Beer of (NFC) Champions

My first experience with Blonde Doppelbock occurred when The Wall was in its infant stages.  I saw a couple in the fridge at my parents' house, and figured that I'd grab one and try it when I got to Milwaukee.  My dad told me that "it was one of his favorites, but it would probably be too strong for me."  He couldn't have been more wrong.

The first beer I truly loved

This past Halloween I went to State Street and made a stop at Opa, a little bar that's a favorite of a few friends of mine in Madison.  After that visit, I have my own reasons for loving the place: Capital Blonde Doppelbock for four dollars.  Up to that point, I hadn't really had beers that I felt tasted good enough that I would drink them even if they were non-alcoholic.  Capital Blonde changed that.  Getting it for 4 dollars (the same price that they sell Blue Moon for) was a ridiculous steal by bar pricing standards.  When I've seen Blonde in other bars it's typically between 5 and 6 dollars.

The bottle I got that night is the one on display on our wall (although according to some bartenders, taking the empty bottle might've been against the law because of open bottle laws? Oops)

After that, I had my dad keep an eye out for it at Woodman's (where Capital is far cheaper than any other beer.  He bought a six pack, along with what he thought was his house beer: Hacker Pschorr Weisse.  Unfortunately, it turns out that it was actually Hacker Pschorr's Oktoberfest.  He swapped four of the Blondes for Oktoberfests, thinking I wouldn't notice.  If he weren't helping me get through college debt-free, that might have been an unforgivable offense.

My favorite memory with Blonde came Sunday shortly after the NFC Championship Game.  Those two bottles that my dad was kind enough not to switch out for beer he thought sucked? I've been saving them since I got them in November.  I wanted to keep them for a special occasion, and I can't think of many days coming up that would be better to drink one of the bottles than in the aftermath of the NFC Championship.

All in all, Capital Blonde is my favorite beer.  I give it an A+

Next up? The Super Bowl.  Then (with a little luck) Bockfest 2011

Have you had Blonde Doppelbock? Do you agree with my take? Let us know in the comments!

The hunt for Capital Bockfest tickets

Every year at the end of February, Capital Brewery in Madison, Wisconsin hosts Bockfest.  It's a tribute to Blonde Doppelbock, Capital's award-winning limited release brew that is produced in the fall and just in time for spring.

Seeing as this will (hopefully) be my first Bock Fest, I'll let the people at Capital describe it for you:

"Bockfest features beer, food, music, "catching" fish, and our annual Running of the Blondes 1k race. Only 2,500 very lucky folks will attend Bockfest 2011. Wanna a cold one?"

This year, Bockfest will be taking place on Saturday, February 26.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that it is free, there are a limited number of tickets available for it.  Capital has provided five ways that you can get them.

5 ways to get your FREE Bockfest ticket:

Way #1: Get a room.
Book your hotel room for Bockfest 2011 weekend at one of the hotels listed below and you'll receive two complimentary tickets to Bockfest 2011.

• 
  608-831-6970
  Go To Website
• 
  Go To Website
• 
  608-831-2000
  Go To Website
• 
  608-664-5888
  Go To Website

Way #2: We're giving away 500 Bockfest tickets.

• WHEN: Wednesday, January 26th at 6:00pm
• WHAT: Bockfest Ticket Release Party
• WHERE: Capital Brewery Warehouse
         7734 Terrace Ave.
         Middleton, WI
• HEY: Limit 2 per person

Way #3:
If you show up for the Bockfest Ticket Release Party — but do not receive free tickets — you will be automatically entered into our Last Chance Drawing held Wednesday, February 9th.
Way #4:
Stay tuned to Triple MMM 105.5FM in Madison for Bockfest ticket giveaways.
Way #5:
We just might be crazy enough to give away Bockfest tickets on Facebook. So click here and follow us starting now.

UGH! As somebody who is from Madison, goes to school in Milwaukee and thinks that 105.5 sucks, I'm pretty pissed.  I'm relying completely on getting tickets through Facebook.

If you live in Madison and can bring several friends to the ticket release party, PLEASE let us know in the comments! (you don't need to sign up for Blogger to comment, just select "Name/URL")

For additional info about Blonde Doppelbock, Capital Brewery or Bockfest click here