August 13, 2008

Greetings fellow Tyranenaeans,

Our Continuing Saga With The City of Lake Mills. Met this week with two members of the City Council and three people from City Administration to hammer out an understanding of how to proceed with our special events. Didn't get exactly what we wanted... in fact, we still haven't seen the final form of our permit applications... but things very well may be more complicated and costly... which ultimately means less money for the charities... but I am sure people will feel safer knowing that tents were inspected by both the fire inspector and the building inspector (as it turns out, in the City of Lake Mills Ordinances even a little 10' x 10' pop-up tent that merchants frequently use during the Farmer's Market downtown require both a building permit and a fire inspection). 

Looks like we will also be installing a driveway entrance to the field south of the building (which does give us a little more flexibility for events)... and lots and lots of additional paperwork. Hard to imagine how these things could have possibly occurred over the years without the benefit of government oversight...  I do feel fortunate that we had members of the City Council present... making it a reasonable conversation instead of just receiving edicts from administration.  I will say it has been a whole lot of fun reading the International Building Code and International Fire Code as it relates to tents and bathroom requirements... and perusing vast sections of the City Ordinances as it relates the Site Plans, Performance Standards, Industrial Districts, etc.

Brewing: Brewing a single batch of Headless Man Amber Alt and a triple batch of our next Brewers Gone Wild! beer Hop Whore Imperial IPA. Due to the hop shortage, we are having to make a modest change (hopefully imperceptable) to our hop additions. Specifically, we are a little short of Simcoe hops... which is one of the more distinctive varieties... and it looks like we will continue to be a little short for at least the next few years (apparently one of the few farmers who grows this hop decided to take these plants out of his fields).

Bottling: Bottled 535 cases of Bitter Woman IPA on Tuesday and we have two cases of mislabels available in the Tasting Room. We are planning to bottle approximately 160 cases of Three Beaches Honey Blonde on Thursday.

Wednesday is Pitcher Night! That means $7.00 pitchers, Gardetto's snack mix, and occassionally sweaty volleyball players.

Thursday is Thirsty Thursdays. Thirsty Thirsdays is your opportunity to earn a beer on us. Each time you join us in the Tasting Room on a Thursday night you'll receive one stamp for each tap beer you purchase on your Thirsty Thursday card. Buy yourself a well deserved beer, earn a stamp. Buy someone else a beer, earn another stamp. When the card is full, turn it in for a free pint and be entered in quarterly prize drawing! The drawings will be held at Hopluck Dinners. Participants need not be present to win.

Friday Night is Live Music - North Country Drifters. The North Country Drifters are a new band from Madison that performs the repertoire of classic country and western swing groups from the 30's, 40's and 50's. Some of the artists they cover include Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson, Lefty Frizell, Ray Price, and Speedy West. They perform the first Thursday of every month at The Old Fashioned (see above) on the Capitol Square in Madison. 

The North Country Drifters - Country & Western Swing - 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Saturday is Live Music: The Cajun Strangers. The Cajun Strangers have become a staple here at the brewery... and one of Wisconsin's finest Cajun bands. They play a mix of Cajun, Zydeco and Blues and spend a lot of time singing in French (that would be Bayou French and not the kind that speak over in France). And as Rob always says, they remind him of his last trip to the Big Easy with Patricia (friend, mug clubber, bartender).

The Cajun Strangers - Cajun - 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Future musical performances can be found at:  www.tyranena.com/events/musicschedule.htm.  

SATURDAY is a real, live BREWERY TOUR with Benji! Brewer Benji will grace anyone interested with a magical, free brewery tour on Saturday at 3:30 pm. Grab a beer and meet him in the lobby! 

Sunday is... the Last Day of the Weekend! Well, our Summer season is almost ready to draw to a close. (It's hard to believe that there are just a two more weeks of expanded hours on Mondays and Tuesdays and Friday night live music....) Time to get outside and enjoy a day down at the brewery while the weather still permits. Join us between 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for some camaraderie and good cheer!

Aftermath. The week after the Great Taste is always a bit hectic.... there's a relatively large amount of clean up when we get back (probably because we slam everything into the van as soon as possible after the event... in no semblence of order... so we can get the hell out of Dodge as fast as humanly possible....). Anyway, moral of the story is that I've been slow moving all week. If Rob actually read my newsletter blurbs, he'd probably be making some snide comment about "What's new?" but luckily, he doesn't.... read my blurbs that is; he certainly makes snide comments....

 

Lack of Merchandise. While cleaning up after the GT, it has become all the more apparent to me that we are virtually out of merchandise. So please.... have pity on the orderer... I hope to have things restocked by the Oktoberfest Bike Ride. Until then, reap the benefits of my overwhelm-ation (I made that word up).... Check out our CLEAR THE SHELVES SALE with discounted prices on many items in the Tasting Room! Now, mind you, we may have very random sizes on some of these items... And prices will only be in effect until I get some new stuff ordered or re-ordered; so buy fast! (And often!)

Last Call for the Golf Outing. I've got about 60 people wanting to participate in our annual Golf Outing so far... so for the sake of the sanity of poor Todd, General Manager at Lake Mills Golf Club, I'm setting a firm deadline of this Friday for the final sign up. Details: $45 per person, 9-holes, kegs on the course, drink tickets for the brewery, food, hole prizes. Always a blast. Email me, NOW, if you want to participate. And if you already told me that you wanted to participate, then send me a check NOW! Approximate start time will be 2 o'clock. I'll send final details and team info out next week.

Jenny's Recap. Jenny wrote a recap on her last few weeks traveling through South America earlier this summer.... however she forgot to email it to me. So... C'mon Jenny... we're still waiting!

August 23, 2008 - 4th Annual Tyranena Golf Outing. Just as it was last year, our event will be Best Ball scramble at the Lake Mills Golf Club (under new ownership). $45.00 per person gets you 9 holes of golf, use of a cart (one for every two players), a few Tyranena beers and great food back at the brewery. The Whiskey Lash All-Stars will be providing entertainment from 6 until 9 (also back at the brewery) if you choose to hang out that long. Last year we had about 50 golfers. Sign up at the bar or email stacey@tyranena.com. There will be hole prizes and a WHOLE lot of fun to be had!

          

September 6, 2008 - Clearwater Brewfest at Eau Claire County EXPO Center. 3:00 to 7:00 pm. 800 attendees anticipated. $28 per person; benefiting the Eau Claire Jaycees. Buy tickets after July 1 at the Coffee Grounds. Guests will receive unlimited sampling, food and live entertainment.

                   

September 12, 2008 - Keg & Cork: Toast to a Cure at Capital Brewery in Middleton. 5:00 to 9:00 pm. 350 attendees anticipated. $40 per person; benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Tickets available online. Contact CFF at 608-298-9902 for more information. Guests will receive unlimited sampling, appetizers and live entertainment. Live auctions.

          

September 13, 2008 - Thirsty Troll Brew Fest at Grundahl Park in Mt. Horeb. Noon to 5:00 pm. Benefiting the Mt. Horeb Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact Melissa Theisen at 1-88TROLLWAY or info@trollway.com. Guests will receive unlimited sampling, food and live entertainment.

                  

September 13, 2008 - Fall Brew Review at Robinson Park in Wisconsin Rapids. 1:00 to 6:00 pm. 300 attendees anticipated. $20 per person; benefiting the Lion's Club Leader Dogs for the Blind program. Contact the Lion's Club at 715-423-0669 for more information. Guests will receive unlimited sampling and live entertainment.

                  

September 13, 2008 - Great Lakes Brew Fest at Lake Festival Park in Racine. 2:00/3:00  to 7:00 pm. 4000 attendees anticipated. $30 ($65 for VIP pass) per person; benefiting the Kilties Drum & Bugle Corps. Get tickets online. Guests will receive unlimited sampling and live entertainment.

    

October 4, 2008 - 6th Annual Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride.

              

October 31, 2008 - 6th Annual Tyranena Halloween Party. More details to follow but we have booked the Reptile Palace Orchestra from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and there will definitely be a costume contest!

                  

November 8, 2008 - 3rd Annual Tyranena Beer Run.