Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Half Moon Bay’s Restaurant Reviewed

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Inside Bay Area today has a nice review of the restaurant at Half Moon Bay Brewing by the coast in Princeton-by-the-Sea. The food gets an okay review which is improved overall by the location, atmosphere and the view. The reviewer does like the beer at least, as she writes.

Most people looking to fill their bellies are here for the beer. The brewery employs Alec Moss, a brewer with deep roots concocting beers for breweries in San Francisco and San Mateo. All of the beers, which are brewed on site, are good, but my favorites are the robust amber and the citrus-y Princeton-by-the-Sea IPA.

Alec in the brewhouse at Half Moon Bay Brewing taken about a year ago when several Bay Area brewers got together there to sample one another’s Poor Richard’s Ales brewed for Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday anniversary.

And just to annoy the people who believe children and beer don’t mix, here are some photos of my daughter Alice during the same brewery visit, when she was about eighteen months old.

Eager to help out in the brewery.

Proving she’s Daddy’s little girl by trying to steal a taste (no, I didn’t let her).

CSBA Expands Board

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The California Small Brewers Association recently added two new board members, increasing the number from five to seven.

The CSBA Press Release:

The California Small Brewers Association has elected a new and expanded board of Directors. The new Board was elected in December and took their seats on January 1st.

The CSBA Board was expanded from five to seven members.

“The Board was expanded to allow greater representation of the membership,” said Tom McCormick, Executive Director of the association. “It will also allow for more Board involvement as we embark on a new and expanded mission for the future.”

With a new Board at the helm, the association plans to expand and broaden the realm of services for small brewers in 2007.

“For the first time, the CSBA will be conducting work shops to address critical business issues.” McCormick said. “We will also be implementing a new marketing campaign to promote California craft beer in addition to conducting numerous events and meetings to help foster communication and education among our family of brewers.”

The CSBA is a non-profit trade association that as founded in 1989 to protect the political and legislative rights of the small brewers of California.

The new Board of Directors of the CSBA are:

  1. President: Steve Harrison (Sierra Nevada Brewing)
  2. 1st VP: John Martin (Triple Rock Brewery)
  3. 2nd VP: Steve Wagner (Stone Brewing)
  4. Treasurer: John Dannerbeck (Anchor Brewing)
  5. Secretary: Glynn Phillips (Rubicon Brewing)
  6. Board Member: Geno Acevedo (El Toro Brewing)
  7. Board Member: Lee Doxtader (San Diego Brewing)

Strong Beer Month is Here

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Beginning today, 21st Amendment Brewery and Magnolia Pub & Brewery, both in San Francisco, will team up again to host their fifth annual Strong Beer Month. Each brewpub has created six new and different seasonal beers — and if you haven’t figured it out yet, they’ll all be strong — that will be available at the two locations throughout February.

From the press release:

It’s that time of year again. This is our fifth annual Strong Beer Month and it has become quite a tradition. When Dave Mclean, owner and brewmaster at Magnolia Pub and Brewery and Brewer Shaun set out five years ago to put on an interesting array of strong beers to warm the body and soul through the San Francisco winter doldrums, they never really conceived that the month of February would be so popular. Five years ago we had six strong beers and this year we bring present you with twelve winter warmers between both breweries. Quite a feat when you think of it as we set aside valuable brewery tank space and our normal house brews and serve up a collection of higher octane adult beverages in all shapes and flavors.

These strong beers are big beers, big in body, bold in flavor and full of the heady, warming sensations that can only come from beers above 8% in alcohol. They span a wide range of styles, from Barleywines, Imperial IPA’s, several strong Belgian beers, imperial smoked porter and a Russian imperial stout. They are all over the map from light to dark but they share one defining characteristic: their strength.

Best sipped slowly and savored, not quaffed in a hurry, these twelve beers command respect. No need to rush through them all in a day. They will be available throughout February (or until they run out) in commemorative 13.5 ounce glasses. Drink all twelve strong ales (six at each brewery) and the glass is yours. Commemorative 2007 Strong Beer Month T-shirts are also available. We will also have special library strong beers from years past presented throughout the month and special food dishes paired with the strong beers.

The strong beers at both pubs:

At Magnolia:

Tweezer Tripel
Old Thunderpussy Barleywine
Smokestack Lightning Imperial Stout
Promised Land Imperial IPA
Weekapaug Monster
Old Perplexity

At 21st Amendment:

Golden Doom
Double Tripel
Blind Lust
Diesel Imperial Smoked Porter
Double Trouble IPA
Lower de Boom Barleywine

SacBrew Barley Wine Festival Winners

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The results are also in for the 2007 SacBrew Barley Wine Festival. Since I wasn’t able to go north to Alaska, I was fortunate enough to be able to judge in Sacramento last night. Here are the top three Barley Wine winners:
 

Strong Beer Month Coming

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Beginning on February 1, 21st Amendment Brewery and Magnolia Pub & Brewery, both in San Francisco, will team up again to host their fifth annual Strong Beer Month. Each brewpub will create five new and different seasonal beers — and if you haven’t figured it out yet, they’ll all be strong — that will be available at the two locations throughout February. Sample them all, and you’ll receive some sort of prize. I stopped by 21A this morning after waiting in line nearby to get an expedited passport (long story) and sampled a couple of the new brews, one of which was still aging in the brewery.

First, there was St. Martin’s Abbey Ale, a decidedly Chimay-like beer with nice chocolate notes. Second, and perhaps more interesting, was a Belgian strong ale that had been blended with a small amount (around 10 gallons per 300) of Lindemans Framboise which itself had been aged in an oak barrel. At 10% abv, the new beer’s strength is neatly masked by the lambic’s sweetness, which is evident in abundance. The thick malt presence comes through but only a hint of sourness peeks out of the sides. But the lambic sweetness and the Belgian strong combine to create something fairly unique. I’m not quite sure what yet, but more tasting is definitely in order.

Unfortunately, it will be hard to order because, so far, the beer has no name. Given the brewpub’s close proximity to [insert current corporate name here] Stadium, where the San Francisco Giants play, and the fact that the beer reminded me of a framboise on steroids, I suggested “Berry Bonds.” Despite the look brewer Shaun O’Sullivan shot me, I’m going to continue to call it that, though I’m pretty confident that will not end up being its official name. Too bad, I liked it.

Crazy Dave Calling It Quits?

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Dave Heist, better know in the brewing community as “Crazy Dave,” has been threatening to sell or quit, and hightail it to southern California for at least a couple of years. But he may really be serious this time, because now it’s in print. According to an article sent to me by two Bulletin readers, the Sunday Contra Costa Times is reporting Hoptown will close in two months.

Heist, along with a small group of investors is planning a new venture, in a larger location — possibly near Livermore — that will begin sometime with the year. It will be interesting to see what Crazy Dave does next. His beers are never boring and usually some of the tastiest around.

“Crazy Dave” Heist, owner of HopTown Brewing Co. in Pleasanton, California, along with fellow brewer Melissa Myers, currently at Drake’s Brewing. This was taken at GABF in 2002.

New California Casino Brewery?

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I want to stress that this is only guesswork, but it appears that one of the Native American casinos in Northern California may be building a new casino brewery. My sister-in-law sent me a classified job listing she noticed in the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. The job listing is for a full time brewmaster with three years experience to handle “all aspects of brewing operations, purchasing, packaging, brewing of main line & specialty beers.” The listing also states that preference will be given to a Native American applicant, which made me curious. The number listed is associated with the Lake Miwok Indian Nation of the Middletown Rancheria. The tribe operates the Twin Pine Casino along Highway 29 in Middletown, California, about 35 miles north of Santa Rosa.

My guess is that the casino is planning a brewery on-site, but this is the first I’ve heard anything. But that seems the most logical reason for the tribe seeking a brewer. I know there are several casino breweries in Las Vegas, but are there any other breweries in Native American casinos? If not, this may be the first. Does anybody else know? The California Nations Indian Gaming Association has a list of all tribal casinos in California.

An alert reader did point out that Mount St. Helena Brewery [no website] is also in Middletown, but if that’s the case why post a fax machine number to a Native American tribe that operates a casino and list a preference for a Native American in the position?

Twin Pine Casino, site of a new brewpub?

UPDATE 1.27: Turns out that the Mount St. Helena Brewery is owned by the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. Here is their ABC License. So my speculation was wrong, after all. Thanks to Vinnie for pointing this out.

Kiss & Urthel: The Beer Dinner

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Monday evening the beer chef, Bruce Paton, hosted a “Dinner with the Brewmaster” with Urthel’s Hildegard and Bas van Ostaden. It was a small, more intimate dinner than usual, and, as usual, I had a very good time.

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We began the evening with Hop-It, the first Imperial IPA brewed in Belgium. The tap handle featured one of Bas’ gnomes, which appear on all the Urthel labels.

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Hildegard van Ostaden, Urthel’s brewster, one of only two female brewers working in Belgium, and Brian Hunt of Moonlight Brewing.

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Hildegard spoke to the audience before each course and described the beer we were about to enjoy.

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Then her husband and business partner, Bas, entertained the crowd with stories of the Urthels, the bald little gnomes on the beer labels that he created.

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Our beautifully presented dessert, a tartare of figs and Buddha’s hand with chocolate sabayon, vanilla mascarpone and cocoa nib cookie.

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Jen Garris and Brian Hunt.

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Bas van Ostaden, Bruce Paton and Hildegard van Ostaden after the dinner.

Southern California Distributor Shakeup

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Harbor Distributing (One of five regional beer distributors owned by beverage giant Reyes Holdings) is one of the largest in Southern California, distributing throughout Los Angeles and all of Orange County. And it just got bigger. I got an anonymous tip today that Harbor bought Gate City Distributing. Effective March 1, Harbor will be taking over the territory previously serviced by Gate City, which includes Riverside and much of the Inland Empire area. Harbor is one of the biggest Miller distributors and also carries several other popular brands such as Coors, Corona, Heineken, Guinness, Labatt’s, Newcastle, and Sierra Nevada. Consolidation is rarely a good thing for the small craft brewers.