O’Fallon Brewery of Missouri has created a sticke alt as the second addition to their Brewer’s Stash series of beers and is currently holding a contest to name their newest brew. It will offer an alcohol content of about 10% and is described as "big and malty, with hints of toffee" by O’Fallon’s brewmaster, Brian Owens.

Their Scotch Ale, a.k.a. Wee Heavy, was the first brew in their Brewer’s Stash series, according to an article on stltoday.com. This ale weighs in at 10.4% ABV and will be hitting stores in 4-packs this month.

So, got an idea for a name? Check out contest details and enter right away!

TAGS [ O'FALLON | O'FALLON BREWERY | O'FALLON CONTEST | BEER CONTEST ]

Which brew will reign supreme? Have a hand in choosing by voting in The Washington Post’s Beer Madness brackets! Beer Madness, is their "annual quest for Everyman’s favorite brew, returns with a twist.This year, [they've] included beers from 22 nations." The first votes could be cast starting yesterday; round two begins on March 24th.

Last year’s Beer Madness winner was Troegs HopBack Amber, which I had the pleasure of enjoying on tap for the first time, just Tuesday. Deliciously sweet in the beginning with a kick of hops through the finish, it beat out Ommegang Hennepin in the final round, 7 - 2. The judging panel is described as non-beer-geeks who considered Hennepin "Too sophisticated for my palate" and that rather, [they] "like the simple flavors of hops."

To each his own, I always say.

If you don’t want to see your favorite brews benched, make sure to do your part and vote each round.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER MADNESS | WASHINGTON POST ]

Everyone knows that Boston is home to the bar Cheers (where everybody knows your name) but they may not know that Beantown is also home to another bar with sitcom ties. The Regal Beagle, named after the famed neighborhood pub in Three’s Company is now open for business in Brookline.

With fun specialty drinks like "The Dizzy Blonde" (La Favorite Rhum Agricole, fresh lime, and simple syrup, $10) and "The Old Landlord" (Old Overholt rye, Angostura bitters muddled with oranges and cherries, $9) it sounds like a place we’d like to hang out. Their beer list is pretty impressive too! Domestics include Otter Creek Copper Ale, Avery White Rascal, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA and Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout and there’s even a "Big Boys" section on the list with a 16.9 oz Hacker-Pschorr Hefeweisen and 22 oz servings of BBC Coffeehouse Porter and BBC Steel Rail.

Don’t worry; unlike other bars that pay television shows homage this one isn’t super cheesy. You won’t find bartenders dressed in 70’s garb or show memorabilia hanging on every square inch of wall space. Just check out their website and you can tell that they’re a classy establishment.

From what I can tell, they seem to have taken the best attributes of television’s Regal Beagle and combined them with a fantastic menu that’ll keep you coming back for more. Next time I’m in the area, I’m definitely going to check it out. If you manage to beat me to it, let me know what you think!

TAGS [ REGAL BEAGLE | BOSTON BARS | BOSTON NIGHTLIFE | THREE'S COMPANY ]

This week (March 8th – 14th) is Local Restaurant Week. Basically, it’s an effort (and a successful one at that) to get people to dine local, dine often and dine well. Because the year is 2010, participating restaurants will offer special menus that give you an incredible meal for just $20.10.

Here in Western NY, it’s a pretty big deal. It’s only Monday and I have plans to dine out 4 nights this week. The deals never cease to amaze me (a glass of wine or beer, a salad and filet mignon for $20.10 is unbelievable!) but when I saw the "Breweries" tab on the event website I was even more excited.

This year’s participating breweries include Blue Point Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Brooklyn Brewery, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Long Trail Brewing Company, Sam Adams and Saranac Brewery. Each brewery has designated beers to be offered with the restaurant’s specials at lower cost. I might be the only one searching through menus and choosing my restaurants based on their beer specials but I’m ok with that.

TAGS [ LOCAL RESTAURANT WEEK | BUFFALO | BEER SPECIALS ]

Yep, we’re on our way to St. Patrick’s Day which means Oh Ryan’s Irish Potatoes are back! Coconut cream, rolled in cinnamon… positively delightful.

They go wicked fast though and aren’t around all year, so scoop ‘em up while you can.

TAGS [ IRISH POTATOES | IRISH POTATO CANDY | ST. PATRICK'S DAY ]

This weekend, February 27-28, downtown Buffalo is being transformed into a winter wonderland of fun for the whole family. The Powder Keg Festival not only features the Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament but tons of hot food, cold beer (and non-alcoholic refreshments too), ice skating, showshoeing, broom ball, carriage rides, the polar bear swim, a gigantic ice labyrinth, igloo building, contests and even snow tubing down the Skyway ramp.

Not only is Labatt USA sponsoring this event, but Buffalo’s very own Pearl Street Grill and Brewery will be holding all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts on both days, from 8a to 12p.

So, if you’re a Buffalonian, live close-by or happen to be visiting us this weekend, make sure to pop on downtown for what is shaping up to be the best winter fest, ever.

TAGS [ BUFFALO POWDER KEG FESTIVAL | WINTER FESTIVAL | POWDER KEG FEST | SNOW FESTIVAL ]

Here we go again! New beer brand tap handles are in!

Tons of tap handles! Mountains of tap handles!

For the love of God, get them off my desk!

TAGS [ TAP HANDLES | BRANDED TAP HANDLES | BEER TAP HANDLES | BEER BRAND TAP HANDLES ]