Let’s face it, we all have enjoyed a Blue Moon.  Some of us have had the priviledge of drinking a little brew called Allagash White.  If you know anyone or are someone who falls into one of those two categories, you MUST, I repeat, MUST check out SOUTHAMPTON Double Wit No kidding, folks – this brew is filthy.  It’s good in the bottle and great on tap.  Oh, guess what?  It’ll be on tap this Wednesday at Laura Alberts!  Southampton rep Tanya Mendleson will be in store talking up the double wit and other Southampton brews we’ll have flowing from our growler station.  A good time will be had by all who attend.  Bring your family, we’re serving up dinner until 9pm.  Check out the menu.  Tanya will be passing out Southampton brew schwag all evening.

Join us Wednesday, July 28th for Growler Hour featuring Terrapin brewery!   We’ll have the 2010 Side Project,  Boom Shakalager and their  Gamma Ray from the Monster series on tap!   Draft Growlers & Bombers of Boom Shakalager & Gamma Ray will be available as well as brewery packaged and sealed 22oz limited edition bombers of the newest Side Project.  So join your friends and celebrate  “hump day”  at the LA !  Enjoy a pint or two, order some special appetizers to complement these awesome brews,  play some corn hole in the courtyard and take home a Terrapin pint glass!   A Terrapin brewery representative will be on hand to talk beer and taste you through their other offerings!  We’ll be giving away free brewery schwag all night!

Weekly Dinner-To-Go  Menu

Don’t have time to stop and make a scrumptious dinner? Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Monday thru Friday, Chef Matt creates dinner-to-go meals made fresh daily.  Each day, Chef Matt whips up around ten of these dinners, each contains a serving portion enough for two people.  Check out this weeks menu offerings and reserve yours today 843-881-4711 by Noon.

• Monday: Marinated Chicken & Veggie Penne Pasta in a White Wine Butter Sauce
• Tuesday: Smoked Pulled Pork in our Carolina Gold Sauce, Yellow Rice & Black Beans
• Wednesday: Chorizo & Cheddar Crusted Wahoo, Three Cheese Grit Cake & Grilled Asparagus
• Thursday:  Chicken Parmesan over Pasta
• Friday:  Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Growler Hour Wednesday featuring Skull Coast Brewery

Every Wednesday @ Laura Alberts is Growler Hour, a ‘Happy Hour’ style event where craft beer is heavily discounted.  We just added a dinner menu that is served Wednesdays Only from 5-9pm.  Come get your mid-week buzz on craft beer, good times (we’ve got cornhole on our back patio), and good ole Southern cuisine @ Laura Alberts.

• What is a Growler?
• Pictures from Growler Hours’ Past!
• This Week’s Growler Hour Details

This Wednesday (6/9) we are proud to announce that Rock Hill-based brewery, Skull Coast will be in our store!  Founder David Fox will be on hand to talk about his new beer Maelstrom IPA, whose “very name and style comes from the Sea. Tall ships on long voyages needed a big beer with a hearty backbone and pounds and pounds of glorious hops. Maelstrom IPA is a brilliant whirlpool of 7 different Northwest hops expertly melded together to create a powerful pint”  David made Maelstrom IPA with one goal in mind: to brew a beer fit for a pirate!  We are stoked to be serving his Maelstrom IPA on tap from 5-8pm Wednesday 6/9 – come check it out, you’ll sure be glad ya did matey!

• Skull Coast Website
• Skull Coast on RateBeer
• Skull Coast on BeerAdvocate
• Super-Cool Local News Video on Skull Coast Brewery

North Coast Brewing Beer Dinner (6/24)

For those of you who get this newsletter, thanks for scrolling down this far!  Perhaps I could offer you a tidbit of information that the others, who didn’t scroll down this far, might pay to know!  North Coast brewery pulled out of South Carolina late last year, but now they are back, hitting local bars and retailers with their ever-strong portfolio of top-quality brews.  We are excited to have a 4-course/5-beer dinner hosted by a representative for the Fort Bragg-based brewery.  However, our dinner won’t just be the old North Coast lineup you can find at your local beverage chain store, we’re bringing in the good stuff.  Rumor has it, we’re getting something completely outrageous for the dinner and the dinner only!  When the brewery tells us what it is, you’ll be the first to know! The current lineup is as follows: Brother Thelonious, Le Merle, Pranqster, & Old Rasputin.  The 5th beer is TBA and as promised, will be something uber special!  The Menu is being crafted as we speak and will be posted to the website in a few days!  If this dinner is already tickling your tastebuds and beer cravings, you may want to book a seat, it will probably sell out.  For Reservations phone 843-881-4711.

• Check the Event Page for Updates
• North Coast on RateBeer
• North Coast on BeerAdvocate

Weekly Growler Hour 6/2

This week for growler hour we are featuring a beer with a name and label that is literally hot off the press! WEYERBACHER Verboten, the brand spanking new name for Weyerbacher’s Belgian Pale Ale.  This guy only has 3 reviews on BeerAdvocate so far – so come by and try it yourself! 

From the brewery: “It is a Belgian-style Pale Ale with an American twist. It is brewed with pale, caramel, and wheat malts, and hopped with centennial and Cascade hops to give it a distinctly American character. The medium bodied beer has a crisp palate and moderate bitterness coupled with the fruity esters from the abbey yeast strain. It is bottle and keg conditioned so expect a tall fluffy head and a small amount of sediment.” 

Verboten is replacing Weyerbacher’s Belgian Style Pale, Zotten - due to a copyright infringement battle with another brewery.  Verboten is derived from a German word meaning forbidden.  Tomorrow (Wednesday) night around 5pm we will be tapping Verboten.  Come be the first to try it in Charleston!

Pat Sharp, from Grand Rapids, has joined the staff at Laura Alberts as beer tender for Wednesday night’s Growler Hour and special event beer dinners. Pat attended Winthrop College and moved to Charleston to become part of the craft beer movement. He is a passionate beer taster open to trying anything. Pat adds, “That’s what is great about the craft beer revolution; there is always something new and different to try.” Pat comes to Laura Alberts from Grapevine Wine Shop and Wine Bar in the Village of Baxter near Fort Mill, South Carolina. The flavor profiles of craft beer are as diverse now as those of wine. The beertender is comparable to a sommelier leading the consumer to the beer that best matches his palate.

Valuable Beer Info below:
 
Growler Hour 4/28:
 
     New Holland Black Tulip Trippel Style Ale
     Bear Republic Apex Double IPA
     Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout
 
Today’s growler hour will feature beers that best represent their style.  The New Holland Black Tulip Trippel is a Belgian-Style Triple that clocks in at 9.00% ABV.  Ask our servers to pour you a ‘Tulip Julius’ – our own rendition of the “Monkey Julius” made famous by PYT in Philadelphia.  The ‘Tulip Julius’ is served up 1 part orange juice, 3 parts Black Tulip, with a splash of champagne on top!  We’ll be serving ‘Tulip Julius”s all afternoon – so if beermosas are your thing, we’ve got you covered. 
 
Bear Republic Apex is any hop-fanatic’s friend. This West-Coast style Double IPA clocks in at 8.10%ABV and features all the hop pine resin a hop head can handle.  Nice balance between hop and malt make this brew easy to have two pints of.  Mmmm good!
 
Southern Tier Choklat is for the beer lovers who need flavor.  Whether it’s your girlfriend craving chocolate, or your bearded beer loving friend needing something thick and malty to wrap up a days work, Choklat is an Imperial Stout that your tastebuds will invite back!  It’s subtle and smooth as a finely made cigar and will stand up to any soberness with 11.00% ABV.  This is a seasonal from the Lakewood, NY brewery and won’t be seen on tap anywhere when it’s gone!
  
The bottles have arrived…
COAST 32/50 Kolsch, Hoppin’ Frog D.O.R.I.S., Hoppin’ Frog B.O.R.I.S. “Cellar Aged 1 year”, Southern Tier Oak-Aged Un*Earthly Imperial IPA, Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball & Wilco Tango Foxtrot, Cascade Kriek Ale, Cascade Apricot Ale & more…
 
Know a Winelover?
Tonight (4/28) Winemaker Larry Langbehn of Ledgewood Creek Winery will be at Laura Alberts to talk about his grape juice.  During our dinner hour from 5:00-9:00, we will be serving a 3 course prix fixe dinner.  Check out the menu, if you’re used to eating ramen noodles and drinking wine, the menu might blow you away.  If you love your mother, you will get Larry to sign a bottle of his grape juice with one of our gold paint markers.  Mary or Karen will wrap it up all nice for mom and you can check it off your list. 
 
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Cheers,
 
Elliott Elsey
Beertender & Craft Beer Enthusiast
Laura Alberts Tasteful Options
891 Island Park Drive
Charleston, SC 29407
843-881-4711