Kind of late notice on this one, but if you’re free this evening Adam Avery brewer/owner Adam Avery of Avery Brewing out of Boulder, CO will be in St. Louis tonight.  This was kind of an impromptu  visit, which is why this is such late notice.

I’ve been told by Brian Dix of Major Brands Distributing that Adam and the Major Brands crew will be visiting Bridge Tap House at about 7PM tonight and then they’ll be heading over to the International Tap House in Soulard later this evening.

Sorry for the lack of specific times, but this is all being played fast and loose.  If you have a free evening, this is a wonderful chance to meet one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in all of brewing.

Cicero’s Italian Restaurant continues their Winter 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 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 hosted by Ted Whitney the National Sales Director from Avery Brewing. Ted will be on hand to discuss and sample Avery IPA, The Maharaja Imperial IPA, Ellies Brown Ale, New World Porter, and White Rascal Belgian Style Wheat. 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.

Riddle’s Penultimate will be hosting a beer dinner next Thursday, April 22nd featuring beers from Avery Brewing. This dinner, which begins at 7PM, will feature five courses and a dessert each paired with a different beer from Avery.

The cost of the meal is $38/person (tax and gratuity not included) and reservations are required. You can make reservations by calling 314-725-6985.

It looks like batch 11 of Avery Brewing‘s Maharaja is finally arriving in St. Louis today.  For that may have not been paying very close attention, our friends in Illinois had this about 4 weeks ago.  But I guess it’s better late than never to receive this hoppy beast.

I don’t currently have a list of which accounts will be receiving this beer, but I’d check the STL Hops Forums for the most up to date news on this beer.

This 8% monster wont see it’s way onto store shelves until late May, early June.  But I hear there are a few of the casks of the batch created at the Tap Room still floating around, so that may satiate your thirst for a while.

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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