BetterBeerBlog

Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending the Beer vs. Wine Dinner featuring Stone Brewing Company and Joel Gott Winery, respectively, held at the Duck Club Restaurant. I have never been to an event like this. I support all things craft beer, I’m a craft beer guy, this is what I do. I have never been to a wine pairing dinner before, nor do I present myself as being knowledgeable about wines. I like the occasional glass of vino every so often but then it comes to my liquor, it’s all about craft beer.

Part of being a proponent of craft beer, at least for me, is the interplay that occurs between craft beer and food. Sometimes it’s fine dining, sometimes it’s not. The range of flavors that craft beer has is wide, much wider than wine. It is because of this versatility that I think craft beer has it’s place on the dinner table, and not just as an accompaniment of burgers, hot dogs or pizza.

So, as soon as I learned that this dinner was going down, I immediately made plans to attend. Part of me was curious to see how wine would stack up to food, especially the challenging menu that Duck Club Executive Chef Chuck Courtney put together. A bigger part of me though, was interested in seeing craft beer put the beat down on wine. This was my chance to have all of my culinary beliefs vindicated… or not.

Normally when planning a pairing dinner, wine or beer (or anything really), the culinary staff will do their best to really dial in their dishes with either the beer or wine. After all, you want to put your best foot forward. Also, once they’re done, they’re done - there is no additional tweaking of the beer or wine - so the food is fine tuned.

That being said, there was no “fine-tuning” of the dishes. Chef Courtney basically said this is what we’re making, go back and choose wisely. Neither Stone Brewing or Joel Gott had any feedback into the dishes whatsoever. In addition, the beers and wine to be chosen were limited to products each company produced. While this may sound obvious, they’ve opened up these dinners to the “world of craft beer” or “world of wine” in the past, and if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time this limitation has been put into place. To say this was “exciting” to me would be an understatement.

In the past I would painstakingly review both the food and the beer and relay everything back to this blog. My notes from this dinner are decent, regarding beer and food, but they are downright novice for wine. As knowledgeable as I (like to think I) am about beer, I am inversely so with wine. That being said, I’ll just list my tasting notes regarding the food, my vote on which went “better” with the dish and why, and how the crowd voted (as I was provided with the statistical breakdown). With the stage set, here we go.

Oh, did I mention Greg Koch, CEO and Co-motherf*cking-Founder of Stone Brewing, was in the house? I didn’t? WELL HE WUZ, oh snap!

Appetizers

Food: Chef’s Selection of “Spice Route” Appetizers
Beverage: Stone Pale Ale vs. Joel Gott (JG) Sauvignon Blanc, (California 2009)

Tasting Notes: There were several appetizers out and about. I tried this miniature baked potato as well as a breaded eggplant appetizer but missed out on the bit-sized sandwich. There was no real “winner” for appetizers; some things went better with the wine (sandwich, I hear) and others with the beer (baked potato) while others were a draw (eggplant).

First Course

Food: Crispy Striped Bass and Fresh Scallops, Scallion and Ginger Sauce, Shaanxi Province, China
Beverage: Stone Cali-Belgique vs. JG Riesling (Colombia Valley, Washington, 2009)

Tasting Notes: There is a light bitterness from the greens on the dish that is balanced with the slightly sweet soy sauce-based sauce. Ginger and green onion flavors are prominent without being overbearing. The fish “nuggets” were moist and flavorful although slightly “fishy” while the rice had a neutral character.

• Peter’s Vote: I gave this course to Cali-Belgique all the way. The Cali-Belgique’s yeast-driven flavors echoed many of the flavors in the dish, like the ginger, while the hop bitterness kept the sweetness of the sauce in check. The wine paired well - more complimentary in my opinion - but I felt everything worked better with the beer.
• Crowd Vote: 32-22, overwhelmingly in favor of… the wine! I didn’t see that coming but I can see how a complimentary pairing would add more depth and complexity to the overall experience of the dish.

Second Course

Food: Paneer Samosa, Spiced Cheese and Potato Turnover, Mint-Cilantro Chutney, Northern India
Beverage: Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale vs. JG Chardonnay (Monterey, 2008)

Tasting Notes: Despite the prominent Indian-spice character in the aroma they were well balanced in the flavor. The chutney had a decidedly tart flavor that brightened up the dish. The turnovers themselves were buttery, starchy while the herbed cheese provided another subtle layer of flavor.

• Peter’s Vote: I felt this dish went a lot better with the wine. When consumed all together, the turnover, chutney and wine, seemed to be a better mix of flavors. I would not have thought to pair this dish with a Black IPA but the chutney, with it’s bright acidity, made for a good compliment with the light burnt malt and deep roasty character of the beer. Still, that was just a singular aspect. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog disagreed with me and voted beer.
• Crowd Vote: 26-27 in favor of… beer! Once again, did not see that coming. I’m just zigging while everyone else is zagging. This proved to be the most contested dish of the evening, though not by much.

Third Course

Food: Izgara Kofte, Grilled Lamb Kebabs, Tomato Curry, Istanbul, Turkey
Beverage: Stone Arrogant Bastard vs. JG Zinfandel (Mohr Fry Ranches, Lodi, 2006)

Tasting Notes: The lamb was moist and flavorful, full of intermingled herb and spice flavors while the tomato curry showed a lot of finesse in how it was prepared. From what Chef Courtney told us, the ingredient list for this dish was quite expansive yet nothing is overpowering or dominant; it’s all in balance. The grains seemed to have a neutral character to them that I felt helped balance out the richness of the lamb. It’s interesting for me to note that as the kofte cooled down, it’s “weight” became more apparent and its mouthfeel seemed to thicken up.

• Peter’s Vote: I gave this dish, by the slimmest of margins, to the wine. I really spend a lot of time going back and forth with this dish eating in different combinations. Sip beer first then food. Eat first, sip beer. Sip beer and immediately eat food. Eat food, immediately drink beer. Same thing for wine. At the end, I felt the wine’s acidity, tannic bitterness and higher alcohol helped to ease the richness of the lamb much better than the carbonation and hop bitterness of the beer. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog voted wine as well.
• Crowd Vote: 40-13 in favor of… wine! Apparently the crowd didn’t feel this was as contentious as I did.

Fourth Course

Food: Green Tea Gelato, Pistachio Biscotti, Venice Italy
Beverage: Stone Russian Imperial Stout vs. Terra d’Oro Moscato (Amador County, 2009)

Tasting Notes: The green tea gelato had a lot of green tea flavor (Duh!) without any green tea tannic bitterness; it was also very nutty from the pistachios it was also made with. The pistachio flavors were also carried through in the biscotti as you could see bits of them within while have a bittersweet, dark chocolate component on one side. Both were mildly sweet and, when eaten together, ended up being a layered and complex mix of complimentary flavors and contrasting textures.

• Peter’s Vote: I felt the Russian Imperial Stout was a better pairing with this dish. I had my doubts though as I felt the RIS would’ve been too big, too bold for the mild green tea but I was wrong. I though the RIS provided just enough roasty punch to compliment the green tea and pistachios while echoing the chocolate aspect of the dish. As sweet and syrupy as the Moscato was, I thought it cancelled out the green tea but faded against the chocolate and pistachio flavors of the biscotti. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog also chose beer.
• Crowd Vote: 24-26 in favor of… beer! I was pleasantly surprised by this result.

It’s a tie! Or is it?

I would’ve been happy to have walked a way from this dinner with beer and wine coming to a draw. Even though this dinner was a far cry from the “wine smackdown” I had initially anticipated, it was a lot of fun to have participated and proved to be one of the more memorable dinners I’ve ever been to. In many ways, my feelings about craft beer and food were vindicated; beer’s wide variety of flavors and intensity allow it to be a versatile component in any culinarian’s toolbox.

I learned a lot about wine by going to this dinner as well. I still can’t tell you what the difference between a zinfandel and a pinot noir is but I know that wine’s acidity and tannic bitterness plays a big part in actually cooking with it. Especially the acidity, beer can’t compete on that level, and the beers that do have any measure of acidity must be used wisely as the other flavor components in sour/tart ales are complex and can pose a dilemma when trying to pair or cook with. This dinner almost makes me want to go to a wine pairing dinner. Almost.

But at the end of the day, there must be a winner and a not-so-winner. Seeing as how each beverage tied, each winning 2 courses apiece, the powers that be used total votes counted as the tie-breaker and wine goes home with it’s hand raised high.

Odds and Ends

This section is a bit of “catch all”. Just things I noticed throughout the evening that don’t really fit in anywhere else in the post.

Greg vs. Chris

So I mentioned earlier that Greg Koch of Stone was in the house. I fully expected Dave Hopwood, the green-bearded Stone rep for the greater SF Bay Area, to be representing Stone at this event. Apparently this dinner was just one of several dinners featuring beer vs. wine (wine currently has the edge) and Greg’s been involved in all of them. In case you didn’t already know, Greg is very comfortable with a microphone in hand and I found him to be a witty and charming speaker #NoHomo. Chris (I forgot his hard to pronounce last name) represented Joel Gott Winery. By comparison, Chris looked he could manhandle Greg in a fist fight, clearly outweighing him by at least 30 pounds of grape-crushing muscle #NoHomo. Despite this, he wasn’t nearly as quick as Greg on the microphone. If it makes Greg feel a little better, I give him the inaugural Chael Sonnen Award for smack talk. In all honesty, there was a lot of friendly banter back and forth that helped to set the tone for the evening and helped make a dinner into an event.

Seating

I don’t think this event sold out. With it’s high price point, that doesn’t surprise me. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I had to save up our pennies for this dinner, whoo! That being said, we’ve been to several dinners at the Duck Club and we’re starting to see some “regulars” we’re acquainted, if not outright friends, with. I should make it a point to see if we can all get seated at the same table next time.

Execution

I can’t say enough good things about the Duck Club staff. The wait staff was as attentive as ever, without hovering while wines and beers were served in close conjunction with their paired courses. Pouring sizes were appropriate and enough to satisfy.

Chef Courtney and his staff did an excellent job with the food. They had an idea, a concept, that they executed perfectly. Each course represented their countries of origin well yet I think I could see Chef’s influence on each dish as he made them his own. Because this dinner was beer vs. wine, let the best “suggeston” win, the food was allowed to stand on it’s own and was actually “belle of the ball” with two suitors vying for “her” attention. Many people, who I’ve seen at these dinners repeatedly, echoed this same sentiment and went even further to suggest this was some of the best dishes put out by Chef Courtney. Kudos to Chef and his staff!

Looking Forward to the Future

While I know that the Duck Club will be hosting more of these types of events, I wanted to note that Woodside Hotels, the group that owns the Lafayette Park Hotel and the Duck Club by extension, have started renovations at their Stanford Park Hotel location. In speaking with Josh, a Woodside Hotel executive, he says that once renovations are complete, they plan to bring these types of events to the Peninsula/South Bay. I am all over this and I can’t wait.

I have a growing appreciation for Chef Courtney, and everyone affiliated with the Duck Club and the Lafayette Park Hotel, but Lafayette is quite the drive for us. Having their Stanford Park Hotel location hosting these same type of events would help in further establishing a craft beer culture on the Peninsula/South Bay that I already support. Not only that, but Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I wouldn’t have to leave work early in order to arrive on time for dinner. Josh, who happens to be a South Bay resident himself, agrees as well. As soon as I hear something, you’ll be hearing something. You never know, I just might have a hand in planning one of these things *HintHintWinkWinkNudgeNudge*

Below is a slideshow of some pictures we took that night. There’s no audio or musical score so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear anything. Also, I’d like to thank Mike C. for providing some of the photos featured in the slideshow and in the blog. You can definitely tell which shots are his: they’re super clear and crisp, unlike my camera phone.

Author: The Rabid Brewer

This past weekend I helped judge the MoreBeer! Forum Competition in Concord. The competition is in its 6th year and is a BJCP sanctioned event. Although the competition rules state that, “You must be a member of  the MoreBeer! Forum to enter,” that process is free and easy, so technicality it was open to anyone willing to register online.

This year saw around 200 entries in BJCP categories 1-23 (beer only, no mead or cider) competing for the Best of Show grand prize of a new MoreBeer! 14 Gallon Conical. This has to be one of the best homebrewing competition prizes out there and had plenty of folks excited to enter.

Around 30 judges were seated in tables setup in the MoreBeer! warehouse for both a morning and afternoon session, followed by the final Best of Show round.

Judging Underway at the 6th Annual MoreBeer! Forum Competition

In addition, some of the more popular categories (IPA, Pale Ale) had enough entries to warrant queued judging with a separate mini-BOS round. Despite the additional work, the competition ran smoothly and folks had a good time.

Judges, stewards and other volunteers don’t get paid, but we were all provided bagels and juice for breakfast and a wonderful lunch spread of homemade Mexican food prepared by competition organizer Randy Griggs and MoreBeer! staff. Randy even had fresh mozzarella cheese still warm from just being made! On tap was a keg of Triple Rock Single Hop Apollo Pale Ale.

Lunch Spread for the Competition Judges, Stewards and other Volunteers

Here’s a personal thank you from Randy that was posted on the MoreBeer! Forum:

I also want to say thank you to all the volunteers who showed up and help sort, prelim, judge, cellar, and organize this event. I can’t say enough how great it is that Chris Graham is helping me right now in his free time to scan all 198 entries scoresheets. David Teckam, judge coordinator, for handling the entries and judging, Tasty McDole for his constant advice and guidance, and Ale Industries for providing us refrigeration that makes this all possible. There are many more I am leaving out, and I appreciate them all.

Big shout out to Best of Show winner Dwight Mulcahy for his Weizenbock. Dwight is a member of the Worts of Wisdom and has racked up more than 35 ribbons this past year including 5 Best of Show wins. He also has an entry in the GABF Pro-Am that he brewed at Hanger 24 after winning BOS at their competition earlier this year. Looking forward to trying it at GABF!

Congrats Dwight for your Best of Show Win and new MoreBeer! Conical!

For a complete list of competition winners, stay tuned to this thread on the MoreBeer! Forum.

Brian

Author: The Rabid Brewer

I’ve mentioned the Northern California Homebrewers Festival (NCHF) in a previous post.

Just a quick note to let you know that if you’re thinking about attending, now is the time to buy your tickets. Advance sale ends today and the price goes from $45  to $55 tomorrow. You can sign up online at www.nchfinfo.org

A note from Paul Keefer, NCHF Officer of Registration:

It is always a great time……. sampling beer from other clubs, hanging out with fellow homebrewers and sampling a variety of tasty food, great speakers and a phenomenal raffle (a chance to win a MoreBeer! 14 gallon conical fermenter.) You can find more info at the NCHF website. Hope to see you there.

Cheers!
Brian

Author: The Rabid Brewer

This is Part 2a in my series covering homebrewing a saison. Use the following links to read other parts in the series. An inactive link means that part has yet to be published.

• Part 1 - Introduction
• Part 2a - Recipe Formulation: Overview
• Part 2b - Recipe Formulation: Grain
• Part 2c - Recipe Formulation: Hops
• Part 2d - Recipe Formulation: Yeast
• Part 3 - Water Treatment
• Part 4 - Process and Equipment
• Part 5 - Results

This installment gives a short list of resources, my goals, some objective parameters and the final recipe. Details on recipe formulation will follow in subsequent parts.

Resources for Recipe Formulation

Formulating a recipe for most beer styles has never been easier than it is today. A great starting place is the BJCP website which provides guidelines for each style including ingredients. Although some folks are critical of pigeon-holing beers into style boxes, the BJCP is an excellent online resource. Just because something is bounded for ease of understanding, doesn’t mean you have to brew it that way!

Another great reference is Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff. Jamil is a well known and respected homebrewer and has twice won the AHA Ninkasi Award. His book contains award winning recipes for each of the BJCP beer styles. If you were to buy just one homebrew recipe book, this should be the one.

Finally, there are often entire books devoted to a particular style (see the BA/AHA bookstore) and most include recipes.  Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski covers saison (and biere de garde) in great detail. If you’re interested in saison, this is a must have reference.

What Type of Saison?

So what does all this tell us about formulating a recipe for a saison?

In Farmhouse Ales, Markowski writes that “Saisons defy easy categorization and are sometimes rife with contradiction. Many are light in color, a few are dark, and some are in between. One or two are full-bodied and sweetish, most are extraordinarily dry and fruity. Those who like their beers neatly arranged in narrow categories find defining saison frustrating, to say the least.”

So, the first question to be answered is, “What type of saison?”

I decided my goal wasn’t to try to reproduce any particular saison, but simply to brew something that had much of the character that I like in my favorite versions of the style. This tends to be the lighter, drier ones like Saison Dupont. This deceptively simple choice ends up driving much of the grain bill as well as the mash schedule. In addition, since much of the character of Saison Dupont comes from the yeast, that will also be an important consideration.

Here is how the BJCP defines Style 16C Saison: “A refreshing, medium to strong fruity/spicy ale with a distinctive yellow-orange color, highly carbonated, well hopped, and dry with a quenching acidity.”

They also provide the following objective parameters:

• OG  = 1.048 - 1.080
• FG = 1.010 - 1.016
• IBUs = 25 - 45
• SRM = 5 - 12
• ABV = 5 - 8.5%

This tells us that (unlike many Belgian beers) saisons are quite hoppy. Nothing like West Coast IPAs, but 45 IBUs is still a fairly bitter beer. And “well hopped” means more than just IBUs - the measure of bitterness. It also means hop flavor and aroma from late additions in the boil and possible use of dry-hopping.

The OG and FG tells us we’re looking at an apparent degree of attenuation (ADF) of 80-90%. That’s quite high. Consider that of the approximately 80 BCJP styles, around 75% of them have an ADF less than 80% and malty beers are much lower than that. E.g., English style bitters typically end up in the low 70’s and a Scottish Heavy could be down in the mid-60’s.

Getting an ADF into the high 80’s can be difficult. It will require careful formulation of the grain bill, an appropriate mash schedule, proper yeast selection and health as well as ensuring the best possible environment in which the yeast can do their job.

Another important aspect of saison is its “quenching acidity.” Examples of the style will range from thirst-quenching to tart to even slightly sour. Since acidity is measured by pH, this means shooting for a beer with a low final pH. As there is correlation between final pH and mash pH, paying close attention to water, water treatment and how to drive the mash pH in the right direction will be important.

Finally, the BJCP provides lots of helpful information in the ingredients section. Rather than go into those details here, I’ll be referring back to that section as we walk through my thought process in subsequent parts in the series concerning recipe formulation.

Recipe

I’ll cut right to the chase: here’s the recipe I’ll be using for a 5 gallon batch.

Although most of the grain bill and hopping is taken directly from Brewing Classic Styles, I did the due diligence before hand to ensure I would achieve my original goals using this recipe. I’ve also tweaked things a bit here and there to suit my process, concerns and desires. In the next few installments I’ll go into the details of why I chose this recipe, how I dialed it in, and give some options to consider for future iterations.

It’s important for me to keep track of (at least mentally) various options, why I made a particular decision, and if any assumptions were used for various unknowns. That way, I’ll have a good idea of what to change the next time I brew the beer.

Grain

• 10.5# Briess Lesser-Modified Pilsner
• 0.75# German Munich
• 0.75# White Wheat Malt
• 1# Cane Sugar (added in stages during fermentation)
• 2oz CaraMunich

Hops

• Bittering: 2 oz Hallertau at 60 minutes for 23.8 IBUs (TInseth)
• Flavor: 0.5 oz Hallertau at 15 minutes for 3 IBUs (TInseth)
• Aroma: 0.75 oz Hallertau at 0 minutes for 0 IBUs (TInseth)

Yeast

• White Labs WLP568 Saison Yeast Blend

Process

• Step Mash with Sacch Rest <150F assuming 75% Efficiency
• Ferment at 75F-85F

Original Gravity = 1.062
Final Gravity = 1.008
ADF = 85%
ABV = 7%
IBUs = 26
SRM = 5

In the next few parts in this series, I’ll be going into more detail on the various aspects of the recipe. I’ll start with the grain bill, move on to hops and finish up with yeast. From there, I’ll talk a bit about water, then move on to process, both brewing and fermentation.

Brian

The British Bankers Club in Menlo Park is holding another Beer Dinner, this time featuring the brews from Bear Republic Brewing Company. The first dinner was a lot of fun, the second dinner was an improvement so I’m expecting the third time to be the charm. Details below.

Who: The British Bankers Club
What: Beer Dinner featuring Bear Republic Brewing Company
Where: 1090 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 map
When: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 @ 6:30pm
Cost: $45 per person, all inclusive. Reservations required, call 650-327-8769 to reserve your spot today.

Menu

Beer: 9 beers from Bear Republic paired with…

Course 1
Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives and Bacon

Course 2
Ahi Tuna Tartare Asian-style with Crisp Wontons and Seaweed Salad

Course 3
Grilled Rainbow Trout with Seaweed Lentils, Mire Poix, Arugula and Balsamic Reduction

Course 4
Caramel Beer Glazed Apple Cake served warm with Vanilla Bean Gelato

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I haven’t quite decided if we would be going to this dinner just yet. We are, in fact, planning our own Beer & Food tasting to wrap up our series of craft beer classes at Wine Affairs. It won’t be as full-fledged an affair as what’s happening up at the BBC, more of a tasting really, so if you really wanted to experience a beer and food dinner, this is a good time to try one.

With a ton of craft beer activities this weekend, it was hard to choose just one. Unfortunately, we had constraints. We were babysitting our little niece and I still had to prepare for a few things. So, Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I decided to stay local and stay South Bay by visiting El Toro Brewing Company for their Augtoberfest event.

Augtoberfest ran from 3pm - 7pm and we didn’t arrive until 6pm. It was good to see El Toro full of people and their families hanging out. The Internationals were playing a wide variety of music ranging from German polka to classic rock to Spanish music. While I didn’t even notice it at the time, El Toro owners Geno and Cindy were working, behind the bar and in the dining area respectively.

The Augtoberfest Event consisted of a specialized menu featuring some traditional-ish German cuisine, a commemorative stein and three, German-style, El Toro beers: Morgan Hill Pils, Maifest Märzen, and El Chivo Weizenbock.

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I ordered the German sausages served with sauerkraut with bits of bacon and a side of herbed, potato salad for her and fries for me. The sausage was okay, not thing spectacular, slightly overcooked if anything. The sauerkraut was equally bland, even with the bacon bits. Her herbed, potato salad was the same and my fries were incredibly salty. I spent most of my time wiping salt off of my fries. Unfortunately, the beers weren’t too much better.

Morgan Hill Pils, 4.6%

Clear gold color with a thin, white head. Flavor is surprisingly malty, cracker-like, almost bready. Hop flavor is slightly earthy, Noble hop-ish while hop bitterness is medium/medium-high. Medium bodied, crisp with high carbonation.

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I both feel that a really good pilsner should be clean and crisp with the balance leaning more toward the hop side but not overwhelmingly so. Morgan Hill Pils had a noticeable hop front, not much middle and an assertive hop, almost harsh hop bitterness.

Herman’s Hefeweizen

Cloudy, gold color with no head. Flavors are muddled, nothing stands out. Surprisingly bitter, lasts into the finish.

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog ordered this beer and she couldn’t finish it. I couldn’t finish it. All the good things that make hefeweizens special; banana esters and flavors, yeasty, clove-like spiciness and a soft, wheat malt sweetness; were missing. In it’s place was a big, lemony-citrus character that neither of us were sure came from the beer or the squeezed, lemon wedge that came with the beer.

Maifest Märzen, 5.87%

Clear, amber color with a thin off-white head. Flavor has a slight Munich malt flavor supported by a medium hop bitterness and resiny hop flavor. Lightly buttery? Medium body with medium carbonation.

An improvement over the other two beers but, as far as Märzen’s go it’s not as complex or layered as other examples.

El Chivo Weizenbock, 7.47%

Dark amber in color, hazy with a white head. Flavor is malty, light wheat character with medium-high hop bitterness with some alcohol warming.

Once again, the depth and complexity I’ve seen in other examples is missing from this beer.

El Toro Blackraspberry

Hazy, dark brown in color with a white head. Sweet berry aroma echoed in the flavor. Hop bitterness is low. Body is medium-low with high carbonation.

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog felt this tasted like medicine. I begged to differ, this beer had a lot of fruit character in both the aroma and the flavor. On the drive home, we both felt that the really good fruit beers have the fruit playing second fiddle to whatever the base beer style is. After all, we want beers brewed with fruit as opposed to fruity beers. For what it’s worth, this was the “best” beer of the evening.

I really don’t like to dwell too much on the negatives but it must be said the food at El Toro was ‘meh’ while their beers were very rough around the edges and lacked any sort of finesse. Yet, the idea of Augtobefest is great; the staff at El Toro really set the mood as the men were dressed in lederhosen while the women were correspondingly dressed in dirndls. Even the commemorative steins, long sold out by the time we arrived, were a very nice touch. Even seeing the Internationals playing was cool. In a small town like Morgan Hill, it’s good to see the lone brew pub bringing beer culture to their people.

From: Peter at BetterBeerBlog

I’ve been racking my brain for the past couple of weeks trying to find something worthy to discuss. I have several Beer & Food Dinners on my plate but we’ve already spoken about those. I have several homebrews going at once but I’m not sure if you’ve jumped back into homebrewing yet. There are festivals, upon festivals to be merry at but I can’t be everywhere at once. As I mentioned to you in a previous email, I have never been so busy in my life.

So I got to wondering why am I so busy? I don’t think I’m doing anything out of the ordinary. Despite having several carboys going at once, I am actually behind schedule for homebrews this year. I’ve also been saying, “No” to a lot more festivals than before. After much introspection, the smoking gun literally sits right in front of me: my laptop! It’s just not my laptop either, it’s my cell phone. Technology is shrinking the world faster than ever before. Last I checked, there were still only 24 hours in a day but we’re just doing more. So this Hopinions is about technology and how it affects craft beer.

I’ve noticed that you will occasionally send a reply email via your Blackberry. I know this because your “signature” says “sent from my digital leash”. While some folks are truly tethered to their work and are on-call 24/7, like Mrs. BetterBeerBlog, our smart phones have opened up a level of connection unlike any other. Email, Twitter and Facebook have revolutionized how quickly information can spread. I can know of a special craft beer tasting minutes after a bottle shop or bar decides to let the public know. I can make reservations to one beer dinner while seated at another. This begs the question, “Are there more craft beer events or are we just hearing about them easier? Maybe both?”

Even with regards to homebrewing, technology is leaps and bounds from what it used to be when homebrewing was first allowed. I remember Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada give a keynote speech at the National Homebrewers Convention regarding the early days of homebrewing. They relied on malt syrups of varying quality. Hops came in pink bricks that were originally supposed to be used in baking. Now? We can get just about anything the professional brewer can. I still ferment in a glass carboys but there are small, stainless steel, temperature controlled fermentation tanks, that look like scaled down version of used in a professional brewhouse, available for homebrewers. As a BJCP judge, I’ve had many homebrews that have been wildly better than their professionally brewed counterparts. Are the leaps and bounds in homebrewing technology yielding a superior professional brewer? Are the limits of beer styles being pushed, pulled and sometimes broken because of more precise homebrewing tech?

The notebook I’m typing on has forever changed craft beer for me. My laptop has been a teacher of styles, a guide for research and a sometimes dissonant voice inspiring debate. Many people I consider good friends I have met through time spent on my laptop. There are a great number of beers I’ve been introduced to, at least made aware of, through my laptop. Has technology replaced how we interact with people? I social media truly social or are we all just playing Farmville (Bejeweled in my case)?

Everything is two-sided, technology included. I’ve talked briefly about how technology as enabled me to try new beers, brew better beers and even meet really cool craft beer people. In what cases have you seen technology negatively affecting the craft bee world? I often see big trucks hauling around palettes of Bud Lime. Is this an instance where advances in automotive technology is actually hurting the people?

From: Mario at Brewed For Thought

For the purpose of this topic, I’ll make sure I respond via my blackberry.

I think you make excellent points as to the availability of news within the craft beer industry. Where we used to wait 2 months for our printed craft beer news, we now have it delivered as it happens via Twitter, Facebook, email or all of the above all at once.

This allows us to attend every event we want, try every beer that interests us and stay on top of all the news that’s going on within the industry.

But there is a cost. We don’t rush to the store/bar for the newest Celebrator or Brewing News. We aren’t surprised at the beer aisle when a new beer arrives. We don’t get excited for the one local festival because we know there are actually 5 and we’ve already been to a dozen this year.

There is a backlash to this instant beer news. I’ve had a brewer tell me to not tweet about his beers because he wants people to find them on their own. I myself have built up a bit of apathy towards press releases as they never stop, there’s always another waiting in the inbox.

Does technology affect my enjoyment of a beer? Well, kind of. Better equipment, for professionals and homebrewers, has made it far more rare that I drink a truly bad beer. Consistency is at an all-time high and spoilage isn’t tolerated. These are good things to be sure.

What else could we be doing with this rush of technology? With Wordpress on my Blackberry, I’ve considered live-blogging an event, but then I figured I don’t do anything interesting enough to warrant it. What are some ideas you have?

From: Peter at BetterBeerBlog

I attempted to follow suit during my lunch hour but was roped into a lunch-time discussion regarding the branding principles and company core values and philosophy as well as simple chicken recipes and sausage-making. Mmm… sausages.

The cost of information availability you have outlined below hits the nail right on the head. Beer festivals that were once, regional and community celebrations have morphed into grand “events”. On the other side of the coin, I imagine that beer festivals have been cannibalizing each other’s attendance. Just this upcoming weekend, there is the Napa Blues, Brews & BBQ, and the Eat Real Festival (which looks like I’m going to miss) while Morgan Hill brewery El Toro is having their Augtoberfest.

The “end of print” was being proclaimed way back when I was in college earning my degree. I personally do not see print ever ending; there’s just something about the tactile sensation of the printed page, the smell of the ink, the “heirloom” quality of a book or well-designed magazine that I don’t think will ever go out of style. Granted sales and distribution from traditionally printed works will continue to decrease but I think the opportunity is there to be creative with how you parse out your content. If there’s anything today’s technology has killed, it’s the old way of thinking and doing business.

I think the worst thing technology does is build up expectations to an unimaginable degree. I wrote before on how I think Wesvleteren 12 is overrated not because it isn’t a good beer but there’s just no way to live up to the expectations set by the hundreds of beer reviewers out there. Hyperbole, exaggerated rhetorical statements made to make a point, are now the norm. Words such as “epic” are being thrown around so much they’ve lost their true meaning. This is especially true on Twitter and, to a lesser degree, Facebook.

Live blogging is an interesting idea and something I’ve also thought about. At the same time, isn’t that kind of what Twitter is supposed to be? You can even make the same argument for Facebook’s status updates. If you were to do live blogging, I imagine it would have to be in the realm in-between a full-fledged post (approximately 500 words) and a tweet but with more robust and richer content.

There is also the idea of streaming video from a craft beer event via our smartphones. I remember seeing Brew Dog do a “virtual” tasting with a craft beer bar thousands of miles away via Skype. Now that was a novel, creative and realistic approach to using new media. Speaking of which, my main issue with new/social media is that there are soo many companies doing virtually the same thing, it’s hard to decide which company/technology to adopt. Adopt to early and no one “gets” what you’re doing or trying to accomplish. Adopt late and you’re just another sheep in the flock. I suppose at the end of the day, the technology you use should be determined by what you want to accomplish.

So, where does all this lead us? Will technology continue to destroy the “small town”, “regionalism” and artisanal qualities often associated with craft beer? Will brewers start to see more so-called “beer hunters” in their breweries and brew pubs or will they cultivate a larger community of people? Do you see technology uniting the craft beer industry or creating further segmentation? Lastly, is Hopinions one, ill-advised, social media stunt from becoming an Internet meme to be paraded at ROFLCon?

From: Mario at Brewed For Thought

It’s funny you mention Napa and Eat Real this weekend. I don’t think either really represent a true beer festival, but reach out to just a certain atmosphere. Napa has wine tasting to go along with music and BBQ and Brews just seems to fit in because it rhymes. The Eat Real Festival is a sustainable “street food” festival, but the beer shed is more there because of the craft beer and sustainable food crowd tend to overlap.

It’s this overlapping that’s really starting to emerge in the craft beer community. As social networking has more people focusing on the small details of one’s life, we begin to realize that we might have more in common with our beer drinking buddy from the pub than we initially thought. Well tuned organizers can then notice their crowd for a beer festival, which they always assumed was a sausage and beer crowd, might appreciate a cheese display, a produce stand, etc at their beer festival. In the same vein, the cheese festival may try to bring in new crowds by adding beer tables.

You also mentioned virtual tastings. I’ve participated in two of these, one with Widmer and another with Deschutes. While each had their own strengths and weaknesses, I did really like the opportunity to drink a beer while talking to the brewer. I may not get a chance to sit down with any of these individuals with this new beer in hand at any other time, and the computer really gave us the opportunity to share a moment drinking a beer.

I don’t see any blanket statements of ending regionalism or leading to further segmentation applying to the craft beer scene due to technology. I think you’ll see more people from out of town, but you’ll also be able to promote a small event with a more targeted audience thanks to these new tools at our disposal. I can’t speak for others, but I know I’ve become more present at local events thanks to Twitter and Facebook because I finally heard about all the interesting things going on around Sonoma County.

As for Hopinions, shut your mouth Peter or else they’re all going figure us out!

After experiencing back-to-back triple digit temperatures, the Bay Area is in for a weekend of fantastic weather. We’re talking about this is why I pay through the ass to live in the Bay Area kind of weather. The timing couldn’t have been any better as this weekend has a slew of craft beer-related festivals and events. Let’s get right into it.

Friday

Special Facebook Tasting at Wine Club

Who: Wine Club
What: Facebook Half-Price Beer Tasting
Where: 1200 Coleman Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95050 map

When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 4pm - 6pm
Cost: $2.50 for Facebook fans… for 12 beers! Criminal! Socially irresponsible! If you’re not a Facebook fan, then it’s a bank-breaking $5! Insane!

Notes: Here’s what they’re pouring

• Czech Rebel Pilsner
• Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock
• Weihenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock
• Wells Banana Bread
• Hofbrau Munchen Dunkel
• Fruli Strawberry Beer
• Greene King Old Suffolk Vintage Ale
• and 4 more TBC…

Growler Fills and Beer Friday at Devils Canyon Brewing

I’ve been to Devil’s Canyon’s beer Fridays and they are fun events. They usually have a live band playing and Devil’s Canyon caters the event. I don’t normally “advertise” them because they don’t need it; the event is always packed. If you go, I advise you get there early and enjoy a few leisurely pints back before the crowd comes in.

Who: Devil’s Canyon Brewing
What: Growler Fills & Beer Friday
Where: 111 Industrial Way, Belmont, CA 94002 map
When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 4pm (Growler fills), 6pm (Beer Friday)
Cost: Growler fills cost for new growlers is $18.00 ($25 for Specialty Beers); Refills: $12.00 ($19 for Specialty); Full Boar Scotch Ale, Deadicated Amber Ale, Silicon Blonde, Lager Diabla and Root Beer ($15 New, $9 Refill).

So you want to know about “Beer Friday”. . . Beer Friday is family friendly. You can bring your kids. You can bring your pet. We have catered food available so we ask that you do not bring food or drinks. Devil’s Canyon Brewery is a brewery and is generally not open to the public. We sell our beer to bars and restaurants up and down the peninsula. However, on the last Friday of the month we open our doors to the public at 6pm. There is no cover charge. Your first drink of the night is $8.00. You get to keep the Devil’s Canyon pint glass. After that, drinks are $4.00. Wine, Soda and water are also available. We typically have at least 2 bands. If you are registered on the website you will receive a monthly email, usually the week of Beer Friday letting you know who is playing and what’s going on. Otherwise, We post the bands on the website a day or two before Beer Friday. Want to know more information about one of the bands that have played at the brewery? We now have a complete listing and will continue to update the list online as we bring in new talent. Most of this is covered briefly in the Devil’s Canyon FAQ and throughout the website. We do not advertise. If you are at Beer Friday you are probably a friend of a friend. We like it that way. See you there!

Wine vs. Beer Dinner at the Duck Club Restaurant

I’ve covered this event in greater detail on a previous post. Not sure how much, if any, room is left but this is where we’ll be heading on Friday night.

Eat Real Festival

Who:Eat Real Festival
What: Eat Real Festival
Where: Jack London Square, Oakland, CA map
When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 2pm - 9pm; Saturday, August 28, 2010 @10:30am - 9pm; Sunday, August 29, 2010 @10:30am - 5pm
Cost: There is no admission fee to the festival but you have to pay individual vendors for whatever you purchase. There is a craft beer shed serving beer from approximately 26 different craft breweries that accepts drink tickets. Click here for the list of participating breweries and drink ticket cost.

Notes: We attended last year and I’m a little bummed that we’re not going to be able to make it this time around as there was a little something for everyone - craft beer for moi and gardening stuff for Mrs. BetterBeerBlog. Maybe next year.

Saturday

Eat Real Festival

See above.

Napa Blues, Brews & BBQ

Who: Downtown Napa
What: Napa Blues, Brews & BBQ
Where: Downtown Napa, First Street map (approximate)
When: Saturday, August 28th, 2010 @1pm - 6pm
Cost: Free admission. You need to pay for your own food and drinks though.

Notes: If you happen to be there, look for the Beer Connoisseur booth as my buddy Jason will be manning it. Go up an give him crap. Tell him I sent you.

El Toro Augtoberfest

Who: El Toro Brewing Company
What: Augtoberfest
Where: 17605 Monterey St, Morgan Hill, CA 95037 map
When: Saturday, August 28th, 2010 @3pm - 7pm
Cost: Not listed.

Notes: We’ll probably make an appearance here as my sister-in-law lives nearby. Here’s the event description lifted directly from Facebook.

Loads of German Food: Chicken Schnitzel with Spaetzle; German Meatballs; Marzen steamed Brats with German Potato Salad; Apple Strudel!!! Arrive early to buy an El Toro Logo Stein filled with Morgan Hill Pils / Maifest Marzen / El Chivo Weizen Bock and wear your Lederhosen / Dirndl if you have em!! Prost!!

Sunday

Eat Real Festival

See “Friday” above.

Sunday Beer School - Belgian Ales

Who: Wine Affairs
What: Sunday Beer School - A hosted tasting of 6 Belgian Ales
Where: 1435 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126 map
When: Sunday, August 8, 2010 @5pm - 6pm
Cost: $20/pp, call 408-977-0111 to make your reservation today! Walk-ins also welcome.

The Rose & Crown English Pub in Palo Alto has seen a slow and steady transition from traditional English pub to traditional English pub that serves good beer. In their continuing quest to bring good beer to the populace, Rose & Crown have “Brewery Nights” featuring beers from, obviously, breweries they want to put a spotlight on. The last time I went to their Brewery Night, it was for New Belgium.

Tonight, Rose & Crown be showcasing “Stone Brewing Company Brewery Night” featuring several of their beers. This is a timely event as I will be heading to the Beer vs. Wine Dinner on Friday night, pitting the beers from Stone Brewing against the wines from Joel Gott Winery.

Here are the details for tonight’s event:

Who: The Rose & Crown
What: Brewery Night featuring Stone Brewing Company
Where: 547 Emerson Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301 map
When: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 @ 5pm - close.
Cost: No cost to get into the Rose & Crown but you gotta pay for the beers you order.

Notes: Here’s a picture of the beers that will be on tap tonight courtesy of @roseandcrownpa

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I are double booked this evening and will attempt to make it tonight. I haven’t had the 090909 Vertical Epic or 14th Anniversary Ale, while the Cali-Belgique IPA and Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale both look interesting. It’s been quite some time since I’ve tasted the latter two so it’d be nice to get reacquainted with them both.

Biketoberfest Marin is rolling into Fairfax October 16th. From the sounds of it, the event looks to be a great combination of all good things bike and many good things beer. This is especially great for folks like me who enjoy both, separately of course! Here are the details:

Who: Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) and Access4Bikes (A4B)
What: Biketoberfest Marin 2010
Where: 765 Center Blvd., Fairfax, CA 94930 (near Iron Springs brewpub and Fairfax Post Office) map
When: Saturday, October 16, 2010 @11am - 6pm
Cost: Free to enjoy the bike expo, vintage bike show and kids activities. $20 (advance)/$25 (door) for beer tasting. You receive a commemorative 8oz glass. Click here for a full list of participating breweries.

Notes: Here is more information taken from a press release that was sent my way.

Biketoberfest combines a handmade bicycle show with a brewfest, bike expo and cyclocross race featuring Northern California’s best! A celebration of the bicycle, Biketoberfest Marin 2010 for cyclists of all ages, combined with a brew fest of over a dozen handcrafted beers from premier Northern California brewers. Biketoberfest features a bike expo, vintage bike show, kids activities and live music.

Highlights include:
•    Featuring tastings over 20 different beers from 15 different Northern California Brewers and great food!
•    Family Fun Zone
•    Cyclocross Race – Lions of Fairfax
•    Group rides led by Marin Cyclists Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly and Luna Chix
•    Classic bike show featuring 40 vintage bikes!

It’s not too often that a festival that features beer is family friendly but this one is! No need to find a sitter, just bring the kids along. Judging from previous years’ photos, it looks like a great time all around.

Photos supplied by Biketoberfest.