Archive for the ‘The Beerlanthropy Project’ Category

It’s almost Asheville Beer Week! At Bruisin’ Ales, we’ve planned a bunch of events at humble storefront and with some colleagues about town. A few details to work out, but we’re all in! We hope you’ll join us!

Sunday, May 26, 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
What: LaZoom Sunday Beer Run
Where: On the big, purple bus!
Tickets: $25.00/pp, Buy online

Hop on the big, purple bus! Asheville’s Feral Chihuahuas, Bruisin’ Ales and LaZoom team up to bring you a beer and comedy explosion tour not to be missed. Wrap your mind around the area’s beer history—as told by local funny guys, The Feral Chihuahuas. Includes beer on the bus and at least one brewery stop along the way! **This is event is close to selling out. 

Tuesday, May 28, 6:00 pm
What: Asheville Tourists & Bruisin’ Ales present “Belgian(style) Beer at the Ballpark”
Where: McCormick Field, Oskar Blues Party Pavilion
Tickets: $60/pp, http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6804463333#

Asheville Tourists and Bruisin’ Ales bring Belgian pub food and Belgian-style beer to the Tuesday, March 28 home game at McCormick Field. Nine innings–Nine breweries! Beers so far, below. More a’coming!

Liefmans: Goudenband, Cuvee Brut, Fruitesse
Het Anker Gouden Carolus: Hopsinjour, Easter Ale, Cuvée van de Keizer Blauw
Allagash Brewing: Blonde, James Bean (Curieux w/ coffee), Midnight Brett
Brewery Ommegang: Biere d’Hougoumont, Rare Vos, Gnommegang
The Bruery: Saison Rue, Mischief Golden, Tradewinds Tripel w/ Thai Basil
Boulevard Brewing: Tank 7, Nommo, Sixth Glass
Pisgah Brewing: White Ale, Solstice Tripel, Baptista
New Belgium Brewing: Biere de Garde, Peach Porch Lounger, Cascara Quad
Weyerbacher Brewing: Verboten, Quad, Tiny

Menu:
• Chicken Leg Quarters marinated in New Belgium Biere de Mars
• Fresh Greens with Raspberry and Rare Vos Vinaigrette
• Choucroute Garni Nommo: A traditional Belgian “stew” with bratwurst, kielbasa, sauerkraut, and potatoes sauteed with onions, tomatoes, and caraway, cooked with Boulevard Nomma Dubbel.
• Weyerbacher “Tiny” Brownies

All breweries are bringing THREE selections. Brewery reps will be on-hand and we’re excited to welcome the brewer of Boulevard Brewing to Asheville for the first time. Join us for a casual night in the brand new Oskar Blues Party Pavilion at McCormick Field while we cheer on The Tourists! $60/pp, includes game ticket, private seating area, all-you-can-eat buffet, and beer samples (while they last).

Tuesday, May 28, 12:00 pm
What: Retail Bottle Releases of ABA Hoppy Saison Collaboration Beer & Green Man Brewing Raugupatis
Where: Bruisin’ Ales

The ABA Hoppy Saison—made with North Carolina honey, and around 6.5% abv—is the first-ever collaborative brew to come from the Asheville Brewers Alliance. Twenty different breweries came together for this creation: Altamont Brewing Co., Asheville Brewing, BearWaters Brewing Co., Blue Mountain Pizza and Brew Pub, Burial Beer Co., Catawba Valley Brewing Company, French Broad Brewing Company, Green Man Brewery, Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Highland Brewing Company, Lexington Avenue Brewery, Nantahala Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing, Pisgah Brewing Company, Riverbend Malt House, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Southern Appalachian Brewery, Thirsty Monk, Tipping Point Brewing, Wedge Brewing Company, Wicked Weed Brewing.

Green Man Brewing’s 750′s of Raugupatis, Baltic Porter Aged in Whiskey Barrels will also be released that day.

**Please note: Both beer releases are on-premise only for Asheville Beer Week attendees. No shipping. No pre-orders or hold-by-phone. Quantities per person will be announced as soon as we receive our allocation numbers. **

Wednesday, May 29, 6:00-8:00 pm
What: Meet-n-Greet & Book Signing with Brewmaster Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing
Where: Bruisin’ Ales

Join us for a tasting and meet-n-greet with Mitch Steele, Brewmaster of Stone Brewing Company, California. He’ll be signing his new book, IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale. Get a signed copy of the book (while supplies last) and a flight! Stone’s flagship IPAs: Stone IPA, Stone Ruination, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous, and Stone Cali-Belgique.

Thursday, May 30, 6:00-9:00 pm
What: The Market Place & Bruisin’ Ales present: Small Plates & Allagash Pairing
Where: The Market Place
Tickets: $40/pp w/ tax + gratuity. http://abw-marketplace-allagash-eorgf.eventbrite.com/

The Market Place and Bruisin’ Ales welcome Allagash present a casual, small plate tasting and beer pairing. Come mingle! Bring your reservation anytime between 6-8:30, at your leisure, and chill out in the bar area good eats, great beer and live Moog jazz and funky beats by Ben Hovey.

Tasting Plate:
Single lady oyster, Allagash white mignonette, toasted coriander, seaweed & cucumber salad. | Paired with Allagash White.

Looking Glass Creamery chocolate lab cheese, local lavender flower honey, sorghum glazed hazelnut & arugula salad. | Paired with Allagash Victoria.

Braised pork shank & mushroom ragu, local chevre & spring onion grits. | Paired with Allagash Dubbel.

Pecan tart, caramel sauce, bourbon macerated raspberry. | Paired with Allagash Bourbon-barrel Black.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or a St. Paddy’s haze), then you should know that Green Man Brewing released their first round of bottles over the weekend with a big, fat party at the brewery. Did you miss it? Not to worry! We have you covered. Tomorrow, March 21, from 5:00-7:00 p.m., we’ll be sampling the new bottles as they hit the market for the first time.

Green Man ESB: “Brewed since 1997, Green Man ESB is one of our signature brews, with its toasted malt flavor and pleasant finishing sweetness. Its eminently drinkable style comes from a blend of British-grown malts balanced with the earthy spiciness of hand-selected premium U.S. hops. Boasting an ample, nutty aroma, and a broad, authoritative flavor, Green Man ESB combines the best of English tradition with American style.”

Green Man Porter: “Green Man Porter is a delicious, full-bodied ale rich in flavor, yet easy to drink, with a creamy, smooth mouth feel. The slight hop bitterness only enhances the distinctive chocolate and roasted finish to come. Ruddy brown in color, Green Man Porter offers a bittersweet balance of malt and hops with a light cream finish. It continues to reap accolades and medals from those who know best.”

Green Man IPA: “A legendary India Pale Ale, the Green Man IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malt body. Brewed with generous hop additions in our kettle to give it a wonderful bitterness, it’s then late-kettle hopped to create a pleasant, floral nose. The “maltiness” is derived from traditional British malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. Green Man IPA is truly an authentic version of an Indian Pale Ale, with a twist that makes it uniquely our own.”

Tomorrow, the fine folks from Cicso Brewers (Nantucket, MA) will be here. Come sample their wares and ask about the beer!

The Grey Lady: “Named for the often foggy island where it is brewed. This wheat beer is fermented with Belgian yeast and brewed with fresh fruit and spices. A unique ale that emits a complex, earthy nose and a soft, mid-palate maltiness with hints of tropical fruit. Dry and spicy.” [4.5% abv]

Whale’s Tale Pale Ale: “English-style pale ale. This is our flagship beer. Wonderfully balanced with Maris Otter malt, hints of crystal malt and generously hopped with East Kent Goldings, it has a rich honey color and fruity hop aroma. It is named in honor of Nantucket’s whaling history.” [5.6% abv]

Indie Pale Ale: “This beautiful red-orange ale has a full malty body, balanced by fruity apricot and grapefruit hop character. Mounds of dank Summit Hops provide a deliciously quenching finish to this East meets West Coast ale.” [6.5% abv]

Tripel Ale (Island Reserve Series): Pepper, honeysuckle, Geranium, tropical fruit. Rich malt, spicy hops, dry mineral finish. [9.5%abv]

On Thursday evening, from 5:00-7:00 p.m., Anne Fitten Glenn, a.k.a Asheville beer blogger “Brewgasm,” will be at the humble storefront signing copies of her newly-published book, “Asheville Beer: An Intoxicating History of Mountain Brewing.”

Buy the book ($17.00), get a beer!

If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of the many who already believe that the history of beer and brewing is a worthwhile pursuit. If not, perhaps this book will make you a believer.

I tackled this project for a couple of reasons. First, because interesting stories rarely start with, “I was drinking some water, and then…” Also, I’ve been writing about beer and the beer business for a number of years, and I feel that I’ve been writing Asheville’s beer history as it happens. Some of the facts and stories in this book were first published in my “Brews News” column for Asheville’s newsweekly and elsewhere, though I’ve rewritten them for these pages.

I wanted to delve more deeply into what beer means (and has meant) to Asheville and Western North Carolina (WNC) culturally, economically and socially. (Western North Carolina refers to the seventeen westernmost counties of North Carolina, of which Asheville is the largest city). Thus, this story begins with the founding of Asheville in 1798, when the site of the town was changed at the last minute due to the cunning of a tavern keeper and his home-brewed “mountain dew.” As the Blue Ridge Mountains are famous for the distillation of moonshine (we even have a legal white lightning distillery now), it was not much of a stretch for WNC to become a brewing mecca, although it did take almost two hundred years. …

(PS: If you’re not in the area, but interested in reading the book, you can buy it on Amazon.)

Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you? Are you? It’s Brewgrass Festival weekend in beautiful Asheville (and we’re a first-year sponsor!), so we’re going to properly ready you into the big day with not one, but two tastings this week—Merchant du Vin on Thursday and Catawba Valley Brewing Friday. Won’t you join us? We’re ready to throw it down!

Thursday, September 13
FREE, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
On Thursday, we welcome JB from the Merchant du Vin portfolio, for an around-the-world tasting of excellent imports.

• Zatec Bright Lager (Czech)
• Traquair House Ale (Scotland)
• Ayinger Oktoberfest (Germany)
• Orval Trappist Ale (Belgium)
• Rochefort 8 Trappist Ale (Belgium)
• Samuel Smith Imperial Stout (England)

• King Don’s Pumpkin Ale
• Gose
• Loretta (Cantaloupe & Cayenne)
• Sour Saison (with Blackberries)
• Arlo’s PB&J (What? What?)