The night of Saturday, November 20th 2010, will be the night of an event like no other I’ve ever been to here in Seattle. It’s an event attended annually by only of the most hip wine lovers in the area, all dressed to kill. The ladies will be in their sexiest dresses, and the gents might even iron their shirts for this, one of the hottest events for wine lovers. When you enter the room there’ll be DJ’s mixing, people dancing, and Winemakers socializing while pouring their most fashionable wines. Yes the name is ”20something”, but that’s not a restriction, as most people attending will be in their 20′s and 30′s, but anyone who’s hip enough will attend regardless of age. Much like the attendees, most of the wines poured will also be in the 20′s & 30′s range. dollar wise. If you want to see and be seen amongst Seattle’s hippest wine socialites, you can get tickets via BrownPaperTickets.com.

You can also check out 20 Something on Twitter and Facebook.

For more info about 20something, visit their website.

Two years ago, within only a few weeks of each other, both Mutineer Magazine and Blue Palms Brewhouse were established in Los Angeles, CA. We celebrated our 2nd Anniversary this past May 2010, with an epic Red Carpet Tasting Event and a rockin’ after party at Blue Palm Brewhouse. This Saturday, we encourage you join us and Blue Palms founder, Brian Lenzo, in celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of our good friends Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood, California.

Blue Palms 2nd Anniversary Celebration

• When: Saturday, August 14th
• Time: 2pm-2am
• Where: Blue Palms Brewhouse
  6124 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
• Description: Join us at Blue Palms Brewhouse for our Second Anniversary bash! Last year was a blast and this year we are topping it. We have taken over the parking lot for our 200lb pig and 400lb rib roast, plus we have added a cigar lounge, and live music with The Firkins…oh yeah, and the beer! We are offering over 40++ World Class Beers, for your drinking enjoyment.
• Cost: General public is welcome, but the specialty beers will only be available with wristband. Pre-sale wristband is $40 for 12 tasters (5oz. pours) available HERE. Wristbands bought day of receive 10 tasters for $40.
• Additional Information: Pig Roast and Whiskey Bar for wristband holders only. There will also be a “Dunk Tank” on site, where attendees will be given a chance to get a favorate staff member wet.

A sneak peak at the tap list (more will be added):
Old Rasputin XII, Black Xantus, Stone 08 08 08, 2008 TenFidy, Oude Lambic Marriage Parfait, Bruery Barrel Aged Coton, Ommegang Rouge Batch 2, Alpine Hoppy Birthday, Alpine Pure Hoppiness, Pliny the Elder, Damnation, 2009 Brandy Barrel Angel Share, Craftsman Summers End Sour, Lost Abbey Older Viscosity, Green Flash Citra, Old Stock 2009, Telegraph Dry-Hopped XX, Sudwerk Imperial Pilsner Drakes, Hopocalypse Double IPA, Speakeasy Barrel Aged Ritual Payback Porter, 2008 10 Month Aged Allagash Curieux, Sierra Nevada Black Barleywine, San Diego Brewing Company Hopnotic and HopGoddess, San Diego Brewing Company Hopnotic, New Belgium Dark Heather Saison, 2008 Saison DuPont, Marin White Knuckle, Kern River Citra, Ryan Sulivan’s Barrel Aged Stout,Sally Brown Caffe Baracco, Green Flash Super Freak, La Douze, Pizza Port – Night Rider, Coffee Monster, Sticky Stout, Poor Mans IPA, Good Grief Brown, and Kung Fu Elvis. Ballast Point- Sculpin Draft, Sculpin Cask, Sour Wench.

Special limited kegs from:
Pizza Port San Clemente, Marin Brewing, Moylans, Sierra Nevada, Kerns River, Green Flash, Fifty Fifty, Alesmith, Firestone Walker, Ladyface, The Bruery, New Belgium, Avery, and a few secret beers to be revealed the day of.

Blue Palms Brewhouse can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Originally designed by Frank Gehry, Santa Monica Place in downtown Santa Monica, California, has undergone its second major renovation since it opened in 1980. Hipper, younger-looking and hotter than ever, the new mall re-opened on August 6, 2010, this time sporting six (count ‘em) brand new bar/lounges.

Befitting its location in Southern California, Santa Monica Place’s cosmetic overhaul left it with a stunning top floor, and it is here where adults will flock for their fine beverages. The “Dining Deck” (and the watering holes located throughout) offer views of Santa Monica that are likely to be every bit as intoxicating than those beverages served during slick happy hours to Santa Monica’s most beautiful young professionals.

Ozumo

Santa Monica Place is located at:

395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, CA 90401

The new, rooftop restaurant/bar/lounges include:

La Sandia Mexican Kitchen and Bar

Ozumo

Pizza Antica

Sonoma Wine Garden

Xino Restaurant + Lounge

Zengo

And the best part is, once you’re done drinking, you can pick up your favorite OTC hangover cure from GNC at the mall, downstairs…

There are many advantages to living in the New York City metro area, and one of them is the quick rise of the craft beer scene. Bars such as Rattle N Hum are popping up all over NYC, boasting good beer, good food, and good times. You’ll be hard pressed to find a single day in the five boroughs where there is not a craft beer-centric event being held, usually in collaboration with a specific brewery.

Rattle N Hum, located on 33rd Street between Madison and 5th Avenue (a short walk from Penn Station), is run by Patrick Donagher, who is no stranger to organizing brewery based event nights. On Tuesday, July 21, 2010, Southern Tier Brewing Company took over half of the forty-something taps available at RNH (<-cool kid speak for Rattle N Hum).

Of the beers on tap, the most notable were the following:

• Farmer’s Tan Imperial Pale Lager – “The Hallmark of Hard Work”
• Pale Ale – “3 Types of Hops & 3 Types of Malts”
• 422 Pale Wheat Ale – “Make Everyday Earth Day!”
• 2xIPA – “4 Types of Hops & 3 Types of Malts”
• Iniquity Imperial Black Ale – “The Antithesis of Unearthly”
• Mokah – “A Stout Brewed With Chocolate and Coffee”
• Crème Brûlée Imperial Milk Stout – “A Stout of Great Contention”
• IPA – “The Iso-Alpha Acid Experience”
• Back Burner Imperial Barleywine Style Ale – “First Brew of the Year”
• Porter – “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark”
• Hop Sun – “Summer Good, Summer Better”
• Jah*va Stout – “A Stout Brewed with Coffee”
• Oaked UnEarthly Imperial India Pale Ale – “An Uninhibited Infusion of Hops & Oak”
• Phin & Matts Extaordinary Ale – “Brewed with American Hops and Barley”
• Gemini Imperial Blended Ale – “Blended Unearthly & Unfiltered Hoppe”
• Chokolat Imperial Chocolate Stout – “The Ancients Called it ‘Food for the Gods”
• UnEarthly Imperial IPA – “An Uninhibited Infusion of Hops”
• UnEarthly Imperial IPA on Cask

Another great advantage of Rattle N Hum Bar is the mix and match flight option that they offer. For the equivalent pricing of a regular pint of beer, one can order four 4oz measures of beer served out in a convenient “beer boat”.  The combination possibilities are endless- I customized my own two flights- starting with a Blackwater Series Stout flight of Mokah, Jah*va, Choklat and Creme Brulee and ending with a hard-hitter flight of Oak Aged Unearthly, Back Burner, Iniquity and Farmer’s Tan.

Rattle N Hum hosts weekly brewery events and has the passport stamps to prove it. Part of the charm of the bar are the huge wall paintings of the brewery logos of events past- Patrick brings in a local artist to paint the logos on the wall once the event has occurred.

Check out the Rattle N Hum website or Rattle N Hum blog for tap lists and upcoming event announcements. Those of you who are lucky enough to have iPhones can also download the free Rattle N Hum app, which lists the current tap lists and updates directly from the bar’s computer system.

For more information on both companies follow:

• Rattle N Hum Facebook
• Rattle N Hum Twitter
• Southern Tier Facebook
• Southern Tier Twitter

Mixologists all over the world can agree that the colder the vodka is, the better it tastes. In our “ABCs of Spirits & Cocktail Culture” feature of Mutineer Magazine Issue 12, we highlighted the growing trend of vodka chambers, destination bars chilled to below freezing temperatures for the sole purpose of creating the ultimate vodka experience.

One such destination bar is Minus5 Ice Lounge at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, “America’s first ice lounge.” Its creators are proud to announce the debut of their newest location, Minus5 Ice Bar, this August at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.

“We are really excited to be opening our second Las Vegas location next to the Monte Carlo Theater, home of comedian/impressionist Frank Caliendo, adding to the excitement and entertainment at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.” — Craig Ling, Minus5 Founder and Vice President of Development. “Minus5 has become a destination location for people who want to experience something truly unique and exciting – and Las Vegas is a natural fit for what we offer.”

The new Minus5 Ice Bar will consist of a 1,200-square foot ice-encased room, where everything will be made of 100% Canadian ice — including the bar, tables, benches, walls and even the serving glasses. The bar will be adorned with ice sculptures and unique hand-carved pieces created by some of the world’s most talented ice sculptors.

“Minus5 celebrates the art of ice and we continually re-invent the experience by recreating the lounge and sculptures every two or three months.” – Craig Ling. “We take enormous pride in the quality of our product and the uniqueness of this experience. Where else will you wear insulated parkas, gloves and boots in Las Vegas when it’s 100 degrees outside?”

As if the already existing “beer wars” within the three-tier system in the United States wasn’t bad enough, the state of Pennsylvania has decided to wage its own war with its beer industry.

Pennsylvania does not have the best reputation within the beverage industry. PA residents have been protesting against its wacky beverage laws and strict controls for some time now. Joe Roberts, the very entertaining (and knowledgeable) author of 1WineDude, sums up the the frustration of Pennsylvania residents best in his blog post entitled “I Hate The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.” Here is an excerpt: ”I hate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  I hate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  I hate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  I hate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  I hate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.  I hate the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.“

If you do not live in or have never visited Pennsylvania, you are probably not aware of all its liquor laws and limitations. The state bans the sales of alcohol in grocery stores, restricts Sunday sales of alcohol to only 25% of outlets, prohibits independent liquor stores (state only), tightly limits hours of operation, etc…

In his article for Philadelphia Weekly, Tow Cowell states: “Most any Pennsylvanian could poll their block or workplace and find near-universal loathing of our liquor laws.”

Pennsylvania’s latest assault against the beverage industry comes as no surprise. According to the Philadelphia News, “More than a dozen armed State Police officers conducted simultaneous raids last week on three popular Philadelphia bars known for their wide beer selections. The cops confiscated hundreds of bottles of expensive ales and lagers, now in State Police custody at an undisclosed location.”

The alleged offense? The PA police claim that owners of the three targeted establishments had neglected to register the exact names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board. The LBC requires the brewers and importers to pay a $75 registration fee for each product they want to sell in Pennsylvania. 

So although the bar owners had bought the beer legally from licensed Pennsylvania distributors, paying all the necessary taxes, failure to register precise brand names resulted in the confiscation of over $7,000 in beer.

Oddly enough, small craft breweries were not the only ones affected by the raid. In addition to Russian River’s highly coveted Pliny The Younger, Belgian import Duvel and corporate owned Heineken were also confiscated. 

…I wonder exactly where they are storing the beer. Can we say … party at the Philly police station?!

Mutineer Magazine Editor Alan Kropf’s first beer. Delicious.

Babies in bars? If the baby is clever enough to sneak into a bar, it probably deserves to be there. Others see it differently. As reported by CNN.com:

Single hipsters and others without (and sometimes with) kids complain about being asked to watch their language, to not smoke outdoors near strollers and to keep their drunk friends under control so as not to scare the little ones. They don’t want to feel pressure to play peekaboo. They want to cry over their beers, they say, without having an infant drown them out. If anyone is spitting up, they want it to be them.

“I will get up on the subway for kids. I will be tolerant of them kicking the back of my seat while seeing a G-rated movie. But let me have my bars,” said Julieanne Smolinski, 26, who feels guilty sucking down suds in front of staring 5-year-olds. The adults who bring their offspring to bars, she suggests, are “clinging to their youth.”

Even more concerning is a Baby Fine Beverage Ambassador named Sasha Raven Gross that is apparently stealing all my moves:

From time to time, Sasha Raven Gross can be seen teetering around a neighborhood drinking hole. She flirts with strangers, talks gibberish and sometimes spins in circles for no apparent reason until she falls down. In one hand is her liquid of choice — watered-down orange juice in a sippy cup.

Photo Credit: Ventura Limoncello Company, Ventura, CA

California mixologists and bar owners take heed, the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) is actively cracking down on bars and restaurants currently practicing the art of distilled spirits infusion. This recent crack down comes as a result of an industry advisory report the ABC released on the Rectification of Distilled Spirits in On-Sale Premises. The report states:

It has come to the attention of the Department that some on-sale licensees are exceeding their license privileges by engaging in rectification of distilled spirits in violation of Section 23355 of the Business and Professions Code.

Rectification is any process or procedure whereby distilled spirits are cut, blended, mixed or infused with any ingredient which reacts with the constituents of the distilled spirits and changes the character and nature or standards of identity of the distilled spirits.

One example of rectification is, but not necessarily limited to, creating products such as “lemoncello” or “limoncello” in which sugar and citrus products are combined with vodka and stored, initiating a maturation process which consequently changes the character and nature of the vodka, and possibly its alcohol content.

The simple mixing of alcoholic beverages with other ingredients for immediate consumption is not considered rectification.

I’m extremely puzzled by the ABC’s use of the word “rectification“. When I think of rectification, I think of Everclear or Moonshine — not limoncello.

Anyone who has ever consumed an alcoholic beverage prepared with an infused liquor can attest that this so called “act of rectification” is a key component to the art of mixology. Telling a mixologist that he cannot infuse distilled spirits is like telling a chef that he cannot marinate his meat, which is absolutely ridiculous. But, I’m not a chemist so I cannot say with confidence that infusing vodka with sugar and lemons does not change its alcohol content. But being a mixologist myself, I can state that I have my doubts. 

As much as we love technology here at Mutineer Magazine, it always seems to turn on us when we hit the road. Our Powerbook has suffered a tragic and mysterious death, and all of our photos from the epic 2009 Wine Bloggers’ Conference and elsewhere are trapped in our camera until we return to our dependable desktop computers…but they are coming!

In other news, if you are in Los Angeles tonight, come by the indescribably cool Edison bar downtown for the Mutineer Magazine Issue 7 Release Party. Some of America’s top bartenders will be on hand mixing as part of the Radio Room series, which also happens to be the Issue 7 cover story! Synergy FTW!