I made a decision before attending Monday night’s beer tasting at Growler’s, this was probably going to be my last tasting.  Growler’s recent beer menus have left a bit to be desired.  It seems like the same beers over and over again mixed with a few light lagers to really spice things up.  But if the this most recent tasting is a sign of things to come, I may have to change my mind.  Just a few beers I remember from the tasting:

• Avery Hog Heaven
• Arcadia Coco Loco
• Het Anker Gouden Carolus Carolus D’Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
• Great Divide Yeti
• De Proefbrouwerij - Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale
• O’Fallon Smoke
• Great Divide Hercules
• Left Hand Milk Stout
• Arcadia Hopmouth

Imperial IPAs?  Imperial Stouts?  Wild Ales?  Was this the same Growler’s I’ve been going to for the past 5 years?  And sure, that Wild Ale isn’t the more funky wild beer you’ll ever find, but it’s a step in the right direction!  Let’s just hope some of these beers make it onto the final beer list.  We’ll have to wait until September to find out for sure.

I would have liked to get these photos up on Wednesday, but there was no way that was happening after the night we had. I didn’t end up getting home until 11:30PM and 6:00AM was awfully early yesterday morning. But I did remember to pull the photos off the camera this morning and so I thought I’d share them with everyone who couldn’t attend.

First of all, I want to thank Doug and Mike Mattingly for letting us invade their restaurant, they provided a great place for us to hang out, eat some pizza and drink some great beer. If you haven’t been out to Mattingly’s yet, get the Corsica pizza, it’s just awesome. Thanks also to Drew for providing a sampling of some of his awesome homebrew, it just gets us all the more excited when he’s finally able to get brewing some of his own beer.

And finally, thank you to everyone who showed up for this event. We’ll have one of these again soon, promise.

Jared Gardner, the Bar Manager at the Rotten Apple, emailed to let me know that they’ll be hosting a Lagunitas Beer Tasting on Thursday, May 22nd from 6:30PM to 9PM. These are the Lagunitas beers they’ll be sampling:

• Lagunitas Pils
• Lagunitas IPA
• Lagunitas Censored (aka the kronic)
• Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
• Lagunitas Old Gnarly Wine

Along with the fantastic Lagunitas beers they’ll also be offering an amuse bouche present by the new chef of Rotten Apple’s sister location, The Stable:

• 1st Course - Orange - Sherry Roasted Crimini Mushrooms Stuffed with Goat Cheese
• 2nd Course - Jumbo Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon with Ale Mustard Glaze
• 3rd Course - Beef Tenderloin Brochette with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce
• 4th Course - Campfire Caramel and Chocolate Smores

The cost of the event is $25 which includes 5 pints of beer and the appetizers. Only 30 tickets are available and you can make your reservation by calling (618) 786-2798.

Well, I was hoping for more new beer to round out the Round-Up but it looks like a quiet week after the releases from Wednesday. But it seems like it’s going to be a quiet weekend as far as beer releases go.

Stuff from around the web

• Here are a few thoughts and photos from the Heritage Festival.
• Wired Magazine checks in on the beer ingredient shortage.
• A behind the scenes look at the Budweiser barley plant.
• A blogger’s thoughts on O’Fallon Smoke.

Beer Releases and News

• Chris at Randall’s Wine & Spirits in Fairview Heights has just received Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA in stock. This IPA has 120 IBUs, 21% ABV and 450 calories per 12 oz serving. Chris let me know that the amount that came to Southern Illinois is extremely limited, so pick this one up ASAP.
• Paul from Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton received a ton of special export beers in yesterday which are available at both the Clayton and Rock Hill locations:
  • GERMANY
    • Aventinus Vintage 2004 (only 250 cases made)
    • Gosebrauereri Leipziger Gose (in traditional flask bottle with long thin neck)
    • Schneider Hopfen Weisse
    • St. Michaelsburg Kellerbier 16.9oz
  • BELGIUM
    • Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte 25.4oz
    • Glazen Toren Cuvee Angelique 25.4oz
    • Brouwerij De Regenboog ‘t Smisje Blond 11.2oz
    • Brouwerij De Regenboog Dubbel 11.2oz
    • Brouwerij De Regenboog Grand Reserva 11.2oz
    • Brouwerij De Regenboog Catherine the Great 11.2oz
    • Alvinne Gaspar 11.2oz
    • Alvinne Podge 11.2oz
    • Alvinne Extra IPA 11.2oz
    • Vapeur Cochonne 25.4oz
    • Strubbe Ichtegem Grand Cru…11.2oz
  • ENGLAND
    • Harvey A.leCoq Extra Stout 11.2oz
  • SCOTLAND
    • Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12yr Highland Park Cask…$6.99
    • Harviestoun Ola Dubh 16yr Highland Park Cask…$7.99
    • Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30yr Highland Park Cask…$13.99
  • SWITZERLAND
    • Franches Montagne Abbay de St. bon Chien 2007 25.4oz
    • Franches Montagne Cuvee du 8eme 25.4oz
    • Franches Montagne Cuvee du 7eme 25.4oz
  • MALTA
    • Farsons Lacto Milk Stout 11.2oz
  • ITALY
    • Baladin Wayan 25.4 oz
    • Baladin Xyauyo 16.9oz
    • Piccolo Birrificio Seson…25.4oz
    • Como Malthus Birolla…16.9oz
    • Beba Molto Molto 16.9oz
  • ARGENTINA
    • Otro Mundo Golden Ale
    • Otro Mundo Red Ale
  • WALES
    • Tomos Watkin Lovely Ale
    • Tomos Watkcin OSB (old style bitter)
• Corral Liquors posted some of their special offerings on their website:
  • O’Fallon Pappy van Winkle Whiskey Barrel Smoked Porter
  • Flying Dog Beire de Garde Dog
  • Pyramid Curve Ball Kolsch
  • Breckenridge Summer
  • Boulder Sweaty Betty
  • Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Amber Ale
  • Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza Golden Ale
  • Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
  • Jolly Pumpkin ES Bam Biere
  • 3 Floyds Robert de Bruce
  • Allagash Black
  • Allagash Musette
  • Allagash Oddessey
  • Avery Collaboration Not Litigation
  • Avery Maharaja
  • Sam Adams Triple Bock
  • Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu
  • New Holland Black Tulip
  • New Holland Night Tripper
  • New Holland Dragons Milk
  • New Holland Pilgrams Dole
  • New Holland Sun Dog
  • New Holland The Poet
  • New Holland Mad Hatter
  • Victory Hop Wallop
  • Two Bros. Cane & Ebel
  • Two Bros Monarch Wit
  • Clipper City Golden
  • Clipper City Pale
  • Lucky Buddha Beer
  • Sierra Nevada ESB
  • Schell Maifest
  • Black Douglas
  • Hoppin’ Frog Mean Manalishi DIPA
  • Hoppin’ Frog Boris The Crusher Stout
  • Hoppin’ Frog Black And Tan
  • Hoppin’ Frog Wheat
  • Founders Red Rye
  • Founders Cent IPA
  • Founders Dirty Bastard
  • Founders Dry Hopped Pale

Here’s a list of upcoming beer events:

• May 22 - Lagunitas Beer Tasting at the Rotten Apple
• May 29 - Starr’s May Beer Dinner

In the continuing series of beer classes put on by Andy Snead and Ric Syberg from Whole Foods, this month brings us a tasting of some of the best IPAs the world has to offer:

Come in tonight for some devilishly good India Pale Ales, otherwise known as IPA’s. First brewed in England, IPA’s were exported for the British troops in India during the late 1700s. To withstand the voyage, pale ales were “tweaked” to become IPA’s. The resulting brew was much more “malty”, boasted higher alcohol content and was well-hopped, as hops are a natural preservative. Historians believe that the IPA was then watered down for the troops, while officers and the elite would savor the full strength version. To try some brew and learn more, sign up now, this one sells out quick!

These are always extremely fun events with plenty of knowledge along with plenty of great beer. This event will be held on May 15th at Whole Foods in Brentwood from 6:30-8PM. The cost of the event is $20 and tickets can be purchased here.

I hope everyone is ready for a great weekend of drinking, this festival is shaping to be even better than last year’s. Here’s the Round-Up:

Stuff from around the web

• Fox’s Screwballs took a trip over to Anheuser-Busch before the Cubs-Cards series.
• Matt’s Beer Blog reviewed Schlafly’s Export IPA.
• Adam Jadhav of the Post-Dispatch has created a new column called Hip Hops. This is the first in what’s hopefully many columns to come.
• The Slag Pile picks up some beer at Lukas Liquor.

Beer Releases and News

• Andrew from Bon Vivant Wines informs me to some new beers he has in his stock:
  • DFH 120 Minute (Maybe today, probably next week)
  • Founders Rubaeus
  • DFH Aprihop
  • Schlafly Export IPA
  • Jolly Pumpkin Calbaza lanca, Bam & E.S. Bam
  • Two Brothers Monarch White
  • Sierra Nevada Summerfest
  • Hofbrau Maibock
  • Avery Collaboration
  • Lefthand Chainsaw
• Paul at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton alerts me to some new beers he has in stock:
  • Jolly Pumpkin - Bam Bier Batch 280/281
  • Jolly Pumpkin - Calabaza Blanca Batch 285
  • Jolly Pumpkin - ES Bam Batch 288/289
  • Jolly Pumpkin - La Roja Blend 4,2008
  • Jolly Pumpkin - Oro de Calabaza Batch 275
  • Altenmunster Maibock
  • Bison Brewing Reunon 08 Organic Red Rye
  • Lindemans Cuvee Rene
  • Traquair House Ale
• Paul also informed me for those not attending the Heritage Festival, that they’ll be tasting the Jolly Pumpkin beers at the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton between Noon and 3PM.
• Ric at Sybergs on Gravois alerts me to some new beers he’s carrying for your drinking enjoyment:
  • Augie’s Rye Pale Ale
  • Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Here’s a list of upcoming beer events:

• May 8, 9, 10 - St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival
• May 10 - Iron Barley’s 5th Anniversary Party
• May 14 - Newstead Tower Schlafly Beer Dinner
• May 15 - Whole Foods IPA Beer Tasting
• May 15 - Mangia Italiano Spring Beer Dinner
• May 29 - Starr’s May Beer Dinner

Cory from deVine Wines & Spirits emailed me to let me know that there’s another spot to get craft beer in St. Louis. Located about two miles west of 270 on Dougherty Ferry Road, deVine provides over 130 craft beer choices and is a big supporter of the local craft breweries.

On May 2nd from 5-8PM Nick Vickery from Schlafly will be doing a free beer tasting at deVine Wine & Spirits. Nick will be pouring Pale Ale, Hefe, Dry hop APA, as well as the 2007 Barley Wine, Kolsch Summer Ale, and the Rasberry Hefe.

deVine Wines & Spirits
2961 Dougherty Ferry Rd
Valley Park, MO 63122
Phone # 636-825-9647

Who’s ready for rain and cold and Indiana beer tomorrow?! When this event was announced a few months ago I thought to myself, “Finally, a nice warm month to enjoy some great beer with other beer enthusiasts.” And of course Mother Nature decided to give us another Cabin Fever but with the added bonus of rain. But we’ll get the last laugh, all of that CO2 from the beer has to go somewhere! Take that Nature!

Stuff from around the web

• In case you missed the Repeal of Prohibition Toast at the Tap Room because you wanted to sleep, there’s video here.
• You may or may not have seen the list of Top 50 Breweries in America by sales for 2007.
• Here are some other very interesting stats about craft brewing in the US.
• A review of the Schlafly Pilsner has been added to Beer Review Online.
• Sam Adams recalled a boatload of beer due to glass shards in some of the bottles.

Beer Releases and News

• Paul at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton alerts me to some new beers he has in stock:
  • Bass Pub Cans
  • Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
  • Left Hand Polestar Pilsner (Bottled on 04/09/08!)
  • Left Hand Jackman’s Pale Ale
  • Left Hand Deep Cover Brown Ale
• Ric at Sybergs on Gravois alerts me to some new beers he’s carrying for your drinking enjoyment:
  • Rogue - Hazelnut Brown Nectar
  • Paulaner - Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier

Here’s a list of upcoming beer events:

• April 12 - Schlafly Repeal of Prohibition Festival
• April 16 - “Tripel” Around the World at Whole Foods
• April 23 - Beer Tasting with Ray Hill at Rendezvous Cafe & Wine Bar
• April 26 - 2008 Beerfest at Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton
• April 30 - Starr’s Beer Dinner

Rendezvous Cafe & Wine Bar, who has always been a big supporter of beer tastings in St. Louis, will be hosting Ray Hill on April 23rd from 7PM to 8PM to discuss and taste his American Pilsner. Ray was a former homebrewer that decided to take his recipes to the next step and began brewing them himself. Now he’s partnered with Anheuser-Busch to bring his American Pilsner to market.

The cost of this event is $5 and you can RSVP right here.

The Wine Merchant in Clayton will be holding their first Big Belgian Blowout beer tasting on April 10th from 5:30-7:30PM.  If you’re a big Belgian beer fan (I know I fit all of the requirements) this is an event not to miss, just look at this line up:

Jason Wallace from Merchant du Vin Imports will be on hand at our Belgian Blowout sampling…

• Orval Trappist Ale
• Westmalle Dubbel
• Westmalle Tripel
• Green’s Amber (New Belgian! Bottle Conditioned & Gluten Free)
• Green’s Tripel Blonde
• Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene (Vintage Dry Lambic)

Pete Larsen from Wetten Importers will be pouring…

• Kasteel Rouge
• Brigand
• Samichlaus Helles
• Gouden Carolus Ambrio
• Delirium Nocturnum
• St. Louis Frambozen

Karl Braun from Brasserie Unibroue will be on hand to sample…

• Unibroue Blanche de Chambly
• Unibroue Ephemere Apple
• Unibroue Chambly Noire
• Unibroue La Fin du Monde
• Unibroue Don de Dieu
• Unibroue Maudite
• Unibroue Unibroue 17

Space is limited for this event and reservations are required.  The cost of the event is a paltry $5 and you can make your reservations by calling 314-863-6282.