Beer Review - Barbe Ruby

Brouwerij Verhaeghe Barbe Ruby Fruit Beer - 7.7% ABV

Here is a special treat for you to try from Brewery Verhaeghe in Vichte, Belgium.  Does this brewery sound familiar?  No?  What if I said Duchesse de Bourgogne?  Ring a bell?  Ah, those guys.  Any lover of Belgian sour beers has tried 'The Duchesse'.  This small, family owned and operated brewery (since 1885) in West Flanders produces some of the most intersting sours that we have ever tried, the Barbe Ruby is no exception.

The Ruby is actually 1of 4 on the 'Barbe' line of beers.  Barbe d'Or, Barbe Rouge and Barbe Black are included in the series, and even though we haven't tried any of them, after trying this gem we will surely seek them out.  Brouwerij Barbe d'Or was a medieval brewery in the old town of Leige and belonged to the family 'de Romsee', an ancient Liege family whose coat of arms adorns the logo of the 'Barbe' beers.



Barbe Ruby is a top fermenting beer and has an interesting opaque 'ruby' color
(duh).  The nose is of cherries and almonds, a bit sour but so darn interesting that we spent quite a bit of time passing the glass around so everyone could have a sniff.  The flavor is every bit as interesting with the sweet hitting you right at the front but with the fruit sliding right in behind, leaving a tartness lingering on your tongue.  Complex, complex, complex.  Take your time and sip this one, allowing the beer to rest on the tongue for a bit.  Highly recommended.

Banana Nut Beer Bread

Hey, what say we continue on with the beer/food/porn track?  Oops, forget the porn part (or not, just don't get anything in the cake). This easy to make holiday treat will be a hit with the beer geeks in your circle.

Ingredients:
1 - Butter Pecan cake mix
3 - eggs
1 - cup brown honey ale (or nut brown ale)
1/4 cup of melted butter
3 - large, very ripe bananas (lots of black showing on the skin), mashed
1 - package (3 oz.) instant banana pudding
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Dump ALL of the ingredients into a large bowl
- Mix for about 3 minutes
- Pour igredients into 2 greased (or cooking spray) loaf pans.
- Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until knife inserted into the bread come out clean.  The bread will be slightly browned.
- Eat that shit

Dark Chocolate Stout Cream Pie Recipe

Thankgiving is about the turkey, right?  Stuffing?  Of course.  Sweet Potatoes?  Damn straight!  For you, maybe, but not me.  I'm all about the desserts.  Baked goods are rare in these parts so when I get my hands on something in a pie tin I tend to overdo it quite a bit.  Like a "give me the pie, give me a fork and get out of my face" kind of thing.  Here is one of my favorites that combine my 2 favorite things to shove in my face .... pie and beer.  Easy to make, easy to eat.  Cheers - Bon

Dark Chocolate Stout Pie

Ingredients

Crust

1- Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box.

Filling

1 3/4 - cups whole milk

1/2 - cup stout beer

1 - box (6-serving size) chocolate pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)

1 1/2 - cups semisweet chocolate chips

Topping

1 1/2 - cups whipping cream

2 - tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 - teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• 1 Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• 2 Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, cook milk, beer and pudding mix over medium heat 5 to 8 minutes or until mixture comes to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Pour into medium bowl; cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until cold.
• Drink the remainder of the stout.
• 3 Spoon and spread pudding mixture evenly into crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours until set.
• Drink another beer while you wait.
• 4 Just before serving, in chilled medium bowl, beat topping ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Spread over top of pie. Garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

Courtesy Betty Crocker

Thanksgiving Beer Pairings

You have become quite an expert in beer and don't need no stinkin' bloggers telling you exactly which beers to drink at Thanksgiving, do you?  So rather than tell you which beers we would drink, let us suggest to you a couple of beer styles to consider when chosing your holiday brews.

What do you eat at Thanksgiving?  Turkey?  Ham?  Roast beer?  Pizza?  Even though turkey is the traditional choice, it isn't really close to being the only choice.  What is traditional is that you will probably eat a huge selection of foods with wide ranging flavors, so it is quite difficult to suggest a particular beer style.  Or is it?  There are a few beer styles which are so easy to drink and so broad in flavor profile that they could easily be paired with any food type, so for your consideration:

 - Bière de garde or Saison - Look, you are going to eat virtually every animal found in a farmyard, so why not pair your dinner with a beer that has a earthy, barnyardy background.  This yeasty, lightly carbonated beer will handily compliment your turkey OR your ham.  You may wish to consider Saison Dupont.

 - German Marzen or Oktoberfest - Rich and malty, but lightly textured beer will not fill you up, preventing you from gorging on Grandma's stuffing.  Hell, this will even make dry, overcooked turkey easy to consume.  WE will be drinking Paulaner Oktoberfest with our bird.

 - Scotch Ale - Oh-so-smooth and probably too easy to drink, this beer's carmelized, malty, character perfectly complement any meat dish, and the peaty bitterness tones down the sugars in your dessert, making it easy to tolerate a 2nd or even 3rd slice of pie.  We always have Belhaven in our refrigerator and so should you.

 - Brown Ale - While Newcastle Brown Ale is probably too one-dimensional to use in your Thanksgiving pairings, American style brown ales have a chocolatey, malty, hoppy profile that will bring a pop to your tarts.  Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale or Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar would be our choices.

 - Dubbel - Oh come on, you knew we were going to snob it up, it was just a matter of when. It will so impress your family/friends when you whip out a bottle of Chimay Première (red label) and pop the cork.  The rich warm maltiness lives to be paired with baked goods and the significant carbonation cuts through the coating in your mouth from the greasy, cheesy goodness that Aunt Matilda brought.

 - Dessert - Two ways to look at picking a beer for dessert.  There is sweet to complement the sweet, or bitter to contrast the sweet.  Let start with sweet:  your type 2 diabetes is going to cause you to lose a limb anyway, so go ahead and pick up an English Barley Wine or a Belgian Quadruppel. Dark fruits, caramel and toffee character of these beers will pair along with any dessert, we'll just call you 'Stumpy'.  Firestone Walker §ucaba will be our poison pick.  Bitter:  Pick a beer that is as bitter as your holiday hating personality.  What?  Your wife just left you for her boss?  Choose a west coast double IPA that will make your face scrunch up every time you take a sip, so that your friends and family know just how shitty you think life really is.  Stone Ruination should fit the bill.

Firewheel Brewing Ceases Operation

You have probably heard by now that Firewheel Brewing Company has ceased to be, it is no more, it is a dead parrot. Actually, you may not have heard, so sorry to be the one to tell you.

This brings up an interesting question; why would a city that size of Dallas not be able to support a moderate number of craft breweries?  The Snobs have discussed this to some length and have come up with a couple of insights.

There are several cities that are much smaller than Dallas that support a great number of breweries with the number increasing every year.  Seattle, for example has over 100 breweries, almost 300 in Washington, with no sign of retraction.  Tampa, Florida has 40 breweries. Tampa. Ashville, North Carolina, with a population of LESS THAN 100,000 souls, has over 40 successful breweries.  So why can Dallas not support the few that are currently in operation? The problem lies in both the producers and the consumers.  Let's slam the consumers first, shall we?

Texas has a huge macho problem.  The vast majority of Dallasites love to be able to brag that they drank 24 beers the night before rather than bragging that they drank 2 delicious craft beers.  The fact that the 24 watery beers that they guzzled while watching the Cowboy lose yet again, actually contained less alcohol than the 2 delights that they could have had does not matter at all.  These are the same people that drive a Fordasaurus 4 wheel drive, duelie truck the 2 blocks between where they live and work. Unfortunately, these people will never become craft beer drinkers.  The craft beer producers in Dallas do not seem to recognize this fact.  They refuse to admit that Bubba will never drink craft beer, yet that is the market that they continue to pursue.

To be sure there are several fine beers being produced in Dallas, award winning gems scattered here and there.  Unfortunately, there are many very average to below average beers being produced as well. There is not one beer or brewery that has garnished national attention.  Why?  Because Dallas brewers play it very safe and take no risks.  We find it disconcerting that there are no breweries in Dallas willing to take any risks. The brewers in Dallas do not recognize that the kind of people that wish to be active in the craft beer movement are stimulated by genius and inspiration, and without these there is no excitement, no chatter.  Dallas brewers are, in a word, boring.  Safe = dull = death to the industry.  Every brewer in the metroplex makes a stout, an ale, an IPA, and all are very similar and while a few stand out as really good examples of the styles, they are very, very safe.

Even for a market as unsophisticated as Dallas, there is room for many more craft breweries. But there is no more room for boring beers.  In order for these to succeed the brewers and investors will need to recognize that they need to get the craft beer drinkers excited about their creations.  An amazing beer will create lots of chatter, and excitement is infectious.  While hipsters are annoying, they will jump on to any bandwagon that is creating talk, and hold on with a deathgrip, bringing other hipsters along with it.  This is what the Dallas beer market desperately needs, some excitement.

We are sad to see Firewheel go the way of Pearl and Celis, but their beers were just too dull, and they were located in an area that is far from enlightened.  Remember Dallas brewers, safe = death.

Flying Saucer NTX Beer Week events

Flying Saucer Addison

Event: North Texas Beer Week Specials at Flying Saucer

Date:  Nov. 9 to Nov. 14     

Time: All day

Tickets: N/A

Location: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 149999 Montfort Dr., Dallas, TX 75254   

Website: http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/addison/

Contact:  972-991-7093

Age: 21 and up

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlyingSaucerAddison

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flyingsauceradd

Description:

Join Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Addison to celebrate North Texas Beer Week! Throughout the week, Saucer will have special releases each day along with representatives from each brewery. The schedule is below.

Monday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.: Firestone Walker Brewing Company rare beer release with Tyler Stickle who will share his knowledge of bother beer and the brewery.

Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.: Ninkasi Brewing Company release event with $3 draught specials hosted by Steve Hubachek of Andrews Distributing.

Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.: Deschutes Brewery’s traveling Barrel Tap House also known as Woody will be taking over the parking lot while there will be other brews available inside. Kyle Jordan of the brewery will kick off Brewery Nite at 7 p.m.with featured glassware.

Thursday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m.: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company will have special tappings, and a flights & bites pairing will be offered. There will also be a raffle and giveaways.

Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.: Firkin Friday with Karbach Brewing Co! There will be a special firkin edition of Karbach’s Hop Delusion along with other rare beers. The Love Street brew will be just $3 all day.

Saturday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m.: Locals Day! Lakewood Brewing Co. and Revolver Brewing will release their newest collaboration beer. Rahr & Sons Brewing Company will release the Cinnamon Girl and Mullet Cutter brews. Several Texas craft beers will be available for $3 all day.

For more information about these events, please visit http://ntxbeerweek.com/#/events.

Flying Saucer The Lake

Event: North Texas Beer Week Specials at Flying Saucer

Date:  Nov. 9 to Nov. 14     

Time: All day

Tickets: N/A

Location: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 4821 Bass Pro Drive, Garland, TX 75043           

Website: http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/thelake/

Contact:  972-286-0725

Age: 21 and up

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlyingSaucerGarland

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flyingsaucerlak

Description:

Join Flying Saucer Draught Emporium on The Lake to celebrate North Texas Beer Week! Throughout the week, Saucer will have special releases and events each day along with representatives from each brewery. The schedule is below.

Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.: Pint Nite ALL DAY and North Texas Beer Week Kick Off Cook Off Competition

Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.: Tap Nite & Trivia Bowl featuring Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. with Tyler Dylan

Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.: Brewery Night featuring Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. with Mel Hance

Thursday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m.: American Micro Thursday featuring Martin House Brewing Co. with Dylan Stefanos

Saturday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m.: The Luau Conclusion featuring Maui Brewing Company with Garrett Marrero

For more information about these events, please visit http://ntxbeerweek.com/#/events.

Flying Saucer Fort Worth

Event: North Texas Beer Week Specials at Flying Saucer

Date:  Nov. 8 to Nov. 14     

Time: All day

Tickets: N/A

Location: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 111 E Third St., Fort Worth, TX 76102

Website: http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/fortworth/

Contact:  817-336-7470

Age: 21 and up

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlyingSaucerFortWorth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flyingsaucerfw

Description:

Join Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Fort Worth to celebrate North Texas Beer Week! Throughout the week, Saucer will have special releases and events with representatives from each brewery. The schedule is below.

Sunday, Nov. 8 from 1 to 6 p.m.: Big Ol' Beer Pong & BBQ hosted by Martin House Brewing Co. with $3 beers, prizes and BBQ on the patio. $20 registration fee to play that includes all beer and food tickets.

Monday, Nov. 9: Pint Nite ALL DAY with all 80 of our draught handles available for just $3.

Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.: Trivia Bowl Nite featuring Texas craft beer questions and Real Ale Brewing Company will be in house offering a five-beer sample flight to challenge you to correctly match up the beer and style with its name.

Wednesday, Nov. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m.: Brewery Nite and Happy Hour with Adam Avery! Only 20 people will be able to join Adam while he walks you through a five-beer sampler paired with tapas. Tickets are $50 and very limited.

For more information about these events, please visit http://ntxbeerweek.com/#/events.

Founders Brewing Events for NTX Beer Week

Here are some of the events for NTBW from the fine people at Founders Brewing.

11/6/15 - Dancing Bear Pub in Waco from 4-7pm, Uppers and Downers w/ Founders Breakfast Stout
11/7/15 - Untapped in Dallas from 2:30-10:00pm
11/8/15 - Bearded Lady in Fort Worth from 11:00 am until ..., Brunch including Breakfast Stout &                    KBS and giveaways.
11/8/15 - Pedal and Pour in Denton from 1pm, Biking event at Harvest House w/ Backwoods Bastard
11/9/15 - World of Beer in Plano from 3-7pm, KBS and 3 others on tap.
11/10/15 - Trinity River Tap House in Fort Worth.
11/10/15 -World of Beer in Fort Worth from 7pm, Tap takeover w/ 10 Founders beers on tap.
11/11/15 - Social House in Addison from 7pm, Tap takeover w/6 Founders beers on tap.
11/14/15 - Timarron Country Club in Southlake from 6pm, beer dinner.
11/18/15 - What's on Tap in Highland Village from 7pm, Pint Night with Breakfast Stout, Nitro Rubaues, Backwoods Bastard and Mosaic Promise.
11/20/15 - Grapevine Beer and Wine in Grapevine from 4-7pm, Sampling Demo.
11/21/15 - Whole Foods in Highland Village from 6pm, Pint Night w/ 5 Founders beers on tap.

Mystic Rapture from Rabbit Hole Brewing

Mystic Rapture!

Award winning beer infused with an amazing coffee!

We're excited to announce the release of Mystic Rapture (available from Sons of John Distributing on November 9th). Mystic Rapture mixes our GABF medal winning Rapture Fusion Brown Ale with Ethiopian Ardi Coffee from Mystical Coffee.

Ethiopian Ardi is grown at a towering 1850-1950 meters above sea level in the Sidama Region of Ethiopia. This Heirloom Variety coffee is hand picked by skillful farmers harvesting only the ripest of coffee cherries and sundried on raised tables for three weeks. Tastes like strawberry jam and cocoa nibs, and has a buttery body.

This is a very limited beer.  With less than 20 barrels made, it's sure to move fast!  Be sure an order yours today!

Description:	Mystic Rapture pairs Rabbit Hole Brewing’s award winning Rapture Fusion Brown Ale with Mystical Coffee’s Ethiopian Ardi offering.  The Ethiopian Ardi was carefully chosen to compliment the smooth chocolate and toasty notes of the Rapture Fusion Brown Ale and exemplify the best, brightest characteristics of both the coffee and the beer.  The noticeably amped-up nutty-chocolate and coffee aroma and flavor of this cold brew coffee-infused version of Rapture is truly Mystical. Suggested pairings: Mornings and bland days. Mystic rapture is sure to get you through your daily grind.
Style:	American Brown Ale with coffee added in secondary
Abv:	6.4%
IBU:	33 IBUs
Grain:	Pilsner, Brown Malt, Chocolate Malt, Crystal Malts
Hops:	Columbus, East Kent Golding
Similar to:	Founders Breakfast Stout, Surly Coffee Bender, Deep Ellum Oak Cliff Coffee Ale
Availability:	Limited / NTX Beer Week Special

Martin House BOOery tour for Halloween

The BOO-ery Tour FAQ This Saturday - Seven Ghostly Guest Breweries,  big name bands and freaky-fabulous food vendors -  we know you were already planning on being here,  but thought you might have some questions. So here goes: What are the extended hours? We’re open from noon  until 5:00 – get here early to beat the crowds What if it rains? The show will go on regardless of weather, the descent of eternal darkness or zombie apocalypse Can I bring the kids? Yes! They get in for free, they can trick or treat at our guest brewers, and we’ve got goodie bags for first 60 little gremlins through the door Costume Contest Rules?  Just wear your best and be on the stage between 3:30 and 4:00 for judging – prize #1 - 2 cases of beer, #2 - T-Shirt, Hat and 5 Tour passes,and #3 - 5 tour passes And the Music? The stage will be outside against the backdrop of our lovely city - bands are MHBC faves Ole G, Shotgun Friday, and Quaker City Nighthawks Special beers? A mega tour needs mega-beers  – you’ll get 4 pints as well as samples from seven guest breweries (Dirty Job, Collective, The Fort, Division, Chimera, Hop Fusion and Braindead) – plus the debut of Martin House’s “Gruesome Graph” Food? Included in your admission is 5 samples from a sweet and savory selection of food trucks (Chez Flo, Tail Feathers, Hook and Ladder, Hummingbird Sweet Shoppe, and Steel City Pops) – just cash in your tickets that we’ll give you at the door - full-size options are also for sale Lines were sorta bad last year. That’s not really a question, but… this year we’ll have more pouring stations, more guest brewers, a full 16oz glass, and we’ll be using the field behind the brewery so lines should not be too intense. Also: if you want to skip the admission line, buy your ticket ahead of time here See You There! Amityville Adam Anne, the Evil Apparition Assassin Asa Chih-chih-chih Ahh-ahh-ahh Chelsea Corpse of Cody Dead Guy Dan Dread-inspiring David Decapitated Dylan The Curse of the Erick Just a Ghost James “Juggler” Vein Cajun Jason Really-Bad-Jet-Lag Josh Murderous Matt Two-headed Monster Mike The Rob-pocalypse The Creature Formerly Known as Shugg And The Undead Army of MHBC Volunteers

Malai Kitchen Celebrates North Texas Beer Week 2015

MALAI KITCHEN CELEBRATES NTX BEER WEEK WITH A POP UP BIA HOI SHOP

Braden and Yasmin Wages bring the vibrant food and drink culture of Hanoi, Vietnam to Dallas on Saturday, November 14 with beer specials and regional street food

WHAT: In celebration of NTX Beer Week, Malai Kitchen will host an event on Saturday, November 14 emulating the vibrant street food scene of Hanoi, Vietnam. Each morning, vendors roll out kegs of freshly brewed bia hoi – the light Vietnamese rice lager that inspired Malai’s in-house beer program – to serve alongside lunch. Patrons crowd around plastic tables and stools to indulge in traditional street food and sip on the beer – traditionally served on the cheap – until the kegs run dry.

To recreate the atmosphere, Braden and Yasmin Wages will open their front patio from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and offer their house-brewed bia hoi for 50 cents per pint. In addition to favorites from the regular menu like Vietnamese meatballs, green papaya salad with candied bacon, and grilled pork satay with a coriander soy glaze, they will offer small plates inspired by their annual trips to the region. Expect:

Grilled Chicken Hearts, $5

Coriander-ginger marinade, sweet chili dipping sauce

5-Spice Pork Ribs, $9

Crispy grilled pork ribs with Hanoi savory seasoning blend

Crispy Eggplant Fritters, $5

Chinese Eggplant sliced and fried, soy dipping sauce

Street Cart Corn, $4

Fresh cut corn, chilies, fish sauce, dried shrimp

Tempura Fried Frog Legs, $8

Four crispy legs, cucumber salad, tamarind glaze

                               

The event starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m. (or until the bia hoi runs out). For more information about NTX Beer Week, visit ntxbeerweek.com.

WHEN:                 Saturday, November 14

                                11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

WHERE:               The Patio at Malai Kitchen

                                3699 McKinney Avenue, #319

Dallas, TX 75204

214.599.7857

Big News from Bishop Cider Company

BISHOP CIDER + BEN E. KEITH = A CIDER-DELIVERING MACHINE Starting today, Ben E. Keith Beverages will be delivering our ciders to retailers throughout North Texas. Kegs for now, but bottles won't be far behind.  PRODUCTION FACILITY UPDATE  Equipment started showing up last week and the new  facility is right on schedule! Don't worry- the tasting  room in Bishop Arts will remain open, as this facility  is primarily for increasing production and generally  won't be open to the public. SHINY NEW HANDLES   After many splinters, stained hands, and late night  religious discussions, we have new tap handles! We  are gung-ho about our locally-made cider, so it  seemed hypocritical to hire a Chinese factory for  tap handles, so we made them ourselves. If the  handle looks slightly crooked, the added  uniqueness is just proof that we made it. MEET HIGH & DRY {OUR NEWEST CIDER} High & Dry is our version of an English-style dry cider, but much better because it is made in Texas. It is currently available only on draft and kegs are being distributed starting today. If sweet ciders aren't your thang, give this one a whirl. It's a desert in your mouth. (as opposed to a dessert in your mouth).

Copyright © 2014 Bishop Cider Co., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 509 N Bishop Ave Ste C, Dallas, TX 75208

Shelton Brothers Beer and Cider Festival 2015

The Snobs love going to beer festivals and indeed, we have attended multitudes of beer festivals from Shanghai to Munich.  But this one was a bit different, a bit odd.  It seems to have been created purely as a celebration of beer geeks. And so off we go to St. Petersburg, Florida to see what all of the chatter is about.

Now of course you and I know that when you organize a beer festival it is all about the money.  Some make their money primarily by tickets sales to attendess.  The festival organizers that wish to have a wide range of brewers represented usually rely on ticket sales for their income.  At this type of festival you usually have an 'open bar' them with unlimited tastings of whatever you wish to taste.

Others make their money from charging the distrubuters to feature the beers that the distributer wishes to push (call it advertising).  You can tell when you are at one of these festivals when your selection is limited to the same basic crap beer that you see at your local sports bar and each beer is paid for as you drink ... think of ticket vouchers.

You also have hybrids like the GABF that makes money from both groups.  They charge each brewery a significant amount of money to enter their beer into the festival and then charge attendees a significant amount to enter the festival.

And then there is the Shelton Brothers Festival.  The Shelton brothers (yes, they exist, and 3 of them own the company) began in Massachusetts as an importer of small batch craft beers and has grown to a distributer of high quality beers and ciders with representation in nearly every state.  They import thousands of labels from every continent, with the exception, of course, of Antarctica.  The list of breweries that they have discovered and represent is quite impressive.  Cantillion (who they discovered), Mikkeller, Nøgne Ø, Siren, Dieu du Ciel, Brewfist, Ridgeway, Westvleteren are among those that beer snobs know and adore.  In the U.S. they distribute Prairie, Cigar City, Jester King, Hill Farmstead, Jolly Pumpkin and other breweries known as up and coming as well as for their quality.

’t Hofbrouwerijke Flower Sour

Saison D’Epeautre  by Brasserie de Blaugies

The beer festival is a moving celebration (it is held in a different city every year) of the breweries and cideries represented by Shelton and let me tell you, it is unbelievable.  Most of the beers and ciders were being served by the brewers themselves, who were all too happy to chat with you about their creations.  Their pride in their products was evident with all that we were able to chat with.  The crowd was much smaller than you would expect with a selection like this, but this made the evening not turn into a drunkfest with the pushing and shoving that you get with the huge, oversold festivals. No drinking team t-shirts ... no pretzel necklaces ... no cheering every time someone dropped a glass ... just serious beer geeks enjoying the evening.

Toccalmatto/Prairie Ales Okie Matilda is a Belgian Pale Ale style beer brewed by Birra Toccalmatto in Fidenza, Italy

The Monarchy Preussen Weisse a Spice/Herb/Vegetable beer by The Monarchy, a brewery in Köln (Cologne), 

Guldenberg by Brouwerij De Ranke

I would love to describe all of the beers that we sampled, but in this instance it would be so very difficult with the quantity of quality beers that were available. We will admit to spending a bit too much time 'sampling' the Westvleteren XII and were dumbfounded that there was no line whatsoever at their station.  We invite you to research and find some of the beers that are shown in photos with the promise to you that the odds of you being disappointed in any of these is remote.

We recommend that you find next year's festival (rumor is that it will be in Boston) and make plans to attend, for it is not often that you will find a festival for geeks, by geeks, that seems to exist purely for the enjoyment of sharing.

Cheers - Bon

Shelton Brothers
P.O. Box 486
Belchertown, MA 01007
http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/

'Tis the Season for Modano (and hocky stuff)!

Hockey season has started once again, and what better way to get in the Hockey mood than having a Dallas Stars Legend name on your tap wall!   There are three ways to do this:  561 or Crazy No. 9 on tap....or our new release of

Mike Modano's 561 on Tap or in a Can   Mike Modano’s 561 Kolsch-style beer is a clean, crisp, yet deceptively complex brew which features a delicate balance between soft malt and a subtle fruity hoppiness. Crafted to commemorate Mike’s record career goals for US-born hockey players, 561 showcases German pilsner malt, noble hops, and a meticulous fermentation regimen. The 561 experience is smooth, crisp and wonderfully refreshing—a lighter beer, without the compromise. 4.7% ABV     ABV: 4.7% IBU: 25 IBUs Grain: Pilsner Malt with a small dose of Wheat Hops: GR Perle and GR Tettnang Availability: Year Round 1/2 BBL Kegs 1/6 BBL Kegs Cans Mike Modano's Crazy No. 9 Mike Modano's Crazy No. 9 is part of our Season of Fear scheduled releases. This very limited (less than 20 BBLs were made) beer takes all the raw ingredients we use for Mike Modano's 561 but is brewed with Crazy Water (from the Crazy Water Company in Mineral Wells, TX) in conjunction with their annual Crazy Water Festival. This gives a new flavor profile to our already popular 561. And if you're wondering why this is a Season of Fear release - you obviously weren't an NHL Goalie in the 1990's.   ABV: 4.7% IBU: 25 IBUs Grain: Pilsner Malt with a small dose of Wheat Hops: GR Perle and GR Tettnang Availability: Seasonal (Season of Fear) 1/2 BBL Kegs 1/2 BBL Kegs