SAMPLING CHRISTMAST IN JULY AT BARCLAYS

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Cartoon Christmas TreeMade it to Christmas in July late Friday afternoon at Barclay’s Restaurant and Pub http://www.barclayspub.com on College Avenue in North Oakland.
It was already crowded and I wound up sitting with a couple of brewers, Rodger Davis and his bride, Claudia, and Christian Kazakoff, head brewer at Triple Rock.
Rodger has just left Drake’s in San Leandro after years of producing prize-winning beers. Rodger and Claudia– she’s famous in her own right as the best barkeep at 21st Amendment Restaurant and Brewery in San Francisco – have plans to start their own craft brewery or brewpub around here. It’s just a matter of raising the cash. So if you want an investment deal, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll put you in touch.
What’s Christmas in July? Well, Barclay’s holds back kegs of holiday beer until summer, then puts them on until they run out.
I was a day late, but the supply was good. In order, I tasted Christian’s Reindeer Ale, a dark brown, tasty brew, a bit of sweetness remaining, satisfying roast malt taste and lots of hops in the follow.
I followed that with Drake’s 2006 Jolly Roger, thick and powerful: Rodger calls it an Imperial IPA at 11 percent, 70 International Bitterness Units, it’s quite regal. Still quite sweet, nearly 9 months after it was made, with a huge hoppy hit.
Followed that head-spinner with another Jolly Rodger 2006 aged in oak brandy barrels. All I say is whew. This one had vanilla in spades from the oak and drank like it had just come out of the barrel. You can still find both of these in small, six ounce bottles. They’re worth hunt.
Finished off the afternoon with a sample of Coast Range’s most unusual Farmhouse Mure Sauvage.
It wasn’t fair to try this unusual, expermental seasonal after those sweet, oaked beers.But hell, it was Christmas.
The color of apple brandy, head brewer Peter Licht brewed it with wild yeast - Brettanomyces and a Belgian yeast. It came out intensely sour and Peter balances the beer with French blackberry flavoring.Besides pale malt, Peter added a dollop of Belgian candy sugar to boost the alcohol.
I can’t say I loved this one. But you know, I’m headed back to Barclay’s tomorrow to try it again, without drinking any Christmas beers first.
By the way, I just checked with Barclay’s and they have lots of holiday beers left. Find the entire, up-to-date list here.

Toronado Celebrates Its 20thI’m going to write a lot more about this in my column next Wednesday (Aug. 1, 2007) but here’s a heads up.
David Keene, ToronadoThe 20th anniversary of the Toronado, 547 Haight St. in San Francisco is coming up Aug. 9-11. Many events are planned.
But first a note about the beer: It’s a bottle conditioned, oak barrel-aged, 10.43 percent alcohol by volume beer with a lactic edge, brewed by Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa, specially for the Toronado at the request of proprietor David Keene.
But wait, there’s more. Actually, after a conversation with David two years ago, Vinnie brewed five different beers and put them on wood for a year.
With David’s input, they chose the proper blend and bottled 130 cases three months ago, 750 ml corked bottles and three liter bottles, plus kegs. David, Vinnie and his crew put the labels on the bottles today (Thursday, July 26, 2007). They’ll be on sale at the Toronado beginning on the anniversary.
Vinnie guessed the price will be in the $10-$12 range. All the kegs, but one go to the Toronado.
Here’s a partial schedule:
Thursday, Aug. 9. They’ll tap the first keg about 5:30 p.m. at Russian River Brewing, 725 4th Street, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404 - 707.545.BEER
Saturday, Aug. 11. This is the anniversary of the Toronado. The beer will be on tap, beginning, I believe, in the afternoon.
There are a lot more events planned. I’m talking to David in the morning, will do another post.
Saludos. WB

Photos : David Keene at the bar in his mythic pub. Photo by William Brand

GUINNESS ICE CREAM? BELIEVE IT.

Note: This story ran Wednesday, July 25,2007 in the Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times ALSO THIS SITE REMAINS MESSED UP. TO SEE IT PROPERLY PLEASE GO TO: www.beernewsletter.com/blog

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Note: This story ran Wednesday, July 25,2007 in the Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times

Guinness draftBy Jolene Thym
OAKLAND TRIBUNE/MEDIANEWS STAFF
A giant scoop of gooey, sticky ice cream dotted with hunks of nut brittle or fresh, ripe fruit has always made David Lebovitz smile.
That, we can understand. But ice cream laced with olive oil? Pecorino cheese and pears? Orange and black pepper? Beer and chocolate? Avocado? Green peas? Sweet potatoes?
“I know it seems odd,” Lebovitz says of the numerous less-than-mainstream ice cream recipes in his book, “The Perfect Scoop” (Ten Speed Press, $24.95). “But there really is nothing new about a lot of these ice cream flavors. They come from the long tradition of ice cream making.
“I travel a lot and since I love ice cream, I eat it everywhere I go. In Mexico, they have avocado ice cream and cheese ice cream with hunks of cheddar cheese in it. In India, they make an ice cream-like dessert flavored with rosewater or saffron,” he says.
Asked if they taste good, Lebovitz says yes, they do. “I’m a person who doesn’t like very sweet things. For me, there’s nothing better than a little scoop of Roquefort ice cream on a poached pear….

For the rest of this story go here . Meanwhile, here’s the recipe for Beer Ice Cream:

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
7 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Guinness Stout
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top. Set aside.

2. Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.

3. Pour the custard through the strainer over the milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then the Guinness and vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Per 1/2 cup: 337 calories, 5 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 22 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 157 mg cholesterol, 68 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. Calories from fat: 84 percent.

THE CRAFT BEER NUMBERS GAME

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What exactly IS a craft beer? I don’t really know – even though I’ve been drinking what I call craft beer and writing about for a decade, a definition’s pretty fuzzy. There are things I know. Lagunitas Censored is a craft beer, so is Russian River Damnation.

But what about Blue Moon – the Belgian-style wit? It stands up well in taste tests against other wits, both American and Belgian. Perhaps it’s a bit light for my preference, but very decent.

How about Redhook Longhammer IPA or Widmer Snowplow or Goose Island Bourbon Barrel Stout? Are those crafft beers? Well, the Brewers Association, the Boulder, CO.-based craft beer trade group has decided that they are not craft beers. Reason: Big national brewers have invested in those companies.

Blue Moon’s easy. It’s owned by giant Coors. But the others? Anheuser-Busch owns a percentage of each company. So, in the strange world of craft brewing, they’re NOT craft brewers. Even though from a taste standpoint they’re definitely craft beers.

The most amazing thing is that the association’s decision has been so thorough that they don’t even count sales from Redhood, Widmer or Goose Island in their tally of total craft beer sales in America. In fact, Brewers Association Director Paul Gatza says that if the excluded breweries were included, total craft beer sales would have been 1.1 million barrels higher.

That’s a huge leap. The Brewers Association – with craft breweries partly owned by large brewers omitted – reported total sales of almost 6.7 million barrels in 2006. Add in the 1.1 million and you have nearly a 16 percent increase, a whopping jump from 6 million barrels sold in 2005.

That’s not exactly small potatoes. Interesting fact, add in Blue Moon’s approximately 800,000 barrels and one begins to get the real picture about Americans switch to non-mainstream, full-flavored beer. Add in other full-flavored beer from big breweries and the number grows some more.

Sobering factoid: Anheuser-Busch alone shipped 102 million barrels in 2006, nearly half of all the beer sold in America.

My conclusion: We’ve come a long, long way, but most of the journey still lies ahead. Salud.

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The Tall Sails and Ales Tour in British Columbia

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Schooner Maple Leaf - 1Also: The 7th Annual Microbreweries Battling Breast Cancer Fest is Saturday.

If you have a few dollars burning up in your pocket, love beer and the thought of a week on a tall ship in one of the most beautiful, exotic parts of North America – check this out.
It’s the Tall Sails and Ales Tour, visiting the seaward craft brewers of British Columbia – in the Gulf Islands and southern Vancouver Island in Canada for five days aboard the schooner Maple Leaf.
The annual tour from Oct. 25-30 features meetings and tastings with brewers and brewery tours; meals will be paired with appropriate beers.
The cost is $1,865 U.S. and includes everything, accommodations, meals, tastings etc.
Greg Evans, a BC brewing historian and head of the Vancouver branch of the Campaign for Real Ale will be aboard.
Here’s what the tour operators say in their publicity release:
“Fall is harvest time and it allows us to pair the best of B.C. beers with the finest local Island produce,” says Capt. Kevin Smith, owner of ecotourism company Maple Leaf Adventures, which operates the trip. “There is such a variety of flavours being produced here that the toughest part of the trip is ensuring we don’t leave a producer out.”
“The organization has a strong focus on learning and education, and Smith stresses that the tour is a tasting tour, not a drinking tour. It is designed both for people who appreciate a good learning holiday and for those who are knowledgeable about beer.
“Guests will also be treated to wildlife viewing (think porpoises, sea lions, seabirds and intertidal life), sailing the classic tall ship and frequent shore excursions to explore the islands’ natural beauty.”
And a handout quote from Mr. Evans:
“The beer culture and the craft brewing movement in BC are very strong, with some of the finest products and brewers in Canada,” says Evans, whose masters degree is in Vancouver Island’s brewing history and who writes articles with titles like “Hic Hic Hooray: How Canadians Kept Americans Wet During Prohibition”. “Like our American cousins along the Pacific Coast, craft brewers in BC tend to like ‘bigness’ in their beers - that is, a tendency to more hops, more body and products with a big, rich head.”
Damn. This one tickles my fancy. The islands and sea passages between Seattle and Vanouver, B.C. are absolutely heart-stopping gorgeous and outrank, in my humble opinion, the Caribbean, if not the islands of Greece.
Info: www.MapleLeafAdventures.com or call 1-888-599-5323.

One last events note. If you’re in the Bay Area, don’t forget the 7th annual Microbrewries Battling Breast Cancer Brewfest, Saturday, July 21, noon - 5 p.m. at Marin Brewing, Larkspur. Tickets: $25 at the door, benefits breast cancer research. Over 20 breweries; live music. See you there.

Cruisin’ Beer Coolers

Are you someone whose idea of exercise is a long, downhill bike ride? Then the motorized beer cooler may be for you.

This Youtube video’s so stupid, it’s outrageous. Follow the link to “motorized” cruisin’ beer coolers.

Check it out here. Read the rest of this entry »

Still on the trail of Anchor Small

Random notes…LOOKING FOR ANCHOR SMALL BEER: Called Anchor Monday, got referred to the East Bay sales director, who said he would talk to the distributor and get back to me.
Anchor SmallMeanwhile, Craig Wathen, who runs City Beer, the unique on-and-off-premises store at 1168 Folsom St. in San Francisco, (415-503-1033) says he has a limited supply of Anchor Small on hand and plans to get more.
If you’ve never checked out City Beer, I highly recommend it. Craig has an unusual state license. Patrons can pick any of the hundreds of bottles of craft and import beers on his refrigerated shelves, split it with a friend at the standard retail price.
If you like it, you can buy more to take home. He also has a rotating number of taps, each with a great beer.
Critics point out that his prices are high, but my comparisons don’t show that. Everything’s fairly priced, no higher than any other store with a good beer list.

LETTERS: EGGPLANT AND FINDING ANCHOR SMALL BEER