Tuesday, February 17, 2009

SF Beer Week Fun

Well folks, SF Beer Week is now over, but I have to say, it was a great experience. Unfortunately I could not attend the expensive beer dinners, but I did get to visit a few brewpubs, attend a Double IPA Fest and enjoy a bevy of amazing beers ... and with friends too!

My friend Adrian was visiting from Florida, so it was great to see him and get a chance to introduce him to some local favorites. Erin and Dave also joined the festivities, and together we all drank to our hearts content.

We started out Beer Week at the 21st Amendment Brewery. We sampled several of their Strong Beer Month selections ... all of which were outstanding. I still have my punch ticket to earn a free glass, so I'll be finding a seat at the bar over there in the next few days to try and gain a few more ticks toward my goal. You can read more about that night using this link for Weekend Brews Week 58 entry.

Next up was an early morning to roll over to San Francisco Giants Fan Fest. Now, I'm a Mets fan, so this idea wasn't mine, but I have to admit, getting to walk around the field, sit in the press box and check out the clubhouse was pretty damn cool. It was a perfect way to start off a long Saturday of beer. Oh yeah, we tailgated in the parking lot beforehand. ha ha.

We then trekked to Hayward, CA to attend the The Bistro's 9th Annual Double IPA Festival. Now this was awesome! The Bistro had 46 different strong IPAs on tap, and we did our best to try them all. (Okay, we probably wound up trying around 20 or so as a group, but we did have a hell of a time.)

So what beers were there? Here's the list:
21st Amendment Brewery - Double Trouble
Alpine Beer Co. - Pure Hoppiness
Anderson Valley - Imperial IPA
Auburn Alehouse - Isotope PU240
Avery - Ale to the Chief
Ballast Point - Dorado
Beach Chalet - The Baron
Bear Republic - Mach 10, APEX
Big Dogs - Hop Harvest Ale
Blue Frog - The Big DIPA
Deschutes - Hop Henge Experimental IPA
Dogfish Head - 90 and 120 Minute IPAs
Drakes -Denogginizer
Fifty Fifty - Landslide
Flying Dog - Double Dog
Green Flash - Imperial IPA
Iron Springs - Casey Jones Double
Jupiter - Quasar
Lagunitas - Hop Stoopid
Mad River Brewing - Steelhead Double
Magnolia - Promise Land Imperial IPA
Marin Brewing Co. - White Knuckle
Mendocino - Imperial IPA
Moylans - Hopsickle Imperial IPA, Moylander Double IPA
Napa Smith - Original Albion Ale Pale Ale
Oskar Blues - Gordon
Pizza Port - Lou P. Lin, Poormans IPA, Hop 15
Rogue - XSIPA
Rubicon - REX IPA
Russian River - Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger
Seabright - Hopnoxious
Shmaltz - Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA
Sonoma Chicken Coop - Jersey Giant
Sierra Nevada - Hop Secret 393, Torpedo Ale, Firkin Chico IPA
Speakeasy - Double Daddy
Stone - Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Ruination
Triple Rock - IIMAXX Imperial IPA

And there it is! The master list. My favorite pick of the day was the Alpine Beer Company's Pure Hoppiness. Oh my god! That beer was so good it'll make you jump out of moving car and strangle a goat!

After a long day at the Double IPA Festival we went on to sample several other tasty beverages throughout the night, and eventually faded out.

Later on in the week we sampled beers from Jupiter brewpub and Triple Rock in Berkeley, CA. Both have great selections of house-brewed beers, and some tasty food as well. The Hefeweizen, XPA and Quasar were favorites at Jupiter, with the Black Rock Porter being my top selection at Triple Rock.

There were events all over the Bay Area, and I wish I didn't have to work at all, had a pocket full of cash, and a titanium liver. Alas, I did my best, and my best was just enough for this happy drinker.

I can't wait for next year. I'll be better prepared, and will probably need to take off the entire week to truly absorb the full experience.

A special thanks to all of the people who brewed the beer and put on the events. Hats off to you for a week of great memories.

Prost!

3 comments:

  1. You're a persistent little bugger, posting all the links up there. A beer from Pizza Port won 1st place. I say road trip down to the San Diego area for more samples.

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  2. Don't curse my pancakes! Next time you find yourself waking up on our couch I'll make some.

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