Thanks for your help and support for our Beer Rescue Program. We’ve already helped dozens of beers find a nice home to live out their days in a hoppy paradise. Here is an updated list of rescue beers.
Upcoming Events, All 6-8pm Unless Otherwise Noted
Thursday, July 17th, 2014
Local folks South Austin Brewing will be here to sample their three new cans, the Luckenbock, Texas Pale Ale and Kol’ beer.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014
Join Cole Kephart from Firestone Walker to sample everything we have in stock from this top-rated brewery out of Paso Robles, CA. We’ll sample Double Barrel, Union Jack, Wookey Jack, Double Jack, Opal, Easy Jack, Pale 31 and Pivo Pils from 6-8pm. Cole will also bring a rare bottle or two from his personal collection to sample for free!
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
William Wallace* from Hops & Grain will be joining us to taste their awesomely well crafted beers, including the new Greenhouse #7 (arriving on Monday 7/21!). He may even bring one or two surprises from the tap room not normally canned. Don’t miss it, and get a free taste of incredibly fresh Greenhouse!
*Not his actual last name, but his personality is as epic as William Wallace.
Friday, July 25th, 2014
A very special celebrity tasting! From 6-8pm Christine Celis of Celis Brewery fame will join us to taste beers from her imported beer portfolio, courtesy of Artisanal Imports & Authentic Beverages. We’ll be tasting SIX incredible Belgian imports for free, and you’ll get to talk with Christine and hear her spin tales of her father’s work at Hoegaarden and Celis Brewery here in Austin. Tasting: Brouwers Verzet Oud Bruin sour brown, Triporteur Heaven & Hell, Lupulus, Ter Dolen Kriek, and Aspall Blush cider. Epic tasting!
Saturday, July 26th, 2014
How’s this for a wicked tasting event?? The crew from Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que on Barton Springs will be invading WhichCraft from 12-3pm and tasting not only their bready & deliciously crisp Humbucker Helles (for sale in 4 pack cans!) but also Uncle Billy’s BBQ! We’ll be setting up a few tables out on our patio to sample the beer & BBQ and it’s all free!
New Beers This Week
We’re very happy to welcome Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales from Dexter, Michigan to the state. They’ve launched four different bottles here, and we still have stock of each. All are bottle conditioned barrel aged farmhouse and open fermentation beers, so they range from slightly funky and tart to full on sour. Not to be missed if you like Jester King beers!
Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial – A rich brown ale brewed with cocoa, orange peel, and cinnamon. It still finishes tart, and you can pick up the subtle effects of barrel aging. 7.5% ABV/Dexter, MI
Jolly Pumpkin Biere de Mars – The bottle calls this a French Style Stock Ale aged in oak barrels. If that isn’t a mouthful enough for you, the beer certainly will be. It’s brewed with two different yeast strains, and that’s prior to the bottle conditioning it undergoes. It’s dark, rich, well attenuated, and a true delight. 7% ABC/Dexter, MI
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Boreal – This is a fantastic collaboration with Anchorage Brewing Company, and features a ton of spice, funk and fruit. It’s brewed with grapefruit peel, juice and peppercorns, and is probably the most unique of the 4 bottles available. 7% ABV/Dexter, MI
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza – This is a multiple gold medal winner, featuring quite a bit of spice and pepper flavors sitting on top of a traditional Belgian golden ale base. Like all Jolly Pumpkin beers, this undergoes a secondary fermentation in oak with wild yeast, so it’s much more complex than you might think. 8% ABV/Dexter, MI
Jester King Provenance – We were lucky enough to get some Jester King out in the retail channel this week, and the Provenance is a wonderful example of JK’s legendary beers. This is the orange & grapefruit version, and they used both grapefruit juice and peel in its creation. It is well attenuated and finishes tart and dry like all JK creations. 5.6% ABV/Austin, TX
Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout – Barrels that once contained world-famous Kentucky Bourbon lend a sweet hint of caramel and vanilla to dark-roasted malts and finish with the essence of a lightly roasted coffee. The barrel-aged flavors native to Kentucky compliment this complex stout brewed and aged with Haitian coffee to create the bourbon country’s own Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout. 8% ABV/Lexington, KY
Lexington Peach Barrel Wheat – This is a traditional witbier that is treated nontraditionally. It’s aged in oak barrels to add vanilla and caramel notes to the peach flavor. It also comes in at 8% ABV which certainly packs more punch than most witbiers. Lexington, KY
Sierra Nevada Beer Camp – This is one of the most unique ideas to come to craft beer in recent years. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, one of the oldest independent craft brewers in the country, traveled around the US to brew 12 collaboration brews with other highly rated breweries. The result is a mixed 12 pack of all collaborations with some of the biggest names in US craft beer. Very unique and they’ll go fast!
Prearis Grand Cru – Bourbon Barrel aging lovers and Belgian beer lovers will each find something to love in this excellent Bourbon aged Quad from Prearis. Coming in at 10% ABV and aged 10 months in Makers Mark barrels, this one can be enjoyed today (already aged for a year), or cellared for up to another 5+ years.
Boulevard 2 Jokers – Boulevard’s latest from their Smokestack series is a double Belgian wit that comes in at 8% ABV. It starts with a nod to a traditional Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and plenty of cloudy wheat. But from there it strays from the norm by adding cardamom, lavender and grains of paradise. 8% ABV/ Kansas City, MO
Malheur Zestig – A traditional Belgian strong ale with plenty of hop bite that comes in at 60 IBUs. Some Belgian IPAs can be too much Belgian or too much IPA, but this one strikes a great balance between the two. It’s a beast, though, coming in at 10% ABV. Buggenhout, Belgium
Dogfish Estruca – One of the Ancient Ales series, this beer continues to expand on a series of unique and ancient beers brewed around the world. This one comes from Italy around 800 BC and contains pomegranate juice, raisins, hazelnut flour and three types of honey. 8.5% ABV/Milton, DE
Golden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer – A perfect 100 on ratebeer! Every year on the 24th of February, the birthday of “Charles the fifth”, the brewery brews the Gouden Carolus “Cuvee of the Emperor” in a limited quantity and with an eye on the highest quality and tradition. This unique brewing, with only extra fine Belgian hops and with a higher alcohol level, guarantees a better evolution in the time, than the already known Gouden Carolus. 11% ABV/Mechelen, Belgium
Alaskan Pilot Series Imperial Red – A full-bodied deep mahogany ale with ruby red highlights. Citrus notes of chamomile, grapefruit and Meyer lemon brighten the aroma. A zesty array of hop flavors from mango and bitter orange to green mint and hibiscus meld with the nutty, roasted caramel and subtle dried fruit flavors of the complex malt profile to create a surprisingly fresh, yet warming example of the style. 8.5% ABV/Juneau, AK
Victory Moving Parts – Batch #1 in the Moving Parts rotating IPA series, this one is a blend of whole-flower hops from the US, UK and Germany, with German malts. At 7.2% this one is fresh enough to have a ton of hop aroma and flavor but still be very drinkable. Downington, PA
Twisted X Senor Viejo – The senor is in the house! This beast comes in at 8.2% thanks to being tequila barrel aged. The base beer is a nice roasty schwarzbier. This is Twisted X’s most ambitious and sought after annual release and it’s definitely worth the wait. 8.2% ABV/Dripping Spring, TX
Weekend Tastings
Friday
Jester King Orange & Grapefruit Provenance
Avery 21 Imperial Brown Ale
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
One more random one
Saturday
Rogness Joie D’Ete Saison
Uinta Trader
Ska Brewing True Blonde
He’Brew Rejewvenator