30 June 2011

Max's Italian Fest, Hop Fest, and Other Events

Max's has announced their second annual Italian Beer Fest for July 15th-17th:

We will have around ten special craft Italian beers on draft and over 60 craft Italian beers in bottles. We are changing things up a little this year. Any Italian beer in a 750ml size [bottle] will be available by the glass. 12 oz. bottles will still be sold by the bottle.
This is a great chance for you to taste some really great beers from a country that is on the rise in the craft beer movement.
 
We will have the most up to date lists on our website, www.maxs.com
 
ITALIAN FEST DRAFTS
Baladin Nora
Baladin Super Baladin
Del Borgo Duchessa
Del Borgo Enkir
Del Borgo My Antonia
Del Borgo ReAle Extra
Del Borgo Rubus Lamboni
Del Ducato Sally Brown Bracco
Plus a few others TBA..............
 
ITALIAN FEST BOTTLES
Almond 22 Farrotta
Almond 22 Torabata
Almond 22 Pink IPA
Baladin Al Ikir
Baladin Isaac
Baladin XFume
Baladin Xyauyu 2004(Gold)
Baladin Xyauyu 2006 (Copper)
Baladin Xyauyu 2006 (Silver)
Barley BB Dexi
Barley Friska
Collesi Imper Alter Bionda
Collesi Imper Main Nera
Collesi Imper Frat Lux Ambrata
Collesi Imp Ubi Rossa
Collesi Imper Ego Bionda
Del Borgo 25 Dodici
Del Borgo Duchessa
Del Borgo Duchessic
Del Borgo Enkir
Del Borgo My Antonia
Del Borgo ReAle Extra
Del Borgo Rubus Lamboni
Del Ducato L'Ultima Luna
Del Ducato Verdi
Del Ducato Via Emila
Grado Plato Cantis Caeli
Grado Plato Chocarrubica
Grado Plato Weizen Tea
Italiano Cassissona
Montegioco Bran Reserva
Montegioco Dolii Raptor
Montegioco Quarta Runa
Montegioco Rex Grue
Montegioco Tibir
Panil Barrique 2007
Pausa Cafe Chicca
Pausa Cafe Navidad
Pausa Cafe P.I.L.S
Pausa Cafe Tosta
Pausa Cafe Tosta Cuvee Normanna
Piccolo Sesonette
Revelation Cat Woodwork Series Acasia
Revelation Cat Woodwork Series American oak
Revelation Cat Woodwork Series Base
Revelation Cat Woodwork Series French Oak
Troll Stella Di Natale
Troll Geisha
Troll Palanfrina
Troll Shangrila
Plus a bunch of others....TBA.........
Other upcoming events and festivals at Max's include an observation of Belgian Independence Day Event on July 21, 2011 at 5pm, their first annual Hop Fest August 19-21st, and the debut of New Belgium 22-ounce bottles on August 23rd.

9 comments:

JohnM. said...

I got this email as well Alex, and while the list of upcoming events is impressive, one thing worries me.

Last time I spoke to Casey, he indicated that the long awaited, repeatedly postponed, arrival of Firestone walker, was now on for August. The distributor was there at the time as well (Erin), and she confirmed an August arrival.

.... and yet, no mention of firestone walker in this email announcement. I'm starting to have (another) bad feeling about this...

Brad said...

John, I talk to Casey and Erin regularly. August *is* now the 99% confirmed arrival month for FW.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV said...

...... demonstrating for the umpteenth time that bars can offer 2,500 beers, and the beer geeks still focus their energies on Beers #2,508, 2,519, and 2,531.......

JohnM. said...

"demonstrating for the umpteenth time that bars can offer 2,500 beers, and the beer geeks still focus their energies on Beers #2,508, 2,519, and 2,531......."

Ah yes, Alexander Mitchell IV.... Our version of the esteemable Representative Alvin Holmes of Montgomery, Alabama.

"Yeah, what's wrong wit de beer we got? I mean, the beer we got drink pretty good, don't it?"

You're exactly right Alex. We already have more than enough good beer here in Baltimore and Maryland. We don't need any more (when would say we reached that point Alex? 2010? 2005? 1995? 1776?). Shame on anyone for asking about the arrival of a new beer into the area. That clearly shows a lack of proper appreciation and respect for the beer selection currently available.

Frankly, I'm ashamed of myself, and I promise never to have another jealous/covetous thought involving FW, Russian River, Bells, Founders, Ithica brewing, Hair of the Dog, Ballast Point, Alpine, Alesmith, Maine Brewing, etc., etc., etc.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV said...

First, you have me wrong. It's a free market. If any of the breweries on your list feel they can make it worth their while to enter our geek-loaded beer market, more power to them.

My observation is not about 1,750 (or whatever) beers in the Maryland market. My observation is about the fickle, fleeting enthusiasm of beer aficionados, primarily the types that post religiously to BeerLobbyist.com or IGradeMyBeer.com.

The desire to have what you can't get is almost primal in humans, it seems. The problem is that addressing that desire comes at a price--a price pretty much disregarded by those who constantly search for the next latest beer. If we bring New Belgium, Alesmith, Russian River, etc. to central Maryland, something's going to bump off the back of the distributor's portfolio or the bar's offerings, and it ain't gonna be North American Industrial Lager, much as we may fantasize otherwise.

So what do we get rid of for Fat Tire and/or Firestone Walker? North Coast? Uintah? Breckenridge? Oskar Blues?

And what do we lose in trade for Maine Brewing? Allagash? Geary's? Magic Hat? Otter Creek? All of those have their fans, after all, and why are they less important than your desire to have that next beer?

Founders? What if it costs you Arcadia, or Jolly Pumpkin, or--horrors--Bell's?

I've seen the tables turned the other way, too. I was in a Western beer bar on a night when they debuted Dogfish Head beers to the region, and they didn't seem to understand why I wasn't partaking in that orgy of finally consuming 60- and 90-Minute IPA and asked instead for the Pizza Port, Lost Abbey, and Bridgeport beers.......

Finally, let's consider what it takes for those far-off places to send their beers here. They have to either send us the beer that they then can't sell closer to home (where it's fresher, and often better appreciated), or they have to increase their capacity and production, something that often costs them the quality that made the beer great in the first place (Exhibit A: Fat Tire). I don't think you'd appreciate it if there were suddenly a shortage of your favorite Mid-Atlantic beers because they decided to send it to California and Colorado instead--where it will sell like hotcakes for four months, then dissipate.

For the record, I'm as guilty of this syndrome as most folks reading this. I've long said that my favorite beer is "the next one," and were it not for me writing the MABN column, I'd probably drink a few fewer locally-produced beers than I already do. But in a sense I get paid to keep drinking locally.

I can't wait to go back to that beer bar out West and see how well DFH is selling now, a couple years later.......

JohnM. said...

@ Alex.

Then why say what you said? My original post wasn't an unabashed cheer for FW beers. Nor was it a lament for all the beers we can't get here in Baltimore. I simply noted that there was no mention of the upcoming FW release, even though as recently as several weeks ago, Casey and Erin had assured me we could expect to see their beer in August. That struck me as odd, not to mention suspicious, as I can't imagine why Casey would have mentioned elysian, new belgium, etc., in his newsletter, yet fail to mention FW... unless the release date for Baltimore/Maryland had once again been pushed back.

If you've been following along the latest spate of new beer releases in Maryland, for some reason there seems to be some sort of ongoing problem. Casey indicated they had had to postpone the original Elysian release event, and as you probably know, originally both New Belgium and FW were slated to arrive in Maryland back in April or May. The FW postponement is especially puzzling to me, as both SEPA/Philly and DC started seeing FW beers back in early spring, yet for some reason we were skipped over.

The rest of your arguement is one you and I have had before and I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on the "upside vs. downside" arguement when it comes to the implication of new beers coming into Maryland.

As for your DFH observation.... see? I knew we could agree on something. :-) Cheers!

Alexander D. Mitchell IV said...

I've been waiting for some bars to open locally for over a year now. I'm a little more concerned about that than I am when we're supposed to get some beer from several states away.....

JohnM. said...

"I'm a little more concerned about that"

I don't know why. After all, aren't there plenty of other beer bars to drink at in town?

:-) Cheers!

Alexander D. Mitchell IV said...

Actually, if the "forces" or reasons that have been/are keeping these places from opening--financial and regulatory--permeate the rest of the Baltimore bar scene, there won't be.

On the other hand, nor will there be very many OTHER bars, either, if consistently applied.