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Gettin' Jolly With It - Drake's 2013 Jolly Rodger (imperial black ale)

9/25/2014

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When setting out to write a blog about beer, one needs a beer in hand.  So in my first effort to start this blog, I scoured my fridge to figure out what I had in stock to celebrate this monumental occasion.  First, my fridge normally consists of a handful of bombers, a few miscellaneous 12 oz IPAs, water, cheese, milk, fruit, and hummus.  You know, the usual.  I wasn’t quite feeling like my standard IPA, so I looked to the bombers.  I normally won’t open a bomber on my own because I hate wasting good beer and 22 oz is a lot to take on, especially on a Wednesday.  But, today was a special day.  It came down between Drake’s 2013 Jolly Rodger or Lagunitas’ NightTime Ale.  I went with Drake’s because I had never tried Jolly Rodger before, and it just seemed like the right occasion to open up 22 oz of 11.5% of alc. goodness.   

I purchased the bomber earlier this summer when my friend and I checked out Drake’s for the first time.  If you’ve never visited the brewery before, you will think that you’re going the wrong way.  You’re not.  I mean, who knew that one of the Bay Area’s hottest breweries would be right behind Wal-Mart?  I certainly didn’t.  Drake’s has this sort of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor vibe going for it - it’s clean but still a bit rugged.  The actual tasting room is in a large roll up garage-type area, which makes for a perfect spot to be indoors yet still feel like you’re catching some rays.  We sampled a handful of different beers that day.  I was familiar with their IPA, 1500, and Hefe, but that’s about it.  They had all these different barrel-aged options on tap, which always sounds tempting but can be way too boozy for my liking.  I left that day loving the Drakonic, a rich imperial stout, and purchasing a bottle of the 2013 Jolly Rodger.  

The Jolly Rodger had always caught my eye because most of Drake’s labels are pretty straight forward.  The IPA is called IPA.  The Hefeweizen is called Hefe.  And, the Amber is called….wait for it….Amber!  In the age of never really knowing what sort of beer you’re drinking, you have to appreciate Drake’s straight forward, no frills approach to the biz.  (Side note:  They actually have lots of other beers where the beer and name are not one in the same).  But, with the Jolly Rodger, I always wondered…who is Rodger?  Why is he jolly?  And, what happened to Drake?  Come to find out, Rodger is Roger Lind, the original owner of Drake’s.  He’s jolly because it’s their winter ale.  And, Drake is not drizzy Drake, rather the brewery is named after Sir Francis Drake.  

The 2013 Jolly Rodger is a deliciously smooth imperial black ale that is meant to be shared.  I could not finish all 22 oz because being hung over on a Thursday is not cool, man. 


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Brews, Bikes, and Beaches - Green Flash's Green Bullet (triple IPA)

9/20/2014

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In my world, Green Flash and Pickle are one in the same.  My dear friend Pickle (aka Picky) and I go way back to 1999 when we met at Sonoma State.  She is one of my best buds and favorite brew drinking buddies.  Over the past few years, Picky has become a huge Green Flash fan.  No matter what’s on tap, she ALWAYS goes with Green Flash.  

Earlier this summer, Picky and I ventured down to San Diego with my sister (Fats) and her boyfriend (Norty).  The four of us called the trip "Brews, Bikes, and Beaches" as one would expect any trip to SD (or San Deaaaago as we refer to it) would entail.  If you haven’t been to SD lately, holy mother of God – it’s a craft brew fan’s delight!  Not only do they have some of the “big names” like Stone and Ballast Point, they also have some little guys like Modern Times and Coronado.  No matter where you go, good beer is EVERYWHERE!

Visiting Green Flash was high on our priority list.  To paint a picture, we took a $60 Uber ride from our vacation spot on the bay just to get there.  And once we got there, we knew our 60 bones was well invested.  Modern and industrial with tons of strong beers on tap and a British-themed food truck, we were in heaven.  We must have tried 15 different beers that day with very little dumping of the tasters.  See, at Green Flash, most pours are served in a $1 taster for 2 oz of beer (at least the ones with less than 10% alcohol cause let’s not get cray).  This is amazing for two reasons:  1) you get to try a shit ton of beer, and 2) you leave feeling like a total baller after spending $20 on rounds and rounds of drinks.  How often do you get to that?!

One of the few beers we did not try was Green Flash’s Green Bullet, a triple IPA with dry-hops from New Zealand.  It’s a seasonal beer that's only available October – December.  It’s been on my radar ever since the trip, and today was the day I spotted THE Green Bullet in SF at The Village Market. 

Refreshingly strong but scarily smooth at a hefty 10.1%, Green Bullet was worth the wait.



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    Author

    Domenica Curran is an Oakland gal with a passion for craft brews and the stories behind them.

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