OK kids, here’s one that’s a few days old. What the heck, though, we’ll post it anyway.
From Terry:
As phase 1 of our 2012 expansion plan, Breckenridge Brewery installed two 300-barrel fermenters yesterday and one 200-barrel Brite tank today. Photos are attached. Four more 300-barrel fermenters are coming in March.
Here are some of the stats for the tanks:
All three new tanks were made by Paul Mueller Company in Springfield, Missouri. Each of the 2 fermenters installed yesterday is about 40 feet tall, 10 feet in diameter, and weighs about 10,000 lbs.
The four scheduled to come at the end of March should be on-line and in production in early April. We’ve built a new room on the south side of our brewery at 471 Kalamath Street, Denver, to accommodate the six new fermenters.
Today we installed the 200-barrel Brite tank into our filtration/packaging area. We had to lift one of our existing 100-barrel Brite tanks from this area through a hole in roof in the middle of our building in order to properly place the new Brite tank, again through the roof. We’re moving the 100-barrel tank into another space in the packaging area.
This expansion, like many others going on right now at craft breweries across the US, is representative of the marvelous growth of the craft beer market. Cheers to good beer!
For US craft beer statistics, go to Brewers Association, http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/facts
For Colorado craft beer info, go to Colorado Brewers Guild, http://coloradobeer.org/.
Other Breckenridge Brewery news:
We’re still recovering from the Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines festival in Vail, CO, where Breckenridge Brewery, with Bell’s Brewery, was the featured brewery! It was great to see many of you there!
Our Avalanche Ale was voted 2011 Best Amber in a Can by the readers of craftcans.com!
Pandora’s Bock, our spring seasonal, is available now.
Small Batch Series is beginning to ship in 4-packs (formerly 6-packs). Available now in 4-packs is 471 IPA and 72 Imperial. 72 Imperial is our Small Batch “Occasional” beer that is a double chocolate stout made with milk and dark chocolate from Colorado’s own Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Durango, CO.
Austin start-up brewery Hops & Grain Brewing has been hard at it making beer since the first of October. Their hoppy Pale Dog American Pale Ale and ALT-eration Alt-style beers are showing up on taps all over town. We’re also starting to find the occasional Greenhouse brew on tap at certain beer-centric locales. Soon, we’ll start seeing the canned products in our favorite Austin beer stores. So, the beer making and selling thing seems to be coming together for Josh and the gang.
We were happy to see they are now on the interwebs with their new web site. Check it out HERE, and read a story about it HERE.
Happy Holidaze, and Cheers!
USABT
Yeah, we’ve been total slackers lately. I guess we could blame it on our daytime jobs, but that really hasn’t been an issue before. Blame it on lack of time for proper craft beer intake. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
So, here’s yesterday’s news:
O. – On December 14th, Odell Brewing will begin shipping this year’s batch of Saboteur Brett Barrel Brown Ale, a classic brown ale aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces. Named one of Draft Magazine’s Top 25 Beers of 2010, Saboteur is part of the brewery’s single serve series of beers.
The first tasting in the series is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20 from 7 to 8 p.m. EST. In honor of the holiday season, winter ales have been chosen as the theme. All it takes to participate is a Twitter account and a seasonal winter beer in hand. To join the conversation, participants merely need to attach the hashtag #WFMBeer to all of tweets during the event.“Whole Foods Market is one of the best brands on Twitter, and they do an amazing job connecting with and engaging their audience. Every week, they host really fun discussions about food and wine with their followers,” said Ashley Routson, beer expert and founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com. “For selfish reasons, I felt that craft beer deserved to be thrown into the mix.”
Whole Foods Market and The Beer Wench are joining forces with four craft breweries across the country, all with delicious holiday or winter beers available at various Whole Foods Market stores. Every fifteen minutes, the focus will shift to a different featured brewery as brewmasters and brewery representatives actively answer questions and share stories about the beers and the breweries.
“Whole Foods Market’s store beer buyers are some of the most passionate people in our company, and our shoppers tend to seek us out for our adventurous selection of local and craft brews,” said Michael Bepko, Global Online Community Manager at Whole Foods Market. “Taking our experts and knowledge online with The Beer Wench to connect to some new beer connoisseurs is a natural extension of the community we work hard to create in our stores.”
The December 20 virtual craft beer Twitter Tasting schedule is as follows:
7pm EST: New Belgium (@newbelgium) Snow Day
7:15 EST: Deshcutes (@DeschutesBeer) Jubelale
7:30 EST: Bison Brewing (@bisonbrew) Gingerbread Ale
7:45 EST: Dogfish Head (@dogfishbeer) Chicory Stout
8pm EST: After party (free for all!!)
Participants are encouraged to tweet along while enjoying one of the craft beers listed above. If unavailable, they can simply choose another favorite holiday or winter craft beer. Suggestions from The Beer Wench, most of which can be found at a local Whole Foods Market, include:
21st Amendment (@21stAmendment) Fireside Chat
Anderson Valley (@avbc) Winter Solstice Ale
Great Divide (@greatdividebrew) Hibernation Ale
Great Lakes (@GLBC_Cleveland) Christmas Ale
Karl Strauss (@Karl_Strauss) Dos Turtles
Ninkasi (@Ninkasi) Sleighr
Odell Brewing (@OdellBrewing) Isolation Ale
Sierra Nevada (@SierraNevada) Celebration Ale
Sweet Water (@sweetwaterbrew) Festive
Weyerbacher (@Weyerbacher) Winter Ale
For more information on the virtual tasting and the beers, check out the official EventBrite page: http://wfmwinterbeer.eventbrite.com/
3. Beer Bloggers from Across the Pond Planning Some Kind of Shindig
European Beer Bloggers Conference Announced
Hello Beer Bloggers!
We are happy to announce the European Beer Bloggers Conference will be taking place in Leeds, England, May 18 – 20, 2012. More information on the location can be found on our website and registration is open now:
European Beer Bloggers Conference Registration
Leeds, England Logistics Information
And even better, Molson Coors has come on as a sponsor, offering registration compensation for the first 100 citizen beer bloggers that register for the conference. With such a generous scholarship opportunity, there is no reason not to attend this year’s conference in Leeds! More information can be found in the latest blog post on our website.
In addition to our Complete List of Beer Bloggers which lists press and citizen beer blogs from around the world, we have just posted a list of Beer Industry Blogs. If you have any suggestions of additional blogs by your favorite brewery, brewpub, distributor, etc., please let me know as it is my intention to make this the most complete list of industry blogs.
Hope you can join along with bloggers from the other side of the pond! Please let me know if you have any questions, and don’t forget to follow the conversation on Twitter at #BBC12.
Cheers!
elle
www.beerbloggersconference.org
Leeds, England May 18 – 20, 2012
Indianapolis, IN July 13 – 15, 2012
OK. That’s it from the Spambox for now. Hey, have you checked our Video Page out? Groovy beer videos live there. Go. Watch. Cheers!
USABT
Brewery Break-In Gone Wrong
Watch the latest @Brewamerica video about DC Brau, the first brewery to set uo shop in DC in 60 years! Click on the Beer Videos link above or click HERE.
Enjoy, and Cheers!
So, every now and then our spam filter really clamps down and we miss some press releases and other news from breweries. Below are a few such examples. Cheers!
Tuesday, November 15th
Join us as we celebrate the sixth release of The Abyss, the imperial stout that is the heart and soul of our Reserve Series.
Walk, hop or skip down to our Bend or Portland Pub at 11 am to be one of the first first to purchase bottles of this year’s vintage of The Abyss (6 bottle limit per person please).
Then, at 5 pm, treat your tastebuds to a vertical flight of The Abyss [2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011] and a special menu that our chefs created just for this event. These flights will not last long so don’t be late.
The special menus for both pubs are slightly different with each chef featuring what they like to pair best with The Abyss. Click on the pub images below to view each of the mouth watering menus.
Buckle your tastebuds folks, and we’ll see you on the 15th!
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BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY SHARES A CAB -
SALE OF ULTRA-LIMITED “SUMMER CAB RIDE” BEER IN 750 ml BOTTLES
Denver, CO – November 3, 2011 – Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado, LLC, will sell precious few bottles of its rare beer “Summer Cab Ride” on Saturday, November 12, at its tasting room in Denver, 471 Kalamath Street. Summer Cab Ride is Breckenridge Brewery’s send off to summer – its SummerBright golden ale aged in cabernet wine barrels to create a light, sessionable beer with an interestingly complex finish. The brewery has packaged just 240 hand-numbered 750 ml bottles with cork and wire bale closures which will be sold, first come first served, at 1:00 p.m. on November 12.
The bottle release party starts at 11:00 a.m. the day of the sale and includes a grand prize sweepstakes, live music by Stephen Marcus, and tastings of Breckenridge Brewery rare beers. The first twenty people in line for the Summer Cab Ride bottle sale receive a $10 Metro Taxi cab voucher. The grand prize is a certificate for a fifteen-person two-hour tour on the Denver Patio Ride – a fifteen-seat, pedal-powered bike ideal for downtown pub tours.
The brewery invites people to enter the sweepstakes for the Denver Patio Ride starting today via the sweepstakes link on the Breckenridge Brewery Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/BreckenridgeBrewery). The winner will be announced at 1:00 at the Summer Cab Ride 750 ml bottle release party on November 12 and must be present to win.
Bottles of Summer Cab Ride will be sold for $20, and are limited to two bottles per person. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. For more information, please contact Terry Usry, terryusry@msn.com, 720-490-6837.
Breckenridge Brewery was founded in 1990 in Breckenridge, Colorado. In the past two decades Breckenridge Brewery has grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer and restaurant companies in the nation. It now handcrafts over 37,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and owns and operates five brewpubs and ales houses in the state of Colorado.
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Happy International #StoutDay!!
If there is one thing that we love almost as much as brewing, it is cooking. And we love coming up with unique and creative ways to incorporate our beers into recipes.
There is something super magical about beer that makes it a fantastic tenderizer for meat — especially beef. We love braising short ribs in our Organic Chocolate Stout. The beer adds a nice smoky and roasted dimension to the dish, leaving hints of cocoa in its path.
In honor of International #StoutDay, a social media movement started to raise the awareness about craft beer and celebrate the stout style, we wanted to share our extra delicious recipe for braised short ribs with all of our friends and fans.
CHOCOLATE STOUT BRAISED SHORT RIBS
Ingredients:
4 lb. beef short ribs
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. canola oil
2 yellow onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups Bison Organic Chocolate Stout
8 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)
Directions:
1. Season the short ribs generously on all sides with salt and pepper. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until almost smoking. Working in batches (do not overcrowd), brown the ribs on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2.In the same pan over medium heat, add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Slow cooker method: Transfer the short ribs and vegetables to a slow cooker and add the stout. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the meat is very tender, about 6 hours.
Oven method: Preheat an oven to 300°F. Transfer the short ribs and vegetables to a Dutch oven and add the stout. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and place the lid on top. Transfer to the oven and bake until the meat is very tender, about 4 hours.
Transfer the ribs to a large bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Skim the fat off the sauce. Using an immersion blender (or household blender), puree the sauce until smooth.
Serve immediately and pair with Bison Organic Chocolate Stout and your favorite sides (we love potatoes smashed with a bit of gorgonzola, cream, butter and garlic!)
CHEERS,
The Bison Brewing Team
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Monday, December 12th | 6 pm
Join us at our Portland Pub for an unforgettable evening with a few of Portland’s finest chefs, award-winning beer pairings and celebrity judges, all to benefit Morrison Child & Family Services. Not only do guests partake in a heavenly seven-course beer dinner, but they also decide the winner of the People’s Choice Award based on taste, best pairing, and creativity.
This year’s talented line-up of Portland Chefs include:
Jason French from Ned Ludd, Katy Millard from Davis Street Tavern, Sarah Schafer from Irving Street Kitchen, Paul Bachand from Recipe, Jeff Usinowicz & Jill Ramseier from Deschutes Brewery’s Portland Public House, and one more chef that will soon be announced.
The following celebrity judges will decide which dish impresses them the most:
Tracy Howard, senior editor of Imbibe Magazine; Christian DeBenedetti, author of The Great American Ale Trail; Steve Body, author of Seattle P.I.’s beer blog, The Pour Fool; Sal Zizzo, local soccer star and owner of Zizzo’s Food Cart; Caprial Pence from Caprial + John The Kitchen; and Gary Fish, owner of Deschutes Brewery.
Chefs Challenge tickets are $95 and can be purchased by clicking on the button below. For a limited time, subscribers to The Bitter Truth can purchase their tickets for $80 each, using the discount code “bravelydone”. This offer ends November 18th and with only 100 tickets available, they will go fast.
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That’s all folks!
Got this from Sun King …
(Indianapolis) – Sun King Brewing Co. led the charge at 2011′s Great American Beer Festival®,
taking home eight medals (including four Gold Medals), the highest medal count of any single
brewery in the Festival’s 30-year history. In recognition of this achievement, Indianapolis Mayor
Greg Ballard proclaimed Oct. 28 “Sun King Brewing Day.”
Mayor Ballard visited Sun King’s popular Tasting Room on Friday afternoon to meet with brewery
owners, staff, and issue the proclamation. You can watch a video of Mayor Ballard making the
proclamation HERE or watch it below.
If you would like to speak with us about any other issues pertaining to Sun King, craft beer, or
Indiana’s growing brewing industry, please contact Neal Taflinger at (317) 602-3702 or
taffy@sunkingbrewing.com.
# # #
Making beer around the world with a Gypsy Brewer…
You could describe Brian Stillwater of Stillwater Artisanal Ales as a Vagabond, Gypsy Brewer, Lone Ranger, whatever you’d like. But one thing is sure, he’s garnering a cult following because of his unconventional brewing method and his completely uncompromised brews.
He parallels his brewing method from that of his music days as a globetrotting DJ. The breweries he uses around the world are his studios and he is a visiting artist. Wherever his beer is made takes on a little flavor of the location it’s brewed in and he uses whatever ingredients he feels are appropriate to achieve his goal. He does not set any limits on the beer he crafts which is undoubtedly the reason it is so so good.
We have a new BrewAmerica video on Stillwater posted. See it here: STILLWATER
Josh Hare of Austin’s Hops & Grain Brewing finally got the blessing of the city and other regulatory folks and began brewing last week. His first brew was on the 3bbl Greenhouse system on Thursday. Saturday and Sunday found he and his assistant, Adler Lenz, brewing full-tilt on the 15bbl Premier system. With 1,000 gallons of Pale Dog Pale Ale bubbling away in fermenter #1, they set about brewing Hop & Grain’s ALT-eration Ale, his German-style Altbier Monday and Tuesday. There should be a sampling of the Pale Dog ready for Austin Beer week. If you are in Austin, keep an eye out for it.
Here’s a quick little video from the first day. Enjoy. Cheers!
Odell Brewing Unleashes the Friek
Fort Collins, CO. – On October 24, 2011, Odell Brewing will celebrate the return of Friek, its Framboise/Kriek inspired sour ale and the Gold Medal winner for Wood and Barrel Aged Sour Beers at this year’s Great American Beer Festival®.
“I think this beer best represents our collaborative culture,” said Brendan McGivney, head of production at Odell 
Brewing. “I cannot think of a beer that had as many hands involved in the process as this one from raspberry picking and cherry squishing to yeast and bug propagation, barrel handling, and 750 ml bottling.”
Friek, an adaptation of a Lambic style ale, is aged in oak barrels with cherries grown on Colorado’s western slope and blended with raspberries hand-picked in Fort Collins, CO. The beer blends a slight cherry tartness with a fresh raspberry finish for a delightfully crisp and bright flavor. Wild yeasts, lactobacillus, and pediococcus create a sour element that enhances the fruit and evolves over time.
Bottled in 750 ml cork and cage finished Champagne style bottles, Friek will be available in limited quantities throughout the brewery’s ten state distribution region.
Odell Brewing will celebrate the return of the beer and its recent medal with a “FRIEK OUT” bash in the brewery’s tap room on October 29th. Guests are encouraged to don their Friekiest and enjoy samples of the beer, local food, and live music.
Saw this on the Craft Austin blog. Check it out here:
Texas Wins 4 Medals at GABF, 3 for Austin
Cheers!
