CU Beer Weekend; July 30

Is anything big going on this weekend? The fair ends tomorrow. Great Taste of the Midwest is in two weeks. Bloomington's Bruegala (a festival of beer) is August 27-28. Urbana Beer and Chili is September 25. So, take this weekend off, relax locally, go to a bar, and have a beer... that was a lot of commas.

Seven Saints

Founders Cerise
Bell's Oberon

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, Scotch

Radio Maria

Draft Beers as of 07/23/10

1. Founders Cerise $4
2. Southern Tier Heavy Weizen $6
3. Goose Island Pere Jacques $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Arcadia HopMouth $5
6. Arcadia Scotch Ale $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $4
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $8
10.Jolly Pumpkin, Langanara, the Firefly $8
11.Two Brothers Dog Days Lager $4.5
12.Left Hand Chainsaw $4
13.Delirium Dark Brown $6
14.Ballast Point Sculpin IPA $6
15.Brasserie Blanche de Bruxelles $5
16.Guinness $4
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine $4.5
19.Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout $5
20.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
21.Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale $4
22.Southern Tier Gemini $6
23.Victory Prima Pils $4.5
24.Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock $5
25.Port Older Viscosity $7
26.Weihenstephaner Weissbeir $5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; beer special, Founders Cerise, $3 a tulip; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $6 John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday; Softball Beer Specials
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Frankly Wednesdays: All Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack every Wednesday late night
Thursday:$5 Mojitos, Caipirinhas, and Brazilian Cosmos; Open Decks: local dj's perform.

August 21: Radio Maria Art Fair, 10am, showcasing local artists, running the same as the Downtown Festival of the Arts.

September 20: Goose Island Beer Dinner, 6pm, $50, 4 courses 5 beers including a vertical of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

October 3: German Wine Dinner, 6pm

Blind Pig

Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca; Dexter, Michigan, Belgian White, 4.8% abv
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza; Dexter, Michigan, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5% abv
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (The Firefly); Dexter, MI, Belgian Ale, 6.5% abv
Founders Devil Dancer; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Triple IPA, 12% abv
Unibroue La Terrible; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 10.5% abv
New Holland Imperial Hatter; Holland, Michigan, Imperial IPA, 9.4% abv
Southern Tier Farmer’s Tan; Lakewood, New York, Strong Pale Lager, 9% abv
Fuller’s London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Goose Island Matilda; Chicago, Illinois, Belgian Ale, 7% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue OREgasmic; Newport, Oregon, American Pale Ale, 7%
Dark Horse Pam’s Kitchen; Marshall, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6.5% abv
Avery Samael’s Oak-Aged Ale; Boulder, Colorado, Barley Wine, 15.53%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Victory Prima Pils; Downington, Pennsylvania, Pilsener, 5.3%
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Two Brothers Long Haul; Warrenville, Illinois, Mild Ale, 4.2% abv
Lindeman’s Peche; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Old Speckled Hen; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig Hard Cider
Blind Pig Weizenbock
Blind Pig Barley Wine
Schlafly Kölsch; Maplewood, Missouri, Kölsch, 4.8% abv
Founder’s Cerise; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 6.5% abv
Rogue Chipotle; Newport, Oregon, Spice Ale, 5.5% abv
Wychwood Hobgoblin; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2% abv
Two Brother’s Oaked Domaine Dupage; Illinois, Biere de Garde, 5.9% abv
Two Brother’s Dog Days Lager; Warrenville, Illinois, Dortmunder, 4.9% abv
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat; Frederick, MD, German Hefeweizen, 4.7% abv
Two Brothers Hop Juice; Warrenville, Illinois, Imperial IPA, 9.9%
Cuvee de Trolls; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 7% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: Trivia Night; 7-9pm, win gift cards

Crane Alley

PBR 4.7%
Guinness 4.2%
New Holland Imperial Mad Hatter 9.4%
Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA 6.9%
Van Diest Fruli Strawberry Bier 4.1$
Mikkeller Black Hole Imperial Stout 13.1%
Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner 5.0%
Founders Porter 6.5%
Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale 5.3%
Bells Amber Ale 6.0%
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA 7.1%
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat Hefe Weizen 4.7%
Port Brewing S.P.A. 5.4%
Cuvee Des Trolls 7.0%
Bells Oberon 6.0%

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Scrimshaw Pilsner
Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA
Schlafly APA
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Avery Maharaja
North Coast Old #38 Stout

Champaign Urbana Beer Club

Tuesday: Happy hour at Mike n' Molly's, 6pm (or sooner)

Bars in the news; Police seek help in Villa Grove tavern burglary

From the News-Gazette.

Police seek help in Villa Grove tavern burglary

VILLA GROVE – The Villa Grove Police want the public's help in solving a burglary at the Four Way Stop Tavern in Villa Grove.

After closing Sunday and before 10 a.m. Monday, someone broke the glass on the main entrance door and entered the business at 102 E. Harrison St.

The intruder broke in a safe and took an undisclosed amount of cash. Also stolen were three or four one-liter bottles of Crown Royal whiskey and six bottles of Canadian Club whiskey.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-280-8316 or the Villa Grove Police at 217-832-2511.

Callers may remain anonymous and do not have to give their name. Information leading to an arrest in this case or any felony case may be eligible for a cash reward.

Crown and Canadian Club.

Virgin Beer Night at the Blind Pig

Tonight, the Blind Pig will be tapping four beers they haven't had on before.

Founder's Devil Dancer Triple IPA
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (the Firefly)

If you haven't had many Jolly Pumpkin beers before, it's probably because they normally come in 750 ml bottles. Them being on tap is a relatively new experience.

This is the writeup of their beers from the Jolly Pumpkin site.

Calabaza Blanca- Aged in large oak casks and refermented in the bottle, Calabaza Blanca is a Belgian Biere Blanche. Spiced with orange peel and corriander, you'll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderfully dry finish. 4.8% ABV

Oro de Calabaza- Brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of strong golden ales. Spicy and peppery with a gentle hop bouquet and the beguiling influence of wild yeast. 8% ABV

Luciernaga "the Firefly"- An artisan pale ale brewed in the Grand Cru tradition. Enjoy its golden effervescence and gentle hop aroma. Coriander and Grains of Paradise round out the spicy palate, melting o so softly into a silken finish of hoppiness and bliss! Make any season a celebration!

Currently, the only one of those you can find anywhere else in CU is Luciernaga, and that's across the street at Radio Maria.

Bottles of Devil Dancer are all around town, the only other place I recall it being on tap recently was at Crane Alley. Having that beer on draft is quite a treat.

From Founders website.

Devil Dancer- When you dance with the Devil the Devil don’t change. You do. Massive in complexity, the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alphas used to create it. At an incredible 112 IBU’s it’s dry-hopped with a combination of ten hop varieties. This one can age with the best of them.

(If you want to do an experiment, try the Luciernaga at Blind Pig, then run across the street to Radio Maria to see if there's a difference.)

Alcohol in the news: Brewer claims world's strongest beer

From Reuters/yahoo

Brewer claims world's strongest beer

The Brewdog record of 55% alcohol didn't last long.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A Dutch brewer with a penchant for competition has laid claim to creating the world's strongest brew: a beer that is some 60 percent alcohol by volume.

The brewery is 't Koelschip (the Refrigerated Ship). Their beer is named "Start the Future" apparently a jab at Brewdog's "The End of History".

Here's their site translated by google.

They don't seem to have a way to order the beer online.

Alcohol in the news: Spanish White Wine

From WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show, Illinoishomepage.net

Spanish White Wine

Nick Bland, from the Corkscrew Wine Emporium talks about white wine.

The Corkscrew is building a bar on the south side of the building. The area looks great, and will be able to seat a lot of people. According to Nick, they should be open next week.

Alcohol in the news; Cooking with Andy Borbely: Lemonade

From WCFN 49, Illinoishomepage.net

Cooking with Andy Borbely: Lemonade

Andy, from Seven Saints, pimps Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. The second drink he makes is strawberry lemonade. Finally, he makes a lemoncello martini with lemoncello, vodka, and lemon.

Jennifer Ketchmark seems to like the Shandy. Well, she seems to like all the drinks.

Alcohol in the News; $770 Beer

From WAND 17 NBC

Not sure if this was actually on the news, but it's on their website. Everyone is talking about the real expensive beer. Odd that 12 bottles of beer could cause so much uproar.

$770 BEER

There were only 12 bottles made, and they sold out in four hours.

If you are interested in some of their other high alcohol beers, they are still available.