One of the (few) perks my day job offers is birthdays off. The last few years I've taken advantage of the free day by hopping on mass transit and heading to some new (to me) beer joints. As the pace of openings shows no signs of slowing, there's no shortage from which to choose. This year's stops -- Bartlet Hall and Local Brewing, both in the City. BARTLETT HALL To be … [Read more...] about Another Birthday Road Trip
Brews
By Land & By Sea … and by Costco — Coronado/Bear Republic MerBear Rye IPA
Remember how, not so long so, I mentioned how I wasn’t going to do tasting notes anymore? First, a quick word about tasting notes. To be honest, I don’t really do them anymore. For all the beer I’ve had over the years, my palate just isn’t sophisticated enough. Other than vague generalities (balanced! smooth! malt backbone!), I can’t do each beer justice. I can knock myself … [Read more...] about By Land & By Sea … and by Costco — Coronado/Bear Republic MerBear Rye IPA
SF Beer Week 2016: Firkin IPAs, Packed in a Barrel, & My Last Meal
Before this year's Beer Week gets too far in the rear-view mirror (i.e.: I forget what I did), here's a brief rundown of the events I attended. First, a quick word about tasting notes. To be honest, I don't really do them anymore. For all the beer I've had over the years, my palate just isn't sophisticated enough. Other than vague generalities (balanced! smooth! malt … [Read more...] about SF Beer Week 2016: Firkin IPAs, Packed in a Barrel, & My Last Meal
Beerversity: And so it Gose…
As everywhere in the fickle world of popular taste, beer styles come and go. Today’s IPA is yesterday’s Pale Ale, tomorrow’s Saison might be today’s IPA, etc., etc. One of the once-lost styles that seems to have made a comeback in the last year or so is Gose. So what’s a Gose? And how do you even pronounce it? Second question first. It’s pronounced “goes-uh.” Yeah, I’d … [Read more...] about Beerversity: And so it Gose…
Masters of the Beerverse: Fal Allen
Admit it, you thought this day would never come. Truth told, neither did I. Presenting our first Master of the Beerverse: Fal Allen, Brewmaster at Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA Fal grew up in Hilo, Hawaii, and left the Islands to attend college in Oregon, where he first encountered Northwest craft beers. After graduation and a couple of years honing … [Read more...] about Masters of the Beerverse: Fal Allen