Capt Keith's Beer Blog

Today is the second annual Stout Day, (or Tempranillo Day, for the oenophile) and people all over the country have their smart phone in one hand and their pint glass in the other.  Just like IPA Day, Stout Day is a social media driven beer holiday and is focused on not only drinking a stout, but celebrating the stout and spreading its good word.  We have teamed up with Untappd to produce a special badge for those that use their great beer tracking app.  All you have to do is check into the Saucer and a Stout Beer and the badge is yours.  Our Saucers and Moth are all celebrating in different ways, and some are taking it to the next level by celebrating Stout Week and even Stout Month.  Check in with your local spot, everyone has great things planned.

Many people are getting fed up with these “National” holidays (eg. Talk Like a Pirate Day, National Cheeseburger Day, and plenty other even more rediculous made up holidays) but since our little Craft Beer thing represents barely over 5% of the national market, it is up to us to spread the word and get “Lite” Beer drinkers to drop their Macro products and pick up a craft beer.  The stout and the IPA are two of the most misunderstood styles, so to me it makes sense for these two styles to be the first to earn their own day.  How many times have you heard someone say “I don’t like dark beers” only to find out they have never even tried one?  So many people are too quick to judge books by their cover and don’t understand the versatility the stout can have.  Watching someones eyes light up the first time they sip a Milk Stout sweetened with unfermentable lactose, or even a thick and chewy Imperial Stout, perhaps aged in bourbon barrels or on a bed of cocoa nibs never gets old to me. That’s half the fun of craft beer.  Sharing our knowledge and understanding of this craft along with a couple ounces of our favorite beer we might have smuggled back from a vacation wrapped in a sweater we took to the beach simply for the padding.  There are so many people out there who do not understand what we hold so dear, and in some cases take for granted.

Remember, today is not only about the stout (or generating web traffic for the various websites built around capitalizing on this opportunity, most of which I think are spreading the good word for the greater cause) but is also about sharing.  Invite someone from your office who doesn’t drink good beer to your favorite beer joint for Happy Hour today.  Spread the word through your social media outlets that you live the good life and enjoy beer made by hands and not machines.  Proudly exclaim what you’re drinking, who your drinking it with, and where. Open the door for another to become as enlightened as you are.  Help those who are drinking rice/corn beer loaded with chemicals to find out there is more out there.  And as always, tip your server well for letting you have all the fun.

Last year we had some great success with a few #IPAday celebrations and this year we are getting behind it full force.  Every Saucer will be having some really great, and unique, IPA day experiences.  Tons of special tappings, casks, and of course discounts on India Pale Ales on draught and in bottle.  Come out and see us today and help celebrate the India Pale Ale.

We are also teaming up with Untappd, a web based social beer app that helps you track and share your beers with your friends.  Last year the Austin Flying Saucer had the most Untappd IPA Check Ins of any #IPAday celebration in the world and this year we want to fill up the top ten with Flying Saucers!  If you use Untappd, help us accomplish our goals by checking in a getting a special “IPADay: Saucer Style” badge as well as your IPA Day 2012 badge.

Its hard to believe it has been four years since we drilled through the penny wall and opened the doors at our location in the Power and Light District of Kansas City, MO.  Matt Gardner and his gang of Brew Barons and Beer Goddesses have put together a strong day of rare beer tappings every hour on the hour from noon till 9pm on Sunday May 6th.  While I cannot speak to the times these kegs will be tapped, I do know a few of the gems.

Boulevard Saison Noir (Unrated, have you tried it yet?  Didn’t think so.)

Boulevard Chocolate Ale (Ratebeer.com 96/98)

Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans (Ratebeer.com 98/99)

Bell's Batch 9000: Brewed once, released January 2010 (Ratebeer.com 98 overall)

Founders Backwoods Bastard: Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale (Ratebeer.com 99/100)

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break: Imperial Porter with Vanilla, Coffee and Almonds (Ratebeer.com 98 overall)

Evil Twin Ron & The Beast Ryan: Brettanomyces finished Saison (Ratebeer.com 97 overall)

Green Flash 30th Street Pale Ale: An IPA by most standards (Ratebeer.com 95/98)

In addition to cracking into all these hard to find and world class kegs each guest will receive a free raffle ticket upon entry for an all day raffle featuring beer themed prizes from the Saucer and many of your favorite breweries.  Its going to be a great day, go check it out of you are in the neighborhood.  You won’t regret it.

I had a break in schedule so I decided to fly up to KC and visit Matt G and his good people at the Saucer. I planned my trip around the tapping of a seasonal favorite from Bell’s Brewery out of Kalamazoo, MI. The beer is called Hopslam Ale and it has somewhat of a cult following. It is a tasty IPA that will sneak up on you……….10% abv but hardly noticeable. The draught version is on the wall right now @FlyingSaucerKC (twitter) but Monday’s tapping was a firkin of this nectar. Our friend from Bell’s, Jim O’Connor was on hand to tap the bung. And that, my friends is Matt Gardner pouring beers as fast as a man can go. He drained that 10.8 gallon firkin in around 15 minutes (minus a few for us later…..)

This KC visit turned into a double header………….. Yesterday, we unleashed some Boulevard Chocolate Ale. Boulevard Brewing Company is just a few miles from us and they are great friends of ours. Everyone loves a local beer, but this seasonal release certainly has amassed a cult following. We hardly opened the doors for LUNCH and sold our first keg of this jewel of a brew. Surprisingly, it doesn’t look like any chocolate ale I’ve ever seen before, but take one whiff and you will know that is going to taste chocolatey. Neil Witte – the Quality Manager for Boulevard told us it was an Amber Ale that is brewed with Cocoa Nibs – 10% abv.

A few facts about Boulevard: launched by John McDonald in 1989 and is the largest specialty brewery in the Midwest and 10th largest craft brewery in the US. A transplant from Belgium,  Brewmaster Steven Pauwels is at the helm and he couldn’t be a nicer guy. Try his beer and you’ll see why there is such a buzz about Boulevard, especially their limited editions….

Our at a good man, Matt Gardner is putting together Sour Ale week at the Flying Saucer in KC. Matt is a big fan of Sour Ales – let him and his team show you how fantastic this style of beer can be.

Click on this link for a local press blurb on his event. We hope to see you there.

How time flies when you work with people like Matt Gardner! He and his team have been working hard to bring you the best beers in KC, MO for THREE years now.

Come help us celebrate with a Cellar Release event on Sunday May 1st. We hope to see you there.

Matt Gardner, our beer guru/ GM in KC has secured a list of tasty brews for his first fall beer event. Check out the flyer below to learn more about the festival. Tasting Cards (click on the card to zoom in) and your tasting glass (to keep) are sold at the gate for $20.

Event starts at NOON and runs through 10PM. Our tent will be in the big parking lot just across the street from the Flying Saucer. We will aslo be tapping rare kegs throughout the day inside the Flying Saucer.

Admission is FREE, but to drink, you’ll need a tasting card or tokens.

I hope to see you there!

Keith

Matt does it again in KC. He is bringing you the best the market can offer up in the form of liquid gold. This Monday – January 18th he will tap the bung on a Cask of Hopslam.

Hopslam is a seasonal, high-gravity American Double/Imperial IPA from Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Mich., and is only available from Jan. 7 through February each year.

The casks will be tapped starting at 7 p.m. Tell your friends, write your momma and bring the kids if you must. Don’t miss this rare chance to taste this “biting, bitter, tongue bruiser of an ale.”

Founders Brewing Company is one of our favorite breweries and we are please to offer you this tasting opportunity.

If you have not purchased your ticket, you’d better do it soon, because this tasting is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The tasting will be held on Monday, Sept 28 at 7 p.m.

Michael Bell is coming down to pair beer and food.

His line up will include Red’s Rye PA, Centennial IPA, Cerise Cherry Fermented Ale, Curmudgeon Old Ale, Dirty Bastard Scotch-Style Ale and one of my favorite beers – their Breakfast Stout. Tickets are on sale now for $30 to UFO Club Members and $35 to non-members.

Don’t forget – every Monday is Pint Night with most draught beers (over 60) for only $2.75

Cheers

Keith

Here’s a review of the event: Click Here