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

So I’ve landed in The Bay Area of California. Not by any means Beervana as I’ve come to know it, but certainly no slouch for great craft beer. Just a bit to the north of Berkeley where I am currently residing, there resides some of the best breweries on the planet such as Russian River, Lagunitas, and Bear Republic to name a few. Even down here closer to the Bay, there are some amazing treats to be found like the brews of Bison, Drake’s, Anchor, Speakeasy, Pyramid and newbies  Southern Pacific and Elevation 66. Oh, and I certainly can not fail to mention the quintessentially refreshing Trumer Pils brewed right around the corner from where I am now residing.

Upon arriving in the East Bay city of Berkeley, I was welcomed with a stop at Read More…

Posted under Bay Area beer, beer events, weekend in review

This year’s 21st annual Beerfest in Santa Rosa at the Well Fargo Center looks to be a food and beer lovers delight. With more than 40 microbreweries, and some wonderful Sonoma County gourmet food purveyors, what more could you ask for. Your ticket to Beerfest pays for everything from the hors d’oeuvers to the BBQ Tri-Tip sandwiches!

Become a fan of Beerfestsonomacounty” target=”_blank”>Beerfest on Facebook and receive important updates as well as chances to win some great prizes! Also be sure to check out the Beerfest blog to find out which breweries and fooderies are attending Beerfest 2012!

Posted under Bay Area beer, California Beer, events