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It is amazing the speed of time, every day you learn that a movie is ten years old or a song is thirty years old. Or that a beer is now twenty!
Heady Topper from The Alchemist has been around two decades and it has a special, amped up version to mark the occasion….
L.A. gets the Heady and Focal every once in a while but I do not expect to see this in California.
When I was much younger and much less wiser about beer than I am today, on a trip to San Francisco with the Mrs., we walked by ThirstyBear Brewing. I convinced her to get some food so that I could try the beer.
Now I hear that they are throwing a party for their 20th Anniversary and they are brewing up a special 20th Anniversary Ale that is described on the website as “a multi-grain fresh hop ale brewed with malted barley, wheat, rye and oats. Hopped with fresh cascade, Columbus and gargoyle hops from Hopsmeister Farms served on nitro.”
Not only that, but they are throwing a party with a bunch of local breweries, music and flamenco dancing. Plus the release of a special barrel-aged beer by the name of “Dark Age”.
It is gratifying to see that a place that I have visited all of twice in my Bay Area travels is still plugging along. 20 Years is to be celebrated.
It is a landmark to reach the 20 year mark and Stone Brewing has ridden the IPA wave all the way to this plateau. Ostensibly, this year will be focused on their Citracado DIPA which honors the parkway that they live on as well as the Citra hop and (avo)cado honey ingredients used in the new anniversary brew.
But they have added a wrinkle and are re-brewing some the milestone Stone Anniversary Ales from the past — 5th Anniversary IPA, 10th Anniversary IPA and the rogue 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA which will make up a variety pack.
Hopefully no one was cellaring those beers for a mega-anniversary tasting. The 20th should be available shortly and the 4-pack will arrive in mid-September.
Two mind-blowing things.
1. Tustin Brewing has been going that long? Wow!
2. This is their first, major bottle release.
I don’t know if I could trust a beer geek that didn’t enjoy attending a home brew gathering. Not because the beer is always top drawer, but because the people are excited to show off their beers, even ones that they don’t feel are up to their exacting standards.
Here are some photos from my too short sojourn at the Pacific Gravity 20th Anniversary party. Thanks to Tomm for hosting and thanks to Brian Holter and all the home brewers who shared their creations. (below the photos I will briefly talk about the beers that I tasted)
Club Dubbel – bit of burn. Some sweet dry finish. 20th anniversary.
Horchata Stout – nice and creamy. Spice and chocolate. My second place winner.
Pumpkin porter – a little thin. Not enough pumpkin or pie spice notes.
Blueberry wheat – this beer was 6 years old and showed it but still held up well considering.
Barleywine from Norm was really good, my personal favorite
Centennial Simcoe IPA did not work for me. The hops were at odds with each other.