Looks like the rain is finally letting up to give us a gorgeous Spring weekend. I don’t know about you, but I have a jammed packed beer-filled weekend, tonight we’ll be getting together with some friends, drinking some beer and playing some Rock Band. Tomorrow, I’ll be brewing a Two Hearted Clone (currently Irene’s favorite beer) and then we’ll be having dinner at Erato on Main with my family and friends. Then if I’m lucky, I’ll take a trip up the Great River Road and visit Rotten Apple. That’s a hell of a weekend, how about you?

Stuff from around the web

• Here’s some further information about Anheuser-Busch’s plan for Michelob.
• Stan Hieronymus delivers the meaning of “Beer is Back.”
• Must view pictures of Augie Altenbaumer brewing his Rye Beer at O’Fallon Brewery for the Brewers Heritage Festival.
• The Post-Dispatch has some information about changes at AB with exclusivity incentives with their distributors.

Beer Releases and News

• Andrew from Bon Vivant Wines informs me to some new beers he has in his stock:
  • Avery Brewing Company - Collaboration not Litigation
  • Avery Brewing Company - Maharajah
  • Left Hand Brewing Company - Chainsaw
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash Black
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash Odyssey
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash Musette
  • Two Brothers Brewing Company - Monarch White Beer
  • Flying Dog Brewery - Garde Dog
• Paul at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton alerts me to some new beers he has in stock:
  • Boulevard Brewing Company - Zon
  • Bell’s Brewing Company - Oberon
• Jerad Gardner, of the Rotten Apple lets me know about his most current draught selection. If you haven’t been to the Rotten Apple, take the time to visit:
  • Two Brothers Brewing Company - Monarch White Beer
  • Lagunitas Brewing - Censored
  • Lagunitas Brewing - IPA
  • Lagunitas Brewing - Pils
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash White
  • New Holland - Nighttripper
  • Great Divide Brewing - Hercules
  • 3 Floyd’s Brewing - Robert the Bruce Scotch Ale
  • St. Louis Brewing - Raspberry Framboise
  • Founders Brewing - Centennial IPA
• Joe Billhartz of Specialty Import Distributing Co. let me know of some beer over in Illinois. Contact your favorite beer store to see if these are available:
  • Avery Brewing Company - Collaboration not Litigation
  • Avery Brewing Company - Maharajah
  • Left Hand Brewing Company - Chainsaw
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash Black
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash Odyssey
  • Allagash Brewing Company - Allagash Musette
  • Two Brothers Brewing Company - Monarch White Beer
  • Flying Dog Brewery - Garde Dog

Here’s a list of upcoming beer events:

• April 4 - Schlafly Spring Beer Dinner at the Ritz Carlton
• April 5 - Repeal of Prohibition Pre-Party at Whole Foods
• April 6/7 - Repeal of Prohibition Toast at Schlafly Tap Room
• April 7 - Beer Class at the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton
• April 10 - Belgian Beer Blowout at Wine Merchant in Clayton
• 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

Warning: The following is long and a bit rambling. Read at your own caution.

Thursday Night:

OK, well technically this isn’t the weekend, but it’s close enough. Irene and I had a meeting at the Schlafly Tap Room to discuss the upcoming Convivial Pursuit Trivia Night (if you’re a trivia nut, come on out and play some food trivia). After the meeting had ended, Stephen invited us to the Cod and Cask VIP opening night. We were treated to not only cask IPA and Brennan’s Brown Ale, but a smorgasboard of seafood. From cod cakes and scallops to plokkfiskur (a fish and potato casserole) and of course fish and chips. We also got to enjoy music from Pétur Ben, a signer-songwriter from Iceland.

The event also allowed me to see some people I haven’t seen in quite some, like Ryan Beach from New Belgium. It also gave me a chance to bounce my ideas for a Randal the Enamel Animal off of James “Otto” Ottolini, the Chief Brewer/Chief Engineer for Schlafly Bottleworks. And to top it off I got the opportunity to meet Tom Schlafly, the owner of St. Louis Brewery. Cask beers flowed, fish was eaten and good times were had. Now you know why I was complaining in Friday morning’s Round-Up.

Friday Night:

I wish I had some exciting beer adventure for you, but I don’t. We hit up Rich and Charlie’s for a birthday dinner, where I had AB’s new Shock Top (that came from what I suspect to be an infected draught line) and Amber Bock. We all then headed back to my house for some Friday night drunken Rock Band hijinks. If it makes you feel better, I did enjoy some Two Hearted Ale and Bourbon County Stout while singing Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz.

Read the rest…

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday. If you’re anything like me, your brain is completely fried and not ready to start a new work week after a lovely 4 day vacation. But here we are.

Since we were having Thanksgiving at my parents house, I gave me an excuse (not that I need much of one) to visit Andrew at Bon Vivant on Wednesday evening. It’s always a treat to head over to Illinois and pick up beers you can’t find in St. Louis. In this case I picked up some Three Floyds Brian Boru and a single bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. I wanted more 90 minute, but it seems like I can always find only a single bottle. Andrew also recommended to us a fantastic wine (I wish I could remember what it was.) My favorite part of the trip over was when Andrew rang up 2 22oz beers and a single 12oz beer for less than a single bottle of wine. While I’m in no way trying to stir up any beer vs wine cost debate, I’ll admit it brought a smile to my face.

As for the Turkey day, everything was perfect. The turkey was moist and flavorful, the sides were enjoyable and most importantly Mr. Oliver didn’t let me down. The Schlafly Biere de Garde paired wonderfully with the meal. Having a 750ml bottle also provided the opportunity to share the beer with the table. Any excuse for me to get people to try new beers is always welcome to me.

As for the rest of the weekend, I relaxed and hung out with my family. And while this is not at all beer related, do yourself a favor and find someone who owns Rock Band. After 6 straight hours of rocking, the only thing that stopped us was my failing voice. How does Thom Yorke hit those high notes every night?