Untapped Beersources- Porky’s Pizza Palace
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SF Beer Week Has Begun—In Hayward
The kickoff to SF Beer Week began in strong fashion at The B Street Bistro in Hayward, California. Their 12th Annual Double IPA Festival featured dozens of doubles from all over the United States, although most were local beers from our rich beer culture here in Northern California. With live music, commemorative glasses, and no rain, the long day of drinking didn’t end until 7 pm. Hundreds of people waltzed through the Bistro’s front door and out the back into a beer haven of hops and caramel-colored heaven. It was the kind of day that makes you realize how great it is to be a lover of beer in the present day.
By the time I arrived, there were only 2 Triple IPAs left. I tried the Sasquatch from Six Rivers out of McKinleyville. It was a great first beer that set the tone coming in at 10.25% ABV. From there on out we spent the next couple hours making our five tickets count by pretending to forget we had them, striking up conversations with the pourers, strategically approaching the drunkest of pourers, and keeping our eyes open for green tickets discarded by those who had had too much. Despite the cost, a veteran of beer festivals could easily get 10-15 pours out of their five tickets. This is another great part of beer culture—the lack of snobbery creates an atmosphere where everyone should get a beer if they have a smile and an empty glass–Socialism at its finest.
The beers I remember trying are listed below based on my imperfect, woozy memory, and the crumpled, stained list from the event left over in my jacket pocket today. Some I had twice as the taps dried up, but I do remember my favorite, which is starred:
Sasquatch, Six Rivers, McKinleyville, CA
Ruination, Stone, San Diego, CA
Hop Henge Experimental IPA, Deschutes, Bend, OR
Denogginizer, Drakes Brewery, San Leandro, CA
*Palate Wrecker, Green Flash Brewing, Vista, CA
Quasar, Jupiter Brewery, Berkeley, CA
Hoptologist DIPA, Knee Deep Brewing Company, Lincoln, CA
Imperial IPA, Lost Coast, Eureka, CA
Steelhead Double, Mad River, Blue Lake, CA
Double Daddy, Speakeasy, San Francisco, CA
Training for SF Beer Week
Weeping Willow Wit
My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:
Weeping Willow Wit, from Mother Earth Brewing
They say:
This beer style is over 400 years old, and continues to enjoy overwhelming popularity. Offering low hop bitterness, it is easy to enjoy. It pours very hazy, with a light gold color… we say it’s like summertime in a glass. Bitter orange peel and fresh coriander add zest and depth to this refreshing beer.
Pale, pale yellow with a white fizzy head. About all the aromas you’d expect from a wit: coriander, cloves, banana, lemon, peppery hops. The flavor is well-balanced. I wouldn’t want a steady diet of these but it makes a nice change of pace from my usual. I’d gladly have that again.
Sadly, that’s the end of the beers gifted to me by Chris. Thanks, dude!
Endless River Kolsch
My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:
Endless River Kolsch, from Mother Earth Brewing
They say:
A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. It is light gold in color, with a delicate head. This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it. Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish.
Pale gold with a white, fizzy head. Light aroma, fruity. Maybe some melon? Medium-light body, with a good dose of carbonation and a pleasant bitter finish. I could go for a few of these on a hot day.
Buckshot Amber Ale
My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:
Buckshot Amber Ale, from Natty Greene’s Brewing
They say:
full-bodied with rich, smooth flavor and notes of caramel and toffee
Honey-colored with an off-white head. Aroma is very light. I mean, I know my sense of smell isn’t the best but I’m just not getting much of anything. Things get a little better as it warms, but it’s still very light. Flavor is light with a bit of maltiness. Not really any hops. It’s okay, I suppose. My palate might be spoiled by all those IPAs.
Sweet Josie
My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:
Sweet Josie Brown Ale, from LoneRider Brewing
They say:
A temptress who will seduce you, Sweet Josie is crafted in the American Brown style. This is a complex beer balancing a nice hop bitterness with a generous amount of chocolate and aromatic malts. 6.1% ABV.
Medium chocolate brown and clear. Less than a fingers-width of head. Roasty maltiness in the aroma, which is light; maybe a little caramel. I’m not getting any hops at all. Body is light, but there’s a good bit of roasty bitterness in the flavor. I was afraid I wasn’t going to like this much, but I rather like it quite a bit.
Highland Gaelic Ale
My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:
Gaelic Ale, from Highland Brewing Company
They say:
A deep amber colored American ale, featuring a rich malty body. Cascade and Willamette hops add a complex hop flavor and aroma. This ale is exceptionally balanced between malty sweetness and delicate hop bitterness.
Clear, dark-copper color. I didn’t get any head to speak of. Aroma is light; maybe a bit of caramel? It’s got a medium body, some toastiness in the flavor but a good beet of sweet. Not a lot of hop character.
Good, but not a style I generally go for.
Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:
Baltic Porter, from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
(They aren’t currently listing this beer on their website, so it was tough to find a blurb about it.)
[D]eep, rich and velvety soft. A full blooded roasty character is balanced by complex alcohol notes. Strong (9% alcohol by volume) yet unfailingly subtle, this special brew warrants sipping and savoring.
It pours a deep, opaque brown, with only a little fizzy light brown head. I get some chocolate in the aroma, and maybe a little caramel. Some…licorice? Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, with only a little alcohol heat. The flavor is as big as the aroma. That is one hearty beer. I wish I had a fireplace and a club chair. I’d have that again.
Craft beer in Japan
CNN’s Eatocracy blog has an interesting post up about the craft beer scene in Japan, with a focus on Coedo Brewery.
Earthquakes and blackouts aside, it hasn’t been easy for Coedo, founded in 1997 by boss [Shigeharu] Asagiri’s father-in-law. It wasn’t until prohibitive laws against small commercial breweries were repealed in 1994 that a microbrew scene in Japan could emerge.
Even since then, breaking the chokehold the big four Japanese brewers – Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo – have on the domestic and international beer market has been a challenge. What Coedo produce in a year is the equivalent to what just one of the big boys produce in a day.
The taxman in Japan still takes around $2.50 on every liter of beer brewed there, which has led to the big breweries creating cheaper “beer-like” drinks (alcoholic and often additive-rich) and further diluting the market among a local population more familiar with types of sake than varieties of beer.
“For most (Japanese) people, beer is just beer, no one orders it by name; it’s no fun, but it should be,” says Asagiri. “Beer is exciting!”
Eatocracy: Craft beer from the Land of the Rising Sun
(tip o’ the hat to Max)
