Lord Hobo "Official" Opening on Wednesday the 18th

If you've browsed the Boston section on BeerAdvocate.com over the past several months, chances are you've probably seen discussion around Lord Hobo, particularly about when it will actually open. Well the bar's owner, Daniel Lanigan, has made somewhat of an official announcement on BeerAdvocate that the bar will open up this Wednesday, November 18th. Boston beer lovers, your wish has been granted. Although the bar might be jammed, I will try and make it over for the opening night. For those who haven't checked out the menu, it is available on the Lord Hobo website:

http://www.lordhobo.com/

The menu looks to have some tasty plates and the opening draught list is impressive; I'm pulling for Lord Hobo to live up to the anticipation.

Ramping Up for Boston's Belgian Beer Week

With Oktoberfest festivities coming to an end this week, Boston beer lovers have got something great to look forward to: The Return of the Belgian Beer Fest, hosted by BeerAdvocate on October 16th and 17th. Two days of Belgian and Belgian-inspired beers from the a large number of breweries makes this a top event for the 2009 calendar. Not to be outdone by themselves in previous years, the Alstrom brothers have put together a themed Belgian Beer Week leading up to the festival. The scheduled events include an Ithaca beer dinner at Green Street on October 12th and a pre-festival party at The Asgard on October 15th. In addition to these events, a special beer dinner is being held at Eastern Standard on October 14th: Gallia Belgica. Not only is this sure to be an adventure for the pallet, but guests will include a handful of well-respected and renowned brewers: Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey, Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing Company, Patrick Rue of The Bruery, Dann Paquette of Pretty Things, and Rob Tod of Allagash.

Information on all these events and tickets for the Belgian Beer Festival can be found at BeerAdvocate.com. The tickets are selling fast, and Night of the Funk tickets should be gone very soon Night of the Funk has just sold out. I will be at NotF as a volunteer, and at Session One on Saturday as a drinker. Hoping to meet some great people and drink some awesome beer!

Duvel Green in Boston

Duvel has made it's mark as one of the world's best beers, being extremely drinkable and culminating all that is a great Belgian beer. This week, Duvel USA is bringing a new addition to the Boston bar scene: Duvel Green. While this isn't an altogether new beer, it is new to the Boston area.

Also known as Duvel Draft, Duvel Green is available only in draft form and (apparently) tastes quite a bit different from the original. I assume much of this come from a lower alcohol content (6.8% for draft vs 8.1% for the original) and the fact that Duvel Green is not conditioned in the bottle. I have yet to try Duvel Green, but beer bars around Boston will be pouring this week, so it shouldn't be too difficult to track it down. Here is a list of local bars that are having "launch" parties and will be pouring Duvel Green:

• Sunset Grill & Tap, Allston (Tuesday, 8pm)


• The Publick House, Brookline (Tuesday - BA Event posting)


• Deep Ellum, Allston (Wednesday)


• Redbones, Somerville (Wednesday)


• Jimmy's Pub, Mansfield (Wednesday)


• Biltmore, Newton (Wednesday)


• Armsby Abbey, Worcester (Thursday)


• Sierra Grille, Northhampton (Thursday)


• Old Forge Restaurant, Lanesboro (Thursday)

Mini-Belgian Beer Fest at Julio's on Sunday

For those who just can't wait for BeerAdvocate's Belgian Beer Fest in October, Julio's Liquors in Westborough is throwing their 2nd Annual Belgian Beer Fest. The event is this Sunday, August 16th, and goes from 1pm to 4pm. In addition to the 25 confirmed brewers who will be pouring, there will be cheese and chocolate tastings to complement. For more details on the event, check out Julio's Event Calendar.

DrinkMaster Boston Groupon Deal - 7/31

Today's Groupon Deal for Boston is pretty sweet...a DrinkMaster Bartending School program for only $150. The regular price is almost $450, so you're saving quite a bit of dough. I wish I had come across a deal like this a few years ago, I definitely would have jumped on it. I don't think my current schedule could work in shifts at a bar, but the certificate would still be a pretty sweet thing to have...Pick up the deal at Groupon Boston (the deal already has enough buyers, so it's a go!):

http://www.groupon.com/boston/

Pretty Things Latest Release - American Darling

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project seem to have been pretty busy over the past few months. It's like I'm always hearing their name mentioned for either a beer festival, a beer dinner, or probably the most exciting, a new beer release. According to their Facebook fan page, the release of their newest beer, American Darling, will be available on the "draught market" this weekend. American Darling is a pale lager, which seems to stray away from the current offerings that Pretty Things has on the market. I've enjoyed all the beers that Pretty Things has released so far, and a 7% ABV lager sounds damn refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. Possibly when even mowing the lawn?

*Photo courtesy of Pretty Things Website*

7/16 UPDATE: Just picked up a bottle of this from Blanchard's in Allston yesterday, so it is now available for store purchase.

Updated Boston Beer Map

I've recently updated the Boston beer map to include some recent visits and other bars that have great craft beer selections. I'll be adding in some different colored pins for Boston beer stores as well. I know I don't have everything, but if you have any suggestions for the map let me know!