Capt Keith's Beer Blog

It is that time of year if you are near Columbia, South Carolina.

Our friends at All About Beer Magazine are hosting the 2nd Annual World Beer Festival at the convention center just around the corner from the Flying Saucer. I attended last year and there were many world class beers available and all of the usual suspects. Belgian ales are plentiful, local craft breweries are eager to give you a taste of their love for the art and many of the major craft players will be on hand to taste you on their special line up.

Smuttynose was a favorite of mine last year – look for Kevin Love when  you hit their booth – he is knowledgeable and passionate about his beers. The Smuttynose IPA was a fantastic example of the style and I recommend it. Look forward to trying a Barleywine this year. Hope they bring one.

Attend one of the beer lectures if you get the chance. Greg Glaser’s presentation is very well done and extremely informative and they pass out beer for you to taste as you go along. There should be several opportunities and I thoroughly enjoyed them last year.

The Flying Saucer will have a booth set up with merchandise and some of the folks from our local chapter. Ted from Austin will be on hand as well as Jeff from Raleigh. The Saucer is hosting a Brewers Dinner with beers on Friday night which could be an opportunity to talk beer with those who make it. Come by the Saucer after your session to warm up and have a killer beer with us. See you there!

3 Amigos Drinking Rogue Ale with Jim

This is our 4th year in a row to host the Fort Worth Beer Festival. Each year the crowd has grown in size and last year was the biggest yet. If you have not attended this annual event, let me explain how it will work.

You do not have to pay to get in the event.

You pay for a Tasting Card so that you can sample 10 of the 25 beers we are featuring. The cards identify which beers are in the various tents. Each time you try a beer, we will pour 4 oz and then punch your card. For a $5 bump in price, you can sample from the UR Not Worthy Tent. That was Marc’s idea – to include a grouping of beers that are very rare on draft and that he has been saving for all of you! In this tent, you’ll find beers like Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Avery Beast Grand Cru and some Vintage North Coast Old Stock.

If you find a beer you like, you can buy a full pour with tickets or 4 punches of your tasting card.

A big tent will be set up with tables and chairs to take a load off or just sit and eat some killer beer food. We’ll fire up the Brat and Pretzel tent just before 2 PM. Expect beer brats and German pretzels with spicy mustard and seasoned kraut. Perfect fall beer food for an outdoor event.

As the doors open, we will tap the bung on some Real Ale Oktoberfest. We have a limited supply so get there early. Also, I will be on hand to tap the first keg of Sierra Nevada Edge of Darkness from my beer camp. Come see us and let’s raise a glass to some great weather with friends and the best beer selection ever presented at an outdoor venue in the history of Fort Worth, Texas.

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

The event will be held upstairs in Half Acre Hall and will be hosted by Lagunitas’ “beer weasel” Ron Lindenbusch. Six of Lagunitas’ beers will be paired with a specially selected five-course menu. Featured pairings include the Dog Town Pale Ale with a salad of mixed greens and goat cheese; the India Pale Ale with a filet of salmon with tarragon chive sauce; the Maximus Imperial IPA with peanut- and spice-rubbed chicken satay with curried rice pilaf; the Cruising with Ruben & The Jets Stout with artisan sausages over beer-braised cabbage; the Old Gnarly Wine as stand-alone feature; and the Brown Shugga with molten chocolate lava cake à la mode with raspberry drizzle.

Ron is expected to bring a vintage Brown Shugga for a vertical sampling. It is a rare opportunity for us to have someone like Ron come and speak to our loyal beerknurds. We are saving space for only 45 people to make it more informative and interactive for those who attend.

Since we picked up the HopSlam, we have moved 7 kegs and are now forced to hold back the rest of the stock for the March 4th Brewery night with Bells.

Matt has a treat for those of you who plan to attend.  A Cask of HopSlam that will be tapped at 7 PM SHARP. Mark your calendars – it will not last long! This beer is a Double or Imperial IPA with over 100 IBU’s and just at 10 % abv. Go easy, it goes down easier than you’d think.

Oscar Wong, owner of Highland Brewing Company will be on hand Thrusday, February 19th to host a tutored tasting and food pairing.

We will feature six Highland beers including the Imperial Black Mocha Stout. Each beer will be paired with various cheeses and meats. The final beer will be paired with chocolate truffles and the match works incredibly well.

In 2006, Highland began a tradition of releasing an imperial version of one of their brews each September at Asheville’s Brewgrass Festival.   First was Imperial Gaelic followed by Imperial Kashmir IPA.  This year’s offering was Imperial Black Mocha Stout,  rich with coffee and chocolate notes.

Most of you know Highland’s story but to hear it from the man himself should be a good time. Make reservations NOW as space is limited. The tasting will begin at 6:30 PM .

Ticket Price: $25 for Members and $30 for non-members.

Allagash Brewing Company on Monday, Feb. 2 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

The event will be hosted by brewery president and founder Rob Tod and will pair five of Allagash’s beers with small plates. Featured beers will include classic Allagash brews the White and the Tripel, as well as the barrel-aged Curieux, Odyssey and Musette.

Since its founding, Allagash has built its reputation on brewing great Belgian-style beers, and we are happy to give you the opportunity to try so many of their beers in one sitting. Is there a better way to spend Groundhog Day? Just checking……

Tickets are available at The Flying Saucer and are $40 for the general public and $35 for U.F.O. Club members. Space is limited, so purchasing tickets in advance is recommended.

Allagash Brewing Company sold its first batch of beer in the summer of 1995 – the same year the Flying Saucer in FW opened. From the very beginning, Allagash has strived to produce the finest Belgian-style and experimental ales this side of the Atlantic. It began as New England’s original Belgian-style brewery and has grown into one of the industry’s most distinguished and well-respected brands. Following the time-tested brewing traditions of ancient Belgium, Allagash now produces a broad-ranging portfolio of artisanal beers with uncompromising quality. For more information, visit www.allagash.com.

Monday December 8th, I had the pleasure of visiting the Saucer in Kansas City, MO. Matt Gardner, the local beer guru, had set up a Bell’s Beer and Food pairing to be hosted by Jim O’Connor. Jim has been with Bell’s for several years and had a good deal of information to share about the Brewery and its founder.

Bell’s Brewery is located in Kalamazoo, MI for those of you who don’t know their beers. The only Saucer on their radar for 2009 is Columbia, SC. Heads up gang – get some Two Hearted Ale on tap!

Bell’s is currently the 13th largest Craft Brewery in the USA. Larry Bell took over the former Kalamazoo Brewery and produced his first commercially sold brew in 1985. Before then, he had a homebrew supply shop.  (He had been an avid homebrewer since Jimmy Carter lifted the federal restrictions forbidding homebrewing in 1978.) In the brewery’s tasting room, the Eccentric Cafe, one can sample the plethora of brews made on site. I wonder if they have any Hopslam?

The beers and the food:

Third Coast Old Ale – its actually an English-style barley wine brewed just as you’d imagine – deep hazy copper color with a big head and caramel malt flavors. This beer packs a punch and you can feel the heat – 10.3% abv. This one was paired with the Cotswold English Cheddar

We moved to the Porter with Smoked Gouda. The Gouda  was a perfect match for this dark espresso colored beer.  This porter is a solid example of the style with some roasty bitterness at the end.

Later we moved to the Kalamazoo Stout and Brie. Then, Jim paired the Double Cream Stout with d’affinois – wow – what a great combination. You must try this cheese. I’d never even heard of it before then. If you like soft cheeses, you will enjoy this pairing. The beer was certainly creamy with nice chocolate notes on the nose and in the flavor.

The Cherry Stout seemed to be the biggest hit with the audience. This rich and powerful stout is brewed with Montmorency Cherries that gives it a tart cherry aroma along with the chocolate and roasted malt characteristics of a typical stout. The cherry flavor was almost enough to make me pucker.

The final beer of the night was the Expedition Stout. This big beer is a Russian Imperial Stout and it is thick, almost black and produces a dense tan head. The aroma had chocolate, coffee, roasted or burnt malt along with noticeable smoke. The brewery calls this the vintage port of American Stout and it packs a punch at 10.5% abv. We had the Saucer’s Mud Island Lava Cake with Raspberry Lambic puree over vanilla bean ice cream. I think most stouts make a good dessert beer, but this one was mildly sinful.

I always knew that I liked Bell’s Brewery. My first experience was at the GABF several years back. I think their Two Hearted ale is perhaps one of the best IPA’s in America. Next time you are at the Saucer in KC, get some.