Katy Ice Trail House is hosting Round Up De Mayo around the same time as the beer fest. If you’re into wearing neon clothing, drinking booze, and the possibility of giant slide, then this is your crowd. The Facebook event photo promises a giant slide, but I am wary of promises that include a giant slide from previous experience. It often turns out to be a disappointment.

Tickets for Flying Saucer on the Lake’s Annual Beer Festival (happening June 16) go on sale Thursday, May 10. Over 25 breweries and 60 craft beers will be hanging out at 4821 Bass Pro Drive in Garland, all selected by Flying Saucer’s beer gurus. These tickets are only $25 if you purchase them before May 25, so open those wallets for this special deal.

And just because I like charity events (plus, this organization is doing some good for this world), I’ll throw in a fundraising dinner here. Seeds of Africa, a non-profit that nurtures young children and adults in African communities, is teaming up with Bolsa for a four-course meal in hopes to support Seeds’ relief efforts.

Seeds is an organization that Dallas native and well-known runway model, Atti Worku, founded a few years ago. Her mission statement is below:

“Our vision is to create a self-sustaining model for education and community development that can be replicated in other African communities. Beginning in Ethiopia, we educate and nurture gifted children, young adults, and communities with support that meets basic needs, an innovative curriculum and community development programs. We move beyond the traditional aid model, shifting from mere relief efforts to giving students, families and communities the skills they need to support themselves and rise above poverty.”

Deep Ellum Brewery has just released their first (only?) production of “Love Runs Deep” Cherry Chocolate Double Brown Stout (deets below). Think you’ll find it at Tom Thumb? Nope. Bolsa Mercado bought the entire batch. Each 22-ounce bottle is individually numbered and made with red tart and dark sweet cherries and Organic/Fair Trade cocoa nibs. Expect to find all 300 of them on the shelves of Bolsa Mercado during their next Open House on February 11.

If you can’t wait until the 11^th to get a food fix from The ‘Cado, head over on February 8. If you are lucky, you may be able to look past talented chef chefs Jeff Harris and Matt Balke and spot the rare, elusive chef Sharon Hage in the kitchen. She will be creating a “Take Home Dinner For Two.” Who knows, by then Bolsa Mercado may have Alan McClure creating Fudgesicles or Grant Achatz doing dishes. Could happen. Pigs fly in Oak Cliff.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE DOUBLE BROWN STOUT -

8% ABV 27 IBUs

Our logical offering for a passionate time of year.

Who says Brewers can’t pluck your heartstrings? We’ll play right to your heart (and

palette and belly) by taking our already smooth and rich Double Brown Stout and taking

out to a night on the town. By adding real Red Tart and Dark Sweet Cherries at the

beginning of fermentation and **(Organic/Fair Trade) cocoa nibs at the end of

conditioning, once a year we treat our Double Brown Stout lavishly. Don’t be a selfish

lover, share with this someone special.

Style: Cherry Chocolate Baltic Porter

Hops: US Goldings, Mt. Hood, US Northern Brewer, Summit

Malts: Pale Ale, Munich light, Brown, Munich Dark, Oats, Crystal Rye, Extra Dark

Crystal, Dehusked Chocolate

Yeast: California Lager

Other: Blackstrap Molasses, Red Tart & Dark Sweet Cherry Puree’, Cocoa Nibs

Packages: 50L, 1/6th bbl

Pull up a chair at Sundown's cozy bar. (photography by Jason Acton)

Sundown Tea (photography by Jason Acton)

The Concept: Sundown at Granada is the Granada Theater’s neighboring restaurant and bar with a long list of draft beers and hand-crafted cocktails. Although I’m sure you can grab a bite pre-show, I would be filled with panic watching a line get longer next door while shoveling down the last forkfulls of food and chugging the rest of a beer. This is a perfect spot, however, to discuss your favorite act post-performance and perhaps mingle with band members, who are sure to wander over for a bite.

Who’s There: Thirty-somethings interested in enjoying some quality time together. (Rather than 20-somethings hollering over their third round of Jager bombs.)

When You Enter, Make a Beeline For: A cozy spot. Long gone are the dramatic reds and blacks that made up M Street Bar. Now you’ll find warm, dark woods and earthy accessories that inspire visions of a lakefront cabin or old library (or both, mixed together). Head to the lounge area, which features vintage-looking chairs and rugs. All that’s missing is a fireplace. I would like to recommend the patio with its long tables befitting groups, but the stinky smoke from the chiminea left us smelling like we’d returned from a camping trip.

photography by Jason Acton

What We Drank: A few cocktails, a few beers. (Food starts this Friday.) We did what I think one should do at fancy cocktail joints: ask the waiter to have the bartender to make his favorite drink. Our server didn’t look thrilled when we asked for “something spicy, whatever the bartender likes.” Either way, he brought us a Sundown Tea, a housemade tea concoction spiced with jalapeno, and a Cucumber Cilantro ‘Tini. Both were tasty, if a little on the sweet side. The beer menu boasts 60 options. Our beer snob buddy is calling it a list of “good” options, “not stellar.” Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Wild, Samuel Smith’s seasonal Winter Warmer, and the Left Hand Milk Stout got us excited, but we wouldn’t mind seeing a few one-of-a-kind rotating drafts. Although the kitchen wasn’t open yet, a few samples of soon-to-be-served Mexican Pizza was passed around. It was spicy and delicious.

A peaceful nook for cocktails and conversation. (photography by Jason Acton)

What They’re Wearing: Casual stuff. Jeans will do, but if you head over gussied up, don’t fret. You’ll still fit right in.

When the Crowd Arrives: We settled in on a Friday after work, and the bar had plenty of patrons but also plenty of elbow room.

Bottom Line: Sundown is in its beginning stages. Happy hours aren’t yet in place, and food isn’t being served until this Friday, January 13. All in all, though, we’ll call it a decent bar experience that left us feeling like we were hanging out in a friend’s living room. But we’re excited to go back for food and a post-show nightcap.

Check out our Party Pics gallery from Sundown.

(clockwise from top left) DC9 and John Reardon and Drew Huerter. Photography by Joshua Martin.

Dallas is a little late to the microbrewery trend, but we’ve finally hopped on the beer brewing business with gusto. Now we have three—Peticolas Brewing Company, Lakewood Brewing Company, Deep Ellum Brewing Company–and each plan to produce 1,500 barrels in its first year. Check out this report written by David Hopkins with delicious photography by Joshua Martin.

It’s all right here.

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/05/brews-news-three-new-microbreweries-in-dallas/feed/ 0 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/04/hey-beer-lovers-get-ready-for-holy-grail-pub-dog-days-of-winter-event/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/04/hey-beer-lovers-get-ready-for-holy-grail-pub-dog-days-of-winter-event/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:00:28 +0000 Nancy Nichols http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=34325 On Tuesday January 17^th at 6:00PM, beer lovers will get a chance to taste the extremely limited release of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. Get there early, the last tapping of 120 in September sold out in 14 minutes. It’s the world’s strongest India Pale Ale (18%).  Other tappings include Dogfish Head favorites such as Immort Ale and Burton Baton.  Enjoy them with the ever popular Holy Grail house-made hot dogs. Check out the hunk nice young gentleman in this video as he talks about “calibrating hoppiness.” How good is that? Who doesn’t need their hoppiness calibrated?

Old Monk
Wednesday September 21—Oktoberfest kickoff at The Old Monk. Keg tapping at 7.30 pm. Dennis from Franconia will bring a 200 year old wooden keg of his Oktoberfest which we will tap at 7:30. Keg tapper this year will be our very own Tim Rogers. The beer is served in ceramic steins with the Old Monk logo. A 24 oz stein full of beer is $15 and you keep the stein. Bratwurst and knockwurst are available.

Beer for a cause. Every year The Monk hosts a pumpkin carving event to raise money for charity. Guests pay $10 and get a scooped out pumpkin, carving tools and a pint compliments of Guinness (Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, Half and Half, or Black and Tan ). The Monk matches the $10 (last year they wrote a check for $5,500 to North Texas Food Bank) Carving begins October 19 and runs through Halloween night.

Currently The Monk has cask conditioned Fireman’s #4. Get it before it runs out.

Six firkins of Green Flash West Coast IPA (7.3% ABV and 95 IBUs) are literally on a truck from San Diego right now. They should arrive any day to go on the beer engines at The Monk and The Idle. This beer will most certainly go quickly; it’s pretty highly regarded in craft beer circles.

Holy Grail Pub:

Mon., Sept. 26: Beer Dinner with Ayinger Celebrator, Pinkus Organic Hefeweizen, Avery Kaiser Oktoberfest, Kapuzinger Schwarz-Weizen, and Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.
Tues, Sept. 27: Magic Hat Hat Hex “Ourtoberfest Glass Night”
Weds., Sept. 28: Summit Oktoberfest Glass Night
Thurs., Sept. 29: Avery Kaiser Oktoberfest Glass Night
Fri., Sept. 30: Spaten Munich Mug Night

jump for the rest of the listings…

Libertine

Monday Sept 26: Guided Tasting of three Deschutes beers including the very special The Stoic with guest brewer Robin Johnson.

Wednesday Oct 26: 7 pm Halloween Costume & Spaten Beer Dinner. Five courses paired with five spaten beers for just $50. Reservations required. 214-824-7900.

Every Thursday Pint Night. Buy the beer and keep the cool logo glass. Check website for weekly feature.

Every Wednesday $2.50 Texas Beer Night. Draught, bottle or can. If it is from Texas, it is just $2.50. Week to week will include: Rahr, Southern Star Bombshell Blonde & Pinebelt Pale, Shiner, Lone Star, Saint Arnold Amber, Real Ale Fireman #4 and more…

Flying Saucer

Fort Worth Flying Saucer (Sundance Square) hosts its Sixth Annual Fall Beer Festivalwith seasonal brews from Avery Brewing Company; Ayinger Brewery; Boulevard Brewing Company; Brooklyn Brewery; Franconia Brewing; Harpoon Brewery; Live Oak Brewing Company; New Belgium Brewing; Real Ale Brewing; Rahr & Sons Brewing Company; Samuel Adams; Spaten Brewery; Saint Arnold Brewing Company; Summit Brewing Company; and Warsteiner. Saturday, Oct. 8 from noon to 9:30 p.m. – $25 online pre-sale ticket price, $30 week of event and at the door.

Addison Flying Saucer Draught Emporium will host an end of summer beer dinner with New Belgium Brewery this Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. Celebrate the end of summer with featured brews from New Belgium and a specially designed food menu that will pair with a selection of seasonal brews and selected offerings from New Belgium’s Lips of Faith lineup. The evening will be led by New Belgium representative and “North Texas Beer Ranger,” Jerry Bushon.

Flying Saucer on the Lake will host a special beer dinner with Brewery Ommegang on Thursday, Sept. 29 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The dinner will feature a special five-course food menu, paired with a selection of brews from Ommegang. Pairings include: Witte mussels with beer-baked fries and Ommegang Witte Ale for the evening’s first course; a second course of velvet corn soup with chili shrimp and Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale; next, guests will be treated to Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale served with sweet and spicy fried chicken tacos with jalapeno and mango slaw; the fourth course consists of the Saucer’s special “kicked up” meatloaf served with Ommegang Abbey Ale; and the dinner will conclude with Dulce de Leche, coconut and chocolate chip Magic Bars with vanilla bean ice cream, served with Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadruple.

Idle Rich

Cask conditioned St Arnold’s Elissa IPA is flowing at The Idle.

Also, The Old Monk, Idle Rich, Blackfriar and Renfield’s Corner all now have Spaten Oktoberfest on draught and offer litre Spaten steins of Oktoberfest for $15. The stein is yours to keep.

Central Market kicks off the beer season on Sept 14 with its second annual Brewtopia celebration—a full two weeks from Sept 14 to 27 dedicated to celebrating all things brewed. The event will bring in more than 10 of the best beer creators in the business to host beer samplings, share brew tales, and talk one-on-one with beer lovers. Highlights include: Steven Pauwels, Brewmaster Boulevard Brewing; Keith Villa, Brewmaster of Tenth and Blake and creator of Blue Moon; Original Sin Cider owner Gidon Coll.

The store’s resident beer gurus will even be incorporating beers into their Cooking School recipes. On Friday, Sept. 23, Greg Engbert, beer director for Neighborhood Restaurant Group of Washington, D.C. will offer a “Beer, Cheese and the Confluence of Flavor” seminar in the Cooking School. (Engbert was named Sommelier of the Year by Food & Wine in April 2010, the first ever for a beer professional.) Classes run from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, unless otherwise noted. Classes run in the neighborhood of $60. Check the Cooking School site for details.

During Brewtopia, Central Market also discounts beer up to 25%, so stock up as is reasonable.

• 10% off beer purchases $5-$9.99
• 20% off beer purchases $10-$24.99
• 25% off beer purchases $25 and up

Each course will be paired with a beer selection from her prized cellar and will include:

jump for the menu…

First course:

Pate de canard and chicharrones de pato (duck pate with crispy duck pork rinds) paired with Transatlantique Kreik, a spontaneously fermented Lambic ale made with Polish cherries

Second course:

Roasted beet salad with an almond gazpacho and white balsamic syrup, served alongside Biere de Mars

Third course:

Breast of Guinea fowl with curried potatoes, arugula puree, and dried mango chutney paired with Super Cru

Fourth course:

Wild California Sturgeon filet with tempura pineapple and a “cherry coke” glaze, served with Dunkel-weiss, a “grand cru dunkel-weiss”

Fifth course:

Pork belly confit with Cannellini beans and a rosemary pesto with roasted grape marmalade served with La Folie

Dessert

Sticky bun bread pudding served with an Abbey Grand Cru.

Tickets for the event are $85, which includes tax and gratuity, and can be purchased by calling 214-628-7900. Tickets are limited, and reservations are required.

It appears that everyone’s favorite reason to visit is the presence of Meddlesome Moth alum Stephanie Roethlisberger who’s known for matching beer lovers with their soon-to-be-favorite new beer. She plumbs the depths of your likes and dislikes and presents hopefuls. Kind of like blind dating without the humiliation. In that sense, she’s the beer shadchen of Lower Greenville.

The availability of delivery menus for Mextopia, Greenville Avenue Pizza, Nandina, and others means you’ll never have to mourn the absence of a kitchen.

Growlers are available for $7.99 plus the cost of the beer.

The brewpub's frontage on Magnolia St. in Fort Worth. (Photo by Julissa Trevino)

Ace contributor Julissa Trevino sends us this report from the field. Take it away, Julissa…

At the corner of W. Magnolia Ave. and College Ave. in the Near Southside neighborhood of Fort Worth, Carlo Galotto looked tired but was still smiling as he sat on a dusty wooden bar stool in the spacious brick building that used to house Gunn’s Cleaners in mid-June.

Galotto, owner of soon-to-open Zio Carlo Magnolia Brewpub, spends 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week working on what he hopes will become a neighborhood establishment reminiscent of old Europe.

But the 52-year-old, thin Italian immigrant from Turin doesn’t have much time. Having worked on the opening since Oct. 2008, when he bought the property, Galotto had hoped open up his business in July. With less than a week go for before the end of the month, it’s looking less and less likely for the hopeful brewer.

jump to read more…

Brewing equipment waits at the ready. (Photo by Julissa Trevino)

Under Pressure

A slew of complications, such as fixing the roof (costing him about $70,000) and getting his building checked to meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, had become major hurdles he would have to overcome in order to accomplish his dream.

After all this, and having his life partner LuAnn Mancini become co-owner of the business, Galotto had temporarily put his project to rest at the end of 2009 after he couldn’t afford to pay his mortgage anymore.

Eventually, he made a deal with the previous owners, and earlier this year, he managed to sell back the building to them, who are now allowing him to buy it back at the same fixed price within years.

Galotto, who is living in the states under a E-2 visa, which allows immigrants to live in the U.S. for five years to start up a business, will have to return to Italy in 2014 if he does not open up his business in that time.

The industrial interior comes together. (Photo by Julissa Trevino)

In June, he was determined to open at some point in July in order to make the most out of the little money he has left.. “I must open by July. If I will not open, I am ruined,” he said. But now, he has no idea when he plans on opening. A number of anxious supporters have flooded the establishment’s Facebook page, asking Galotto when he plans to open, to which he can’t respond with a set date.

“I will open without my own beer because I don’t have time to brew,” he said. Galotto hopes to have his own beer ready to serve a few weeks after he opens.

It’s not entirely surprising that Galotto has faced multiple issues forcing him to push back his opening, said Jimmy Story, owner of Avoca Coffee right down the street on Magnolia. “As far as when a business starts, people put out a date, and you’re lucky if you even get close to that,” he says, mentioning that Avoca opened about a year-and-a-half after he had anticipated. “Every time you have a hurdle, it adds time.”

What remains to be seen is whether Zio Carlo can be successful once it actually opens. Galotto has made few efforts to publicize his business. He says he’s received much needed support from Fort Worth South Inc. and the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, as well as from community activists and beer lovers, and he has an active Facebook page, but the buzz around Zio Carlo has died down in the last few years.

“When I first heard about the place, everyone was really excited about it,” said Story, “but I guess that’s been a few years now.”

The Brewpub Culture

But if it opens to positive reception, the building that Carlo has put so much work into, now with exposed brick, large windows and rustic furniture, could be a landmark in the Fairmount District.

“If your neighborhood has a brewpub, it’s really something you can be proud of,” said Christopher Staten, beer editor at Draft magazine, a national publication on beer culture.

Staten marks the beginning of the traditional brewpub at 1300 or 1400 England. Brewpubs, he said, have a reputation of being neighborhood hangouts where beer drinkers can have one-on-one experiences with the people who brew the beer they’re drinking.

“For me, a huge part of craft beer revolves around consuming a product that has a story,” said Staten. “I think brewpubs are really at the root of that.”

For Galotto, his story might be the only sure thing about his brewpub. Something both Galotto and Staten would agree on is that brewpubs give consumers a connection to what they’re drinking.

“You can get lost in a bottle shop,” said Staten, “but in a brewpub, you have a really chance of meeting the brewer. It’s a safe, but intimate way of getting into more and more craft styles. That’s something you don’t get with microbreweries or regional breweries.”

With brewpubs, there’s also room for innovation. Whereas regional breweries and even some microbreweries might not have the opportunity to experiment with different kinds of beer because it can be too expensive, brewpubs are more willing to take chances, says Staten, sometimes brewing small batches of a certain kind of beer they want to try out.

Bringing Europe to Fort Worth

It’s evident, as Galotto listed off his brews, that Zio Carlo will be full of interesting, creative beers. Like any brewer, Galotto said the beer is the most important part of his business, and most, if not all, of the beers at Zio Carlo will have Italian names. (“I think the name of the beer is important for marketing reasons.”)

“My favorite is the English bitter,” he said. It’s brewed with myrtle leafs, grown in Sardinia and Corsica, he explains as he got up, walking across the room to show me a jar full of dull green leafs. “In Italy, they use berries and myrtle to make very strong liquor. But that’s not very common here, especially here in Texas. They [Americans] have never heard of using myrtle in beer.”

A wheat beer brewed with Texas peaches, Bianca Pesca, he said, is “unbelievable because you were able to smell and taste the peaches, and it gave the beer a little bit of sour.”

There will also be a dry stout called Augusta Taurinorum, which was the Roman name given to Turin, a Belgian Golden Strong Ale and a brown ale. And at least two lagers, one of which will be a bock or doppelbock.

“The guy knows what he’s doing with beer,” said Story, who remembers liking Galotto’s beers during previous years’ Arts Goggle programs, an annual arts and music festival which also showcases local businesses. “He’s really well-respected with the beer community in this area.”

Although Galotto concedes that American brewers have “had a very important role in the creating craft beer, this market,” he doesn’t want to make American-style beer.

“In this place, I want to recreate what there was in the past in European brewpub,” said Galotto. For him, the building on Magnolia and College was a no-brainer. “I was looking for a historic building,” he said of his property. “In Europe, all the buildings are old. For me, I cannot imagine a brewery or brewpub in a new building.”

Galotto touched the wooden bar table in front of him, his hands rough, and explained that he collected that wood “from the garbage” from houses in the neighborhood that had been torn-down and bought some of his furniture from garage sales. “It’s not only to save that I don’t have,” he said. “We want this place to be unique. It will be very cozy.”

His brewpub will also serve food, but it will be much different than what you expect from a bar or a restaurant. A limited choice of pizza or one or two other dishes like pasta, for lunch and dinner (food won’t be served at any other time, in other words) will bring a bit of Europe to Magnolia, he hopes.

“In Italy, we call a place like that a trattoria,” said Galotto. “It is for workers. They eat what the place provides. You will not have a full menu.”

For visitors and Near Southside residents, Story said Zio Carlo will add “another dynamic” to the area. If Galotto’s Zio Carlo can be successful, Galotto may be able to change the way people in Fort Worth, or at least in the Fairmount District, look at beer and drinking.

jump for the the menu:

Tonight (Friday):

• Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence with red velvet waffles
• Blanche de Brussels with steamed mussels (ginger, Fresno, shiitake, scallion)

Tomorrow (Saturday):

• Urthel Hop-it with pork confit over Thai broken rice
• La Trappe Quad with Saint Andre Triple Cream and black plum-currant chutney

jump for the menu…

Meet and Greet IPA – Keep the Mason Jar
Course 1
Wild Boar & Cranberry Sausage on rosemary infused risotto
Paired: Hop Stoopid

Course 2
Leaves of Belgian Endive filled w/ raspberry bacon jam
Paired: Imperial Stout

Course 3
Grilled Flat Iron & fig demi-glace finished w/ lemon stilton on potato & vidalia onion torte
Paired: Gnarleywine

Dessert
Chocolate Bombe w/ grapefruit gelato & Sumpin Wild reduction

Cost is $68 per person (plus tax and gratuity).
Call 214-761-7439 to reserve a spot.