Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Last month, I picked up a box of spring seasonal’s from Pyramid Brewing.
This month, I took my $20 to Sunset Beer Co. and picked up Solidarity, the beer from Eagle Rock that really made their name in the beginning.
Then I picked up a Dupont beer by the name of Posca Rustica that I had seen in many mouth watering e-mails from Vanberg & Dewulf who brings them to the U.S. I am curious about it because part of the description said “odiferous”.
Usually, if I am asking for the beer geeks of the world to spend some cash to help a start-up, it is for a brewery. Or for a film about beer. This is for the latter, so we can all learn a bit more about what is brewing past and present in San Francisco.
“The Story
The history of brewing beer in San Francisco spans over 150 years, beginning with the Adam Schuppert Brewery in 1849. Between 1849 and the present there have been more than 100 breweries in the beautiful city of San Francisco, today history is still being brewed within nine active breweries.
Brewers by the Bay is the cinematic tale of the past, present and future of San Francisco brewing, told by the owners and brewmasters themselves within the following establishments:
21st Amendment
Anchor Brewing Co.
Beach Chalet
Gordon Biersch Restaurant and Brewery
Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery
Social Kitchen and Brewery
Southern Pacific Brewery
ThirstyBear Brewing
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers
The film is written by Mike Pitsker the Associated Editor of Celebrator Magazine and is hosted by Brenden Dobel the Brewmaster at ThirstyBear Brewing Co.
The brewmasters have opened up their kettles and have shared tales of mishaps, fortune and the amazing friendships and camaraderie that stirs among each other.
Tomorrow over on FoodGPS, I will have an interview with Christian Albertson from the Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco about aging beers, what to buy and tasting dinners. But to borrow the Hollywood movie lingo, here is a teaser of one question and one answer….
Q. What are your recommendations for beer geeks to cellar for themselves?
This advice goes out to not just people at home, but also other restaurants that are doing a vintage beer program. I think the most important thing that I’ve learned first-hand is that if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right: you need a cool constant temperature between 55 and 60. Good cellaring conditions make all the difference. We have had the opportunity (due to the large number of different beers in our cellar) to test other cellars/warehouses: there were a few times when a beer came in and I realized that it’s the same batch that we housed, and did a side by side tasting. Hands down, every time, the beer is better in the bottle we cellared—sometimes it’s a slight difference, and sometimes the contrast is stark (in some cases, it’s not the same beer at all). Get a “wine cabinet” and keep it in there at cellar temp—or at worst, your fridge (it will slow the aging process, but it won’t ruin it as much as a fluctuating, too-high temp will). We are talking here about the best beers in the world, some that can last 20 years and keep improving—it is necessary that the conditions are right. Wine enthusiasts are not putting their ’96 Burgundies in the back of their closet—don’t do the same with beer’s equivalents.
I love a good craft beer book. Especially one that takes me someplace that I haven’t been. And that is what the guide book, North Carolina Craft Beer and Breweries does.
Author, Erik Lars Myers has done an admirable survey of the blazing hot North Carolina scene and added a human dimension to the people behind it. I never tire of hearing about people who left behind a job for a passionate career in beer. But what I found most interesting was the section before the brewery profiles, when he covered the history of brewing in the state. And I would have enjoyed more information on the “Pop the Cap” organization and how they help to create an open environment for craft breweries to develop. That back story is what invests a reader in the breweries and in possibly taking the next step and heading to North Carolina.
I think more beer books would be better served to skip over the “How beer is made” chapter (which is also in the book) and use that space to discuss regional food pairings (which is in the book a smidge). But I would have love to seen that expanded past BBQ.
I liked the section on breweries that are still fermenting, so to speak, but that would be a great launching point to a website for the book that could update those listings as the beers start flowing from new taps.
Lastly, I would have added more heft to the bottle shop section. They are an important cog in the beer ecosystem and deserve to get more face time as it were.
Overall, with those nitpicky issues aside, the meat of this book are the profiles and those are well written and graphically attractive with good information which is what you need when you have a book in your hand and you are planning a beer vacation. This book is going up on the bookshelf waiting for me to win the lottery so that I can travel the beer world and hit ALL of the places in this book.
(Full Disclosure: This was a press copy but as I mention every year, whether free or paid for, EVERYTHING that I review gets reviewed with the same standard.)
You can get the book HERE.
I briefly mentioned the Simple Earth Hops people a while back and now Matt Sweeny has announced 2-hour educational “Brewing Up a Community Hops Webinars” in March, April and May of this year, on the third Saturday of each month with a morning and evening session on each day.
From the press release, “commercial topics to be covered include marketing local hops, establishing a commercial hopyard, processing hops, how to use earth-friendly growing practices and lots of time for questions and answers. The cost for each webinar is $20, tickets are available at Eventbrite” and a full schedule is available online.
Now that San Francisco Beer Week is over, it is time to head to the state’s capital and the Sacramento Beer Week.
There are (2) signature events to attend during the week including: the Sacramento Brewers Showcase and Capital Beerfest on February 25th.
And then there are a lot of other events to hit. So load up the app and see the brewing sites of Sacramento.
As an added bonus the nearby Cordova Restaurant and Casino will be holding many special beer nights ranging from New Belgium to American River to Lost Coast.
Who’s beer week is next?
I ventured way south on a Friday night from my valley hub to Redondo Beach to visit a new member of the FoodGPS Beer Blast and two week old bottle shop and tap room, Select Beer Store. I mentioned them in a post a while back and now I can share some photos.
Owners Wes and Heather have taken a spot just on a bend of PCH and made it into what I see everywhere in Portland a folksy and welcoming place where you can get a bottle to take away or peruse the tap list for something to enjoy on site amongst the bottles.
I also met my contact David and he told me about the tinted windows and the beer safe lighting in the coolers and how they have plans to host events all of which I think are great. But what caught my eye was the fact that they sell make-your-own mixed packs too!
Another neat touch is the wall art of old time canned beers right above the boxes of beer. The place is well laid out and designed.
This is the second of two videos of Grant Curlow’s tremendous beer cellar.
There is not better way to end the year.
The second holiday beer up for review is the 3rd version of the Session line from Full Sail in Hood River, Oregon.
Here is Fest Session….
“When we decided to brew a special Session for the holidays, we knew right away what color it had to be: Red (and full-bodied). Next, we considered what kind of head it should have. Bright white was the obvious answer. And as for the label? Gotta be green, right? So there you have it. A new Session all decked out for holidays, ready to spread joy and cheer. Happy Holidays to one and all! And have a good Session.
Session Fest is a Czech-style strong lager (gotta love the Czechs!) called polotmavé or literally “light dark or semi-dark.” Brewed with 2 Row Pale malt, Munich malt, Caramel malt and Wheat malt and hopped with a blend of Glaciers and Cascades, Session Fest has a medium to full body balancing candy caramel and full malt flavors that are underscored by a spicy hoppiness that provides a nice perfume with citrus and pine overtones and a long clean finish. 6.2% ABV 26 IBU”
Keep the Gastropubs flowing! I heard about the Local Peasant on the KCRW show Good Food.
You can tell that a gastropub is trying by quickly scanning the draft list. Any local beers? If so, the people are clued in. It is how you propel your craft beer culture forward, faster.
I certainly will be checking out the Local Peasant (probably after LA Beer Week)