Recently my travels brought me to Chicago, otherwise known as the windy city.  Chicago is home to the Goose Island Brewery.  Goose Island offers brewery tours on Sundays at 3 & 4:30 pm at their Clybourn location.  I recommend calling in advance to schedule one.  The tour costs $5 and includes several samples and a pint glass to take home.  The brewer gives a tour of the facility and explains in detail the process that goes into brewing.  The tasting takes place in the older portion of the building where the Siebel Institute used to reside.  The walls are lined with bookcases filled with book on brewing.  The tour and tasting last 90 minutes and is very informative.

Also on my trip I stopped at the Rock Bottom Brewery.  I was able to get a short tour into the fermentation room.  While not as impressive as the Goose Island tour, I did enjoy a glass of their Terminal Dry Stout.

Surprisingly a few of Chicago bars have their own beer on tap.  I stopped at the original Billy Goat's Tavern under Michigan Ave.  They had a Billy Goat Light & Dark on tap.  I enjoyed the Dark immensely.  I found out from the bartender that it is brewed by Berghoff out of Wisconsin.  Another bar that had it's own beer was Timothy O'Toole's.  The bartender allowed me to sample it and I wasn't impressed at all.  Chicago is also one of the test markets for the new Bud Select 55.  I would say it is smoother than Bud Light but it doesn't have much of a taste.

Chicago is a wonderful place to visit and there is so much to see and do.  I would highly recommend visiting the Goose Island Brewery if you get a chance.

Full shows notes

Do you have a suggestion for a beer we should try or any other comments? Send them to info@brewcast.net or call 402-817-0351 and leave us a voicemail.

Thanks for listening

Full show notes

Do you have a suggestion for a beer we should try or any other comments? Send them to info@brewcast.net or call 402-817-0351 and leave us a voicemail.

Thanks for listening

Full show notes

Do you have a suggestion for a beer we should try or any other comments? Send them to info@brewcast.net or call 402-817-0351 and leave us a voicemail.

Thanks for listening

Do you have a suggestion for a beer we should try or any other comments? Send them to info@brewcast.net or call 402-817-0351 and leave us a voicemail.

Thanks for listening

The Bell Brewing company history dates back to
1976 when Larry Bell moved from a suburb of
Chicago to Kalamazoo MI, to attend college.
After two years of college he ran short of
funds and had to take a job in a local bakery.
A fellow employee introduced him to his first
taste of homebrewed beer.

After moving into a house with three beer-guzzling
buddies, Bell rememembered the idea of homebrewing
and realized that he could make all the beer they
wanted for much less money.  He took great intrest
in this new hobby reading brewing publications and
learning the tricks of the trade.

With a cash gift from a family member the Kalamazoo
Brewing Supply Company was founded in 1983 as a home
brewing supply shop. His reputation as a homebrewer
caught the attention of a local spice extraction company
executive that wanted to try some brewing experiments with hops.

This new relationship developed into a financial backer
to incorporate the Kalamazoo Brewing Company in April of
1985. The initial investment started out with $39,000 which
was used to purchase re-conditioned restaraunt equipment
for brewing purposes.

In late 1985 they began to sell beer producing 135 barrells
in it's first year. These first batches were brewed
in a 15 gallon soup kettle and fermented in open fermenters
covered with saran wrap.

The brewery encompasses about 1.4 acres of underdeveloped
buildings in an industrial/commercial area on the east
side of town.  Most of the buildings date back to the
WWII era including a munitions plant, a car repair garage,
plumbing supply house, and a 1950's era beer and wine store.
He has grand future plans for the location including an outdoor
beer garden, festival area, and additional paved parking.
But first he wants to spend and additional$10,000 on a new
microbiological lab for yeast culturing and quality control. 

They currently have 23 employees operating three brew houses.
With the addition of a production brewery in nearby Comstock,
Michigan in 2003 it boosted their total brewing capacity to
140,000 bbls.

A couple of neat facts !

The opening of The Eccentric Cafe in 1993 marked the first
Michigan brewery to serve beer by the glass to the public
in the state of Michigan, and also the first brew pub in
the state.

Bells brewery is the oldest craft brewer east of
Colorado

References:

>Bell Brewery<

>Real Beer<

>Wikipedia<

Yes, that's right, Free Beer at Seaworld.  Seaworld is owned by Anheuser-Busch and what better way to promote their beer than to give it out for free.  Of course this isn't advertised and you have to be smart enough to read the map Seaworld gives you to figure out that it is free.  Make your way over to the Brewmaster's area located by the Clydesdale horses.  You are allowed two free beers a day.  Also sign up for the Brewmaster's beer tour.  You get to sample 4 different styles of their beer and it is paired with chocolate & cheese.  On a side note, during Prohibition Anheuser-Busch produced Bevo, which is a non-alcoholic drink.

The boulder Brewing company started
operations in 1979 which was a very
rough time period to start a Micro-
Brewery.  So in my opinion they were really
innovative for their time.

In February of 1979 Jimmy Carter
signed a bill written by Congress
that legalized Homebrewing for the
first time since Prohibition. This
was the beginning of Craft brew
taking a foot hold with the American
beer drinkers. <more info>

The brewery was created in 1979
when two Colorado University
Proffesors- David Hummer & Stick
Ware brewed Boulder Bitter, Porter
and Stout. They claim the original
brewery was housed in a former goat
shed. (I am not sure if that was a joke
or the truth!) <brewery web site>

In 1984 a brewery constructed of Brick
is built at 2880 Wilderness Place in
Boulder, CO.  They became a private company
in 1990 changing the name to Boulder
Beer Company and the ownership is transfered
to Gina Day and Diane Greelee.

In 1993 the name of the brewery changed to
Rockies Brewing Company, to reflect the
regional popularity of the products.

In 1994 they filled their 10 millonth bottle,
their new full service restaurant "The Pub
at Rockies Brewing Company opens, and Gina
Day receives the prestigious Ernst & Young
award for Entrepreneur of the Year.

1999 Most popular brands Singletrack and Buffalo
Gold are distributed in 12 packs for the first
time.

2001 Marked the year that an experimental brew was
put on tap in the Pub.  This beer was an unfiltered
amber ale with a dry hop addition.  Hazed and Infused
is born with great fan-fare. <History Time Line>

I apoligize that I couldn't find any more recent information
beyond 2001 but I have sent a message the brewery to hopefully
get the latest update and will post it if I receive any new
information.

In 1988 Gary Fish Established the Deschutes
Brewery and Public House as a small brew pub
in downtown Bend, Oregon and named it after the
nearby Scenic river. <brewery website>

Their first beers were Black Butte Porter, Bachelor
Bitter, and Cascade Golden Ale. They expanded in
1993 to a 50 barrell traditional gravity brew house
and a new one of a kind 131-barrell Huppmann brew
system from germany.  The Brewery is one of the top
breweries in the Northwest distributing beer in thirteen
diffrent states. <other info>

They continue to brew unique beers at their original
location in downtown Bend on a 12 barrell system.  They
also opened a second brew pub in may of 2008 located
in Portland's Pearl district.

I was curious about the brewing system mentioned above
and after a little research found out that Huppmann &
Tuchenhagen Brewery Systems Company custom builds
brewery systems for many of the big brewery groups
all over the world. <click here for additional info>

The Gold Rush of 1881 in Alaska stimulated the
construction of the first breweries in the town
of Juneau.  By 1903 their were atleast four breweries
in operation in the twin cities of Juneau & Douglas.
Between 1899-1907 the local residents enjoyed a really
fine brew made by the Douglas City Brewing Company.

Almost a 100 years later in 1986 the Alaskan Brewing Company
introduced their Alaskan Amber Beer which is based on the
original recipe from the Douglas City Brewing Company.Upon
opening they became the 67th operating Brewery in the United
States and the only one in Alaska.

Brewing beer in Alaska isn't an easy feat because their are
no road connections from Juneau to the lower 48 states. 
Because of this everything leaves by water or by air and
the ever changing weather can be a challenge all of its own.
So the Alaskan Brewery is a feat in itself with it's current
100 barrell brewhouse.

<more info>

I was researching information for my other posting about the Alaskan Brewery and found this article very interesting and I wanted to share it.  <Credit For Article Click Here>

Gold Rush Era Breweries in Alaska

In 1897, the laws governing the territory of Alaska stated that no liquors, malt or vinous, could be imported, manufactured or sold, save by special permit and then only for use for medicinal, mechanical or scientific purposes. A review of advertising from the turn-of-the-century reveals that there were a number of breweries operating for "medicinal, mechanical or scientific purposes" as each touted the "healthful" benefits of their respective products.

Indeed, one ad was even titled "Drink of the Temperate" and proclaimed, "Every normal human being desires stimulation and is better for the right kind of stimulation. We live life but once, and the only way we can enjoy it is by making it pleasant for others and ourselves as we go along day by day. The drinking of a glass or two of Barthel's Beer with your friends or family is a keen, healthful and in every way beneficial pleasure."

Trevor M. Davis noted the lengths to which people went to circumvent the various laws in his book, Looking Back on Juneau-The first hundred years. "Alaska was not allowed to import any liquor in the 1880s and early 1890s, but it came in anyway. A unique system was devised by the saloons in Juneau. After a steamship was tied up to the wharf, a side door on the boat would open and barrels of beer and whiskey would be pushed overboard. Several rowboats, with men waiting, were under the dock and would happen to "find" them and tow them ashore. The barrels found their way to the rightful owners. This scheme of things continued until Alaska was permitted to import liquor."

Alaska has been the home to at least fifty different breweries at one time or another in its history, most of which were in operation during Alaska's gold rush era. During this time Alaska boasted 50 breweries, 142 saloons and other establishments where a thirsty man - or woman - might get a drink. Breweries in Alaska generally followed the industry of gold mining. As gold panners seeking their fortune migrated north, breweries flourished in those towns. And conversely, as the gold seekers left for the next strike the town's breweries dried up. In the heyday of Juneau's mining period, for instance, the Juneau-Douglas area was well supplied with freshly brewed beers. From the 1880's to the early 1900's thirsty miners had their choice of products from five different local breweries.

It was during this time that the Douglas City Brewing Company operated across the channel from Juneau. From 1899 to 1907, this local brewery quenched the thirst of the Douglas mining community with a beer that would later be revived as the basis for the current day Alaskan Brewing Company's flagship product, Alaskan Amber.

The brewing scene remained lively throughout the gold rush until Prohibition. One of Alaska's newspaper reported, "A certain Fairbanks resident - a teenager at the time - remembers well the day the marshals [sic] closed Barthels Brewery. All the kegs and huge vats of Northern Light Lager were dumped into a long sluice box that emptied into the Chena River. Men and boys stood shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the sluice box with mugs in both hands, drinking from that flowing river of beer as fast as they could chug-a-lug."

While there were a number of post-prohibition breweries, it wasn't until the early 1970's when beer was commercially produced on a large scale. Prinzbrau, based in Anchorage, entered the brewing scene and struggled with quality issues before failing miserably.

It would be over a decade later when the Alaskan Brewing Company would open as Chinook Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau, Alaska in 1986. The first brewery in Juneau, since prohibition, the flagship gold rush era recipe for Alaskan Amber started a gold rush of its own as demand outstripped supply for almost a decade. It wasn't until the little award-winning brewery installed a new brewhouse in 1995 that it could comfortably serve the state of Alaska and eventually the rest of the Pacific Northwest where distribution remains today. I guess you could say that Alaska and Alaskan Brewing have always had a history of great beer.

In May of 1981 Paul Shipman and Gordon
Bowker founded Redhook brewery in Seattle
WA.  You might ask why did they choose Seattle??

The answer to that question is a pretty simple
in business terms the Pacific Northwest drank
more draft beer than anywhere else in the country,
and the import beer market was growing nation-wide.

The first Redhook Ale was poured in 1982 after the
founders had established a brewery in a old transmission
shop in Ballard.  Their original concept was to create
a beer with a local taste and a strong European Influence.

The original Red Hook Ale was modeled after Spicy Belgian
Ales, which sent the Seattle beer drinkers in a tail spin
because of the diffrent flavor.  It became known as the
"Banana Beer" because of it's banana like flavor. Because
of this confusion over the new flavor they sold less than
1,000 barrels the first year.

In 1983 they introduced the Blackhook Porter which gained
them a small but loyal following, then in 1984 they released
the Ballard Bitter now known today as IPA.  After releasing
this beer they were pushed beyond capacity.

Because of the need for more space they purchased the former
home of the Seattle Electric Railway as their new location.
The new 26,000 square foot building allowed the company to
build a brewpub that they named the Trolleyman.

As intrest and new demands for craft beers have grown, Redhook
built a second brewery in Woodinville, Washington and a third
brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which gurantees no matter
where you are in the United States you can purchase a fresh
Redhook!

<MORE INFO CLICK HERE>

This is a new idea that we have bounced around and I am
hoping that it becomes a permanent fixture on our site. 
So this is a Trial Run of what I hope will become a weekly
or bi-weekly calander of beer events going on locally and
possibly even nationally.

I advise you to click on the links to get further information.

Nebraska Brewing Co. -
Just released their Chardonnay Blonde Reserve
(A Portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity)

Emperyum Brewery - Beer Quest Sunday Nov. 16th

Beertopia- Mon. Nov. 17th Celebrating Their 2year Anniversary
Tickets for their Holiday Beer fest Dec. 6th are on sale now.

Lucky Bucket- Expects to release their first beer sometime
around Dec. 20th at Whole Foods.

Morans Liqour- This is some old news but they recently
installed a new cooler and have more cold pick and mix
6-packs than ever before!!

Lincoln Lagers- Their next Meeting is Thur. Dec. 4th @ El Presidente's Clubhouse - Check their site for the latest info this isn't set in stone yet!!

If you have any beer related events or news that you would
like to have posted e-mail them to ryan@brewcast.net

This information was taken directly off of their website !!

http:///www.dustersrestaurant.com/history.htm

Max Gottberg was a "change agent" one hundred years before
the business term was invented. He utilized his talents and
adapted his life to the challenges presented to him. Born
January 22, 1860, in Brooklyn, New York he received his schooling
in that city. At an early age he worked on a tug boat that plied
the Wappinger River from New Hamburg, New York. Afterwards, he
learned the weaving trade and worked three years in New Jersey
in woolen and silk mills.

His father died when Max was twenty. Lured by the promise of
the prairies, he traveled with his mother, two sisters, and two
brothers to Columbus, Nebraska where in February, 1881,  Mr. Gottberg
 bought 80 acres of railroad land north of Columbus for $5.00 an
acre. On June 21, 1883, Max married Ida Schaad, the daughter of farmers who had come to Platte County in 1866 from Switzerland. They lived on the Shell Creek Township farm until 1892 when Max bought 160 acres two miles from their homestead.

During their 24 years of farming, they raised six sons; the first,
Max Jr. born October 16, 1885 (Dusters opened for business October 16, 1995) followed by Jacob, Oscar, Alex, Milton and John. Max owned the first steam threshing machine in Platte Co. and operated it until 1907. He became the third person from Columbus to own an automobile when he bought a 2 cylinder Ford at the 1903 St. Louis World's Fair. In 1905, August Wagner could not find a mechanic who could fix his Ford. Max offered his mechanical skills and a new career was started, first on his farm and two years later when he opened the first repair garage in Columbus.

He became a Ford dealer and changed the name of his business from Gottberg Automobile Supply House to Gottberg and Sons. In 1920 when Max was 60 years old, this building was built for $125,000 and was used as a Ford automobile and farm machinery agency until 1937, (when the present owner was born). Max continued to work with Max Jr. in the auto repair and storage business until Max died November 16, 1944.

Restoration of this building was begun in the fall of 1993.

Traveling to Munich for the Oktoberfest should be
planned out several months in advance to gurantee
cheaper rates on airline tickets as well as reserving
motel rooms, and tickets to enter the tents at the
festival. 

>The picture is of the HofbrÃu-Festzelt Tent<

Travel Info for 2009:

1) Airline Ticket price for one seat $1000.00-1200.00

2) Motel Room Rate: $90.00-$200.00 per night depending
   on quality of motel.

**Not much information was available yet for next years
event yet so prices may vary** <price line>

Public Trasportation in Munich:

Munich claims to have one of the best and
easiest to use transportation systems in the
world.  The best deal for a visitor is to
purchase a day card.  First validate it (Entwerten)
in one of the machines in the stations before
boarding.  Now just keep the ticket on you and
you are free to ride the public transportation
system for the rest of the day.  The system includes
Buses, Trams, Subways, and Trains.

It is also very convenient to travel many places on
foot and also to ride a bike (the sidewalks have lines
on them for bike travel).  The city of Munich also has
a very modern infostructure when it comes to roadways,
which makes car travel another option.  <more info>

Festival Etiquette:

1) All beers are draft and served in 1 litre Steins                                 
   costing approximately $11.00

2) Don't call them Steins!!  Proper terminology
   is a Krug

3) To get a Krug of Beer you will probably be
   asked to pay a deposit. (Discourages the theft of
   Stein)

4) Don't ask for a litre- ask for a Mass
   (German for Measure)

5) Be careful most beers are about 6% ABV

6) As a rule everyone at the table drinks together
   & the glasses are "Clinked" together before
   Drinking. Not making eye contact during this
   exchange is considered rude.

7) When drinking Wheat Beers and "Clinking" the
   glass make sure to toast wit the bottom of the
   glass which is thicker or you may end up with a
   broken glass!!

I highly advise doing additional research to make your trip an experience that you will never forget!!

There are currently fourteen main tents at the
Oktoberfest. The tents themselves are non-permanent
structures which are constructed for and only used
during the festival. Many of these tents take over
three months to construct!

The following is a list of the 14 tents of Oktoberfest and the beers that are served in them.  PICTURE: Inside Hacker-Festzelt (a typical Oktoberfest tent)

LÃwenbrÃu Tent (2003)Hippodrom â
BREWERY: Spaten-Franziskaner-BrÃu
SEATING: INSIDE-3,200 OUTSIDE- 1,000
One of the smaller tents, it's the first tent that many
visitors see at the fest. As well as serving normal Wiesn
beer,it has a Sekt (sparkling wine) bar and Maà of WeiÃbier.
Considered one of the trendiest tents, and attracts
the occasional celebrity. Traditionally in the evening
the Oktoberfest band the MÃnchner Zwietracht plays all
the Oktoberfestclassics.

ArmbrustschÃtzenzelt â
BREWERY: Paulaner
SEATING: INSIDE- 5,839 OUTSIDE- 1,600
Translates as the "Crossbow Shooters Tent", a competition
that has been a part of the Oktoberfest since 1895.

HofbrÃu-Festzelt â
BREWERY: HofbrÃu MÃnchen
SEATING: INDOOR- 6,896 OUTDOOR- 3,622
The counterpart to the famous HofbrÃuhaus, this
tent is especially popular with Americans, Australians
and New Zealanders.

Hacker-Festzelt â
BREWERY: Hacker-Pschorr
SEATING: INSIDE- 6,900 OUTSIDE- 2,400
One of the largest tents on the Wiesn,they have a
rock band that plays from 5:30 each evening(as opposed
to the traditional brass band). This tent is also
known as "Himmel der Bayern" (Heaven of Bavaria)

Schottenhamel â
BREWERY: Spaten-Franziskaner-BrÃu
SEATING: INSIDE- 6,000 OUTSIDE- 4,000
Reckoned to be the most important .
tent at the Oktoberfest, mainly because it is where
it starts.On the first Saturday of the event, no beer
is allowed to be served until the mayor of Munich
currently Christian Ude) taps the first keg, at 12pm.
Only then can the other tents begin to serve beer. Very
popular amongst younger people.

Winzerer FÃhndl â
BREWERY:Paulaner
SEATING: INSIDE- 8,450 OUTSIDE- 2,450
This tent is noted for its huge tower,with a MaÃ
of Paulaner beer sitting atop it.

SchÃtzen-Festhalle â
BREWERY:LÃwenbrÃu 
SEATING: INDOOR- 4,442 OUTDOOR- 0
This is a mid-sized tent. Situated
under the Bavaria statue, the current tent was newly
built in 2004.

KÃfers Wiesen SchÃnke â
BREWERY: Paulaner
SEATING: INSIDE-1,000 OUTDOOR- 1,900
The smallest tent at the Oktoberfest,it is frequented
by celebrities, and is known for its especially good
food. In contrast to the other tents (which must close
by 11pm), it is open until 0:30am, but it can be very
difficult to get in.

Weinzelt â
BREWERY: Nymphenburger Sekt Paulaner WeiÃbier
SEATING: INSIDE- 1,300 OUTSIDE- 600
This tent offers a selection of more than 15 wines,
as well as WeiÃbier.

LÃwenbrÃu-Festhalle â
BREWERY: ?
SEATING: INSIDE-5,700 OUTSIDE- 2,800
Above the entrance is a 4.50 meter (15 foot) lion who
occasionally drinks from his beer.This is overshadowed
by another tower where another drinking lion sits.

BrÃuroslâ
BREWERY: Hacker-Pschorr
SEATING: INSIDE- 6,000 OUTSIDE- 2,200
Named after the daughter of the original brewery owner
(Pschorr), this tent has the usual brass band and a yodeler.

Augustiner-Festhalle â
BREWER:Augustiner BrÃu
SEATING: INSIDE- 6,000 OUTSIDE- 2,500
Considered by many locals to be the best tent, due to
the fact it sells the favourite local brew, Augustiner,
from individually tapped wooden kegs rather than stainless
steel vats used by the other tents.

Ochsenbraterei â
BREWERY: Spaten
SEATING: INSIDE- 5,900 OUTSIDE- 1,500
True to its name, this tent offers a great variety
of ox dishes.

Fischer Vroni â
BREWERY: Augustiner
SEATING: INSIDE-2,695 OUTSIDE- 700
Another of the smaller tents. Fisch is the German
word for fish and this tent carries a huge selection
in its menu.

THE FOLLOWING INFO WAS FOUND HERE

Over the past 198 years since the first Oktoberfest
was held in 1810 their were several years that the festival
was cancelled for various reasons. The following time
line lays out the years of celebration that were missed. <referance>

1812- Cancelled for Napoleonic War

1854- 3,000 residents of Munich Succumbed to an epidemic
      of cholera, so the festival was cancelled.

1866- Bavaria fought in the Austro-Prussian War
      so no festival was held.

1870- The Franco-Prussian war was the cause of cancellation

1873- Cancelled due to another Cholera Epidemic

1914-18 World War I prevented the Oktoberfest Celebration

1919-20 Munich only celebrated an Autumn Fest

1923-24 Oktoberfest is cancelled due to inflation

1939-45 World War II prevented the Oktoberfest Celebration

1946-48 Munich once again only celebrated Autumn Fest
        (The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer was not
         permitted; the guests had to make do with beer
         that had an alcohol content under 2%.)

<Official Festival Site>

** The information that I was reading said that there
   were 24 diffrent times that the festival wasn't held
   but I was only able to come up with 21 incidents that
   caused cancellation.  If you can tell me which ones
   I am missing e-mail me:  ryan@brewcast.net

The very first Oktoberfest was held October 12,
1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince
Ludwig and Princess Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

For the celebration they organized a great horse
race that was held on October 17th.  Because of
this the actual date of first Octoberfest has been
a subject of much debate.  This years Oktoberfest
is being held from Sept. 20th until Oct. 5th which
marks the 175th Oktoberfest held.

The following time line shows some of the major
happenings throught the history of the festival
that have effected the festival experience that
you would experience today. <REFERANCE>

1816 Carnival Booths Appear

1850 Statue Of Bavaria is Constructed

1880 Electric lighting Illuminated the festival

1881 Booths selling Bratwurst opened

1887 The Entry of the Oktoberfest Staff takes
     place for the first time. (Parade)

1892 Beer was served in glass mugs for the first time

1913 The Braurosl was founded, - Largest Beer
     tent of all time- with room for 12,000 guests.
     The biggest tent today(Hofrau-Festhalle) only
     holds 10,000 guests.

1933 The Bavarian white and blue flag is replaced
     with the Swastika flag.

1960 The last horse races were held

Oktoberfest Statistics

* Area 103.79 acres

* Seats in the festival hall: 100,000

* Visitors 6.2 million

* Beer Approximately 6,940,600 litres

* Non Alcoholic Beer 126,900 litres

* Wine 79,624 litres

* Chicken: 521,872 Units

* Pork Knuckles: 58,446 units

* Oxen: 104 Units

* Toilets 980 seated, 878 meters of urinals,
  17 for disabled people

* Telephones 83

* Lost Property 4000 items including 260 pairs  of glasses, 200 mobile phones, a wedding ring and two crutches.

The Stevens Point Brewery unlike most other micro-
breweries that we have had on the Pod-Cast has been
around for over 150 years. They lay claim to being
one of the first Lager beers produced in America, and
they are also the 5th oldest privately owned brewery
in the nation.  <Brewery Link>

Sales volume in 2007 was about 40,000 barrells.

Timeline of Brewery:  <additional info>

1857- Frank Wahle and George Ruder established
stevens point brewery with their first Brew- Point
Beer. 

1864- The brewery provided beer to troops
during the Civil War.

1920's- The brewery survives Prohibition by
producing near beer and soft drinks.

1950's- Can production begins.

1988- In the Hollywood movie, The Great Outdoors,
the lead character John Candy drank some Point Beer

1990- Growing consumer demand allows the brewery
to sell Point Special Lager outside Wisconsin for
the first time in it's 133 year history.

1994- Point Classic Amber is born, and the brewery
expanded it's facility to increase their capacity
by 40% which included the installation of new aging
tanks.

1997- as the demand for Point Beer product increases
they construct a 15,000 sq. ft warehouse to streamline
the shipping process.

2002- They re-introduced Gourmet sodas into their
production- much like the sodas produced during
prohibition.

2007- The brewery celebrates it's 150th anniversary.

Back in the middle ages, the Germanic tribes began
to brew a much paler than usual ale. This style was
created by the fact that the brewers of the
time used the resources and the most abundant
brewing ingredients available to them. Wheat grain
was one of these as was barley, and the use of both
brought the inception of the Weissbier. They were so
much lighter than the traditional dark beers of the
time that the term "white beer" became a common
naming convention - weisse actually means "white".
There are sources that believe Weissbier to be one
of the oldest styles of beer, a style created by
farmers simply gathering the grains at hand. Some
even suggest that the world's oldest established
brewery, Brauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany,
brewed similar styles as early as 1040 AD. <more info>

What does HefeWeizen mean??

Hefe - (Yeast) Weizen - (Wheat)
This style of beer is one of the most popular styles
in Bavaria, also known as the beer capitol of the
world.  Interesting enough it is illegal to make
beer with anything other than malted barley, hops,
yeast and water in Germany. But HefeWeizen is the
one exception to this rule.

The wheat is used to give the beer a very distinct
flavor and the high protein content of the wheat
gives the beer it's hazy color. It is fermented
with a German yeast strain that creates a banana,
bubble gum, vanilla, and a clove type of flavor/smell.
The yeast is not filtered out of the beer which
enhances the flavors tasted while drinking.

Because the yeast is left in the beer it must be
poured differently to be able to properly enjoy
the full flavors of the beer. 

The following information on how to pour a wheat
beer is from Michael Jackson's  Ultimate Beer Book.

Pouring a wheat beer
* Beers containing yeast have high carbonation,
  so an especially gentle pour is required. The
  Belgians wet the glass to control the head.

* In Bavaria, wheat beer is typically served with
  a huge head, especially if it is a bottle-
  conditioned example. Some yeast is included in
  the pour.

* If the beer is deemed insufficiently cloudy, the
  last few drops may be rolled in the bottle to
  loosen the remaining yeast sediment. This is
  then added to the glass. <referance>

I did some additional research on Gordan Knight
who was the original founder of the Estes Park
Brewery in Estes Park, CO.  If you tuned in to
the Pod-Cast you would remember that I mentioned
that he had roots in the state of Nebraska so I
was trying to find out more information on that
topic with very little luck.  So if you have any
information I encourage you to forward it to me and
I will gladly write an additional post in the future.

Gordan Knight was a Helicopter pilot during the
Vietnam conflict and after he was released from the service he flew missions for various Colorado and Federal Agencies. He perished in a Helicopter accident while dropping water on the Big Elk fire near Lyons Colorado in 2002. In 2003 Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colo.,released Gordon, a limited-release, bottle-conditioned "Imperial IPA brewed in honor of the late Gordon Knight.                                  <more info>

Gordan Knight was one of the early pioneers of
Colorado's craft beer business, founding Twisted
Pine Brewing Company (Boulder), Wolf Tongue
Brewery (Nederland) He won Great American Beer
Festival gold medals at each of those breweries,
including one in 1993 for High Country's Renegade
Red,an India pale ale, in 1993.

In 1993 he started the High Country Brewery in
Boulder, COlorado. In that same year Ed Grueff the
event center in Estes Park.  In 1994 they combined
the two businesses to form the Estes Park Brewery.

The original Brewery equipment consisted of a 4 1/4
barrell brewhouse.  In 1994 Gordon sold his half of
the business and Eric Bratrud took over as head
brewer.  During this time period they expanded to a
14 barrell brewhouse.  In 1995 they started packaging
their beers in 12oz bottles which greatly expanded
their market.  In 2003 Tyler Lemirande, and Eric
Bratrud took over as owners. <brewery website>

The New Glarus Brewery was opened in 1993 by Deb and Dan Carey in the town of New Glarus, WI located 25 miles southwest of Madison WI. The first year that they were in business they produced 3,000 barrells of beer. (A barrel is about 31 gallons of beer) <more info>

Dan has worked in the brewing industry since the age of 20 earning a degree in food science with an emphasis in malting from the University of California at Davis in 1983.  He served as an apprenticeship at a small brewery near Munich, Germany, and has operated and constructed various breweries across the United States.  His wife Deborah is the founder and President of the New Glarus Brewing Co. She raised the Capital for the start up of the Brewery as a gift to her husband, which established her as the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States.

In 1998 the Carey's made a decision to quit selling beer out of state to
focus solely on selling beer in the state of Wisconsin.  They also use as
many locally grown ingredients as possible. Because of the high demands for their beers they made the decision to expand the brewery by constructing a new $21 million dollar facility.  The new Brewery is expected to boost the breweries out-put to 84,000 barrels a year.  They attribute the ability to fund this new venture to their high sales of the Spotted Cow Beer.

The brewery is currently ranked 23rd in the nation by the Brewers Association. This rating is based off of overall out-put of the brewery. With the additional out-put capacity they are expecting to move up in the rankings. After the completion of the New Brewery in 2009 the old Brewery will be used to produce specialty beers only.  All of the Main-Stay beers will be brewed in the new facility.

I encourage you to visit the Brewery they are open for tours Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm.  <more info>

Because I already did a couple of history related stories on the Spoetzl Brewery in the past I have decided to touch on some other subjects related to the Brewery and the Helles Beer.If you would really like to read an extensive history section or listen to it in a Pod Cast refer to the following:

A) Pod-Cast #45 Titled: Shiner Makes Texas Proud

B) Article July 6th, 2007

C) Article April 27th, 2007

The Spoetzl Brewery better known to the general public as "Shiner" is the largest Craft Brewer in the state of Texas and the fourth largest Craft Brewer in the United States. Because of the recent In-Bev purchase of Anheuser-Busch this makes the Spoetzl Brewery the 4th largest American owned brewery. They are able to accomplish this amazing feat with only 55 total employees!!

In recent brewery news they won a silver metal for it's Shiner Dunkelweizen at the 2008 Brewers Association (BA) World Beer Cup with entries from 646 breweries in 58 different countries.

They also had an impressive showing at the Australian International Beer Awards which were announced in Late march of 2008. They were as follows: a silver medal winner with the Bohemian Black Lager (one of their anniversary beers- Shiner 97), a bronze medal in the Amber Bock category, a bronze winner with Shiner 98 Bavarian Amber, a bronze medal winner with the Shiner 99 a Helles -Style. To further clarify the Shiner 97, 98, 99, are all anniversary beers that are counting down to the Breweries 100th anniversary. <more info>

In 1894 the Spaten Brewery in Munich, Bavaria devised their own version of a pale lager. This came about after they noticed the growing popularity of the Czech Pilsners. Helles is a German word for "bright" so it was used to distinguish the newly made beer from the Dunkelbier (dark beer) that was a typical beer for that region. This version of pale lager became known as a Helles Munich Style Beer. <more info>

The Blue Dawg Brewery is located in Baldwinsville, NY and
is owned by Anheuser-Busch. <more info>

The featured beer Wild Blue is brewed with a blend of German
hops from the Hallertau region in Bavaria and classic Aroma
hops from the Williamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest.
A combination of two and six row barely malt was also chosen
for this recipe. It has a burgundy color and a ripe blueberry
aroma.

They strongly advise drinking the beer out of a glass for full
enjoyment and also so that you can see it's redish purple color
and pink head of foam, they advise drinking it out of a large mouthed glass so you can smell the full effects of the blueberry aroma.

At this time Wild Blue beer is very popular in Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Missouri. In 2006 craft beer enthusiasts awarded
Wild Blue with a gold medal in the fruit category at the North
American Brewers Association Beer Awards.  This organization
recognizes top beers by style.

They recommend pairing Wild Blue with meat dishes such as pork
rib roast, or pork tenderloin.  It also makes a great dressing
as can be seen in the following recipe:

Wild Blue Vinaigrette Dressing

Blend 6-8 fresh hulled strawberries, 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, 1/2 cup
fresh blueberries and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a blender until
smooth.  Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup
granulated sugar and 1/4 cup Wild Blue; blend briefly until combined.
Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill.

This beer is 8 percent by volume and is supposed to be available
on a national basis real soon.

After missing last week due to illness I have
decided to write a short article about some things I
have been thinking about for about a week and a half. Now
that my mind is clear again I wanted to take a brief
moment to inform all of our listners and readers (for those
of you that are technology challenged and read only.....
Hi mom!!) about one of the biggest kept secrets in Nebraska.......
The Nebraska Brewing Company.  Episode 80 we were graced with
the presence of owner Paul Kavulak and Head Brewmaster Dean
Dobmeier who talked very highly of this rather new establishment.

Last week several of us from the BrewCast panel ventured to
Papillion Ne, the home of The Nebraska Brewing company to
enjoy a wonderful meal and some great beer!!  On this adventure
we discovered that this wonderful establishment was everything
it was talked up to be and then some!! We are so impressed that
we have committed to taking a monthly pilgramage to The Nebraska
Brewing Company to record an Episode of BrewCast while trying out
their soon to be famous 8th tap (Beer in Development Stages).

Come meet the BrewCast Panel Wed. April 16th, 2008 @ The NebraskaBrewing Company!!

I will let it be known right now that I have a lot of respect for
any family/personally owned business in which the owner is very
active in the day to day operations of the business.  Paul may be
the owner but Dean and Tyson are just as passionate about the
business as he is, and because of this tremendous drive behind
the scenes I think this small establishment has a big future to
look forward to!!  I know that we look forward to coming back in
the near future.

I want to thank Paul, Dean, Tyson and their spouses for showing
us some really great hospitality while we visited their establishment.

The Boulevard Brewing Company began operations in 1988 when
John McDonald started construction of a brewery in a turn of the Century brick building in downtown Kansas City on on historic Southwest Boulevard.  A vintage Bavarian brewhouse was installed, and the first batches of beer were ready in the  fall of 1989.  The first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale was delivered in the back of Johns truck to a nearby restaurant. Boulavard is now one of the largest Micro-Breweries in the United States. <click here for company website>

The following beers are available from the Boulevard
Brewing Co. at this time:

Pale Ale 5.1% abv
Wheat 4.5% abv
LUNAR Ale 4.5% abv
Bully Porter 5.4% abv
Dry Stout 4.9% abv
Irish Ale 5.3% abv - Only available Jan.- April
ZON 4.4% abv  - Only available May-Aug.
Bob's 47 5.5% abv - Only Available Sept.-Oct.
Nut Cracker Ale 6.9% abv- Only available Nov.-Dec.

Tours of the Brewery are available at the following times:
Thursdays @ 3pm
Fridays @ 1pm
Saturdays @ 10am, 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm

All brewery tours are free but reservations are                             required. Ph# 816-474-7095

Tours include the following:

Hear the history of Boulevard Brewing Company
Watch a video detailing how beer is made
Take a walking tour of Boulevardâs plant
Sample and learn about the different beers Boulevard makes

RECIPE:

Boulevard Dry Stout Ice Cream

1 cup Boulevard Dry Stout
1 cup Whole Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup sugar
1 cup egg yolks
1 tablespoon cocoa

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat
until mixture begins to boil and reaches 185ÂF.
Do not overheat. Remove from heat and pour into a
pre-cooled metal bowl.

When mixture is cooled place in blender to smooth
the lumpy mixture.

Cool the mixture as close to freezing as possible,
and then freeze in an ice cream freezer according
to the manufacturerâs directions.

When serving sprinkle a small amount of cocoa over
the ice cream to counter the sweetness and enhance
the flavors of the stout.

Ownership of the brewery changed hands many times during the early years until it was incorporated in 1892 when it was officially named The Santa Fe Brewing Company. But by this time the interstate transport had become more refrigerated and faster than previous years.  The more established brewers back east in Milwaukee and St. Louis took advantage of this and actually forced the Santa Fe Brewing Company to close it's doors in 1896.

Now to the story of the modern Santa Fe Brewing Company.  In 1988 using open top fermenters and custom square vessells obtained from the defunct Boulder Brewing Company, Mike Levis began brewing the pale ale that was to be the first of many beers to come. Over the next 10 years after attending many Beer festivals many people started to take notice and the Brewery grew in popularity.  They added Nut Brown, and Wheat varieties along with offering seasonal brews. <click here>

In 1997 with the arrival of Brian Lock, Dave Forester, Carlos Muller, and Ty Levis the company started the  process of expanding it's operation.  They moved the breweries location to the Turquiose Trail just up the road from their former rental.  Their new brewery has the ability to brew ten times the beer that they could before and they are actively seeking other states to distribute in.

They currently are distributing beer in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, new Mexico,  Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Nebraska.

The following beers are available:
Santa Fe Pale Ale 5.5%
Santa Fe Stout  5.0%
State Pen Porter 5.0%
Santa Fe Nut Brown 5.2%
Santa Fe Wheat 5.25%
Chicken Killer Barley Wine 10%
Fiesta IPA 6.3%
Freestyle Pilsner 5.5%
Viszolay Belgian 7.5%

Brewery tours are held every Saturday @ 12noon with free samples of beer

ph# 505-424-3333

If you hadn't noticed we are big fans of Jonathan Coulton.  He provides us with free music for our podcast.  Please go to the link below and help bring him to Lincoln.  If enough people request him it might actually happen.

http://eventful.com/demand/D0-001-000059719-8

The North Coast Brewing Company which claims to be a pioneer in the craft beer movement opened in 1988 as a local brewpub in the historic town of Fort Bragg, which is located on California's Mendocino Coast.

Their head brew master Mark Ruedrich has developed a strong reputation for quality and has won more than 70 awards in national and international competitions. <brewery site click here>

They produce the following beers: Red seal Ale, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Scrimshaw Pilsner,Blue Star Wheat Beer, Old No. 38 Stout, Acme California Pale Ale, Acme California IPA, Old Rasputin X-tenth anniversary, PranQster Belgian Style Golden Ale, Old Stock Ale, Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale, Le Merle.

They do brewery tours every Saturday at noon and reservations are not required. For more information you can call 707-964-2739.

This Imperial Stout is produced in the tradition of 18th Century English Brewers who supplied the court of Russia's Catherine the Great.  The style is a Russian Imperial which is black in color.  The Alcohol by Volume (ABV) is 9% and the Bitterness is 75 IBU's They recommend pairing the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout beer with chocolate cake.

Pietro Piegari traveled from Italy to the coal mining community of Krebs,
OK, in 1903.  Three years later at the age of eleven he offically changed his name to Pete Prichard when he signed on to work in the mines. At the age of twenty-one a cave in almost took his life, crushing one of his legs so badly that he was unable to return to work.

Looking for something to do to support his family the innovative young immigrant started brewing and selling Choc beer from his home in 1919.  The home brew originated in Indian Territory named after the Choctaw Indians who taught Pete how to brew the Beer. Soon many of the local miners began gathering in Pete's home to buy  and drink Choc. Next he began to fix meals to go along with the beer for the miners. >click here<

He officially opened a restauraunt in his home in 1925, and because everyone was used to going to "Pete's Place" it was only natural that this was adopted as the name of his Italian restaraunt. >click here<

During Prohibition he was convicted twice for breaking the Federal Prohibition act.  He served two full terms in Prison.  Even after Prohibition was repealed it was still illegal to produce home brewed beverages, which didn't stop Pete from serving homemade Choc Beer and Wine in his restaraunt.

It was served illegally in his restaraunt until 1980 when they were shut down by the Federal Goverment. A short time later a change was made in the State Laws which allowed the restaurant to sell beer once again in 1995.

The Basement Batch Pale Ale is claimed to be made with the same ingrediants and recipe used for the original beer.

This Brewery has a very colorful history and I encourage all of you to try some of their beers!!

Mostly because of time constraints on my be-half I am just going to shoot with what little info that I could find this week about the Kostritzer Brewery.  The main problem with getting information is that the Brewery is located in Bad Kostritz Germany. (Bad is the German word for Bath-referring to the fact that it was originally a community known for a famous Spa). Because their website is in German it would take some time for me to translate it.

The Kostritzer Brewery has been owned by the Bitburger Brauereu Since 1991. The Brewery was founded in 1543 and is one the oldest producer of Schwarzbier (Black Beer) in Germany.  One of the most famous persons to drink Kostritzer Schwarzbier is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who was a famous German writer (1749-1832). >click here<

Types of beers produced:

Schwarzbier
Kranich-Brau
Edel-Pils
Diat-Pils
Bipop (a mixture of cola and beer)

Description of Schwarzbier Black Lager beer: Very Deep mahogany hue. Bready and lightly smoky aromas follow through on a medium-bodied palate with chewy malt character and a suprisingly clean finish where light hop bitters and smoky notes linger. >click here<

The Flying Monkey Brewery is the brainchild of two old friends from Wichita, KS. Robert Isler and Drew Jones started Brewing in March of 1996 in Overland Park, KS, and by June Flying Monkey Brand brews were appearing in a draft form in the Kansas City area.  They continued producing it in a draft form only until December of that year when their bottling line was up and running first producing 22oz bottles as a
preliminary promotion then returning to 12oz bottles for regular production. >click here>

Flying Monkey Brews four beers year round including: Wheat,Stout,Pale Ale,and amber.

They also brew a couple of seasonals including a Pilsner, and a Holiday Ale.

Their flagship beer is the Amber in which they went for a little sweater taste using two caramel malts, and it is pretty light. 

They were on a growing trend in 1999 producing about 4400 barrells a year, when a flood hit the Kansas City Area. The flood happened on a Sunday night and Drew had been at the brewery earlier that evening harvesting some yeast and when he left the parking lot was filliing up with water and he didn't think much of it at the time. Later that evening when he heard a noise coming from his basement he found that it
was flooded with water. A few minutes later Robert called him and said "You need tostart to look for another job!" After asking him what he was talking about he went on to explain that the Brewery was under five feet of water and he was standing at the end of the parking lot watching water gushing out of the garage doors. >to contact the Brewery>

It took them a month to get the brewery up and running, but they were still having to replace pump motors and other parts of the equipment for a while after the initial repair because of the long term damage caused by the flood.  A month after the article that I got this information from was written they sold their brewery to the Pony Express Brewing Co. which is also in Overland Park Kansas.

The Pony Express Brewing Company was founded in May of 1995 in Overland Park, KS. When Joe Effertz Jr. made the decision to start the Brewery in Overland Park, KS. it was truly a business decision related to the demographics of the craft beer industry.The two main factors figured into his decision was the fact that their is more money on the Kansas side of the river and also by having the brewery located in Kansas they can lay claim to being the largest brewery in Kansas. >my space page click here<

Unfortunately Nebraskans give Iowa a bad rap.  We make fun of Council Bluffs by referring to it as Council Tucky.  But I found some ways that Iowa is better. Their Hyvee has a much better beer selection.  I was able to find Kostrizer Black Lager which is a German beer that I haven't been able to find in Nebraska.  Stay tuned in the future to find out what the panel has to say about it.

In Iowa the bars stay open until 2 am, so if you live in Omaha you can cross over the river and drink one hour later.  For those that like to gamble it is legal in Iowa.  Not far from the casinos is a Quaker Steak & Lube.  It is a filling station themed bar.  It is very neat on the inside with motorcycles suspended from the ceiling and old fashioned cars on lifts.  Instead of serving beer in a pitcher, it comes in a cylinder with it's own tap called a lube tube.  They are known for their hot wings.  I recommend getting the onion rings which are served on an antenna.

The Tommy Knocker Brewery which has been open for 10 years now is located in Idaho Springs, Co. in the Historical Placer Inn originally constructed in 1859.  The Placer Inn is located 4/10th of a mile from the spot where George A. Jackson found his first gold in 1859. >more info

The brewery produces the following beers:
# = Award winning beer

Imperial Nut Brown                   Ale Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer
Ornery Amber Lager#                Maple Nut Brown Ale#
Jack Whacker Wheat Ale#          Butt Head Bock#
Pick Axe Pale Ale#                     Tundrabeary Ale#
Rye Porter                                 Black Powder Stout#

They also make the following soft drinks:

Root Beer                        Almond Creme
Strawberry Creme             Orange Creme
Key Lime Creme

**Click Here fore Info on Ordering Soda**

Their Beers are available in the following States:

Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland,Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

So where did they come up with the name Tommy Knocker??

The miners that migrated to the area started the superstitions and tales of little elf-like beings who lived in the cracks and crevices of the mines.  These little creatures were known as Tommy Knockers, rarely seen but heard singing and working. Their were two types of Tommy Knockers, the Mischevious and the Friendly. They were short in stature standing only two feet tall, and wore colorful shirts.

Their isn't much history to post about Texas SUX Beer, but
their is an interesting story behind this one of a kind beer.

Texas SUX brand beer is brewed under a trade mark licensing
agreement between BigStick Brew Company of Oklahoma City, and
BigStick Beer Company of Krebs, OK.  I don't have the details
yet as to why they have this agreement.  But I intend to find
some further information and put it up with a future post.

They claim that their beer is a premium American-style beer-dry
yet light bodied and full of flavor, with a touch of hops finesse.
Their beer is brewed in small batches from the clear waters of
Oklahoma's Lil' Dixie  >more info click here>

The beer is 3.2% by volume and is available state wide.

With the release of Texas SUX Beer on June 1, 2006 they launched
the first of many products under our trademarked flagship SUX Brand
Beer.

Because they are only a year old their really isn't a lot of
History to report on.

P.S. As I promised on the Pod-Cast I followed up on The Texas SUX
Beer that was for sale on E-Bay.  It sold for $20.00 with an additonal
$10.35 in shipping.  It appears as if the most of the value in this beer
is for collectors!!  Remember as I mentioned before this was for the
6-pack box and 6 empty bottles with caps.

I purchased this Beer @ 20th Street Liqour in Elk City, OK.  If you are passing through the area I highly advise checking them out because they had a very small but interesting selection of beers for sale.  I spoke with Daniel who is currently and employee but has aspirations to own the store himself and I can see why because he was very knowlageable about beer. One of his favorite breweries is Flying Dog Brewery. 

I have been attending racing events for over 10 years now, and
I am currently at The Chili Bowl Nationals which has turned into
a week long Midget racing event with drivers from many different
racing series. >click here for info on chili bowl>

The following are a few of the over 288 drivers entered into this
event and what series that they hail from:

Tony Stewart- Nascar
Kasey Kahne- Nascar
Cruz Pendregon- NHRA Funny Car
Gary Selzi - NHRA Funny Car
Jerry Coons Jr.-USAC Midgets
Danny Lasoski - World Of Outlaws Sprints
Jason Leffler - Nascar Busch Series
Johnny Rodriguez - USAC Western States Midget
(To see what midget racing is check out this link)

Anyway now that you know where I am at.......  I will go on with the
story!!  In all of the years that I have been traveling down the
road I have never seen a Micro Brewery / Premium Beer sold at a
racetrack.  Mind you that the events I attend are all grass roots
dirt track events where the number of fans in the stands are minimal
in comparison to Nascar, IRL, or NHRA Race events.

I posted this article  and photograph so that you could see how much
the Micro-Brewing industry has infiltrated the Grass roots of the
racing world. Since most racers and fans tend to drink Cookie Cutter
Beers I was suprised/impressed to find this Boulevard Brewing Co. Stand Selling Beer to the fans.

So who knows maybe Microbrewery Beer will be coming soon to a racetrack near you!!

Barley makes a trip to Vegas.  This is the happening place for New Year's Eve weekend.  There were a few celebrity sightings.  The Cathouse, a new nightclub in the Luxor had it's grand opening.  Some celebrities that were spotted on the red carpet were Adrian Brody, Kelly Osborne, Carrot Top & Penn (of Penn & Teller.)  Many others were spotted but aren't famous enough for the crowd to know who they were.

The average cost of a beer in Vegas is $6.  Most casinos have little convenience stores inside where you can purchase a tall boy can for $4.50.  Alcohol can be consumed outside and is sold 24 hours a day.  Most nightclubs are open until 4 or 5 am on the weekend and there are afterhours clubs that are open until noon.

If you are looking to drink for cheap Thursday nights the Rockhouse bar in front of Imperial Palace has free drinks for the ladies from 10 pm until 12:30 am.  Also when gambling if you stay in one area long enough a waitress will come and you can drink for free.  I didn't have the patience to wait for the waitress to come back.  On Fremont Street which is located off the strip in downtown Las Vegas beers can be purchased for a dollar and you can drink 99 cent margaritas by the yard.

There is a local Las Vegas brewery that brews Syn City beer.  It is sold on tap but not available in cans or bottles.  Too bad I would have liked to brought some home.

A creative drink that I did try since I like fruity beer is Blue Spice.  It is Blue Moon beer mixed with Blue Curacao and Triple Sec served on ice.  I didn't really care for it.  Beer and alcohol don't taste too well mixed.

Tom Peters and his wife purchased the Brewery about 3 years ago from former owners David and Janet Scott.  The new owners are working on expanding by placing custom brew equipment in existing buildings.  Their goal is to move closer to the New Belgium and Odell Brewing companies in Old Town. >news article

Their are ten employees at the Fort Collins Brewery, which is currently at approximately 100% operating capacity, producing around 8,000 barrells per year. (Note: Each Barrell Holds 31 Gallons of Beer).

Since the Peters took over the Brewery it has expanded into a more national market where it is available in the following States: Wyoming, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and even though it wasn't listed on their website we were able to purchase this weeks beer in Nebraska.

They are distributed by National Distributing Company which is also the same Distributor for Jack Daniels Whiskey.

Fort Collins three top selling beers are: >more info

Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat, Chocolate Stout, and Retro Red.

This posting is dedicated to our dead episode #66 1/2 when we drank
Anheuser-Busch's Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale.  I figured that the
history and our thoughts of the beer should live on for eternity
for everyone to read!

Pumpkin beer originated in america when early American colonists
migrated here from overseas their was a shortage of Barley and Hops
in the new world. The desperation of early Americans resulted in the
usage of Molasses,Wheat Bran,Pumpkins, and even persimmons! Their is documentation supporting that George Washington brewed beer in this
manor. >more info

The reason they used the pumpkins is for the fermentable sugars. Most
of the early recipes called for dried pumpkins and as you may all know
without adding additional spices pumpkins can be rather bland in taste,
so I can't even imagine what those early pumpkin beers would have tasted like.

In modern pumpkin beers they are roasted and added to the mash to provide both flavor, and some fermintable sugars, but only as an additon to the primary source of fermintables.  They also use any of the following spices to add additional flavor to the beer: Brown Sugar, cinnamon,ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mace, and clove.

The Jack's Pumpkin Spice that we drank is brewed with two-row, caramel and carapils barley malts, a blend of imported and domestic hallertau hops and domestic Saaz hops. Brewed by Anheuser-Busch Fort Collins, Co. it has a 5.5% alcohol by volume. >info

They recommend that you drink the brew in a tall fluted glass.

This beer received a thumbs down by all panel members.  We still encourage you to try this beer because it is a great part of American History that has made a small come-back in the past few years and it definately has a very unique taste to it. 

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