Danno’s American Pub, located at 7895 Watson Rd, 63119, is a bar that has been family owned for about 30+years.  It’s gone through a couple of name changes over the years, but it’s historically been kind of a blue collar bar over it’s history.

When Danno’s co-owner Chris Muether re-opened the bar under a new name this past July, he decided that the neighborhood was ready for an upgrade over the staid beers of the past.  Chris, being a lover of great beer decided to introduce a new beer list that includes more craft and import selections.

It also includes a new monthly series of beer tastings.  Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24th from 6:30PM -10PM they will be a sampling of some of the best Porters available in the St. Louis area.   The cost of the sampling is $25 and includes the following:

• Four 6 ounce tasters, each paired with a separate food course. These courses include a fruit and cheese sampler, a garden fresh salad with walnuts, a main entre featuring beef medallions in a porter-based sauce (or ask for our vegetarian option), and a dessert (paired with Breckenridge’s vanilla porter!).
• Door prizes for guests, including the chance to win gift certificates to local sponsors and other prizes just for attending! This month Apop Records (on historical Cherokee Street) has offered up a 25$ gift certificate to a lucky guest!
• A brief history of the beer style presented by beer lover and barman Chris Muether.
• Live music to wrap up the end of our tasting. This month we’re welcoming back the Dave Stone Trio.

For more details about Danno’s be sure to check out their MySpace page.

Friday the 13th, spooky stuff.  It’s even scarier when Drew Huerter from Mattingly Brewing Company decides to take a beer like his Cardinal Direction Abbey Dubbel and give it some funk.

This new series of sour beers will be released every Friday the 13th at 6PM from now on.  I’ll let Drew fill you in on the details:

St. Louis’ First commercially produced and available Belgian Style Sour Ale. On March Fridy 13th, some of our Cardinal Direction Abbey Dubbel veered off course and met with other travelers from far and wide. The Dubbel found shelter in an oak bourbon barrel. This barrel is made from Missouri grown white oak and worked into a barrel then sent to Kentucky to age bourbon for several years.

Our friends at the Schlafly Taproom then took the wood back to Missouri and aged their Imperial Stout in it. It then took a trip down Jefferson Ave. and met up with our Dubbel. This meeting would have been spectacular enough, but another group joined our wanderers, they are from Belgium.

The Rodenbach brewery is famous the world over for their range of Flanders Style Red Ales, which are funky, sometimes woody, malty and sour. The funk and sour are created by wild yeasts and bacteria, mostly brettanomyces and lactobacillius, but there are others.

These microrganisms joined up with our Dubbel in the barrel that fateful Friday the 13th, and every subsequent Friday the 13th they will emerge in limited quantities. 8% ABV

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the funk.

Newstead Tower Public House is hosting another in their line of monthly beer dinners with this dinner featuring Charleville Brewery. The date of the dinner is November 17th at 7PM. The cost of this event is $45 and reservations are required. You can make reservations by calling 314-535-7771.

I know people have been asking about it, but it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. On November 20th at 6:00PM, STL Hops will be having its Second Anniversary Party in the Schlafly Tap Room Cellar. I don’t think there is a better place to have a beer nerd party than surrounded by brewing equipment.

Tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets and the cost is $20.01. Why the extra penny? Because with the BPT service fee, the exact cost of the ticket is $21.50. All of the proceeds for this event will be donated to Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Your ticket will include beer and snacks. Right now I have confirmations from the following brewers/distributors on beer:

• Schlafly
• MoBev
• Boulevard
• Buffalo Brewing
• New Belgium
• Morgan Street

Keep checking back on this post because I’m working on not only getting a bunch of brewers but also a bunch of swag as well. Also, only 65 tickets are being made available, so get them while you can.

Purchase tickets HERE.

Ah, it’s that time of the year again. Time to break out your mash paddle, fire up the burners and teach someone how to homebrew! According to the American Homebrewers Association, “Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day is an international event to introduce people to the homebrewing hobby and establish relationships with local homebrew supply shops.”

Each year on the first Saturday in November homebrewers get together and gather up some friends and teach them how to brew beer. It could be possible that your friends may not ever brew a beer again, but I think it’s very important that if you love beer, you understand how beer is made.

But what if you don’t know a friend that homebrews? Well, you always have a friend in Drew Huerter, Jerid Saffell and Mattingly Brewing, as they’re hosting a homebrewing demonstration on November 7th starting at 8AM:

Anyone who would like to come down and brew or learn how to brew, Mattingly will be hosting again this year. This upcoming Saturday 11/7. I will be doing an all grain demo. If you plan to brew, please try to be there and set up between 8-10 am. I will have plenty of hot filtered water and cold chilling water around. Depending on our brew cycle I may have some yeast available as well. I can also mill your grain if you need such service.

Provisions Gourmet Market in Creve Coeur will be holding a Beer and Food Pairing on Tuesday, November 10 from 6:30-7:45pm.

1st Course
Fontina & Argula Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette
Paired with Cantillon St. Lamvinus

2nd Course
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Paired with Avery DuganA
Plus another IPA

3rd Course
Wiener Schnitzel with Gruyere Spätzle
Paired with Great Divide Tripel

4th Course
Baby Bison Burgers with Tomato Relish & Sharp Cheddar
Paired with Beer Here Pumpernickel Porter

5th Course
Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Coffee Mousse
Paired with Dieu du Ciel Aphrodisiac

The cost of this event is $25 per person and reservations can be made by clicking the link here.

Duff’s Restaurant is once again holding their annual Autumn Beer Dinner featuring New Belgium Lips of Faith beers tonight, Monday, November 2nd at 7:30PM. The dinner will cost $75.00 which includes tax and gratuity. You can make your pre-paid reservation by calling 314-361-0522. Here is the menu for the event:

La Folie Sour Brown Ale
Smoked Trout Pate, Goat Cheese Crostini

Bier de Mars
Warm Cabbage Salad, Crisp Pork Belly, Smokey Blue

Le Fleur Misseur
Waterzooi Poisson, Belgian Seafood Stew

Fall Wild Ale
Cranberry Duck, Sweet Potato Pear Puree

Trans-Atlantique Kriek
Ronnie’s Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream, White Chocolate Waffle, Cherry Sabayon

Here are my thoughts from 2007′s dinner for all of those interested in this year’s dinner.