Flying Dog "Brewhouse Rarities" for 2013

The press release pretty much says it all:

On the heels of releasing 40 different beers in 2012, today Flying Dog Brewery announced its 2013 Brewhouse Rarities – a series of innovative, small-batch beers available in the mid-Atlantic only.
“The only criteria that apply to our Brewhouse Rarities is that they are interesting and unusual,” Brewmaster Matt Brophy said. “It has to be something that we are intrigued by and dying to try.”
To determine the twelve releases each year, teams of Flying Dog employees develop recipes and pitch their styles to their fellow peers.
“All areas of the brewery – from our brewhouse to packaging and sales to accounting – are involved in these Brewhouse Rarities pitches,” Brophy said. “It’s important for us to look to everyone at Flying Dog for inspiration on styles that will continue to push not only Flying Dog, but also the craft beer industry as a whole.”

The 2013 Brewhouse Rarities include:

•     Chipotle Dark Ale: January
•     Green Tea Imperial Stout: February
•     Pumpernickel IPA: March
•     Big Black Wit: April
•     Easy IPA: May
•     Pineapple Saison: June
•     Belgian Devil: July
•     Roggen: August
•     Vineyard Blonde (brewed with local Vidal Blanc grapes): September
•     Orchard Ale (brewed with local apples): October
•     Cinnamon Porter: December

Since both the Vineyard Blonde and Orchard Ale are agriculturally dependent, the November release was intentionally left open.
All of the releases will be in draft only, with the exception of the Green Tea Imperial Stout, Belgian Devil, and Cinnamon Porter. Those will be packaged in both draft and 750 ml bottles.

Columbia Ale House To Open Dec. 10th

So says Justin Dvorkin of the Pratt Street Ale House in the Columbia Patch: 

"We're looking to open on Dec. 10," said co-owner Justin Dvorkin. "And we're shooting for that Friday [Dec. 14] to have a kick-off celebration."

The restaurant, which is located in Dobbin Center just off of Rouse Parkway, has already hired more than 100 staff members, but are still hiring hostesses and servers. Jaun Valdez, the former executive chef of the District ChopHouse, has been placed in charge of the food.

The restaurant has three total bars, all of which will include 30 taps for the beers they have on draft, according to Dvorkin. He said their most popular beer at their sister location in Baltimore (Pratt Street Ale House) is their own Oliver Breweries beer, which they brew in Baltimore. As a result, the main bar in Ale House Columbia has extra taps (50) so bartenders don't stack up pouring one popular draft beer.
In addition, they'll have three cask conditioned beer taps.

Coming Events UPDATED

• Stillwater Artisanal Ales is debuting their newest beer, "The Perfect Crime," at Of Love & Regret in Brewers Hill at 6 PM on Monday the 26th.
• Simultaneously at Max's:

  MONDAY NOV 26, 2012 AT 6PM

  BRASSERIE BFM

  We will have BFM owner/brewer Jerome Rebetez from BFM here with a whole bunch of his great beers. Jerome is coming all the way from Switzerland, so this is something you do not want to miss.

  So here is the line up:

  ON DRAFT:

  BFM Douze

  BFM XIV La Quatorze

  IN BOTTLES-big bottles will be served by the glass.

  BFM/Terrapin Spike & Jerome Cuvee Delirante

  BFM Cuvee Du 8Eme 2007

  BFM La Meule

  BFM Procrastinator Ice Bock

  BFM La Dragonne(Served Warm)

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien 2004

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien 2005

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien 2011

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Vin Blanc

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru RHum Barrels

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Trousseau

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Vin Jaune

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Merlot Piana

  BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Spirit Barrel

•  Max's on the Tuesday Beer Social the 27th will be serving very special beers from Dominion:
  
  ON CASK: Dominion Scotch Ale dry Hopped w/ Chinook; ON DRAFT: Morning Glory, Baltic Porter, and "a very special Sour Keg".
•  DuClaw Tap Takeover at Frosco Tap House in Columbia Wednesday the 28th, 6 PM:
  

  On Tap:
  Bare Ass Blonde
  Misfit Red
  Bad Moon Porter
  EuForia Toffee Nut Brown Ale
  Mysterium Belgian Spiced Ale
  Venom Pale Ale
  Black Lightning American Black Ale
  Hellrazer IPA
  X-4 Macchiato Milk Stout
  X-5 Sorachi Ace Imperial IPA
  H.E.R.O. 2012 Chocolate Chipotle Stout
  Serum XXIPA
  Devils Milk Barleywine
  Retribution Single Barrel Bourbon Aged Imperial Stout
  Repent Belgian Pent
  and TWO surprises that are both simply DIVINE
  On Cask:
  Bad Moon Porter (dry hopped with Mittlefruh Hallertau)
  HellRazer IPA (dry hopped with Citra, Chinook, Columbus, Cascade, Simcoe and Amarillo).

• Peabody Heights Brewery will offer its first brewery tours and debut its Tasting Room on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 10 AM, with tours lasting until 4 PM.  This is an introductory tour; they will not have beer tastings as they are just beginning to brew and the beers will need a few weeks to be ready.  However, all tour attendees will receive a complimentary glass. Tasting tours will commence mid-to-late December.
• Save the date:  Max's own Holiday Beer Social will be Tuesday the 4th, a pay-as-you-go event.
• The annual Mid-Atlantic Holiday Ale Festival formerly held at The Brewers Art has been moved once again down to the Pratt Street Ale House, from noon to 4 PM on Dec. 8th; tickets are $40 and are available here.
• The Columbia Ale House isn't even officially open yet, and they've announced their own holiday ale tasting on Dec. 21st, with details to follow....
• Several places have planned events centered around the supposed Mayan calendar prediction of the "end of the world" (otherwise known as "we ran out of room on the slab") on Dec. 21, 2012, with offerings that day or the day before of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde, or "End of the World."  Flying Dog, meanwhile, will hold an "end of the world" tap takeover at Max's Taphouse with a supposedly record-setting 56 taps to be FD products, on the 21st.

Fiery Foods & Firkins at Heavy Seas Brewery this Saturday

Today before midnight is your last chance to grab tickets for this Saturday's Fiery Foods and Firkins Fest at the Heavy Seas Brewery in Halethorpe, from 12 to 4 PM.  $49 all-inclusive, $39 designated driver, with eight customized firkins:

Winter Storm – ESB  with Ghost Pepper, chocolate nibs, vanilla beans, molasses plus local Cascade hops
Below Decks – Barleywine bourbon barrel aged for 2 years
Loose Cannon – with tangerine, cayenne pepper, Red & White oak, Birch wood, wet Simcoe hops
Loose Cannon - IPA with fresh ginger, peaches, lemon peel plus wet Simcoe hops
Heavy Seas Pale Ale – with hand toasted Red & White oaks, Birch woods, fresh Chinook hops
Heavy Seas Marzen – with toasted Red Oak & locally grown Cascade hops
Peg Leg -  Imperial stout pouring from a European White Oak barrel with Fuggle & Simcoe hops
Plank II – Dopplebock with added Eucalyptus & Poplar woods plus Liberty hops

In addition, Heavy Seas will, as is typical of their food fests, present vendors offering more ways to offer "hot foods" than you thought possible, with free portions as part of the price (hint: pack antacids and maybe some milk), plus musical entertainment from Soul Island Rebels.

Fundraisers with Beer in Baltimore in November

A couple fundraising events are coming up in Baltimore over the next few days.

Tomorrow at No Idea Tavern in Federal Hill:

Friday, November 9th from 4-9pm!
It's everybody's favorite celebration of manliness and raising awareness for men's health issues - Movember. Come to No Idea tavern and enjoy fantastic drink specials, fun giveaways and other frivolity, proceeds benefiting the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG Campaign. Yay Movember!
From 4-9pm, enjoy $10 all you can drink Yuengling, rail, and wine plus some special Moustache Ride themed drinks!

https://www.facebook.com/events/418758124845711/?fref=ts

 On Saturday, Sante returns for the third time to the B&O Railroad Museum to raise funds on behalf of the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland.  Approximately 600 guests are expected to gather for what is being planned as the area’s premier food and beverage pairing event. With WJZ-TV Anchor Don Scott as emcee, this business/casual fête will feature Maryland’s best cuisine, prepared by some of its most acclaimed chefs, complimented by American and European craft beer; wine and spirits:
     

The Food Market:    Cream of crab soup      
The Verandah:   Vegan lentil soup and Vegetarian Papdi Chaat and Chicken salad      
B&O American Brasserie:    Bacon and eggs dish (parsnip flan, smoked trout caviar, whipped chive and bacon crème fraiche, bliss maple syrup)      
House of Audré:    Beef & vegetable samosas with chili sauce      
RA Sushi:    Tutsi Maki roll and seared tuna tapas dish       
Talara:    Asian tartare tuna      
Brio Tuscan Grille:    Campanelle Carbonara, Chicken & Sweet Potato risotto      
P.F. Chang's:    Chicken lettuce wraps and Chang's spicy chicken       
Richardson Farms:    Fall spiced crispy pork belly, with butternut squash soup      
Maggie's Farm:    Duck Liver Toast with Fig Jam, Mortadella Terrine with house mustard, Chai Ronnie (House-made Chai Bourbon, Limoncello, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup)      
Banksy's Café:    Will's famous Mac and Cheese      
Barrett's Grill:    Tuna sashimi wanton (sesame crusted) with wasabi cream sauce and soy glaze      
Cabot Creamery Cooperative:    Assortment of naturally aged Cabot Cheddar cheeses      
The Corner Bakery:    Catering trays -  fruit and cheese tray and bakery bites tray      
Eggspectation:  Butternut squash soup, toasted berry salad, maple glaze rib eye      
Bistro Rx:    Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes       
Clementine:    Rumbleway Farm chicken liver and coriander pâté with Balsamic fig caramel       
Indigma:    Chenna Masala      
Don't Know Tavern:    Smoked Pork Mac & Cheese on Tortilla with Fresh Jalapeno Salsa      
Vegetarian Caterer:    Kale Salad and homemade tortilla chips      
Chiapparelli's:    Chiapparelli's Salad      
Cooking with Catherine:    White chocolate bark      
Natasha's Just Brittle:    Various brittles and chocolate with brittle bits      
Zia's Café:    Pumpkin cheesecake push pops  (gluten free, raw and vegan)      
Tark's Grill:    Pear and custard napoleon      
Silk's Restaurant at Bulle Rock:    Seafood Chili    

WINES
 Constantine Wines Inc. (Cali):    2009 Worthy "Five Clones" Sauvignon Blanc; 2006 Truth "Lindsey's Cuvee" Red; 2007 Worthy "Sophia's Cuvee" Cabernet Sauvignon      
Epicurean Wines (Aussie):    2010 Winner's Tank Shiraz; 2010 Woop Woop Cabernet Sauvignon; NV Chook Sparkling Shiraz      
Ole Imports LLC (Spanish):    Columna Albarino, A Portela Mencia, Barco de Piedra, Cal Blanca      
Peninsula Wines:    Totus Tuus Cava, Rogo Godello, Pinyolet Seleccion, Phincas 2009      
Susan Fields Wines (Cali):    Susan Fields Rudbeckia White Blend, Santa Barbara 2011; Susan Fields Chardonnay, Santa Barbara 2011; Susan Fields Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara 2010; Susan Fields Sumptuous Red Blend, Paso Robles 2007; Susan Fields Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2009; Susan Fields Unearthly Rhone Blend, Santa Barbara 2007; Ravens Run Red, Paso Robles 2006    

BEER

Heavy Seas  Loose Cannon, Märzen, Gold Ale      
Breckenridge Brewery:    Avalanche Amber, Vanilla Porter, Lucky U IPA, Oatmeal Stout
The Raven Special Lager      
Crispin Hard Apple Cider    Original Cider      
Fox Barrel Pear Cider      
Lagunitas Brewing Co. Pilsner      
Oskar Blues Brewery Dales Pale Ale      
Union Craft Brewing  Duckpin Pale Ale, Balt Altbier, Rowhouse Red Ale      
DuClaw Brewing Company  EuForia and HellRazer    

Spirit offerings will include Lucid Absinthe Superieure, Ron Abuelo Rum, Sambuca Molinari, TAP 357 Whiskey and Van Gogh Vodka. On the non-alcoholic side, Starbucks Coffee Company will conduct a coffee tasting and David's Natural Market will provide a variety of organic sodas.

UPDATE:  As I typed this, it appears they have SOLD OUT.


Then, down at No Idea Tavern in Federal Hill next Thursday:

HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF FUNDRAISER
https://www.facebook.com/events/416076928448130/

Join the Baltimore Pain Relief Center and No Idea Tavern to help family's affected by Sandy!

Pay $12 for All-You-Can-Drink at No Idea Tavern Tuesday November 13th from 6-9pm! All Proceeds and donations will be matched by the Baltimore Pain Relief Center!

We will also be collecting the following items, I know you stocked up for the storm, since you don’t need it DONATE IT PLEASE!
...
Water
Batteries
Canned Goods
Dog Food
Diapers

Baltimore Pain Relief Center will also be collecting donations and goods Saturday, November17th from 8-11am @ 5430 Campbell Blvd, Suite 106, White Marsh, MD 21162.
http://www.baltimorepainrelief.com/

In addition, No Idea is holding a "Winterfest" with winter beers on the 12th and an "end of season Pumpkinfest" on the 28th--not fundraisers, just good beers.

If the winter beers don't appeal to you, there's also a fundraiser at the nearby Baltimore Museum of Industry on Key Highway (near Little Havana--you know, where those cranes are) on Thursday the 15th at 6:30 PM, with beers from Heavy Seas (and Hugh Sisson in attendance) and paired foods from Mick the Pirate/Whiskey Island.  $25 BMI members, $35 non-members.  Reservations at www.thebmi.org or 410-727-4808 extension 129.

Brewers Art St. Festivus Debuts Tonight at The Brewers Art

It "sneak-previewed" a week or so ago, but now it's officially out.  Taps at 4 PM today at 1106 N. Charles Street.  This T-shirt is available there.  The management asks, " Please do not mix alcohol with the airing of grievances."

Hurricane Sandy Report for Beer In Baltimore

All right.  Go ahead.

Get it all out of your system.  Come on, blow it all out.

Meanwhile, this blog's author will point out, probably in vain, that the official list of names for hurricanes for 2012 alternates between male and female names for storms, and "Sandy" is between Rafael and Tony, so is officially a "she."  More on the subject of hurricane names here.

Back to our regularly scheduled news roundup:  Thankfully, the mural above, a half-block north of (and uphill from) Of Love & Regret Pub in Brewers Hill proved not to be a premonition.  As far as can be determined, none of the craft breweries or brewpubs in this area sustained any damage or power outages, although several bars wisely closed up early on Monday as the wind and rain intensified.  The biggest worry turned out not to be power outages or falling walls, but driving bans imposed by government during the height of the storm (although a former distillery warehouse, long disused, along York Road in Cockeysville had a partial collapse and will be demolished).

Rain put a serious damper on the grand opening of Gordon Biersch's new Harbor East location, which opened at 11 a.m. on Monday and closed six hours later.  Tuesday would be their first full day open.

Many people fretted about Union Craft Brewing, which sits inconveniently close to the Jones Falls and in the same neighborhood as a low-lying bridge prominently featured on TV newscasts because of the spectacle of churning water rising underneath it (because it's a low-lying bridge connecting two parking lots--duh!).  But there was nothing to report.  The owners were in on Tuesday, brewing as usual.  "We have to--the weekend parties drank all our beer!" joked Kevin Blodger.  (That wasn't far from the truth--the Friday bicyclists' visitation brought an estimated 1300 riders to the brewery's parking lot party, along with several food trucks.)

Max's Taphouse, which suffered a flooded cellar in Isabel several years ago, was prepared for the worst--which didn't happen.  

Heavy Seas shut down production for Tuesday.  Flying Dog cancelled evening shifts for Monday but resumed production Tuesday. Even Dogfish Head, much closer to the "action" in Rehoboth Beach and Milton, came through unscathed after boarding up early and closing on Sunday, according to their representatives.

Closer to the action yet, "nanobrewery" Cape May Brewing in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, lost little more than a sign and some power, and even opened up their tap room for service as the storm was approaching.  Slightly to the north, Tuckahoe Brewing in Dennisville has not been heard from yet.

As much as folks may be tempted to just sit back and crack open another beer, it bears repeating that many, many others didn't fare as well.  Thousands, if not millions, are still without power or transportation, and many folks have lost everything--not just a vacation home or rental investment.  Keep your fellow Americans in your thoughts, prayers, and donation allocations.

1,500 Posts About Beer On the Wall, 1,500 Posts About Beer........

The software that runs this blog has indicated to yours truly that the most recent blogpost is number 1,500 to be posted on this blog since its inception in February 2008.  The actual number is slightly higher, as a scant few blogposts, perhaps a dozen or two, have been consolidated or deleted completely over the years.

The question is, will the number of blogposts ever catch up with the number of beers consumed?

Probably not.

Changes Coming to Heavy Seas "Flotilla"

In the midst of the chaos of the past two days, we somehow--somehow--received a missive from the public relations department at Heavy Seas describing upcoming changes to their product lines, including an overhaul of the Mutiny Fleet line of beers, preliminary plans for canned beers, expanded cask ale offerings, changes to select year-round products, and a new seasonal beer.  They seem to do as good a job as I can so I'll just excerpt their notes (emphasis added by yours truly):

The biggest change Heavy Seas has in store for 2013 is the repositioning of our line of higher gravity beers (the Mutiny Fleet). This line will now be known as the Uncharted Waters line and all of the beers under that category will be influenced by wood in one way or another. Siren Noire Imperial Chocolate Stout aged in bourbon barrels will come out in January 2013. In March, we will release Oak Aged Big DIPA (double IPA). Holy Sheet Über Abbey Ale aged in brandy barrels will be released in May. Great'ER Pumpkin (our imperial pumpkin ale aged in bourbon barrels) will be released in September. Yule Tide, our November release, will take the place of our ongoing Plank project—aging beers on wood. That style will be determined closer to November of 2013.

We have preliminary plans to release three products in cans in 2013. While we haven't determined availability at this juncture, we will be offering Loose CANnon, Davey Jones' Lager, and an Oktoberfest style in cans this year.

Year-round, we will continue to offer Loose Cannon, Small Craft Warning, and Peg Leg. In order to better reflect our brand personality, we have renamed our Clipper Fleet beers: Heavy Seas Märzen will now be Cutlass Amber; Heavy Seas Pale Ale will now be Powder Monkey; Heavy Seas Gold Ale will now be Gold. Heavy Seas Classic Lager will be discontinued. 

As the largest producers of cask ale in the country, Heavy Seas is focused on expanding the number of offerings for retailers. We will continue to offer dry-hopped firkins of Loose Cannon and Powder Monkey (pale ale) year-round. We will also incorporate preset quantities of all seasonal beers and Uncharted Waters beers.

Seasonally, we will offer Black Cannon in January through March. We wanted to add a new style to our seasonal catalog, therefore Dubbel Cannon will be replaced by Riptide White IPA, which is currently in formulation; Riptide will be offered April through June. Red Sky at Night, our saison, will be offered July through September. Winter Storm Imperial ESB will be offered October through December. Additionally, the new seasonal lineup will include 12 oz. bottles of Great Pumpkin, offered in Sunken Sampler packs exclusively in August and September.

The Last Two Days of Baltimore Beer Week: Previews

Of course, now everybody is watching the weather after several days of glorious fall weather for the rest of Baltimore Beer Week.  It remains to be seen whether Tropical Storm Sandy (no relation) will impact the weekend's weather; we shall operate under the assumption that it won't, at least severely enough to require the battening down of hatches, emergency runs for milk/bread/eggs/toilet paper/batteries, etc. (besides, doesn't everybody still have a generator left over from the Y2K panic?).

SATURDAY THE 27TH:  40 events.  The "big one" for this week, serving as sort of the same symbolic "bookend" to the week as formerly served by the Real Ale Fest and/or the Brewers Assn. Oktoberfest, is the Annapolis Craft Beer & Music Festival at Navy/Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.  Meanwhile, back in town, Mark Supik & Co. will reprise their highly successful Tap Handle and Homebrew demonstration at their Highlandtown wood-turning plant, with door prizes donated by Raven Beer.  The day starts with several beer brunches (a couple reportedly sold out already; call first before committing); Max's Taphouse will offer a non-beer (and gluten-free) alternative with an evening mead tasting event with terrific meads from B. Nektar, and Wine Market Bistro in south Baltimore will have a beer-pairing dinner with beers from several breweries.  Hudson Street Stackhouse goes all-Belgian all weekend, while Mahaffey's nearby offers Belgian waffles to go with the Belgian beers they offer that evening.  Alewife offers its only beer dinner of the week, featuring Sierra Nevada and three local chefs.  Flying Dog sponsors a music event at the Maryland Science Center. Though not a beer event, Liam Flynn's will be hosting a weekend of Irish music concerts and dancing, featuring former Chieftains flute player Michael Turbridy--free on Saturday, small charge Sunday for the ceili (Irish dancing party).  (The Halloween Party at Union Craft Brewing has been canceled.)

SUNDAY THE 28th:  24 events.  The big events this day are the almost-sold-out Historical Pub Crawl of Brewers Hill taking in the National Brewery and Of Love & Regret (and more) in "north Canton" in the afternoon, and the midday free tours of the Wiessner/American Brewery on Gay Street.    Several places, including Mahaffey's, The Point, An Poitin Stil, and (oddly enough, Heavy Seas Brewery at the brewery!) will be offering brunch events, while others, such as Greene Turtle,  Kloby's, Alonso's and others, will bow to the Grand Poo-Bah of the NFL.  Metropolitan will close out with a Beer Can Derby (build race cars out of cans and race them on a gravity track), and Phillips Inner Harbor will host a crab feast with Evolution Craft Brewing. 

Then we all recover for another year.