This past Saturday Sammy and I were able to get out of the house for a few hours and head up north to San Francisco’s Speakeasy Brewery, located near Candlestick Park, or whatever it’s called nowadays. Despite the foul weather, heading out for some beers at a brewery I’ve always wanted to visit was a good idea. I would not have heard about this event if it were not for Facebook and the people from Beer by Bart who forwarded the invitation to me.
For those unfamiliar with Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, they’re a microbrewery out of San Francisco. In my opinion they brew pretty good beers that come in unique and memorable packaging. As the name alludes to, they have a prohibition-themed “look and feel” about their packaging that is a graphical representation of the Prohibition era. Their signature graphic though, is a simply drawn pair of menacing eyes.
The event is named “End of the Dark Ages” party/celebration thrown in honor of our new President, though most importantly to commemorate the end of the Bush era. The event itself is free but if you wanted to drink any of their beers, you would need to purchase drink tokens to do so.
As soon as we purchase our drink tokens, we made our way around the corner and found ourselves facing a packed brewhouse. A band was deafeningly playing on a stage to our left while the crowd sprawled out in front of us. I took a moment to take a photo and in those few seconds Sammy was off to redeem one of her tokens. I made my way through the crowd and finally caught up to her. It’s at that moment I heard my name being yelled by a group of people to my right. I look over and I see Gail and Steve (from Beer by Bart) as well as Jessica (the Thirsty Hopster) and her boyfriend Scott. We are all smiles as I greet each of them with a friendly hug.
Hunter’s Point Porter, 7.5% ABV
When Sammy joins the group beer in hand, I take the time to pick up my first beer of the day. It’s a chilly day and I order a pour of Hunter’s Point Porter to warm me up. Hunter’s Point Porter is a very dark brown, almost black beer with a brown head. It has a sweet malt aroma rooted in a deep, roasted malt vein with coffee and chocolate character. The flavor is similar with the addition of a noticeable alcohol note, which isn’t surprising considering this is a 7.5% ABV beer. Hunter’s Point is medium-high/high in body with medium carbonation and a slightly creamy texture. I’m liking this beer and I hope I can go back for seconds.
The rest of our time there is spent catching up. Gail is telling me about her brewing experiments, she’s now focusing on sour beers. Very adventurous for a very new homebrewer but more power to her. I’ll eventually get there. Jessica is regaling to us the challenges of working in the beer industry for Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Unfortunately, her and her boyfriend cannot stay much longer as they have a wedding to attend. Sammy and I spend the rest of our time just hanging out and enjoying the scene.
Prohibition Ale, 6.1% ABV
Prohibition Ale is the next beer I pick up. This beer pours a clear brown with amber highlights and a beige head. This beer is a balance between clean malt flavors and hop bitterness. The hop bitterness is medium in intensity, smooth, pleasant and not lasting on the palette. The malt flavors are toasty and on the sweet side. This beer is medium bodied and medium carbonation.
Big Daddy IPA, 6.5% ABV
Brilliantly clear gold in color with an off-white head. The malt aroma of this beer is bready while the hop aromas are citrus in nature. The flavor of this beer leans strongly towards the hop side with the hops flavor exhibiting a floral and citrus charcter. The hop bitterness is high but it isn’t sharp or harsh and sits on the palette comfortably. This is a pretty nice IPA.
Double Daddy Imperial IPA, 9.5% ABV
What a way to end the day. My last beer is Double Daddy, an Imperial IPA. Basically an Imperial IPA (Imperial anything really) is just a bigger version of whatever style it is. In this case, Speakeasy says they’ve doubled the malt and hops for this beer and as a result, you have a higher gravity beer with much more aggressive flavors and character.
Double Daddy pours out dark gold in color with an off-white head. It is a clear beer. This beer has a pronounced sweetness in it’s malt flavor and aroma while the hop characteristics are citrus in nature with a little bit of pineapple sweetness. Hop bitterness is high but, as in Big Daddy, doesn’t linger nor is it harsh. This is a very good beer and Sammy wishes she could drink more but she’s driving us home. Thankfully, she stopped after 1 and a half beers.
Overall Sammy and I had a great time at Speakeasy. The crowd was very mellow, friendly and family friendly as well. We also took the time to take photos with our newly minted President Obama. Apparently he is a huge fan of Speakeasy Ales and Lagers and was gracious enough to make an appearance. If there were any Secret Service Agents there, I didn’t see them.
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