That’s what woods are for… For those moments in the woods…
We are moving into February swiftly, and that means the beer events are coming fast and furious… We have already had the Cajun cafe on the Bayou Cider and Mead Fest (which I missed, unfortunately), and tonight is the celebration of the Ale & the Witch’s 4th anniversary! Congrats, by the way, to Brett and his staff for taking a ghost-town of a plaza and turning into the place to be in St. Pete for beer lovers.
This weekend the Witch is having a very special event alongside New Belgium Brewing called Lost in the Woods. This very limited ticketed event is a simultaneous one across the country, a New Belgium Brewing 2015 release party of their La Folie.
Only 50 seats total are available for this event which includes:
Meet up at the Bar at 8:30 to check in and get a Le Terroir Draft (an American sour aged in New Belgium Foeders then dry hopped w/ Amarillo hops).
The group then goes upstairs for a private dessert & sour pairing including these:
La Folie 2015 draft serving paired w/ a fig bread w/ apple & fennel jam, taleggio, candied bacon & tarragon.
Transatlantic Kriek 2015 draft serving paired w/ fromage fraiche w/ roasted cherries & chocolate toffee.
New Belgium Love/Felix aged in cherry whiskey barrels draft serving paired w/ Tahitian vanilla ice cream.
After the dessert pairings all ticket holders receive a bottle of the 2015 La Folie (before it is even available in the stores).
Desserts are created and made by local chef Jeffrey Jew.
A live video feed will be on from inside the New Belgium Brewing’s Foeder Forest in Fort Collins, CO and a toast will be made across the country with all participating release parties and the Brewery itself.
Cheers to 2015 La Folie and the release of another amazing blended year.
The tasting notes of the rare keg from the Brewery only available here and there:
(NBB Love/Felix aged in Cherry Whiskey Barrel) – 8.5% abv
This is a single source delight from one special foeder of perfectly soured Felix our light base beer. When tasting through the cellar, we found it deliciously complex all on its own, no blending necessary! We then laid it down in a Cherry Whiskey barrel from Leopold Brothers Distillery. This peaches n’ cream-colored beer shines with a light glowing haze. The fruity color is reflected in the aroma, decadently rich and syrupy in cherries and almonds with a zippy grapefruit pith added in. Big blast of oak vanillin in from aging in the whiskey barrel, giving the impression of a slice of tart cherry pie a la mode when they combine with the fruits. As expected, a brisk, puckering, enduring sourness is in the fore, offset somewhat by the slight cherry sweetness in the background. The medium body finishes dry and crisp, readying you for the next sip.
Get your tickets at the bar in person only as they are $30 each and this event will sell out (if it hasn’t already) so plan ahead.
Lots more to come in the next few days!
Cheers!
Beer for the Daddy 