Well we’re officially pre-selling our Craft Beer Advent Calendars until Sunday 11/23. Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is. Tired of watching your kids have all the fun with their crappy milk chocolate advent calendars? Treat yourself! Great as gifts. UPDATE: We only have ELEVEN pre-sale slots left for these calendars! Order ASAP or risk missing out! Phone pre-orders are fine: call the store during regular business hours, 512-600-1088.
The holiday shopping season is fast approaching and we need your help! Do you have any empty 6-pack holders sitting around the house collecting dust? Recycle them with us this holiday! We go through an insane amount of 6 pack carriers, so help your empty carriers extend their life! Thanks in advance.
The fantastic Austin Beer Guide is still taking votes for their annual voting for their Best Of edition which will be released on Thursday December 18th. Hit the link here and vote for all your favorites in local craft beer from 2014. We’d certainly love if you wanted to vote for us for Best Bottle Shop! Enter WhichCraft in question #11, and we’ll see you 12/18 at the ABG winter guide release party!
We will be closed Thanksgiving (nom nom nom) but open normal hours on Black Friday, 11am – 10pm. Also Black Friday is the first day you can pick up your craft beer advent calendars (assuming you pre-ordered) as well as the annual Goose Island Bourbon County release. Details in next week’s newsletter.
Upcoming Events, 6-8pm
No tasting events booked next week… enjoy the holiday week with your loved ones!!
New Beers This Week
Uinta Sea Legs Baltic Porter – Complex and drinkable, Sea Legs delivers flavors of roasted malt and chocolate. Sea Legs was aged in Bourbon Barrels for nearly 12 months adding toasted vanilla and bourbon notes to the flavor profile. This Medium-bodied Baltic Porter has a complex malt profile and mild hop bitterness. 8% ABV/Salt Lake City, UT/Ratebeer 99
Dogfish Olde School Barleywine – Brewed from 100% Maris Otter pale ale malt, a blend of fine hops and conditioned on dates and figs. If you’re just getting into cellaring beer, this is a great one to start your collection on. Over time, the beer dries out and the pit fruit flavors come forward and the hops recede. 15% ABV/Milton, DE/Ratebeer 98
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux – Bons Vœux (Good Wishes) is a blond high fermentation beer, re-fermented in the bottle. First brewed in 1970, this is a coppery blond beer with aromas of hops. Dupont’s selection of yeasts and a long maturation phase with hopping gives it flavor and a characteristic and complex taste. 9.5% ABV/Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium/Ratebeer 99
Revolver Blood & Honey – Here by popular demand! We’ve been anxiously awaiting Revolver to send their bottled beers to Austin and the wait is over. Blood & Honey is an unfiltered deep golden ale made with malted two row barley and wheat. The brew is finished with Blood Orange zest, local Fall Creek Farms Honey and other spices that bring special flavors to this unique beer. 7% ABV/Granbury, TX/Beer Advocate 87
Revolver Bock – Caramel and toffee notes bring a full and satisfying body to this classic style. Northern Brewer and Willamette hops balance the sweetness of the malt. 6.5% ABV/Granbury, TX/Beer Advocate 87
Revolver High Brass Blonde Ale – A smooth and drinkable blonde ale brewed with the palest pilsner malt and select caramel malts. The flavor is malty without being heavy. The beer is finished with Saphir hops from Germany. 6% ABV/Granbury, TX/Beer Advocate 81
Seattle Cider Company is barely over a year old and they’re already making very good and balanced cider using all Pacific Northwest apples. They just launched this week in Texas so we’re very excited to have their ciders in the store. They have two ciders in 4 pack 16-oz cans, Dry (Brix: 0) and Semi-Sweet (Brix: 3).
Seattle Cider Three Pepper* – Featuring an aroma of fresh, green jalapeños paired with a unique flavor profile, combining the taste of poblano, habanero and jalapeño peppers, this cider offers a kick followed by a subtly sweet finish. 6.9% ABV/Seattle, WA *Arriving Friday
Seattle Cider Pumpkin Spice* – This semi-sweet cider is a blend of 5 apples and is copper in color and perfect for fall. Fermented with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, it offers hints of the season’s favorite spices followed by just a touch of pumpkin. 6.9% ABV/Seattle, WA *Arriving Friday
Harpoon Chocolate Stout – Harpoon Chocolate Stout is brewed with an abundance of chocolate malt and a touch of chocolate. This one has been part of the Harpoon seasonal lineup since 2010 and is a chocolate lover’s delight. 5.9% ABV/Boston, MA/Ratebeer 96
Deep Ellum Oak Cliff – An oatmeal brown ale with Panamanian coffee from Oak Cliff Coffee added. The coffee beans were personally delivered to the brewery and the beans were coarse ground at the brewery just before making the cold brew coffee and adding it to the fermentation tank. 7.5% ABV/Dallas, TX/Ratebeer 90
Upslope Christmas – This lightly spiced English old ale is caramel colored and malty sweet. Second generation to the traditional Winter Warmer, allspice, orange peel and ginger round out the piney aroma of crushed juniper berries. Beer Advocate 85
Great Divide Peach Grand Cru – Peach Grand Cru is Great Divide’s newest limited offering. Brewed with Colorado fruit picked right at the peak of ripeness, this Belgian-style ale marries two of our Colorado’s well-known offerings: great beer and fresh Palisade peaches. Both sophisticated and balanced, this extraordinary, aromatic ale was born to be savored beyond the orchard. 12% ABV/Denver, CO/Ratebeer 83
Petrus Winter #9*– Petrus’ holidays seasonal is a caramel red Belgian strong ale and is only brewed in November. Its mild flavor is the perfect starting point for pleasant holidays. Rich, dark fruit flavor, as well as molasses and caramel. 9% ABV/Harelbeke, Belgium/Ratebeer 82 *Arriving Friday
Victory Winter Cheers – A wheat ale, combining German wheat and barley malts, oats, torrified wheat and whole flower Tettnang and Citra hops, this fruity and warming holiday brew delivers a refreshing finish, with spicy hints of banana, clove and citrus. 6.7% ABV/Downington, PA/Beer Advocate 82
Sixpoint Global Warmer – An Imperial Red ale of global proportions, rich with toasted malt and enough bright hops to warm you through the winter. Comes in Sixpoint’s iconic skinny 12 oz cans in 6 packs. Caramel red in color but still aggressively hopped like an IPA. 7% ABV/Brooklyn, NY/Beer Advocate 88
Saint Arnold Sailing Santa – Sailing Santa is a blend of St Arnold’s Christmas Ale and Elissa IPA with some spices added. The result is a pleasantly hoppy strong dark ale with spices. A blend of each base beer is brewed and then it is blended in the fermenter with spices added. 7% ABV/Houston, TX/No ratings, as beer recipe changes each year.
FYI Founders Backwoods Bastard is back in stock.
ARRIVING FRIDAY: Lone Pint Yellow Rose, Community Mosaic, Vienna Lager, Witbier and Legion Imperial Stout, as well as Lakewood Temptress, Hop Trapp, Vienna Lager & Zomer Pils.
Weekend Tastings, 6-8pm
Friday
Revolver Blood & Honey
Community Legion Imperial Stout
Deep Ellum Oak Cliff Coffee Ale
One other random thing we’ll open up
Saturday
Community Mosaic
Victory Winter Cheers
Adelbert’s Sundowner Biere Brut
One other random thing we’ll open up