Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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21st Amendment Beer School on the Bus

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21st Amendment Brewery’s monthly beer school this month was a day-long bus trip from San Francisco north to Cloverdale and back again, with several stops at area breweries in between.

Shaun O’Sullivan, 21st Amendment’s brewmaster, in front of the 21-A beer school bus.

Newlyweds Rodger and Claudia Davis (Rodger is head brewer at Drake’s and Claudia works at 2st Amendment.

Shaun O’Sullivan, small brewer of the year Rich Norgrove, and Rodger Davis at Bear Republic Brewery in Healdsburg.

Shaun O’Sullivan making faces, sandwiched between The Brewing Network‘s Justin Crossley and Daniela.

At Bear Republic’s new production facility in Cloverdale, the back part of the brewery houses several Bear Republic race cars, including this antique car.

Nico and Shaun in the wild outdoors of Cloverdale.

Shaun O’Sullivan and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River at Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa.

For more photos from the 21st Amendment Beer School bus trip, visit:

21st Amendment Beer School on the Bus, Pt. 1
21st Amendment Beer School on the Bus, Pt. 2

Save Gas, Take the Beer Bus

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Join us for Beer School on the Bus!

From the press release:

A brewpub crawl, Saturday, October 14th at 10a.m. until 10 p.m. through the fall colors of Marin and Sonoma counties, enjoy Oktoberfest Beer School and samples on the bus. We plan on visiting the following great breweries: Bear Republic Pub and Brewery, Russian River Brewing Co., Dempsey’s Restaurant and Brewery, Iron Springs Pub and Brewery and Marin Brewing Co.

Price includes bus fare, beer and beer school on the bus, first beer or bloody mary free at the 21A, PLUS lunch and first beer FREE at Bear Republic. The price is only $65 per person. Reservations in advance only. This event will sell out. Call today! 415-369-0900.

 

10.14

Beer School on the Bus

21st Amendment, 563 2nd Street, San Francisco, California
415.369.0900 [ website ]
10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Festival Announcement: Brews on the Bay

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This Saturday is the San Francisco Brewers Guild’s beer festival — their third one — and it will again take place aboard the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, the National Liberty Ship Memorial on Pier 45 of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Over 50 beers brewed in the city will be available for sampling.


 

9.9

Brews on the Bay (3rd annual)

SS Jeremiah O’Brien, National Liberty Ship Memorial, Fisherman’s Wharf – Pier 45, San Francisco, California
[ website ] [ tickets ]

Monterey Beer Fest Profiled in SF Chronicle

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Jeff Moses, who produces the Monterey Beer Festival, among several other Bay Area beer festivals, sent me this article about the festival that ran in San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, while I was still out of town vacationing with the family. It’s nice to see a beer festival get some good, positive press for a change.
 

Monterey Beer Festival Brew with a View
September 9, 12:30-5 p.m.
Monterey Fairgrounds, Monterey, California

Five Reasons to Keep Drinking Beer

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The Metro, San Jose’s alternative weekly might not be exactly mainstream, but when I lived in the area the years ago, it was a pretty good paper. This week’s edition features a short little column listing five recently discovered health benefits associated with drinking alcohol in moderation. These included a healthier heart, lungs, bone density, help in fighting cholesterol, and reducing the risk of a stroke.

Get Your Freak Out

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Tony Magee, the iconoclastic owner/brewer of Lagunitas Brewing has been a big Frank Zappa fan most of his life and this year marks the anniversary of the release of Zappa’s first album, the Mothers of Inventions’ Freak Out. Tony spoke with Frank Zappa’s widow, Gail Zappa (who runs the Zappa Family Trust), and obtained permission to use the colorful album cover on the beer label for their new Freak Out Ale. Very different in appearance from most Lagunitas labels, the beer nonetheless is in keeping with their rebel chic ethic. And as mentioned on the label, let’s not forget Frank Zappa’s most famous beer quote:

“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline — it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”

— Frank Zappa

Click on the label for a larger view.
 

Photo Gallery: 9th annual Bistro IPA Festival

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The 9th annual IPA Festival was August 12 at the Bistro in Hayward, California. It was another fun time with many excellent India Pale Ales to choose from. Judging was great fun though the final four led to much heated debate in trying to determine the final rankings.

 

Vic Kralj, co-owner of the Bistro, with Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River and Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment.

Out back at the IPA festival.

Matt Salie with Big Sky and Dave Hopgood with Stone.

Tony Magee, owner of Lagunitas, with me.

Darnell and Paul Marshall, who headed up the festival beer judging.

Shaun and Vinnie with Brian Hunt from Moonlight.

Melissa Myers and Rodger Davis from Drake’s join Shaun, Brian and Vinnie.

Angie Wagner, Celebrator writer, shows off her cycling leg with the help of Melissa Myers out in front of the Bistro.

Vic and Cynthia, Bistro owners (at left), pose with many of the brewers and beer people at their 9th annual IPA festival.

Bistro IPA Festival Winners

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Blind Pig IPA was chosen best in show at the 9th annual IPA Festival today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.