Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Toronado 20th Anniversary Celebration Begins

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My friend Dave Keene bought the Toronado bar on lower Haight in 1989, transforming it — and much of the Bay Area’s drinkers along with it — into the premiere beer bar in the city and one of the top beer bars in the country. That’s not so much opinion as fact, confirmed by the countless tribute beers and people in the beer community who flew in from all over the country to celebrate the Toronado’s 20th anniversary this Saturday.

10, 20, 30: Dave Keene (center) was celebrating his 20th, flanked by Don Younger (on the left), whose bar the Horse Brass in Portland celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year, and Chris Black (on the right), whose Denver, Colorado bar, The Falling Rock, celebrated its 10th anniversary in June.

Inside, the Toronado was packed to the gills with well-wishers and beer fans.

For more photos from the first half of the Toronado 20th Anniversary Celebration, visit the photo gallery.
 

Bistro IPA Festival 2007

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The 10th annual IPA Festival at the Bistro in Hayward took place on Saturday, August 11, 2007. There were 54 different IPAs at the festival. The weather was perfect and because of the Toronado anniversary there were a number of beer people from around the country in town who also came over to Hayward.

Outside the festival with Publican Judy Ashworth, Former San Andreas Brewing owner Bill Millar, Stone Brewery’s brewmaster Mitch Steele and Bistro owner Vic Krajl.

A lot of beer people — brewers, publicans, salesmen, etc. — were in attendance at the festival.
 

For more photos from this year’s Bistro IPA Festival, visit the photo gallery.
 

Bistro’s IPA Festival Award Winners

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21st Amendment’s IPA was chosen best in show at the 10th annual IPA Festival yesterday at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.

 

 

 

Update on Search for Steve Harrison

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The search continues for Steve Harrison, Vice President of Sierra Nevada Brewing and one of the original employees of the northern California brewery, who was discovered missing Tuesday morning. There have been several news updates by the local Chico paper, but precious little new information. Saturday morning, the Chico Enterprise Record reported that a new team of tracking dogs was being brought in to confirm a previous group’s findings that Harrison most likely went into the river near where his car was found along the bank of the Sacramento River.

Another Chico story on Sunday reported that Saturday’s search to find Harrison was again unsuccessful and that the new team of dogs did confirm their earlier conclusions. Butte County Search and Rescue indicated that after four days of searching it is likely efforts will be scaled back somewhat in the coming days, although helicopters will continue to fly over the area and the underwater camera may also keep searching the river.

The San Francisco Chronicle has also now picked up the story, running on the SF Gate Saturday and in Sunday’s print edition.

The Party Moves to Annie’s

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The third night of celebrations for the Toronado’s 20th anniversary was held last night at Annie’s Social Club on Folsom in San Francisco. The two bands, American Dog and Broken Teeth, that played the evening before at Russian River Brewing, were on hand again to entertain the crowd at Annie’s. Dave Keene had lost his voice the evening before, too, and was very hoarse as the night. unfolded.

Annie’s Social Club was an eclectic bar with lots of personality.

American Dog, from Columbus, Ohio, went on first.

Jeremy Cowan, from He’Brew, Rob Tod, from Allgash, and Tomme Arthur, from Port Brewing and the Lost Abbey.

Tomme Arthur again, this time with Dave Hopgood and Mitch Steele, both from Stone Brewing and Jeff Bagby and his wife, also from Port Brewing. Jeff was the first person I saw when I arrived at Anchor Brewery Wednesday night. He was getting out of a cab from the airport as I parked my car, and he’s one of only a handful of hearty souls who made to every one of the Toronado celebrations so I made a point of making sure he was pictured in every post.

Broken Teeth ended the evening with another raucous set of hard driving rock and roll.
 

Russian River Celebrates Toronado’s 20th Anniversary

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Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, who own Russian River Brewing, are great friends of Dave Keene and the Toronado. So last night they threw him one hell of a party at their brewpub in Santa Rosa. With two of Dave’s favorite bands performing, and Vinnie’s special beer he created especially for the Toronado’s 20th anniversary, it was a wonderful evening with many people from the Bay Area beer community in attendance.

It was a packed house at Russian River’s long bar.

Brewer Vinnie Cilurzo, American Dog lead singer Michael Hannon and Dave Keene.

Jeff Bagby, from Pizza Port, with Eric Rose, from the new Hollister Brewing in Goleta, near Santa Barbara.

Natalie Cilurzo, Jen Garris (Hi Mom!) and the Katherine.

Vinnie brought out some of the good stuff, like Damnation batch 09, and Supplication Batch 01, which he’s pouring here.

Drake’s brewer Melissa Myers with her “Big Daddy” Dave Keene.

The dance floor overflowed to the music of Broken Teeth.

Dave Keene was definitely having a great time at his party.

Rocking out and toasting Broken Teeth’s final number at the end of the evening.

 

Sierra Nevada VP Missing

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The Chico Enterprise Record is reporting today that Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Vice-President Steve Harrison has been missing since Monday afternoon. He was last seen leaving work at the end of the day. His car was found the following morning near the bank of the Sacramento River on River Road in Chico, California. The keys to his car were apparently found several feet from the car in the dirt. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence of foul play, though police have indicated they can’t rule it out, either. Brewery workers have been helping in the search all week and understandably have canceled the 3rd annual Hops Festival which had been scheduled to take place this Sunday.

I’ve known Steve for over a decade and he’s one of the finest people in the industry. I just saw him in San Diego in June during a CSBA meeting at Stone Brewery we were both attending. I wish there was something we could do to help, as this news has really taken me aback. If you’re in the Chico area or are nearby, perhaps you could volunteer to help with the search. If you have any information, please be sure to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530.538.7321. If nothing else, join me in sending positive thoughts his way that he’s found safe and sound as soon as possible.
 

UPDATE: Butte County Search and Rescue is now concluding, based upon tracking dogs brought up from Napa County, that Harrison entered the river near the spot where his car was found Tuesday. County officials have begun using an underwater camera to search the river, which in places can be as deep as twenty feet. The Oroville Mercury Register also has a follow up story.

 

Anchor Celebrates Toronado’s 20th

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Earlier tonight the folks at Anchor Brewery in San Francisco threw a little get together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Toronado, the best beer bar in San Francisco and one of the best anywhere.

We enjoyed Anchor beers with some appetizers at the bar while we waited to sit down in the brewery for a wonderful meal.

Dave Suurballe with Anchor’s head brewer Mark Carpenter.

Drake’s brewer Melissa Myers with Jeff Bagby, freshly arrived from San Diego where he brews at Pizza Port Brewing.

Publicans three: Dave Keene (Toronado), Chris Black (Falling Rock) and Matt Bonney (Brouwer’s).

Jennifer and Dave.

 

Funk Sole Brewer

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If there’s any reason to pry yourself away from the Toronado’s 20th anniversary celebration this Saturday, this is it. Beer Chef Bruce Paton is hosting his next beer dinner, which will feature Shaun O’Sullivan and the beers of 21st Amendment Brewery. It will be a three-course dinner and well worth the $65 price of admission. It will be held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel on Saturday, August 11, 2007, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Call 415.674.3406 for reservations. Although not on the menu, the Watermelon Funk is rumored to be part of the dinner. The Funk is Shaun’s Watermelon Wheat sparked with Brettanomyces and aged on wood up at Russian River Brewing. And while there is no sole on the menu — the fish is salmon — perhaps Shaun will regale us with a little dance, maybe even to Fatboy Slim’s Funk Soul Brother.
 

The Menu:

 

Reception: 6:30 PM

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre
21st Amendment IPA

Dinner: 7:30 PM

First Course

Smoked Salmon Tower with Heirloom Tomatoes and Cucumber Gelee and Scallion Crème Fraiche

Beer: Watermelon Wheat

Second Course:

Slow Roasted Berkshire Pork Tenderloin with Cambazola Flan and Ancho Jus

Beer: Double Trouble Imperial IPA

Third Course:

Chocolate Triple Threat

Beer: General Pippo’s Porter

 
8.11

Dinner with the Brewmaster: 21st Amendment

Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
415.674.3406 [ website ]