Although a chain, they are a small chain and as a result, each location has its own individuality. Here’s a link to a recent article I did about them on UpTake
Monthly Archive for November, 2010
A new gastropub has recently opened up in San Antonio, adding to what is becoming a respectable craft beer scene in San Antonio. A little over a week ago, The Monterey, a gastropub focusing on craft beer and high end wines, opened in South San Antonio a little more than a week ago.
I had the occasion to stop by last Friday. Here’s a re-post of my review for UpTake.
This past Saturday saw the 3rd bottle release of Freetail Brewing Co’s popular La Muerta, a day otherwise known as: Dia de La Muerta. La Muerta is Freetail’s immensely popular Imperial Stout. Its release, whether in the bottle or on draft, is always highly anticipated. Usually release in November each year in conjunction with Dia de los Muertos. Each year LaMuerta’s reputation seems to grow and has spread outside of Texas.
photo courtesy of Freetail Brewing
This year, folks were lined up as early as 9am at the San Antonio area brewpub, to ensure they had a shot when bottles went on sale at 11:30. Last years bottling was around 85 or so and sold out quickly. This year, bottling was increased to around 450 and those clamoring for bottles were limited to 4 each. Despite the increase in bottling this year, La Muerta sold out in about 3 hours, showing again it quite the hot commodity.
This years offering certainly has not disappointed. Filled with strong, yet balanced. notes of smoke and chocolate. Fair warning to the faint of heart, this homage to the dearly departed weighs in at around 10.2% ANV (Alcohol by Volume). Tread lightly, but enjoy. It’ quite the treat and perfect for the cooler fall weather in San Antonio.
Continue reading ‘Dia De La Muerta And The Phenomenon That Is Freetail Brewing’
I got to thinking about the subject of beer freshness after a friend and I were discussing some recent comments made on a popular craft beer site. By now we have all heard of the ‘Born On Date’, as a rather large and global beer conglomerate has made us all aware of the term. What many do not know, is that Anheiser-Bush InBev did not start the practice of marking when the beer was bottled. The Boston Beer Company first started the practice with its Sam Adams line back in the1980’s and many do it now in one form or fashion. Putting born on dates aside for a moment, the crux of this issue exactly how long is beer fresh?
pic courtesy of benchfly.com
This is indeed a highly debatable topic with many thoughts on how fresh a beer stays before you have to consume it. It often depends on a few factors, such as the style, how the beer is packaged, how it’s handled by the brewer, what the distributor does with it, as well as the retailer. Does a beer really go bad beyond its ‘freshness date’? I’m not going to be able to put that issue to bed in the article, but maybe I can give a little insight.
Continue reading ‘Is Your Beer Fresh? Musings On What it Means To Be A Fresh Beer’
Craft beer dinners are becoming more and more common. What’s not so common though is the acceptance of a beer dinner being as culture shaping as a wine tasting or an art show. many high end restaurants would rather stay clear than be associated with beer. Never fear! Some finer restaurants are getting the message and Brenner’s on the Bayou on Houston, Texas is on such place. Here’s a re-post of an article I did about them.
I love these guys. Great people, great brews and just an all around great attitude! Paul, Kim, Tyson and Angela from Nebraska Brewing Company are passionate and caring about their beers and the craft beer culture. You’d be hard pressed to find a better group than these folks! Here is a repost of an article I did on them for on UpTake:
