Thursday, September 27, 2007

Publicanista! ... September 27, 2007.

In this edition of Publicanista!:

I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: OKTOBER STANDS TO BE VERY BUSY.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

III: DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

IV. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

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I. PUBLICAN'S CHOICE: OKTOBER STANDS TO BE VERY BUSY.

Silly me. I keep thinking that there’ll be a “quiet” time this year, but the calendar just keeps filling up. There are more than a few beer events, beer and food pairings and all-purpose merriment planned for coming weeks, and here’s the schedule as it appears now.

First up on Monday, October 1, is the Ayinger Oktober-Fest Beer Dinner at Bistro New Albany. Chef Clancy and the Publican will be combining Bavarian cuisine with some of the finest exported examples of Bavarian beer.

After that appropriate autumn kick-off, New Albany’s annual Harvest Homecoming festival will be dominating downtown from the October 6 parade day through October 13.

If you're on speaking (or, at the very least, drinking) terms with the Publican, be aware of the annual parade day party at the homestead on the 6th.

NABC beers will be available downtown at our three primary accounts during booth days (October 11, 12 and 13), and we’re planning on releasing a few bits of NABC’s reserve stock for special promotions at Bistro New Albany, Connor’s Place and Speakeasy Jazz during these three days. Stay tuned for information on what, when and where.

During the same weekend, several Louisville area brewers and brewery owners will be in Denver, Colorado, for the Great American Beer Festival. Bring back some medals, guys.

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming and the next New Albanian Art Show converge on Friday, October 19 (the art show begins a day earlier), and on the 20th, there’s a possibility that I may be working with Tommie Mudd at Caffe Classico on a “stouts of fall” appetizer and ale pairing. That same day, Mike Stephens at Youngstown Cigar Shop & Island CafĂ© (Jeffersonville) is holding a “Stogies and Stouts” party from noon to 5:00 p.m. Mike's shop is located behind Mai's Thai in the Youngstown Shopping Center on 10th Street.Tired yet?

Finally, to close the month with a jolt before Halloween, there’ll be our first ever beer dinner at Prost, NABC’s banquet and special events wing: Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales, to be held on Monday, October 29. It’s a cooperative venture between NABC and two aspiring young culinary artists, Andy and Josh, although it should be noted that they’re doing most of the heavy lifting. Pricing and details have yet to be determined.

Write ‘em down. My liver’s on full alert.

II. RECENT NEWS AND ARTICLES AT THE POTABLE CURMUDGEON’S BEER BLOG.

Keg Liquors "Fall Festival Beer Tasting" is tonight: Thursday, September 27.

Calendar check: Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales at NABC on Monday, October 29.

Lupulin Land 2007 preview: We're less than a month away.

Real planning now underway for PacNW beer and brewery tour, 2008.

III. DRAFT BEERS: OUR LIQUID, DAILY BREAD, ON TAP AT RICH O’S AND SPORTSTIME.

Our NABC beers.

NABC began brewing in 2002, and we’re proud to be New Albany’s first active brewery since 1935. From very deep within the confines of NABC’s garage brewery, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson conjure 8-barrel batches of regulars, old favorites and new formulations.

Always check the blackboards to see what’s on tap. For more information about NABC beers, go here.

Bob's Old 15-B ... We're calling it a robust, brown Porter precisely because style definitions were meant to be bent.

Community Dark ... Based on English Mild, and our light-bodied dark quaffer. 5% abv.

Croupier ... IPA dedicated to the workers at the Caesars Indiana riverboat casino in nearby Harrison County.

Elector ... Making Democracy pointless since 2002; English malt, American hops. 7.2% abv. Double Red?

Flat Tyre ... Lovibond got you down? That's okay -- just improvise.

Happy Helmut ... Homage to eclectic Franconian brewing traditions, light bodied and quaffable, with a hint of smoke and rye.

Mt. Lee ... California Common ("Steam"), named for the Hollywood mountainside with the famous sign. First brewed in 2006. It has been lightened in gravity and a.b.v. by roughly 10% for the current first summer of 2007 batch.

St. Radegund ... English-style ESB, brewed as Beak's Best in its original incarnation in 2002, then reformulated as St. Radegund in 2005.

Guests from near and far (market pricing).

ON TAP NOW: Everyday staples. Note that Alpha King will now often be rotating with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale . Why? Go here.

Alpha King (multiple kegs; Bell’s Two Hearted Ale may return the week of Sept. 17, or as soon as an available tap can be found)

Arrogant Bastard

Guinness Stout

Lindemans Framboise

Pilsner Urquell

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Smithwick’s Irish Ale

Spaten Premium Lager

Sprecher Root Beer (non-alcoholic)

Upland Wheat

ON TAP NOW: Rotating selections (limited engagement).

Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock

Bell's Oktoberfest

Chimay Triple

Glazen Toren Saison d' Erpe Mere

Gouden Carolus Ambrio

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

Poperings Hommel Bier

Rogue Dead Guy

Rogue "John's Locker Stock" Anniversary Ale - Brewer 2007 (redux)

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Spaten Oktoberfest

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

Upland Oktoberfest

In the bullpen (ready for duty when called upon to serve).

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (cask-conditioned firkin; Friday, Sept. 28)

Birrificio Cassissona

Brooklyn Brown

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

IV. CALENDAR OF EVENTS, HOURS AND RELATED FACTS.

General business hours:

Sportstime Pizza opens at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Rich O’s opens at 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and at 1:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. We are not open on Sunday except during special events. The same food and beer is available at all times in both rooms, so you may have lunch and a beer in the Sportstime Pizza dining area during those hours when Rich O’s isn’t open. The brewery is available for a look-see if one of us is around and we’re not busy.
Smoking.

Rich O's: The front dining rooms at Rich O's are designated as non-smoking areas. The bar area and Red Room are open for smoking (cigarettes, cigars, pipes). We strongly discourage clove cigarettes, which are divisive even among smokers.

Sportstime: Smoking is permitted in the entirety of Sportstime Pizza.

Wi-Fi.

Both dining areas are hotspots. Please observe proper etiquette when using our Wi-Fi service, and do not disturb or offend others with the Anheuser-Busch web site or other examples of web-borne smut.

2007 events:

Weekly on Thursday evening @ 7:00 p.m.

Drinking Liberally (New Albany & Southern Indiana) meets in the Red Room each Thursday. Contact organizer Lacy Davis for details.

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Monday, October 1

Ayinger Oktoberfes Beer Dinner at Bistro New Albany

My affection for Ayinger’s excellent line of Bavarian beers has prompted me to pair them with another stellar menu concocted by Chef Dave Clancy, owner of Bistro New Albany.

For the full story, go here: Update: Ayinger Oktoberfest beer dinner at Bistro New Albany on Monday, October 1.

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Thursday, October 11 through Sunday, October 14

Harvest Homecoming

New Albany's annual celebration, now featuring three downtown restaurants/pubs serving NABC beer.

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Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 18, 19 & 20

Art Show in Prost

We'll know more when Kevin returns from the desert, so until then, visit New Albanian Art.

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Friday, October 19

Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming fest begins

Love and hoppiness, in all their myriad forms, as dispensed from all available taps.

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Monday, October 29

Culinary Costume of American Artisanal Ales - a beer dinner at Prost

Aspiring young renegade chefs Andy and Josh are conspiring with the Publican to create a special pre-Halloween culinary treat, to be held in NABC's Prost banquet room.

They're constructing a menu, and have made outstanding pairing recommendations using beers from NABC, Ommegang, Allagash, Jolly Pumpkin, Dogfish Head and more.

Calendar check: Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales at NABC on Monday, October 29.

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Friday, December 7

Saturnalia MMVII begins

Our fourth celebration of the winter solstice, with seasonal and holiday drafts. Note the date change; it has been moved forward one week.

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Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Year Gravity Head Number Ten

'Nuff said for now. The tenth anniversary of Gravity Head is slated to begin on the 29th of February, so make designated driver and bunking arrangements now.

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Credits:

Thanks to Jim Bell for his photographic prowess, which we share with you from time to time, and which features prominently at the NABC web site.

Readers who aren’t as familiar with our business should go to http://www.newalbanian.com/ for more information.

NABC is a member of the Brewers Association and Brewers of Indiana Guild.

Questions or comments about editorial content should be directed to Roger A. Baylor, who also writes The Potable Curmudgeon and NA Confidential blogs.

THE END.

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