Notice

As of June 10th, 2017, this blog has been migrated over to a custom domain, and may henceforth be accessed at beer511.com.

A bit of Peru beer history

This is an image that I came across online.  It's an early advertising poster from the Backus & Johnston Brewery Company in Lima, from back when telephone numbers in the city could be counted in the double-digits.

The poster remarks that the brewery -which started as an ice company- possesed a "magnificent" ice facility imported from the U.S.A., and that it's beer-making equipment was "the best and largest in South America."

Most notable, however, from a consumer standpoint is the variety of beers made by Backus & Johnston back then: Pilsen, export, lager, märzen, stout, and a dark beer labeled "Gato Negro" (black cat).

Decades later, their production had grown massively, and the company itself had expanded into a near brewing monopoly -the Union de Cerverias Peruanas Backus & Johnston- having absorbed other breweries throughout the country.   At the same time, despite the expansion in the number of the company's brands and volume, the beer variety shrank. By the turn of the century the only ones that had survived were the pale lager and a dark lager.  

In the past decade, however, the company has started to break out of that straight jacket, albeit cautiously.  It has used its Cusqueña brand to float a few "special" beers: Cusqueña Trigo (pale lager made with a percentage of wheat), Cusqueña Quinoa (made, obviously, with some quinoa), and Cusqueña Red Lager.  It has also dipped its toe into the "top shelf" market with Abraxas, a beer it describes as a "super premium" and sells for 400% of the price point of its regular beers.

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.

Why do we celebrate National Beer Day on April 7th?

Why is April 7^th “National Beer Day”?   Well, it’s because it was on that date in 1933 that the production and distribution of beer became once again legal in the United States.

On March 14, 1933, Representative Thomas H. Cullen introduced House Resolution 3341, which would amend parts of the Volstead Act, which was the legal basis for Prohibition. The bill passed the House it that same day, and made its way to the Senate, where it was introduced by Senator Pat Harris, and passed on March 16. The final, amended, version of HR 3341 was approved by the Senate on March 20, by a vote of 43 to 35 (with 15 abstentions) and agreed to by the House on March 21.

On March 22, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed HR 3341 into law, with his famous –though perhaps aprocryphal- quip that “I think this would be a good time for a beer!”

The Cullen–Harrison Act, as it became known, after its sponsors, made it legal in the United States to sell beer with an alcohol content of 3.2% (by weight), and wine of similarly low alcohol content, which were thought to be too low to be intoxicating, effective April 7, 1933.  The Act, however, did not in itself end Prohibition when it came to beer or wine, as it was still illegal to produce or transport such beverages into any state or territory, or into the District of Columbia, unless it had passed similar legislation to legalize sale of those low alcohol beverages in its jurisdiction.

Nonetheless, throngs gathered at breweries and taverns for their first legal beer since 1918.

April 7, 1933, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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

Beer Review: Two Evil Pachamama Porter

In September, I reviewed Muy Malvada Porter, a collaboration brew between Lima's Cerveceria Barbarian, and the Two Roads and Evil Twin breweries. 

Muy Malvada was the test brew for a beer which was to be brewed and released in the US this Fall or Winter by Two Roads and Evil Twin.  That beer, which is available now, is Two Evil Pachamama Porter.

According to the blurb on the can, Pachamama Porter was created after a trek to Peru. In Andean cosmology the life-giving Earth is known as Pachamama, literally, "Mother Earth". The brewers felt that, "since our ingredients were provided by Mother Earth," they would name the beer after her. (Unfortunately, the trade name "Pachamama" was already trademarked in Peru, so the Peruvian version bore a different name.) and that it would be made "using local ingredients." Pachamama Porter is brewed with sweet potato, and Peruvian panca chiles and purple corn.

The Peruvian version was brewed using jora, the malted corn that is used to make traditional chicha corn brew, however, in Pachamama Porter, Two Roads and Evil Twin have substituted it with the purple corn used in making the non-alcoholic drink chicha morada. It might have been a flavor preference on the part of the brewers, but  I suspect it was due to the relatively easier and cheaper access to Peruvian purple corn over jora in the US.

Pachamama Porter has the deep brown color that is the hallmark of a porter, and plenty of body. There is a very pleasant earthiness, doubtlessly imparted by the panca chiles, and a very slight pepper note at the back end, and a light sweetness.  It is a complex and very tasty beer.

It clocks in at 6.5% abv, and although it lists no other specs on the can (nor on Two Roads' website), Muy Malvada came in at 20 IBUs, so it may be safe to surmise Pachamama has a similar amount.

I'm quite glad to have found it.

San Francisco Beer Week 2017

SF Beer Week, the West Coast's premier beer fest, is fast approaching.  With well over 100 breweries in the greater Bay Area, there will be no dearth of events to choose from, including many pre-fest events in the coming weeks, and additional unofficial ones during the fest week itself.

The official schedule of events can be read here:  https://www.sfbeerweek.org/schedule/

Arequipa's "Cerveceria Alemana"

Another piece of brewing memorabilia that I recently acquired is a 111-year old cancelled invoice from the Cervecería Alemana (lit. "German Brewery"), which was located in the southern Peruvian city of Arequipa.

The attached voucher is dated 23 August of 1905, and is for 1 dozen bottles of Märzen beer, 1 dozen bottles of Pilsner beer, and the deposit on two dozen bottles.  The voucher was issued by Donato Lister, and was made out to José S. Monje.

The cancelled invoice itself is dated 31 August 1905.  The price for the beer is listed as s/. 6.40 and the price for "2 dozen boxed bottles" is s/. 5.60, but either through a math error or giving a customer a break, the price charged to Mr. Monje was just s/. 10.

The Cervecería Alemana was one of Peru's earliest large-scale breweries.  It was established in 1898 by Ernesto -or Ernst- Gunther, a German immigrant, recently arrived from Bolivia.

When Gunther and and his business partner, Franz Rehder, opened the Cervecería Alemana there were several other small breweries in Arequipa: Cervecería Germania, Cervecería Arequipa, Cervecería Gambrinus, Cervecería Teutonia, Cervecería Francesa, and one other.

The brewery was originally located on Mercaderes street, but in 1900 Gunther travelled to Germany, returned with new German equipment, and moved the expanding brewery to 177 Calle de La Merced, into the plant of the closed Cervecería Francesa. The Cervecería Alemana soon outpaced competitors, and in 1908 a second brewery was established in Cuzco. 

The Cervecería Alemana was renamed Companía Cervecera del Sur, S.A., in 1935, and consolidated as the CERVESUR corporation in 1954.  For years it dominated the beer market in southern Peru, with its two flagship brands: Cerveza Arequipeña and Cerveza Cusqueña.

The company was finally acquired by the Union de Cervecerías Backus & Johnston brewing empire in 2000. However, both, Arequipeña and Cusqueña continue to be made, and the latter can sometimes be found in US markets.

My Christmas Alcohaul

Thanks to my wife and kids, I've come away this Christmas with five exciting beers from under the tree: Mike Hess Brewing's My Other Vice Berliner Weisse (San Diego, CA); New Braunfels Brewing Company's Bauernhaus Über Weizenbock (New Braunfels, TX); Wicked Weed Brewing's Silencio bourbon barrel-aged black sour ale, and Genesis blonde sour ale fermented with tropical fruits (Asheville, NC); and, Fullsteam Brewing's First Frost foraged persimmon ale (Durham, NC).

Those, and a beer glass filled with orange gummies, and vanilla marshmallows as "foam"!

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!

A new piece of beer memorabilia

I just got this piece in the mail today. It is an advert for Peru's Cerveza Cristal.  It will serve as an addition and a counterpoint to the one for Cerveza Pilsen Callao that I have affixed to the side of the house.

Cristal and Pilsen were for many years Peru's two main rival brands. They are, respectively, the best- and second best-selling labels in Peru today, and are still viewed as competing brands, although they are now, in fact, both controlled by the Union de Cervecerias Peruanas Backus y Johnston company.

Peruvian Beer Cup 2016

In late October, coinciding with Lima Beer Week, the Unión de Cervecerías Artesanales del Perú (UCAP), the association representing the bulk of Peru's craft brewers, held the first Copa Peruana de Cervezas (Peruvian Beer Cup) competition.

The Cup was open to craft berwers and homebrewers, with the requirement that the beer entered must have been produced somewhere within Peru.  The organizers received entries representing 178 individual labels made by brewers from all corners of the country.

Judging was conducted by Beer Judge Certification Program-certified beer judges and the beers were judged with reference to the BJCP beer style guidelines. The results were announced on October 23rd, at a ceremony held at the Hops brewpub in Lima's historic Pueblo Libre neighborhood.

The big winners overall were: Cerveceria del Valle, with 6 medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze); Barbarian, with 5 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze); Maddok, with 3 medals (2 silver, 1 bronze); Cumbres, with a silver and a bronze medal; and Invictus with 2 bronze medals. Eight  other breweries earned 1 medal each.

Barbarian came away with a First and Second Place in the Best of Show category for, respectively, "Chicha Tu Mare Sour Ale" and "Mañanero Café Pale Ale", while Cusco's Cerveceria del Valle walked away with Third Place Best of Show for its "A Very Complicated Case - Oak-Aged Blueberry Sour".

Detailed results can be read HERE.

Lima Beer Week, Oct. 14-23

Between Oct. 14 and Oct. 23, Lima craft brewers will host the first Lima Beer Week.  There will be a full schedule of events is organized by the Union de Cerveceros Artesanales del Peru (UCAP), which represents the main craft breweries in the country.

More info at:  limabeerweek.com  and at  www.facebook.com/LimaBeerWeek

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 

 

Beer Review: Muy Malvada Peruvian Porter

Muy Malvada Peruvian Porter -whose name literally translates to "very evil one", but could be read as "very naughty one"- is a collaboration beer brewed by Lima's Cerveceria Barbarian, in conjuntion with Two Roads Brewing, out of Stratford, CT, and Evil Twin Brewing, with HQ in Brookly, NY.

Muy Malvada is brewed with jora, sweet potato, and aji panca. Jora is the germinated corn that is also used to make the Andes' traditional corn beer, chicha. Aji panca is a variety of chile pepper, specifically a variety of Capsicum baccatum, which is a staple of Peruvian cuisine. It has little to no heat, and mostly adds a bit of red tint and deep pepper flavour to dishes.

In Muy Malvada the pepper flavour is evident in the background, as a very, very tiny spiciness at the back end. Much more mild, in fact, that I've tasted in the US in beers brewed with ancho or chipotle chiles.

As porters go, Muy Malvada is actually quite nice, and coming in at 6.5% abv and 20 IBU, it is falls quite nicely within the definition of porter. Although it is more like an American porter than its British counterpart, the panca and perhaps the sweetness imparted by the sweet potato, do set it a bit apart.

I really liked this beer, and when I met one of the owners of Barbarian, Diego Rodriguez, I made it a point to ask about it and its genesis.

Diego explained that it came about as a joint project with the other two breweries, and the specialty ingredients were selected as a way of making the beer a Peruvian porter. I would say that they succeeded in giving it a local character. (In fact, when I read Stan Hieronymous' recently-published book, Brewing Local, this beer is one that kept coming to mind as a successful example of a beer with an evocation of place.)

Now, I grant you that this review comes a bit late, given that I was in Lima in July, but as Diego Rodriguez explained, the plan was that Evil Twin and Two Roads, and perhaps a rep from Barbarian, would rebrew the beer in the USA this Fall.

In the USA it is set to be marketed as Pachamama Porter (they had intended for that to be the name in Peru as well, but "Pachamama" was already registered to another brewery).

I have not seen any references to it on either Evil Twin's or Two Roads' websites or FB feeds, but if you live on the east coast or have access to their beers through a distributor, bar, or bottle shop, keep your eye out for this one. I think you won't be disappointed.

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.