BCS: Megabrew Conference
It’s time for voting in the Beer Championship Series Megabrew Conference. It’s almost a shame that two of these beers will earn an automatic entry into the 64-beer bracket. But really, feel free to vote away!
Reader seeks Alaskan Smoked Porter
I got an e-mail this morning from a faithful blog reader who is having difficulty tracking down a bottle of Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Alaskan Smoked Porter. Has anyone seen it around? The reader is in the Norman area, but we’ll take sightings from anywhere in the metro. Just post to the comments if you can help. Thanks!
Europe Conference results
Voting ended last night in the Europe Conference of the Beer Championship Series. Your winner is Pilsner Urquell! That beer will now advance to the 64-beer bracket, as will the runner up in the conference, Carlsberg Pilsner. Here are the final standings:
1. Pilsner Urquell: 23 percent
2. Carlsberg Pilsner: 19 percent
3. Amstel: 15 percent
4. Peroni: 11.5 percent
4. Heineken: 11.5 percent
6. Kronebourg 1664: 8 percent
6. Bavaria Premium: 8 percent
8. Moretti Lager: 4 percent
Just a quick note on the Europe Conference: before you think I’m crazy for not putting several outstanding European beers on the list, remember that there are separate conferences for Great Britain, Germany and Belgium. Each of those countries had so many choices, I thought they deserved their own conference. Moving on, on Monday, we’ll start voting in our next conference — the Megabrew Conference. That’s right, time to select your favorite — or at least the one you can tolerate in a pinch — Bud, Miller or Coors offering.
Beer news report: May 26
Here’s news making the rounds in the beer world:
-Beernews.org posted this link about COOP Ale Works’ canning plans. The article links to a blog post by a certain beer blogger. Also, they report that can labels for Native Amber and Horny Toad Cerveza have been approved. You can see the Native Amber label at right. Good times!
-Mustang Brewing will have a pint night from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Old Chicago in Midwest City. I’ve tried several bottles of Washita Wheat, and I can say it is the best Mustang offering to date. It’s also heartily approved by Mrs. Beagle, in case you lady beer fans out there are curious.
-Also in Mustang and Washita Wheat news, a local TV station did a video piece on Washita Wheat.
-More Oklahoma beer news: Choc Beer was recently the featured brewery on Craftbeer.com. You can see the article right here.
-Urban Tulsa Weekly recently released a ranking of summer beers. Choc, Marshall and Mustang were included on the list, which you can read through here. Spoiler alert: the Choc-Marshall collaboration Wild Brew takes the top spot! I got a sneak preview of Wild Brew before it was bottled and extolled its virtues then. Now beer fans across the state seem to agree!
BCS voting begins in Europe Conference
Good Monday beer fans! Today we will begin voting in the Europe Conference of the Beer Championship Series. This is our 10th conference; we’re nearing the half-way point in the conference season. Which two beers from the Europe Conference will advance to the prestigious 64-beer bracket and compete for the title of Oklahoma’s favorite beer? You decide!
Beer Championship Series results
We’ve got a final in the East Coast Conference of the Beer Championship Series. Your winner is Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA. Here are the final standings:
1. Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA: 38 percent
2. Sam Adams Boston Lager: 29 percent
3. Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale: 10 percent
4. Sam Adams Light: 5 percent
4. Harpoon IPA: 5 percent
4. Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen: 5 percent
7. Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale: 2 percent
7. Brooklyn Brewery East India Pale Ale: 2 percent
7. Shipyard Export Ale: 2 percent
7. Shipyard Old Thumper Extra Special Ale: 2 percent
So the 60-Minute IPA and Boston Lager advance to the 64-beer bracket. Stay tuned for next week when we move on to our 10th conference of the season, the Europe Conference.
Last day to vote in East Coast Conference
Today is the last day to vote in the East Coast Conference of the Beer Championship Series. Right now Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA has a commanding lead, followed by Sam Adams Boston Lager. You can cast your vote at this link. Cheers!
Mustang pint night rescheduled
Due to the threat of massive tornadoes, soccer-ball-sized hail and general imminent doom, Mustang Brewing has postponed a pint night that had been scheduled for tonight at Old Chicago in Midwest City. The event has been rescheduled to 6 to 8 p.m. next Wednesday, May 26, at the same location. The first 75 people to buy a pint of Washita Wheat will receive a special-edition glass. Now let’s all get on the getner and get ready!
Five Questions With… Tim Schoelen, Mustang Brewing
In our latest segment of the not-quite-yet-award-winning series Five Questions With…, we talk to Mustang Brewing Co. President Tim Schoelen about the roll-out of the new Mustang Washita Wheat and what the future holds for Mustang Brewing.
1. The Thirsty Beagle: Talk about the early reaction to Washita Wheat. How has the reaction compared to your expectations?
Tim Schoelen: Washita Wheat has gotten the best reaction of all our beers so far. Sales have been outstanding! In just a couple of weeks, it has outsold both the Golden Ale and Amber Lager from last month. The overwhelmingly positive feedback means a lot. This was our attempt to make something truly indicative of an Oklahoma product. The wheat we used was harvested from the Washita River Valley in Oklahoma. The black and orange label was a little something to reflect on my days as a kid in Stillwater. The red and white banner is for our college days at OU and being fans of Sooner sports. Of course, none of that really matters to the flavor; but it means a lot to us as an Oklahoma-based company.
2. TTB: The Wheat makes it three varieties for you; any plans for a fourth? Or more?
TS: We definitely have a few more beers in the queue, including a canned product that will hit just in time for tailgate season. Market research has shown us the majority of Oklahoma beer drinkers want something that rides that balance between quality and quantity. We want to ensure that Mustang’s flavor profiles are consistent with craft beers, but have the smoothness one expects from a session beer. That limits the types of beers we’ll produce. Pilsners, lagers, brown ales, American pale ales; all of those could easily be produced under the Mustang Brewing banner. Our new brewmaster, Gary Shellman, has some great recipes that he can’t wait for me to taste.
3. TTB: You’ve got the building, and office furniture, I believe. Where do we stand now on the brewery?
TS: We have two fermenters in place now. The brewhouse is being constructed in (California) and should ship by mid-June. The walk-in has been ordered. Frankly, buying equipment is the easy part. The biggest milestone we have to overcome is licensing at both the federal and state level. There is a fair amount of sequencing that has to occur with both and we are patiently going through the steps. You can expect to see some brewing and kegging start to occur in our Oklahoma facility around July. However, the brewing partnerships we have out-of-state are great for us. They allow us to brew in large quantities without a major capital outlay. We won’t completely forego contracting out some of our production to meet demand; it just makes good business sense.
4. TTB: I see Mustang beers at liquor stores around OKC. Are you guys available anywhere else in the state? Are there plans to go regional or further?
TS: Our beers are available in over 350 locations all across Oklahoma, most of those being liquor stores. The decision to get into six packs quickly was a great move for us. It’s always neat to get an e-mail from Altus or Guymon stating how much they like the beer. We are currently working with distributors in all the states neighboring Oklahoma. We expect to be in at least two of those by the end of summer.
5. TTB: Mustang Brewing is frequently out on the pint night scene; have you enjoyed that part of the job, hitting the pavement and meeting the beer fans out there?
TS: We love being able to speak to people one-on-one. That’s the primary reason why you see us doing all the pint nights. They’re costly — the price of glasses, shirts, etc., and being away from the family — but they are worth it. It gives us a chance to tell the Mustang story. The beer has to speak for itself (which we think it does quite well), but it’s always nice for people to place faces and names with the company. When we buy someone their first Mustang and get to see the positive reaction after the first drink; there’s no better feeling.
Thanks again, Tim, for taking some time to chat with The Thirsty Beagle. I know it’ll be an exciting time to have the local brewing operation up and running, and I’m sure beer fans across the state can appreciate another local option.
Vote now! The BCS East Coast Conference
Voting begins today in the East Coast Conference of the Beer Championship Series. You can help decide which beers earn entry into the BCS’ 64-beer bracket. So get out the vote!
