TBBW Event: Omnipollo Spotlight and Lunar Lycan Release at Angry Chair Brewing

angrychairOn Wednesday, March 8 at 4 p.m., Angry Chair Brewing (6401 N Florida Ave, Tampa, Florida) will get in on some Tampa Bay Beer Week action by hosting their friends from Omnipollo (Stockholm, Sweden) for an evening of special brews and a limited bottle release of their collaboration beer, Lunar Lycan Imperial Marzipan Coffee Cream Stout.

To create something truly special for Tampa Bay Beer Week (TBBW), Angry Chair Brewing has crossed mash paddles with Omnipollo to brew up Lunar Lycan Imperial Marzipan Coffee Cream Stout.  Brewed with toasted almonds and dark roast coffee, this 11.5% ABV Cream Stout proudly embodies both breweries’ reputations for pushing the limits when it comes to the flavor profiles of their beers.  Bottles of Lunar Lycan will be available for purchase during this event for $20 each (limit of 4 bottles per customer).

In addition to the bottle release, Angry Chair plans to have Lunar Lycan available on tap alongside two guest brews from Omnipollo.  Since these guest kegs are being shipped from another country, there is an outside chance that they may not make it in time for this event.  If – and we stress “IF” – that happens, the folks at Angry Chair have plans in place to tap some other “cool beers in an attempt to make up for it.”  **UPDATE 3.8.17** The Omnipollo kegs have arrived and they are as follows:

Omnipollo Beers to be Featured The Event

  • Magnus Opus Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Cinnamon Vanilla Pecan Caramel Poppy Charcoal Bacon Stout  ABV – 14.5%
  • Noa Bourbon Pecan Mud Cake Stout  ABV – 12.9%  **UPDATE 3.8.17**

This event begins at 4 p.m. on March 8 and will go on until either the beers kick or the tasting room closes.  No tickets are required as this is a pay as you go event.  Just come as you are, follow the rules posted below (#dontparkonfern), and have a good time at what will be one of many awesome TBBW events from Angry Chair Brewing.  Prost!

General Information for all Tampa Bay Beer Week Events at Angry Chair Brewing:

  • There will be no bottle shares or outside bottles allowed in the building or in line (assuming there is a line at any point).
  • Please leave your children and pets at home. We love dogs and kids just as much as the next person, this is simply in regards to the limited space we have.
  • If possible to get a ride or carpool, please do. Parking is and always has been extremely limited. In addition, some of or all of these events will obstruct our few parking spaces. DO. NOT. PARK. ON. FERN. The lot across the street and street parking on North St. (the first street north of us) are available to you. 

Click here to check out the many other TBBW events from Angry Chair Brewing

TBBW Event -Brasserie Saint Somewhere Hosts Fantôme Takeover with Dany Prignon

brasseriessprintOn Wednesday, March 8 at 6 p.m., Brasserie Saint Somewhere (312 E. Tarpon Ave, Tarpon Springs, Florida) will welcome Dany Prignon of Brasserie Fantôme (Soy, Belgium) to their facility for a very special Tampa Bay Beer Week Takeover Event.

To supply craft beer fans with an incredibly rare treat during Tampa Bay Beer Week (TBBW), Brasserie Saint Somewhere is pulling out all the stops by hosting Brasserie Fantôme on March 8.  Although they may be known for having the daring to ” break all the rules when it comes to brewing with special ingredients,” Fantôme “recall[s] the early days of Belgian brewing” and is easily regarded as one of the world’s most respected breweries.

For this extraordinary Takeover Event, Brasserie Saint Somewhere will be pouring the following seven Fantôme brews:

Featured Beers from Brasserie Fantôme

**The first six beers listed above will be pouring from bottles and available for purchase by the glass during this event.**

In addition to this incredible lineup of offerings from Brasserie Fantôme, there will also be various other “Belgian, French and of course Saint Somewhere offerings” flowing at this event.  As an added bonus, Dany Prignon – Brewer for Brasserie Fantôme – will give a live toast at 6 p.m. and may possibly have “time for a question or two” afterwards.

If you are a fan of Saisons, this Takeover Event with Brasserie Fantôme and Dany Prignon is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of situation.  Mark those calendars now and get the most out of your Tampa Bay Beer Week experience by hitting Brasserie Saint Somewhere on Wednesday, March 8.  Prost!

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Big Storm Brewing, Craft Life Brewing & Zephyrhills Brewing Collaborate to Release Open Spaces Porter

bigstormlogoBig Storm Brewing Co. (Odessa, Florida) recently announced that they have teamed up with Craft Life Brewing (Land O Lakes, Florida) and Zephyrhills Brewing Company (Zephyrhills, Florida) to create Open Spaces Porter, a specialty release collaborate beer that will be unveiled at the Meet the Pasco Brewers event scheduled on Saturday, March 11 at Big Storm’s Odessa location.

To properly represent the brewing creativity and fine ingredients that can be found in Pasco County,  Joel Moore of Big Storm, Tim Foley of Craft Life Brewing, and Robert Hilferding of Zephyrhills Brewing joined forces to create a Pasco-themed, collaboration brew to feature during the 2017 Tampa Bay Beer Week celebration.  After a bit of brainstorming, it was decided that they would brew up Open Spaces Porter, a name inspired by Pasco County’s “Open Spaces – Vibrant Places” campaign that has proven to make an incredibly positive impact on area businesses. Staying true to the campaign’s intentions, this special collaboration beer keeps things local by featuring honey sourced from Queen Kathleen Honey and a citrus puree from Kumquat Growers Inc.  In taking this approach, these three breweries have created an American Porter that not only showcases the area’s beer scene but also the local products that quite often serve as their inspiration.

“The Pasco County Economic Development Council has done an amazing job promoting the area as one of great opportunity for growing businesses,” said Mike Bishop, Founder of Big Storm Brewery. “The Open Spaces – Vibrant Places campaign launched earlier this year by the Pasco EDC was the inspiration behind the name, as it speaks to our shared spirit of collaboration, teamwork and love of the area.”

Open Spaces Porter is a limited, draft-only release that will be unveiled at the Meet the Pasco Brewers event to be held at Big Storm’s Odessa location (2330 Success Dr. Odessa, Florida) on Saturday, March 11 at 6 p.m. In addition to being able to try Open Spaces Porter, attendees will also experience a discussion/Meet & Greet with all three participating brewers, several other beers from the participating breweries, live music, and tasty grub from local food trucks.  If you are north of the city and looking for a fun/educational way to wrap up your 2017 Tampa Bay Beer Week, check out the Meet the Pasco Brewers event and give Open Spaces Porter a try on March 11.  Prost!

 

 

Field Trip: SweetWater Brewing Company 20th Anniversary Party

On Sunday, February 19, SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia) celebrated “20 Years of Heady Beers” with a 20th Anniversary Party that featured a ridiculously awesome tap list and a musical performance from moe.  We were fortunate enough to receive an invite to cover this event, and the only way to do this spectacle justice is to provide a visual account of the day.  Check out the photos below, and be sure to raise a glass in the near future to recognize SweetWater Brewing Company’s two decades of brewing excellence.   Prost!

**Click any photo above to enlarge and view captions**

Dogfish Head Releases Beer To Drink Music To ’17 to Recognize Record Store Day

dfhbtdmt17bottleAs a celebration of analog music and off-centered beer, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware) has officially announced the limited release of Beer To Drink Music To ’17 Tropical Blonde.

To properly commemorate the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day, Dogfish Head is treating craft beer and music fans to the “melodic inspired” Beer To Drink Music To ’17, a tropical American Blonde Ale brewed with hibiscus flowers and kiwi juice.  This harmonious combination creates a pinkish-red brew that boasts “strong citrus fruit aromas, hints of grapefruit and floral notes, with a crisp, dry finish.”

Since this offering is meant to be enjoyed with music, Dogfish Head has reunited with Sony Music Legacy Recordings to compile Music To Drink Beer To, Vol. 3 – tracklist coming soon –  as the perfect complement to this beer.  This vinyl compilation will be released at participating stores on Record Store Day – April 22, 2017.

“I fell in love with music at the same time I fell in love with beer, and in an increasingly digital age, vinyl records provide a deep, tangible connection to music that reverberates with craft beer fans,” says Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head founder and president.  Good tunes and great beer are at the heart of Dogfish as Sam composed a musically inspired series of brews with artists like Miles Davis, Deltron 3030, The Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam and Guided by Voices.  “Our brewery has been obsessed with music since the day we opened,” says Calagione.   “And we have enjoyed every opportunity to weave together the art of brewing with our love of music, as often and meaningfully as we can.”

Beyond Beer To Drink Music To ’17 Tropical Blonde, Dogfish Head will be partnering once again with Crosley Radio – architect of the iconic turntable – to promote Record Store Day with a 29-city tour.  The “Dogfish Head x Crosley Cruiser” will be a two-month long tour of “independent record stores and beer bars, sharing the love of vinyl, analog music and delicious craft brews.”  This nomadic event will begin in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, March 3, and ends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Record Store Day, Saturday, April 22.  The full lineup of cities is as follows: Louisville, Kentucky;  Nashville, Tennessee; Indianapolis, Indiana;  Chicago, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; State College, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; Syracuse, New York; Wakefield, Rhode Island; Somerville, Massachusetts;  Allston, Massachusetts; Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Mamaroneck, New York; Long Island City, New York; Washington, D.C.; Fairfax, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; Milton, Delaware; Newark, Delaware; Wilmington, Delaware; Westmont, New Jersey; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Beer To Drink Music To ’17 was officially sent into distribution on February 1 and will be hanging around through May.  You can expect to find this limited release available in 12 oz. bottles at craft beer-friendly, music-lovin’ establishments in Florida and throughout the rest of Dogfish Head’s 31 state distribution network.  A word of warning – All of Dogfish Head’s previous music-themed releases have proven to be widely popular and disappeared quickly from store shelves once released.  With that said, be sure to secure your stash while you can.  Prost!

Vital Information for Beer To Drink Music To ’17 from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Release – Limited, February through May 2017
Style – American Blonde Ale
ABV – 6.8%
IBUs – 30
Added Ingredients – Hibiscus flowers & kiwi juice
Availability – 12 oz. bottles
Recommended Glassware – Shaped pint
Recommended Pairing – Music to Drink Beer To 3rd Edition
Beer Finder (a.k.a. FishFinder) – https://www.dogfish.com/brewery/fishfinder

 

 

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Birmingham to host Inaugural Winter Beer Fest

bwbflogoOn Saturday, February 4 at 3 p.m., the first annual Birmingham Winter Beer Fest will be held in the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex’s North Exhibit Hall (2100 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N, Birmingham, Alabama).

Newly established to provide area beer lovers with a little refuge from the cold, Birmingham Winter Beer fest is a true winter wonderland filled with over 150 craft beer offerings, food, fun and games.  There is quite a bit of information for this beer festival, so let’s not waste any time and jump right in:

The Basics

  • When – Saturday, February 4 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Where – Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex – North Exhibit Hall (2100 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N, Birmingham, Alabama)

Participating Breweries, Cideries & Meaderies 

The Birmingham Winter Beer Fest will have over 150 offerings available for sampling from the following breweries, cideries and meaderies:

Fun, Games & Education

Ticket Info

Tickets are available now.  You can purchase yours online by clicking here or by visiting any of the Birmingham-area Piggly Wiggly locations or the BJCC Central Ticket Office**.  Tickets are available in the following tiers:

  • General Admission – $45 each plus fees: Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival, commemorative tasting glass, full color festival guide, a sampling card to sample 150+ craft beers, and access to live entertainment, games, Brew University sessions and Cooking with Beer Demos
  • Jack Brown’s VIP Ticket – $80 each plus fees: Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival one hour early, access to the Jack Brown’s VIP Lounge, complimentary food from Jack Brown’s from 3pm – 6pm, commemorative tasting glass, full color festival guide, a sampling card to sample 150+ craft beers, and access to live entertainment, games, Brew University sessions and Cooking with Beer Demos.  **UPDATE** VIP Tickets are now sold out online, but there are still some available for purchase at Piggly Wiggly locations.  **UPDATE**
  • Designated Driver Ticket – $15 each plus fees: Designated Drivers Will Not be Allowed to Sample Any Beer.  Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival, and access to live entertainment, games, Brew University sessions and Cooking with Beer Demos
  • Jack Brown’s VIP Designated Driver Ticket – $25 each plus fees: Designated Drivers Will Not be Allowed to Sample Any Beer.  Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival one hour early, access to the Jack Brown’s VIP Lounge, complimentary food from Jack Brown’s from 3pm – 6pm, and access to live entertainment, games, Brew University sessions and Cooking with Beer Demos

(**) NOTE: If the event does not sellout in advance, tickets will be available at the door day of the event. (**)

That should cover all of the information currently available for the Birmingham Winter Beer Fest.  Between the impressive brewery lineup and the extensive list of activities, this event sounds like a pretty affordable good time during a season when beer festivals are few and far in-between.  If your calendar is clear on February 4 and you are in the Birmingham area, go ahead and secure some tickets to check out this new festival.  Prost!

Florida Brewers Guild Craft Beer Festival Returns in March

flbrewersThe Florida Brewers Guild has officially announced that they will host their annual FBG Craft Beer Festival in Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park on Saturday, March 4 at 2 p.m.

To get Tampa Bay Beer Week 2017 off to a good start, this jam-packed week of craft beer events will launch with the annual Florida Brewers Guild Craft Beer Festival, a can’t-miss event that celebrates the amazing breweries of Florida.  There is quite a bit of information to cover when it comes to this festival, so we will break it all down for you below:

The Basics

  • When – Saturday, March 4 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Where – Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park (601 Old Water Street Tampa, Florida)
  • What You Need – Don’t forget your ID because this event is for ages 21+ only.

Attending Breweries

This event will feature more than 200 beers from over 50 Florida craft breweries.  The list of confirmed breweries is as follows:

This is just a list of currently confirmed breweries.  This list will grow quite a bit as we near the festival date.  Last Update: 2.16.17

Ticket Info

Tickets are available now and you can purchase yours by clicking here.  Tickets are available in the following tiers:

  • Pre-Sale General Admission – $35 each plus fees: Must be purchased before January 23.  Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival at 2 p.m., a commemorative tasting glass, and unlimited beer samples.
  • General Admission – $45 each plus fees: Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival at 2 p.m., a commemorative tasting glass, and unlimited beer samples.
  • Pre-Sale VIP – $55 each plus fees: Must be purchased before January 23.  Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival an hour early at 1 p.m., a commemorative tasting glass, and unlimited beer samples.  VIP Tickets are incredibly limited.
  • VIP – $65 each plus fees: Ticket cost gets you entrance into the festival an hour early at 1 p.m., a commemorative tasting glass, and unlimited beer samples. VIP Tickets are incredibly limited.
  • Designated Drivers get in for free.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit the Florida Brewers Guild, the nonprofit trade association committed to preserving the rights of craft brewers throughout the state.

Food Truck Lineup

More information is still rolling in, and we will update this post with more confirmed breweries, food truck info (updated above), and any other details that surface before the 2017 FBG Craft Beer Festival.  Stay tuned.  Prost!

TBBW Event: Cycle Brewing Announces Plans for Barrel Aged Day 2017

cyclelogoOn Friday, March 10 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Cycle Brewing (St. Petersburg, Florida) will host Barrel Aged Day 2017 at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club (559 Mirror Lake Dr. North, St. Petersburg, Florida).

Cycle Brewing will once again be adding to the Tampa Bay Beer Week (TBBW) festivities by hosting their annual Barrel Aged Day, a celebration that boasts an insane tap list of carefully crafted barrel-aged brews. This year’s festival is still very much in the early stages of planning, but here are the details that we have so far:

  • Barrel Aged Day 2017 will be on Friday, March 10 from noon to 4 p.m.
  • The venue will be the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club
  • Tickets officially go on sale on Saturday, January 14 at 8 a.m. and can be purchased at the Cycle Brewing tasting room (534 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, Florida).  Ticket sales are cash only.  Tickets are available in following tiers:
    ~ General Admission – $75 per person
    ~ VIP – $100 per person: This ticket gets you entrance into the festival an hour before General Admission (11 a.m. instead of noon) to give you a “first, and less crowded, crack at the tap list.”  There will be a limited number of VIP tickets.
  • You will be able to purchase multiple tickets (limit of four tickets per person), but you must have the full name of everyone you are purchasing tickets for.
  • There is a special bottle included in the price of each ticket.  The exact beer has not yet been determined, but it will “almost certainly be something out of [Cycle Brewing’s] latest batch of Prichard’s rum barrels.”  This bottle will be available to festival attendees only.
  • To make entry into the event easier, wristband pick-up will begin at 9 a.m. on the day of the festival.
  • Transportation: Parking at the festival is limited, but there is “plenty within a few blocks that is free overnight for anybody who feels they need to drive to the fest but wisely chooses not to drive home afterwards.”  Getting to the fest by walking, Uber/Lyft or taxi is strongly encouraged.  There are no Designated Driver tickets available this year, so be responsible and make plans for safe travel home from the festival.

**UPDATE – 03.10.17**

Official Tap List for Barrel Aged Day 2017

BADayCycle

**UPDATE – 03.10.17**

Alright, that about covers all the information that is available at this time.  Once tap lists, bottle releases and any other details are confirmed, we will update this post with that information.  Be sure to arrange your tickets when they go on sale on January 14 because this festival is pretty much a lock to sell out with a quickness.  Stay tuned.  Prost!

 

Starr Hill Brewery IPA JamBEERee Festival to Return in 2017

ipa-jambeeree-logo_2017Starr Hill Brewery (Crozet, Virginia) has officially announced that they will once again host the IPA JamBEERee Festival at Hangar Park (5391 Three Notch’d Road, Crozet, Virginia) on Saturday, May 6, 2017.

Returning as “Virginia’s largest craft beer festival celebrating local India Pale Ales,” the IPA JamBEERee Festival is back with the intention to blow the minds of hopheads throughout the Southeast.  This lupulin-focused festival will “showcase a wide variety of Virginia breweries pouring their hoppiest styles and the release of several rare and exclusive offerings from Starr Hill, along with some additional non-IPA options.”

“The opportunity for experimentation within the IPA style is truly remarkable, and it’s always fun to brew with new ingredients and techniques,” said Robbie O’Cain, Starr Hill’s Brewmaster. “IPA JamBEERee is unique in the way it showcases the best Virginia-made IPAs from craft brewers and homebrewers alike.”

Since Starr Hill’s identity is firmly linked to the area’s vibrant music scene, the festival will be soundtracked by a lineup of live, local music.  Beyond the hoppy brews and live entertainment, this event will also feature food trucks and recreational games.  Proceeds from the IPA JamBEERee Festival will go to benefit a local non-profit organization.

Details on participating breweries, performers and tickets will be revealed in early February on JamBEERee.com, and I will of course hit you with an updated post at that time.  Stay tuned, save the date, and start making some plans.  Prost!

Angry Chair Brewing Releases Details for 2nd Anniversary Party

angrychairOn Saturday, November 26, Angry Chair Brewing (6401 N Florida Ave, Tampa, Florida) will host a two-session 2nd Anniversary celebration featuring a killer draft list and the bottle release of Bourbon Barrel Aged Fudge Bucket with Vanilla Beans.

As a means of saying thank you for “sitting . . . in [their] ‘angry’ chairs, lining up at bottle releases, and simply making [their] jobs worthwhile,” the folks at Angry Chair Brewing are pulling out all the stops to treat their fans to a 2nd Anniversary Party truly worthy of their undying devotion. The foundation for a great Anniversary Party is always laid with the draft list, so here’s the full list of Angry Chair offerings and guest taps confirmed to be pouring at this event:

Angry Chair Brewing Draft List

  • 2nd Anniversary Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel-aged Fudge Bucket with Vanilla Beans)
  • Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout
  • Tuesday Tasting Series: Bourbon Barrel Aged Dave’s Barleywine
  • French Toast Imperial Porter
  • Fluffer Nutter Imperial Stout (Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Marshmallow)
  • Fionn Hazelnut Coffee Imperial Porter
  • Cinna-Fionn French Toast Imperial Porter
  • Purple Peeps (Blackberry, Black Currant, Marshmallow Berliner Weisse)
  • Mega Coffee Blend Imperial Stout
  • Coffee Coconut Imperial Stout
  • Grandma’s Dried Up Raisin Imperial Stout (Coffee, Cinnamon, Vanilla Beans, Raisins)
  • Bananas Foster Strong Ale 
  • Rocky Road Imperial Sweet Stout (Cacao, Vanilla Beans, Toasted Walnuts)
  • Cucumber Lime Gose
  • Space Grass Session IPA
  • Vassago Raspberry Berliner Weiss

Guest Tap List

All pours on draft will cost $5 each and will vary in size.  Some of the areas pouring beer at this event will be cash only.  If you do not have cash, you will be able to purchase beer tickets inside.  To cut down on line times and just help with the overall flow of the event, the brewery suggests that you just plan ahead and bring cash.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase bottles of the limited release 2nd Anniversary Imperial Stout – Bourbon Barrel-aged Fudge Bucket with Vanilla Beans.  Bottles are limited to one per ticketed guest and can be purchased for $25 each.  Bottles sales are cash only.

The Angry Chair Brewing 2nd Anniversary Party is a ticketed event (**UPDATE – THIS EVENT IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT – UPDATE**), and tickets can be purchased beginning Saturday, November 12th at noon (click here for a direct link to the ticket page).  Tickets are $30 each (maximum of 2 tickets per person) and that gets you an anniversary glass, one draft pour, and the ability to purchase the special release anniversary bottle.  This event has been limited to 100 tickets for each of the two sessions (200 tickets total) on Saturday, November 26:

  1. Session 1 – 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. SOLD OUT
  2. Session 2 – 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  SOLD OUT

This is a 21 and up event, and IDs matching the names on the tickets are required.

If you are free on November 26th and wish to get in on the celebration of Angry Chair’s 2nd Anniversary, be sure to snag your tickets when they go on sale this Saturday.  Tickets are sure to go fast and you certainly do not want to miss out on all of the good times sure to be had at this event.  Prost!