You know The J. Clyde never passes up the chance to celebrate and promote craft beer in Birmingham, so we have a week’s worth of official ACBW events for you at the pub.  Check them out:

Monday, May 14th

• We will have Back Forty Brewing Company’s Kudzu Porter on the Randall with a special treatment.
• A cask of Avery Brewing Company’s Out of Sight will be tapped.  This is Avery’s Out of Bounds Stout with added coffee beans.
• Weekly special: Gravity Calling!  Your first two high gravity, draught beers (over 6%) are just $5 each.

Tuesday, May 15th

• We will be tapping a cask of Good People Brewing Company’s Coffee Oatmeal Stout with added Williamette hops, ancho chilies, vanilla beans, and cocoa nibs.
• Weekly special: IPA Day!  All single IPAs on draft are half price.

Wednesday, May 16th

• Pinnacle Imports will be at the pub holding a free craft beer tasting from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 17th

• Glassware giveaway!  Buy a draft beer offering from Avondale Brewing Company, Blue Pants Brewery, Good People Brewing Company, or Straight to Ale and you get to keep the pint glass.  (while supplies last)
• Weekly Special:  All Birmingham brewed draught beers are 50% off!

Friday, May 18th

• Terrapin Beer Company’s Rye Pale Ale will find its way through our Randall with a very special treatment.
• Also from Terrapin, we will be tapping a cask of their Monk’s Revenge Belgian-style India Pale Ale

Saturday, May 19th

• Glassware giveaway!  Buy a Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA and keep the glass!  (while supplies last)

There you have it!  There still might be a few surprises thrown in there for kicks, but this is the official plan for the week.  We hope you all can make it for as many of these events as possible to help us prove that craft beer is America’s beverage of choice!

We had a blast pouring up some amazing beers and serving great food for all of you the entire week of the anniversary.  Each night got better and better with all the tasty treats that got added to the tap wall as the week went on.  By far the greatest moment for the pub on anniversary week was that the back bar, where The J. Clyde all started, reopened to feature 13 new taps of local favorites.  Now that the back bar is pouring beer again, it is the perfect combination of nostalgia and progress for us here at the pub.

Of course, the fifth anniversary celebrations all ended on April 15th with our Fifth of Clyde beer dinner.  We knew this beer dinner was going to be something special because we had record turnout and interest for this event.  Chef Adam Joiner’s menu was stellar, with each course somehow getting better than the last (just take a look at the awesome Asiago Cream Soup paired with Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro de Calabaza pictured on the right).  The beers brought back so many memories as our guest speakers reminded us of each offering’s specific back story to our years at the pub and to Alabama beer culture as a whole.  It truly could not have been a better night of good friends, world-class beer, delectable food, and great times.

We just want to thank all of you (from our patrons to our brewers to our distributors) for the incredible moments and memories we enjoyed during our fifth anniversary celebrations and over the last five years.  It is because of you that our vision for a craft beer experience in Birmingham became a reality.  Once again, thank you all so much and we cannot wait to see you soon to enjoy all of the good times that await us in the future!

It is difficult to believe a year has almost passed since those devastating storms hit our great state on April 27th, 2011.  Just as you all, we sat there trying to figure out something we could do that would have an impact in supporting our neighbors who had been affected by these storms.  As we were brainstorming, it did not take long for Good People Brewing Company to come forward with the willingness to team up in this effort.  We then decided to reopen our doors on Sundays for an entire year to serve donated casks from Good People each week.  The idea behind the year’s worth of events was not only to have all of the funds raised from the donated casks go to support the tornado relief efforts of the Birmingham Chapter of the American Red Cross, but also to remind everyone that the level of loss and devastation our neighbors experienced was not just going to get better in a couple of weeks when the national media moved on from our story.

We feel that our mission was accomplished, and it was thanks to you, our amazing friends and patrons.  All we asked of you was that your first beer each Sunday be from the donation cask, and you were happy to oblige.  We had so many of you become Sunday regulars, we made lots of new friends, and plenty of good times were had in support of this great cause.  We cannot thank you enough.

If you can make it out, we hope all of you join us for the final tornado relief cask event on April 29th when we tap the following two casks of Good People IPA:

• Good People IPA cask with Amarillo hops.
• Good People IPA cask with a blend of Citra, Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe hops.

This year long experience has been a refreshing reminder that we get to deal with some of the most kindhearted and giving folks day in and day out at the pub.  Once again, we would like to thank Good People Brewing Company and all of our great friends and customers. Your level of awesomeness is unmeasurable, and we hope to raise a glass with each and every one of you on Sunday, April 29th!

Since this event will be last of the Tornado Relief cask events, we will be returning to our normal schedule of being closed on Sundays.  So, effective May 6th, we will no longer be open on Sundays. 

Up until this point, we have always done half price beers under 6% ABV on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  It has always been wildly successful, but recently it seems that with the new and ever expanding selection of amazing high gravity beers now available in our state that there have been consistently fewer options for folks these days at the under 6% mark.  In order to give our wonderful patrons more options and also add a fresh element of fun to each week, we will be implementing the following new specials:

• Tuesdays – All draught India Pale Ales (IPAs) will be half off.  The amount of world-class IPAs now available in our area would have seemed like a pipe dream when we first opened.  Looking at our draft list now, it is awe inspiring to see the leaps Alabama’s craft beer culture has taken over the last five years, and we need to rejoice in all of this fresh, hoppy goodness.  If you are a hop head, Tuesdays are now your favorite day of the week!  **Discount applies to single IPAs only.**
• Thursdays - All local, draught beers brewed in the great city of Birmingham will be half price.  This will give us the chance to showcase all of the great beer being produced in our city and celebrate them with our friends and wonderful patrons each week!  **Discount applies to Good People Brewing and Avondale Brewing offerings.  It will also apply to Cahaba Brewing when they go operational, and of course any future Birmingham breweries.**

Too often, Southern breweries are overlooked when the talks start about whose making the finest beers in the country.  It may be surprising to our friends in the Midwest, New England, or West Coast, but our Southern breweries are stepping it up by creating some of the most creative and impressive beers around.  The amazing things happening in Southern brewing culture are no secret to us, and we want to celebrate our fine brewers.  On March 22nd, we are going to highlight just a handful of some of our region’s awesome breweries with a tap takeover (full tap list below).  In addition to the stellar beer selection available that day, representatives and brewers from each brewery will be on hand for a meet and greet.

If you are a lover of Southern craft beer,  one look at that tap list and you already know you do not want to miss this event.  If you happen to be unfamiliar with our region’s brews, this takeover will give you the chance to dive in head first in the company of some of the nicest and coolest people in the craft beer industry.  Good times will be had and we hope to see you all then!

Avondale Brewing Company – Birmingham, AL

• Battlefield IPA
• Brothel Brown
• Ms. Fancy’s Tripel
• Spring Street Saison
• Streetcar Kolsch
• Vanillaphant Porter
• Vanillaphant Bourbon Barrel Porter

Back Forty Beer Company – Gadsden, AL

• Freckle Belly IPA
• Kudzu Porter
• Naked Pig Pale Ale
• Smoked Chilton County Peach Biere de Mars (brand new beer debuting at this event!)
  
• Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale

Good People Brewing Company – Birmingham, AL

• Brown Ale
• Coffee Oatmeal Stout
• Fatso Imperial Stout
• Hitchhiker IPA
• Snake Handler Double IPA

Highland Brewing Company – Asheville, NC

• Black Mocha Stout
• Gaelic Ale
• Kashmir IPA
• Little Hump Spring Ale
• Oatmeal Porter
• St. Terese Pale Ale
• Tasgall Scotch Ale

Terrapin Beer Company – Athens, GA

• Hop Karma Brown India Pale Ale
• Hopsecutioner IPA
• Hopzilla Double IPA
• Monk’s Revenge Belgian Style IPA
• Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout
• Reunion Ale ’11 – Dark Ale with Cocoa, Vanilla, and Chili Peppers
• Rye Pale Ale

This dinner will feature five courses with each representing one of our five amazing years.  The beer pairings will either be symbolic of a specific memory of that year or simply our favorite beer that was made available to us at that time.  Chef Adam Joiner has prepared a stunning menu, showing careful attention to the beer pairings in order to allow the meal to bring out all of the subtle nuances of the chosen brews and vice versa (full menu below). We expect this to be one of our best beer dinners to date, and we hope to have you join us for an amazing meal and experience.

Cost of the dinner is $54.13 per person before tax and gratuity.  Reservations are required, and you can arrange those by calling 205.939.1312, emailing info@jclyde.com, or by simply asking your server the next time you are at the pub.

In addition to the Fifth of Clyde, we are doing something a little special this year to further showcase the amazing things going on in our kitchen and give you a chance to win tickets to the beer dinner at the same time.   On Monday, April 9th, we will begin the celebrations with each day of the week leading up to the Fifth of Clyde featuring one course/pairing from the beer dinner as a menu special for that evening (i.e. Monday will feature the first course, Tuesday will feature the second course, and so on until Friday night).  Each patron who orders that evening’s special pairing will receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win one (1) ticket good for a seat at the beer dinner on Sunday.  We will hold a raffle each night that week and give away a total of five (5) seats to the dinner.  Not only does this give you a chance at free awesomeness, it also gives our friends who may not be able to make Sunday’s event a chance to have a taste of the beer dinner experience.

We firmly believe the pub and the last five years would not have been the same without our wonderful friends and patrons, and words cannot express our level of gratitude.  We hope all of you can join us during this celebration to raise a glass with us to the last five years and the many more ahead of us!

 A Fifth of Clyde

5^th Anniversary Beer Dinner Menu

April 15, 2012

First Course

Rogue Brutal Bitter

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Mississippi Sweet Potatoes

Second Course

Good People IPA

Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette Salad

Hickory smoked Alabama grown

tomatoes & Apple cider vinaigrette

Third Course

Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

Asiago Cream Soup

Light creamy Asiago cheese soup

Fourth Course

Avery Reverend

Bavarian Sausage Putanesca Pasta

Rustic Olive Oil sauce with Bavarian

sausage tomatoes, olives, capers,

& red pepper flakes

Fifth Course

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Chocolate Stout Pie

KBS infused chocolate pie in a Graham cracker crust

$54.13 per person plus tax and gratuity

Well, it is that time of year again to start making your plans for the beer drinkers partying holiday that is Saint Patrick’s Day.  This year, we at The J. Clyde will be participating in Shamrockin’ in Five Points South, a six day celebration where Five Points area retailers, restaurants and bars rock in St. Patty’s Day with amazing specials and events.

What this means for our loyal friends and patrons: you will get a week full of drink specials that will wrap up on Saint Patrick’s Day with Brews & Stews, a day of Irish-themed culinary fare, fine beers, and entertainment that is sure to make you feel you are throwing down on the Emerald Isle itself.

Below you will find our full line up of events and specials for St. Patrick’s week.  We hope to see you at the pub on one or all of these days as you avoid your Lenten obligations in observance of one of the greatest holidays known to man! Sláinte!

**Brews & Stews recently got an awesome write up by Lynn Leishman on Haute Pink! Click here to check it out!**

Monday, March 12th

Your first two draught beers over 6% ABV are only $5 each.

Tuesday, March 13th

All draft beer under 6% ABV is 50% off all night long.

Wednesday, March 14th

Paddy Murphy’s Wake.  Join us as we celebrate the life of the Irish gangster who never backed down from a fight or a bottle.  We will be one of four establishments in 5 Points representing one of Paddy Murphy’s four wives and holding a traditional Irish wake in their honor.  Our wife is “Ciara Murphy, the illegitimate child of a politician, was given the mark of ‘the little black one’ by her father’s wife when they took her in after her mothers passing.
Ciara and Paddy will be honored at The J. Clyde with Paddy’s favorite Irish Whisky.”

Drink Specials:

• $3.00 Straight to Ale’s Rocket City Red Ale
• $4.00 Good People Brewing Company’s Coffee Oatmeal Stout
• $4.00 Avondale Brewing Company’s Spring Street Saison
• $5.00 shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey

Thursday, March 15th

All draft beer under 6% ABV is 50% off all night long.

Saturday, March 17th: Brews & Stews on Saint Patrick’s Day!

We open early at 11 am to get the celebrations started before Birmingham’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Irish-themed Menu:

• Brunswick Stew
• Colcannon Stew
• Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Steak and Kidney Pie
• Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
• Reuben Sandwich

Drink Specials:

• $3.00 Straight to Ale’s Rocket City Red - a traditional Irish Red Ale that Straight to Ale brewed specifically for St. Patty’s Day celebrations.
• $4.00 Good People Brewing Company’s Coffee Oatmeal Stout - like the Irish, we like our coffee with a little alcohol in it. 
  
• $4.00 Avondale Brewing Company’s Spring Street Saison – it is the color of gold and after your first sip, you feel lucky to have it in your glass.
  
• $5.00 shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey

We will also be pouring Guinness and serving up Irish Car Bombs for all your Irish partying needs.

Entertainment:

• Birmingham’s Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade ends near our door on Cobb Lane at 2:30 pm
• Dancers and Bagpipers from 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm
• Renegades of Folk performing 7 pm to 9 pm
• Caricature artist on site creating St. Patty’s Day keepsakes you can actually show your mother.

Our Mardi Gras beer of choice will be Bayou Teche’s first seasonal release, Courir de Mardi Gras.  This brew is a Biere de Mars (or March Beer), a French Farmhouse-style ale, that Bayou Tech has brewed specifically for the pre-Lenten celebrations.  Courir de Mardi Gras was brewed with Pilsner, Munich, and Wheat malts, and the final product makes for a crisp and light drinking experience.  This beer sold out within a week after its release, but we made sure to stash away plenty of bottles for this event.

To pair up with Courir de Mardi Gras, our chef has created a menu of Gulf Coast, Cajun and Creole styled dishes for all of your Fat Tuesday needs (full menu below).  Whether you are after red beans and rice or a slice of king cake, we have you covered.

Mardi Gras will be in full swing at the pub on Tuesday the 21st, so join us in the celebrations and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Mardi Gras Menu Specials

Starters

Red beans and rice with house made Tasso cured ham.

Corn Chowder – fresh corn with cream, seasoned with Old Bay.

Entrees

Red Fish Pontchartrain with jumbo lump crab meat and a sherry cream sauce.

Creole spiced vegetable pot pie with okra.

Desserts

Bananas Foster – spiced pound cake à la mode topped with a rum banana sauce.

King Cake – If you get the piece with the baby, your cake is on us.

This will be a massive event featuring the following eight kegs and three casks:

DRAFT

• West Coast IPA
• Hop Head Red
• Le Freak Ale (Belgian Trippel and American IPA hybrid)
  
• Imperial IPA
• Trippel Ale
• Barleywine Style Ale
• 30th Street Pale Ale  **
• Fizzy Yellow Pilsner (a.k.a. East Village Pilsner) **

CASK

• West Coast IPA
• Imperial IPA
• Hop Head Red

We know you may want to try all of these, but that task could get incredibly daunting to do by the pint in one sitting.  To provide you with a safer option, we will be pouring up Green Flash Beer Flights of five beers in 4oz pours.

We have one last surprise that we might be able to pull off for this launch party.  We are waiting on a couple more parts for our Randall (hop infuser), and we are hoping they make it in by the 22nd.  If so, we will be pouring very fresh and incredibly hoppy versions of West Coast IPA and Hop Head Red!  Fingers crossed!

This tap takeover is going to be amazing and we hope you all can join us for this celebration.  So, come out to the pub on February 22nd to see our taps experience some californication thanks to the West Coast style brews of Green Flash Brewing Company!

On Wednesday, February 8th, we will be tapping the reward keg of Heavy Seas Bourbon Oak Below Decks Barleywine.   This is of course Heavy Seas’ award winning English-style Barleywine that has been aged in wooden bourbon barrels.  The brewery describes the original Below Decks as “rich, malty and opulent”, and you can expect the barrel treatment to impart added notes of bourbon, caramel, and vanilla.  We are told this is a very limited release, so make sure you come out for a taste before it runs out.  After all, you earned it!

In addition to the Heavy Seas keg, we have another exciting keg in store for Wednesday.  We will be tapping a keg of Redstone Meadery’s Nectar of the Hops, and this will mark the first time The J. Clyde has ever poured mead (also known as honey wine) on draft! 

Redstone’s Nectars are lower alcohol meads (at 8%), medium in sweetness, and sparkling in feel.  They are lighter bodied meads that are meant to be light and refreshing.  Nectar of the Hops is a dry hopped version of their Nectar that marries the worlds of both beer and mead, and that sounds like a perfect addition to our draft wall.

We hope to see you at the pub on Wednesday to join us in giving these new and exciting offerings a taste!