Archive for June, 2009

** Tickets go on sale at 12 p.m. TODAY! Don’t slack off and miss it, i.e. Brewgrass.**
[PRESS RELEASE]

“Beer City Bash” to be held at The Orange Peel on June 26

ASHEVILLE, NC—Bruisin’ Ales, The Orange Peel, and The Mountain XPress are sponsoring the “Beer City Bash” on Friday, June 26. The bash is a celebration of all things beer in Asheville. The event is a victory party for the local beer community, who rallied to win an Examiner.com poll by Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association, author, and one of the most recognized names in the world of beer and brewing.

The poll was an informal vote for “Beer City, USA” and included other notoriously large beer cities, such as Portland, OR; Denver, CO; and Philadelphia, PA. Asheville was the smallest city by population in the poll. In the end, Asheville tied with Portland, OR—a city five times the size—claiming the co-title.

The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville is hosting the “Beer City Bash.” For the event, all draft lines at the venue will feature locally-brewed beer with all area breweries represented. Tickets are $10 per person (ages 21 and over), including two 9 oz. craft beers of your choice, a raffle ticket for giveaways, and live music. The music line-up features the bands Rat Jackson, Wilsin and Floating Action. The bash starts at 8:00 p.m. Doors at 7:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will go to the newly-formed Asheville Brewers Alliance and Arts2People, both non-profits that benefit the local community.

Tickets are available through www.ticketweb.com, 866-468-3399.

The NC Beer Map has arrived
If you’re traveling to the area, have folks traveling to the area or just need one for yourself in case you get lost, The NC Beer Map is here! Still a work in progress, this is very, very cool to start. We’ve got a lot of beer, y’all! Printable version here.

No tastings for two weeks (sorry)
We’re punishing you. Just kidding! There will be no tastings until June 18 with Allagash. The Bruisin’ crew needs some time off in order to get some work done on our soon-to-be snazzy web relaunch. You heard it here first. Word on the street is that it’s going to rock. Stay tuned.

Terrapin’s Side Project: 90 Shelling
The 6th in the series, 90 Shelling Scotch Ale, arrives today. From their website: “The Terrapin ’90 Shelling’ gets it name from traditional scotch ales that used numbers and then the word “Shilling” to indicate the alcohol content in the beer. For example a 120 shilling scotch ale would have more alcohol than a 90 shilling would. I used the word “Shelling” instead to pay homage to the turtle. This beer has a wonderfully malty aroma and a huge body the compliments a very smooth, velvety mouth feels. I used a touch of English East Kent Golding hops to balance out the sweetness of this fine elixir.” It was on-tap at The Thirsty Monk last week. Go try it.

Sweetwater’s “Dank Tank”
The brewery from Georgia has started a new series called The Dank Tank that will be packaged in 22oz bottles. Looks like Donkey Punch, the distastefully named, but super delicious barleywine, will be the first release. This is when we all cross our fingers and hope these make it to WNC! Commence.

We’re excited for Bama
The Magic City Brew Fest in Birmingham, Alabama, is going to be a whole new beast this year, now that Bama has joined the Beer Nation and freed its hops. And let me just say that Sloss Furnace is a very creepy and interesting place to hang out.

We’re really excited for this tasting with Chris Dotson of Global Brewers Guild! Welcome, Allagash—the United States’ second all Belgian-style brewery (after Ommegang). Loads of tasty goodness in this batch, including three of the barrel-aged series. Curieux is one of our favorite beers of all time! Oh, the Sugar Momma is bringing some cookies!

White
The perfect summertime beer! “Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer, Allagash White is unique and truly refreshing. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and our own special blend of spices, this beer is light and slightly cloudy in appearance, with a spicy aroma. Overall, it is a beer that is very drinkable and smooth any time of the year.” [ABV: 5.0%]

Tripel
“This golden hued ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with subtle suggestions of banana and honey surfacing from its deep and complex palate. The Tripel’s finish is remarkably long and soothing.” [ABV: 9.0%]

Curieux
“To make the Curieux (French for “curious”), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics…and also a hint of bourbon flavor!” [ABV: 10.5%]

Odyssey
“Odyssey is the second edition in our Barrel Aged series. It is a dark wheat beer. We age a portion of the beer in New American Medium Toast Oak, and a portion in stainless steel for more than six months. We then blend the two different portions of beer to taste. Finally we bottle condition, adding additional yeast and candi sugar.” [ABV: 10.4%]

Interlude
Ridiculous beer to finish up. Yummy! “Two yeast strains were used to create this unique Belgian style ale. The first, a Belgian farmhouse yeast, establishes the flavor foundations of a classic Belgian-style ale. The second, a house strain of Brettanomyces yeast, brings it to the next level contributing an intriguing myriad of flavors including pear, apricot, graham cracker, and bread crust. Finally, a portion of the Interlude is aged in French Merlot and Sirah oak barrels, which impart a distinctive vinous plum character and a drying, almost tannic finish. Try complementing its audacious character with food pairings such as sausages, salami, smoked meats, and bold cheeses.” [ABV: 9.5%]

Sneak peak above at this week’s Mountain XPress ad for “Beer City Bash!” at The Orange Peel.  Tickets will (most likely) be available this weekend. One more planning session on Thursday. Don’t forget to join the Facebook page and follow on Twitter @BeerCityBashAVL! It’s gonna be a good time! How cool is it going to be to see all local taps on at The Orange Peel?!