Since 2009, The Bruery’s Black Tuesday has been one of the most talked about beers each year. This year, the monster 19-22% abv barrel aged imperial stout is back and it appears to be in much larger quantities as well, with The Bruery Reserve Society members being able to purchase 6 bottles in addition to the one bottle included with their membership, compared to the three you were allowed to buy in 2009 and in 2010.

See below for full detail of the 2011 release of The Bruery Black Tuesday:

It’s time again for another Reserve Society allocation. The following beer will be available for order between August 12th and September 2nd at society.thebruery.com

Black Tuesday:
Our infamous Black Tuesday is an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels for over a year. Rich caramel, toasted malt, vanilla, burnt wood and anise are just a few of the many flavors in this rich, decadent imperial stout.

Learn more about Black Tuesday at here.

• As a Reserve Society member, one (1) bottle of Black Tuesday has already been allocated to you as part of your initial membership fee. You may purchase a maximum of six (6) more bottle allocations for yourself. Each allocation is $30 before your 15% discount. Bottles will be released on or around Tuesday, October 25th. Official release details will be made known closer to the date.

• We will be holding a small release party on October 25th. Information and tickets for the party will be released in September.

• Remaining bottles of Black Tuesday will be sold to the general public through an online sale on October 25th. Bottles will be limited and we can not guarantee that you will be able to purchase a bottle during the general release sale.”

With National Watermelon Day just passing by and the summer slowly coming to an end, what better way to celebrate than with a delicious watermelon cocktail. Below is a refreshing watermelon cocktail by H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir. Try making it for yourself. In the San Francisco area, stop in at Elixir and have one made by the man himself.

The Whatamelon
by H. Joseph Ehrmann, Elixir

In a mixing glass, add watermelon cubes or juice and 5 mint leaves, muddle and top with remaining ingredients. Fill with ice, shake well for 10 seconds and strain over fresh ice.

Looking for a watermelon mocktail? Just increase the amount of watermelon, lime juice and agave nectar and leave out the booze.

The Whatamelon Mocktail
by H. Joseph Ehrmann, Elixir

In a mixing glass, add watermelon cubes or juice and 5 mint leaves, muddle and top with remaining ingredients. Fill with ice, shake well for 10 seconds and strain over fresh ice.

With the Great British Beer Festival having just been wrapped up a few days ago in Earls Court, London, only one beer could stand above the rest as GBBF’s Champion Beer of Britain. This year, it was Mighty Oak’s Oscar Wilde of Maldon, Essex. Oscar Wilde, which has an ABV of 3.7%, is described in CAMRA’s (Campaign for Real Ale) Good Beer Guide 2011 as a “roasty dark mild with suggestions of forest fruits and dark chocolate. A sweet taste yields to a more bitter finish.”

The Maldon brewed real ale was crowned the Supreme Champion over a host of other finalists in 7 different beer categories (Bitters, Best Bitters, Strong Bitters, Golden Ales, Milds, Winter Beers, and the Speciality class), including beers from both small microbrewers and large regional brewers.

The Final judging panel’s Roger Protz was pleased with the results of the competition, saying “Oscar Wilde was a stand out winner, universally praised by the judges for its overall quality. Once again a dark beer has triumphed over paler beers!” He continued, “it’s a beer with great depth of character, and for the style has a lot of hop bitterness as well. It proves that a dark beer can be refreshing even in very hot weather.”

In the overall category, second place went to Marble brewery’s Chocolate, and the Bronze award went to Salopian brewery’s Shropshire Gold.

The Americans, not to be outdone, competed in the GBBF’s Michael Jackson American Cask Ale competition. This year, the prestigious award went to Green Flash Brewery’s Palate Wrecker Double IPA from San Diego, California. Second place was awarded to Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo Extra IPA and third place to Brewers Union 180 Wotcha (a la Chinook) Best Bitter.

Ian Garrett from CAMRA, organizer of the competition said of the American entries, “the judging process has been particularly difficult this year due to the huge range of beer on offer. The USA Cask Ale bar had over 100 different beers and the standard was very high.”

Dave Sanders the manager of the bar and the head brewer at Kirkstall Brewery in Leeds, UK commented on the winning beer. “Palate Wrecker can truly be described as an awesome beer. A huge depth of flavour and bursting with fresh hops. The technique used to brew this particular beer appears to be quite revolutionary.”

Good showing, America!

Dollar growth up 15% in first six months of 2011; U.S. sees rapid growth in breweries in planning

Boulder, CO – The Brewers Association, the trade association representing the majority of U.S. brewing companies, has released strong mid-year numbers for America’s small and independent craft brewers¹. Dollar sales were up 15 percent in the first half of 2011, excluding brewers who left the craft segment in 2010². Volume of craft brewed beer sold grew 14 percent for the first six months in 2011, compared to 9 percent growth in the first half of 2010.

Barrels sold by craft brewers for the first half of the year are an estimated 5.1 million barrels. Despite many challenges, the mid-year numbers show signs of continued growth for craft breweries. The industry currently provides an estimated 100,000 jobs, contributing significantly to the U.S. economy.

“Craft brewers continue to innovate and brew beers of excellent quality,” noted Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “America’s beer drinkers are rapidly switching to craft because of the variety of flavors they are discovering. And they are connecting with small and independent craft brewers as companies they choose to support.”

The U.S. now boasts 1,790 breweries—an increase of 165 additional breweries since June 2010. The Brewers Association also tracks breweries in planning as an indicator of potential new entrants into the craft category, and lists 725 breweries in planning today compared to 389 a year ago. Additionally, the count of craft brewers was at 1,740 as of June 30, 2011.

“There is a growing interest in establishing new breweries,” Gatza added. “It seems like every day we are hearing about a brewery in planning. Will they all make it? No, but many will if they produce high-quality, interesting craft beers and can get them to market through self-distribution and beer wholesalers and beer retailers.”

This fall, Don Julio will release a tequila unlike anything ever seen before. The tequila, Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro, is being launched to honor the 70th anniversary of the year Don Julio González began creating tequila at the very young age of 17.

What makes it unique? It’s a clear añejo. To be considered an añejo, or aged tequila, the tequila by law must spend a minimum of one year in oak barrels and no more than three years. During this time, the tequila pulls flavor and color from the barrel. In contrast, a blanco (“white”) or plata (“silver”) tequila is a clear tequila that spends little or no time in stainless or oak, no more than 2 months. Because of spending so little time in barrels (or none at all), the tequila remains clear.

With Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro, Don Julio Master Distiller Enrique de Colsa is able to get the rich, complex flavors of a traditional añejo in a liquid that is filtered to become a clear spirit. It spends 18 months in reclaimed American oak before being filtered, giving the tequila its unique clarity. In order to return Tequila Don Julio to a clear silver color, the aged liquid is filtered using a special process where electronically magnetized particles are added to the aged liquid. The free radicals in the particles bond to the coloring. After a certain period of time passes, the particles containing the color molecules are filtered out, producing a clear Añejo tequila.

Tequila Don Julio 70 will be available at participating stores nationwide, in Mexico and at Duty Free stores beginning in fall 2011. The 750ml bottle has a suggested retail price of $70.

Already a leader in traditional and flavored rum categories, Bacardi will soon enter the spiced rum category and it’s set to be one of their biggest launches in 15 years. This September, Bacardi will launch OakHeart, their answer to what’s currently on the market and to Barcardi loyalists who have requested this for quite some time.

Co-developed by over 4,000 consumers and hundreds of bartenders, Bacardi OakHeart takes their traditional Bacardi Superior and blends it with Bacardi Gold, giving it the perfect mixability of Superior and the smooth finish of Gold. This gives it the perfect base for them to add their blend of spices which includes maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, vanilla and caramel before being filtered. The end product is “slightly peppery, with a noticeable rum-kick, BACARDÍ OAKHEART is a spirit with a vibrant amber hue and taste that is distinctly its own” and with a nice smokiness lent from the double charred barrels it was mellowed in.

Bacardi recommends making an Oak & Coke, which I’m sure you can figure out is a rum and Coke, and it looks like the two may be sold in the same packaging with a bottle of Bacardi OakHeart and a 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola. Rum and coke not your thing? It’s great over ice too.

Pricing is suggested at $12.99 and will release nationwide beginning in September.

Want to win a trip to Australia? It’s never been easier. All you have to do is submit a name for Mollydooker’s newest wine and you might find yourself on a flight to down under, where there have been rumors of sightings of Mutineer Magazine’s Alan Kropf in recent months.

See below for more information on the Mollydooker contest.

McLaren Vale, Australia, August 1, 2011— What’s in a name? You tell us. Mollydooker, the fun-filled Australian winery, is on a worldwide search for the perfect name for its newest wine. The winning name will forever be displayed on the label of their new Sparkling Shiraz and will become part of the flavorful family of award winning Mollydooker wines.

Contestants can find the guidelines and enter their name suggestions online at online, the contest closes on September 4, 2011 and the winner will be announced on September 15, 2011 (International Mollydooker Day) at the Mollydooker Winemaker’s Dinner at the Palomar Hotel, Washington D.C.

As we reported in May, Stone Brewing Co. had planned to start releasing barrel aged beers in bottles in their newly found Quingenti Millilitre series. A couple months later, the first beer in the series is just about ready and raffle tickets can be purchased for your chance to win one of the 500 or so bottles in this release. Read below to learn more about the release.

Escondido, CA | Aug 03, 2011 – Stone Brewing Co. is launching a new series of specialty beers dubbed Quingenti Millilitre. These limited release beers will be featured in cork-finished 500ml bottles, and will present a new tier in Stone’s award-winning lineup, encompassing beers that have been barrel aged, dry hopped, or otherwise made extra, extra special. First up? Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels.

…and plenty more.