The Ale Runner

Just got an e-mail from Founders Brewing that they will begin distributing to Louisiana in April. This is fantastic news for the Bayou State, as Founders was on my short wish list of brewers I want here. It will be fantastic to be able to get some of those beers from Michigan I love so much. Breakfast Stout, All Day IPA, Porter, Centennial IPA, are all wonderful beers that we should hopefully get here. And their Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) is an April release that I’m hopeful we will see here.

Read the full release here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

FOUNDERS BREWING CO. EXPANDS DISTRIBUTION TO LOUISIANA

Founders Beer Will Be Available in The Pelican State in April 2013

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 3, 2013 - Founders Brewing Co. announced today that it is expanding its distribution territory to include the Pelican State, with Buquet Distributing, Schilling Distributing, Mockler Beverage, Southern Eagle Sales & Service, Champagne Beverage and Southwest Beverage slated to represent the brand across the entire state of Louisiana beginning in April.

“We haven’t been talking about Louisiana distribution for all that long,” said Co-Founder and CEO Mike Stevens, “but when we started looking at the craft beer scene there, we realized it was a great fit for us. Louisiana is part of a new region for us that we’re calling the South Central region. It includes Texas, which we opened last year, as well as Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, which we’re opening all at once.”

Residents of Louisiana can expect to find Founders’ year-round and seasonal products, both in bottles and on draft, in the first shipment. Specialty releases will follow the brewery’s release schedule from there.

The addition of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana to Founders’ markets brings the brewery’s total distribution footprint to 30 states. For a list of all the states in which Founders is available and the brewery’s 2014 availability calendar, visit foundersbrewing.com.

About Founders Brewing Co.

Established in 1997 by two craft beer enthusiasts with day jobs and a dream, Founders Brewing Co. has made a distinctive mark on the craft beer community by brewing complex, in-your-face ales, with huge aromatics and tons of flavor. Founders is one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in the nation, currently ranking among the top 30 largest craft breweries in the U.S. The brewery has received numerous awards from the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival, and its beers are often rated among the best in the world by RateBeer and BeerAdvocate users. Located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders is a proud member of the Michigan Brewers Guild and the Brewers Association. For more information, visit foundersbrewing.com.

In conjunction with their promotion of the Lousiana Brewery Trail, the Louisiana Office of Tourism has partnered with Abita Brewing to bring one lucky winner to the Northshore to be a Brewmaster for a Day.

BREWMASTER FOR A DAY PRIZE INCLUDES:

- Abita limo transportation
- VIP Abita brewery tour with an Abita team member
- Brew a “test batch” with Abita Brewmaster or brewer (recipe will be chosen before hand)
- Customized “Brewmaster for a day” Abita work shirt
- Lunch at Abita Brew Pub with an Abita team member
- Abita gift basket ($150 value)
- Private beer and food pairing at a local restaurant with an Abita team member (Either Wino’s and Tacos in Covington or a restaurant in New Orleans)

Plus the following courtesy of Louisiana’s Northshore:

- 2 night stay at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Mandeville, LA
- Guided Kayak tour for two with Bayou Adventure
- Bicycle rental for two for riding the Tammany Trace
- Dinner for two at Old Rail Brewing Company
- Breakfast for two at Liz’s Where Y’at Diner
- $500 pre-paid credit card upon check-in to help cover travel costs

How do you register to win? Simply by visiting the Louisiana Brewery Trail Brewmaster for a Day website and watching the Louisiana Brewery Trail video to unlock your entry form.

This is a very cool promotion, that goes hand in hand with the Untappd promotion and pint glass giveaway I wrote about earlier this week. Good things are happening in the craft beer world here in Louisiana!

The Louisiana Brewery Trail was created in late 2013 to bring the spotlight to Louisiana’s ever-growing craft brewery scene. Just in the past several years, breweries have been popping up all over the state, from Shreveport to New Orleans, and all points in between. Now the Louisiana Office of Tourism has partnered with the beer social media site, Untappd where you can get a Louisiana Brewery Trail pint glass, simply by checking into a beer at one of Louisiana’s 9 craft breweries. You can also unlock special Bayou Brews and Swamp Hops badges on the Untappd site.

Read more about this great promotion below:

Hunting for Hops in the Bayou State

Known as a top culinary destination, the state of Louisiana’s mix of cultures and vast array of flavors have helped lead its edible revolution. Now, a new revolution has taken root in the cities and bayous across the Pelican State — one filled with locally sourced ingredients and bold brews. Craft breweries across the state have been taking their beers to the next level, providing a unique look — and sip — into the state’s unique heritage. The Louisiana State Office of Tourism encourages you to partake in the local flavors that are the foundation for this craft beer revolution.

In partnership with the Louisiana Brewery Trail, we’re excited to bring you some exciting new promotions, encouraging you to check out some brews from the bayou. Starting February 24th and running through the end of the year, we have a pair of brand new badges for you to unlock.

Bayou Brews
To unlock this Bayou State beauty, simply check-in to at least 3 different Louisiana-brewed craft beers from the list of breweries below. With all of these breweries producing a ridiculous variety of beers, there won’t be any problem finding at least 3 you like.

Swamp Hops
Get your touring shoes ready because in order to earn this badge you’ll need to make your way to at least 2 different Louisiana-based breweries listed below. This one requires that you add your location to your check-in to qualify.

In addition, you have a chance to unlock an awesome promotion starting February 24th that will run through April 24th.

Louisiana Brewery Trail Giveaway
While making your way through the state to unlock your Swamp Hops badge, you’ll have a chance to unlock this great promotion. Check-in to any beer at one of the Louisiana-based breweries listed below and receive a free Louisiana Brewery Trail pint glass while supplies last! Don’t forget to add your location to your check-in to qualify.

Qualifying breweries:

• Abita Beer (https://untappd.com/brewery/10)
• Bayou Teche Brewing (https://untappd.com/brewery/2597)
• Chafunkta Brewing­ (https://untappd.com/brewery/18662)
• Covington Brewhouse ­(https://untappd.com/brewery/2614)
• Great Raft Brewing ­(https://untappd.com/brewery/42968)
• Parish Brewing ­(https://untappd.com/brewery/10253)
• NOLA Brewing ­(https://untappd.com/brewery/1547)
• Tin Roof Beer ­(https://untappd.com/brewery/22538)

For more information on Louisiana’s craft beer revolution as well as the Louisiana Brewery Trail, check out http://breweries.louisianatravel.com.

Promotion rules: Open to U.S. residents only. Must be over the age of 21. Limit of one pint glass per Untappd user, per brewery. Must be present to receive pint glass.

- See more at: http://blog.untappd.com/post/77704298429/hunting-for-hops-in-the-bayou-state#sthash.sJtuoEZs.dpuf

Back in December of last year, I posted my Top 13 Beers from Louisiana in 2013. At the end of that piece, I made a request. “If any of you breweries are reading this, here’s my 2014 request: I want a really kick ass IPA. I want something that people from other states will be clamoring to get. Something not too bitter, but bursting with aroma and flavor. Let’s put Louisiana on the map with a great IPA!”

Well, it didn’t take long for this to come to fruition. Parish Brewing has released the double IPA I’ve been clamoring for from a Louisiana brewery. Ghost in the Machine is not only the IPA I’ve been looking for, but it instantly shoots to the top of the list of best beers brewed in Louisiana. This is the beer that puts Louisiana on the map. Other parts of the country have fantastic IPAs, and until now, nobody has had anything remotely close to this, not only in Louisiana, but as far as I’m concerned, the Southeast in general. Sure, there are some solid double IPAs around. Saint Arnold’s Endeavour, Lazy Magnolia’s Timber Beast and Good People’s Snake Handler are a few that come to mind. Ghost in the Machine easily eclipses them all.

The aroma alone, is trance inducing. On my first opportunity to try it, I must have just sat there smelling it for 2 or 3 minutes. Hops, glorious hops. They should make candles that smell like this. There’s a big citrus hop aroma that’s just dank. Many beers have a nice aroma, but few can achieve this level of dank-ness. Is that a word? Well, I just made it one. The taste then follows suit. There’s an initial punch of hop flavor unlike anything else brewed around here, but it settles into an easy finish with a touch of malt sweetness. It is such an easy beer to drink for 8.5% ABV. Did I mention that it was hoppy?

This is my public offer of congratulations to Parish Brewing owner and brewmaster, Andrew Godley, for making a beer that can really be considered a world class IPA.  Thank you for putting Louisiana on the map. And please keep making this beer as often as you can. And other breweries in Louisiana, take note. This is how you make a double IPA. Parish has further solidified itself as the best brewery in the state. They were already there, in my opinion, but they just put some distance between themselves and everybody else with this release.

Ghost in the Machine can be found in very limited supplies of 750ml bottles and on tap at select bars. Or visit the Parish Brewing tasting room in Broussard, LA.

Check out this new video produced by the Louisiana Office of Tourism to help promote the craft breweries in the Bayou State.

Saturday, February 15th marks the 2nd annual Iron Brewer Festival in Baton Rouge, presented Brasseurs a la Maison and hosted by Tin Roof Brewing Company.  What is the Iron Brewer Festival, you may ask? This is a friendly competition amongst the members of Baton Rouge’s largest homebrew club to help benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. The premise is similar to that of Iron Chef, the popular TV show on the Food Network. Except in this case, based on brewing rather than cooking. Last year, teams were assigned a specific Louisiana ingredient to make a beer with. This year, since the festival is taking place the day after Valentine’s Day, each team was assigned a beer style and instructed to use an ingredient that can be construed as an aphrodisiac in brewing it. The event will run from 2pm until 5pm on Saturday afternoon at Tin Roof’s brewery off Nicholson between downtown and LSU’s campus.

In 2013, ten teams each served 10 gallons of beer, and the turnout was tremendous. Over 500 people turned out to donate 1,300 pounds of canned goods and non-perishable food items to the food bank. All the beer was gone within an hour and a half. This year, Brasseurs a la Maison is upping the ante. The goal is to collect a ton of food. Literally. They aim to collect 2,000 pounds of food to donate to the food bank. And this year, every team was to provide 20 gallons of beer to serve. So with 11 teams, that’s 220 gallons of beer to serve at this year’s event. The only admission fee is a canned good or some other non-perishable food item, but you are encouraged to bring more than one in order to help us reach the goal. Guests will be given a wristband and a ticket, which will allow them unlimited samples and the opportunity to vote on their favorite beer, which will determine a People’s Choice award.

I’ll be there with one of the teams. We were assigned a wheat ale style of beer. We had many different directions we could have gone with this style. Fruit is naturally one of the first that comes to mind, and there are a number of different aphrodisiac fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, etc. But the last thing we wanted to do was to reproduce a style that’s already popular. So we went a different route. Our entry is a green tea-infused beer using a blend of teas from Highland Coffees, which is located on Chimes Street. Our Passion & Envy Wheat ale was brewed using a Japanese green tea by the same name, which is a blend of Green Sencha and bits of dried passionfruit. What resulted was a highly quaffable ale that has a nice tartness from the tea along with a hint of sweetness from the passionfruit. We believe this will be a popular offering, and we should walk away with the People’s Choice award.

Come out and support a wonderful event next weekend at Tin Roof which benefits a great cause. See the official press release below.

Brasseurs a la Maison to Hold Second Iron Brewer Home Brew Beer Festival to Benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank

[BATON ROUGE, LA]—Local home brewing club, Brasseurs a la Maison will hold its second annual Iron Brewer Home Brew Beer Festival, Saturday February 15 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Tin Roof Brewing Company 1624 Wyoming Street. Eleven club-member teams accepted the Iron Brewer challenge. Each team was randomly provided a different style of beer and, in the spirit of romance and Valentine’s weekend, instructed to incorporate ingredients with aphrodisiac properties.

The event is open to adults 21 and over. Entry fee is at least one non-perishable food item for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, but attendees are encouraged to bring more to help the organization reach its goal of 2,500 pounds. Festival goers will be allowed to vote on a People’s Choice Winner.

“Last year’s event was incredibly successful and our teams had a great time, so we decided to do it again,” stated club president, Blake Winchell. “We have a variety of styles like stout, farmhouse, blond/cream ale, English bitter and more. Word on the street is that teams are using ingredients like chocolate, strawberries, chili peppers, honey, different types of herbs and who knows what else. It should be another great event.”

Created in 2010, Brasseurs a la Maison is Baton Rouge’s largest home brewing club with over 260 members. The club meets the second Wednesday of each month to sample, discuss and learn about beer and brewing. For more information on the Iron Brewer event or the club, visit www.brbrewers.com.

What follows is the February 5th edition of my weekly column, The Drink, written for DIG Magazine.