In honor of Earth Month, Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) and The Beer Wench (@TheBeerWench) are encouraging friends and fans to toast to organic beers with their Apr. 10 “Save the Planet, Drink Organic” Twitter Tasting.

The organic beer-themed tasting takes place on Twitter from 8-9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 10. The tasting, featuring four organic beers from some of the world’s most respected and innovative brewers, includes:

• 8 p.m. ET: Dupont — Avril (led by @belgianexpert): The brewer’s favorite beer. Light in alcohol, full in flavor. 3.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).
• 8:15 p.m. ET: Samuel Smith — Strawberry Ale (led by @merchantduvin): Smooth malt and aromatic strawberry flavors merge together in an elegant fashion with fresh, ripe strawberries. 5.1 percent ABV.
• 8:30 p.m. ET: Bison Brewing — Honey Basil Ale (led by @bisonbrew): Creatively infused with fresh, organic whole leaf basil and organic clover honey. Crisp and herbaceous with a hint of sweetness. 6 percent ABV.
• 8:45 p.m. ET: Hopworks – Rise Up Red (led by @HopworksBeer): Mahogany smooth with mild caramel sweetness, balanced by local Cascade and Centennial hops for a crisp finish. 5.8 percent ABV.
• 9 p.m. ET: After party (free for all!)

Every fifteen minutes, the focus will shift to a different featured beer as brew masters take questions from Twitter fans and share stories about the beers and the breweries. To follow the conversation, use the hashtag #WFMBeer. At least one, if not all, of the beers listed above should be available at most Whole Foods Market stores that sell beer.

Participation is limited to those 21 years or older (duh!).

Twitter Beer Tasting FAQs

What is a Twitter beer tasting?

A Twitter beer tasting is a virtual event where people simultaneously taste beers together, and share their tasting notes in 140 character or less messages on Twitter.

What do I need to do to participate?

At the bare minimum, all you need to participate is a Twitter account and a beer in hand! For each #WFMBeer Twitter tasting, a particular theme is selected by Whole Foods and The Beer Wench. Participation in the Twitter tasting is enhanced when you follow the theme.

How do I follow the conversation?

All people participating in the Twitter beer tasting are encouraged to use the hashtag #WFMBeer in all of their tweets. If you have Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, we recommend that you create and dedicate an entire column to the hashtag, so you can follow the conversation as it happens!

What if I can’t find any of the beers on the “official” list?

You can still participate! Just find a beer or two that fits into the theme and join in. The theme this time around is organic beer — if you can’t find one of the delicious organic beers listed above, just look for the USDA organic logo on the beer shelf in a Whole Foods Market near you!

What if I have questions about the beers that I’m tasting?

You are in luck! Representatives from each of the breweries selected will be on Twitter during the entire event to lead the tasting and answer your questions. All of the representatives are listed next to the beers in the schedule above.

Is it okay to join the conversation late?

Of course! Better late than never!!!

Have more questions? Send me a tweet @TheBeerWench, or leave a message in the comment section below!!!


BERKELEY, Calif. (December 13, 2011) — Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) has teamed up with social media maven and craft beer evangelist, The Beer Wench (@TheBeerWench), on a series of virtual beer tastings to be hosted LIVE on Twitter.

 The themed series will take place every two months.

The first tasting in the series is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20 from 7 to 8 p.m. EST. In honor of the holiday season, winter ales have been chosen as the theme. All it takes to participate is a Twitter account and a seasonal winter beer in hand. To join the conversation, participants merely need to attach the hashtag #WFMBeer to all of tweets during the event.

“Whole Foods Market is one of the best brands on Twitter, and they do an amazing job connecting with and engaging their audience. Every week, they host really fun discussions about food and wine with their followers,” said Ashley Routson, beer expert and founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com. “For selfish reasons, I felt that craft beer deserved to be thrown into the mix.”
Whole Foods Market and The Beer Wench are joining forces with four craft breweries across the country, all with delicious holiday or winter beers available at various Whole Foods Market stores. Every fifteen minutes, the focus will shift to a different featured brewery as brewmasters actively answer questions and share stories about the beers and the breweries.

“Whole Foods Market’s store beer buyers are some of the most passionate people in our company, and our shoppers tend to seek us out for our adventurous selection of local and craft brews,” said Michael Bepko, Global Online Community Manager at Whole Foods Market. “Taking our experts and knowledge online with The Beer Wench to connect to some new beer connoisseurs is a natural extension of the community we work hard to create in our stores.”

The December 20 virtual craft beer Twitter Tasting schedule is as follows:

7pm EST: New Belgium (@newbelgium) Snow Day
7:15 EST: Deschutes (@DeschutesBeer) Jubelale
7:30 EST: Bison Brewing (@bisonbrew) Gingerbread Ale
7:45 EST: Dogfish Head (@dogfishbeer) Chicory Stout
8pm EST: After party (free for all!!)
Participants are encouraged to tweet along while enjoying one of the craft beers listed above. If unavailable, they can simply choose another favorite holiday or winter craft beer. Suggestions from The Beer Wench, most of which can be found at a local Whole Foods Market, include:

21st Amendment (@21stAmendment) Fireside Chat
Anderson Valley (@avbc) Winter Solstice Ale
Great Divide (@greatdividebrew) Hibernation Ale
Great Lakes (@GLBC_Cleveland) Christmas Ale
Karl Strauss (@Karl_Strauss) Dos Turtles
Ninkasi (@Ninkasi) Sleighr
Odell Brewing (@OdellBrewing) Isolation Ale
Sierra Nevada (@SierraNevada) Celebration Ale
Sweet Water (@sweetwaterbrew) Festive
Weyerbacher (@Weyerbacher) Winter Ale

For more information on the virtual tasting and the beers, check out the official EventBrite page: http://wfmwinterbeer.eventbrite.com/

# # #

About The Beer Wench


Known amongst the craft beer community as The Beer Wench, Ashley Routson is a self-proclaimed craft beer evangelist and social media maven on a mission to advance the craft beer industry through education, inspiration and advocacy. Ashley currently is the “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing in Berkeley, CA — where her responsibilities include everything from brewing to marketing, sales, PR, and being an all around ninja. Ashley is also the founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com and BeerMixology.com.

About Whole Foods Market® 


Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company’s motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s more than 64,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 14 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of more than $10 billion and currently has more than 315 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

When asked to put together an event for PDX Beer Week, local beer writer and organic beer proponent Abram Goldman-Armstrong didn’t want to do a standard beer event. “Portland beer sage Fred Eckhardt once conducted an “organic beer and junkfood pairing,” says Goldman-Armstrong. “With that inspiration, I decided to pair organic beer and bacon. All too often organic beer gets pigeon-holed as “health food,” pairing organic beers with bacon is a little decadent, a little fun and a whole lot of delicious. We’ve got quite the gamut of styles from chocolate stout and Irish Red Ale to Belgian Farmhouse, American strong ale, to the traditional breakfast beer of Bavaria, hefeweizen.”

“Bacon is definitely my crutch,” says Grain and Gristle chef-owner Ben Meyer. I’ve said if I ever retire it will be because I could retire on my bacon.”

Each week the Grain and Gristle gets a whole pig from the Payne family farm, west of Corvallis, Oregon and the staff butcher it into delectable menu items. The walls of the pub are laden with house preserved fruit and vegetables, and eight rotating taps offer a wide variety of local craft beers. Artisan spirits and wines round out the beverage selection.

The Organic Beer and Bacon Pairing is part of PDX Beerweek a celebration of the diversity and depth of Portland’s unique beer culture.

Organic Beer and Bacon Pairing

Presented by Bison Brewing

Where: Grain and Gristle
1473 NE Prescott
Portland, Oregon 97211
503-298-5007
When: Sunday, August 21^st, 2-5pm
Cost: $21 for 7 3oz organic beers and 7 bacon samples
Facebook Event Page

The Pairings:

Bison- (Berkeley, California)- Chocolate Stout  5% abv with Housemade Chocolate-dipped bacon
Crannóg Ales- (Sorrento, British Columbia)- Gael’s Blood Potato Ale 5.2%abv 48 IBUs with House-brined Back bacon
Eel River- (Scotia, California) Triple Exultation Strong Ale  9.7% abv with Molasses and Coffee Cured Bacon
Hopworks Urban Brewery- (Portland, Oregon) Velvet ESB 5.2% abv Tails and Trotters hazlenut finished pork pepper bacon
Laurelwood- (Portland, Oregon) Free Range Organic Red Ale. 6.1% abv 60 IBUs with Dry cured Applewood Smoked Bacon

This past weekend, Black Star Beer played gracious host to its staff, partners (graphic designers, clients, distributors etc.) and myself. Upon arriving on Friday night, Black Star beer surprised all of us with a beer dinner.

I have attended and even hosted several beer dinners and beer pairings events, with each and every one being unique and special in its own regard. But I must admit that this particular dinner was one of the most unique and intimate I’ve experienced to date. Black Star lined up a super long banquet table right on the brewery floor next to the fermenters. The normal lights were turned off and the brewery was lit by candles and soft spotlights that illuminated the fermenters.

Aside from myself, the owner, brewmasters and maybe a few others — most of the group had never attended a beer dinner before. And many of them weren’t even familiar with the concept. Observing everyone’s reactions and expressions during the dinner was probably my highlight. Don’t get me wrong, the food and beer experience was amazing. But what was even more amazing was watching people experience the perfect synergy between beer and food for the first time. And I guarantee it will not be the last.

As with most food and beer related events that I attend, I often find myself too preoccupied with taking pictures of my food, taking notes on the pairings, as well as instantly posting my pictures and descriptions to Facebook and Twitter. One would assume that I would know better by now that half of the beer dinner experience is living in the moment and engaging with others and not living virtually on electronics and mobile devices.

I was once told at a really fancy beer dinner, “Funny how ANTI-social social media makes you, huh Ashley?” Touche my friend, touche.

Not familiar with my addiction to social media and incessant need to post everything I eat and drink, my surrounding neighbors were slightly confused by my obsessive-compulsive picture taking behaviors and lack of social engagement with the group. But this all changed once they realized who I was, why I was there, and what I was actually doing. However, the group was too lively and engaging for me to bury my head down in my laptop and phone and so, even before the first course was finished, I retired my mobile devices and virtual realm and joined the real life excitement.

The dinner itself was extremely impressive. It consisted of 5 courses, each paired with a different Great Northern Brewing Company beer. My notes are as follows….

FIRST COURSE
Ancho seared flank steak with an espresso mole sauce served on a sweet potato fritter paired with FRED’S BLACK LAGER.

Paring notes: The chocolate and coffee malt notes in Fred’s Black Lager complimented the espresso and cacao of the mole sauce while the light dry body of the lager helped to cut the spice from the ancho and balanced the heaviness of the dish. The sweetness of the fried sweet potato enhanced the malt character of the beer, but the light dry body of the beer cut the fat and oil. The overall earthiness of the dish paired really well with the roasted flavors in the beer. This was definitely a hit in my book.

SECOND COURSE
Spinach salad with goat cheese, orange supremes and candied pecans tossed with a honey-lemon poppyseed dressing paired with WHEATFISH WHEAT LAGER

Pairing notes: To start, I must admit that this was my first experience with a wheat lager. The texture and flavor of the beer was similar to wheat beers brewed with ale yeast, but the esters were not the same (actually, there were no esters). The beer was uniquely clean. As for the pairing, this was definitely a slam dunk. The salad, like the beer, was light, fruity and slight tart. This was an extremely refreshing pairing — one that I wouldn’t mind enjoying on a daily basis!

THIRD COURSE
Coconut-red curried shrimp soup garnished with fresh cilantro and peanuts paired with GOING TO THE SUN IPA.

Pairing notes: OMFG (really, it was that good). The soup was creamy and rich, without being too heavy. The heat from the curry was softened by hints of coconut milk and cooled by the cilantro. The crunch of the peanuts added a nice texture. The IPA was beautifully balanced, mostly pale malt base with a bit of crystal for coloring with Cascade and Centennial hops used for flavor and aroma. I’m a big advocate of pairing IPAs with spicy food. The pairing could not have been any more on spot.

Side note: As a student of beer, my latest preoccupation and obsession has been learning about hops and how they affect the flavor and aroma of beer. My favorite game to play is “name that hop.” And more and more these days, I also have been playing “guess the malt bill.” After tasting Going To The Sun for the first time, I wanted to take a shot at both games. (I think I scared the brewmasters a bit by bombarding them with questions.) I missed one of the hops (I said Chinook instead of Centennial), but other than that I wasn’t too far off.

FOURTH COURSE
Jerk chicken breast over black beans and rice with jicama slaw and pineapple salsa paired with BLACK STAR DOUBLE HOPPED GOLDEN LAGER

Pairing notes: This pairing was a fiesta on the tongue. The acidity from the pineapple salsa and the earthiness from the rice and beans were nice compliments to the heat from the jerk chicken. The beer was light-bodied, but extremely flavorful for a pale lager. Overall, the Black Star lager was definitely the star of the pairing, bringing a nice malty sweetness that complimented all the flavors of the dish.

FIFTH COURSE

Chocolate and cheese platter with smoked sea salt chocolate, bacon chocolate, aged swiss cheese, and manchengo paired with SNOWGHOST WINTER LAGER.

(Pardon the picture, I totally missed the ball on taking a pic of the last dish. This is a pic of the Yeti “Beer Wench” who snuck into the brewery during our dinner and was gracious enough to refill our glasses…)

Pairing notes: Can one really go wrong when pairing chocolate, cheese and beer? The bacon chocolate was absolutely amazing, but then, we all know that the Wench is obsessed with bacon. The SnowGhost winter lager was one of my favorite beers of the night, rich roasted malt flavors and slight hints of coffee — an excellent beer to pair with chocolate.

Whereas the food and the beers were great, it was the energy of the guests that really made the dinner special. Speeches were made, and lots of cheering, hooting and hollering happened all night long. Every single person at the event was happy to be there and extremely proud to work for or with Black Star.

Needless to say, I was a little blown away by the experience. And I was more than blown away with the rockstar treatment I received. The Black Star crew treated me as one of their own, always making sure I had a beer in my hand and constantly checking in to make sure I was doing okay.

Good people. Good food. Good beer. What more could a girl want in life?

CHEERS!

Question: What happens when you get a phenomenal chef, a wine geek and a beer wench in the same house?

Answer:An endless waterfall of yummy booze and ridiculously delicious food.

Question: What happens when the aforementioned trio are as equally obsessed with Social Media and Twitter as they are food, wine and beer?

Answer:A crazy virtual beer vs. wine dinner … broad-casted live on the Internet … in a house full of Internet geeks, techies and Twitter-a-holics.

This past weekend I traveled to Tampa, FL to tri-host a very interesting an unique event with 3 of my good friends from Twitter. The event was a Beer Vs. Wine “smack-down” Dinner - the first of its kind on Twitter Taste Live.

The tasting menu was designed and orchestrated by the lovely Dolce Debbie, Executive Chef and Culinary Director for Savory Adventures as well as a Personal Chef and Personal Trainer. Dolce Debbie(@docledebbie on Twitter) currently resides in Tampa, FL – with her crazy, yet adorable, husband Barry (@barryfrangipane on Twitter). Debbie & Barry have toured Italy extensively and together they own Savory Adventures, a company that offers a unique and exciting way to explore Italy, its land, its people, its wine and its foods.

Matt Scott(aka @mmWine on Twitter) provided the wines for the pairing. Based in West Palm Beach, Matt is the author of the wine blog “A Good Time With Wine.” He is also the co-founder of ZsaZsa and Company, an Internet based wine store that offers an elegant yet fun way to give gifts of wine (you can follow them on Twitter – @zsazsaandco).

Naturally, The Beer Wench brought the beers.

If you missed the live streaming of our event, you can check out a video clip of it below (Disclaimer: I say “um” and “like” entirely way too much. But ummm you will like have to ummm just deal with it.)

First Twitter Beer vs. Wine Dinner VIDEO CLIP

Here is the menu, both the beer and wine pairings for each dish … and the winners:

Appetizers – Fried Rice Ball w Shrimp, Bruschetta, Fried Zucchini Straws
Beer Pairing Lagunitas Czech Style Pilsner
Wine Pairing Bisson Prosseco 2007

WINNER = BEER

First Plate – Parmesan Risotto
Wine Pairing Bonci Verdicchio Carpaneto 2007
Beer Pairing Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale

WINNER = WINE

Second Plate – Pistachio encrusted Sea Bass
Wine Pairing Deforville Chardonnay 2007
Beer Pairing Jolly Pumpkin Brewery Calabaza Blanca

WINNER = TIE

Main dish – Grilled rack of lamb encrusted in Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and rosemary.
Wine Pairing Pievano Sagratino Montefalco 2003
Beer Pairing Dogfish Head Raison E’Etre

WINNER = TIE

Dessert – Lemon Cake with strawberries marinated in Limoncello.

In the end, the real winner was the food.  Debbie worked her ass off in the kitchen all night, while Matt and I ate, drank and chatted with both the guests at the party as well as our viewers and twitter followers online.  She is the true star of the party as well as the gracious hostess who made it all happen!

Also want to send out a big THANK YOU to Barry Frangipane. He played the role of host, waiter, busboy and dish slave very very well. 

Of course, a final thank you to all participants – both in person, in the chat room and on Twitter. With out all of your support and interaction, this event would not have been so successful! Big kisses! XOXO!

CHEERS!!!

Tonight I will be co-hosting my very first beer dinner.

Now I’ve hosted tastings, pairings & beer parties. I’ve also ran beer tastings at bars and restaurants. I’ve also done staff training (for both beer & wine).

But this event is completely different. Two of my other “Twitter” buds and I are tri-hosting a beer vs. wine event. While the idea itself is not entirely unique, the execution of the event is the first in its kind.

Unfortunately, tonight’s event does not have an official “name.” The closest any of us have gotten to naming the event is calling it “@docledebbie @mmWine @TheBeerWench Twitter Taste Live event.” And that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue very well, now does it?

If you follow me on Twitter, you are probably more than aware of this event. If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, you probably have no idea what I am talking about. Either way, let us clarify the specifics!

As a result of Twitter, I have been connected to some pretty amazing people. Some of my closest friends are people that I’ve met via Twitter. Before you start thinking that I’m lame for meeting friends on Twitter … I ask you to reconsider. Twitter has connected me with many people that are as passionate (if not more) and obsessed with the world of food & beverage as I am.

One such person is Dolce Debbie (aka Chef Debbie Frangipane), Executive Chef and Culinary Director for Savory Adventures as well as a Personal Chef and Personal Trainer. Dolce Debbie (@docledebbie on Twitter) currently resides in Tampa, FL – with her crazy, yet adorable, husband Barry (@barryfrangipane on Twitter). Debbie & Barry have toured Italy extensively and together they own Savory Adventures, a company that offers a unique and exciting way to explore Italy, its land, its people, its wine and its foods.

I first met Dolce Debbie through a mutual Twitter friend, Matt Scott (aka @mmWine on Twitter). Based in West Palm Beach, Matt is the author of the wine blog “A Good Time With Wine.” He is also the co-founder of ZsaZsa and Company, an Internet based wine store that offers an elegant yet fun way to give gifts of wine (you can follow them on Twitter – @zsazsaandco).

Matt and Debbie co-hosted a Twiter Taste Live event back in February. The theme was Piedmont, Italy. Dolce Debbie prepared a fantastic and delicious spread of Italian foods traditional to the region of Piedmont. Matt paired some equally excellent wines with each course. Several people from Twitter, including myself, attended the event. I spent the night alternating between stuffing my face full and twittering non-stop. Matt did a live U-stream video of the event. You can find the original footage on his blog.

The day after the tasting, the three of us (well and Barry) sat down and started planning out the next event. I suggested doing a wine versus beer dinner … and the clocks started turning.

Tonight will be the first Twitter Beer vs. Wine Dinner event … in the entire history of Twitter. Dolce Debbie has created a 5 course menu. Matt and The Beer Wench are going head to head on the first four courses. Obviously, I will be pairing beer and Matt with be pairing wine. (Bring it on Matty!!!)

The menu is set. Dolce Debbie has already turned into a madwoman in the kitchen. I am actually sitting at a table next to her kitchen (I am the official taste tester) – so I can say from first hand experience that she is just tearing it up in the kitchen! This morning she made us all enormous Belgian waffles SMOTHERED in whip cream, fresh berries & sliced bananas.

Matt and I are both here – and both of us have arrived safely with our beverages of choice. So without any further ado, allow me to present the tasting menu … complete with the wine and beer pairings. The beers have been bought, so there is no going back now. HOWEVER, I would love comments and feedback about my choices. Thanks!

Appetizers-Fried Rice Ball w Shrimp, Bruschetta, Fried Zucchini Straws
Beer Pairing Lagunitas Czech Style Pilsner
Wine Pairing Bisson Prosseco 2007

First Plate – Parmesan Risotto
Wine Pairing Bonci Verdicchio Carpaneto 2007
Beer Pairing Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale

Second Plate – Pistachio encrusted Sea Bass
Wine Pairing Deforville Chardonnay 2007
Beer Pairing Jolly Pumpkin Brewery Calabaza Blanca

Main dish – Grilled rack of lamb encrusted in Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and rosemary.
Wine Pairing Pievano Sagratino Montefalco 2003
Beer Pairing Dogfish Head Raison E’Etre

Dessert – Lemon Cake with strawberries marinated in Limoncello.

Interested in watching the event?

Live video streaming starts at 6:30, with the event itself starting at 7pm. Video stream will be on the Twiter Taste Live home page as well as HERE with a ustream chat room for viewers to interact during the event (you don’t have to be on Twitter to view the ustream video and interact in the chat room).

In this post I am going to attempt to recap the Dogfish Head Twitter Taste Live event from Saturday March 7th 2009. Now mind you, I did use the word attempt.

Yesterday I made a last minute decision to purchase a webcam and setup a live ustream feed for the event. Having neither used ustream nor a webcam prior to last night, I think that things went fairly well. Obviously, I could have been more organized … but that is something to work on for the future.

The DFH Twitter Taste Live started out as all TTL events seem to start – early. Several tweeters joined the TTL feed earlier in the day – posting updates about the beer and wine they were drinking at the time. Even the “official” Dogfish Head Tweeter (@dogfishbeer) started the night out a bit early with Dogfish Head Aprihops. After addmitting his lack of patience, Dogfish Head brewer zymoid popped open a DFH 60 min IPA prior to the event. Naturally, my day began early as well. I started off with some Tom Eddy New Zealand (aka TENZ) Sauvignon Blanc during lunch. I then moved onto Radford Dale Freedom Pinot Noir just prior to the DFH TTL.

The three Dogfish Head beers that were “officially” tasted for this event were: Red & White, Fort, and Palo Santo Marron. Instead of posting my personal tasting notes as usual, I have decided to post the tasting notes of the tweeters from the DFH TTL event. However, I will try to follow the format that I usually use in my beer reviews. This should be interesting … and fun.

All the picutres of the beers are compliments of @kallardnyc. Thanks! For other really great picutres from the night, check out @lemasney’s FLICKER PAGE.

I appologize in advnace to those of you who are unfamiliar with Twitter and do not understand the way in which I am presenting my tasting notes. Hopefully you can get the jist! Cheers!

Red & White

Brewery: Dogfish Head

Style: zymoid: @beertweeter Calif pinot noir grape juice is used. Yeast is Belgian wit type.

zymoid: @panache We like to play with wood, and originally started with pinot noir barrels from CA. Thought a suped up wit beer would be fun.

Color: angelostzelepis: Nice copper color, a lot of sediment

stfler22: the sediments in the red & white give the brew a unique texture and balance beautiful color!!

Carbonation: lemasney: carbonation is not visually evident, but very evident in the palate. Like an ocean. The body is a summer sunset, with rain in the morn.

Aroma: zymoid: I’ve got the 09 R&W. Some bubble gum esters in the nose, tannins/oakiness and all kinds of fun. A party in the mouth.

beercommdood: fruity and tart smelling, nice solid finger of creamy head, picking up the wine notes in the nose

Mouthfeel: bsimi: Very creamy texture… nice beer !

Flavor:  beercommdood: Very sweet and malty, high fruity taste with wine coming through strong.

Finish: darknova306: @beertweeter The alcohol isn’t noticeable at first, but I’m getting a nice warmth after the swallow. Works well with the wine flavor.

kingfarmwine: the pinot noir barrels really enhances the complexity

Pairings: beertweeter: http://twitpic.com/1x5q5 – so earlier I decided to pick up some Chatham Littlneck clams and steam them in Red&White

beertweeter: this works nice with dank cheese http://twitpic.com/1x4l5 as well – Raw Blue Cave Aged

Interesting Facts: dogfishbeer: @zymoid And Sam’s fave wine is Pinot Noir.

zymoid: Tooting the horn alittle here: R&W won gold medal in last years GABF.

Comments:beertweeter: the Red & White is one of the top 3 I’ve had from Dogfish…huge bonus for creativity!

zymoid: @AngelosTzelepis R&W is great in a wine goblet. Lets it warm up and releases the aromatics nicely

Fort

Brewery: Dogfish Head (lemasney: Dogfish head is brewing beers that make you rethink the very state of beer as an idea. They ask you to set aside your beer definition.)

Style: zymoid: @panache We brew a strong ale base and then add a BUNCH of raspberry into secondary ferment.

zymoid:@beerphilosopher Some sugar is used in the kettle, but the fruit really carries the load.

zymoid:@beercommdood Not many hops in this, mostly malt and fruit doing the work.

Color: boothbay: For it’s powerful raspberry taste and aroma…it’s color seems lighter/tricky.

Carbonation: beercommdood: Fort is very fizzy. The head was very crisp and popping like Rice Krispies. Head now completely gone, no lacing.

Aroma: beercommdood: Getting some caramel on the nose with the berries. Anyone else?

darknova306: Lots of raspberry in the nose, with a little bit of caramel malt. Smells like a little tartness is there, too.

Flavor: lemasney: taste is deep, layered with flavors: raisin, cherry, plum, raspberry, citrus, bitterness, burns on the way down. So nice.

lemasney: definitely brandy, wheat, raspberry, and honey. Delicious. Agitation brings a strong aroma of whiskey, oak, and leaf mold.

Finish: kallardnyc: Fort is warm in the chest like a Port or Madeira.

Pairings: dogfishbeer: I’d drink this with a sliver of great dark chocolate.

Comments: beertweeter: this is like Raspberry Rock Candy…insane!

beerphilosopher : Friends don’t let friends drink Fort and Tweet

panache: Well the Fort was great. Don’t know if I would have bought it before today, but now I definitely will! Nice work @zymoid !

Palo Santo

Brewery: Dogfish Head (dogfishbeer: You HAVE to come to the brewery and see the massive tank made from Palo Santo Wood. it’s way cool.)

Style: zymoid: @rgrace99 Gotta say, the wood is the key, yeast is 2nd ary for this beer.

zymoid: @BrewDad Yes, it almost comes off as a fruit beer– cherries esp. it is all from the Palo wood. Amazing tree.

zymoid: @beertweeter We source yeast from both Whitelabs and Wyeast.

Color: hopwild: - PSM – pours like used motor oil – more like a black ale than a brown!

erikboles: as we say on @BeerTapTV “Dark as a struck match”

Carbonation: hopwild: - PSM – pours like used motor oil

Aroma: semperfifi: Partner says “Cherry wood flavor…”

beertweeter: Burnt Campfire Wet Wood Next morning with a malt sandwich?

beercommdood: Palo Santo nose: molasses, vanilla, peat, and burnt sugar cookies

Mouthfeel: brewdad: 12% it does not come off this strong in the flavor. The wood must have mellowed the flavor.

Flavor: angelostzelepis: Coffee, caramel, vanilla working for me today. I love this beer.

Finish: erikboles: there is a very very subtle taste of how fired ceramics smell on the back-end of the PSM

Pairings: zymoid: Y’all, save some of your chocolate for the PSM. It’s a great pairing.

zymoid: Palo Santo is a great mixer too. Try 50/50 with our Punkin ale.

Interesting Fact: kallardnyc: After the 1906 San Fran earthquake, wire insulators were made from Palo Santo wood because the was a shortage of materials.

Comments: thebeerwench: Dudes Palo Santo wood is a fucking bitch. Do you know how hard it is to cut down, let alone make a huge ass fermenting tank with?

RANDOM WENCHNESS

Somehow I missed this tweet from later in the tasting - zymoid: @TheBeerWench So who are you?

My bragging rights - dogfishbeer: @TheBeerWench That’s why we love you!

 Great comment – beertweeter: @dogfishbeer @zymoid @thebeerwench the best! great peeps, great brews! I’m sticking around

Another great comment – hopwild: thanks @dogfishbeer and @zymoid for joining us! thx @thebeerwench for hosting!

And lastly - dogfishbeer:@TheBeerWench – Thanks so much for hosting the tasting tonight, that was great fun! – YOU ARE VERY WELCOME. Thank you Dogfish Head for making the best fucking off-centered ales for the crazy off-centered people like myself! Cheers!

This was a great event! Good beer, good food and good fun!!! Thanks to everyone who came out!

THE BEER WENCH AND BRISTOL BAR BRING YOU A BELGIAN BEER BONANZA

COLUMBUS, OH June 9, 2008 – Bristol Bar has joined forces with local beer blogger, The Columbus Beer Wench, for an evening of Belgian beers and local pizza.

Since February 2008, The Beer Wench has been hosting informal and formal beer tastings all throughout the city of Columbus – both in local restaurants and bars as well as in local homes. Themes of the tastings vary (from board gaming to cupcake pairing), each having had a unique element — making the tasting experience distinct from other beer events.

This time around, The Beer Wench has partnered up with Bristol Bar and local DJ, DKilla, to co-host a Belgian themed beer tasting on Saturday, June 14th.

Bristol Bar invites the citizens of Columbus (as well as travelers from all around) to explore realm of Belgian beer through the eyes of The Beer Wench. The tasting will include a vertical tasting of all three Chimays – side by side – as well as samples of various other styles of Belgian Ales. Tasters will learn the distinctive nuances of the different Belgian styles, all while enjoying fresh local pizza from The Rossi.

The official tasting will take place on Saturday, June 14th from 6pm until 9pm. The event will cost $20 dollars a head and includes both the beer and the pizza. Tasters will also be offered discounts on select Belgian Ales throughout the evening as well as have the opportunity to take advantage of Bristol Bar’s outstanding Happy Hour specials.

Bristol Bar also invites the tasters to hang around after the tasting for “Saturdays at Bristol Bar,” a weekly event hosted by Scott Litch, Aaron Miller, and Dan Kilroy. “Saturdays at Bristol Bar” have become its most popular night thanks to the bar’s excellent bartenders, AMAZING music, never-ending martini creations, and talented guest DJ’s. Each week they spin the very best in downtempo, lounge, electro, house and techno. Visit www.squaredonline.com for the podcast, photos, text-updates, schedule, and more!

Bristol Bar Location: At the corner of 5th and Summit St.
132 East 5th Avenue Columbus, OH 43201
Free lot-parking: Across 5th from Bristol at the Zipf Lock Shop and House of Security building.
Free street-parking: Summit + Surrounding Streets

Also check out the BRISTOL BAR BELGIAN BEER TASTING BONANZA FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE. Feel free to RSVP for the event as well as invite other guests to attend!!!

BRISTOL’S STORY
A small dream for a Columbus native became reality after a trip to the city of Bristol, England.  Located at the northern tip of Italian Village, Bristol bar opened its doors on August 22nd, 2003.  Providing an alternative to the Columbus cookie cutter bar scene, Bristol bar has quickly become know for its extensive Martini menu and unique hand crafted interior.

Bristol bar exists for you.  Relax in a comfortable, simple, sophisticated atmosphere.  Listen to the music, savor an original Martini and enjoy your friends.  Meet our mixologists and let them create the perfect cocktail to meet you mood.  Join us for a drink or two. Cheers! Prost! L’chai-im! Salut! Chin Chin!

ABOUT THE BEER WENCH
The Beer Wench is a local Columbus based beer blog written by local “foodie, wino & hophead,” Ashley Routson. With the goal of becoming more educated on the world of beer, The Beer Wench encourages readers to join in her venture towards becoming a beer connoisseur through community involvement and social media tools.

As of this February, The Wench has been hosting informal beer tastings with local citizens at a various local establishments.  The “Drink With The Wench” events have been successfully bridging the gap between the interactive realm and the real world Columbus community. She is a tremendous advocate of supporting the local economy by eating and drinking locally.

ABOUT SQUARED

Established in 2001, Scott Litch a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, created Squared, a Columbus-based entertainment and special events company that operates both ground level and online marketing campaigns for clubs and promoters, while specializing in brand development, promotion, and multimedia design.

Since 2001, Squared has hosted events for Columbus nightspots including Mekka, Redzone, Fabric, Virus, Carlile Club, Lotus Ultralounge, Mynt, and Bristol Bar. Squared has also worked with Columbus Alive, CD101, Melt Magazine, Scion, EMI Music, Dr. Mojoe, Milk Bar, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Disco Productions, Mythodic, Entune, and Blubuni to produce events in the greater Columbus area.

A enormous THANK YOU goes out to everyone involved in the Surly Girl Beer Tasting With The Wench this past Sunday June 8th. The event had a surprisingly huge turnout and I was able to meet a lot of new beer lovers, beer geeks and hopheads. I was EXTREMELY impressed by Surly Girl Saloon‘s hospitality as well as the outstanding quality of beer, cupcakes and cheese that was provided for the tasting. The Surly Girl Staff was MORE THAN accomodating and made the experience very memorable and special. Andy Woelfing from Premium Beverage Supply did an amazing job running the tasting and I’m extremely jealous of those who won the Green Flash Brewing Company Beers.

I was completely blown away by the beer knowledge and interest of the tasters. Tasters ranged from beer afficiandos to home brewers to regular Joes who just love beer and want to learn more about it. I’m extremely excited to engage further with all the new people I met last night as well as looking forward to more people coming out of the woodwork for future tastings.

To finish things up, I want to highlight some key people that made the event so amazing. A HUGE thanks goes to Carmen, Managing Partner and General Manager of Surly Girl Saloon. If it was not for her superior organization skills and crazy cupcake idea, this event would never have been possible. MANY thanks to Andy from Premium for busting his butt back from New York to make it on time to run the event. There is no way I would have been able to run as successful a tasting without his beer knowledge and insight. BIG PROPS goes out to super duper Surly Girl baker Lara, who concocted the ridiculously delicious cupcake recipes specifically designed for the tasting. THANKS to all the bar and kitchen staff from Surly Girl Saloon who worked long and hard in ridiculous heat to help everything move so smoothly!!!

Last BUT NOT LEAST, thank you to everyone who came to the event. There is nothing I enjoy more than sharing my passions with others. There is more to eating and drinking than merely eating an drinking. Enjoying great food and beer with equally great people makes the experience twenty times better than when done alone.

(And special thanks to everyone who allowed me to indulge my passion for gaming by staying around after the tasting to play a few rounds of Apples to Apples. Expect more board gaming beer events in the future!!!)

Check out the photos on Facebook! (Unfortunately, I was too busy running around that I never got a good chance to take photos. If anyone has any pictures from the event … please email them to me so I can post them!!!