Cask Night - Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

 

For those of you who aren't  

West End Droogs quite yet, 

Thursdays are cask night at 

The West End. 

Tonight's cask is 
Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

Elissa is St. Arnold's version of a traditional, authentic (IPA) India Pale Ale.

Brewed for huge hops and loud malty flavor, Elissa is made with an all British malt called, Maris Otter, and one single distinctive American hop, Cascades. 

So, uh, what is a "cask" anyways?

Well, a cask is the container which holds a cask beer, which has been brewed from traditional ingredients, while it matures.  

 

The cask conditioned ale, also commonly referred to as "real ale", is a living beer, because the brew completes a secondary fermentation in the cask.  

After the maturation is done, the ale is served directly from it's cask-home by the simplicity of gravity, not carbon dioxide.  

The cool part, really, is the unfiltered, fresh and unique flavor a cask-conditioned beer has.  

You are actually tasting beer in its natural state, a live product full of flavor, and unique character. 

Essentially, the cask acts as the "cocoon" holding all the ingredients for a beautiful new creation to be released when ready, AKA tapped. 

 

Pint Night, Houston Beer Week Special!

Every Wednesday evening is "Steak Night" &"Pint Night" at The West End, meaning we chose a different craft beer each week to feature on Wednesday nights. When you order the beer we selected, you get to keep the signature glass it comes in. Pretty sweet deal for any craft beer guru, am I right?

Well, this week is not just any week for Houston's beer-lovers, it's Houston Beer Week!

In honor of HBW, tonight we decided to shake things up a bit, and brought ALL FIVE of our Saint Arnolds pint glasses to The West End!  

 

Order ANY St. Arnold "Keep The Pint" for ONLY $4 from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

We wanted to give any true collector the perfect opportunity to get not just one, but five pint glasses straight out of Texas' own St. Arnold's Brewery. What a great excuse to celebrate one of Houston's Original and Texas' oldest craft beer microbrewery, the infamous Saint Arnold's Brewing Company.

If you're coming out tonight, yet you're not the most knowledgeable of beer drinkers in the world, and would much rather sound like a true craft beer expert, you should probably get to know the featured pints. Especially, if your lookin' to impress your friends.

We want you to look cool too, after all your hanging out at our place right? We'll make it easy for you, just read and memorize what I tell you...





1. Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Ale

This delightful ale, hit shelves and lips everywhere in August 2000. Notably recognized as a true German-style Kölsch, the pale ale was originally brewed in Cologne.

Unlike the name might suggest, this somehow light, but rich tasting brew is bursting with clean and refreshing flavor which tastes nothing like grass.

Paired with a sweet malty core, and complemented by a citrus-like hop, the special Kölsch yeast gives your taste buds a clean, fruity blast of flavor, as well as a distinct floral hop aroma.

Lawnmower is great with: Fish, salad and grilled vegetables.




2. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA

Elissa is St. Arnold's version of a traditional, authentic (IPA) India Pale Ale.

Brewed for huge hops and loud malty flavor, Elissa is made with an all British malt called, Maris Otter, and one single distinctive American hop, Cascades.


 Drink Elissa with: Seafood, Indian food, spicy foods like Thai.














3. Saint Arnold Amber Pale Ale

This Amber Ale is a remarkable creation, jam-packed with an almost sweet, caramel-like taste which originated from it's specialty Caravienne, a Belgium malt, then topped with a creamy, thick head.

The complexity and variety of Amber's aroma is a birth of two Pacific Northwest Hops, Cascades and Liberty, which adds hints of bitterness to balance the ale's sweet malty base.


 Pair Amber with: Hamburger, fried seafood, and hearty soup.




  




4. Saint Arnold Santo Kölsch

Santo could easily be considered the baby of the group, since this brew debuted just last October (2011).

Santo is clearly a dark beer, yet light and airy in body. A unique brew which can only be described as a black Kölsch, made with Munich malted barely, pils, pale 2 row, and a dash black malt.

The classic aroma is created by using a single hop variety, Hallertauer Hersbrucker.



 Made to go with: enchiladas, or other greasy foods.










5. Saint Arnold Christmas Ale
'Tis the season for giving, and St. Arnold's was very generous when they designed this holiday masterpiece.

They use not one, but FIVE different malts, which explains this brew's sweetness and high alcohol content. Message received loud and clear, Merry Christmas to you too St. Arnold!

As if that wasn't already a bit over the top, they continued to sweeten the deal by adding two Pacific Northwest hop varieties to give the ale some bitterness and a spicy, yet maintaining flowery aroma, kind of like a Poinsettia!

Indulge with: Christmas pudding, fruit cake and squash bisque.

Which of these brews is your personal favorite? Let us know by either leaving a comment below, mentioning it on Twitter, or on Facebook! 

Don't forget, Tonight is also Steak Night on the patio @ The West End! 

Come enjoy these great beers and your new pint glasses with and have dinner on the patio, get a 12 oz. Rib Eye and Loaded Baked Potato!

Eagles vs. New Orleans MNF at The West End!

Monday Night Football!!! 

Join us for the The West End's Monday Night Football Special $10 Straight-up Burger & Fries!!  Not to mention a great happy hour and late night menu! 

 

 

 

Come out to The West End to watch the Philadelphia Eagles travel to New Orleans and play the Saints! Place your bets on the final score to win free some quality craft beer!

The New Orleans Saints have already proven to be suspect at home this season. By failing to hold a team to less than 25 points this year you can expect to see Michael Vick and the Eagles come in and put up some serious numbers. 

Wait did I say Michael Vick? If Vick does not produce this weekend, or the rest of the season for that matter, we can expect for this to be the end of both his & Reid’s careers. 

The ownership in Philadelphia has already expressed the need for the Eagles to make it to the playoffs this season, and at 3-4 they are well behind the pace being set by the defending champs, the New York Giants.

With Jimmy Graham back in the lineup, (and my fantasy football team’s for that matter) the Saints have one of the most versatile offenses in the league. 

Drew Brees is still on his record setting streak of most consecutive games with throwing a touchdown pass & Philadelphia’s defense has been sub-par this season.

These two teams are possibly the two most desperate teams in the league at this point in the season.   

We can expect some rough play, hard hits and big offense in this showdown Monday Night!!

Who is READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!

Bill @ Texans, The West End Recap!!

In what was Mario Williams’s first game back at Reliant Stadium, the Houston Texans took the field against the Buffalo Bills Sunday at noon.

The game started off slow, but off of a play action fake with 0:36 left in the first quarter Matt Schaub found Owen Daniels in the end zone for a 39 yard touchdown pass.

Not to be outdone, JJ Watt and the Houston Texans Defense stepped up big time at the end of the 1^st half with a JJ Watt sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick with 0:07 left. The drive resulted in a field goal, putting the Texans up just 7-6 at half-time.

Mario Williams had a strong start to the game, and the Bills defense was able to maintain the Texans offense in the first half. The beautiful thing about football though, is this is a game of two halves.

 Oh, and the Texans came out firing on all cylinders the 2^nd half. On the first drive, after a 34 yard completion to Andre Johnson, Arian Foster danced through the tall trees for his 11^th touchdown on the season. He ended the game with 111yds and 1 score. Namaste.

Andre Johnson broke 100yds receiving in the 4^th quarter with 13:31 to go with the Texans leading 14-9. This drive resulted in a 6yd touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to Garrett Graham and sealed the win for the Texans at 21-9.

Where were you for the game? At The West End I hope. We had a great time, and plan to have an even better time THIS SUNDAY at 7:20p when The Bulls go on Parade at Soldier Field vs the 7-1 Chicago Bears. 

FYI, if you come out to The West End and guess the correct score each quarter, you get a free beer! 
 I KNOW RIGHT? Pretty sweet deal!!!

Galleria Farmers Market @ The West End Parking Lot

 The Galleria Farmers Market is hosting their 6th commencement this Saturday, November 3rd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The West End parking-lot, located at 5320 Westheimer Road. 

 

The public is invited to join local farmers and artisans to celebrate the kick-off with live music, food and other fun activities for all ages.

The Galleria Farmers Market will meet every Saturday morning, located in the heart of the galleria at the corner of Westheimer and Yorktown. 

The market will provide residents, as well as visitors, a great opportunity to purchase locally farmed meat, dairy, vegetables, fruits, breads, seafood and so much more. 

Houstonians interested in eating healthy, organic foods and gluten-free products while simultaneously supporting Houston farmers, will especially enjoy what The Galleria Farmers Market has in store.

For further information and continuous updates about The Galleria Farmers Market, visit www.facebook.com/GalleriaFarmersMarket

To inquire about becoming a vendor, email me @ Sgoedeke@westend-houston.com or call (713) 590-9734.