Lotta cool shit coming up this month, let’s dive right into it, shall we?
NY Burger Week | May 1st – 7th
Some pretty boss burger events, beer pairing dinners, etc. happening in NY this week. I won’t be able to make it so I will be killing it at home with some house ground half chuck, half pork belly burgers. Who wants in?
A Rare and Unique Craft Beer Experience @ Bootleggers on Broadway | May 2nd
The title may be a misnomer (at least if you’re reading this blog) but the tap list is still worthy.
Wild Game Night with Firestone Walker @ The City Beer Hall | May 2nd
Kaelin has already assured me that Wookey, 14th Anniversary (!!!), Parabola, and Sucuba is all on the menu. For the food check out Daniel B’s post.
Tree House Brewing Co. @ The Dive Bar | May 3rd
The crew from Tree House will be kicking off patio season at The Dive Bar with live music, good company and of course some Tree House beer.
Big Brew Day @ The Homebrew Emporium | May 4th
Homebrew Emporium is holding their 13th (!!!) annual Big Brew Day this Saturday with the English Dark Mild recipe found here. While the ingredients are still free, they’re asking that all brewers donate $10 to Boston Food Bank and bring a nonperishable food item for their can drive that will be running until May 5th.
Derby Day | May 4th
Time to kick back with a New England Distilling Rum Julep!
Food Truck Festival @ River Front Park | May 4th
I’m all for this. The Food Truck scene in Albany is pretty basic, consisting of the equivalent of carnie food and a sea of cupcake trucks. I’d love to see a huge movement towards some really interesting food while some of the insanely strict food truck rules getting a bit more laxed.
Three Penny Taproom’s Montbeerlier @ Langdon Street | May 4th
Three Penny’s ever growing anniversary party. Casks. Kegs. Sausages. Live music. Need I say more?? Wait, did I mention a new brew collaboration with Grassroots Brewing?
Intermezzo Release @ Carton Brewing | May 12
Green Apple and Wasabi sour. Sounds fantastic!
American Craft Beer Week | May 13th-19th
In case you needed another reason to drink great craft beer…
- Beer Trivia @ The Ruck | May 13th: An extra awesome prize of some Hill Farmstead stuff for the winner.
- East Coast vs. West Coast IPA Throwdown @ The Ruck | May 14th: Enjoy By 5/17/13 vs. Ghandi Bot
- Rushing Duck Launch @ The Ruck | May 15th: Never before carried in the Capital District, they’ve recently been picked up by my friends at Remarkable Liquids. Owners will be in house and Rushing Duck will be pouring from kegs and casks.
- Rushing Duck Launch @ Excelsior Pub | May 16th: If you can’t make it to The Ruck’s event you have another option to try this area’s latest brew.
- Kick the Kegs Party @ The Ruck | May 16th: Gotta make room for all the DFH kegs going on the next day. Anyone who kicks a keg that night will receive a full serving of a very special hush hush beer on DFH Night.
- Dogfish Head Night @ The Ruck | May 17th: Tap list TBA.
- Wild Beer Roundup @ Allagash Brewing Co.| May 18th: Ghoulschip, Vrienden, Old HLT, & Coolship Single Barrel One. 2 bottle limit total. $15 a bottle. Doors open at 8AM.
- WHERE THE WILD BEERS ARE Brooklyn 2013 @ The Gutter | May 19th: The most well organized bottle share I’ve ever heard of. Signups and more info here.
- A Craft Brew Experience @ Pasta Pane | May 19th: Brew Tour of ADK Pub and Olde Saratoga, followed by beer pairing dinner at Pasta Pane. Transportation to and from breweries included.
St. Sophia Greek Festival | May 16th – 19th
A tradition for Elise and I. Gyros and Loukoumathes anyone?
2nd Annual Lager Cask Fundraiser Session @ The Tavern Framingham | May 24th – May 25th
Three sessions with Jack’s Abby and some of the best breweries New England has to offer, all to benefit One Mission. Tickets here.
Third Anniversary Celebration @ Hill Farmstead Brewery | May 25th
SOLD OUT. Sadly I won’t be making it to this one. I will however be camping up in Waterbury that weekend so if anyone is coming up early and wants to get their drink on, let me know.
Bottle Release @ Hill Farmstead Brewery | May 26th
Elaborative #1, Prolegomena, and a yet unannounced Imperial Stout.
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matthew 'fuj' scher 
My notes say that it’s not 14th Anniversary, but rather 16th Anniversary. Really, the notes say XVI Anniversary, so the confusion is understandable. A minor case of dislexia or a momentary lapse in Roman numeral transcription would explain the discrepancy. I guess that’s why Roman numerals lost out to our current Arabic system.
I put 14 because that’s what Kaelin told me in person. That would be a two year old American Strong Ale and much more exciting than FW16, which is sitting on shelves right now.
Hey Fuj. Here is a copy of the Lagunitas Beer List for the Lionheart’s next Beer Social on Wednesday June 26th at 6:00 PM. It is subject to change due to Production and distribution problems of Lagunitas products. Please post and I hope to see you there.
Lionheart Lagunitas Beer Social 2013
Featured Beer
Lagunitas Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Imperial Stout ABV. 9.9+%
Having downed his forth Imperial Stout of the day, the wild eyed charlatan from Voldvostogniaky belched and hollered for the Czarina to enter his chamber and bend herself to his will. The economy was a wreck and revolt was just around the corner. Nicky the Czar dude was off playing soldier like any pale nobleman with a hemorrhagic skin condition would. Such were the final days of the old empire. Reactionary, decadent, sputnik, stroganoff, weird, and drunk. But even as the proletariat countryside labored under inhuman conditions and a threat of being sent to a futile war in the east, they wisely took the time to slam back an Imperial Stout or two. After all, life can be a real “suka”, as they say in the old country. Big, black, bourgeois, bolshoy, belligerent, buxom, and scary – this is our version of the chaotic end of an era in a bottle from brandy barrels. Ratebeer: ?
Lagunitas Sucks American Strong Ale ABV. 7.85%
This sad holiday season we didn’t have the brewing capacity to make our favorite seasonal brew, the widely feared BrownShugga’ Ale. You see we had a couple of really good years (thank you very much) and so heading into this season while we are awaiting the January delivery of a new brewhouse we are jammin’ along brewing 80 barrels of IPA and PILS and such every 3 hours. A couple of months back we realized that since we can only brew a mere 60 barrels of Shugga’ every 5 hours, that we were seriously screwed. For every case of Shugga’ brewed, we’d short 3 cases of our favorite daily beers. It’s a drag. This year, we brewed something that we think is also cool and brews more like our daily brews. The new brewhouse will help insure this kind of failure never happens again. It’s a mess that we can not brew our BrownShugga’ this year and we suck for not doing it. There is nothing cool about screwing this up this badly and we know it. Maybe we can sue our own sorry selves. There is no joy in our hearts this holiday and the best we can hope for is a quick and merciful end. F*@& us. This totally blows. Whatever. We freaking munch moldy donkey butt and we just want it to be all over…
So this substitute beer is a ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats…. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.85% abv, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor.
Ratebeer: 99
Lagunitas Fusion #16 American Pale Ale ABV. 4.6%
A low alcohol hybrid of Sucks, Pale Ale, Little Sumpin’ Sumpin and Daytime. Several types of grains are used to lighten the body and increase session-ability (oats, rye, wheat). Dry-hopped with Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe.
Ratebeer: 94
Lagunitas Lucky 13 American Strong Ale ABV. 8.56%
From the first day of the first mash of the first recipe in the first space to this oasis 13 years on the road; We have worked hard to walk in the footsteps of our hero brewers. The Esteemed brewer of California’s best Pale Ale, the Noble Brewer of the planet’s only legal Steam Beer, and Oregon’s Rebel Brewer from Newport. Thirteen years down the road, we have found our own voice as brewers but our admiration for the Great Ones has not dimmed one bit. If we walked well down the hero’s path ourselves, perhaps we too have been an inspiration for others. Beer is a Bronze Age business and we feel honored to have left our footprints on its path into history, at the same time leaving our flavors on your buds. Thanks for your trust over the years and we hope you enjoy this specially brewed Hi-Gravity Auburn offering. Beer Speaks. People Mumble! O.G. 1.085 76.92 IBU. Ratebeer: 98
Lagunitas Censored (Kronik) Amber Ale ABV. 6.75%
This ale contains no actual copper but we’re pretty literal… It looked coppery, so we lamely called it a copper ale. Lots’a nice caramel malt though… Originally 5.9% alcohol by volume, currently 6.75%. Ratebeer: 89
Lagunitas Maximus Imperial/Double IPA ABV. 8.2%
At the height of the heat in the heart of the summer, we felt that the only cure was a raging mouthful of fresh hops and malt. Caution: May remove enamel from teeth. This is Lagunitas IPA pumped up by about 30%! Ratebeer: 98
Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale ABV 9.75%
American Strong Ale Ratebeer: 98
Our oxymoronic ‘Imperial Mild’ – A redux to remember the ’05 St. Paddy’s Day Massacre. Defiant as to style … We can say for sure it is unforgiven and unrepentant. We brewedthis especially bitter ale in dedication to all the world’s would-be astronauts, in remembrance of the 2005 St. Patrick’s Day Massacre on the Brewery Party Grounds and also in joyous celebration of our 20-day suspension that following January. Do the crime. Do the time. Get the bragging rights. Cheers!
Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale India Pale Ale ABV. 7.5%
Way smooth and silky with a nice wheaty-esque-ish-ness. Just the little sumpin’ sumpin’ we all need to kick Summer into full swing! Ingredients: Hops, Malt, Hops, Hops, Yeast, Hops, Water, and Hops. Ratebeer: 99
Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Wild Belgian Style Strong Ale ABV. 9.42%
Another Big Sister of the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale…. Loads of Malted Wheat for a Curious Malt Foundation and a Light Color, But Our Belgian Yeast Leaves a Huge Flavor and Complexishness. Ratebeer: 98
Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF) Ale Brown Ale ABV. 7.83%
WTF Ale. A malty, robust, jobless Recovery Ale! We’re not quite in the Red, or in the Black… Does that mean we’re in the Brown? A big Ol’ Imperial Brown Ale to help you with your slipperly slide on into springtime. Rich, smooth, dangerous & chocolatey.
Ratebeer: 97
Lagunitas India Pale Ale Indian Pale Ale ABV. 6.2%
This is our unique version of an ancient style. A style as old as the ocean trade routes of the last centuries Great Ships. Not as old as the equator they had to cross twice enroute, nor as old as the 10,000 or so miles of Di-Hydrogen Oxide and Sodium upon which they sailed, but older than the Circulithium-4 Lentloid that binds the Lupulin Quartnate onto your taste buds. Weird. Think about it. Now stop. OK, go again, now stop. Think again, and stop. But we digress. Made with 43 different hops and 65 various malts, this redolent ale will likely float your boat, whatever planet you’re on. Ratebeer: 94
Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale Pale Ale ABV. 6.2%
This is not the original Pale Ale as brewed in far away 1993 in the back of the Old House of Richards Building in West Marin hamlet of Forest Knolls right next to little Lagunitas. It is way better. Back then the beer tasted like broccoli and kerosene and the carbonation ate right through and drained your stomach into your gut…Ratebeer: 96
Also, I just tapped Horseheads Chocolate Porter a day or so ago. I think I’m the only one in Albany with it in case your interested. See you soon