Saturday, February 26, 2011

Last NIghts Winner For Beer Buddha's Baddass Beerfest Giveaway

So sorry about not announcing a winner last night. I pulled the name out of the bucket but things got a bit crazy at The Beer Buddha household. My wife ended up getting sick and well I forgot to post the winner.

Anyways, last nights winner was.....drum roll......Kyle Gordon.

For those that didn't win you have two more chances. And let me give you some advice. The two people that won so far had a lot of entries each. A lot of you have only one or two where they had at least 5. Congrats Kyle! Email me your address and I'll get those tickets in the mail to you.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Friday, February 25, 2011

Abita Brewing To Release 25th Anniversary Abita Vanilla Doubledog


Saw on beernews.org this morning.

Looks like Abita will be releasing a 25th anniversary brew called Vanilla Doubledog. According to the website they will be releasing it in 22oz bottles and it should be released sometime in June/early July.

Here is a description of the beer:

Turbodog is the inspiration for this robust dark ale with rich flavors of chocolate, toffee and vanilla. It is brewed with generous amounts of pale, caramel and chocolate malts and Willametter hops. Whole natural vanilla beans are added during the aging process.

25 years ago, Abita Brewing was founded on a pristine artesian aquifer north of New Orleans. For a quarter of a century, Abita has proudly brewed full-flavored ales and lagers. We thank our loyal customers for their support and pledge to continue the tradition of brewing excellence.


I think this will be very promising and can't wait to see this one!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Grillin' and Chillin'


In addition to beer I absolutely love grilling out. In a way they both kind of go hand in hand. Drinking wine while grilling meat just doesn't seem....normal. Drinking an ice cold beer? Normal.

Finally it seems the last remnants of this horribly cold New Orleans winter has left us(fingers crossed!)and the gods have blessed us with some beautiful 70 degree days. I don't know about you but when I hear the birds chirping, smell the flowers and feel the heat of the sun I immediately think of busting out my grill. I know, I know I live in New Orleans it doesn't get that cold you're thinking but it does. For like 2 months. And I hate the cold.

Anyways, the cold sucks and hopefully it's gone until next winter. Let's get on to some serious business. This isn't a grilling post. It's a what to drink while you're grilling post.

I've come up with what I think are 5 great beers to drink while you're grilling those burgers, chicken, steaks or whatever it is you like to grill. I'll warn you now. If you're new to The Beer Buddha website I will many times recommend cheap beers or beers that beer snobs will turn their noses up to. There is no shame in my game. I even have a list of sauces and marinades  that I like to use as well when I'm not making my own. Please note that these beers are all available in New Orleans but some of the sauces may not be. Enjoy!

Da Beers

1) Stone Arrogant Bastard: I love this beer with about anything. In my opinion it pairs well with about any meat dish you put in front of it. Very versatile brew.

Price Range: around $5 for 22oz bottle

2) Red Stripe: I'm a purist sometimes. I think you should drink the beer from the region of the food your cooking. I like to grill jerk chicken. Red Stripe is a crisp, clean lager and pairs well with the dish. I you just add some reggae it'll just add to the whole experience.

Price Range: around $8 for 6 pack

3) Full Sail Session Lager: One thing that is perfect with grilling in the hotter weather are lagers. They are crisp, clean and refreshing. Finding one that has flavor and that is inexpensive can be tough. This is one of those beers and pairs real well with grilled fish.

Price Range: around $15 for a 12 pack.

4) NOLA Hopitoulas: Supporting local is extremely important. NOLA is one of the local breweries that I like to support when I can but they don't bottle yet. However, they do have draft packs which are great when having a grilling party and you don't need a keg. Hopitoulas pairs well with any spicy dish you create on your grill.

Price Range: around $40 for a full case.

5) Bayou Teche LA 31 Biere Pale Ale: As I said supporting local is important so it just makes sense that I have another local brew. This beer is perfect for those of you who don't partake in meat dishes and choose to grill vegetables instead. Oh don't worry it pairs well with meat too but goes well with grilled veggies.

Price Range: around $9 for a 6 pack

Da Sauces and Marinades

1) Stubbs BBQ Sauce: In my opinion this is hands down one of the best commercial BBQ sauces on the market.


2) The Shizzle Sauce: This pineapple based jerk marinade is perfect for your grilled chicken. It's not available in New Orleans yet but you can buy it off of their website.



3) Freddie's Fabulous Hawaiian Coconut Pineapple Barbecue Sauce: I have a strange fascination with Hawaii. I lived there when I was younger but that doesn't explain my closet full of Hawaiian shirts and my love for fruity drinks with umbrellas. Try this sauce. It'll make you feel like you are there. Just for a second.



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Well there you have it. As always these are just my recommendations. If you have some you enjoy please leave a comment. I'd love to hear what you guys and gals like to drink while grilling out or even sauces and marinades you like to use.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Martin Wine Cellar/Shmaltz Brewing Beer Dinner

Martin Wine Cellar is hosting a Shmaltz Brewing beer dinner!! The menu(see below) looks incredible! Tickets are $40 per person. It'll be held on March 16th, 2011 at the Martin Wine Cellar in Metairie! Hope to see you there!


Menu


Aperitif
Charcuterie Board: Terrines, Rillettes, pickles and house made mustards
Truffle chips and mixed nuts
He’Brew Genesis Ale
Coney Island Lager

First Course
“Python” Lobster Cannoli- savory cannoli shell filled with spiced lobster salad
Coney Island Albino Python

Second Course
Fresh sugar cane skewered maple leaf duck meatballs over miso broth with soba noodles
He’Brew Origin Pomegranae Ale

Third Course
Beer braised beef with roasted vegetable Perogi
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA
He’Brew R.I.P.A. on Rye (Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. aged in Sazerac Rye Barrels

Dessert
“Bananalicious” - frozen chocolate dipped banana with hot caramel sauce, crushed salted pretzels and peanuts
He’Brew Jewbelation 14
He’Brew Vertical Jewbelation

For reservations call any Martin Wine Cellar location.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Beer Buddha's Baddass Beer Fest Giveaway

So The Beer Buddha and Red Mountain Entertainment have teamed up to present to you The Beer Buddha's Baddass Beer Fest Giveaway. The contest begins tomorrow February 14th. Winners will be announced each Friday by 11:59pm up until March 11th. March 11th will be the last day of the contest. That way I can assure winners get their tickets on time. The winner gets 2 tickets to the Top of the Hops festival which is on Saturday, March 19, 2011.  This is $80 worth of tickets!

Now for the contest.  To win the tickets you need to earn entry tickets that will be put into a beer bucket.  There will be a bunch of different ways for you to earn entries into the bucket. The more entries you get the better your chances obviously.  You can get up to 10 entries total.  It is recommended that you become friends with The Beer Buddha (Jeremy BeerBuddha Labadie) and Top of the Hops-North Shore on Facebook and @TheBeerBuddha and @TOPhopsBEERfest on Twitter and sign up here on The Beer Buddha blog. This will help you get more entries. Here is how you earn entries:

1) Take a picture of yourself drinking a local beer and upload it to Facebook. Tag myself and Top of the Hops in the picture. In the picture caption you need to write: I support my local brewery and I want to go to Top of the Hops beer fest via www.thebeerbuddha.com. 1 entry.

2) Tweet: @TheBeerBuddha @TOPhopsBEERfest I support my local brewery! I want tix to Top of the Hops beer festival: 1 entry.

3) Comment on this post: I want to go to the Top of the Hops festival. Make sure to put your name in the comment: 1 entry

4) If you post a picture to Facebook of you drinking a local beer in a bar and holding a sign saying: I love The Beer Buddha and Top of the Hops: 3 entries. Make sure you tag us so we can see it!!!

5) If you walk up to me at Avenue Pub and yell: I love The Beer Buddha and I want to go to Top of the Hops beer festival: 4 entries. HINT: I can usually be found drinking beer at Avenue Pub on Friday nights from 6-9pm.


All of the entries will stay in the bucket.  It won't start over so you don't have to do this every week.  Once you have 10 entries they stay there until the end of the contest which again is March 11th 11:59pm.


All winners will be notified. You can also check back and check the winners box to see if your name will be there. Winners box will be located top right hand side of page right under Top of the Hops advertisement.

RULES OF THE CONTEST:

1) All winners must be 21 or older.

2) Once the tickets are in your hands The Beer Buddha is no longer liable for anything stupid you may decide to do. By accepting the tickets you enter into a contract to not hold The Beer Buddha liable for anything that happens at the festival, on your way to the festival or on your way back from the festival.

3) You are responsible for getting yourself there and back. The Beer Buddha highly recommends having a designated driver. Drinking and driving sucks.

4) The Beer Buddha has the right to disqualify a contestant for whatever reason he deems fit. Oh and if I have to change the contest rules I will but you'll be notified. Doubt I will but need to write it just in case.

5) The Beer Buddha encourages responsible drinking and recommends drinking plenty of fluids while at the festival. Don't be that drunk person puking all over everything and making a fool out of themselves.

6) Keep the pictures clean. Any cursing or nudity will disqualify contestants. I don't want it to but think I have to.

7) Please refer to Top of the Hops FAQ and info page for more info.

8) You can only win once. If you win tickets you will no longer be eligible to win more. Let's be fair and give others a chance.

9) These tickets are only good for the Top of the Hops beer festival being held on March 19th in Mandeville, LA. They are nonrefundable tickets and don't be that guy that tries to turn around and sell the tickets. That's kinda douchey.

10) Have fun and be careful at the fest!

Well there you have it! I want to thank Red Mountain Entertainment(especially Jamie Broday)for being awesome and letting me run this contest! Good luck to everyone!


Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Beer Review: Abita Black IPA


So last night at Avenue Pub I had an opportunity to try Abita's newest Select offering, the Black IPA. As I am with all their Select offerings I must say I was impressed. I'm also impressed with the fact that they quickly put out this style of beer as it is the hip style of beer to the beer scene right now. I say impressed because it took Abita nearly 20 years to bottle an IPA. They aren't known for being proactive. Things are clearly changing on the North Shore.

Now if you're reading this Abita people I'm going to give you some advice(whether you ask for it or not)before I get to my review. In my opinion your Select beers are the best beers you put out. Why aren't you bottling them? Seriously, we love Turbodog, Restoration and the others but you could be bottling the Select in 22oz bottles and making them limited to Louisiana. Or not limit them at all. Whatever. It creates more of a demand for your product. Look at the success of your SOS. Come on guys do us a favor and bottle these beers!!!

Alright I'm done dishing out advice. Abita probably has valid reasons for not bottling their Select beers but I'm sure the beer drinking community would love it if they did! Anyways, on to my review:

Brewery: Abita Brewing Company

Beer: Black IPA

Style: American Black Ale(as per BA)

ABV: 7%

Louisiana Availability: Yes, limited. Draft only.

Price Range: $4-$6.

Appearance: Beer poured a nice rich, black with a large, frothy tan head. Lacing present throughout.

Smell: Nice moderate roasty aroma with hints of toffee and molasses accompanied by a nice piney hop presense.

Taste: Wonderful roasted malt flavors with nice hop bitterness. This one is hoppy for Abita but could have been hoppier. Still a good beer though. Perhaps one of Abita's better brews.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: A great brew from Abita. Good job guys!

Score: Photobucket 4 out of 5 Buddhas

Friday, February 11, 2011

Newcastle Walk the Dog Tshirt Giveaway Winners

OK so as I write this it's five minutes past twelve and all entries needed to be in by noon. First I want to thank everyone for entering and second thanks for taking the time to check out my blog even if it was to win something.

For those of you that didn't win don't be discouraged because I plan on doing a bunch of contests this year. The next one is going to be for tickets to Top of the Hops and I may have one for tickets to the Miller Light Balcony for Mardi Gras. Nothing definite on that last one but I'm working on it. Yeah, yeah I know it's not craft beer but come on who wouldn't want to check out Bourbon St from up there? I know I would!

Anyways here are your winners. Congrats!

1) LC Keene Womens L
2) Eric Ducote Mens XL
3) John Coker Mens XL
4) D. Pops Horan Mens L
5) Becki Chall Mens XL
6) Scott Wood Womens L

Alright there you have it. Congrats to all the winners and maybe next time to those who didn't win. Stay tuned for more contests!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Newcastle Walk the Dog TShirt Giveaway Update

UPDATE

Sorry folks but I forgot to add that all entries need to be in by today(February 11, 2011) at 12:00pm noon.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Thursday, February 10, 2011

New Orleans Beer Spotlight: St. James Cheese Company


Beer and cheese. It's like Laverne and Shirley or Hall & Oates. They just go together. No matter what all the wine people try and tell you the truth is it's beer and cheese. Not wine and cheese. Beer is liquid bread. End of discussion.

Anyways, let me get off my high horse and get to the reason for this post. I finally had a chance to head over to St. James Cheese Company for some lunch and wanted to include it in my New Orleans Beer Spotlight which I promise you will be written on a more regular basis.


I had always heard great things about the cheese selection, food menu and beer selection here so the wife and I stopped in for lunch today and were very happy with our choice. This place is incredible and the beer selection is equally impressive. My wife and I both had the brie and french ham on a buttered La Boulangerie baguette.

For liquid refreshments my wife had a Coke(in a glass bottle which was cool!) and I had a Bayou Teche Biere Pale. A lady behind the counter even told me about the "other" beer that Bayou Teche has which is great. Wait? Beer Buddha, you mean the employees here try to talk beer with you? Why yes dear reader, yes they do.


The sandwich was stuffed with french ham and had a huge chunk of brie. And a sandwich isn't complete without some Zapp's chips! My wife couldn't even finish her whole sandwich. The portion size was huge. I'm really kind of upset that I didn't get the mac and cheese made with chipotle cheddar though. Damn that would have been great with the Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye! Yes, they have Hop Rod Rye. Oh and the Croque Monster sounds friggin' ridiculous.


In addition to or should I say first and foremost St. James Cheese is a cheese company. And they have an incredible cheese selection. They also host beer and cheese pairings on a regular basis. In fact if you check out the Wuz Happenin' Nawlins section you'll see that there is a beer and cheese pairing with St. James Cheese at Avenue Pub on February 16th.


So if you're looking for a great cheese selection or a great lunch and beer spot St. James Cheese Company is the answer. Located right on Prytania St you could even stop by next door at Creole Creamery for ice cream when you're done!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Newcastle Walk the Dog T-shirt Giveaway


Walk the Dog with Newcastle Brown Ale
Uploaded by multivu. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.


I recently received a great press kit from the folks over at Newcastle Brown Ale to promote their "new" Walk the Dog promo. It had a cool Geordie Schooner, Walk the Dog t-shirt, Newcastle keychain which turned into a flashdrive, t-shirt, dog tags and a pen. According to their website(which is awesome by the way) Walking the Dog is a euphemism originating from Newcastle, UK which means "going down to the local pub for a pint or two of Newcastle." This phrase was so prevalent that Newcastle Brown Ale's nickname eventually became "The Dog" and there is even a pub in England called "The Dog".

I'm a big fan of Newcastle as it was one of my "starter" beers into the better beer world and it continues to be one of my go-to beers so I asked Newcastle if they could send me some t-shirts to do a giveaway with and spread the Newcastle love.

So here is what I have: I have three mens size XL and 1 womens M and 1 womens L.

In order to win you need to sign up on The Beer Buddha blog(you can also "follow" me using Google Connect) and shoot me an email at thebeerbuddha@gmail.com with Newcastle Contest in the subject line of the email and your name and size shirt you want in the body of the email. I'll put your name in a hat and will announce the winners at some point tomorrow night(02/10/2011). Please read the contest rules before you enter the contest.

CONTEST RULES:

1) Winner must be in the lower 48 states only. I'm not shipping all over Gods green earth.

2) Please see the sizes I have. Whatever sizes I have is all I have. So please don't ask for a size I don't have.

3) If you're local to New Orleans I may just have you meet me at Avenue Pub to pick up your shirt. Easier for everyone and you can get a pint while you're there!

4) Winners must be 21 or older.

5) These t-shirts are new shirts and you will be getting them in the same condition that I received them in. If the postal guy trashes the package I'm not at fault.

6) Limit one entry by email per promotion. Do not abuse this rule. If I get tons of emails from the same address that email address will be blocked from all future www.thebeerbuddha.com giveaways.

7) Wear the shirt with pride!

8) Void where prohibited. Just sounded good to say.


Cheers and good luck!

The Beer Buddha

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

COMING SOON!!! Top of the Hops Ticket Contest!!!

That's right you read it correctly. The Beer Buddha has teamed up with Red Mountain Entertainment and starting February 14th, 2011 you will have an opportunity to win 8 general admission tickets to the Top of the Hops beer festival being held on the North Shore March 19, 2011. The tickets will be broken up into pairs and the contest will run 4 weeks. More details to come February 14th! Stay tuned!

Oh and if you don't want to miss anything I suggest you sign up here on The Beer Buddha site. "Friending" myself and Top of the Hops-Northshore on Facebook and following @TheBeerBuddha and @TOPhopsBEERfest on Twitter is also highly recommended.


Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Beer Review: Boulevard Brewing Harvest Dance

picture courtesy Boulevard Brewing

I've never been a fan of wheatwines. Using mostly wheat malts, wheatwines are similar to barleywines in terms of strength usually hovering around 9% abv or above. I've tried Hvedegoop from Three Floyd's Brewing and wasn't too impressed. They just seem to be too sweet for me. Now my experiences with wheatwines are a bit limited thanks to my past experiences with the style but I am willing to try more. I just really don't want to have to pay for them! I'm not a big fan of paying for styles you know you don't like.

I recently conducted a trade with a buddy of mine from the Show-Me Beer Blog and he sent along Boulevard's Harvest Dance. I was hesitant to try it so brought it along to the Steins Deli beer tasting we had last month to share it with friends. All I can say is WOW! Here is my review:

Brewery: Boulevard Brewing

Beer: Harvest Dance

Style: Wheatwine

ABV: 9.10%

Louisiana Availibility: NONE

Price Range: Unknown

Appearance: Poured into tasting glass. Poured a nice golden amber color with a nice fluffy white head.

Smell: Interesting hints of apples, pineapple, honey, banana and hops.

Taste: Nice tropical fruit taste with hints of pepper, oak and honey. WOW!

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: I hate wheatwines. Not anymore. This is a fantastic brew and I will be looking for more!

Score: Photobucket 4.5 out of 5 Buddhas

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Times They Need a-Changin'


So recently I just read that the great state of Texas is once again(3rd time is a charm?)attempting to change their brewery distribution laws. House Bill 602 which is sponsored by Rep. Jessica Farrarr(D-Houston) will allow breweries to distribute a limited amount of beer after brewery tours and charge varying amounts for tours to cover the cost.

It's that simple. And that is all we ask here in Louisiana. Currently Louisiana breweries are not allowed to sell beer from their own brewery. Everything must go through the distributor. Imagine if breweries were allowed to sell growlers and a limited amount of beer from the brewery. This would bring in extra income for these breweries which could mean extra income for more equipment which means more beer which means more jobs. The state and the people of Louisiana would benefit from this change in distribution law. Wineries in Louisiana can self distribute why not breweries?

So what is it going to take to get something like this passed? First, all the breweries here in Louisiana will need to unite under one organization. A Louisiana Brewers Guild. With all the breweries we are starting to see pop up in Louisiana the Guild could pull some serious weight. Especially with Abita which is the 15th largest craft brewery in the country. Second, the distributors need to realize that this will not take any money away from them but actually benefit them in the long run. A more successful brewery equals a more successful distributor.

So now we need to find a state representative to take on this huge task? Any takers? Come on breweries and distributors! We need you guys to work together to get this law changed and make Louisiana a better place for local craft beer! This needs to be your goal for 2011!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

NOLA Brewing Flambeau Red Ale Release Party



Are you ready for NOLA Brewing's newest seasonal release Flambeau Red Ale? Well here are the details regarding the release party! Trust me, you're gonna want to go to this one!

When: Saturday, February 26 · 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Where: The Avenue Pub
1732 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA



Cheers!

The Beer Buddha