For those of you that are looking to get your big beers on, Whole Foods has got an event for you.  Ric Syberg and Andy Snead will be hosting a Imperial Beer Tasting on March 5th at 6:30 PM.

Well, it’s still pretty bit chilly outside, so we thought we’d taste the heavy beers before we delve into the lighter spring beers. On this night, we’ll be serving up belly warming imperial stouts, deep barley wines, and some hefty double IPA’s. This class is always a sell out, so sign up quick.

This event will set you back only $20.  You can purchase tickets here.

This really should have been done earlier in the week, but life happens and it just didn’t happen when I wanted. But better late than never, right? As I mentioned last Friday, Saturday was the national Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day. As such I went over to St. Louis Wine and Beermaking to purchase some yeast to homebrew a Scottish 80 Shilling.

To celebrate National Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day, St. Louis W&B was putting on an all-grain homebrewing demonstration. Luckily I was smart enough to bring my camera to snap a couple of pictures:

What was originally going to be a 5 minute trip turned into an hour of standing around, watching a pot try to boil and talking homebrewing techniques with novices and experts. It was nice being able to help new guys out and give them some tips and also pick up some tips from people more experienced than I.

When I got home a small homebrewing task awaited me. I needed to move my Belgian Dark Strong from the carboy to a corny keg for aging. Usually this goes pretty easily, but for whatever reason I ended up with a lot of water on myself and the basement floor. Oh well, it least the beer is being aged now.

I cleaned myself up and let myself dry out a bit and then headed over to The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton to visit with Paul and to sample the 06 Schlafly Barleywine vs the 07 Barleywine.

It’s amazing what a year can do, I found that the hops on the 06 have really dropped out and the malt character has really started to come into it’s own and develop a really amazing beer. That’s not to say the 07 isn’t ready to drink right now. It’s a fantastic beer that may make hopheads pretty happy.

I’ve never been to the Clayton Wine and Cheese Place as the Rock Hill location is right down the street, but I’m here to tell you that this is a dangerous place for a beer lover.

Everywhere you turn you think, “Oooh, I want that! And that! And That!” and the next thing you know you’ve given Paul 60 of your hard earned dollars. That’s if you’re lucky to keep it less than that.

One last thing that’s not all beer related (except it goes fantastic with it) is that Wine And Cheese Place is selling salami that has been created by the wonderful Salumi Cured Meats out of Seattle. If you’re a fan of salami, you’ll do yourself a huge favor by ponying up the dough and picking some of this up. It’s absolutely delicious.

As I mentioned earlier in the week the St. Louis Brewery and Ritz-Carlton will be hosting a beer dinner to kick off the release of the 2007 Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and Barley Wine on Thursday, November 8th. One of the most interesting parts of the dinner is that you’ll have the chance to taste the 2006 and 2007 vintages side by side. This is a great opportunity if you didn’t have the will power to hold on to a 06 bottle to see what a difference a year makes.

You’ll also be one of the first people to try this year’s Christmas Ale. I got a chance to talk to Dan Kopman from the St. Louis Brewery last night and he’s very excited about the Christmas Ale. He thinks it’s their best one yet.

The menu is as follows:

Reception: Featuring Schlafly #15

First Course: Cornmeal Fried West Coast Oyster, Anise Spinach Flan, Lobster Cream
Featuring Pilsner and Hefeweizen

Second Course: Hot Hickory Smoked Atlantic Salmon Fine Bean Salad, Mango Mustard Dressing
Featuring Dry Hopped APA and Christmas Ale

Third Course: Roast Pepper Crusted Rack of Lamb, Toasted Barley, Blue Cheese and Tarragon Caramelized Shallot Jus
Featuring 2007 and 2006 Oak Aged Barleywine and Winter ESB

Dessert: Gianduja Orange Mousse, Matchu Green Tea Financier, Citrus Sauce
Featuring 2007 and 2006 Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and Coffee Stout

This is shaping up to be quite an event. Be sure to call the Ritz at 863-6300 to make your reservation now.

For all of you eagerly awaiting the 2007 line of St. Louis Brewery’s Schlafly Oak Aged Reserve Imperial Stout and Barley Wine your wait has gotten a lot shorter. Starting on Friday, November 2nd you’ll be able to purchase these beers at the Tap Room and the Bottleworks.

According to Dan Kopman, approxmately 600 cases of each beer was produced. So you’re going to want to get your hands on this as soon as possible. There will also be a launch party/dinner at the Ritz Carlton on Thursday, November 8th. I’ve got a call into Rhett Haynes at the Ritz to get more info on that event.

If you missed it, I had a chance to help bottle part of this 2007 line. It’s an interesting process you may want to check out.