Rogue's "Beard Beer" Release Party & Fancy Beard Competition

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Right on the heels of Hopjacks Iron Maiden Trooper Ale release party, they continue the new beer love with another release party this Friday, August 30th. This time around they are releasing one of the most "unique" recent experiments in the craft beer world. That would be Rogue Ales "Beard Beer".

Official HJ Flyer

For those who haven't already heard the story, you maybe asking yourself exactly what is a "Beard Beer". Glad you asked. That would be a beer that Rogue made using yeast created from Brewmaster John Maier's Beard. A beard that Rogue proudly explains has been around since 1983 and has seen over 15,000 brews.

Upping the ante even more, Hopjacks will be throwing a "Fancy Beard Competition" in conjunction with this release party. The competition will result in winners for each of the following three categories:

  • Length
  • Fullness
  • Freestyle

This event is sponsored by Rogue Ales and the Emerald Coast Beard & Moustache Alliance. According to Hopjacks, only two kegs of this beer were sent to Florida and they will have one at the downtown location and one at the Nine Mile location. So whether you bring your best facial hair along with you to compete or not, make sure you get to Hopjacks if you want to try this limited beer on tap.

Event Summary
Event: Rogue's "Beard Beer" Release Party & Fancy Beard Competition
Location: Hopjacks - Downtown
When: Friday, August 30th 9pm

Iron Maiden Trooper Ale Pensacola Release Party

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Hopjacks invites you to come join them this Thursday, August 29th as they celebrate the release of Iron Maiden Trooper Ale.

HJ Official Flyer

Trooper is an Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB) created in collaboration with Iron Maiden's lead singer Bruce Dickinson and brewed by Robinsons Brewery. Hopjacks will have Trooper available in both bottles and on tap.

For those not versed in Iron Maiden, Trooper Ale takes it name from the Iron Maiden song "The Trooper" which was inspired by the Charge of the Light Brigade and the bottle's label fittingly features the iconic Eddie.

Event Summary
Event: Iron Maiden Trooper Ale Release Party
Location: Hopjacks - Downtown
When: Thursday, August 29th 9pm

Fairhope Brewing Fall Seasonal Release "Football Saison"

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A breweries seasonal releases often add a welcome variety to their core lineup (year round beers) and many people wait in anticipation for these once a year limited offerings. Craft beer is inherently seasonal and many craft beer drinkers favor a specific beer style that pairs well with the weather or even nostalgia related to that time of year.

Being Fairhope Brewing Company's (FBC) first year in operation, their initial seasonal lineup has given the brewery a chance to flex its brewing prowess muscles and show the area what they can do with beer styles outside of their regular lineup.

Their first seasonal was spring's "Rescue Dog Red" of which one dollar of each pour benefited The Haven, a no-kill animal shelter located in Fairhope, and more than $1,400 was raised this year. Summer brought along the very well received "(Take the) Causeway IPA". But summer is quickly coming to an end and recently FBC announced their fall seasonal "Football Saison" which is tentatively set to be released on Thursday, August 29th to coincide with the start of college football season.

FBC describes "Football Saison" as:

Unlike anything we've had on tap before, this Belgian-inspired ale is brewed with French and Belgian malts and Australian Galaxy hops, but the focus is squarely on the saison yeast used in fermentation. A slight funkiness accentuates the beer’s bitterness, and a dry finish makes for a thirst-quenching brew perfect to enjoy while cheering for your favorite team.

As a big fan of saisons I'm looking forward to trying this next seasonal as I'm sure many others are as well. If your unfamiliar with the style, BeerAdvocate describes the style as:

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.

You can read much more about saisons in All About Beer Magazine's article, "Saison: Flavors of the Countryside"

If you are a craft beer fan that lives in the Pensacola area and haven't visited FBC yet, we cannot recommend highly enough that you plan a visit in the near future.

World of Beer - Palafox Looking to Expand

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It's been a little over a year since World of Beer opened in downtown Pensacola, and they're already looking to expand.

According to Wear TV, World of Beer is adding a covered patio to Blend, a cocktail bar connected to WOB, and a kitchen. Currently, World of Beer doesn't offer food, though deliveries from surrounding restaurants are encouraged.

The expansion will add 20 full time jobs, and construction should be finished by November.

Wear TV is also reporting that World of Beer purchased the building next door for 1.5 million dollars. Businesses currently taking residence in the building include Grand Reserve Cigar & Smoke Shop, Four Seasons Market & Eatery, and the Christian Science Reading Room.

Though Wear TV reports rumors that long term plans include turning the building into a high rise with with retail shops on the bottom, and business and residential space up top, owner Scott Zepp claims there are no plans for the property at this time.

Cigar City Brewing Releases Draft Nitro Schedule

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More good news from Cigar City Brewing (CCB) today as they announced their intent to focus more on their draft nitro beers. Joe Burn, CCB's National Sales Manager, stated:

We here at CCB have decided to place a focus on our draft nitro beers. We think the nitro adds a unique aspect to many brands. Our tasting room has two nitro taps and we want to get more nitro beers out into the market.

Even more importantly they've stated that the nitro releases will be brewed in sizable batches to be distributed throughout Florida, including the panhandle.

Cigar City Brewing Draft Nitro Schedule

2013
September: Minaret ESB
October: Hornswoggled Red Ale
November: Puppy's Breath Robust Porter
December: Minaret ESB

2014
January: Cafe Con Leche Sweet Stout
February-March: Patio Tools Dry Irish Stout
April: Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale
May: Hornswoggled Red Ale
June: Horchata Ale
July: Minaret ESB
August: Vanilla Maduro
September: Minaret ESB
October: Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale
November: Puppy's Breath Robust Porter
December: Minaret ESB

You can read more about these draft beers on CCB's Draft Beer Page. If you want to learn more about nitro beers, check out "Good Beer Gas: Nitro Beers Explained" over at CraftBeer.com.

We look forward to seeing CCB nitro drafts hit the Pensacola area and will let you know as soon as we receive more information.

World of Beer & Stone Brewing Bring You STONEhenge

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Official Flyer
On Thursday, August 22nd, World of Beer and Stone Brewing invite you to attend STONEhenge.

The event will feature a nice selection of Stone brews on tap, including:

But the guest of honor for the night will be Stone Ruination Grapefruit Slam which was brewed exclusively for World of Beer. All World of Beer locations will be holding a "video simul-tap" for this unique Stone brew which will include Greg Koch (CEO and Co-Founder of Stone Brewing).

Event Summary
Event: STONEhenge
Location: All World of Beer locations including WoB-Palafox
When: Thursday, August 22nd / Simul-tap at 6pm (CST)

Hopjacks August Beer Dinner Takes You On A Mediterranean Tour

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Hopjacks August Beer Dinner "Mediterranean Tour" is happening on Thursday, August 22nd at Hopjacks - Nine Mile. The planned courses with beer pairings for this dinner are:

1st Course
Bulgar Wheat Salad with fresh herbs and Prosciutto-Basil Shrimp.
Paired with Pensacola Bay Deluna Kolsch.

2nd Course
Lamb Kofte "sandwiches" with Roasted Red Pepper Muhammara.
Paired with Erdinger Dunkelweizen.

3rd Course
Chicken Shawarma Kabobs with Jasmine Rice Cake and Cucumber Yogurt.
Paired with Green Flash Hop Head Red.

4th Course
Rosewater Ice Cream with Cinnamon Montecaos Cookie.
Paired with New Belgium Sunshine Wheat Ale.

If you've been to any of Hopjacks' beer dinners presented by Tim Dohms you know how great these events have been in the past. If you haven't been to one yet, then you really need to do yourself a favor and get tickets ASAP!

Event Summary
Event: HJ August Beer Dinner: Mediterranean Tour
Location: Hopjacks - Nine Mile
When: Thursday, August 22nd, Starts at 7pm
Cost: $40 per person + tax & gratuity
Reservations: Call 850.497.6076 Extension 3

2013 Emerald Coast Beer Festival

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It's almost time for the 2013 Emerald Coast Beer Festival brought to you by Escambia Bay Homebrewers. Taking place at Seville Quarter, the festivities consist of two events, a Beer Pairing Dinner and Beer Tasting.

Beer Pairing Dinner
First up will be the beer pairing dinner held in Seville Quarter's Apple Annie's Room on Thursday, September 5th at 7pm.

Lagunitas Brewing Company will be the featured brewer with Lagunitas representative John Jaufman leading the festivities. A special menu will be prepared by Seville Quarter executive chef Brandon Melton.

Reception:
Crispy Duck Wontons with Spicy Maple Mustard
Applewood Bacon and Aged Cheddar Puff Dumplings
Chive on Shrimp Cake with Tabasco Goat Cheese
Lagunitas Pils Czech Style Pilsner
Lagunitas Censored Rich Copper Ale

First Course:
Butter Poached Scallops in a Warm Brie Bisque
with Truffled Pea Tendrils
Lagunitas Little Sumpin Wild

Second Course:
Jalapeño Honey Braised Pork over Sweet Corn Cakes
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

Third Coarse:
Red Ale Stewed Beef Tenderloin Tips over Bleu Cheese
Studded Mash Potatoes
Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Red Ale

Dessert:
St Louis Gooey Butter Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Stout Syrup
Lagunitas Imperial Stout

Tickets are $55 per person (tax & gratuity not included). For reservations call (850) 434-6211 and ask for Nancy.

Beer Tasting
Described as the 'best street party' in Pensacola, the beer tasting event will take place Friday, September 6th. General admission hours are from 6pm - 8:30pm. VIP ticket holders will have entrance to the VIP room in Heritage Hall at 5:15pm and throughout the night.

Beers from microbreweries, specialty bottled beers, and homebrewed beers will be available for tasting. This is a great chance to discover new beers, or if you're new to the craft beer scene finding out your personal preference. The availability of homebrewed beers should be noted, as these are beers you can't find on your local shelf or pub, and many craft beer brewers have their roots in homebrewing.

For a complete list of vendors including the beers they'll be serving check out the Emerald Coast Beer Tasting page.

If you work up an appetite from all that drinking, Woody's Pizza, Happy Pig Bar-B-Que, and Tin-Tin Oriental Foods will all be on site and ready to serve up some great food.

Charities supported by this years festival include Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Seville Rotary club.

This year the festival is using the FindMyTap app for both Android and iPhones to help identify and locate specific beers.

Tickets are available now from a club member or by mail for $20. You can also buy tickets from a ticket outlet for $25. Tickets will be available on the day of the event for $30. VIP tickets are available from a club member or mail for $50 or from a ticket outlet for $55.

Ticket outlets include Seville Quarter, Pensacola Bay Brewery, Richey's East (Gregory Street Location), Wisteria Tavern, Wine World Outlet, Four Winds International Food, and The Shade Lady. You can find location and more on all these venues on the Pensacola Beer Location page.

For questions check out the festival FAQ page, or email the festival using the address info@emeraldcoastbeerfest.com.

To keep up with new announcements be sure to bookmark the official Emerald Coast Beer Festival website as well as follow their Facebook Page. You can also count on Pensacola Beer to keep you informed of any new festival information.

The Emerald Coast Beer Festival is the original Pensacola Beer Festival, and always a standout in the Pensacola Beer Festival season. We attended last year and had a great time, and we'll be there again this year. Don't miss it.

Event Summary
Event: Beer Pairing Dinner
Location: Seville Quarter's Apple Annie's Room
When: Thursday, September 5th at 7pm
Cost: $55 per person (tax & gratuity not included)
Tickets: Call (850) 434-6211 and ask for Nancy

Event: Beer Tasting
Location: Seville Quarter
When: Friday, September 6th 6pm-8:30pm (VIP Room Opens at 5:15)
Cost: $20 from Club Member, $25 from ticket outlet, $30 Day Of (VIP $50 from Club Member, $55 from Ticket Outlet)
Tickets: Website or Ticket Outlet

Cigar City Continues Expanding & Hopes to Keep FL Panhandle Supplied

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"Why can't I find any Cigar City beer?" seems to be a common question lately along the Panhandle and throughout parts of Florida. However, we may soon see a noticeable increase in CCB products flowing into the local area. A recent email we received from Joe Burns, CCB's National Sales Manager, stated:

Cigar City Brewing has done all that we can to have a presence once again in the Florida panhandle. We have done everything we can, in working with our distributors, not to bring on new accounts to sell our products. However the amount of beer sold in our existing retail outlets has gone up over 75% this past year. We still are unable to meet demand even with the expansion of the brewery. We will be receiving 6 additional 120bbl tanks in the month of August. This will essentially max out our capacity at our Tampa facility at about 60,000bbls. With this expansion we do envision going back into the Florida panhandle full time with our core beers as well as our seasonals.

Photo Courtesy of Cigar City: Brewhouse #2 with four new 120bbl tanks

Though it may be disappointing not to find your favorite CCB product on the shelf, it's great news that the demand for CCB just within Florida is so great that CCB can't meet demand, even with recent expansions.

On Monday, Cigar City posted on their Facebook page that two of the 120 bbl tanks already arrived. So hopefully soon we will have a steady inflow of CCB into the Florida panhandle.

Cigar City FB Post: Arrival of Two 120 bbl Fermenters

Wine World - Destin & Sweetwater Fish Fried

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Next Wednesday, August 14th, Wine World and Sweetwater Brewing Company are hosting "Fish Fried", a fundraiser event. The event will take place at Wine World - Destin and costs $12 for a fried fish plate and $5 for the beer tasting.

Fish Fried Flyer

This event is part of the Sweetwater and Waterkeeper Alliance team's ongoing "Save Our Water" fundraising campaign. Proceeds collected will benefit our local Emerald Coastkeeper.

Get yourself a plate of fried fish and wash it down with some Sweetwater brews and all for a good cause as you keep the event motto close to your heart...

Conserve Water, Drink Beer!
Save the Cows, Fry Fish!

Event Summary
Event: Fish Fried
Location: Wineworld - Destin
When: Wednesday, August 14th from 6pm - 8pm
Cost: $12 Fried Fish Plates / $5 Beer Tastings