Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Northern California Homebrewers Festival

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I spent a fun weekend with the family attending the 10th annual Northern California Homebrewers Festival. Friday night we had a great beer dinner by Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, and Saturday all day we enjoyed some excellent homebrewed beer. The theme for the festival was sour beers and beers made with wild yeast.

Homebrew club booths at the 10th annual Northern California Homebrewers Festival.

For more photos from this year’s Northern California Homebrewers Festival, visit the photo gallery.
 

Toasting Michael

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know last night was the National Toast to Michael Jackson, a benefit for Parkinson’s Disease and a chance to all raise a glass to the leading light in beer writing. I went to the Toronado in San Francisco to join the toast. Real Beer was there with a camera, documenting people’s thoughts about Michael and his legacy. They interviewed a number of us, asking us each the same seven questions and apparently this was going on in bars across the country with the idea of editing it all together in one media package.

 

Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf was on hand to emcee the toast as Toronado owner Dave Keene looks on, glass in hand, ready for the toast.

And exactly 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, we all raised our glasses, as hopefully millions more did across the continent.

And then drank to Michael’s memory.

Dave opened a big bottle of Russian River Temptation.

After the toast, those of us that stayed adjourned to the back room for some heated games of washoes. Dave and I won at least ten straight before finally being unseated by Rodger Davis and Melissa Myers. Dave also opened a very big bottle of the anniversary beer Vinnie Cilurzo made for the Toronado’s 10th anniversary in August at Russian River Brewing.

Celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary, Claudia and Rodger Davis. Claudia works at 21st Amendment and Rodger is the former brewer at Drake’s. Believe it or not, this was the only picture I could get where Rodger did not have his mouth open with his tongue wagging.

 

Bière de Manger

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Most people don’t think of France as a place for great beer, but there are several very fine, world-class small — tiny really — breweries in Northeastern France, not coincidently near the border of Belgium. Back in the mid-1800s this region of the world was home to 2,000 breweries. By the advent of the first World War it was half that, but during the German occupation their equipment was dismantled and sent back to the Fatherland. Between the two wars after after it, things stayed pretty much the same and today only around 25 breweries remain in the region.

So last night’s dinner themed “The Beers of France” may not have been as big a draw as some of the Beer Chef’s other beer dinners, but that a shame because the people who stayed away out of ignorance or prejudice missed a wonderful dinner and some fabulous beers.

Our salad course: composed salad of wild mushrooms, summer vegetables, duck ham and watercress.

All of the beers were courtesy of Shelton Brothers, a beer importer who brings in some of the finest beers from all over the world to the U.S. Here’s the Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, with Dan Shelton.

 
Since I believe these beers do deserve to better known, here’s some more information about the French beers that were part of the beer dinner. Seek them out and try them for yourself.

 

St. Droun French Abbey Ale

From the Brasseurs Duyck, founded in 1922, whose brand Jenlain is probably better known, St. Druon was re-named (the original name was Sebourg) in 2000 “as a tribute to Saint Druon and the little church in Sebourg, the next village to Jenlain. Druon, a homeless but pious orphan, wandered the roads until he settled in the village, and is still honoured and revered by pilgrims each year.” It’s been run by the same family for four generations.

From Shelton Brothers website:

Jenlain is the second largest independent brewery in France, and by far the largest one making bière de garde – France’s only original, traditional beer style. Jenlain is credited with reviving the style, and encouraging countless smaller bière de garde breweries in Northern France.

It’s a 6.0% abv Bière de Garde that uses a distinctive yeast that different from Duyuck’s other beers. it’s a very clean, refreshing beer and worked well with the diverse hors d’oeuvres.

The other beer we had with our appetizers was one of only two beer at the dinner that I’d had before, the Thiriez Extra. It’s a surprisingly hoppy beer, though not in a west coast sort of way. In France, the beer is known as “Les Frères de la Bière,” which means “The Friends of Beer.” It’s a collaboration of sorts between brewers in England, France, and Belgium. The beer uses an relatively unknown English hop called “Brambling Cross.” It’s really something of a session beer at 4.5% abv.

The second beer from Thiriez was their Blonde, which is a little spicier than the Extra in the way of a saison, and a little stronger, too, at 6.0%. It was paired with our first course, sea scallops in fennel nage.

From Shelton Brothers website:

Daniel Thiriez’s rustic little brick-and-beam brewery graces the village of Esquelbecq, plunk in the middle of the rolling farm country of French Flanders. With a brewing degree from a Belgian university, and decidedly ‘Belgian-oriented,’ Monsieur Thiriez makes ales with an earthy, slightly wild character that recalls the early days of farmhouse brewing, before there was a border between France and Belgium.

Thiriez Extra and Blonde

La Choulette Le Sans Cullottes and Ambree

The “no pants” beer, which is what “sans cullottes” refers to was the other beer of the evening I’d had before, and it’s a great Bière de Garde style beer. It’s 7.0% abv and quite effervescent, like a good champagne. This wonderful beer was paired with a composed salad of wild mushrooms, summer vegetables, duck ham and watercress.

From Shelton Brothers website:

La Choulette is a charming farmhouse brewery whose beers are classics of this French style. The brewery dates back to 1885. Alain and Martine Dhaussy bought it in the 1970’s and revived traditional brewing there. This, the brewery’s masterpiece, proudly pays homage to Les Sans Culottes – the “trouserless” craftsmen who could not afford uniforms but unflinchingly did the handiwork of the French Revolution. A number of brewers were included in their ranks.

The other beer from La Choulette was their Ambree, a slightly stronger Bière de Garde at 8.0% with a deeper amber color. I found it quite sweet, which nicely cut through the heavy meat course, loin of rabbit with bone marrow ravioli and onion apple gratin.

The last beer, Garvroche, is from St. Sylvstre, who is better known for their 3 Monts. The Gavroche is a bottle-conditioned amber ale, and at 8.5% was the strongest beer of the evening. The name comes from one of the characters in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, the generous and rebellious Paris urchin. It was divine with our dessert of poached pear with flan of fromage explorateur.

From Shelton Brothers website:

Serge Ricour is one of those guys – probably a genius, but it takes one to know one, and we’re not really sure we can meet that standard – who just produces fantastic beer, but doesn’t seem to know it himself. The Brasserie Ricour, or Brasserie St-Sylvestre (you use either one and everyone in town knows what you’re talking about) makes, arguably, the best beer of France: 3 Monts. We Shelton Brothers would probably argue with that, since we’ve found so many nice beers in France and brought them to the U.S. for your inspection, but you can’t really argue with the proposition that 3 Monts is, at least, one of the very best beers of France.

St. Sylvestre Gavroche

 

25 Years of California Brewpubs

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Thursday, September 13, marked the 25th of anniversary of the signing of the California bill — AB 3610 — which removed the “tied house” restriction then present in California prohibiting any person or company from brewing beer and selling it directly to the public. The new bill allowed beer to be sold where it was brewed, as long as the brewer also operated a restaurant at the same location. It was only the second brewpub law passed in the country at that time. The bill was written by then-state legislator Tom Bates, who is now the mayor of Berkeley.

California was home to three of the first five brewpubs in America. The second brewpub to open America (and the first in California) was the Mendocino Brewery in Hopland, California, which opened in August 1983. Mendocino Brewing has moved to a new facility in Ukiah and the Hopland location is now a bar, but the company is still going strong. The third brewpub in the U.S. was Buffalo Bill’s in Hayward, California, which opened in September 1984 and still a brewpub. And the fifth was Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, California, which opened in March 1986. It’s also the only one still owned by the same people who started it.

Triple played host Thursday to a ceremonial signing of the bill by Tom Bates, who authored the original legislation. They also presented a proclamation — which I helped write — signed by state legislator for District 14, Loni Hancock.

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CSBA lobbyist Chris Walker reads a letter congratulating California small brewers from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Representative Loni Walker presents the state proclamation to Triple Rock owner — and CSBA president — John Martin.

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A close-up of the proclamation, which originally sough to declare the week beginning September 13 as California Craft Beer Week. Next year, with more lead time, we hope to make that an officially recognized holiday week for California.

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The brewpub bill’s author, Berkeley mayor Tom Bates, holds up a photo that ran in the Oakland Tribune 25-years before, of him celebrating the signing of Assembly Bill 3610.

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Then John Martin presented Mayor Bates with a specially made beer by Triple Rock brewer Christian Kazakoff. Wanting to make a truly California beer, Kazakoff brewed a California Common, better known as a steam beer. They called the beer AB 3610, in honor of the bill.

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The commemorative beer’s label art.

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Then mayor Tom Bates presented a framed copy of the original AB 3610, inviting everyone present to sign the mat.

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Everyone there also got a small glass of the commemorative beer and Mayor Bates led a toast to California’s beer industry.

Jeremiah Was a Beerfest

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Sunday was the second day of the 4th annual Brews on the Bay, sponsored by the San Francisco Brewers Guild. Each year it’s been held on the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II era Liberty Ship docked at Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf.

The S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, with Alcatraz in the background.

21st Amendment owner/brewer Shaun O’Sullivan with Marty, one of the Jeremiah O’Brien volunteers.

 

For more photos from this year’s Brews on the Bay, visit the photo gallery.
 

Picking Hops at the Moonlight

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Sunday was picking day at Moonlight Brewery in Windsor, California. Having recently returned from Hop School in Yakima, Washington, I was eager to see once more the old-fashioned, slow way of picking hops. Brian Hunt invited me to help him and several friends and neighbors to help with this year’s harvest. I’ve helped out before, but this year was particularly fun because I had just witnessed the industrial hop processing in America’s Hopbasket, Yakima, Washington, and was interested to see the contrast between the two methods. I took over 500 photos of hops while in Yakima and hope to have those up shortly so you can see the entire process from ground to glass.
 

Moonlight Brewery owner Brian Hunt with a vine of hops freshly cut from his hopyard.

For more photos from this year’s hop harvest at Moonlight Brewery, visit the photo gallery.
 

Collaboration Smackdown a Draw

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Friday night was a very special night for a beer dinner, with two of the finest craft brewers going head to head in a friendly competition where not one, but two, beers were paired with each of the four courses. A night of stories, food, skate and some truly wonderful beers, drawing beer and food lovers from all over the Bay Area. Who won? We did, that is, all of us who attended. It was terrific trying the two very different Salvation beers side-by-side and then the Collaboration Not Litigation Ale that is a blend of the two.
 

Adam Avery, the beer chef Bruce Paton and Vinnie Cilurzo raise a glass to great beer and food.

 

For more photos from the Collaboration Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

A Mammoth Time In Mammoth Lakes

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Earlier this month, the family and I drove the five plus hours to Mammoth Lakes, California, which is on the other side of the Sierras, near Mono Lake. It’s a bit of a trek to get there, especially with unruly toddlers in the back seat, but, in the end, well worth the trouble. If you’re a rock freak like I am, the place is just beautiful with all sort of alien landscapes with gorgeous views and places to explore. But the real reason we were in town was for the 12th annual Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza. This was my first time to this festival, but it’s won’t be my last. If you can manage to get yourself to this remote location in the seductive resort town of Mammoth Lakes, by all means go. This year there were over fifty craft brewers in attendance. But as great as the music is and as great as the beer festival is, be sure to save yourself some time to see the natural wonders that surround this wilderness area. There are parks galore with countless hiking trails, natural hot springs, volcanic remnants and, of course, Mono Lake. Beer, blues and Mother Nature. What more could you ask for of a weekend?

Arne Johnson and Shane Aldrich, both from Marin Brewing.

Brewer Chuck Silva from Green Flash Brewing.

“Crazy Dave” Heist from Hoptown Brewing.

For more photos from this year’s Mammoth Lakes Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza, visit the photo gallery.
 

Back to Portland

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With the roller coaster I’ve been on lately, I never had a chance to finish posting photos from this year’s Oregon Brewers Festival at the end of July.

So without further ado, here’s three — count ’em, three — days of fun at the Oregon Brewers Festival that even includes singing watermelons, sort of.

To see the photos from this year’s Oregon Brewer’s Festival, visit the photo gallery.
 

Toronado 20th Anniversary Celebration Concludes

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After the 21st Amendment beer dinner, I hightailed it back to the Toronado where the party had kicked into high gear.

It was this kind of night, with all manner of wonderful beers, many of them — at least 22 — had been made especially for the Toronado and that evening.

Many special bottles were opened and flowing that night. What a wonderful four days filled with friends, food and the fermented.

 

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