Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Heyo, beer people! Join us on Thursday, Februrary 2, 5:00-7:00 p.m. with Trey from New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins, Color. We’ve got a special line-up, including the new seasonal, Dig Pale Ale, with Sorachi, Nelson Sauvin, Cascade and Centennial hops, and two beers from the Lips of Faith Series, Biere de Mars and the new (and yummy) Cocoa Mole.

Dig Pale Ale
“Unearth your bottle-opener because this Pale Ale is something you can Dig. Sorachi Ace hops provides a fresh Spring zing with incredible lemon aroma. Nelson Sauvin is next in line with bursts of passion fruit, mango and peach. American favorites, Cascade and Centennial round out this crisp, clean Pale Ale.” [5.6% abv]

Belgo IPA
“When we set out to brew, we use imagination and salvation to guide us- not necessarily style guidelines. It’s the Belgian way. So, Ameri-Belgo and IPA both being styles, the branding begged for New Belgium whimsy to liven things up. Hmmm Belgo sounds like a Belgian disco. Hops like to party. Next thing you know, we bust out a disco-ball and brewers started groovin. Hops started hoppin. Add in an authentic Trappist yeast strain and the place brewed into a frenzy of citrus hoppy folly.” [7.0% abv]

Lips of Faith: Biere de Mars
“Again in 2012, we are pleased to offer one of our favorite harbingers of spring, Biere de Mars. With earthy tones of ripe mango and lemon verbena, this bottle-conditioned ale reflects the hearty character of the southern Belgian and northern French countrysides. Brewed with barley, oats and wheat malt, Biere de Mars’ celestial orange hue inspired the planetary play on words. Brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain, added for bottle-conditioning creates a refreshingly sour flash across the palate. Lemon peel coupled with the lemon verbena imparts fruitlike character and a citrusy finish.” [6.2% abv]

Lips of Faith: Cocoa Molé
“Say Hola to a spiced up ale full of cocoa and ancho, guajillo, chipotle peppers. But don’t fear the heat, because plenty of caramel and chocolate malts bring a smooth, complex flavor to our Cocoa Molé. Scents of cinnamon when poured will have you saying, “¡Olé for molé!” [9.0% abv]

Announcing the first ever Asheville Beer Week

For immediate release: January 24, 2011

The first ever Asheville Beer Week will take place May 24 through June 3, 2012. The ten days celebrating beer and Beer City, USA, will culminate at Asheville’s third Beer City Festival on June 2.

Our mission is to celebrate that nectar known as beer—to taste many different styles of beer and variations on those styles; to pair beer with a smorgasbord of delicious foods; to learn about and explore beer in all its delectable complexity; and, most of all, to have fun drinking beer in the brewery-centric mountains of Asheville, NC.

The “week” will include seminars, tastings, dinners, and special events with “beer celebrities” from around the country and the world. More than 40 breweries are slated to appear at Beer City Festival already.

Organized by a beer-loving bunch of regional beer industry folks, Asheville Beer Week will offer a variety of events and include as many bars, restaurants and breweries as possible.

If you’re interested in holding an event, please contact us at avlbeerweek@gmail.com, and we’ll send you a sign-up sheet. Event sign-ups are due by February 17, after which time, we’ll produce an official Asheville Beer Week calendar.

Whether or not you’d like to participate or attend, please spread the word about Asheville Beer Week.

We’re also holding a logo contest. Submissions for the Asheville Beer Week logo also are due by February 17. The winner will receive two tickets to Beer City Fest, two tickets to Brewgrass (Sept. 15), and two tickets to an Iron Man Chef Competition to be held during Asheville Beer Week.

******************************************

Contacts:

Mike Rangel, Asheville Brewers Alliance and Asheville Brewing Company, asheville.ninja@gmail.com.

Anne Fitten Glenn, beer writer/educator/Brewgasm.com., annefittenglenn@gmail.com.

General email: avlbeerweek@gmail.com

Facebook: Asheville Beer Week

Twitter: @avlbeerweek

This week we’re sampling Pale Horse Brewing from Salem, Oregon. Come get a little taste of the Pacific Northwest from 5:00-7:00 p.m. tomorrow!

Hillbilly Blonde: A crisp, refreshing, light ale suitable for any occasion. Hillbilly is golden blonde in color with a fruity, floral scent; this ale has a light hop profile, allowing the malty flavor to be thoroughly enjoyed. Smooth to the taste and bubbly to the tongue, this highly drinkable ale will satisfy the most discerning of beer lovers, yet finds itself comfortable in quenching the thirst at a backyard barbecue, wetting the palate after a hot afternoon of lawn mowing, or being found in the pint glasses of friends meeting at a local watering hole.

Hopyard Dog IPA: Brewed with a well balanced blend of malts and Cascade hops, Hopyard Dog IPA has an authoritative but pleasant bite. Notes of citrus and vanilla blend well with the malty body and large hop profile of this smooth, satisfying, golden India Pale Ale. Get “RUFF n’ TUFF” yet keep it smooth with Hopyard Dog IPA.

Pale Horse Export Stout: Obsidian in color with deep garnet hues, aroma and flavor carrying hints of coffee and chocolate, Pale Horse Export Stout is a carefully crafted balance between smooth sweetness and smoky hop bitterness. Brewed in the style of great Irish breweries, yet crafted from local ingredients and Yankee ingenuity, this stout is unique and extremely tasty. The perfect choice for the dark beer lover, treat your senses to one today!

Pale Horse Winter Seasonal (Heavy Scotch Ale): A deep lustrous brown with hints of woodsmoke, cedar and dark fruits such as raisins and plums in the aroma, our Winter Seasonal will warm your insides with its 9.5% abv while the outdoors are claimed by winter’s tantrum. This ale is heavy in body and smoky sweet over the tongue, a perfect pairing for strong cheeses and fruit. This is an ale to savor and by the end of bottle, you’ll be feeling the season’s cheer in a jolly big way!

First tasting of the  2012 is with Kevin Fox of Heavy Seas, Baltimore, MD. Join us tomorrow, Thursday, December 12 from 5:00-7:00pm for a flight.

Loose Cannon: “Burnished gold with a rich citrus hop aroma, it is wonderfully drinkable with a big hop flavor. We’ve knicknamed it Hop³ (hop cubed) ale to reflect the enormous amount of hops in this beer: over 3 pounds per barrel! It is hopped 3 ways: in the kettle, in the hop back, and dry hopped. Pairs well with strong cheeses and steak. 2nd Place CAMRA award winner at the 2010 Great British Beer Festival.” [7.25% abv]

Black Cannon: “The style is an oxymoron but this ale is an extension of our Loose Cannon style brewed with black malt. Available Jan – March.” [7.25% abv]

Hang Ten: “A classic German-style weizen bock, slightly cloudy and bursting with flavor. It will benefit with aging up to two years. VINTAGE DATED.” [10.0% abv]

Smoke On The Water: “A rich dark porter with added complexity from subtle smoked malt. Pair this porter with anything cooked on the grill and smoked gouda. RETIRED.” [8.0% ABV]

This week, say hello to Les Addis, the Southeast Rep for Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME. This is our brewery last tasting of 2011, so don’t miss it. Same time, same place: Thursday, December 15, from 5:-00-7:00 p.m. Be sure to click the beer links below leading to the Allagash site for some great recipes to go along with these beers!

What’s on the beer flight:

Allagash White: “Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel, this beer is fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy in appearance.” [5.0% abv]

Allagash Black: “Allagash Black is a Belgian style stout brewed with 2 Row barley, torrified wheat, oats, both roasted and chocolate malt and a generous portion of dark caramelized candi sugar. The silky mouth feel is a great balance to the roasted character, coffee and dark chocolate notes expressed throughout this beer.” [7.5% abv]

Allagash Tripel: “This strong golden ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with suggestions of banana and honey in the complex palate. The Tripel has a remarkably long and smooth finish.” [9.0% abv]

… and a very special addition straight from the brewery for samples only …

Mattina Rossa: “Mattina Rossa is a beer that was a long time in the making. It was brewed in August of 2008 with a base of 2-Row malt and 440 lbs of local raspberries in the mash. It was then conservatively hopped with Tettanang, German Tradition and Saaz and fermented with our house yeast strain. Shortly after primary fermentation, the beer was racked into eleven red wine barrels, nine of which were inoculated with either Lactobacillus or Brettanomyces ‘Allagensis’. After one year, we placed an additional 100 lbs of local raspberries in five of the barrels. The beer continued to age for an additional year, at which time the barrels were blended to strike the desired balance of fruit and funk. Mattina Rossa has an aroma of fresh raspberry, strawberry preserves and lemon rind. Raspberry is also discernible in the flavor, along with mild quince and pomegranate. The long finish starts with a tart citrus and ends with a pronounced biscuit flavor and a slight bitterness.” [6.9% abv]

(PS: We also have the draft-only release Big Little Beer wild ale on the kegerator for purchase.)