May 2008

...A battle of heavyweight German strong lagers, whose alcohol contents have been amplified by carefully freezing beer, thus removing some of the water when it thaws, and leaving behind a greater alcohol content. Do that my friend, and you got yourself an Eisbock.

The Venue:
Über Tavern, Tuesday April 29th, starting at 4pm

The weigh-in:
8oz pours for each, ON TAP

Ringside seats: Free!
Now if you wanna drink, special prices this day only are:
$4 for the Kulmbacher Eisbock
$5 for the Aventinus Eisbock

Tale of the tape:

In the purple trunks hailing from Kelheim, Northern Bavaria since 1602,
sporting a gawdy 12% ABV, Aaaavennntiiiinusss.

In the silver diamond trunks, hailing from Kulmbach, Northern Franconia since 1846,
sporting a strapping 9.2% ABV, Kuuulmbaaaaacherrrrrr.

The Undercard:
Free gourmet cheese & sausage pairing, hosted by ringmaster Dan Frengs of Manneken-Brussel Imports (MBI).

THE FIX IS ON!
Dan and MBI are responsible for bringing us the amazing beers of such breweries as Schneider and Chimay, here in the Pacific Northwest. We are forutnate to have him help us with this event, even if his score card will be blindly lop-sided in favor of Aventinus.

EISBOCK...SOMEBODY'S BOUND TO GET KNOCKED OUT!

See you under the bar,
Your Friends at Über Tavern

7517 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle Washington 98103 - (206) 829-8922

Hey guys,
Thought I would send a little information about the upcoming Sour Beer fest in case your interested. The festival will start Friday May 9th and will continue until the beers run dry. We will have between 25 and 30 different sour beers on draft and we will also release a bunch of vintage Cantillon Bottles that we have been cellaring. Some of the highlights on draft will be multiple Cantillons, Russian River / Bottleworks 9 Deviation, New Belgium la Folie, N.B. Eric's ale, N.B. La Terroir, N.B. La Terroir Foeder #3 a special beer made for the Toronados 20th anniversary, two versions of Boons Mariage Parfait brewed on the same day and then aged in diferrent barrels, Ommegang Ommegedon, Walkingman Bloot Voeste Bruin which is a brown soured with the kambucha mushroom, Rodenbach Grand Cru, and a handful of old favorites and some surprises.

Thank you,
Ian Roberts
Beverage Manager / Front House Manager
Brouwer’s Café
(206) 267-2437

Friday evening will be a 21+ only affair with select Washington breweries (some of them will bring Friday-only beers) and Vicci Martinez as the headliner on the music stage.

Saturday & Sunday will remain all ages with lots of kids activities, live music, Brewers Keg Toss, Rootbeer Garden and more.

We’ll need lots of volunteer and we need your help! You’ll receive an email announcement once the web site is ready to sign up volunteers. So look for it in your inbox soon!

The web site will be updated with new information next week and online ticket sales will begin then. Tickets will be also available at ticket outlets beginning May 1st (Saturday & Sunday tickets only). We’ll also offer a group discount for online advance purchase only (10 tickets for the price of 9).

The Washington Brewers Festival
Friday, June 13th, 5-9pm (21+ Only)
Saturday, June 14th & Sunday, June 15th, 11am-8pm (All Ages)
St. Edward State Park
14445 Juanita Dr. NE
Kenmore, WA 98028
www.washingtonbeer.com/wabf.htm (Web site will be updated soon)

2008 Washington Brewers Festival

“The Mother of All Fathers Day Beer Festivals” returns to St. Edward State Park!

Washington Beer Commission is proud to present the 3rd Annual Washington Brewers Festival at St. Edward State Park! This year’s Festival will welcome a new addition of 21+ only Friday evening featuring a Washington-only beer lineup with some smaller batch Friday-only beers, plus the headliner Vicci Martinez on the music stage. Then the Festival will return to the family-friendly all-age format on Saturday and Sunday with a wide array of family entertainment and nearly 200 beers on tap!

WABL OFFERS

• Special WABL tasting glass* (GLASS, not plastic cup)
• An extra tasting tokens
• WABL Beer*, a WABL-exclusive beer by Northern Lights Brewing Co.

* While we try to have enough WABL tasting glasses and WABL Beer for all WABL members in attendance there’s no way for us to predict exactly how many members will attend and how many new members will sign up during the event. Therefore those items are available while supply lasts. Thank you for your understanding!

2008 Washington Brewers Festival

Fathers Day Weekend!
Friday, June 13th, 5 - 9pm- 21+ only
Saturday, June 14th & Sunday, June 15th, 11am - 8pm- All Ages

Saint Edward State Park
14445 Juanita Dr. NE, Kenmore, WA 98028

Rain or shine

Friday

$15 advance tickets/at the door. (Friday advance tickets available online only)
Friday admission includes a tasting cup and FOUR tasting tokens
Designated driver admission is $8 and available at the door only

21+ only

Saturday & Sunday

$15 advance tickets or $20 at the door
Admission includes a tasting cup and SIX tasting tokens
Advance tickets are available online and ticket sale at local outlets will begin May 1st.
Designated driver admission is $8 and available at the door only
All Ages. Those under 21 admitted free (must be accompanied by a parent)

Group Discount

Buy tickets for your friends & family and save money! When you buy 9 tickets you’ll get one ticket free ($135 for 10 tickets- a $15 saving!). Group discount tickets are available online for advance purchase only.

Volunteer and receive free admission!

Volunteers are needed in the following areas. Volunteers will receive a Volunteer T-shirt and complementary admission to the Festival. For more information please visit the Volunteer page of our web site.

Set-up—help build the event before everyone gets there!

Ticket booth—help welcome the guests and move the lines quickly at the Ticket Booth
Merchandise/WABL booth—help with merchandise sales and also sign up new WABL members and serve the WABL Beer.
Brewery help—make sure to collect tokens for every taste serve and occasionally help brewers pour beer
Token booth—help with token & water sales
Kids Playground—help kids be creative and have fun with the craft projects
Rootbeer Garden—serve rootbeer & soda to kids, designated drivers & anyone thirsty for tasty rootbeer in the unique Washington Beer Rootbeer Garden

http://blog.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/2008/04/another_major_vitory_in_t...

Another Victory in the War on Drugs...
Posted by John Foyston, The Oregonian April 24, 2008 09:28AM

By JULIET WILLIAMS
Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Vaune Dillmann thought the wording on his bottle caps was just a clever play on the name of the Northern California town where he brews his beer - Weed.

Federal alcohol regulators thought differently. They have ordered Dillmann to stop selling beer bottles with caps that say "Try Legal Weed."

While reviewing the proposed label for Dillmann's latest beer, Lemurian Lager, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said the message on the caps he has been using for his five current beers amounts to a drug reference.

In a letter explaining its decision, the agency, which regulates the brewing industry, said the wording could "mislead consumers about the characteristics of the alcoholic beverage."

Dillmann scoffs at the notion that his label has anything to do with smoking pot.

"I've never tried marijuana in my life," he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I don't advocate that. It's just our town's name."

The town of 3,000, sitting beneath Mount Shasta about 230 miles north of the state capital, takes its name from Abner Weed, a timber baron who opened a lumber mill there in 1901 and eventually was elected to the state Senate.

Dillmann, 61, started the Mount Shasta Brewing Co. in 2004. He said he has always used the town's name on his beers and named the company's first official brew Abner Weed's Pale Ale.

His bottle labels follow a long tradition of exploiting the town's name. Even city officials do it.

A sign posted on the way out of town reads, "Temporarily Out of Weed," while another says "100 Percent Pure Weed." Dillmann noted those examples in an appeal letter he sent to the alcohol bureau.

Once, Dillmann said, his wife, a former teacher, was delayed on a field trip to San Francisco as tourists clamored to pose next to the school bus, which said "Weed High."

But illegal drugs are no joke to the federal agency, which maintains meticulous rules about labeling. Drug references on alcoholic beverages were banned in 1994, agency spokesman Art Resnick said.

"We protect consumers of alcohol beverages against misleading advertising and labeling," he said.
Just for the record, guys, this is pot...

...and this is not...

He said the agency is reviewing Dillmann's appeal.

The Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, which represents 1,100 craft brewers nationwide, said the Tax and Trade Bureau seems to have become more aggressive in recent years. It has gone after brewers for seemingly innocuous claims, such as descriptions that say one beer is stronger than another, said association director Paul Gatza.

"We're seeing the TTB starting to poke around at breweries' Web sites and issuing letters," he said. "Our trade association is feeling like TTB is overstretching a little bit."

Gatza said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the 1980s protected truthful speech on beer labels.

Meanwhile, Dillmann has placed a rush order on unmarked bottle caps so he can keep bottling while he awaits word from the federal agency on his appeal. He has enlisted the help of his congressman, Republican Rep. Wally Herger, who has asked the agency to explain why it rejected Dillmann's bottle cap labels.

The decision banning the "Try Legal Weed" caps came just after Dillmann had placed an order for 400,000 of them, at a cost of about $10,000. It took him four years to go through the first batch of bottle caps, but Dillmann said his sales have been increasing steadily.

Still, the native of Milwaukee said he wonders how some other brewers have gotten away with the names for their products, such as Hemp Ale or Dead Guy Ale. And he can't understand how his label has run afoul of federal alcohol regulators who must surely be aware of one of the most famous advertising slogans in American marketing: "This Bud's for you."

These scores from ratebeer.com show that the beer scene there is very impressive. Their meads might be even better.

 Apis Póltorak Jadwiga       4.09 out of 5   289 reviews
 Zywiec Porter               3.82 out of 5   432
 Krolewskie Porter       R   3.78 out of 5   22
 Apis Dwójniak Kurpiowski    3.75 out of 5   77
 Apis Póltorak Lubelski      3.71 out of 5   15
 Lednicki Miód               3.68 out of 5   18
 Dojlidy Porter          R   3.62 out of 5   34
 Dwojniak Koronny            3.6 out of 5    3
 Okocim Porter               3.59 out of 5   392
 Lodzkie Porter              3.58 out of 5   38
 Kasztelanski Miód Trójniak  3.58 out of 5   66
 Staropolskie Mocne Ciemne   3.55 out of 5   16
 Apis Trójniak Bernardynski  3.55 out of 5   25
 Smocza Glowa Amber Ale      3.5 out of 5    16