Jul 31, 2013

Beer Snob Meets Girl......

It think this is why there are so many single male beer snobs! This is actually pretty funny....



I think from now on, I am going to answer every question with "Nano Beer, hoppy hoppy Nano Beer"
Just remember, "Beer Snob" is just another name for "asshole" if you ask me, don't be a beer snob, don't be a dick.

I will say it again, beer is fun, lets keep it that way!

My thanks to The Beer Snob chick for bringing this to my attention!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Jul 30, 2013

THE AMERICAN DREAM IN A PINT GLASS - PART 1 OF 2

Exciting! Part 1 of the documentary "American Dream in a Pint Glass (part 1 of 2) was released just moments ago. The film follows my friends at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. as they push through the struggles of trying to open a brew pub. Check out part 1!


Can't wait for them to open! Stay tuned for more info on their grand opening. Until then, enjoy the documentary!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar


The Greatest beer bar in the world, just miles from where I grew up...

Doesn't look like a world class beer bar does it...
OK, so maybe most (or at least a lot of) hard core beer geeks have at least heard of Ebenezer's Pub in the little town of Lovell, Maine, but I am guessing most of you have not. What almost all of you may not know however, is that small little town of Lovell (population under 1000) is the childhood home of your's truly, the Beer Czar. I saw this article posted on Facebook by a friend that grew up in the next town over, and wanted to share it with you. This write up sort of reads like a smut novel for beer geeks. Check out Eb's website for a true list of beer lover porn!



Inside at the bar
The place is amazing, and has gotten some well deserved world wide recognition. So, if any of my readers from Northern New England are looking for a nice day trip destination for a few (hundred) awesome beers, or if my west coast readers are looking for a great beer-cation destination, I strongly recommend a trip to my home town (the state of Maine has an exciting, exploding beer culture as well, so this should be just one of many stops while in the Pine Tree state).


My dad's old church

I grew up, for the first 7 or so years I lived in Lovell, just a few miles passed the pub up route 5. My dad was the pastor of the large, beautiful church you will see if you make it up that way. Later, we moved to a large old farm house just outside the village (not far from the store front that burned down mentioned in the article). It was a great little place to grow, and its kind of fun to see it getting some national press. Until this pub opened, all we really had to brag about was being the summer home of author Stephen King, and as many local will also tell you, the lake in town, Kezar Lake, was once voted (back in the mid 70's) as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
So, check out the article, and if you get a chance, check out Lovell, and Ebanezer's Pub. It will be worth the trip, no matter how far you travel!

Kezar Lake
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Ebenezer's Pub website

Jul 25, 2013

The Wolfpack Cometh......

The Group...
Aug 1st is almost here. What does that mean? Its National IPA Day, but more importantly, its the
date of the release of a truly remarkable collaboration brew from almost all the valley beer bars!
A while back, a group of valley beer bars met to discuss the brewing of a special beer. It was decided they would brew a double IPA, with Agave nectar. Since its an IPA, they decided to release it on National IPA. The beer will be fairly light in color, and somewhat high in IBU's (about 75 to 80). To reflect the collaborative effort, and as a nod to support Sleepy Dog Brewing has given to the project (they were the ones that brewed it) they decided to call it "Wolfpack Double IPA".
A few weeks after their initial meeting, the group met at Sleepy Dog's brewing facility in Tempe to take part in the creation of the beer.
This is a REAL collaboration. Members of the group took part in all aspects of this beer, from coming up with the recipe, to brewing it, and come next week, the tapping of it!
7pm sharp, Aug 1st get yourself to one of the following beer bars for a glass or two of this beer;

Flanny's
Adding the Agave
Hungry Monk
Spokes on Southern
World of Beer, Tempe
Ground Control
Cabarello
Boulders on Broadway
Lucky Break
Fox Cigar Bar
Sleepy Dog (both Gilbert and Tampe locations)
Watering Hole, Whole Foods Chandler

So, you have plenty of options, and no excuses to not have this beer! Head out to one of these bars, and toast the Wolfpack, and celebrate our growing, wonderful craft beer community here in Arizona!

I hope to see you there!!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar


Jul 19, 2013

El Palico does it again!

I've gotten very fond of this place!
A month or so ago, I wrote about a beer dinner at El Palacio in Chandler, featuring the beers of Breckenridge Brewery. The dinner, in a word, was awesome. The food was great, the beer was wonderful, and the hosts were everything you would want in a beer dinner. It left me wanting more quite honestly, a lot more.
Well, you could have imagined my excitement when I got a press release, announcing yet another beer dinner at El Palacio. This time, featuring the beers of Arizona's own Mudshark Brewing Company. I immediately RSVP'ed! Why wouldn't I? I wanted in!
Well, the dinner was last night,  and we were treated to another amazing display of culinary prowess by Chef Anthony, and a great array of beers presented by Mudshark! My friend Brandon was there to tell give us a little history of Mudshark (did you know, they started as a pizza joint?) and give a little preview of what to expect. Myself, as I am sure I can speak for everyone else there, were not disappointed! Lets have a look at what we were presented with....

Course One - 7 Layer Salsa with Up River Lager
 First off, let me say, this was a HUGE portion! From the start, I knew if I was going to get in all 5 courses, I wasn't going to finish this one, but after taking the first bite, I was regretting that decision! The salsa consisted of salsa fresco, salsa picante, beans, creme, guacamole, and queso and rice. It was awesome! I made sure to dig down to ensure I got a taste of all the layers. My favorite was the bottom layer of queso and rice (I just love cheese!). Digging through all layers of this beast was totally enjoyable, it almost drowned out the light Up River Lager it was paired with. A fine "river" beer as Brandon called it (same as what I refer to often on here as "pool" beer). I could see myself sitting poolside (or floating down the river) with a six pack of Up River and huge plate of this 7 layer salsa!



Course Two- Summer Salad with Scorpion Amber Ale
A fresh salad of petite greens, with heirloom tomatoes and Oaxaca cheese with strawberry habanero dressing, this course gave us our first kick of the evening. At first bite, the salad was almost sweet, and very tasty, but as a few seconds passed after putting this in your mouth, a little fire kicked in, and left  a warm, toasty goodness in your mouth, prompting you to take a sip of Scorpion Amber to douse the flames a little. It  wasn't firey hot, but it was enough to leave a little tingly, that the beer did a great job of sort of neutralizing in a wonderful way.

OK, this dinner is getting good!






Course Three - Steamed Mahi Mahi taco with Desert Magic IPA
OK, I will say upfront, this taco was of the hook! The fish was steamed in Desert Magic IPA, and served in a hard shell tortilla (not your normal fish taco). I will tell you, that the moment this dish was brought out to the table, there was a collective almost gasp of delight at the presentation of this dish! The taco's were served in a dented Mudshark beer can! I've always said, 70% of eating you do with your eyes, and in this case, Chef Anthony knocked it out of the park. Simple, yet creative, fun, and relevant to the dinner, my respect for him went up a few notches with this one. Again, it helps that the taco was great, and Desert Magic is just a solid beer, that went well along side this exciting dish!


Course Four- Mexican Kabob with Desert Moon Belgian White Ale
OK, the amount of food we got at this dinner was ridiculous. I remember telling someone sitting near me when this course came out "there is no way I am eating all this" and if you've ever seen me, I don't appear to be a guy that sends a lot of food back to the kitchen! The seasoning on this kabob was amazing, a salty, sweetness, that tasted wondful, that paired amazing with their Belgian white ale ( full disclosure, Full Moon is my favorite Mudshark beer). I always tell people, Belgian white ales are great beers to have with food, because they go so well with so many different foods. Specifically, the shrimp on the kabob (there was steak, chicken and shrimp) paired amazing with this citrusy beer. This course left me VERY full, but still wishing there was 4 more courses! Sadly, there was only one.




Course Five - Raspberry Flan with Mudsberry Raspberry Wheat Ale
OK, again, presentation is half of culinary arts in my opinion. Put a beautiful plate in front of someone, and they are far more likely to find the dish at least favorable. Well, let me just say, this plate, it was a work of art. I remember saying to the woman next to me "this plate is gorgeous!" she made mention of not wanting to eat it, it was so pretty! Arranged with the flan, was homemade whipped cream, berries, and eatable flowers, it was just SO colorful! The flavors were amazing as well. The flan was near perfect, and washed down with the Mudsberry beer, well, this was an epic conclusion to a great dinner!


Let me just say, if you've never been to El Palacio, you need to get there. The food is just awesome, and its family friendly! Chef Anthony is great, friendly, and a wonderful, talented chef. Get there! 

To wrap, this dinner was great! I believe I was told there were 45 people there, and all the folks I saw, and the ones I spoke to, seemed to be enjoying themselves, and experiencing something new. A beer dinner is a great way to learn a little more about beer, if you are someone that is just getting into craft beer, and its a great way for some of you self proclaimed "beer snobs" to reconnect with a breweries core line up, and discover how good a flagship beer can be! The food was awesome, the beer was great, and the company was enjoyable, is there a better way to spend a Wednesday night? If you find one, let me know.

I want to thank Brandon, from Mudshark for presenting some great beers to all us, and to Chef Anthony, for another killer dinner, you out did yourself! ( I can't wait for the next one! please tell me there is going to be a next one!!). I also want to thank Landon, Jennifer and the rest of the fine folks at HDE Agency for making all this happen, please continue to do what you do, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of it (and for the photos Jen!).

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar  

Jul 18, 2013

Update Guns vs. Hoses Yarnell Fundraiser (video)

Just wanted to take a minute and update you all on the sucsess of the Guns and Hoses Charity Hockey game I wrote about here recently. The event was a great time for the ton of folks that showed up. The event raised over $8500!!!




I also want to take a moment and thank Sleepy Dog Pub and Bistro, San Tan Brewing Company, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company and Arizona Brewery Tours for your help making not only the Beer Czar gift basket a great score for the lucky winner, but for helping make this a great event over all! I thank you!


Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Jul 16, 2013

The Beer Czar is Out of the Office!

Beer Czar on vacation!
Just wanted to let everyone know, I will be taking a little vacation for the next week and a half! I'll be spending some well earned rest and relaxation time with my family (minus my oldest, who is in Maine for the next two weeks visiting her cousins!). I may be on from time to time, report about something I try, place I go, or news I hear, but don't expect to hear from me regularly, if at all for the next week and a half!
Hope you all have a great week, go grab a beer!!!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Jul 14, 2013

A good time for a great cause...

Just wanted to take a little time, and thank everyone that took part in, showed up at, and gave at the "Guns and Hoses Charity Hockey Game" yesterday at Polar Ice in Gilbert. The game, between local Police, and Firemen was held to raise money for the 100 Club of Arizona, and organization that raises money and support for the families of fallen and injured Fire fighters. A great cause that has recently been thrust into the spot light as a result of the tragic events that took place recently on Yarnell Hill.
The event, that not only consisted of a hockey game.

Basket full of beer!
There was also a gift basket raffle, that by the time the event started consisted of around 25 gift baskets, containing everything from a Samsung Galaxy Note tab, brand new high end gas grill, wine, D-backs tickets, and even a basket full of local beer (I donate the basket, with the help of a few local breweries and businesses, I will get to that in a minute). There was also a table set for the 100 Club, and a fire truck parked out front for the kids to climb around on.




All in all, it was a great event, and really fun time. The raffle raised about $3000 (my Beer Czar basket got
about 210 ticket, at $2 a piece, that means my basket alone raised about $420!!!). Total, the event raised about $8,500 to the 100 Club! From loose change in the bottoms of peoples pockets, to a check for $214 donated by a couple of young ladies that held a car wash that morning to raise funds, every bit of the money raised goes directly to the 100 Club, and victims families, so for that, I say thanks, and I am pretty sure I can speak for all involved, when I say your time, and generosity are not only appreciates, but needed, and for that, we offer up our heart felt thanks!
In particular, I would like to thank a few local companies that contributed to the beer basket I donated. San Tan Brewing Co. of Chandler, for their donation of a verity six pack (including 2 cans of Mr Pineapple!!!). Sleepy Dog Pub and Bistro in Gilbert, for their contribution of a couple of t-shirts, and some stickers. The fine folks at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. for the addition of a couple of patches, a couple of their popular stickers, and even an AWB growler!! Last but most certainly not least, I want to thank Jon "Hoppymoto" of Arizona Brewery Tours, for the addition of a couple of t-shirts, and two pint glasses.
Congrats Lisa!!!
And I would be remiss if I failed to congratulate Lisa, for winning the basket, I hope you enjoy it!!!

Thanks again everyone, it was a great time, for a great cause!

For a complete look at all the photos, you can go to the Beer Czar Facebook page here.....

To read more about what the Arizona Beer Community is going to help the families of the fallen, read about Heros 19 here.....


Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Jul 9, 2013

"HEROS 19".....A Tribute

Just over a week ago, Arizona, and this country, suffered a great loss. The small town of Yarnell was suddenly trust into the nations spot light, when we got news of the loss of 19 fire fighters that were fighting to protect the town from a wildfire. The 19 men, were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew, out of Prescott, Arizona. This is a loss felt all over the country, especially here in Arizona, and most greatly in the towns around Prescott, where these men were such a large part of community.
Now, as they so often does, the Arizona beer community is pulling together to do what it can to help the families of those brave men. The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild is organizing the brewing of a commemorative beer, to be named "HEROS 19". All ingredients, including 19 verities of hops,  have been donating by members of the Guild. The beer will be an American Brown Ale. It will be a one time only, 60 bbl batch, containing 19 verities of hops. The beer will be brewed at Prescott Brewing Company's facility in Prescott.

The beer should be available in a few weeks at all Guild member facilities. For a complete list of members, you can find it here. I will post more specific info as I get it, so check back.
They hope to raise at least $70k in this effort, so lets do what we can to make sure that hit that mark, and then some.

For more info, you can read an interview John from Prescott Brewing Company did with KTAR here. 

Again, I will be posting more information as I get it. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions at all, and I will make sure I get some answers for you.

If you want to volunteer, give more, or other ways to help, you can go to Yarnell fallen fire fighters.

Cheers
The Beer Czar

#HEROS19










Jul 8, 2013

Can beer make your boobs bigger? YES!!!

OK, from time to time, I've been accused spending a little much talking about, or posting pictures of boobs. I don't see it, but just in case, in my defense, they are (almost) always beer related. Besides, beer and boobs just seem to go together like beer and pizza, beer and baseball, beer and music, you get the idea.
Well, the two have finally come together in a big, scientific way. Ladies, I give you "Boza Beer". Boza Beer is a popular fermented beverage from Bulgaria. Boza claims to contain ingredients that will actually increase the breast size in woman. Just a ploy to sell beer? Yeah, probably, but they do have a little scientific justification for it! (kind of)
Some ladies don't need any "phytoestrogens"
Beer contains small amounts of phytoestrogens, a naturally occurring compound found in some plants, such as hops that is similar to estrogen. Also, "hops are sometimes the ingredient in some natural supplements sold over the counter to increase cup sizes".  Since beer contains hops, the hope is the phytoestrogens in hops are passed on to the beer and then to the breasts, that's the hope anyway. For a more in-depth explanation of the science behind this, (or lack of) you can check out this article in Fermentarium.com,

So there you have it ladies. Unhappy with your cup size, have a beer! OK, the science is at the very least, inconclusive, more likely flawed, but still, one can hope. Besides, its just another reason to write more, and post more pictures of boobs, right? That's always a good thing.

In the mean time, if you care to expirament, feel free to submit your before and after photos to us!
I'll drink to that (or should we say "them")?

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar


The latest music/beer collaberation....

One thing I love as much as beer, is music. I grew up listening to a wide range of music, playing guitar,
jamming on the back porch and playing in bands. Beer and music go hand it hand, like beer and baseball. One compliments the other quite well. That is why I love it when bands or musician team up with brewery's to produce a beer. Acts like ACDC, Kid Rock, Iron Maiden and more have all released beer as of late.The latest, I wrote about here in fact, was the old Hanson brothers band from the 80's that produced "MmmHop" with Oklahoma brewery Mustang Brewing. 
Well, that latest one I am both excited about, and disappointed. Excited because it is currently one of my favorite bands releasing a beer, Mumford and Sons! Sad, because it is only being produced for Lewes Music Festival in England, and will produce less then 1000 pints for the brew. The beer, named Lewes Stopover Brew, clocks in at a light 4% abv, and is being brewed at Bridge Wharf Brewery in England. 

OK, so there is little to absolutely no chance of me or you getting a taste of this beer, but still, love to see too of my favorite things coming together. 


So, lets raise a pint, and crank some Mumford and Sons!! I look forward to more collaborations like this, preferably ones a little closer to home, that are a little easier to get my hands on!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar
 

Jul 6, 2013

Roadzoda......they need to make more....

James and Andrew, outside of Mudshark
Just wanted to drop a quick note, and give a hat time to James Swann, Andrew Bauman and the fine folks at Mudshark Brewing.
Tonight, they tapped the much anticipated RoadZoda, Mudshark, James and Andrew's tangerine, horchata Wit. Yes, I said horchata, in a beer (for you folks that are not aware, horchata is a drink brought to us by our neighbors to the south. It's flavor can vary greatly, but normally consists of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernut).


James, and Mitch, from Mudshark
The beer they made, used mainly cinnamon and vanilla to get a horchata flavor, as well as unmalted barley, to give it a sort of creamy mouthfeel. Ad to that a generous helping of citrus (in this case, tangerine) and, well, you have yourself one hell of a refreshing, albeit very interesting summer beer! Almost like a hoppy orange creamsicle! It poured a VERY cloudy golden color, with decent head. It smelled just so fresh, and citrusy, with a bit of spice to it. It was creamy, sweet (but not overly so) and fruity.

Seriously, this picture NEEDS a beer, a RoadZoda!!!
To me, this was a great, refreshing, very flavorful beer, that is perfect beer for Arizona, when the mercury
outside is hitting the 100 and teens. I would love a can of this while sitting in a tub, floating down the Salt River, sitting in the middle of the Superstition Mountains, taking a well earn break from a long hike, or just people watching on a hot summer day on Mill Ave, this beer fits Arizona like a glove.

Unfortanatly, they tapped the keg at 4 pm, and the most recent update I saw on Facebook, it was killed by 8 pm, so sadly, if you didn't get to try it this go round, you missed it. I think this beer is good enough, I think we need to bug Mudshark to make more!

Again, I want to give a shout out to James, Andrew and the folks at Mudshark, for making yet one more beer that we beer folks can be proud of, thank you!

Cheers to Arizona beer!!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Jul 5, 2013

Charity Hockey Game to raise money for families of the Granite Mountian Hotshots Crew

You busy next weekend, July 13th, from say noon to 2 pm? Are you a hockey fan? Do you just want to get out of this crazy heat for a couple of hours? All while raising money for a great cause? Well, the Guns and Hoses Charity Hockey game will suit you just perfect then! The game will be between local Policemen, vs. local Firemen, all to raise money for the
100 Club of Arizona.





The Granite Mountain Hotshots Crew
By now, we all know of the tragic event that took place last Sunday, when 19 members of Granite Mountain Hotshots crew lost their life while fighting a wildfire on Yarnell Hill, in Yarnell, Arizona. The 100 Club supports the family's of fallen fire fighters and police officers. Within hours of the tragedy, the 100 Club had already distributed checks and was offering support to the families of those lost. It is a great cause, and well worthy of our support.

The event will be held at Polar Ice in Gilbert. Admission is FREE! They will be collecting donations. There will also be a charity basket raffle, featuring many themed "baskets" for you to bid on. Be sure to check out (and bid on) the Beer Czar's "Drink Local" beer basket (pictures here)! (if you have any local Arizona beer items you would like included in the basket, please contact me)

There will also be a Fire Truck, and Police Car there for the kids to check out!

For more information, you can check out the Event page on Facebook here.... Or, drop me an email and I will make sure you get all your questions answered.

Just to recap
Date: July 13th, Noon to 2 pm
Polar Ice in Gilbert
2305 E Knox Rd
Gilbert, AZ 85296

Admission is free (donations accepted)
All donations will go to the 100 Club of Arizona

If you would like to donate a basket for the raffle, or have any local Arizona Beer items you would like to ad to the beer basket,  please let me know (via email) and I will get you the info you will need. All baskets are due in and must be ready by Friday July 12th.

If you are able to make it, look for me, and say hello, I really hope to see you there

To read about the Arizona Craft Brewers collaboration brew they are doing to honor the fallen, a beer called "HERO'S 19", a beer brewed with 19 verities of hops, click here.....

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Jul 2, 2013

A look at the 1st Annual Summer Beer Tasting and Pool Party.....

Setting up....
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a beer tasting party. For almost a year now, our friend Daniell (my latest guest contributor by the way....) and I have been talking about having a beer tasting party. Well, this past weekend, we finally pulled the trigger on it, and got it done! Being late June, we figured we would also make it a pool party. Being a pool party, I figured summer beer would be the way to go (the pool part never really materialized, since it was 118 degrees that day, no one wanted to go outside in the pool). It was held at the home of Daniell and her husband Bobby (awesome hosts, thank you!). It had everything you would like in a summer pool party tasting! A taco bar, with everything, chicken, beer, pico de gello, ceviche, beans, cheese, tortilla chips, you name it.
Our "Beer 101" display
We even had a sort of "Beer 101" display on a table, with a collection of various beer glasses, with explanations of what styles go with which glass, and why. Even a verity of loose leaf hops, for party goers to smell, and experience.
After some discussion, we figured, rather then have a sort of formal tasting, we would have a blind tasting, and make a contest out of it. We decided to have everyone bring their favorite summer brew, to enter into a blind tasting! Everyone would try each beer that was brought, blindly, and rate them all, and vote on their favorite one. The person that brought the top vote getter, won a prize (a beer glass set!).
Hops!!
OK, I will admit, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew most of the people that RSVP'ed, but not well enough to guess what they might bring for a beer. I was afraid we would end up with a dozen entries of Summer Shandy, a few Sam Adam's Summer Ales, and maybe, if we were lucky, a Mr Pineapple or two.
Again, I had no idea what to expect, but I can tell you, I was SO pleasantly surprised! Not only were there far more people there then I was expecting (so much more in fact, we had to totally change the way we conducted the tasting at the last minute) In fact, of the 19 entries we had, only one Summer Shandy, and the only duplicate, was Mr Pineapple, but lucky, one was a growler, and one was in cans, so we were able to distinguish them from each other. Here is a list of the beers entered and tasted.....
  1. Bells Oberon (that was my entry!)
  2. San Tan's Mr Pineapple in a growler (that was Mrs Czar's)
  3. San Adams Summer Ale
  4. Wasatch Summerbrue
  5. Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
  6. Laughing Dog's Huckleberry Cream Ale
  7. Unita Hoo Doo
  8. Sudwerk Hefeweizen
  9. Stone's Arrogant Bastard
  10. Anderson Valleys Summer Solstice
  11. Maui Brewing's Bikini Blonde Ale
  12. Sam Adams Double Agent IPL
  13. Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy 
  14. Iron Horse's Irish Death
  15. Maui Mana Wheat
  16. Iron Horse's High Five Hefe
  17. Mr Pineapple (in a can)
  18. Iron Horse's Double Rainbow
  19. Shock Top
I have to say, I have always been a HUGE fan of blind tastings. When preconception and bias is totally removed from the experience, and all you are going on is appearance, smell, and taste, the results can be surprising. I must say, it was also fun, listening to the comments made about the beers people were drinking, not knowing what they were drinking at all. Some people didn't care much for the beers they brought, others ended up loving beers they would normally have turned their noses up to. Its funny, I am not sure anyone ended up voting for the beer they brought! Sadly, no one voted for my beloved Oberon, but in reading the notes, most people at least enjoyed it!
In the end, the hands down favorite of the evening surprised me somewhat. Not because it wasn't a "good beer", its in fact one of my favorite's actually, but rather because it was by no means what I would call a "summer beer", but Breckenridge Brewing's Vanilla Porter was a hands down favorite. In fact, the only other beers to get more then two votes, were Laughing Dogs Huckleberry Cream Ale (that got 3 votes) and Mr Pineapple (from the growler) got 2..

Cheers!
All in all, it was a great time! I want to send out my sincere gratitude to all of you that attended, for making this evening such a great time. Not only do I hope you had just half as much fun as I did, if you did, you had a great time, but I hope you leanred even just a little something about beer that you didn't know when you got there!

I also want to thank my wife, for all her help and support (and patience) going into this party. Most of all, I want to thank Bobby and Daniell for not only opening up your home to all of us, but for putting forth so much effort to make sure everyone there had a great time, and maybe even learned a few things.

If you were there, and have some comments or suggestions as to how to make our next party even better, either comment below, or email me at thebeerczar@gmail.com, I really would love to hear all comments, good or bad, its only going to help the next time!

If you would like to see all the photos from that day, you can check out the album on my Facebook page here, and please, while you are there, if you haven't "liked" my page, please go ahead and do so!
Keep an eye out for an invitation to the next one!



Thanks again to everyone, it was awesome, so, as I always say....
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Another Beer Dinner at El Palacio!!!

***Update***
This event is sold out

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

El Palacio, Chandler AZ
A few months ago, I wrote to tell you a little bit about a beer dinner at El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina in Chandler, featuring the beers of Breckenridge Brewery. If you want to read about, check it out here. I won't go into a ton of detail about that night here, but I will tell you, it was not only a great time, it was an awesome dinner! Chef Anthony Serrano did an amazing job coming up with dishes to compliment the beers offered up by Breckenridge, and Rick Lazague, there representing the brewery, did a spectacular job telling us about the beers, and educating us on what we were drinking, and what to look for while we experienced these beers with this great food.It was awesome!

Well, good news, Chef Anthony is doing it again! This time, with a local (Arizona) brewery! Mark your calenders, Wednesday, July 17th, 7 pm, Chef Anthony will be pairing up his food, with the beers of Lake Havasu City's Mudshark Brewing Company! This one is only $20 too!!!!! 5 course, 5 beers, for $20? Yeah, just plan on going.....

Here is what you can expect;

First Course -7 Layer Salsa—a Mexican salsa creation of epic proportions with layer upon layer of  goodness including salsa fresco, salsa picante, beans, crème, guacamole, queso and rice with Mudshark Brewing Up River Lager

Second Course - Summer Salad of heirloom tomatoes and Oaxaca cheese with strawberry habanero dressing. This dish is paired with Scorpion Amber Ale. 

Third Course - Steamed Mahi Mahi Taco paired with Desert Magic IPA.

Fourth Course -  Mexican Kabob of shrimp, chicken and steak served with a beer infused salsa verde will pair perfectly with Belgian Style White Ale.

Fith (dessert) Course - Raspberry Beer Infused Flan with Mudshark Brewing Mudsberry Raspberry Wheat.


I can think of nothing more to write to try and entice you to get yourself to this dinner, that should be more then enough!! You will not be disappointed, I can assure you. So, just do yourself a favor, and make a reservation for this event! Either call them at 480-802-5770, or go on their Facebook page here....  and RSVP via their page.

El Palacio is at
2950 E. Germann Road
Chandler, AZ 85249
480-802-5770
Visit their website here...

Mudshark Brewing Company is located at
210 Swanson Ave
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
928-453-2981
Visit their website here....

Hope to see you there!!
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar