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.

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.

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.

By the time I showed up to Firehouse Brewery & Grill, the party was pretty much in full swing. There were a surprising amount of people I knew at the bar—a combination of Firehouse regulars, craft beer fans, homebrewers and an unpaid assistant brewer—all hanging out and enjoying the cask conditioned pale ale. It’s good to see the community come out and support not just Firehouse but Firehouse brewmaster Steve Donohue. He’s an award-winning, yet unhearalded, brewer who has a well-earned following that continues to grow despite his best efforts.

“I try and brew beer people won’t like,” says Donohue. Judging by the amount of people at Firehouse last night, he’s not doing a very good job. And I’m OK with that.

Cask conditioned Pale Ale dry-hopped with Citra

Cloudy, pale amber in color, with a thin white/off-white head. Aroma is pungent, slightly earthy, with light citrus character and resiny. Malt flavor has caramel flavors but citrus, funky, resiny hop flavors are more dominant. Hop bitterness seems at the upper limit for a pale ale, but isn’t harsh. Low carbonation,  smooth, medium-low body.

Quite possibly the only downside to last night was the band playing upstairs. Despite how loud they were, I liked many of the covers songs they played but it made for a lot of yelling and leaning in close to hear what your neighbor was saying. If we where having trouble hearing what was going on downstairs, I can only imagine how difficult it was to hear anything upstairs. Speaking of upstairs…

The band was part of the Wine & Beer Tasting Event the brew pub was concurrently hosting in the brewpub’s upper level. Firehouse General Manager Leticia brought me upstairs prior to the event starting to show me how things were set up. The event set-up was relatively straightforward: the band greeted you at the top of the stairs while additional seating was to the right of the band. To the left of the band, a couple of tables were set-up featuring several wineries that were separated by a robust spread of various cheeses and fruits. The lights were dimmed, perhaps a little too much, to set the mood. I hope they had a decent turnout. Since I am admittedly not a huge wine fan, I never went back up to see how things were going.

If you didn’t make it to this Cask Ale Night, the next one is tentatively set for September 16th or so.

All I can say about this is, about damned time. I’ve been hounding Firehouse Brewmaster Steve Donohue to create a cask version of his beers. I guess enough of us have bugged the hell out of him that he finally did it. This is also remarkable in that Steve hasn’t done a cask in years (at least for Firehouse) so it’s good to see him putting together a cask ale program. Nothing wrong with force carbonated beers but there’s no substitute for the real deal. Here are the details:

Who: Firehouse Brewery & Grill
What: Cask Ale Night, featuring Firehouse Pale Ale dry-hopped with Citra
Where: 111 South Murphy Avenue. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 map
When: Thursday, August 19, 2010 @ 4pm - cask is done.
Cost: Free to get in, just pay for your beers

Even though I’ve dedicated a post to promote Cask Ale Night at Firehouse, cask ale is not a new phenomenon here in the South Bay. Tied House in Mountain View holds their Firkin Fridays every 1st Friday of the month featuring their cask ale du jour, while Faultline Brewing Company has a cask ale on tap as part of their regular rotation of beers.

If you plan on going to Cask Ale Night, as I plan on going, you should be aware that this is the same night as their Wine & Beer Tasting Event. Strange as this may sound, these are two, separate events. Should make for an interesting night all around.

See you there!

Author: The Rabid Brewer

This past Saturday, K&L Wine Merchants in Redwood City had a Saisons and Sours Beer Tasting. Roughly once a month, K&L buyer Bryan Brick organizes and hosts this event. Fill out a request next time your in K&L to be put on his mailing list.

Although I would love to post a detailed description of each beer complete with photos (ala Mr. BetterBeerBlog,) alas, you’ll just have to settle for my jotted notes and recommendations. I’ve listed the beers roughly in order of my personal preference, not in the order in which I tasted them.

Odonata Beer Company Saison, California 22oz $5.99

This is Odonata Beer’s Co’s flagship beer brewed in Davis and has just recently been released. The brewer, Peter Hooey, was once a shift brewer at Sierra Nevada, Brewmaster at Bison Brewing and has won numerous awards including a Gold at GABF for his saison.

I’ve been following Odonata’s Blog for some time and have eagerly awaited it’s appearance in the Bay Area market. I’ve now tasted it three separate times and unfortunately, my experience has been inconsistent. I suspect improper handling or perhaps glitches in the first production run.

After tasting it this past Saturday at K&L, I found it superb! The nose was light fruit of apricot and pear with a peppery and very light clove spice. The taste was light, but not as dry as some classic saisons. It had a slight residual sweetness, but was very well balanced. It had many of the subtle qualities that I’ve come to associate with fine wines. The finish had just enough bitterness to support the malt with a perfectly balanced pepper spice.

I would definitely recommend this beer with the caveat that there may be some bad bottles out there. Hopefully, Odonata will get this straightened out and we’ll be able to have a wonderful, locally brewed saison of consistent quality, readily available and at a great price.

Haandbryggeriet “Haandbakk” Wild Ale, Norway 500ml $10.99

This was my hands-down favorite of the day. When I mentioned how much I liked it, Bryan said it was also a favorite of his.

Their website describes Haandbakk as a “sour beer using wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. This beer was brewed in Sept. 06 and has since then been aged in oak barrels until bottling day [Mar. '08]. The beer is blended for roundness but is still very sour and a little bit acetic… 8.5% alc. 20 ibu.”

I don’t consider this beer “very sour” so perhaps the aging has mellowed it a bit. I tend not to like sour beers where the predominant component of flavor is sourness. I prefer more balanced examples where the sourness is one of the players in the symphony that is the beer. This is an example of that kind of balance.

This was poured later in the tasting order and at this point, my notes were getting sparse, but I wrote that it had a chocolatey acidic-ness with a slight touch of solvent in the nose. Though picking up “solvent” isn’t usually a promising sign, the flavor was wonderful. I bought 3 bottles and wish I could have afforded more. I highly recommend this beer.

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales “La Roja” Wild Ale, Michigan 750ml $12.99

This was one of the last beers in the tasting order so my notes are quite sparse, but this did earn a star on my list. It would have earned a place in my shopping basket if it wasn’t for the fact I’d already grabbed $100 worth of bottles! It is definitely on my list for next time.

Bryan said that this was the beer that started him on the road to wild and sour ales. I noted it as being light with a sweet finish. This is how Jolly Pumpkin describes it: “[A]n amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition. Deep amber with earthy caramel, spice, and sour fruit notes developed through natural barrel aging. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and blended from barrels ranging in age from two to ten months.”

Like the Haandbakk, this is not an overly sour beer. It has lots of additional complexity and has a fine balance to which the sourness is just a part.

Jolly Pumpkin has many highly rated beers, so you won’t go wrong with this one.

Telegraph Brewing Company “Reserve Wheat Ale” Ale Brewed With Lemon Verbena, California 750ml $10.99

This beer is brewed with brett, lactobacillus and lemon verbena, and also earned a star on my list. Bryan described it as one of Telegraph Brewing’s finest offerings. Though not as good at the Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, it shared many of the same qualities that I prefer in a sour beer: Nicely balanced with complexity that complements the sourness.

This is a limited release and comes in at 5% ABV.

Valley Brewing Company “Decadence” Pomegranate Saison, California 22oz $6.49

I call this, “Ode to Steve Altimari.” Steve was the head brewer for Valley Brewing for well over 10 years and had a well deserved local following. Unfortunately, when the brewery recently changed hands, he was let go. Many in the beer community lamented what happened to Steve and I hear he is busy working on his next gig.

This beer is still from the stock of Altimari brewed beers left in the distribution channel. It was nice to sample one more of Steve’s beers. I found the nose sweet and rich in carmelized sugar. Although a bit tart and quite fruity, I found it wonderfully complex.

If you’re interested in any of Steve’s Valley Brewing Beers, now’s the time to get them before they’re gone forever.

Nøgne-Ø Saison, Norway 500ml $8.49

This brewery was founded by two homebrewers gone pro and has many highly rated offerings. I found this saison good, but not one of my favorites. It had a rich and fruity nose with some peppery spice. It was quite dry and effervescent and finished with a slight grainy astringency.

Brouwerij De Ranke “Saison De Dottignies” Saison, Belgium 330ml $4.49

This saison has an ABV of 5.5% which is closer to where saisons were traditional brewed. It seems like most saisons these days are 6% or more. Even Bryan joked that this was more of a session beer.

I found it quite light and with little spice. The body was a bit thin (perhaps due to the low ABV) but it had a nice noble hop flavor I’m guessing was substantial late additions of saaz.

As this beer is highly rated on both RateBeer and BeerAdvocate, you should probably give it a try. Personally, I prefer other Brouwerij De Ranke offerings such as their Guldenberg.

Green Flash Brewing Company “Summer Saison” Saison, California 22oz $7.99

Another low ABV saison at 4.3%, this beer is brewed with orange curacao , ginger and grains of paradise.  What was apparent to my nose was a bit of Belgian yeast funk combined with a Columbus hop pungency. Although I really like many of Green Flash’s other beers, this won’t become a favorite.

Professor Fritz Briem “13th Century Grut Bier,” Germany 16.9oz $6.49

This is not a beer, but a gruit. A gruit is brewed without hops. This particular gruit uses bay leaves, ginger, caraway, anise, rosemarie and gentian. The latter ingredient had me stumped but my trusty iPhone revealed it to be a flowering herb commonly used for digestion problems.

Although I am thoroughly intrigued by gruit (and hope to brew on some day), most of what I got from this was a prominent ginger aroma and flavor with some light peppery spice.

Brasserie Trois Dames Oud Bruin, Switzerland 750ml $19.99

Fairly sour in the nose but quite complex in flavor. You gotta love sours to enjoy this beer.

Hanssens “Experimental Raspberry” Lambic, Belgium 12.7oz $15.99

Bryan explained that Hanssens is a blender, not a brewer, of lambic. Blenders buy from different brewers and create a blend much like wine makers make wine. A quick web search reveals they are the last independently owned blender in Belgium.

The Experimental series are one-offs that Hanssens is doing. The previous one in the series was a “cassis” or black currant. I found this particular lambic quite complex and rich with a rasberry tartness. However, I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m not a fruit beer kind of guy. For those of you that do like fruit lambics, I suspect you will find this one pleasant enough.

Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueze, Belgium 375ml $9.99

Here we get to the point in my notes where I have no notes. Again, not a favorite style of mine. I will keep trying though!

- Brian the Rabid Brewer

The venerable yet divey Toronado, arguably the epicenter of craft beer in San Francisco, is having their 23rd Anniversary Party this Saturday. Many businesses are nowadays are happy to make it to their 3rd anniversary let alone a 23rd. In honor of the occasion, they’re throwing a party with drink specials all day. I’ve only seen a few tweets here and there but it sounds like they’re going to have a lot of special beers pouring that day. Too bad we can’t make it. Here are the details:

Who: Toronado
What: 23rd Anniversary Party
Where: 547 Haight, San Francisco, CA, 94117 map
When: Saturday, August 14, 2010 (all day)
Cost: Free to get in, just pay for your beers

K&L Wine Merchants Special Tasting - Saisons & Sours

In case Toronado was out of the question for you, K&L Wine Merchants in Redwood City is having a special tasting of their own. Brought to my attention by The Rabid Brewer himself, this event promises to be pretty special in it’s own right. Here are the details:

Who: K&L Wine Merchants
What: Special Saturday Tasting
Where: 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA, 94061 map
When: Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 1pm - 4pm
Cost: $10 (Holy crap that’s a good deal!)

Beer list (subject to change if the sell out of one thing or another):

• Brouwerij De Ranke “Saison De Dottignies” Saison, Belgium 330ml $4.49
• Green Flash Brewing Company “Summer Saison” Saison, California 22oz $7.99
• Nøgne-Ø Saison, Norway 500ml $8.49
• Odonata Beer Company Saison, California 22oz $5.99
• Valley Brewing Company “Decadence” Pomegranate Saison, California 22oz $6.49
• Brasserie Trois Dames Oud Bruin, Switzerland 750ml $19.99
• Hanssens “Experimental Raspberry” Lambic, Belgium 12.7oz $15.99
• Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek, Belgium 375ml $11.99
• Haandbryggeriet “Haandbakk” Wild Ale, Norway 500ml $10.99
• Brasserie Cantillon Classic Gueuze, Belgium 750ml $17.99
• Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales “La Roja” Wild Ale, Michigan 750ml $12.99
• Telegraph Brewing Company “Reserve Wheat Ale” Ale Brewed With Lemon Verbena, California 750ml $10.99

While I would love to make it to either/both of these events, I can’t. I have a little shindig I’m throwing on Saturday that I may have to cancel because of some health issues I’m currently going through. Here’s to hoping the whole weekend doesn’t go down in one, vertigo induced faceplant.