Ever have one of those weeks? No, not one of THOSE weeks. I mean one where everything actually goes your way. It doesn’t happen often, but I recently had just such a week. And boy did it feel good.
To start, I finished my long awaited manuscript. That alone took a huge weight off my shoulders and it could have easily made my week all by itself, but there was more. A few days later Chris and I completed our 28-day beer hiatus. The day we went off the wagon I tweeted, “Life without beer is doable, but not nearly as fun” — a statement that underscores my appreciation for craft beer being in my life. With beer back on the menu, we could now celebrate my accomplishment properly. Plus, it did wonders for my adjustment to the long-forgotten state of mind called relaxation. Life saved the best for last, though, and I rounded out my week with a visit to my 600th brewery — Ale Industries.
Saturday we started our day early with a 2-hour drive north to Concord. The rain fell heavy at times, but nothing could dampen my spirit. I knew that soon I’d join Chris as a member of the ‘600 Club.’ After picking up our friend Renee at the Pleasant Hill BART station and watching Chris battle his iPhone for directions, we headed to Ale Industries.
600! Ale Industries in Concord
Once we knew the way, Ale Industries was easy to find. Located in an industrial park area, the brewery is conveniently situated next to Beer Beer and More Beer, a homebrew supply shop.
When we arrived, our longtime friend Rowdy was ready and waiting to celebrate my latest beer milestone. We often credit Rowdy as being our Yoda. For nearly 20 years, he has nurtured our development as beer geeks and it meant a lot to have him there. At Ale Industries we enjoyed a taste of everything they had to offer — from the hoppy Uncle Jesse’s Pale to the sour Pêche. We even enjoyed a rare treat in a brew called The Beer of the Future. At 3%, this honest to God session beer was full of flavor.
The party carried over to Oakland where we enjoyed a few rounds with friends at Beer Revolution and a few more at The Trappist. The night ended with seeing Flogging Molly at the Fox Theater. Yep, life is good, but life with beer is better.
Special thanks to Morgan and Steve at Ale Industries and our friends Wendy, Ivan, Motor, Rowdy, and Renee for making it a great day!
Merideth and I ended our 28-day beer hiatus Wednesday evening at a Sierra Nevada “Tap Takeover” event at burger. in Santa Cruz. A very large and cheerful crowd, including Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, enjoyed probably the widest and best selection of Sierra Nevada brews on tap in Santa Cruz County history.
Back on the beer after a 28 day break
Fifteen Sierra Nevada brews were on tap, ranging from the standards like Pale Ale, Kellerweis and Stout to the special, such as three of the 30th Anniversary series, 2009 Bigfoot and Hoptimum. There were even a few unique brews: Empire Strikes Black Russian Imperial Stout, an early Beer Camp brew, 2×4, a blend of two Belgian-style ales and a Pro-Am Old Ale. All in all there was a pretty special selection of Sierra Nevada beers.
Going in, I knew my first beer after a 28 day hiatus was going to be my beloved Torpedo. Unfortunately, that one Torpedo made me pretty loopy. Not wanting to be under the table, I passed on the higher ABV special brews and moved on to a nice, mellow Kellerweis. Merideth, after beginning with a Kellerweis, tried the 2×4, a beer she much enjoyed.
Each of the Sierra Nevada beers had a food pairing. Having gotten through the beer hiatus by indulging my sweet tooth, the dessert items caught my eye. Bigfoot 2009 paired with a brownie topped with Stout whipped cream and the Empire Strikes Black accompanying a selection of chocolates.
It was a very mellow evening by our standards, but it was great getting out, being sociable and seeing friends. Congrats to Quinn from Sierra Nevada and burger. for putting on a fun event.
View all the pictures from our evening at burger.
Our California Common is being re-released
In other Sierra Nevada related news, we are so proud our Beer Camp brew was one of the four beers selected for Sierra Nevada’s upcoming “The Best of Beer Camp” mixed pack. We look forward to drinking our hopped-up California Common again. Look for “The Best of Beer Camp” 12-packs in mid-May.
Our friend and freelance writer Renee Brincks reports on the Emerald City.
She can be found on the Interwebs at reneebrincks.com
I’ll admit, I’ve got a crush on Seattle. You sometimes see sun, rain and snow all in one day. Flowers bloom even during the winter. Public transportation makes exploring really easy, and each neighborhood has its own coolness and character – plus a few good pubs. I sampled the local beer scene during my first Seattle visit in 2010, and was quick to say yes when a Fremont friend needed a house sitter this February. Thanks to great people I’ve met through beer friends and festivals, I landed at Sea-Tac with a full set of plans.
The view of Seattle from the Columbia Center observation deck
The adventures kicked off when I caught up with Dave of Urban Beer Hikes at Maritime Pacific Brewing. It was my first visit, and the bartender was pouring $3 pints to celebrate the Jolly Roger Taproom’s first anniversary. I had an Islander Pale and a Jolly Roger on cask, and then sampled the special release, vanilla-bean aged Navigator Weizenbock. We soon pulled tables together to accommodate friends like Chris, who writes about beer and such himself, and ordered some snacks. Seattle is a terrific city for cheap nights out, because many bars and restaurants hold twice-daily happy hours with $3 pints, $3-$4 appetizers and other deals. While Maritime’s fried ravioli was my favorite, I couldn’t leave without ordering beer-battered bacon. Wow…yes, it was as unhealthy as it sounds, but tasty.
At Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden
From there, Dave, Chris and I took the Burke-Gilman Trail to Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden. When I stopped in last year, the doors were rolled open and summer sunshine streamed in. This evening, the doors were down and a line of beer lovers waited at the taps while others filled every seat in the place. After an Interurban IPA, a few of us made the mile walk to Bottleworks to end the evening with pizza, Big Time saison and a shared bottle of Rodenbach.
The Leary Traveler’s Deschutes dinner featured five well-paired courses
My next big beer outing was a Deschutes dinner at The Leary Traveler. The Traveler has good food (try the open-face breakfast sandwich available on weekends – yum), a good bottle selection, and six regular and four rotating taps. I claimed a corner table with Chris, Dave, who tends bar there, and Dave’s wife Mandy, who works over at Brouwers. The first pour was a surprise: Black Butte XXII. As Mark, the local Deschutes rep, explained, the anniversary beer was scheduled for 2010 release but never hit stores because the chocolate didn’t dissolve correctly. It didn’t hurt the taste – the beer was smooth, with a bit of chocolate and spice – but the visual presentation didn’t meet brewery standards. So, they canceled the release, bottled a few cases and decided to share it only when someone from Deschutes could tell the story and watch the pours.
Five excellent food courses followed, paired with Miss Spelt, Green Lakes Organic Ale, Red Chair and Black Butte. Dessert was the star: a chewy homemade graham cracker dipped in chocolate and toasted sesame seeds, filled with marshmallow, and served with Abyss imperial stout.
Our first Urban Beer Hike stop, The Dray
The highlight of my Seattle trip came a few days later, when Dave and his dog, Link, organized a beer hike for our Deschutes dinner crew and another friend Chris, who also works at The Traveler. Afternoon snowflakes spoiled our West Seattle plans – the city’s public transportation doesn’t always stay on schedule when it snows – so we stayed closer to home. Several soccer fans were watching an Arsenal-Stoke City match when I ordered a Pike IPA at our meeting spot, The Dray. It’s a small bar, and one of those cozy neighborhood places where everyone seems to know each other. We shared a bottle of black label Girarden Gueuze before moving on to 74th Street Ale House. Though the menu listed tempting happy hour appetizers, Link couldn’t come inside, so I had Laurelwood’s Workhorse IPA and we moved on.
Taking a break to warm up at Uber
After a torta stop at Barriaga Llena, we settled in at Uber. More snow was falling by now, and we warmed up around the fire while sampling – with four-ounce pours for around $2 each, it’s easy to create your own impromptu tasting menu. Then, it was off to Kangaroo and Kiwi. There’s not an extensive beer menu here, but one Chris and I relived our Australian university days over Coopers Pale, he and the other Chris went head-to-head at pool, and we all took third in the bar’s trivia contest. When it ended, we bundled up and went to Park Pub a final stop and a Big Al IPA. Altogether, we walked about three miles, sampled beers from Washington and beyond, and hiked home in three inches of snow – a rare thing for Seattle, I’m told.
While in town, I also stopped by my Capitol Hill favorite, the Stumbling Monk, drank Fremont’s Abominable Ale at People’s Pub, and ate at Molly Moon’s, Top Pot, Paseo and Palace Kitchen. Still, there are several places that I didn’t get to visit, and a few people (Philippe, are you reading this?) I didn’t get to see. That’s the thing about Seattle, though. It always gives you good reasons to return.
Big thank yous to my Seattle friends – especially Charyn, Dave, Mandy, Link and Chris D. – for making my week so fantastic. Even if Dave did make me do a Bart Simpson shot… Thanks to Chris and Merideth, too, for letting me invade their blog.
Link, sporting a beer collar that Mandy made for him
We thought our SF Beer Week was over with our Saturday activities. But we couldn’t turn down an invitation to Anchor Brewing’s 140th Anniversary party. So, Wednesday afternoon, I picked Merideth up from work and we were headed back north on Highway 101 to the City.
Merideth enjoying a Brekle's Brown
To commemorate the occasion, Anchor debuted a new brew at the party, Brekle’s Brown. Named after their first brewer, Gottlieb Brekle, the Brown Ale is all malt, single hop (Citra) and comes in at 6.1% ABV.
My first beer was a Liberty, so my first sip of Brekle’s Brown was a quick one as I passed Merideth her beer. My immediate thought was it’s Anchor Christmas without the spicing.
Finally with my own glass of Brekle’s Brown, I would retreat somewhat from my earlier, instantaneous assessment. Brekle’s Brown is a light-bodied, light hopped brew with a lot of malt and caramel notes. It would be a really great session beer if it was 4.1% ABV and not 6.1%.
hops
The food for the evening was the four ingredients in beer themed. Water was Steamed Pork Buns. Yeast was Pretzels made with brewers yeast. Though very delicious, the one stretch was malt: Brekle’s Brown beer battered Diver Scallops with Malt Vinegar. The star was the hops dish: Brown Butter Financier Cake with Caramel Buttercream and Hazelnut Toffee. Citra hops were infused into the buttercream and it was heaven! The servers at that station didn’t get to know me by name, but they certainly got to know me by face.
Overall, another great evening at Anchor. Merideth even got a picture with Jane Cunningham, great granddaughter of Gottlieb Brekle. That picture and all the pictures from the evening are in the image gallery below.
Last year, we attended events on all but two days of SF Beer Week. For a variety of reasons, Merideth and I didn’t have it in us to repeat 2010’s hectic schedule in 2011. We planned on only doing one weekend this year, the first. One weekend morphed into one day as we couldn’t find a pup sitter for Porter and Stout.
The main event of the day would be the Bistro’s 11th Annual Double IPA Festival, followed by some beer tramping around the City. The weather forecast, sunny and temperatures in the high 60s, was a cause for some concern. We are some of those crazy beer geeks who like to enjoy themselves at beer festivals. Really nice weather could translate into very crowded conditions at DIPA with long beer lines.
We had one ace up our sleeve, however. Having spent a quiet Friday night at home watching a movie, we would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Saturday morning. Our plan was to get to the Bistro early while most other beer geeks were still sleeping off their SF Beer Week opening night celebrations.
The line moved quickly
Leaving our car in Fremont, we rode BART to Hayward. We met our friend Renee at the BART station a few minutes past 11am and made the short walk to the Bistro under brilliantly blue skies. Walking past the penned in side street that houses the festival, I saw a short admission line and a few people milling about with beers. Our threesome passed through the pub, exited the side entrance and joined the quick moving line.
First beer at the 2011 DIPA Festival; Russian River's Pliny the Younger
Fifty dollars lighter in my pocket, I was now armed with my taster glass and 10 paper tokens. I already knew what my first beer was going to be but consulted my beer list to find out what number it was. Seeing that it was #48, Renee and I bee-lined to the far tent to get Russian River’s Pliny the Younger. I knew I would have more opportunities during the day to drink this hop-tacular, once-a-year brew, but figured it would be more enjoyable while I was still fresh.
Just like last year, there was much anticipation for that very first sip. Would the Younger still be the elyxir of the Hop gods? The short answer was yes. I should also add “WOW” to my review.
Merideth and Renee
While, Renee and I got our Plinys, Merideth went into the pub to get herself a beer. Not the hophead, Merideth pretended to be at a Wheat beer festival. Drake’s Hefeweizen was Merideth’s beer of choice (To her credit, Merideth did try most, if not all, of the beers that I drank). Merideth’s pint-sized beers seemed to be the envy of many a person. Was it the person’s natural inclination to be jealous of someone with something larger or were they really wanting to be drinking pints of 10% ABV beers?
After the Younger, I focused on DIPAs that I had never tried before. Hopbombs from High Water Brewing, Kern River, Knee Deep, Sutter Buttes were not only the first DIPAs from these breweries but the first ever beers I tried from them. Drake’s Hop Salad and Bear Republic Cafe Racer 15 were also firsts for me.
58 Double IPAs to choose from...
On my beer list, I rated the beers with a complex scoring system that I devised. If liked a beer, I drew a smiley face. If I didn’t care for the beer, I drew a frown. Brews not in either of those categories got a straight line drawn next to their listing. I ended trying 15 of the 58 DIPAs available. My favorite brew not named Pliny the Younger was Drake’s Hop Salad. Other beers receiving smiley faces were Triple Rock’s IIMAXX Imperial IPA and Bear Republic’s Cafe Racer 15.
In the official judging, Firestone Walker Double Jack came out on top followed by Moylan’s Hopsickle and Drake’s Hopocalypse. I didn’t have any of those three on the day. The “People’s Choice” award went to Kern River Citra DIPA, a beer that got a frown on my list. It was one of my last beers so maybe my palate was worn out by that point.
A glorious February day for a beer festival
The weather was glorious! Eventually joined by our friends Philippe and Chris (Devlin to you Seattle folks), our now group of five spent the early afternoon chatting with friends, enjoying the sun and drinking some great beer. It did get crowded early in the afternoon but I never felt I was in the mosh pit of a punk show. And more importantly, the beer lines moved very quickly.
Our group ran out of tickets around the time I was hoping to head over to the City. So we finished up our last beers, Green Flash Palate Wrecker in my case, and headed back to the BART station.
The almost 40 minute BART ride to San Francisco was a nice break from not only the beer but the bright sun which left a few of us with a pinkish hue. Getting off at Civic Center, we followed a very familiar path down 9th to Folsom Street and City Beer Store. Looking forward to sitting and relaxing with a beer, I was pleased to see that City Beer wasn’t crazy busy. They were doing brisk business but there was no Beer Week event. So it was still manageable. We grabbed one of the high tables.
Merideth drinking a Saison De Lente from the Bruery.
Despite still being a bit hopped up after trying 15 DIPAs, I remained on the hop-side and ordered a Gold Digger IPA from Auburn Alehouse. Merideth had a Saison De Lente from the Bruery.
It had been several months since our last visit to City Beer. Between helping customers, Craig and Beth took some time to chat with us. It was nice to catch up with them. Hopefully, they will survive Beer Week, then the Craft Brewers Conference and make it to their 5th anniversary celebrations.
Still not having enough hops, I pulled out of the cold case a bottle of Firehouse Hops on Rye, a rye IPA. Getting four glasses from Beth, I shared with the table one my favorite recent releases.
A not so crowded Toronado
In the fading late afternoon sun, we departed City Beer for our next destination, the Lower Haight and Toronado. With the presence of Pliny the Younger on Toronado’s beer list, I fully expected the tiny bar to be packed and the staff extra surly. Toronado was busy, but we have seen it much worse. We quickly purchased beers without incident (It probably helped that we didn’t try to buy a t-shirt for a friend). Still not satisfied with my hop intake, I ordered my favorite IPA on cask, Moonlight Bombay by Boat. Merideth ordered Firestone Walker’s Velvet Merlin. We even managed to procure a table in the small back room.
The cask selection at Toronado
My last beer at Toronado (and as it would turn out, the day) I finally ordered a brew that wasn’t a hopbomb. Firestone Walker’s Sticky Monkey, a 12% ABV English Barley Wine, came in a little six ounce pour. Taking a small sip, vanilla notes and barrel flavors dominated this beer. I correctly guessed that Sticky Monkey had to be part of Firestone Walker 14. It’s 29% of the beer. Finding it a bit harsh, I shared the small pour with the rest of the group.
Getting visions of pork belly and Strong Beers in my head, our quintet walked up Haight Street towards Magnolia Pub and Brewery for Strong Beer Month. SF Beer Week is not always glamor and fun. Sometimes there is disappointment. The past three years whether it was SF Beer Week or Beerapalooza, Merideth and I made this walk for Magnolia’s strong beers. I was especially excited this year because I heard there was a Strong Beer flight… and cheese! I must have looked very disappointed as I walked in and was confronted by hordes of fellow Beer Weekers. The ten person queue at the bar to get a beer discouraged us from trying to wait this one out. We had done our hard work for day at DIPA and Torondao. We turned around and left.
Celebrating the end of our SF Beer Week day with ice cream.
Our beer opportunities for the day might have ended, but we still had one more stop before Merideth and I hopped back on BART to Fremont. Humphry Slocombe, located at 24th and Harrison, was the big hit of the 2010 SF Beer Week with their beer ice cream. They returned in 2011 with more beer flavors and still the best Beer Week deal, four scoops for $5.
Merideth with the beer ice cream stare...
The four flavors during our visit were Giant Smors (Social Kitchen and Brewery), Cappuccino Stout (Lagunitas), Payback Cocoa Porter (Speakeasy) and Sour Stave (Thirsty Bear). Having got a taste for sour beer ice creams when I had the Kriek sorbet in Brussels, I found the Sour Stave the most interesting. But I truly love coffee ice cream so the Cappuccino Stout had to be my favorite. Merideth weighed in with the Giant Smors as her favorite.
Stuffed with ice cream, our day at SF Beer Week was over. We parted ways with Renee, Chris and Philippe to let them carry on with the Beer Week madness. Merideth and I walked the six blocks up to the 24th Street BART station. SF Beer Week was short for us this year, but we still enjoyed taking part in celebrating America’s Original Craft Beer City. Happy SFBW everyone!
The main event of the day would be the Bistro’s 11th Annual Double IPA Festival, followed by some beer tramping around the City. The weather forecast, sunny and temperatures in the high 60s, was a cause for some concern. We are some of those crazy beer geeks who like to enjoy themselves at beer festivals. Really nice weather could translate into very crowded conditions at DIPA with long beer lines.
