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It’s An Anomaly – Faction’s Anomaly (White Chocolate Milk Stout)

11/25/2014

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I was in Alameda at Faction Brewery this past weekend doing a little stout tasting.  First off, if you haven’t been to Faction, drop what you’re doing and go now.  I mean it - this place is awesome!  Amazing beers made by renowned Bay Area brewer Rodger Davis overlooking the SF skyline.  I mean, what else could you ask for?  St. George’s Spirits and Rock Wall Wine Company right next door?  Okay, they’re there too.  Like I said, GO NOW!

There are three stouts pictured in the photo – Faction’s NYX (imperial stout), the Oatmeal Stout, and the Anomaly (white chocolate milk stout).  I specifically wanted to try the Anomaly because it had been described to me as a complete “mind f**k” (sorry, Mom!).  Why?  It’s a beer that looks like a pale ale, but tastes like a stout.  Wait, what?!

According to Wikipedia, a “stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or roasted barley, hops, water and yeast.”  Okay, so that sounds like the ingredients of most beers, but I’d like to focus on two words:  dark beer.  Well, Faction coins itself on doing things a bit differently, and the Anomaly does not disappoint.  A milk stout that’s light in color?  WHOA.  When sipping this beer, I really tried not to think about the color but the actual taste itself.  Let’s just say that’s near impossible, and I give major props to the person(s) who can actually do this.  Because once you see those pretty golden bubbles, your perception (or at least my perception) becomes completely warped.  Next time, I’d like to sample this beer wearing a blindfold.

At 6.5% ABV, the Anomaly is much sweeter than your typical non-imperial stout.  But, when you factor in that the beer is characterized as a “white chocolate” milk stout, sweetness is to be expected.  I don’t have a real opinion about this beer other than it’s worth the hype.  Taste it, drink it, love it – revel in the Faction experience!  It’s completely worth the trip to Alameda or wherever you can find it on tap. 

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It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. It’s a Sparking Ale? – Calicraft’s Buzzerkeley

11/17/2014

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I’ve spent my last several weekends at breweries learning about the business of beer.  As a craft beer drinker, I find this saturated beer market deliciously wonderful.  But as a marketer, I can’t even imagine the challenges breweries face to not only survive but thrive.  Like most industries, there is no magic potion to prescribe to differentiate one beer brand from the other.  Or, is there?

Behold - today’s beer course focused on the marketing and branding of Calicraft Brewery, a “small” contract brewery based out of Walnut Creek.  This brewery is small…for now.  Draft Magazine named Calicraft a “Brewery to Watch” in 2013, just one whopping year after opening its doors in May 2012.  They brewed approximately 5k barrels this last year, which is a crazy amount of beer for a two-year start up without a taproom (yet).  But, Calicraft thinks outside-the-box.  They are not in the business to replicate a style.  Rather, they want to put their own spin on everything they produce, keeping in mind their core values.  Calicraft’s founder Blaine Landberg’s first brew, Buzzerkeley, didn’t even fit a true beer style when he started brewing 15 years ago in his UC Berkeley dorm room.  An ale fermented in Belgian and…wait for it….champagne yeast, Buzzerkeley was already not your normal beer. 

As proclaimed by Calicraft themselves, “Buzzerkeley is beer meets wine.”  At 7% ABV, this beer goes down smooth.  It starts off with your typical fruity Belgian ale flavors but ends with a surprisingly sparkly finish.  Well, maybe not so surprising since the beer is actually packaged to look like champagne (#genius).  I’d call it a beer lover’s mimosa or at least a dope bottle to bring to a dinner party.



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Christmas in November? – International Stout Day

11/10/2014

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Some genius created a holiday to celebrate my fave beer style – stouts!  This past Thursday was International Stout Day.  To participate in the festivities, my friends and I did a side-by-side comparison of a couple of different stouts:  Iron Springs’ Sless’ Oatmeal Stout, Goose Island’s The Muddy, and Oskar Blues’ Ten Fidy.  There was no logic in our selection – just a variety of styles to sample.  As a serial stout drinker, I find that I like (if not love) all of them.  Stout Day seemed like the perfect excuse to do a little tasting to figure out which one I prefer. 

Iron Springs is a pub/brewery that opened its doors about 10 years ago in Fairfax, CA.  Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery purchased by InBev (aka the owner of Budweiser and several other “big name” beer brands) in 2011 after being independently owned since 1988.  Oskar Blues, based out of Longmont, CO, is most famous for being one of the first craft breweries to can all of its beers.  I had tried Sless’ Oatmeal Stout on draft for the first time a couple of days earlier at the Caskhouse, and it was absolutely delicious.  But, I was worried that it wouldn’t be able to compete with the bigger breweries, and let’s face it, higher ABVs in The Muddy and Ten Fidy.  As it turns out, it was my fave Stout Day stout. 

At 7% ABV, Sless’ Oatmeal Stout has a heavy body with plenty of rich, chocolately flavors.  It's sweet, but not sweet enough to be considered dessert in a bottle like the other stouts that evening.  It's incredibly drinkable.  Don’t get me wrong, the other two stouts were darn good too.  The Muddy (9% ABV) is brewed with molasses and brewer’s licorice.  The licorice smell is overwhelming sweet, but my taste buds were not overpowered by the licorice sweetness.  I still got plenty of chocolate flavors, too.  The Ten Fidy pours like motor oil, and is named after its ABV percentage of 10.5.  Although quite high in alcohol content, the chocolate/caramel notes took over my palate.  This is the kind of beer that you sip after dinner as dessert.     

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The Dubs Are Back - 21A’s Back in Black (black IPA)

11/3/2014

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Until this clever little Thrillist.com article (Perfect Beer for Every NBA Team) came out, I’ve always associated 21st Amendment with the San Francisco Giants and my dear friend Lisa Copeland.  The Giants because 21A is a great place to hit up before a game, and Copeland because she introduced me to Back in Black several years ago.  But, I can’t say that I’ve ever linked 21A with the Golden State Warriors until this read.  First off, this article is genius.  Pairing beer and basketball?  Hello, two of my favorite things!  I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t write it first myself.  It’s a great preview of this year’s NBA season as well as a shout out to a regional brewery for each team.  Well done, Thrillist.com.
 
As a serial beer taster, I must admit that it’s been awhile since I’ve drank my last Back in Black.  But, in honor of the just-begun NBA season, I had to toast my 3-0 Dubs this afternoon with their honoree beer.  I like the pairing with 21A, but I’m not sure if I would’ve connected the dots myself.  If I were to choose, I may have gone with Ale Industries’ Golden State of Mind or perhaps Lagunitas’ Undercover Investigation Shut-Down.  Golden State of Mind for obvious reasons and because Ale Industries is just one BART stop away from Oracle Arena.  Undercover Shut-Down because the Dubs have been one of the worst defensive teams up until a few years ago.  Even as a die-hard fan, it’s still tough to believe the Dubs are one of the best defensive teams in the league who shut down their opponents.  But, I better start believing.  Even ESPN writer Ethan Sherwood Strauss picked the Dubs to win it all, noting their defense as one of the number one reasons. Clearly, the Don Nelson days of “small ball” to outscore their opponents are long gone. 

Back in Black is a delicious black IPA that can easily be found at your local Bay Area grocery store as one of 21A’s three year-round beers.  You’ll get the carbonation and high ABV (6.8%) of an IPA but with some of the smoothness and sweetness of a dark-malted stout.  Plus, according to the article, the Dubs are back!   (Knock on wood)

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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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