TapWerks getting all Belgian for Belgian Beer Week
Next week is Belgian Beer Week, and TapWerks has a great lineup planned.
In addition to their normal selection of Belgian beers, they will have the following special offerings:
-Hop Ruiter Belgian Strong Pale Ale
-Cuvee Des Trolls
-Scaldis
-Petrus Oud Bruin
-Petrus Oak Aged Pale Ale
-Dupont Foret
Additionally, they will bring in bottles of Gulden Draak, Piraat and Monk’s Café.
They will have price specials on Karmeliet, Kwak, Westmalle, Lindemans, Foret and Rochefort (Nos. 10,8,6), and on Thursday will host a Belgian pint night featuring 15 types of specialty glassware.
Unintentional Oktoberfest photo humor
I can’t be the only person who thinks this photo from Choctaw Oktoberfest is completely hilarious, right? I mean, with those legs sticking out of the bottom, doesn’t it look like… you know…
Gives a whole new meaning to “Tapping the keg.”
Choc plans seasonal spinoffs of OPA
Moving on to my third new-beer announcement of the day, we’ve got big news from Choc this afternoon. The guys in Krebs announced today that they have decided to produce a four-beer seasonal rotation of their latest beer, OPA (Oklahoma Pale Ale).
The original OPA will remain in the lineup as a year-round offering, and will be joined first in November by Black OPA and then followed around March by Curry Spiced OPA and around June by Belgian Style OPA. A fourth, yet-undetermined version has yet to be announced, but you’d expect it to fill a gap in either the winter or late summer/early fall next year.
Choc President Zach Prichard said the project will likely feature small batches with a limited number of cases. He said the concept will involve keeping the grain bill and bittering hops the same, but using variations in yeast and aroma hopping to accomplish variety. (The exception will be Black OPA, which will feature a different grain bill.) The beers will ship in six packs and a limited number of kegs.
Said Prichard: “It’s way for us to share some really interesting beers that up until this point have not fit into our lineup.”
I tried a version of Curry Spiced OPA out of the cask at the TapWerks IPA Day celebration, and can report that it was very good. Prichard mentioned then that they would like to kick up the curry a little, so stay tuned for that.
COOP releases latest offering
COOP Ale Works is hopping on the new-beer train this month with the release of its latest beer in the Territorial Reserve series: Oak Aged Barleywine Ale.
The beer checks in at 11.13 percent ABV and was aged in second-run Jack Daniels oak barrels for seven months.
COOP is releasing 1524 hand-numbered 750 ml bottles and a total of 35 kegs for the Oklahoma market, reports the brewery’s JD Merryweather.
Mustang puts new spin on Harvest Lager
Mustang Brewing recently made its 2012 release of its fall seasonal, Harvest Lager, and also announced a twist in its plans for this year. While the Harvest Lager from 2010 and 2011 — a traditional Vienna Märzen lager, is available in kegs this year, the Harvest Lager available in bottles will be a Black Märzen. You can read more by clicking on Mustang’s latest newsletter.
Here’s an excerpt from the newsletter:
As a young company, we love the opportunity to tweak and adjust our beers. Seasonal beers are the perfect place to test new recipes. This year’s Harvest Lager bottles have has a new look and new flavor! We decided to push the envelope and create a Black Märzen. Venturing into untried brewing territory, this beer is rich with malt, has hints of caramel, and distinct chocolate note at the finish. We are extremely excited about this beer and hope you are, too. The Black Märzen is only available in bottles.
