Thu, 25 Nov 2010

We hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving so far. Well it doesn't have to be over yet. We're open.

Draft Beer Update
Six lines changed over yesterday.

As expected the sixtel of Hill Farmstead James Black Ale didn't last the night. Replacing it is Great Divide Fresh Hop. When our long run wet-hopped beers ended, I said I thought a few more might turn up. Well here's one. Wet hopped beers are beers that use freshly harvested hops that still wet off the vine. These beers can only be made once a year, exactly when hops are harvested.

Replacing Victory Yakima Twilight was Elysian Bifrost. "The rainbow bridge made from fire, air and water, used by the gods to travel from the world tree, Yggdrasil, to the heavens. Asgard." I don't know what all of that means. I think it might be from a Prince song. What I do know is that this beer is a very hoppy winter seasonal from Seattle, possibly by way of Ft. Collins CO.

Replacing Great Divide Tripel is another big Belgian style beer, Flying Fish Grand Cru. Grand Cru is one those great beers that Flying Fish has been making for years, but never gets much chatter about it. Chatter or not, Fish manages to sell quite a lot of it. Try some and you'll know why.

Continuing our run of smoked beers, Yards Grodziskie replaced Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter. Grodziskie is a smoked wheat beer in a mostly lost Polish style. Only a few kegs of this made their way out of Yards. I'm very happy one of them ended up here. If you love smoked beers, I suspect you will be happy too.

Copper Crow Chocolate Thunder Stout replaced Bavarian Barbarian Steel Driving Stout. Chocolate Thunder used to be a General Lafayette Inn beer. Same great beer, new name. I know the story behind "Copper Crow" as the brewery name. If you want to know the story, ask me in person or send me an email, scoats@greylodge.com.

And again this year, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale replaced itself. We always hold two Punkin Ale barrels for Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Night. We usually kick the first keg the first night and start on the second. Why not join us tonight, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (and a few games of darts) is the perfect end to a nice Thanksgiving.