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 Jim O’Connor from Bell’s Brewery. Jim will be on hand for a very special version of beer school. Jim has brought a cask of Two Hearted and Expedition Stout.

This class has been put together to display the difference in cask conditioned beer versus bottle conditioned or force carbonated beer. It’s an interesting experience that will sure to leave your taste buds very, very happy.

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.

Paul Hayden from the Wine and Cheese Place dropped me a very brief email letting me know that Bell’s Brewery’s Batch 9000has just hit the St. Louis area.  Each 1000 batches, Bell’s puts out a very special commemorative beer to celebrate.

The back story on this beer is that Batch 7000 was an Imperial Stout and a beer that many people thought was the best beer Bell’s ever made.  Batch 9000 is a DOUBLE version of Batch 7000.  So, it’s big.

And because it’s big, it’s very limited and very much in demand.  Don’t wait around, this beer isn’t going to last long. For more information about this beer, check out this story from BeerNews.org.

Double your pleasure and double your casks next week at Cicero’s when they bring in, two, count ‘em, two casks of Bell’s beer.  As part of next week’s beer school, Bell’s Brewery will be offering up a cask of Two Hearted Ale and Expedition Stout.

This class has been put together to display the difference in cask conditioned beer versus bottle conditioned or force carbonated beer.  It’s an interesting experience that will sure to leave your taste buds very, very happy.

This event will be taking place next Wednesday, March 3rd starting at 5:30PM.  I will warn you that seats are first come, and this class will fill up quickly, so get up their early.

Newstead Tower Public House is hosting another in their line of monthly beer dinners with this dinner featuring selections from Bell’s Brewery. This dinner is also special as it’s going to be held this Sunday, February 14th.

A perfect opportunity to take that special someone out for a beer dinner. The cost of the meal is $50/person and reservations are required. You can make reservations by calling 314-535-7771.

You have to give it to The Stable’s beverage manager Jerad Gardner, he’s not one to rest upon the 2009 Best Beer Selection in a Restaurant award from the Riverfront Times, he’s always trying to push the envelope. So it should be no surprise that his newest creation tugs at the beer geek’s heart.

Back in May, Jerad began a series of events he calls “Firkin Fridays.” Over a number of different Fridays, Jerad will be bringing in different cask ales from different breweries around the nation. This Friday, November 3rd, beginning at 6PM, you’ll have a chance to purchase pints of the Double Cream Stout from Bell’s Brewery.

Exciting stuff. Many of us have been begging for more cask ale in the St. Louis area and Jerad, as always, has been listening.

You have to give it to The Stable’s beverage manager Jerad Gardner, he’s not one to rest upon the 2008 Best Beer Selection award from the Riverfront Times, he’s always trying to push the envelope. So it should be no surprise that his newest creation tugs at the beer geek’s heart.

Starting this Friday, Jerad begins a series of events he calls “Firkin Fridays.” Over a number of different Fridays, Jerad will be bringing in different cask ales from different breweries around the nation. This Friday, July 17th, beginning at 6PM, you’ll have a chance to purchase pints of Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale cask ale.

Many of us have been begging for more cask ale in the St. Louis area and Jerad, as always, has been listening.

Big props to Beernews.org for pointing this one out.

Bell’s Brewery out of Michigan is set to release a brand new Double IPA called Oracle DIPA.  Now, you may be asking yourself, “Oracle Double Imperial Pale Ale?  That sounds awfully familiar.”  Well, that’s because St. Louis’ own Buffalo Brewing Company came up with a Imperial IPA also named Oracle way back in March of this year.

As Adam from Beernews wonderfully points out, according to The Babble Belt’s Joris Pattyn, Larry Bell seems very quick to protect what he views as the encroachment on his name and his brewery.

So you have to wonder how Larry Bell could miss this glaring mistake?  Surely he wouldn’t want to look hypocritical?