Harbingers of fall

Harbingers of fall

With the first chill in the air last week (Did you notice the daily high dip from 102 to only 99 degrees?) the beers of fall began to pop up on shelves.

I pulled on a sweater to taste the fall Brewmaster’s Collection from Samuel Adams, with its spicy Harvest Pumpkin Ale and Bonfire Rauchbier; the lederhosen came out of storage for the first sign of Oktoberfest brews from Shiner, Sam Adams, Real Ale, and Ayinger; and the red-and-green mittens with the Santa tassels made typing difficult as Saint Arnold Brewing Co. put out its first batch of Christmas Ale at the end of July, even in advance of its Oktoberfest brew.

Some argue that every brewery jumping to be first to market with a seasonal is a necessity for competition or even a positive reminder that cooler days are on the way for prolonged sessions on the patio and perhaps a little tuba and accordion. Others take the view that the breweries are jumping the gun with the early releases, especially the fall seasonals, and really ruining the anticipation.

I can see both sides of the argument, especially when there is a beer in my hand while listening to the merits being debated.

Drop a comment here or send a good old-fashioned e-mail to weigh in on the debate.

Lüke beer dinner

Lüke San Antonio will feature Belgian beer superstars Omer, Kwak, Tripel Karmeliet, and La Trappe Quadrupel at its Belgian Beer Revolution dinner at 7 p.m. August 18.

They take the stage alongside the always-excellent charcuterie, mussels and redfish, buckwheat Belgian waffles topped with pork belly, and peach cobbler. The cost is $60 and reservations are required for this limited-seating event at (210) 227-5853.

Pedernales preview

A note from local businessman Lee Hereford reports that a new microbrewery in Fredericksburg called Pedernales Brewing Co. is shooting for a rollout of its beers by early November.

Three years in the making, Pedernales’ line of lagers under the Lobo name have been eager to get their howl on in South and Central Texas. Pictures of the brewery installation can be found on the brewery’s Facebook page.

Brew club events

The Bexar Brewers will hold an open meeting and welcome all comers interested in beer to join them at 7 p.m. in the back room at Blue Star Brewing Co. on Aug. 19. Yours truly is the guest speaker; I’ll be discussing developments in the Texas craft beer world.

A few days later, on Aug. 21, the homebrew and craft-beer appreciation club San Antonio Cerveceros will hold their monthly meeting for members and interested guests from Noon to 3 p.m. at 500 Carolina Street. Find more info on their Facebook page.

Both events are free to attend.

Travis E. Poling writes about beer weekly for the Current and is author of Beer Across Texas: A Guide to Brews and Brewmasters of the Lone Star State. You can reach him at travis@beeracrosstexas.com.