For immediate release: February 1, 2012

Asheville Beer Week Logo Contest
Asheville Beer Week needs a logo and fast

Love beer? Got some design skills? The Asheville Beer Week folks are looking for a hot logo for this inaugural beer-centric week (which actually will be an 11-day party running from May 24 until June 3).

Submit your logo designs to avlbeerweek@gmail.com by February 17. The logo winner will receive two tickets to Beer City Fest (June 2), two tickets to Brewgrass (Sept. 15), and two tickets to Asheville Beer Week’s Iron Brewer Competition (TBA).

You know the deal—nothing obscene or inappropriate. This is a wholesome(ish) beer week. Your design could be featured on every piece of Asheville Beer Week swag.

Submit logos to: avlbeerweek@gmail.com.

For more information, follow us on Facebook at Asheville Beer Week or Twitter @avlbeerweek.

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]

Today we welcome Stephen Hill, co-founder of Mother Earth Brewing from 5-7 p.m. We’re sampling the whole line-up, including cans!

Endless River: A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. It is light gold in color, with a delicate head. This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it. Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish.

Sunny Haze: Sunny Haze will brighten even your finest day. “Hefe” means “with yeast” so expect to find our hefeweizen cloudy in appearance due to its unfiltered status. Fruity hints and slight spiciness of this hefeweizen will mingle in your mouth, creating a crispness that’s as energizing as the sun itself. Banana and clove-like aromas add interest and depth to an already impressively well balanced brew. There’s no doubt; it’s meant to be a Sunny Haze kind of day.

Weeping Willow Wit: This beer style is over 400 years old, and continues to enjoy overwhelming popularity. Offering low hop bitterness, it is easy to enjoy. It pours very hazy, with a light gold color… we say it’s like summertime in a glass. Bitter orange peel and fresh coriander add zest and depth to this refreshing beer.

Dark Cloud: Steeped in a long history dating back hundreds of years, this “old-fashioned” beer is again in vogue. Lager is the German word meaning “to store,” so this beer ages three times longer than our ales do. “Dunkel” means dark in German, but don’t let the color fool you, it is by no means heavy, overbearing or bitter. In fact, it proves to be a very drinkable session beer.

Second Wind: Prepare yourself for an inspiring journey. Uncomplicated and down-to-earth, the mild hop bitterness and gentle floral and citrus like character of this beer result in an invigorating experience that flawlessly celebrates the close of an idyllic day. If you’re searching for your second wind, you’ve just discovered it.

Sisters of the Moon: Made with hops grown in the good ‘ol USA… you’ll proudly support American farmers when you drink this beer! Light copper in color, it has an intense hop aroma and strong hop bitterness. Our hopback process uses fresh hop cones to take this IPA to unexpected places. Prepare for a mouthful of flavor.

Old Neighborhood (seasonal): Our Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter will take you back to the good old days. This classic dark ale is rich and robust, yet silky smooth. Its distinct roasty essence is deliciously balanced with a slight sweetness, creating a porter that boasts intense flavors.

This just in from the fine folks at Brewgrass Festival & Barley’s Taproom:

Get in shape for Brewgrass! Come to Brewgrass Training at Barley’s Taproom’s (upstairs) any or ALL of the next three Tuesday nights.

Get 10 samples of draft beer from Barley’s mix of local and national brews. Get a “Brewgrass Training” T-shirt. Get two slices of pizza and take home the tasting glass. All of that for only $20.

Also, two Brewgrass tickets will be given away on Sept. 13 to some lucky beer lover on the training team roster (make sure to sign in on the night you attend to be eligible).

Brewgrass Training will take place Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30, Sept. 6, and Sept. 13. For more information, call 255-0504.

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.]

Join us tomorrow night with Michael Malachowski of Epic Brewing (Utah) as we launch another craft brewery in WNC! Usual time, 5:00-7:00 p.m. See you there!

Sour Apple Saison: “Sweet, yet dry and tart, apples spiced with coriander, grains of paradise, anise, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger.  There is no wrong way to enjoy this Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale.”

Crossfever Amber: “Our lightest in terms of alcohol comes in at 4.8% by volume so that malt can dominate the flavor profile.  Caramel sweet malt all over the palate with a noticeable “jumping just over the barrier” citrus hop aroma.  Surprisingly refreshing for such a malt driven ale.  Truly an all season American Amber.”

Copper Cone Pale Ale: “Copper Cone Pale Ale is a special offering, aroma rich, pale ale that may vary the hops, malts and even sometime the yeast used.  Typically this beer is an “over the top” Pale Ale with a deep copper color and loads of dry hopping going into each batch.  The fresh hop aroma of this beer makes it a stand out.”

Spiral Jetty IPA: “Spiral Jetty India Pale Ale is the launching point in our series of hoppy IPA brews. Spiral Jetty IPA has an aggressive hop profile (five different hops used here with two in the dry hop) presenting citrus, floral, resinous or pine aromas and flavors typical of American hops and a nice pleasant, cleansing bitterness on the finish.The dominance of the hops helps to balance the complex malt flavors and the higher alcohol content. Spiral Jetty is our strongest Classic Series ale at 6.6% alcohol by volume, but certainly not our strongest beer.”

Hopulent IPA: “Hopulent IPA is a big beer with lots of complex malt flavor and excessive hops. This beer will have changes to the grain bill and seasonal hop changes. The character of Hopulent IPA is over the top, too much of everything—a real HOP HEADS DELIGHT!  Release one weighed in well over 9% ABV with almost 10 pounds of dry hops in the 10-barrel tank.

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!

Join us Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. with Case Wood from RJ Rockers in South Carolina. (NOTE THAT THE TIME IS A HALF-HOUR LATER THAN NORMAL.)

Son of a Peach: “An unfiltered American wheat ale made with real mean peaches. The only thing missing is the fuzz. Savor the anger. Available during the late Spring and Summer months.” [6.0% abv]

Star Spangled Stout: “A robust American-style stout brewed with six different malts. It has a rich, full body with coffee and chocolate overtones. The perfect dessert beer.” [6.0% abv]

Patriot Pale: “Our American pale ale is aggressively hopped with Challenger and Cascade and has a sweet caramel finish. The flavor that launched RJ Rockers – and brewer Mark Johnsen’s personal fave.” [6.0% abv]

Bell Ringer: “Our high gravity offering weighs in at 8.5% abv and is delightfully loaded with malt and hops. This is an ale worthy of your sturdiest goblet or most treasured stein. Ring it!” [8.5% abv]

Rockhopper: “This ninety-minute west coast-style IPA has nine hope additions of Warrior and Amarillo and comes in at a whopping 90 IBUs. A tongue-twisting treat for the hophead in all of us!” [7.5% abv]

Happy July 4th Weekend from all of us at Bruisin’ Ales!

We are open regular hours all weekend long! (Closed Monday, July 4th.)

Be safe and drink well!

—Jason, Julie, Mike, Craig, Sophie