Ray's Growler Gallery (Milwaukee,WI)

Well technically, some of these bottled beers can't be found in most stores anymore. We can't 100% control what a brewery brings, we ask for their best and most rare obviously. Unfortunately, the great taste is this weekend and that hurt the allocation for this event.

 

Funny that you bring them up, a Lazy Monk rep just dropped off samples today for us to try.

 

I understand completely. Hopefully you can stop in during the next tap takeover with Black Husky!

 

Some big news today! (sorry for the poor copy/paste, here is the original link that will be better on your eyes.. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Breaking-Beer-News.html?soid=1111043607397&aid=zQnfgTob3KY)

Dear Ray's Craft Beer Lovers,


Well, this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Ray's Craft Beer Newsletters ever! Not only do we have a world-class Gallery Gala tomorrow (Thursday the 28th) with Oskar Blues (featuring 6 rare, experimental, small-batch brews that have never been to the state before), but we also have a Growler Gallery announcement that will make beer lovers in Wisconsin go bonkers.



And the good news is just going to keep flowing! There won't be a shortage of great growler news any time soon, because there are some really fun things happening in the RAYborhood that we can't wait to share with you! So stay tuned to twitter, facebook, and this newsletter so you don't miss any of the breaking beer news! But for now all we can say is that it is a great time to be a beer lover in Wisconsin!



Cheers!

-Kaleb Schwecke, the Growler Gurus, & the whole Gang at Ray's

Events You'll Be Learning About:
O'so Exciting Beer News
Oskar Blues Gallery Gala
Calling All Food Trucks
O'so Exciting Beer Announcement!

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This is a Wisconsin beer lover's dream come true! Ray's Growler Gallery is proud, honored, and O'so excited to announce that we will be partnering with O'so Brewing in Plover Wisconsin to release a series of small-batch, experimental, and creative concoctions that will be available exclusively in the Growler Galleries (Galleries eh? Was that a typo?)



Since Ray's Growler Gallery is "An Artful Expression of the Best Craft Beer" it was a match made in heaven because O'so is currently doing some of the best sours and funky brews in the state, if not the world! Marc Buttera and the whole team at O'so are passionate about and proud of all the tasty liquid that they craft.



The first expression of this creative collaboration is almost ready and it


Marc started pulling nails so we could taste his prized barrel-aged goodies
could not have turned out better! Marc patiently aged a robust red ale for over 18 months in funkified (that's the technical term) barrels and the end result is an (as yet unnamed, but more on that later), sour, bretted, beautiful red ale, that was mind blowing!



I had a chance to snitch a sample from one of the barrels (in the picture to the right) and try it while it was still a work in progress. As soon as he pulled the nail out of the barrel I was hit by the rich aroma. It had a luscious, malty nose of toffee and caramel with some hints of darker fruit and a very pleasant whiff of Belgian funk with a touch of acidity. While the nose was phenomenal, the flavor is what completely blew me away. It started off with chewy toffee and caramel that mingled with candied fruits like cherries, plums, and raisins. Then the funk hit. All of the upfront sweetness was cut by crisp acidity and complex funk that crept in mid-palate. The flavors played, mingled, and worked so well together that all I could do was smile and nod to Marc. This project was a labor of love and you won't need to wait long to experience this remarkable Wisconsin creation for yourself. The batch is currently being kegged up and should be ready for release in late September. We can't wait for this beer and are so excited for other beers and continued collaborating with the fine folks at O'so!


What other awesome treats from O'so will you be seeing in the Growler Gallery soon?

We did mention this beer wasn't named yet, right? That's because we want YOU to name it! Next newsletter, look for the O'so Brewing/Growler Gallery "Name that Sour" Contest! So prepare to get your creative juices flowing!
Oskar Blues Gallery Gala
Thursday, August 28th
From 5p until 8ish (or until the beer runs out!)

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If you're wondering why you haven't heard of any of these beers before, it's because these rare gems have NEVER been to Wisconsin before and are usually only available in Oskar Blues' Taprooms. So it was very generous of the Oskar Blues team to share their small-batch creations with us! Be sure not to miss your chance to experience them!



Before we unveil this killer lineup, please note: since these beers are such a rare treat, we do expect plenty of folks to want to try them. If you want to show up early to secure your growler of Oskar Blues, please line up at the east entrance (in the parking lot). We will begin filling growlers promptly at 5p and will bust our buns to get everyone through in a timely manner. And in order to get everyone filled up in a timely manner, unfortunately during the Oskar Blues tap takeover there will be no samples.



And drum roll please!



Here's the line-up:

- One Nut Brown Ale: 6%ABV brown ale that is a staple in the tap list of the Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons Colorado.

- Vienna Lager: 6%ABV Vienna style lager perfectly balances a rich malt backbone against spicy and crisp hops. A thirst quenching creature on any hot day.

- Tickled Pink: This Saison was made with barley, wheat, rye, and oats. Ten pounds per barrel of whole raspberries were added near the end of fermentation to complement the fruity aromas derived from the blend of Belgian yeasts. Lightly hopped with Saaz hops for a bit of spiciness.

- Reeb Rye'd: A bold and spicy rye ale that sits just below 7%ABV. It has monster additions of west coast style hops that plays well with the pepper and spice of the robust malt bill. Complex, creative, and crisp.



Prices for the four beers listed above:
(Prices do not include growler glassware)

-$18 for a 64oz Fill

-$10 for a 32oz Fill



- Good Game: (32oz fill ONLY)This beast of a beer only weighs in at 11%ABV. It is a Belgian-style Grand Cru that is plump with ripe, red fruit, tons of toffee, and a touch of zip from the booze. Great sipper or to be shared with friends.

- Death by Coconut: (32oz fill ONLY) Irish porter collaboration with Shamrock Brewing Co. Aged on desiccated coconut and dark chocolate. Dessert in a glass!

Please Note: Due to the very small barrel sizes of Good Game and Death by Coconut, we will only be able to offer these two beers as a 32oz fill only. LIMIT ONE 32oz fill between these two beers (which will you choose?) per household. Each will be $18 for a 32oz fill.


Please share! We always try and spread the beer love around, so please enjoy these rare selections and share with friends and family. The best beer is best when shared with good people!

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Calling All Food Trucks!

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Saturdays this summer in the Rayborhood have been a blast with the help of Wauwatosa's favorite food truck, 3 Stack Shack!
Beer + BBQ = A Beautiful Day.
But, as they say, variety is the spice of life and we have gotten some queries as to when we will host other local food trucks. So, if you own a food truck, work on a food truck, frequent food trucks, or just like food, tweet at us @rayswine or @raysbeer or email me at [email protected] with your suggestions of the finest food on four wheels! We look forward to getting a rotating lineup every Saturday to keep the selection fresh!
Lets get some more good grub in the Rayborhood!

 

And if you thought things couldn't get any better for tomorrow.... they just did! Oscars on Pierce, aka the best burgers in Milwaukee, will be bringing their Oscars On a Roll food truck to the event to dish up some scrumptious burgers for everyone to enjoy!!!

 

Marc and all the folks up at O'so put a lot of hard work and time into crafting this great liquid, but there's one problem: it doesn't have a name yet!

That's where you come in!

Come up with the best name for this sexy, red sour and you will find yourself with a $100 gift card to the beer-centric universe of Ray's Growler Gallery! The beer must have O'so and Ray's in the name in some form or another (ie Hinterland's IrRAYSistible Rye), but that's the only stipulation! So have fun with it and get creative! There will be two 'rounds' to the competition. In the first round, all of you budding wordsmiths out there will submit your ingenious names in a couple of different ways.

-Tweet @raysbeer, @raysgrowler, or @rayswine with your best name and the hashtag #sourpower (include @osobrewing in the fun as well!)

-Post your name suggestions on facebook.com/rayswine

or

-Post here on this Ray's Growler thread on Beeradvocate

We will be accepting entries this way until the end of the month.

All of those submissions will then be judged by the Growler Gurus and the Gang at Ray's and will then be winnowed down to the finalists. Those finalists will then be put to a vote via a poll on Facebook and Twitter for you fine beer lovin' folks to choose what this beautiful beer will be called! And that's when it's up to you finalist to shake hands, kiss babies, and do anything else necessary to rally the troops and garner enough votes to win that sweet, sweet $100 Gift Card!