Archive for the ‘Coolness’ Category

No big secret that Asheville is very much a town of hopheads. We sell more IPAs that any other style of beer. So, what’s the deal with International #IPADay? Here’s the scoop from founders @thebeerwench and @ryanaross.

Greetings Craft Beer Drinkers! Welcome to International #IPADay — the world’s largest celebration of craft beer.

International #IPADay is a grassroots movement created to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers, and brewers worldwide, using social media as the common arena for connecting the conversation together.

On Thursday August 4th, craft beer drinkers across the social sphere and across the globe will raise pints in a collective toast to one of craft beer’s most iconic styles: the India Pale Ale. This celebrated style represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories, and regional flavor variations – making it the perfect style to galvanize the craft beer’s social voice.

To participate, share your photos, videos, blog posts, tasting notes, recipes, thoughts with the world on Twitter Facebook, YouTube, WordPress, RateBeer, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Untappd or any other social media platforms you may use. Use the hastag #IPADay in all of your posts and then see what others are saying by searching the hashtag on google, twitter or other social media resources.

So, get out there and have an IPA today! You can share your photos and other things on the Bruisin’ Facebook Page, too.

[Pssssst... stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for some giveaways—while supplies last.]

If you haven’t yet heard, Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery is coming to Asheville in August. There are two same-day events that you can attend, both involving food and beer. Hooray to that! Please note: You can get tickets to the Pack’s Tavern Luncheon at Bruisin’ Ales. CASH ONLY, please.

(Above is Garrett’s interview with Gary V of WineLibraryTV.)

Luncheon:
Pack’s Tavern
August 17, 2011
12:00 Noon
Garrett Oliver and 5 Courses paired with 5 Brooklyn beers seminar.
$50/pp all inclusive
ON SALE NOW! Get your ticket at Pack’s or Bruisin’ Ales!

Dinner:
Cedric’s Tavern on the Biltmore Estate
August 17, 2011
6:30pm
An evening with Garrett Oliver and fine foods paired with fine beers.
$100/pp all inclusive
Let me know if you are interested, VERY FEW SPACES LEFT.
mountaingirl88@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Grand Hop Harvest Tour & Sampling — Showcasing Hops from Vine to Keg.

Hop’n Blueberry Farm and Pisgah Brewing Company invite you to experience a dual hop tour on Saturday, August 6, 2011.

Arrive at the Farm (24 Middle Mountain Road – Black Mountain) by 12:45pm for a 1:00pm tour.  Then take a short drive down the road to Pisgah Brewing Company (150 Eastside Drive – Black Mountain) to continue your experience.  Tickets are $8.00 per person and include a beer sample (or two).

Pisgah Brewing Company has been producing a “wet hop” beer with fresh hops grown at Hop’n Blueberry Farm for the last three years.  This unique beer only happens once per year when hops are picked and added to the brewing process at the brewery within hours after leaving the farm.

The tour begins at the farm where owner Van Burnette will share information about growing hops from the ground up, taking us from the vine to the kettle. Participants will enjoy a complimentary sample of Pisgah’s wet-hopped beer, appropriately named “Burnette’s Brew”.  According to Burnette, “This is the best batch yet with a fresh aromatic taste that will delight anyone.”  The afternoon continues at the brewery where the tour will hear about hops from the kettle to the keg.  Join us, for this farm-to-table collaboration.

www.hopnblueberryfarm.com
www.pisgahbrewing.com

Happy days are here again! We welcome back some gems from De Dolle (Belgium) after their brewery fire last year. Arabier, Dulle Teve, Oerbier!

ALLAGASH Curieux
DE DOLLE Arabier
DE DOLLE Dulle Teve
DE DOLLE Oerbier
DOGFISH HEAD Namaste
DUCK-RABBIT Doppelbock
EPIC BREWING Brainless Belgian-Style
EPIC BREWING Copper Cone Pale Ale
EPIC BREWING Cross Fever Amber
EPIC BREWING Hopulent IPA
EPIC BREWING Imperial Red
EPIC BREWING Sour Apple Saison
EPIC BREWING Spiral Jetty IPA
GALE’S Prize Old Ale (1996)
GREAT DIVIDE Belgian Yeti
HENNEY’S Vintage Still Cider (2010)
LEFT HAND Good JuJu
NEW BELGIUM Fat Tire (CANS)
OMER Belgian Strong Gold
ROGUE Chatôe Single Malt
ROGUE John John Juniper
SPRECHER Generation Porter
SPRECHER Irish Stout
WITTEKERKE Framboise

Heyo! Big tastings happening at the humble storefront this week. We’ve got Bob Fauteaux from Weyerbacher coming in on Thursday, 5:00-7:00 p.m. And then, Brad Dahlhofer, co-owner of B. Nektar Meadery, on Friday, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Thursday Weyerbacher Tasting:

Blanche: “Light, cloudy and smooth, Weyerbacher Blanche brings you authentic Belgian-style flavor along with handcrafted quality and freshness. Just try a bottle of this thirst-quenching brew. In the nose you’ll notice a light spiciness from the coriander and dried Curacao orange peels. Overall, you’ll find a mild and refreshing 4.6% ale with a clean finish that follows with just a hint of tart spiciness.”

Merry Monks: “When you try this beer you’re in for a unique treat. The special effervescence and creaminess are immediately apparent when pouring. The pilsner malts combined with the Belgian yeast strains yield a remarkable and complex flavor- perhaps you’ll note subtle hints of banana and cookie dough. The flavor is nicely balanced and the finish moderate to dry, begging for the next sip. This 9.3% brew is available year-round.”

Double Simcoe: “Double Simcoe IPA is a full-flavored ale with hints of pineapple and citrus upfront, a good malt backbone in the middle, and a clean finish that doesn’t linger too long. Check it out, and you’ll soon see why everyone’s talking about it. Double Simcoe is available year-round. 9.0%”

Tiny: “Tiny is a Belgian inspired Imperial Stout weighing in at 11.8%. You’ll find big chocolate and roasted notes, balanced with the Belgian flavors from the Abbey yeast strain. This beer is very smooth and lacks the astringency you sometimes find in these Imperial Stouts.”

Friday B. Nektar Tasting:

No structured line-up! Who knows what they’ll bring. B. Nektar is known for it’s wild and crazy mead concoctions, i.e. Margarita-style Melomel, Pineapple Coconut Mead, Wildberry Mead, Vanilla Cinnamon Mead, and others.

Come by and try!