SF Beer Week 2012 Event Recap – Blind IPA Tasting at Wine Affairs

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Peter

Nearly a year ago for the BetterBeerBlog 4-year anniversary, I held a blind tasting of several Double IPAs and IPAs. The main idea was to have fun, but it also became an interesting experiement to see if I could pick out my favorites, and to see if the beers with the most hype were worthy of them. The results were surprising, to say the least. Imagine my surprise then when Wine Affairs decided to have a blind IPA tasting for one of their SF Beer Week 2012 events. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer Festivals, Beer Tastings, Craft Beer, Events, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

SF Beer Week 2012 Event Recap – Opening Celebration

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Peter

Epic. I don't normally engage in hyperbole, it's just not my thing. It sets up expectations that may never be met, and worse, it downgrades the meaning of our words. I'm sure the bacon crusted, maple glazed donut you had this morning was very good, but it wasn't "epic". Likewise, the progressive bar crawl you had last week where you met the Sherpa mixologist muddling all sorts of fruit, veggies, and small animals as you went about may have been fun, but it was far from legen… wait for it… dary. The SF Beer Week 2012 Opening Celebration on the other hand was Epic,  worthy of capitalizing the first letter and italics.

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer Festivals, Craft Beer, Events, Reviews | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Beer in Review: Mountain Goat Brewery Hightail Ale and Australian Pale Ale

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Peter

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Daniel Munoz from Specialty Cellars. He wanted to know if I was interested in reviewing a couple of beers from Australian brewery Mountain Goat Brewery. Having never been to Austalia, or even tasted the beers from there, I accepted his offer. The real impetus for me to accept his offer, was the rising use of the New Zealand hop Nelson Sauvin, a hop that gets its name from the Nelson region of central New Zealand, as well as the sauvignon blanc characteristics the hop has. Yeah, I know New Zealand is not Australia but the point is to see how much terrior plays a role in flavor. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer in Review, Craft Beer, Events, Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Beer Revolution 2nd Anniversary Recap

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Peter

It's hard to believe that Beer Revolution is only 2 years old now as it seems like they've been a staple in the craft beer community much longer. That shouldn't be taken as a negative more than it is a testament to their value and growing importance to the Bay Area craft beer scene. So how do you celebrate your 2-year anniversary? You ask a bunch of your brewer friends to make special beers for you, then you throw a big ass party and invite all your friends.

Continue reading →

Posted in Craft Beer, Events, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

2012 Winter Kraftbrew Festival Recap

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Peter

At the end of January, the Winter Kraftbrew Fest unofficially kicked off the craft beer festival season, at least in the South Bay. The event was put on by Giant Creative and Naglee Park Garage and featured beers from over a dozen domestic craft breweries and several European beers from Belgium and the United Kingdom. Food was provided by Naglee Park Garage, supported by Omi Ninja food truck, while entertainement was taken care of by several bands. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer Festivals, Craft Beer, Events, Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

SF Beer Week in the South Bay: South Bay Brewmasters Dinner at California Café

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Peter

The craft beer awesomeness continues in the South Bay for SF Beer Week. My friends at California Café Palo Alto are up all kinds of good with the 2nd Annual South Bay Brewmasters Dinner. Unlike the other dinners in the Brewmaster Dinner series which focus on a single brewery, this meal will focus on several South Bay/Peninsula breweries. Last year's dinner was pretty awesome and I expect much more of the same this year as well.

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer and Food Pairing Event, Beer and Food Pairings, Beer Festivals, Craft Beer, Events | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SF Beer Week in the South Bay: Harry’s Hofbrau

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Peter

Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Just a few, short days before SF Beer Week 2012 kicks off in San Francisco. But fear not! You don't have to be in San Francisco to celebrate SF Beer Week. Harry's Hofbrau in San Jose has organized several SF Beer Week events to slate your thirst for good craft beer. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer Festivals, Craft Beer, Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SF Beer Week in the South Bay: Wine Affairs

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Peter

SF Beer Week 2012 is nearly upon us! While the city of San Francisco will be the epicenter of this 10-day celebration of craft beer, events will be held in just about every corner of the Bay Area. Here in the South Bay, the premiere event will be the Meet the Brewers craft beer festival hosted by Hermitage Brewing Company. And while this local festival, with over a dozen breweries and several gourmet food trucks in participation, is shaping up to be a fantastic event, let's not foget about the local businesses that support craft beer. These businesses have stepped up this year and I will be blogging about their events leading up to the SF Beer Week Opening Celebration, starting with long time BetterBeerBlog supporter Wine Affairs. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Beer and Food Pairings, Beer Bars, Beer Festivals, Beer Tastings, Craft Beer, Events, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hopinions: Special Edition Weekend

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Peter

On this iteration of Hopinions, Mario and I discuss the upcoming Superbowl Weekend. In addition to the big game, there are several miltestone events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area craft beer scene, including the release of a much coveted beer. That's not even mentioning the upcoming SF Beer Week activities that are right around the bend. Mario is hosting this time so pay his site a visit and don't forget to leave your comments! 

Continue reading →

Posted in Hopinions | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company to Open New Brewery in North Carolina

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Peter

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company formally announced today that they will be opening a new brewery in North Carolina. The announcment draws to a close a search for an indeal location that spanned several years and over 200 potential sites. The new brewery will be located in Mills River, North Carolina on a parcel of land approximately 12 miles south of Asheville. With the new location adjacent to the French Broad River, and the Blue Ridge Mountains close by, the new location seeks to emulate the location of its west coast counterpart. "The beer culture, water quality and quality of life are excellent. We feel lucky to be part of this community," says Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company founder. I've copied and pasted the press release at the end of this post. 

Continue reading →

Posted in Craft Beer, News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment