Beer Nut: Leadfoot brews great beer for great cause - MassLive.com

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It’s always great when a beer brewed to benefit a good cause is actually a really good beer. I always want to support good causes, but I also don’t want to tell readers to buy a less-than-tasty brew.

This is especially true for me this week, as the good cause is one that is close to my heart.

Leadfoot Brewing in my old hometown of Chicopee just finished brewing a batch of a new beer named Summer Setter. The name comes from the volleyball position that basically functions as the point guard of the team. And even though volleyball is a year-round sport, many people associate it with summer (and beach volleyball, etc.)

The beer was brewed to benefit the Fore Justin campaign, which helps families with their financial burdens during cancer treatment. It’s named after my great-nephew, Justin Lingenberg, who died of cancer in 2019 at the age of 18. So, yes, this is very personal for me and my family.

Justin was a great volleyball player, thus the name. Leadfoot will be having a release party for the beer on May 8 at 1-5 p.m. and a portion of all sales of the beer will be donated to the Fore Justin fund. The beer will be on tap and also be available in cans.

“I know what it’s like to suddenly have to stay in a hotel for weeks at a time to be near your child who’s getting treatment in Boston,” Justin’s dad (and my nephew), Tom Lingenberg, said. “Costs can add up quickly, even beyond the medical bills.”

Tom’s brother, Bob, has been the engine behind the Fore Justin fund, first organizing golf tournaments (thus, the “Fore” spelling) and now getting his favorite brewery involved.

“I was looking for another way to raise money for the fund,” he said. “I became friends with [owner] Pat Randall from Leadfoot and figured I would ask if he would be willing to help; he jumped right in and came to with beer and has been nothing but helpful.”

The other good news was that Bob got me a can of the brew, and it’s great.

It’s a Belgian-style Witbier that uses a blend of wheat and European malts. It’s a perfect summer wheat beer. It’s incredibly thirst-quenching because it kicks off with the classic “bubblegum” (or banana/clove) flavors that you often find in great Hefeweizens, but this aspect is not overwhelming like it can be some wheat beers.

The flavor also immediately dries out a bit, bringing forth a nice tart note. There’s a citrus aspect floating around in there somewhere that really hits the spot. (Apparently they used some grapefruit and lemon peel in the recipe.) Finishes clean and makes you want more.

One amusing side note for regular readers: Tom was incredibly grateful that Leadfoot was doing this and while he would have been happy with anything they brewed, he did have one request: Make it anything but an IPA. Of course, readers know that IPAs are my favorite style, so now I have to wonder if Tom and I are even really related!

Anyway, this beer will go down incredibly easy on any day where it’s even slightly warm. But it’s especially made for hot days, in my opinion.

A great beer for a great cause: Can’t ask for a better combination.

May 02, 2021 at 04:53PM
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Beer Nut: Leadfoot brews great beer for great cause - MassLive.com

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La Crosse Distilling Company offers new canned beer to raise money for brain cancer research and awareness - WXOW.com

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LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) - Throughout the month of May La Crosse Distilling Company is offering a new canned beer to their customers with part of the profits going to brain cancer research and awareness.

Chad Staehly, Co-owner of La Crosse Distilling Company, said they got involved in the organization, called Stache Strong, because they wanted to help out families that have been affected by cancer.

StacheStrong is 501 (c)3 non-profit organization created by a family that has been affected by brain cancer. The family member diagnosed with brain cancer was actually the one that started the organization before he passed away.

Staehly said the organization decided to start pairing up with breweries and create StacheStrong beers and part of the proceeds towards benefitting the organization and brain cancer research.

La Crosse Distilling Company just recently started brewing beer so they thought it was a great thing to get involved in. They created a new beer in honor of this campaign which they released on Saturday, May 1. Stehly said it is an India Pale Lager which means it is a 'light drinking smashable beer.' Part of the money they make will go towards StacheStrong.

"Cancer is a disease that seems to affect every family and there are so many different types of cancer. When StacheStrong reached out to us about participating in this beer program to raise money for them, we just saw it as a win-win," said Staehly.

Staehly said it will continue throughout the month and potentially even beyond depending on the reception of the beer.

May 02, 2021 at 10:38AM
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La Crosse Distilling Company offers new canned beer to raise money for brain cancer research and awareness - WXOW.com

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Denver Beer Co. falls $999,993,870 short of fundraising goal to buy Rockies - 9News.com KUSA

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The money raised will instead go to a charity that helps hospitality workers affected by the pandemic.

DENVER — So maybe raising $1 billion to buy a Major League Baseball team was too lofty a goal for a local brewery.

But that's exactly what Denver Beer Co. set out to do when they launched an effort at the beginning of the season to raise enough money to make a serious bid to buy the Colorado Rockies.

Responding to fan frustration over the direction of the franchise in recent years, the craft brewery invited Rockies fans to contribute to the cause through a GoFundMe page.

>The video above is about the launch of the fundraiser.

"We know Rockies fans are frustrated," Berger said in a video shared on YouTube Friday, so let's bring the team back to the city, to the fans. Let's go buy it away from [Charlie Monfort] and give ourselves a chance at winning baseball in the city."

But as of the May 1 deadline, the grand total was $6,130 -- exactly $999,993,870 short of the goal.

RELATED: Owner of Denver Beer Company launches campaign to buy the Colorado Rockies

Undaunted by the shortcoming, Denver Beer Co. vowed on their Facebook page  Friday to make an official offer to Rockies ownership with the amount raised.

If they are unsuccessful, the brewer said it will contribute the proceeds to the Colorado Restaurant Foundation's Angel Relief Fund, which helps hospitality workers who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

RELATED: Jeff Bridich steps down as Rockies executive vice president and general manager

"Either way, you're helping our community," the Facebook post said. 

The Rockies are currently in last place in the National League West. Their lackluster performance has led to the resignation of executive vice president and general manager Jeff Bridich, who is infamous for trading away star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Austin Gomber and four minor league prospects during the offseason. The Rockies also gave the Cardinals $51 million in the transaction.

The move was widely regarded as not nearly enough compensation for the perennial All-Star. 

According to FanGraphs, the Rockies are projected to lose 95 games this year.

9NEWS has reached out to the Rockies for comment.

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May 02, 2021 at 05:41AM
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Oswego festival offers wine lovers a chance to be ‘outdoors and in good company’ - Chicago Tribune

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From left, Sam Cowman of Lombard, Shanna Cowman of Seward and Rachel Connan of Milwaukee enjoy the sunshine at the Wine on the Fox festival in Oswego Saturday. "This is our first big event since the pandemic began," Connan said. (Linda Girardi / The Beacon-News)

May 02, 2021 at 04:09AM
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Ft. Mitchell Restaurant Among Best in Ky., Food & Wine Magazine Says - The River City News

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A Northern Kentucky restaurant serves some of the best pizza in the whole state according to a new list published by Food & Wine magazine.

Writer David Landsel explains, in part, his process in concocting the list of the best pizza in every state:

How did we make this list? While there was a certain amount of collaboration, in the end, most of the tasting fell to me, a native New Yorker with decades of experience eating pizza all across the country. I've lived everywhere from Chicago to Los Angeles to Seattle to New England, and over time I've learned that I have no specific style preference. The kind of pizza I like best is pizza, and I will try all of it, at least once.

For Kentucky, Landsel highlighted a Louisville establishment as well as Ft. Mitchell's Camporosso:

From downtown Louisville, it's a pleasant walk across the Ohio River (via the old Big Four Bridge, converted in modern times from railroad to pedestrian use) to the birthplace—Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1984—of Papa John's. At times that seems like it might be Louisville's go-to pizza, given all the branch locations you see, driving around town. A good few years before all that, however, Benny Impellizzeri was working a string of pizza ovens in the city, introducing his own restaurant, Impellizzeri's back in the late 1970s. To this day, even after a short closure back in the mid-aughts, the pizzas here remain a firm Louisville favorite. The Sicilian-style deep dish, your best bet on the menu, is like a high-walled swimming pool filled with cheese and toppings. If it's modern, glamour-puss pizza you're after, look to Camporosso in Fort Mitchell, just a short hop from downtown Cincinnati. They've been known to confound the odd local with their gorgeous, often admirably true-to-style Neapolitans.  

You can read the full article here.

-Staff report

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May 02, 2021 at 02:12AM
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Beer: Grate companions - Mankato Free Press

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My friend most prone to host a bottle share is also an aspiring pit master.

Bert Mattson

He’ll smoke meats most months but recently supposed that the real prime cooking weather is upon us. I’ve dabbled in the smoldering arts. Half the fun for me is in building the hardware, from a whole-hog roaster to an Argentine grill to a smoker with digital controls.

When I abandon an experiment, often I offer him the best parts. He tends to trump my generosity by seizing such occasions as an excuse to put something over cinders. The confluence of a bottle share and outdoor cookery is a feast for the senses and a form of enforced relaxation.

An array of craft beer and the opinion-laden process of cooking over coals inspire ample opportunity to plunge past small talk to the meat of matters.

Pairing beer and barbecue (and grilled food) isn’t necessarily an automatic home run. Though the merger is a relatively safe one, the payoff is in the details. Large fatty cuts, suitable for long slow cooking over indirect heat, sister to beer styles differently than leaner slices slapped directly over white-hot coals. In the final products, there are divergences in texture, assimilation of smoke and usually seasoning ... all of which influence the marriage.

Something streaked or capped with snowy fat, rendered lazily over hours at low temperatures, generally imparts a richness that can bear, and even be elevated by, a beer with a degree of bitterness. The “bark” — a crunchy, sweet and salty crust that crackles when cut — that forms on larger cuts of meat ideally reveals steaming and succulent layers of marbled meat beyond. The bold flavors cultivated in a smoke chamber can stand a bold beer. To contrast or complement is the question, and the answer isn’t set in stone. Stout can echo some of the signature savory qualities in a brisket, and even the velvety mouthfeel.

But should you add a degree of spice, it may clash, altering the calculus. Something with a glaze or rub (with salt and spice) might benefit from the contrast introduced by a beer with some residual sweetness. The same sort of meat trimmed of some fat, sliced thin and cooked quickly over high heat might even benefit from a beer with some acidity.

With all these variables at play in the cooking process, and the nuances that modern brewers are building into beer, it begins to become a reality that a bottle share broadens the opportunity to find a winning combination.

The spectrum stretches from sizzling-hot grilled shrimp po’ boys paired with the likes of Deschutes’ special release citrus-forward, bitterness-retrained Neon Daydream Hazy Ale to spice-rubbed, smoked beef short ribs with a sampling of Minnesota-made Maibock to a platter of burnt ends and eggs with a breakfast brew like Oskar Blues’ Hotbox Coffee Porter in the lazy morning after a long brisket cook.

Gather outside, share, be safe, and search for that home run. Seize the season for grate companionship.

May 01, 2021 at 06:00PM
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The ultimate beer-lover's guide to breweries, taprooms and bottle shops in Gilbert - The Arizona Republic

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Gilbert is home to many breweries, taprooms and craft beer destinations for residents and visitors to the East Valley.

Some big names, such as O.H.S.O. Brewing, which has locations around metro Phoenix, take up prominent spots along Gilbert's bustling downtown stretch. Others, such as Desert Monks Brewing Company and a craft beer store disguised as a car wash, are a little harder to find.

That's where this guide comes in. We sampled the offerings and toured Gilbert to find the best breweries with food, a couple of spots to grab beer and breakfast, and a few hidden gems as well.

Here are seven can't-miss spots for craft beer fans in Gilbert. Also, check out the list for Phoenix and keep an eye out guides to Mesa, Tempe and the west Valley coming soon.

These breweries offer great beer and food

Refuge IPA is a very popular ale during Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company's ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 22, 2015 in Gilbert.

 (Photo: Jeremiah Toller/Special for The Republic)

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company has two locations in the Valley, including a large downtown Phoenix beer garden. But the Gilbert location is the OG. Founded in 2013 by Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware, otherwise known as the Wilderness Humans, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company is a great spot to enjoy a beer and a burger. The food menu sticks to classic pub fare but elevates items with local and specialty ingredients, such as the French fries cooked in duck fat. This brewery also offers three seating areas. Customers can sit inside the log-decorated dining room, outside on the patio or in the adjacent taproom where windows provide a sneak peek at the brewing system.

Barnone is a special destination unique to Gilbert. A collection of shops are nestled inside an old barn and its connected buildings. Customers can move freely between an ice cream shop, a wine bar and a brewery. 12 West Brewing Company finds its home in the end of the barn pouring pints of Blap Blap blood orange Belgian wheat and Zona Pilsner, a refreshing beer perfect for the Arizona heat. Grab a pint and chow down on a pizza from Fire & Brimstone or an ice cream from Cream of the Crop.

Details: Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, 721 N. Arizona Avenue. 480-497-2739, azwbeer.com/gilbert-brewpub-location. 12 West Brewing Company, 3000 E. Ray Road. 480-404-9699, 12westbrewing.com/gilbert.

Don't overlook these hidden gems

It's easy to miss Desert Monks Brewing Company, located inside a shopping complex beside a women's clothing boutique and a marshal arts studio. But this little brewery and taproom is worth seeking out. Started by five Intel engineers and employees with a passion for craft beer, Desert Monks' beers draw on flavors from around the world. Two of the co-owners are from Mexico and incorporate chiles, tamarind, chamoy and fruits including guava and mango in their recipes. Two other co-owners learned about craft beer in Germany, so they let those styles influence their brews. The beer list rotates so stop in to find out what's on tap.

From the outside, the square, stand-alone building and beige walls of Flying Basset Brewing make it look like a chain restaurant. But really, the building is home to a local craft brewery knocking out fresh beers and satisfying food. Inside the brewery, the decor is inspired by the owners' passions, and the inspiration behind the name: airplanes and basset hounds. Owner Rob Gagnon became a pilot in 2003, and when not brewing beer, he takes to the skies. At the brewery, dogs are welcome and craft beer flows. Make sure to try the Alchemist Breakfast, a blond ale flavored with coffee. 

Craft beer isn't always the first thing that comes to mindwhen you think about a car wash. But that's why Quick N' Shine Car Wash is the perfect hidden gem. You can get your car washed, vacuumed and cleaned and then also browse an enormous selection of craft beer. Inside, customers will find two beer caves, along with a cigar humidor, a spirits room and a wine cellar. The car wash may be quick, but take your time perusing all of the options.

Details: Desert Monks Brewing Company, 1094 S. Gilbert Road #101. 480-525-7444, desertmonksbrewing.com. Flying Basset Brewing, 720 W. Ray Road. 480-426-1373, flyingbassetbrewing.com. Quick N' Shine, 777 S. Gilbert Road. 480-892-1130, quicknshinecarwash.com.

These beer destinations are open all day 

O.H.S.O. Brewing in downtown Gilbert is a great spot for lunch and dinner. On the weekends, this brewery and restaurant also serves brunch.

 (Photo: Tirion Morris)

When walking around downtown Gilbert, O.H.S.O. Brewery is hard to miss. The large, bright, bicycled-themed brewery welcomes customers throughout the day for brunch, lunch and dinner. The best part may be that all brunch entrees, served on Saturdays and Sundays, come with a 10-ounce beer or mimosa. 

Four Silos Brewery labels itself as a "Coffee & Beer House," and nestled in a greenery-filled Gilbert strip mall, this spot offers that and more. Four Silos serves 14 craft beers on tap — many of which are house brand; 19 wines; and breakfast all day. So stop in for a breakfast sandwich and a signature coffee in the morning or enjoy a panini and a pint later in the day. This little cafe also hosts community events, so check online for upcoming happenings. 

Details: O.H.S.O. Brewery, 335 N. Gilbert Road #102. 602-900-9004, ohsobrewery.com/gilbert. Four Silos Brewery, 143 S. Higley Road. 480-210-7456, foursilosbrewery.com.

Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose. 

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May 01, 2021 at 10:00PM
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The ultimate beer-lover's guide to breweries, taprooms and bottle shops in Gilbert - The Arizona Republic

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