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Saturday, December 5, 2009
Burlywine Day is Here!
Our 4th Annual Burlywine Day Open House is well under way. Congrat's to Aaron Brown on winning the gift certificate for being first in line (7:30 AM -20C.). He had provisions for the wait - coffee and granola bars.
Congrat's also to the first 10 people in line who got free t's for braving the cold.
We've been sampling out our St. James Pale, Burlywine 2009, Bourbon Burlywine, and a special aged keg of our Pothole Porter. Hopefully you don't miss the day completely because the Porter and the Bourbon Burly are getting rave reviews right now!
Today's News:
We've been letting people in on the secret beer we've been working on. The release date is Saturday, January 16th. The beer is a strong, whisky barrel aged stout we're calling Sellout Stout. It's 8.4% a/v and uses Jaggery during the production. It had a very rummy flavour before going into the barrels for six months. Can't wait to see how it all comes together. Yummy!
There's only a few 6'ers left of the Bourbon Burlywine, so hopefully you get here soon.
Cheers,
Brewmaster Dave
Labels: Bourbon Burlywine, Burly Wine, Open House, Sellout Stout
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Burlywine Day is on the horizon...
Yep, that's true.
Another year gone - like sands through the hourglass and all that soap opera jazz.
Burlywine Day is coming up on December 5Th, 2009. For those of you unfamiliar with the craziness that takes the form of our annual open house, I'll make these suggestions:
Another year gone - like sands through the hourglass and all that soap opera jazz.
Burlywine Day is coming up on December 5Th, 2009. For those of you unfamiliar with the craziness that takes the form of our annual open house, I'll make these suggestions:
- Dress warm. Who knows if the current trend of having no snow will last? Hearty Half Pints lovers have been known to make coffee on camp stoves before the brewery opens.
- Burlywine has been recognized by the folks at Ratebeer.com, Beeradvocate.com, featured in "World's Best Beers" by Ben McFarland, reviewed on Vimeo by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, etc., etc. Essentially, it's good beer. We'd suggest you pick up a few, because invariably, people phone us looking for more when they've used up their stash.
- If you drank all your 2008 Burlywine (the one with the green wax cap), you may choose to line up early and get your hand on some of that vintage along with the new 09 vintage. One bottle will be included with the 24's we have for sale at the brewery. If so, refer to suggestion #1.
- We decided to have some fun and age some of last year's brew on Bourbon soaked French oak chips. The Bourbon Burlywine will be limited to two bottles per person and will only be included with the case (24) for those who buy directly from the brewery. Just like our Punk N' Fest release, if you snooze, you lose, as there's only so many bottles to go around. Once again, refer to suggestion #1.
- Bring a tin for the bin in support of Winnipeg Harvest. Tin bringers can enter to win a fantastic Half Pints prize pack. In all seriousness, we're drinking 10.5% a/v beer when there's people in Winnipeg that don't even have enough food to eat. Bring the tin or whatever the people at Harvest need. You can check their website here.
- We'll be giving tours all day, but be prepared to hang out for a while between tours. We'll try not to be as long winded as we usually are (Dave!), but it is an open house, and we will answer everyone's questions. See suggestion #7.
- We will be offering small samples (no more than 2 oz. as per our license) if you do get stuck having to wait. We've also got a cool Foosball table to challenge your friends. You can't sit around and drink pints here. We don't even get to do that. And pints of Burlywine would just be silly.
- Rejoice that Manitoba's only locally owned and operated brewery makes something that people across Canada want! That said, there's only so much to go around. We've currently got orders from four other provinces. If you want Burlywine, come grace us with your presence. We can't guarantee that every single Liquor Mart, vendor, etc. will get enough to satisfy the demand but, we can guarantee that without beer lovers such as yourself, Half Pints wouldn't be quite as cool as it is, and for that, we thank you.
- We'll have lots of parking in the lot directly south of our building, with vehicle entrances/exits on the East and West sides this year. Remember, the brewery is on Roseberry Street now, don't go lining up at the old Keewatin Street address!
- Did we mention to dress warm?
Other News:
A few of the Bombers were down to take a tour of the plant for the Fabulous Blue Bomber Show on Shaw.ca Our portion starts around the 6:00 minute mark. The guys had some fun, tried some beers and made a mess, which Chris got stuck cleaning up. Fun times!
Sweet Nikki Brown is running through the brewery as we speak. It will be available for sale on November 26Th. We'll be running 5 batches total through the brewery, so it should last us until the end of December or the middle of January, or some time in there.
Some of you have pressed the secret beer we mentioned a few posts ago from Chris, and some of you have just figured it out on your own. Regardless, it's coming out sometime in the middle of January, so you won't have to wait that long.
The Angry Dragons rock the brewery.More fun stuff is coming down the pipe and we'll keep updating as needed here. Hope to see you all on Burlywine Day.
Cheers!
Labels: Bourbon Burlywine, Burly Wine, Sweet Nikki Brown
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Burly Bear Hugs
Hey,
Thanks to everyone who attended Burlywine Day. Our annual open house was a blast and we think it was made even better due to the new digs. As you can all see, windows in the brewery are a good thing, as well as a sweet Foosball table. Not to mention the increased space for everything which leads to a better working environment for all.
Nicole and I, along with the brewery staff - Matt, Kevin, Jeremy, Jarrod, Anthony, Will, Zach, Chris, Evan and Tom - think that you've all been pretty cool to us and we thank you for your continued support. Moving an existing business hasn't been easy, but as we work out the kinks in the new place, we think we can make you all proud that we're your local brewery.
For those of you who were worried we'd get too big for our britches, you can see we're still keeping the small brewery, BIG FLAVOUR mentality. It's what makes Half Pints the fun little craft brewery we always have been.
I'll post up pics in the next few days, and if you've got any you want to share, feel free to e-mail them to us at the brewery.
Cheers!
Brewmaster Dave
PS There's a digital camera that's been found in the upstairs tasting room. If you've mysteriously lost one, just call up and identify it. Thanks!
PPS Click here to check out the Free Press' Wine Writer Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson's review of the 2006 Burlywine as he drinks fireside a-la Stephen Colbert.
Thanks to everyone who attended Burlywine Day. Our annual open house was a blast and we think it was made even better due to the new digs. As you can all see, windows in the brewery are a good thing, as well as a sweet Foosball table. Not to mention the increased space for everything which leads to a better working environment for all.
Nicole and I, along with the brewery staff - Matt, Kevin, Jeremy, Jarrod, Anthony, Will, Zach, Chris, Evan and Tom - think that you've all been pretty cool to us and we thank you for your continued support. Moving an existing business hasn't been easy, but as we work out the kinks in the new place, we think we can make you all proud that we're your local brewery.
For those of you who were worried we'd get too big for our britches, you can see we're still keeping the small brewery, BIG FLAVOUR mentality. It's what makes Half Pints the fun little craft brewery we always have been.
I'll post up pics in the next few days, and if you've got any you want to share, feel free to e-mail them to us at the brewery.
Cheers!
Brewmaster Dave
PS There's a digital camera that's been found in the upstairs tasting room. If you've mysteriously lost one, just call up and identify it. Thanks!
PPS Click here to check out the Free Press' Wine Writer Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson's review of the 2006 Burlywine as he drinks fireside a-la Stephen Colbert.
Labels: Burly Wine, Moving, Roseberry, The Story
Thursday, December 6, 2007
I'm wasn't gonna say it but...
... I told you so. That's really the last time I'll say it.
Shortly after last years Burly Wine sold out, there was a rumbling amongst Half Pints fans that we had given beer lovers in Winnipeg something to be proud of. "Please hold onto a bottle or two for next year," we urged. Some beer lovers listened, and others still itched to crack open the tasty goodness.
And then, over the next year, we slowly saw the bottles with the tan beeswax caps come back home to the brewery through the vendors, or even the people who returned the bottles to the brewery wondering "do you have any more of this?" More recently, they've slowed to a trickle so that when we do get one, we immediately want to know what you thought of it.
In its youth, the Burly Wine exhibited a raw, biting hop flavor with a peppery alcohol burn down the middle. And now, those of you with patience have been rewarded as the 2006 vintage takes on the rum-raisin flavours and the slightly sweet caramel backing of a classic English Style Barleywine. How many of you can keep it up for another year to see if it starts to show its wisdom?
Shortly after last years Burly Wine sold out, there was a rumbling amongst Half Pints fans that we had given beer lovers in Winnipeg something to be proud of. "Please hold onto a bottle or two for next year," we urged. Some beer lovers listened, and others still itched to crack open the tasty goodness.
And then, over the next year, we slowly saw the bottles with the tan beeswax caps come back home to the brewery through the vendors, or even the people who returned the bottles to the brewery wondering "do you have any more of this?" More recently, they've slowed to a trickle so that when we do get one, we immediately want to know what you thought of it.
In its youth, the Burly Wine exhibited a raw, biting hop flavor with a peppery alcohol burn down the middle. And now, those of you with patience have been rewarded as the 2006 vintage takes on the rum-raisin flavours and the slightly sweet caramel backing of a classic English Style Barleywine. How many of you can keep it up for another year to see if it starts to show its wisdom?
When we released the 2006 vintage of Burly Wine, it was many people's first experience of just how big we were willing to go with our beers. I think you've all seen that even that boundary can be challenged with a little imagination and insight.
And isn't that really what craft brewing is all about?
So, what can you expect from the 2007 vintage?
The description is the same but there are some differences in how this year's brew came together. The first being that on brew day, I fell asleep at the kettle and forgot a portion of the final hop addition (d'oh!). Being the hophead that I am, we simply decided to take that addition and add it to the final tank in the form of a dry hop addition. Seems simple enough, until you take into account what it did to the finish of the beer.
Oddly enough, it's smoother with less of an up front hop bite. Hooray! I can't say that's a bad thing.
This year's version was also bottled a little sooner at the brewery to help us deal with the initial crunch of orders that we will invariably see on Monday morning. So a little extra time in the bottle will help to smooth out some of the peppery alcohols a little earlier, too.
We also gave the new vintage some snazzy burgundy waxed tops, so that if you're one of the few who did manage to keep stock on hand, you can tell those from the previous year's bottling. And, as I said previously, the first 40 cases contain 1 bottle of the 2006 vintage for those of you who missed out, or prematurely enjoyed your stock.
I'd just like to say thank you to our fans. It's keeping up with your expectations that makes it fun for us at Half Pints Brewing Company.
If you find yourself in Winnipeg this Saturday December 8th, 2007 stop into the brewery for our open house, take the tour, and taste the 2007 Burly Wine with a slice of fruit cake.
See you there,
Brewmaster David Rudge
Labels: Burly Wine, Ramblings
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Sweet Nikki Brown Delivers!
Announcing the arrival of two new members of the Half Pints family. Conor John and Sweet Nikki Brown.Those of you who have been following Nicole's progress during her pregnancy will be happy to hear that she delivered Conor John on October 4Th, 2007. The lil' scrapper came in at 7lbs. 10 oz. with a full head of dark hair. He's a real sweetie and he's even letting us get some sleep when he feels it's necessary.
And, even though his big brother Ethan was less than enthused about Conor's name at the start, he's warmed up nicely to the idea of having someone around who can eventually play trains with him.
For those of you who remember, Sweet Nikki Brown is my lovely wife's beer. A little sweet, and a little bitter, just like her. It's brewed and will be available starting this Saturday, October 20Th until the end of December. We figured we'd be kind and allow those of you who've been so patient the chance to enjoy this one for a little longer - especially since it's one of our most requested seasonal beers.
For those of you who've never tried it, the Sweet Nikki Brown is an American style brown ale. It's dark with hints of chocolate, honey, and fresh bread in the malt profile. The hops kick off the finish of this beer and are prominent in the aroma with citrus, too.
Its a great cold weather beer and goes fantastic with those typical fall dishes like roast turkey, smoked ham, etc.
In further brewery news:
We've got the Burly Wine brewed and it's currently aging in the cold room to smooth out the rough edges. That said, I'd like to give fair warning to fans of this beer that if they're not here in line on the morning of December 8Th at 9 a.m. it is entirely possible that you may not get the chance to have any of this year's batch. Due to the immense popularity of this beer, we have been letting our customers know this since February of last year, so bundle up, and you will be rewarded. By the way, our Burly Wine is currently rated #10 world wide in the English Barleywine category on Beeradvocate.com.
The guys from Beer for Breakfast on 92.9 Kick FM are holding their annual awards show soon. We're sponsoring the Brewno's at the King's Head Pub on November 3rd, and as part of that sponsorship, we'll be bringing along a cask of real ale for the event. Past gems include Mocha Stout, Vanilla Stout, Oktoberfest with Hallertau dry hops, and The Son (for which the brewery van got towed). What will we do for an encore? You'll just have to show up and see! Click on the link above to vote for your favorite local acts.
Labels: Brewno, Burly Wine, Sweet Nikki Brown