[edit: The beer is delayed in shipment. Argh.] 

Trust us when we say, you have no idea the sheer suffering it’s been to keep this news to ourselves for a few weeks: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales will be at Bruisin’ Ales on Tuesday Wednesday Thursday.

Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin has had a license to sell in WNC for some time now, but the beers never quite made it here. We just decided one morning to write brewmaster Ron Jeffries and he made it happen in no time flat. (Thanks, Ron!) For the love of all things beer, tell me why no one bothered to ask him before. We graciously celebrated the good news by digging a La Roja out of our cellar.

Jolly Pumpkin was opened in summer 2004 and in just three short years, was rated #8 among the Top 50 breweries in the US by BeerAdvocate this June. These are some special, special beers. Jolly Pumpkin uses all natural ingredients in open fermentation with a bottle-conditioned finish. Some of these are Bret beers, too, which means they incorporate Brettanomyces, a yeast collected in the wild. So, rather than use entirely cultivated or in some cases proprietary yeast strains (such as the French and Belgian strains JP uses), Bret basically blows through the air for natural fermentation in the open vats. Some brewers consider this contamination, but others, like Jolly Pumpkin, have mastered the control of Brettanomyces for a truly unique beer flavor.

Coming Tuesday Wednesday Thursday:
Bam Biere (6-packs)
Biere de Mars (750ml)
Calabaza Blanca (750ml)
La Roja (750ml)
Maracaibo Especial (750ml)

Image: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This comes straight from The Smashing Pumpkins blog, on which they wrote a brief intro about their arrival in Ashvegas.

On Friday morning, a bunch of us took to the streets of downtown Asheville to have a look around. … while walking down the street, someone [else] asked Billy if he would take a photo with his monkey sock (or something like that).

Only in Asheville. “Nah, I don’t so much want a picture with you, but could you please pose with my sock monkey?” 

There have been sightings around town and he was seen shopping on Lexington Avenue yesterday. We think it’s great that the band is out-and-about, not holed-up somewhere, but actually going around and living in our great little city during their residency. (Billy, if you read this somehow, drop by and have a beer on us.)

On Sunday night, we headed to Thai Basil for dinner and a little bar crawl with friends just before The Smashing Pumpkins show at the Orange Peel. After dinner, we hit-up Jack of The Wood and had a pint of John’s ESB. We walked the rest of the way towards the show and made a last stop at Hannah Flanagan’s. Admittedly, it has been some time since we’ve been there.

Just so you know where our priorities lie, here is the scene: We’ve already encroached on opening band time at this point, and knew we were keeping our pals from the show, so off they went while we hung back to peruse the beer list. The online beer list is not even close to the actual pub list. By our estimates, there were less than ten domestic macro bottles, followed by an impressive 25 microbrew list which included Allagash, Ommegang and Victory to name a few. Then, lo and behold—106 imported bottles along side 25 imported drafts. Wow.

Jason ordered a Corsendonk Abbey Brown on draft, which—hooray!—came served in its proper glassware. I stared blankly for about 30 seconds at these three words: Thomas Hardy Ale. Perhaps I read it wrong. Nope. There it is. 2003 vintage just sitting there. What a treat! Rich, creamy, warming and definitely headed toward whiskey-town.

We just love the little gems you (re)discover in Asheville.

 

 

 

Join us in the tasting room on June 28 from 4:00-6:00pm as Chad from Freedom Beverage debuts the three Southampton Sessions and Weyerbacher Muse.

Southampton Secret 
A German altbier in style, copper-brown in color with “malty flavor and hoppy bitterness.” Bronze medal winner in the 2004 World Beer Cup. [5.2% abv]

Weyerbacher Muse 
Muse is a Belgian farmhouse style. “Hopped with Styrian Goldings and finished with Saaz, this beer has a noticable hoppy dryness which makes it a fine thirst quencher, something the original Farmhouse Ales were intended to be, served to workers out in the fields on hot summer days as a restorative.” [6.2% abv]

Southampton I.P.A. 
“An authentic English-style amber ale with a unique character that comes from a special blend of five hop varieties and imported English malts.” [6.5% abv]

Southampton Double White Ale 
Rated the #1 Belgian white style in the world by BeerAdvocate and  #1 beer in America, both in 2005. “Double-gravity” version of the traditional Belgian white. Lightly spiced with coriander and Curacao orange. [7.0% abv]

Logo: Southampton Ales & Lagers
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Straight out of the Ridiculously Stupid Department today: Tennessee will begin universal carding on beer sales as a matter of law. According to the TimesNews.net, no matter if you’re twenty-one or ninety-one, if you want beer, you will be carded.

Beginning July 1, Tennessee will be the first state in the nation to require universal carding for purchases of beer for off-premises consumption. The legislation will not affect the sale of wine and liquor, monitored by the office of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or beer sales in restaurants and clubs.

The Tennessee Responsible Vendor Act—passed the General Assembly last year—is hailed by proponents as an innovative and strong step in the fight against underage drinking. The legislation will expire in July of 2008, giving law makers and vendors an opportunity to review the process.

If you look underage in anyway at Bruisin’ Ales, you will be carded, no question. We believe in that; we’ve been careful; and, we’ve been tested by the ALE (which, frankly, was indeed a heart-stopping experience). But tell us, please, how carding the dude above is “an innovative and strong step in the fight against underage drinking.”

Source: Tri-Cities Tennessee