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Tag Archives: Stone Brewing

Black Sheep to host beer dinner throw down

A month or so ago, Black Sheep Restaurant tried to hold a unique beer dinner at their rooftop dining area. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and torrential rain forced the cancellation of the event. So, to make it up to those beer lovers who missed out, the restaurant has rescheduled the event for Wednesday, September 16 between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

The concept: pit two legendary breweries against each other in a beer pairing throw down.

The breweries: Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing and Southern California’s Stone Brewing.

Created by Chef Waylon Rivers, the menu is an opulent mélange of surf and turf creations. Think ceviche, scallops and beef short ribs. Creative and exciting stuff.

The beers will be presented by representatives of each brewery and are chosen to highlight the dish they are served alongside. Both Cigar City and Stone are known for their assertive and flavor-forward brews and for this shoot out, they have brought the big guns. Heady brews such as Stone Hifi Lowfi Blended Ale and Cigar City Seasonal Creep are featured prominently.

First Course

Shrimp Ceviche, Compressed Water Melon, Shishito Peppers, Mezcal

Paired with:
Stone Goto Session IPA
Cigar City Invasion IPA

Second Course

Little Pig Ear Salad

Paired with:
Stone Hifi Lowfi Blended Ale
Cigar City Cracker White

Third Course

Seared Scallop, Summer Squash Salad, Upland Cress Gazpacho

Paired with:
Stone Delicious IPA
Cigar City Hard Cider

Fourth Course

Coffee Glazed Short Rib, Black Eye Pea Salad, Red Eye Vinaigrette

Paired with:
Stone Collaboration Woot Stout
Cigar City Seasonal Creep

In addition to the elaborate food to be served, the service itself is somewhat unique. Instead of a seated dinner, diners are encouraged to arrive when they feel like it anytime during the dinner’s hours. Dishes will be served reception style on diner’s time schedules, not in a rush as is often the case at beer dinners.

Tickets for the event are $40 (not including tax and gratuity) and are available from the restaurant. Call (904) 380-3091 for more details and to purchase a ticket.

American craft beer is big in Europe and the rest of the world

14 Mar

The demand for American craft beers is so high that several breweries are planning to build facilities overseas. Perhaps the most visible of these is Stone Brewing Company. The brewery’s European Brewery Project has been the topic of much discussion. But, as the company’s blog says, “…we believe Europe is in the early stages of a brewing revolution.” Which means that, just like America in the 1990’s, Europe is getting tired of fizzy yellow beer and craving more complex, challenging brews that truly represent the artistry that is possible in brewing beer.
Though Canada is the largest export market with an increase of 140 percent in volume, Western Europe showed amazing increases. Sweden and the United Kingdom saw slight declines, but the increase in the rest of Europe accounted for $14.6 million.

Nowhere is the American influence more evident than at Brew Dog brewery. Brew Dog, located in Edinburgh, started in 2007 and is an ode to American-style brewing. Brewer James Watts proudly proclaims that the pioneering spirit of American brewers was what inspired him to start his brewery. Other British breweries like Meantime and Dark Star are not shy about making similar statements either.

But, European markets are not the only places American beers are rising in popularity. The Asia-Pacific region increased substantially as well. The Japanese alone accounted for a 57 percent jump in volume this with increases in China, Hong Kong and emerging markets such as Thailand prove that American beers are going global in a big way. The increase in popularity of American craft beers is a natural outgrowth of the booming beer market in Asia. Many analysts believe that China will continue to dominate the Asian beer market; they also see India as an emerging powerhouse. With a population base the size of these two countries alone, American brews are bound to keep expanding into the markets.

Bob Pease, chief operating officer, Brewers Association said , “The BA is very pleased with the continued growth in exports of American craft beer to markets around the world. Consumers continue to view American craft brewers as leaders in innovation and among the standard bearers for quality. Maintaining that perception is a priority for the craft brewing community.”

On the Stone Brewing Company blog, Jacob McKean sums up what might be the reason behind the surge in popularity of American craft beer in Europe, “…there are Europeans who are excited about breaking the hegemony of fizzy yellow beer by supporting innovative brewers. And that’s enough for us.”

Innovation the key to keeping the craft beer world fresh (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
Brewers Association adds historical styles to 2013 guidelines (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
Rallying around some creative — and very weird — brews (utsandiego.com)

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Posted by mwisdom562 on March 14, 2013 in Beer, Beer News

Tags: American craft beer, Brewers Association, craft beer, Stone Brewing

Jacksonville Beer Week Starts Monday

29 Mar

The week that has been eagerly awaited by beer lovers all over the First Coast is almost here; Jacksonville Beer Week! Events keep getting added on a daily basis. If you cannot find a beer-centric event that appeals to you next week, you really are not trying very hard!

Here is the list as of today.

Monday, April 2nd

Local beer night @ Kickbacks Gastropub (happy hour all day on local beer! 5 beers from Intuition Ale + 5 beers from Bold City + 5 beers from Green Room on tap plus visits from brewery representatives)
$4 pints of local and coffee-inspired brews all week @ Bold Bean Coffee

Tuesday, April 3rd

Florida beer week @ Intuition Ale Works (Florida guest beers on tap through Saturday)
Unveiling of as-yet-unnamed Intuition Ale Works/ Mellow Mushroom collaboration brew @ Green Room Brewing
Local beer dinner @ Pele’s Wood Fire (featuring brews from Intuition Ale, Green Room & Bold City)
A special seasonal Maibock beer will be tapped @ Seven Bridges Grille and Brewery.
Stone Brewing Co. night @ Brewer’s Pizza, 6:00pm. They will welcome reps from the distributors as well as Stone Brewing.
‘Girl’s Pint Out’ beer tasting on April 3 @ Cork & Keg in Fruit Cove! It’s a ladies-only beer tasting starting at 7pm and the $5 charge includes a variety of beer styles plus two B Nektar Meads.

Wednesday, April 4th

Screening of Beer Wars @ Sun-Ray Cinema at 5:00pm followed by Q&A with local brewers Ben Davis of Intuition Ale Works and Eric Lumen of Green Room Brewing. Only local brews on tap at the cinema!
Special beer/ food pairing @ Engine 15 (Oak-Aged Simcoe Imperial IPA paired with steam burger sliders and coconut rice for $10)

Thursday, April 5th

Tapping of Amber Waves Amber Ale @ Engine 15 (all proceeds benefit St. Johns Riverkeeper – you can’t make good beer without good water, right?!)
Local beer tasting @ Grassroots Natural Market from 4:00pm – 8:00pm (samples of Intuition Ale cans & Bold City bottles + casks from both Intuition Ale & Bold City + homebrew from Michael Payne of Aardwolf)
Local IPA night @ Brewers Pizza (featuring IPAs from Intuition Ale Works, Bold City Brewery & Green Room Brewing plus their upcoming Landslide double IPA and an IPA soup and bread to pair with)
Double feature movie night @ Mile Marker Brewing (screenings of “Beerfest” and “Strange Brew”)

Friday, April 6th

Jax Beer Tap Takeover @ Engine 15 (five Engine 15 beers on tap + one Engine 15 in a Firkin + Engine 15 Old Battle Axe through the Randall! And ten beers from Intuition, Bold City & Green Room.)
Florida beer tasting @ Green Room Brewing (25 Florida beers on tap, some breweries for the first time ever in Jax!)
Downtown pub crawl presented by Springfield Brew Crew and sponsored by Intuition Ale Works. For more information and to purchase tickets click here. (Crawl starts at The Landing at 5:30pm and the $15 ticket includes a souvenir cup, a drink ticket good for one local beer, discounts at each venue, prize drawings at each venue, and a prize drawing for some truly awesome prizes at the final stop – including a Mug Club membership from Intuition Ale Works)

Saturday, April 7th

Grand Tasting at Mellow Mushroom Southside (proceeds benefit Daniel Foundation). For more information and to purchase tickets click here. (Unlimited tastings of brews from Intuition Ale, Green Room, Swamp Head, Mile Marker & Bold City.)
Shuttle provided by Jax Brew Bus between Intuition Ale Works & Mellow Mushroom. Click here to see shuttle schedule and reserve your seats today – space is limited!