Oberon Release Update

In addition to the Stub and Herb's release, here are a few more from MNBeer:

Bell’s Oberon release parties… Monday, March 30 8-11pm, Bryant Lake Bowl. Best fake tan will some prizes. Tuesday, March 31st, Bulldog Lowertown in St. Paul 7-10 pm.

Not sure if these are "official" release parties, with reps in attendance, swag, etc., but should be fun times anyhow.

Oberon Release MSP

According a post on beeradvocate the Oberon release will be April 1 at Stub and Herb's.

Unfortunately, it's the same night as Lost, so I'll try to make it out, but it won't be as raucous of an evening as the last two years.

Magic Hat #9 Release

From MNBeer:

Head on over to The Happy Gnome on Thursday, March 12th at 5pm. Magic Hat Brewing Company will be releasing #9 to the MN market. Enjoy!

I am so there.

Reviews: A Smattering

I had three new beers tonight, and here are the reviews...in a sentence...each:

• Leinenkugel's Classic Amber: Basically a Leine's version of Samuel Adam's Boston Lager, but better, because it's cheaper and Leinenkugel's.
• Boulevard Single-wide IPA: A moderate IPA that does nothing to rival Sierra Nevada's selection, but is nonetheless a welcome choice on the shelf (mostly for its price-point).
• Samuel Adams Blackberry Wit: Too much blackberry, too much sugar, not enough balance; probably more tasty in the Summer than the Purgatory of weather that is March.

Update: Bell's Batch 9000 Info

If you were curious what form Bell's Batch 9000 would take, look no further than the above picture. Yes, you read that right: "Malt beverage brewed with molasses and brewer's licorice." I have no idea what that means in terms of end-product, and now I'm just more curious. Way to go picture; you did nothing to quell my anticipation.

If you want a back story of Bell's commemorative beers and speculation about the release date, I'd recommend taking a jaunt over to beernews.org for a nice write-up.

Leinenkugel's Going National with Classic Amber

Leinenkugel's has always been a great stand-by, a brewery that creates a lot of different styles that are all tasty and affordable. But Leinenkugel's has always been a very Midwest brewery, with only a few styles finding themselves throughout the nation (e.g., when I was in Boston last year, the only Leinenkugel's I saw on tap was, not the standard Honey Weiss or Original, but the Sunset Wheat). Well, much to the delight of my brother, as well as other Leine-lovers across the nation, the brewery is taking steps to change this:

But the beer that got its start quenching the thirst of 19th-century lumberjacks will shed whatever's left of its regional image Monday with the national launch of a new brew, Classic Amber. The beer, a potential flagship for the Chippewa Falls, Wis, brewery, is meant to compete with the nation's bestselling craft beer, Samuel Adams.

With the Classic Amber, this is the third new beer Leine's has launched within the last three months. While I didn't enjoy the Fireside Nut Brown, I thought the 1888 Bock was a refreshing, accurate take on the style, and I'm excited to try their newest, the Classic Amber. Here is the description from the brewery:

Leinenkugel's Classic Amber Lager
Our signature all-malt lager is a celebration of genuine ingredients, time-honored brewing traditions and authentic craft beer flavor. With its brilliant amber color, premium blend of Pale, Caramel and Munich malts, and subtle, yet complex citric hoppiness, you simply can't go wrong with a Classic.

Check out the full description here, and look for it in stores early March.

Via The Star Tribune

For the Nerds: WoW Beer Steins

For all the nerds out their who like to get their beer on whilst dabbling in a little WoW, you can now drink your beer in WoW beer steins! I know! It's absolutely ridiculous!

Via Kotaku

Bell's Batch 9000 Info

According to a string of posts on Beeradvocate, we're getting close to Bell's newest every-1000-batches special release, the Bell's Batch 9000. According to a post by Larry Bell:

The saying goes,"give the customer what they want."
Remember 7000? Well that was kind of weak, so we are trumping up that recipe to make something bold. You want something for the cellar? You got it.

The 7000 was a 12% Imperial Stout, so hardly a beer that you'd call weak, and hardly a beer that you'd think about making bold unless you were going to do something crazy. Here's hoping.

Beer Haul: Cellar's Lexington/Larpenteur

Made my way over to the Cellar's at Lexington/Larpenteur to hit up the 50% off sale (they are closing the store soon). Slim pickings, but I managed to pick up the following:

1. De Regenboog, 't Smisje BBBourgandier
2. De Regenboog, 't Smisje Kerst
3. Saint Somewhere, Saison Athene
4. Fantome, Brise-BonBons

All for the low-low price of under $20. I'm enjoying the BBBourgandier right now, and we'll see how long the others last.

The store is closing soon, so if you're going to check it out, check it out soon. They still had plenty of De Regenboog left (including Regenboog's Guido, Catherine the Great, as well as the two mentioned above), a stockpile of Moylan's, and a few other finds.

Spiraling Downward toward Icehouse

I'm really amused by evenings like this. This is the list of beers I had on Saturday night, in order:

1. Surly Three
2. Surly Furious
3. PBR
4. PBR
5. PBR
6. Icehouse

Yes, I finished with Icehouse...and I feel good about it.