Southern Star's 5th Anniversary Party

Southern Star has been brewing beer up in Conroe for 5 years now and would like you to help them celebrate that achievement with a party at the brewery on Saturday, March 9th from 6:00pm ~ 10:00pm.  The Folk Family Revival band will be performing and The Outlaw Kookers will be on hand selling food (cash only).  The regular lineup of beers will be available as well as a few specialty releases.

Tickets are $30 each and include 5 beer tokens and a commemorative mug.  Designated drivers get in for only $10 and also get a mug and a free brat or hot dog.

See the 5th Anniversary Party web page for more information and to purchase tickets online.

AHA Rally at Saint Arnold Brewing

Saint Arnold Brewing is hosting an American Homebrewers Association rally on Sunday, February 24th from 1pm ~ 3pm.

Entrance to the event includes beer samples, VIP brewery tour and a chance to win prices from the AHA and Saint Arnold.

The rally is free for current AHA members and non-members can gain entrance by joining for a discounted rate at the door. Space is limited and you are asked to RSVP online if you plan to attend.

To learn more about the American Homebrewers Association and what a membership can do for you, see the Membership Benefits on their website.

Sierra Nevada Beer Tasting at Flying Saucer

On Monday, February 4th at 7:00pm, the Flying Saucer (Downtown) and Sierra Nevada Brewing will pair up to host a four course beer pairing. The lineup includes:

Pale Ale - Swedish pickled shrimp
Torpedo - Ground pork lamb lettuce wrap
Ovila Abbey Dubbel - Pot roast
Narwhal Imperial Stout - Narwhal gelato.

Tickets are $30 for U.F.O. members and $35 for non-members.

Brewers Association Launches KegReturn Website

Whether they're stolen from the back alley behind a bar or simply not brought back to the store, unreturned kegs costs the craft brewing industry $5.3 million dollars a year.  Every keg that doesn't make its way back to a brewery means one less keg of beer that brewery can turn back out and sell. As kegs are very expensive and a startup brewery cannot typically afford to purchase very many of them, even the loss of only one or two can make a huge impact on their revenue stream.

To help reunite kegs with their breweries, the Brewers Association has launched KegReturn.com, a site that provides tools to help consumers, homebrewers, retailers, wholesalers, brewers and scrap yards redirect kegs back to the breweries that own the kegs.

"Understanding the issue at hand is a vital part of finding a solution,” said Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and BA Technical Committee chair. “The online resource at KegReturn.com allows people to contact the brewery or their local distributor to return kegs back to the brewery to be filled again with beer. We call on beer lovers and people in the trade to help reunite kegs with their owners.

So, if you see any stray kegs that appear to be lost, please go to KegReturns.com and help it find it's way home.  It could mean the difference between your favourite beer being available on tap or not.

Record Number of Texas Breweries Attending 2012 GABF

There will be a record 578 breweries serving 2,700 beers (the biggest selection ever) in the festival hall at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). There are 676 breweries entered into the competition with 154 first-time entrants.  84 categories of beer will be judged, covering 135 beer styles, as well as the GABF Pro-Am.

Texas has its largest showing ever with 30 breweries listed, up from the previous year of 22.

(512) Brewing Company - Austin
Adelbert's Brewery - Austin
Austin Beerworks - Austin
Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery - Austin
Circle Brewing Company - Austin
Cornel's Brewing Company - Beaumont
Deep Ellum Brewing Company - Dallas
Flix Brewhouse - Round Rock
Fredericksburg Brewing Company, Inc. - Fredericksburg
Freetail Brewing Co. - San Antonio
Hops & Grain Brewing - Austin
Humperdinks Restaurant and Brewery - Dallas 
Independence Brewing Co. - Austin
Jester King Craft Brewery - Austin
Karbach Brewing Co. - Houston
Live Oak Brewing Co. - Austin
No Label Brewing Co - Katy
North by Northwest - Austin
Pedernales Brewing Company - Fredericksburg 
Peticolas Brewing Company - Dallas
Rahr & Sons Brewing - Fort Worth
Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling - San Antonio
Real Ale Brewing Company - Blanco
Rogness Brewing Company - Pflugerville
Saint Arnold Brewing Company - Houston
Southern Star Brewing Company - Conroe
Spoetzl Brewery - Shiner
Thirsty Planet Brewing - Austin
Uncle Billy`s Brew & Que - Austin
Uncle Billy`s Brew & Que - Austin (Lake Travis)

Four breweries from Texas took home medals last year, including a Silver to a brewery on its first appearance at the festival:

Gold (American-Style Amber Lager): Uberbrau - Humperdink's Restaurant and Brewery
Silver (English-Style Summer Ale): Peacemaker - Austin Beerworks
Silver (Kellerbier or Zwickelbier): Bottle Rocket Lager - Uncle Billy's Brew & Que on Lake Travis
Bronze (Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale): Barton Kriek - North by Northwest

The map of the 2012 GABF convention floor is available on the website. The brewery tasting booths are arranged by region of the country and the attending breweries from Texas are in the Southwest section. If you have any specific breweries and beers that are a "must try", I strongly suggest you download the .pdf file and print the the map and mark the location of those booths. It can be overwhelming and chaotic in the convention center (particularly if this is your first time) and you will definitely miss out on some great beers if you just wander up and down the rows (save that for after you've got to the ones you wanted).  Have a smartphone? Make sure you download the free GABF app for iPhone and Android.