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
“Euro Christmas 2010 Part I” is the latest episode of One Pint at a Time.
Our whirlwind European tour covered six cities in six countries over two weeks. The non-stop itinerary included two favorites, London and Dublin; two new cities, Hamburg and Copenhagen, as well as two that we wanted to explore further, Amsterdam and Brussels.
In this first of two parts, we explore the beer scenes of Dublin, Hamburg and Copenhagen.
So enjoy our latest beer adventures in Europe…
For all the episodes of One Pint at a Time go to beergeekTV.
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.
