There are lots of great beer event listing sites out on the “interwebz” such as Beer Advocate, Rate Beer, and Craftbeer.com. These sites have a user posted database of calendars chock full of beer events. For the average beer drinker, however, these schedules can be a little daunting- this Saturday alone held over twenty events combined!

This weekly posting will serve as your quick reference guide to the hottest beer events for this upcoming week- featuring craft beer and food pairing dinners, festivals, and events that will host representatives from the involved brewery.

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Monday, August 16, 2010

Washington DC: Birch and Barley “Beer and Cheese Seminar”

Location:Birch and Barley

Time: 7pm

Description: “Beginning at 7 PM, Beer Director Greg Engert will host a seminar on perhaps the finest of all food and beverage pairings. Join us for a tasting of 5 artisanal cheeses, expertly selected and prepared by Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac, along with 5 hand-crafted rare brews! Discover what Sommeliers have known for years…that Beer and Cheese truly define the notion of an Unparalleled Pairing.”

Cost: $35 plus tax/gratuity

Contact: Please call Birch & Barley to reserve your seat: 202-567-2576

Continue Reading »

It’s just barely 2010 and epic collaborations have already begun. Mitch Steel of Stone Brewing Co., who is no stranger to collaborations, is teaming up with Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker and Shaun O’Sullivan of the great up-and-coming 21st Amendment out of San Francisco to create a collaboration that I’m sure only they could pull off. Not much information has been released about the beer in regards to style, but with these great masterminds at work, it shouldn’t disappoint. So many amazing brews have been created by these guys, I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

Stone will be holding a “Meet the Brewers: Collaboration Day Wrap-Up” event Friday January 15th and you will have a chance to meet the brewers, hopefully find out about this awesome collaboration, and you may even have a chance to try some of the unfermented wort.

Sour beer’s popularity has soared over the last few years, and many American craft brewers have begun brewing this tart style of beer. In celebration of this unique beverage, Stone Brewing Company has held a Sour Fest for the last three years, most recently this past Sunday, July 19th.

Bill Sysak, the new Beverage Coordinator for Stone, was in charge and really stepped it up by bringing 53 different sours on draft and 38 bottles from the U.S., Belgium and Italy, making it the largest sour beer festival in the world. I asked Sysak about his approach to the festival and things in general at the brewery, “When Greg (Koch) and Steve (Wagner) hired me at Stone, they knew I would make everything at the Bistro bigger, better and more extreme. You haven’t seen anything yet.” Continue Reading »

NBC San Diego has staged and epic showdown between Stone Brewing Co. and Karl Strauss Brewing Company as to which brewery is San Diego’s favorite, Karl Strauss at 50% and Stone at 49.9%, and .1% lost somewhere in the universe.

Let’s go to the voters’ comments, and in fairness, we’ll take the most recent comments for both breweries: Continue Reading »

Wow. This video officially rocks my world. Created by Greg Koch of Stone Brewery with help from the fine people at Redtail Media, it puts faces to a typically faceless industry, ideas behind the beers we all enjoy, and makes a clear statement about what craft beer is all about. The video speaks for itself, please check it out. BRAVO.

Click here for the video.

An impressive display of brew from the San Diego Brewers Guild.

The beer scene was well represented at the Mutineer Magazine National Launch Party presented by Paso Creek on May 18 at Falcon Hollywood.

The San Diego Brewers Guild brought twenty-eight different brews including AleSmith, Alpine Beer Co., Ballast Point, and Green Flash just to name a few. The San Diego Brewer’s Guild is on a mission to share the fine beers of San Diego with the world, a mission that duly carried at the Launch Party. Continue Reading »

For chocoholics Valentine’s Day is the end all be all of holidays. For beer lovers this is a perfect opportunity to show just how well beer pairs with this holiday treat. The best pairings are with craft beers and good chocolate. Continue Reading »

The craft beer scene is making more and more people aware of how well beer pairs with food. The range of flavors and versatility of beer allows it to pair so well with so many dishes, but most of the public has not had enough experience with these pairings to feel confident in doing so. I ran across this pairing chart on the Brewers Association website and thought it would be a good tool to help navigate this union. Continue Reading »