I Love Camping

Don't expect to see me around for a few days. I am leaving tomorrow morning to go camping...Beer Camp that is! In case you don't know, Sierra Nevada does this thing where they invite retailers (i.e. people who sell their beer) to come to the brewery to learn about Sierra Nevada, drink a lot of beer, and then collaborate on a recipe for a new beer. Then we get to help brew the beer. Once the beer is ready, it gets shipped to whatever markets the retailers are from, and they get to sell it. I did this back in 2008, so if you weren't around then, you would not remember that. If you were around back then, you might remember the incredible Hop Secret 393 beer that arrived a few month after my return, and all of the fun we had drinking those eight kegs. Needless to say, I am psyched. I leave tomorrow for Sacramento, and then the drive is about two hours north from there. I will be in Chico in time for lunch. We have some organized group activities on Thursday, and then Friday is brew day. I will take lots of pictures for you. Promise.

Here are some events that you probably want to know about:

1. Goose Island launches in Atlanta on Monday. You can try three of their beers on tap at these stores: Perimeter, Mall of GA, Metropolis,Windward, and Woodstock. The only beers that will be here are their crazy expensive specialties Sophie, Matilda and Pere Jacque. These beers are great though, and this is one of the biggest new arrivals to this market in some time. Core brands are expected in November. There will also be an afternoon meet & greet with some Goose Island folks at Prado on Tuesday the 11th, so you can drop by there around 2:00 or 3:00 pm if you are interested in that. They will be in the side room behind the curtain.
2. We are pouring a cask of Chattanooga Brewing Co.'s Oktoberfest at our Chattanooga store on Friday the 14th. I will up there myself visiting with some of our wonderful customers from Tennessee.
3. On Tuesday the 18th at The Fred Bar we have a thing called Sour Power. If you like sour beers, then you will love Sour Power.
4. At the Crabapple store on the 25th we will be pouring a cask of Heavy Seas Red Sky At Night. Two important things about this cask: Red Sky draft has been discontinued temporarily. The only way you can get RS@N is in a mixed 12-pack, or this firkin. Point number two is that this beer, although not traditionally what you find in a cask, is unbelievable. The first time I had one I was thinking, "A saison...from a cask? I don't know about that....". Delicious. One of my all-time favorite cask beers, and that is saying a lot.
5. On the 29th we will be launching Lone Rider beers into Atlanta. This is a great NC brewery that is just about to arrive, and we will be the first place pouring their beers. Should be fun.

That is a pretty busy month, but hey, you're worth it. Now I gotta go. Time to get packed for camp.