News Release for Freetail's Fe-brew-ary

Below is the Freetail's news of February events included limited edition bottle-release of the barrel-aged version of La Muerta (oh, baby on the 13th) and a PorterFest II (on the 6th).

There's always something great on at Freetail even if there's nothing going on at Freetail.

http://www.freetailbrewing.com/

FREETAIL BREWING CO. ANNOUNCES FEB-BREW-ARY FESTIVITIES

Release of Barrel Aged La Muerta Bottles & Winter Beer Dinner Highlight Month of Beer Related Events

(January 20, 2009) San Antonio, TX – Freetail Brewing Co. announces a month-long celebration of all things beer dubbed “Feb-BREW-ary.” The February 13th limited edition bottle-release of a barrel-aged version of La Muerta—the brewery’s rare, much sought-after and highly rated imperial stout—highlights the events along with a special winter beer dinner on the 15th.

Festivities kick off with PorterFest II on the 6th, featuring a selection of interesting riffs on the brewery’s Torpor Porter. “Early February is a perfect time for PorterFest,” said Freetail brewer Jason Davis. “The rich, chocolaty, roast character is perfect for a cold winter’s eve. Or a balmy winter’s eve, depending on what the weather decides to throw at us.” Last year’s PorterFest included varieties such as Bourbon, Vanilla, Ginger, Cherry, Pecan and Chipotle. Special kegs will be tapped beginning at noon. There is no admission fee for PorterFest; pints will be available for $4.50, and 4-oz samples for $1.50.

On the 13th, Freetail will release 22-oz bottles of a bourbon barrel aged version of its imperial stout, La Muerta. “We significantly increased bottle production of the regular version for the last release, and they sold out in one day,” said Freetail Founder & Chief Executive Officer Scott Metzger. “With the buzz already building up around this beer, we wanted to create a way to get it into the hands of our most loyal customers first.” To do so, Freetail mailed out a coupon in its e-newsletter on January 1st, granting the holder the right to purchase a bottle when they go on sale at 11am. In the event that not all bottles are sold to coupon-holders, bottles will then be released to the general public. Bottles are $12 each and are limited to one per person.

The brewery will once again play host to a beer dinner on February 15th with four courses individually paired with six different Freetail beers. “This is a perfect Valentine’s day gift for the beer lover in your life,” said Metzger. “Unlike dinners we’ve done in the past, this one is going to focus on special beers we’ve made in small batches but don’t necessarily have concrete plans to release to the general public. We create a lot of unique things out of experimentation, including some the brewers don’t even tell me about. This will be a special treat for the Freetail fans out there as they’ll get to see yet another side of our brewer’s creativity.” The full menu is available on the company’s website. Tickets are $45 and do not include tax or gratuity. Space is limited to 40 guests and Freetail’s beer dinners typically sell out, so advance reservations are required.

On February 20th, Davis will lead a beer and cheese tasting seminar at 2pm. The event will pair rich, flavorful cheeses with a variety of beers and include a discussion on how the two complement one another. The event costs $15/person, no reservations required.

Freetail will cap off Feb-BREW-ary with part three in their “Battle of Wits” series, featuring a number of “funkafied” versions of the Rye Wit, a Belgian-style witbier. Previous Battles have included offerings such as Black Currant, Cherry, Raspberry, Starflower, Lavender, Chamomile and Prickly Pear, among others.
Freetail Brewing Co. is founded on the pursuit of creating exciting, innovative and unique world class beers and wood-fired gourmet pizzas. We embrace the laid back and fun-loving South Central Texas culture and set out to create products that mirror the lifestyle of our diverse and rapidly growing community. We believe in promoting an increased appreciation of craft beer and its responsible enjoyment. We believe in going above and beyond customer expectations not only through our products, but also through exceptional customer service. We believe in providing a dining and leisure experience unmatched in the local community. And in case you didn’t get it the first time… we believe in having fun.
For more information visit http://www.freetailbrewing.com/.

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Beer Polls & Shiner

Some interesting (though small) polls from Texas Beer Blog. I this one particularly telling:

Poll 15 (August): Is Spoetzl a Craft Brewery?

1. No (57%) 47% in 2008
2. Yes (35%) 47% in 2008
3. Perhaps (7%)

Total 40 votes

I've always felt bad about not liking Shiner (something I mentioned before) and so this makes me feel a little vindicated. Though the fact that I don't like "craft" brews sounds a little pretentious, the presumed opposite is large scale, industrialized beer like Budweiser and Coors. Shiner is Texas' answer to these rather nasty (preservative-filled? I don't know about this) brews.

American Beer Timeline

A couple of dates for San Antonio on that timeline:

• 1855 - German brewer William Menger starts a lager beer brewery in San Antonio, Texas. This is the first brewery in that city.
• 1884 - Adolphus Busch of St. Louis and Otto Koehler establish the Lone Star Brewing Co. in San Antonio, Texas.

Freetail's Otoño Bienvenido

A quick article about Freetail's Otoño Bienvenido -- a pumpkin Saison.

Shiner Fröst

I've never been a real fan of Shiner. I don't know if it's the water they brew with (Artesian well water) or what, but it's always had a distinct and unappetizing taste. Still, the new seasonal Shiner Fröst, a Dortmunder Style beer (similar to a Pilsner, it's a pale lager), will be worth a try. According to the Texas Beer Blog, it will be available from January to March next year and I'll pick up a six pack.

Yard House at the Shops at La Cantera

My dad and I tried out the new Yard House at La Cantera on Black Friday. It was busy, yes, but not packed and there were more waitstaff than customers, it seemed (the place was crawling with them). Ritzie menu with $10+ burgers, but I was pleasantly surprised by the beer prices (no dining for us) at $4 a pop. You can't go anywhere for much cheaper than that and with 113 beers or so on tap, it's a beer lovers Elysian Fields. I'm still disappointed that they didn't have more Texas beers and their sampler platter was a little strange (each day the staff choose which beers will be included -- only six out of the 113, so you don't have any choice in the matter).

I had a pint of Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Left Hand's Milk Stout (a lovely thick, smooth stout) & Green Flash Brewing Company's West Coast I.P.A. (very hoppy on the first mouthful, in fact, one of the hoppiest I've had outside of Hypothesis A at Freetail, but it mellowed the more I drank it).

The ambiance was lacking as far as I'm concerned. Industrial, but dimly lit, with recess lighting spotlighting the tables and booths. The black walls made it that much darker. Yuppiedom, really.

The keg system was interesting. A windowed back room held all the kegs. The lines ran up into large shiny aluminum pipes (probably six or seven lines in a pipe) which came down into the middle of the oblong bar. The taps ran around the ellipses in the middle of the bar -- a very efficient use of space.

All said and done, if I'm back up in that area, I'd stop in for a pint or two, but I wouldn't go up just for the place.

Choose local: Choose Freetail.

St. Arnold Reserve No. 9

According to a blog called I Love Beer ("a place for the unrepentant beer snob"), St. Arnold's Reserve No. 9: Imperial Pumpkin Stout will be intermittently available in stores, restaurants and bars locally, but they're asking that the stores as well as the customers show restraint (two six-packs a person). On of the comments at the bottom of the page says that on consumer has yet to find a place here in San Anto selling the brew.

I'll keep an eye out myself and report any activity...