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Posts Tagged ‘ASAE Annual Meeting’

Guide to Finding Good Beer at the 2012 ASAE Annual Meeting in Dallas

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on August 9, 2012

The 2012 ASAE Annual Meeting takes me to Dallas for the first time and as with any new city I visit, I’m excited to explore the local brew. But as I started my pre-trip research, I started to worry.

From an article about the Dallas beer scene in the January 2012 issue of D Magazine: “We were the largest U.S. city without a microbrewery. Now we have three…” Hmm, Dallas doesn’t sound like much of a beer destination. In the absence of local brewpubs, I’m hoping there are some serious beer bars to fill the void. We shall see..

Using RateBeer.com, BeerMapping.com, and the Brewery Map app, I discovered a handful of promising beer spots within a 5-mile radius of the Dallas Convention Center, site of the 2012 ASAE Annual Meeting.

Here then, I offer:

The Boa Beer Blog Guide to Finding Good Beer at the 2012 ASAE Annual Meeting in Dallas:

1. Deep Ellum Brewing Company
2823 St. Louis Street (about 1.9 miles from the Dallas Convention Center; tours only)

From their Website: Deep Ellum sounds serious about their beer – they have a Beerfesto, their pledge to craft beer. Offers tours every Saturday from 12:00-3:00 p.m. $10 gets you a tour, glass, and complimentary beer. From their beer distribution map, it looks like I’ll be able to find a lot of Deep Ellum on draft around the city.

Beer: Three year-round brews, led by their flagship Deep Ellum IPA, plus seasonals.

2. Peticolas Brewing Company
2026 Farrington Street (about 4.0 miles from the Dallas Convention Center; tours only)

From their Website: This brewery lets the market tell it which beer styles it wants. Rather than push a predetermined “flagship” on the masses, Peticolas brews two styles per quarter until customers’ reactions, feedback and buying habits merit a year round beer. Just announced: Velvet Hammer, an Imperial Red Ale, is the brewery’s first year round beer. The “Where’s our Beer” page shows two dozen bars and restaurants that have at least one Peticolas beer on tap. Private tours are available for groups of 25 to 50  — $15 per person fee includes choice of glassware, private tour, full access to the brewery, a Q and A session with the brewers, and beers tastings.

Beer: There are eight beers listed on their web site, but aside from Velvet Hammer, it’s not clear what’s currently available.

3.  Meddlesome Moth
1621 Oak Lawn (about 3.0 miles from the Dallas Convention Center)

From their Website: “The Meddlesome Moth  is located in Dallas’ Trinity Design District, on Oak Lawn at Hi-Line. We have a full bar and the city’s best beer menu featuring 40 draught beers, two live ales and more than 85 bottles to help us round out our selection. Chances are if you’ve seen it in a commercial, we don’t serve it.”

Beer: With 40 beers on tap, I’m tempted by the “Flights of the Moth” – pre-set menus of five 5 oz. glasses of draft beer. Would love to to try the Texas flight – Deep Ellum and Peticolas on draft here.

4. The Common Table
2917 Fairmount Street (about 1.9 miles from the Dallas Convention Center)

From their Website: Brewsday Tuesday features $2 off 20 oz. pours, $3 off flights of beer, and $5 off 22 oz. or larger bottles of beer. Best better beer deal in town, period.

Beer: 24 beers on tap, including 10 craft brews from Dallas, Austin and Houston.

5.  The Ginger Man
2718 Boll Street (about 2.0 miles from the Dallas Convention Center)

From their Website: The Ginger Man is a family of pubs that started in Houston in 1985 and now includes locations as far as New York and Connecticut (I’ve been to the NYC location). Happy Hour weekdays, 3:00-6:00 p.m., $1 off most pints and talls. On Tuesday, logo pint night starts at 6:00 pm – buy the beer, keep the glass. August 14 will feature Boulevard in a special glass.

Beer: More than 80 beers on tap, including locals Deep Ellum and Peticolas. Is that Moose Drool Brown Ale on the draft menu? I may have to visit Ginger Man just for Moose Drool, one of my favorite can’t-get-in-D.C. beers.

6.  Union Bear
3699 McKinney Ave, #306 (about 4.0 miles from the Dallas Convention Center)

From their Website: A place to eat, a place to drink, in the heart of West Village.

Beer: 40 beers on tap, including locals Deep Ellum and Peticolas and other Texas brews. All draft beers $5.

Although Dallas doesn’t have many local brewpubs and breweries, there are several solid beer bars featuring craft beer from all over the state of Texas. I shouldn’t have a problem finding good Texas brew.

Are there any other must-visit beer spots in Dallas?

Posted in Beer Bar, Beer Travels, Brewery | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

The LA Beer Garden (2010 ASAE Annual Meeting, Part 2)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on September 7, 2010

Meeting the LA Lakers Cheerleaders at ASAE 2010 Opening Night Celebration

On to Part 2 of my 2010 ASAE Annual Meeting beer-drinking experience, AKA reflections on 18 beers that rocked my world at #ASAE10 plus lessons learned and top highlights from the conference…

I made my first trip to Los Angeles when I attended the 2010 ASAE Annual Meeting in late August.  I was excited to be in a new city, and I took the time to explore the beer scene in and around Downtown LA, as I described in my last post.

Even if I hadn’t found the time to seek out local beer, I would have sampled many excellent beers just by attending ASAE 2010. There was great beer at every turn, from the opening night celebration to the final night concert, from the exhibit hall to the Food & Wine Classic, from the educational sessions, to…OK, maybe not the sessions, but I sure could have used a cold one while watching the ASAE-produced sitcom, Guilt by Association.

Here’s the run down of beers I found at ASAE 2010:

Opening Night Celebration
Melissa Etheridge performed at the opening night celebration at LA Live, and Fat Tire and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale were the perfect session beers to quench my thirst during the show.

ASAE 2010 Expo Hall
Favorite exhibit booths in the ASAE 2010 Expo Hall: the Canada Pavilion and Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. Why? They served beer!

The Canada Pavilion reeled me in with an e-mail before the show that encouraged me to “Find out What’s Brewing in Canada.”

So when the exhibit hall opened, I dutifully visited with a couple of my vendors and investigated some technology solutions before meandering to the Canada Pavilion (yeah, right). Dodging a couple of hotel reps, I walked into the Canada booth and settled in at the small bar in the center of the exhibit space. What’s this, Moosehead Lager and LaBatt Blue?  Not exactly craft beer, but hey, it was beer. They saved themselves with a Blanche De Chambly from Unibroue, a delicious Wit beer.  I visited the Canada booth on both days of the Expo, and enjoyed meeting and talking beer with the special beer hosts, especially Roger Mittag, the founder of Thirst For Knowledge, Inc., a beer education company. Mittag, a “Professor of Beer” according to his business card, promised a more interesting selection of beer at the Canada Ale Trail at the Food & Wine Classic. And as I describe below, he delivered!

Later, as I was walking the exhibit hall, I got a tweet from @brucehammond:

Attn: @boabeerblog & @deirdrereid: Salt Lake City has local beers that you can try. They’re in the 1700 aisle. (Pretend it’s EDT) #asae10.`

Nice! The Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau was pouring two beers from Squatters: an IPA and Provo Girl Pilsner! Thanks for the tip @brucehammond!

The LA Beer Garden

ASAE & The Center’s Food & Wine Classic
The Food & Wine Classic should be renamed the Food, Beer, & Wine Classic. The event featured two special beer experiences: the LA Beer Garden and the Canada Ale Trail.

For a few minutes at the Food & Wine Classic, I had the LA Beer Garden all to myself. The Classic was held at the California Science Center, and the Beer Garden was on the back lawn. You had to walk through the Science Center to get back there, through a bunch of exhibits, and for an instant I felt like a mouse in a maze looking for his cheese. But a far greater reward awaited me: a Beer Garden featuring southern California breweries!

I was the first to stroll into the LA Beer Garden and eventually, others followed.  Beating the crowd gave me a chance to converse with the brewery reps, and I especially enjoyed learning about the two-man operation that is Strand Brewing Company.

Five breweries were pouring beer, and I tasted all the offerings:

Ballast Point Brewing Company

  • Sculpin, a double IPA
  • Black Marlin Porter

The Bruery

  • Tradewinds, a Belgian-style golden ale brewed with rice and Thai basil

Eagle Rock Brewery

  • Populist, an IPA
  • Solidarity, a sessionable Black Mild at 3.9% ABV

Firestone Walker Brewing Company

  • Union Jack, an award-winning IPA
  • Solace, an unfiltered wheat beer

Strand Brewing Company

  • 24th Street Pale Ale, a traditional west coast Pale Ale

Because this post is growing long, I didn’t include my beer notes, but there are details about the beers on the ASAE Annual Meeting website. Joshua Lurie of FoodGPS did a great job organizing the Beer Garden and I didn’t want to leave the lawn of the Science Center. But I wanted to find the Canada Ale Trail and hear 50 Amp Fuse, so I headed inside.

The Canada Ale Trail offered four food and beer pairings:

  • Beer-Cured Salmon Tartare with Toasted Pumpernickel and Dill Crème Fraiche, with Blanche De Chambly
  • Miniature Three-Cheese Panini with Dijon Mustard and Smoked Paprika, with Moosehead Lager
  • Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Perfumes of Morocco and Harissa Glaze, with Howe Sound Devils’ Elbow IPA
  • Miniature Chocolate Cupcakes with Beer Ganache, with Howe Sound Diamond Head Oatmeal Stout

All of the pairings were delicious; my favorite was the spicy lamb meatball and IPA. Great job by Roger Mittag and Thirst for Knowledge, Inc. on the pairings.

Closing Night Celebration
OK, so there wasn’t great beer at the Closing Night Celebration. But there was an entertaining performance by Cyndi Lauper, who sang the blues along with her 80′s hits. I was feeling a bit beer-fatigued anyway. Though that didn’t stop me from drinking a couple of Widmer Hefeweizens at the YAP after-party at the Suede Bar in the Westin.

I was dreading my early morning flight the next day. ASAE 2010 was over, and I was off to a meeting in Ottawa before I could go home to Maryland. But I left LA with a lot of fun memories and new friends.

Posted in Beer Tasting, Beer Travels | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Downtown Los Angeles Beer Scene (2010 ASAE Annual Meeting, Part 1)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on September 2, 2010

View of downtown Los Angeles, California at night.

LA Live and Downtown LA, Photo by Steve Jurveston, Used with permission under Creative Commons license

To avoid a really long post, I’ve divided my 2010 ASAE Annual Meeting beer-drinking experience into two parts. Part 1 will focus on local brew pubs and beer bars in and around downtown LA.

Weiland Brewery Restaurant Underground
It didn’t take me long to find a hoppy west coast IPA upon arriving in Los Angeles for the 2010 ASAE Annual Meeting on Friday, August 20. I had done some homework before the trip, and I found a few places around my hotel that I wanted to explore. So after checking into the Sheraton Downtown, I walked two blocks north to Weiland Brewery Restaurant Underground.  This place was in an unfortunate location – in an underground mall/food court right across from a McDonalds. I had my doubts as I walked into the place and saw the huge wall of liquor bottles behind the bar. Was this place serious about the beer?

Yes – the IPA was excellent, a perfect remedy for the cross-country flight from Baltimore. The longer I stayed, the more I enjoyed it, as the mall/food court outside the doors faded away. The bartender was friendly, knowledgeable about the beers, and he pointed me to a couple of other places in the area that I might like. Some locals came in to visit with him, and I was welcomed into the conversation.  The vibe was so relaxed, I took the time to try the house Hefeweizen and a Brown Ale from Bear Republic, called Peter Brown Tribute Ale.

Engine Co. No. 28
I met a group for dinner at Engine Co. No. 28 where I found Firestone Walker DBA (Double Barrel Ale) and Fireman’s Blonde, a Pilsner that is brewed by Fireman’s Brew in California. Thanks to Bruce, Susanne, Keith, Brad, and the rest of the CSC crew for a fun dinner.

Yard House LA

Taps at the Yard House LA, Picture Taken with Blackberry

I tweeted on August 20: #ASAE10 is dangerously close to the Yard House LA, where I’m enjoying happy hour and an Alaskan IPA. Don’t find many Alaskan beers in DC!

I love the Yard House! How can you not love a place that has 150 beers on draft? The LA Yard House was located in LA Live, a huge complex anchored by the Staples Center, so it was a lively spot with a fun atmosphere. I loved the beer menu, and the hunt for beers that I can’t get back east around DC, such as:

I visited the Yard House on three separate occasions, and enjoyed raising a pint with Todd, Kerri, David, Carrie, Cecilia, Kim, Frank, and Karen!

Spring Street Smokehouse
The bartender at Weiland Brewery Restaurant Underground told me about a BBQ place that had a great selection of California craft beer, and when I had a free afternoon, I cabbed over to Spring Street Smokehouse. I’m glad that I made the effort to check it out. I couldn’t describe it any better than my tweet from the visit:

Killing time with a Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic at Spring Street Smokehouse in Chinatown LA-awesome BBQ, friendly locals, CA brew #asae10

The clean, crisp Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing Company was the perfect beer to have with my smoky and spicy beef brisket.

Finally, one night I had dinner at Bottega Louie, a hip Italian restaurant a block from my hotel. Chimay Blue was my beer of choice with dinner, and despite all of the California beers I tried during my visit, Chimay Blue may have been the best beer I had in downtown LA.

Posted in Beer Bar, Beer Travels, Brew Pub | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Exploring the Beer Scene in Toronto

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on August 23, 2009

Toronto skyline

Toronto skyline

I had two goals in mind while attending the 2009 ASAE Annual Meeting in Toronto from August 15-18:

  1. learn from and connect with my fellow association professionals
  2. explore the beer scene in Toronto!

After checking into the Fairmont Royal York on Saturday, August 15, I walked over to a meeting at the convention center.  On the way, I grabbed a quick lunch at The Loose Moose Tap and Grill where I tried my first Canadian beer of the trip:  Alexander Keith’s IPA (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

Later that evening at the opening reception of the Meeting, I was pleased to find Canadian micros well represented.  I started with a Steam Whistle Pilsner (Toronto, Ontario) and also enjoyed two bottles from Mill Street Brewery (Toronto, Ontario): Original Organic (pilsner) and Tankhouse Ale (pale ale).

My primary destination on this trip was a brewpub I had visited on my last two trips to Toronto in 1998 and 2000, C’est What? I made this cozy basement brewpub my last stop of the night on Saturday.  C’est What? is one of my favorite brewpubs because not only do they have an excellent selection of high quality house beers, but they also have a wide selection of guest microbrews.  Unfortunately, they don’t offer a sampler rack, but they do serve half-pints and I had three:

  • Al’s Cask Ale, a west-coast style pale ale from C’est What?
  • Hazelnut Chocolate Ale, a delicious dark ale from C’est What?
  • Hop Head, an IPA from Durham Brewery in Pickering, Ontario

I wish I had more time to spend at C’est What? because the beer selection is sooo good.  Check the menu to see for yourself.  I still regret not finding time for a return visit to C’est What? on this trip.

Mill St Tent at Food and Wine Classic

Mill St Tent at Food and Wine Classic

On Sunday, August 16, I attended a reception and dinner at the Mill Street Brewpub in the historic Distillery District of Toronto.  I liked the bottles of Mill Street brew that I had at the reception the night before, and I enjoyed the brewery’s draft beers even better.  I sampled:

  • Belgian Wit
  • IPA
  • Lemon Tea Ale
  • Belgian Peche (Belgian style peach wheat )

The Lemon Tea Ale was one of the most interesting beers that I’ve ever had.  It tastes just as the name implies, like lemon tea.  And it was awesome!  I could have easily downed several of these — very smooth and drinkable.  I’ll be visiting Mill Street Brewpub again the next time I’m in Toronto.

The 2009 ASAE Annual Meeting’s Food and Wine Classic was on Monday night, August 18.  This is a really fun event with great food, drink, and music.  Don’t let the name fool you – they served excellent beer in addition to the wine.  The event was essentially a street party that spanned the entire Distillery District.  Of course I found my way to the Mill Street Brewpub where I drank one of their beers I hadn’t tried yet, Balzac’s Coffee Porter.  I mostly enjoyed the Mill Street Wit and hoppy Tankhouse Ale on this fine evening.

Despite visiting two brewpubs and sampling about a dozen beers, I left Toronto feeling like I didn’t maximize my opportunity, as there were two other brewpubs on my list that I didn’t get to.  The upside: I already have a return trip planned for September 2010.

I’ll end this post with a shout out to all of my ASAE friends who I raised a pint glass with on this trip — Todd, Kerri, Karen, Tina, Leonard, Frank, Eric, Luke, and Scott.  See you in LA in August 2010!

Posted in Beer Travels, Brew Pub | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

 
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