As you may now be aware, Schlafly holds a VIP party the night before the Stout and Oyster Festival. It gives Schlafly a chance to preview the 25,000 fresh oysters they bring in before it makes it to the general public the next day. Would you like to attend such a special event? Well, here’s your chance.

Schlafly VP, Dan Kopman, has given me two passes to the Schlafly Stout and Oyster Festival, which is held on Thursday, March 18th. If you’re interested in attending just email contest@stlhops.com with Stout and Oyster as the subject. I’ll randomly pick one winner next Wednesday, March 17th at 9AM.  A couple of quick notes:

• If you’ve won something from STL Hops in the past 6 months, please be cool and let someone else enter.
• You must be 21 or older to enter.
• No multiple entries.
• If you don’t think you’ll be able to attend, please don’t enter. I’d like to make sure that people available to attend have a chance to win.

Good luck!

I know for some of you, this is the festival you’ve been most eagerly awaiting for, the Schlafly 2010 Stout and Oyster Festival. Schlafly is flying in “over 25,000 fresh oysters from both coasts and offer a tantalizing array of dishes, like gumbo, Rockefeller, fried, Po-Boy, and grilled.” They will also be offering up a raw bar as well to give you the ability to try several different vararites.

Schlafly will also be flying in some some celebrity shuckers to open up your oyster fyster than you can blink. With names like “Bimbo, Clam, Rawle, Silky Smooth and Thurman” I think you’re in for some really colorful characters.

Oh, and then there’s the beer. Schlafly will be offering their Nitro Irish, Oatmeal and Kaldi’s Coffee Stout. You’ll be able to combine some of your favorite Schlafly stouts with the briny delight of fresh Oysters.

Schlafly’s festival will be on start on Friday, March 19th from 5:00 p.m.-Midnight and continue on Saturday, March 20th when it will run from Noon-Midnight. Stay tuned tomorrow for a VIP Dinner contest!

Still looking for that elusive Schlafly American IPA?  Well, wouldn’t it be nice if you could have it in your own neighborhood? Well, this week is your big break as there will be two casks of this delicious beer available in the metro area.  Here are the details:

O’Leary’s Pub – Thursday, March 11th – 6:30PM
Bigelo’s Bistro – Saturday, March 13th – 12PM

It’s always fun to walk into your local watering hole and see a cask of beer sitting on the bar.  So here’s a couple of chances to drink some Schlafly cask beer in your neighborhood this week:

Bleeding Deacon – Thursday, February 25th – 6PM
Bigelo’s Bistro – Friday, February 26th – 4PM

The Glass Olive in Oakville will be putting on a beer dinner next Thursday, February 25th starting at 6:30PM.  This four course meal will be paired with four different Schlafly beers. The cost of this meal is $45 per person, reservation can be made by calling 314-293-2393.  The menu is posted below.

The Boathouse in Forest Park is putting on a little Mardi Gras celebration with their friends at the St. Louis Brewery. Here’s a little info and the menu from their press release:

Mardi Gras is synonymous with cold beer, hot music and great food. On Monday, February 15, the Boathouse will have plenty of each at our annual “Beer on the Bayou” Cajun Beer Dinner. Join us for light hors d’oeuvres and beer samples at the Annex before moving to the restaurant for a three-course meal of tasty Cajun cuisine. Each course will be paired with a different Schlafly beer. Live entertainment will be provided by the Zydeco Crawdaddys.

MENU

• Appetizers and Beer Sampling in the Boathouse Annex – beginning at 6:30 p.m.
• First Course – Duck and Sausage Gumbo (Paired with Schlafly Biere de Garde)
• Entree – Creole Braised Ribs over Dirty Rice (Paired with Schlafly Grand Cru)
• Dessert – Bananas Foster (Paired with Schlafly Tripel)

The cost of this event is $48 per Guest ($62.52 including tax & gratuity), and reservations must be prepaid. You can make reservations by calling (314) 367-2224 or e-mail aramatowski@cateringstlouis.com for assistance.

Tomorrow is the first Friday of the month, so that must mean it’s time for another fantastic pairing of best place to get Neapolitan Pizza in the St. Louis area, The Good Pie, and a chance to enjoy some delicious cask beer from Schlafly.

This Friday, February  5th, starting a 5PM, a representative from the St. Louis Brewery will be tapping a cask of the Schlafly Dry-Hopped APA (this version has been dry-hopped with Columbus and Simcoe). They’ll be serving it until the cask runs out or The Good Pie closes.

Sure, you can get cask beer at the Tap Room, but you can’t get Neapolitan Pizza to go along with it! Head on out there for some great pizza and beer.