Cicero’s Italian Restaurant continues their fall Beer School semester this Wednesday from 5:30-6:30PM. Cicero’s Beer School provides background about beers and beer styles usually directly from people directly in the beer industry.

It’s a perfect opportunity to learn more about a style you’re unfamiliar with or to just brush up on a style you haven’t enjoyed in a while.

This week’s school is being taught by Mitch Turner from Major Brands. Mitch will be on hand to discuss and sample some Avery beers including White Rascal Belgian, IPA, Old Jubilation and Mephistopheles Stout. Go out and take advantage of one of the few places where you can drink and learn!

If you can’t make it out to the Beer School, you can check out all of the classes via podcast at Cicerosbeerschool.com.

Mmmmm Double IPAs.  I didn’t name this place STL Hops for nothing.  Avery Brewing, who also puts out the much sought after hop bomb Maharaja, recently released their duganA IPA.  This limited release beer has finally found its way to St. Louis.  I’ll let Avery describe this beer:

Lupulin Rapture Incarnate! As fervent  devotees of hops, we found ourselves on a quest to create a transcendental IPA capable of quenching our voracious lupulin desires. Our mantra became “unity of bitterness, hop flavor and aroma.” Enlightened, duganA IPA was born: A brutally bitter, dank, piney and resinous ale designed for those seeking a divine hop experience.

Oh baby, that sounds like a hop lover’s dream. This is a very limited beer and will not be in the area very long. If you’re looking for it on draught I’ve been told that the International Tap House and The Good Pie will have it initially.  If you’re a fiend for the hops, better step to finding this.

Sunday morning in Denver. Irene had to attend conferences and talks all day, which means I was free to roam.  I decided to hit up Avery Brewing and Oskar Blues.

Since starting this blog, one of the most frequent questions is, “How much free beer do you get?”  The answer surprises a lot of people, because I don’t get that much.  I didn’t start this blog to get free beer, though it’s always appreciated when I get it.

What I do get is the opportunity to do a lot of stuff that many people don’t get to do.  Like for instance, stand on top of one of the fermentation tanks at Avery.  Make sure to check out the panoramic photo below.

Notes from Day 2, Avery Brewing and Oskar Blues:

• GPS is a godsend.
• Avery is tucked back in a little industrial park, if you didn’t know where to look you wouldn’t find it.
• If I’m not mistaken, Avery is on schedule to do 15,000bbls this year.
• Alex from Avery is a cool chick.  Thanks to Adam Avery for hooking me up with an awesome tour.
• Oskar Blues is huge.  Way, way bigger than I was expecting.
• OB is on schedule to do 30,000bbls this year.  Just to put that into perspective, Schlafly is on schedule to do the same amount.
• Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time.  Just as I was leaving Avery I met one of the brewers from OB and he hooked me up.  They basically let me roam the Oskar Blues production facility all by myself.
• Oskar, come to St. Louis soon!

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Let me say, while being unemployed sucks, there are a few decent things about it.  One of them being that you can have a bit too much to drink on a Monday night and not need to get up the next morning.  So it’s safe to say I had a great time last night at the Avery Experience at iTAP.

First, let me just say that Adam Avery is an awesome guy.  About the nicest guy I’ve met in brewing.  Second, I’m going to steal directly from EricSTL6’s Twitter feed to give you some of the details Adam laid on us about upcoming Avery beers:

• Adam Avery says the 3rd barrel-aged brew won’t be brewery release only like the Sui-Generis. We should expect 20 cases in MO.
• Adam Avery was excited about 3rd Barrel-aged series beer. Black Tot, a Goslings Rum barrel-aged Impy Oat Stout to be bottled in late Nov.

Neat stuff.  Here are some photos from the event:

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Sorry guys for the really late posting on this one, but I was without internet all day.  So, I’m pleased to announce that the winner for the two tickets to tonight’s Avery Experience at the International Tap House is Alex Chosid! Congrats to Alex and thank you everyone for entering. Once again, if you didn’t win, don’t be too upset, I’m going to have a few more things to give away in the next few weeks.

I once again want to thank Brian Dix from Major Brands for providing the tickets to this event.

I think there are few things more fascinating than meeting the guys that brew the beer we drink.  The International Tap House agrees and they’ll be hosting brewer/owner Adam Avery of Avery Brewing in an event they’re calling The Avery Experience.

And let me tell you, this will be one hell of an experience.  Occurring on Monday, October 5th from 7PM-9PM, you’ll have your chance to sample the following beers:

Avery Big Beers
1. Ellie’s Brown Ale – American Brown Ale – 5.6% abv – 17 IBUs
2. White Rascal Ale – Belgian Wit – 5.6% abv – 10 IBUs
3. India Pale Ale – American IPA – 6.5% abv – 69 IBUs

Bigger Beers
4. Piglet Purgatory – American Pale Ale – 4.6% abv – 60 IBUs
5. SIXTEEN Avery Anniversary Ale – Saison – 7.69% abv – 14 IBUs
6. Brabant Barrel-Aged Wild Ale – American Wild/Sour Ale – 8.65% abv – 25 IBUs

The Holy Trinity of Ales
7. Salvation Belgian Golden Ale – Belgian Strong Golden Ale – 9% abv – 23 IBUs
8. The Reverend Belgian Quadrupel Ale – Belgian Dark Strong Ale – 10% abv – 18 IBUs
9. Hog Heaven Barleywine – American Barleywine – 9.2% abv – 104 IBUs

The Dictators Series
10. The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale 2009 – Imperial IPA – 10.69% abv – 102 IBUs
11. The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest 2009 – German Strong Lager – 9.73% abv – 24 IBUs
12. The Czar Imperial Stout 2005 – Russian Imperial Stout – 11.03% abv – 70 IBUs

The Demons of Ale
13. The Beast Grand Cru Ale 2004 Batch 1!! -Belgian Dark Strong Ale -15.70% abv – 68 IBUs
14. Samael’s Oak-aged Ale 2009 – English Barleywine – 16.45% abv – 41 IBUs
15. Mephistopheles’ Stout 2008 – Belgian Imperial Stout – 15.92% abv – 107 IBUs

HOLY S#*$! That’s a hell of a line-up. Like most good things in life, this one isn’t free. It’s going to cost you $25 to attend and you’ll need to make a reservation by emailing beer@internationaltaphouse.com.

I’m sure some of you wonder how I pick the news about new beers that arrive in St. Louis, because I’m sure to the casual observer, it appears as if I pick them out of a hat.  Well, the reality is, it’s usually the beers I’m interested in that get the most notice.  One of those beers is Avery Brewing’s Maharaja.  Just a wonderful Double IPA that slaps you in the face with a complex hop aroma.

Well, I’m happy to announce it finally made it here to St. Louis and is now available to purchase at the Wine and Cheese Place on Forsyth.  And I know I’m going to catch grief for this, but while I’m not a huge fan of this beer on draught, here’s to hoping we’ll see this beer on draught in the area as well.