Beer Events & Social Updates: Take the Month Off

Powered by a little breakie for meeeee (not really) (LMK if you get this reference)

Don’t head to the Pipeworks Dojo anytime soon: They announced this week that they would be closed all winter long.

pipeworksbrewing

A post shared by @pipeworksbrewing

I also noticed that

Chris O'Leary

of

Brew York and Beyond

mentioned seeing a number of other breweries going dark for the first few weeks of the year:

Keep Austin Beered

…and for those that can make it work (ie: minimal staff to take care of, distribution pipeline for continued revenue, etc.) I really don’t blame ‘em.

Why not turn down the lights for the slowest time of the year? Just hunker down, make beer, package beer, send beer out, bring folks back around St. Patrick’s Day. I wish I could take the month off. I also wish I had a million dollars and a flying car. Still waiting on all of the above.

Have you seen anyone else announce a short-term winter slumber? Let all of us know in the comments, please and thank you.

And now, onto this weekend’s upcoming…

This Weekend:

Dovetail kicks off a full weekend of special Beer Hall events today with their very first “Don’t Come to the Bar” Czech-style beer service. Head back tomorrow for a trip to Vienna and then the Rhine on Sunday.

White Rooster’s Stout Fest returns tomorrow, putting ten of their stouts on tap at 8am (five imperials! five milk stouts! with pastries! and donuts!).

If that’s a bit too far of a drive, Haymarket’s Beerthday Party (14 years in Chicago / 8 in Michigan!) takes place tomorrow and Sunday also. Details on live music and beer releases are here.

Next Week & Beyond:

This Thursday, go tell the Long Room happy 25th birthday (!) and thank them for being so rad for a full quarter-century.

The Speakeasy Shuffle returns to Black Horizon, Imperial Oak and Skeleton Key next Saturday, with a free shuttle between all three breweries so you can try all their cocktail-inspired beers.

Also next weekend is the 10th Anniversary celebration for Noon Whistle Brewing.

Celebrate eight years of Speciation Cellars on January 31.

Goldfinger’s Dark Lager Day 2025 is set for February 8.

Madison’s Working Draft is hosting a Swedish beer celebration on the 8th. It’s the debut of their Swedish lager with an awesome name brewed in collaboration with JP from Dovetail. They’re also hosting a a Swedish candy pop-up and an IKEA furniture building competition. I’d be really good at that.

Not enough Dovetail action for you? Their annual "Thank You for Smoking” gathering of smoked beers is set for Sunday, Feb. 16.

Tickets are now on sale for Destihl’s annual Dosvidanya Day, taking place on Feb. 22.

Never too early to start planning for this one: Bell’s Oberon Day is scheduled for March 24.

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• Munich Dunkel gets the glowup it’s been needing from Phase Three, who is simply calling it their Winter Lager.

• If you are already thinking of a Valentine’s present for the beer lover in your life, Mikerphone and Gnosis just teamed up on a chocolate/vanilla/strawberry imperial stout releasing right about then, which sounds about perfect.

• The Beer Temple has new merch. I dig the keychain.

• Great Central’s most popular beer of 2024 was their Pils, so they’re pouring $5 pints of it all month long.

• Short’s is just as crazy as ever, judging by this release of a lime, chili pepper and Tajin beer that pours a dense lime green.

• Maplewood’s brewery calendar is out. A variety Pack is comin’ soon. Oh, and they just finished construction on expanding their fancy pants lounge which will have more space for seating, more patio space outside and they’re bringing back a full food menu.

• I recently binged a full season of The Traitors on Peacock, so I’m enjoying the idea of watching it all go down at these On Tour Brewing watch parties.

  

• Big Grove Brewery’s 2025 calendar is also out. I’d really like to find a way to try some of these beers since Iowa seems to be crazy for them.

• It looks like Half Acre’s insane-sounding triple-barrel Barleywine, Wilderness of History, sold out on Oznr almost immediately but they’ve got it int he taproom.

• Dosing hop waters with flavored Torani syrups for a new take on Dry January concoctions? Pretty fun idea, Orange & Brew.

• Even thought 2025 appears to be the year of Floyds Deluxe Lager, Three Floyds is giving you the chance to pick a Dark Lord variant to bring back. Shout out to the person who immediately commented “bring back the brewpub”.

• More Brewing partnering with Werk Force for a Henna Bear stout? Hell yeah.

• Happy seventh birthday to Brass Ring Brewing and happy tenth birthday to Right Bee Cider!

  

Thank you all for being here! You made it through the longest week ever. Have a great weekend. See y’all on Monday.

~Karl, a Guy Drinking some Moon Man this evening, I think.