Reserve Tapping Today

Just a heads up for those of you who hadn't already heard- Marble Brewery will be releasing the 2013 Reserve Ale (aged in bourbon barrels) at 4 today to members of their mug club and at 6 to non-members. Bottles will also be sold today for $12. If barrel-aged strong ales aren't your thing, Marble will also be tapping Daisy Mae, a Farmhouse Ale with brettanomyces.
It was weird being in Costco the other day (actually, horrible being in Costco) but weird seeing Marble Imperial Stout bottles sold there alongside the 3 liter bottles of Dewars. And now you can find Marble along with the Kroger products, as Marble is being sold in area Smiths stores.

Mistletoe Beers

These aren't Christmas beers. Don't let that headline fool you. I only wrote it because it popped into my head because the beers I'm telling you about are from New Belgium's Lips of Faith series and...you can see...yeahhh.

First up is a collaboration between New Belgium and Grand Rapids, Michigan's Brewery Vivant. Who? You know you have to be doing something special for one of the big Americans like New Belgium to invite a Michigan brewery with a French name brewing Belgians to collaborate, and to further confuse matters, they flew to Belgium and brewed an Irish Red!
No, actually they stayed in the states and brewed a Biere de Garde, a French somewhat-relative of the Saison style but with more maltiness. Citrus notes come from the lemony Sorachi Ace hops and the orange peel addition. Retails for around $9.

The second New Belgium beer is the Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout, a beer that New Belgium did all by itself. I guess they didn't think Starbucks needed any hype. Nor The Candy Lady in Old Town, though a collaboration with The Candy Lady would surely bring about a more interesting label...yeah, we know you only go there for the x-rated chocolates. You buy the regular chocolate at the deserted third floor candy section of the department store at the mall. That's the good stuff. Does New Belgium need any help in the Imperial Stout department? I only wonder because, well, how many stouts can you remember New Belgium ever brewing?? This 9% ABV beer delivers what it advertises, which is 1 pint, 6 fl. oz. of beer. It also delivers the chocolate and coffee it promises, so you may not want to make this beer your nightcap if you have to wake up early. Both of these New Belgium releases are available at the Juan Tabo Kelly Liquors, where they are keeping an eye out for old IPAs while playing music that reminds me of when Anodyne used to play good music.

Tis the Season for...Saisons?

A little bit of Portland-flavored weather here in Albuquerque today has already put me in a bad mood. I don't know how people in the northwest deal with it, and I also don't know if it's a good idea to just let the dog out to walk herself for a while and see if she comes home, but it sounds like a great idea right now.

And while the chilly weather might have you thinking about opening something stout, I thought I'd let you know of a lighter option, should the mood strike you. Horse and Angel Tavern, where the beer is always better than the service, has tapped the only keg of Goose Island Sofie in the state of NM. Sofie is a Saison blend with 20% aged in wine barrels and the addition of orange peel. Amarillo hops add citrus notes, and the wild yeast give the beer some tartness. Expect to pay about $6 for an 8 oz. pour. I give the service at Horse and Angel a hard time, but it's been a few years since I actually tried to get a drink there. I failed, but that doesn't mean the service is still poor. I'm willing to give them a shot if they keep putting interesting beers on tap (and I hear Goose Island Matilda is coming up next).

Seasons in the Abyss

The 2012 Deschutes Abyss has hit Jubilation, but it wasn't enough for those guys to be one of the few places in town that already has it. No, they had to go and bust out bottles of 2009, 2010, and 2011 to sell as well. I love that they keep vintages of different beers, it's just perfect for those of us who said, "I'll get that one next time", only to come back and having the beer be gone for the year. There is a markup for the older ones (example: the 2009 is $21.99, while the 2012 is $14.99). Partially aged in wine, oak and bourbon barrels, The Abyss tastes a little different every year- especially in 2009, when there were some infection issues. Be careful if you're thinking about picking that one up. I'd like to see Deschutes use more than 6% of the bourbon barrel Abyss in the finished product, but it's still a beer I seek out every year.

12.12.12 Gets Here Early

It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?
Finally, the last installment in the Stone Brewing Co.'s Vertical Epic series, 12.12.12, has been brewed, bottled, and distributed. Kind of sad to see it end, but what are you gonna do? The series started with the 02.02.02, and if you have any of those laying around you might want to use it as down payment on a Maybach. Hopefully, you at least saved some of the previous years' vintages and will have a nice tasting on the actual 12.12.12 date...and invite me to it. This year's version, of course, uses Belgian yeast just as the previous vintages did. 12.12.12 sees the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, orange peel, and rosehips. I honestly don't have a clue as to what rosehips are, or why someone would add them to a beer. But Stone has had a lot of practice, so I give them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, I'm sure they want to make this last Vertical Epic beer a special one. I'm looking forward to bringing out what I have left of my Vertical Epics next week and doing a side by side tasting with the new one. I saw this at both the Kelly's on Wyoming and the one at Mountain Run, though I'm sure Albuquerque's Stone headquarters of Jubilation must have it as well. It was $9.99 at Kelly's. Enjoy your 12.12.12 everybody!

A Legal Way to Get Home With a Buzz

Who wants to get handcuffed by a person in uniform?
Yeah, I thought so. Me too. But it isn't as fun as it sounds when it comes to being pulled over for drunk driving. And as we all know from living here in Albuquerque, you don't have to be legally drunk to be put in those handcuffs. How many people do you know who blew something like a .05 and still went to jail? It happens all too often, and, regardless of the validity of the offense, there are ways to avoid it. I've written about alterna-cab independent car companies in the past, and thought I'd revisit the subject today by telling you about Buzz Home.

Buzz Home is a locally-owned (duh! Of course it's local. The chains still haven't caught on to this idea yet, and I hope I never have to be picked up by a person in khakis and blue shirt ala the Best Buy/Blockbuster uniform...though I've had plenty of badly dressed/smelling cab drivers) business that recently expanded to a seven-day a week operation. From Sunday (6 pm-2am)Monday-Wednesday (9 pm-2 am) and Thursday-Saturday (9 pm-4 am), Buzz Home will come get you AND your car and get you both home for $20 in Albuquerque, $30 to or from Rio Rancho- no membership fee required. I once took a cab from Rio Rancho that cost me $65. I was going to call that bad planning on my part, but I just talked to a friend yesterday who really planned badly and got picked up for drunk driving awhile back. Over $2000 in fines, lawyer fees, no license...yeah, I'll pay $30 in a second, let alone $65. And Buzz Home has rolled out an even better deal: the Buzz Pass, which for $40 a month gets you unlimited use. It's a great deal for anyone who goes out even a few times a month. And the Buzz Home drivers don't require tips! Possibly expect them...most likely hope for them...so if you use the service, throw them a few bucks- you're already saving so much just in peace of mind, not to mention the fact that you don't have to ask a friend/family member to give you a ride back to where you let your car, hoping all the while that you don't pull up to a broken window and missing radio.
Sound good? Give Buzz Home a call at 505-205-1110 or visit their website at buzzhomeabq.com. They accept cash and credit cards and suggest you call in advance to reserve a ride if you plan to come home during the busy late night drinking hours.

Wow, Someone Reads This Stuff!

I know you can barely keep up with all my posts lately, but think back to when I wrote about old Deviant Dale's in area stores (You'll have to think back exactly one post)? Well, kudos to Marcus DeGroff, the Western Regional Manager for Oskar Blues. He learned of the problem and sent me a message telling me that the old beer is being pulled from stores. As he says, and I agree, "The beer is too good for someone to try an old one and not get the true experience and taste profile."
The old dates have kept me from buying Gubna and G'Knight in the past, and Deviant Dale's more recently (Ten Fidy is good no matter what the date), so let's hope this will be a trend that continues on. It's nice to see that folks at Oskar Blues addressing a serious problem that plagued other breweries. I'm thinking Great Divide as an example. Their stuff sat around getting old, and a good DIPA like Hercules ended up tasting like a muddled Barleywine. It's no wonder they don't distribute here anymore. Keep it up, Oskar Blues. And get us some Gubna and Ten Fidy on draft.

National Distributing: Anyone Awake?

I like much of National Distributing's lineup; not surprising, considering they carry a majority of the craft beer big names available in Albuquerque. But I have to question why they are passing off old IPAs to the liquor stores- in this case, Oskar Blues Deviant Dale's IPA. The main competitor of Deviant Dale's in our area is naturally La Cumbre Elevated IPA. Dale's took the silver at GABF in the American Style IPA category behind the gold medal winning Elevated. Dale's come's in 16 oz., four-pack cans, as does Elevated. Two big differences, however: 1. Deviant Dale's costs up to $4.00 more depending on the store, and 2. Deviant Dale's is being delivered to stores (today, Nov. 28, as a matter of fact) with a canned on date of May 25. I don't think the Dale's will taste bad or give you rabies but I wonder if anyone at National realizes that there are savvy beer drinkers out there who will pass up the more expensive Deviant Dale's for much fresher, cheaper, and gold medal winninger beer...

You Ate Your Goose, Now Drink It Too

Spending yesterday with all that family around driving you to get out and drink today? May I suggest either Kelly's Brewpub or Fat Squirrel? Both of these places are debuting the Goose Island core brand of beers on tap today: 312 Urban Wheat (one of the few wheat beers I will actually buy), Honkers Ale (basically an ESB), Mild Winter (Goose Island describes it as an American Mild Ale...Mild Ale is a British style and usually low in alcohol, but this is 5.6%...go America!), and IPA (an English-style IPA, this has won the gold medal at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup). Try not to get trampled today.

Black Friday

I'm not writing about the upcoming day after Thanksgiving horror that so many take part in, rather I am writing about some new dark beers that have hit the area. I do want to say that it sucks to see so many places open on Thanksgiving- I was in Dollar Tree and saw they have to be open as well that day. Who the hell is going to be in there stocking up on unwanted cans of Campbell's Dry Egg Noodle or Pepper Pot soups? Give people a break to spend a holiday with their families.

Santa Fe has a new one for y'all- Black IPA. The design is minimal but striking nonetheless in a Metallica Black Album kind of way. Originally a recipe of homebrewer John Rowley, the Black IPA was featured at the Santa Fe tap room but is seeing distribution for the first time. And that's a good thing. I enjoyed the original version sample I had of this beer very much. The ABV is 7.1%, a little higher than their Happy Camper. I saw this at Whole Foods on Carlisle selling for $8.49 a six-pack.

Wow, these Stone collaborations are coming out more often than, well, I was going to say ex-Cowboy players but that doesn't really apply. Anyway, the latest collaboration brings us a Black Smoked Saison, thought up by the minds of Evil Twin, Stillwater, and, of course, Stone. Though unusual, we've seen the black Saison done before by Widmer. Never seen a smoked one before, however. Evil Twin makes about 10,000 different beers, much like Mikkeller does. No surprise, as the head of Evil Twin is the brother of the head of Mikkeller. Ambitious guys. Though based in Denmark, many of the Evil Twin beers are brewed by Westbrook Brewing, out of Mt. Pleasant, SC. Stillwater is a Baltimore brewery that specializes in Saisons, and I really like what they do with the style. You can find this 6.8% ABV Saison at Kelly Liquors and Jubilation selling at $3.99 per 12 oz. bottle. Oh, yeah, the beer is called The Perfect Crime, but I don't think it refers to the fact that an equivalent six-pack of this beer would cost you $24.

Good to see that along with Coronado's new distributor comes more beers from their portfolio for us. Stupid Stout is the latest to hit here. Once called Stoopid Stout till someone realized their mistake (or maybe they didn't want it confused with Lagunitas Hop Stoopid?), Stupid Stout is an Imperial Stout that comes in at 10% ABV. And though I have become addicted to Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts, I found myself really enjoying the Stupid Stout. Lots of chocolate and some coffee and it's not one of those thin-tasting stouts. I hate those, don't you??? I'd love to see what barrel aging would do for this beer. You can get Stupid Stout at Jubilation in 22 oz. bottles for $6.99.

An Epic Beer Dinner at O'Niell's

How are you preparing for the end of the world this December? Since "You can't take it with you!", may I suggest spending $65 of that savings that will be worth nothing on a special beer dinner at O'Niell's Nob Hill location? I know, even though the world is ending, you are cheap. I get that. But listen: O'Niell's will be serving six years worth (2007-2012) of Stone Brewing Co.'s Vertical Epic Ale along with five courses of food at this dinner! Vertical Epic was first brewed in 2002, and all the versions are a slant on Belgian styles (Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgian IPA, Belgian Strong Dark, Pale with Sauvignon and Muscat grapes, Pale with New Mexico green chile). I'm sure the O'Niell's staff put a lot of thought into which beer would pair best with what. Here are the pairings:

WELCOME BEER
Newly Released Stone Vertical Epic Ale 12.12.12
First Course
Lobster bisque with fried leek. Served with 11.11.11
Second Course
Spinach salad with apple, cranberry, feta, and candied walnuts in an Asian vinaigrette. Served with 10.10.10
Third Course
Ribs in sweet red chile glaze with sweet potato fries. Served with 09.09.09
Fourth Course:
Beef Wellington in béarnaise sauce with fresh seasonal vegetables and fingerling potatoes.
Served with 08.08.08
Fifth course
Vanilla cream puff in a chocolate drizzle. Served with 07.07.07

Unique to this dinner is the fact that all of these beers are going to be ON DRAFT. You may have some versions of Vertical Epic hiding away somewhere, but I doubt you have kegs of it! I sure don't- I only have a corny keg with some leftover homebrew from 2010. If I drink it now I'm afraid my world may end even sooner.
The dinner takes place on Monday, December 17 at 6 pm. For reservations, call 255-6782 or email Daniela@oniells.com.

Coronado Tries Again

I wrote about Coronado Brewing's re-introduction to the Albuquerque market via a tap takeover, and now the bottles are hitting area shelves. We will see if a push from a different distributor makes a difference in Coronado's sales; the quality has always been there. You can see from the picture a new Coronado design- gone are the paper labels (except for some rogue bottles of Red Devil [Bird of Paradise] and Mermaid Red [Kelly's at Mountain Run]. Don't buy them. OLD.). Coronado is also using new packaging for their Idiot Double IPA, going to a 4-pack ala Green Flash. Pricing is in line with Green Flash as well, $9.99 for the Idiot 4-pack as opposed to the $15.99 for the old six-pack design. The one complaint I have about the new bottle design is there is no bottled on date like the old bottles had- or at least I couldn't find one, and I looked really hard. Jubilation is carrying the Idiot as well as the new Blue Bridge Coffee Stout, 5.4% ABV with a strong coffee presence that is selling for $3.99 per 22 oz. bottle.