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

Posted under beer awards, beer news, Beer personalities, press releases

By Diana Carlton

Winter brings a number of wonderful holiday occasions, from cookie-decorating extravaganzas to sit-down dinners with family and friends. Whether you’re hosting the hottest holiday shindig or just looking for something tasty to bring to your in-laws’ holiday feast, here are some of the best beers to accompany special seasonal meals.

If you’re a fan of classy imported beers, a great one to try is Avec les Bon Voeux from Brasserie Dupont in Belgium. A delightful saison-style ale, it has a peachy fruitiness and a hoppy base that manages to be spicy rather than bitter. This beer used to be a new year’s gift from the brewery to its most distinguished customers, and it’s only recently that this special holiday beer has been available to the public. Pair it with a roast duck or goose for a main course, or with a dense chocolate or spice cake for dessert.

If you really want to impress someone, your best choice is a bottle of Scaldis Prestige. This beauty from Belgium is triple-fermented, with the final fermentation happening in oak casks previously used for the finest burgundy wine. A multifaceted ale, its amber tone holds notes of caramel and cherries with a hint of spice. It would go well with grilled meat and game dishes, but would also be the perfect accompaniment to a rich baked brie. Sold in a wine-style bottle that runs about $40, this beer isn’t cheap. But as one of the few beers with a consistent 100 rating on RateBeer.com, it’s well worth the expense.

If your tastes run to the less expensive and closer to home, never fear. Read More…

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The big players in the craft beer movement continue to learn a valuable lesson – give the beer geeks what they want. Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon was on board with this sentiment since the beginning and have continued to push forth with new and innovative styles and have kept up with emerging and persisting trends. One such trend that seems to appease the lovers of malty goodness is collaboration beers.

Breweries such as Stone and Dogfish Head have galvanized much respect from the hardcore heads by working alongside each other and several others to put out awesome collaborative releases, even inventing a new beer style or two along the way. 

Deschutes Brewery, as it continues to grow in production and capacity also expands its creative walls to keep the beer nerds like us coming back for new and interesting releases. A few prime examples of the Bend brewhouse’s imaginative spirit was illustrated when they forged ahead to develop a White IPA with renowned wheaten brewers Boulevard of Kansas City, and also the interesting master blend of high octane and barrel-aged brews that was put forth with Hair of the Dog of Portland in the first of these Conflux Series releases, “Collage.”

Now, one of the Midwest’s finest craft beer producers, Great Lakes Brewing of Cleveland has announced that they will be brewing and releasing a beer with Deschutes to commemorate both breweries 25th anniversary. The beer, according to Great Lakes will be a Smoked Imperial Porter for Deschutes’ “Class of ’88″ Series.

Both Great Lakes and Deschutes will brew its own rendition of the collaborative recipe. This special beer will then be made available for a limited time in 22-ounce bottles and draft in May of 2013. According to a press release from Great Lakes, the idea was inspired by each brewery’s penchant for making award winning porters: Great Lakes’ Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter. The porter is one of four collaborative beers in Deschutes Brewery’s Class of ’88 series, which also includes collaborations with North Coast Brewing Company (Ft. Bragg, CA), Rogue Ales (Newport, OR), and Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL).

Here’s some more details we received from Deschutes on the Class of ’88 Series: Read More…

Posted under beer news, beer releases, Oregon beer

What can one say about Firestone Walker Brewing Co. other than their commitment to excellence appears unparalleled in today’s brewing world. Perennial winners of some of the most prestigious and coveted awards in brewing industry, the Paso Robles brewhouse has asserted itself as a leader in the field since opening in 1996. Located in a region of Central California more known for excellence in artisan winemaking, Firestone Walker has claimed top honors amongst midsized breweries at the World Beer Cup (2004, 2006, 2010, 2012). Lead by chemist and brewmaster Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker has forged the way of setting a high bar for both consistency and creativity in the American craft beer market. With the reception of craft beer in the North America constantly growing, Firestone Walker, like many other breweries, also continues with expansion efforts to allow them to reach a greater audience. “Our brewery is a cutting-edge facility, right down to the bottling line,” Brynildson says. “This is enabling me to take Firestone Walker beers to the next level.”

As further evidence that Firestone Walker is committed to the appreciation and nurturing of a world replete with a delicious smorgasbord of flavorsome ales and lagers, the brewery recently hosted their first annual Invitational Beer Festival at the California Mid-State Fairgrounds in their hometown. Specific well-respected breweries from around the United States and beyond were invited to participate in this one-of-a-kind event, many of which have never before been distributed in the region or the West Coast for that matter. This included some special Read More…

Posted under Beer & Music, beer events, California Beer, weekend in review

Taste the full array of Anderson Valley beers, including this year’s Summer Solstice. Many of Anderson Valley’s beers are now available in bottles and cans. And we have some very special drafts lined up for this night: Bourbon Barrel-aged Stout, Horse Tongue Wheat Sour Ale, and Brother David’s Barrel-aged Grand Cru.

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We’ll be tapping:

Imperial Boont
Imperial Boont Amber 8.8% ABV, 55 IBU

Nattie Madge Imperial Black Ale (CDA)
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 50
Color: 29 SRM

Wee Geech Pale Ale
ABV: Perfect: 4.4%
Aroma: nutty toast malt & fresh baked bread combined with a pleasing citrus,grapefruit aroma and notes of lemonBalance: bitter but with a solid malt characterBitterness: good, solid, clean and lingering
Body: medium, low
CO2: 4.8 gm/l
Clarity: brilliant

Moowkeef Saison
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 30

Come grab a taster of all!

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Taste the Winter Solstice (available this year in CANS as well as bottles), Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, ESB, Boont Amber, Hop Ottin’ IPA, & Brother David’s Tripel. Special drafts in the Biercafe include Fresh Hop Harvest Ale (there is very little of this around so don’t miss it, brewed with all hops from their Estate), Oatmeal Porter, and maybe more.

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IPA Throwdown: California Edition. So far it looks like this is going to be a challenge between Stone, Lagunitas, Green Flash, Anderson Valley, Firestone Walker, and Bear Republic. It will be a blind tasting that will go on all day long with the winner being crowned by the crowd’s votes. This is also the first day of the OBF of course so it’s going to be a busy week! A taster of 6 IPAs for $6

Posted under beer events, events

When our friends at Oakshire Brewing in Eugene invited us to join them for the this year’s Boonville Beer Fest, we couldn’t help but to say yes. Despite feeling a little beat down by the previous week at Eugene’s inaugural beer week, Boonville’s legendary fest was one we’d been eying for sometime, and since 2011′s marked the 15th annual occurrence of this event, it seemed logical that this would be the year we checked it off our beer bucket list.

Tucked in amidst looming Read More…

Posted under beer events, beer reviews, weekend in review