BetterBeerBlog

About a year ago, the craft beer world lost one of its own. William “Bill” Brand passed away during the inaugural year of SF Beer Week. I knew of Bill but didn’t know him. I followed his blog on a near religious basis and many of the craft beer events I am now a regular at I found out through him.

His loss is deeply felt here in the South Bay. While many of the beer writers and other media would focus on San Francisco breweries, Bill would make the trip to the South Bay to see what we were up to. To commemorate his passing, I took the time today to have a pint in Bill’s name at one of his favorite South Bay haunts: Firehouse Brewery.

Firehouse brewmaster Steve Donohue was still in the house when I finally arrived. We spoke briefly about Bill before toasting to him. Call it fortuitous but Steve had tapped two new beers recently and I was able to try them both. Whipping out my notepad Bill Brand style, I took notes on the new beers.

Brendan’s Irish Stout, 5.1% ABV

This beer was a very dark brown with a white/off-white head. The beer has a soft, pleasant, deep roasted malt flavor with hints of dark chocolate. The hop bitterness is medium low for balance. The Irish Stout’s aroma echos the flavor. The body is medium-low and the carbonation/nitrogenation is low/medium-low.

I like this beer. At the time of pouring, Steve was still fiddling with the amount of nitro he was hitting his beer with. The pint that I was poured seemed to be a bit low on the nitro and the natural carbonation of the beer seemed to be the more apparent. After a winter of some really big beers, a smooth, sessionable stout was just what the doctor ordered. While Steve won’t readily admit it, he used a box of Lucky Charms to brew this beer.

Cluster Fuggle, 4.1%

Cluster Fuggle pours a hazy amber color with a white head. Soft hop aromas and lightly toasted malt notes make up the aroma of the beer. The flavor of the beer is similar; lightly toasted malt flavors give way to a medium-low hop bitterness and pleasant hop flavor that is subtle in character. Cluster Fuggle is medium-low/medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Cluster Fuggle is an example of an English Bitter. This is the smallest beer Steve has brewed in a long time, perhaps ever. Named after the primary hops used in the making of the beer, the name is a play off the more popular “Cluster Fuck”. In fact, one of the waitresses mentioned to Steve that all of her customers kept ordering the “Cluster Fuck”. If you’re ever at the brewpub and are having this beer, see if Steve is around and ask him why he really named the beer Cluster Fuggle.

As part of the SF Beer Week events, Rose & Crown in Palo Alto is having a brewery night featuring  the beers from Mayfield Brewing Company (MBC). This is an especially rare treat in that MBC does not sell their beer in draught format, only in bottles. So if you’ve never had the opportunity to try MBC beers before, I hope you were able to make it and give them a shot.

Owner/brewmaster John Alderete is the “man” behind the one-man show that is MBC. His beers differ from many other breweries in that all his beers have been aged at least 12 months in wine barrels. If you’d like to pick them up, they are available in many Whole Foods but you can also purchase them from him directly. Currently there are 3 award-winning beers in the MBC Iconoclast series: Aurora, Eclat and Nocturna. Here are my notes.

Aurora – Altbier aged in American Oak California Zinfandel and Cabernet wine barrels

Aurora pours out a light caramel in color with amber highlights. The beer is primarily malty with some roasted notes. Hop flavor and bitterness are low. The aroma echos that of the flavor. Aurora is a medium bodied beer with medium carbonation. Surprisingly, there’s a slight tartness in the finish.

When I first had this beer in the bottle, I wasn’t very impressed with this beer. I found it to be a little underwhelming. I can tell this beer has changed slightly since that very first vintage I’ve tried and it’s for the better. It’s been sometime since I’ve had this beer in the bottle so I can’t really make any comparisons to the draft version.

Nocturna – Imperial Stout aged in French Oak Port Wine barrels

This beer is very dark, nearly black and opaque. The aroma exhibits some oxidation that comes across in the form of soy sauce. The aroma is also sweet. The flavor of the beer is primarily sweet with coffee, chocolate, molasses and syrup notes. Low to no hop character at all. Nocturna is full bodied with medium-low carbonation.

Of all the MBC beers, Nocturna remains my favorite. Darker, higher alcohol beers tend to hold up to barrel again well and Nocturna is no exception. Normally oxidation is considered a flaw in many beers but the type of oxidation exhibited, soy sauce, some sherry, I consider pleasant. The big caveat, of course, is that those oxidized notes are balanced with respect to the beer.

Eclat – India Pale Ale aged in American Oak California Zinfandel and Cabernet wine barrels

Despite being an IPA, the beer’s overall flavor profile is malty. The malt flavor his slightly on the caramel side. The hop flavor and bitterness is lacking for what one would expect for an IPA. The aroma has a slight grassy hop aroma and a low level of fruity esters. Eclat is a medium-low/medium bodied beer with medium low carbonation.

Out of the entire Iconoclast series of MBC beers, Eclat is the most controversial of beers. The main reason for this is because of the lack of expected hop character. Whenever you come across an IPA, you expect the beer to be a showcase for the hops. The aroma should be bursting with hops while the flavor should have a tongue-numbing bitterness. This is distinctly not the case for  Eclat. In the true sense of an IPA, this is where an Eclat fails to meet expectations. Despite this, the resulting beer is interesting on its own merits.

What I can say though is that Eclat’s bitterness is improved from the initial vintage. In speaking with John Alderete, he has told me the hop character of the beer drops off significantly during the barrel aging process. I am a big fan of enjoying a beer in the original manner the brewmaster intends. In the case of Eclat, that includes aging an IPA until the hops have nearly dropped off. What I am curious about though, is trying Eclat before it enters the barrel. I’m interested in seeing just how much the hops drop off while in the barrels.

One thing I will note is that I didn’t pick up the woodsy/oaky notes in these beers that I normally am able to pick up from bottled versions. John did mention that these beers were racked right from the barrels to the keg but maybe some of those woodsy notes were lost in the carbonation process.

Imperial Common Collaboration Beer, San Francisco Brewers Guild

In addition to the MBC beers, I had the opportunity to try the Imperial Common Collaboration beer brewed by the SF Brewers Guild just for SF Beer Week. The Imperial Common pours our a dark brown with amber highlights and a beige head. The aroma has pungent and piney hop notes with the malt character in the background. The flavor is similar, tasting like a more alcoholic Anchor Steam, only slightly less bitter. This is a medium/medium-full bodied beer with medium-high carbonation.

Collaborative beers are the latest thing with breweries. In this instance, the members of the SF Brewers Guild appropriate have teamed up to brew an Imperial Common. Thanks to the efforts of Anchor Steam, the California Common is the indigenous beer of San Francisco and it only made sense that the first collaborative beer would be a California Common.

It was great to see Rose & Crown organizing events for SF Beer Week. There was a lot more participation this year from the south bay breweries Rose & Crown did a fantastic job lining up Brewery nights for almost the entire run of SF Beer Week. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have lined up in the near future and for next year.

At the Meat the Brewers beerfest last weekend, I had the opportunity to speak with Ramon, the beer buyer at the Los Altos Whole Foods. He was pouring their Juniper Black Ale, a beer he brewed with other Whole Foods reps at Sierra Nevada during their Beer Camp program.

Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp is a program designed for people in the beer industry, not necessarily brewers, to get a hands-on experience with beer by brewing up a very limited, special batch of beer. The types of beers brewed vary from class to class. Several people from Whole Foods were invited to Beer Camp from a number of states to participate in brewing the Juniper Black Ale.

From what Ramon told me, there are only about 8 kegs of this floating around California and Good Karma Vegetarian Cafe will be hosting a tapping party to celebrate this beer. Here is the information:

Who: Whole Foods, Good Karma Vegetarian Cafe, Sierra Nevada
What: Juniper Black Ale Tapping Party
Where: Good Karma Vegetarian Cafe, 37 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA‎ map
When: Friday, February 19, 2010 @ 7pm
Why: You doin’ anything better on a Friday night? If so, let me know.
Cost: As far as I’m aware, free to get in but you’ll have to pay for your beer

I really like the idea of a Beer Camp. It’s a great way for Sierra Nevada to not only pimp out their own beers and philosophy but to also educate people about beer. Even if the beer buyers don’t end up purchasing Sierra Nevada beers for their stores, they are at least more educated about beer and can purchase the craft beer and imports that they do like and are potentially open to ordering beers we request. The fact this tapping party is in San Jose is cool in the sense that interesting craft beer is making its way here. I encourage people to attend this tapping party to show that good craft beer is wanted in San Jose and people are willing to come out to get some.

February 5th is an important day. Not only is it the start of SF Beer Week 2010, it is also the day Russian River Brewing Company will be releasing their infamous Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA. I look forward to February if only for this reason. Pliny the Younger has triple the hops of Russian River’s standard IPA and is dry-hopped four times. Here are some beer specs:

Style: Triple I.P.A., due to the HUGElarge amounts of malt and hops (way more than Pliny the Elder!)
Alcohol by Volume: 11%
Hops: CTZ, Simcoe, Amarillo, Summit, and Centennial (same hop bill as last year, but slightly more bitter)

Unfortunately this is a very limited edition beer that goes fast. If you happen to find yourself at their brewpub, you can enjoy Pliny the Younger one of two ways:

It will be poured in 10 oz. glasses for $4.50.  Growlers are available NEW for $42, and REFILLS for $36 with a maximum of 4 growlers per person.

That’s it. Unless you happen to find yourself at a bar that’s serving this liquid goodness, you will be out of luck… much like I foresee myself to be .

In addition to releasing Pliny the Younger, 350mL bottles of Supplication will also be on sale for $12/bottle. Unfamiliar with Supplication? Here’s how Russian River describes this heavenly beer:

Brown Ale aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with three strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and sour cherries .

I currently have to work that day but the more I think about it, the more I think I should just take the day off. What do you all think?

For more information about what I just wrote directly from the source, click here.

Last night, Sammy and I made the long drive up to the Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley to try their “vertical” tasting of their winter seasonal Snow Cap. It really wasn’t much of a vertical though as they were only pouring the ’08, ’09 and a third dubbed “Super” Snow Cap. Call it more of a taster.

Beer may have been the excuse to drive all the way up to Berkeley but the real reason for making my way was to attend my very first tweet up. A tweet up is basically a gathering of folks organized through Twitter. The term is a derivative of “meet up”. In attendance were @BrewSugar, @D_e_a_n_o, @MrTrav, @bisonbrew and @TripleRockBeer. With a line-up like this, how could I not go?

All in all, it was a fairly mellow affair. I had fully expected us to be rocking the bar area but by the time everyone showed up, the bar was filled so we were pretty much forced to be at a table. Since Sammy and I ate before driving up to Pyramid, we just ordered a basket of sweet potato fries (came with an interesting curry dipping sauce) while everyone else ordered more robust fare.

I had the opportunity to talk with Rodger Davis, the brewmaster at Triple Rock. I first “met” Rodger a couple of years ago during the Boonville Beerfest when he hung out at our campsite and talked shop with New Belgium beer rep Jeremy. Since then, I’ve seen Rodger at multiple Bay Area events for months now but never had the opportunity to speak to him at any length until tonight.

While nothing revolutionary came from the conversation, I can say I’m trying to help out with a future beer-related project regarding SF Beer Week. The idea, suggested by Firehouse brewmaster Steve Donohue, was for each participating brewer(y) to brew up a “Bill Brand” beer in honor of the late beer journalist/advocate who tragically passed away during the inaugural year of SF Beer Week. I think this is a great way to remember the man who did so much for craft brewing here in the Bay Area and I’m happy to help in any way.

Anyway, I was up at Pyramid for their beers so here’s what I thought of them.

Snow Cap 2008, Pyramid Brewing, 7.0% ABV

The 2008 Snow Cap pours out a brilliantly clear mahogany color with a beige head. The beer has a sweet, caramelish flavor with a deep, toasted barley flavor and slight roasty notes. The hop character of the beer is muted. The 2008 Snow Cap is more of a malt forward beer. The aroma is similar to the flavor. The beer is medium bodied, lighter than I had expected but with medium-high carbonation. There’s a slight alcohol character in the aroma.

When talking to Rodger, he comments on how he feels Snow Cap would make a very good barrel aged beer. He can see Snow Cap aging very well in bourbon, brandy and port barrels, just to name a few.

Snow Cap 2009, Pyramid Brewing, 7.0% ABV

For all intents and purposes, the 2009 Snow Cap looks identical to the 2008. The difference between the two lies in the hop character. Since this is the freshest version of this beer, the hops come through moreso than in the 2008. The hop aroma is slightly fruity and floral while the bitterness is about medium intensity. The malt character of the beer makes Snow Cap seem less bitter than it really is. Snow Cap is also medium bodied with medium-high carbonation and a slight alcohol aroma and astringency.

Super Snow Cap, Pyramid Brewing, 9.0% ABV

I never did get to ask the bartender what made this beer “super”. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that has 2% more alcohol by volume than its counter parts. Super Snow Cap is a hazy, dark caramel in color and is virtually opaque with a thin, beige head. Lots of stuff, most likely yeast, in suspension. This beer has a muddled, sweet malt flavor. Unlike the other beers with a clear, distinguishable malt character, Super Snow Cap’s flavors are all mixed together with nothing jumping out at me as the dominant flavor. This beer has a very low hop character. Super Snow Cap is medium-high in body, medium-low carbonation and a slight warming feeling as it goes down my throat.

Hum Bug’r, MacTarnahan’s, 5.3% ABV

To finish the night off, I order Hum Bug’r seasonal porter from MacTarnahan’s. MacTarnahan’s was purchased by Pyramid Brewing some time ago and now makes their beers as well. Hum Bug’r has chocolate flavors as well as a deep roasted malt character. There’s not a lot of hops in this beer, just enought for balance. The aroma is similar to the flavor. Hum Bug’r is a very dark brown color, nearly black with a tan head. It is medium-bodied with medium carbonation.

Out of the three Snow Caps I tried this night, my favorite was the 2009 iteration. I found it to have a bright, clear flavor and more balanced because I can taste the hops. I found nothing super about Super Snow Cap. I felt its flavors were all muddled together with nothing jumping out at me. Hum Bug’r was an enjoyable beer as well, I ordered this in a pint that I finished.

Seeing as their distribution is pretty wide, having to drive up to Berkeley for 3 tasting size samples of Snow Cap might not seem worth it. As always, the beer is just an excuse to get out of the house; the real treat is getting to meet fellow craft beer enthusiasts and professional brewers.

Gordon Biersch has these tasting parties just about every quarter, usually to celebrate the release of their new seasonal. This time around, they’re celebrating the release of their Winterbock. Winterbock is a dark brown beer with a lasting tan head. There’s a savory, sweet malty aroma with a hint of alcohol spiciness. The flavor is very similar but the beer has a bitterness that is supportive enough to balance out the sweetness. I also pick up a slight roasty character. Winterbock has a  medium-high body, medium carbonation and slight alcohol warmth. Brewed with Hallertau hops, Winterbock weighs in at 8.0% ABV.

Gordon Biersch have really outdone themselves with their decor for this tapping. They’re totally rocking the “Oktoberfest” style drinking hall look with blue checkered banners, sweeping blue swag, paper clouds and stars topped off with a painted, picturesque German country backdrop. From what brewmaster Dan Satterthwaite said, this decor should be up for the winter season. It’s a nice change of pace from the normal, drab tent interior.

As I tweeted before, arriving earlier has its advantages. We’ve gotten more appetizers tonight than we’ve ever gotten in just about all the tapping parties we’ve been to combined. Score! Dan and his assistant brewer are doing a bang-up job keeping the line moving. The crowd here is cool and festive while the band Jazz Unlimited is keeping things entertaining.

I ordered the Bison sliders that were served with battered onion strings (that were a little too salty), while the burgers are topped off with mayo, spices and caramelized onions. The sliders were cooked to order, juicy with a hint of gaminess. Pretty good stuff!

A trio of Marines were on hand as well to collect toys for their Toys for Tots program. Sammy and I brought 5 different toys with us to donate. To be honest, not all of them were from us, we had a few toys from years past we failed to donate in time and what better time to donate than now.

Anyway, the Winterbock tapping party was a good time. The food was good, the music entertaining and the beer satisfying. I’m looking forward to their upcoming beers.

I know this is kinda late notice but in case you didn’t already hear about it, Gordon Biersch is having a tapping party for their Winterbock. Here are the details:

Who: Gordon Biersch
What: Winterbock Tapping Party

“A strong, dark beer with bold flavor combined with a gentile hint of holiday sweetness.”

Where: 33 East San Fernando Street, San Jose, CA map
When: Tuesday, November 17th, 6pm - 8pm
Why: Let’s celebrate their new winter seasonal.

In addition, Gordon Biersch is working with the Marines Toys for Tots program. Bring in an unwrapped toy to support the cause. We’ll be there tonight so don’t be a stranger and say hello!

Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete’s Wicked Ale, will be hosting the launch party for Reunion ‘09: A Beer for Hope at Firehouse Grill and Brewery on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 from 6pm to 9pm. For $10, receive a commemorative pint glass and beer. Additional beers will be $3. 50% of the proceeds from the sale of this beer will go towards the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research.

Reunion ‘09

This year’s release will be a Double Wheat Ale available in draught only. Bison Brewing in Northern California returns for a third year as a production and fundraising partner.  Joining Bison this year as production partners are Elysian Brewing in Washington, Pizza Port in Southern California, and Terrapin Brewing in Georgia.  Taco Mac restaurants throughout Georgia will feature Reunion starting July 24, 2009. Please check our Reunion Links section for updates on events and pub listings.

The Cause

Worldwide over 1,000 people per day are diagnosed with this cancer of the plasma. IMBCR is one of the world’s leading independent researchers. Their work not only affects myeloma patients, it also produces benefits in areas such as lymphoma and breast cancer.

We loved bringing Reunion beer in bottles to the market and hope to do that again starting in 2010. For now, the best way to support Virginia’s vision of bringing hope to others is for you donate the $5 or more you may have spent on pints or bottles of Reunion directly to IMBCR. Please visit the donation links on this page to help us make a difference.

Donate to the cause directly.

Launch Party

Who: Pete Slosberg, Firehouse Bar and Grill, Bison Brewing
What: Reunion ‘09 Launch Party
Where: Firehouse Brewery & Grill, 111 S. Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94086 map
When: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 6pm to 9pm
Why: 50% of proceeds to benefit Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research
Cost: $10 gets you a pint glass and beer. $3 pints of Reunion ‘09 afterwards.

I hope to see some of you there to support a good cause.

This Sunday at the San Jose Gordon Biersch brew pub is the Organicfest Tapping Party. This special tapping party will be right on the heels of the 2009 National Organic Brewing Challenge (NOBC) homebrew competition that will be held earlier in the day at Gordon Biersch. San Jose Gordon Biersch brewmaster Dan Satterthwaite is part owner of 7 Bridges Cooperative Organic homebrew shop in Santa Cruz, California. 7 Bridges is the sponsor of NOBC and I think it’s great of Dan to let them hold the competition and afterpart at Gordon Biersch.

Here are the details:

Join us on Sunday, October 18th, from 6pm to 8pm, for an Organicfest Tapping Party to celebrate the winners of the 2009 National Organic Brewing Challenge!

The annual competition takes the craft of homebrewing to a whole new level, as participants are challenged to create a unique, flavorful brew with completely organic ingredients. The top winners of the 2009 Challenge will be announced during the tapping party!

Admission to the tapping party is just $15 and includes…

• Complimentary Gordon Biersch Organic Blonde Bock and Weizenbock*
• Complimentary Gordon Biersch signature appetizers*
• Live funk/soul music by “Timeless”
• For an additional $5, also receive a commemorative pint glass

33 East San Fernando St.
San Jose, CA  95113
408-294-6785

I had initially planned on judging the competition but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. I think I’ll just stop by for the after party instead. Maybe I’ll be seeing some of you there.

The good folks at Gordon Biersch are tapping their new Festbier tonight. The Festbier is their take on an Octoberfest-style beer. An interesting thing to note is that GB’s Märzen is technically an Octoberfest beer. In fact, the two terms are now used interchangeably nowadays. I’ll be doing a side-by-side comparison but of the two brews but if you look at last year’s post regarding the GB Festbier tapping, you’ll know that the Festbier recipe is more complex.

I know it’s a little late notice but these tappings are popular enough that they don’t need any more promotion from me. In fact, to keep up with all future tappings, I suggest you sign up for their email list.

In any event, we will be there supporting our local brewpub by enjoying the latest GB seasonal. If you see us at the San Jose location, don’t be a stranger. While you’re there, make sure to check out their dunkelweizen. The dunkelweizen is very similar to their hefeweizen except that it’s darker (amber to caramel in color) and with more Munich malt sweetness.