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Johnny Appleseed Day!  A Cider Celebration!  By Teege Braune

9/30/2013

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    No fresh, unfermented apples were available at Redlight Redlight during their recent Johnny Appleseed Day, which took place on Thursday, September 26, in correlation with the birthday of John Chapman, Appleseed’s birth name. Any horticulturist knows that edible or at least tasty apples almost never grow straight from seed. Grafting and other processes better left to experts are the only ways to grow your Pink Ladies, Galas, Granny Smiths, and the other sweet and tart varietals worthy of a big crunchy bite. If you were to take the seeds from these same delicious apples and plant them in your backyard, the subsequent fruit bearing trees that emerged would likely yield very different produce, and if you were to find yourself disappointed by the first
overly bitter or sour bite, you need fret not, for these apples are the building blocks of a very delightful substance, namely cider, which has a not so well hidden secret missing in even the freshest most mouth-watering apple. Yes, you can get drunk on it.
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    John Chapman, a religious ascetic, one of the first American animal right’s activists, and a strict naturalist, was adamantly opposed to grafting and splicing, processes which he believed ruined one of God’s greatest gifts the way it was intended. On the other hand, he had no problem with
alcohol, and while he, eccentric that he was, may have found the fruit of the trees he sold to pioneers during the 18th and 19th century delicious, his patrons fermented his product far more often than they ate it. For that reason, no one really felt they were doing Appleseed a disservice by drinking the fruit he helped to spread across the newly pioneered midwestern states instead of
chomping down on it. After all, filling nine of the twenty-six tap lines usually reserved for ales and lagers with cider was departure enough for Redlight Redlight, but a delightful way to not only honor one of our country’s favorite folk heroes, but also to unveil the truly awe-inspiring creativity and capabilities of the newly founded Cigar City Cider and Mead (you know, because Cigar City wasn’t awesome enough already.)
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Brent, Todd, and Teege
    Any one who’s been in the middle of the craft beer renaissance as long as I have is used to describing beverages with adjectives that would certainly seem unappealing in other contexts. A bitter, hoppy double IPA may be described as tasting like pine sap, whereas the aroma of a sour geueze may be equated with an old, leather boot. I’ve also compared beers to grapefruit rinds,
diapers, barnyards, and wet dog hair, none of these descriptors intended in a negative manner. It is therefore a jarring juxtaposition enjoying Cigar City’s array of decadent ciders, which are simply delicious in that sweet, simple way candy is delicious. The colorful names written in bright pink, green, and yellow chalk further increased my illusion of being a kid in a candy store, but unlike
candy these ciders could get you drunk, and if that isn’t enough, most them were brewed exclusively for this singular event and will not be available ever again.
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    There was the Andale´ brewed with kiwi, strawberry, and caramel. There was Cowboy Dan’s Holiday Extravaganza brewed with whiskey salted caramel, chocolate, coconut, and pie crust (yes, actual pie crust) that tasted like a rich Christmas dessert. There was There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand that tasted like banana shaped Runts, yellow Laughy Taffy, and fluffy orange Circus Peanuts. There was the Crying Game brewed with two melons and a cucumber (get it) that had the cool, sweet flavor of a melon lollypop with a crisp, refreshing finish of cucumber. There was the delightfully floral Wise Prick brewed with elderflowers and prickly pear cactus, and while I can’t tell you what fresh prickly pear cactus tastes like, I can say with authority that it goes well in cider. There was the cinnamon-spiced Apple Pie that bore an uncanny resemblance to its namesake, and finally the delightfully understated Peach In Cider, which made a refreshing denouement after the delightfully over-the-top sampling, which felt like a tour of an orchard in Candy Land, tipsy and sugared-up as I was by that point.  
    As apples are not native to the United States, Redlight Redlight gave nod to their European roots with some imported ciders as well. England’s Hogans Draught Cider had a nice light tart and salty flavor and France’s Dupont, whose traditional Norman ciders are some of the most wonderful in the world, was represented by their incredibly effervescent Cidre Reserve, its flavor touched
by a hint of brandy having been aged in Calvados barrels, and a 2010 vintage cask of Cidre Triple, which clocks in at 11% abv and has a boozy, medicinal flavor combined with a rich, intense finish of over-ripe apples, delicious to be sure, but no doubt something for the connoisseurs who can’t enjoy their alcohol without describing it using adjectives that would seem unflattering in other
arenas.

    I first arrived at an unfortunately empty Redlight Redlight wondering why Orlando was missing out on such an exciting evening, but by the time I stumbled out the bar was packed with cider enthusiasts and beer geeks alike, almost everyone clutching a Cigar City snifter sparkling with the bubbly, crystalline cider or the smaller half pour for those who just wouldn’t leave without tasting each and every variety the bar had to offer.
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     My friends and I finished our evening by splitting a large bottle of Original Sin’s Newtown Pippin Cider. Brewed using only the heirloom varietal known affectionately as “The Prince of Apples,” Newtown Pippin was “first harvested in 1740 in Queens, NY. Coveted by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and planted in their personal estates. Benjamin Franklin had Newtown Pippins shipped to him in London in 1759. Credited with establishing the U.S. fruit export industry,” Original Sin claims. Light and crisp, unpretentious yet wonderfully refreshing, Newtown Pippin was a distinctly American and decidedly appropriate way to finish off the night. As we were enjoying it, my friend Beau told an interesting story. Beau is short for Rambeau, a family name that came
over from Sweden and was shortened to Rambo in customs. As it turns out he’s the descendent of the same people who developed the apple varietal Rambo, which legend has it provided a snack to writer David Morrell as he penned his novel First Blood and is the genus of the last living tree planet by John Chapman himself. So in an indirect, far-fetched, and bizarrely coincidental way, it is almost as if Johnny Appleseed blessed this cider celebration with his presence. Like the details of Chapman’s life, Beau’s story and my probable mistranslation of it are made more of family rumors and hearsay than documented history. The parts that may be accurate are now impossible to untangle from myth, but like all good legends, the stories speak for themselves. The culture they create and the awe they inspire are more exciting than the facts that may or may not have created them. Drinking cider with a guy who is in a weird way like a descendent of both John Rambo and John Chapman, I felt very glad to be an American indeed.

You can read more about John Chapman at  Thedrunkenodyssey.com.
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October Beer Dinners and Craft Beer Events in Orlando

9/29/2013

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    The fall is a very busy time for those who love beer.  There are lots of cool events and happenings going on this October that are craft beer related.  Here are some of our favorites we wanted to let you know about.  Cheers Orlando!

Jake's Inaugural Beer Festival 10/4
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Benefit For Nicole Rades at Rogue Pub 10/5
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Florida Founder's Breakfast Stout Official Launch 10/4
Statewide Tap Invasion!
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Nerd Nite (Oktoberfest History) at Orlando Brewing 10/10
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WOBtoberfest at World of Beer Dr. Phillips 10/13
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Cigar City Beer Dinner at the Smiling Bison 10/14
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Cask & Larder vs. 7venth Sun Beer Dinner 10/14
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Pumpkinfest @ Oblivion Taproom 10/19
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Play For Purple Cornhole Tourney at
The Gnarley Barley 10/20
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Pumpkinfest @ World of Beer Dr. Phillips 10/31
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Jake's Inaugural Beer Fest Set for October 4th

9/22/2013

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    Our friends from Jake's American Bar at the Loew's Royal Pacific Resort Universal have put together a top notch Oktoberfest style beer festival that will take place on Friday October 4th from 5-9 pm.  Jake's inaugural beer festival will feature some delicious German eats along with an impressive list of both imported and American craft beers.  

    See below for a complete rundown on the food and beers.  Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.  VIP tickets are an additional $15 which gets you access to some special rare beers.  All tickets can be purchased on the Loew's Royal Pacific Hotel website.

 Jake’s Beer Festival 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013 | 5:00 – 9:00 PM 

MENU WITH BEER PAIRINGS


WURST 

beer basted, grilled mini bratwurst and knockwurst 
mini soft roll, sauerkraut, whole grain and Dijon mustards 
Left Hand Oktoberfest | Bavik Pilsner |
Pyramid Hefeweizen


SAUERBRATEN 

rich and savory braised angus beef scented with juniper and
allspice thyme and parsley spätzle tossed with Emmentaler cheese 
Ommegang Scythe & Sickle | New Belgium Shift Pale Lager 
 


CHARCUTERIE 

country chicken sausage terrine with walnuts and dried plums 
Duvel | Key West Southernmost Wheat
| Bell’s Oarsman Ale 
all natural pork pate with pistachios 
Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale | Lost Coast Downtown Brown
| Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison
Bavarian blu and Butterkäse cheeses, cornichons and tangy mustard 
Breckenridge Small Batch 471 | Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA 
 


HOUSE-MADE MINI PRETZELS 

four cheese porter fondue 
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale | Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
| Red Hook Long Hammer IPA


CHICKEN AND WAFFLES 

crispy chicken cutlets with freshly made waffles, jalapeno glaze 
Samuel Adams Boston Lager | Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale
| Cold Storage Betchey Brown Ale


SWEETS 
Lebkuchen Cookies 

cinnamon and anise gingerbread, chocolate covered or sugar dusted 
Left Hand Milk Stout | Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple Hard Cider 

Apple Strudel 

delicate pastry, raisins and walnuts, crème anglaise 

SweetWater IPA



Beer Menu
 

AYINGER 
Oktoberfest* 

BELL’S 

Two Hearted Ale 
Best Brown Ale 
Oarsman Ale 
The Oracle DIPA Ale* 

BRECKENRIDGE 

Vanilla Porter 
Agave Wheat 
Small Batch 471 
Autumn Ale


CIGAR CITY 

Florida Cracker White Ale 
Jai Alai India Pale Ale 
Maduro Brown Ale 
Cask Ale* 
Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale* 
Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout*


COLD STORAGE CRAFT 

Florida Avenue Ale 
Florida Avenue IPA 
Florida Avenue Blueberry 
Betchy Brown Ale


CRAFT BREWERS ALLIANCE 

Kona Big Wave Golden Ale 
Kona Longboard Island Lager 
Redhook Audible Ale 
Redhook Long Hammer IPA


DOGFISH HEAD 

60 Minute IPA 
90 Minute IPA 
Indian Brown Ale 
Raison D’Etre


FAT CAT 

Lager Beer 
Shawshank’s Injunction Pale Ale 
Sultans of Wheat 
Confession IPA 
Beale St. Brown Ale

 

FLORIDA BEER 
Gaspar’s Porter 
Key West Southernmost Wheat 
Swamp Ape I.P.A.


GLOBAL BEER NETWORK 

Wittekerke 
Bavik Pilsner 
Petrus Aged Red 
Gulden Draak 
Troubadour Westkust*


LAGUNITUS 

IPA 
Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ 
Censored 
Pils 
Brown Shugga’ or Little Sumpin’ Wild*



LEFT HAND 

Milk Stout 
Oktoberfest 
400 Pound Monkey 
Sawtooth Ale


LOST COAST 

Tangerine Wheat Ale 
Downtown Brown 
Indica India Pale Ale 
Alleycat Amber 
Raspberry Brown*


NEW BELGIUM 

Fat Tire Amber Ale 
Ranger IPA 
Sunshine Wheat 
Shift Pale Lager 
Lips of Faith*


NORTH AMERICAN BREWERIES 

Magic Hat #9 Not Quite Pale Ale 
Magic Hat Séance 
Pyramid Apricot Ale 
Pyramid Hefeweizen

 

OMMEGANG | DUVEL 
Hennepin Farmhouse Saison 
Scythe & Sickle 
Duvel 
Liefmans


OSKAR BLUES 

Dale’s Pale Ale 
Mama’s Little Yella Pils 
Old Chub Scotch Ale 
G’Knight Imperial Red 
Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale*


SAMUEL ADAMS 

Boston Lager 
Octoberfest 
Harvest Pumpkin Ale 
Double Bock* 
Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple Hard Cider



SHIPYARD | SEA DOG 

Pumpkinhead Ale 
Export Ale 
Bluepaw Blueberry Wheat Ale 
Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter


SIERRA NEVADA 

Pale Ale 
Kellerweis 
Flipside Red IPA 
Porter
Narwhal or Northern Hemisphere Harvest*


SWEETWATER 

420 Extra Pale Ale 
IPA


TERRAPIN 

Rye Pale Ale 
Hopsecutioner IPA 
RecreationAle 
Pumpkin Fest


WEIHENSTEPHAN 

Hefeweissbier* 
Weizenbock* 
Oktoberfest* 
Lager*

* VIP Room Only
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Oktoberfest coming to Redlight Redlight September 21st

9/18/2013

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    In case you haven't heard, German beer lovers have something to be excited about starting this Saturday September 21st.   Audubon Park's Redlight Redlight will be kicking off the 2013 Oktoberfest season with some special German beers along with some festive bites from the Smiling Bison.    The tasty German offerings will include Bratwurst, Currywurst, Kraut & Mustard, German Potato Salad, and Pretzels with Beer & Cheese Mustard! 

    Additional  Redlight events scheduled throughout the week are set to include special cask tappings and stein hoisting competitions.  Stein hoistings will be held each night at 8:00 pm.  Prizes will be awarded for those who can hoist the longest.  Check out our Oktoberfest Page for a complete rundown of all of Orlando's Oktoberfest events.  Prost!
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German Cask Tapping Schedule

Saturday 9/21
Zehendner Mönchsambacher
Lagerbier & Weißenoher Altfränkisch Klosterbier

Sunday 9/22 
Brauerei Bayer Landbier

Monday 9/23
Kraus Lager Hell

 Tuesday 9/24
Löwenbräu Buttenheim Kellerbier

Wednesday 9/25 
Mahrs Bräu Kellerbier Ungespundet Hefetrüb
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Oktoberfest begins this weekend at Orlando Brewing!

9/15/2013

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    Saturday September 21st will mark the beginning of the Oktoberfest season in Orlando.  Orlando Brewing will be commemorating over 200 years of German brewing tradition at this year’s 7th Annual Oktoberfest celebration.   Saturday's celebration will feature Orlando Brewing's organic Oktoberfest which is a medium bodied European amber lager with deep, rich malt character. It is initially malty sweet and finishes moderately dry with low hop bitterness.   Prost!


Schedule of events at Orlando Brewing for Saturday will be as follows...

1pm: Official Oktoberfest Beer Tapping
1:30pm: German Food by
C&S Brisket Bus
3pm: Cornhole Tournament...
4pm: Live Preformance by Dan Witucki & Mein Heimatland Musikaten
 


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2013 Oktoberfest events in Orlando

9/4/2013

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    Are you ready to get your Oompah Pah on in Orlando this fall?  The fall beer season and Oktoberfest 2013 is about to get into full swing in Orlando.  We have put together our annual list of some of our favorite places to enjoy this year's festivities.  If you know of some others that are not included here please let us know.  Prost!



Central Florida 2013 Oktoberfest Events
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Central Florida German American Society Oktoberfest
(2 Dates) Saturday October 5th and 26th


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Jake's Inaugural Beer Festival 
Friday October 4th 5:00- 9:00pm @ Loew's Royal Pacific Resort  Get Tickets

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Orlando Brewing Oktoberfest
Saturday September 21st @ Noon


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World of Beer Wobtoberfest
Saturday & Sunday September 28 and 29
Saturday & Sunday October 5th and 6th (UCF)
Saturday October 12 ( Dr. Phillips)
Saturday October 12 (Cleremont)
Saturday October 19 (Lake Mary)


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Oblivion Taproom Oktoberfest
Saturday October 5th 4:00 pm - 2:00 am

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Oktoberfest at Wall Street Plaza and Downtown Orlando
Saturday October 5th



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Monster's Beertoberfest
Saturday September 28th (Downtown Sanford)


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Downtown Sanford Oktoberfest
Thursday October 11th (Downtown Sanford Alive after 5)
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