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Beer, Wine and Spirits. Tastings and Travel. News and Events. Classic Flavors from Breweries, Wineries and Distilleries Across the Drinks World.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV Beer List Announced


Denver, Colo. – The fourth edition of the Denver Rare Beer Tasting benefiting the Pints for Prostates campaign will feature 34 rare, exotic and vintage beers from of 32 of America’s leading craft breweries.

“We are excited by the exceptional beers that will be presented at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV. It is an exciting group of a rare, limited release and vintage brews from some of America’s great craft brewers,” said Rick Lyke, a prostate cancer survivor, drinks journalist and founder of the Pints for Prostates campaign. “This will be a special day for true beer fanatics and it will help us reach men through the universal language of beer.”


The Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV will feature 34 rare and exotic brews, including:

• Alaskan Perseverance Ale from Alaskan Brewing, Juneau, Alaska;

• Allagash Avancé from Allagash Brewing, Portland, Maine;

• Avery Uncle Jacob's Stout, Avery Oud Floris and Avery Odio Equum from Avery Brewing, Boulder, Colo.;

• Bear Republic Barrel 32 from Bear Republic Brewing, Healdsburg, Calif.;

• Big Sky Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout from Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, Mont.;

 • Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop Ale from Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.;

• Dogfish Head 2007 Raison D’Extra from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.;

• Elevation Prostator Smoked Doppelbock from Elevation Beer, Poncha Springs, Colo.;

• Elysian Maelstrom Blood Orange Ale from Elysian Brewing, Seattle, Wash.;

• Epic Imperial Red One Off Cask from Epic Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah;

• Firestone Walker Lil Opal from Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Robles, Calif.;

• Founders 15th Anniversary Bolt Cutter Barley Wine from Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Mich.;

• Full Sail 2010 Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter from Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Ore.;

• Great Divide Brett, Meet Colette Farmhouse Ale from Great Divide Brewing, Denver, Colo.;

• Jester King Gotlandsdricka from Jester King Craft Brewery, Austin, Texas;

• Laughing Dog 2009 Barrel Aged Dogfather Imperial Stout from Laughing Dog Brewing, Ponderay, Idaho;

• Laurelwood Cardinal Sin from Laurelwood Brewing, Portland, Ore.;

• Left Hand 2009 Oak Aged Imperial Stout from Left Hand Brewery, Longmont, Colo.;

• The Lost Abbey Track # 8 from The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, Calif.;

• New Belgium Biere de Mars and Back from New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colo.;

• Odell Deconstruction and Odell Funky Wooden Myrcenary from Odell Brewing, Fort Collins, Colo.;

• Perennial Barrel Aged Fantastic Voyage from Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, Mo.;

• Portsmouth Kate the Great from Portsmouth Brewing, Portsmouth, N.H.;

• Samuel Adams Utopias 10th Anniversary Edition from Boston Beer, Boston, Mass.;

• Sierra Nevada Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Smoked Porter from Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, Calif.;

• Short's Aww Jeah to the Face from Short's Brewing, Bellaire, Mich.;

• Stone Suitable for Cave Aging Imperial Smoked Porter Tribute to Danny Williams from Stone Brewing, Escondido, Calif.;

• Stoudt’s 5025 from Stoudt’s Brewing, Adamstown, Pa.;

• Surly SŸX from Surly Brewing, Minneapolis, Minn.;

• Tröegs Splinter Black from Tröegs Brewing, Hershey, Pa,.;

• Uinta Oak Jacked from Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah;

• Wynkoop Brewjolais Nouveau from Wynkoop Brewing, Denver, Colo.

• New Albion Ale, a special guest beer at the event being brewed by Boston Beer, Boston, Mass., to honor craft brewing pioneer Jack McAuliffe using original New Albion yeast that has been preserved at the University of California since 1977.

“These beers are true works of art and the brewers turn out so beer fans get the chance for an afternoon to remember of tasting rare beers with the people who made them,” said Daniel Bradford, publisher of All About Beer Magazine, which presents the event. “The Denver Rare Beer Tasting is beer passion in its purest form.”

All of the tickets for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting IV have been sold. The event takes place at Wynkoop Brewing on 18th Street in Denver on Oct. 12 from 1-4 p.m., during a relatively quiet period while the Brewers Association Great American Beer Festival is taking place in the city. Only 500 tickets were sold for the event.

About All About Beer Magazine

Now in its 33rd year, All About Beer Magazine has been the essential source for the evolving beer culture. Winner of numerous awards and recognitions, All About Beer Magazine publishes the best on beer — its history and culture, beer travel, entertaining, brewing and collecting — six times a year with one additional bonus issue annually. The magazine promotes the positive attributes of the growing beer culture by hosting the World Beer Festivals where guests have the opportunity to taste samples from a wide range of beers and to discuss the beer with brewers and knowledgeable servers. For more information, please visit http://www.allaboutbeer.com, follow @allboutbeer on Twitter and like the magazine on Facebook at http://facebook.com/allaboutbeermag.

About Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 a campaign that reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men of the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@pints4prostates).

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tuesday Tasting: Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey


Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample a wheated Bourbon that is part of the Old Fitzgerald franchise.

Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a 92 proof that pays homage to a U.S. Treasury agent who had the taste for the good stuff. An early bit of lore said that John E. Fitzgerald had founded a distillery in Frankfort , Kentucky. shortly after the Civil War. But in her 1999 book "But Always Fine Bourbon -- Pappy Van Winkle and the Story of Old Fitzgerald," Sally Van Winkle Campbell revealed John E. Campbell was not a distiller at all. He was actually a U.S. Treasury agent who had keys to distillery warehouses. He would pilfer whiskey from the best barrels and those soon became known as "the Fitzgerald barrels" around the distillery. Heaven Hill Distilleries released the whiskey to mark "a taste made famous by an infamous act."

Larceny has a tarnished copper color and a mellow nose. It is made from barrels that have aged between 6 and 12 years. The wheat is clear in this one, giving soft edges to the Bourbon. There is a good amount of hearty grain that has bits of oak, that lead nicely to a long finish.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Pints for Prostates European Beer Adventure Scheduled for Sept. 12-22, 2013


BeerTrips.com and Pints for Prostates are teaming up for a special ABCDs of beer adventure in Europe from Sept. 12-22, 2013, that will benefit the fight against prostate cancer.


The nine night dream trip to Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne and Dusseldorf covers parts of three countries and visits four of Europe’s classic beer destinations. The trip includes beer tastings, escorted pub crawls, guided city tours, brewery visits, special meals and more in Holland, Belgium and Germany. The trip will include visits to famous breweries such as La Trappe, Cantillon, Uerige and Fruh.

BeerTrips.com has been providing unique beer travel experiences to destinations around the world since 1998. BeerTrips.com is offering this special Pints for Prostates group tour to Belgium on a limited basis. A total of 14 slots will be sold for this tour at $2,995 double occupancy ($635 single supplement), plus air. The trip includes nine nights lodging in centrally located hotels; breakfast daily, 4 beer dinners and 3 beer lunches; and train and coach transportation. Details on this trip can be found at www.BeerTrips.com.

The tour will be hosted by Pints for Prostates founder and beer journalist Rick Lyke. Lyke has been writing about beer, wine and spirits for more than 30 years and has traveled extensively in Europe. Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 charity that reaches men through the universal language of beer with an important health message.

“BeerTrips.com has put together a fantastic trip to four amazing beer cities,” said Lyke. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership to help us raise funds and spread the word to men about the importance of regular prostate health screenings and early detection.”

“This is one of the favorite BeerTrips.com itineraries because it covers such a range of classic beer styles,” said Mike Saxton, founder of BeerTrips.com. “We offer small groups an intimate experience with the chance for insider tours of some of the most famous breweries in the world. If you love beer and love to travel, this gives you the chance to experience a great visit to Europe, enjoying history, culture, food and beer along the way.”

As part of the BeerTrips.com and Pints for Prostates partnership, Pints for Prostates will raffle a trip for two for the special trip. For a $10 donation for a single ticket, $25 donation for three tickets or $50 for seven tickets, donors will be entered to win the trip that includes:

• The BeerTrips.com ABCDs of Beer trip for two Sept. 12-22, 2013

• Roundtrip Airfare for Two from the Continental United States

• Nine Nights in Fine Centrally Located Hotels

• Brewery Tours

• Escorted Pub Crawls

• Guided City Tours

• Breakfasts Daily/4 Beer Dinners/3 Beer Lunches

• Train & Private Coach Transportation


The total value of the trip for two is estimated at $8,500. The drawing will be held on July 28, 2013. The prize is non-transferable. No cash substitute will be offered. The winner and their guest are responsible for obtaining passports and all trip related costs not outlined above. You must be 21 years old to enter.

About BeerTrips.com

Beer Trips.com was founded in 1998 to offer serious beer people the opportunity to travel to the world’s best beer destinations with other people who love great beer. Beer and travel, travel and beer — these are two of our favorite things. Both, in our estimation, are worth a fair amount of life’s energy. Our goal, and our very reason for existing, is to take our travelers the best beer destinations, drink, taste and enjoy the best beers, meet the beer-loving people of the countries we visit, and explore the history, culture, art and architecture of the interesting places where beer “grew up”. To do this we stay in nice, well-located hotels, eat at great restaurants that emphasize beer in their fare, and visit breweries, brew pubs, cafes, and museums that enhance our understanding and appreciation of beer and its rich history and culture


About Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 a campaign that reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, 240,890 new prostate cancer cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2011. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@pints4prostates).

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Tuesday Tasting: Martin Miller’s Gin


Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample an English gin.

In the 11th Century Italian monks are said to have been the first to distill spirits using juniper berries, gin’s base flavoring agent. A German-born physician and scientist who spent most of his life in the Netherlands, Franciscus Sylvius, is given credit for developing the first modern day gin during the 1600s. During the Eighty Years War (1568-1648) British troops fighting in Holland against the Spanish nicknamed gin “Dutch Courage” because it could calm the nerves before battle. William of Orange helped make gin popular in England, but it was heavy taxes imposed on imported spirits and the permitting of unregulated distilling – much of it taking place in private homes -- in the U.K. that caused an explosion in gin production. Thousands of “Gin Mills” popped up. When Parliament tried to get things under control in 1736 by passing the Gin Act there were riots in the streets.

But gin also has a classy side best articulated by James Bond, the British 007 secret agent created by novelist Ian Fleming. In “Casino Royale,” Bond orders a Vesper Martini and is quite specific in the recipes, telling a barkeeper: “Three measures of Gordon’s (gin), one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large slice of lemon-peel.” When it comes to gin, most of us don't think of Italy or Holland. We think of England.

Martin Miller, a publisher, concert promoter and hotelier, got in the gin business in 1999 with two friends after being served a lackluster gin and tonic in a pint beer glass at a London pub.


“I was looking at it and thinking, ‘This is our national drink? What’s happened to gin? Where’s our pride?’” Miller recalls. “We talked a bit and decided we should make a great gin for ourselves. The worse thing that could happen is we’d have a lifetime supply of gin.”

Martin Miller’s Gin is made using a pot still and macerated the botanicals to release the oils. The process took two years to find the right combination of ingredients. “We actually do two separate distillations, one that is earthy and the other that has a citrus character. Then we marry them,” Miller says. “It gives you clarity of flavor. There is a distinctive citrus note without being overpowering.”

The distillate for Martin Miller’s Gin is made in England and then shipped to Iceland where pure water is used to finish the product. There is a nice lively nose to the gin and the orange zest peaks through in a balanced flavor profile. This is a nice cocktail gin with plenty of body.