January 2009

Hi All,
This month's WSB meeting will be held on Sunday, January 18, the middle of MLK weekend, and this is the annual barley wine meeting at Mary Earl's place between Poulsbo and Silverdale. Start time is noon, last call is 5PM, everybody out by 7. Plan on arranging a designated driver or plan on hanging around a couple hours after your last beer before driving home.

Again, if global warming causes us to cancel this meeting too we'll let you know ASAP.

Bring any barley wines or strong ale/old ale bw facsimiles that you'd like to show off. Please RSVP to Mary at:
ggrapex@yahoo.com

Also, feel free to bring some putluck type dishes, reheating only or very minor prep/cleanup necessary would be best. Vic might have some suggestions.

Bring several tasting glasses for yourself. It's always fun to have 3-5 bws in front of you for comparison. Mary has a bunch of old barley wines at her house plus Vic, Alan, and Craig plan to bring some selections.

Vic and Mary are leaning towards cajuny foods for this meeting. We were thinking about all the great bread pudding dishes that folks brought to Heads Up potluck gatherings. If you want to give it a go there are plenty of simple recipes online. Hard sauces for it are usually made with whisky or bourbon, but certain beers might work perfectly too (malty barley wines, Samichlaus, Triple Bock, Utopias?).

It's the 5th Annual Strange Brewfest!
Saturday, Jan. 24th: 1-9pm
Sunday, Jan. 25th: 1- 5pm

Yep.. it's that time again! Please come and join us for the 5th Annual Strange Brewfest!! Sample beers from 35-40 NW breweries under the big top, featuring music by Bellingham and Seattle's top funk band - Lucky Brown and the Funk Revolution, and other favorites including TapWater from Portland, PT's own Burning Mountain and DJs Fro-Zen-Fresh & DJ Moody. There will be games, food, and other Wookie surprises--those of you who were here in previous years know what we mean. Your $20 entry will provide you with a souvenir tasting glass and 4 drink tokens-- including your wristband for all live music throughout the weekend. Additional tokens are available for purchase, as well as a limited supply of Strange Brewfest T-shirts. Festival times are Saturday, Jan. 24th: 1-9pm and Sunday, Jan. 25th: 1- 5pm. We will be selling advance tix this year at the brewery, beginning on January 15th, or you can purchase tix at the door.

Some of this year's breweries include: Anacortes Brewery, Baron Brewing, Big Time Brewing, Boundary Bay Brewery, Cashmere Brewing Co., Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen, Elk Head Brewing Co., Elliott Bay Brewery, Elysian Brewing Co., Flyers Brewery, Georgetown Brewing Co., Hales Brewery, Lazy Boy Brewing Co., North Fork Brewery, Pike Brewing, Port Townsend Brewing Co., Ram Breweries, Rogue/Issaquah Brewing, Silver City Brewing Co., Skagit River Brewing Co., Walking Man Brewing, and Water Street Brewing . There'll be lots of old favorites and several new, exciting brews to sample throughout the weekend. Your vote will count when we tally up the favorites on Sunday afternoon for our awards ceremony of the Best Brews of Strange Brewfest 2009.

For more information, please call the brewery 360.379.6438 or email us at info@waterstreetbrewing.com. We highly recommend staying overnight if you are traveling from out of town. Please check for accommodations in Port Townsend at: www.ptguide.com. We look forward to seeing you.

One more thing.. for those of you planning on taking a ferry from Whidbey Island to Port Townsend, please check the status of "vehicle" vs "passenger-only" ferries (which drop you off only blocks from the event) at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/ .

Cheers!
2009
Nina, Skip, and Mark

Water Street Brewing
639 Water Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360)379-6438
nina@waterstreetbrewing.com
http://www.waterstreetbrewing.com

Contact Alan Moum about trying to arrange carpools to Strange Brewfest. Let him know if you need a ride or if you'll have space in your vehicle. Let's also talk about possibilities at the BW meeting. It's a bit of a drive and there are so many exciting beers to try.
amoum2300@yahoo.com

Hood Canal still has some doppelbock on tap.
Silver City is currently pouring the seasonals Panther Lake Porter, Whoop Pass, and Imperial Stout.
Fritz European Fry House has Hale's Tripel back on tap.
Tizley's has loads of great stuff on, including a superb keg of Leffe Blonde, and Kasteel Rouge.

Hale's Ales was looking into a spot in downtown Poulsbo for a taproom, but it seems to have fallen through. Now Mr. Hale is broadening his search for locations in Kitsap and is thinking more along the lines of another brewpub:
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jan/04/business-spotlight-hales-looki...

If you have some great ideas about possible locations consider letting him know.

Some of the idiotic comments after the article are astonishing. Perhaps some of them are saying bad things about great places in order to reduce the crowding that success brings.

Note from Marti about Tizley's upcoming Dogfish Head dinner:
Ernie and I signed up for the Dogfishhead Dinner at Tizley's. Thurs. Jan. 22nd at 6pm, Matt Younts from Click is hosting. Maybe $45 or $50 this time. Ernie might not be here, but I'm sure someone will fill in.
We plan to be at Beveridge Place Pub for New Year's Day for the barrel-aged beer. May start at Elliott Bay Brewing first.

See ya sometime, Marti and Ernie

Ed. note: Tizley's should get out an emailing about this event soon. Consider signing onto their emailing list. The menu is still being created but these nights are always great. They're also planning an Avery dinner for this winter or early spring.

In case you didn't know, Matt keeps on top of Wyeast about all sorts of beer yeast issues, and Vic has been chasing White Labs. Here are some juicy tidbits from recent exchanges with the labs.

-
From Matt:
New PC strains... nobody tipped me before hand.... =(

http://www.wyeastlab.com/vssprogram.cfm?website=2
Wyeast 9093-PC Imperial Blend
Beer Styles: American Barleywine, Imperial IPA, Imperial Red, Imperial Brown, Imperial Porter, Russian Imperial Stout
Profile: This unique blend of strains is designed to ferment higher gravity worts used in producing any style of Imperial beer. The results will be a rich, malty, full bodied beer with notes of citrus & fruity esters. Even with a high starting gravity your Imperials will have a relatively dry finish.
Alc. Tolerance 12-14%
Flocculation low-medium
Attenuation 75-80%
Temperature Range 68-75°F (20-24°C)

Wyeast 9097-PC Old Ale Blend
Beer Styles: English Barleywine, English Strong Ale, Old Ale
Profile: To bring you a bit of English brewing heritage we developed the “Old Ale” blend, including an attenuative ale strain and a Brettanomyces strain, which will ferment well in dark worts and produce beers with nice fruitiness. Complex estery characters will emerge with age. Pie cherry and sourness will evolve from the Brettanomyces along with distinct horsey characteristics.
Alc. Tolerance 12%
Flocculation medium
Attenuation 75-80%
Temperature Range 68-75°F (20-24°C)

Wyeast 3864-PC Canadian/Belgian Ale
Beer Styles: Belgian Dubbel and Tripel, Belgian Specialty Ale, Belgian Golden Strong, Biere de Garde, Witbier
Profile: This strain has a classic profile producing mild phenolics which increase with higher fermentation temperatures. It has a low ester profile with a dry, slightly tart finish. This strain is alcohol tolerant while producing complex & well balanced beers.
Alc. Tolerance 12%
Flocculation medium
Attenuation 75-79%
Temperature Range 65-80°F (18-27°C)

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From: Ella Levy [mailto:elevy@whitelabs.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:39 PM
To: Keranen, Victor
Subject: RE: White Labs 4th Quarter Customer Club Newsletter

Hi Vic,
Just wanted to let you know that we took your advice and are posting all newsletters in an archive online. Visit this link to see more:
http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/homebrew_customerclub_december2008.html

I'll be sending you a coupon for a free vial as a small thank you. Is your mailing address still current?

Cheers,
Ella Levy
Sales & Customer Service
White Labs, Inc.
Pure Yeast and Fermentation
csr@whitelabs.com
T 888-5-YEAST-5 or 888-593-2785
F 888-693-1026
www.whitelabs.com

-
From: Ella Levy [mailto:elevy@whitelabs.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 11:40 AM
To: Keranen, Victor
Subject: RE: White Labs 4th Quarter Customer Club Newsletter

Hi Vic,
Thanks for your email.

The new strain, WLP038 Manchester Ale yeast, would be great! It is a brand new '09 Platinum Series strain, available for July/ August. For a yeast strain available year-round, the closest match would be WLP023 Burton Ale. I've added all the info below on the Manchester strain:

WLP038 Manchester Ale Yeast
Top-fermenting strain that is traditionally good for top-cropping. Moderately flocculent with a clean, dry finish. Low ester profile, producing a highly balanced English-style beer.
Attenuation: 70-74%
Flocculation: Medium-High
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-70F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

Cheers!
Ella Levy
Sales & Customer Service

-
Original Message:
From: Keranen, Victor [mailto:vkeranen@sccd.ctc.edu]
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 2:59 PM
To: Ella Levy
Subject: RE: White Labs 4th Quarter Customer Club Newsletter

So, while I have your ear....

Some of the guys in club are very interested in knowing about the availability or even potential availability of the yeast strains used in making Harvey's Elizabethan, J.W. Lees Harvest Ale and the original Eldridge & Pope Thomas Hardy's Ale. Are any of the current offerings applicable and if not, what are the chances of them becoming available? I can just imagine the excitement in the home brewing world an announcement of that magnitude would make. Talk about people freaking out.....

Vic

We haven't done a collective group brew in a while. Something related to these yeast lab mailings might make sense. We could get a group of folks to brew up the same high grav English barley wine/old ale wort then use different yeasts to see who gets closest to Harvey's Elizabethan or J.W. Lees Harvest Ale or some such. Perhaps we could all use the Can/Belg yeast with whatever other ingredients and see who can make the best Unibroue clones. Maybe we could even work with a local brewery and do some experimentation for them using designated ingredients.

BPP - Quilters, Vlad, and Chuckanut
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 8:05 PM
From: "Beveridge Place Pub"

THUR, JAN 15, 6:00PM – VLAD THE IMPALER SOUR ALE!
Another unique creation from Cascade Brewing in Oregon , this oak-aged Belgian-style Pale Quadruppel gets it’s sourness from a lactic fermentation – don’t try this at home kids! Imagine a blend of Scaldis and Cantillon Pure Kriek. If you’re not into sour beers, don’t fret, we’ll throw a cask on the bartop for ya.

MON, JAN 19 – BPP WILL BE CLOSED!
We’re taking the day off for a much delayed staff party. See you tomorrow relaxed and refreshed.

TUE, JAN 20 – INAUGURATION DAY!
Sure it’s Belgian Tuesday, but we’re also going to feature our wide array of good ol’ American brews today!

THUR, JAN 22, 7:00PM – CHUCKANUT BREWER’S NIGHT
Chuckanut is one of Washington ’s newest breweries, but what a pedigree! Owned by Mari and Will Kemper (yes, THAT Kemper), these guys know their stuff. We’re still working on the beer details, mostly because they make such a wide variety of really good stuff!

Cheers!

Gary, Terri, Jennifer, Rob, Dennis, Devrim, April, Jon, and random appearances from Lorraine and Ryan

2009 Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival

Friday - January 16, 2009 @ 05:00PM / ends @ 10:00PM
Beer Festival @ William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center
Anchorage, Alaska

Event Details:
This is an excellent event that has over 400 beers from about 50 brewers from around the world. this year's list has yet to be posted but will be updated ASAP.

Friday, January 16, 2009 5:00 - 10:00 pm Last pour 9:45 pm
$30 admission

Admission price includes 6 oz. Commemorative glass, 30 samples, ID band, and official program.
Must be 21 years of age or older with proof to attend - NO EXCEPTIONS!

You can get your tickets online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist ... 20Festival

The Kitsap Wine Society presents "Taste of Italy"

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2009
Time: 7:00 - 9:30 PM
Place: Olympic Wine Shop, Poulsbo
Cost: $24.00 per person

The KWS will present a tasting of 8 Italian wines, with Italian hor d'ourves served. This event will feature a quality cross section of 6 red and 2 white Italian wines.

From the Piedmont Region:
1. 2007 Paolo Sarraco-Moscato d'Asti D.O.C.G. (100% Moscato Bianco) (not to be confused with Spumante);

2. 2007 Fontanafredda-Briccotondo D.O.C. (100% Barbara);

3. 2006 Damilano-Nebbiolo D'Alba D.O.C. (100% Nebbiolo).

From the Veneto Region: Piedmont Vineyards
1. 2006 Coffele-Ca Visco-Soave Classico D.O.C. (80% Garganega, 20% Trebbiano di Soave);

2. 2005 Negrar-Amarone della Valpolicella Classico D.O.C. (70% Corvina Veronese, 15% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella).

From the Basilicata Region:
2005 Macarico-Macari-Aglianico del Vulture D.O.C. (100% Aglianico).

From the Tuscany Region:
1. 2005 Poggio Salvi-Rosso di Montalcino D.O.C. (100% Sangiovese Grosso).
2. 2004 Mannucci Droandi-Ceppeto-Chianti Classico Riserva D.O.C.G. (Sangiovese blend).

At the present time, there are five more tickets available on a "waiting list". When five more attendees register, the "waiting list' will be filled, and those people will be notified that they may attend. It is anticipated those five "seats" will go quickly. If you wish to attend, register ASAP at the below web address.
The below web address handles on-line registration for the Kitsap Wine Society. It is a secure site. Your credit card will not be charged until you are notified that you can attend the event. Notification will be given ASAP, but no later then COB, January 15th.
Pay on line: https://www.nwregistration.com/KWS/ (Click on "Taste of Italy" to register)

Any skiers heading to Bend instead of the Strange Brewfest?
7th Annual Crabfest @ Deschutes Brewery (Mountain Room)

Saturday - January 24, 2009 @ 06:00PM / ends @ 09:00PM
Beer Dinner / Pairing @ Deschutes Brewery, Inc.
Bend, Oregon
smcmorris@deschutesbrewery.com (541) 385-8606

Featuring the Island Sounds of Bill Keale
$75 per person
Includes Beer/Wine and Gratuity

Menu:
Passed Appetizers - Crab Cakes & Crab Crostini
Plated Appetizer - Seafood Beer-Tini
Plated Salad - Dungeness Crab Louie
Classic Crab Boil - Dungeness Crab, Kielbasa Sausage, Peel & Eat Prawns, and New Potatoes
Served with Rosemary Bread, Drawn Butter, and Lemon Wedges
Plated Dessert - Mocha Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust

Contact Sharon at 541.385.8606 for reservations.

February 14, San Francisco
Toronado Barleywine Festival
Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 14th
50+ barley wines
This is truly the mother of all barley wine fests. This is the 16th annual fest, imagine that. The first day is very crowded but many of the BWs are gone by the afternoon. Sunday is more casual but still gets crowded at times. By Monday you'll still find most of the BWs on tap but the top vote getters will be gone. When the first BW kegs blow Mr. Keane usually replaces them with amazing brews, sometimes things like Cantillon Apricot Lambic. Clearly, latecomers and regulars are treated well.

There are also many beery events throughout the Bay Area in the week leading up to this fest. If you can't make the National Homebrew Conference in Oakland this summer, this would be a good excuse to catch up on all the great new places in NoCal.

Saturday, March 28th
2009 Washington Cask Beer Festival
SeattleCenter Fisher Pavilion
305 Harrison St. Seattle, WA 98109
Session 1: 12-4pm Session 2: 6-10pm
$35 advance/$40 at the door.
WABL discount $5 off
Separate tickets required for each session.

If you're not a WABL member yet, consider joining. This month's WABL newsletter is even more chock full of valuable beery information than usual. I don't think they'll mind if I post most of it here:
January WABL Event @ Fish
We will kick off the new year with the first WABL event of the year at Fish Brewing Co. on Saturday, January 17th. This event was made possible by the generous folks at Fish and all of you south sound WABLers who requested more activities in your neighborhoods. We are looking forward to visiting you! During the event WABL members will receive the special mug club pricing, which is $3 for a 20oz pint and $1.50 for a 10oz beer. A brewery tour will be provided by a Fish brewer.

The capacity for this event is 50 people. If you are planning to attend this event please send me a quick email at lisa@washingtonbeer.com and let me know how many people are in your group. We will let you know when the event is full (in other words unless you hear from us the event is still open). As always, please bring your passport with you.

January WABL Event @ Fish Brewing Co./Fish Tale Brewpub
Saturday, January 17th, 1:30pm-
515 Jefferson Street SE
OlympiaWA98501
(360) 943-3650
www.fishbrewing.com

Pike Old Bawdy Barley Wine Vertical Tasting
Do you remember last year's Old Bawdy vertical tasting at Pike? Some of you still talk about it as one of the best WABL events ever. Well, they're doing it again! On Sunday, February 8th The Pike Brewing Co. is having a vertical tasting featuring '94, '96, '97, '06, '07 & '08 Old Bawdy! $18.00 per person. A special offer of '08 snifters for only $5 between 2-6pm. This is not necessarily a WABL event this time but our generous friends at Pike are offering a special discount price of $15.00 (a $3 discount) so make sure to bring your passport with you!

Pike Old Bawdy Barley Wine Vertical Tasting
Saturday, February 2nd, 2-6 p.m.
The Pike Pub Museum Room
1415 1st Ave.
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 622-6044
www.pikebrewing.com

New Ram opens in Puyallup
A new Ram location opened late last year in Puyallup.

Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Puyallup-Sunrise Village
10403 156th Street E #101
Puyallup, 98374
(253) 445-1005
www.theram.com

WABL Exclusive Offers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every month, WABL members enjoy a number of exciting offers from Washington Brewers Guild, Guild member breweries, and sponsors. This month's offers are:

January WABL Event @ Fish At the January WABL event at Fish Brewing Co. on January 17th WABL members will receive the "mug club" pricing ($3 for a 20oz pint & $1.50 for a 10oz). Passport required.

Strange Brewfest Water Street Brewing is hosting its 5th annual Strange Brewfest on January 24-25. Admission is $20 for a tasting glass, 4 drink tokens and all music but WABL members will get $2 off the price. Passport required.

Pike Old Bawdy Vertical Tasting On Sunday, February 8th The Pike Brewing Co. is hosting a vertical tasting of Old Bawdy Barley Wine featuring kegs from '94, '96, '97, '06, '07 & '08. WABL members will receive a special discount tasting price at $15.00 (regular $18.00). Passport required.

Cask Festival The Washington Beer Commission will present the 10th annual Cask Beer Festival on March 28th at the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion. WABL members will receive $5 off tickets (online promo code will be emailed) and special WABL tasting glass. Exclusive WABL Beer will be also available to members at the Merchandise Booth. Passport required.

Event Calendar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Please note that event schedule could change after we receive the information from breweries or after the newsletter is published. It is always a good idea to call and confirm the schedule.)

Skagit River Brewers Night (Tuesday, January 13th, 6:30 p.m.)
The Porterhouse
416 W. Gates St.
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
(360) 336-9989
www.porterhousepub.net

Chuckanut Brewers Night (Tuesday, January 13th, 7 p.m.- )
Naked City Taphouse
8564 Greenwood Ave N
SeattleWA98103
(206) 838-6299
www.nakedcitybrewing.com
Meet the brewer, Josh Pfriem, as he visits NakedCity to talk about the evenings featured beers, the brewing process and all about what he and Will Kemper are producing out of Chuckanut Brewery's state of the art brewing system. Several styles will be featured from Chuckanut Brewery including the Marzen, Pilsner, Rouch Bier, Vienna Lager and the Dortmunder. Come join for amazing beer and of course for fun give-aways throughout the evening!

Chef and Brewers Dinner (Wednesday, January 14th, 6:30 p.m.- )
Rock Bottom Brewery
550 106th AvenueNE
Bellevue, WA98004
(425) 462-9300
www.rockbottom.com
Doors open at 6:30 pm for a light sampling of beers and hors d'oeuvres. Dinner served at 7 pm. $35 per person plus tax and gratuity. Vegetarian options available upon request. Seating is limited and tickets are required. Call (425) 462-9300 for reservation.
Menu
Appetizer
Braised, tangy short rib with a creamy herbed polenta
Served with Rock Bottom Lumberjack Red Ale

Soup
Spanish Potato and Garlic Soup
Served with Rock Bottom Liquid Sun Lager

Entrée
Veal Scallopine Marsala served with savory potato au gratin dauphinois and crisp zucchini tomato vegetables
Served with Paulaner Brewery Hefeweizen

Dessert
Eggnog tres leches cake garnished with fresh seasonal fruit
Served with Rock Bottom Bellevue Blonde Belgian Trippel

Cask Second Wednesday (Wednesday, January 14th, 6:30 p.m.- )
ElliottBay Brewhouse & Pub
255 SW 152nd St.
Burien, WA98166
(206) 246-4211
www.elliottbaybrewing.com
Featured cask: Chocolate Imperial Porter

Cask Third Thursday (Thursday, January 15th, 3 p.m.)
ElliottBay Brewery & Pub
4720 California Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 932-8695
www.elliottbaybrewing.com
On the third Thursday of each month Elliott Bay West Seattle taps a cask-conditioned keg of beer from their sister pub in Burien. It's usually something unique and only for the W. Seattle patrons. Featured cask on January 15th is dry-hopped Hop von Boorian.

Dirt Bag Party (Friday, January 16th, 6 p.m.- )
Iron Horse Brewery
1000 N Prospect St Suite 4
Ellensburg, WA98926
(509) 933-3134
www.iron-horse-brewery.com

January WABL Event @ Fish (Saturday, January 17th, 1:30 p.m.- )
515 Jefferson Street SE
OlympiaWA98501
(360) 943-3650
www.fishbrewing.com

Ellensburg's WinterHop BrewFest (Saturday, January 17th, 12-5 p.m.)
Downtown Ellensburg, WA
(509) 925-2002
www.ellensburg-chamber.com/events
Join the WinterHop Brewfesters for a great day with Washington Breweries located in downtown Ellensburg venues. Get your tickets now because this event will sell out.

Latona Cask Festival (Monday, January 19th, 6 p.m.- )
Latona Pub
6423 Latona Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 525-2238
www.3pubs.com
Nothing better than casks on the bar. It is our 4th time out for this craziness. Some of the freshest beer on the planet.

Beginning Homebrewing Bottling Class (Thursday, January 22nd, 6-7:30 p.m.)
IceHarbor Brewing Co.
Kennewick, WA
www.iceharbor.com
This is the followup class that will demonstrate how to properly bottle the beer brewed at the first homebrewing class. The class is free. To sign up for the class call: (509) 582-5340.

Hoptoberfest (Friday, January 23rd)
YakimaConvention Center
10 N 8th St
Yakima, WA98901
www.americanhopmuseum.org/museumevents.htm
Enjoy seasonal crafted micro-beers, domestic beers, complimentary Pilsner beer glass, complimentary wine, dinner, silent auction, raffle, and music at the YakimaConvention Center. A benefit for the AmericanHopMuseum. It's an excellent opportunity to meet many of the American hop growers as well as people involved with the many aspects of American hop production and brewing. Tickets are $65 per person. 21+ only.

Water Street Brewing's Strange Brewfest (Saturday, January 24th, & Sunday, January 25th)
Water Street Brewing & Ale House
639 Water St.
Port Townsend, WA98368
(360) 379-6438
www.waterstreetbrewing.com
Please come and join us for Water Street Brewing's 5th Annual Strange Brewfest!! This year over 40 NW breweries are expected to pour their "strange brews" under the big top, with headlining music by Bellingham and Seattle's top funk band - Lucky Brown and the Funk Revolution -among others. There will be games, food, and other Wookie surprises. Festival times are Saturday, Jan. 24th: 1-9pm and Sunday, Jan. 25th: 1-5pm. The cost at the door is $20, which includes your souvenir tasting glass, 4 drink tokens and a wristband for all music. All WABL members will get a $2 discount if they show their passport at the time of entry.

Chili for Children Fundraiser (Saturday, January 31st, 12-4 p.m.)
Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen
601 W. Holly St.
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 752-3377
www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com
Hosted inside the Brewery (next to fermentation vessels!), Live music, $10 for 5 tastes of chili, Chuckanut Beer for purchase, benefits Big Brothers & Big Sisters Club in Bellingham.

Pike Old Bawdy Barley Wine Vertical Tasting (Sunday, February 8th, 2-6 p.m.)
The Pike Pub Museum Room
1415 1st Ave.
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 622-6044
www.pikebrewing.com

Chuckanut Brewery Tour (Sunday, February 8th, 12 p.m.- )
Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen
601 W. Holly St.
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 752-3377
www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com
1 hour tour with Brewmaster Will Kemper; discussion about brewing process, specialized high tech brewing system, beers we brew, along with a question and answer session, $5 tastes (over 21 yrs), lunch menu available in the kitchen after the tour.

Winter Brewmaster's Dinner (Monday, February 23rd, 6 p.m.- )
Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen
601 W. Holly St.
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 752-3377
www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com
Menu & Beer details to follow...

Barleywine Bacchanal (February 27th - )
Beveridge Place Pub
6413 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98136
www.beveridgeplacepub.com
Beveridge Place Pub's 6th annual Barleywine Bacchanal is the time of year to come celebrate the world's biggest, boldest brews. Not familiar with Barleywine? This traditional week long celebration is the best way to learn, and enjoy these beers, hands down! With 20 taps dedicated to these bold brews, from all over the country, and even some great vintage tastings, every day is something new. we'll rotate between beers, and years, and the fun won't stop coming till all the beer is gone (or we have to close, thank you Washington State Liquor Law!). So come on down, drink some beer, play some pool, steel tip darts, foosball or "Skittles" (English traditional game, its like tether ball, bowling, cribbage, and a few other games all rolled into one.).

Hard Liver Barleywine Fest (March 21st - )
Brouwers Café
400 N. 35th St.
Seattle, WA 98103
www.brouwerscafe.com
www.hardliver.com
The seventh annual Hard Liver Barleywine Fest will be kicking off Saturday March 21st 2009 at Brouwer's Café. Judging begins at 9am, and the doors open to the public at 11am. The Festival runs all week, so if you didn't get to try all 50 in one day, come on back! No Cover.

Latona Cask Beer Dinner (Monday, March 23rd, 7 p.m.- )
Latona Pub
6423 Latona Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 525-2238
www.3pubs.com

2009 Washington Cask Beer Festival (Saturday, March 28th, 12-4pm & 6-10pm)
SeattleCenter Fisher Pavilion
305 Harrison St.
Seattle, WA 98109
www.washingtonbeer.com

New and Seasonal Releases
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter Warmer, Big Al Brewing Co., www.bigalbrewing.com
Come try Big Al's latest seasonal, a malty, chocolaty 6.5% ABV winter beer that is sure to keep you warm.

Local Hero #1, Big Al Brewing Co., www.bigalbrewing.com
Like many professional brewers, Big Al got his start brewing beer in his garage and sharing it with friends and family. It is estimated that more than 1 million Americans enjoy the art of homebrewing. The art of creating beer at home IS the heart of the craft beer industry and Big Al would like to pay tribute to the craftsman who make beer what it is today, the craftsman who inspire the beers we all enjoy regularly. This is why Big Al is collaborating with a lucky homebrewer 4 times a year to deliver to you Local Hero. A beer that is formulated by a homebrewer, then scaled up and brewed on Big Al's system at the brewery. This beer will be distributed to local pubs and beer bars for you to enjoy. You're welcome!

The first Local Hero, Kevin Davey, is a friend of Big Al's and has put together a dopplebock the they just had to get in your hands. Join Big Al at Naked City Taphouse Tuesday, January 6th at 7pm for the release of this special beer.

Strisselspalt, Boundary Bay Brewery, www.bbaybrewery.com
The 15th in a series of Single Hop Pale Ales, an endeavor to educate those who are interested in the flavor of the individual hops used in making Boundary Bay's award winning ales. Original Gravity: 1.056.

British Brown Ale, Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen, www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com
In Great Britain, the more affordable darker beers such as the Brown Ale became popular after the advent of coke fires in malting kilns and the resulting introduction of pale malts in the late 1700's. The Brown Ale became the working class beer for the people of England. Our British Brown Ale is a deep amber brown color with malty aroma, crisp moderate hop edge and a nutty caramel palate. The Brown Ale leaves you with hints of fruit, light chocolate and coffee, maintaining a slightly dry finish. OG 11 Plato, 4.5% ABV, IBU: 22.

Vienna Lager, Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen, www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com
In the mid 1800's the Viennese had something new to brew as lighter styles of beer were popping up all over Europe. They created what is now know as Vienna malt, the amber malt was stewed after the barley was sprouted, this converted some of the malt starches into sugars, which were then caramelized by a gentle roasting. Chuckanut's Vienna Lager is brewed with half Vienna malts creating a delicate malt aroma with a slightly caramelized and toasted malt character. Light Bronze in color with a slight bitterness, this beer finishes clean and crisp! OG 12.5 Plato, 5% ABV, IBU: 25.

1492, Elliott Bay Brewing Co., www.elliottbaybrewing.com
Red-ish IPA brewed with 100% Columbus hops.

Cali Ave. IPA, Elliott Bay Brewing Co., www.elliottbaybrewing.com
New brewer Dan Ashley's take on an IPA from his native California

Cozy Sweater, Iron Horse Brewery, www.iron-horse-brewery.com
A wintry experiment. Imperial brown, Scottish, who knows what the hell it is other than malty and 7.25%. Available winterish time.

Old Bawdy Barley Wine, Pike Brewing Co., www.pikebrewing.com
Barley Wine is bottled poetry. Old Bawdy is Pike's most extreme beer, brewed with a blend of grist made with enormous quantities of the finest bisquety malts; sweet and earthy with various roasts playing off of one another like sunshine on a field of barley. Balancing this liquid bread, are incredible quantities of a sensual blend of hops of different varieties, all from the YakimaValley, and harvested in 2008. Oh dear, Old Bawdy's brewed but once a year!

Old No. 1 Barleywine, Scuttlebutt Brewing Co., www.scuttlebuttbrewing.com

Panther Lake Porter, Silver City Restaurant & Brewery, www.silvercitybrewery.com
Back for a limited time. This favorite is brewed with chocolate, black and brown malts for a smooth Chocolate like flavor that differentiates it from a stout. 6% ABV.

Imperial Stout, Silver City Restaurant & Brewery, www.silvercitybrewery.com
An extremely black beer with massive roasted malt character balanced with assertive hopping from Northwest Chinook hops, fruity esters and a sinister alcohol content. 9.5% ABV.

Black Bonney Porter, Three Skulls Ales
A hoppy English porter with rich black color and aromas of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, toffee and caramel. The smooth flavor comes from a blend of deep roasted malts. Black Bonney is a rich and powerful beer with a slightly lingering hop finish.

CutThroat Red, Three Skulls Ales
A red ale with a touch of rye to enhance the flavor.

Pillagers Pale, Three Skulls Ales
A Northwest style Pale Ale.

end of WABL mailing

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale
If you get to a Trader Joe's consider picking up a goodly stash of their Vintage Ale 2008. It's a great darkish Unibroue beer. If it's the same recipe they've had since 2005 it ages very well as the scores keep going up for older bottles. Best of all, it's only $4.99 per 750ml. Usually Unibroue beers are $6.99+.

A couple ratebeerians' scores of the 2005 vintage:
Oct 12, 2008
Pours brown with a tan head. Smells of nuts, dark fruit, cherries, some molasses. Tastes of chocolate, nuts, dark fruit, some spicy hints, touches of spice.

Sep 10, 2008
From bottle. Poured dark brown with a thick dark tan short lived head. Aromas are dark spices and roasted malts. Flavors include toffee, coffee and raisin. Typically Belgian yeasty finish. This is aging quite well - I wish I had more.

1st Round AHA National Homebrew Competition Entries Due
March 25-April 8, 2009
10 Regional Sites, US & Canada

Contact Janis Gross, and see National Homebrew Competition for more information.

AHA Big Brew/National Homebrew Day

May 2, 2009
Worldwide event

National Homebrewers Conference

June 18-20, 2009
Oakland City Marriott Center
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Ed. note: What? They don't want to admit it's in Oakland?

National Homebrew Competition Finals
June 18, 2009
Oakland, California

Mead Day
August 1, 2009
Worldwide event

Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day
November 7, 2009
Worldwide event

You might have heard Alan make reference to this Quebecois animated short in relation to Unibroue Maudite's label. It's one of his all time favorite shorts, but I wish the damned (les maudites) figured as prominently in the film as my faulty memories made them:
"Crac" Frederick Back (1981)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=888298086854482964

Beer cap concentration game:
http://caps.lachoff.com/

Randy Travis
"The Storms Of Life"

There’s a dirty piece of cardboard
That reads montgomery ward
Taped across the window of my old ford.
A six-pack on the front seat and a box of chicken wings,
I’m dialin’ ’cross the radio for a song that I can sing

I’d better change my wandrin ways,
I know I’ve seen my better days,
Always gettin’ high when I get low.
Well, I left my soul out in the rain,
Lord, what a price I’ve had to pay.
The storms of life are washin’ me away.

An old mail pouch, tobacco sign
Fadin’ on the barn,
Bringin’ back sweet memories of mama’s farm
When love was just a country girl that lived on down the road.
Spoken: you know, she almost had me turned around,
But that was years ago.

"Beer Spilled Smelly Chair"
by Alldayplay

Why (why) is it
that you can't live without beer
i can't take that beer spilled smelly chair
it's like you live in a dump with your pet rat running round
i'm gonna stab it to the ground
if you don't get rid of it
i'll take it to the pound

you're always wasted
scared of your furry friend
you can't even face me
or tell me your sorry
cause you don't even know where you are
or what the hell to do
so you sit in your beer spilled smelly chair
i'm gonna flush you down the loo
and mince your rat everywhere

sitting there (in that chair)
staring at the ceiling
not knowing what to do
i pack your bag
slam it in your face
you drop your beer
but you sit there

just GET UP GET OUT
turning my house into a trash bin
go back to your mama's
and lie back in your room

CHORUS( your always wasted)

Your not a man but just a boy
go play with your car toys
dragging your beer spilled smelly chair
dropping it down the sairs
it falls and breaks into two parts
with the neighbour's dog peeing on it
it really is a beer spilled doggy peed ripped in two smelly old chair
your dad got drunk in
it's gone now.

Ed. note: Somehow this song doesn't mention beer, perhaps he just forgot.

Brad Paisley
"I'm Still A Guy"

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake you think picnic
And I see a large mouth up under that log
You're probably thinking that you're going to change me
In some ways well maybe you might
Scrub me down, dress me up but no matter what
Remember, I'm still a guy

When you see a priceless French painting
I see a drunk, naked girl
You think that riding a wild bull sounds crazy
And I'd like to give it a whirl
Well love makes a man do some things he ain't proud of
And in a weak moment I might walk your sissy dog, hold your purse at the mall
But remember, I'm still a guy

I'll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground
'Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

I can hear you now talking to your friends
Saying, "Yeah girls he's come a long way"
From dragging his knuckles and carrying a club
And building a fire in a cave
But when you say a backrub means only a backrub
Then you swat my hand when I try
Well, what can I say at the end of the day
Honey, I'm still a guy

I'll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground
'Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

These days there's dudes getting facials
Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotion in your hands
You can't grip a tacklebox

With all of these men lining up to get neutered
It's hip now to be feminized
I don't highlight my hair
I've still got a pair
Yeah honey, I'm still a guy

Oh my eyebrows ain't plucked
There's a gun in my truck
Oh thank God, I'm still a guy

Roger Creager/Radney Foster
"I say when I drink what I think when I'm sober"

I say when I drink what I think when I'm sober
It loosens my tongue and makes me feel bolder
I'm in the mood to do a little drinking tonight
Like it or not, this is on my mind
I could sit here silent or get drunk and confide
Bar keeper another round and I can't keep it inside

Excuse Miss, could I buy you a cocktail?
You're so pretty and I just love the way that you...hey
Are those real? Huh? Oh, no I mean your eyes, of course
They're so beautiful and hey, where you going?

I say when I drink what I think when I'm sober
It loosens me up and makes me feel bolder
I'm in the mood to do a little drinking tonight
Like it or not, this is on my mind
I could sit here silent or get drunk and confide
Bar keeper another round and I can't keep it inside

Roger, there are existential, physical and spiritual reasons
Why man cannot live by bread alone
It's not a simple thing in life
It's very complex, it takes a long time and it's excellent
What is it, Radney?
Brisket
Beer

Now a friend of mine that drinks an alarming amount
Tells me it's not what goes in a man's mouth that defiles him
But rather what comes out
So as I sit her tonight, I worry not about what I'm drinking
But rather how much I'm speaking 'cause it seems every time