Beer news report: March 30
Here are some odds and ends making the rounds in the beer news world:
-Craft beer volume, sales and brewery numbers were up in 2011, according to the latest report from the Brewers Association. Here’s a fancy infographic to help illustrate the data.
-Easter is coming up. Why not ditch the regular chocolate Easter eggs and go with beer Easter eggs?
-No doubt inspired by my recent raspberry pale ale homebrew experiment, Widmer Bros. has released Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout.
-A new study shows men who regularly drink a couple beers a day are more likely to survive a heart attack.
-Will craft beer find its way onto reality television?
-Hawaii’s largest craft brewery is striking up a new solar power partnership.
Annual McNellie’s Pub Run to benefit officer
In what is turning out to be a great day for beer, the second annual McNellie’s Pub Run has been set for 11:30 a.m. May 19. You might remember from my blog post yesterday that May 19 is also the date of the second annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival. Perhaps you’re looking for a little exercise before you hit up the festival? Why not a little four-mile run? And to offer a little extra motivation, this year’s run will benefit the Chad Peery Fund. Here’s a press release with all the specifics about the run:
The second-annual McNellie’s Pub Run to benefit the Chad Peery Fund will take place at 11:30 a.m. May 19. In partnership with Red Coyote Running and Fitness, the Pub Run will feature several running options including, a traditional four-mile run, the Guinness Challenge and a one-mile fun run.
“We’re proud to partner with Red Coyote Running and Fitness to put this special event on for such a great cause,” said Joe Wolf, McNellie’s Oklahoma City general manager. “All proceeds from this year’s event go to support Chad Peery and his family for bravely serving Oklahoma City.”
In addition to the traditional four-mile run, McNellie’s is offering a special category, called the Guinness Challenge, where participants finish three, 12-ounce Guinness pints during a four-mile run. There are Guinness stops at each water stop, located at mile marker 1.5, three and the finish line.
The Pub Run route starts at the McNellie’s midtown location, NW 10 and Walker Avenue. The rolling course tours historic Heritage Hills and Mesta Park neighborhoods before ending back at McNellie’s.
Early registration for the traditional four-mile run is available online at www.mcnelliespubrun.com through April 30 for $25. Registration for the four-mile run from May 1-18 is $30 and race-day registration is available starting at 10 a.m. at McNellie’s for $35. The Guinness Challenge is an extra $10. The one-mile fun run pre-registration cost is $10 and is $15 on race day.
The Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival is back!
Mark May 19 down on your calendar. Then write a note on your hand. Then scrawl the date on your bedroom wall in spray paint. That’s the date of the second annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival. Once again, TapWerks will host the fest in the parking lot beside the Bricktown pub. The event is one of many planned across the country as part of American Craft Beer Week. Tickets, which are $35, are on sale now at www.oklahomacraftbeerfestival.com. Like last year, there will be two sessions — an afternoon and an evening session, plus food vendors and music.
TapWerks has released a preliminary list of participating breweries:
-COOP
-Marshall
-Choc
-Redbud
-Mustang
-Bricktown Brewery
-Belle Isle Brewery
-Left hand
-Great Divide
-Anderson Valley
-TallGrass
-Shiner
-Sierra Nevada
-Ommegang
-Anchor
-Big Sky
-Boulevard
-Bridgeport
-Blue Moon
-Laughing Dog
-Caldera
-Lienenkugel
-Rogue
-Widmer
-Redhook
-Lost Coast
-Left Coast
-Sam Adams
-Santa Fe
I’ll bring you a detailed beer list as soon as I can. I’m told there will also be some exclusive beers that aren’t normally available in Oklahoma, so stay tuned for that. If you didn’t go to this event last year, you really missed out, so don’t pass up the chance to scoop up some tickets.
Beer Sprocket returns April 14
Time is quickly approaching for one of the best events on the beer calendar, the annual Beer Sprocket festival. This year’s festival is set for April 14 at Choctaw Creek Park, which is the site of the annual Choctaw Oktoberfest celebration.
Beer Sprocket will feature a selection of more than 100 beers and food samples from Old Germany and several other Oklahoma City-area restaurants. Tickets are $50 and are on sale through April 13 at www.oldgermany.com. There will be no day-of ticket sales. Designated drivers are also welcome for a cost of $15.
Proceeds will go to support a number of charities/causes supported by the Rotary Club of East Oklahoma County. They are:
-Polio eradication
-Third-Grader’s First Dictionary program
-Bucks for Bikes with the Salvation Army
-Shelter boxes for Haitian families
-Japanese tsunami relief effort
I’ll have more details as the event draws near, but act fast if you want to attend since festival organizers report tickets are going fast.
TTB bracket contest update
The Thirsty Beagle is back after a week’s vacation. I will say this much: Sleep is highly underrated. Now that I’m back and easing my way into writing a few blog posts, I thought it would be a good time to give an update on my little NCAA tourney bracket competition.
The Final Four is coming up this weekend, and here are the standings with only three games to play:
1. Picks A’Million (77 points, 141 possible points)
2. D’s Horrible Bracket (76, 76)
3. Michelle’s Magnificent Picks (75, 91)
4. Bad Bear (73, 89)
5. Cardinalsfan (71, 87)
6. Mrs. Beagle (69, 69)
7. Randombracket.com (67, 83)
8. The Thirsty Beagle (66, 130)
9. Big Daddy Cool Brees (62, 110)
10. Wes_1 (61, 61)
11. Chaser (58, 74)
Looks pretty much like Picks A’Million has this thing locked up and will be claiming the champions Thirsty Beagle T-shirt. I would also note that I have a great chance to ascend to second place, which would top my 11th-place finish from last year. Woot!
McNellie’s OKC plans St. Pat’s party
There’s plenty going on for the beer fans out there this St. Patrick’s Day. Yesterday, I detailed plans at TapWerks, and today let’s take a look at the itinerary at McNellie’s OKC.
Here’s a summary from their most recent newsletter:
St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, providing you the opportunity to enjoy a few beers and still recover on Sunday. Our festivities will begin at 10 a.m. inside the pub, and our outside area will open around noon. Outside we will have a street party with tents and several beer trucks and bars. We will have a DJ outside during the day, and Hosty will begin around 8 p.m. All March long come into the pub and enjoy $5 Guinness and Smithwicks as well as $4 Harp. St. Patrick’s Day we will feature $4 Irish Car Bombs. On March 17, we will allow all ages inside until 4 p.m. Outside will be 21 and up all day. We are very excited to host our biggest celebration yet and we would love for you to join us!
Any chance we can make St. Patrick’s Day fall on a Saturday every year?
Join TTB NCAA tourney contest, try to win T-shirt
It’s time for the second annual Thirsty Beagle March Madness bracket challenge. I’m hosting through Yahoo! again this year. There’s no fee to enter, and you can win a T-shirt, which will feature this awesome new image:
You can enter the contest at this link:
http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/89518/invitation?key=8a918f708c4e554d
Remember to allow me to see your email address so that if you win I can contact you about your T-shirt. Cheers!
TapWerks plans St. Pat’s Day celebration
If you’re looking for plans for St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, TapWerks is offering a daylong festival. The pub will open at 10 a.m. for your celebrating convenience. Here’s a rundown of events:
-The adjacent parking lot will be turned into an outdoor party spot (21 and older only).
-The COOP Ale Works trailer will be in attendance. COOP is also bringing a special firkin for the day.
-There will be more than 20 beers on tap outside, in addition to all the choices inside.
-There will be live music outside all day.
-Live music kicks off inside at 10 p.m.
-Waffle Champion will be on hand with food from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-Mutts Amazing Hot Dogs will be hand from 5 to 11 p.m.
-The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is expected to pass through Bricktown about 1 p.m.
COOP Ale Works heads to Boulder for fest
The fine lads at COOP Ale Works are representin’ the OKC beer scene this weekend in Colorado at the 10th annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival. This is the second straight year COOP has been invited to pour at the event, which is hosted by Avery Brewing Co. This year, COOP is pouring DNR and Territorial Reserve Oak Aged Imperial Stout. Both quite tasty beers. The festival features more than 80 beers that check in at more than 8 percent ABV. Good job COOP — stuff like this puts Oklahoma beer on the map, folks.
Homebrew topic: Pale ale + fruit?
So I’m about to embark on batch three of my homebrew career. The first two — an American brown ale and a witbier — turned out quite well, if I do say so myself. As I’m sure you’ll know if you’re a homebrewer, there’s just something about drinking a good beer you made yourself. To this point, I’ve used Brewer’s Best kits. I feel like for the most part, all I can take credit for is paying attention to detail and following directions correctly. Apparently that’s still a pretty good accomplishment, but I find myself wanting to branch out a little and do things I can really put my stamp on. For batch three, I’m using a kit one more time (I’m still not ready to wing it completely, although the idea of making a clone sounds good) but I’m freelancing a little bit. I’m going with a pale ale and contemplating adding lemon and maybe raspberry as well.
So my questions are: 1) Pale ale with citrus and/or fruit, a good idea? and 2) Strategically speaking, add the fruit during the boil? During secondary fermentation? Both? How much for a five-gallon batch?
I’ve picked the brains of a few local brewer folk, but thought I would throw it out there to anyone who may have some experience along these lines. Feel free to sound off in the comments. Cheers!
