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The Best Beers In California: 2013 California State Fair Winners

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Last week, the judging took place for the 18th annual California State Fair Craft Beer Competition in West Sacramento. This year’s entries came from 83 of the state’s breweries, with roughly 700 beers judged.

From the press release:

Some 40 beer experts from all over the state judged the various panels with blind tastings of the entries considering beers by style and classification. The judging panels were selected by Head Judge Tom Dalldorf, publisher of Celebrator Beer News, a national beer magazine.

The Best of Show tasting panel consisted of five of our top judges who were confronted with an unprecedented 47 entries all gold medal winners in previous rounds of judging. After a lengthy judging session, the panel agreed on giving Best of Show honors to a stunning Vienna Lager called Una Mas from Left Coast Brewing Company in San Clemente, Calif. A new award, Best of Show Session Beer (under 5% alcohol) was awarded to a wood-aged saison called Ocho Barril from Half Moon Bay Brewing Company in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Beer enthusiasts can taste the award winning beers from the State Fair’s Craft Brew Competition on Saturday, July 20, from 3 pm–6 pm at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, Calif.

Full disclosure, I was privileged to be one of the dozens of judges who tasted all of the beers over three days, and even was on the panel of five that tasted all 47 of the winners of each category to pick the “best of show,” this year’s choice for the best beer in California. It was a very hard decision, as there were some unbelievably great beers on the table, in a breathtaking variety of styles. Best of show judging is harder than regular judging, because you’re not comparing like styles against one another. Instead, your looking for intangible qualities that make one beer stand out over another, made doubly difficult because every beer was already an award winner. But we persevered, and after a few hours emerged with a unanimous decision.

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Below are all of the award winners. 1 is a Gold medal, 2 is Silver, 3 is Bronze, and 4 is an Honorable Mention.

Category 1: Light Lager — Dortmunder/Premium American

  1. Auburn Export Lager, Auburn Ale House (Auburn)
  2. Local Lager, Tahoe Mountain Brewing (Tahoe City)
  3. Dead Canary, Ol’ Republic Brewing (Nevada City)

Category 1: Light Lager — Munich Helles

  1. Blue Eyed Blonde, Solvang Brewing (Solvang)
  2. Helles Lager, Hangar 24 Brewing (Redlands)
  3. Lager, Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch (Davis)

Category 2: Pilsner — German Pils

  1. Brainfood, Monkey Paw Brewing (San Diego)
  2. Longshoreman Lager, San Pedro Brewing (San Pedro)
  3. Pivo Pils, Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles)
  4. Honorable Mention: Port Town Pilsner, Port Town Brewing (Los Angeles)

Category 2: Pilsner — Bohemian/Classic American Pils

  1. Summerfest, Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico)
  2. None awarded
  3. Gold Country Pilsner, Auburn Ale House (Auburn)

Category 3: Amber Lager

  1. Una Mas, Left Coast Brewing (San Clemente)
  2. Marzen, Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch (Davis)
  3. Sullydunkel, 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco)

Category 4: Dark Lager

  1. Tatoo Black Lager, San Pedro Brewing (San Clemente)
  2. Bavarian Black Lager, Ol’ Republic Brewing (Nevada City)
  3. California Black Beer, Dale Bros. Brewery (Upland)

Category 5: Bock

  1. Welke Bock, San Pedro Brewing (San Pedro)
  2. Mai Bock, Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch (Davis)
  3. Doppelbock, Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch (Davis)

Category 6: Light Hybrid Beer — Cream Ale

  1. American Cream Ale, Schooner’s Grille & Brewery (Antioch)
  2. None awarded
  3. None awarded

Category 6: Light Hybrid Beer — Blonde Ale

  1. Common Sense, Berryessa Brewing (Winters)
  2. 805, Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles)
  3. California Blonde, Eel River Brewing (Fortuna)

Category 6: Light Hybrid Beer — Kolsch

  1. Kalifornia Kolsch, Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery (San Francisco)
  2. Kolsch, Faultline Brewing (Sunnyvale)
  3. Bruin Blonde, San Pedro Brewing (San Pedro)
  4. Mission Blonde, Mission Brewery (San Diego)

Category 6: Light Hybrid Beer — American Wheat/Rye

  1. Lucille’s Hefeweizen, Bayhawk Ales (Irvine)
  2. Gramarye, Heretic Brewing (Fairfield)
  3. None awarded

Category 7: Amber Hybrid

  1. Alt-bier Ale, Hangar 24 Brewing (Redlands)
  2. California Amber Lager, Ol’ Republic Brewing (Nevada City)
  3. Anaheim 1889, Anaheim Brewing (Anaheim)

Category 8: English Pale Ale — Standard/Ordinary Bitter

  1. Freewheel Bitter, Freewheel Brewing (Redwood City)
  2. Freewheel Pale Ale, Freewheel Brewing (Redwood City)
  3. None awarded

Category 8: English Pale Ale — Special/Best/Premium Bitter

  1. Bonnie Lee’s Best Bitter, Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery (San Francisco)
  2. None awarded
  3. Freewheel Special Bitter, Freewheel Brewing (Redwood City)

Category 8: English Pale Ale — Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

  1. Drake’s Amber, Drake’s Brewing (San Leandro)
  2. Blue Bell Bitter, Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery (San Francisco)
  3. SBC Bitter, Solvang Brewing (Solvang)

Category 9: Scottish/Irish Ale — Scottish Heavy 70/-

  1. None awarded
  2. Maltopia, Hermitage Brewing (San Jose)
  3. None awarded

Category 9: Scottish/Irish Ale — Irish Red Ale

  1. Conner’s Pride, Old Hangtown Beer Works (Placerville)
  2. Rimpau Red, Main Street Brewery/Lamppost Pizza (Corona)
  3. Red Trolly Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego)

Category 10: American Ale — American Pale Ale

  1. Grand Am, Bear Republic Brewing (Healdsburg)
  2. Pintail Pale Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego)
  3. American River Pale Ale, Auburn Ale House (Auburn)

Category 10: American Ale — American Amber Ale

  1. Mission Amber, Mission Brewery (San Diego)
  2. Rubicon Amber, Rubicon Brewing (Sacramento)
  3. Danske, Solvang Brewing (Solvang)

Category 10: American Ale — American Brown Ale

  1. Coloma Brown, American River Brewing (Rancho Cordova)
  2. Roasted American, 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco)
  3. Farmer’s Flannel Maple Brown, Anacapo Brewing (Ventura)

Category 11: English Brown Ale

  1. Ironwood Dark, Tied House Brewing (Mt. View)
  2. Downtown Brown, Lost Coast Brewing (Eureka)
  3. Whippersnapper, Berryessa Brewing (Winters)

Category 12: Porter — Brown Porter

  1. None awarded
  2. None awarded
  3. Double Nut Brown, Mammoth Brewing (Mammoth)
  4. Honorable Mention: Devil’s Peak Porter, Tahoe Mountain Brewing (Tahoe City)

Category 12: Porter — Robust Porter

  1. Oil Piers Porter, Surf Brewery (Ventura)
  2. None awarded
  3. Black Robusto Porter, Drake’s Brewing (San Leandro)

Category 12: Porter — Baltic Porter

  1. Badland’s Baltic Porter, Dale Bros. Brewery (Upland)
  2. Recession Ale, Loomis Basin Brewing (Loomis)
  3. None awarded

Category 13: Stout — Dry Stout

  1. Organic Chocolate Stout, Bison Brewing (Berkeley)
  2. Dragoons Dry Irish Stout, Moylan’s Brewing (Novato)
  3. Black Hawk Stout, Mendocino Brewing (Ukiah)

Category 13: Stout — Sweet Stout

  1. None awarded
  2. None awarded
  3. Black Jack Sweet Stout, Feather Falls Casino & Brewery (Oroville)

Category 13: Stout — Oatmeal Stout

  1. Oatmeal Stout, Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch (Davis)
  2. Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Brewing (Boonville)
  3. None awarded
  4. Honorable Mention: Shanghai Stout, Auburn Ale House (Auburn)

Category 13: Stout — Foreign Export Stout

  1. Homeland Stout, New Helvetia Brewing (Sacramento)
  2. Crude, Belmont Brewing (Long Beach)
  3. None awarded

Category 13: Stout — American Stout

  1. None awarded
  2. Export Stout, Ol’ Republic Brewing (Nevada City)
  3. Roxanne Red, Main Street Brewery/Lamppost Pizza (Corona)

Category 13: Stout — Russian Imperial Stout

  1. Sunken City Imperial Stout, San Pedro Brewing (San Pedro)
  2. Imperial Stout, Mendocino Brewing (Ukiah)
  3. Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout, Moylan’s Brewing (Novato)
  4. Honorable Mention: Parabola, Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles)

Category 14: India Pale Ale — English IPA

  1. English IPA, Ol’ Republic Brewing (Nevada City)
  2. Organic IPA, Eel River Brewing (Fortuna)
  3. White Hawk IPA, Mendocino Brewing (Ukiah)

Category 14: India Pale Ale — American IPA

  1. Union Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles)
  2. Torpedo, Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico)
  3. Hop Daddy IPA, Main Street Brewery/Lamppost Pizza (Corona)

Category 14: India Pale Ale — Imperial IPA

  1. Double Up, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewery (Del Mar)
  2. Evil Cousin, Heretic Brewing (Fairfield)
  3. Denogginizer, Drake’s Brewing (San Leandro)

Category 14: India Pale Ale — Other IPA

  1. Evil Twin, Heretic Brewing (Fairfield)
  2. Our Dark Secret, Moylan’s Brewing (Novato)
  3. Boardwalk Black IPA, Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego)

Category 15: German Wheat/Rye Beer

  1. Thunderweizen Ale, Lightning Brewery (Poway)
  2. Dancing Trees Hefeweizen, Feather Falls Casino & Brewery (Oroville)
  3. Orgasmica 4-grain Hefeweizen, Pizza Orgasmica (San Rafael)
  4. Honorable Mention: Windandsea Wheat, Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego)

Category 16: Belgian and French Ale — Wit Beer

  1. Wit’s End, Ritual Brewing (Redlands)
  2. Wahoo Wheat Beer, Ballast Point Brewing (San Diego)
  3. None awarded

Category 16: Belgian and French Ale — Belgian Pale Ale

  1. Summer Honey Citrus, Monkey Paw Brewing (San Diego)
  2. None awarded
  3. None awarded

Category 16: Belgian and French Ale — Belgian Pale Ale

  1. Le Merle, North Coast Brewing (Fort Bragg)
  2. First Conversation, Discretion Brewing (Soquel)
  3. Saison, Berryessa Brewing (Winters)
  4. Honorable Mention: Fields Ablaze, Valiant Brewing (Orange)

Category 16: Belgian and French Ale — Biere de Garde

  1. None awarded
  2. Farmer’s Daughter, 21st Amendment Brewing (San Francisco)
  3. None awarded

Category 16: Belgian and French Ale — Belgian Specialty Ale

  1. Solace, Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles)
  2. None awarded
  3. None awarded

Category 16: Belgian and French Ale — Flavored Saison

  1. Saison Savoureuse, Tahoe Mountain Brewing (Tahoe City)
  2. None awarded
  3. None awarded

Category 17: Sour Ale

  1. 24th Anniversary Flanders-style Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego)
  2. Saison Tart, Green Flash Brewing (San Diego)
  3. Le Petit Diablotin, High Water Brewing (San Leandro)

Category 18: Belgian Strong Ale

  1. Axiom, Valiant Brewing (Orange)
  2. Dipsea Triple, Marin Brewing (Larkspur)
  3. Rio d’Oro, High Water Brewing (San Leandro)

Category 19: Strong Ale — Old Ale

  1. Good Faith, Discretion Brewing (Soquel)
  2. Triple Exultation, Eel River Brewing (Fortuna)
  3. Old Stock, North Coast Brewing (Fort Bragg)

Category 19: Strong Ale — English Barleywine

  1. Old Diablo, Schooner’s Grille & Brewery (Antioch)
  2. Barrel of Monkeys, Devil’s Canyon Brewing (Belmont)
  3. None awarded

Category 19: Strong Ale — American Barleywine

  1. Imperial Barleywine, Mendocino Brewing (Ukiah)
  2. Fat Hog, Ritual Brewing (Redlands)
  3. Beacon St. Barleywine, San Pedro Brewing (San Pedro)

Category 20: Fruit Beer

  1. Blueberry Ale, Marin Brewing (Larkspur)
  2. Golden Eagle Wheat, Loomis Basin Brewing (Loomis)
  3. Strawberry Wheat, Six Rivers Brewing (McKinleyville)

Category 21: Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer — Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer

  1. Platypus Venom Imperial Stout Star Anise, Marin Brewing (Larkspur)
  2. Blue Bridge Coffee Stout, Coronado Brewing (San Diego)
  3. Organic Honey Basil, Bison Brewing (Berkeley)

Category 21: Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer — Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer

  1. Stumpkin, Old Hangtown Beer Works (Placerville)
  2. Hoppy Holidaze, Marin Brewing (Larkspur)
  3. Movetta a Trois, Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego)

Category 22: Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer

  1. Ocho Barril, Half Moon Bay Brewing (Half Moon Bay)
  2. Bourbon Barrel-aged Island Pale Ale, Island Brewing (Carpinteria)
  3. Pugacheu’s Cobra, Hangar 24 Brewing (Redlands)
  4. Honorable Mention: Sucaba, Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles)

Category 23: Specialty Beer

  1. IPA 395, Mammoth Brewing (Mammoth)
  2. Barrel-aged Kriek, Island Brewing (Carpenteria)
  3. 4th Anniversary Ale, Hangar 24 Brewing (Redlands)
  4. Honorable Mention: Campfire Stout, High Water Brewing (San Leandro)

A few statistics: Firestone Walker, Karl Strauss and San Pedro Brewing won the most medals, six apiece. Ol’ Republic Brewing and Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch each won five. And Auburn Ale House, Heretic Brewing, Marin Brewing and Mendocino Brewing each won four medals. Eleven more breweries won three medals each.

BEST OF SHOW

  1. Una Mas, Left Coast Brewing (San Clemente)

BEST OF SHOW SESSION BEER

  1. Ocho Barril, Half Moon Bay Brewing (Half Moon Bay)

Congratulations to all the winners.

Date Announced For 2013 Brews On The Bay

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The San Francisco Brewers Guild today announced the date for this year’s Brews on the Bay beer festival aboard the S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, docked at Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf. This marks the 10th anniversary of the festival, which will take place on Saturday, October 19, from Noon to 5:00 p.m. According to the press release:

Enjoy over 50 different beers made by San Francisco breweries, while soaking up the salty air, sunshine, live music, food, and spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and San Francisco.

This year’s event is shaping up to be our biggest and best yet. Although we’re still finalizing some of the details, you can expect our member breweries to serve unlimited eight ounce pours of their latest and greatest IPA, farmhouse ale, session beer, barrel-aged sour, imperial stout, and many other beer styles. The brewers will also be on hand to answer any questions about your favorite beers.

In addition to the local beer, we’re going to serve up local food and music. San Francisco’s best food trucks will line the pier to fill your mouth-watering needs. We’ve also enlisted The Brothers Comatose to play their lively roots music on the ship’s deck.

Brews on the Bay tickets will go on sale August 5th at 10:00am.

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Mateveza/Samuel Adams Collaboration Beer Being Released Tonight

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Tonight from 6-9:00 p.m. at Cervecería de MateVeza, located at 3801 18th Street in San Francisco, there will be a beer-tasting of a new collaboration beer. Here’s the story:

Samuel Adams and MateVeza will come together to celebrate and introduce their limited-release collaboration beer, Boston Tea Party Saison. The unique brew combines MateVeza’s signature ingredient — yerba mate tea — and Samuel Adams’ one-of-a-kind Kosmic Mother Funk (KMF).

After completing a Brewing and Business Experienceship, an extended craft brewing mentoring program offered by Samuel Adams, MateVeza founder Jim Woods teamed up with his mentor to create a unique collaboration beer. The Experienceship is offered to craft brewers as part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, a micro lending and coaching program available to food, beverage and hospitality small business owners as well as craft brewers.

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Jim Woods and Samuel Adams brewer Dean Gianocostas in Boston on the day they brewed the collaboration beer, Boston Tea Party Saison.

Here’s their description of the beer itself:

Samuel Adams and MateVeza came together to brew a Saison, which is a farmhouse beer traditionally brewed in the autumn or winter for consumption during the summer for the farm workers. The final recipe combines MateVeza’s signature ingredient — yerba mate tea — and Samuel Adams’ one-of-a-kind Kosmic Mother Funk (KMF), a blend of wild yeasts and bacteria designed to give beers unique flavors. The bright and satisfying brew has a slightly earthy and deliciously fruity character with a hint of spice and a long dry finish.

If you’re in the city tonight, stop by and give the beer a try. See you there.

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Chris Spinelli and Jon Mervine from Roc Brewing (who also did a similar collaboration beer, though their beer is ThreeNinety Bock), and in the middle Jim Woods, MateVeza, and Jim Koch, from Boston Beer.

Talking About Hops & History In San Francisco

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Last Thursday, I helped the San Francisco Brewers Guild put together a fun event at the Old Mint with Flipside and the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society called Hops and History. My part during the event included being the moderator of a panel discussion about opening and running a brewery in the city of San Francisco.

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Shaun O’Sullivan (21st Amendment), Shaun’s son Ryan, Dave McLean (magnolia), Keith Greggor (Anchor) and me. Below is the audio of our discussion.

One of my favorite parts of the evening was a gallery showing of local breweriana, provided by my friend Ken Harootunian, along with some pieces from Anchor Brewing and some labels from SF Brewers Guild executive director Brian Stechschulte.

Below are a few highlights from the gallery:

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The gallery room.

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Acme Beer.

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Steam Beer wooden sign.

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More Acme Beer artifacts.

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The original artwork from a Lucky Lager ad.

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Items from Rainier, Lucky Lager and Regal Pale Beer.

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Lucky Lager. Ice Cold.

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An old, pre-Prohibition, wooden keg and taps from Anchor, along with some additional steam beer artifacts.

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Another Acme pin-up ad.

Announcing Session Beer Month

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Back in February, during SF Beer Week, it hit me that we needed a Session Beer Festival in the Bay Area. California is already known for big, hoppy beers but I was convinced that not everybody wants an extreme beer all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love a hop bomb IPA or an Imperial Stout as much as the next beer geek, but not every day of the week. So I started talking it up, mentioning the idea here and there. I spoke to the San Francisco Brewers Guild, called Joe Tucker from RateBeer, and brought it up with several brewers. Everybody liked the concept.

Somehow word reached John Martin and Drake’s/Triple Rock. Their wonderful marketing director, Kelsey Williams, picked up the ball and has been running with it ever since. After discussions with all of us, she’s set a juggernaut in motion. First, at least in the Bay Area, we’ve declared that May is “Session Beer Month,” and we’re calling on all breweries, bars, restaurants and beer stores to create some sort of event to create awareness of session beers. This is the first year, obviously, so we’re not expecting too much this time around, but are looking at the long haul, hoping to create momentum so that next year Session Beer Month will be huge, or at least will grow bigger each year.

To facilitate that, she’s also created a Facebook Page and Twitter account for SessionBeerMay. Check them out; “like us” and “follow us,” and most importantly, if you’re in a position to help, please consider creating a session beer event this month. If you’re not, please consider supporting the effort by drinking session beers throughout the month. If your favorite place doesn’t have any, ask them to carry at least one session beer. Although it may spark an unwinnable debate, we’re defining “session beers” as 4.5% a.b.v. or below. We accept that sometimes a 5% beer can be considered sessionable, but for our purposes — with tongue firmly in cheek — those we’ll consider “imperial session beer” or “extreme session beers.”

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On the Facebook page, Kelsey’s drafted our mission statement.

A Manifesto:

Beer lovers, we are in the midst of a revolution. We have thrown off the fetters of the fizzy yellows and clamored for change. To supplant the sameness, we sought and found the EXTREME. We now have Triple IPAs and World Wide Stouts, Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperials, Belgian Quads, and all manner of High Gravity beers stuffed with fruits, spices, malts, hops. We’ve reached for the outermost precipices of beer, and succeeded.

Yet, in our noble quest for more innovation and more experimentation we have flown past many classic, well-loved, craft beer styles that may have seemed, due to their modest alcohol contents, a little too close to the weak, yellow, fizz water we’d escaped.

We have left behind these beers of import, beers perfectly suited to a long conversation at the pub, a picnic at the park, a post-hike refreshment, or a mid-summer beach trip, and beers that one can happily imbibe over the course of a few hours and leave satisfied and still standing.

We call to you beer lovers. Do not disregard a well-made, flavorful Bitter, Mild, Scottish Ale, Dry Stout, or any other Session beer because you perceive a lower alcohol content as a sign of the weak and bland. Allow us to prove that these beers are worthy of consideration. They, just like the extreme beers, have their place in our fridges and on our local taps.

We declare the month of May for Session beers. Beers that need not be analyzed, dissected, sipped, or sniffed in abundance. Delicious beers that not only enhance a good conversation but can extend it through multiple rounds.

Raise a Pint. Raise a Few. Spread the word in May; Less is most certainly more.

Amen. That’s the idea, nailed up to the electronic doors of the church of extreme beer, in the hopes of sparking a session reformation.

The next step? That’s easy: A Session Beer Festival. This year the NorCal Session Fest, will be held modestly at Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro on Saturday, May 25, 2013 from 12-4 PM. As befits session beers, the festival will benefit the East Bay Bike Coalition. Tickets to the event are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. You can buy tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets. In addition to the beer, local food trucks will be on-site with tasty food for sale. Please join us for the first beer festival celebrating session beers in the Bay Area. Let’s make this an annual event. I’ll see you there.

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How Beer Gave Us Civilization

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While I’m firmly in the “beer came before bread” camp in the anthropological debate about what sparked civilization, evidence has been mounting for that view since it was first proposed over a half-century ago. In a new opinion piece in the New York Times by Jeffrey P. Kahn, the CEO of WorkPsych Associates, entitled How Beer Gave Us Civilization, he lays out the case for why “we needed beer” and runs through an overview of early civilization’s introduction of alcohol and why it was so necessary to our development. He also brings into the debate a recent study from the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, What Was Brewing in the Natufian? An Archaeological Assessment of Brewing Technology in the Epipaleolithic, which adds new support for what I call the “beer first” theory.

He unfortunately ends with the long-discredited Benjamin Franklin beer quote, but apart from that gaffe, it’s a good read. Just stop short of the final two paragraphs, and it’s even better. He should have just finished with this sage observation. “Beer’s place in the development of civilization deserves at least a raising of the glass.” Hear, hear.

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Illustration by Anders Nilsson.

Limited Release Beer’s Pliny the Younger Video

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During this year’s Pliny the Younger release day at Russian River Brewing last month, I met Ron and Rob, who have embarked on creating a video series of rare beer releases under the banner of Limited Release Beer. The idea is to go around the country documenting the brouhaha surrounding each rare beer’s release. So far they’ve done videos for Portsmouth’s Kate the Great, Three Floyd’s Dark Lord, Surly’s Darkness, and the Bruery’s Black Tuesday. The latest video, of course, was just released, and it was this year’s Pliny the Younger.

The video runs about 17 minutes, and includes some background history and information, the day itself, a nice interview with Vinnie Cilurzo talking about Pliny, a Mission Impossible-style animation of stealing some Pliny to take back to their “expert taster,” which turned out to be a trick. I assume that must be part of each episode, and they included it only because it’s in the other episodes, too. Then they finish up with their take on the event and some tips to help you survive the next one. All in all, a fun effort.

Limited Release – Episode 5, Pliny the Younger from Limited Release Beer on Vimeo.

Happy International Women’s Day

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As you may be aware, today is International Women’s Day, and although I’m up to my eyeballs in work, I do want to pause and celebrate the many, many women in beer. Time was, beer was an all-boys club, and to a certain few it still is, but I couldn’t be happier to see an ever-increasing number of women attending beer events, writing about it and brewing it. There was a time when brewsters made almost all of the beer, but then men grabbed the reigns and kicked women to the curb. I, for one, think beer was all the poorer for that decision, but then it happened centuries before I had any say in the matter.

Because I don’t want to leave anybody out, I’m not going to even try to list all of the wonderful people I’ve met over the years I’ve been writing about beer who just happen to have been born female. To them, today and really on every day, I raise a toast to you.

Although I’m not naming names, here are a few others who have, and some organizations, too, that are also worth singling out. It’s not complete, of course, and I’m confident there are others I’m forgetting, but suffice it to say I mean to include everyone. To all of you, thanks for what you do, and making the world of beer a better place to work, to play and to enjoy life.

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The Pink Boots Society, founded by Teri Fahrendorf, “created to empower women beer professionals to advance their careers in the Beer Industry through Education.” Today there are nearly 900 members for all facets of the beer industry.

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Barley’s Angels, co-founded (I think) by Lisa Morrison in Portland, Oregon. “Barley’s Angels is a growing collection of individual chapters around the world that work with craft beer focused breweries, brewpubs, restaurants, alehouses and other public beer establishments to advance the female consumer craft beer enthusiast, resulting in increased patronage and revenue from women, while encouraging education and interest in beer among this often under-recognized demographic group.” There are currently 25 chapters in 18 states, plus 12 international chapters in five countries.

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Women Enjoying Beer, started by Ginger Johnson. “Women Enjoying Beer develops and serves the female beer enthusiast. We’re the only organization anywhere doing as much, from the consumer vantage point, to benefit the craft/beer industry.”

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The Celebrator Silver Polka

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During last night’s Celebrator 25th Anniversary Party, Vic Kralj, from the Bistro, wrote a spoof of “Roll Out the Barrel” for our silver anniversary, entitled the Celebrator Silver Polka. Then he rehearsed it with regulars and friends from his beer bar, unveiling it as a special surprise for Tom Dalldorf during the party. Below is a video the evening’s performance.

And here’s the sheet music, if you want to sing along.
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Afterwards, Tom was presented with a framed copy of the song.

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And later he and Arlene posed with some of the culprits who perpetrated his surprise.