In the middle of the Toronado party Saturday night, across town, a beer dinner took place at the Cathedral Hill Hotel with the beers of 21st Amendment and brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan. Bruce put on his usual excellent panoply of flavors, paired to perfection with 21st Amendment’s flavorful beers.
Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan, in great spirits after the dinner, with beer chef Bruce Paton.
For more photos from the 21st Amendment Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 3rd annual Sasquatch Brew Am took place Friday morning at McMenamins Edgefield Pub Course. It was for a very worthy cause and sponsored by the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation. I also sponsored a hole again this year at the tournament.
Quentin Falconer addresses the golfers, flanked by volunteers Bob Brewer and Lisa Morrison. A portrait of Glen Falconer hangs on the tree at the left.
We listen as Quentin explains the rules.
Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment Brewery, with Gabby and Justine — or is that Justine and Gabby? — and Motor.
The CO2 was out so we improvised and opened up the top of the keg to get the beer out. You know that old saying, “where there’s beer, there’s a way.”
Me at hole 8, which is the one I sponsored this year.
The ill-advised shotgunning of the Watermelon Wheat cans.
My fivesome after we finished our round, with a score of 5 under, from left: John, Ken, Brian, me and Shaun, along with tournament organizer Quentin Falconer.
After the tournament, we relaxed with a buffet lunch in the banquet hall, learned who won what (I won longest putt), and found out who won the many raffle items. A great tim was had by all of us. If you’re planning on being in Portland next year during OBF, you really should consider playing in the tournament.
UPDATE: Bob Brewer also has a nice collection of photos from the Brew Am online.
Hopworks Urban Brewery, the new brewery owned by Christian Ettinger — the award-winning former brewmaster at Laurelwood Public House — it not yet open and looks to be several weeks away, especially the public area upstairs in their location at SE 30th and Powell. The brewery, which is located downstairs under the bar and restaurant area, is a little closer to completion and apparently the bottling line has already been delivered and is just waiting to be installed. Christian and his assistant brewer, Ben Love (who recently left Pelican Brewery), held an open house for OBF attendees to show off their progress in getting the brewery up and running. They were pouring their IPA (which was, of course, brewed elsewhere) and grilling brats outside the brewery in the back. It was great fun seeing their enthusiasm for getting it up and running. They’re feeling like it’s so close they can taste it. It will certainly be fun to see it next year when it’s fully operational.
HUB brewers Ben Love and Christian Ettinger.
For more photos of the Hopworks Urban Brewery under construction, visit the photo gallery.
On Thursday, the 20th annual Oregon Brewers Festival began with a brunch at the Rogue Public House on NW Flanders in Portland. Afterwards, Portland’s mayor, Tom Potter, led a parade through the streets of town to the festival grounds at Tom McCall Waterfront Park along the Willamette River.
Mayor Tom Potter with Chris Crabb as the parade begins.
Eventually, after winding through the streets of Portland, everyone massed across the street from the grounds and crossed the street to enter the festival.
The mayor tapped the ceremonial keg and shared the first pint with festival director Art Larrance, and the festival was declared officially open.
For more photos from this year’s Oregon Brewers Festival Parade, visit the photo gallery.
Saturday was the 7th annual Micro Breweries Battling Breast Cancer Brewfest (a.k.a. “Breastfest“) in the courtyard behind Marin Brewing in Larkspur, California. It’s a festival near and dear to my heart because I lost my mother to breast cancer when I was only 21 (and she was 42). It’s a small, crowded place — especially since it’s become so popular — but it’s worthy cause, as far as I’m concerned. There was a lot of good beer and friends in attendance, plus food, music and some pretty wonderful weather. All in all, a great event.
“Gabby” looking fetching in her pink hat, pouring 21st Amendment’s Watermelon Wheat.
Ken and a colleague, both sporting pink hair, from North Coast Brewing.
For more photos from this year’s Micro Breweries Battling Breast Cancer Brewfest, visit the photo gallery.