Tag Archives: Grand Teton

Brown Derby American Craft Beer Fest

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I mentioned this last week on my tap hunter section, Brown Derby will be hosting its 4th annual American Craft Beer Fest from 1:30 to 4:30 on Saturday, May 5 (VIP tickets are already sold out, sorry) in the Brown Derby International Wine Center parking lot. While this event is no where near as big as other beer related events going on in the country this weekend such as the Craft Brewers Conference or World Beer Cup Week related events, nor will it put Springfield, Missouri on the “beer map” just yet. It is a huge step in the right direction! This years event is not only larger than previous years, but will have several limited or rare taps. According to the most recent list I have seen, there will be 115 different American craft beers and 11 different kegs! The keg list (as of yesterday) includes Mother’s Hole Mole, Mother’s Imperial Three Blind Mice with Raspberries, Boulevard Saison Noir, 2nd Shift El Gato Grande, 2nd Shift Hibiscus Wheat, Grand Teton 5 O’ Clock Shadow, Piney River Brewing Black Walnut Wheat, Springfield Brewing Company Barrister’s IPA, Springfield Brewing Company Del Fuego, Sam Adams Norse Legend Sahti and Sam Adams Tasman Red IPA! Once again, cost is $15 at the door, proceeds will benefit the Doula Foundation of Mid-America. Like always, this Brown Derby hosted event will be a ton of fun, so be there and be safe!

P.S. If you are still on your feet after the Craft Beer Fest and whatever other Cinco De Mayo festivities you partake in, Downtown is having a pub crawl on Saturday night as well. This Saturday is also National Home Brew Day, so brew, drink and be merry!

Black IPA’s, Fad or Future Staple?

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I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Black IPA is the fad beer style of the year. I am also going to predict that Black IPAs are here to stay. This year they seem to be coming out of every direction as some kind of special release or anniversary ale. Just the other day, I tried a Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet, which was a pretty bold beer for the time of night that I drank it, but still very good. Odell has recently re-released their Mountain Standard Double Black IPA in four pack bottles. Stone’s Anniversary Ale was an imperial black IPA. Grand Teton made a black IPA this year. Firestone Walker is soon to release the Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA. That is just a few of the more prominent ones to reach the great state of Missouri (sadly, Clown Shoes does not distribute in Missouri, I was fortunate enough to enjoy that with help from a friend). This is certainly not a bad thing, I just find it interesting how quickly the style is gaining popularity. I think the fad will turn into a long standing and legitimate style, there are simply too many highly respected breweries making them to discount as a mere fad. While more seem to come up everyday, the style is not particularly new either, Stone has been crafting the Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale for some time and Southern Tier has also produced Iniquity for several years. Regardless of their “vogue status”, they are tasty beers. So, if you like hops with a distinct toast character added on, check out a Black IPA, a decent one should not be difficult to find. My two favorites so far are still the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and the Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA. Feel free to comment on whether or not you agree as well as favorite Black IPAs.

*** corrected on 11/22/11*** I have edited this post as I originally mentioned a black IPA that apparently does not exist. I did have a black IPA on tap at a local bar in Springfield, Missouri. Unfortunately, whatever I had was not produced by Left Hand as I originally thought, they do not make a black IPA. I am terribly sorry for my mistake and hope that anyone who read this will forgive me. I have no idea what beer I was thinking of, I distinctly remember it having the word toasted in the name, but can find absolutely nothing to prove this. So, for now, I will just sit here in shame and scratch my head. Have a good night.

Grand Teton Black Caudron Imperial Stout (Review)

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This beer is pretty impressive. It pours an almost pitch black with a solid dark tan head. The aroma is filled with dark chocolate, coffee and roasted malts, about everything one would could hope for in an imperial stout. The taste is initially filled with bitter coffee and chocolate. Then it mellows out into smooth roasted malt flavors with a few soy sauce like components. I have heard it compared more to an imperial porter, and do not care what people want to call it, I love this beer! I think the price is very attractive for an imperial stout and I love the viscosity, this beer clings to the glass marvelously. The Black Cauldron reminds me of a smaller, lighter version of Cigar City’s Marshall Zhukov’s Imperial Stout, perhaps that similarity influenced my rating a little bit, nevertheless, I give it an 89 on the Tim’s Tasty Scale.