Prairie Brewing Purchased by ..... Krebs Brewing Company?

The vast majority of the people who drink and enjoy Prairie Brewing beers don't know that Prairie doesn't brew it own beers. Krebs Brewing Company, the brewers of Choc Beers, located in the teenie little town of Krebs, Oklahoma, has been brewing Prairie beers under contract from the inception of Prairie back in 2012.  Since then, Prairie beers have exploded in popularity, partly due to the Shelton Brothers, their distributor, but mostly because they produce some extreme beers. But we were stunned when Prairie announced their sale to Krebs Brewing.  This is the press release from Krebs Brewing owner, Zack Prichard:

I had been waiting on Prairie for years. My family’s brewing heritage spans four generations and runs almost as long as Oklahoma has been a state. It is a proud, well known and enduring tradition. Even with all that by 2012 it seemed like our path had went askew. Something was missing.
One summer morning Michael Lalli, our longtime brewmaster, and I began a conversation that is still unfolding. He told me Chase Healey had approached him at the Wild Brew Festival discussing the idea of contract brewing. Knowing the work Chase had done launching other Oklahoma breweries I was very interested. Chase and I quickly agreed to meet for breakfast at Classen Grill in Oklahoma City.
At that breakfast I was introduced to Prairie. I had anticipated the conversation would center on Chase’s current beers. It soon became apparent he was planning something different. He outlined the beers, the packaging, and the distribution. The concept was innovative, authentic, and exciting. I loved what I was hearing. After years in the industry though, I was skeptical. I thought we might be able to sell a few batches per month at most. Nevertheless, I agreed to the deal. A few weeks later the first batch was in the tank.
I remember realizing early on Prairie was special. I remember bottling the first batch of Prairie Ale when Chase came to visit. I remember Chase doing a Tiger Woods style fist pump after tasting the beer. I remember those first orders we shipped to the Shelton Brothers. I remember the rapid succession of ideas. I remember the long hours that BJ and Micah put in. I remember opening my email in awe to find new labels from Colin. I remember the 24 hour brewday Michael endured for Okie. I remember my parents helping cork and cage bottles. I remember meeting Wes Morrison at Iron Star. I remember Chase and Colin’s mom wax dipping the first batch of Bomb! I remember loving these beers from the very beginning.
Building upon the early success we continued to innovate. We expanded the number of barrel aged beers, experimented with fruit aging and wood fermentation, grew Bomb! into a nationally recognized brand, expanded the Krebs brewery, brought new people onto the team, watched Chase open a facility in west Tulsa, shared beer on every continent expect Africa (let us know if you are an African beer distributor), opened a location in the Brady Arts District, and more than anything continued to make some of the best beer in the world day after day. I could have hardly been more satisfied.
It is obvious that Prairie was the culmination of years of work and ideas and planning for Chase. It is equally obvious that these beers could not have existed without the generations of work in Krebs. It is something very special. We all take great pride in Prairie.
Early on I had been interested in actually owning a part of Prairie. Since I already felt like the beers were a partnership it only made sense. Last year that opportunity presented itself. Chase agreed to allow Krebs Brewing Company to acquire the Prairie brands. It is a humbling move that shows Chase continues to trust us to innovate, make great beer, and share Prairie across the globe. I do not take that trust lightly.
Moving forward our focus remains the same. We will continue sharing our vision for beer while having a great time. We do not plan to slow down though. Something that has always defined Prairie has been a willingness to push the limits by embracing change. That will not change. The next months and years will be filled with new beers, new locations, and other things we have not even considered yet. It is hard to say exactly where we will end up, but I know for sure that it will be a great ride.
Zach Prichard

We here at Dallas Beer Snobs were quite surprised by this news as that Mike Lalli, the brewmaster for Krebs Brewing, is a longtime friend of one of the Snobs, Will Workforbeer.  There are so many questions that arise from the purchase that cannot be answered at this time and will make themselves known in the future as we watch this unfold.  Choc beers, the other brand from Krebs Brewing, are known to play is safe with their brews with no releases that would shock the palate of the average Okie beer drinker. Will their conservative approach of brewing affect any new releases from Prairie?  *Shrug*.  Will Shelton Brothers continue to push Prairie as one of their premier U.S. brands with the creative mind of Chase Healy going on to his next project? *Shrug*. Will Will Workforbeer ever take a real vacation? *Shrug*.  Only time will tell.  - Cheers, Bon Vivant

Martin House Brewing's and the Toadies latest collaboration; Stars Above and Hell Below.

Martin House Brewing announces their new beer release that sounds quite interesting.  We can't wait to try them. Read the press release here:

Hell Below/Stars Above Cans  Out Now! Yesterday we debuted our newest collaboration with The Toadies. Thanks to everyone who came to  Fort Worth and rocked out with us! Now you can  enjoy Hell Below and Stars Above at your favorite bar or pickup a 6-pack to go at your local craft beer  store

Hell Below is a deceiving new brew that spawned from the depths of the dark mind of Head Brewer, Cody Martin. This strong black ale is brewed with black barley malts and Columbus hops. The malts gives it that pitch black appearance and a dark, ominous flavor. Stars Above is a refreshing sour ale brewed with raspberries. It pours a nice hazy yellow with a slight purple hue. With just one sip of Stars Above, the sweet raspberry flavor will hit you right off the bat. That sweetness is balanced by the tartness that kicks on the back-end, culminating in the perfect summertime beer Combine equal parts Hell Below and Stars Above to create the ultimate beer creation dubbed Purgatory.

Wild Acre Brewing, Fort Worth, Texas

The Snobs were invited to attend the launch event for the new Wild 

Acre Brewing opening soon in Fort Worth.  We asked our own St. 

Bernardus to attend and give his impressions of the new brews.

The number of craft breweries in Texas,especially the DFW area is 

growing at a dizzying pace.  However, keeping track of this ever 

expanding market was made a little easier this past Saturday 

thanks to our friends at the Flying Saucer in Fort Worth, who 

sponsored a launch party for the newly opened Wild Acre Brewing.  

The launch party featured their inaugural beer selection which is 

made up of a nice cross section of different styles from light to dark. 

This included a wheat, an "indian" red ale and finally a stout, easily 

accommodating the varying taste preferences among your local beer 

snobs (as well as those who are just thirsty).

For this review, the first 

beer sampled was the 

Wild Acre Moonlight

Shine, an American 

Wheat Ale (5.7% abv). 

I found Moonlight 

Shine to be crisp,light, 

and refreshing, with 

subtle notes of citrus 

combined with bread 

giving it a flavor 

reminiscent of a Belgian style blonde (think Affligem). The finish is 

slightly hoppy leaving a mild bitter back, but not overly offensive.  

Moonlight Shine is a nice, fresh beer, perfect for the summer 

months,especially in the sweltering heat famous for Texas.  I 

understand that some minor retooling of the recipe is in the 

works with the expected results being a more pronounced 

vanilla aroma, but with little change in flavor from what I had.

Next up, Wild Acre 

Tarantula Hawk India 

Red Ale (6.5% abv) - 

Described as an “India 

Red Ale,” which as I 

understand, is more 

of a hybrid from your
traditional red ale. 

This beer is created 

from both Mosaic 

and Amarillo hops which account for both its reddish color and 

hoppy flavor with leanings more in the direction of what you 

would expect from an IPA rather than a Red Ale. While hoppy, 

it’s not in-your-face hoppy, and can be enjoyed by both hopheads 

and non-hopheads alike.  A nice balanced flavor that goes well 

with any occasion or food pairing.

For the finale I had 

the Soul Pleasure 

Southern Stout 

(6% abv) – When 

thinking of chocolate 

stouts, the first thing 

that usually comes to 

mind is abeer with a 

thick, heavy body and 

big flavor; a beer 

best suited for the 

cold winter months and enjoyed in a cozy, warm pub among 

friends. Soul Pleasure departs from that description a bit with 

a lighter, less turbid consistency yet imparting the subtle notes 

of chocolate and espresso you would expect to find in a chocolate 

stout.  The consistency reminds me of an Abita Turbo Dog, but 

with a more complex and refined flavor like that of say, Sam 

Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout. 

Their taproom and beer garden to open soon.  Finding Wild 

Acre Brewing should be easy enough, as they occupy some 5,000 

square feet of space at the facility formerly home to Ranch Style 

Beans just south of downtown.

Look for a new Lager to be released soon. - Cheers, St. Bernardus

http://wildacrebrewing.com/

Oskar Blues Latest - Priscilla White Wit Wheat (5.2% ABV)

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY LAUNCHES     PRISCILLA WHITE WIT WHEAT NATIONWIDE Long-time draft offering now available in cans nationwide    Longmont, CO & Brevard, NC & Austin, TX -  Oskar Blues Brewery, the brewery that launched the  craft beer-in-a-can apocalypse in 2002, announces the  national launch of an AmeriCAN take on the Belgian  Classic Wit,  Priscilla White Wit Wheat. It's a Belgian White, Belgian  Wit, Belgian Wheat...it's a White Wit Wheat (5.2% ABV,  20 IBUs).  The beer, which features orange peel and coriander  spice, emanated from the basement blues music  legacy Dave McIntyre (18 year Oskar Bluesologist)  built at the original Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons,  CO. On draft for over a decade, Priscilla's zesty  citrus and light fresh baked bread aromas mix with  spicy, fruity fermentation. Light bodied with a subtle  savory spice accent and a dry, lightly tart finish you  can nearly feel the flicker of the neon and sounds of  the King. White Wit Wheat. "Priscilla is a beer steeped in Oskar Blues' music  history," said Chad Melis. "A longtime Oskar Blues  favorite, we've decided its time to bring this amped  up, electric brew from the basement and to the  masses."    Oskar Blues, named "The hottest place to be on a  Saturday night in Colorado" by Rolling Stone  because of its roots in the Colorado music scene,  will brew its first batch of Dale's Pale Ale at their  new brewery and taproom in Austin, TX today.  The brewery will continue its tradition of soul- savin' live music with a music venue as part of  the Austin taproom. Priscilla White Wit Wheat will launch throughout  the month of June in all 50 states where Oskar  Blues is sold and will be available in 12oz.  6-packs and draft.  To learn more, visit www.oskarblues.com and  always find Oskar Blues beer at  https://www.oskarblues.com/beerFinder  About Oskar Blues Brewery  Founded by Dale Katechis in 1997 in Lyons,  Colorado, Oskar Blues Brewery launched the  craft beer-in-a-can apocalypse with hand- canned, flagship brew Dale's Pale Ale. Today,  Oskar Blues is one of the fastest growing  breweries in the country and operates  breweries in Longmont, Colorado and Brevard,  North Carolina, while producing 192,000 barrels  in 2015. The original canned craft brewery  continues push innovation with the announcement  of an Austin, TX brewery in April of 2016 and  creations like The Crowler while it distributes  to 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., as well as  parts of Canada, Sweden, Australia and the U.K.   In 2013, Oskar Blues founded the  CAN'd Aid Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public  charity that offers grassroots grants to those  making a difference in the areas of community,  the environment, music, and more. In 2015 alone,  CAN'd Aid partnered with 52 organizations and  raised $2 million to date. CAN'd Aid's "do-goodery"  efforts include:  *    Towns - building strong communities *    Tunes - for your eyeholes and earholes *    Treads + Trails - get outside and get after it *    Love Yur Mama - save the blue marble   To keep up with all things Oskar Blues, visit  http://www.oskarblues.com http://www.facebook.com/OskarBluesCans http://twitter.com/oskarblues  https://www.instagram.com/oskarblues/ http://www.youtube.com/oskarbluescans

June is Pints for Prostates Month at the Flying Saucers

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium Teams Up With Pints for Prostates to Send Two Lucky Guests on European Beer Tour to Oktoberfest

DALLAS, Texas, June 1, 2016 – For the fifth year, Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is teaming up with Pints for Prostates Inc. during a four-city “European Beer Tour” promotion designed to reach men through the universal language of beer. The 16-location beer pub will generate prostate cancer awareness from June 1 to 29 that will culminate in a drawing for a beer trip for two to the Czech Republic and Germany (Prague, Bamberg, Eck and Munich) for Oktoberfest.

Flying Saucer will raise funds during the event to support the Pints for Prostates awareness mission. Last year, Flying Saucer set the fundraising record for largest donation from a private company, raising $30,000 between all Flying Saucer locations across the U.S. To date, the family of pubs has donated a total of more than $100,000 to the Pints for Prostates cause.

Each Wednesday as part of its popular “Brewery Night,” Flying Saucer will feature a different classic European beer with the brand’s signature logo glassware. At 7 p.m., 144 people at each location will be able to get the glass of the week and a pour of the featured beer for a great price, with proceeds benefiting Pints for Prostates. Each glass comes with a raffle ticket for a drawing for the European Beer Tour taking place from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, 2016.

 “This is the fifth year we are teaming up with Pints for Prostates on what has become a tradition of sending one of our ‘Beerknurds’ on the beer trip of a lifetime,” said Keith Schlabs, beer guru and co-founder of Flying Saucer. “We are excited to continue to support a great cause with this companywide awareness celebration about a disease that has touched so many of our friends and customers.”

              The special Pints for Prostates Ultimate European Beer Tour is organized by BeerTrips.com. The raffle includes round-trip airfare for two from the continental U.S.; nine nights lodging in Prague, Bamberg, Eck and Munich; tours of famous breweries; escorted beer hall crawls; guided city tours; breakfast daily, four beer dinners and three beer lunches; and private coach transportation. For a $10 donation for a single ticket, $25 donation for three tickets or $50 for seven tickets, Flying Saucer patrons can obtain additional entries in the drawing. The total value of the trip for two is estimated at $9,000. The drawing will be held in early July at Flying Saucer’s Charlotte, North Carolina, location. The prize is non-transferable and no cash substitute will be offered. The winner and guest are responsible for obtaining passports and all trip-related costs not outlined above. Participants must be 21 years old to enter. No purchase is necessary.

Flying Saucer will be hosting events along with its brewing friends from Germany and local breweries throughout the month. Beer brands supporting the promotion at Flying Saucer will vary by location and date.

 “Flying Saucer Draught Emporium’s support is critical to our cause because they enable us reach thousands of men with a life-saving message about the importance of early detection,” said Rick Lyke, a beer journalist who had successful prostate cancer surgery in 2008. “BeerTrips.com has put together an itinerary featuring the very best beer destinations in the Czech Republic and Germany. This is the beer trip of a lifetime, and it is for a great cause.”

BeerTrips.com has been providing unique beer travel experiences to destinations around the world since 1998. This special Pints for Prostates group tour is limited to a total of 16 slots. The tour helps raise funds for Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)3 charity that reaches men through the universal language of beer with an important health message.

“Men are 33 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than women are to have breast cancer, yet few men know about the critical importance of early detection,” Lyke said. “The support of Flying Saucer helps us reach an audience that needs to hear our message.”

About Pints for Prostates
Pints for Prostates reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 240,000 new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the U.S. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@pints4prostates).

About BeerTrips.com

Beer Trips.com was founded in 1998 to offer serious beer people the opportunity to travel to the world’s best beer destinations with other people who love great beer. Beer and travel, travel and beer — these are two of our favorite things. Both, in our estimation, are worth a fair amount of life’s energy. Our goal, and our very reason for existing, is to take our travelers the best beer destinations, drink, taste and enjoy the best beers, meet the beer-loving people of the countries we visit, and explore the history, culture, art and architecture of the interesting places where beer “grew up”. To do this we stay in nice, well-located hotels, eat at great restaurants that emphasize beer in their fare, and visit breweries, brew pubs, cafes, and museums that enhance our understanding and appreciation of beer and its rich history and culture. www.beertrips.com.

About Flying Saucer Draught Emporium

Flying Saucer has been a pioneer on the craft beer scene since we opened the doors of our original location in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1995. Our family-owned beer joint has 16 locations throughout Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Missouri. Flying Saucer offers more than 250 beers with a full spectrum of brewing styles handpicked for each unique market. We do not franchise because we want it done right. Learn more at www.beerknurd.com.

Beer/Food Pairing Chart

Every beer snob worth his/her salt knows which foods to pair with their favorite beers.  We had to learn somewhere and this is a great place to start.

Beer Tripping - Jacksonville, Florida

We Snobs travel to events and destinations across the country and further abroad in the pursuit of our favorite tasty beverage.  While Tampa gets most of the press for craft brewing in Florida, we have heard whispers about Jacksonville's burgeoning beer market, so we though we would take the trip to see if the rumors were true.  We were pleasantly surprised and had a great weekend of boozing and suggest that you try Freakville as well, here are a few recommendations for you to try.

Favorite Pub - Goozlepipe and Guttyworks

Kickback's Gastropub has been open in the hipster area known as 5 Points/Riverside on King Street since 2005.  The gastropub was well known for a dandy beer selection and really decent food... and equally famous for dead slow service.  They recently expanded into the space next door which is about 6 times the size of the original pub and christened it Goozlepipe and Guttyworks.

 Goozlepipe and Guttyworks is a really cool space with a semi-steampunk feel with 3 levels of entertainment are featuring a mezzanine overlooking the pub, the main room, and a basement (purported to have a large assortment of Belgian beers) as well as a covered outdoor space for those who love to sweat. As verified snobs, our primary goal was to witness and enjoy the Belgian basement, said to have over 100,000 bottles of Belgian liquid gold ... and IT WAS FRIGGING CLOSED, for a 'private event' (Brew Bus can kiss my hairy ass). I must say, that even though we were disappointed to be denied the basement, the main dining room was cool enough to keep us entertained for several hours with their 190+ beers on tap and Gramatic playing on Pandora.  Though we did not try anything from their extensive food menu, the offerings looked quite tempting, however, the regulars that were chatting with said their service, though not as slow as before, is still not stellar.  We will happily visit this pub again ... and the basement had better be open.
http://www.kickbacksgastropub.com/goozlepipe---guttyworks.html
910/914 King St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204









Favorite Brewery - Pinglehead Brewing/Brewers Pizza Brewpub

An exuberant fan convinced us to make the drive to Orange Park to try out this brewpub.  And ain't this an odd little place. A tiny hole in the wall pizza joint called Brewers Pizza and what the hell?  A brewery in the back?  No shit? 

Banana Pancakes (9.5% ABV) breast .... yeasty .... sweet .... yep, banana pancakes.  I feel as if though I could drink lots of this one, but at 9.5% the reality is that at 9.5%, 2 glasses would put me on the floor.

Badass BD's Dark Belgian Ale (9.0% ABV) these guys sure do like sweet beers, but damn fine. Do you like Belgian Quads?  Try this one. Dark fruits and molasses .. Smoooooooth.

Ambitious Monk Belgian Triple (8.5% ABV) again, a superb beer. This gem is a yeasty treat with a bit more sweetness that you would normally find in a triple, but not overpoweringly so. I would probably compare more to more to a Duvel than to a Belgian triple.

Redemption Brown Ale (6.9% ABV) this is a fine example of a brown. Malty and slightly dry, but a bit thin, with a coffee background ... an easy drinker.

The beers were a bit sweeter than we typicall prefer, but the flavors were quite refined, good stuff.  There was a steady parade of patrons lining up to take their pizza to go who praised their food, though we were to stuffed to try any.

http://www.brewerspizza.com/home/
14B Blanding Blvd.
Orange Park, Florida 32073

Favorite Restaurant - Blind Rabbit:  A Burger and Whiskey Bar

This hipster joint can be found directly across the street from Goozlepipe and Guttyworks and while you would thing we would go for a joint with great beers, we sometimes have other cravings.  Yeah, of course we are self described beer snobs, but we are whiskey whores as well.  No, no, don't worry, they had a pretty damn fine beer list as well, but honestly, were weren't there for the booze, we needed sustenance.  This place also had a great vibe, a kind of a relaxed sophistication that you rarely find, and with very good service. The gang jumped all over the whiskey, then immediately face first into the menu filled with southern style delights and burgers (http://theblindrabbitwhiskeybar.com/menu/).  Once the food arrived the conversation ceased as we were busily occupied with stuffing our faces.  Delightful entrees all around and zero complaints
with the Southern Burger and Shrimp & Grits garnishing the most accolades. Dandy whiskey joint.

http://theblindrabbitwhiskeybar.com/
901 King Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32204