Brüehol Brewing (Benicia, CA)

Today I made my way over to Benicia to try the offerings at Brüehol Brewing.

Brüehol Brewing was established in Benicia in 2014 by Mark Keller, Mark Ristow, and Steve Nortcutt, but opened its tap room only three weeks ago. I was eager to get there because Mark R. and Steve used to be homebrewers in the same club as I -the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE).  Both of them are highly skilled brewers, and it shows in the beers they are producing at Brüehol.

It is relatively rare for small craft breweries to produce lager beers.  In part it is because of the time involved --while a lager rests -i.e. lagers- it takes up valuable fermenter space that could be turned to producing a couple of ales.  However, it is also because lagers, specially pale lager styles, are unforgiving of mistakes. They don't have the roasty, malty flavor character or hoppiness to counterbalance any flaws.  

It takes a bit of courage to make a lager a part of one's brewery's regular line up, and Brüehol offers two of them: a Gold Rush Helles Lager, and Old Capitol Pilsner.

Both beers are very good.  The helles was light and clean, and the pilsner was appropriately malty while maintaining the lightness of body that characterizes the style.  I dare say that they are two of the best craft lagers that I've tasted in the area.

The other beer I tried was the 5W-30 Black Ale.  It has hints of caramel or toffee in the nose, and coffee and chocolate in flavor.  Despite its looks, however, it is not a stout, but truly just a black ale.  Like the other beers its name is an homage to Benicia, in this case to its history (and present) as a refinery town.

Currently, Brüehol is producing about 10 barrels a month, running double batches on a 3-barrel brewing system.  Steve told me that in a few months, however, they expect to expand their output by gaining the ability to brew and ferment on a 10-barrel system.  That would also free the guys up to be able to produce more special occasion or one-off brews on their pilot system. There are plans to add a couple of ciders, and several more ales to the taps.

If you're in Benicia Brüehol is well worth looking up -just be aware that the tap room is not downtown but over on the east end of town.

Brüehol Brewing
4828 East 2nd St
Benicia, CA

www.brueholbrewing.com

Triple Rock Brewery & Ale House (Berkeley, CA)

I recently visited Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley for the first time.  Considering how long I've lived in the Bay Area, how much time I've spent in Berkeley, and that the brewery has been around since 1986 -making it one of the earliest modern microbreweries in the area- it's just ridiculous that I had never made it there before.

The main taproom is a pretty inviting place -dark wood, classic-style booths and furniture, and friendly staff- and the brewing process can be observed through a large window that looks in on the brewhouse.  There is also a larger space off of the main room, which was opened last year. It has more of modern feel, with more stained cement instead of wood and several large TV screens.

I arrived at lunch time, just as the place started to get busy for the lunch crowd.  As I enjoyed my food and beer I chatted with the fellow sitting next to me at the bar. He'd moved to the Bay Area in the 1988 and had been a regular at Triple Rock whenever he had found himself living in Berkeley ever since.

I ordered myself a flight of samplers, the selection of which I left to the server's choice. She poured me Mildly Politic (Pale Mild Ale, 4.5%), Belgian Spring Bier (6%), Oatland Ace (IPA, 6.7%), Black Rock (Porter 5.4%), and Finnegan's Whistle (Dry Irish Stout, 4.5%).

They were all good, but I've got to say that Oatland Ace was my favorite of the flight (at center in the above photo). It's made with oats three ways -flaked oats, golden naked oats, and oat malt- and big taste of Mosaic hops. Just lovely.

Also deserving special mention is a tasty, chewy Old Ale: Her Majesty's Crush with Figs (pictured at top of the post).

This beer -brewed in collaboration with Moylan's Brewing Co.- comes in at 9% and is warming without evident alcohol, and the fig character comes in nicely. I just really liked it.

After all that time, I finally made it there, and I'm glad that I did.

Triple Rock Brewery & Ale House
1920 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA

www.triplerock.com

Musings on 12 Rounds' CEO Resigning

Today, Daniel Murphy, co-owner and founder of  Twelve Rounds Brewing Company in Sacramento, announced on the brewery's FaceBook page that he is stepping down as CEO of the company and that he and his wife, Elle Murphy, will be divesting from the brewery.

As you may recall, Murphy drew much public ire (and some support) when he criticized the Women's March on Washington on his personal FaceBook page, saying he was "disgusted" with those who supported that "divisive event."  That drew attention to previous posts on his page in which he reportedly made anti-gay and anti-Muslim statements and accused President Barack Obama off being some sort of crypto-Muslim and a promoter of hate. Those posting led to calls for a boycott of Twelve Rounds, and protests outside the brewery. 

 Although early newspaper reports stressed that the taproom was full, and that many there expressed support for Murphy's views, or at least his right to express them, it seems that that early surge did not hold up.  Sure, he had many expressions of support from out of state, but out-of-state supporters don't pay the bills.  People in the taproom do, and Murphy had clearly alienated his home constituency. Despite an apology from him, the incident cost him clients and, ultimately, tap handles as bars and restaurants around town declined to serve his beer or to be associated with the Twelve Rounds brand.

From what I've seen, the response on social media to his and his wife's divesting from Twelve Rounds has, by and large, been one of "Seeya!". 

Although I have no sympathy for his views, I feel bad for the Murphys. Opening a brewery is no easy or short process. It takes years of work and dedication. They poured their hearts and treasure into starting the brewery, and now they're having to step away from it.

At the same time I can't but think what a rookie, dumbass move on his part, to lambast Muslims, gays, feminists, and liberals (In California!) when one is in a business that depends on making people feel welcome and included.  And, especially in one in which so much depends on the brewers' reputations and the customers' relationship to them. In that sense, Murphy's reaped what he sowed.

I just hope that the brewery can shake off the controversy and that the workers and partners that remain can make a go of it.

Del Cielo Brewing Co.

I got some pretty exciting news a few days ago: my friend Luis Castro's brewery project is a go, and he already has a lease on a location in downtown Martinez (CA).

On Friday, I got to check out Del Cielo Brewing Co.'s future digs at the corner of Escobar St. and Estudillo St.  It is an ample wharehouse, with high ceilings, and plenty of natural light. It seems a perfect space for an open floor-plan brewpub.

Of course, Luis still has a ton of work ahead of him, and there is no expected opening date in sight, and  --as anyone who's been involved in anything so simple as a home remodeling knows-- there are innumerable issues than can pop up to cause delays. However, the first, big, step has been taken.

Del Cielo Brewing Co.

701 Escobar St.

Martinez, CA 94553

www.delcielobrewing.com

Review: Drake's 2016 Jolly Rodger "Translatlantic Winter Warmer"

In mid November, Drake's Brewing Co., in San Leandro (CA), released its 2016 edition of their Jolly Rodger Ale, and I was lucky enough to be sent a sample bottle.

For over two decades, Drake’s has held to their tradition of brewing a totally new beer every year for Jolly Rodger. This year’s version --which should be available through January-- is described as a "Transatlantic Winter Warmer."  It is made with the addition of dark candi sugar and a Belgian ale yeast, which account, I suppose for the "trans-Atlantic" part.

In the glass, the 2016 Jolly Rodger Ale is a lovely-looking beer. Dark copper-colored, almost red -thanks, to a great extent, I expect, to the candi sugar.  The head is not long-lasting, but the beer is nicely carbonated, even effervescent upon first tasting. 

It is malty, and spicy --not in a pumpkin pie-kind of way, but to my mind, more reminiscent of ginger bread or spice cake--- but not overpoweringly so.  The Belgian yest character is evident right up front, as is the candi sugar, but in the background there are notes of dried fruits --maybe of  dark cherries, maybe of prunes or raisins.

Both, in terms of flavor, and of alcohol (10% abv), it is indeed a warmer, but it is not a heavy beer.  With how cold it is tonight, I'm indeed glad I decided to pop open the bottle..

Further stats:  31 IBU | 10.0% ABV | 21.0° Plato O.G. | 4.5° Plato F.G.

Beer delivered to your door?

Lunch growler delivery (1909)

Absolutely!

In early summer the restaurant take-out delivery service DoorDash experimented in southern California with adding alcohol to the list of items it would deliver.  It seems the results were, by all accounts, encouraging.

In fact, I know someone who tried it in San Diego --a land with many worthwhile breweries-- and he was very pleased. He said that it was as easy as getting online and placing the orders, and a bit later "the guy comes to your door, and says 'hello sir, here's your pizza, here's your beer'. It's great!"

Now DoorDash beer delivery has come to the SF Bay area.  Granted, the geographical area in which it available is still limited; it's basically the Peninsula, down to San Jose, and the East Bay cities (except for a few places, such as Hayward, San Leandro, and Richmond),  and a few cities as far east as the vicinity of the Highway 24-Highway 680 interchange.  However, it is here, and looking to expand.

And it gets better, as now we also have Hopsy! 

Hopsy is a brand new Bay Area-based beer delivery service.  For the price of the beer and a small delivery charge, Hopsy will deliver 32 oz. growlers right to your door during a window selected by you.  So far, the Hopsy delivery area is basically Alameda County cities west of the Berkeley-Oakland hills, and San Francisco, but they are certainly looking to expand.

They're working with about two dozen local breweries, so there is plenty to choose from!

Opening: Shadow Puppet Brewing Co. (Livermore, CA)

After keeping all waiting for what seemed like forever, founder and CEO, Brian Blackburn, and headbrewer, Craig Danielson, have thrown the doors to Shadow Puppet Brewing Co. open to the public starting this weekend.

Things started off with a soft-opening Family and Friends Night on Thursday, and Homebrew Club Night on Friday, to which members of Blackburn and Danielson's homebrew clubs, the Mad Zymurgists and the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts, as well as of the Bay Area Mashers, were invited.

The tap room space, largely designed and built by Craig himself, are roomy and inviting.  There is plenty of comfortable seating - at the bar, several large tables, and a few couches. The brewery is fully viewable through a pair of large doors, and patrons can watch the goings on from a bar set up for that purpose. Not only is the tap room attractive and comfortable, but little details such as a well-appointed kids' playroom and shelves in the restrooms where one can set one's glass, attest to the care with which it was planned.

The beers -of which there are seven currently on tap- are all good, although from talking to others on Friday night, the Amber seemed a clear favorite, at least among homebrewers. On the other hand, on the previous night, the Down Under Extra Pale Ale -made with several New Zealand varieties of hops- had been a favorite.  The brewery has even set up an iPad where patrons can rate the beers and help Brian and Craig fine tune the beer lineup.

Shadow Puppet is well worth a visit.

Shadow Puppet Brewing Co.

4771 Arroyo Vista, Suite B

Livermore, CA 94551

www.shadowpuppetbrewing.com 

 

Danville Brewing Company

Last Tuesday, the Danville Brewing Company opened the doors to its taproom and brewpub in downtown Danville, and lines have been around the block to get in since day one.

The location the pub -Danville's first brewery- prime and the space is large, but friendly. The owners have done a very nice job in designing the place. There is a variety of seating options, including at the cool horseshoe-shaped bar with the wrap-around beer tap column.

I had a chance to view some project images for it when the pub was still in its design stages, and if it looked cool then, it is even cooler in person.

The food is good and nicely presented.  The wait staff knows their stuff, and one thing that we particularly appreciated was that our server had a list handy of all the menu items that were gluten-free.

Despite the crowds, the food was delivered promptly.  The restaurant is designed with an open kitchen as well as an open brewery.  What that means, in fact, is that the brewery is behind a glass wall, and is fully viewable by the public.

The brewery runs on a 10 barrel system, where head brewer Matt Sager has already begun to produce the pubs' first run of on-site produced beers (what is being served now was contract brewed for opening day in accordance to Sager's recipes and specifications).

Of the five beers on tap right now, most noteworthy are the CHUX Double IPA and the Coconut Stout.   The stout is smooth, and very subtly flavored with coconut, which makes it a very nice either-way stout -it has something for regular stout drinkers and for those who like flavoured beers.

The CHUX, despite being a DIPA, does not hit one in the face with hop bitterness, although it is definitely there, as befits an IPA.  Matt has done a nice job at crafting a recipe that packs a lot of hop aroma, flavor. and character in a tidy, smooth package. The servers are selling it as a beer that "will change your view of double IPAs."  It's marketting, but for the average beer drinker it may well be true.

For me the bottom line came when I was tasting the flight, and I exclaimed that the beers were "nice", and immediately thought to myself "duh, of course they're good. They're Matt's beers!"

Danville Brewing Company

200 Railroad Ave Suite A

Danville, CA 94526

www.danvillebrewing.com 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern California Hombrewers Festival

My homebrew club, the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE) has been voted as serving the Best Club Beer at the 19th annual Northern California Homebrewers Festival (NCHF), held in Dobbins, CA, this weekend.

Farm Creek Brewing opens in Walnut Creek (CA).

After a three-year effort, Randy Janinda and family have opened their brewery and taproom in downtown Walnut Creek. 

The Janinda's opened the place up on Thursday, August 4th, and Friday, August 5th, for special soft-opening events for friends and supporters, before launching the taproom to the general public on Saturday.

Farm Creek is determined to not be "another IPA mill", and plans to produce a variety of brews.  To this end, Randy has hired award-winning brewer Winn Whisenhunt (formerly brewer at San Francisco's Bartlett Hall) to assist.

At the moment, they have three brews on tap: Southern Smile, a pale ale (5.5% abv); an American lager amusingly- and appropriately-named, #Beer (4.5% abv); and Favorite Daughter, a flavorful 3.7% abv beer labeled an "amber", but which, as Randy readily admits, is somewhat defiant of categorization -brewed with the addition of rye and smoked malt; too dark for an amber, but not quite fitting the profile of a brown ale.

All three are available in tasters and pints, but -most fun of all- you can get them to go in a 32-oz aluminum "crowler" (can + growler) which is filled and sealed right before your eyes when you place your order.

Visitors are greeted by two large copper-clad brewing vessels, and are able to partake of Farm Creek's brews just feet or inches from where they were made.

That proximity, and the care and love invested by the Janindas, make the taproom's vibe a friendly and intimate one.  

Seating is mostly spread between a couple of communal tables, but if you get there at the right moment you might be able to score one of the corner rocking chairs!

Farm Creek Brewing Co.
1415 Pine St
Walnut Creek, CA

www.farmcreekbrewing.com

Calicraft opens taproom in Walnut Creek (CA)

After a four-year wait, as a work-in-progress, Calicraft Brewing Company has finally opened the doors to its taproom in Walnut Creek.

The taproom was opened to the general public with a soft opening on July 29th.

When I got there, half an hour after opening, the line snaked through the room, and when I left a couple of hours later it was still to the door, with a steady stream of new visitors coming in.

Throughout it all, owner and head brewer, Blaine Landberg, circulated, greeting guests, distributing samples, and helping everyone feel welcome.

The beer was certainly very good, as was to be expected from a brewer with so strong a presence in the local market and beyond.

Of course, Calicraft's flagship brews -Buzzerkley, Oaktown, The City, Cali Coast-- were well-represented on the tap list. However, there were also a number of other treats, including a fruit-infused version of Buzzerkley, and a whiskey barrel-aged edition of Oaktown.

Particularly nice were a special sour beer fermented in a zinfandel barrel, and Zero Anniversary, a pale ale brewed specially for opening weekend.

According to Blaine's parents, who were also on hand, there are long-range plans of adding a deck out front, with maybe a bocce ball court. Food options are still under evaluation.

Calicraft Brewing Co.

2700-B Mitchell Dr

Walnut Creek, CA

Southern Pacific Brewing

Finding myself  in San Francisco on a chilly April Sunday, I went in search of lunch and a good beer. Tucked away into a quiet corner of the Mission District, on Treat Ave, Southern Pacific Brewing was a welcome and pleasant discovery. 

The brewery and bar and grill all occupy a large warehouse space whose large windows, lots of skylights and high ceiling provide lots of light and give a sense openness.  There is enough light in fact to support a couple of trees growing in the restaurant area.  Despite the name, the decor and ambience is not particularly train-oriented --which could be a relief to some, and a disappointment to others.

I found the beer I had to be quite good.  Of the two I specially enjoyed the Belgian Blonde.  It had a nice Belgian character without being overly fruity or spicy.   I also tried the Barrel Aged Blend. It was not particularly oaky or sour, which is kind of what I had been expecting, but I did enjoy it as well.  I think they told me it was aged in a Chardonnay barrel, but I may be wrong about that.  

I wish I had tried some of the other beers to get a fuller picture of their brews --as it turned out the Belgian Blonde was a major part of what went into the barrel, so the flavor profile of both beers I tried was pretty similar-- but being alone and facing a long drive home I had to limit myself.

In any case, it would certainly be worth a return trip when in the neighborhood.

Southern Pacific Brewing Co.
620 Treat Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94110

www.southernpacificbrewing.com