Author Archives: Matt

About Matt

Matt Amaral is a writer and cartoonist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his degree in English Literature from the University of California at Davis (where he was the featured campus cartoonist for 3 years in The California Aggie) and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University. He is also the founder of www.teach4real.com, a website dedicated to Real Teachers in our Toughest Schools. You can read his work in the 2010 issues of Brew Crew News, TeachHub, EmPower Magazine, The Dirty Napkin, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Eclectic Flash, Bird's Eye ReView, TravelMag, Escape From America Magazine, and InTravel Magazine.

Widmer Brothers: More Than Just a Hef

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Widmer Brothers Brewing out of Portland, Oregon, has decided to show California their true beer colors—that is, that they are more than just the creamy yellow Hefeweizen we so often associate with the Widmer label. With their Explore Your Craft Tour, Widmer is setting the record straight.

Saturday’s event at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco was an eye-opening and flavor-savoring experience of the highest order. Teaming up with Draft Magazine, the event paired many of Widmer’s unknown (in California) beers with some delicious grub that left for long lines and satisfied smiles all around.

By his own admittance, Co-Founder of Widmer Brothers Brewing, Kurt Widmer, said that outside of Portland, the versatility of Widmer’s beers doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. Their Hefeweizen is a staple of the style, and anyone with a lemon wedge in the summer knows if they pick up a twelve pack, it will be money well drunk. But Kurt was approachable and adamant, and so were his beers, showing that Widmer Brothers has a lot more going on than many of us know.

Some of the highlights of the night included brown sugary ribs paired with a KGB Russian Imperial Stout, a smooth, dark offering that had the line of San Franciscans wrapped around into the dance floor for most of the night. Another popular table was the cebiche, fish and chips, clam chowder, and steamed mussels that paired wonderfully with Widmer’s Pitch Black IPA. A Reserve Galaxy Hopped Barleywine complimented an assortment of cheeses and fruits, while their Nelson Imperial IPA and Barrel Aged Brrrbon added some sweetness to the desert table. Upstairs, aside from a live artist painting for a silent auction for charity, were two beers that head brewer Doug Rehberg said are normally only found in their Portland pub. An India Wheat and a Raspberry Saison were great examples of Doug’s ability to brew unique beers with sophistication. Standing at well over six feet, Doug is a funny, knowledgeable representative of this popular northwestern brewery that really knows how to throw a party.

The night passed with lots of laughter and even some dancing as contemporary Americana band Buxter Hoot’n wailed away to the delight of hipsters and beer aficionados from all over the Bay Area. If Widmer did one thing on Saturday night, it was to show Californians that they are more than just a solid Hefewiezen, and perhaps remind us we should be searching out some of their other great labels where we can find them.

The Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Imperial Oatmeal Stout

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So this is what it says on the label:

This imperial oatmeal stout is brewed with one of the world’s most expensive coffees. Made from droppings of weasel like Civet cats the fussy southeast Asian animals only eat the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system help to break down the bean. Workers collect the bean containing droppings for Civet or Weasel coffee. The exceedingly rare civet coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma.

So obviously I bought it.

Maybe I made the mistake of looking up what a Civet cat looks like just before my first sip. The nose is sharp and smoky at the same time (the beer, not the cat), and this pitch black beer pours with a thin orange head. The first impression you get is that it is a smooth imperial stout until all of a sudden you are hit by strong hickory spice. It is a sharp flavor that lasts with thick viscosity.

In the end, I didn’t really enjoy it, and didn’t even finish my pint (which has happened maybe twice in my life). The smokey, odd bitterness just took away too much of the beer and left me with a thick, sticky aftertaste I needed to wash down with—well, a different beer. I will say my buddy Chad drank the rest, saying it was okay because it was so different. If you’re looking for something different, and I mean different, this certainly is it.

Mikkeller