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4 Hands Brewing To Open In St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri is soon to be home to another brewery- 4 Hands Brewing
The brewery construction is currently in progress — less than a mile from Busch Stadium. The 12,000 square foot production facility house a 1,200 square foot tasting room & will be completed by July. Initial output will be close to 1,000 barrels. Will Johnston, a partner in 4 Hands, is already looking for used wine & bourbon barrels for future recipes. Already in the works is a light Belgian ale aged in wine barrels with cranberries & white sage.
About 4 Hands from their Facebook page:
4 Hands Brewing Company, located in St. Louis Missouri, will provide the craft beer enthusiast a handcrafted portfolio inspired by the American Craft movement as well as Traditional Belgium and French Farmhouse ales. 4 Hands Brewing Company will package the Core collection in 12 oz 6 packs, the Seasonal selection in 22 oz bottles, and the Barrel Aged program in 750 ml champagne bottles.
The Barrel Aged Program will produce a truly unique line of beers. The use of Wine And Spirit Barrels containing an array of adjuncts (fruit, herbs, spices) in conjunction with wild yeast strains will enhance the flavors to produce a one of a kind beer.
There is another brewery about to go live in downtown St. Louis — Perennial Artisan Ales.
Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp Greatest Hits
Sierra Nevada Brewing hosts a Beer Camp each year in Chico, California. Individuals can submit a video essay to be chosen to go to beer camp and brew with the fine folks at Sierra. It’s like space camp for adults.
Just released by Sierra Nevada is essential a box set of beer camp’s greatest hits. The set features 4 beers from beer camp’s brewing past. Here are the beers:
#16 – Juniper Black Ale. Winter Warmer, 8.2%. Magnum Aurora hops. Juniper berries. Dark malts. All combine to make a sweet, bitter chocolate, roasty beer.
#29 – Ghidorah IPA. Imperial IPA, 8.1%. Full of hops- Southern Cross, Simcoe, Amarillo, Crystal, plus some of Sierra’s experimental hops. Grassy, citrusy, piney bottle of DIPA that you’re sure to enjoy.
#8 – Nuthin In ‘ Common Beer – California Common, 6.5% ABV. Flavors of straw, light malts. Earthy, herbally, easy drinking.
#37 – Weizenbock. 6.6% ABV. Yeasty, bananas, light fruit, vanilla, clove.
Availability: 12oz/12pks, draft. One time mixed release, All Sierra Nevada markets.
T.G.I. Fridays Is Getting Crafty
T.G.I. Friday’s is pretty much found in every state imaginable. What hasn’t been readily available, was a good beer to drink when eating their. Looks like the restaurant group is starting to realize this, and is bring in more “craft selections” and beers local to the restaurant. This press release reveals new dishes and beer changes to their menus. NOTE: Craft beers sold will change depending on location…
Press Release
CARROLLTON, TX (May 2011) – Just in time for summer, T.G.I. Friday’s® is bringing out the best seasonal flavors by introducing a new line of menu items inspired by and prepared with beer and featuring other bold, fresh ingredients. The new menu combines innovative dishes with craft beer, proving that great food is “better with brew.” Friday’s® guests can celebrate the relationship between great food and a cold draft, pairing new seafood or steak dishes with the bold, hoppy flavors of Fat Tire, Magic Hat and other craft beers being introduced to the beer roster.
Friday’s is offering these regional craft beers in its restaurants for the first time, answering the call by 40 percent of consumers who like to try beer that pairs well with a seasonal dish, according to a recent survey. At its most popular in the summer — 34 percent of consumers indicate the warm months are the best time to enjoy the hoppy beverage — beer plays a key role in this summer’s menu, providing an added twist to the robust flavor of each new item.
“Beer is an essential ingredient to summer and this season’s menu stands out with the inclusion of the best regional craft brews from around the country as a pairing for complementary meals and as an ingredient in the actual recipes,” said Ricky Richardson, executive vice president and chief concept officer, T.G.I. Friday’s. “Whether our guests are enjoying an entrée that has been marinated in a craft beer like our Black Angus Brew House Steak, or looking to kick back with a cold beer, they can do so at Friday’s — just as they would at a backyard barbeque or summer picnic.”
The new menu features tasty, beer-inspired dishes such as the Ale House Shrimp & Chips served with a Stout beer remoulade sauce and the Black Angus Brewhouse Steak with a beer and citrus marinade; sweet treats to help guests cool-off this summer, like the Guinness Stout shake and Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake; and regional craft beers, such as Harpoon IPA and Goose Island Honkers Ale, which will satisfy the palates of the most discerning beer drinker.
Learn more about the new menu:
New Entrees:
* Black Angus Brew House Steak: Premium Black Angus 8 oz. Flat Iron Steak slowly marinated in a homemade brine of beer and citrus then fire-grilled to order. Served with a craft beer sauce, potato salad and buttered summer green beans.
* Parmesan-Crusted Crab Flounder: Tender flounder fillets splashed with craft beer, pan-seared to perfection, and crowned with deviled crabmeat and crispy Parmesan breadcrumbs. Served with fresh lemon, jasmine rice pilaf and buttered summer green beans.
* Ale House Baby Back Ribs: Tender, mouth-watering baby back pork ribs slow-cooked in-house and fire-grilled with craft beer for one-of-a-kind flavor. Glazed with Jack DanielsTM Championship BBQ sauce and served with a side of potato salad and buttered summer green beans.
* Dijon-Crusted Beer Chicken: Pan-seared chicken fillets marinated in craft beer, flavored with Dijon, then lightly breaded with seasoned bread crumbs. Served hot with a tossed mixed greens salad and grape tomatoes drizzled with our Caesar Vinaigrette.
New Appetizer:
* Ale House Shrimp and Chips: Crispy mix of beer-battered and breaded crowns of fresh broccoli, sliced red peppers and Cajun-spiced shrimp served on home-style potato chips with Cucumber-Wasabi Ranch dip and a Stout beer remoulade sauce.
New Sweet Treats:
* Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake: Warm shortcake topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Sweet.
* Guinness Stout (Adults Only!): An Irish Dream! A Guinness Stout beer blended with rich chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream. Topped with whipped cream.
* Mandarin Dreamsicle (Adults Only!): Cointreau orange liqueur added to an orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream shake. Topped with mandarin oranges and whipped cream.
New Craft Beers: Availability will vary by state
* Harpoon IPA
* Magic Hat #9
* New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
* Goose Island Honkers Ale
* Abita Amber
* Alaskan IPA (Alaska only)
* Boulevard Wheat
* Uinta Cutthroat Ale (Utah only)
For more news and updates from T.G.I. Friday’s, consumers can follow the brand on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TGIFridays – Twitter @TGIFridays and YouTube http://www.youtube.com/tgifridays
About T.G.I. Friday’s
T.G.I. Friday’s offers a unique, casual experience delivering on its brand promise of “In Here it’s ALWAYS Friday” melding authentic and imaginative American food, exciting and innovative drinks and a one of a kind service experience to provide liberation from the everyday — turning any day into a FRIDAY! It is also famous for its knowledgeable and charismatic bartenders, nearly 8,000 of whom compete annually for the title of the “Greatest T.G.I. Friday’s Bartender in the World.” As the original casual dining restaurant, Friday’s delights guests in more than 900 restaurants across more than 60 countries around the globe. For more information, visit http://www.fridays.com
A UFO Pumpkin For Harpoon
Harpoon Brewing (Boston, MA) looks to be brewing up a pumpkin beer this year – UFO Pumpkin Ale. For those of you that don’t know, UFO= Un Filtered Offering.
Details yet to be released about pumpkin except the label states: Ale brewed with pumpkin & spices with spices added.
SPECULATION: Bottle & Draft, early Fall, 2011
Other UFO beers in Harpoon’s lineup include: Hefeweizen, White, Raspberry Hefeweizen, & Pale Ale
Bell’s Wedding Ale
Wedding Ale by Bell’s Brewing made a brief appearance on draft last year at the Eccentric Cafe in downtown Kalamazoo, MI. Wedding Ale is a wheat ale, brewed with honey, coriander, and orange peel as the label suggests.
This is yet another numbered 750 ml bottles that remain a mystery. 1 of 1,200 produced – February, 2011.
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Taste Expectations: Wheat, spices. Honey, lemon, oranges. Grassy, light fruit. Great for summer drinking.
Availability: ??
7.5% ABV
Pabst Blue Ribbon Heads To L.A.
Pabst Blue Ribbon – AKA PBR is headed to Los Angeles. Last year, PBR was purchased by C. Dean Metropoulos last year for $250 million.
Currently the brewery resides in the suburb of Chicago, IL. This move will mark a big change for the company. Metropoulos’s two sons live in L.A. and will help him run the new location. Interestingly, The elder son has done a good bit of brand refreshing himself – including Hungry Man Dinners, Vlasic Pickles, Bumble Bee Tuna, Chef Boyardee and Ghirardelli Chocolate.
In recent years, PBR’s sales have declined. 1995 barrels shipped were close to 25 million barrels. PBR shipped 5.9 million in 2009. <LATimes>
A Marriage Of Lambics, Cherries
Not a lot of this unique beer has made it stateside. For those looking for something interesting and unique to drink this weekend, take a look at this one.
Brouwerij Boon is based in Lembeek, Belgium. They specialize in gueuze & lambic style beers. Kriek Mariage Parfait is as the name says, a kriek beer. You get a kriek beer after you take a lambic (beer fermented with wild yeast) and fermented it again with sour cherries. These traditional styles are typically brewed in and around Brussels, Belgium. To make this “parfait” Boon has blended various years of the cherry lambic together and fermented it again in the bottle. You’ll find those who appreciate lambics, speak highly of this beer.
Style: Lambic (blend)
Taste Expectations: Cherries & oak. Funky & tart. Some sweetness offsets tart. Grassy, complex.
Availability: 375ml Bottles, corked & caged
8% ABV
