Tag: beer

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To Davis and Beyond

The first weekend of June kicked off a busy week of book touring; a portend of what is yet to come for us this Summer.

Buy my book!

First up, on June 2 we had the pleasure of participating in the Davis Beer Fest benefiting Citizens Who Care. Held beneath an overpass at Sudwerk Brewing, it was the perfect antidote to a warm day. As we spread the word about beer travel and introduced people to Teachings From The Tap, approximately 1,000 beer lovers enjoyed some amazing brews.

Morgan Cox with Ale Industries served up Orange Kush, a refreshing beverage for the warm weather. Steve Altimari and his wife Barri from Highwater Brewing offered the ever popular Hop Riot and their recent release, Berliner Reisse. Russian River was also present and even donated 2 magnum bottles of Consecration for a silent auction. We kept an eye on those bottles all afternoon, as they were on a table right across from us. At one point, a large beach ball was bouncing around the fest. We watched in horror when the ball hit one of the bottles not once, but twice! Luckily, a volunteer with quick reflexes stepped in to offer protection and a crisis was averted! Good friends, awesome beer, and high drama, what else could you ask for in a beer festival?

We followed that up with two book signings; one at Post No Bills and the other at the Independent Marketplace, both in Sand City. Since the book has been out for several weeks now, people are starting to give me feedback and I am happy to report that it has all been positive. Thanks so much for all the support and encouragement!

Upcoming Meet the Author Events: June 17-Portland,OR, June 21-Seattle, WA, July 6-San Leandro, CA, July 7-Concord, CA, July 22-Oakland, CA, August 25-Papillion, NE. Visit thebeergeek.com to get more information on these events.

Available at beertrekkerpress.com and Amazon.com

View all the images from the Davis Beer Fest…

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Our Local Beer Scene – Sante Adairius Rustic Ales

On Memorial Day weekend, Merideth and I took a break from our hectic book lives to celebrate the opening of a new local brewery, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola.

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola, CA

Like it seems with most brewery openings these days, a myriad of delays pushed back a scheduled January opening to late spring. On a couple of occasions, their Facebook status announced an opening day only to be later cancelled. But the big day finally came Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

A festive occasion at Sante Adairius Rustic Ales

Despite the delay of maps on the douchephone sending us to a nearby mobile home park, we arrived at Sante Adairius’ industrial park location a few minutes early to find the soft opening already in full swing. We joined our Grillin & Chillin friends in the tiny tasting room.

My first Sante Adairius beer... 831 IPA

There were six beers to try on opening day and Merideth and I had four of them. I started with 831 IPA, a 7.2% ABV brew with really nice pine and citrus hop character. Merideth went with their Belgian-style Golden Ale, Golden Bell. We followed those up with Sara Loves Brett, a tart, pleasantly bretted brew with nice lemon notes. Merideth and I finished with Saison Bernice, a lightly bretted Farmhouse Ale that shined after it warmed up a bit.

Things are really looking up in our local beer scene. This event was the first of hopefully a string of brewery openings on the northern end of Monterey Bay. Congratulations to the folks at Sante Adairius! Not only did they survive starting a brewery but debuted with a excellent selection of beers.

View all the images from the Sante Adairius opening…

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Meet the Author at City Beer Store

Six years ago the Bay Area was blessed with the opening of City Beer Store. Since then it has become a hub of the beer community in San Francisco and beyond. Despite no longer living in the Bay Area, Chris and I make a habit of visiting City Beer as often as we can.

Merideth with Beth from City Beer Store

Last Thursday, we were lucky enough to spend the evening there drinking beer, chatting with friends, and signing books. Even with all the expansions (shop, staff, and family), Craig and Beth are still the heart of City Beer and it was an honor to have them be part of the launch of Teachings From The Tap.

Cheers to Merideth!

Big hugs and thanks go to all the friends who came out to support this fledgling author and especially to Craig and Beth for a wonderful evening. Congratulations on celebrating another successful year serving the craft beer community!

Upcoming Meet the Author Events: June 2-Davis and Sacramento, CA, June 5-Sand City, CA, June 7-Sand City, CA, June 9-Monterey, CA, June 21-Seattle, WA, July 6-San Leandro, CA, July 7-Concord, CA, July 22-Oakland, CA. Visit thebeergeek.com to get more information on these events.

Available at beertrekkerpress.com and Amazon.com

View all the images from the City Beer Store…

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Meet the Author at Grillin & Chillin

After Saturday’s book launch, our Teachings from the Tap road show continued at Grillin & Chillin in Hollister.

The "Teachings from the Tap" road show hits Hollister

Sharing the stage with Firestone Walker on brewery night, Merideth and I enjoyed an evening of beer, friends and beer travel talk. Of course, Fran was first in line to get her books signed.

Thanks for our friends who came out to Hollister. And thanks to Chuck, Joanne and the Grillin & Chillin staff!

Upcoming Meet the Author Events: May 24-San Francisco, CA, June 2-Sacramento, CA, June 5-Sand City, CA, June 9-Monterey, CA, June 21-Seattle, WA, July 6-San Leandro, CA, July 7-Concord, CA, July 22-Oakland, CA. Visit thebeergeek.com to get more information on these events.

Available at beertrekkerpress.com and Amazon.com

View all the images from the Grillin & Chillin…

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“Teachings from the Tap” Launch at Barclay’s Pub

Yesterday marked the official launch of my first book, Teachings From The Tap: Life Lessons From The Year in Beer.

Three years of hard work finally pays off...

The beautiful sunny weather made the perfect setting to spend an afternoon on the patio at Barclay’s, the place where our beer travel obsession started. Talking about beer travel and signing books was fun, but it was the people who came out to support me that made it special. At one point I realized that I was surrounded by the “old” Barclay’s crowd, including Bill Foley, Dave Swan, Gene Bromstead, and Bruce Paton. It felt like 1992 again and definitely made me miss living in Oakland.

Thank you again to all of you who stopped by and hung out! And a special thank you to Rowdy and Rory for all their help and support. Cheers!

If you missed my book launch, there are a number of other opportunities in the near future to get a signed copy of Teachings from the Tap: May 22-Hollister, CA, May 24-San Francisco, CA, June 5-Sand City, CA, June 9-Monterey, CA, June 21-Seattle, WA, July 6-San Leandro, CA, July 7-Concord, CA, July 22-Oakland, CA. Visit thebeergeek.com to get more information on these events.

Available at beertrekkerpress.com and Amazon.com

View all the images from the book launch…