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On The Hunt For Some Interesting New Beers? Signup For The Bruery’s Reserve Society.

I’m all about spending your money this week!  I dropped some details earlier this week about the Crooked Stave Cellar Reserve club and the signup info which began this past Monday.  Now it’s time to talk about The Bruery’s Reserve Society.  The Bruery, out of Placentia, CA has a beer club geared towards total beer geeks, nerds, connoisseurs, lovers, collectors, whatever…, that is a great way to acquire exclusive and hard-to-find Bruery beers.

The Reserve Society is entering its’ 4th year and shows no signs of slowing down as they continue to grow and cater to their loyal following.  I joined the club last year and have been very impressed by their wide variety of beers, collaborations, parties and other benefits that are exclusive to Reserve Society members. This year’s $295 fee will guarantee you:

— 1 bottle of Melange #3 (Initial Package, January 2013 pickup)
— 1 bottle of White Chocolate (Initial Package, January 2013 pickup)
— 1 bottle of Otiose (Initial Package, January 2013 pickup)
— 1 bottle of Chocolate Rain (Available in March 2013)
— 2 bottles of Black Tuesday (Available in late October 2013)
— 2 bottles Barrel Aged 5 Golden Rings (Available in December 2013)
— 1 bottle of Mystery Beer #1 (Mystery Release Date)
— 1 bottle of Mystery Beer #2 (Mystery Release Date)
— 1 piece of high quality merchandise

As a Reserve Society member, you’ll also receive 15% off purchases on the Bruery website, Provisions Store and Tasting Room, a membership card, climate controlled storage of your beers until 3.31.2014 and access to a ton of releases throughout the year.  Here’s a tentative list:

— Sour in the Rye
— Chocolate Rain*
— White Oak
— Sans Pagaie
— Bois
— Bois Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels*
— Bois Aged in Brandy Barrels*
— Bois Aged in new American Oak Barrels #4 Toast*
— Kumquat Sour In The Rye*
— Barrel Aged English Barleywine with Portola Coffee* (Name pending)
— Blueberry Sour* (Name pending)
— Mystery Beer #1
— Mystery Beer #2
— Tart of Darkness
— White Chocolate
— Barrel Aged Apricot Strong Ale* (Name pending)
— Bourbon Barrel Aged Smoking Wood
— Cherry Oude Tart*
— Oude Tart
— Black Tuesday
— Grey Monday*
— Melange #1
— Bourbon Barrel Aged Autumn Maple
— Melange #3
— Rueuze
— Barrel Aged 5 Golden Rings*
— Smoking Wood – Rye Barrel Aged
— Approximately 8 very exciting Provisions Series releases

* = Exclusive (Reserve & Hoarders Society Only, not included in Preservation Society membership or to general release)
Black Tuesday, Chocolate Rain, Oude Tart and on and on and on.  Did you see the lines at GABF this year for 1 oz. pours of Black Tuesday?  If not, here’s a shot from the Thursday release.  You can skip all this madness and get secure your bottles through the Reserve Society.
Reserve Society members were given 2 bottles of Black Tuesday with their membership this year and were allowed to purchase up to 5 additional bottles.  The guaranteed bottles of the amazing 18.2% ABV, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout is worth the price alone.  Don’t forget about Chocolate Rain, Black Tuesday’s big brother, which is a 19% ABV, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout brewed with vanilla bean and cacao nibs.  Yeah, that’s included too.

Don’t even get me started on sours.  Name a fruit and they probably make a sour beer with it.  It’s ridiculous.  I love it.
The only catch with the club is that you either have to live in CA or have a “trustee” that lives in CA. My trustee is a beer trading friend that happens to live near The Bruery, is also a Reserve Society member and doesn’t mind picking up my beers and shipping them to me.  In exchange for his troubles, I send him some local Colorado brews every now and then and obviously pay for shipping costs through my FedEx account.  It’s actually quite easy and keeps me up to date with all the latest releases.

If shipping’s not your thing, you can always use the club as an excuse to make a road trip or fly out for a fun weekend.  They’ll even hold onto your beers for you until March 2014.  Mrs. Brewtally Insane and I flew out earlier this year to attend their “Initiation Party” and try a ton of one-offs and past Reserve Society releases.  There were plenty of mind-blowing beers to sample and I met some great beer peeps from all across the U.S.  Here’s a scan of the menu from the party.
It’s a quick flight and makes for a great 2-3 day trip.

Sorry to drain your wallets this week, but hey, it’s that time of year.  Sign up and get rewarded or miss out and get out-of-the-way.  Beer freaks looking to join for the first time can enroll on Thursday, October 25th at 11AM.  More details are HERE and your direct link to sign up can be found HERE.

Owner Patrick Rue is good people and I can’t say enough good things about his amazing beers. Definitely worth your time and money.
Cheers!

October 24, 2012 | Categories: New Beers and Beer News, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend Beer Buzz 6/20/2012

We’ve got another beer filled weekend coming up.  You ready?  Get your calendar’s out, here’s the run down.

The 23rd Annual Colorado Brewers’ Festival is this weekend.  The festival runs from 12:30 – 6:30 PM on Saturday, June 23rd and Sunday, June 24th.  More than 40 breweries will be pouring their brews including the usual suspects from Fort Collins, along with out of towners like Crazy Mountain, River North and Ska.  Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking HERE.

If you’re really looking to geek out and try some amazing beers ahead of time, then head over early for the VIP Connoisseur Tasting on Friday June 22nd.  This is sponsored by Choice City Butcher & Deli and is sure to have some nice beers available to taste.  Sour heads will want to check out Crooked Stave and Black Bottle Brewing.  Black Bottle hasn’t opened yet, so this might be your first chance to give them a try.

The 2012 Colorado Brewers’ Festival is being held at Civic Center Park in Fort Collins, CO.  Check out the official website for a brewery and beer list, hours, directions, ticket information and schedule for the weekend.

Fire things up with Firkin Friday over at Dry Dock Brewing.  This week is Starship Enterprise.  Firkin Master Walt took their Enterprise IPA and dry-hopped it with Galaxy, a citrusy, Australian hop.  Tapping is at 3PM.  Dry Dock Brewing is located at: 15120 E Hampden Ave, Aurora, CO 80014.  303-400-5606.

Copper Kettle Brewing is releasing another brew to the tap lines on Saturday, June 23rd.  This round is their summer Kolsch.  With more 90 degree weather on the way, this is just what you need.  The fun starts at noon and The Vegan Van will be rolling in at 5 PM.

Copper Kettle Brewing is located at: 1338 S Valentia St, Denver, CO 80247.  720-443-CKBC.

The Falling Rock 15th Anniversary celebration wraps up this weekend.  Friday will feature a special barrel aged version of Bull & Bush’s Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout.  Saturday will see New Belgium’s sour LOVE on tap and Sunday will feature a variety of special kegs from Dogfish Head.  It’s Falling Rock, you won’t be disappointed.

Falling Rock Tap House is located at: 1919 Blake St, Denver, CO 80202.  303-293-8338.

Benjamin Weiss, Marketing Director for The Bruery, is in town visiting Colorado for a few days.  He’ll be hosting a beer dinner in Boulder on Thursday, June 21st.  Pizzeria Basta will be pouring Sans Pagaie (sour cherry), Loakal Red (hoppy, oak aged red), Smoking Wood (imperial, smoked, barrel aged rye porter) and Birra Basta (brewed exclusively for the event).  A special food menu was created to pair with each beer.  Call to make a reservation if you’re planning to attend.

Pizzeria Basta is located at: 3601 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80302.  303-997-8775.

Ben will stick around and share some more Bruery specialties over at Hops & Pie on Sunday, June 24th.  This mini Tap Takeover will feature Otiose (sour guava), Loakal Red, Hottenroth (berliner weisse), Tradewinds (Belgian golden) and Mischief (hoppy Belgian golden).  Hops & Pie is located at: 3920 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212.  303-477-7000.

Aside from the Birra Basta, I’ve had the chance to try all of the beers that The Bruery is sending out our way.  Several of them have never been available in Colorado until now.  This is a rare opportunity to try some of their sours and Loakal Red, so check out these events.  You won’t be disappointed.

Wrap up your weekend with Avery’s next release in their Barrel Aged series.  This round is Oud Floris, a Barrel Aged Sour Brown Ale.  You can purchase beers at the brewery on Sunday, June 24th at 4 PM.  Bottles are $8 / each, cash only, with a 6-bottle limit.

They’ll have plenty of sours on tap just for the event, including Bad Apple and Grapes of Wrath.  Avery Brewing is located at: 5763 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80303.

Last, but not least, another new brewery opened their doors for the first time this afternoon.  Bootstrap Brewing is open and ready for you!  They’re located up in Niwot and are currently pouring: 1956 Golden Ale, Backfire Chili Beer, Boomer Brown and IPA Batch #1.

Congrats on the opening guys!  Their hours are Mon-Thur 3-8 PM, Fri-Sun 12-8 PM.  Bootstrap Brewing is located at: 6778 North 79th St, Niwot, CO 80503.

That’s it folks.  Another solid week of events around town.  Hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy them.

Cheers!

June 20, 2012 | Categories: Weekend Beer Buzz | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Weekend Beer Buzz 6/20/2012

Beer Trippin’ in California. The Bruery Reserve Society Initiation Party

In my last post, we visited The Bruery Provisions, in Orange, CA.  After finishing up our beers and stuffing ourselves with cheese, we decided to go find our hotel.  Patti had done her homework and found a hotel right next to The Bruery.  I don’t want to lose you here, but The Bruery Provisions is different from the actual Bruery.  Same company, but The Bruery is the actual brewing and bottling facility, with a tasting room inside.  We could see the grain silo from the hotel.  Yeah, my wife rules!  Unfortunately, The Bruery doesn’t open their doors to the beer nerds until 4PM on Fri / Sat and noon on Sun.

With not much else going on and the monsoon still raging outside, we decided to check in and relax.  Patti caught a nap and I went to find a cup of coffee.  We had some time to kill before the main event.  After an hour or two, I called for a cab and we got ready to head out.

I’ve already mentioned The Bruery Reserve Society, and you might not have a clue as to what I’m talking about  Well turn down your walkman and listen up.  Neil Diamond can wait.  The Reserve Society is a club run by The Bruery that gives members access to their hard to get, rare, one-offs and seasonals throughout the year.  If you’ve heard of beers like Black Tuesday, Chocolate Rain and Melange, this is the way to guarantee yourself a bottle or three.  If you haven’t heard of these beers, you need to seek them out!  Mark your GABF map now!  Seriously, GO!  It’s cool, I’ll wait for you until you get back.  Grab us a beer while you’re at it.

Now, do yourself a favor and hunt down some beers from these guys.  Even if it’s just off the shelf stuff like Saison Rue or Mischief.  Try them, ask a friend to share some, come to one of our tastings, join the club next year.  DO IT!  They’re making some pretty special beers and since opening in 2008, they’ve jumped to the top of the pack as one of the best breweries in the U.S.  It’s nice to see too.  Patti and I met the founder, Patrick Rue, at GABF in 2008 and he was just trying to get his beers out into the market.  We tried Black Orchard and Autumn Maple and knew we’d be hearing more from him in the future.  It’s safe to say he’s done very well for himself.

Memberships are sold out for this year, but signups typically open around November for the following year.  They won’t ship your beer to you, so if you don’t live nearby, start trying to track down someone who can pick up and ship for you.  This isn’t as hard as you might think.  I can point you in the right direction of some beer geeks out that way who will be glad to help.  If that’s not your thing, the fine folks at The Bruery will store your beer at The Provisions until March of the following year.  So, let them stockpile your beer, then make one trip out there and ship it back to your home or make a nice little road trip out of it.  Yes, it can be done!
Throughout the year, members can participate in various parties, beer releases and events exclusive to Reserve Society members.  We were in town for one of these events, The Reserve Society Initiation Celebration.  It just kind of worked out that I had the time off for our spring training trip to Arizona, so adding an extra day to hop over to California seemed all too easy.
The party was being held at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim.  This place is kind of like a big German hall with a restaurant and bar and various other areas that can be rented out.  Our party was in a giant tent.
They checked our ID’s, pulled our name on the guest list, gave us a wrist band with 10 tabs for samples, a glass and a list of beers being served.

Beer Menu for the party.

 They had some rock music playing and along the edges of the room there were tables set up offering different beers.  There was already a line about 75 people deep for pours of Chocolate Rain.  Chocolate Rain is a version of Black Tuesday, their big ol’ 18% ABV imperial stout, that has been barrel aged with vanilla beans and cocoa nibs.  I’ve tried Black Tuesday (phenomenal beer!), but had never been lucky enough to get my paws on a Chocolate Rain.  It’s only been bottled two or three times and it’s never been sold outside of the club.  So, Patti and I got in line and waited for our pour.
Wow!!!  Amazing beer.  Thick, oily pour, deep black color.  It was so thick it coated the glass.  Huge bourbon, vanilla and oak aroma.  Loads of chocolate, fudge and caramel.  Man, oh man.  Delicious beer.  I’m really looking forward to getting my bottles.

Brewmaster Tyler King pouring his beers.

We really savored our sample and didn’t want it to end, so we took some time to walk the place and take in all the sights.  Each table had a row of bottles lined up, showcasing what was being poured.  I’m honestly not familiar with all the names of their beers.  With names like Run BMC and Gunga Galunga, it’s not easy to remember what everything is.  The bottles have a description on the label, so that really helped us with some of their more obscure beers.
 
After a good rinsing to peel the Chocolate Rain remains off our glass, we eventually decided on our next samples.  Patti went with Batch #50 Grand Funk Ale Road and I grabbed a pour of Melange #1, which is a blend of Black Tuesday (imperial stout) and Oude Tart (flemish red).  Batch #50 is an interesting beer.  It’s created in the traditional Belgian gueuze process of blending old and young lambic together to create a new beer called gueuze.  Sour and complex, there’s really no way to describe a beer like this until you’ve tried it.  It’s unique and a favorite style of mine.  Also interesting to note that it was brewed to commemorate their 50th batch, back in 2009, but because it took a blend of an old and new beer to make, it wasn’t ready for release until well after their 300th batch of beer had been released in 2011.

Batch 50 and Melange No. 1

Patti and I usually order different beers and swap glasses to sample each other’s and try more beers.  In this case, she preferred mine and I preferred hers, so we just swapped glasses.  It’s awesome having a beer loving wife!  I highly recommend finding yourself one.  It’s better than having to share beers with your buddy who’s probably just going to get you sick.
 Eventually, we made our way outside and discovered the draft truck.  This is a big, white, box truck, with 30 tap handles drilled into the side.  Lots of fun things pouring from the truck, but my favorite was a guest tap from Bootlegger’s called Knuckle Sandwich.  This was a nice big, west coast, Double IPA.  Patti got it with a splash of Centennial hop oil.  This made it green (it was St. Patrick’s day after all) and extra hoppy.
 
Food was provided by Beachwood BBQ and they had pulled pork, brisket and chicken to choose from, plus a wide variety of sides to try.

Plenty of great food provided by Beachwood BBQ.

Patrick and The Bruery peeps really know how to throw a party.  My only regret was running out of tickets before trying Sour in the Rye with kumquats.  It created quite the buzz, but I didn’t hear about it until after we got home.  There were just so many great beers to try, we were bound to miss something special.  Oh well, something to keep an eye out for in the future.
There were cabs all over the place when we got back to the parking lot and it was a short, 7 minute ride back to our hotel.  We stopped our driver as he was going past The Bruery, right next to our hotel.  So that wraps up part two of our Bruery weekend.  The third and final installation of our St. Patrick’s day throwdown will be at The Bruery’s brewing and bottling facility.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, here are some random pics and labels from a few of the many beers that were being poured at the party.  Cheers!
 

March 19, 2012 | Categories: Beer Festivals, Beer Trippin', Brewery Spotlight | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment