On May 9, 2013 I scored a bottle of Russian River Pliny The Elder IIPA at my local liquor store in Berkeley, CA. It was the freshest bottle of Pliny I’ve ever had the pleasure of opening. You see, the beer was bottled on the same date that I purchased it. In fact, the Russian River Brewing Co. driver arrived just as I was about to leave Pliny-less. Score!

For safe measure, I thought it’d be best to sample a comparable East Coast Imperial India Pale Ale to Pliny. No better offering seemed to fit other than The Alchemist‘s Heady Topper Ale. A bold 8% ABV double Read More…

Posted under beer events, California Beer

One of the most anticipated craft beer events on the West Coast is undoubtedly the annual Boonville Beer Fest. This past weekend marked the 17th annual return of this event centered around the pioneering brewery that is Anderson Valley Brewing.

Located within the serene rolling hills and oak groves in the secluded town of Boonville, about 25 miles west beyond a winding mountainous pass from Ukiah in Mendocino County, Anderson Valley’s yearly pilgrimage witnesses a great deal of brewers, brewery representatives, industry folks and beer enthusiasts from all points north, south and east. With a large contingency of the turnout representing California, the festival showcased both popular and obscure, regional and journeyed companies for this unparalleled undertaking. Read More…

Posted under Beer & Music, beer and food, beer events, beer reviews, Beer Travel, California Beer, places to drink beer

Spring has sprung as so have several new craft beers that are sure to quench the palate of enthusiasts during the warmer days ahead. Here’s a look at several new beer labels from across the Pacific Northwest that we are greatly anticipating getting our hands on: Read More…

Posted under Beer & Art, beer me, beer releases, California Beer, Oregon beer, Washington Beer

1988 was apparently a good year to start a craft brewery. Across the country and especially here on the West Coast, a number of new breweries opened this same year. Known as the Class of ’88, breweries such as Deschutes, Rogue, North Coast, Grand Teton, Boulevard, Great Lakes, Goose Island, Vermont Brewery & Pub, and Wynkoop are among the most notables to open for business in 1988.

Posted under beer news, beer releases, California Beer, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

Bison Brewing of Berkeley, California has been an organic craft beer pioneer since 1989. With this uncompromising approach to sustainable brewing, the company has been limited to higher costs and less available ingredients than your average brewery. But as time passes the few breweries in league with Bison who have remained organic right down to the hops (until 2013 other certified organic breweries could get away with non-organic hops as long as the product was 95% organic by weight, but Bison never compromised) have been blessed with a spurt in the growth of new certified organic hop varietals. Instead of more pedestrian hop varieties, last year’s harvest yielded the likes of highly sought after organic Simcoe, Citra, and Centennials.

With these new hops that appeal to the modern day hop head, Bison brewmaster and owner Dan Del Grande has pushed forth to soon unveil a brand new sessionable West Coast ale known as “Hop Cuvée” which makes use of kettle addition and dry-hopped lupulin that offers a tropical, floral, and resinous bouquet unlike anything the organic brewing world as smelled or tasted yet.

A light base of Read More…

Posted under Bay Area beer, beer and food, California Beer

The burst of new craft beers coming out in the Northwest isn’t losing any steam. In fact there are several new and exciting beers making their way down the pipeline as you read this. Brewers from across the Northwest from Northern California to Alaska, Oregon to Idaho are dropping some mouthwatering treats that give us so much to be fired up about as we head into warmer days.

Several new draught releases will be available soon from Hood River, Oregon’s Pfriem Family Brewers. Brewmaster Josh Pfriem and company are concocting a range of styles from Pilsner to Dark Strong Belgian-style beer. And anyone who has tasted the early releases from Pfriem is undoubtedly excited.

Widmer Brothers Brewing continues to set forth with some new experimental hop IPAs in the “X” series, an effort that assure their audience will remain loyally awaiting more evolutionary releases. There’s a lot to check out here, so have a gander at more than 100 new craft beer labels for bottles and kegs that you might want to check out if you can get ‘em in your neck of the woods: Read More…

Posted under Beer & Art, beer releases, California Beer, Oregon beer, saké, Washington Beer

February 25 through March 3, 2013 marks the dates for Concordia Ale House‘s biggest event of the year. The sixth annual Beer Brawl squares off breweries from Oregon, Washington, California, and Colorado to determine one champion. Washington state has taken three of the last Beer Brawls and four or the five thus far. Home team Oregon has taken but one crown in the half decade of brawling at the pub, a blind tasting tray that customers decide upon to determine the annual champ.

For this year’s Beer Brawl, Colorado has been added to the fold. The first Beer Brawl was a head-to-head between Oregon and Washington. It wasn’t until the second year that California was added. New Belgium Brewing’s Jamie Masten will serve as captain for Colorado, choosing beers from three categories including pale ale, IPA, and a brewer’s choice wild card. New Belgium gets to captain the squad after the brewery took first place at the Colorado Cup at Concordia last month with their 1554 Black beer.

For Beer Brawl 6, twelve beers will be Read More…

Posted under beer awards, beer events, California Beer, Oregon beer, Washington Beer

Posted under beer events, beer reviews, California Beer, Oregon beer, weekend in review

Just because I’ve been living outside of the walls of Cascadia doesn’t mean that I have lost touch with the great craft beer. As I key these words, I prepare to embark on a journey north to the Rose City, Portland, Oregon, and other craft beer hubs such as Corvallis, Eugene, and Bend, to round up some of the region’s finest beers. Empty shells shipped north and to be filled by our brewery friends. We will then grab a rental and zigzag around the state to scare up beers to pour for Beer Revolution‘s 3rd Anniversary Party and for our events at SF Beer Week, most notably, Brewpublic’s Wine Barrel-Aged Beer Tastival.

The journey is going to be a combination of stress and fun. Short and sweet in a way, yet long and tiresome miles. All of this in the name of great beer (and a bit of craft cider as well!). Great beer events don’t happen over night…okay, a few have, but the planning and detail that goes into even what might seem a modest saree of brew can be a lot more effort behind the scenes. We’re prepared to chain up the tires as we forge through a few snowy mountain passes, but hey, it’s about the beer, or… Read More…

Posted under Bay Area beer, beer events, California Beer, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

Of all the killer beer events that we had the privilege to attend in 2012, the first annual Firestone Walker Invitation Beer Festival was arguably the best of all.

Showcasing craft breweries from across the country, many of which are not regularly available on the West Coast, FWIBF was was the ultimate treat for beer lovers in California’s Central Coast. Breweries such as Bells and Founders of Michigan, 3 Floyds and Sun King of Indiana, Cigar City of Florida, Allagash of Maine, Dogfish Head of Delaware, and many many many more served to make the Paso Robles Fairgrounds, at least for this weekend, a sort of craft brew Graceland. 

Several noteworthy California breweries such as Alpine, The Bruery, Lost Abbey, Pizza Port, Stone, Moonlight, Russian River, Kern River, and many many more were on hand for this mindblowingly awesome event, too. Firestone Walker Brewery itself is worth the journey to Paso Robles, CA. Under brewmaster Matt Brynildson, FSW perennially puts forth some of the world’s finest year round beers (not to mention their extraordinarily crafted barrel-aged treats).

An oasis of spectacular beer in the heart of a wonderful wine-producing region, Firestone Walker produces the Read More…

Posted under beer and food, beer events, California Beer