All Souls 2012 edition ready for release
The All Souls 2012 Easter Edition is set to be released this week, as I’m sure those who purchased a bottle at the Missoula Winter Brew Fest already know. If you missed out, don’t fret. You can still place an order by emailing christian.cryder@gmail.com, or RSVP (again by emailing christian.cryder@gmail.com) to attend the release party on Thursday from 6-9 p.m. at Bg Sky Brewing. There will be food (thus the RSVP) and music by Tom Catmull and the Clerics. Bottles of the 750ml Dark Tripel (rather than the Imperial Saison of the first release) sell for $14 and help raise money for Imagine Missoula.
All Souls Ale is back, and it’s better than ever! The folks at Big Sky Brewing Co. have brewed a brand new style for 2012, and the results are amazing – a daring Dark Tripel that marries Belgian yeast with bold American hops to create a truly stunning Easter Ale, loaded with hints of cirtus fruit. It’s a 10.8% wonder that’s fit for a king!
While it will be released in time for Easter, All Souls Ale can be enjoyed throughout the year (like wine it improves with age!). This is a very limited edition run (only 100 cases total!), and it makes great holiday gifts. Plus, ALL the profits help Imagine Missoula meet real needs right here in Missoula! Last year’s All Souls Ale generated over $7,000! Wow!
- Matt Pritchard
This is how robots pour beer in Tokyo
A family friend and lover of beer sent this video to my dad the other day. It’s from the United club at the Tokyo airport in Japan. Judging by the looks of it, and what I know about Japanese beer, it’s probably either Sapporo, Asahi or Kirin. The separate tube for foam is a little strange, don’t you think?
- Matt Pritchard
Belgian beer tasting on tap at Cafe Dolce
Cafe Dolce is hosting another beer tasting on Tuesday, March 27. This time they’re highlighting beer from Belgium, a place close to my heart, or at least my relatives’ hearts. There are a limited number of slots available beginning at 5 p.m. and the cost is $20.
Join us next Tuesday, March 27th, as we taste through a wide variety of the word’s best known brewing region – Belgium. We’ll talk about it’s storied brewing culture and history, and enjoy some delicious beer.
You may make a reservation for tasting start time(s) ranging from 5:00 – 7:00 (until each time slot fills).
Remember that we take reservations for dinner as well, so reserve a table an hour past your tasting time if you’d like to stay for a meal.
Reservations 406-830-3055.
- Matt Pritchard
Draught Works going Irish for day, giving away free shirts
I expect more than a few people will lose their shirts this St. Patrick’s Day for one reason or another (I’ll leave that to your imagination as to how). If you’re one of those people, be sure to grab a backup at Draught Works on Saturday. The brewery is handing out free shirts beginning at 10 a.m. to the first 50 who saddle up to the bar and buy a pint. There will also be music by John Floridis, the Celtic Dragon Bagpipers and Mudslide Charlie throughout the day. Oh, and Gwin Du stout will be on the cask.
While you’re there, you might also want to check out the new seasonal, Heart of Darkness black IPA, which was just released.
Cheers.
- Matt Pritchard
Whistling Andy Distillery readies release of first whiskey
St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us and if you’re looking to celebrate with a Montana whiskey, well, you’re in luck.
Bigfork’s Whistling Andy Distillery is set to uncork one barrel of its first whiskey on March 17. Bottles of Harvest Select will be for sale on a first-come, first-serve basis at 10 a.m. at the distillery (8541 MT Hwy 35 Bigfork). There’s a two-bottle limit and the first 100 through the doors get a special treat: Whiskey Chocolate Cupcakes with Andy’s Irish Cream frosting. Cost is between $42-$48 a bottle.
Harvest Select Whiskey is made with grain from Lake Seed in Ronan. The grains are milled at The Hedstrom Farm north of Kalispell. Harvest Select is an American-style whiskey made from four grains: barley, wheat, corn and rye. After the blend of these four grains are fermented in our deep-aquifer water , the whiskey is triple distilled in our American-made pot still.
The whiskey has aged over the past year in medium-charred American white oak barrels made for Whistling Andy in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The ageing process gives the whiskey a golden amber hue, mellowing the fiery heart of the distilled spirit. Harvest Select Whiskey has a sweet, fruity nose leading into warm spiciness mid-palate and finishes smooth with accents of toasted caramel and well-rounded oak flavors.
The whiskey will also be for sale at state liquor stores in Missoula and Bozeman on a limited basis.
Now the only question is: What beer am I going to have with this?
- Matt Pritchard
Next Bitter Root Brewing Brewer’s Dinner set March 18
Bitter Root Brewing is hosting another Brewer’s Dinner on Sunday, March 18, at 5 p.m. Seats generally fill up pretty quickly, so if you’re thinking about going email Jason Goeltz at jason@bitterrootbrewing.com. Tickets are $55 per person, and that gets you six (what?) courses paired with the Root’s delicious beer over three hours. I haven’t seen what’s on the menu this time around, but to give you an idea, this was one dessert from a recent dinner:
Malted barley pudding with a cherry compote, pistachio butter and a dry hopped (yes..you read that right…dry hopped chocolate with Citra hops) ganache, paired with Red Dread Imperial Red Ale.
I’ve been itching to get over there for one of these shindigs. Not sure if this will be the one, but hopefully soon.
- Matt Pritchard
Sunday breakfast beer: Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
It’s Sunday morning, so it’s as good a time as any for a breakfast beer. I picked up this Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout at one of my favorite places to buy beer, Pattee Creek Market. For me, coffee is second only to beer, so I was pretty excited by the prospects of this stout. Unfortunately, this one fell a little short of my expectations. I was looking for a bit more of a robust coffee flavor, which I didn’t really get. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, but not great … and the bottle will be finished.
Happy Sunday.
- Matt Pritchard
Beerjobber.com ships beer directly from breweries, just not to Montana
With so many breweries sprouting up all across America, it’d be nice to buy beer that you normally can’t find at your local market. That’s where a relatively new service hopes to fill a void.
Beerjobber.com works with breweries and connects them with beer lovers. Users of the service can place orders from specific breweries over the site and then Beerjobber picks up the beer and ships it to your doorstep.
When I first saw this, I didn’t think it was legal. And in some states, like Montana, it isn’t. (When I asked them over Twitter they said, “Unfortunately no. MT has some of the strangest laws in the country!”)
Nonetheless, they do ship to some 38 states and they’re adding breweries all the time. So if you live outside the Big Sky, it’s worth a shot to see if they deliver to you. Prices are around $50 per case and shipping ranges from $6 to $20.
- Matt Pritchard