Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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He’Brew National Release Party at the Toronado

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Last night my friend Jeremy Cowan held a National Release Party for his two new beers, Genesis 10:10, Shmaltz Brewing’s 10th anniversary beer, and Lenny’s R.I.P.A, a Rye Double IPA in honor of Lenny Bruce, who died forty years ago this year. As usual, the Toronado was jumping and there were several friends in attendance. Mercifully, it was no longer opressively hot and a nice cool breeze was circulating around the Toronado, which is quite unusual in my experience.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

— Genesis 10:10, KJV

In case you’re curious, this chapter of the Torah/Bible concerns the history of Noah and the other survivors’ offspring post-flood and this verse is talking specifically about Nimrod.

I’d tasted the Genesis 10:10 a couple of weeks ago and it’s a really terrific strong beer. The original Genesis Ale, from ten years ago, had pomegranates in it so Jeremy used pomegranate juice in the anniversary ale. As I understand it, it was added to fermentation about halfway through and as a result the yeast didn’t drop out for a week longer than expected. I don’t know if that’s the reason or not, but you’d never know from tasting this beer that it’s 10% abv.

The RIPA used 20% rye, which is a lot, but it’s not overpowering in the final beer. Personally I like rye, so perhaps I have a higher tolerance for it than most. To me rye does more for the mouthfeel and texture than for flavor though the distinctive rye character was certainly present there, too, especially when enjoying it with a sandwich on rye bread, which I made for myself while I was there. This is a great twist on an imperial IPA and the rye makes it stand out — in a good way — from the usual doubles.

At the Toronado last night for He’Brew’s release party. From left: Alec Moss, Half Moon Bay Brewing, Pete Slosberg, formerly of Pete’s Wicked Ales and now making Cocoa Pete’s Chocolates, Jeremy Cowan of Shmaltz Brewing and Rodger Davis of Drake’s Brewing.

Last one to stick his nose in his glass buys a round. Sorry Alec.

Bay Area Brewfest 2006

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Yesterday a new beer festival took place in the Bay Area. The Bay Area Brewfest was held at the County Expo Center in San Mateo, California and appeared to be a modest success. Attendance rumors were that around 1,200 people sampled the fifty or so craft and imported beers available at the festival. The music was very good and mercifully not too loud. For a first-time festival, the organization seemed outstanding. As I’ve said before, the Bay Area could really use a big outdoor festival to showcase the area’s wonderful and many contributions to the beer scene. Is this is? Not yet, but the potential is definitely there. I would have liked to see more local breweries there, but perhaps next year?

Even though attendance was good, it never felt crowded at the Expo Center, and there was plenty of parking.

Festival organizer Jeff Moses, who’s also GM of Coast Range/Farmhouse Brewing Co. of Gilroy, California.

Music was sponsored by the local radio station 107.7, The Bone, who had a stage with seating set up on one end of the festival area. You could hear the music throughout the festival, but it was never too loud, a rarity at these type of events.

Jeremy Cowan, of Shmaltz Brewing, shows off his new 10th anniversary brew Genesis 10:10.

J.J. Phair, owner of the award-winning E.J. Phair Brewing.

The wold looks rosier when seen through beer goggles.

Jack Curry, co-owner of the Prince of Wales, a San Mateo institution and great beer pub.

Fellow writers Lisa and Mike Pitsker, along with their son James, my table-mates at the festival.

Boonville Beer Festival: Photo Galleries

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This weekend was the 10th annual Boonville Beer Festival in Boonville, California. I had to leave before the festival ended so I missed the Saturday night festivities, but had a great time — as usual — anyway. Thanks to Ken Allen and all the terrific people at Anderson Valley Brewing for putting on this great event and giving us a great reason to travel to such a beautiful, remote part of the world. I’ve posted a ton of photo from the festival and the links to them are listed below:
 

 
 

Mike Altman from Iron Springs models the best hat of the festival.

Rodger Davis of Drake’s Brewing taps a firkin.

Rod DeWitt also gave me a great private tour of the Anderson Valley brewhouse.

Boont Tidrik Pike to Harp, Hoot and Especially Horn Steinber

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The above title translates roughly as “Boonville Party Trip to talk, laugh and especially drink beer.” The language is Boontling, that peculiar dialect in the remote area of Boonville, the home of Anderson Valley Brewing. This weekend is the 10th annual Boonville Beer Festival and I’ll be leaving for the fest this morning. Posts will likely resume on Sunday.

Sasquatch Legacy Project Event in San Francisco

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Last night was the charity event at 21st Amendment Brewery for the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation. They served the Sasquatch Legacy Project’s Imperial Red Ale, which was a collaborative effort. The beer was created by the current Foundation Brewing Scholarship recipients (Barney Brennan of Full Sail Brewing, Jenn Gridley of Fish Brewing, and Markus Stinson of Elysian Brewing).

All proceeds from last night’s event supported the Foundation’s scholarship program. The foundation honors the memory of iconoclastic brewer Glen Falconer, who died in a tragic accident in 2002. He brewed at Wild Duck Brewery in Eugene, Oregon. The foundation raises money for scholarships so that worthy brewers can attend the Siebel Institute in Chicago.

Host Shaun O’Sullivan from 21st amendment, Quentin and Yuko Falconer from the foundation, and Vic Kralj, from the Bistro in Hayward.

Shaun O’Sullivan as a literal hophead.

Quentin Falconer, Glen Falconer’s brother, addresses the crowd.

The Imperial Red was quite tasty with rich, roasted malt character and hints of figs and raisins. The flavor gave you an overall impression of thick earthiness and finished clean. At 8.2% abv, it packed a bit of a wallop, but was very drinkable. Hops were muted but the beer was still nicely balanced. The color was a rich mahogany with ruddy red streaks when held up to the light.

Eye on the Bay Beer Program Airdate Moved to April 24

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Mark your calendars again and reset your Tivos. After last night’s debacle where the pinheads at KPIX decided to bump Eye on the Bay last night when the NCAA final went long so we could endure the full hour of mindless talking about a basketball game over and over again. Then instead of showing Eye on the Bay after that, a show which KPIX paid to produce, they instead showed a repeat of the pathetic sitcom Two and a Half Men. But I learned today that the program has been rescheduled for April 24 at 7:00 p.m. So let’s try this again:

On Monday, April 24, CBS’s affiliate in the Bay Area, KPIX Channel 5, will be featuring Bay Area Beer on its show Eye on the Bay. The show will feature home brewing with Homer Smith at the Oak Barrel in Berkeley, beer news with Tom Dalldorf at the Celebrator Beer News office in Hayward, segments from Buffalo Bill’s, The Bistro, Drake’s Brewing, and Beer Chef Bruce Paton. The website listing indicates a start time of 7:00 p.m. but it’s still after a basketball game, so you never now.

Bay Area Beer to Be Featured on KPIX Channel 5

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Mark your calendars and set your Tivos. On Monday April 3, CBS’s affiliate in the Bay Area, KPIX Channel 5, will be featuring Bay Area Beer on its show Eye on the Bay. The show will feature home brewing with Homer Smith at the Oak Barrel in Berkeley, beer news with Tom Dalldorf at the Celebrator Beer News office in Hayward, segments from Buffalo Bill’s, The Bistro, Drake’s Brewing, and Beer Chef Bruce Paton. The program will come on immediately following the NCAA Final Four Championship Game so consult your local listings. The website listing indicates a start time of 9:30 p.m. but because of the game it could be slightly later.

UPDATE (Apr. 3): It appears the pinheads at KPIX decided to bump Eye on the Bay last night when the NCAA final went long so we could endure the full hour of talking about the game over and over again. Then instead of showing Eye on the Bay after that, a show which KPIX paid to produce, they instead showed a repeat of the pathetic sitcom Two and a Half Men. I imagine it had something to do with advertising commitments, but it was very frustrating. Eye on the Bay is also shown every morning at 9:30 a.m. so it’s still possible it wll be shown then.

UPDATE (Apr. 4): They did finally air the show this morning at 9:30 a.m.

Sasquatch Legacy Project Tasting Scheduled at 21st Amendment

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Mark your calendars for April 4th, when Bay Area residents can have their first taste of Sasquatch Legacy Project’s Imperial Red Ale and support a worthy cause in the process.

From the press release:

Join us, and the San Francisco Bay area brewing community, Tuesday, April 4, 2006 at 5:30pm until 8pm at the 21st Amendment in the Brewer’s Loft for a party celebrating the first-of-its-kind 2006 “Sasquatch Legacy Project” Imperial Red Ale collaboration in support of the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation’s brewing education program.

The Sasquatch Legacy Project is a collaboration beer created by the current Foundation Brewing Scholarship recipients (Barney Brennan of Full Sail Brewing, Jenn Gridley of Fish Brewing, and Markus Stinson of Elysian Brewing). Proceeds from the event benefit the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation, which promotes knowledge and expertise in the craft brewing industry by sending professional and aspiring brewers to the Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology in Chicago.

Enjoy a pint or two of this special beer and know that, while you appreciate the Imperial Red Ale’s flavors and complexities, your beer purchases also support brewing education through the Foundation’s scholarship program. All proceeds to benefit the Foundation.

For more information on the Foundation and the Brewing Scholarships, visit www.sasquatchbrewfest.org. Souvenir glasses and t-shirts will also be available. It will be a lot of fun.

The foundation honors the memory of iconoclastic brewer Glen Falconer, who died in a tragic accident in 2002. He brewed at Wild Duck Brewery in Eugene, Oregon. The foundation raises money for scholarships so that worthy brewers can attend the Siebel Institute in Chicago.

In Memory: Jim Kennedy

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The late Jim Kennedy’s birthday is also today and I didn’t want to forget to raise a toast to him tonight, either. I never got the opportunity to meet Jim, but we had a lot of mutual friends and colleagues. Jim Kennedy founded Admiralty Beverage (acquired by Columbia Distributing in 1995) and was instrumental in the success of countless early microbreweries in Portland and the Pacific Northwest.

Chosen as “best beer pioneer” by Willamette Week in the weeks prior to his death, here’s what they had to say in 2002:

Let’s all raise a pint to Jim Kennedy. Don’t know who he is? If you’re a beer imbiber, chances are you’ve admired his work. The Pacific Northwest’s quality beverage scene would not exist without Kennedy and what friends call his infectious passion for the finer things in life. Founder, with his wife, Bobbie, of the Admiralty Beverage Company, Jim helped bring craft beers—as well as imports and fine wines—to these parts. He was a major supporter of breweries like Widmer and Deschutes in their early days. It’s a terrible irony that the man so many describe as the most vital force in the country’s thriving brewing scene has only a few weeks to live. After a serious battle with cancer, Kennedy says he doesn’t expect to live out the summer. A few weeks ago, he and Bobbie threw a living wake at Portland Brewing Company. Jim didn’t want to miss a last chance to party with his friends.

My friend and publisher, Tom Dalldorf, attended that living wake, and spent an hour or so interviewing Jim Kennedy. That interview appeared in the August/September issue in 2002. It hit the streets just a few days after Jim passed away. Please join me in raising a toast to his memory.

George Washington: Father of Our Country and Brewer

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Today of course is George Washington’s birthday. In addition to his many accomplishments as a farmer, military leader, statesman, and our first president he was also a great lover of beer. He was especially fond of Porter. But it was small beer that he made at Mount Vernon and his 1757 handwritten recipe for it survives at the New York Public Library in a notebook kept by Washington. Here it is transcribed below:

To Make Small Beer

Take a large Siffer [Sifter] full of Bran Hops to your Taste. — Boil these 3 hours then strain out 30 Gall[ons] into a cooler put in 3 Gall[ons] Molasses while the Beer is Scalding hot or rather draw the Melasses into the cooler & St[r]ain the Beer on it while boiling Hot. let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm then put in a quart of Yea[s]t if the Weather is very Cold cover it over with a Blank[et] & let it Work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask — leave the bung open till it is almost don[e] Working — Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.

And according to an article entitled Smashing Pumpkin by James Roberts (a.k.a. Dr. Fermento), the Celebrator’s Alaskan correspondent, Washington loved pumpkin porter, too.

Our forefathers made pumpkin ale. The pilgrims didn’t necessarily get off on vegetable beer, but it this was a matter of need. Brewing supplies were short in the New World; anything that fermented was fair game. And by all accounts George Washington made a pretty fair pumpkin porter.

There has been not been much written about Washington’s love for beer, but here you can find some additional information:

From Brewed In America by Stanley Baron, 1962: George Washington: President & Beer Lover

From Fermenting Revolution: George Washington, Our Porter-Pounding Founding Father