Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2009

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Head Hunter IPA from Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon in Cleveland, Ohio was chosen best in show at the 12th annual IPA Festival earlier today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The keg of Fat Head beer was sent via FedEx in a blue suitcase to The Bistro. Bistro owner Vic Kralj recounts that when he called Fat Heads brewer Matt Cole, who coincidentally was enjoying a beer in Wisconsin with Bay Area brewers Arne Johnson and Alec Moss, that his screams of delight could be heard through the phone by everyone around Vic. The full list of winners is below.

The Hopfather: A Beer You Can’t Refuse

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At the Bistro IPA Festival next Saturday, Russian River Brewing will debut their latest beer: The Hopfather. The Hopfather is a 7% IPA that’s loosely based on an IPA recipe Vinnie Cilurzo contributed to Sam Calagione’s book Extreme Brewing, though Vinnie says he’s changed things up considerably. It starts with CTZ and Magnum hops, but uses primarily Amarillo and Centennial for flavor and aroma to the tune of around 10 pounds per barrel. While Vinnie assures me it will have a big malt backbone, he also promises the flavors and aroma will be “balls to the wall hops.” As if you needed another reason to go to the Bistro IPA Festival, this should make your attendance all but mandatory if you love hops.

Cheesesteak Love

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Thanks to Jesse from Beer & Nosh for tweeting me about this. It seems fellow Pennsylvanian Dave McLean, who owns both Alembic and the Magnolia Gastropub, loves cheesesteaks. What do you know, so do I. Perhaps most people from Pennsylvania do. If you grew up on them, you know how hard it is to find a decent one outside of the Keystone State.

Jesse probably didn’t know that I, too, am obsessed with cheesesteaks. He sent me the link because of Dave’s keen fashion sense. So I was pretty excited when I saw he was wearing my logo shirt. Way to go Dave!

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Photo by Stefanie Michejda

In a profile about food obsessions, Dave McLean reveals his own cheesesteak love. But he’s from Pittsburgh (BTW 7×7, Pittsburg is in California, Dave’s from Pittsburgh) whereas IMHO real cheesesteaks come from the Eastern part of the state, near Philadelphia. Both Pat’s and Geno’s are in Philly, where the cheesesteak, if not originated, is thought to have been perfected. Those two are the most famous, but I realize which is best and which other places are better is a volatile subject and everyone has an opinion on the subject.

I actually grew up west of Philadelphia, near Reading, and prefer the V&S Cheesesteak which used real cheese, not cheese whiz. I think whatever taste profile was your usual when you were a kid is the one that stays with you, like Mom’s home cooking. But Dave is also right that the Cheesesteak Shop, with 26 locations around the Bay Area, does probably the best job of approximating a Pennsylvania cheesesteak. As Dave points out, they do use Amoroso’s rolls from Philadelphia — a key ingredient — and they have Tastykakes, too. But I have to gently take exception to the assertion that a Tastykake is “like a Hostess cupcake.” That’s like saying Filet Mignon is like a hamburger.

Of course, I’m also obsessed with Tastykakes. I grew up on them and they’re definitely light years ahead of any other pre-packaged desserts I’ve ever tried. Although I love the Butterscotch Krimpets, the cream-filled cupcakes and even the now-defunct coffee cake, my all-time favorite is the peanut butter Kandy Kake. But I swear that they used to be called “Tandy Takes” when I was a kid (can anybody corroborate that?). Safeway carried them briefly in the Bay Area a decade ago, but then abruptly dropped them. You can also buy them online, which I confess I’ve done. They’re that good. Their tagline used to be “all the good things wrapped up in one.” Too true. Damn, now I’m hungry.

 

Beer Birthday: Tom McCormick

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I’ve known Tom since he was still at the beer distributor he founded, McCormick Distributing, which then, as now, promoted craft brewers and better imports. Tom has also worked as a consultant, with Wolaver’s and Real Beer, and now runs the ProBrewer website. But these days his primary job is running the California Small Brewers Association. Join me in wishing Tom a very happy birthday.

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At the CBC banquet with Nancy Johnson, director of the GABF.

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Tom with Greg Koch, co-owner of Stone Brewing, after a CSBA meeting in San Diego the year before last.

Dr. Bill Joins Stone

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According to the Stone Blog, as of Monday, Dr. Bill Sysak has joined Stone Brewing as the Beverage Coordinator of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens.

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Believe it or not, this is Dr. Bill’s first job in the beer industry, though he’s been involved in the beer world for quite some time. I profiled Dr. Bill a few years ago for an article on Beer Geeks I did for Beer Advocate magazine. He’s justly famous for the legendary beer-tasting marathon parties he threw a few times each year. Congrats, Bill.

Bear Republic Annexes Zeitgeist

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I ran into Tom Dalldorf at the Magnolia vertical barley wine tasting, and we drove over to Zeitgeist, where Rich Norgrove, brewmaster at Bear Republic Brewing, was on hand for a meet the brewer event. We slipped in and out long enough to shake hands, take a photo, and slink away so we could get to our beer dinner on time.

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Part of the Bear Republic brew crew (on left) with Rich and his wife Tami.

Cheesed Off

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Tuesday night the Bistro in Hayward, California, held one of the most unique and fun cheese pairing events I’ve ever attended. It was called The Bistro’s North County Cheese-Off. What owner Vic Krajl did was pick five cheeses and then asked five breweries from north of San Francisco — Bear Republic, Lagunitas, Marin, North Coast and Russian River — to pick the beer they made that they felt was the best pairing with each cheese.

So it was essentially five flights. At our table we’d get a generous portion of a cheese and then five beer samples, one from each brewery. They were unmarked so we did not know which beers we were being served, only the cheese. So, in turn, you’d take a bit of cheese and then try a beer. Then another nibble and the next beer, and so on. So our job was not to find the best beer, but which one complemented or contrasted the cheese best. It’s good they gave us a lot of each cheese, because you’d keep going back and forth, eliminating here and there, but then often struggling with your two favorites trying to determine which one you liked the most. It was a very illuminating and educational way to approach pairing cheese and beer. Someone from each brewery was also there, and it was interesting to get their thoughts after the event. I’d definitely try this again, as it made the experience much richer and you left feeling not only satiated, but like you learned something, too.


Bistro proprietor Vic Krajl cutting the cheese.


The North County Cheese-Off was a sold-out event and even filled up the bar, too.


Our third cheese, Tomme De Brebis, a sheep cheese.


Rich Norgrove, from bear Republic.


The final cheese, Humboldt Fog, a goat cheese.


After choosing our favorite from each round, we handed in our scorecards and they tallied up the results to determine which pairings were the most popular. A prize was awarded to whoever correctly predicted the most popular choices. Only one person, this gentlemen, chose all five most popular. While I’d argue that most popular doesn’t necessarily mean best, especially since people’s tastes and palates vary widely, it was still a fund way to wrap up the evening and determine at least what a majority of people thought about the choices. Below is a list of each of the cheeses along with the beer pairings chosen by each brewery and then what was determined to be the most popular. The beer in bold was chosen as most popular and italics indicates my personal choice, in case you’re interested.
 

Cheese No. 1: Manchego (sheep)

  1. Bear Republic: Peter Brown Tribute Ale
  2. Lagunitas: Pale Ale
  3. Marin: Albion Amber
  4. North Coast: Brother Thelonius
  5. Russian River: Salvation

Cheese No. 2: Fromager D’Affinois (cow)

  1. Bear Republic: Heritage Ale
  2. Lagunitas: Pilsner
  3. Marin: Hefeweiss
  4. North Coast: Old Rasputin
  5. Russian River: Blind Pig

Cheese No. 3: Tomme De Brebis (sheep)

  1. Bear Republic: Raver 5
  2. Lagunitas: Brown Shugga
  3. Marin: Left End Unfiltered Pale Ale
  4. North Coast: Acme Pale Ale
  5. Russian River: Damnation (4 yr. old)

Cheese No. 4: Cahill Porter (cow) [Tie]

  1. Bear Republic: Red Rocket
  2. Lagunitas: The Hairy Eyeball
  3. Marin: Pt. Reyes Porter
  4. North Coast: Old Plowshare Stout
  5. Russian River: Supplication

Cheese No. 5: Humboldt Fog (goat)

  1. Bear Republic: Bubba
  2. Lagunitas: Ruben & the Jets
  3. Marin: Witty Monk
  4. North Coast: Le Merle Saison
  5. Russian River: Beatification

Hat’s off to Vic for coming up with such a simple yet effective new way to approach cheese and beer pairings. What fun. I hope to see more of this type of event in the future.

Albion Don In the Temple of Beer

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Yesterday the first five events of SF Beer Week were all “Albion Don” Barkley and the recreation of the original beer that started the modern craft brew movement. New Albion’s Pale Ale, dubbed Napa Smith’s Original Albion Ale was tapped every hour, on the hour, for five hours at a different location in San Francisco. Beginning at the Temple of Beer, the Toronado, Don arrived, beery scepter in hand to christen the day (and the week’s) activities.

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Don Barley, with the scepter of St. Gambrinus in hand.

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The first pints poured of Napa Smith’s Original Albion Ale.

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Don’s first sip.

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By the power of St. Gambrinus, he declares that it is good.

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Less impressive than it looks, I got to hold the magical scepter while Don availed himself of the facilities.

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Next stop on the tour was Magnolia. Here Don poses with Dave McLean, owner of Magnolia and fellow SF Beer Week organizer extraordinaire.

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And again, the scepter declares that the beer is good.

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I missed the next two tappings at Monk’s Kettle and City Beer Store due to having to do some prep work for SF Beer Week, but caught up with them at 21t Amendment, where Shaun O’Sullivan was on hand to greet Don.

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And again, it was good.

Sacramento Closes Oasis, But Still Brewing

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I learned today that the Oasis location of Sacramento Brewing on Madison Avenue in Citrus Heights has closed its doors for good. The original location at Town and Country Village is alive and well and will continue as usual. Recent rumors that Sacramento Brewing was in danger of closing are simply not true. After the remaining beer in the tanks at Oasis is finished, all production — including bottling — will take place at Town & Country.

I’m told business at the Oasis location was always hand to mouth, even from the very beginning, but with the economic times we currently face dipped down below profitable levels. At Town and Country, on the other hand, business remains good and the new owner is optimistic and confident that will continue.

Head brewer Peter Hoey tells me that he will concentrate on having at least a dozen Sacramento beers on tap at any given time and will begin introducing guest taps, possibly as many as 24 in an effort to make the brewpub a Sacramento destination for not only his beers, but better beers of all stripes.

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Some some good news, some bad. I’m certainly pleased to learn that the brewery is not closing. I think Peter is a talented, under-appreciated brewer so it will interesting to see what he comes up with this year in the way of specialty beers, which he promises won’t be dull.