I did a most interesting thing yesterday: I was the speaker at the Walnut Creek (CA. suburban San Francisco) Rotary Club. Subject: beer, of course. So I brought a dozen 500 ml bottles of Pliny the Elder (Russian River) and four sixers of Lagunitas Censored, the 5.9 percent copper ale.

Turns out, this is the “senior” Walnut Creek Rotary, so most of the 40 or so people present _ both men and women –  were middle-aged to retired.  A couple of younger guys were there from the “junior” club, which meets weekly at – where else – the Pyramid Ale House in downtown  Walnut Creek.

OK, this was a group of hard liquor and wine drinkers, not beer lovers, and people who mostly have missed the craft beer revolution.  I got two real shocks.

1. No one asked what was the matter with Budweiser, Why didnt I like it.

2. A woman in her early 30s sitting at the table where I was during lunch, chose Pliny to drink. “I usually drink wine,” she said. “But this is really good.” I  cautioned her about Pliny’s 8 percent strength. But she downed the glass.  That showed me once again, that if you want to interest people in craft beer, don’t start with something mild, give ‘em the best and their hearts and minds and palates will follow.

Questions were good ones.

• “Why does the beer at Oktoberfest in Munich taste so good, but it doesn’t taste good at all here,” one obviously well-traveled guy asked.

Simple answer: Munich is 6,000 miles away. Most of the Munich fest beer from there is pasteurized and bottled.

• Another question; What about the Budweiser in the Czech Republic?  I told ‘em the story about  Kip Buzzone the wine importer from Lafayette, CA. who fell in love with Budvar Budweiser when he spent his junior college year in Prague, how he courted the state-owned brewery for years and finally convinced them to let him import it here as Czechvar, Then, a big importer convinced the brewery to dump Kip and then Anheuser-Busch weirdly convinced the brewer to dump the other importer and sign up with their own distributors.

• Question: What’s your favorite beer? Answer: The one that’s closest, unless it’s Bud Light Lime.

They also asked for a review of craft brewers in Contra Costa County. So I went through the list:

• Schooner’s Antioch, just won a bronze medal at the GABF for Oatmeal Stout. The founder sold the brewery to a pizza company, but the new medal sounds positive for Schooner’s. They bottle some of their barrel-aged barleywines, which are spectacular.

• E.J. Phair’s Alehouse, Concord. A great place and one I often visit. Besides their own excellent beers, they have a first-rate, rotating guest list.  Owner J.J. Phair is building a new brewery and restaurant in Pittsburg, but it will be spring before it’s ready.

• Black Diamond  Brewing,  Concord. The owners, facing a rent increase, closed their brewpub in Walnut Creek and built a brewery in an industrial building they own in Concord.  They have a tap room open 4-7, Monday - Friday.

• Pyramid Ale House, Walnut Creek brews a couple of beers; the rest of Pyramid’s prize-winning lineup comes mostly from the  Berkeley brewery.

With David Heist’s Hoptown Brewery Pleasanton closed, that’s it in Contra Costa for craft brewers. I mentioned there good pubs,. Pete’s Brass Rail in Danville and the Hopyard in San Ramon and in Pleasanton.

Finally, they asked THE QUESTION: What’s the difference between an ale and a lager. I explained, I think. Don’t know. Here’s a link.

Last note: One of the two younger guys bought the rest of the beer for $40  at a club auction. It’s no doubt headed for the younger club.

Summing up. It was interesting to note that older folks not into beer, still were very curious and not the least hostile. Don’t know if we won any converts to the craft beer side. But who knows.

They did love the Pliny and the Lagunitas.  Someone else brought at 12 pack of Heineken.  It wasn’t even opened.