So long, Tallahassee!

Well, it's definitely been fun.

For those of you that haven't realized, or I haven't told - I have moved to Jacksonville. As you can see, that means I won't be keeping up on this blog anymore. Sorry, Tallahassee!

Will I do this in Jacksonville? Probably not. There are a billion more beer places in the metro area, and with my busy schedule, I don't think I can keep up.

More importantly, what do you need to know about Tallahassee as you read this?

Well, off the top of my head, I can only think of 2 things:

1). Proof Brewing Company launched their brewery tonight. They are having another release of 2 more beers in 2 weeks in honor of National IPA day. Though I couldn't attend, I was there for their first brew day, and I tasted a couple of the brews out of the fermenters. You're in for a treat, Tallahassee.

2). Ferm is opening a new location at some point in Midtown. Hipsters unite!

It's been fun! Thanks, everyone!

Upcoming Events

Well gang, the Thanksgiving holiday is over. I hope you went deep into a food coma and awoke early on Friday to knock over a toddler and grab the last giant TV on sale... time well spent, for sure!

Since the break is over, events are popping back up here and there. On Wednesday, November 30th, Proof will kill the end of the month in style with a nice Sweetwater event. They will be tapping the newest Dank Tank release - Fresh Sticky Nugs - as well as the last dank tank - Ghoulash. I have to say Ghoulash (black IPA) was pretty tasty, and I'm excited for Fresh Sticky Nugs. It's a dry-hopped double red ale. For the entire goofy story - click here. As is Proof style, there will also be a glassware giveaway.

Speaking of Fresh Sticky Nugs... how on earth does Sweetwater get away with their beer names? I'm thinking they must have an insider approving their labels. For your pleasure, here are some of their more interesting beer names:

420
Big Ol' Belgian Blue Balls
Border Hopper
The Creeper
Donkey Punch!
Dubbel Ds
Happy Ending
Hummer
Jack Ass
Motor Boat
Tripel Lindy
Wet Dream

Some of these are a bit more coded than others, so you may have to do some Googling to figure them out. I'll get you started with an old poster they apparently used when they released Happy Ending:

Anyway... Proof is also having a Dogfish Head happy hour from 5-7pm on Friday, December 2nd featuring tappings of Faithfull, Burton Baton, Immort Ale, Chicory Stout, "and a few more surprises." I'm told they may have another keg of 120 Minute, which always goes fast.

On December 7th, at 5pm when they open, Fermentation Lounge will be serving a haus "Twigs and Berries" cider. I can't remember what they put into it to make it, but proceeds that night go to benefit one of the male bartenders who had a biking accident and needs help with his medical bills... I'll let you put those pieces together... no pun intended. For you RateBeer folk, sadly we won't get to rate this one, as RateBeer does not allowed flavored ciders. Balderdash!

UPDATE: Robert of GH was kind enough to pass along the cider info to me on Facebook:

"Dec 7 (Wednesday) is the Festical for Trevor and we are serving a Twig and Berries cider. Twig and Berries is a dry cider with cranberries and cinnamon sticks added in the secondary. I cooked down 4 lbs of cranberries with cane sugar, agave syrup, and three different types of cinnamon sticks. Once the pectin was broke down in the cranberries, I chilled the mixture and added it to the cider."

He was also kind enough to pass along the next GH Haus Bier release information, which will be at 5pm on Monday, December 5th.

"Dec 5 (Monday) we are releasing Date Brown (20g), a dark English style brown ale with dates added during secondary fermentation, and Spiced Persimmon Ale (10g), an Amber ale with locally grown persimmons and a fresh ground spice mixture. We roasted the persimmons on my grill, so there is a slight bit of smokiness present."

As always, these sound unique and tasty! Because of school, I don't know for sure that I can make the Festical (hah!), but I should be able to make the Haus Bier release on the 5th if anyone wants to stop in and say hello!

Cheers!

This week!

Proof will be having a Hoegaarden glassware giveaway on Wednesday, 11/16 at 8pm. Oddly enough this is one glass that I don't have, so I might just come out for this one.

UPDATE: Proof will also be having a Southern Tier glassware giveaway on Friday.

I have confirmed that there will be a Golden Horn release this Wednesday, 11/16/11 at Fermentation Lounge when they open at 5pm. They will be releasing a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (YUM) and a Chipotle Ale (we'll see...). I will definitely be there at some point!

Cheers!

Local Updates

Not much new going on these days, but here are a few quick updates and reminders. Also, I've been asked by a local up and coming brewer to come over, do an interview, and sample some brews. Once that happens I will post it on the blog! If any other current or future brewers would like a spot on the blog - feel free to contact me!

Tomorrow is Proof's big Stone event. They will have 2 casks, including a vanilla aged smoked porter and dry-hopped Oaked Arrogant Bastard. There will also be a glassware giveaway and any beers purchased from the Arrogant Bastard lineup helps towards the "Most Arrogant Bar in the US" competition.

The week after (November 9th) is Proof's Dogfish Head event. There will be a glassware giveaway as well as kegs of 120 Minute, Bitches Brew, Namaste, My Antonia, Olde School, Pangea, Hellhound, 60 Minute, 90 Minute, and Midas Touch. I'm not Dogfish's #1 fan, but that's a tasty lineup. They are also boasting bottles of "Dogfish Head Foundation," but I have no idea what that is. If anyone has any idea, do let me know! UPDATE: I assume they're talking about Dogfish Head's new Pearl Jam beer, dubbed "Faithfull," and it was just a mix up of names.

The brewer for Golden Horn/Fermentation Lounge told me awhile back that they are a week behind their original schedule, so their next haus bier release should happen on or around November 16th. The original schedule says they were planning a chocolate oatmeal imperial stout (yum!) and a date brown ale (gross). We'll see what pops up, though!

Well that's about it for now. Check back soon for that interview!

Cheers!

Huge News from Proof

In a recent e-mail, Proof dropped a couple of big bombs on the beer community, but let's get a few smaller updates over with first.

UPDATE: A co-worker told me Momo's threw a new beer on tap, and a call verifies so. It's a light, golden honey ale and the girl on the phone told me it's called "Honey Bear Ale." Cute. Now start telling us when you PUT YOUR BEERS ON TAP!

Fermentation Lounge is having the next haus bier release with Golden Horn Brewing Company this Wednesday, the 26th at 5pm. They are releasing a Spiced Pumpkin Beer and a Pale Peach Ale (peach pale ale). Normally I'd post the descriptions, but we have more important news to get to (no offense, Ferm dudes). Instead, check out their blog.

Proof is celebrating their 3rd birthday that same Wednesday with a Sweetwater event at 8pm. They will be tapping the new Dank Tank - Ghoulash, an imperial black IPA. There will also be a glassware giveaway as always.

The biggest news, however, comes in Proof's latest subscription email:

"We are in the process of expanding by adding:
A new bar and bar area!
A Biergarten!
22 more taps for a total of 50!
Dedicated beer engines for Cask Ale!
A BREWERY - with full scale brewing operations commencing soon!"

HOLY SHIT!

Let's read that again. 22 more taps? 50 total taps? Casks?! A BREWERY?!

Obviously, I knew about this a long time ago, but I have been keeping my mouth shut until the news was officially announced. Since that information is a bit scant, allow me to fill in a bit. Proof is currently in the process of turning their basement into another bar. This bar will have 22 more taps (making the total 50 with the current 28 upstairs), bottles, and liquor, but no macros (sorry, brosefs). Additionally, I believe some new bartenders and beer loving bartenders will be working down there (ie: myself, hopefully). So hopefully within the next couple of months (I'm not sure of the open dates), you will be able to come enjoy a beer served by yours truly! Additionally, you could take that beer outside and enjoy it in the biergarten. Crazy!

A BREWERY?!

Yep. I'm not sure exactly when this will be implemented, but I'm pretty excited. Proof has some good people in mind to help out with this, and again, I'm hoping one of them is yours truly. Who knows, someday you may be able to come to Proof and enjoy a beer served by me that I helped make! Yikes!

Well all of this is definitely good news, and I'm certainly excited!

Cheers!

Stone Event at Proof

Finally some beer events are happening in Tallahassee! We've been in a bit of a slump...

Momo's tapped their new IPA on Sunday, eventually dubbing it "Sunburst IPA." It's not bad, but it's nothing special. I was hoping for a bigger hop kick, but I'm sure it goes down easy for the masses... which is good for their business, I'm sure. You can see my rating, and a few others, here.

Proof announced their next big event, which is centered around Stone Brewing Company. There aren't a ton of details, but they're promising two casks, 2011 Double Bastard, and a glassware giveaway. I think that may be one random Wednesday that I don't have orchestra rehearsal, so depending on what the casks are, you may just see me there!

Cheers!