Why there have been no blog postings...Hi all. I've been quite ill, wound up in the hospital. Out now, slowly recuperating. Prognosis is good, thankfully.

I'm taking about three weeks off from my weekly column, but plan to post occasionally on the blog as my energy allows. We're running ``best of'' columns in my absence.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to call and e-mail me, when my column came up missing this past Wednesday. I'm enormously flattered by the response. The explanation was omitted in error in some editions.

Anyway, have a good 4th of July week. All my best – William Brand

FIRESTONE WALKER 10 TASTING TONIGHT.

Note: For graphics, links go here: www.beernewsletter.com/blog.

Firestone Walker 10-2Got nothing to do tonight: Friday, June 15. Check out Firestone Walker’s Knock Out Fiesta starting at 6 p.m. at The Knock Out, 3223 Mission St. at Valencia in San Francisco, (415-550-6994).
Among other things, Firestone Walker’s Mark Cabrera promises a case of Firestone Walker 10****.
So what’s 10. Here’s my Beer of the Week Column from last November:

Firestone Walker’s Commemorative Brew Rates 10 for Complexity

By William Brand
MediaNews Staff Writer

OUR Beer of the Week is easily one of the most unusual beers any of us will encounter this year. It’s Firestone Walker Brewing’s “10″ +, which commemorates the Paso Robles brewery’s 10th anniversary.

In a sense, it’s a back-to-the-past beer. Before the modern era, beer was fermented and aged in wooden barrels and it was common to blend several brews together to achieve a desired taste. It’s the way a lot of wine is still made.

Firestone Walker’s “10″ was made that way with a couple of modern twists.

It’s a blend of 10 batches of strong beers of various kinds, most fermented and aged in a variety of wooden barrels which had been used in Kentucky to make Old Fitzgerald Bourbon, Old Fitzgerald Wheat Whiskey, Heaven Hill Bourbon and Heaven Hill Brandy.

Firestone Walker LogoThe brewers also used new oak barrels, the wood toasted to their specifications. In all, the project involved beer in 80 barrels.

As an added wrinkle, Central Coast winemakers, experienced in blending wine, helped the Firestone Walker brew crew produce the beer.
”
A number of amazing people had a hand in crafting ‘10′,” head brewer Matt Brynildson said. But it was Brynildson who did the research. Beers in the blend included Abacus, a strong English-style barley wine; Parabola Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Ruby American Style Barley wine, and Bravo Imperial Brown Ale, each aged in a variety of barrels; plus Walker’s Reserve, Humboldt Hemp Ale and Double Barrel Ale, which also is aged in oak. More kinds of hops and malts went into these beers

Brynildson said that when it came time to blend the beers into “10,” winemakers and brewers had differing opinions.

The brew crew favored a rock-your-socks blend emphasizing the Parabola Imperial Stout and the Bourbon barrel flavor.

Winemakers — perhaps thinking ahead five years when “10″ has matured — wanted complexity and balance.
In the end, “10″ was blended much like a wine, with a bit of Abacus providing the dominant flavor and Parabola providing cherry and chocolate.
There’s a lot more.

It’s a wild conclusion, I know, but at this point, “10″ is a very young beer. It’s very much a digestif, a beer to enjoy after dinner in a brandy glass, perhaps, Brynildson suggests, with an assortment of fine chocolates. I taste vanilla and oak and other mysterious notes. This is a great beer today and without a doubt a world class beer in a year or two.

There’s so much more to say about this beer that I’ve posted Brynildson’s notes on my blogs at
http://www.ibabuzz.com/beer and http://www.beernewsletter.com.
It comes in a 22-ounce bottle for $9.99, meant to share with friends.

CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR CRAFT BEER CONTEST RESULTS

NOTE: FOR GRAPHICS, LINKS, PROPER DISPLAY, CHECK OUT MY OTHER BLOG: WWW.BEERNEWSLETTER.COM/BLOG

A number of Bay Area craft brewers did very well in the 2007 California State Fair Craft Brewers Competition. But you could go blind trying to sort through the results of the professionally judged, blind tasting competition. Among other things, the results are arranged by COUNTY. Ohmygawd. After a search I found a list by category. But there are some other wrinkles as well. Like first place gold medals and third place gold medals.

Anyway here are the highlights; for the rest, go here. If you plan to travel in the state this summer, this is a handy list to print out and take with you. It also shows the incredible diversity of craft brewing in this state.

Best of show: Highest Honorable Mention: Green Flash Trippel, Vista (San Diego County).
Schooner’s of Show High Honorable Mention: Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, Antioch: American Ale.

Here’s a Greater Bay Area medal roundup:

Bear Republic, Healdsburg,
2nd Silver: Big Bear Black Stout, 3rd Silver: Peter Brown Tribute (Brown Porter), RACER X, Honorable Mention Silver, Jack London ESB (English Bitter), Silver: Red Rocket Ale, Racer 5, X Rocket (Smoke & Wood Aged); Hop Rod Rye, XPA,
Bronze: Maibock,

Bison, Berkeley, 1st Gold: Farmhouse Saison,
2nd Silver: Chocolate Stout; Silver, India Pale Ale
Bronze, Red Ale

Blue Frog Grog & Grille, Fairfield, 1st Gold: Blue Frog Maibock.
Silver: Red Frog Ale, Hefeweizen, Pell Ell (American Pale Ale), Blonde Frog Ale,
Bronze: The Big DIPA, (Imperial IPA),

California Cider Co., Sebastopol, 2nd Silver: Ace Apple Cider, Silver: Ace Apple Honey,Ace Joker
Bronze: Ace Perry (Ciders and Perry), Ace Joker, Ace Berry,

Devil’s Canyon Brewing, Belmont (San Mateo County),
2nd Silver: Deadicated Amber Ale, Silver: Hades Habanero (Spiced & Herbed), Devil’s Danish Lager.
Bronze: Hell Raiser Hefeweizen.

Drake’s, San Leandro, 1st.Gold: Drake’s Amber; 3rd Gold: Drake’s Expedition, Honorable Mention Gold: Drake’s Blonde (Cream Ale)
Silver; Drake;s IPA, Drake’s Hefeweizen, 1500 Pale Ale, Imperial Stout

E.J. Phair Brewing, Concord, 3rd Silver: Marzen,
Silver: Blonde Lager, Marzen, IPA, Pale Ale,

Faultline Brewing, Sunnyvale, 1st Gold: Kolsch, Faultline Pale Ale,
Silver: Pilsner, Doppel Bock, Faultline Stout; Faultline Hefeweizen;
Bronze: Brown Ale, Best Bitter (English Pale Ale),

Firehouse Grill & Brewery, Sunnyvale, Gold: Firehouse Pale Ale,
Silver: Firehouse Scotch Ale; Firehouse Red Ale, Firehouse Heferweizen.
Bronze: FH Brendan’s Irish Stout, Firehouse Maibock,

Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, 1st Gold: Firestone Pale Ale, 2nd Gold: Double Barrel Ale (English Bitter), 3rd Gold: Firestone Lager, Pale Nectar.
Silver: Hemp Ale, Red Nectar Ale, Walker’s Reserve, IPA Nectar.

Jack’s Brewing, Fremont, 3rd Silver: Penalty Shot Porter; Silver: Hardwood Pale Ale, Gridiron Amber

Lodi Beer Co., Lodi, 1st Gold: Lodi Helles (Light Lagers), Plowshear Porter, Lodi Eisbock, 2nd Gold: Lodi Barleywine;
3rd Silver: Lodi Doppelbock, Honorable Mention Silver: Lodi Export Stout, Silver: Lodi Light, Orange Blossom Wheat (Fruit Beer), Lodi Pale Ale, Lodi Sherry Bock (Smoke & Wood Aged),
Bronze: Western Pacific IPA, Gilt Edge Marzen, Lodi Amber, Lodi Mild (English Bitter), Lodi Wheat

Los Gatos Brewing Co., Los Gatos,
Silver: L.G.B. Weizen.

Marin Brewing, Larkspur,
3rd Silver: Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Dipsea (Smoke & Wood Aged); Imperial Stout; Honorable Mention Silver: Marin IPA, Silver: Old Dipsea Barleywine, Pt. Reyes Porter, Starbrew (Specialty Brews), Eldridge Grade White Knuckle Ale (Imperial IPA), Mt. Tam Pale Ale, Marin Hefeweizen,

Mt. St. Helena Brewing, Middletown (Lake County), 1st Gold: Stout (Russian Imperial Stout);
3rd Silver: IPA (American IPA), Silver, Honey Wheat.

Moylan’s Brewery, Novato, 1st Gold: Moylan’s IPA, Dry Irish Stout, Moylander Double IPA, 2nd Gold: Moylan’s Wheat Ale; 3rd Gold: Bluebeery Ale (Fruit Beer); Gold: Tipperary Pale Ale,
2nd Silver: Hoppy Holidaze (Spiced & Herbed), Silver: Pomegranate Wheat, Kiltlifter (Scottish & Irish),
Bronze: Celts Golden Ale

Pyramid Crystal WeizenPyramid, Berkeley, 1st Gold: Pyramid Hefeweizen,
Silver, Apricot Weizen, Curveball Kolsch-Style Ale, Thunderhead IPA

Rock Bottom, Campbell,
Bronze: Bottoms Up Kolsch.

St. Stan’s Brewery, Modesto, Honorable Mention Gold: St. Stan’s Barleywine, Silver: Porter, Wheat Ale, St. Stan’s Amber Ale, Whistle Stop (Amber Ale),
Bronze: Red Sky Ale, St. Stan’s IPA, Golden Ale, Maibock,

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Santa Cruz,
Silver: Dread Brown,
Bronze: Devout Stout, Wilder Wheat, Organic Pale (Belgian & French).

Schooner’s, Antioch, 1st Gold: ((Runnerup Best of Show)) American Ale (Cream Ale), 2nd Gold: Krieken Cluster Funk (Sour Beers), English Red (English Brown Ales,
2nd Silver: California Lager, 3rd Silver, Oatmeal Stout; Silver: IPA, Pale Ale, Old Diablo (English Barleywine), Irish Stout, White Wheat (Belgian & French),. Old Woody (Smoke & Wood Aged),
Bronze: Alpha Avalanche (Imperial IPA)

Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, 1st Gold: Vienna Lager,
2nd Silver: Stonefly Oatmeal Stout, 3rd Silver: Kalamity Kolsch, Annadel Pale Ale,Beer glass

Tied House Cafe & Brewery, Mountain View, 3rd Gold: Ironwood Dark (English Brown Ales)
3rd Silver: Alpine Gold (Blonde Ales); Silver: New World Wheat,
Bronze: Cascade Amber

Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, Berkeley, Silver: Pinnacle Pale Ale
Bronze: Dragon’s Milk (Specialty Brews),

THE SAN DIEGO REAL ALE FESTIVAL