I am really trying to keep this website up to date, but I can only post so many “look at me, I’m at a beer fest” or “follow my brew day” post before it gets old. I do however, want to make a honest effort to post more often. Here are a few things going on lately.
EDIT: A SECTION OF THIS BLOG WAS REMOVED.
In other news, local craft beer market The Casual Pint has recently doubled the amount of beer they on tap. This place has really grown on me. The owner, Nathan, really goes out of his way to bring in some unique beers. They have also added patio furniture just in time for spring. They have some of the best craft beer happy hour specials in town, so head down there, grab a pint and relax. Tell them Ratchet sent you.
The Casual Pint, now with even more beer on tap!
Speaking of craft beer stores, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Bearden Beer Market. The weather is getting nice, there are more daylight hours and now is the time to get in shape. Every Monday at 6:30 is the fun run. Run, jog or walk, go at your own pace and have fun. $1 off all drafts when you get back to the shop. They are also having a Bar Stool decorating contest. If you have a structally sound bar stool that you’d like to decorate and donate, the Beer Market will give you a BBM shirt, growler and you could win other prizes. Make sure to check out their website for more details.
Go to Bearden Beer market’s website for more details
One other local beer news of note. Rumor has it that a new high gravity beer bar will be opening in Downtown. I know the name of it, I know where it’s located and I even know who is running it. I don’t know how much information the owners want announced about it at this point, so I’m keeping all this under wraps until I get the go ahead from them. With any luck I’ll get a Friday and Saturday night bartending gig there.
A few events of note coming up. Next weekend Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City, NC is having a bottle release party for their Trail Magic Imperial Stout. I plan on going Friday night for the beer geek bottle swap party, and Saturday at noon is the actual bottle release. I plan on going with a friend and fellow member of the Knox Beer Crew. If anyone else wants to go, I recommend booking your room now at the Relax Inn. The rooms are cheap and it’s only a block away from the tap toom. After the bottle release on Saturday, I plan on taking a short trip to Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva, NC before heading back to Knoxville. I’ve also Just learned of Frog Lvel Brewing Company in Waynessville, so I muight as well visit there and end my trip in Asheville. I’ll have to see what my finances look like.
Coming up April 14, 2012 is The Thirsty Orange beer festival in Johnson City. I keep saying I am going to dedicate a whole post to this. For now, I encourage everyone to check out the website. I will be serving my homebrew at this event.
June 23rd 2012 at the Southern Railway Terminal in Knoxville is the Knoxville Brew fest. I will be serving homebrew there as well.
On the Home brewing front, I have been busy. Last week I brewed my entry for the Thirsty Orange Iron Brewer Competition. Tomorrow I am brewing a tradition German Rauchbier. I went all out when it came to the planning of this one. I have been researching the style for awhile, even going as far as buying and reading the book, Smoked Beers by Ray Daniels and Geoff Larson. I want this beer to be perfect. I even made an all malt starter, which basically a mini batch of beer to get my yeast going. My lager yeast is happily fermenting away at 50 degrees in beer fridge. This is the beer I plan on entering in this year’s Knoxville Homebruin Competition taking place in May. The stakes are high, with the best of show beer being scaled up and brewed commercially at Smoky Mountain Brewery. I don’t want to have unrealistic expectations, but even if I don’t win, it’s still a style I don’t mind having on tap at home. Speaking of home taps, my used fridge I turned into a kegerator is working out nicely. I have room in it for 6 homebrew kegs. I currently have 4 taps installed. My stout faucet will be here next week, and I look forward to have a my cocoa stout on nitrogen.
This is all for now. I will report back on my trip next weekend. One more thing to add before I go. If you are a craft beer lover in the Knoxville area, you should really consider joining the Knox Beer Crew. We are having monthly sampling sessions at Bearden Beer Market where members bring hard to find beers from their adventures and trades around the country. Last month’s sampling was a stellar line up. Hanging out with fellow beer geeks and drinking great brews? How can you resist? I plan on having some killer Imperial Stout at our next meeting. Hope to see you there.
Cheers,
Ratchet
Ratchet Brews 
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