This Saison farmhouse ale is in honor of the noble labor in which the monks engage. Hazy blonde in color, these rustic ales are designed to be complex and contemplative, but also refreshing and drinkable after a day in the fields. What makes it so refreshing? Earthy and spicy aromas, with a faint citrus tang; a body that is light and layered with fruit and spice accents; and a dry, peppery, refreshing finish. 7% ABV.

The Ovila Saison is doubly special! Released only once, it is the 2nd of 3 in the series, and a portion of the proceeds will go toward the restoration of the historic Ovila chapter house in Vina, California. This medieval building is on the grounds of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, just a few miles north of Sierra Nevada’s home in Chico.

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Get a special, flavor enhancing, Sam Adams glass filled with Latitude 48 IPA or Octoberfest. A Sam Adams rep. will be in the Co-op, giving away SWAG and hosting conversations about one of America’s most successful craft breweries. So when you buy the beer on this glass night, you get to keep the glass, get some SWAG, and gain some new beer knowledge!

Details on the beers:
“Samuel Adams Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The malt is complimented by the elegant bitterness imparted by the Bavarian Noble hops.” One of the first Oktoberfest beers released this year. 5.3% ABV

“Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere. The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character. The beer is dry hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe®*, and East Kent Goldings hops for a powerful citrus and earthy aroma.” A new beer for Sam Adams. On draft, only available in Boston and Austin. 6%ABV

The next edition of mustache glasses from local beer blogger, BeerTown Austin. The glasses will be filled with a special cask of Jester King Commercial Suicide with whiskey-soaked oak. The guys from BeerTown Austin will be in the house, as wells as a rep. from Jester King to answer questions.

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Starting Monday, August 22nd with a special Glass Night event with BeerTown Austin, we’ll celebrate the presence of wood in craft brewing by tapping a special keg each day of the week through Sunday August 28.

Before the widespread use of stainless steel, it is believed that all beers came in contact with wood during the brewing process. Nowadays, brewers create a wonderful depth of flavor by using wood during or after fermentation, many times with what a liquor or wine has left behind, or with the use of wild yeast and sour-creating bacteria.

Mon Aug 22 – Glass Night with Jester King Commercial Suicide CASK with Whiskey-soaked oak A special version of their complex yet low alcohol Oaked Dark Mild, served in BeerTown Austin’s popular mustache glass while supplies last. Guys from both the brewery and beer blog will be at the co-op for the event. (3.5+%ABV; Austin, Texas)

Tue Aug 23 – Crispin Joan Of Arc & Maid Of Orleans A pair of limited release, unfiltered ciders (one apple, one pear) aged in Sauvignon Blanc oak barrels. (Minneapolis, MN & Colfax, CA)

Wed Aug 24 – Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron Imperial Porter aged in special wood from Paraguay that gives this big dark brew very interesting and unique qualities. (12%ABV; Milton, DE)

Thu Aug 25 – Ranger Creek Barrel-Aged La Bestia Aimable Belgian-style strong ale with honey, this batch aged in Tempranillo barrels. This is the first time they’ve released this version. (9.4+%ABV; San Antonio, Texas)

Fri Aug 26 – Petrus Aged Pale Golden Ale matured in oak casks for 1.5 – 2 years with wild yeasts and sour-creating bacteria. (7.3%; Bavikhove, Belgium)

Sat Aug 27 – Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti Their Yeti Imperial Stout with cacao nibs and a dash of cayenne, aged with American oak. Cellared in the keg since April. (9.5%; Denver, CO)

Sun Aug 28 – New Belgium La Folie Sour Brown Nicknamed “Rodenbach of the Rockies”, this is a Flanders-style sour beer blended from beers aged 1-3 years in French wine barrels. (6%ABV; Fort Collins, CO)

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A mile a minute. If you never worked as a line cook and want to learn more, this is the first thing you should know. Seconds are precious. Objects of worship. A successful line is an efficient line. There is no such thing as down time. The ticket machine spits out a ticket in four seconds. A burger flips in 45 for medium rare. A pan on high heat takes eight seconds to heat up. There can’t be any down time. While that burger is cooking on the first side, orders are stacking on the ticket machine. There’s chicken roasting and a pork rib just walked in. Macaroni and cheese in a flash to clear room for the pan sauce and seasonal vegetables, you’re resting a burger and a salad just came through “first out” followed by a veggie sandwich and shrimp and grits and you look up and have to scan the tickets searching for modifications to relay to the grill cook. “Alright you got two mid wells one no l no o mustard on the side, both with bacon, one well done plain and dry, a rare plus bacon and avo no mustard, and that first mid well goes with a fried egg sandwich, the rare with a roast chicken. . .” This is typical. Not a busy night. If you feel overwhelmed then that’s okay. Maybe the grill’s not your thing. There’s always saute or fry or garde manger. Gotta learn to walk first right? The point here is one person can’t do it alone. You need to work together. Not only work but communicate. You need to know what everyone else is doing, where they’re at. Over time with the same crew you will get to the point where you just know what the cook next to you is doing, when they will switch to something else, and the right time to fire those chips, plate that mac, fire out that beet salad. But this is all surface, en medias res, the heat of the moment. You wouldn’t be able to do any of this if you hadn’t spent every second of the previous two hours, stocking, rotating, labeling, chopping, slicing. You simply wouldn’t be able to move fast enough. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it has to be overwhelming. We would all like it to be this way everyday. When it is not, we spend our seconds, our minutes, hours, preparing, planning, cleaning, setting ourselves up for success. Efficiency. Making every second count.

“Smoked Baltic Porter is the sultry sister of a storied style. Brewed with traditional German malts and hops, this dark lager gets its special twist from a hefty addition of Bamberg smoked malt. This smoldering, medium-bodied lager is sure to please. Smoked Baltic Porter is smooth, smoky and dark…mysterious enough yet?” 6.2% ABV, Seasonal

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Get a New Belgium globe filled with their fall seasonal, Hoptober, or some of the last of La Folie, part of their Lips of Faith series.

You know the drill: buy the beer, keep the glass.

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We’ll be pouring Rahr’s “Gravel Road,” a Sticke Alt in mason jar mugs. Tony “The Beer Peddler” will be in the house with swag and good cheer.

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Ever wanted to learn how to brew from a pub brewer? Or get tips and tricks from a peer homebrewer?  Now is your chance!  Two classes will be held in the Black Star Co-op brewery.  The 101 class will be for beginner homebrewers and beer appreciators. The 201 class will be for intermediate and advanced homebrewers and beer aficionados.  No matter your background, you’re covered, as each class will contain demonstrations from the standpoints of an amateur and professional brewer. For the professional perspective, Black Star Co-op brewer, Jeff Young, will do demonstrations of mashing, lautering, hop additions, and more on the professional equipment.  For the amateur perspective, Austin Homebrew Supply homebrewer, Jon Airheart, will have a homebrew set up where he will demonstrate the same things on the homebrew scale.  During the demonstrations, we’ll talk about practical techniques as well as theory. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a small tasting and discussion of the flavors and where they come from. Don’t miss out; mark it on your calendar and sign up now to partake!

-Brewing & Flavor Analysis 101; August 14th; 2-5pm

-Brewing & Flavor Analysis 201; August 21st; 2-5pm

-Each class is $20 for member-owners and $25 for non-member-onwers.

-Limited class size, so RSVP early by emailing beer@blackstar.coop and including name/email/session.

Interested in serving your Co-op by running for our Board of Directors? You need to do these things to get yourself eligible:

1. Fully Invest, so if you haven’t paid your full membership, pay it now.

2. Attend a Candidate Info Session on Saturday, August 6th, at 4pm at the brewpub.

3. Fill out the Candidate Application and return it to membershiplinkage [at] blackstar [dot] coop before midnight, August 16th.

4. Attend the Board Meeting on Sunday, August 21st, at noon at the brewpub, if you haven’t attended one in the last year.

We have three seats open this year. Elections are open from September 15th to October 16th, closing at the Members’ Assembly meeting on Oct. 16th.