponsoring a beer festival February 26, 2010 at Gulfstream Park, not to mention the we’ll also be at the World Beer Festival in Columbia, South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina in the early part of 2010.

SFBB: What do you think of the South Florida Beer scene?
BG: I think it has no where to go but up. More and more people in South Florida are catching on to great IPAs, double IPAs, strong Belgian ales and realizing that beer is not just for guzzling but can be savored and enjoyed sip by sip. Also, many are realizing that beer can be just as good if not better then wine when paired with many fine foods, cheeses and the like. Stage 84 for example in Davie is doing a Beer and Cheese pairing on Friday November 13th, which will include our beers.

SFBB: If someone wanted to be a brewer one day what advice would you give them?
BG: If somebody wanted to brew for a hobby, I would say go for it. It’s a lot of fun being creative and seeing the rewards of your creativity and sharing that with others. But if someone wants to become a commercial brewer, I would say the same thing but I would add 3 words, patience, patience, patience. Be prepared to wait for the pay off. This is something that we have always been prepared to do and we have no problem with it because we’re having fun every sip of the way.

SFBB: Any final thoughts?
BG: I encourage everyone to support their local brewers. Besides ourselves there are other local brewers that are producing excellent beers of different styles right here in our back yard and although they may be using someone else’s facility to produce the beer it doesn’t discount the fact that it’s their expertise, creativity and imagination that create these works of art.

www.holymackerelbeers.com

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Micorbrew By The River - Kayak By The Moonlight

When most people think of a beer tasting they don't usually associate it with kayaking, but that is all going to change this Friday. Josh Brent from Fresh Beer will be hosting a very tasty and informative kayaking journey. This wild adventure will start off at 6:00PM at the Blue Marlin Fish House on the Oleta River in North Miami with a pre-kayaking tasting of a couple of lighter beers and some food. At 7:30PM everyone will get in the kayaks, with some coolers full of beers being pulled behind them, and head out down the river. Along the way everyone will gather together and taste a couple more beers. Once the trip has returned back to land , at about 9:30PM Josh will finish off the tasting with the heavier beers. Some of the beers that will be featured at the tasting will be Avery's White Rascal, Monk In The Trunk, Dale's Pale Ale, Stone IPA, Victory Prima Pils and Storm King Stout. If I wasn't going to be out of town this Friday I would love to do this. It would be nice to get out and get some fresh air and have some good beers instead of just sitting in a smoky bar for once. If you are interested in going you can you can call to reserve your spot at (305)957-8822. The tasting and kayaking will run you $40 per person.

Blue Marlin Fish House
2500 NE 163rd St.
North Miami, FL 33160

(305)957-8822

Monday, November 2, 2009

Review: Anchor Small Beer


Anchor Small Beer is Anchor Brewing's attempt at returning to an old tradition of brewing where you make a second beer from the mash of a first beer. This small beer is made from Anchor's Old Foghorn barleywine style ale. Though the Small Beer is made from the Old Foghorn mash the beers couldn't be more different. Anchor Small Beer is only 3.3% ABV. It has a thin bitter taste with barely any malt flavor. You're left with a pretty bland tasting beer. If you want to try a beer style many people don't make anymore, than this is worth a try. However, if you are looking for great tasting beer, I would reach for something else.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Halloween Weekend Beer Events


The end of October is here again. The kids are dressing up to go trick or treating. The adults are looking for some treats of their own and can find some at these events.

FRIDAY
Abraxas- 8:00pm-10:00pm- Join Brooklyn Brewery's Rich Nowak and the Abraxas staff in a tasting of their flagship Local 1 (Strong Belgian Golden) and Local 2 (Strong Belgian Dark) ales as well as their Lager, Brown and the latest offering in So. FL., their Black Chocolate Stout, an Imperial Stout (8.7%, 40 IBUs) brewed with two row pale, caramel, and other roasted malts and Willamette and American Fuggle hops!
Abraxas
407 Meridian Avenue
Miami Beach
(305)534-9005

Luna Star Cafe- 8:00pm-11:00pm- Luna Star Cafe will be celebrating the release of Victory Brewing in South Florida with Victory's Prima Pils and Golden Monkey. If you have yet to experience the great Victory Brewing lineup this will be a chance to try two of it's finest beers. This will also coincide with the jazz and art event at the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art.
Luna Star Cafe
775 NE 125th St
North Miami, FL 33161-5611
(305) 799-7123

Windsor Gardens Hotel- 7:00pm-10:00pm- Windsor Gardens Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens will be hosting an Oktoberfest 5-course beer pairing dinner featuring Ayinger, Dogfish, Avery, and Victory. $39.95 in advance $49.95 at the door.
Windsor Gardens Hotel
11360 US Highway 1
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33408
(561) 844-8448

SATURDAY

Tuna's Raw Bar- Looking for something to do Halloween night? Tuna's Raw Bar will be having a Halloween party featuring Rouge Deadguy and Shipyards Pumpkinhead. They will be having live music and a costume contest as well.
Tuna's Raw Bar
17850 W Dixie Hwy
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
(305) 932-0630

Brewmasters/Laura's Cuban Resturant- Brewmaster's will be hosting it's Last Chance Oktoberfest dinner at Laura's Cuban Resturant starting at 5:00pm. The dinner will run you $50 per person but comes with a $25 coupon toward the purchase of homebrewing and wine making supplies, on-premise brewing and/or wine making, retail beer or wine purchases or future Brewmaster party cover charges. This same dinner will be going on on Sunday as well. The menu looks great!

The Menu:
Appetizers:
Wurst Platte : Authentic German cold cuts, pickles, and breads
Bratwurst: Brats sautéed in beer
Weiswurst: A spicier version of the aforementioned brat
Soups:
Griessnockerln Suppe: This is chicken soup with a wheat germ dumpling
Ungarishe Goulash Suppe: Hungarian style paprika and beef soup
Main Dishes:
Sauerbraten: Marinated Roast Beef
Schweinsbraten: Roast Pork
Paprikahendl: Sautéed Chicken in a Paprika Sauce
Side Dishes:
Tiroler Knödel: Bread Dumplings with smoked pork chunks
Sauerkraut: Pickled cabbage cooked with potatoes and bacon and spiced with caraway seeds
Kartoffel Salad: Gerry’s world famous potato salad
Rotkraut: A sweet and sour red cabbage
Kase Spätzle: Hand made egg noodles with cheese and caramelized onions
Dessert:
Apfel Strudel: Everyone knows what an apple strudel is right!
Kaiserschmarren: This is a pancake taken to the level of a dessert.

Laura's
2723 Hollywood Blvd,
Hollywood, FL
(954) 921-9990

SUNDAY

The Lodge- Looking for a place to relax after a crazy Halloween night? The Lodge is the place to kickback and watch some football and enjoy some beers. With $3 beer specials and $0.50 wings all day. If you are still around for the 8pm game you can drop $10 for Kill The Keg, all you can drink until the keg is dry.
The Lodge
200 S Federal Hwy,
Boca Raton, FL
(561) 392-5003‎

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Review: Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale

Dogfish Head's Shelter Pale Ale is the first beer that Dogfish Head made when they started in 1995. This is beer is usually only available in the Mid-Atlantic area but South Florida got lucky and got a few cases of it this summer. Shelter is the easiest drinking Dogfish Head beer. It pours a nice amber with a slight foamy head. It lets off an aroma of citrus and bread, it goes down smooth with a citrusy overtone and a good hoppy bite that isn't as strong as an IPA. Its nice clean finish leaves you coming back for more. This is a beer, that if available all the time in FL, would be what Yuengling is now. You can still find a few bottles at Stop N Shop on 5885 Ponce and Sunset Corners in Miami and if you are over in Naples, they had six packs of it when I was there a couple weeks ago. Get it while you can.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Democratic Republic of Beer opens in Miami


With little fanfare, the newest kid on the beer block has opened its doors in Miami. The Democratic Republic of Beer, or The DRB for short, opened its doors on October 15th. The menu states they have over 400 beers, making it the largest beer menu in South Florida. The food options looked pretty good too. I went and checked it out the other night and a full review will be coming soon. I will say that this small bar has the potential to become the new beer destination for anyone interested in craft beer without having to go to South Beach. The DRB is also looking for a knowledgeable staff right now so if you are interested, download the application on the website and bring it.

The DRB
255 NE 14th St.
Miami, FL 33132
(305) DRB-4161
www.drbmiami.com
7 days a week
5pm-5am (will be opening for lunch soon)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

All About Beer celebrates 30 years

All About Beer has been writing about beer for almost as long as I have been alive. Starting 30 years ago they are the original beer blog and message board for beer. They were - and still are -the way to get news on beer.

To celebrate their anniversary they are offering a great deal. For the next 30 days (till November 19th) they are offering the lowest subscription price they have given in decades. You can get a year-long subscription (7 issues) right now for only $12.99. That is more than 50% off the cover price. With that, you will also receive a free copy of their 30th Anniversary issue. You can purchase the subscription by clicking right here. Help support a publication that helped make craft beer what it is today.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Rock Art Brewery Victorious Over Monster!!!


Last week, we told you about Rock Art Brewery's fight against Monster Energy Drink. (Check that out here.) Well, we have good news. With all the support from people all over the world Monster has backed down from trying to stop Rock Art from brewing their Vermonster beer. Rock Art will be able to continue brewing Vermonster. A full statement from Rock Art will be coming soon. Good to see the underdog win for once.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Rock Art Brewery Vs. Monster Energy Drink

VS

Rock Art Brewery out of Vermont has just stepped into the legal ring with the makers of Monster Energy Drink. The Hansen Corporation, makers of Monster, have sent them a cease and desist order over Rock Art's Vermonster beer. After consulting with various lawyers Rock Art owner, Matt Nadeau, has been advised that Hansen's lawsuit is just a "nuisance lawsuit" and that they have no legal right to its claims of confusion in the marketplace. You can see Nadeau's response here.

This should easily be cleared up then, right? Wrong. A tiny company like Rock Art doesn't have the money to fight a huge company like Hansen in court. Not only would it be one court case but multiple appeals could be filed leading to innumerable court costs. Check out this video below for more info on what is going on and if you feel so inclined, you can contact Hansen and let them know that you will no longer be buying Monster or any of its products until they stop this harassment of small independent companies.

We will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in the case.