I am trying to extend myself. As much as I gush about all these great breweries in other parts of the world there are quite a few good ones here in my own backyard. One of those good breweries is Firehouse Brewery in Sunnyvale. If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you already know I spend a lot of time there. So, for the sake of not wanting to be redundant, I’ll just get right to it.
I haven’t been to Firehouse for a while so it was good to get over there and see Steve (their brewmaster). He tells me that it’s been very busy. Working 16 days straight will do that for you. In any event, Steve treated me to some of his beers.
- Maibock, 6.5% – Slightly sweet, light colored bock with a medium-low level of hop bitterness and a slight spiciness. This is a pretty easy drinking beer that people who aren’t into bitter beers will like. Steve normally doesn’t filter his beers but he had to filter this one to get the clarity he wanted.
- Baltic Porter – This beer was actually poured straight from the fermentor. As it was, it’s still young and my description could end up different from the final product. Even then, this early preview is looking very good. The baltic porter has a meaty, roasty aroma. The beer is sweeter than I expected and has a deep roasted flavor with hints of chocolate. The name of this beer will be Veles, named after the Slavic god of the underworld. Nice (probably since I suggested the name). If you’re attending the AHA Homebrewer Conference next week,
- Hops on Rye, 8.1% ABV – This is Steve’s roggenbier, or rye beer (duh, it’s in the name) that he’s brewed to almost double IPA strength in alcohol and hop bitterness. This beer has a fresh, citrusy hop aroma and a lasting, assertive hop bitterness with a slight, spicy graininess to the malt. This is all before he even dry hopped the beer yet. This beer is still a few weeks away from being ready but if you want an advanced preview, this will also beer at the AHA Homebrewer Conference.
- Bourbon barrel-aged Scotch Ale, 8.2% ABV – This beer was a real treat even though I only had a small sample. I’m not sure what this beer tasted like before but it really tastes good now. This beer has a soft malt flavor, almost delicate on the palette. This beer has a wonderful aroma that is a combination of wood, hints of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla and a surprising level of coconut. I really liked this beer and can’t wait to have more.
- Lastly, Steve’s barrel-aging program is coming along. He is barrel-aging a his hefeweizen in two wine barrels. One barrels has brettanomyces bruxellensis while the other has brettanomyces lambicus. In the words of the great Paris Hilton, “That’s hot”.
Sonoma Chicken Coop
There has been some turnover at Sonoma Chicken Coop. Head brewer Mike Barker has been fired from Chicken Coop. From what I was told, he was drunk (midday), ran his mouth off to the wrong folks and was fired. That sucks as he is a pretty good brewer. In a questionable move, his assistant came in and took the position for a fraction of what they were paying Mike. Kinda shady. Brewers have a hard enough time justifying to ownership without having their assistants undercut them.
I’m not about to say you should boycott Sonoma Chicken Coop for how the situation was handled but I think the beer should do the talking. If the beer is still good, I guess you should still patronize them. Of course if the beer sucks, there are other alternatives.
Tied House Brewery
As I “reported” in a previous post, the San Jose Tied House has shuttered its doors for good. They’ve torn out all the kitchen equipement as well as the brewery. From what I’ve heard, they will be transitioning from a brewpub into a production brewery. It’s my understanding that they will be resurrecting the Coast Range brand of beers and perhaps brew some of the old Tied House beers as well. They’ve already purchased a bottling line and will be set-up in someplace in downtown San Jose. Not sure just yet, I’ll update with more information.
Yes, it does suck that we had to fire Mike. But his behavior was becoming out of control. He was a great brewer, but Terrell Owens is a great wide receiver also, but why is he with his 4th or 5th different team? It’s called being a team player and controlling your emotions, and I like to think we have a good team here.
As far as his assistant undercutting him, that is the furthest from the truth.I have to say that Jim stepped up and took control of the situation as soon as Mike left and has done a fantastic job of brewing some great beers. I don’t discuss salaries in public, but Jim is not being paid a “fraction of what Mike was making”.
Like you said, the beer speaks for itself, and I encourage you all to come in and see what you think. Ask for me and I’ll buy you a pint!!
Very well put Jeff….