It’s crunch time, folks. Or panic mode, as some say. You still have gifts to get, with many more to wrap; maybe your tree isn’t up; and, the mechanical reindeer are still in the garage. Well, come visit the humble storefront, mix yourself a six-pack (to take the edge off) and get a little shopping done at Bruisin’ Ales! We’ve got some suggestions for you right here:

The Always Useful Gift Certificate
You can purchase our old-school, non gift-card, hand-printed gift certificates. You can actually write on it and make it personal. And, you can buy one for whatever amount you wish.

T-shirts
Got a t-shirt addict on your list? (We all do.) We’ve got Bruisin’ Ales t-shirts, beer•lan•thro•py® tees, and Beer City Fest shirts that benefit the Asheville Brewers Alliance. Ours are $15; Beer City Fest $18.

Books
We have a small selection of beer books available, but the real gems are the Stone Brewing books that are signed by Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Co. Special treat for the beer geek right there!

Gift Packs
If you’re in a rush, we have some lovely pre-packaged European gift packs. Many also include glassware:

• Chimay
• Corsendonk
• Duchesse de Bourgogne (Belgium)
• Duvel
• La Trappe
• Lindemans lambics
• Petrus
• Schneider & Sons (Germany)
• St. Bernardus
• St. Fuellien Christmas
• St. Martin Winter
• Tripel Karmeliet
• Unibroue (includes Eau Benite, a beer not normally available in the U.S. and a personal favorite)
• Val-Dieu
• Van Steenberge

If you haven’t heard by now (and you should have), Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Company is visiting Asheville on Friday, October 28 for a series of events to promote a new book, The Craft of Stone Brewing.

At Bruisin’ Ales, we’re holding a private book signing and beer tasting from 4:30-6:00 p.m. Cost is $30/per person and includes the new book ($25 retail price), plus a flight of rare Stone Brewing beers paired with local cheeses and snacks. There are only 35 spots available. You must call the store with a credit card to make your reservation. (828) 252-8999

A little bit about Greg and the history of Stone Brewing:

Since starting the brewery with his partner Steve Wagner in 1996, Stone has become one of the fastest growing and highest rated breweries in the world. Brewing a projected 150,000 barrels in 2011, Stone is the 14th largest craft brewery in the United States, a position it achieved without ever advertising, discounting, giving away freebies or compromising.

Greg passionately believes that environmental and social sustainability goes hand-in-hand with brewing mind-blowing beer and he frequently is called on to speak on topics ranging from craft beer to business to food to marketing, bringing a bold, entertaining, and often humorous approach along with his philosophy.

The beers [UPDATE]:

Trio of Bastards:
Arrogant Bastard
Oaked Arrogant Bastard
Double Bastard (2011)

Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA

After the Bruisin’ Ales private event, please follow us to the LAB (Lexington Avenue Brewery), where Greg will deliver a talk on the craft beer industry, entrepreneurship, and creative marketing at 6:30 p.m. We have been fortunate to hear Greg speak in the past, and trust us, you don’t want to miss it. While we don’t much care for comparisons, many of you are familiar with Gary Vee of the wine industry. Greg Koch is that guy for all us craft beer supporters (and then some). The LAB speaking engagement is free to the public and will be held in the back room stage area of the brewery.

If you’re still up for some Stone Brewing beers after that (and who wouldn’t be?), The Thirsty Monk has a fantastic line-up of special draft beers that night, offering you another opportunity for a Meet & Greet.

Please note that books will be available at all locations, including Stone Brewing Company’s first book, The Brewers Apprentice. (And a special shout to all our friends at Malaprops, our amazing local bookstore, for handling the book orders.)

Call today! These spots will go quickly! We look forward to seeing you all at Bruisin’ Ales.

The Asheville Brewers Alliance and the North Carolina Brewers Guild are co-sponsoring a visit by Charlie Papazian, author of The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Founder of the Homebrewers Association, and President of the Brewers Association. He will be delivering a keynote speech at the new Highland Brewing tasting room on Wednesday, February 23.

Papazian is also the person who started the BeerCity, USA online poll two years back, in which Asheville, NC has won both years, beating larger beer meccas, such as Portland, OR.

Details are still coming in, but here’s what we have so far from the NC Brewers Guild website:

Continuing our educational series, The North Carolina Brewers Guild, in partnership with the Asheville Brewers Alliance, are pleased to welcome special guest Charlie Papazian, President of the Brewers Association and Founder of the American Homebrewers Association, as keynote speaker for our February educational event.

Charlie’s talk will focus on general beer styles and personal experiences with yeast. He will also present updates on governmental affairs and legislative developments and leave plenty of time for Q&A. Come meet and share a pint with a pioneer of the homebrewing movement.

We are also excited to announce two other speakers preceding Charlie’s presentation:  Kevin Sudderth of Hach, who will be talking to us about oxygen pick-up/testing and HopUnion, LLC, who will offer us an update on the hop market and an outlook on hops.

Admission includes a buffet-style barbecue dinner and two drink tickets for your choice of Highland pints.

When:    Wednesday, February 23^rd, evening (exact time TBA)

Where:   Highland Brewing Company, 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite H, Asheville, NC 28803

Pricing:  FREE to Asheville Brewers Alliance and/or North Carolina Brewers Guild members;

$25 for non-members.  Not yet a member of the North Carolina Brewers Guild? Now’s a great time to join to get in for free!

Additional details will be posted as they become available.

REGISTER TODAY!

You can follow Charlie on Twitter at @charliepapazian.

In the constant struggle to make room for beer, we are having a big-ass SALE on all beer books! There are some great ones here covering brewing, beer guides, cookbooks and history. Take your pick!

• He Said Beer, She Said Wine
• Extreme Brewing
• The Brewmaster’s Table
• The Good Beer Book
• Beer Drinkers Guide to Munich
• Stephen Beaumont’s Brewpub Cookbook
• Good Bottled Beer Guide
• A Beer History
• Prost: The Story of German Beer
• Cooking With Beer Season By Season
• Bartender’s Beer Cookbook
• Travels With Barley
• Man Walks Into A Pub
• Ambitious Brew
• I Love You More Than Beer (novelty)

Courtesy of Twitter feeds today, here’s a clip of Conan O’Brien drinking beer with the late, great Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson.

Soul of a World Class Pub, Entrepreneurs Celebrated in Homage to Hops
Local Book Chronicles American Dream, Community Infatuation with Legendary Drinking Institution

Decatur, GA—After more than twelve years of serving fish and chips and the best beers in the world, the magical influence of the Brick Store Pub, #2 rated beer bar on planet earth (BeerAdvocate) will be shared through Love at the Pub: An Insider’s Guide to Craftsmanship, Conversation, and Community at the Brick Store Pub, released Wednesday 11.11.09 online at www.loveatthepub.com and Amazon.com.

“The instant success of the Brick Store back in 1997 became the tipping point for the City of Decatur’s economic revitalization,” says author and former employee Mary Jane Mahan. “In fact, the Brick Store’s relaxed atmosphere makes it recession proof today. We need solid societal havens like this Pub without the distraction of TVs where we can talk authentically about our families, careers, and lives over a great pint and comfort food.”

Love at the Pub is a three-part tribute to warm craftsmanship, caring business philosophy, and community soul as it flows through the four walls of the Brick Store Pub. From eloping couples to Belgian ale-drinking ministers to start-up magazines, hundreds of patron “Brick Stories” are weaved into a narration that imparts an aura as friendly as Cheers, as mystical as The Alchemist, and as cool as Apple. In addition to being a portal into a world of relaxed, open barstool conversation over great beer pints, Love at the Pub is an inspirational roadmap for anyone who yearns to own and operate a world-class beer bar.

“This book is a perfect snapshot of what our community-minded Pub is all about,” says co-owner Dave Blanchard who built the Brick Store with his two business partners on sweat equity and a baseball collection for collateral. “We grew in the craft beer niche while remaining focused as a welcoming spot for the neighborhood.”

For more information, visit www.loveatthepub.com or contact the author at 404-375-3493.

###

Bruisin’ Ales Gift Certificates: Have a fussy father? Let him pick his own bounty! Good for anything in the store—beer, tees, hats, books, glassware and more!

Splurgers of the Finest Kind:

Le Baladin Xyauyu (Italy)—One of the best barleywines we’ve ever had. Truly fantastic. Fruity, sweet and boozy, this is the perfect after-dinner beer. Serve in a snifter at room temperature. Especially sentimental, as the beer is named for brewer Teo Musso’s daughter’s imaginary friend. Awwww. [13.0% abv]

Cantillon Saint Lamvinus (Belgium)—Beer or wine? The most exclusive of the Cantillon fruit lambic line, St. Lamvinus is a lambic made with Merlot grapes aged in oak barrels. Serve at room temp in a red wine glass. For a lighter variety, try Cantillon Vigneronne, made with Muscat grapes and aged in oak. [5.0% abv]

Malheur Dark Brut (Belgium)—Sparkling beer! Skip the normal bubbly and toast to Dad with the beer world’s version of Champagne. Malty, sweet, and tart. Want a lighter version? Try the Malheur Bier Brute. [12.0% abv]

De Molen Storm & Averij (Netherlands)—A Belgian-style Imperial IPA. Big fruity hop aroma with a little yeastiness of orange peels, mango,pine-needles, peaches, hay and wet grass. Super yum. [8.0% abv]

T-shirts/Miscellany:

Beerlanthropy Tees—We’re all beerlanthropists around here. Is your Dad? With a center-back small Bruisin’ Ales logo.

Brewery Tees & Baseball Caps—A wide variety from your favorite breweries.\

The Brewmaster’s Table—The original beer & food pairing book, written by Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery.

“Beer Y’all“—Get Dad the DVD about beer in North Carolina. Good stuff.

Beer Soap & Shampoo—Really. It’s awesome stuff.

Mix It Up:

At Bruisin’ Ales, you can make your own sixer or box of single craft beers. Perfect for the Dad who wants to try a bunch of one style or several varieties!

Rough-and-tumble Amish? For reals?
They say life is stranger than fiction. Some teenage Amish boys were pulled over for possessing beer in their horse-drawn buggy. Golly gee, we hope they were celebrating American Craft Beer Week at least. Someone is going to be shunned, that’s for sure! Call Dwight Shrute.

“B” for Beer in Portland
How do we get Tom Robbins to Asheville, Portland’s sister beer city, to talk about his new book? Malaprops, I say! He’s from Blowing Rock for gosh sakes!

NC passes smoking ban
Gov. Perdue signed into law yesterday an official smoking ban in restaurants and bars. Every person seems to think this is such a big deal with North Carolina being Land of Tobacco, but honestly, we don’t think it matters much. At least not to us.

Palm Beach reviews… Weyerbacher Insanity?
Nice! “I paired it with a fat ass burger topped with a rough salsa made of roasted jalapenos. The sweetness cut through the fat of the burger and the heat of the salsa, while the smokey, oaken qualities brought out the beefiness of the meat. I’d drink it with hearty, spicy, or meaty foods, or just sip it slow like a fine scotch.” Agreed!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm from PA Dutch Country. I never thought there would be opportunity to put an Amish buggy on our blog. Never.]

Happy Earth Day, everybody! Please—ALWAYS—recycle/reuse your packaging and bottles.

Craft Brewers Conference in Boston
The CBC is this week and all the heavy, middle, and lightweight brewers are there. Greg Koch of Stone just delivered a keynote this morning. Bill Drew from the upcoming Craggie Brewing is there. We also know of the forthcoming Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, as well as COAST from Charleston, SC are in attendance. Anyone else know of other local brewers who made the trip? You can follow the conference on Twitter (#cbc09). It’s pretty interesting stuff.

More UK pubs closing
As the “duty escalator” adds more and more taxes to alcohol, more pubs are going to close. This makes us so sad. “Pubs play a vital role in the economy and in local communities. Yet six are closing every day and more than 2,000 have gone in the last 12 months alone. The Chancellor’s unfair and unjustified announcement today condemns thousands more to shut for good.”

New book about beer
Tom Robbins (who is from Blowing Rock, NC) has a new childrens-style book out, called “B is for Beer.” Here’s a little Q&A about it, too. We want that!

Denmark awash in craft beer
Denmark is the new, hip place for craft beer in the world (think Mikkeller, Norrebro Bryghus). The Toronto Star has a great write-up about the boom its created. “In 2003, there were six craft breweries in the country. Today? Probably somewhere between 120 and 140, serving a population of 5 million.” Impressive!