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Articles about beer

Beer Photos: Brew Riot 2012 in the Bishop Arts District

Beer tasting (all photos by Matt Shelley)

Matt Shelley, the guy who tends to save my computer from utter destruction, is also a closet beer nerd. I have even paid him in beer before. Yesterday, he attended this year’s Brew Riot celebrating homebrewing in the Bishop Arts District between 7th and 9th street. Here’s what he has to say. It reads like a prose poem, so don’t judge him for the lack of rhyming.

Lots of homemade artisan beers.
Very crowded, but never without a beer.
Hundreds of different beers to taste: Stouts, Ambers, Wits, IPAs, ciders, Ales, Lagers, Pilsners, Doubles, tripels, Dunkels, California Commons, etc.
Dowdy Studio made t shirts just for the event at a sale price of $15. They ran out of larges, so I’ll have to live with just being medium.
$20 dollars gets you a small cup and unlimited tastings. A bit dangerous when coupled with the heat.
There was a great energy, as is usually the case with beer people. Best event I’ve been to for beer.

Jump for my IT guy’s photos.

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Beers With Friends Bonus: Conquering American Craft Beer Week in Dallas

I know, I know. You’ve been waiting on pins and needles for Part II of Beers With Friends. But consider this an extra, in which I give you a run down of the various American Craft Beer Week activities. It all starts on Monday. I’ll break it up by day, and then maybe tell you which ones my expert, Michael, and I are most interested in checking out. Armed with excellent tolerance (debatable, in reference to myself) and tastebuds (definitely, in reference to Michael), we will boldly go where several of you are probably also and already going. Check back for specifics from Strangeways, and as always, add more ideas in the comments.

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Richardson Gets a Little Weird: Alamo Drafthouse to Open in Richardson Heights Shopping Center

Get ready to get your Dude on in Richardson!

Teresa “Gubshoe” Gubbins reports the Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse will open its first branch in Dallas-Fort Worth in the Richardson Heights Shopping Center. The theater-restaurant has 740 seats, a full kitchen, and 40 beers on tap. It will takeover the former Pep Boys store. This is not your average first-run theater. It is a movie-lovers dream. They do festivals, both beer and movie, and special events like “Quote Alongs” for films like The Big Lebowski and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You get kicked out if you don’t talk along with the film.

UPDATE: Peter files a report on FrontRow.

Cinco De Mayo in Dallas: Where to Down Those Tequila Shots and Don Those Sombreros

Cinco de Mayo at Mattito's. photography by Jerry McClure

It’s that time of year again. Time to load up your amigos and head to the local Mexican watering holes for mariachi music, discount drinks, and too much tequila. Check out our list of 10 best bets for getting in the spirit of the annual fiesta.

CHUY’S
11 am to 11 pm
Drink This: All day happy hour with $3.95 house margaritas, $7.25 house Texas martinis, and $2.75 domestics along with Corona specials and onsite alcohol promotions
Festivities: Tune in to the sounds of a mariachi band at 7 pm.

HACIENDA ON HENDERSON
11 am to 11 pm
Drink This: $5 margaritas
Festivities: It’s a whole block party full of live music, mariachis, and DJs. If you get bored, head to the dunk tank, onsite photo booth, or giant Jenga. Bring a receipt and prove you caught a cab there, and the $5 cover is waived.

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Beers With Friends: Perusing Bolsa Mercado’s Stock

Beers from Bolsa Mercado. (All photos by Matthew Shelley.)

Hi. Remember me? I wrote this thing about Tillman’s and got all choked up about tater tots. When Carol asked me last week to write something about beer, I said, “Oh. Well, I like beer.” And then she showed me a photo of the beers Bolsa Mercado has just gotten in stock. I said, “I recognize most of these. They can’t be THAT interesting.” But I’m no aficionado. The only reason I recognized some of the labels is thanks to my good friend Michael (yes, the one who says that not liking seafood is akin to not liking sandwiches). He really likes beer, in an intelligent sort of way, and he knows a lot about it.

Thus, I have dubbed this thing “Beers With Friends,” in which I gather Michael and two other friendly persons with distinguished palates, PCP’s Bradford Pearson and his fiancée Kelleen, to drink hoppy stuff and talk about it like humans with a limited budget for booze-buying. We will strive for equal parts real opinion and total BS (like when I say something ridiculous like “I definitely think this tastes like beer.”) Hopefully, you have fun and learn something new, which is how last Thursday night went down for us.

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Deep Ellum Brewing Company Starts Thursday Night Brewery Tours

Starting this Thursday, Deep Ellum Brewing Company will host Thursday evening tours of the brewery from 5-7PM. They kick off their new program with live music by Whiskey Folk Ramblers. Food, for purchase, is available from Buzzbrews Deep Ellum. $10 at the gate which includes DEBC souvenir glass and DEBC beer. 972-439-2413.

Melissa and James: Two Master Sommeliers Review Victory Brewing Company Dinner at Meddlesome Moth

Scarlet Fire Rauchbier with Scrapple, Smoked Apple Butter, and Sunny-Side-Up Egg.

Melissa Monosoff is a Master Sommelier who moved to Dallas in January to become the Director of Wine and Education for Pioneer Beverage Company. She is the 17th woman in the world to gain MS status. Before coming to Dallas, Melissa created the largest wine list in Pennsylvania, and was a multi-year recipient of Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, both at Savona Restaurant in Philadelphia. Her presence in Dallas brings our female Master Sommelier population up to two: Barbara Werley, of Pappas Bros. is also a MS. Only San Francisco has more: three. And we are tied at two with Southgate, Michigan. For those of you scoring at home, Texas now has seven Master Sommeliers. (Wine sabermetricians will enjoy this site.)

James Tidwell, the MS at the Four Season’s Resort and Spa and co-founder of TexSom, knows Melissa. “She has a palate that is scary sensitive and accurate; much better than mine,” Tidwell says. “In short, she’s a badass.”

Which is why I am pleased to announce that Melissa and James have teamed up to write together. I hope to make them the new “Dottie and John,” the duo who, for 12 years, wrote a tasting column for the Wall Street Journal. Their first column is a review of the recent Victory Brewing Company dinner at the Meddlesome Moth.

Bill Covaleski, co-founder of Victory Brewing Company, was in town on Monday evening to host a beer dinner at Meddlesome Moth. Bill was a homebrewer who went on to complete beer studies at the Doemens Institute in Munich. Despite his vast technical knowledge, Bill relays information in a way that even non-hopheads can understand and he is entertaining in front of a group. He has grown Victory to become a leader of the craft brewing movement, and a staple of the Pennsylvania brewing culture. Pennsylvania native and the Moth’s  new executive chef Nick Amoriello provided the food pairings. Based on this dinner, we have to say Amoriello is a talent to watch for food and beer pairings. His grasp of flavors and textures between the food and beer was remarkable.

Hop here.

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Upcoming Opportunties to Taste including Cotes du Coeur and a Big Texas Beer Fest

Dallas continues to set the standards high when it comes to events designed to wine and dine you.  Here are some that shouldn’t be missed over the next few weeks.

One of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley is Miner Family Vineyards.  From owner Dave Miner’s succulent Wild Yeast Chardonnay to his impressive use of the Merlot grape in his Stagecoach Vineyard Merlot and his big red blend The Oracle, a wine I would easily put up next to any other red blend from Napa in a blind taste test, his wines are simply delicious.  Thursday evening Miner’s Sales Director Rocio Gonzales will be at the Sigel’s-Elite on Fitzhugh from 5pm-7pm to taste all of these wines and more….best part, some nice discounts will be available for each wine tasted (including the 2007 Oracle, one of the best years in recent history for Napa Valley’s, which usually sells for $85, discounted to $72 a bottle.)  Reservations required – 214-635-3162
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New Wine Store Coming to Central and Walnut Hill in Dallas: Total Wine & More

Good heavens, Walnut Hill and Central is turning into Booze Row. Centennial has been on the corner for a long time and Spec’s, the ginaormous liquor and wine store, opened there in mid-December. This morning comes news that Total Wine & More will open in “early summer” just a few blocks down (or up) from Spec’s. (Note: They’re hiring!) This will be the chain’s first store in Texas and 80th overall location. Here is their claim:

“Total Wine will offer a greater selection of wines, spirits, and beer in its store than any retailer in Dallas.”

Yow. Zah. That’s ballsy. I guess we’ll wait and see. Oh wait, Co-Owner and President David Trone has something to say:

“Total Wine & More will offer a shopping experience unlike any other in Dallas. We feature wine from nearly every wine-growing region in the world, as well as a tremendous selection of spirits from every price range, and a diverse offering of beers, from America’s most popular beers to hard-to-find microbrews and imports.  I believe Dallas residents will be surprised and amazed when they first enter our store.”

Bring it, Hoss. We’ll be the judge. Say, how much Texas wine are you bringing?

The Texas Rangers Will Win the World Series and The James Beard Award for Best New Restaurants

Executive Chef Cris "No H" Vasquez holds a Champion Dog. D.J. Pridemore eats the whole thing. (Photography by Micah Nunley)

Perhaps my headline is a tad overzealous, but boy I got so wound up yesterday at the press conference announcing the new line-up of food items to be served this season at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington I could barely drive home. I wanted to stay, slip on a toga, and feast like a hedonistic Roman tart. But I digress.

I’ve already outlined how the Rangers will win the World Series. I’m now prepared to tell you how to plan your caloric intake when you attend a game. The Yu-Darvish moment of late yesterday took place as the Rangers food service management team—Shawn Mattox, Casey Rapp, Philip Wheatley, execuchef Cris Vazquez—revealed their heavy hitter: The Champion Dog ($26.00 with fries). It’s a 2-foot-long-all-beef hot dog topped with shredded cheese, sauteed onions, and chili. The Champion Dog, also sold as the Boomstick (Hi! Nellie!) in the general concessions area, is meant to satisfy four people. However, I watched an eating competition where D.J. Pridemore, a producer for 105.3-FM The Fan, ate a whole one all by himself. He smoked his opponent, the DMN’s Brandon Formby, who never saw the bun (made by Empire Baking Company) coming. Mr. Formby learned that baseball food, like baseball, is a now game of inches.

So Ranger food fans, here’s is news: Vandergriff Plaza (behind centerfield) has been renovated into a food court with FOUR new restaurants, Ryan’s Express 34, Smokehouse 557, Taqueria, and American Dog. They surround the bronze statute of Nolan Ryan. They’ve also added two smoking hot lounges, the Captain Morgan Club and the Batter’s Eye Club). The Kid’s Zone has been moved indoors (thank you) to the south end of the first floor. And the press box will feature sushi for the Japanese media.

Jump for Food Facts and Fun Pictures For Rangers Fans.

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Deep Ellum Brewing Company Adds Beer Garden. Debut Tomorrow at High Noon in Dallas.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company’s Brand and Sales Ninja, Tait Lifto, sends the news. This may be the place to hang before Savor Dallas’ sold-out reserve tasting:

Deep Ellum Brewing Company is proud to introduce the next step in our young life: a brand new beer garden premiering to the public tomorrow, Saturday March 31, 2012 from noon to 3pm.  We will be open to the public for a brewery open house with a tour at 2pm.  Come see the brand new beer garden, a new painting by the Davies brothers, listen to Fish Fry Bingo and more.  You are invited to attend – we now accept credit cards at the door as well.  I’m attaching a photo of the beer garden at 90% completion – it will be 100% by tomorrow.

Details: (more…)

Where to Drink for St. Patrick’s Day in Dallas: A Neighborhood Guide

photography by Sergio Garza

First, a few St. Patrick’s Day fun facts:

St. Patrick wasn’t Irish.
Almost 37 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. (The rest just pretend on March 17.)
Nearly 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patrick’s Day.
There are four towns in the United States named “Shamrock.” Texas has one of them.
My sister used to eat all the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms box growing up.
Leprechauns exist.

Now, without further ado, we present a guide to boozing on the mean green holiday, organized by our favorite ‘hoods. We know we’ve left off some great bars that will be hosting great times (great time = green Irish beer, Celtic jams, and corned beef and cabbage), but this is just a little taste from a few different DFW territories.

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Sigel’s Celebrates Texas With Spirits, Beer and Wine

In celebration of our recent Texas Independence Day, Texas Flag Day and Sam Houston Day (all of which occurred last Friday, March 2) Sigel’s is holding a TexasFest with a Lone Star sized celebration of all things Texas including some of the state’s best beer, wine and spirits.  This Saturday from 1pm-4pm at the Sigel’s-Elite on Fitzhugh 24 Texas beers, 20 Texas spirits and 8 Texas wines will be poured including beer from Deep Ellum Brewery, Rahr and Sons, St. Arnold, Real Ale and more, with spirits from Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, Tito’s Vodka, Dripping Springs Vodka, Pecan Street Rum, Waterloo Gin, Rebecca Creek Whiskey, Balcones and more, and wine from Lone Oak including their San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition winning Viognier.  What could be better than celebrating our Texas heritage with a few sips from some of Texas’ finest.  Reserve your tasting passport giving you twelve sips of any of the above here.

TGI Friday’s World Bartender Championship Feat. Enrique Iglesias

Londoner Charlie "Chuck" Bailey has a dedicated following among the Friday's crowd, even on this side of the pond. (photos by Karley Osborn)

We sent intern Karley Osborn out to brave a bartending championship in Grapevine on a Sunday night. What a trooper.

Two nights ago, while the rest of you were crying in your living rooms over Meryl Streep’s Oscar speech, I was cheering alongside the corporate world of TGI Friday’s as flair bartenders from nine of the chain’s international restaurants competed to become the “Greatest Bartender in the World.” Er, more specifically, the greatest TGI Friday’s bartender in the world.

The Gaylord’s Glass Cactus was decked out for the event’s 21st year like any 21-year-old’s birthday party venue should be with inflatable noise clappers, flashing strobe lights, and party anthems that sounded out of place until the drinks started flowing. Fans, friends, and family of the nine competitors helped themselves to fancified bar fixings like portabella sliders and fried jalapeno peppers as the competition introductions began around 7:00 p.m.

Jump for some Enrique Iglesias action.
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Boozy Events to Start Off Your Day

The Fort Worth Flying Saucer is hosting its Third Annual Barley Wine Experience on Saturday, February 25, starting at 11 AM in the Sundance Square. Draft and bottled wine selections are available for those who are into craft beers, and guests can order food from the Hungry Farmer Plates menu. Admission’s free, but beer and food are not. Click here for more information.

Blue Mesa Grill Teams up with Ambhar Tequila for a series of workshops called Tequila Lab. Marcelo Nascimento, Ambhar’s lead mixologist, is teaching each lab participant how to make, mix, and enhance tequila drinks. Three drinks and a Blue Mesa menu are included with the class, so hurry and sign up if you would like to be one of the 35 participants.

7 PM Wednesday, February 29th.
Dallas/Northwest Hwy. location only – Lincoln Park, 7700 W. Northwest Hwy.
Limited to 35 participants. Please call (214) 378-8686 to sign up.
$35 per person includes drinks and appetizers.
For more information see www.bluemesagrill.com.

Not in the mood for tequila? Beer could be your answer.

For the first time in DFW history, there is going to be a Local Brewery Beer Pairing Dinner over at the Common Table. Deep Ellum Brewing Company (DEBC) is joining up with four other breweries (Franconia Brewing Co, Lakewood Brewing Co, Rahr & Sons Brewing Co and Peticolas Brewing Co) to host this sweet dinner. Chef Mike Smith will be cooking 5 courses paired with 5 beers. There are still 16 spots open for the March 5th dinner, and $15 per person is being donated to Open the Taps, a grassroots movement fighting for beer equality.


Drink Beer, Eat Sausage at the German Fasching Fest this Sunday

SAT analogy lesson for the day:

New Orleans : Mardi Gras ::
Germany : Fasching Fest ::

If you didn’t understand that, retake the SATs and jump below. (more…)

Good Asian Grub: Mr. Wok’s Peking Duck

Duck meat, crispy skin, green onions, hoi sun sauce, and pancake

Owner Jack Kang carves the duck tableside (left); Carved duck pieces (right)

While other children my age were perfectly satisfied with eating buttered noodles (a bland phenomenon I will never understand), I spent my summers and winters in Taipei demanding to eat Peking duck. Give me some fat, crispy-skinned duck caramelized in its own juices, and I will be the most well-behaved kid on this planet. It worked every time.

Let it be known that I hardly eat Peking duck in the States. It is always a sure disappointment that will make me start itching to buy a plane ticket to Taiwan the very second I finish my meal – money be damned. When I heard that Mr. Wok serves up a mighty duck, I decided that it was time to break my golden rule and see what all the fuss was about.

Jump or quack for more.

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Where to Watch Super Bowl XLVI in Dallas: Here Are Your 10 Best Bets

Super Bowl XLV Watch Party at The Nodding Donkey (photography by Sergio Garza)

Does it really matter if you’re rooting for New England or New York? A Super Bowl watch party is just about having more fun than you’re supposed to on a Sunday. (And winning any bets you may have placed.) Here are 10 hot spots that guarantee a good time whether or not the Giants wipe the field with the Patriots.

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Huge Hit: Deep Ellum Brewing Company Releases Deep Ellum IPA

Crowds get ready for the Deep Ellum Brewing Company's IPA release party.

It has only been a month  Deep Ellum Brewing Company released their first beer so they must have been knocked for six on Saturday when at least 500 people turned up for the party celebrating the release of their Deep Ellum IPA.  They pouredthe IPA along with several other beers including the Backslider Blonde which reminded me of a girl I once dated. She was certainly that hoppy. The Double Brown Stout had a distinctive chocolate note which no doubt came from the chocolate malt used in the brew.  It could also be called a Baltic porter or a Baltic oatmeal porter. The Darkest Hour represents DEBC’s tête de cuvée of dark beers. It’s a full 9% ABV (alcohol by volume) and made from rye and barley. It is the most intense beer that I have tasted for some time. However, the flavors that brew master Drew Huerter imparts in his beers are clean and well-defined. I would drink both of these stouts with foods such as cheese with some rough textured farmhouse bread. Aaron Baxter, who along with Tait Lifto, is a ‘Brand Ninja’ at DEBC suggested I pair the brew with spicy Tex-Mex or Mexican food as an alternative.

Wait, there’s more. (more…)

A Girl Walks Into a Bar: Goodfriend Beer Garden in East Dallas

Photo by Elizabeth Lavin.

Once a month writer Moira Muldoon walks into a bar and lives to write about it. This month she explores Goodfriend Beer Garden in East Dallas.

A couple of guys in their late 30s chatted with me over a tree stump stool at Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House, the new East Dallas pub. They live down the road, were hanging out. My friend Susan arrived, ignored the big TV, and slid onto the couch next to me. Her hair and coat smelled crisp like winter. The guys left, and we stretched out our legs a bit.

Susan murmured something about how she’d forgotten that people go out at 9 on a Thursday night. Though she was once a hipster and still has the style to show for it, she now has a year-old daughter and a lot more Thursday nights at home. She lives down the road from Goodfriend, so the trip to the bar was easy, and, in fact, she and her family are big fans of Good 2 Go Taco next door.

Follow her here.