February 2012
2 posts
4 tags
#9 - Magic Hat Brewing Company
People on the east coast are like “Bo-ring” and people on the west coast are like “wha?” and I’m talking to myself in my living room again. #9, ubiquitous in New England, has arrived in San Francisco and people seem to be super excited about it. Grumpy/awesome guy at New Star-ell told me they can’t keep it on the shelves and people are going nuts for it. As I...
2 tags
Summer 2010 Ale - Almanac Beer Co.
Almanac Beer Co. is one of those things that “takes San Francisco by storm” with everyone fawning over how good they are and writing them up in Sunset Magazine and being all expensive yet still making me want to try it. Well, I’m happy to report that the beer itself does not disappoint. The Summer 2010 ale is mighty tasty and quite interesting. The 8% alcohol brew was brewed...
December 2011
3 posts
3 tags
Sah'tea - Dogfish Head
Again, I went for the Dogfish Head and again my thought was “meh.” (I know what you’re thinking, “This chick sure does purchase a lot of Dogfish beer for how much she doesn’t like them.” To which I say, “But look at that kickass label! And seriously, beer and chai tea and juniper berries, how could it be bad? I am a lady after all.” I also say...
4 tags
Let's go out! Social Kitchen and Brewery
How many times have you said to yourself, “Here I am in the Inner Sunset and all I want to do is sit at a super long bar and drink delicious, unique, independently brewed beer. Preferably with the option of ordering a plate ordering a plate of soft pretzels.”? I know! Too many times to count! Well, fear not. Where you once could drink Eldos’ beer, and then you could drink that...
3 tags
Barrel-aged Beer Geek Breakfast - Mikkeller
For those of you that know and love Beer Geek Breakfast, you’ll be happy to know that those industrious folks over at Mikkeller have not just been resting on their laurels. They have also been aging their breakfast in bourbon barrels. Which would normally be gross but in this case is delightful!
This version is not necessarily a lot better than the original, but it’s nice and...
October 2011
1 post
Let's go to Madison! →
Goodness I have been slacking on my posts! Well, the slacking will continue, because here is a lazy post pointing you beer drinkers to a nice little article.
We always knew Madison, Wisconsin was a great beer town, but apparently the people of New York needed to send someone there to be convinced. In addition to the great beer recommendations, I especially enjoyed the shout-out to the Badger Bus...
August 2011
1 post
2 tags
John John Ale - Rogue Ales
I had no idea what to expect from this beer. For some reason, I kind of stay away from Rogue Ales when I’m beer shopping. I have no explanation for why I do this, maybe their packaging doesn’t really appeal to me. Also, I feel like one time I tried their Hazelnut Brown Ale and it was pretty boring. But I digress.
I’m a sucker for a “special, seasonal” beer, and so...
July 2011
1 post
3 tags
Jahrhundert-Bier - Ayinger Brewery
Well folks, it’s official: Ayinger makes some really delicious beer. I know, I’m blowing your mind right now. I’m sure no one has come to this conclusion before me, but Ayinger is a really excellent brewery. I can’t remember ever being disappointed by one of their beers. The Jahrhundert-bier is no exception. This 5.5% alcohol beer, first brewed in 1978, is a delightful...
May 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Banana Bread Beer - Wells Brewing Company
There are certain products that just suck you in. You find yourself staring at them on the shelf of the store until you’re convinced that you just have to try them. For example, Goober, the enigmatic mixture of peanut butter and jelly that just might be amazing…if only I would purchase it and find out.
Wells Banana Bread Beer had the same hold on me. It seemed to show up at all my...
3 tags
Seventeen Dry-Hopped Black Lager - Avery Brewing...
Next we moved onto something completely different. (Yes, I am still posting about one night in February, so what?) I really like black lagers and also really enjoy beers from Avery Brewing Company. So I was quite excited for the anniversary special lager.
The anniversary lager, Seventeen, was 8.52% alcohol and very hoppy. It tasted a bit like tar to me; others stated that it tasted distinctly...
April 2011
4 posts
4 tags
La Merle Saison - North Coast Brewing Company
The group of loyal beer tasters moved next to La Merle (the Blackbird) from North Coast Brewing Company. At this point in the evening, I had hit note-taking fatigue, so my scribbles say something like, “yummy!” In any case, I remember really liking this one.
North Coast does some nice stuff, and if you have a chance to go to Fort Bragg, California, I definitely recommend stopping by...
3 tags
Cup o Kyndnes - Brewery Ommegang
Did you know that thousands of Scotchmen were stationed in Belgium during World War I? And that Belgian brewers began making Scotch style beers to satisfy all these new thirsty customers? Yeah, me too.
Anyways, next on our list was Cup o Kyndnes from Brewery Ommegang. This slightly smokey, malty, 6.6% alcohol ale was pretty much exactly as it was advertised: it tasted like a scotch ale that had...
3 tags
1 Door Flemish Style Sour Ale - Hermitage Brewing...
Number one: I like that this label is so messed up. Feels like someone just brewed it in their backyard and just slapped the labels on as they were riding in the backseat of a car. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Number two: this is brewed by a company called Hermitage Brewing Company, about which I can find very little on the internet (I only spent 30 second looking, but still). It...
3 tags
Hop Henge Experimental IPA - Deschutes Brewery
Next up was Hop Henge Experimental IPA from Deschutes Brewery. Described as their “monument to hops” this beer scores points for an excellent name. I’m not usually a fan of IPAs, but this one was quite nice. It’s 9% alcohol, very hoppy (you can read the description on their website for all the glorious-sounding hops they threw into this one), and had a slight soapy taste....
March 2011
5 posts
4 tags
Brother David's Triple - Anderson Valley Brewing...
Next up was Brother David’s Triple Abbey Style Ale from the fine folks at Anderson Valley Brewing Company. I am a really big fan of Anderson Valley Brewing Company: their Barney Flats oatmeal stout is one of my favorites, and their Boont amber and special winter and summer beers are always excellent choices. Also, if you have a chance to visit their brewery in Boonville, California, go...
3 tags
St. Amand French Country Ale - Castelain
We started the evening with the lovely St. Amand French Country Ale from Brasserie Castelain. I haven’t tried too many French beers, so I’m always intrigued when I see them. This one did not disappoint and was a nice way to get the beer tasting underway. It was 5.9% alcohol, it had a slight Belgiany taste too it without being too sweet. Kind of floral, kind of funky, and overall very...
1 tag
Beer tasting night!
I love a beer tasting night. There’s no better way to try new things than to get some friends together, force them to bring new beers, and then drink everything in one night until your palate is a big old mess. It’s also a great way to try the beers you’ve been curious about, but don’t want to commit to drinking all by yourself. I hosted a tasting night recently, and have...
3 tags
Let's go brewerying! Sprecher Brewing Company
Last December, I went on a long weekend trip to the lovely city of Milwaukee. While I don’t really recommend visiting Wisconsin in December, I do recommend Milwaukee as a beer-drinking destination. Not only is there a bar every time you turn around, there are plenty of breweries to visit as well: Lakefront, Leinenkugel, and Sprecher, just to name a few. We settled on a tour and tasting at...
3 tags
Real Ginger Brew - Hitachino Nest
Hello cutest owl in the world! I’m glad to see you again. (Bonus: their website was taking a long time to load, and while you wait, the little owl hangs out and flaps his wings and tells you to just calm down.)
Hitachino Nest has made another delightfully OK beer with their Real Ginger Brew. I’m always happy to drink their beers; don’t get me wrong - they make delicious...
February 2011
1 post
3 tags
Jubel 2010 - Deschutes Brewery
What better way to cap off the season of winter beers than with a “Once a Decade Ale?” That’s right. There is no better way. While I’m not usually a huge fan of Deschutes regular Jubel Ale, Jubel 2010 was a delight. The yearly Jubel Ale is always a bit too hoppy for my taste, but the 2010 was more on the stouty side, not too carbonated, kind of sweet with a slightly...
January 2011
3 posts
2 tags
“Walgreens, in “a wise marketing decision,” has been upfront about...”
– Walgreens has started selling their own brand of beer, Big Flats 1901. Its $2.99-for-a-six-pack price tag makes me think I need to get around to organizing my “Best of the Crap Beers” beer night.
3 tags
Collaboration not Litigation Ale - Avery & Russian...
Collaboration not Litigation Ale is a delightful blended beer from Avery Brewing Company and Russian River Brewing Company. Both breweries have a beer called Salvation, and this beer is the combination of the two. Folks working together - really warms the heart, doesn’t it?
Well, the beer certainly does. Coming in at something like 8.9% alcohol (I had a bottle from Batch 4, Feb 2010 so...
3 tags
2 tags
Noel de Calabaza - Jolly Pumpkin Brewing Company
Christmas may have come and gone, but I’m still ready for wintery Christmas beers. And folks, this special Christmas ale from Jolly Pumpkin seems to have been made with me in mind. My goodness this is a delicious beverage! Noel de Calabaza is a wonderous blend of everything I like about winter beers and everything I like about sour beers rolled into one. It’s a bit on the roasty...
December 2010
4 posts
3 tags
Winter Bock - Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
As I mentioned last time, tis the season for winter beers. And the world rejoiced. Not one to be left out, Gordon Biersch is getting in on the winter brew action as well. Their Winter Bock is a 7.5% alcohol, delightfully decent beer that I was happy to drink. It’s roasty and malty in all the right places, and it’s not too much of anything to really be offensive in any way....
Sleigh'r Ale - Ninkasi Brewing Company
Christmas time is upon us, and so it’s the wonderful season of winter beers! Hooray! We’ll get things started with Sleigh’r, a dark double alt beer from Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, Oregon. I had never had anything from Ninkasi, so when I saw this beer in my local corner store, I was excited to give it a try. $4.99? Why not!
A recent issue of Celebrator magazine had...
November 2010
3 posts
Bam Noire - Jolly Pumpkin
No time to write an important and thoughtful and groundbreaking post (like I usually do). So here’s Bam Noire by Jolly Pumpkin. Just do yourself a favor a drink this if you see it. Jolly Pumpkin’s website says a bunch of things like that this beer tastes like leather, and raisins, and autumn. I don’t know about all that, but it tastes good. Go forth and drink!
Zuur - Brewery Ommegang
Zuur is a Flemish Sour Brown Ale brewed with cherries, brewed in Belgium and then imported to our friends at Ommegang in Cooperstown (man I love Ommegang). This brew is a joint effort with Brouweij Liefmans. Since this is a specialty brew, I couldn’t find information directly from Ommegang’s site.
Zuur is 6% alcohol, it had a nice creamy head and was overall a smooth, very drinkable...
Bashah - BrewDog
My goodness, this is a delightful beer. A collaboration between BrewDog of Scotland and Stone Brewing Company of San Diego, Bashah is a (ready now) Black Belgian style Double IPA. Coming in at 8.6% alcohol, Bashah is coffee-ish, hoppy-ish, strong-ish tasting, and not too carbonated. If I had to make a comparison, I would say it reminded me of Death & Taxes, by Moonlight Brewing. Like Death...
October 2010
2 posts
Ahwahnee Amber Ale - Mammoth Brewing Company
On a recent trip to Yosemite, my fellow beer tasters and I decided to put off beer drinking for a while and hike up to Nevada Falls. This particular moment of uphill climbing was not my favorite part of the day:
However, the trek was most certainly worth it, evidenced by this lovely view:
We made it back to camp, showered off, and headed straight for the pizza patio for snacks and beer. Ah,...
The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest Lager - Avery...
What better way to start off the month than with an Oktoberfest lager, hmm? I can’t think of one, so here we go! Avery Brewing Company’s The Kaiser is an excellent beer. Weighing in at a mighty 9.3% alcohol, this lager is not messing around. And while this beer definitely isn’t hiding the fact that it has a lot of alcohol in it, it’s very drinkable and like all good...
September 2010
3 posts
Petrus Aged Pale Ale - Brouwerij Bavik
I was lucky enough to sample this beer on draft at La Trappe in San Francisco last month. Petrus Aged Pale Ale is a lovely little sour ale, coming in at 7.3% alcohol. It’s refreshing and very puckery sour, mildly carbonated (although this could be because I had it on draft and not out of the bottle), and had a very clean taste. Overall, a delicious drink. It’s a good thing La Trappe...
Tuatara Golden Ale - Tuatara Brewing Company
I am happy to report that my first New Zealand-brewed beer did not disappoint. This lovely Kiwi golden ale is 6.5% alcohol, is very lightly carbonated, and is brewed with Belgian Ardennes style yeast. The resulting flavor is quite Belgiany, but not overwhelmingly so. It still has a bit of hops hanging on there. All in all, it was a very refreshing and satisfying beer. Hooray for New Zealand.
...
August 2010
1 post
Zywiec Lager - Zywiec Brewery
Apparently I haven’t felt like writing, since it dawned on me today that it’s been about a month since I last wrote. Never fear, all three of you that read this blog! Just because I haven’t been writing does not mean that I haven’t been on the front lines, tasting lots of beers to come back and tell you about.
Żywiec - check out their website that I can’t seem to...
July 2010
3 posts
Ciderstravaganza!
Apparently I have tried a lot of hard ciders recently, so it’s time for a little round-up!
Aspall Organic Cider: First off, the Aspall Cider website is the most adorable thing I have seen in a while. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I am happy to report that the cider is delicious. This may be one of my favorites out of the ciders that are relatively easy to get at liquor and...
Wee Heavy Scottish Ale - Belhaven Brewery
As we all know, I am a total sucker for an awesome label/logo/bottle/whatever. Belhaven Wee Heavy caught my eye not just because it has a lovely, bright logo, but also because of the adorable name. Because I know what’s truly important when selecting a beverage.
Lucky for me, Wee Heavy is also a delightful beer! A pretty classic Scottish ale, Wee Heavy is 6.5% alcohol, only slightly...
Köstritzer Schwarzbier
My goodness I like this beer an awful lot. Kostritzer Schwarzbier is a really fantastic black lager that has been brewed since the 1500s. It has a classic schwarzbier taste, kind of roasty-malty, not too heavy, just a lovely, balanced beer that’s easy and delightful to drink. The fact that it’s only 4.8% alcohol helps as well, since if you order this in a bar, you’ll most...
June 2010
3 posts
Red & White - Dogfish Head
I’m not quite sure how to feel about Dogfish Head. On the one hand, I like that they are getting people excited about beer, and helping the world of “extreme brewing” (or whatever you want to call it) to take off a bit more. But on the other hand, I really wish they made better beer to back up all their hype. Really, it seems like their marketing department is better than their...
Orval Trappist Ale
Oh delicious Deliciousness! Orval is such a great, don’t-quite-know-what-I-want-but-I-want-something-good-oh-right-I-want-Orval beer. This delightful Belgian coppery colored ale is just a really good beer. And at 6.9% alcohol, it’s not so crazy strong that you can’t walk after having one, but it’s not messing around either. (If you understood that last sentence, I...
Let's go brewerying! Russian River Brewing Co.
That same Saturday, we moved from Bear Republic a few miles down the road to Russian River Brewing Company’s brew pub in Santa Rosa. There was no tour offered, but, as Russian River is one of my favorite breweries, that really wasn’t a downfall for me. We were there to sample some delicious beers, and sample we did.
If you go here, I highly recommend ordering the sampler. It takes a...
May 2010
3 posts
Let's go brewerying! Bear Republic Brewery
On a recent Saturday, we made our way up to Healdsburg, and had a delightful tour & tasting at Bear Republic Brewery. The staff was very happy to accommodate tours, and seemed comfortable handling large, somewhat unruly crowds. This is always appreciated.
The tour consisted of being lead through the back rooms of their brew pub, looking at the giant brew kettles, fermentation vats, and then...
Maudite - Unibroue
Well folks, you learn something new everyday. Who would’ve thunk that Unibroue, a brewery in Quebec, was owned by Sapporo? Not this chick, I tell you. Anyways, enough trivia and on to the beer. Ok, one more piece of trivia: Unibroue also brews and bottles the Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale, which I can say from experience is a pretty decent grocery-store-brand-Belgian-style beer. Thanks...
Lucifer Ale - Brouwerij Het Anker
There’s some interesting history behind this somewhat less interesting beer:
“When Liefmans Breweries went bancrupt, Lucifer fell into hands of brewery Duvel Moortgat. Lucifer was launched by former brewery Riva as a strong blond ale in the early ‘80s. As Moortgat was concentrating on the fruitbeers of Liefmans, Lucifer was doomed to disappear. Both brewery Duvel Moortgat and...
April 2010
5 posts
Hitachino Nest Beer White Ale - Kiuchi Brewery
I am a total sucker for an adorable logo. There are not many beers that have a better logo than Hitachino Nest Beer. Look at that ridiculous owl. I love him.
Luckily, Hitachino also makes lovely beer, like this delightful white ale. Coming in at 5.5% alcohol, this is a lovely, summery beer that’s kind of citrusy, kind of spicy, and very refreshing. Coriander and orange peel seem to be the...
Wilco Tango Foxtrot Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Co.
One thing I really love about Lagunitas Brewing Company is that, while they may not make the best beer, they make a lot of beer. And a lot of different kinds of beer. And if it doesn’t work out, they get rid of it right quick. They always have some sort of special limited edition release going on, and it’s usually always pretty cheap, pretty strong, and pretty tasty. A good...
Let's go brewerying! Cantillon Brewery
Let’s change gears, and continents. If you ever find yourself on a beer vacation in Belgium, which I should hope you do, be sure and take a tour of the Cantillon Brewery in Brussels. For those of you that have had Cantillon’s beers, you know how delicious and sour and awesome they are. Rather than go into details about the beers, here is a bit about the brewery itself. I went here...
Let's Go Out! Mini Bar
Why would I be posting about a bar during the middle of Russian River Week? Well, because of their most excellent deals on Russian River beers, that’s why. Tuesday nights at Mini Bar they have a special on gigantic bottles of Pliny the Elder, a double IPA, and one of Russian River’s most popular beers. Four measly dollars will buy you a 17 ounce bottle of Pliny, which at 8% alcohol, is...
Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company
Look at those two beautiful glasses of beer.
Man, Consecration is so good. It’s a mighty 10% alcohol, delicious dark Belgian style ale with fruitiness and sourness and happiness all around. It’s fruity without being sweet (it’s brewed with currants), sour and yet still staying mellow, and just awesome. I don’t think I would ever get sick of this delightful beer. Aged in...