No Label Brewing Beer Dinner at Baker Street Pub

The Baker Street Pub & Grill out in Katy is hosting a Beer Dinner featuring No Label Brewing on Monday, February 20th. For the low cost of $35 per person, you'll receive a four course meal paired with beers from No Label and even get to try their new Jalapeno Ale. The menu hasn't been released yet, but you can make reservations by calling the Bakerstreet pub.

Tickets on Sale for the 2012 Texas Beer Festival

The 2012 Texas Beer Fest will take place on Saturday, April 28th and tickets are now on sale.  The current price is $17 for an entrance ticket (which will increase closer to the date of the event), a set of 12 food and beer tickets will cost you $12 and a special VIP upgrade package is available for $38.  See the Ticket Information page for additional information and buying instructions

This is the second year for the Texas Beer Fest which was held last year at the Humble Civic Center Arena (read a recap of the festival here).  About 1,500 attended the innaugural event, but many who didn't said it was because it was too far away (it was near the George Bush Intercontinental Airport people, not halfway to Dallas). Well, to appease those complaints, this year the festival is being held at Discovery Green in downtown Houston. Further details about participating breweries, food vendors, etc will be released in the coming weeks, but circle the date on your calendar or go ahead and buy your tickets now (and take advantage of discounted prices). The location couldn't be better and the weather should still be great for an outdoor event. If you want to have even more fun, offer to be a volunteer. Its a great way to meet people and become more involved in the craft beer community.

A pre-party is also taking place on Saturday, February 4th at 7:00pm at the Ginger Man. Special Texas beers will be on tap, live music from Brandon Mathews Band with special guest Brant Lee Croucher, food trucks and more.

AHA Rally at Saint Arnold

Saint Arnold Brewing is hosting an American Homebrewers Association rally on Sunday, February 26th from 1pm ~ 3pm. Entrance to the event includes beer samples, brewery tour and a chance to win prices from the AHA and Saint Arnold.

Entrance is free for current AHA members and non-members can gain entrance by joining for a discounted rate at the door. Space is limited and you are asked to RSVP online if you plan to attend.

To learn more about the American Homebrewers Association and what a membership can do for you, see the Membership Benefits on their website.

A Celebration of Dark Beers at Petrol Station

In celebration of Stouts and Ports, the Petrol Station is once again hosting a "Once you go black, you never go back" celebration on Saturday, January 28th. So far, they've announced on their Facebook page the following beers will be available during the event:

Stone - 15 th anniversary double black ipa
Stone - IRS
Avery - Mephistopheles
Great Divide - Belgian Yeti
Flying Dog - Gonzo Imperial Porter
Rogue - Double Chocolate
Rahr - Barrel-aged Winter Warmer
Buffalo Bayou Brewing co - Imperial Gingerbread Stout

In addition to the above beers (and probably others that haven't been mentioned yet) there is also a special tapping of various cask-conditioned beers:

2pm - Independence Brewing - Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout
3pm - Saint Arnold - Whiskey-Aged Imperial Stout
4pm - Real Ale - 15th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout
5pm - Clown Shoes - Vampire Slayer

If that's not enough beer for you, you can also join the special bottle share starting at 1:00pm. However, you need to bring a bottle of a rare dark beer to participate. For everyone else, the party begins at 2:00pm.

The results of the homebrew contest will also be announced during the event. The entries were narrowed down a few weeks ago to the following 7 finalists:

Brian Barran, Matt Foster, Kevin Butler, David Rogers, Lisa Norberg, Kyle Preston / Chris Keller and Allen Schneider.

Open The Taps Fundraiser at Southern Star Brewing

Open The Taps (a grassroots organization dedicated to changing Texas beer laws and regulations) is holding their first fundraiser of 2012 on Sunday, February 12th from 2pm ~ 5pm at Southern Star Brewing in Conroe.

Only 100 Tickets are being sold for the event which will be available for purchase online to current members of the Open The Tap organization starting on Friday, January 20th.  Any remaining tickets will then be released for sale to the general public over the weekend. Tickets are $30 each or 2 for $50 (when purchased together) which will get you the following:


• A brewery tour & tasting.
• Food from Coreanos Texas Food Truck.
• Music from local band Folk Family Revival.
• The chance to bid on special items from local breweries and businesses.
• 1 raffle ticket (additional raffle tickets will be for sale at the event - $2 per ticket or 3 for $5).

The proceeds from the event will help fund their mission to bring change to Texas craft beer laws in the 2013 legislative session.

Independence Brewing Wins National Award

Independence Brewing of Austin, TX received a 2012 Good Food Award for their Convict Hill Stout at an awards ceremony that took place in San Fransisco last night. 

The Good Food Awards, now in its second year, grants awards to outstanding American food producers and the farmers who provide their ingredients in such categories as beer, charcuterie and spirits. The Good Food Awards seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good.

Selected from over 900 entries, Independence was the only Texas brewery in the list of 18 finalist which included well known craft breweries such as Alaskan, Brooklyn, New Belgium and Victory.  In order to be eligible for a Good Food Award in the beer category, brewers must meet the following criteria:

• Practice water recycling and other resource conservation
• Support local communities
• Source ingredients locally when possible
• Make an effort to seek out ingredients that are free of synthetic inputs, including pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers.
• Do not use any artificial ingredients or GMOs.
• Seek to know their suppliers and customers in order to support and promote sustainability

“Breweries should be a reflection of their community, and Independence Brewing is a reflection of Austin,” said Independence co-founder Amy Cartwright. “With creative tenacity we strive to responsibly produce the absolute best in our field while working with fellow farmers, business owners and non-profits to build a thriving community.”

Congratulations to the crew at Independence Brewing.  Convict Hill Stout is available at various locations around town including Spec's, HEB and Whole Foods.

January Glass Nights at the Ginger Man

The Ginger Man has released their list of Glass Nights for the month of January (sorry, late on posting this and missed the first two already, too busy drinking beer and not posting about it):

18th - Magic Hat frosted glasses
25th - Rahr mugs

The glasses are available starting at 6:00pm and only one glass per person with purchase of the beer of the day. As always, the glasses are subject to change and only available while supplies last.