In this fun episode, I pack up a Michigan themed beer box and ship it to my fair-skinned Florida buddy, Sean Ely. He receives the package, and following the instructions on the outside of it, films an “unboxing” video. Check it out to see what Michigan brewed deliciousness made it’s way down to FLA. Cheers!

Hey what’s up? Welcome to today’s Beer Me Out Brewcast. I’m Nick. Today’s beer of the day is This One Goes to Eleven by Bell’s Brewery, which we’ll crack into in just a bit. Let’s get to the New Releases.

New Releases

The highly anticipated release of Imperial Mint Chocolate Stout is here. This is the production version of Ken Schmidt’s Two-thousand-twelve AHA Homebrew Rally winning recipe. The homebrewer extraordinaire has teamed up with Stone Brewing and Iron Fist to bring this beer to the masses. This stout clocks in at nine point six ABV and is in stores now in limited distribution. Michigan residents, you’ll need to get down to Toledo to get some, and act fast – I’m sure it won’t last long.

Breckenridge Brewery’s Seventy-Two Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout is hitting shelves now. With milk and dark chocolates, coffee, dark fruits, and wood – this seven point two percenter is sure to have an enticing aroma.

…Time for brewery news.

Brewery News

With demand running extremely high, Founders Brewing has increased production and  is set to brew more than seventy-four-thousand barrels this year, and expects to hit one-hundred forty-thousand barrels in 2013. That’s a lot of Founders beer, which should make all of us beer lovers very happy.

On to Beer Events.

Beer Events

Details are in for Surly’s Darkness Day. The Minnesota brewer will be hosting the release party of this sought after Russian Imperial Stout on October twenty-seventh at 11am. Twelve-hundred wristbands will be handed out, and Surly request that nobody shows up before 3:30pm the previous day. Beer, live music and food trucks are all on tap. Sounds like fun!
Allright, let’s drink!

Beer of the Day

Today’s beer is Bell’s This One Goes to Eleven. A great name, obviously inspired by the classic Spinal Tap quote – this Imperial Red does indeed go to Eleven. Eleven percent ABV that is. It’s said to open with bright, juicy aromas such as tropical fruits & ripe cherries, and then move on to Southern Hemisphere and Pacific Northwest hops. Sounds good, let’s give it a try.

And finally I’ll leave you with today’s beer ink. Cheers!

Hey what’s up? Welcome to today’s Beer Me Out Brewcast. I’m Nick. Today’s beer of the day is Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean, which I’ll dive into in just a bit. Let’s get to the New Releases.

Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City posted this picture to their Facebook page announcing the release of their Fall seasonal brew – Good Gourd. This eight and a half percent Imperial Pumpkin Ale is available on tap and in bombers at their taproom now, and will hit distribution shortly. Personally I love pumpkin beers and this one sounds great, so I’ve got my friend from Florida on the hunt for this right now.

If you’re near Chicago be on the lookout for Goose Island’s newest Fulton and Wood beer, Grand Goose. It’s a Scandinavian inspired beer with Colorado spruce tips and lingonberries, giving it a piney aroma with a hint of melon. Grand Goose is only available on draft in Chicago. …Time for brewery news.

Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing is kicking off it’s entry into my home state of Michigan on August 27th with a pair of collaborative beers with Brewery Vivant of Grand Rapids Michigan. The pair will start with a Belgian Amber brewed in Grand Rapids called Escoffier. The second beer recipe is still in the works, but will be brewed in Fort Collins and released in November.

Bell’s Octoberfest will only be available on-tap this year. Due to the logistics of moving their brewhouse to a new location in Comstock, Michigan and the lengthy fermentation process required for their Octoberfest, they were not able to brew enough beer for both a bottle and draft release. On to Beer Events.

Speaking of Octoberfest, tickets are now available for the Sam Adams Octoberfest at Park Plaza Castle in Boston. The event ironically runs September 21st and 22nd and celebrates the release of Sam Adams Ocktoberfest, The event features beer, music and more. Tickets can be purchased now at showclix.com. Allright, let’s drink!

Today’s beer is Stone’s Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean. I’ve had the regular smoked porter before, but I’m a sucker for anything Vanilla, so I had to scoop this one up. This special release is said to mix vanilla beans from Madagascar with chocolate and malty flavors to create a complex, but not too sweet brew. ABV is Five point nine. Let’s give it a try.

And finally I’ll leave you with today’s beer ink. Cheers!

Hello and welcome to today’s Beer Me Out Brewcast. I’m Nick Ellis. Today’s beer of the day is Beer Camp Oatmeal Stout from Sierra Nevada, which I’ll be enjoying in a bit. Now it’s time for New Releases.

Southern California’s Stone Brewery is celebrating its birthday with their Stone 16th Anniversary IPA. This double IPA comes in at 10% ABV with 85 IBUs and mixes Calypso and Amarillo hops to create peach, mango, and lemon notes. 16^th Anniversary is available now on draft and in 22oz bombers while supplies last.

Lakewood, New York brewery Southern Tier has just released Pumking, their famous Imperial Pumpkin Ale. This delicious brew bursts with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. It’s coming out a bit early this year to meet demand, but is ideally suited to drink on a crisp fall afternoon. Available now in draft and bombers, Pumpking checks in with an ABV of 8.6. On to brewery news.

San Diego’s Ballast Point has just been approved for distribution in Alabama. Alabamian’s can look forward to enjoying great beers like Sculpin IPA and Black Marlin Porter now.

The Craft Brewery Alliance of Redhook, Widmer and Kona breweries will release a variety pack this winter featuring 3 beers from each brewer. This Winter seasonal sampler will contain Widmer’s Brr, Redhook’s Winter Hook and Kona’s Pipeline Porter. Look for 12 packs and cases starting in October. Now, Beer Events.

This weekend brings the massive Stone 16th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival in San Marcos California. With over 40 craft breweries bringing nearly 150 craft beers, this festival runs Friday the 17^th and Saturday August 18^th. Check out StoneBrew.com for tickets and more information. And now for the Beer of the Day.

Today’s beer is the Beer Camp Oatmeal Stout from Chico California’s Sierra Nevada Brewing. This seasonal is only found in their Beer Camp variety 12-packs. This big beer is described by the brewer as midnight black, with a mocha-like aroma, perfect as an after-dinner treat. Let’s give it a try.

And finally I’ll leave you with today’s beer art. Cheers!

My friend Brian threw a beer share party for the Kentucky Derby this year. A bunch of us gathered up our best bottles and convened at Brian’s ready to do some damage. Lot’s of world class brews were enjoyed, including Bell’s Black Note, Founder’s CBS, Founder’s KBS, 3 Floyd’s Dark Lord, Westy 12 and many more. The beer was awesome, the company was great, we all went home with a nice buzz and I have no idea who won the Derby. Nothing like a good beer share…cheers!

I was lucky enough to get invited and be offered a free media pass to the Sip of Michigan 3 party, hosted by Drink Michigan this past Saturday. The event was held at The Rattlesnake Club in downtown Detroit and featured beer, wine and spirits from a wide variety of Michigan companies. The night was a blast with great food, beer and live band karaoke  – plus it raised over $20,000 for First Step of Wayne County. Thanks again to Trisha Verma and Audrey Walker for throwing this bash and for the invite!

In this episode I travel to Ferndale’s hot new beer bar One-Eyed Betty’s with my camera guy and fellow beer drinker Sean Ely. We order a couple flights, have some cheese and get some first-hand beer knowledge from Sam, one of the super-cool bartenders at this great joint.

My wife hooked me up with a Beer of the Month Club for Christmas, and this was part of the first shipment that came in. An aggressively hopped Winter Warmer from Boulder Beer Company, the Never Winter Ale is a really solid amber brew with a nice mid-level hoppiness. If you get a chance, give one a try. Cheers!

The fun continues in part 2 of our trip down to Eastern Market for the Detroit Fall Beer Festival. Cheers!

I took a trip with fellow beer drinker Adam down to the Detroit Fall Beer Festival. We tried lots of new beers, ate some great food and listened to some sweet tunes. All in all, a great day. Check it out. Cheers!