Belgianfest, Judging & Barleywine Festivals

Snowpocalypse 2012 has passed.  I for one, hope that was the majority of lowland snow we'll be seeing this winter.  Living at the bottom of a steep hill, it cuases lots of problems for me.  I hope any of you who were snowed in had an adequate supply of liquid courage on hand.  Now it's time to look ahead to what's next. 

Belgianfest:

The next event I'll be attending is Seattle's 2012 Belgianfest, which will be held this year on Saturday, February 4th at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on pier 66.  There will be more than 60 different Belgian styled beers from several different Seattle area breweries.  Tickets are on sale now from Brown Paper Tickets, and there are two sessions to chose from:

Session 1: 12:00-4:00 pm
Session 2: 5:30-9:30 pm

I already have my ticket for Session 1, and I'm looking forward to wrapping my lips around some Saisons, dubbels, wits, farmhouse ales, lambics and more.  Belgian yeasts have very distinctive character, and I'm looking forward to a full afternoon of inundating my palate with various, wonderful Belgian styles. 

Don't Think I Can Last The Month

Back in mid-December, I posted that I was going to attempt to make it the entire month of January without any alcohol whatsoever.  I was going 'on the wagon'.  This was a personal choice, and to be honest it hasn't really been all that bad.  I went the entire first week without any serious cravings or any slip-ups.  I switched to drinking more water, cranberry juice, limeade, etc. 

During that first week, however, I missed a few things I would have preferred to be able to take part in.  The first 'challenge' to my month of sobriety was a really enticing sounding keg from Black Raven Brewing, put on tap January 4th at Brouwer's Cafe.  From Brouwer's description: " It's a Stout with Oak, Theo's Chocolate Nibs, Coffee, and Pecans Soaked in Kahlua and Rum."  OK.  You've gotta admit, that sounds incredible!  It was the first time I really asked myself why I was doing this(?)  Why deny myself just for the heck of it?  But I stayed away. 

My Firestone Walker Proprietor's Reserve Holiday

Firestone Walker is one of my favorite brewing companies.  Two big reasons for that are their Double Jack Double IPA, which is my favorite Imperial IPA, and the plethora of oak-barrel-aged beers they offer.  I'm a sucker for a well-done barrel-aged beer and Firestone Walker definitely does them right. 

So, during the holidays this year, starting just before Christmas and finishing a few days before New Year's Eve, I decied to drink each one of the beers from Firestone Walker's Proprietor's Reserve Series of beers, which consist of the following beers:

Firestone Walker's Full Proprietor's Reserve Lineup.

(Not pictured/availble: Xth Anniversary, XIth Anniversry & XIIth Anniversary.)

From Left To Right In The Above Photo:

-Double Jack Double IPA, signed by David Walker

-Walker's Reserve Porter

-Abacus Barleywine (Now §ucaba)

-Parabola Imperial Stout, signed by David Walker & Sean Paxton - The Homebrew Chef

-XIIIth Anniversary Ale

-XIVth Anniversary Ale, signed by David Walker

-XVth Anniversary Ale

-Double Jack Double IPA, unsigned - to 'end-cap' the lineup

Barleywine Bacchanal & Hard Liver On The Way

I'm currently into the first week of my dry January, but I'm already thinking ahead to two of my favorite annual events coming up in February and March, respectively: The Barleywine Bacchanal at Beveridge Place Pub and the Hard Liver Fest at Brouwer's Cafe.  These are two of the most popular annual barleywine events in Seattle and I usually try to attend both events each year. 

You can read about the details of last year's Barleywine Bacchanal HERE, and about last year's Hard Liver Fest HERE.  This year will be the 10th year for both events, and I'm eager to see this year's lineups.  This year's Barleywine Bacchanal will start on Saturday, February 25th, and the Hard Liver Fest will kick off on Saturday, March 3rd. 

Thankfully and for obvious reasons, these events offer smaller pour sizes.  This allows you to try a greater number of selections from the menu than would otherwise be possible (without needing a wheelchair to get home, 'cuase you can't walk straight). 

In fact, I believe the best way to experience each of these events is to attend with a few friends.  For example, if you attend either event with two other friends, plan carefully so that you don't double-order and share your selections, you can sample up to three times as many barleywines as you would be able to on your own, without drinking a greater volume. 

No matter how many selections you have or friends you attend with, however, drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

The Publican Opens

Seattle's newest bar, The Publican (their website will be up soon), which is brought to you by the same people who helped create Brouwer's Cafe and Bottleworks, opened for business yesterday 12/28 at 10:00AM in Seattle's Tangletown neighborhood.  I managed to get down there after I was off work to check the place out and relax with a few beers and a bite to eat. 

The Publican has 22 taps, which primarily feature American craft microbrews.  They also have a large selection of cans, rather than bottles, as the can revolution seems to be taking hold in the craft beer industry (Personally, I prefer bottles to cans, but that's another discussion).  They also feature an impressive selection of liquor, including several bourbons, Scotches and over 35 different tequilas, for patrons who might be missing Bandolero, the establishment that preceded The Publican at the same location. 

The View From My Barstool At The Publican

While there, I ran into Matt Bonney of Brouwer's Cafe, who has been working hard to get The Publican ready to open.  He was talking to the patrons, making sure everything was feeling right and tasting good since, of course, this was their opening day.  We chatted for a few minutes, and I congratulated him on the opening, which seemed to be getting off to a great start. 

Aging My Own Whiskey For The New Year

It's just three days until New Year's eve 2011.  Do you have any big plans?  I don't know for sure what I'll be doing this year yet, but I do know that I'd better enjoy myself this New Year's.  That's becuase I have decided that January will be a 'dry' month for me.

Firestone Walker's Proprietor's Reserve Series (I also have a XIIIth and XIVth Anniversary Ale)

I'm still working my way through my holiday beer selections, which consist mainly of the entire Firestone Walker Proprietor's Reserve series of beers (above) along with a few others, and I've also picked up an 'Age Your Own' whiskey kit from Woodinville Whiskey.  I'm looking forward to barrel-aging some of my very own bourbon whiskey and trying it out (the pre-barreled whiskey that comes with the kit is 110 proof bourbon mash).  Watch for a photo-heavy post soon, showing all of my Firestone Walker beers poured.

What You Get With The Woodinville Whiskey 'Age Your Own' Kit

A more detailed look at Woodinville Whiskey's website also shows that, from time to time, they sell used 5-gallon whiskey barrels.  These barrels have been used once only to age whiskey.  I'm seriously considering picking up a few of these barrels so I can try to barrel-age a few of my own beers.  Considering my love of oak-aged beers and spirits, I'd relish the opportunity to try and make an oak-whiskey-aged creation myself.  The barrels run $120 each and they should have some more available in February 2012. 

Woodinville Whiskey's Used 5-Gallon Barrels

I'll still be posting a few times in January to keep you all up to date on how I'm doing with my dry month, but I may not be posting as much regarding any beer events or specials in January, so as not to tempt myself too much.  My one 'slip' in January may be (by necessity) the once-weekly 'taste test' of my aging whiskey from it's micro-barrel.  But that will be less than a shot each time - just to check it's progress. 

Whatever your plans are for New Years, please drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

Got Your Year End Beers Picked Out?

2012 is almost upon us.  As 2011 comes to a close, I'm looking back over many of the various beers I've had this year and trying to decide what my selections will be for around the holidays - especially considering the fact that I'm planning on a 'dry' January. 

You may already be aware that a few different places are celebrating the year's end with things like the `12 Days of Beer' (I believe this event is over now - sorry) or the Bottle Sale & Gift Wrapping event going on this weekend at Beveride Place Pub in West Seattle (Dec. 18th - 1-7PM).

(From Beveridge Place Pub's Website):
We’ll pull up rare offerings from the cellar from great breweries like Avery, Dogfish Head, Full Sail, Hair of the Dog, Harvieston, Hitachino, North Coast, Russian River, and more! We’re selling these rarities “to go” at retail prices! The selections will make perfect gifts for the beer geek in your life, even if that beer geek is YOU!  Bottle selection will be available soon.