Tap 'N' Run

Hmmmm.... anyone interested?

The Tap 'N' Run is coming to DALLAS!


We would love to give your readers a taste of what they can expect Saturday March 9th at 5p.m.; a lot of outrageous costumes, beer chugging and foot racing. We also want to see if Dallas Beer Snobs would like to join in on the fun?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COEPzho3EBY

TAP ‘N’ RUN 4K BEER RUN MAKES INAUGURAL TAP IN DALLAS

A 4K Complete with Beer, Costumes, and Fun

LOUISVILLE, KY. (February 20th, 2013) - Outrageous costumes, beer chugging and foot racing will reign supreme as the Tap ‘N’ Run 4K makes its inaugural tap in Dallas on Saturday, March 9th at 5 p.m.

Tap ‘N’ Run 4K combines participants’ love of beer and running for a unique “one of a kind” run/walk race totaling 2.4 miles throughout “Beach Ellum” in Deep Ellum. Participants are encouraged to dress in costumes and run with teams, friends and family of legal drinking age. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit the local charity, Operation Kindness “Pet Rescue”.
Operated by Louisville, KY-based JAM Active, Tap ‘N’ Run encourages participants to run, jog, walk, hop, skip or crawl to four different “chug stations” along the course. The “chug stations” will have participants chugging a four-ounce sample of beer before continuing along the race route. At the finish line, participants will receive a full beer and the chance to win one of many awards (including Best Mustache, Best Belcher, Most Original Team Concept, Hot Mess, among others) at the After Party.
“This will mark Tap ‘N’ Run’s first time in Dallas, and so far, the response has been strong,” said Matt Roberts, JAM Active Executive Director. “The allure of the event, some say, is the uniqueness of being able to drink mid-run. Other races have beer at the end, but Tap ‘N’ Run provides it right along the race route. It’s a ridiculously good time with friends, family, costumes, teams and of course,beer.”
CONTACT:

Melanie Niemann
O: 502-653-4938
C: 502-994-0913
F: 502-266-6614
Melanie@jamactive.com

COME JOIN IN ON THE FUN!!!

Restaurant Review - 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House

3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House - Frisco, Texas

Ever go to Frisco?  No?  If it weren't for Ikea and FC Dallas I can't think of one reason to ever visit.  Welcome to chain store hell. *shudder*  So why would I want to go to Frisco to try a  new restaurant?  Well, because I was invited, that's why.  Besides, did you see the word 'Tap' in the name?  Yeah, I am rather fond of that word ... and free, I like that word, too. 

This coming Saturday is the grand opening of 3 Stacks located on Preston Road, just behind Hooters (I kind of like that word, too)  in Frisco.  Now if you, like me, hear that a new BBQ restaurant is opening in Dallas you are a bit short of enthusiasm.  There is a plethora of mediocre BBQ here and I have been disappointed far to many times to get excited about another cow added to the herd.  But Trace Arnold, you know, that dude from The Rib Whisperer on the History Channel, is determined to make a splash in the oh so crowded tank.

There is an odd mixture of service here with cafeteria style service or table service if you prefer.  Many of the items on the table menu are not available through the line and visa versa.  It really depends on your eating style ... want a pizza?  Table.  Want 3 pounds of ribs?  Line. 

The large cavernous space is peppered with several TV's so that you can watch the game while you pretend to be interested in what your spouse is saying.  The acoustics are bad enough that if you have an aversion to screaming brats and mothers talking too loudly about how their child is sooooo much smarter that the average child, and trust me, in Frisco there will be lots, you may wish to bring ear-plugs.

The Meats
The ribs, which you would expect from The Rib Whisperer to be amazing ... are.  Tender, crusty, a bit salty ... superb.  Brisket with a beautiful pink smoke ring, moist and delicious.  Pulled pork with a pre-applied mustard sauce (1 demerit, let me taste the pig) and smokey, moist turkey are available for those who wish to eat a bit lighter.  Pretty frigging tough to find moist turkey and chicken that has been smoked.

The Sides
Yeah, yeah, sweet potatoes, bacon wrapped grilled corn, squash .... lots of nice things, but the macaroni and cheese, man, do you hear me?  The macaroni and cheese is the king!  Dude, they pour additional melty cheese over the top of the serving.  The mexican cornbread is worth a try as well but the biscuits need some work, dry as a popcorn fart. 

The Desserts
The Warm Apple Crumble is Apple Crisp with a scoop of Blue Bell on top, divine.  Skip the Brownie.





Now, let's get to the important part ... The beer.  36 domestic beers, with several being the predictable crappy mass market beers needed to make money and several being local beers that proudly represent the best of Dallas brewing.  Franconia, Deep Ellum, Peticolas are all here and pair oh so well with BBQ.  You can also choose to kill your palate if you wish with a full bar, or if you just need your senses numbed. 

I am not so sure that I would drive all the way to Vanillaville to eat at 3 Stacks, but you can be sure that it will be a preferred destination when we are in the area.  Next time you are in the area you should try it, too.

3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House
4226 Preston Road
Frisco, TX
http://www.3stacksbbq.com/

Beer Review - Ranger Creek Small Batch #2

Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling Small Batch #2 Farmhouse Ale - 7.7% ABV

I have not really had an opportunity to try any of the beers from Ranger Creek, so when I saw this special little brew with the wax dipped bottle I couldn't refrain any longer.  If this is any indication of the quality of their offerings this certainly won't be the last that I try.  Draft magazine recognized this beer of one of the top 25 beers of 2012. High praise indeed.

"Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling is the only combined brewery/distillery in Texas, proudly
located in San Antonio where they handcraft beer and bourbon one batch at a time. They are the
only microbrewery in San Antonio, one of a few combined brewery/distilleries in the U.S., and
the only combined operation making both beer and bourbon. They focus on interesting recipes
and use local ingredients from the state of Texas as much as possible. The company uses much of
the same equipment to make both beer and bourbon, which is possible because in order to make
bourbon, beer must be made first."

Brewed in the style of a French farmhouse ale, the beer pours with a huge head, virtually filling the glass with suds that thankfully dissapated quickly.  As you may notice in the photo the first part of the pour was a clear golden looking ale, but as the pour progressed the color darkened and lots of yeast and floaty bits from the second fermentation appeared.   The nose was subtle, leading me to the unjustified conclusion that this would be more water mass market swill.  But the flavor was immediately stunning, and powerful.  Banana, cloves, citrus, earthy and not much in the way of hops.  Really frigging good beer. 

Do what?  They make bourbon too!  Holy poop on a stick, anyone up for a road trip to San Antonio?

Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling
4834 Whirlwind Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78217
http://www.drinkrangercreek.com/

SmashBurger/Deep Ellum Brewing Collaboration

Boy, here's one that I didn't see coming.

SmashBurger founder Tom Ryan and Deep Ellum Brewing company founder John Reardon have announced a new burger and craft brewing paring concept to be available on the Dallas Smash Burger menus.  The new malted matches are part of the company's localization initiative and push toward burger and beer pairings in larger markets across the U.S.  SmashBurger is the first national fast/casual concept to take this step.

The first restaurant will be located at NW Highway at Midway and I am .... anticipating ... the opening.

Cheers,
Bon

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner


Thursday, Feb. 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Celebrate your love for Sierra Nevada at Flying Saucer on the Lake! Sierra Nevada manager Brett Preston will be on hand to walk guests through a tasting of five of their finest craft beers, which will be paired with four dinner courses. Featured Sierra Nevada brews include Pale Ale, Kellerweis, Celebration, Ruthless Rye and Narwhal Imperial Stout. Paired dinner courses will be seasonal salad, braised beef street tacos, herbed rabbit with sweet potato grits and Narwhal milk shake.   Tickets are $45 for U.F.O. members and $50 for non-members.  

Location:
Flying Saucer
4821 Bass Pro Dr.
Garland, TX 75043
972-226-0725
www.beerknurd.com/stores/thelake

Beer Swap Night - January 2013

Every month (or so) the snobs get together to trade beers and BS about beers that we have heard exist, but that no one has really found.

The rules:  Bring a beer for all to try that is not common.  One that you have not seen before.  One that you, and hopefully everyone else, has never tried. 

The results are quite variable as the the beer snobs cast changes monthly so sometimes we get repeats.  Sometimes we get beers that are not really that rare.  Sometime we get to be amazed.  But always we have good camaraderie and conversation. 

This month's beers featured several Christmas seasonals, a few anniversary ales and a couple of real surprises. 

For the sake of brevity we will stick to the rarities and surprises.

The first rarity is Biere d'Hougoumont from Brewery Ommegang - 7.3% ABV
Brewed in the style of a Biere de Garde, better known as a French Farmhouse Ale, Ommegang brewed the bere using French yeasts and 8 malts, French Strisselspalt hops, and aged on white oak and hard maple wooden staves.  Even though the ale is loaded with malts, they are not overpowering.  If anything the only problem with the beer is that it is a very typical Farmhouse ale.  Here are some of the comments.
 - "The wood taste in the background is quite pleasant and the hops, even though delicious, could have been a bit more represented".
- "Good, but not awesome".
- "Smooth, slightly bitter, but it doesn't blow me away".
- Good beer, elaborate and malty".

Ommegang XV Anniversary "Trappist Ale" - 9.6% ABV
The beer was brewed as an homage to the great trappist ales.  In their own words "Created with deep devotion to the brewing art, using the finest ingredients and made with infinite care, XV is unlike any ale we've ever brewed".  They were so interested in maintaining the integrity of the beer that it comes in metal containers with padding to protect the beer from jostling.  The beer poured a dark ruby with lots of carbonation creating a frothy head.  The flavors were of dark fruits, molasses, malts and a bit of hops.  The finish was long and dry.  Here are some of the comments from the snobs:
"..."
"..."
"..."
That's correct, there was no comment from the judges.  Everyone just shrugged and said something like "Yep, that is a trappist ale".  Perfectly brewed in the style intended.

La Socarrada - "American Blonde Ale" - 6% ABV
This beer was the big winner of the evening and the biggest surprise of the evening.  Spanish beers are, well, let's be charitable ... mostly not so good.  We had few preconceptions but for the most part it was not one that we relished trying.  We.  Were.  Wrong.
Xàtiva is a small town in Valencia, Spain.  The brewery La Socarrada Cervesa Artesanal De Xativa set out to create a beer that represented their region of Spain.  They did this by adding Rosemary and Rosemary honey to the brew.  The color is honey amber and with little carbonation and a bit cloudy.  The flavor is slightly woody from the yeasts with fruits and spices.  Though there is rosemary, it only becomes apparent on swallowing and the honey does not make it too sweet.  Really, really good.  The comments from the snobs:
- "I like!  Crisp without being hoppy and just a hint of rosemary and honey".
- "Really good.  Would be great paired with roasted meat".
- "The most original beer that I have ever tried."
- "I will drive miles to find this one".

Schmaltz Jewbelation 16th Anniversary "American Stron Ale" - 16% ABV
16 malts, 16 hops and 16% alcohol.  Oy vey is this ever a face full of fun.  Honestly, you should try this just so that you can say that you did.  You may read the list of malts and hops on their website, but the reality is that there is so much happening that you would never be able to discern any one of them.  Let's let the snobs do the describing:
- "Brutal".
- "Wow, strong.  This is one slow drink".
- "Good flavor but the alcohol makes it difficult to drink.  Tough one".
- "Beer should not burn going down".
- "Damn, it stained my glass"!

The snobs would like to invite you to our next beer swap.  If you are interested please email us at dallasbeersnobs@gmail.com and let us know so that we may make the proper arrangements and find the perfect venue.  Good fun, good friends and good beer.

Revolver Brewing

What do you say, shall we visit a local brewery?  Sure, why the hell not.

When Ron Keisler retired from the Marathon Oil Company I am sure he thought that he was going to get to take it easy and relax.  His son, Rhett, had other plans.  Rhett drug his dad, kicking and screaming, though not very hard, into the beer business.  They recruited Grant Wood to come to Texas to be their brewmaster.  Grant, originally from Irving, has 25 years of experience in the industry working for Lone Star, Pearl and most recently Sam Adams.   Together they have built this .. this ... this tin cathedral of beer worship.

The facility is a bit outside Granbury, about an hour and a half SE of Dallas.  Wisely, the brewery has been built with their eyes on expansion.  There is plenty of room for additional tanks and in the near future, a bottling line and for now, there is also plenty of room for their Saturday festivities.

Tours are from 12:00 to 3:00 with live music, food and a genial atmosphere where you can sit around a fire and drink their fine brews with a hundred or so of your new friends.  Oh yes, and the beer.  Your $7 admission gets you a Revolver Glass and 4 "half glass" servings of their current offerings. 

This week's offerings were:

High Brass Pale Ale - 6% ABV 
A smooth, lightly hopped delight that was way to easy to drink.  The malts shined through without being heavy with 'palest pilsner malt and select caramel malts' complementing the German Saphir hops.  I could see this one being featured on a long hot summer day of session drinking.

Blood and Honey American Wheat Ale - 7% ABV
Previously reviewed, this delight will also be a great summer coolant.

Revolver Bock - 6.5% ABV
Though not really a bock as that it is made from ale yeasts instead of the traditional lager yeasts, it oddly tastes more like the original German marzen than most other bocks made in the area.  The caramel and toffee notes that you would expect from a bock, but balanced with a bit more Wilamette and Northern Brewers hops than normal.  Nice balance, nice drink.

Mothers Little Fracker Stout - 7.75% ABV
We were lucky enough to get to try their very first specialty brew.  Dark and thick enough to leave an oily film on the inside of the glass that was tough to wash out.  It's sweetness made it more like a porter than a stout, the roasted malts were quite intense but balanced with Summit and Challenger hops.  Absolutely my favorite stout being made in our area.

Though the qualtiy of the beer made the trip worth the time investment, the drive home after imbibing in these lovelies can be challenging.  Perhaps if would be better to ask your local watering hole to import these offerings for you?  Lot's of potential here and I wish them much success.

Revolver Brewing
5600 County Road 308
Granbury, TX 76049
http://www.revolverbrewing.com/