Category: NorCal Beer

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

3/23/2015

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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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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I Am Thankful for Family, Friends, and Brown Shugga’ - Lagunitas’ Brown Shugga’

12/1/2014

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Brown Shugga’ season is FINALLY upon us! As a serial taster, I have a really hard time committing to a six-pack these days except during Brown Shugga’ season. This is the one six-pack I will pick up every time. It’s that good. And, Lagunitas does a brilliant job of creating demand by only producing this beer a few blissful months during the winter. Brown Shugga’ is not only my favorite beer, it’s also a great reminder of my family and friends.

I was first introduced to Brown Shugga’ several years ago by my non-beer drinking friend, Tessa, who wanted to bring some to her folks’ place because it was one of her dad’s favorite beers. This was back during the height of my Shock Top phase (aka I only drink mainstream wheat beer phase), so I was shocked that she would go out of her way to pick up a particular beer for the holidays. Now, it’s part of my family’s Thanksgiving feast (my mom, sister, and I are pictured drinking our first Brown Shugga’ of the season). Sure, turkey and stuffing are great, but Brown Shugga’ is the key side dish. My mom, who lives in Petaluma, home of Lagunitas, always buys a six-pack or two for Thanksgiving. She also manages to hide a few bottles after Brown Shugga’ season is over. Let me tell you, discovering a Brown Shugga’ in the back of my mom’s fridge in the middle of June is a feeling like no other.

Clocking in at a whopping 9.9% ABV, Brown Shugga’ is a must try during the holiday season. Lagunitas describes it as a failed attempt at its 1997 batch of Olde GnarlyWine Ale. I describe it as sweet beer goodness. The high ABV is disguised under its crisp brown sugar flavors, which pairs nicely with dessert or your traditional holiday feast.

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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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Give Me S’more – High Water’s Campfire Stout

10/12/2014

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As a Bay Area native and a lover of rich, sweet stouts, I was surprised I’d never heard of this beer until a few weeks ago. I was out with a friend at my local bottle shop, and he and the bartender started choppin’ it up about High Water’s Campfire Stout. I remember standing there thinking “wait, how can this be? There’s a stout made in the Bay Area prepared with graham crackers and marshmallows, and I’ve never heard of it before?” All I kept thinking was: Must. Get. My. Hands. On. Campfire. Stout. ASAP.

Fast forward to the next week when I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods where I usually examine the beer fridge for far too long to see what’s new (or at least what’s new to me). Most of the time, nothing. But this time, I spotted High Water’s label. I recognized the label but never paid much attention to it. From what I’ve seen, all their beers have the same label of the flowing waterfall, but differentiate by the background color of the label. To be honest, I think I’m more attracted to something a bit more modern such as what Green Flash has done with their new labels or Evil Twin’s simple design. But, to each his own. High Water’s label never really stood out to me because the waterfall is the emphasis, not the type of beer. If I would’ve read “campfire stout” in big letters or seen a picture of a campfire, I probably would have been intrigued all on my own. But hey, I’m a lady, and we ladies like our labels!

In any event, I bought a bottle of the Campfire Stout to bring to my mom’s to share with my stepdad and her. They live in Petaluma aka the very edge of Wine Country, but they are not really beer drinkers, nor are they really wine drinkers. My stepdad likes an O’Doul’s every now and again, and my mom likes her whiskey, Fireball to be exact. They drink wine and beer but don’t fit the stereotype of someone who lives in Sonoma County. So bringing the Campfire Stout was a bit of a risk. Or, was it? Both of them were sold by the idea of the beer being made with real graham crackers and marshmallows. Actually, that’s really all I had to tell them. We cracked open the bottle that Saturday afternoon and absolutely loved it, all of us.

High Water’s Campfire Stout is a hardy, sweet stout full of s’mores' flavors. To get the full effect, you must drink and smell at the same time as the smell is probably more potent than the taste itself. I should also mention that this beer won gold at the Great American Beer Festival for the “special beer” category. I’m not sure what qualifies as a “special beer,” but I agree with the judges, Campfire Stout is one special beer!

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<<Previous

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

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

Another Great California Brewery – Tioga-Sequoia

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

I Am Thankful for Family, Friends, and Brown Shugga’ - Lagunitas’ Brown Shugga’

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

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

Christmas in November? – International Stout Day

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

Give Me S’more – High Water’s Campfire Stout

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