Mississippi Craft Beer Week 2012 is in full swing in Jackson, with the kickoff party at the Bulldog last Friday night. There’s a ton of stuff happening in the capital city, ending with the 3rd annual Top of the Hops beer fest at the Jackson convention center on Saturday. If you don’t have tickets to the beer fest yet, several pairs will be given away this week. Here’s the quick guide:
Monday, July 23rd
Throwback Night at Brent’s Drugs
6pm-??? – Along with burgers and shakes, they’ll be serving Schlitz, Schlitz High Gravity (?!), PBR, Miller High Life, and Abita Jockamo IPA. Raise Your Pints will be there with a pair of Top of the Hops tickets to give away. There’s also going to be a pint glass exchange for donating/trading your extra glasses. More info on Facebook.
Dinner at Parlor Market
6:30pm – Guest Chef Matt McCallister serves up a 5-course dinner with beer parings. Reservations are required. More info on Facebook.
Tuesday, July 24th
Lazy Magnolia Pint Night at Sal & Mookies
6pm-9pm – Come hang out in the Pi(e) Lounge and the patio. Live music and Lazy Mag drink specials. Top of the Hops tickets to be given away. I’m going to try to hit this one – can’t resist the pepperoni pizza. More info on Facebook.
Wednesday, July 25th
Yazoo Brew sampling at Sneaky Beans
6pm-?? – This one is being hosted by Capital City Beverages, but I don’t have any other info about it.
Thursday, July 26th
Abita Pint Night at State Street Wingstop
6pm-9pm – Some love for the Raise Your Pints members: $15 for all-you-can-eat wings paired with craft beer if you’re wearing a Raise Your Pints shirt. No shirt, no awesome deal. At least four Abita beers on tap (SOS, Andygator, Jockamo, and Restoration) and other Abita beers will be available in bombers (22-oz). Raise Your Pints will have a pair of beer fest tickets to give away. More info on Facebook.
Friday, July 27th
Raise Your Pints Big Beer Bash at Hal & Mals
7pm-11pm – Some more love for the Raise Your Pints members who helped bring better beer to Mississippi through the passing of SB 2878. Free food and drink for RYP members while it lasts, but you must be wearing a RYP shirt to enter. RYP is giving away one more pair of tickets for the beer fest. Live music provided by MOSS. More info on Facebook.
Saturday, July 28th
3rd Annual Top of the Hops Beer Fest
4pm-8pm – Jackson’s 3rd Top of the Hops, and its first one under the new high gravity law. If you don’t have tickets yet, there’s still time to buy or win some. Click here for a list of breweries and beers they’re offering.
I hope everyone can find at least one event to safely participate in this week. I’m planning to make a brief stop at Sal & Mookies on Tuesday night, and will be at the beer fest on Saturday. Look for the guy with the pretzels.
Kick the tires and light some fires, Jacktoberfest (Jackson’s annual Oktoberfest event) announced its 2012 homebrew competition on Twitter:
MS homebrewers, @jacktoberfest is now accepting entries for the 2nd Annual Craft Brew Comp. Enter your best brew at jacktoberfest.com
— Jacktoberfest (@Jacktoberfest) July 10, 2012
The entry deadline is October 5th and the competition is Friday, October 19th (direct link to competition info) Now’s the time to get brewing if you’re planning to do a big beer that will need a little age on it to be ready.
I haven’t decided yet if I’ll be entering. My kettle and burner need some welding done before they’ll be ready to fire up. If I do throw my hat in, it’ll probably be a wit or an apricot Belgian dubbel. If you’re planning to enter and are willing to share, what are you going to brew for the competition?
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, we need carboys if we’re going to home brew. Unfortunately for us, they’re large and, when full of wort and doing their job, difficult and sometimes dangerous to move. Glass carboys in particular are susceptible to breakage every time you pick one up or set it down, sending glass shards and sticky wort everywhere. Homebrewers are nothing if not an industrious lot, so here are some easy-to-do and inexpensive carboy hacks that will make them safer, easier to work with, and more useful. read more…
Craft Beer Styles 101
Beer drinkers get a bad rap. Winos might be stereotyped as the classier drinkers, but the world of well-made craft beers is as varied as that of fine wines––if not more so––and it behooves any beer drinker to learn about the myriad styles available.
Despite the many beer styles on the market today, nearly all beer can be classified as either an ale or a lager. It all comes down to the yeast.
The effort to change Mississippi’s beer regulations isn’t over yet:
Unlucky for Bill Horne, he has happened to live in the only two states where his favorite hobby is illegal.The result of a quest for an activity that could be enjoyed while at home with his four young children, Horne began brewing his own beer 25 years ago while living in Birmingham, Ala.
Now a Canton resident, Horne, 66, is still brewing and tasting his own coffee stouts and Bourbon brown ales, which are not, contrary to the misconceptions of some, anything like moonshine.
Raise Your Pints, a group that convinced lawmakers to pass a state law this year raising the maximum alcohol content for beer that can be sold in Mississippi, is moving on to its second legislative priority – legalizing homebrewing.
Read the rest here.
