the brew next door

Drink To Your Hero - St. Florian's Brown Ale

4/13/2015

Several months ago, I was introduced to St. Florian’s Brewery while perusing the beer aisle at Petaluma’s Whole Foods. I had heard a lot about this great brewery, Saint something or other, out of San Diego that recently started distributing to the Bay Area. I mistakenly picked up St. Florian’s Flashover IPA thinking it was from San Diego’s Saint Archer Brewery. Welp, not so much, but I’m glad I made the purchase because it introduced me to this up and coming brewery. St. Florian’s is based out of Windsor, a small wine country town 30 minutes north of Petaluma, CA. The brewery is run by former fire captain and current brewmaster Aaron Levin and his wife Amy Levin, a former Silicon Valley marketing and sales manager. One night as a firefighter, Aaron suffered from minor burns on the job. The Levin’s took Aaron’s survival as a sign to pursue their dreams of opening up a brewery. St. Florian is the saint firefighters turn to for protection.

My mom picked up a bomber of St. Florian’s Brown Ale to split over a couple of turkey and salami sandwiches during a recent visit to her place for lunch. The beer was good, but the company was even better. You see, St. Florian’s motto is “let’s drink to the hero in all of us.” My mom is my hero, so it was quite fitting that she picked up this particular bottle/brand to split with me that day.

At 6% ABV, St. Florian’s Brown Ale is a great representation of the American brown ale style. In an era of hops, hops, and more hops, I welcomed the relatively new brewery to bring me back to the flavors of when I first fell in love with craft beer - roasted malts with a slight hint of caramel sweetness. Yum! Plus, St. Florian’s donates 5% of its profits to fire-related and community-based organizations. Good beer for a good cause. That’s a #winwin in by book!

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Life’s Three Guarantees – Moonlight Brewing’s Death & Taxes (black lager)

3/23/2015

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I stopped by San Francisco’s Hogwash, a trendy beer and sausage bar, the other day to avoid yet another major BART delay heading back to the East Bay after work. (Note: There’s a reason why SF residents Gail Ann Williams and Steve Shapiro created http://beerbybart.com/ - not only for safety, but to help us commuters overcome our routine delays!) I was excited to checkout Hogwash because 1) the beer list, 2) artisan sausages such as the butternut squash vegan sausage, and 3) the beer list. Just a few blocks from Union Square, this is the date spot of SF beer bars. Modern and dimly lit, errrrbody looks good at Hogwash. I scanned the list of approximately 20+ beers, only to get stuck on one of my faves, Moonlight Brewing’s Death & Taxes.

Founded in 1992, Moonlight is a tiny brewery based out of Santa Rosa, CA. Brewer/Owner Brian Hunt is a Bay Area beer legend who gets mad respect from beer peeps near and far. Death & Taxes, a 5% ABV black lager, is one of Moonlight’s five year-round beers and also its flagship beer. A stickler for quality control, Moonlight’s beers can pretty much only be found on draft throughout the North Bay, East Bay, and SF. In 2013, Moonlight announced opening a growler fill station/taproom in Santa Rosa, but from what I last read, this is still in progress.

Death and taxes are life’s two guarantees, but the third guarantee is that Moonlight’s Death & Taxes is one of my top five beers. Moonlight simply describes this beer as “a very dark yet surprisingly light-bodied lager beer, crisp and refreshing with no heaviness.” Agreed, but they left out the part about its robust caramel and coffee aroma and that it smells and looks like a porter, but its light texture will bring you back to its lager roots. There are some other really good black lagers out there such as HenHouse’s Mrs. Schwarzbier and New Belgium’s 1554, but nothing beats Death & Taxes (hello, irony!).

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Wedding Showers in the Central Valley – Dust Bowl Brewing Company

3/8/2015

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This past weekend I was up in the Turlock area for my friend Jana’s wedding shower. Some friends and I decided to make a weekend out of it and check out the local Central Valley nightlife. Oh boy! Our first destination, of course, was a brewery. Dust Bowl Brewing Company is a popular brewpub located in the heart of downtown Turlock, which is approximately two whopping blocks. The bar itself is small, but the place had plenty of seating filled with families and large parties alike. Industrial and contemporary, this is the place to be if you live in the area.

I ordered a few samplers and tried a number of good beers. My standouts were the Therapist, an imperial IPA drowned in citrus hops, finishing with very minimal bite; the British Mild, a sweet, caramel English dark mild that was made for easy drinking at 4.5% ABV; and my favorite, the Milk Stout, a thick, black milk stout with strong coffee and cream flavors.

Dust Bowl is owned by one of Jana’s friends, Brett Tate, who is a former teacher and coach. I didn’t get a chance to meet him, but sports and beer? Sounds like a pretty cool guy! Brett snatched up head brewmaster, Don Oliver, after Don was named the Samuel Adams Longshot National Homebrew Competition winner in 2006 for his rendition of an Old Ale. The brewery poured its first beer in 2009, and later opened its current taproom in 2011. Dust Bowl has plans to double production (approximately 17,000 barrels) by the end of 2015 when it opens its larger production brewery also located in Turlock. A brewery on the rise, Dust Bowl’s new brewery could potentially brew up to 100,000 barrels per year.

All and all, Dust Bowl was one of the many highlights from that evening, which ended in Zumba-like dance moves at a club down the street and a few snacks from In-N-Out. Definitely a good visit!

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Nine Breweries in Four Days - "Backpacking" Through LA

2/23/2015

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Having never backpacked through Europe before, I decided to put my own spin on “backpacking” by embarking upon the ultimate LA road trip – a four day, three night, brewery extravaganza, hitting nine breweries in nine cities. Yippee!!!

Firestone Walker (Paso Robles): At the halfway point between Oakland and Los Angeles, we kicked things off at the Firestone Walker “compound” right off the 101. This place feels huge and corporate, but also tastefully done. We grabbed lunch and a flight in their taproom, which features a large square bar, main restaurant, and mini gift shop. To add to the cool industrial feel, there’s a bottling production replica machine overlooking the bar area. The taproom is stocked with many of Firestone’s signature beers (love me some Wookey Jack and Velvet Merlin), but if you’re looking for something a bit more rare, I’d head to the tasting room. There, in the middle of one of the three Firestone gift shops on the compound, we sampled the boozy Stickee Monkee (a 13.4% ABV Belgian quad) and the Velvet Mocha Merlin (a 5.5% ABV coffee oatmeal stout). I’d also recommend checking out their main store, which features a walk-in fridge of beers. Bring a jacket!

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company (Buellton): Next, we headed down the road a 100 miles to what the locals call “Fig Mountain,” or if you want to be a real insider, “FigMo.” With a handful of GABF award-winning beers, FigMo was definitely one of my favorite stops of the weekend. Laid back, unpretentious, and beer-focused, this place has some amazing brews such as the Davey’s Brown Ale, The Stagecoach Stout, and the Lizard’s Breath IIPA. According to one of the bartenders at Firestone, many of the Firestone brewers are now with FigMo. They bottle a lot of what they brew, so it’s a great place to pick up a flight or two, figure out what you like, and take some to go.

Beachwood Brewing BBQ (Long Beach): The next day we grabbed lunch at Beachwood BBQ in downtown Long Beach. I can see why GABF has named Beachwood the best “large” brewpub in the nation for the past two consecutive years. Amazing brews combined with artisan food makes this a great place for any meal. I loved the retro beach vibe it had going for it as well. The GABF award-winning Udder Love milk stout and the drizzled duck gravy Tater Tot Casserole are a must! In addition to all their brews, they feature about 10-15 guest tap handles. It’s a beer and food lover’s delight.

The Bruery (Placentia): From there, we headed 30-minutes east to The Bruery to check out some barrel-aged, sour, and Belgian brews. Considering my love for stouts and IPAs, I knew this place would be a bit outside my comfort zone. Sterile yet swanky, it felt more like a wine bar than a brewery. You pick up a pencil and select five beers from a list of 30 to build your flight. Most options are high ABV with a handful of 10%+ on the menu. I tried to expand my stouty, IPA palate, and left liking one of my five - the Courvateur, a chocolate dubbel. I know a lot of people are into sours and barrel-aged brews. If so, this is the place for you. If you’re more into the traditional styles like myself, you could probably skip this stop.

Noble Aleworks (Anaheim): After taking a quick nap (I needed one after a few sips of The Bruery’s bourbon barrel-aged blueberry stout), we headed to Anaheim to visit Noble Aleworks. This place is awesome! It’s in the middle of the industrial area, right by Angel Stadium/Toyota Center. The Ducks happened to be playing that night, and there seemed to be quite a few fans in this open warehouse space. The overall vibe was my kind of spot – people of all ages, a large projection screen for sports (LOVE it when breweries aren’t anti-TVs), and a variation of 90’s hip hop and The XX rotating in the background. Plus, they offer a couple of different IPAs and a variety of stouts. I left loving the Cinnamon Roast Crunch, a golden style stout with a cinnamon swirl. This is a play off their popular golden stout, Naughty Sauce. MmmMmm, good!

Bootlegger’s Brewery (Fullerton): After Noble, we headed a couple of exits off the freeway to Bootlegger’s for what felt like a college frat party (apparently, CSU Fullerton is down the street). At this point, we were tired and surrounded by a lot of drunk kids. I was there to sample the Chocolate Mint Porter, which lived up to my expectations. Featuring an awesome outdoor space of picnic tables, white lights, and cornhole, this place has a lot of potential. The inside tasting room (aka the garage), on the other hand, was filled with dated poinsettias, old arcade games, and beat-up outdoor chairs. I couldn’t tell if it had the charm of an Urban Outfitters decorated theme, or if it was more like somebody rolled up their garage from the 80’s and decided to open a brewery. Don’t get me wrong, the beer is solid (see earlier post on Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix), but the tasting room felt more like “let’s all get wasted!!!” rather than a place to sit and sample their GABF-winning Rocco Red. But, hey, maybe we were just there on the wrong night, and/or not their target age demographic.

Golden Road (Glendale): The next day we hit up Golden Road to experience a “big” brewery scene in LA. Right by the Glendale train tracks adjacent to the dump, this place appeals to the masses. Indoor and outdoor bar with pub food floating around, this place attracts families, beer lovers, and average Joes looking to enjoy a typically sunny SoCal day. I was particularly fond of the indoor/outdoor space – a covered fake grass area that felt like you were on the inside of a large shed with a 100 other people. From the outdoor bar, you could overlook the lawnball area as well as the kiddie area filled with cornhole, beer bellied dads, and playing blocks. If you are into IPAs, this is a great stop. The Wolf Pup IPA, a session variation of Golden Road’s popular Wolf Among Weeds double IPA, was my fave.

Eagle Rock Brewery (Los Angeles): After a full day at Golden Road, we headed to Eagle Rock Brewery to taste some, as they call it, “beer for the people.” Just a couple of miles away, the place was a completely different scene. Small and a bit dark, it felt like a brewery version of a speakeasy. Aside from their branded mini-semi truck sitting in the driveway, there was very little signage. Not the kind of space you’d want to spend a whole day hanging out, Eagle Rock is a fun place to start the night or meet up with an old friend. For a brewery, it felt kind of cozy – I’d chalk it up to the organgeish lighting and the handful of beers on tap. The Stimulus, a Belgian amber brewed with Intelligius coffee, is by far my favorite of theirs. This is an incredibly unique beer and makes the stop worthwhile.

Tap-It (San Luis Obispo): On our way back to the Bay the next day, we stopped at Tap-It for a sando and a beer. About three miles off the 101, this brewery is tucked away in an industrial office area. Tastefully done, Tap-It feels a bit like a biker bar (perhaps the Harley Davidson-branded colors), but also has a fabulous indoor/outdoor space. While sitting at the indoor bar, we were hit with 70 degrees of sunshine from the open roll-up door. We had a great view of the outdoor space, which was decorated with fire pits, lounge areas, and cornhole – a cool place to hang out day or night. I sampled their IPA, amber, and stout. Nothing left me super excited, but all and all, it was a great pit stop headed home.

Our “backpacking” adventure was a blast. All nine breweries brought something unique, but I’d have to say my favorite stops were Firestone Walker, FigMo, Beachwood, and Noble Aleworks. I love tasting beer, but tasting beer where it’s made, soaking up the brewery’s story, is so much better!!!

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SF Beer Week - 6 Days Left - Where U At?!

2/10/2015

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Folks, we have six, action-packed days left of SF Beer Week. Where will you be? Here are my top events in Oakland and SF over the next few days. Saturday is a doozy!

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH

Evening with Allagash Brewery (Pi Bar, SF): Pizza with Maine’s Allagash’s Belgian beers.
http://www.pibarsf.com/pi-bar-events-calendar/2015/2/10/beer-week-allagash

Sensory Panel with Jamie Floyd of Ninkasi (Linden Street, Oakland): Opportunity to hang and learn from Ninkasi's founding brewer Jamie Floyd. http://thedockoakland.brownpapertickets.com/

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH

Henhouse Tap Takeover (Lost and Found, Oakland): The salty Oyster Stout and the tart Honest Day’s Pay in a trendy beer garden. Enough said. https://www.facebook.com/LostANDFound510

Brewer’s Symposium – The Business of Beer (Ale Industries, Oakland): Ale Industries’ founder, Morgan Cox, is teaming up with seven other members of the Bay Area craft beer industry to discuss the business of beer. https://www.facebook.com/events/1548250082126887/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH

Beachwood and Faction Brewing Beer-B-Q Extravaganza (The Good Hop, Oakland):  Eight beers from GABF's Large Brewpub of the Year winner, Beachwood Brewing & BBQ, and eight beers from Alameda's Faction. Fingers crossed for some of Beachwood's Udder Love! https://www.facebook.com/events/804609659593018/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

A Night of Two Gypsies: Stillwater and Evil Twin Brewing (Amsterdam Café, San Francisco): Evil Twin’s Lil’ B, imperial porter, will be on tap. Yum! https://www.facebook.com/events/580479502085822/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH

Dogfish Head Total Tap Takeover w/ 120 Minute IPA: (The Willows, San Francisco): Rare Dogfish Head 18%+ brews such as 120 Minute IPA, World Wide Stout, Raison D’Extra will be on tap. Get there early!
www.thewillowssf.com

Los Angeles Takeover (Diving Dog Brewhouse, Oakland): Featuring some legit LA breweries - Eagle Rock, Cismontane, El Segundo Brewing Company, Golden Road, and Ladyface Ale Companies. https://www.facebook.com/events/996711677024686/

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH

Valentine’s Brunch with Modern Times Brewing (Social Kitchen, San Francisco): Brunch with one of San Diego’s hottest new breweries that doesn’t distribute to NorCal…yet. www.socialkitchenandbrewery.com

"Drink the Darkness" A Stout/Porter Fest (Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco): 20 special stouts and porters on draft, including several vintage beers such as 2010 Abyss, 2011 Parabola, 2010 World Wide Stout and 2013 BOMB!. www.monkskettle.com

Ballast Point Brewing featuring Super Rare Specialties!!!!: (Beer Revolution, Oakland): 31 beers from another San Diego favorite, Ballast Point. I need to get my hands on that Peanut Butter Victory at Sea! www.beer-revolution.com

Japanese Beer Fest (The Trappist, Oakland): Japanese beer at a Belgian bar? Interesting. I’m guessing Sapporo won’t be there. www.thetrappist.com

St. Valentine’s Beer Feast with Allagash and New Belgium (La Trappe Cafe, San Francisco): Fancy ($65) dinner with Belgian beers and food from chef Brandon Korf.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH

Beer Judging 101: Introduction to Beer Styles & Judging (Pyramind, Berkeley): Some much needed education on the last day of Beer Week. https://beerjudging101-sf2015.eventbrite.com

Maui Brewing Luau (The Dark Horse Inn, San Francisco): Hawaiian-inspired menu with Maui Brewing cans.   I’m hoping this is my trip to the beach after all this beer drinking! ttps://www.facebook.com/DarkHorseSF/events

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Another Great California Brewery – Tioga-Sequoia

1/26/2015

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Just when I started to think that I knew “my stuff” about NorCal beer, I was rudely mistaken. This past Saturday, I volunteered at The Brewing Network’s annual Winter Brews Festival in Concord. First and foremost, good times. The fest featured approximately 50 breweries from California and beyond. I was familiar with most, but I was also introduced to a few other tasty breweries: Uncommon Brewers, Working Man Brewing Company, and my brew fest fave, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company.

Uncommon Brewers, an all-organic brewery based out of Santa Cruz, features many unique beers such as their Golden State Ale brewed with toasted poppy seeds, their Baltic Porter brewed with licorice root, and my favorite, the Bacon Brown Ale brewed with you guessed it, bacon! The toddler of the group, Working Man Brewing Company, is based out of Livermore. They brought a 14% ABV Belgian quad (yikes!) that had very little bite, as well as their C’est Noir, a creamy imperial stout. But, Tioga-Sequoia was my standout for the day. Their tent was the place to be. I tried the Joaquin Murrieta Chile Beer as well as the Rush Hour Breakfast Stout. The 4.8% ABV Joaquin Murrieta is a cerveza-style lager full of zing. If you like chilis, this is definitely the beer for you. My Irish roots were a bit weary of the chili flavor, but I found it to have plenty of spice with very little heat. All I needed was some chips and salsa to go along with it. The 7.2% ABV Rush Hour Breakfast Stout was a great afternoon pick-me-up. Loaded with coffee flavor, Rush Hour is like drinking an iced latte. It provided the perfect midday caffeine “buzz."

Tioga-Sequoia may be new to me, but it certainly isn't the new kid on the block. Founded in 2007, TS predominantly distributes to the Central Valley. However, they are in the process of expanding their Fresno facility to double production capacity. Hopefully that means there is more TS brews on the horizon for those of us in the Bay Area.

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Hidden Gem – Marin Brewing Co.’s Point Reyes Porter

1/21/2015

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As I blogged about previously in my Auburn Alehouse’s Hop Donkey post, I tend not to proactively seek out brewpub beer. Welp, I definitely feel like an ass (see what I did there!) yet again. This past MLK day I visited Tomales Bay for the very first time. Being a Bay Area native, I’m ashamed to admit that I’d never been oyster tasting before. The day was perfect – clear, crisp, and still – to sit outside and enjoy the fresh Marin air with some craft beer, oysters, baked brie, and of course, the company of good friends. We sampled a handful of beers, but Marin Brewing Co.’s Point Reyes Porter was by far the standout. Given its moniker and our current bay front setting 10 miles outside of the quaint town of Point Reyes Station, I figured it would be the perfect beer for the scene. Not only was it perfect for the day, it’s one of the best porters that I've tried recently.

Opening its doors in 1989, Marin Brewing Company has medaled 30 times at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). To put it into perspective, that’s two more medals than the ever-so-popular Russian River Brewing Co. has won. Granted, Marin Brew Co. has been in business a lot longer than RRBC (about 15 years longer), but not too shabby for the little brewpub across the street from the ferry terminal in Larkspur, CA. The most recent medals have included bronze in the 2014 Foreign-Style Stout category for its San Quentin's Breakout Stout, gold in the 2011 Rye Beer category for its Three Flowers IPA, and gold in the 2009 Robust Porter category for its Point Reyes Porter.

At 6% ABV, this is a great day-drinking dark beer. Its chocolate, roasty goodness is chewier than most non-imperial porters. And, the price is right. The 22 oz. bomber cost me a whopping $6.50 at the touristy The Marshall Store. You can also find it at Whole Foods for about $5. You gotta love a quality, affordable beer. I certainly do.

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Playin’ Hooky - Long Trail Brewing's “Sick Day” IPA

1/11/2015

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First and foremost, what a #genius name for a beer. And, it’s right on point. Long Trail Brewing's “Sick Day” IPA oozes winter warmth, and if I were a skier/snowboarder of any sort, it would absolutely be perfect for a day on the slopes. It pours dark as if it’s an amber and has the nose of a piney IPA. But, the “Sick Day” IPA is much more malty than hoppy, which seems to be the theme for east coast IPAs.

My sister’s boyfriend, Norty, grew up in Massachusetts and went to school in New Hampshire at Keene State College. During his last visit to the east coast, Norty brought me back a few regional beers to sample from his ol’ stomping grounds. The “Sick Day” IPA was one of the beers that I got to try. Long Trail, Vermont’s largest brewery, has been around since 1989 when it was known as Mountain Brewers. It was renamed Long Trail Brewing Co. in 1995 when they moved to its current location in Bridgewater Corners. Unless you have a friend on the east coast, Long Trail beers are tough to come by in California. They distribute to eight states in the northeast with 45% of its consumption in Vermont. And, in case anyone is wondering (‘cause I was), Long Trail is a hiking trail that runs lengthwise throughout the entire state of Vermont. That’s approximately 250 miles of hiking trail weaved throughout Vermont’s Green Mountains. Sounds like a great place to visit any time of year.

At 6.8% ABV, Long Trail’s “Sick Day” IPA would be a great hooky beer. The piney, forest smell of the hops makes you want to get off the couch and do something active like, I don’t know, go for a hike! But, its smooth malt finish and relatively low ABV for an IPA, makes the beer drinkable enough to have a few.

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Road Trip? - Bootlegger’s Brewery’s Black Phoenix (coffee stout)

1/4/2015

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Who’s up for an LA road trip? For years, the SoCal beer scene has been dominated by San Diego, but times are a changin’, and LA is officially on the beer map. Always known for its innovative home brewers, the LA area is now producing some high quality, commercially brewed beers. I’m itching to jump in my car to make the trip down there. You’ve got Golden Road Brewing, one of LA’s fastest growing breweries; Eagle Rock Brewery, the maker of Stimulus, a mean Belgian amber brewed with coffee; and this week’s highlight, Bootlegger’s Brewery, winner of two Great American Beer Festival (GABF) medals this past fall for its Rocco Red Ale and Galaxian barley wine. I’ve also been wanting to visit Long Beach’s Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, this year’s GABF recipient of the Largest Brewpub of the Year award. Like I said, who’s up for a road trip?

I was introduced to Bootlegger’s Brewery by my dear friend, Daniella, who gave me the Black Phoenix as a gift in honor of my graduation of beer school this past fall. The two of us cracked it open the other day to catch up from our holiday vacations. Based in Fullerton, Bootlegger’s opened its production brewery in 2008. Being that their motto is “drink fresh, drink local,” Bootlegger’s beer is tough to find outside of the LA area. I’m fairly certain Daniella got a hold of this bottle at Oakland’s The Good Hop Bottle Shop since they make regular trips down to LA to pick up beer. In any event, it’s a good excuse for a road trip to check out LA’s blooming beer scene.

At 6.7% ABV, Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix is a very drinkable stout. A coffee stout brewed with chipotle peppers, this beer could work well as a dessert beer or paired with the right dish. We had it for dessert, but I’d love to pair it with a mole enchilada as I think the rich coffee flavors combined with the subtle hint of heat from the peppers would pair well with a spicy chocolate sauce. I’m looking forward to my next trip to SoCal, and of course, drinking more Bootlegger’s beer.

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Christmas Eve at a NYC Hotel Room - Evil Twin Brewery (imperial stout)

12/29/2014

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Kudos to Evil Twin Brewing for coming up with what could be the longest beer name in the biz. Yes, “Christmas Eve at a New York City Hotel Room” is the full name of the beer. I tried researching the name origination but with no such luck. All I know is that this is a “holiday” ale that I actually like. No offense to the “Christmas” ales out there, but I’m not really one for throwing spices (or pumpkins for that matter) into my beer. Call me a beer purist, but I only like extra ingredients such as coffee beans, cacao nibs, and marshmallows, added to my favorite beer batches. You know, the simple stuff.

Based out of Brooklyn, NY and founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø in 2010, Evil Twin is one of the more famous gypsy brewers on the market. Gypsy meaning that they don’t actually have their own brewery, rather they contract with other breweries to produce their beers. The most famous originator of gypsy brewing is probably Mikkeller, a brewery based out of Copenhagen, Denmark and also the brain child of Jeppe’s twin brother Mikkel Borg Bjergsø. Mikkeller started commercially brewing back in 2006, followed by Evil Twin a few years later. Jeppe and Mikkel are sort of known in the industry as having a feuding/competitive relationship, hence the name Evil Twin. Both brothers save on overhead by not having a brewery of their own. Plus, their beers are more accessible because they are brewed around the world. I find Evil Twin’s labels to be a bit cheesy, yet kind of amazing, especially because they back up the cheesiness with really great beer. It’s like if Urban Outfitters and CB2 birthed a beer, they’d have Evil Twin Brewing. Particularly with beers on their roster such as Hipster Ale, Wet Dream, and of course, Ryan and the Gosling. The overall branding of the brewery is distinct, which is all you can ask for in this saturated market.

Although not a traditional “holiday” ale, Christmas Eve at a NYC Hotel Room is a great beer for the holidays. A wonderfully thick imperial stout full of chocolate and coffee notes, this 10% ABV beer perfectly encompasses the holiday season. After a full day of shopping, sometimes you just need a beer that you can pour and let sit for a bit while you queue up Elf and slowly sip throughout the movie.

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<<Previous

Drink To Your Hero - St. Florian's Brown Ale

Life’s Three Guarantees – Moonlight Brewing’s Death & Taxes (black lager)

Wedding Showers in the Central Valley – Dust Bowl Brewing Company

Nine Breweries in Four Days - "Backpacking" Through LA

SF Beer Week - 6 Days Left - Where U At?!

Another Great California Brewery – Tioga-Sequoia

Hidden Gem – Marin Brewing Co.’s Point Reyes Porter

Playin’ Hooky - Long Trail Brewing's “Sick Day” IPA

Road Trip? - Bootlegger’s Brewery’s Black Phoenix (coffee stout)

Christmas Eve at a NYC Hotel Room - Evil Twin Brewery (imperial stout)

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