This isn’t exactly new, as I’ve had it listed since before Christmas, but it seems worthwhile to mention that Barley John’s has Grand Reserve on tap. Here’s their description:

Grand Reserve (6.4% abv): A velvety smooth winter beer. The Grand Reserve hints at notes of raisin and apricot with a residual sweetness from the Belgian Candi sugar addition. Little to no hop aroma with a beautiful garnet brown color in the glass.

FYI, they also have their Stockyard IPA and Old 8 Porter back on tap. Beer fans can finally sleep at night again!

Happy New Year! Sorry about disappearing for a bit over the holidays. I got tied up with holiday shopping, painting a toybox for my nephew, bottling beer for family members, etc., etc.

Anyway, I missed the chance to mention that Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery released Black Snow, a coffee porter flavored with local free-trade coffee from Peace Coffee.

And tomorrow, Wednesday, they release a Centennial Pale Ale, made with none other than one of my personal favorite hops, Centennial (duh). If you’ve been to a beer release at Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, you know the drill: $1 pints from 5-6.

Mmm. Today is a good day for beer… Great Waters Brewing Company is releasing their Winter Carnival Ale today, served cask-conditioned. On this first day of Winter, they’ll be releasing “a ridiculously hopped Winter celebration ale.” The beer has been dry-hopped in the casks, too, so you can bet that the hops will give you a nice punch in the kisser.

According to their website, their Black Watch Oat Stout and Slapshot IPA are running low, so drink up. Also, it looks as if they have some dastardly creation called King Boreas Imperial Wit. It sounds like trouble, though I’m willing to bet that trouble tastes very good.

Yes, Samuel Adams is having a homebrew competiton. They’re using BJCP style guidelines and there’s NO ENTRY FEE. Sounds interesting. Prizes? Of course. Each of the category winners get a Sam Adams varsity jacket. The 9 semi-finalists get $2000 in travel vouchers to be put toward attending the 2006 Great American Beer Festival or the 2006 American Homebrewers Assoc. National Conference. The big winner, will win a trip to brew the winning beer with Jim Koch at the Samuel Adams brewery. And from what I understand, if they REALLY like your beer, they’ll pay you $1000 in royalties for the recipe.

I’ll be missing out on this one due to a poorly-scheduled metting with a salesman…er financial advisor, but tonight, Wednesday December 21st, Minneapolis Town Hall will be releasing their English IPA… the English IPA that took a bronze at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. 5-6pm, pints for a buck.

Also, they’ll have the fires going on the patio and will be serving a Hot Mulled Ale sometime around 5-7pm… on the house. Town Hall’s present to the merry beer drinkers, I guess.