On Tuesday, March 23rd, Dressel’s Public House will be hosting a very special collaborative beer dinner which will feature beers from O’Fallon Brewery and Left Hand Brewery.   Beginning at 7PM, this six course meal will be paired with six different beers from O’Fallon and Left Hand.

The cost of this meal will be $40 per person (tax and gratuity not included) and reservations will be required.  You can make reservations by calling 314-361-1060.

Aperitif
Pate de Lapin
Paired With Left Hand Juju Ginger

1st Course
Rabbit Confit Pappardelle With Proscuitto, Fava Beans & Herb Butter Sauce
Served With Left Hand Polestar Pilsner

2nd Course
Duck Bresaola Salad With Arugula, Mizuna, Shaved Gouda and Walnut Vinagrette
Paired With Left Hand Sawtooth Amber Ale

3rd Course
Leg of Venison With Pancetta & Orange On Butternut-Spinach Hash
Served With O’Fallon Cherry Chocolate Ale

4th Course
Smoked Rack of Rabbit & Pork Belly On a Bed of Boxty Potatoes
Paired With O’Fallon Smoked Porter

Dessert
Left Hand Imperial Stout Float With Chocolate Ice Cream, Stilton Blue, Toasted Pecans and Honey

One of the most talked about beers of the new year is almost upon us.  O’Fallon Brewery will be releasing their newest year-round beer the Hemp Hop Rye Amber Ale on Thursday, February 18th.

The Shanti in Soulard will be hosting this kick-off party with a tapping of the first keg of this beer beginning at 6PM.  I fully expect representatives from Missouri Beverage and O’Fallon Brewery to be on-hand to answer your questions about this unique new beer.

While you can expect this beer to become available all around town soon after this party, this is your first opportunity to try this beer out.

Are you ready for some football? How about some cask beer?  Well, this Sunday at the International Tap House you get both.

As part of their week-long anniversary celebration, iTap will be hosting a Super Bowl Sunday Chili Cook-Off, on Sunday February 7th. Bring in your best chili recipe and maybe you’ll win a gift certificate to iTap!

“But Mike, didn’t you say something about a cask?”  Ah, yes.  This event will also mark the first time (according to MoBev’s Derek Bean) a firkin of O’Fallon Brewery’s house ale Irish Red has ever been available. (I hear it’s been dry-hopped with Chinook.)  This cask will be available starting at 5PM.

Football.  Chili.  Cask Beer.  Sounds like a hell of a way to spend a Sunday.  (Also look out for the draught list for Saturday’s STL Hops Select Party later this afternoon.)

For those of you not following the STL Hops Twitter feed, you’ll be happy to hear that O’Fallon Brewery is announcing some new additions to their current beer line-up. First up is the O’Fallon Brewers Stash series:

O’Fallon Brewers Stash

The name of this series came about because every brewery has a small stash of beer that was brewed by and given to the brewers. Usually it’s a big collection of great beer and this your peek into that collection.

• Seasonal Releases
• Sold in 4 packs
• First up is O’Fallon Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
• 10.5%ABV
• Draught should be available in a couple of weeks.
• May or may not be same beer from year to year.

Next is the biggest news from O’Fallon, a new year-round addition to their regular line up:

Hemp-Hop-Rye Amber Ale

This beer was originally created in October 2009 as a new everyday selection to the current year-round  line up. O’Fallon co-owner Tony Caradonna didn’t want to re-invent the wheel when coming up with a new product, but was looking to do something different.

After working with the TTB to get approval, they brewed the first batch of beer at the O’Fallon location for draught sales. Toasted Hemp Seeds are added right to the mash.  The hemp will make up about 5% of the total grist.

• 5.5%ABV with a color of 11 SRM
• Hops: Summit – Bittering, German Hallertau – Flavor, Cascade – Aroma
• Should see draught in about 3 to 4 weeks.
• Bottles should be available over the next few months.

The last big announcement is that we’ll begin seeing O’Fallon Wheach sold in 12-pack cans starting this spring. With the exception of the Wheach can label below, it’s important to remember that all of the packaging you see below is still unregistered and could change.

It’s time, it’s time!  It’s time to drink some Oak Aged Dry Hopped Smoked Rye Pale Ale brewed by the guys at Schlafly, O’Fallon Brewery and New Albanian Brewery.

This beer will be on tap at the Schlafly Tap Room starting tomorrow. For those of you that don’t remember, make sure to visit see the photos from this crazy brew session.

If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out some early tasting notes from our good friends at Hoosier Beer Geeks.  Each brewery gets only a certain alotment of beer, so I’m sure this won’t last long.

From what I’ve heard only one or two casks of O’Fallon Brewery’s Russian Imperial Stout were made and your only chance to get one right now is at Iron Barley.

I’ve heard they’re selling this beer in 12oz chalices for $4.  In my opinion, that’s a great price for a beer that is seeing a very limited release.

Get there while the getting’s good, the casks at Iron Barley don’t last very long.

With a new upgraded license, O’Fallon Brewery has begun the process of brewing some “bigger” beers. The first beer from this license upgrade is a Russian Imperial Stout.

According to O’Fallon Head Brewer, Brian Owens, this beer is 10% ABV with 68 IBUs. Apparently it was dry hopped with a pounds of Cascade hops per barrel and finished with a bit of blackstrap molasses.

Well, this beer is now in kegs and it’s being distributed to local restaurants and bars.  Which have bought it?  Here’s the list from Derek Bean:

• Delmar Restaurant & Lounge
• The Good Pie
• International Tap House
• Riddle’s Penultimate Cafe & Wine Bar
• Pi – Central West End

Now, just because they’ve bought it doesn’t mean it’s currently on tap. Call and check before heading out to try this new beer.