Westvleteren 12 Release December 12th

The day has finally come.  After talk for the last year of Westvleteren 12 (the #1 rated beer in the world)  coming to the US the date has finally been announced.  December 12th you can set out to your local Total Wine and pick up this lovely gift pack of 6 beers and 2 glasses for the low, low price of only $85.  Although this isn't a cheap package it is cheaper then a flight to Belgium.  This is Total Wine exclusive release.  They are not reserving any and you will only be able to purchase one per person.  So set your alarm, grab your folding chair, and get ready to wait in line to buy this one time only release (at least that is what they are saying).  See you there!

Total Wine Pinecrest Opens Thursday

The newest addition to the Total Wine family will be opening its doors this Thursday.  The new location at 8851 SW 136th St, Miami is located right across from The Falls Mall in the Pinecrest area of Miami.  This has been a long time coming and a welcomed addition to the area.  Stop by all week and check out their massive selection and sample some of their wares as they will have lots of tasting going on through out the week. Tell them South Florida Beer Blog sent you!

Review: Samuel Adams/Weihenstephan's Infinium

New Year's Eve is tomorrow so I wanted to quickly write down my thoughts on Infinium. After my last post I talked to a few of you and there have been some mixed reviews. Obviously, I was excited to try this beer and the fact that a limited beer had made it into public discussion intrigued be further. Perhaps we can blame a little bit on all the hype but my taste buds aren't easily fooled - it was pretty underwhelming. Right away when looking at the bottle I noticed it didn't have quite the bubbles I expected from a beer described for its effervescence and the mouth feel confirmed it. It is darker than other champagne beers that I've had and has a great smell. The beer taste was closer to a Triple with more dark fruit and roasted malts than other beers of this type. It does, however, have the doughy aspect that's typical in champagne beers. Don't get me wrong, overall it was not a bad beer. It's tasty so you should try a bottle while it's available, however, if you're looking for celebratory beer I would recommend some others instead. Go for Deus or if you can find it and can afford it, Scaldis Prestige. Deus can be found at Total Wine.

This Week's Beer Events

TUESDAY

Cervezas, South Miami- Beer Tasting at Cervezas in South Miami from 7:00pm-9:00pm. $20 gives you the opportunity to try all of the beers listed below (plus a few suprise beers, maybe some limited Cigar City Beers, provided by the beer czar, Cesar)

Dogfish 60min

Dogfish 90min

Dogfish Burton Baton

Avery The Reverend

Avery Hog Heaven

Victory Storm King

Victory Golden Monkey

Flying Dog Horn Dog

Flying Dog Raging Bitch

Dales Pale Ale

Magic Hat #9

A great Selection of 10 big beer's celebrating American Craft brews like no other! The other 5 beer's are as follows.

Krikak - German Lager

Peak Organic

Palma Loca

PBR

Zipher

E-mail cervezasmiami@hotmail.com to pre-order a ticket for the event.

Cervezas
5833 Sunset Drive
South Miami, FL 33143-5219
(305) 397-8125

WEDNESDAY

Abraxas, South Beach- Join the Abraxas staff along with the resident beer expert, Chris Montelius, from Fresh Beer, for their next bi-weekly BJCP Beer Style Tasting at Abraxas from 8:00pm-12:00am. The $15 price includes 12 3oz samplings and all of the featured beers will be available on special for the entire night. This is a great way for people to try something new and... maybe find a new favorite. As usual, they will supply Tasting/Rating sheets and water for those that are a bit more serious about the tasting experience.

Beer lineup:

Hacker-Pchorr Gold (Germany) - Munich Helles

Einbecker Pils (Germany) - German Pilsner

Shiner Black Lager (TX) - Schwartzbier

Avery White Rascal (CO) - Belgian Wit/White Ale

The Bruery Saison Rue (CA) - Belgian Saison (w/ rye)

Caracole Amber (Belgium) - Belgian Amber Ale

Peak Organic Espresso Amber (VT) - American Amber (w/ espresso)

Bell's Two Hearted Ale (MI) - American IPA

Dogfish Head Aprihop (DE) - American IPA (w/ apricot)

Rogue John John Dead Guy Ale (OR) - Whiskey Barrel Aged Maibock

Flying Dog Horn Dog (MD) - American Barleywine

North Coast Old Rasputin (CA) - Russian Imperial Stout

Abraxas

407 Meridian Avenue

Miami Beach, FL 33139

(305) 534-9005

THURSDAY

Total Wine, Boyton Beach- From 4:00pm-6:00pm, Matt from Shipyard will be pouring some tasty samples of Shipyard and Sea Dog beers. Stop by, drink some beer, say hello.

Total Wine

850 North Congress Avenue

Boynton Beach, FL 33426

(561) 731-5411

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