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August 26, 2008
6:00
Oddbits: What makes a pub great, favorite pubs and about that Obama poster – oops
» ‎ What's On Tap

Oddbits…I wrote about the Urban Tavern yin the downtown San Francisco Hilton,esterday. It’s tavern without beer on tap …Last night I was leafing through “Beer,” the new quarterly magazine published by the Campaign For Real Ale in the UK. They had a great quote about what makes a good pub from Roger Protz, the beer writer-author and CAMRA activist:

“…great welcome, great beer, great food, flagstones, beams, open fires and a welcome for dogs…

Roger, by by the way, was talking about CAMRA”s National Pub of the Year, the Old Spot in Dursley, Gloucestershire.

One more quote from English beer writer Ben McFarland

A perfect pub is somewhere you don’t want to leave, a home from home where your troubles are barred. It makes you feel content as soon as you arrive. The only theme should be leisurely drinking. It should be free of bicycles on the ceiling, fruit machines, signs to Tipperary, plasmas (TV) on the wall and clowns behind the bar.

Snacks and food should be simple and play a cameo role, and there should not be nuts that require shelling – which requires a hand that could be clutching a pint.

The perfect pub should never be mistaken for a restaurant, be called gastro or be part of a chain. The beer choice must be varied and immaculately kept, yet not dictate conversation nor the the clientele; the perfect pub should have a sun-trapping garden and it helps if it has a dog – preferably a big one to keep avaricious pub company fools from changing things…

Ben McFarland says the Bell in Aldworth, Berkshire is that perfect pub.

I have several favorite pubs, Pacific Coast in Oakland, The Trappist in Oakland, E.J. Phair’s Alehouse & Brewery in Concord, 21st Amendment in San Francisco and about a half-dozen others tied for fifth.

Got a favorite pub or a top 5? Post it here or e-mail me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net.

CORRECTION: I read the info too fast and didn’t catch on. The item I ran yesterday about the Obama poster and the Dale’s Pale Ale poster…kinda’ got it wrong. According to Marty Jones of Oskar Blues (maker of Dale’s Pale Ale), the Obama poster, below, was created by the Obama campaign. The beer poster is a Oskar Blues’ takeoff on the poster.
Oh hell, anyway…
August 25, 2008
15:47
Slow Food Nation Fort Mason tasting sessions sold out – Almost
» ‎ What's On Tap
The entire Slow Food Nation tasting pavilion sessions this weekend at Fort Mason in San Francisco are sold out, the organization says.

The only exception is the session Sunday night, Aug. 31, from 6 - 9 p.m. Right now, at 3:45 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25, there are a limited number o tickets at four Whole Foods Markets:
- Whole Foods, Berkeley (3000 Telegraph Ave, 510.649.1333)
- Whole Foods stores in San Francisco, SoMa,399 4th Street, 415.618.0066)
- Potrero Hill (450 Rhode Island St., 415.552.1155)
- Franklin Street (1765 California St , 415.674.0500
Tickets are $58 and gives one three hours to A. check out the Beer Pavilion, featuring cask, keg and bottled beers from about 50 breweries across the counry, and 14 other pavilions, wine, cheese, and so on. If you want to go, get a ticket right now.

If you don’t go, check out my blog Friday night. I’m going to the opening session and will post a report. No, I know it’s a poor substitute. But…
13:18
UPDATE: Details about the Obama, McCain ales from Half Moon Bay Brewing
» ‎ What's On Tap

The McCain Ale and Obama Ale being sold by Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. at the pub on the San Mateo Coast and online, are identical, Half Moon Bay Master Brewer Alec Moss says.

“They’re both light ales, they’re our regular Harbor Light Ale,” Alec says. “They’re 4.8 percent alcohol (ABV), brewed with German pale malt and Czech hops. They’re fermented with an ale yeast, but at a lower temperature than a regular ale, so they’re less estery than an ordinary ale, but they’re definitely ales.”

Sounds good to me.
12:39
Half Moon Bay brews Obama, McCain ales: Vote for your fave, Obama’s way ahead already
» ‎ What's On Tap

Oh my…the hits just keep on comin’…Now Alec Moss, head brewer at Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. out on the San Mateo Coast has gotten involved in the election.

He’s produced both an Obama Ale and a McCain Ale. They’re both traditional light English ales – knowing Alec, I guess “light” means light in color, not strength. They’re being sold in four packs at the brewpub and are on top there as well.

You can buy them on line for $3.75 a 22. oz. bottles, in 4-packs only. Each online purchase is a vote for the candidate of your choice. At the moment,m thre have been 1,920 purchases of the Obama Ale and 16 purchases of the McCain ale. Why so many Obama purchases?

Obama supporters bought the first 2,000 to distribute at the Democratic National Convention this week in Denver.

“We wanted to make sure the election process will still had a bit of fun and light-heartedness, so we created our version of a brewery election,” said Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Director of Marketing Wayne Meyer. “We will be tracking the purchase of the Obama and McCain Ales individually and posting it on our Web site each week to see who is in the lead. Vote at the brewery, vote early and vote often is what we like to say.”
12:17
Oskar Blues does an Obama poster for DNC, Flat Earth celebrates the GOP
» ‎ What's On Tap

…The Democratic National Convention is getting underway this afternoon and Denver’s many craft breweries are taking part big-time. Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association has a roundup, they include my fave, Obamanator from Wynkoop.

The one that caught my eye this morning is a poster from Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, CO. (Hint: They make Dale’s Pale Ale, the one in cans.) It’s a takeoff on Obama’s Hope poster.

But what about the GOP. So far, according to Papazian, the only craft brewer to come out with a convention special in Minneapolis, where the Republican National Convention begins next week is Flat Earth Brewing, St. Paul. Gee. Why do I find the name appropriate for the GOP?

Yes, yes. I know Flat Earth’s a reference to the boundless prairies that extend west from Minnesota into the infinity of my home state of Nebraska. Howsoever, I’m still laughing.

One more DNC tidbit, again from Oskar Blues. The brwery furnished the beer for a benefit for New Orleans last night in Denver. The $500 a plate gala was sold out and raised about $1.5 million. Well done. New Orleans is one of our greatest cities and it was hit hard by Katrina and spurned and ignored for too long by …well you know who,…those flat earth folks., No, not the brewery.
10:43
Good morning. O hell, I’m lying. I”m ...
» ‎ What's On Tap

Good morning. O hell, I’m lying. I”m a night person, mostly, mornings suck. However, a post by Foodgal about “:Urban Tavern,” a new restaurant in the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco that’s billed as a “gastropub” got my juices flowing.

I looked through all the publicity, checked the Web, found lots of verbage about the wine this new place stocks, but not a single work about beer. My gawd, I thought, how could this be: a “gastropub” without beer?

So I just called the manager, who told me that indeed they do have beer and he’ll e-mail me a list. So, I asked innocently, what beers do you have on tap?

We don’t have any on tap, he said. “We’re new. We’ve just opened.”

Hmmm. Well, so much for that gastropub. It’s obviously gonna’ be an excellent restaurant. But a gastropub? Not. Mike, who posted a comment about the restaurant on Yelp summed it up for me. Thanks Mike.

Had dinner here the day after they opened. Service was somewhat disorganized, but I expect they will sort this out, so I didn’t ding them anything for that.

Minus one star for claiming to be a “Gastropub” (I hate this term, but it’s everywhere now) and not carrying a single ale on draft, or even anything interesting in bottles! Monk’s Kettle is a gastropub. The new Magnolia is a gastropub. Thirsty Bear is a gastropub. Granmercy Tavern in NYC (the claimed inspiration for Urban Tavern) is a gastropub.

Urban Tavern is _not_ a gastropub. (A bit of a rant … but I like ale.)

Oh yes, when he sends me the beer list, I’ll post it.
August 23, 2008
14:49
A saison for Democrats in Denver
» ‎ What's On Tap

Too good to pass up, even on Saturday… Denver is “rebranding” its beers for the Democratic National Convention, which begins Monday. Best “re-branding”: comes from the Bull & Bush Brewery in Denver: Bull & Bush 37th Anniversary Saison rebranded to Saison de Change. Let us now say a prayer.

Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association has a roundup of Demo beers in Denver on his blog.
August 22, 2008
11:06
The drive to lower the drinking age to 18: I’m for it, are you?
» ‎ What's On Tap
Here’s a rouser to send you on your way to your (hopefully) excellent weekend…Should America lower the drinking age to 18? The news is that a group of university presidents have started a petition urging lowering the drinking age. This Associated Press story ran on the front page of our newspaers and many, many others:
College presidents seek debate on drinking age
College presidents from about 100 of the nation’s best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.

The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age.

“This is a law that is routinely evaded,” said John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont who started the organization. “It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory.” READ THE REST OF THE STORY…

Here are a couple of arguments posted on the Amethyst Initiative site:

Twenty-one is not working
- A culture of dangerous, clandestine “binge-drinking”—often conducted off-campus—has developed.
- Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.
- Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.
- By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.
- How many times must we relearn the lessons of prohibition?
We call upon our elected officials:
To support an informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21 year-old drinking age.

To consider whether the 10% highway fund “incentive” encourages or inhibits that debate.

To invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol.

We pledge ourselves and our institutions to playing a vigorous, constructive role as these critical discussions unfold.
First, this note. When Prohibition ended in 1933, power to regulate alcohol sales was relegated to the state. Drinking age was state-by-state decision, until 1984. Here’s the way the law is now (from the U.S. Department of Transportation.)

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public possession of alcohol age to 21. States that did not comply faced a reduction in highway funds under the Federal Highway Aid Act. The U.S. Department of Transportation has determined that all states are in compliance with this act.

So lowering the drinking age would require an act of Congress and a president to sign the bill into law. That’s a tough order in this era of post-Christian weirdness.

My opinion: Lowering the drinking edge, which I favor, is a tricky business. Drinking properly requires education in the family about alcohol.

I came from a family where no one drank beer. My parents, who were children of Prohibition and the Great Depression, drank bourbon, in great moderation. Drinking, I learned from them, was no big deal. The important thing was to drink for enjoyment and to drink moderately.

I have lots of friends whose parents drank wine at home and they got the same message. It’s mostly that way in Europe as well. That’s how we’ve raised our kids and with all of them now 21 or over. They learned from our example: moderate drinking, never to excess. But to ask our entire, diverse society to do the same? That’s a tall order.

But for me, bottom line: How can we ask young men and women to fight our wars at age 18 and tell them they’re not old enough to drink. Hypocrisy and hogwash. What do you think?

Note: Photo is a screen grab from the initiative site.
August 21, 2008
9:44
Oddbits: Linden Black Bottom Porter, Hop 15, Sour Beer class at The Trappist, the tiger and the keg…
» ‎ What's On Tap
Oddbits… Made it into The Trappist in downtown Oakland the other afternoon and got my first sample of Linden Street Brewing’s second beer, Black Bottom Lager. I give it THREE STARS. It’s got a roast malt nose, taste is quite dry with a mildly bitter black malt follow. It’s an excellent example of the style.

The Trappist also has a keg of Hop 15, a malty, 9 percenter from Lost Abbey/Port Brewing in San Marcos in San Diego County. This is approaching Four Star beer: huge, hoppy nose: marmalade and spice, taste is big and malty with a aromatic, hoppy follow. A dangerous brew indeed.

A ramped-down, 7 percent version of Hop 15, made at Pizza Port, Solana Beach, won gold at the 11th Annual India Pale Ale Fest at the Bistro in Hayward two weeks ago. Pizza Port and Port Brewing/Lost Abbey share ownership. Aaron Porter and Chuck Stilphen say they’re on their last keg of the Lost Abbey Port 15. It’s a beer worth seeking out and don’t miss Black Bottom either.

The Trappist, by the way, has a new Belgian beer school class coming up:
- The Sour Beers of Belgium, 12 noon, Saturday, Aug. 30 and 12 noon Sunday, Aug, 31,
From Sweet and rich Flanders reds to the funkiest, most brightly sour geuzes, the world of Belgian Sour beers presents a wide range of styles and flavors that await you at the next Belgian Beer School session. Enjoy 7 samples of classic Belgian sour
beers as you learn about these peculiar beers. You will learn why a lambic is more than a fruit beer, taste the difference between lactic and acetic acid in beer, and learn a few of the flavor components emerging from wild yeast. Class includes a full pour of anything on draft and light appetizers. $30 per person. Contact Nicole Erny at nicole_erny@yahoo.com for more info.
- There’s one more event this month at The Trappist. Sunday, August 24th. 12 Noon. Tasting Event “Belgian-fusion” Belgian IPA’s, Belgian Scotch Ale, Belgian Stouts. Contact Jessica at thethirstyhopster@gmail.com. For more info.
Trolling the blogs…Don Russell, who writes the Joe Sixpack beer column in the Philadelphia Daily News and the Beer Radar blog posted this photo today. Short version: Benefit at a Philly zoo with beer. A keg of Troegs fell into the tiger pit. Oops. Read the whole story on Don’s blog.

Think our extreme beers are the best. Well, opinions vary. Ron Pattison, an English travel writer and beer lover, who lives in the Netherlands and writes the Don’t Ask Me About Barclay Perkins beer blog has this to say about two of my faves, Oak Aged Yeti from Great Divide in Denver and Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter.

I’m going through a masochist phase. How else to explain buying a Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter? A pint of it. I’m trying very hard to give American Stouts a fair chance, that must be it.

The Yeti, though by no means my perfect beer, I happily drank two glasses of. The Gonzo defeated me. As you can see by my unfinished glass. The hops just totally overwhelm everything else, except for a little black treacle from the malt. Exactly what makes this a Porter? The impact of an uber-hopped IPA is somehow diminished when every other style is hopped the same way. [Huge generalisation warning!!!! The following statement does not apply to every American beer] It’s the one thing that pisses me off about American beer, that every style tends to get hopped in a similar way. Whether it fits that particular style or not. [Huge generalisation all-clear.] If I want a bagload of cascades, I’ll buy an IPA, not a Porter.

The long and the short of it is, I left about a third of my Gonzo. Then we got the tram home. Where a nice warm St. Bernardus Abt was waiting for me. In a Chimay glass. You can’t beat home.

Read the whole post. Warning: It’s English humor (which I dearly love) but…
August 20, 2008
19:24
Slow Food Nation comes to San Francisco, Bruce Paton starts it off with a dinner feature Stone Brewing beers
» ‎ What's On Tap

If you read a newspaper or talk to people who are into food, you probably know that Slow Food Nation is bringing the Slow Food movement to the Bay Area on Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 29 - Sept. 1.

Slow food is a movement that began in Italy and focuses on well-prepared, great food, made slowly and with great care. The opposite of the Big Mac Attack. This is the first really giant Slow Food production in the United States and it’s featuring every possible kind of slow food, cheese to beer to …well just about anything wholesome…Local founder is Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse fame.

There’s going to be a beer pavilion featuring beers of many styles from craft brewers across the country. The project’s being overseen by Dave McLean of Magnolia Gastropub in San Francisco. More on that in a few days.

But, on Aug 28, on the even of this incredible event at Fort Mason, Beer Chef Bruce Paton’s having a slow food dinner, pairing an exquisite menu with beers from Stone Brewing. It’s $85. You can sign up here. And here’s the menu.

THE BEER CHEF
Presents
Dinner with the Brewmaster
Slow Food Nation Weekend Kick Off
Thursday August 28, 2008
At The Cathedral Hill Hotel
Featuring
The Unique Beers of Stone Brewing Co

Reception
6:30 PM
Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre Selection

Stone Pale Ale

Dinner
7:30PM
First Course
Jumbo Day Boat Scallop with Dungeness Crab, California Osetra Caviar and Capay Farms Yellow Doll Watermelon Gazpacho

Stone Epic Ale 08.08.08

Second Course
Tenderloin of Berkshire Pork with Bellwether Farms Pepato Cheese Ravioli and Ancho Chile Jus

Stone Ruination IPA

Third Course
Scharffen Berger Chocolate Pudding Cake with Crème Anglaise and Compote of Honey Crisp Farms Mariposa Plums

Stone Twelfth Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

$85 per Person Inclusive of Tax and Gratuity
Please Make Reservations by August 21, 2008
At www.beer-chef.com
Bruce D. Paton CEC
Executive Chef
19:08
Gravitybrew.com – gives us a look at
» ‎ What's On Tap

Hey,. I’m a bit envious. Two brothers, Jesse Edwin Evans and Samuel Evans who run a high-tech enterprise – latest project – digitalizing bird calls of the world for Google maps –in Emeryville, have launched a beer video site gravitybrew.com. The videos are short and intelligently done.

Their first video is an interview with Fritz Maytag, the second, with Adam Lamoreaux and Carey Peterson at Linden Street Brewing in Oakland. their third, with Dean Biersch at HopMonk, his new beer pub and music venue in Sebatopol.

They’ve done a neat job by being good videographers. They turn the cameras on (three tiny Aipek high def recorders, two stationary, one hand held), put a high powered condenser mic on the floor, ask a question and let the brewers speak, literally without interruption. Then, they edit the result in Adober Premier, adding background shots – in the Linden Street video, they use some vintage footage of downtown Oakland from the early 20th century. It marries neatly with Adam’s ideas about Linden Street beers. He sees them as a throwback to the kind of beer made and drunk in Oakland a century ago.

They’re from Champaign , Il. and being interested in technical things wound up here in computer central. Sam, 24, handles the cameras; Jesse, 28, asks the brewers questions off camera. They said they love good beer and are doing Gravitybrew for the fun of it.

“The beer scene is so huge, we were trying to think of something to do for the Web,” Jesse said. “We’ve gone to plenty of brewery tours and tried every local beer we could find. So we thought, why not sit down with the brewers and discuss what they do.”

They started cold. “We started working the phones. Anchor listened to us and said yes, even though they hadn’t seen our work,” Jessse said.

Fritz Maytag heard their idea and went ahead. He was really surprised when we walked in with one little digital camera. But they really liked what we did.”
Linden Street and Dean Biersch were next.

They’re looking around for more subjects and are in conversation with Boston Beer for a look at the Sam Adams test brewery and barrel room in Boston. ”

“We really want to continue expanding this project,” Jesse adds. “We have started to get viewers from some far off places such as the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, UK, Brazil, France, Finland and various states in the U.S.”

Their day-job media company, by the way, is 30proof.com. They explain that what they do is make layers for Google Earth Web sites.

Here’s the link to the Linden Street video, which I really like.

GravityBrew.com - Episode 2 - Linden Street Brewery in Oakland California from Gravity Brew on Vimeo.
11:56
Join the American Homebrewers Association and tour Anchor Brewing Saturday
» ‎ What's On Tap

If you’re a homebrewer or someone who’s interested in making your own beer, you no doubt have heard of the American Homebrewers Association, the organization started in the 1980s in Boulder, CO. by Charlie Papazian, the homebrew book author and friends. It’s the organization that launched the Great American Beer Festival and the craft brewers trade group, now known as the Brewers Association.

It provides a wealth of info and forums for homebrewers and there’s no better time to join than this Saturday. For $33, you can pay dues for a year and take part in a three hour tour of Anchor Brewing in San Francisco.

AHA director Gary Glass says the rally at Anchor is one of 20 AHA rallies at breweries around the U.S. this year. But, let’s face it, a guided tour and tasting at Anchor is special. The historic San Francisco brewery, which was saved from the scrap heap in the late 1960s by Fritz Maytag, has always bent over backwards for homebrewers.

You can sign up today on line or pay your dues at the door Saturday at Anchor. Gary, who by the way, grew up in Walnut Creek, will also be here scouting a location for the 2009 AHA Convention June 18-20 in Oakland. Check out www.ahaconference.org to stay posted.
August 19, 2008
14:38
A mail-order source for two Struise Browers beers
» ‎ What's On Tap

OK, this is flash news. The screen grab below from Matt Maples at Liquid Solutions, the fine beer Web site tells it all: Two Struise Browers beers available. They’re extremely hard to find, even here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yes, I’m going to order them. How about you?
13:22
Oddbits…Liberally Hopped Ale for the DNC in Denver, Ommegang sour beer
» ‎ What's On Tap

Oddbits…Writing this blog, I find myself torn between doing serious reporting on stories like my
post yesterday on the Jurassic Yeast or quick and dirty posts like Oddbits…which is emerging as a column of snipped from everywhere, woven together, hopefully with some skill, by me.

Today, I’m gong with Oddbits (a name I grabbed from What’s Brewing, the monthly Campaign for Real Ale newspaper)…First off.. Great Divide Brewing, one of my favorite Denver craft brewers (Oak Aged Yeti) is brewing a beer for the Democratic National Convention, which opens next week in Denver. It’s “Liberally Hopped American Pale Ale.”

“

We wanted to create something special for the convention,” says head brewer Taylor Rees, “and we decided that of all possible styles, an American pale ale would be the best choice, in terms of both taste and symbolic value. It’s bold and flavorful, but still approachable and highly drinkable. It’s a populist beer that has plenty of substance; I can’t think of a better match for the Democrats in 2008.”

Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association, who writes the Beer Examiner blog and lives in nearby Boulder, CO. has a good wrap up of what Denver craft brewers are doing for the convention.

What? You’re gonna’ be in Denver next week. Great Divide’s tap room is open from 3- 8 p.m. Monday - Friday, with tours at 3 and 4:p.m., and the Tap Room is open from 2 - 7: on Saturdays with tours on the hour from 2 = 6 p.m..

…Have you heard about Ommegang Rouge, the “sour ale,” made with wild yeast – brettanomyces? According to Ommegang’s rep in the Bay Area, Josh Charlton, it’s been delivered to the Toronado and La Trappe San Francisco, and Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco and to The Trappist in Oakland and Hopmonk in Sebastopol. Haven’t tried it myself, headed to the Trappist this afternoon hoping for a sample.

Wanna’ go to Belgium? Funny that you asked, there’s a great tour leaving in October: The Lonely Monk’s Trappist Beer Tour of Belgium, Oct. 18-27. Ten days, nine nights. The tour’s led by comedian Stu Stuart, who lives in Mendocino in the winter and gives classes on Belgian beer at La Trappe SF, when he isn’t on the comedy circuit or doing Belgian beer tours. On this tour, which includes all the Trappist breweries in Belgium, Mike Smith, head brewer at Eel River, Fortuna, CA. will come along. Also Chris (Podge) Pollard, author of Around Bruges in 80 Beersl will join the tour for at least a couple of days. Cost: $2595 land only, $575 single supplement. Deadline to sign-up Sept. 18, 2008 Info: BelgianBeerMe.com or call (231) 215-0173.

More wild beer… Here’s one to look for in a month or so, at better beer stores in the Bay Area…The Dissident from Deschutes, Bend, OR.

Fermented for more than 18 months in isolation from the rest of the beers, The Dissident is a distinctive Oud Bruin, Flanders-style brown ale, with a fruity aroma and flavor, the first wild yeast beer made by Deschutes. Part of the beer in pinot and cabernet barrels for over 3 months. Another key flavor component comes from the Central Washington cherries that were added twelve months ago.
Due to the wild yeast , the beer was kept under lock and key apart from the rest of the brewery’s beers to avoid any cross-contamination. A secondary bottling line was also brought in from an outside contractor to facilitate The Dissident’s bottling and insure the beer and wild yeast never touched the brewery’s machinery.
Founder Gary Fish recommends pairing the Dissident with “anything chocolate, the darker the better, soft cheeses like Brie and creamy dishes like spaghetti carbonara, or macaroni and cheese.”
A very limited amount of The Dissident will be available September 1st as part of the brewery’s Reserve Series in hand-waxed 22-ounce bottles… 11% Alcohol by Volume (ABV). 30 International Bitterness Units (IBU).

I’ll drink to that.
10:42
Tasting Budweiser American Ale: I give it three stars
» ‎ What's On Tap

If you’re into good beer like I am, you’re gonna’ hate me for this. Tried Budweiser American Ale last night. I liked it.

This is truth: A medium copper color with a big, long-lasting head of tan foam and a malty, spicy nose. Finish is hoppy, maybe Cascades. I give it THREE STARS.

It’s due in stores in bottles and in kegs in taverns next month. More info here: Budweiser American Ale; An Interview With the Brewer
August 18, 2008
14:38
Jurassic Yeast: How It All Began and What’s Next
» ‎ What's On Tap

How time flies away…back on Aug. 8 I posted my report on a visit to Kelley Brothers Brewing in Manteca to taste a wheat beer made with 40-million-year-old yeast, which was revived by scientist Raul Cano, who has created Fossil Fuels Brewing with another scientist, Chip Lambert. The beer was great and I promised then to post the back story on how it was discovered. Well here, it comes, a little late, but not as late as the yeast, I guess.

First, just talked to Raul, who said they poured the wheat beer made with the yeast and a pale ale, also made with the yeast, at the Russian River Beer Revival & BBQ Cook-Off Sunday in Guerneville. “We had a great time and people really seemed to like the beer. Stumptown (Brewing) made the pale ale. We poured almost three kegs of the two beers in a short time,” he said. “We had lots of ‘repeat offenders’ (people who came back for more), and that was a good sign,:” he said.

Plans now are for Joe Kelley of Kelley Brothers to brew the beers for kegging early next month. They’re also talking to a brewer in the Central Coast to brew beer for bottling. Let’s hope they success, haven’t tasted the pale ale, but the wheat is one sweetie with a wild, interesting, enticing spicy finish.
Back story:
Raul, a Havana, Cuban-born American, who moved to Montana at age 16, (a real shock for a Cuban kid, he said.) got his Ph.D. from the University of Montana. Back in the late 1980s, he got the idea of trying to revive ancient organisms preserved in amber for millions of years.

There was a lot of skepticism, naturally, from the scientific community. However, one believer in the idea, proposed by Cano and many others, was author Michael Critchton whose 1990 novel, “Jurassic Park about recreating dinosaurs from preserved DNA became the basis for the Steven Spielberg films.

In the early 1990s, Cano and his colleagues at California Polytechnical University, San Luis Obsispo, revived bacteria DNA (bacillus sphaericus) extracted from the stomach of a bee preserved in amber from the Dominican Republic. Some scientists were skeptical, suggesting the sample had been contaminated by modern DNA in the lab. So Cano repeated the process under pristine, carefully-controlled conditions. The research was peer reviewed and published in Science in 1995.

Lambert later reproduced the research in his own lab, at XOMA Corp. in Berkeley, under identical conditions, he said.

But Cano, who holds the Unocal Chair for Environmental Studies at CalPoly and is director of the university’s Environmental Biotechnology Institute, didn’t stop with bees. He kept on resuscitating ancient DNA from amber samples gathered across the world. His quest wasn’t yeast or bacteria, but he was hoping to find something usefull to modern humans, perhaps something with novel antibiotic qualities.

He found yeast, lots of yeast, at least seven different strains from amber found in Miramar (Burma) in Southeast Asia. Once revived, Cano said he discovered they were actually Saccharomyces cerevisiae – brewer’s yeast – the same little creatures humans have been using to make ale. A homebrewer on Cano’s staff made the first batch of beer. He said he’s tasted better beer, but it was indeed beer.

By this time, their research had been published and was becoming famous. They actually served a beer made with the yeast at the wrap party for The Lost World: Jurassic Park, released in 1997 and the last of the series based on the Critchton novel.

Beer made with the yeast was finally made commercially last year by Peter Hackett at Stumptown in Guerneyville. This summer Joe Kelley made the wheat and Hackett made another batch of the pale ale. Kelley said the yeast was most unusual. It was slow to start fermenting, but when it did, it really worked. “It foamed up like laundry detergent,” Kelley said. When it was finished it flocculated in big chunks in a most unusual fashion, he said.

This is one wild story and the beer’s most unusual. Can’t wait for the next chapter in this very ancient story.
10:59
Pleasanton 107 The Bone beer fest: There were some problems
» ‎ What's On Tap

All was not well, at least in the early hours of the 107.7 FM The Bone beer festival at the Alameda County Fair Grounds in Pleasanton Sunday afternoon. Got this comment from Hoppy Homer:

We checked this out on Sunday, waited 30 minutes in line for the Brewfest to view a sign at the tix booth: $30 admission includes six 4 oz. tastings and for an additional $15 you can buy an additional six 4 oz. tastings. To us, this was an extreme rip-off of paying $45 of the equivalent of four 12 oz beers, so we decided not to buy tix and left. We’re curious, was the case inside the brewfest, or was it as Mr. Brand wrote “$30 at the gate covers all the beer you can drink”?

Whew. Bad day, huh. I actually thought the admission covered the beer. Not so at all. I’ve e-mailed the publicist for the BBQ, but haven’t heard from her yet. But I just finished talking to Adam Lamoreaux, co-founder of Linden Street Brewing in Oakland. Adam was there, pouring his own Black Lager and Drake’s Amber.

Adam says that halfway throught the afternoon, the promoters relented and began giving 12 tickets for the entry fee, which made a lot more sense. But for many it was too little too late.

“It was crazy at the beginning of the day (with the four ounce, six m mm limit)” Adam said. “The drink cups were really small, like little Dixie cups. If you could somehow get beer to the top of those cups, you’d have had four ounces. You can just imagine the nightmare trying to fill those cups to the top from a jockey box.”

“People were livid – 24 ounces for $25 or $30. These guys who were running the event have to make some money, but they had to realize their prices were too high.”

But wait, there’s more. “A lady told me she got her ticket online and the will-call line for online tickets was the longest,”Adam said. “A lot of people saw the price and either turned around and left or were just rally mad.

It all worked out, but Adam said he felt bad for people who came early. He added that the promoters made it clear to brewers that the ABC was there and both ABC agents and the promoters were walking around to be sure that each person gave the brewer a ticket for each cup of beer.

Adam said he was about to just put the box of tickets he received on the counter and hope the wind would blow them away so people could get more tickets free. Fortunately, he said, the promoters relented.

Adam also said he was upset because the ABC license the Live 105 promoters got didn’t allow anyone under 21. Outside the fest area, Budweiser was selling beer for $7 or $8 and people could get their beer and eat barbeque, he said. But you couldn’t do that at the fest site.

“I brought my wife and new baby and they couldn’t even get in,” he said. “Nothing good happens in a place were no one under 21 is allowed and all they do is drink. Not being able to get my family in, that bummed me out.”
8:39
Beer of the Week: Russian River Temptation’s a wowzer
» ‎ What's On Tap

Note: This column was published in the Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times in June.

What’s on Tap: Russian River Temptation Gives sour a good name
By William Brand
Staff Writer

I’M NOT A HUGE FAN OF BELGIAN SOUR OR BELGIAN-STYLE SOUR BEERS, the kind that are made with wild yeast and aged in funk-ridden wooden barrels,. But I love the concept and history.

I can see those old blue-collar factory workers slogging into a dark, cozy pub after a tough day in an unpleasant factory back in the 18th-century Lowlands, and gulping glasses of Lambic beer, thirst-quenching and mildly sour. Wow, way cool.

But I’ve never worked in a factory and I grew up slurping Coca-Cola and Pepsi. So sour is a new taste for me and often far from thrilling. It took me many months to work up the courage to open a bottle of Temptation, the well-named, barrel-aged beer, brewed by Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa.

I pulled the cork a couple of nights ago and I was blown away.
Temptation **** is a wild, 7.25 percent alcohol by volume, Belgian-style “blonde” ale. It was aged in French oak chardonnay wine barrels for 12 months. READ THE REST OF THE POST…
August 14, 2008
21:51
City Beer’s Barrel-Aged Beer Fest Rocks
» ‎ What's On Tap

It’s getting late. but if you ‘re in the neighborhood of 1168 Folsom in San Francisco, get on over to City Beer. They have five of the barrel-aged beers, brewed by Rodger Davis, while he was at Drake’s in San Leandro.

He’s now head brewer at Triple Rock in Berkeley, while he looks for backers die his own brewpub or brewpub.
City Beer closes at 10 p.m., so hurry.

Can’t make it tonight? City Beer’s barrel-aged beer fest continues through next week. Check the Web site.

About the beer tonight_best beer in my opinion was Drake’s Brett Ambere***1/2. It’s Drake’s regular ambewr, aged in merlot wine barrels for two and one-half years with brettanomyces (wild yeast) added to the barrel for a secondary fermentation.

Wild beer. Chocolate color, light skiff of foam. It tastes faintly sweet with a rising brett sourness, but no mouth-puckereing., finishing with a tang of wood and vanilla.

More on the rest later.Just left there and wrote this on my cell phone. Place is jammed. Great venue, great fest.

Photos: Top: Craig Wathen, City Beer Proprietor (with a new haircut) pours beer.

The Rodger Davis Night beer list.

The Drake’s Brett Amber: Delicious, very drinkable. Wish I has some at home.
15:24
Do you tip a bartender?
» ‎ What's On Tap

Here’s one for discussion. Do you tip a bartender? I’m not talking about a sit-down restaurant, white tablecloths, etc. I mean in a bar. Say the Toronado, or The Trappist or Luka’s or Pacific Coast to name four of my faves.

You sit at the bar with friends, order a pint or two, shoot the breeze and leave. What about the guy or woman who served you? Do you leave anything.

I usually do, especially if the place is a real tavern and incredibly busy, then I usually leave more. Am I right? Comments anyone?
August 13, 2008
19:33
Events: Barbeque cook-off and beer festival Sunday in Pleasanton
» ‎ What's On Tap

Events. The weather is heating up east of the East Bay Hills, but one place to beat the heat this Sunday will be at the Alameda County Fair Grounds in Pleasanton. It’s the last day of a three-day, barbeque cook-off, featuring barbeque from some of the best chefs in America. And on Sunday, they’ve added craft beer to the mix.

Co-sponsored by 107.1 The Bone. There’s going to be beer from many craft brewers including, Santa Cruz Ale Works, Linden Street Brewing, Black Diamond, Firestone-Walker Brewing, El Toro Brewing, Blue Frog Grog, Anderson Valley Brewing, St. Stans Brewery, Trumer Piles, Deshutes Brewery.

There’s also non-stop live music, courtesy of The Bone.

Sunday, Aug. 17, noon to 6 p.m. The Bay Area Barbecue Cook-Off & Music Festival, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton Tickets $25 in advance at: www.ticketweb.com. $30 at the gate. Tickets include barbeque and beer and music.
h
17:28
An expert America homebrewer weighs in on American hefeweizens
» ‎ What's On Tap

Jumping back in where angels fear to tread, Don Russell, who writes the Joe Sixpack column every Friday in the Philadelphia Daily News and the Beer Radar blog, just posted an interview with Fred Kline, a medal-winning Pennsylvania homebrewer. Why, he asked, do American brewers have such a tough time with hefeweizens? Part of his answer pretty well summarizes why I don’t like Widmer Hefeweizen very much:

The Germans let the yeast be powerful giving big banana and clove while staying balanced. They’re just the experts at the right fermentation temp, yeast strain and pitching rate etc. to get the most. I bottle mine right after the primary is done to capture the most fresh might of the yeast.
3. Maybe a lot of our breweries still possess a mentality that because a Hefeweizen is considered a light, refreshing summer type of beer, they error on the lighter side of the spectrum to hit a broader market. The Germans have been drinking good beer a couple of centuries long than us. Their palates expect bold, complex grain bills. READ THE REST OF THE POST…
0:05
A great idea in this election year: Pliny for President
» ‎ What's On Tap

What can I add to this? Nothing. It sums up our political situation precisely. Long live Pliny!

Here’s Natalie Cilurzo:
Important Announcement Regarding New Presidential Candidate
The Keg Party has officially announced their candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election is none other than Pliny the Elder! Naturally, Pliny has chosen Blind Pig as his running mate. Together, they are campaigning on the Brewer’s Platform and plan great changes in our beautiful country if elected on November 4th! America needs a good strong leader to “Bring Our Troops Foam, provide Hopcare For Everyone, and do away with IRS and provide more IPA!” How can you show your support for Pliny in ‘08? 16.9oz. bottled versions of Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig are campaigning in bottle shops and independent markets around the Bay Area, Napa and Sonoma Counties, and Southern California. Check out their supporters under “where to find our beer” on the website. Pliny and Blind Pig have also started campaigning in the Portland, Oregon, area and, next week, they are off to Denver! Eventually, they will find their way to Keg Party supporters in other parts of California. And what is a Presidential Election Campaign without t-shirts? ”Pliny for President” shirts are now available for purchase in our online Gift Shop and at the Russian River Brewpub in Downtown Santa Rosa, where election fever is in the air! Show your support and wear Pliny’s colors!

This announcement was paid for by “Friends of Pliny the Elder”
August 12, 2008
16:22
Lost Abbey-Port Brewing night Wednesday at the Toronado, City Beer’s big barrel-aged beer fest begins Thursday
» ‎ What's On Tap

Events…Lost Abbey Angel’s Share, the barley wine aged in bourbon barrels, was named the champion American beer at the Great British Beer Festival last week. If you’re curious about the tremendous range of Lost Abbey/Port Brewing and brewing wizard Tomme Arthur, the place to be Wednesday night (Aug. 13, 2008) is at the Toronado.

Beginning at 6 p.m. they’ll be pouring a tremendous selection as only the Toronado can do. No admission charge, pay for your beer:

Beers On Draft: Avant Garde , Cable Car, Judgment Day, Lost & Found Abbey Ale , Witches Wit , Wipeout IPA , 2nd Anniversary Imperial IPA

Special Limited Cellar Release: Bottles to go: Cable Car, Ne Goeien, Avante Garde, Red Barn Saison, Judgment Day, Isabella Proximus, Cuvee de Tomme, Red Poppy Ale, Gift of the Magi, Devotion, Lost & Found, Cable Car 2007

Meanwhile, Craig and Beth Wathen at City Beer, 1168 Folsom St. in San Francisco are planning a humdinger (Gawd, I just love that word – humdinger) – a series of barrel-aged beer tastings. The fest begins Thursday, Aug. 14. It will be British fashion. That is, the beer will be on tap from the pub opening at noon until closing at 10 p.m. weekdays, 6 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday. This is City Beer’s biggest-ever fest. Check out their Web site for the entire selection. A stunning list, it is.

Thursday night will be Rodger Davis night. Here’s what’s gonna’ be poured:

The mind reels.
15:51
Oddbits…Cantillon Lambic, John Hickenlooper to address Demos, PBR and cheap beer in Salon.com
» ‎ What's On Tap

Oddbits…trolling the blogs today…..If you’re inerested in Belgian Lambic beer and gueze check out the Beer Culture blog. Evan Rail, author of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide: Prague and the Czech Republic, visited the inconic Jean-Pierre Van Roy at his Cantillon Lambic brewery in Brussels, shared beer and philosophies.

Msgr. Roy: “It’s not because a beer is industrial that makes it bad. I’m not against industrial production. I would rather have a well-made industrial beer than an artisanal beer that tastes bad…READ THE REST OF THE POST…

.

Brewer makes good… He isn’t Sam Adams, the Revolutionary War brewer-patriot or Auggie Busch announcing the end of National Prohibition, but Wynkoop Brewing founder and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s gonna’ have his 10 minutes of national fame. Hickenlooper gets to address the 2008 Democratic National Convention on opening night, Aug. 25. Doubt if he’ll mention beer, but maybe… By the way, if you’re headed to Denver check out Wynkoop. It’s a great pub and my unofficial press headquarters each year during the Great American Beer Festival.

…I think I may choke…Salon.com has an article on “Cheap Beer Across the U.S.” with the appropriately worshipful attitude toward Pabst Blue Ribbon. Gag. Trouble with PBR is it’s about the same as all the rest; beers of little taste. But it’s getting a great rep these days and it isn’t Budweiser. So what the hell.
h
14:32
Miss the Bistro’s IPA fest? There’s still time…
» ‎ What's On Tap

In case you missed the Bistro’s 11th annual IPA fest last Saturday, there’s still hope. One of our regular posters, Easong, notes that proprietor Vic Kralj is planning to rotate the fest entries through his taps:

Just had lunch at The Bistro. if you missed the IPA Fest, be glad to know that many of the unconsumed kegs are rotating onto the taps in the next few days.

Today’s taplist had IPAs from Port (Carlsbad), Port (San Marino), Iron Springs (Fairfax), Green Flash (Vista), Moonlight (Santa Rosa), El Toro (Morgan Hill), and Russian River (as always). No Bud Light, sorry.

The IPA Fest line-up was:
Mad River Jamaica Sunset, 7.0%, 65 IBU
Marin IPA, 7.0, 65
Mendocino White Hawk, ?
Moonlight Bombay by Boat, 5.7, 80
Mount St. Helenda, ?
Moylans IPA, 6.5, 72
Pacific Coast Columbus 7.0, 56
Pizza Port Wipeout, 7.5, 70
Pizza Port El Camino, 7.5
Pizza Port Hop 15, 7.5
Rubicon IPA, ?
Russian River Blind Pig, 6.1, 72
Russian River IPA, 6.5, 62
Santa Cruz Aleworks IPA, 6.5, 85
Schooners IPA, 6.5, 70
Seabright Blur, 7.3, 80
Seabright Beer 3000, 7.0, 71
Shmaltz Coney Island Sword Swallower, 5.5, 70
Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale, 5.9, 46
Sierra Nevada Torpedo, 7.5, 69
Six Rivers IPA, 7.2, 70
Speakeasy Big Daddy, 6.8, 53
Stone IPA, 6.9, 77
Triple Rock IPAX, 6.8, 65
21st Amendment 21A IPA, 7.2, 80
Anchor Liberty, ?
Anderson Valley Hop Ottin, 7.0, 80
Auburn Alehouse Gold Digger, 6.5, 68
Ballast Point Big eye, 7.0, 55
Beach Chalet Presidio, 6.5, 73
Bear Republic Racer 5, 7.2, 85
Bear Republic Rebellion, 6.2, 78
Big Sky IPA, 6.2, 65
Black Diamond IPA, ?
Blue Frog IPA, 7.0, 60
Butte Creek IPA, ?
Deschutes Inversion, 6.8, 80
Drakes IPA, 7.0, 68
Drakes #2, ?
Eel River IPA, ?
EJ Phair Hop on Board, ?
El Toro IPA, ?
Fifty Fifty Rockslide, 7.0, 70
Firehouse IPA, 7.5, 70
Firestone Walker Union Jack, 7.5, 72
Full Sail Prodigal Son, 6.2, 80
Green Flash West Coast, 7.0, 95
Humboldt Nectar IPA, 6.8, 60
Iron Springs JC Flyer, 7.6, 54
Lagunitas IPA, 6.0, 56
Lost Coast Indica, 6.5, 60
August 10, 2008
23:37
Trying to like Widmer Hefeweizen (and failing)
» ‎ What's On Tap
Let’s be honest here. I like a lot of beers from Widmer Brothers in Portland, beers like Droptop Amber, are really OK. The fact that Anheuser-Busch owns 49 percent of the company doesn’t bother me a wit.

My problem is – and always has been – Widmer Hefeweizen. I know it’s their flagship beer; I know it sells well in the Bay Area and obviously, a lot of people really like it. You see it with that damn, stupid slice of lemon, at cafes everywhere.

Last week a PR woman from Widmer called me and asked if I wanted their “press kit.” Ever since I worked in the business section at the Oakland Tribune, where we were constantly deluged with PR pitches and reporters and editors were nearly universally rude, I’ve been polite to PR folks. It’s an ugly job, calling people who don’t want to hear from you and tell them about something they usually don’t give a damn about.

So, when the young woman from Widmer or from the agency representing Widmer, called, I was polite. Sure, I said, send it along. They sent it, two bottles, a glass and yes – a lemon.

I opened at dinner Friday night and poured samples for the table sans lemon. Nobody liked it. One thing, it made the beer a friend of my daughter brought – Coors Honey Moon – taste good. To me, Honey Moon has always been too bland. Blue Moon, the unadulterated wit is execllent. But Honey Moon? Well, it does have some malt sweetness and a tiny hoppy follow and after a shocking swig of Widmer Hefe, it tasted excellent.

OK, now it’s Sunday night. I thought, in fairness, I’d give it another try. I thought, ‘Who actually likes Widmer Hefe?’ Well, women and other people who usually order one of this dreadful house white wines.

So, I reasoned, let’s approach this hefe from the perspective of someone who wouldn’t know a hefe from a rattlesnake and can stomach bland white wine. And yes, I stuck a wedge of lemon on the rim of the glass and let a little bit of lemon juice run into the glass.

Here are my notes:
- Cloudy, unfiltered tawny gold, long-lasting, creamy head. Aroma: lemon, of course, from the lemon.
- Taste: Full mouth feel, but no malt sweetness. bone dry from start to finish with an odd hop bitterness at the end of the finish.
- My conclusion: An unusual, totally American beer. Definitely an alternative to Bud Light or cheap California house wine. But anyone familiar with German hefes – Erdinger or Paulaner, or some of the better American ones like Gordon Biersch, will find this one lacking. It’s too dry and that weird bitterness at the end. It has its fans and good for that. But I’m not one of them.
- Rating: Two Stars.
August 09, 2008
22:39
Bistro’s IPA Fest a real rouser: Pizza Port Solana Beach wins gold
» ‎ What's On Tap

Making my way back on BART from the the 11th Annual India Pale Ale fest at the the Bistro in downtown Hayward, CA. Wow: 51 IPAs from all over the West Coast, liberal tastes, great music, more than 800 people.

A bangup day. It was hard to leave. The winners in the professinally judged blind tasting:

Gold: Hop 15, from Pizza Port, Solana Beach (San Diego County). 7.5 percent ABV..

Silver: 21st Amendment IPA, 21st Amendment, San Francisco: 7.2 percent, 80 IBUs ( by comparison: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale’s about 39 IBU). Yes this is the one in cans being sold at Beverages and More.

Bronze: Gold Digger IPA, Auburn Alehouse, Auburn, CA., 68 IBU, 6.7 percent.

People’s Choice: (A vote by everyone who cared to vote.) Rockslide IPA, Fifty Fifty Brewing Co. Truckee. Rocslide was 70 IBUs, 7 percent.

I sampled a lot of IPAs and I can see why this one won. It was a brilliant light copper with a big, creamy head that lasted. Hoppy nose, but the beer had great balance. Lots of hops in the taste and follow, but well-balanced by a substantial malty taste. Can’t make a beer like this at 5 percent. You’ve got to add malt to balance the hops – ergo lots of alcohol.

Ann McNulty, who drove the Pizza Port and Port Brewing entries to the Bistro from San Diego County, said the beer was brewed by Tomme Arthur at Port Brewing. But Vic and Cynthia Kralj, the Bistro proprietors, who hammered out the festival sheet, said it was from Pizza Port Solana Beach (one of three Pizza Port brewpubs, San Clemente and Carlsbad, also in San Diego County) and the brewers were Greg Peters and Brandon Edwards.

Hops were Galena for bittering, Centennial and Cascade for aroma and dry hopping – hops added in the fermenter – were Centennial, Cascade and Amarillo.

Other brewers were speculating that the beer included hop oil, the concentrated essence of hops. I don’t know. Don’t really think so. But many of the IPAs in this festival were pushing the limits. Great beer indeed.

Sad note for me, when I dragged in around 3:30 the Fifty Fifty Rockslide IPA, the People’s Choice winner was already gone. Damn. At least a dozen people told me “be sure to try the Fifty Fifty.

The brewer, Todd Ashman, has great credentials. He grew up in Sacramento, lived in Sonoma in the 1980s as the craft beer revolution really got underway. He learned to homebrew with help from The Beverage People and Byron Birch, took the brewing course under Dr. Michael Lewis, UC Davis professor at the American Brewers Guild in Woodland, CA (now closed).

Brewing jobs included Kegs in Alamogordo, NM, then Flossmoor Station in Flossmoor, a suburb south of Chicago.

When Andy and Alicia Barr took early retirement from Hewlett Packard and decided to open a brewpub in Truckee, CA., they (wisely) hired Todd to handle brewing. The pub opened in May, 2007 and a month after it opened Tim White, a Hayward guy who loves beer, called me and said I should visit.

A dozen people have said the same thing. Gotta’ get up there and do just that soon.

PHOTOS: Top: The patio at the Bistro , 1001 B St., Hayward during the fest.

Below: 21st Amendment’s Shaun O’Sullivan, head brewer, co-founder, left, and Tiodd Ashman, Brewmaster at Fifty Fifty Brewing, Truckee, CA.
August 07, 2008
14:12
E-mails: Wanted a great beer from Portland for someone who loves Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
» ‎ What's On Tap

Anyone really familiar with the “bottled beer” scene in P:ortland? Here’s an e-mail I just received from a column reader:

William: Hi,I’m going to be on an RV trip in the Portland, OR area and would like to find something similar to Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale for my son. He LOVES that beer!

Do you have any recommendation as to where to look for a comparable beer up there and what is it? (It is a family tradition, I always bring him some beer from my travels.)

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Maureen

OK, I’m guessing her son would like something malty and hoppy and maybe a bit different than his standby Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Suggestions anyone? I’ll pass them on to Maureen.
11:55
More events: Busy weekend, part 2: KFOG comes to the 21st Amendment Friday morning; Toronado’s 21st anniversary Saturday
» ‎ What's On Tap

Events and more events…
,
Friday, Aug. 8, 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. KFOG, 104.5 FM (and live streaming www.kfog.com), broadcasts live from the 21st Amendment, 563 Second St.in San Francisco. Co-founder, head brewer Shaun O’Sullivan usually brings beer to the morning show hosts once a month at the studio. This time, they’re coming to the pub. This event’s open to the public, Shaun and his co-founder Nico Freccia say. Shaun’s even goint to unveil a special KFOG Morning Show Beer. The occasion, of course, is release of the two 21st beers in cans: Brew Free or Die! IPA and Hell and High Watermelon Wheat. Great beers, they’re in Beverage and More stores everywhere.

Saturday, Aug. 9, 11:30 a.m. - Closing time. Toronado’s 21st Anniversary “Coming of Age” Party. An impressive on tap list indeed:
Bear Republic - Black Mamba – Dark Belgian style wheat beer.
Deschutes - Black Butte XX Anniversary – Imperial porter (11%)
Full Sail - Prodigal Sun IPA
New Belgium Brewing - Foedre 3 – Sour, wood aged barrel selection
Moonlight - Of Legal Age – A dark lager aged with pinot noir grapes
Oud Beersel - Framboise – Belgian lambic aged in wood with raspberries
Ommegang Grand Cru Rouge – Brewed by Bocker in Belgium for Ommegang, spontaneously fermented and aged in wood.
Port Brewing - 2nd Anniversary Imperial IPA (9.5%)
Schneider - Aventinus Eisbock (12%)
Stone - 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (9.2%)
Russian River - Beatification – Oak aged sour beer from Vinnie

Limited cellar release of special bottles (available to go) including:
Lost Abbey Cable Car
Russian River Temptation
Russian River Supplication
Russian River Beatification
Toronado 20th Anniversary

21st Anniversary “Coming of Age” T-Shirts

No admission charge, just pay for your beer. See you there. Gonna wobble in after the Bistro’s 11th Annual IPA fest in Hayward earlier (11 a.m. - 7 p.m.)
9:00
The champion beer of Britain 2008: Alton’s Pride
» ‎ What's On Tap

There’s been a craft beer revolution in the United Kingdom parallel to what’s been happening in the United States and Canada fro the last 20 years. While major English breweries are now foreign owned (sound familiar), and major brewers have mostly turned their backs on real ale, new breweries and smaller local breweries thankfully are taking up the slack.

What brings this to mind is the Campaign For Real Ale’s announcement of the Champion Beer of Britain today on the third day of the Great British Beer Festival in London. Unless you’re English or travel to the UK frequently, you most likely won’t recognize many of the winning beers.

The Champion Beer of Britain is Alton’s Pride, a 3.8 percent ABV bitter (in bottles, bitter is called Pale Ale), from Triple fff Brewery in Alton, Hampshire. Alton is southwest of London.

Huh? This quote from Roger Protz, a finalist judge and Editor of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and many other books on beer excplains why mostly we Yanks have never heard of the beer or the brewery:

“A magnificent victory for a craft brewery that opened in 1997 with a five barrel plant and has just opened a new brewhouse with a 50 barrel kit. It has grown due to consumer demand for its rich and complex beer and proves that the future for real ale in Britain is assured.”

I love what the brewery says on its homepage:

The Secret of Triple fff’s success, is to always use the finest Maris Otter Barley. This is malted in the age old way at Warminster Maltings, and blended with selected whole hops to achieve a fuller flavour. The water used to brew the beer comes from the Ham