The Thirsty Hopster

Hi Everyone,

So, nothing makes me happier than how overwhelmingly enthusiastic the response to the Saison Tasting event has been.  For those who RSVP’d, if I haven’t gotten back to you personally yet it is because 40 people want to come (!) and I’m trying to figure out:

•(A) if there is any way I can make it so that everyone can attend

•(B) if not, who the lucky few saison & biere de garde tasters will be

As far as point (A) goes, I have a few ideas:

• (1) Split it into two nights, a Friday tasting and a Saturday tasting: This is the idea that is most likely to work, and to keep costs down. I like the idea of keeping everyone together though, because we have a nice mixed crowd of people from all levels of beer tasting and brewing experience, and I’d like everyone to be able to talk to each other and learn from each other.
• (2) Find an alternate venue: This may be hard because I can’t think of any venue that will have this range of beers on hand, or be willing to let us bring in our own, that will want to host 40 of us on a Saturday night. If you can think of one, let me know!

So stay posted!  I haven’t forgotten about you RSVP’ers, I’m just still trying to figure out how the logistics will work out.  I’ll keep you all updated as I make decisions about how to handle this.

I also got quite a few suggestions to add to the beer list, both in the comments section of my last post, and by email.  Here is a revised list of which beers we may be tasting, though this is all still subject to availability:

Saisons

• Brasserie de Silly Saison de Silly
• Brasserie a Vapeur Saison De Pipaix
• Clipper City Red Sky at Night
• Dupont Foret
• Dupont Saison Dupont
• Fantome Saison
• Fantome [Seasonal] - lots of others available, not sure what’s out right now
• Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
• Lagunitas Sonoma Farmhouse Ale
• The Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale
• Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Ale
• Firestone Walker Lil’ Opal - only if Brandon can get his mitts on a growler that week
• Russian River Erudition - may only be available on tap

Biere de Gardes

• Castelain Blond Biere De Garde
• Jenlain Original French Ale
• Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
• La Choulette Ambree
• The Lost Abbey Avant Garde
• Flying Dog Garde Dog
• Russian River Perdition

It is beautiful outside so I may end up giving this event short shrift (sorry PBCers!), but I want to get it on the site before I forget about it.  

On Friday, I skipped pre-Boontfest camping (probably a good move in retrospect, given the way Saturday night went) to attend a Presidio Brew Club BBQ at Brewcraft.  

This was apparently the first event of this kind that Brewcraft has hosted.  Though their space is pretty small, I think this is pretty hard to believe given how starved for company the homebrewing community here seems to be.  

When I arrived the back room was already packed with attendees, mostly members of PBC themselves and friends they actually knew, unlike me, their virtual friend up to that point in time.  They had brought at least 4 kegs of home brew from various PBC members and were dishing it out as fast as they could to their thirsty patrons.  I remember the Rye PA and the Red, both of which I tasted, a brown that I didn’t taste, and I forget what else was on tap.  I really loved both the Rye PA and the Red.  This was incredibly encouraging to my homebrewing aspirations, since I’ve only had my own stuff to-date and so far it’s been drinkable but less than tasty.

They were also grilling hamburgers and hot dogs out front, all of which was very generous considering there was no charge for this event. 

I had a chance to talk say hi to several members of PBC who I had previously only spoken to online: Mandy, Sam, Kevin.  I also learned that cider is even easier to make then beer.  Allie & Melissa, I know you’re reading this right now and I hope this is all it takes to get you on the brewing bandwagon too. It seemed like everyone from PBC had a batch of cider going and that some sort of future cider-off was in the works.  

Everyone was really welcoming and friendly, which was awesome since, as usual, I hadn’t bothered to rope in a co-attendee.  We even got a picture of us female homebrewers:

I will definitely be attending their next event, on May 31^st, before I head on home for my own event.  The one thing that I hope PBC will do at some point in the future, and which I realize wasn’t the purpose of a big event like this, is to hold some kind of BYOHB event in which everyone brings their own hombrew and everyone gets to taste & discuss it.  I’d love to hear how everyone else feels about these beers and to get some advice from them about my own.

So, apparently this week is the official ‘American Craft Beer Week’ nationwide.  I’m not really sure what this means except that: (A) our Congress spent our tax dollars passing a resolution to this effect that is actually pretty hilarious, and  (B) we’re all being encouraged to drink craft beer. 

Well, I don’t know about you all, but at least with respect to part (B) above, in my apartment, every week is American Craft Beer Week…and Belgian Craft Beer Week, and German Craft Beer Week, English Craft Beer Week, you get the picture.   

The showcase event of the week is SAVOR, which sounds amazing but is unfortunately in Washington DC, far out of my usual traveling-for-beer radius (usually extends across the bay to the north and east, and occasionally up to Seattle).  A blurb on the event:

SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience (May 16-17), will be held to commemorate American Craft Beer Week in Washington DC. The event will showcase craft beer and food pairings with participation from 48 independent craft brewers. SAVOR signifies food and beverage lovers’ increasing interest and knowledge of beer and food pairings.

Sadly, I’m a little late in announcing this so the most exciting of the local events, the Sam Adams dinner, has already occurred.  But here is the full listing for San Francisco (below) should you feel like checking any of these out and the lists for other areas can be found at the Brewers Association. 

Brewery: North Beach Public House - Rogue Ales
City: San Francisco
State: CA
Phone: 415-362-7880
Website: www.rogue.com
Description: Rogue Ales celebrates American Craft Beer week with a special tapping of a new American Craft Beer each day. All 38 taps plus our cask engine will be will be pouring American Craft Beers, and daily tasters of our American Amber Ale will be available. Stop by for lunch and enjoy a Hoppy Meal, that’s a beer of your choice for only $2.00 more with your meal.
Tours:

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
City: San Francisco
State: CA
Phone: 818-825-8765
Website: www.shmaltz.com
Description: Join Shmaltz Brewing Company as we celebrate American Craft Beer Week with the launch of our newest beer: Rejewvenator. Half doppelbock, half Belgian-inspired dubbel, and brewed with the sacred fig; this year, we’ve pitched the yeast of monks. We will also be joined in the celebration by San Francisco’s own Speakeasy Ales and Lagers. Wednesday, May 14th 6:00 PM City Beer Store 1168 Folsom St. San Francisco, Ca, 94103 No Cover
Tours:

Brewery: 21st Amendment
City: San Francisco
State: CA
Phone: 415-369-0900
Website: www.21st-amendment.com/
Description: Four dozen independent craft brewers have been selected to showcase the pleasures of fine food enjoyed with world-class beer in Washington, D.C., May 16-17. SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience will highlight the culinary delights of beer as part of the Brewers Association’s annual American Craft Beer Week
Tours:

Brewery: Boston Beer Company
City: San Francisco
State: CA
Phone: 415-865-9523
Website: www.samueladams.com
Description: Samuel Adams Celebrates American Craft Beer Week with Beer Lovers in San Francisco What: Join Samuel Adams Brewer, Grant Wood for a three-course beer dinner in celebration of American Craft Beer Week. Where: Monk’s Kettle, 3141 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103 When: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 @ 6:00PM Cost: $50 Experience: Whether you’re new to the craft beer scene or a craft beer connoisseur, the night is sure to leave you with an appreciation for the variety and high-quality craft brews available today To make reservations call 415.865.9523. Seating is limited so don’t delay!
Tours: NA