Monday January 8, 2007
The Cathedral Hill Hotel
Featuring
The Unique Belgian Beers of Urthel
Meet Hildegard (the Brewster) of
Brouwerij De Leyerth
6:30 PM
Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre
Urthel Hop It
7:30PM
Salad of Assorted Fresh Shellfish with Warm Fennel Vichyssoise
Urthel Hibernus Quentum Tripel
Confit of Lamb with Truffled Potato Gratin, Wilted Bloomsdale Spinach and Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Urthel Vlaemese Bock
Tartare of Figs and Buddha’s Hand with Chocolate Sabayon, Vanilla Mascarpone and Cocoa Nib Cookie
Urthel Samaranth Quadrium Ale
$80 Per Person Inclusive of Tax and Gratuity
Bruce D. Paton CEC
Executive Chef
415-674-3406
www.beer-chef.com
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HOUSTON, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 07, 2006 -- A coalition of Texas craft breweries and beer lovers, Friends of Texas Microbreweries, today launched a campaign to allow small Texas breweries to sell directly to patrons. Currently, the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Code requires microbreweries to sell only to distributors and retailers, which puts Texas craft breweries at a disadvantage to those in other states where sales direct to customers are allowed.
"We can no longer ignore the fact that 14 out of 19 microbreweries have failed in Texas in part because current regulations disadvantage microbrewing small businesses," said Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner. "This common-sense proposal will allow Texas microbrewers to compete with out-of-state microbrewers on a level playing field."
In 2003, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 11, which changed the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Code to allow Texas wineries to sell limited quantities of their beverages directly to patrons. Friends of Texas Microbreweries is proposing a similar change for microbreweries, which would allow on-premise sales of no more than 5,000 barrels of ale and malt liquor annually.
"It has been three years since Texas voters clearly signaled they support common sense beverage laws," said Fritz Rahr, founder of Rahr & Sons Brewing Company in Fort Worth. "It's time Texas craft brewers offered the same customer-friendly advantages that Texas wineries already have."
In keeping with the trailblazing spirit of the Texas craft brewing industry, Friends of Texas Microbreweries is anticipating an unconventional campaign. Along with the traditional elements of legislative outreach, the coalition plans to utilize trendy technologies to help it reach and mobilize grassroots opinion-leaders. For instance, Saint Arnold Brewing has launched a blog at http://www.starnoldgoestoaustin.com/blog and also plans outreach to other bloggers throughout Texas.
"Texas beer lovers are enthusiastic and always ready to take action when they see something that needs to get done," Wagner said. "Our blog will be instrumental in getting our message out to tens of thousands of members of Saint Arnold's Army, so we can mobilize them to encourage legislators to allow Texas craft brewers to compete with out-of-state craft brewers."
In addition to Houston-based Saint Arnold Brewing Company, every other Texas microbrewery is backing the initiative, including Independence Brewing and Live Oak Brewing Company in Austin, Rahr & Sons Brewing Company in Fort Worth, and Real Ale Brewery in Blanco.
About Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Saint Arnold Brewing's ten brews are made and sold by the company's staff of 18 dedicated employees. The brewery is located at 2522 Fairway Park Drive and its brewery tour and tasting is offered every Saturday at 1:00 P.M. For more information on Saint Arnold's five year-round and five seasonal beers as well as root beer, log on to http://www.saintarnold.com/.
Contact:
Dan Keeney
DPK Public Relations
(832) 476-2904
Email Contact
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Oskar Blues Brewery’s Gordon Becomes Microcanner’s Third Year-Round Beer
Hybrid strong ale and tribute beer to Gordon Knight now sold in printed cans in all Oskar Blues markets
(Lyons, Colorado) – Oskar Blues Brewery has made Gordon -- the brewery’s double red/IPA beer – its third year-round beer.
The beer was originally released in bottles as a winter seasonal in 2003, and was sold in hand-labeled cans as a winter beer in December of 2005.
“The hand-labeled cans of Gordon we did last year got a bunch of big beer lovers really excited,” says Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis. “So we decided to put it in an official can, and work it into production throughout the year in some small fashion.”
The beer is being made in limited quantities and sold at select Oskar Blues accounts in the brewery’s 13 states (CO, AZ, NM, ID, WA, GA, VA, NC, PA, MA, NY, NJ and WI). Gordon is sold in four-packs for approximately $10.99. It is also available in 15.5-gallon and 5-gallon kegs.
Gordon is a unique version of extreme beer that combines the intense hopping of double IPAs with the joys of extra-malt beers. It features an intense resiny/fruity aroma, a sticky/oily mouthfeel, and a surprisingly comfortable finish for a beer of its size.
The beer is made with six different malts and three types of hops, and dry-hopped with a giant dose of Amarillo hops. It is 8.7.% alcohol by volume and has 85 International Bittering Units.
It is the richest and most luxurious canned beer in the world. It is lovingly referred to as “the velvet M- 80” by its creators.
Gordon is brewed in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, firefighter, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in a 2002 plane crash while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.
“Gordon was a uniquely ambitious and giving man, and a hero to many of us here in Boulder County,” says Katechis. “He lived a very big life and loved big beer, this beer is our way of honoring him and how he lived.”
“Gordon,” Katechis says, “helps us ramp up our Canned Beer Apocalypse a few more notches by pushing the boundaries of what canned beer can be.
“We’ve heard from many people over the past four years,” he adds, “who’ve wondered when we were going to do a light, mainstream-minded canned beer. We’re hoping that Gordon will put an end to those questions for a while.”
Oskar Blues is the largest-producing brewpub in the US and one of the fastest growing craft breweries in America. The microbrewery has averaged over 100% annual growth every year since it began hand-canning in November of 2002.
The company’s flagship canned beer, Dale’s Pale Ale, is the nation’s first hand-canned craft beer. It’s a robust, hoppy pale ale with 65 International Bittering Units and 6.5% abv. Its honors include Top American Pale Ale from the New York Times, Top Colorado-Brewed Beer from the Rocky Mountain News, and a gold and silver medal in the Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival.
Old Chub Scottish Style Ale is a strong, semi-sweet Scotch ale of 8% abv. It has won rave reviews from the Wall Street Journal, Celebrator Beer News, All About Beer, Alestreet News and consumer reviewers at Beeradvocate.com and Ratebeer.com.
Oskar Blues Brewery is located in Lyons, Colorado (pop.1400), a small mountain town 18 miles northwest of Boulder, Colorado. The brewpub and music venue was opened in 1996 by Katechis and his wife, Christi Katechis. The couple has four young children.
The brewpub’s intimate music room hosts the best national and local blues, Americana, alternative-country, bluegrass and jam acts.
Oskar Blues Brewery’s beers are canned on equipment from Cask Brewing Systems in Alberta, Canada. Get details at www.cask.com.
For additional info, interviews, photos or samples contact Marty Jones at 303-860-7448, martysjones@att.net or marty@oskarblues.com .
For more information visit www.oskarblues.com .
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2006
Profile Public Relations
CONTACT: Clare Pelino or Jennie Hatton
215.985.2106/ www.profilepr.com
JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
IRON HILL BREWERY & RESTAURANT
INTRODUCES
IRON HILL RESERVE BOTTLED BEERS
NEWARK, DE – Just in time for the holidays, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has introduced Iron Hill Reserve, their most highly regarded and award winning beers from the past decade, bottled for the first time. Each handcrafted beer comes in a cork finished, 750 ml bottle and ranges in price from $18.50 to $22.50. Iron Hill Reserve beers are available for sale exclusively at Iron Hill’s six regional locations.
“We’re bottled up what our friends have told us are Iron Hill’s best beers,” says Mark Edelson, Director of Brewing Operations. “They are the perfect holiday gift for any beer lover.”
For the first bottling, Iron Hill’s head brewers selected their top 10 beers including:
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary this month, Iron Hill has consistently been recognized for its outstanding beers and cuisine including 83 “Best of” awards from regional magazines including “Best Brewpub 2006” from Philadelphia Magazine. Last year, Iron Hill was named Large Brewpub of the Year 2005 at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF). In total, their award-winning handcrafted beers have received 30 medals from the GABF, World Beer Cup and Real Ale Festival.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant locations are located in Newark, Wilmington, Media, West Chester, North Wales, and Phoenixville, PA. All six locations are open seven days a week for dinner, lunch and Sunday brunch. Please call for hours of operation: Newark, DE, 302.266.9000; West Chester, PA, 610.738.9600; Media, PA, 610.627.9000; North Wales, PA, 267.708.2000; Wilmington, DE, 302.658.8200; and Phoenixville, PA, 610.983.9333 Visit Iron Hill on the web at www.ironhillbrewery.com .
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© Peter LaFrance 2006