– AleSmith Brewing in San Diego is ready to release Barrel-Aged Old Numbskull 2004. Individually numbered bottles will be available for purchase only from the brewery Sept. 1 (next Friday), beginning at 3 p.m. Due to the rare nature of this beer, purchases will be limited to two bottles per person. A release party will follow in the back of the brewery [AleSmith is located at 9368 Cabot Drive, 858-549-9888]
– Saint Arnold Brewing in Houston will celebrate Oktoberfest in the brewery Oct. 13-14, but its Oktoberfest beer will be ready Sept. 1. Saint Arnold Oktoberfest was introduced into the brewery’s rotation of seasonal offerings in 1997 and has been judged among America’s best. It was recognized with the Bronze Medal in the Scottish Ale category at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2001 and 2000.
Headlining this year’s fifth Oktoberfest celebration will be two-time Grammy Award winner and highly danceable Brave Combo, which boasts a repertoire that includes polka, waltz, mambo, two-step, merengue, ska, stroll, foxtrot, Muzak, twist, ondo, tango, bossa nova, zydeco and rock. Only 200 tickets to Saint Arnold Oktoberfest will be available each night, so making reservations are needed. Call 713-686-9494 and ask for Ann.
– Spoetzl Brewery, also in Texas, continues the countdown toward its 100th anniversary in 2009 with the release of Shiner 97, a Bohemian Black Lager that Shiner 96, a Marzen-style ale that debuted during last year’s Oktoberfest. “This is the second year of our anniversary beer concept and we want to showcase our brewing heritage, our German and Czech pedigree and our history of brewing in Texas,” said Gambrinus CMO Shamus Hanlon.