Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sept. 29-Oct. 1: Great American Beer Festival® Toasts 30 Years as North America's Greatest Beer Celebration

Oh yeah! I can almost hear the bag pipes now! From the Brewers Association press release:


Sept. 29-Oct. 1: The Great American Beer Festival® Toasts 30 Years as North America's Greatest Beer Celebration

Beer Lovers, Food Lovers, Fun Lovers and Brewers to Attend Brewers Association Festival in Denver, CO


WHAT:                  
The 30th edition of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). The premier U.S. beer festival and competition is expected to serve 2,400 different beers, in one-ounce tasting portions, from an estimated 465 U.S. breweries to the event's 49,000-plus attendees. The entire event sold out in just one week.
WHEN:                  
Thursday, September 29: 5:30 pm-10:00 pm               
Friday, September 30: 5:30 pm-10:00 pm
Saturday, September 31: 12:00 pm-4:00 pm (Brewers Association and American Homebrewers Association members-only session)
Saturday, October 1:  5:30 pm-10:00 pm
WHERE:                 
Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, Colorado 
TICKETS:                
The 2011 festival is sold out.
WHY:                     
The largest collection of U.S. beer ever served. This is a public tasting event plus a private competition. GABF brings together the brewers and beers that make the U.S. the world's greatest brewing nation. This event showcases the diverse beers that make craft brewing one of the fastest-growing segments of the beer, wine and spirits industry.
WEBSITE:              
NOTE TO EDITORS
STORY IDEAS:
More than 460 breweries! Chances are a brewery in your state or region is participating. A full list of registered breweries is posted onGreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.
vintageGABFCelebrating 30 Years
The Great American Beer Festival has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1982 as an offshoot of the 4th Annual National Homebrew and Microbrewery Conference. Nevertheless, if the name is any indication, its aspirations were great, and over 30 years, the event has grown from 800 attendees to 49,000, and from a 5,000 square foot festival hall to one close to 300,000 square feet.
New for 2011
  • A special pavilion taking attendees back 30 years to the first Great American Beer Festival, complete with photos, a representation of the beers and breweries from the 1982 event, fun facts, a photo booth, 80's music and costumes and more!
  • The Farm to Table Pavilion features pairings from an all-new slate of chefs and craft brewers. Adam Dulye of Monk's Kettle assembled the diverse roster of beer-loving chefs, which includes some of the individuals recognized byFood and Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs of 2010." All are committed to the Farm to Table philosophy, sourcing the best ingredients at local farmers markets. The members-only Farm to Table ticket includes four-ounce pours, small plates of a variety of fresh and local food items selected to pair with craft beers. Additional ticket required. SOLD OUT.
  • All new presentations in the Beer & Food Pavilion and Brewers Studio. A few highlights include:
    • Sweet and Smokey Chicago Style
      Join Top Chef winner and owner/chef of the Girl & the Goat, Stephanie Izzard, and Jared Rouben, brewmaster at Goose Island's Clybourn pub, for a glimpse into their collaborative kitchen-to-kettle brewing process. Stephanie and Jared will share insights on brewing beers to complement food and creating food to complement beers.
    • The Great American Beer & Food Pairing Challenge-The Homebrew Chef
      The Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton, cooks up mystery dishes and challenges two brewers to find the perfect beer pairings from one of the 2,400 beers at the GABF. This fast-paced presentation is sure to delight the senses with amazing food and fantastic beer.
    • Celebrating 30 Years of the GABF
      Join GABF founder and Brewers Association president Charlie Papazian, as well as Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company, for a look at 30 years of the GABF. They will share stories about the origins of the festival and how things have changed over the last three decades. Beers from both breweries will be served along with a special "birthday" cake.
    • The U.S.-Italy Craft Beer Connection
      Join Lorenza Dabove, the Italian beer expert and champion of craft beer, as he teams up with American brewers Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing Co. to talk about the impact of the American craft beer scene on Italian beer culture.
Sustainability Initiatives
  • By partnering with ZeroHero and others, the GABF's goal is to recycle or compost 70 percent of waste produced at the event.
  • Compost will be processed by A1 Organics located in Platteville, Colo. Within 90 days of the festival this compost will become a rich soil amendment.
  • House lights will be kept at 50 percent during the festival.
  • Bottles used in the competition are recycled and beer in the hall is served in reusable drinkware from kegs or recyclable bottles to reduce the event's footprint.
  • Flatware and utensils used in concession areas and presentations are recyclable or compostable.
  • Educational and interactive area showcasing sustainability initiatives within the brewing industry and at GABF, including calls to action for attendees to support the efforts.
  • Learn more: GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com/about/sustainability.
GABF Competition
In 2011, an estimated 4,000 beers will be judged by 170+ judges hailing from across the globe. New competition categories include:
  • Fruit Wheat Beer-The soft sweetness of a wheat beer is taken to a new level when combined with the complex flavors of fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries and more.
  • Chocolate Beer-Once part of the Herb and Spice Beer category, this bold, flavorful beer is a delight for beer and chocolate lovers alike.
  • American-Style Brett Ale-These tart beers are increasingly found in many craft brewers' line-ups, giving beer enthusiasts a funky, complex beer that challenges perception of how beer can taste as the result of a wild yeast known as brettanomyces.
  • International-Style Pale Ale-Distinguishing themselves from American- and English-varieties, these beers have a wide range of hop characters, good balance and moderate alcohol, making them great session beers.
  • In 2011, the top style by number of entrants is American‐Style India Pale Ale (175 entries), and this category has been the top entered at GABF since 2001.
Business Angle
In 2010, beer sales totaled $101 billion (Brewers Association). The number of U.S. breweries is at its highest level (1,790) since before Prohibition.
Craft Brewer Success
America's craft brewers continue to gain in sales and popularity. Passion and exploration continue to grow as America's beer drinkers enjoy unrivaled quality and diversity of craft brewed beer. The craft brewing industry (small and independent) grew 14 percent by volume and 15 percent by dollars in the first half of 2011, and that growth appears to be accelerating. Of the 1,790 breweries in the U.S., 1,740 are considered craft brewers.
Beer & Food
Last year, the National Restaurant Association Chef Survey (PDF) found beer and food pairings to be the number five alcohol and cocktails trend to watch. Zagat has also noted the groundswell of support for beer-centric restaurants, naming beer as a top-five dining trend in 2011. They note that, "Beer + food = so hot right now." The Farm to Table Pavilion is returning for a third year as one of GABF's most innovative features and one of the best ways to explore food and craft beer pairings. Participating breweries will serve craft beers not available in the festival hall, but even outside of Farm to Table, attendees can enjoy demonstrations and discussions at the Beer & Food Pavilion. This area provides festival-goers the opportunity to taste the best that food and beer pairings have to offer, by featuring well-known chefs and craft brewers who provide insight on the creative process.
More InformationPlease consult our 2006- 2011 GABF Statistics.
(As of 8/29/11)
Official Sponsors
DRAFT Magazine, Microstar Keg Management, KBCO 97.3, 103.5 The FOX, AM760, CraftBeer.com
Associate Sponsors
Highland Tap and Burger, O-I, Snyder's of Hanover, TurboTap USA, WAHL 'Let It Grow Tour', Westword
Featured Brewery Sponsors
Alaskan Brewing Co., Anchor Brewing Company, Backcountry Brewery, BJ's Brewery & Restaurants, Black Star (Great Northern Brewing Co.), Blue Moon, Boulder Beer, Boulevard Brewing Co., Brewery Ommegang, Budweiser, Cigar City, Deschutes Brewery, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Genesee Brewing Company, Great Divide Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewing Co., Kentucky Ale, Leinenkugel's, New Belgium Brewing Company, Odell Brewing Company, Oskar Blues Brewing Co., Pyramid Breweries, Samuel Adams, Shock Top, Short's Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Victory Brewing Company.
Local/Industry Level Sponsors
Ball Corporation, Beer Clothing Company, LLC, Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado, Beer Meister, BottleHood, Brew Caddy, The Brew Dogs of Colorado, Brewers Supply Group, Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., Cheeky Monk, Cicerone Certification Program, Colorado State University: Beverage Business Institute, Columbine Label Company, Inc., The Country Malt Group, Crazy Shirts, CTI (Chromatic Technologies, Inc.), Davidsons Liquors, Deal Pepper, Ecosyte.ms Consulting, Falling Rock Tap House, Graphic 22, Hopunion LLC, Innovative Labeling Solutions, KeyKeg (Scholle Packaging), Microbrew Water, Midwest Supplies, Muntons Malted Ingredients, Northern Brewer, PartyPons, Rehrig Pacific Company, SportsFans.org, STARR (Brown Manufacuring Company), Verallia, White Labs, Wyeast Laboratories, Yard House Restaurants.

Contact

Barbara Fusco, Marketing Director
303.447.0816 x152, barbara@brewersassociation.org
###
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®Great American Beer Festival®Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today's craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA's American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.


Thursday, August 18, 2011

PDX Beer Week presents: Beer & Sushi Pairings at Roscoe's (8/22



Monday August 22nd 6-9pm
Roscoe's
8105 SE Stark
Portland, OR


TaplisterBehind the Pint and Roscoe's- Montavilla neighborhoods famous beer bar have teamed up with neighboring Miyamoto Sushi to design 8 different Beer and Sushi pairings just forPortland Beer Week.


Combining the arts of Sushi and Craft Beer are not easy but after tasting and testing dozens of combinations organizers have came up with what guarantees to be one of the most unique and tasty food and drink pairing events you will have all year. Designed by a panel of beer and sushi tasting experts adventuresome diners/drinkers are likely to find some combos they could never have imagined and using beers rarely available including special offerings from Breakside Brewery and Caldera Brewing. Each pairing is available and priced individually in this casual tasting event. Attendees can choose between having a taster or a full pint of the selected pairing beer along with the Miyamoto Sushi menu item.

Guests are welcome to show up anytime between 6 and 9pm for this special pairing menu.

Brought to you by the first annual Portland Beer Week (August 19-28).
More events and details at: http://pdxbeerweek.com/
Follow beer week on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/pdxbeerweek
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/PDXBeerWeek 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Block 15 Releases La Ferme de la Ville Bottles Friday, August 12th at The BeerMongers





This Friday, from 5-8PM, The BeerMongers will be hosting Nick Arzner of Block 15 for the official Portland release of their latest bottling. La Ferme de la Ville Provision is a blend of young and old farmhouse ales aged in Pinot Noir barrels with brettanomyces, set to mimic the early farmhouse ales which we're open air fermented, allowing various microbes into the beer. We'll have nine cases total available, with a two per person limit. 

We're also going to tap the following beers from Block 15's cellar and core lineup:

2010 Demon's Farm - Black Saison aged in Pinot, Oregon Oak and Bourbon barrels, with Oregon Tart Cherries and various microbes. 2010 People's Choice at Portland Cheers to Belgian beers, this will also be their next bottle release
2010 Hypnosis - Barleywine aged in Bourbon barrels
Alpha IPA - Hopped with Magnum, Golding, Cluster, Columbus and Chinook, from first-wort additions to dry-hopping
Wandelpad - Belgian Blond brewed with Pilsner malt, Saaz Hops and Trappist yeast



--
www.thebeermongers.com
SE Division & 12th Portland, OR

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Portland Beer Week Celebrates the World’s Most Vibrant Beer Community


Portland Beer Week Celebrates the World’s Most Vibrant Beer Community
Inaugural event will be held August 19-28 in Beervana

 Portland Beer Week, a city-wide celebration of the vibrant local craft beer community in Portland, Oregon, will take place Aug. 19-28.  The week-long event will highlight the breweries, businesses,  people and, most importantly, the beer that have earned Portland its well-deserved reputation as Beervana.    
In its inaugural year, Portland Beer Week will include a series of events hosted throughout the week at beer-centric establishments all around town.  Featured events include beer festivals, tastings, out-of-the-ordinary pairings, special tappings, gastronomical experiences and the world premier of “The Love of Beer,” a documentary about the region’s women of craft beer.  
Widmer Brothers Brewing, one of Portland’s oldest and most-celebrated local craft breweries, has even brewed a special beer for Portland Beer Week.  The beer, a golden ale brewed with rose hips, unnoficially dubbed Rose City Hipster will first be available at the PDX Beer Week kickoff party on Friday, Aug. 19 at the Horse Brass Pub.  Other events include: 

  • Hopworks & Double Mountain Beer Brunch at Spirit of 77 (8/20) Brewers behind two of Oregon’s best breweries Hopworks Urban Brewery and Double Mountain have teamed up with Spirit of 77 chef and PDX Beer Week to concoct an epic individually priced beer brunch pairing menu available for one day only.


  • Beer Ice Cream’s at Salt & Straw (Daily Monday-Friday) Albera street’s acclaimed ice cream auteurs have teamed up with PDX Beer Week to design 5 different Ice Cream’s.


  • “The Love of Beer” Premier at the Bagdad Theater (8/20) A documentary celebrating women in the craft beer industry. Featuring $3 beer specials from Deschutes Brewery and Bend Brewing and a panel of some of the most prominent women in Oregon craft beer speaking before the film.


  • Coaliton Brewing’s One Year Anniversary Party (8/20) This all day celebration extravaganza has all the hallmarks of what Coalition Brewing is all about: Cheap Happy Hour priced beers, Cornhole Tournament, Live Music and specials from the Grilled Cheese Grill. To top it off they will be releasing a special small batch Cascadian Dark Ale.


  • Washington Brewers Night at Bailey’s Taproom (8/21) A special Sunday evening event featuring beers and breweries never available in Oregon before. Meet-the-Brewers and try the beers from Washington’s best: Elysian, Naked City, Odin, Big Al and Sound Brewing.


  • Beer & Sushi Pairing at Roscoe’s (8/22) Taplister and Behind the Pint have teamed up with Roscoe’s and Miyamoto Sushi to design a special beer and sushi pairing menu.


  • CDAbe Festival at Belmont Station (8/22) A benefit for beer writer  Abram Goldman-Armstrong to help pay medical bills featuring an extensive lineup for the style he helped create: Cascadian Dark Ales.


  • Brewers Burger Brawl at The Hop and Vine (8/23) 5 of Portland’s best Brewers go head-to-head with their own burger recipes and one of their breweries beers in a battle to see who is the Brewer Burger Champion! Participating breweries: Hopworks, Burnside, Upright, Breakside and Laurelwood.


  • Barrel-Aging Beer Panel at Hopworks Urban Brewery (8/24) Breakside Brewer Ben Edmunds MC’s a panel of brewmasters skilled at the art of barrel-aging beer. Sit in and listen to the talk and ask  your own questions of these masters while being served a selection of their finest barrel-aged brews. Featuring: Ben Love (Hopworks), John Harris (Full Sail) and Nick Arzner (Block 15) and more TBA.


  • Breakfast Beers Night at Breakside Brewery (8/25) Brewers will tap a Breakfast Stout with coffee and a Whiskey for Breakfast Porter. Additionally a special breakfast menu will be presented for the evening and there may be a few more tricks up brewers sleeves.


  • California Brewers Night at Apex (8/26) One of Portland’s premiere taphouses plays host to many of the best breweries and beers of California. Try a selection of beers not available in the state of Oregon and meet many brewers and representatives including Stone Brewing Vice President, Sierra Nevada and for the first time in the state Ballast Point, Magnolia, Telegraph, Craftsman and Beachwood BBQ Breweries. Plus many other fan favorites.


  • Mighty Mites - Session Beer Festival at Coalition Brewing (8/27) Jeff Alworth of popular local beer blog Beervana has teamed up with Coalition Brewing and PDX Beer Week to explore the underrated wealth of creativity and flavor of session beers (beers of 5%abv or less).


  • Ninkasi Brewers Brunch at East Burn (8/28) Brewers dinners are common but what happens when you take the same concept and apply it to Brunch? Beer Week organizers approached Ninkasi Brewing’s Jamie Floyd and the fantastic team at East Burn to take on just such a challenge and they have came up with 3 outstanding brunch plates and beer pairings. Tickets are $30.


  • Closing Street Party at Bazi Bierbrasserie (8/28) During the Hawthorne Street Fair PDX Beer Week and new european/belgian inspired bier bar Bazi Bierbrasserie will be closing off 32nd  street to set up an outdoor beer garden featuring many of Oregon’s best Belgian-styled beers including offerings from: Double Mountain, Upright Brewing, Beetje Brewing and Full Sail as well as ALL 5 beer ice creams from Salt & Straw and the beers they were made from including: Breakside Brewing’s IPA, Hopworks ESB, Ninkasi’s Oatis, Upright’s Engelberg Pils and Burnside Brewing’s Sweet Heat. All-Aged street party!


The complete list of more than 24 events (and more still being added) can be found at: www.pdxbeerweek.com 
Event-goers and participants are encouraged to share their Portland Beer Week experiences using the #pdxbw Twitter hashtag or on the event’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pdxbeerweek.  
All of Portland’s breweries, beer bars, restaurants and other beer-focused businesses are invited to participate in Portland Beer Week.  For more information about Portland Beer Week or to participate as an event host or sponsor, contact Ezra Johnson-Greenough at info@pdxbeerweek.com or 503-757-6936.

Portland Beer Week would not be possible without these sponsors:

Google Places, the new local recommendation engine that connects people with the places they love.

Yelp: User Reviews and Recommendations of Top Restaurants, Shopping, Nightlife, Entertainment, Services and More at Yelp.

Beer Connoisseur Magazine: Beer Culture Defined. Delve into the world's premier beer magazine as it explores beer culture both in America and abroad. 

Columbia Distributing is one of the nation’s largest malt beverage, wine and non-alcoholic distributors. Our success is based on the fact that we never lose sight of delivering what’s really important—quality products, timely service, and a genuine concern for our customers needs.