Mix CD contest update

Sorry for the delay in judging the lovely mix CDs--we're busy people, and don't have too much time to sit down and give our full attention to the music. We promise to get the judging done in another week or two. So, thanks for your submissions, and hang on.

In Case You Haven't Heard

Madame Fuzzybottoms is at a good foster home with our bartender/barback Ray, who has supervised kitty births before. According to Ray, she's looking massive and regal and ready to give birth. We've started an informal pool on when she'll emit new cats onto our planet and how numerous these creatures will be; ask a bartender if you're interested. Below are a few pictures. Be assured we'll keep you updated.

Finally--Hard-to-Get West Coast Bottles!

We've just gotten a sweet collection of West Coast bottles, from phenomenal microbreweries like Deschutes, AleSmith, Midnight Sun (Alaska!), and Ninkasi, that don't distribute kegs out here. The list is below. You'll see they're pricey, but that's how it has to be, due to their rarity and big shipping costs. In return for the few extra dollars, you get some of the best beer in America, and the gloating knowledge that you're consuming one of the few bottles from these breweries to make it out to the East Coast. Come in and enjoy.

Bottled Craft Beer

Alaskan Stout (Juneau, AK; $7/12 oz). An oatmeal stout; hints of coffee and caramel. 5.7% ABV.
AleSmith IPA (San Diego, CA; $12/22 oz). A golden IPA with a lingering hoppiness. 7.8% ABV.
Anchor Small Beer (San Francisco, CA; $10/22 oz). A small beer made by sprinkling warm water over Anchor’s Old Foghorn mash after the first wort has run off, creating a second, lighter brew. 3.3% ABV.
Anderson Valley Hop Ottin’ IPA (Boonville, CA; $7/12 oz). The name means "hard working hops" in Boontling, and that says it all. 7.0% ABV.
Deschutes Bachelor ESB (Bend, OR; $7/12 oz). An authentic English-style extra special bitter. 5.3% ABV.
Deschutes Black Butte Porter (Bend, OR; $7/12 oz). Black Butte Porter uses chocolate and crystal malts, crafting a rich yet easy-to-drink dark beer. 5.2% ABV.
Deschutes Cascade Ale (Bend, OR; $7/12 oz). Clean and crisp, with an herbal hop character. 4.5% ABV.
Deschutes Inversion IPA (Bend, OR; $7/12 oz). A phenomenal Northwestern IPA, dry-hopped for a week. 6.8% ABV.
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (Bend, OR; $7/12 oz). A classic American pale ale. 5.0% ABV.
Deschutes Obsidian Stout (Bend, OR; $7/12 oz). A sharp, dry stout with underlying espresso and chocolate flavors, a hoppy mouthfeel, and a roasted finish. 6.4% ABV.
Full Sail Session Lager (Hood River, OR; $7/11 oz). A pre-Prohibition-style American lager. 5.1% ABV.
Hair of the Dog Ruth (Portland, OR; $8/12 oz). A light and refreshing American ale. 5.6% ABV.
Harviestoun Ola Dubh (Alva, Scotland; $14/11.2 oz bottle). This limited release is Harviestoun’s famous Old Engine Oil matured in 16-year old Highland Park whisky casks. 8.0% ABV.
Lost Coast Indica (Eureka, CA; $10/22 oz). A hoppy, crisp, and clean IPA made with generous amounts of Columbus, Willamette and Centennial hops. 6.5% ABV.
Midnight Sun Sockeye Red IPA (Anchorage, AK; $12/22 oz). Outlandish portions of Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe hops give this beer tremendous citrus and floral aroma and flavor. 5.7% ABV.
Ninkasi Total Domination IPA (Eugene, OR; $11/22 oz). Ninkasi is a great, underrepresented Northwest brewery with masterful beers. This IPA is hugely hoppy, with a citrus smell and taste. 6.7% ABV.

Beer and Cheese Night III Cancelled

Sorry, cheese fans, Sean (the wonderful Artisanal cheese buyer who runs our beer and cheese night) had a last-minute emergency and can't come by with the cheese tomorrow. We'll reschedule it, obviously, and will let you know as soon as we pick a date and time. Sorry to fake the funk.

Comedy Night returns Wednesday

After a hiatus of a couple months while Jeremy was busy, he's bringing back a fearsome comedy posse this Wednesday. If you haven't been to comedy night, you really should--it's, like, funny. Here's the lineup, with Jeremy's notes:

Bev Reese (hot girl comic)
Aaron Forsythe (hot gay comic)
Joe Dixon (black comic / various tv shows)
Pat O'Shea (Irish comic / comedy central)

Host

Jeremy Hsu (Asian boy)

See you there.

Stone event here June 18

So: Stone, a San Diego microbrewery that we hope you'll agree is one of the best in America (you must have had some of their awesome beer at the Standard, right? If not, try the awesome Ruination IPA, which we have on tap right now), is having a massive 9-bar, 3-day beer event in New York City from June 17-19.

Here's how it will work: each day, there will be a unique Stone beer, often a cellared pick that hasn't been available on the East Coast, or almost anywhere, at each of three bars. In addition, every bar will be introducing Stone's Levitation, a great beer with a big hoppy character and citric overtones, but a relatively low alcohol content. In addition, the Stone head brewer will be visiting each bar to talk to anyone interested in Stone or beer in general.

Pacific Standard is slotted for June 18 from 5-7 pm; at that time, we'll launch the Levitation and the Stone 10th Anniversary IPA, a beer that's been virtually unavailable on tap since it was introduced in summer 2006. We hear it's mind-blowing. We'll also have the aforementioned head brewer, and the usual fun stuff, specials, and giveaways. If you can't make it during 5-7, try to get here at some point that night--we'll be pouring both kegs until they run out, so you'll probably be able to try them.

In any case, we really recommend that you make this event, and the Stone events at the 8 other bars--it's really a once-in-several-years kind of thing to have a prestigious West Coast brewery out here in such force. Prepare your palettes and Metrocards, faithful beer nerds.

Sierra Nevada Summer Beer Festival at Pacific Standard, June 12.

We've just scheduled a Sierra Nevada beerfest for June 12 at 7 pm. We'll have at least six Sierra beers on tap, including some awesome ones not often seen in these parts, as well as all kinds of free Sierra merchandise available.

Expected lineup:

--Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
--Sierra Nevada Summerfest
--Sierra Nevada Torpedo
--Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest (!)
--Sierra Nevada Schwarzbier
--One other mystery beer

So save the date. It promises to be a summer beer event to end all summer beer events. I'm not even sure the concept "summer beer event" will be available in our national psyche after this thing.