Yaktoberfest 2011 Wrap: 10 Beers + Fundraising Success = Great Party

Perfect weather was the first clue that Yaktoberfest 2011, which took place on a dead end street near Hancock Drive in Austin last Saturday, was going to be a good success.  Two years ago when we held the first edition, we ran into unlikely bad weather.  This time though, the skies were mostly blue and the air warm but not too hot.  The party was underway on schedule at 2:00, and by 2:15 all of the homebrewer contributors had set up shop.  Steve, the Grand Yak, had four different beers, and with my three, plus three more from other brewers, we managed to hit double digits:

• Steve the Grand Yak offered up one of his signature beers, the Barton Creek Greebelt Pale Ale, along with an Irish Red Ale and two more unusual offerings: a Whiskey Barrel Porter (fermented with whiskey barrel chips and spiked with a touch of whiskey) and a Ginger Lemongrass Ale.  The porter was a great sipper, although you had to be careful not to drink too much, especially if you planned on tasting a lot of different brews.
• Sammy, with help from Steve and the absent Nick, produced a replica of Russian River Brewing's "Pliny the Elder" American Double IPA.  Seriously hoppy, the IPA lovers tended to pick this one as their favorite of the day.
• Steve No. 2 was a late addition and brought a replica of a Deschutes Pale Ale.
• Brandon, another brewer who chose a replica this year, made his version of local brewery Rogness' Double IPA, high in hops (and alcohol).
• Finally, my three beers were a Texas Red Ale, the return of the Baltic Porter (which appeared at Yaktoberfest 2009), and a last-minute Kölsch, which I was worried would be under-carbonated but turned out to be fine, and because it was about the lightest thing on the menu, the people who like lighter beers were big fans.

We also offered up two things that made our table a popular one: four cheeses selected by Shawn at Antonelli's Cheese Shop in Hyde Park, and my mate (and good sport) Fabian, who brought a sprinkle of real Oktoberfest with him by donning his lederhosen.  Many people commented on how delicious the cheeses were.  And Fabian, a veteran of many Bavarian Oktoberfests, made everything feel a bit more authentic.

Ready for bier

Our grub wasn't the only draw though, and neither was the beer.  A couple of young whippersnappers from the neighborhood put together a pretty solid magic show, which entertained kids of all ages, especially Steve (in the hat).

One of these things just doesn't belong ...

We also managed to raise over $1,000 for our two charities, Heifer International and Crowe's Nest Farm.  Everyone associated with the event was excited, and every guest looked like they had lots of fun.  Beer does that.  So two days later, we've already picked a date for Yaktoberfest 2012: October 13.  Mark it down!

Here's the full slide show from the day.

Natas or Rodney?

Let's say it's the late '80s and you have to pick just one: Rodney Mullen or Natas Kaupas.  How do you decide?

Just askin' ...

Yaktoberfest 2011 Update: Kölsch bottled just in time; party this Saturday!

Yaktoberfest -- the little fundraising party my brewing colleagues and I are throwing -- is this Saturday.  Per my last report, I decided at the last second to brew a lighter beer, which turned out to be a Kölsch (more of a Springtime beer with roots in the Cologne area of Germany).  I figured if I started about 16 days prior to the party, I could get the beer into bottles with enough time to allow it to carbonate.  Tuesday was my deadline, but on Monday I still didn't have enough empty bottles.  Sheesh! Thankfully, co-host Steve, who kegs his beer, had some empty Topo Chico bottles and dropped them off early Tuesday night.  A few hours later, everything was bottled.

The Yaktoberfest glasses that Steve ordered have arrived.  The small tasting glasses look pretty sweet I think.

Saturday we go live.  Wish us luck, and may we fund many, many yaks.

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011: Schedule Out, Conflicts Identified (and Aftershows Too!)

The schedule for the 2011 Fun Fun Fun Fest has been released.  Austin's "other" big festival introduces a couple of new features this year.  First, the festival runs three days rather than two.  Second, due to the temporary closure of former home Waterloo Park, this year's festival moves downtown to the larger confines of Auditorium Shores.  Fun Fun Fun takes place November 4 through November 6.  Tickets are still on sale: $55/day or $135 for all three.  Find the full three-day lineup HERE.

Fun Fun Fun has also announced that this year's festival days will extend into "Fun Fun Fun Nites" -- a series of shows at clubs around Austin.  Good news:  If you have a three-day wristband, you can get in for free!  There are some pretty good shows in here, although the names aren't necessarily the biggies.  Great nites await at the Parish, Mohawk, Continental Club, Club DeVille, Red 7 and others.  So be prepared to rock-n-roll all day and night.  That's how we do things here in the Live Music Capital.

As for the actual festival, the conflicts really aren't that bad, thanks to the festival organizers generally grouping similar types of acts on the same stage.  If you have a broad taste in music though, you might find yourself choosing between Passion Pit and Public Enemy on Friday night (as someone who purchased the first PE album on cassette back in 1987 but still has never seen the group live, you know where I'll be).  Or maybe it's Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears vs. Thee Oh Sees that's giving you heartburn.  Or Lykke Li vs. Neon Indian, M83 vs. Rakim, or Diplo vs. The Black Lips vs Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest.  Point is, despite their best efforts, you'll still probably end up having to pick and choose a little bit.  On the bright side, that just means the lineup is really good.

Below is the full Fun Fun Fun schedule, thanks to indierockreviews.com.

Friday
Orange stage:
Passion Pit 8:30-9:45
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 7:25-8:25
Okkervil River 6:30-7:20
Black Joe Lewis 5:35-6:25
The Thermals 4:45-5:30
Heartless Bastards 3:55-4:40
Ocote Soul Sound 3:05-3:50
Cloud Nothings 2:20-3:00
Jim Ward (Sparta/ATDI) 1:40-2:15
Canon Blue 1:05-1:35
TV Torso 12:30-1:00

Black stage:
Danzig Legacy 8:15-9:45
Murder City Devils 7:20-8:10
Russian Circles 6:30-7:15
Thee Oh Sees 5:45-6:25
Ty Segall 5:00-5:40
D Generation 4:10-4:55
Bane 3:25-4:05
From Ashes Rise 2:45-3:20
Doomriders 2:05-2:40
Mindspiders 1:30-2:00
Total Control 12:55-1:25
Defeater 12:20-12:50

Blue stage:
Public Enemy 8:30-9:45
Four Tet 7:35-8:25
Spank Rock 6:45-7:30
Big Freedia 6:05-6:45
Franki Chan 5:30-6:05
Picture Plane 5:00-5:30
YACHT 4:15-5:00
Omar Souleyman 3:30-4:10
Black Milk 2:45-3:25
Autobody 2:00-2:40
Car Stereo Wars 1:15-1:55
Fat Tony 12:40-1:10
DJ iPod Ammo 12:20-12:40

Yellow stage:
Reggie Watts 7:15-8:00
Brett Gelman 6:55-7:15
Matt Bearden 6:35-6:55
Upright Citizens Brigade 5:00-6:30
FFF Dating Game 4:10-4:55
Altercation Comedy Hr 3:05-4:05
Anarchy Championship Wrestling 2:20-3:00
Adira Amiran 1:45-2:20
Jake Flores 1:25-1:40
Best Fwends 12:50-1:20
Maggie May 12:30-12:45

Saturday
Orange stage:
Spoon 8:30-9:45
Lykke Li 7:25-8:25
Girls 6:30-7:20
M83 5:35-6:25
Ra Ra Riot 4:45-5:30
Tune-Yards 4:00-4:40
The Joy Formidable 3:15-3:55
Tinarewin 2:30-3:10
Joe Lally (Fugazi) -1:55-2:25
Future Islands 1:20-1:50
Keep Shelly In Athens 12:45-1:15
Manejo Beto 12:10-12:40

Black stage:
The Damned 8:45-9:45
Hot Snakes 7:50-8:40
Cave In 6:55-7:40
Negative Approach 6:05-6:50
Paint It Black 5:20-6:00
Youth Brigade 4:35-5:15
Dead Horse 3:50-4:30
Trash Talk 3:15-3:45
World Inferno Friendship Society 2:30-3:10
Deathgrips 1:55-2:25
Touche Amore 1:20-1:50
Shapes Have Fangs 12:45-1:15
Thieves 12:15-12:40

Blue stage:
Major Lazer 8:45-9:45
Neon Indian 7:50-8:40
Childish Gambino 7:00-7:45
Rakim 6:10-6:55
Cold Cave 5:20-6:05
Dan Deacon 4:30-5:15
Wugazi 3:45-4:25
Cecil Otter 3:20-3:40
Brandt Brauer Fricke 2:40-3:15
T-bird and the Breaks 2:05-2:35
Purity Ring 1:30-2:00
Blackie 1:05-1:25
tba dj 12:30-1

Yellow stage:
Wham City sketch comedy 6:15-8:15
Neal Brennan 5:45-6:10
Johnny Pemberton 5:20-5:40
Turquoise Jeep 4:45-5:15
Donald Glover 4:10-4:40
Air Sex Contest 3:30-4:05
Anarchy Championship Wrestling 2:40-3:25
Captured By Robots 1:50-2:35
Louis Katz 1:25-1:45
Ali Wong 1:05-1:20
Cameron Buchholtz 12:45-1:05
Michael Priest 12:30-12:45

Sunday
Orange stage:
Slayer 8:15-9:45
Brian Posehn 7:40-8:10
Hum 6:45-7:35
Architecture in Helsinki 5:50-6:40
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists 5:00-5:45
Budos Band 4:10-4:55
Mates of State 3:20-4:05
We Were Promised Jetpacks 2:30-4:15
Asobi Seksu 1:55-2:25
Le Butcherettes 1:20-1:50
Lemuria 12:45-1:15
Crooks 12:15-12:40

Black stage:
Blonde Redhead 8:45-9:45
Black Lips 7:50-8:40
Boris 7:00-7:45
Cannibal Corpse 6:10-6:55
Kid Dynamite 5:20-6:05
Eyehategod 4:30-5:15
Zero Boys 3:40-4:25
No Bunny 2:55-3:35
Ceremony 2:20-2:50
Davilla 666 1:40-2:15
OBN III 1:05-1:35
Schmillion 12:30-1:00

Blue stage:
Odd Future 8:45-9:45
Diplo 7:50-8:40
Flying Lotus 6:55-7:45
Del the Funky Homosapien 6:00-6:50
BATHS 5:10-5:55
Austra 4:20-5:05
MNDR 3:35-4:15
Grimes 3-3:30
G-Side 2:25-2:55
Bird Peterson 1:40-2:20
Speak 1:05-1:35
Soul Khan 12:30-1

Yellow stage:
Henry Rollins 7:00-8:00
Master Pancake’s Video Jukebox 6:15-6:55
Veggie Hotdog Eating Contest 5:25-6:10
Brody Stevens 5:00-5:20
K-Strauss (Yo Yo Extravaganza) 4:35-5:00
Doug Mellard 4:15-4:35
Page and Stephen’s FFF Wedding 3:35-4:10
Anarchy Championship Wrestling 2:50-3:30
New Movement Sketch Comedy 2:15-2:50
Chris Trew 2:00-2:25
Nick Flanagan 1:40-2:00
Rap Battle Royale 1:05-1:40
What the Hell: Magic Stunt Show 12:45-1:05
Cody Hustak 12:30-12:45

OFFICIAL FFF NITES SCHEDULE 2011

THURSDAY 11/3
Mohawk (IN)
Underground Railroad to Candyland 12:45-?
Ghost Knife 11:45-12:30
TBA 11-11:30
(OUT)
Ty Segall 10:15-11
The Coathangers 9:15-10
The Young 8:30-9
Doors 7:30

Red 7
Toxic Holocaust 12:45-1:30
Hull 11:45-1230
The Fucking Wrath 10:45-11:30
Pushmen 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Beauty Bar
Check Yo Ponytail Presents:
Franki Chan 12:30-2
Devlin and Darko of Spank Rock 11:30-12:30
Rusty Lazer 10:30-11:30
Doors 9:30

ND
Sleepercar (Jim Ward of Sparta/At the Drive In) 12:30-
Jesse Malin (of D Generation) 11:30-12:15
Cowboy and Indian 10:35-11:15
Lights Go Out 9:50-10:20
Doors 9

Learning Secrets & Transmission Presents:
Empire Automotive
Passion Pit DJ Set 12:30-End
Learning Secrets 11:30-12:30
Special Guest 10:45-11:30
Learning Secrets 10:15-10:45
Doors 9:30

FRIDAY 11/4
FYF Presents:
Mohawk (IN)
Big Freedia 1-1:30
BBF DJ 12:30-1:00
Fat Tony 12-12:30
Brandt Brauer Fricke DJ 11:00-12:00
(OUT)
Glass Candy 11:15-12
DJ 11-11:15
Cold Cave 10:30-11
DJ 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Brooklyn Vegan & Transmission Ent. Presents:
Red 7 (IN)
Powertrip 12-12:45
Touche Amore 11-11:45
Pianos Become Teeth 10:15-10:45
Dead End Path 9:30-9:55
Miles Away 9-9:25
(OUT)
Doomriders 12:30-1:15
Inepsy 11:30-12:15
Mammoth Grinder 10:45-11:15
Mindless 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Club de Ville
Dead Confederate 11-12
TBA 10-10:45
TBA 9:15-9:45
Doors 8:30

Beauty Bar
TBA DJ 1-2
Andre Williams 12-1
BJL Side Project 11-11:45
DJ sets between acts
Doors 10

Beerland
Cobra Skulls 12:45-1:30
Nothington 11:45-12:30
Broken Gold 10:45-11:30
The Anchor 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

ND
Special Guests
The Parish
Thermals 12:30-1:30
Lemuria 11:40-12:10
Ume 10:55-11:25
David Liebe Hart 10:10-10:40
Doors 9:30

Empire Automotive
Kool Keith 12:45-End
Death Grips 11:50-12:30
Blackie 11:25-11:45
Trash Talk 10:50-1120
TBA 10:05-10:35
Doors 9:30

SATURDAY 11/5
Mohawk (IN)
TBA 1:15-2
TBA 12:20-1
Pat Jordache 11:25-12:05
ANR 10:30-11:10
(OUT)
Felice Brothers 11:10-12:00
Gill Landry (Old Crowe Medicine Show) 10:15-10:55
Old Man Markley 9:30-10
Doors 9

Red 7 (IN)
Deafhaven 12-12:30
Eagle Claw 10:45-11:15
Watching the Moon 9:45-10:15
(OUT)
Russian Circles 1:15-2
Tera Melos 12:30-1
Boris 11:15-12:05
Ancient Vvisdom 10:15-10:45
Doors 9

Club de Ville
Budos Band 11-12
Hardproof Afrobeat 10:00-10:45
Doors 9

Beauty Bar
Industry & Artist DJ Sets 10-3
Doors 9

ND
DJ Thibault 1:30-3
Future Rock 12-1:30
DJ Thibault 11:15-12
American Royalty 10:15-11
Doors 10

The Parish
Mates of State 12:30-1:30
Generationals 11:40-12:10
Yellow Ostrich 10:55-11:25
Front Bottoms 10:10-10:40
Doors 9:30

Gorilla vs. Bear & Transmission Ent. Presents:
Empire Automotive
Neon Indian DJ set 1:15-3
Purity Ring 12:30-1:15
Memoryhouse 11:30-12:15
Keep Shelly in Athens 10:30-11:15
TBA DJ
Doors 9:30

SUNDAY 11/6
Mohawk (IN)
Zero Boys 12:15-1
Night Siege 11:15-12
Rituals (Ex You People) 10:30-11
Doors 9:30

Red 7
Dom 12:30-1:15
Royal Bangs 11:30-12:15
Pujol 10:45-11:15
Bearhands 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Beauty Bar
Austra DJ Set 12:30-1:30
Dengue fever 11:30-12:30
Austra DJ set 10:30-1:30
Doors 9:30

Beerland
Thee Oh Sees 12:30-1:30
Total Control 11:30-12:10
Ch 24 10:45-11:15
David Liebe Hart (of Tim & Eric Awesome Show) 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Empire Automotive
SYD THE KID (Odd Future) DJ set 12:30-2
G-Side 12-12:30
DJ Orion & Kid Slyce 11-12
TBA 10:30-11
DJ Set 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Yaktoberfest 2011 Update: Kölsch fermenting nicely

Thankfully, the last-minute Kölsch I brewed up Thursday is coming along nicely. It started fermenting about 20 hours after pitching the yeast. Now on day three it has started settling down a bit but still has a big kreusen (yeast foam) on top.

Yaktoberfest 2011 (and RIP Steve Jobs)

About a week ago, an iPad 2 arrived in the mail (my lucky wife's business card was picked out of a bowl). Oddly I suppose, this was the very first Apple product of any kind I've ever owned. Ironic, given the passage of Apple maverick-in-chief Steve Jobs just days later.  Anyhow, people all over the world are paying tribute to Jobs, so I thought I'd do so too in my own little way, by creating a post via iPad for the first time.  Installed the Blogger app on the incredibly slim and light tablet and voila, good to go.

So in need of a subject matter, I thought I'd post about the other thing I was doing at the moment -- brewing beer.  For the second time in three years, our friends in the area are throwing a homebrewing benefit, Yaktoberfest.  In 2009, several local brewers served our finest ales and stouts on a local cul-de-sac and asked people to donate a few bucks each, which we donated to Heifer International.  We bought one whole water buffalo and were proud of what we were able to put together quickly.

Last year we couldn't find a good weekend to hold Yaktoberfest, bet we vowed to try again in 2011.  And lo and behold, we're back at it.  Yaktoberfest 2011 is October 22, same cul-de-sac (you'll have to ask for the address, but if you're truly interested I can share it).  We're aiming to have about 10 different beers available this time, but maybe someone or something unexpected will show up.  We also went out and got tasting glasses and will ask people for a $10 minimum donation for glass.

I'm contributing at least 2 brews:  A "Texas Red," a very, very pretty red ale, and a Baltic Porter, which was a smash in 2009 due to its heft.  Today I thought I'd try to squeeze one more in, a kolsch.  It will be tought -- only 16 days to go, but I think if I rack in 5 days and bottle 5 days after that, I'll be good to go.  Let's hope we ferment quickly, as we usually do.

For people into beer or brewing, I tried a new type of yeast, the Wyeast Labs "punch pack."  Grains are barley and wheat; hops are Crystal (1 1/2 oz. bittering; 1 1/2 oz. flavor).

Here are a few pictures I took with the iPad.  The first shows the mash boiling.  The second shows the Baltic Porter in secondary fermentation (look carefully in the mirror and you'll see me and the 'pad).  Check back in a few weeks for a Yaktoberfest update.  Oh, and here's a great article about Steve Jobs and how he really had his fingers on the pulse of American (world?) culture as much as any politician.

FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective: An Interlude About Chi-Ali

Since August, From Boston to Austin has been reflecting on the somewhat enigmatic legacy of the Native Tongues hip-hop collective from the late 1980s into the '90s. We've made it through three parts.  But we're not quite done.

[Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4][Part 5]

While we work on what will probably be the final chapter, here's a short interlude about second-wave Native Tongue Chi-Ali.  As might be put by Slick Rick (ironically someone who can relate to Chi-Ali's story to a degree), "here's a little somethin' that needs to be heard."  You see, Chi-Ali Griffith's story is a bad case of potential wasted. He was rapping on Native Tongue singles in his early teens and had an album out at an age most folks were still dealing with trigonometry and phys ed. After that big start though, nothing really materialized, and before long, he was in deep trouble with the law.  We're talking "America's Most Wanted" trouble.

Here's a mini-doc on Chi-Ali, or prisoner no. 04A0267 at Sing Sing.