Disc golf and beer are MFO. And I guess so are celebrities and charity events.

And SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 you can get your fill of both out at Twin Parks Country Club in Dripping Springs.

I beleive the idea is that the disc golf-local beer loving public will be paired up with the disc golf-local beer making folks and play four to a hole. Like a celebrity golf tournament. “I hate that Bob Barker!”

And judging by the sponsor list, it’s pretty safe to assume beverages will be provided.

More info here on the Facebooks.

Recently we were invited out to Uncle Billy’s on the lake for a brewery tour and tasting with the always enjoyable, Brian Peters.

I’ve been out to the new location on the lake before, but had never fully appreciated the multi-story brewery that lived in the guts of the location. Mr. Peters put his new brewhouse together based on his years of brewing in various brewhouses and environments to create a facility that truly fit his brewing style and beers.

The brewery lives on the third floor of the new Uncle Billy’s location and uses gravity to move beer from his two 40 barrel and four 20 barrel fermenters to the serving tanks in the basement. He brews on a custom Newlands 20 barrel brewhouse and aims to produce 4,000 barrels a year.

Mr. Peters, or Swifty to anyone who’s been around him for more than 10 minutes, played host and tour guide to a handful of us as he walked us through his new brewery and his current beer portfolio.

Since his move west to the lake, Swifty has become quiet the evangelist with the major theme running throughout his house taps being “conversion”. Being he’s only been brewing there for a few months, he is unsure his new neighborhood’s taste, he’s been brewing up quiet the arsenal of accessible, tasty, easy to drink, “conversion” beers that appeal to the mass drinker, yet still have the subtlety and craftsmanship to impress and satisfy fans of his previous brewing outposts.

With a refreshing wit, crisp pre-prohibition lager, and a tasty amber, Swifty is ready to convert even the timidest of palate over to the better beer side. And for the seasoned craft beer veterans, he’s brewing the wildly popular Hop Zombie and Wood Eye Rye (among this drinker’s top three rye beers) in addition to the GABF gold medal winning Hell in Keller.

The evening we visited, he also had on a mighty tasty session porter that accomplished both being roasty and rich, but still land solidly in the “drink more than a few” category.

Oh yeah, and there’s a sunset out there, too.

There are a few things beer coming up that are worth blogging.

The first one is, uh, actually today. Yup, we’re on the ball.

Uncle Billy’s 4th Anniversary Party

This is happening TODAY.

From the horse’s mouth:

Your favorite Uncle is turning 4 years old! Come celebrate with live music, drink specials and fun company!

We appreciate everyone of our customers that are keeping the brew flowin!

We expect y’all to come out and completely indulge in good beer and tasty bbq all day at our Barton Springs location!

When you get there, ask us what special beers we have too!

CHEERS!

I heard via Twitter they will have 12 beers on for this, today.

Sounds like a good ol’ time.

Texas Artisinal Beer Fundraiser

This is happening on Sunday.

From the horse’s mouth:

The Texas Artisanal Beer Fundraiser (TABF) features native beer from across Texas.  As a fundraiser, there is a suggested donation of $50-$75 per guest, though, everyone is welcome.  All profits from the 2011 TABF will go to the YMCA of Austin.

Several brewers will be out for the party, so come share the goodness and give a little too. Cheers!

Drink Beer. Save Texas. We tried our best on Sunday at Uncle Billy’s on Lake Travis.

Thanks to the Uncle Billy’s crew and Texas Beer Freedom for having us out for their fundrasing event to help improve the future of Texas craft beer. We heard good bands, drank some House Brown 660, toured the new brewhouse and enjoyed the views. Not a bad Sunday.

If you read this blog semi-regularly you should know about House Bill 660 and its efforts to allow brewpubs to sell their beers off-site. If you don’t know anything about it just go here, here or here to get schooled on what’s going on.

There’s still a long way to go, but it’s not too late to help. Check out the Texas Beer Freedom website for ways to donate, get involved or catch the next event.

If you read our site, then you most likely have read the multitude of other TX beer blogs talking about the proposed new house bill (HB 660) that will help TX brewers, TX drinkers, and TX beer in general.

To help raise awareness several TX brewpubs will be brewing a collaborative Hoppy Brown Ale aptly named “House Brown 660″ that will be 6.60%abv wt 66 IBUs.

So far it looks like Uncle Billy’s, NXNW, Draught House, Blue Star and Free Tail will be brewing the beer and it is expected to show up on taps at these fine locations in February.

From the horse’s mouth:

Of course, you won’t be able to find this beer at your local grocery store or neighborhood bar. You’ll have to visit the closest brewpub. For those of you in places like Houston or Corpus Christi (for example) that means a long drive. Actually, we wouldn’t make you drive all that way… we’ll post the recipe so you can brew it at home!

If you don’t know the details of the bills, here are the bullet points stolen from Scott Metzger’s (owner and founder of Free Tail Brewing Co in San Antonio) blog, Brewed Not Battered:

HB 660 would:

• allow Texas brewpubs to sell to distributors and wholesalers
• allow Texas brewpubs to sell up to 5,000 barrels per year at the pub, directly to consumers
• allow Texas brewpubs to self-distribute their product to retailers so long as they are under 10,000 barrels per year
• allow Texas brewpubs to have total production of up to 75,000 barrels per year
• allow Texas microbreweries to change their license to a brewpub so long they meet the qualifications above

HB 602 would:

• allow Texas breweries (excluding brewpubs, but including breweries like the A-B plant in Houston) to charge admission for a tour
• allow Texas breweries to give tour participants up to 48 12-ounce bottles to take for off-premise consumption, without charge
• not allow Texas breweries to sell beer to the ultimate consumer

YEAH!

SHIT YEAH!

Welcome to our final episode of Knockin’ em Back at Thunderbird Coffee Koenig podcast.

And boy is it a doosey.

Check out the other THUNDERBIRD COFFEE Knockin’ em Back episodes here, here, and here.

JIB, Shawn, Josh (Little Beard) and I finish out the evening on the rainy patio with beer news, a giving out of the gift card, Chinese internet cafe gang culture, a random guy who came by and cussed out his boss, how we would protect our homes and times that we didn’t, and some other shit (I tell a great story about catching people porking behind a Quizno’s dumpster).

[The banner photo is totally relevant... you have to get close to the end for it]

In the beer news we talk about the Uncle Billy’s/Austin Homebrew/Austin Zealots homebrew competition, the Real Ale barrel bottling project, the BJ’s Brewhouse Stone dinner, the arrival of the Sierra Nevada 30 yr Anniversary Fritz’s & Ken’s Imperial American Stout, and Saint Arnold possibly putting together some sampler sixers. I’m feeling lazy and am not going to link any of these. Do your own copy/past/Google-ing.

Big congrats to Dave (we didn’t gat a last name) for following us on Twitter and also being at Thunderbird and also approaching us and also winning the THUNDERBIRD COFFEE gift card. Good job, Dave.

So just like the last one, we are working hard on earning our “EXPLICIT” label in iTunes, so don’t play this for kids. Maybe find another beer podcast for kids.

Thanks thanks thanks to Chris and Ryan at Thunderbird for sponsoring this month’s podcast and to Josh for coming on as our fourth seater.

“Thunderbird Coffee, the cheapest place to be a hipster” -Dave

Enjoy!

Audio

Direct link to the mp3 HERE

Subscribe to the Podcast

More photos…

Saturday, March 13th, Austin Homebrew celebrated the grand opening of their new location at 9129 Metric Blvd with beer, music, food and good times.

It was a great party. I’m pretty sure the first “hot” day this year… and it barely capped over 85. Geeze.

Beer by Uncle Billy’s, Real Ale, Live Oak, Independence, (512), NXNW, Lovejoys, Saint Arnold, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, and Draught House (although the DH keg fell through at the last minute, it’s the thought that counts).

At one point there was a snaffu with the plastic cups running out, but the crowd got wise and went inside to purchase the new AHS laser etched glasses. These things are hot as shit, and you know the wife was pleased as punch when she learned I brought home another pint glass.

Not only was it a great event, there were great people present. The guys from Black Star Co-op were pouring the beer, Jester King were present with an impressive presentation board and brewery information, and it’s always a great day when I run into Josh from Hops and Grain.

Also, in the most random of coincidences, I was standing in line when Carl, the Beer My Valentine runner up, walked up and introduced himself and even before I finished shaking his hand Janice, the Beer My Valentine winner, got in line behind me and said hello.

Isn’t that crazy?!?!

Moving on.

If you haven’t made it out to the new location, you should. It’s great. JB explained they moved from the previous 6,000 sqf location on Burnet to the new 18,000 sqf one.

That’s something like three times as big.

He explained that part of the move to the new location allows AHS to purchase in larger bulk and trickle down the savings to us homebrewers. Nice.

Also, they have more registers at the counter in the show room!

All in all, it was a lot of fun. The various kegs moved quickly (the Uncle Billy’s Wood Eye Rye was gone before I could blink), but there was always something good ready to go.

And true to form, it being a hot day, I decided to start off with the Live Oak Primus, cause that’s always a good idea.

Thanks to Andrew Pogue for the photographs and JIB for the fancy video work and Garageband for the rockin’ tunes!

Here’s some local beer info/news…

Draught House just put the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout on tap.

Tried it last night, pretty good. It has a nice roasted/dry coffee punch in the finish.

It’s ~9.5% ABV, but doesn’t come off too hot.

I got the bottle at Central Market. (FYI, Peter, one of the better beer ppl they’ve had in a while is leaving in two weeks, so go by and wish him well. And when you see him at his favorite drinking hole, Draught House, buy him a pint in thanks for all his wisdom and help!)

[UPDATE: Ginger Man has it on tap too]

Also while at Central Market I sampled the Dogfish Head Fort bottled in 2008.

The Fort is not a new beer, but I believe, the 2008 bottles just made it to our market.

As described by Dogfish Head,

An ale brewed with a ridiculous amount of pureed raspberries (over a ton of em!). Fort has a Belgian Ale type base, then we follow a similar fermentation process as we use on our other high ABV beers, 120 Minute IPA and World Wide Stout.

It was good and not over the top fruity. In my opinion, it had a mead like quality. It’s yummy today, but also meant to age, so uh, do what you want.

Speaking of mead…

Draught House just put Redstone’s carbonated Black Rasberry Nectar mead on tap.

So those of us wt wives/girlfriends/brosephs who don’t like beer can bring them to Draught House and they have something fruity, sweet and fizzy to drink.

I tried it, it’s not bad. I couldn’t drink a whole glass (cause it’s so sweet, not gross), but I know some people who could… KIM!

Also, if you haven’t got your fill of (512) Bruin, I saw that Thunderbird Coffee Koenig has it on tap. And they have some nice tap specials on Wednesday.

Not much more to say about that.

VIA Twitter, Draught House just announced they put on the Saint Arnold Winter Stout.

Yum.

I haven’t seen this in bottles yet, but I’m sure it’ll be out soon.

If you don’t already have plans, Flying Saucer will be tapping four special kegs on New Years Eve.

No info on what, but these guys don’t normally disapoint when they use the word “special” to describe kegs.

Again from the BA SW forum… LOTS OF CHATTER about Uncle Billy’s opening another location near the lake PLUS adding a CANNING LINE!

WOW.

You can read the forum for yourself, but it sounds like everyone loves the idea of a location on the lake… not everyone is so hot on the idea of them canning.

Well, to each his own, but I don’t see what is so bad about ATX getting another portable local brew, and I am a fan of fancy beers in a can.

Speaking of cans…

Imma gonna wrap this up with a huge image of my Oskar Blues Ten FIDY can top after the pour…

This beer has been in Austin for about a month I think, this is my first chance to try it.

I was able to get a single at Central Market.

I wish it was on tap. I know a few places have had Dale’s Pale Ale and Gordon on, but I have not heard of Ten Fidy going on.

PLEASE…

But even if we only get it in cans, it’s pretty damn satisfying seeing that black beauty contrast on the shiny aluminum.

Cheers!

OK.

Well if the summer from hell came with complementary beverages these would be a few of our local favorites.
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT PRETEND TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL OR TRAINED PALATES; ONLY OPINIONS BASED ON OUR PERSONAL TASTES AND EXPERIENCES

More than once these past few weeks the great folks at Live Oak have provided us with heat relief after plenty an ill advised bike ride with their delicious Live Oak Pilz and Live Oak Hefe Weizen. For effective heat relief, find a bar that has a Texas beer special and rotate between the two. The light hop crispness of the Pilz followed by the body and citrus of the Hefe then repeated makes an outside biergarten bearable.

(512) Brewing Co, describes their Wit as a “hazy ale with coriander and domestic citrus peel aromas,” which, I believe citrus=grapefruit. Yup. These guys got something good going on in the Wit department. They’ve even received the stamp of approval from Austin’s previous Wit authority, Pierre Celis.

Nextly is Real Ale’s bringin’-home-the-bacon Fireman’s #4. This is a blonde ale that, even if they don’t know what they’re drinking, even you’re most unexperienced of beer drinkers have prolly had. It’s a good beer, and what makes it just a little better then the previous few is that it comes in bottles. Yup. It’s portable heat relief. A solid bring to a bbq, a yard party, a basketball game, a beach, a bonfire, a weekend brunch, a sneak into a summer blockbuster movie beer. Pretty much good for most events when beer is expected and even not. Maybe more often appropriate to show up with a sixer of this than not. I’m sure there’s some situation where Fireman’s #4 doesn’t fit, but I’m drawing a blank. My only criticism, and this may reveal some personal denseness, what’s with the bike gear?

Uncle Billy’s Hay Stack Hefeweizen, Back 40 Blonde, Agave Wit, and Belgo-a-Go-Go all just made the team. Maybe being around flames, smoke, and hot sauces have influenced Mr. Peters to crafting tasty beverages of the heat reducing type. If you’re lucky enough to find all four of these on tap at once (only the Back 40 Blonde, Agave Wit, and Belgo-a… were available last time I went) then, well, you should drink them. Cause you’re lucky. Especially the Hay Stack Hefeweizen. Let me put it this way, the HSH is to beer as bread is to your mouth (yeah, I scored pretty high on the SAT/GRE). It’s like drinking the most spritzy glass of bread ever. Refreshingly chewy. And the Agave Wit, Back 40 Blonde, and Belgo-a-g… are nothing to scoff at either. Not glass of bread good. But still excellent with their own unique merits. And if you didn’t catch it, the Belgo-a-… is a Belgian style pale ale. Yum. You may be thinking, “What!? It’s too damn hot for a Belgian!” And I say, “Yes. But it’s gots hops in the end so your mouth feels refreshed.” So try it.

This post is getting long [read: I'm losing endurance, well into a few beers, and getting distracted by Adult Swim] so I’ll just list these with a little bit of commentary.

Saint Arnold Summer Pils- The tie-dye and sunglasses says it all. Crisp, delicious, a little bit sweet, ice-chest ready. Get it on draft if you can find it.

[whoa- the first ever episode of King of the Hill just came on!]
Saint Arnold Fancy Lawn Mower- I heard this beer was made on a bet. Some craft beer lover said he still liked to drink college beer when he mowed the lawn. He called it “Lawn Mower Beer”. So the guys at Saint Arnold took that as a challenge and made a “Fancy Lawn Mower” beer. This rumor is unfounded and I may be making this story up or confusing it with something I saw on TV. Either way, it’s very good- for lawn mowing and other things. It’s a crisp, malty Kolsche styled beer. Almost apple juicy.
Shiner Smokehaus- I tried this for the first time with a vegetarian friend. At least he was refreshed.
Shiner Blonde- BeerAdvocate doesn’t like it much, but I do. On certain occasions. Like that one occasion that I went to a friend’s house and he had a keg of it on his fancy pants kegorator. It was good that time. But last time I got a twelve pack of it when they were $8.99 at HEB it took me 3 weeks and a pool party to finish them.

Lone Star- Hells yeah. I’m not too good to drink it. Neither are you. Being a can (and a tall one at that) it’s good for all kinds of can only activities, like disc golf and also sneaking into movie theaters.