Zwanze Day 2011 at The Avenue Pub!

Mmmmm, Zwanze day!  For those that actually read the Washington Post article I posted recently about the black market beer trade, you might remember a mention of the Zwanze beer from Brasserie Cantillon in Belgium.  Brasserie Cantillon is one of the world's leaders when it comes to spontaneously fermented Belgian ales and one of their annual releases is the Zwanze.  After 2010 bottles popped up on e-bay for 10x or more of the retail price the brewer decided to release the 2011 version on tap only at select locations throughout the world.  Out of the approximately 20 locations worldwide that had the beer, one of them was right down the road, The Avenue Pub in New Orleans. 

To help relieve the mass of people expected to be lining up for some of the beer, Polly had everyone sign in in groups (of 30 I believe) and then go to the upstairs bar in the smaller groups to try some beers of their choosing.  A $12 ticket afforded anyone two pours and although there were other Cantillon beers available I believe most people went for the 2010 Zwanze (Polly had some bottles!) and then the 2011 Zwanze.  Prior to the official release party which started at 2 PM we ordered up some of the other Belgian ales that Polly had made available!

Finally it was my group's turn and we started off with the older 2010 Zwanze that had been set aside in bottles.  It was a blonde color with a fruity Belgian sour funk just as I expected from this one.  

After trying that and receiving our Zwanze 2011 pours it was out to the patio to avoid the crowds from the next group coming in.  The Zwanze 2011 was a lot different than the 2010 version and I think most people I was with preferred the older 2010 beer.  They weren't the same style so it was hard to compare, but I think I enjoyed the 2011 version better.  It was made with Pineau D'Aunis grapes used in some red wine making in that area of Belgium.  Since I really enjoy a good red wine I thought the beer was fantastic but I can see how others would like the 2010 better.

In addition to these Belgian sours I was able to finally try the NOLA Smoky Mary and the Abita Select Honey Rye, which served as a nice changeup on the tastebuds to all the Belgian sours!  Thanks again to Polly and everyone at The Avenue Pub for a fantastic time at Zwanze day 2011!

Ommegang Coming Soon - Release Party Sep. 7th!

Hey everyone, it's been in the works for a while, but it seems the date is official, the Ommegang Louisiana release party will be Sep. 7th at The Avenue Pub in New Orleans.  Here's the word from the owner, Polly:

Wed Sept 7 th Ommegang La release party!
Beers will be tapped upstairs and down.
Yea...the much anticipated Ommegang is in stock and will be released Wed night! We will have the following beers on draft: Abbey, Hennepin, Rare Vos, BP Ale, Witte and 2 kegs that only the Pub is getting Aphrodite & Duvel Single Belgian. three Philosophers will be poured from bottles by the 10 and four ounce sizes that night also! We will have limited free glassware for those that show up early! The Balcony for this event will be non smoking until 11pm.

What's really exciting about this is that it should mean we can find some Ommegang in bottles in stores and places like The Cove around BR before too long.  And hopefully on tap at the usual places like The Bulldog and The Chimes.  Ommegang is a craft brewery out of Cooperstown, NY that specializes in Belgian-style ales.  I've reviewed a few of theirs before and tried several others including the Chocolate Indulgence Ale, the Rare VOS, and the flagship Abbey Ale and I can say that I'm happy to have their beers here.  I'm a fan of good American brewers who can do a fine Belgian ale and these guys can.  So check them out once they're on the shelves, and enjoy!

NOLA Brewing's "Smoky Mary" Release Date Set - Sep. 6th.

About a month ago I had a post about the "Smoky Mary" picture on NOLA Brewing's website (@nolabrewing) indicating a new seasonal was on the way.  They confirmed that and told me they were expecting an October release date, but it looks like the schedule has been moved up!  The Avenue Pub should have it on tap starting September 6th, and according to them, "NOLA smoked their hops with local pecan wood and add them to a " fest" style beer."  So... it sounds like we're in for an Oktoberfest style beer with smoked hops?  Nah, it's actually smoked malts, Polly corrected that later. 

 

 

So, if you can check it out at The Avenue Pub it looks like Sep. 6th is your date.  I'm sure it will find it's way to a few places in Baton Rouge like The Bulldog shortly afterward.  I'm a big fan of the Bouccanee' from Bayou Teche, which is also a smoked beer, so I'm definitely looking forward to this new NOLA offering.

Cheer everyone!

American Craft Beer Week - Recap

Alright, it's been a busy week of traveling and beer drinking for me, but I wanted to drop in and run down a few of the highlights from American Craft Beer Week!

Beer drinking venues: 5 (I know, slacking a bit for a full week!)

States I drank in: 2

Cities I drank in: 3

New beer drinking venues: 2

New beers tried:  24

Best Louisiana beer: Bayou Teche XXX Grenade

New brewery discovered: No Label Brewing

Best beer period: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Best new place: The Petrol Station in Houston

Best brewery tour: Tin Roof Brewery

Best food truck fare: Kicker's BBQ Brisket Fries

Best craft beer in a can: Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA at The Ginger Man Pub

Most heavily rotated taps: The Petrol Station, they rotated three new beers in while we were there drinking... at lunchtime.

Best Canadian craft beer: Dieu Du Ciel Equinoxe Du Printemps

Best post-drinking steak night: St. Charles Tavern

Kickball games played during the week: 4

Biggest disappointment: Not having a time machine to be more places at once!

Biggest disappointment for real: Missing out on Parish Brewing at The Avenue Pub

Biggest anti-disappointment: Finally getting to check out The Petrol Station, very cool bar.

All in all it was a great week of craft beer and good friends.  My liver needs a few days off, but I'll be back at it before too long!

Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi IPA at The Ginger Man Pub

The Petrol Station

It's American Craft Beer Week!

Hello everyone, and a happy American Craft Beer Week to all of you!  The celebration officially kicks off today, although I know some bars started a little early. 

If you're looking for a good way to try some new craft beer in Baton Rouge, the first place I'd recommend is the Tin Roof Brewery.  They will be having an open house every day this week from 5 to 7, with free beer samples to anyone who wants to come by.  In addition, the Food Truck Roundup will be at the brewery on Wednesday for an even larger open house and tasty bites to compliment the beer.

The Londoner will also be hosting special tastings all week as they celebrate craft beer's best week of the year.  Tonight will feature Moylan's and Saint Arnold, on Tuesday they will have special taps of Sierra Nevada and Stone, Wednesday is all Lazy Magnolia and Covington, Thursday is Abita and Harpoon, Friday is Rogue and Magic Hat, Saturday is Flying Dog and Schmlatz Brewing, and they finish it off on Sunday with some NOLA, Sam Adams, and Brooklyn beers.  I'd be most excited about the Stone and Schmaltz offerings, but I'm afraid I'm not going to have time to swing by at all.

The best place to celebrate American Craft Beer Week is definitely The Avenue Pub in New Orleans.  I know it's not always easy to just head down there and drink a few, but if you have a chance this week or this weekend, it's the place to go.  They will have special releases every night and that's on top of an already outstanding craft beer lineup.  They have also put together a list of other locations hosting Craft Beer events, so check it out! 

And if all else fails, just buy some craft beers at the local store, and enjoy with some friends!

Cheers!

Some Local Beer Links...

First off, be sure to check out The Beer Buddha's Top Of The Hops ticket give away!   The give away is in particular for the North Shore edition of the Top Of The Hops beer festival. The breweries for 2011 haven't been announced yet, but there were a lot of good beers to try last year!  Unforunately this one is March 19th so I'll be busy with the St. Patrick's Day parade, but there is also the Top Of The Hops in Lafayette on April 9th so maybe I'll see some people there!

If anyone is planning on hitting up the North Shore tasting you might want to consider taking the bus to and from via The Avenue Pub on St. Charles Street.  Details can be found on Facebook here:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/AvenuePubNOLA  but it's a good way to minimize driving, parking, and maximize the beer! 

 

Also... another post from The Beer Buddha, about a Schmaltz Brewing beer dinner hosted by the Martin Wine Cellar location in Metairie.  Looks delicious, and should be some pretty good beer that hasn't proliferated the BR market yet.  Maybe the Martin Wine Cellar in Baton Rouge will be hosting similar beer dinners in the future?  We can only hope!

Enjoy, and happy drinking!

Draft Magazine's 100 Best Beer Bars In America!

Draft Magazine has released their 2011 list of the top 100 beer bars in America, and I was thrilled to see a couple of Louisiana beer bars make the cut. 

Not surprisingly, they are both in New Orleans, which unfortunately kicks Baton Rouge's ass when it comes to beer.  Hey, they're a bigger market, they cater to more beer geeks, more tourists looking to find a good beer bar... it happens.  I'm not going to complain, I'm just going to make sure I visit often and have some good beers when I do!

Making the list for the first time, and this is no surprise to me, is The Avenue Pub.  I've hailed The Avenue Pub as the go-to bar in Louisiana for craft beer since I started writing this blog, and it seems the word is getting out nationally.  The beer is always served perfectly, the tap lines are clean, there is new stuff on tap every time I show up, and the food is fantastic as well.  Congrats to Polly and everyone else over there for the recognition!  And thanks for making every trip a great beer experience.

 

 

Also on the list from New Orleans is Cooter Brown's, which somehow, and shamefully, I've never been to.  I'm not sure how that's happened, but maybe on the next trip to the Big Easy I'll have a chance to give it a go.

 

 

 

It's great to see some Louisiana recognition nationally for craft beer... hopefully it's a sign of better things to come for craft beer in the state.

Pictures taken from the respective bar websites.

Abita - Bourbon Barrel Aged Turbodog

So, Abita is apparently jumping on the bourbon-barrel aging trend (not a bad thing!) and releasing some casks of aged Turbodog over the next few weeks.  There will be 4 different cask-tapping events in New Orleans and Mandeville, and now the only thing I need to figure out is which one I'll be able to go to! 

 

12/9/10 - The Bricks - New Orleans

12/10/10 - The Avenue Pub - New Orleans

12/16/10 - Bruno's Tavern - New Orleans

12/20/10 - Barley Oak - Mandeville

Of these four drinking establishments the only one I've been to before is The Avenue Pub, and it's probably the best beer bar in Louisiana, and I can't go tonight or Friday night anyway, so it seems like I'll be looking to go with someone next Thursday or the following Monday!  Let me know if you're interested.