Welcome to BetterBeerBlog. The idea for the blog was simple, blog about “better beer”. My initial intent was to pick up a couple of beers every week from my local BevMo and review them on this site. I had intended this blog to be a resource for beer reviews in an attempt to help the “Average Joe” (or Jane) make informed decisions about beer.
As you can probably guess, what I write about has expanded far beyond what my original intentions were. Yes, beer reviews will still be a part of the BetterBeerBlog content but I’ve expanded also to cover local beer events and festivals. As a homebrewer, I will gladly share with my readers the beers I make and as a Certified-level BJCP judge, I will try and show you the ins and outs of being a judge. It’s actually a lot of work. I will also do my best to introduce readers to the many craft brewers in my area. The San Francisco Bay Area has a vibrant craft beer scene that goes far beyond the local breweries, brew pubs and bars that I would love to share with you all.
Basically, this blog is about my adventures in craft beer. I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
Mabuhay!
Peter Estaniel
Mabuhay (pronounced mah-BOO-high) is a tagalog expression that can mean many things. Taken literally, it means “Life!”. Mabuhay is the tagalog equivalent of “cheers!” and it is in this context that I use it.
Hi – I wanted to let you know about The Brewing Network’s 2nd Annual Winter Brews Festival. Can I email you our press release and info about the fest in hopes of getting some press from you? The fest is this Saturday in Berkeley.
Cheers!
JP
I’m sending you an email about this.
Hi Peter,
My name’s Lauren, and I’m writing on behalf of Newcastle Brown Ale. We’re reaching out to bloggers in major cities across the country and sending fun Newcastle items to kick off the new year. May I have your address so that we can send you a mailer? My email is above. Thanks!
Best,
Lauren
I’ll send you and email and we can chat.
Can you please email me your contact information to send you info on Beer selections in the SF area?
Thanks! cheers!
I’ll send you an email soon.
I just found your beer site and have enjoyed exploring it. I personally can not think of drinking anything but a great microbrew or homebrew. Glad to have found your site.
Gary
Hey Peter -
Thought you might be interested in El Dorado Corner Cafe in Sonoma, CA – we have a great cult beer following up there. A couple of weeks back we tapped a keg of Pliny the Younger and had a crowd outside that wrapped around the block. Tomorrow night we’re tapping the new Brekle’s Brown from Anchor Steam. I’d love to tell you more and maybe get you information for your readers. Please let me know how best to send this info to you.
Thanks,
Jen
I’ll shoot you over an email Jennifer and we can chat more there.
Here’s the short 3 minute video of “Popeye’s Beer Club” in Tokyo – the premier craft brew place in Japan. I spoke to you and the Mrs. about at Wine Affairs some time ago.
70 Beers on tap, and a cool “Hop Heart”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5TKXBeEZ5E
Their web site:
http://www.lares.dti.ne.jp/~ppy/english/EnglishTopPage.html
Greetings!
I was looking at your beer blog and thought you might be interested in hosting an American Homebrewers Association (AHA) web banner on your website to earn profit for your site. It’s simple to participate.
When your readers click on your AHA Web Banner they are redirected to the AHA’s online store. US, International, or Family memberships purchased by that click-through make money for your beer business. A one-year = $9, two-year = $10 & three-year = $11! Checks and reports are mailed quarterly.
Because everything is tracked online, AHA Web Banners are 100% hassle free and can only earn you money.
More information is available here: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/grow-your-business/sell-aha-memberships
If you’d like to participate, please let me know.
Cheers,
Steve Parr
Business Coordinator
American Homebrewers Association
Hi,
I added a link to your blog on mine. If you want to add mine to yours, that would be appreciated!
P.S. I like the photos in your blog. It’s a very attractive site overall.
Thanks,
Aaron
Thanks for the compliment, we appreciate it. Thanks for adding me to your blogroll, we’ve added you to ours as well.
Peter,
Diesel Books in Oakland is hosting the Algonquin Free Beer Tour this Thursday (June 9) at 7:oopm. Sponsored by Lagunitas this is a refreshingly smooth literary series that blends choice hops and literary chops. With stops in Milwaukee, Naperville, Boston, Austin, and Oakland, the Free Beer Tour showcases three Algonquin authors introducing their incredibly entertaining new works which are perfect (especially for the dudes) for summer reading. Complementing the literary entertainment, there will be beer tastings featuring the esteemed Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, California. It’s an evening of pairing great books with great beer—and it sure as hell beats cutting the grass after work. Can I send you a press release and poster copy?
http://www.dieselbookstore.com/event/oakland-free-beer-tour-josh-wilker-david-anthony-and-pete-nelson
Thanks,
Craig
Hello Peter! I would like to email you information about Grovetoberfest taking place this coming October in Miami, Florida. I’m hoping that you can include this information in your blog. Would you be so kind as to drop me a line so that I can email you that information. Much appreciated!
Hi there.
I work with Pyramid Breweries and wanted to invite you to an event we’re hosting next week. Is there a way to contact you directly?
Thanks in advance.
I’ll contact you via email.
Hi Peter, I wanted to add a book to the hopper. Have you read Everybody Eats Well in Belgium by Ruth VanWaerebeek? A classic on Belgian cuisine with a big section on cooking with beer. Ruth is a good buddy. We have shared recipes of hers with Garrett and Lucy over the years. Out of print but you can get used copies online. Hope we cross paths one of these days. Have a great weekend. Wendy
Wendy, I haven’t seen that book but I’ll keep an eye out for it. I do have Garrett’s and Lucy’s books in the “library” at home though. Great reads.
Hi Peter,
I wanted to email you about this but don’t see contact info – Beer Wiki partnered with ThirstyBear Brewing Co. in San Francisco to give away a prize pack ($25 gift certificate to ThirstyBear, ThirstyBear hat, ThirstyBear t-shirt) – please email me at hannah@wikia-inc.com if you want more information. We’d love to partner with you for future giveaways and contests… our Beer Wiki can be found here: beer.wikia.com
Thanks!
Hannah Simon
Hi,
I’m writing because I wanted to follow up about the Pacifico Adventures on Tap Tour. I know we first contacted you when the journey was just beginning, but now that it’s over I thought you might be interested in posting about how the trip ended up and the artwork that came out of it.
This past June, to celebrate the introduction of Pacifico on tap in the US, Pacifico embarked on a road trip transporting kegs from Mexico to five US cities: Phoenix, San Diego, LA, San Francisco, and Seattle. Along the way, they enlisted the help of some great local artists to help turn five Pacifico kegs into works of art and to throw parties in each of the five cities.
Here’s a highlight video of the trip we put together… http://vimeo.com/27120959
We wanted to see if you would consider sharing the story of the Pacifco journey with your readers. I can offer you some Pacifico t-shirts for your time and to giveaway to your readers if you’re interested.
I’ve also attached some of the artwork from the painted kegs and all the info/video you might need to share the story. Let me know what you think- we would really appreciate the help in spreading the awareness.
Thanks so much,
Ben
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PacificoBeer?sk=app_174791469243222
Video: http://vimeo.com/27120959
Hey Peter,
Want to “tap” you for some resources for a inaugural beer fest in San Mateo for May 2012…looking forward to chatting….thanks!
Just sent you an email.
Hi Peter:
I do video profiles of interesting characters in my spare time. I’m looking to do a profile of a brew master who works at a small scale operation (prefer self owned) who might be an interesting character. Just wondered if you might know of someone you could pass along. Really enjoyed your blog!
Here’s an example:
http://normanbonney.com/claudia.html
Norman – Just sent you and email.
Hey!
I was super excited to find your blog. I like to read others thoughts on beer. I also have a beer blog, but I’ve only just started in the last few months. Do you have any pointers for a person just starting out?
-Meredith