Jester King Brewery has completed the blueprints of the brewery and released sketches on their website of what it will look like. 
I'm still basking in the luxury of having a dedicated beer fridge in the garage. Today I dug around for all the holiday beers that I have in my vast beer cellar and moved the ones I'm ready to drink into the beer fridge. Here's a partial list of what I'm preparing to enjoy this holiday season:
Brouwerij Lefebvre - Hopus Ale (2009)
Join Tasty Touring at Independence Brewing in Austin for a special cheese tour and beer tasting this Saturday from 1pm ~ 3pm. Four different cheese and beer pairings will be presented and discussed and served with slices of Bona Dea Bread
One of my favourite beers from New Belgium is their Frambozen, a brown ale brewed with fresh raspberries. Released in the fall, the amount brewed is often determined by how well the raspberry crop did this season. There was a bad crop a few years ago and 
Frambozen was hard to come by that fall.
The Flying Saucer in Houston is having their annual Beerknurd Christmas party on Monday, Dec 21st from 7pm ~ 10pm. Wear the ugliest Christmas sweater you've got and you could win a magnum of 2009 Anchor Christmas Ale. The party is free for Beerknurds and includes a buffet. Bring in a canned good and get a free pint.
Houston was hit with a snow storm last Friday which was the earliest its ever snowed here. After growing up in far northern Canada, I'm certainly no stranger to snow, but even I was caught up in the novelty of watching big fluffy flakes cover my yard. It was also the first time our office was ever closed early due to snow. I took advantage of the early afternoon dismissal by enjoying a few winter seasonal brews in actual winter season conditions. This is the way these beers are meant to be enjoyed.
I already subscribe to multiple beer magazines (All About Beer, Brew Your Own, Zymurgy and Southwest Brewing News), so yet another was not necessarily a welcome addition to the coffee table (at least, not by my wife). I was also a little leery about a new beer magazine after being disappointed by Beer Advocate when it was released a few years ago. I received the inaugural issue of Beer Connoisseur and although I've only had time to give it a quick thumb through, I like it so far. Its big (11 7/8 x 9 1/8), glossy and didn't resort to using scantily clad women or sports figures. It starts with an article about Fritz Maytag (almost a requirement when starting a new website, magazine or book dealing with craft brewing in the U.S.) and then moves on to other features on beer touring in Belgium, food & travel, beer reviews and other news and events. Its only published quarterly, but the website is updated more frequently with information and new articles which subscribers to the magazine have full access to. Time will tell if they are able differentiate themselves from the other monthly beer magazines already on the market and gain enough subscribers.
The Ginger Man in Houston will be hosting a tasting of various Christmas Beers on Saturday, December 19th starting at 5pm. Cost is $35 per person and includes food pairings. Contact the Ginger Man for reservations.
I never heard of Reaper Ale until I ran across a couple of their beers on the shelf at my local Spec's. I checked their website and they have the whole fun death theme running across all their beers and marketing in general. Seems like something that would get kind of old fast, but every brewery needs something that makes them unique and stand out, particularly in California. I guess it works, I noticed them.
The Alamo Drafthouse location in Katy is having a special encore presentation of Beer Wars which includes a multi-course meal paired with beer from breweries featured in the film. Tickets are $45 each and it begins at 7:30pm. The menu includes:
And, following the screening of the movie, the founders of No Label Brewing, a new microbrewery opening in Katy, will be guest speakers. No Label Brewery recently acquired space for their brewery in the old rice lofts in Katy and are in the process of renovating.
The ninth release of the Divine Reserve series from Saint Arnold Brewing is being released tomorrow, sparking off a modern-day real-life version of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Although, Twitter has revolutionized the search for DR as people dash from one location to another, checking Twitter from their phones as sightings are instantly posted and updated. By the way, Saint Arnold requests that you please use hashtag #DR9 when tweeting about Divine Reserve sightings to enable tweeters to find relevant posts easier. There's typically also one or two people who will gloat with a photo post of a whole case that they managed to secure of the beer that is so heavily coveted, yet untasted by anyone. Here's what Saint Arnold has say about the beer:
The Flying Saucer in Houston will be tapping BrewDog's Dogma on Thursday starting 7:00pm. James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog will also be on hand to talk about the beer. 
Block 7 Wine Company is hosting a Holiday/Winter Seasonal Beer tasting on Saturday, December 5th from 2pm ~ 5pm. Cover is $5 and includes the following holiday beers:
My wife and tried out the new Yard House in Houston last night. Its located in the middle of the brand new City Centre development at I10 and Beltway 8 on the West side of Houston (and more importantly, very close to our house). The whole development is very modern and contemporary and there are a few other upscale eateries already open such as RA Sushi, Eddie V's and Straits.
same look and feel. This location seems a little smaller then other locations, but they do have a very large patio area on two sides that looks out over a large open courtyard. A large racetrack shaped bar is in the center of the restaurant with ~100 beer taps wrapping around the inside wall. The kegs attached to all those taps are contained in a glass-walled cooler along the end of the restaurant with pipes running overhead from the cooler to the bar. Loud classic rock music was playing while about 20 flatscreen TV's were tuned to various channels.
However, the beer menu was what I was most interested in. I counted 87 draft beers on the menu, including all the macro lagers. There is a good assortment of ales and lagers with a larger selection of Belgian beers then I expected, but there's nothing too out of the ordinary. I didn't have a hard time finding something I wanted to drink, but don't expect to find any rare or extreme beers either (go to the Petrol Station if you're wanting those). It would be nice to have more local beers available though. Two Real Ale (Fireman's #4, Coffee Porter), a Saint Arnold (Lawnmower) and a Shiner (Bock) was all I saw. I had a Green Flash West Coast IPA to start, followed by a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale and ended on a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. All were fresh tasting and served in a standard pint glass. Most beers are also available in a half yard beer glass.
Overall, its pretty much what I expected. Its an upscale eatery that has a large assortment of draft beer. The prices are a little high, but they do have a good happy hour with half-priced appetizers and pizzas. Beer geeks would probably be disappointed by the beer selection, but that's not really the market they're after. Our side of town has gone without a good restaurant that also has a good selection of beer for a very long time and I have a feeling this place will become our new default location for dining out.
We took a much deserved vacation at a resort in Scottsdale last weekend for some rest and relaxation before all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. This was the first vacation where we made no plans for tours, side-trips or sight-seeing. We did absolutely nothing and it was everything we thought it could be. Although, we did go in to town one morning and stopped off at a Trader Joe's and A.J.'s Fine Foods on the way back where I was able to find a few beers to enjoy at the resort and a couple to bring back.
Inversion IPA - A very drinkable IPA from Deschutes that I enjoyed while sitting outside on our patio overlooking the ponds and pools. Citrus and pine hop flavours are well balanced by the slightly sweet malts with a smooth dry finish. 
Vertical Epic 09.09.09 - I bought two of these, one to drink there and one to take home where it can rest comfortably with my other VE beers. Deep, dark brown in colour with a huge soft head that took a while to settle down. Fairly strong roasted malt and chocolate flavours with hints of vanilla and molasses. Quite a change from the past couple in the VE series. 
After our fantastic lunch at Broken Spoke Cafe on Saturday, I was in a Belgian mood when I got home. I had just recently picked up a bottle of Brewery Ommegang's Bière De Mars at my local Spec's and this seemed like the perfect time to try it. Its a Belgian-style amber that's fermented a second time with wild yeast. I let it warm a little on the counter while I dug through my boxes of beer glasses. We just finished remodelling and most of my beer glasses are still packed away, but I knew I had an Ommegang glass somewhere. I had been warned that it contained some pretty heavy sediment in the bottle and I was careful with the pour, but still got a nice foamy head. Aroma was sweet and fruity with a little bit of funkiness to it. Flavours of sweet malt and citrus fruits which give way to a tart and slightly tangy finish. A very easy-drinking and enjoyable beer, but at $12.95 a bottle, I probably won't be getting a second one.
Todd Usry from Breckenridge Brewing will be at the Flying Saucer in Houston tonight. They'll be tapping Breckenridge's new Lucky U IPA and Christmas Ale and the Oatmeal Stout will be on nitrous. Beer starts pouring at 7pm.
In a recent update on their blog, Jester King has announced that they met their financing goal of $5000,000 and have just secured four acres of ranch land in Southwest Austin for the brewery. An existing 6,000 square foot warehouse building has also been purchased which is being dismantled and moved to the new brewery site. Further information is available on the website and in their press release.
We finally made it to the Broke Spoken Cafe this weekend. I've been wanting to go ever since it was announced that Catherine Duwez would start serving up her mussels there after Cafe Montrose closed. We had originally planned for dinner, but found ourselves in the area at lunch time after running various errands. Fortunately, I recently read on their website that their entire menu is available for lunch, including the mussels. Its certainly not hard to find on Washington Ave with the Belgian flag hanging on the outside. The inside is small but quaint and the bicycle theme is broken up with Belgian flags and beer signs and a small Manneken Pis fountain sculpture. It actually reminded me of various cafes I visited while in Belgium.
There was about 4 tables occupied when we arrived and we were told to sit wherever we liked. The staff were friendly and our waitress was able to list the available Belgian beers. I started with a Stella Artois, which was served in the proper glass, while we reviewed the menus. My wife is not a big fan of mussels, so she ordered the veggie omelette off the bunch menu but I order La Complet Belge which includes La Moule Marinière (Mussels steamed with butter, celery, onion, and white wine), Frites (Belgian fries) and a Stella Artois for only $24. I moved on to a Blanche de Bruxelles as we waited for our order and reminisced about eating mussels and frites in Bruges.
Our food arrived quickly and the mussels were served in the traditional pot and the frites came with a side of mayo (homemade?). Our waitress suggested a Kwak when I indicated I'd like a darker Belgian beer and it also arrived in it's traditional glass with the wooden stand (cool!). The mussels were all large and meaty with a smooth texture. The broth was light but flavorful which I soaked up with the crusty french bread. I tried my best to finish them all, but I finally called it quits with about 3 or 4 mussels left in the pot. The bowl of frites was empty. I will also mention that my wife's omelette and homemade potatos was great. The caramelized onions gave it a wonderful sweet rich flavour.
Uncle Billy's in Austin is hosting a Wild Game Brewer's Dinner on Sunday, November 15th. Five courses are paired with five different beers, including their award winning Hell in Keller. The full menu can viewed by clicking on the image to the left. Tickets are $45 and must be purchased in advance. 
Black Star Co-op in Austin has finally announced the location of the brewpub. It will be in the new Midtown Commons right in front of the Crestview Station MetroRail stop. There will be a special unveiling event at the location this Saturday from 1pm ~ 4pm which will include tours of the space and a brief beer social.
Scheduled to open this fall, the Branch Water is a new modern American tavern located on Shepherd, just a few blocks South of the popular Washington Avenue strip in Houston. The menu will be "seasonally inspired, featuring local organic meat and produce, locally-sourced fish and seafood, and an extensive cured meat and charcuterie program". Sounds great, but what has me particularly intrigued is they also indicate their "Beers will be artisanal" and that the "beverage program will first and foremost be driven to match the cuisine. Cocktails, beer and wine will also change with the seasons". It certainly reads well on a press release, so I look forward to checking it out when they open and seeing how much consideration has actually been given to the beer selection.
I recently got the new HTC Hero phone that runs Google's Android OS. Its similar in looks and functionality as the iPhone, but the OS is open-source. As soon as I become familiar with the phone, I began searching the Internets for cool beer related apps to download onto it. Here are the ones that I've found:
It looks like Austin is one step closer to having another microbrewery. According to their blog entry today, Ben and Jud have managed to raise enough capital to go ahead and place an order for a 30 BBL brewing system. Now they just need to find a place to put it.
In 2004, the American Homebrew Association established Teach A Friend To Homebrew Day as a fun way to introduce new people to the hobby of homebrewing. It occurs every year on the first Saturday in November and over 600 people were taught how to homebrew last year. The event was recently renamed to just Learn To Homebrew Day, but the idea is still the same. If you know how to homebrew, grab a friend who's interested in learning and brew up a batch of beer with them this Saturday. 
BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse is having an Irish Dinner and Beer Tasting featuring a tribute to the 250th anniversary of Guinness. Six courses are paired with Harp, Smithwick's, Guinness and several of BJ's in-house brews (beers served at Texas locations are contract brewed at Saint Arnold Brewery in Houston). The dinner event is actually occurring at various BJ's locations around the country during the months of October and 
November. The Texas locations and dates are:
The Ginger Man in Houston has a couple of upcoming events this weekend:
