Hopinions: Special Edition Weekend

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Peter

On this iteration of Hopinions, Mario and I discuss the upcoming Superbowl Weekend. In addition to the big game, there are several miltestone events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area craft beer scene, including the release of a much coveted beer. That's not even mentioning the upcoming SF Beer Week activities that are right around the bend. Mario is hosting this time so pay his site a visit and don't forget to leave your comments! 

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Sierra Nevada Brewing Company to Open New Brewery in North Carolina

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Peter

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company formally announced today that they will be opening a new brewery in North Carolina. The announcment draws to a close a search for an indeal location that spanned several years and over 200 potential sites. The new brewery will be located in Mills River, North Carolina on a parcel of land approximately 12 miles south of Asheville. With the new location adjacent to the French Broad River, and the Blue Ridge Mountains close by, the new location seeks to emulate the location of its west coast counterpart. "The beer culture, water quality and quality of life are excellent. We feel lucky to be part of this community," says Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company founder. I've copied and pasted the press release at the end of this post. 

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Belgium vs. America Beer Dinner at the Duck Club

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Peter

Received word not too long ago of an upcoming beer and food pairing dinner at the Duck Club, located in the Lafayette Park Hotel. If the name of the restaurant sounds familiar, it's because I've reviewed several of the beer dinners they've hosted, the most recent being the Beer vs. Wine dinner featuring Stone Brewing Company. In a similar vein, this upcoming dinner will feature the craft beers of Belgium against the craft beers of America. 

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Homebrew Competition Alert: World Cup of Beer

Posted on January 22, 2012 by The Rabid Brewer

World Cup 18 LogoThe World Cup of Beer Homebrew Competition is one of the few large local competitions where winning a ribbon earns you bragging rights. In past years, the number of entries have regularly exceeded 600 many of which come from some of the best homebrewers in the Bay Area and beyond.

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Hopinions: Is it the Clothes?

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Peter

On this iteration of Hopinions, I confusingly try and draw parallesl between my love of craft beer and select sports. Fans of sports root for their teams regardless of who is actually on their team. Does the same apply to our favorite craft breweries? Is the uniform more important than the person wearing it? Read on to find out. Don't forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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An Afternoon with Almanac Brewing Company

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Peter

The thought of going pro pops into every homebrewer's head at least once. In my case, I wanted to have a brewing company here in San Jose. I wanted the brewing company ethos to pay homage to the fact that his area used to be a captain in the agricultural industry. A line of our beers would be based upon several cash crops of the past, such as apricots, prunes, plums, cherries and pears. It's important to me that business help each other by shopping from one another, so we would've sourced these ingredients on a seasonal basis from local producers. Sound familiar? It should as a local brewery has already beaten me to the pint!

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Strike Brewing Company Launch Party

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Peter

The South Bay's newest craft brewery, Strike Brewing Company, will be having their launch party this month. Stop by and sample any (or all) 3 of their beers that are currently available and meet the good folks behind the name. 

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Inaugural bottling of OTIS from Firehouse Brewery & Grill

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Peter

Firehouse Brewery & Grill brewmaster Steve Donohue has been one busy man. Donohue, and assistant brewer Jason Gutierrez, ended 2011 with a collaboration beer for Beer Revolution and have started 2012 by expanding their bottled beers. Donohue's popular One Tun Imperial Stout, or OTIS, as its better known as, is joining his well regarded Hops on Rye (HOR) on the shelves of your favorite craft beer retailer. 

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The Making of St. Eve’s Belgesque Goldish Strong Revolutionary Ale

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Peter

For a while now, Firehouse Brewery & Grill brewmaster Steve Donohue and High Water Brewing brewmaster Steve Altimari, have been wanting to work together on a collaboration beer. As two, award-winning brewmasters who both respect each other's abilities and knowledge, brewing a collaboration beer was a matter of "when" and not "if". Well, "when" just happened to be the final brew day at Firehouse Brewery & Grill in 2011.

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Hopinions: Beers of a Feather

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Peter

On this very first edition of Hopinions to kick of 2012, Mario and I go ethnic! No, we're not talking about minorities in the brewing industry  (although that does sound like it'll be an interesting discussion), we're talking about beers from Mexico and Philippines. More specifically, the lack of craft beer alternatives in those countries. Read up and see why we feel certain styles are more popular and what we think the future of craft brewing is in those areas. Mario is hosting this time around to visit his site and take a looksee.

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