Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Holy &*$! It's practically December!
Our holiday hours are as follows:
CHRISTMAS EVE
We are open Christmas Eve, normal hours (bring the family!) .
CHRISTMAS DAY
We are closed during the day but will open at 5pm for evening drinking only (no food!) We are a great place to go after the family thing for a drink and some socializing.
NEW YEARS
And then we are going to celebrate New Years Eve Belgian style! What does that mean? It means that we will open at 11:30am for lunch and then at 3:00 pm PST when the native Belgians will be celebrating their New Years turnover, we will be tooting our horns and screaming Happy Day! And we will have a lot of Belgian beer on to celebrate. Also... If you have a young family and want to celebrate New Years but don't want the kids staying up till Midnight, this is the perfect time and place to bring 'em and celebrate.
And then, and please take note, we are closing the kitchen at 9 pm and the whole place at 10 pm (last call at 9:15 pm) on New Years' Eve so that our employees can actually celebrate elsewhere. You can come hang out beforehand here, eat and drink and be merry and then celebrate the turning of the clock elsewhere!
New Years Ever Breakdown:
Open at 11:30 am
Belgian New Years at 3:00 pm
Kitchen Closes at 9:00 pm
Last Call at 9:15 pm
Bar Closes at 10:00 pm
Holiday Night On Adams and Tree Lighting
Saturday December 11
5pm-10pm.
We are taking part in this special edition of Night on Adams. Art, music, decorations, crafts, food, drinks, and more. Celebrate the holidays with the businesses of Adams Avenue, many of whom will be open later than usual. Participating businesses include BLAH, Visual Art Asylum, Kai Hair Salon, Mariposa Ice Cream, Andrea Rushing Art Academy, San Diego Urban Rentals, Adams Avenue Integrated Health, Rare Hare Art Studio, Chez Rouge, and Shanti Spa & Gallery with more signing on every day. We will have wonderful Christmas beers on. Let us know if you'll be attending on the Facebook event page you'll also receive updates that way... and spread the word!
UPDATE: We've just got word that the annual Kensington Tree Lighting will take place at 5pm on December 11th to kick of Holiday Night on Adams. This celebration is moving to the Kensington Library Park in honor of the Kensington 100th Anniversary. They will be lighting the living Pine Tree located on the corner of Marlborough and Adams. Check it out early and then head out on the Avenue.
Help us decorate our tree and maybe you will a prize! Bring us an ornament for our tree (handmade is best) and we will pick the best ones after Christmas and award prizes, wonderful prizes! Please no profanity, or mean-ness, we are kid-friendly after all, but beer-related is grand. Just bring it to the counter to "sign in" and get credit. The tree should be going up soon!
Remember, we have gift cards, t-shirts and glassware on hand for your seasonal gift giving.
CHRISTMAS EVE
We are open Christmas Eve, normal hours (bring the family!) .
CHRISTMAS DAY
We are closed during the day but will open at 5pm for evening drinking only (no food!) We are a great place to go after the family thing for a drink and some socializing.
NEW YEARS
And then we are going to celebrate New Years Eve Belgian style! What does that mean? It means that we will open at 11:30am for lunch and then at 3:00 pm PST when the native Belgians will be celebrating their New Years turnover, we will be tooting our horns and screaming Happy Day! And we will have a lot of Belgian beer on to celebrate. Also... If you have a young family and want to celebrate New Years but don't want the kids staying up till Midnight, this is the perfect time and place to bring 'em and celebrate.
And then, and please take note, we are closing the kitchen at 9 pm and the whole place at 10 pm (last call at 9:15 pm) on New Years' Eve so that our employees can actually celebrate elsewhere. You can come hang out beforehand here, eat and drink and be merry and then celebrate the turning of the clock elsewhere!
New Years Ever Breakdown:
Open at 11:30 am
Belgian New Years at 3:00 pm
Kitchen Closes at 9:00 pm
Last Call at 9:15 pm
Bar Closes at 10:00 pm
Holiday Night On Adams and Tree Lighting
Saturday December 11
5pm-10pm.
We are taking part in this special edition of Night on Adams. Art, music, decorations, crafts, food, drinks, and more. Celebrate the holidays with the businesses of Adams Avenue, many of whom will be open later than usual. Participating businesses include BLAH, Visual Art Asylum, Kai Hair Salon, Mariposa Ice Cream, Andrea Rushing Art Academy, San Diego Urban Rentals, Adams Avenue Integrated Health, Rare Hare Art Studio, Chez Rouge, and Shanti Spa & Gallery with more signing on every day. We will have wonderful Christmas beers on. Let us know if you'll be attending on the Facebook event page you'll also receive updates that way... and spread the word!
UPDATE: We've just got word that the annual Kensington Tree Lighting will take place at 5pm on December 11th to kick of Holiday Night on Adams. This celebration is moving to the Kensington Library Park in honor of the Kensington 100th Anniversary. They will be lighting the living Pine Tree located on the corner of Marlborough and Adams. Check it out early and then head out on the Avenue.
Help us decorate our tree and maybe you will a prize! Bring us an ornament for our tree (handmade is best) and we will pick the best ones after Christmas and award prizes, wonderful prizes! Please no profanity, or mean-ness, we are kid-friendly after all, but beer-related is grand. Just bring it to the counter to "sign in" and get credit. The tree should be going up soon!
Remember, we have gift cards, t-shirts and glassware on hand for your seasonal gift giving.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Pour Line
Read more about the Pour Line and the Honest Pint Project.We respect beer at the Blind Lady Ale House.
And we’re a little fanatical about quality. This obsession is certainly exemplified in our beer—from the brewery to your glass, we do everything we can to ensure the beer tastes as the brewer intended.
The Art of Organoleptic-Enhancement Engineering.
Draft beer takes center stage at the Blind Lady Ale House. We’ve designed and built a unique system that incorporates a multitude of specialized components to ensure that your drinking experience is the very best it can be.
Our Direct Draw System. Direct-draw is a term used to describe a draft system that places the kegs in direct contact to the faucets so the kegs are cooled by the same refrigeration source that cools the beer-line and the faucets. This means that the beer-line is not very long, and that the beer arriving in your glass has only recently left the keg. This results in a fresher, more accurate beer flavor. If you see a tap tower, and below it there is no refrigerator holding kegs, you are probably not seeing a direct-draw system. Which begs the questions: Where are the kegs on-tap stored? And how long ago did my beer leave the keg on the way to my glass? (Sadly, the answer may be a few days ago!)
Our All Stainless Steel Metal Components. Save for the lines, everything else, from the keg to the faucet, is in fact made from stainless steel. This includes the coupler (the device that connects to the keg), the tail-pieces (the barbed pieces that connect the beer-line), the shank (the part that goes through the wall), and the faucet. In the processing of beer at a brewery, only stainless steel is used. However, most bars use nickel-plated brass—an odd choice indeed, because it reacts horribly with the beer. But the thing is, it’s cheap. A brewer would never use a brass component in the brewery, so why should we in our bar?
And you know what—our beer tastes fresher.
Our Glass Rinser. Many of you have noticed that we rinse the glass just before we fill it with your beer. And many of you have asked, “Why?” The Health Department requires a final rinse of sanitizer before air-drying. This is great for sanitation, but not so good for beer flavor— you’re left with sanitizer residue in your beer! So we rinse your glass with water that has been carbon filtered to neutralize any foul odors or tastes.
The Art of Appropriate Glassware.
A lot of thought has gone into the choices we’ve made regarding our glassware. Each glass is craft-beer appropriate, with it's own set of organoleptic-enhancing features.
The Honest Pint. All of our standard glasses have a pour-line, which ensures that you are getting what you pay for. The serving-sizes are listed on the chalkboard menu, right there next to the %ABV and the price. We were in fact the first Certified Honest Pint establishment in Southern California. No cheater-pints here.
Aroma & Foam. We selected glasses that are larger than our pour, which allows room for foam on top of the beer. The foam not only looks beautiful, it also enhances the experience by releasing the drink’s aroma—and the majority of flavor is aroma. Lasting foam is considered a positive attribute to a beer: it reflects a clean glass and beer-line, as well as the Brewers’ skill during the process, and their ability to preserve subtle flavors in the beer.
Temperature. Cold beer is refreshing! But even a standard 16-ounce pint glass often leaves the last sip of beer warm.
Our larger glass, the 21.5 ounce Willy, is engineered to keep beer cool until the last drop—it features a large, solid mass of glass that acts a little like a non-melting ice-cube. Our Snifter is used for stronger, more complex beers that aren’t served quite as cold. It is engineered to fit nicely in the palm of your hand, which allows you to bring the temperature of the beer up.
The Footed Pilsner is an intermediate between the Willy and the Snifter, combining some features of each glass.
The Footed Pilsner is used for half-pours of beers that normally come in the Willy, as well as some of the more refreshing-yet-strong beers from our daily selection.
Design. The Belgians are probably the most celebrated for their beer-specific glass shapes, which are not just about function, but often express an artistic form. There is a sculptural element to the glass, and the various shapes can add to the landscape of the table. Our array of glassware is not just enjoyable to drink from, but also to view and to hold.
Draft beer takes center stage at the Blind Lady Ale House. We’ve designed and built a unique system that incorporates a multitude of specialized components to ensure that your drinking experience is the very best it can be.
Our Direct Draw System. Direct-draw is a term used to describe a draft system that places the kegs in direct contact to the faucets so the kegs are cooled by the same refrigeration source that cools the beer-line and the faucets. This means that the beer-line is not very long, and that the beer arriving in your glass has only recently left the keg. This results in a fresher, more accurate beer flavor. If you see a tap tower, and below it there is no refrigerator holding kegs, you are probably not seeing a direct-draw system. Which begs the questions: Where are the kegs on-tap stored? And how long ago did my beer leave the keg on the way to my glass? (Sadly, the answer may be a few days ago!)
Our All Stainless Steel Metal Components. Save for the lines, everything else, from the keg to the faucet, is in fact made from stainless steel. This includes the coupler (the device that connects to the keg), the tail-pieces (the barbed pieces that connect the beer-line), the shank (the part that goes through the wall), and the faucet. In the processing of beer at a brewery, only stainless steel is used. However, most bars use nickel-plated brass—an odd choice indeed, because it reacts horribly with the beer. But the thing is, it’s cheap. A brewer would never use a brass component in the brewery, so why should we in our bar?
And you know what—our beer tastes fresher.
Our Glass Rinser. Many of you have noticed that we rinse the glass just before we fill it with your beer. And many of you have asked, “Why?” The Health Department requires a final rinse of sanitizer before air-drying. This is great for sanitation, but not so good for beer flavor— you’re left with sanitizer residue in your beer! So we rinse your glass with water that has been carbon filtered to neutralize any foul odors or tastes.
The Art of Appropriate Glassware.
A lot of thought has gone into the choices we’ve made regarding our glassware. Each glass is craft-beer appropriate, with it's own set of organoleptic-enhancing features.
The Honest Pint. All of our standard glasses have a pour-line, which ensures that you are getting what you pay for. The serving-sizes are listed on the chalkboard menu, right there next to the %ABV and the price. We were in fact the first Certified Honest Pint establishment in Southern California. No cheater-pints here.
Aroma & Foam. We selected glasses that are larger than our pour, which allows room for foam on top of the beer. The foam not only looks beautiful, it also enhances the experience by releasing the drink’s aroma—and the majority of flavor is aroma. Lasting foam is considered a positive attribute to a beer: it reflects a clean glass and beer-line, as well as the Brewers’ skill during the process, and their ability to preserve subtle flavors in the beer.
Temperature. Cold beer is refreshing! But even a standard 16-ounce pint glass often leaves the last sip of beer warm.
Our larger glass, the 21.5 ounce Willy, is engineered to keep beer cool until the last drop—it features a large, solid mass of glass that acts a little like a non-melting ice-cube. Our Snifter is used for stronger, more complex beers that aren’t served quite as cold. It is engineered to fit nicely in the palm of your hand, which allows you to bring the temperature of the beer up.
The Footed Pilsner is an intermediate between the Willy and the Snifter, combining some features of each glass.
The Footed Pilsner is used for half-pours of beers that normally come in the Willy, as well as some of the more refreshing-yet-strong beers from our daily selection.
Design. The Belgians are probably the most celebrated for their beer-specific glass shapes, which are not just about function, but often express an artistic form. There is a sculptural element to the glass, and the various shapes can add to the landscape of the table. Our array of glassware is not just enjoyable to drink from, but also to view and to hold.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
SDBW at BLAH
Our event list is coming together bit by bit.For San Diego Beer Week this year, we have special beers, and/or flights going on every single evening (except Monday, when we will hold a Beer Dinner, more on that below.) In addition to those general public events, we are also hosting a...
Brewmaster Series
The Brewmaster Series offers you the opportunity to taste, listen and discuss the beers with the brewer who crafted them. You can find out the why and the how and just generally learn more about beer. These events are limited in size and therefore tickets must be purchased ahead of time. The flight of beer is included in the ticket price. Below you will find information about each of these events in the Brewmaster Series, as well as a link to purchase your tickets.
Wednesday, Nov 10th: Chimay Pairings
Chimay Glass Giveaway while supplies last
Oh, and did you know there's a DrinkAbout?
Thursday, Nov 11th:
New Belgium Flight & The Green Flash Progressive
Green Flash Progressive Dinner:
Starts at 5 pm when we open. The Green Flash Progressive is an event with a few of our favorite restaurants (including us) participating. We will have three of their awesome beers (Silva Stout, Matt's Bitter, and Super Freak) and we will have food pairings to go with them. (Word is this includes our version of Bangers and Mash with smoked sausage with edam cheese and cauliflower puree as well as a Silva Stout Chocolate Pudding.) No reservations necessary, purchase one or all. We will have our limited traditional menu as well.
New Belgium Flights:
Beers will include: Trans-Atlantique Kriek, Biere de Mars, Sahti, Belgo IPA, Eric's Ale and La Folie. Sour fans do not miss this one!
Brewmaster Series:
New Belgium Lead Brewer Eric Salazar
Thursday, Nov. 11, 5 pm
Eric is the mastermind behind Eric's Ale and this Brewmaster Series will focus on Lips of Faith beers with a focus on sour ales.
Purchase your tickets now
Friday, Nov 12th:
Green Flash FREAKSHOW Flights
We are open for lunch this day! Flights start after 3 pm.
(Beware: This is a flight of some rare, but also VERY STRONG beers. Please plan accordingly.) Beers will include: Le Freak (ABV: 9.2%), '09 Grand Cru (9.1%), Double Stout Imperial Stout, (8.8%), Black Freak (9.2%), Super Freak, and Grand Mantis (9%). Also of note, we will have a cask of their 8th Anniversary Ale
Brewmaster Series:
Green Flash Brewmaster Chuck Silva
Friday, Nov. 12, 3 pm
Drink with the Brewmaster! Silva is a North Park resident and he will be guiding us through a tasting of the rare, Belgian influenced beers, a flight which we're calling The FREAK SHOW!
Purchase your tickets now
Saturday, Nov 13th:
Alpine Flights
Not sure which beers we'll have, but they're all good. Alpine beers on at 11:30 am.
Sunday, Nov 14th:
Allagash Flights
Flights will start at 11:30 when we open.
Beers will include: Allagash White, Allagash Dubble, Fluxus, Victoria, Victor and house fave, Curieux.
Brewmaster Series:
Allagash Brewing Brewmaster and Founder Rob Tod
Sunday, Nov. 14, 12:30 pm
Drink with the Brewmaster! Our Allagash Event last year was one of our biggest and this time out Owner Rob Tod will be joining and we couldn't be more thrilled. The guided tasters will also get a last splash of the rare Allagash Blonde Ale after the tasting.
Purchase your tickets now
Also on Sunday:
San Diego Food Bank's "Food 4 Kids" Benefit
The Food 4 Kids Backpack Program provides food to chronically hungry elementary school students from low-income households who are at risk of hunger over the weekend when free school meals are unavailable.
15% of the days food and drink sales will got to Food 4 Kids.
All of these Flights will be on sale to the public during our operating hours, as supply lasts. The Tickets for sale on BrownPaperTickets.com are strictly for the hosted & guided Brewmaster Series Tasting Flights.
ALL EVENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Saturday, November 6, 2010
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