Alright Louisiana beer fans, the much anticipated release of Parish Brewing's Grand Reserve Barleywine is getting close! December 14th, to be exact, with the first bottles being released at the brewery itself. After the initial brewery release (3 bottles max per person, must reserve in advance) then bottles and kegs will be dispersed throughout the Parish distribution area.
I've heard from Andrew, the owner and brewmaster, and he says that they have about 2000 bottles and 20 kegs this year, and they expect that 1200 to 1300 will be distributed while the remaining are expected to be sold directly from the brewery on Dec. 14th. Last year there were 1300 bottles produced, so those in Baton Rouge looking for it on the shelves can expect a similar amount as we saw in 2012, but hopefully they will stretch a little farther as some of us will likely be buying bottles at the brewery!
In my opinion Grand Reserve is the best Louisiana brewed beer, so I'm quite excited about this release, and I'm very happy that there will be a brewery release as well as normal distribution. Andrew told me they will also have a cask of the 2013 Grand Reserve at the brewery, as well as a keg of 2013 for snifter pours, and a keg of 2012 Grand Reserve available in 5 oz. pours for comparison. There should also be several food trucks on site to add the to festivities.
Sounds like a great day to me!
I don't know how many Shreveport readers of Facebook fans the BR Beer Scene has, but it looks like you're getting your second official brewery in about a month's span! Red River Brewing Company is launching their draft beer this evening at Rotolo's, starting at 4 PM. They are starting with their Louisiana Hay Ryed beer, a 4.5% rye-wheat hybrid beer with American hops.
I don't know too much about Red River Brewing Company and haven't had a chance to try any of their beers, but it's still exciting to have another Louisiana brewery on the map!
By now I'm sure you've seen some pictures and hype about the latest from Tin Roof Brewing, the Rougarou Imperial Black Ale! Not only will this be their "biggest" beer yet in terms of abv, but it will also be their first release in 22 ounce bottles. I was able to pick up a preview bottle late last week, and the bottles should be hitting the shelves around town later this week! They'll also be on draft at a few places starting at 5 PM tonight at the Bulldog, I'll try to update other locations when I hear about them.
First impressions... I love the name. It's perfect for a Louisiana brewed Imperial Black Ale. I'm actually a little surprised none of the other local breweries had used the Rougarou name already. The bottle itself is really sharp as well. Simple artwork, the name of the beer, the style, and the Tin Roof logo up on the neck. Time for a pour, this one was fresh off the bottling line when I picked it up last Thursday and Mandi and I split it on Friday, that's about as fresh as a beer gets.
The beer pours a rich black color, spot on for the style, with a little bit of off-white head. The aroma was excellent, hoppy with some pine notes and a nice malt backbone. It was spot on for what you'd want in this style of beer. The taste up front was a little harsh on the bitterness, but I expect that to fade pretty quickly and maybe even by the time bottles hit retail shelves. It wasn't bad, I just thought it was a little too bitter and it made it hard to pick out the hop flavors. The back end of each sip was better, with the hops coming through more distinctly and playing well with the rich malts.
All in all, a very nice effort from Tin Roof, and in my opinion their best beer yet. I'll be picking up a few more once they hit the shelves and am eager to try it on tap as well!
Huh? A stout from Red Stripe? Yeah, that's what I thought too, but apparently it does exist. In fact, Desnoes & Geddes, who brew Red Stripe, have a few other stouts in their lineup, inlcuding Guinness, but since D&G is owned by Diageo, that makes perfect sense. I always knew that Jamaica was one of the brewery locations for Guinness but I never realized it was the same brewery that did Red Stripe.
Followed all that? Great! The real point is that "Red Stripe" brews a stout, and we had one to try. It comes in at 7.5% alcohol, and is listed on BeerAdvocate as a Foreign / Export Stout, which is a little stronger than a normal Dry Irish Stout, but not huge like a Russian Imperial Stout. They are traditionally brewed in tropical climates and made to last a little longer before going bad. Well, Jamaica classifies as tropical in my book, and it had to survive the journey to the USA... so here goes...
Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (Bite And Booze), Brenton Day (The Ale Runner), Chuck Pierce (Me And My Big Mouth), and Kevin Cowan.
Serving: 12 oz. bottle.
Appearance: Dark, with an off-white head. Hints of ruby but a general stout-ish appearance.
Aroma: Fruity and malty... odd to pick up fruit notes in this one. Jay and Brenton also picked up on some fruit notes so it's not just me.
Taste: A little thin, not all that roasted, still some fruit flavors that are odd for the style. A little chocolate flavor as well.
Mouthfeel: Thin.
Overall: Honestly, it's not a bad beer, but it's mislabeled as a stout. I'm not sure what a better style would be... maybe some sort of English Old Ale, but not as strong as those typically run. All said, I'd drink it again, but I'm not going to run out to buy more.
Overall Rating: 66
My Rating: 61
Surprisingly, this is only the second offering from Brash Beers that I've had on Feature Beer Friday! and the first was a collaboration with Clown Shoes. This week Brash gets this space all to themselves with some Cold Ass Honky. I'm a little surprised that they received label approval with that name... but I guess this isn't Texas. They seem to be a lot more strict on the other side of the Sabine.
While most breweries out there are already releasing Oktoberfest beers, pumpkin beers, and other fall seasonals, this is Brash's summer seasonal and it's still on shelves around town. It probably won't be around too much longer though, so get it while the getting's good.
Here's what they have to say about the 8.5% dry-hopped saison: "Cold Ass Honky is our summer season and is available now. This saison is
ridiculously dry hopped while still allowing the saison style to shine.
We don’t call it farmhouse because it’s not. Think more trailer park
saison. Get it while you can."
Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (Bite And Booze), Brenton Day (The Ale Runner), Chuck Pierce (Me And My Big Mouth), and Kevin Cowan.
Serving: 22 oz. bottle.
Appearance: Hazy orange with a white head.
Aroma: Floral, citrus, and definitely some hops in there. Jay picked up tangerine flavors and Brenton also described it as spicy and grassy.
Taste: Citrusy, funky, I really enjoyed the taste of this one. Jay said that the hops on the saison were really nice and most of us gave it very high scores here.
Mouthfeel: Bubbly, bitter end but in a nice way. Brenton thought it needed more carbonation but I don't agree... I don't like overly carbonated beers though, so maybe to style it should have had a little more. Maybe.
Overall: Jay, Brenton, and I all really enjoyed this one with top 25% scores. Chuck and Kevin didn't care for it as much but still both had it top 50%. I think it's a perfect stronger summer seasonal with just the right amount of hops and funk balanced.
Overall Rating: 72.4
My Rating: 79
Okay, yes, it's officially called "Louisiana Craft Brewer Week" and not Craft Beer Week or even Craft Breweries week. Yes, I also think that's pretty dumb, but I didn't write the legislation and I'm sure there's some legal reason.Okay, not that that little rant is over, it's on to the fun stuff.
Louisiana Craft Brewer Week kicks off on September 23rd, next Monday, and runs to September 29th, the following Sunday. There will be good stuff happening throughout Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and elsewhere, so I thought I'd share what I think are the most relevant to beer lovers in Baton Rouge.
Monday, September 23rd:
Avenue Pub - 6 PM - NOLA Brewing / New Belgium Brewing collaboration Swamp Grape Escape is released. This is a limited beer brewed with muscadine grapes, and Louisiana Craft Brewer Week might be the only chance to try it.
Tuesday, September 24th:
Bulldog BR - 5 PM - NOLA Brewing cask night, with a "Smoky Praline". This is their Smoky Mary with praline, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Niche BR - ?? - Parish Dr. Hoptagon's first Baton Rouge tapping.
Wednesday, September 25th:
Chelsea's - 6 PM - Abita tasting featuring Oak Aged Pecan Harvest Ale.
Chimes East - 6 PM - Tin Roof Brewing features a cascade dry-hopped cask of Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale.
Thursday, September 26th:
Bulldog BR - 6 PM - Tin Roof Brewing features a citra dry-hopped cask of Blonde Ale.
Avenue Pub - 7 PM - Stone tap takeover with Greg Koch. Greg Koch is the founder/owner of Stone Brewing, and he will be in town to promote an impressive lineup of Stone beers, including many cellared releases and some fresh hoppy brews.
Friday, September 27th:
Mathernes - 4 PM - Tin Roof tasting at both locations, featuring all products.
Tin Roof Brewing - 5 PM - Tours and tastings, featuring one of Tin Roof's beers on a hop randall.
Bulldog BR - 5 PM - Abita tasting featuring Oak Aged Pecan Harvest Ale.
Pelican House - 6 PM - Tin Roof "Blonde Sugar Sex Magic" release, this is a chili pepper infused blonde ale.
Avenue Pub - ?? - Lips Of Faith feature with Lauren Salazar of New Belgium Brewing. Lauren is the director of New Belgium's Lips Of Faith series and the whole lineup will be available plus some limited releases that Lauren is bringing from Colorado.
Saturday, September 28th:
New Orleans City Park - 1-7 PM - New Orleans On Tap - Lots of beer and live music, a good way to end the week of beer drinking!
Churchill's BR - ?? - Oktoberfest sampling.
I've also heard that Parish will be releasing Dr. Hoptagon, their new Black IPA during Craft Brewer Week. If I hear any exact details I'll pass them on!
Alright Louisiana beer fans, the much anticipated release of Parish Brewing's Grand Reserve Barleywine is getting close! December 14th, to be exact, with the first bottles being released at the brewery itself. After the initial brewery release (3 bottles max per person, must reserve in advance) then bottles and kegs will be dispersed throughout the Parish distribution area. 
