Sunday, May 31, 2009

Flanagan's Beer Fest is Sunday, June 7.

Submitted/press release

Flanagan's Ale House in the Highlands is hosting their first annual GREAT FLANAGAN'S BEER FEST! On Sunday, June 7th the doors will open at 2:00 p.m. and welcome guests to sample more than 85 different brews from more than 40 different breweries!

Morton Avenue will be closed to accommodate displays and representatives from breweries around the world. Guests will be able to roam from one brewery table to the next sampling the very best in domestic and imported craft brews from all corners of the globe.

A portion of the proceeds from this historic event will go to the Pints for Prostates campaign which raises funds for the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network. Pints for Prostates is a grassroots awareness campaign aimed at encouraging men to get regular prostate health screenings and PSA tests. Through the universal language of beer Pints for Prostates has reached more than 25 million people. For more information about this cause you can stop by their booth at the festival or go to www.ustoo.org/pints.

Sunday June 7, 2009
2PM-5PM
Tickets: $45 per person, on sale now contact Ashley at 502-585-3700 or ashley@louisvilleirishpubs.com

Flanagan's Ale House
934 Baxter Avenue
Louisville, KY 40204

BEER LIST (as posted on the Louisville Restaurants Forum, by wholesaler)

Beer House:
Bells – Hopslam, Oberon
Dogfish Head- Aprihop, 60 Min
Stone Brewing Co.- Barrel Aged Double Bastard, Levitation, Old Guardian
Chimay- White
Spaten/Franz- Lager, Spaten Dunkel, Maibock, Franz Dunkel
Great Lakes – Grassroots, Dortmunder
Founders – Cerise, Curmudgeon Old Ale

Bryant:
Wetten- Kasteel Rouge, Delirium Tremens
Global- Gulden Draak, Wittekerke
Duvel USA – Duvel, TBD
New Holland – Mad Hatter, Golden Cap
Schlafly – APA, Kolsch

Anheuser:
Goose Isalnd- 312, Matilda, Goose Summer
Red Hook – Drifter Pale Ale

Heidelberg:
Brooklyn – Lager, Summer
Hofbrauhaus – Lager, Maibock
Summitt – X-Pale Ale, Hefe

River City:
New Albanian – Bringing the Bus (3 Beers TBD)
Upland – Wheat, Dragonfly IPA
BBC – Trailer with APA, Bourbon Barrel, Alt
Brownings – ESB, She Devil (sharing trailer with BBC)
Alltech – Trailer with Light, Ale, and Bourbon Ale
Cumberland- Red, Cream (sharing trailer with Alltech)
Sierra Nevada- Pale Ale, Summer Fest
Warsteiner – Pilsner, Dunkel
Heineken- Dos XX, New Castle
Shiner- Bock, Black Lager
Barley Island – Dirty Helen, Barfly IPA
Leinenkugel's/Blue Moon – Summer Shandy, White Ale
Peroni, Pilsner Urquell
Magic Hat/Pyramid - #9, Pyramid Hefe

We will also have Draft Magazine there giving out free subscriptions, a food area, and My Old Kentucky Homebrew will be there.
Sam Adams – Boston Lager, Seasonal
Southampton – Double White, IPA

Saturday, May 30, 2009

NABC Bank Street Brewhouse kitchen hours on June 2 & 3.

Because we need to do further work on the kitchen, the Bank Street Brewhouse will be without edibles all day on Tuesday, June 2 and half the day on Wednesday, June 3.

The bar will be open on both days at 3:00 p.m., and dinner will again be served starting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

On the beer front, we're back to having NABC beers on most of the taps, thanks to Jared, who has been been performing like a brewhouse LeBron James at the garage brewery on Grantline.

Dave and Jesse remain hard at work installing the brewery at Bank Street, and the north face outdoor seating area is supposed to commence construction during the coming week. The city approved the reconstruction of the sidewalk in front, which will expand the amount of room and enable us to have tables there, too.

Stay tuned.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Red Dawn

by John Campbell

Yes, Roger is back from vacation, but since he is often accused of being a "commie", I thought I'd jump in for one last post to clear the air and dispel these malicious rumors. Seriously, is the Red Scare still going on? sigh...

While he was away we began to remove the protective coating from our new DME brewing system. Lo and behold what was found below:

Yes, we were shocked. But, wait, there's more...

and it wasn't just the fermenters (the other two had been defaced with repulsive images of Mao and Lenin), the mash tun had been vandalized with Bakunin:

the brew kettle with Trotsky:

and a horrifying image of a bald-faced, clean-cut Dr. Ernest Guevara was glued to the yeast propagator:

Eugene Debs on a bright tank? Who would do such a thing? ...wait a minute... what's that guy doing?




Tony Beard, New Albanian Brewing Co.'s Artist in Residence

OK, I must confess on behalf of the brewery staff (Jesse, Jared, David, and myself), Tony isn't completely responsible. We all conspired to label the tanks without Roger's consent. It was done in his absence and without his knowledge and we are quite proud of ourselves.

Power to the People!

Welcome home, Roger.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Revised and repaired sidewalk coming to the Bank Street Brewhouse.

We breezed back into town yesterday afternoon, to be greeted by another piece in the Bank Street Brewhouse puzzle, as reported in the New Albany Tribune:

The board awarded a bid to Knight Concrete to build sidewalks and curbs in small sections along Bank Street — near the Bank Street Brewhouse — and State Street — near the old Speakeasy and home of Wick’s Pizza. The cost for both jobs is $16,177.

Thanks to City Hall and the Board of Works for making this possible. It will have the effect of cleaning up the area in front, by the garage doors, which was last repaired some fifty years ago, and allowing us to have seating for dining by the street.

There'll be more to come as I sort through notes and photos of the holiday in England and Denmark.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Last Week in Review

By John Campbell

OK, OK. I get it. I am a lousy, inconsistent blogger and a poor substitute for the man himself. Please stop the harassing e-mails and personal messages to my social networking accounts (although I did like this one: "You were steady for a while last week, but nothing since Monday. What the fuck?"). Well, today turned out to be a "work" day, so I might as well keep up the momentum.

Here's what's been happening in Roger's absence:

In preparation for our impending beer distribution to corners far and wide, Gregg Rochman and I took a trip to meet New Albanian's potential Indiana distributor, World Class Beverage. Sitting down with Jim Schembre (the man behind the WCB mission) is always an educational experience and this session was not a disappointment. WCB seems to be a better choice than Indiana's other highly-reputed distributor, Cavalier, but it's only the second inning. Meanwhile, we've already selected River City (shown below) as our Louisville distributors.

River City's Ryan Burke and John Harris living large at last year's BBC/New Albanian Volksfest

Since we're on the subject of distribution and snotty messages to my personal accounts...No. I have not done away with Roger in order to take over the Potable Curmudgeon. I do not enjoy writing anymore (ok, I kinda do, but still, no).

I don't know how he maintains this blog in addition to his regular columns for the Tribune, LEO, and Food & Dining, and has time for the little things like, you know, building a brewery.

So, yes, he is enjoying a much needed vacation, but it doesn't mean he stops working. I have proof that he is alive, still writing, and working diligently for the cause. Here's the message I received from the Commandante this morning:

Greetings

Yesterday I was introduced to Mikkel, i.e., the fellow behind Mikkeller
beers. He runs an off premise specialty beer shop with his brother in
downtown Copenhagen, has an importing company so that he can bring in the beers he wants, and also brews his own at various sites. You can look them
up on Rate Beer or Beer Advocate.

We sampled the Oatgoop he brewed at Three Floyds, and it was excellent.
While Kim and I were shopping the unbelievable selection, he took my
business card and googled NABC, emerging to ask when he could begin
selling Thunderfoot in Denmark.

I said as soon as we get it in giant cans, which thrilled him. So, we have
an account here as soon as we can supply it.

See, I told you they're 'working' trips.

NABC, soon to come to Louisvile, Indiana and Copenhagen.

R
And there you have it.

Also in last week's news, Destinations Booksellers, located just a block from the Bank Street Brewhouse, hosted a public poetry slam last Wednesday night with the wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Reservoir Dogwoods.


Everything else is plugging along nicely. David and Jesse have the giant, drive-in keg cooler fully assembled, brewery construction continues, Jared is brewing strong at the Plaza Drive location and just released Jenever, our light-bodied, summer rye. We blew through two kegs in the first two days. It is now on tap at both New Albanian locations and at The Windsor on Market and Bank in Downtown New Albany.

Bob Ostrander, founder of Indanabeer.com, (below) showed his fuzzy face at the Bank Street Brewhouse on Friday afternoon for a pint of Pheonix and some mussels before heading to the north side compound formerly known as Rich O's for the real throw down.


Saturday, I took the day off. I did, however, spend some time rummaging through photos of the Bank Street project. Here's one from this time last year:


Today, I spent the afternoon at the Capriole Farm pouring healthy samples of Community Dark and Elector during their annual open house. Capriole is the second most serene place in which I've been fortunate enough to spend an afternoon. Last year Roger, Diana, and I attended the event and dined on fine cheeses and salad greens picked that very morning. I was a bit sad to be going on my own this year, but an afternoon at Capriole isn't complete without a New Albanian Ale.

To my surprise, nearly the entire Bank Street Brewhouse staff showed up with brewer Jared (below) and Chef Josh. A great way to end another week as a New Albanian.



Be warned, Denmark. we're coming your way.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Weekend in Review

By John Campbell

If you haven't read Roger's posts about the Madison, Indiana, Ohio River Valley Folk Festival, then go back a week and bring yourself up to speed. Roger did a great job of summarizing our overall theory and ethics and applying them to yet another AB atrocity. In the end, integrity won. Craft beer outsold the multi-national corporate swill by a landslide. The Folk Fest attendees and Madison natives showed their true colors by rising to the occasion to support regionally-brewed, independently-owned, hand-crafted, Indiana beer... American beer. The first keg of beer to blow was a double India Pale Ale (100 ibu, 10% abv) that we dubbed ANTI-CORPORATE IPA.

Banner courtesy of Ted Miller (Brugge Brasserie) and the Indiana Brewer's Guild

What's wrong with this picture:



Steve Thomas (of Thomas Family Winery, pictured below) and I were sharing our disappointment with the festival committee's poor decision making skills, inept ability to communicate, and absence of virtue when it was jointly decided that the weekend would play out much better if we kept our discontent amongst ourselves and our big mouths shut. Right at that moment a female voice called out from behind the Bud Light table,

"Steve, are you almost done with that cigar?"

"Why, yes, I am," Steve replied, "Is it offending you?"

"Yes, it is," she retorted.

"Well, your beer is offending us," I interjected, glancing momentarily at Steve as if to say 'so much for that'.

"It's not my beer," she spat.

"Well, then you should be even more ashamed to be serving it," I replied.

The committee member responsible for the AB presence quickly threw a warning flag. The lovely Bud trailer volunteer that had expressed disdain for good tobacco (and good beer by default) quickly charmed me into an apology and, as she predicted, we were "friends before the end of the weekend". hrmmph.

Steve Thomas of Thomas Family Winery, Madison, Indiana.


Steve's most awesome draft trailer.
Yes, I have draft trailer envy. btw Harvey, where the &%@$ is mine?


The weekend wouldn't have been complete without Jim and Debbie Frasier, homebrewers, FOSSILS members, Rich O's regulars, devote Folk Fest volunteers, and fascist-killing machines:











Louisville's own Bridget Kailin

My good friend Robert (pictured below) almost boycotted the festival after he found out about the AB fiasco. He picked up a keg of Elector prior to the festival and showed up Friday morning with a crate of hand-thrown, NABC/'09 Folk Fest mugs! He sold them all and we filled 'em up all weekend.










As noble as it sounds to say, "Support Your Local Brewery," the only wholesome thought I can muster is "Fuck Budweiser".

Cheers!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Grassroots and the Fabled Garage Brewhouse

By John Campbell

Grassroots seems like an appropriate theme considering that I'm off to Madison, Indiana, to attend the Ohio River Valley Folk Festival this weekend. I would love to brag about the integrity of the event, their support of craft beer, local arts, and grassrooted, folk festivities, but I can't (See Roger's blog posts from last week for an in-depth explanation). Unfortunately, too many people have forgotten their roots in the race for success and supremacy. I can firmly state that we are not of that stock. We will always strive to learn, to improve, to grow, and to expand, but never by turning our backs on those who helped us, believed in us, and carried us along the way.

Today I felt it necessary to acknowledge our roots, the brewery that started it all, and the brewer who has been carrying us for at least a couple of weeks now. While all eyes have been on Bank Street, Jared Williamson has been laboring away at the original location in the fabled Garage Brewhouse where it all began...


3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany, Indiana

While David and Jesse have been preparing for the new brewery and working hard to streamline the delivery and installation, Jared has been working just as hard to keep beer in the tanks and recover from our unforeseen beer drought. The brewing system at this location is a 4 barrel brewhouse with 8 barrel fermenters that require two brews to fill and, even then, will only produce 16 kegs of beer. The bottom line is this: it is labor intensive, requires a long brew day, barely supplies enough beer for both locations, and just when you think you are caught up, it starts over again. Yet, somehow Jared has managed to pull it off. Our beer is back on tap and tasting better than ever thanks to his devotion, David's added know-how, some new equipment, a bit of loyalty, a dab of commitment, and a big-ass, heapin' scoop of integrity.






Despite the long hours, Jared managed to brew enough beer for me to take 8 kegs to the Folk Festival this weekend. Kinda sad that it will be pouring next to an Anheuser-Busch truck this year, ain't it?

Jared inspecting the latest batch of Community Dark

David's newest contribution to our old way of doing things.

Here's some good news for our die-hard New Albanian fans and hopheads: Hoptimus is in the tank and will be back on tap soon! Jared pulled some off the fermenter and we had ourselves a good ol' grassroots nip off the tank.








That is the face of a Craft Brewer and that is the way beer was meant to be.


Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Propagator and the Propaganda - Viva Che!

By John Campbell

Day 3 of the brewery installation. Come in for a beer and watch it come together, that's why we made the walls out of glass, ya know.



David and Jesse connecting Che, the yeast propagator:




David and the Brewhouse:





The Stormtroopers:


Meanwhile, Josh is creating edible art, Nasty is holding up the bar, the forklift door has been installed in the new malt room, and Dave and Jesse continue piecing together the future...








"We must spread our principles, not with words but with deeds, for this is the most popular, the most potent, and the most irresistible form of propaganda." - Mikhail Bakunin