As the days warm up, the world of beer festivals gets into high gear. Here’s a listing of some noteworthy events…

Thursday, May 8, 6-9 p.m. The Trappist, 4608th St., Oakland, CA.  Achouffe & Ommegang Glass night. $6 for the first glass of Achouffe Houblon, refills are only $5. You keep the glass. And $5 for the first glass of Ommegang Rare Vos or Ommegeddon, refills are only $4. You keep the glass. If you’ve never tried Ommegeddon, this beer alone is worth the trip.

Thursday, May 8, 5:30 p.m., Anchor Brewing hosts Charles Bamforth, Brewing Sciences Chair, UC Davis, author of a new book: Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer, (Cambridge Pess, $27) Here’s a note about the the book:

Charles Bamforth is a brewing scientist. One of the best. He’s been bothered for a while with a nagging question: why do many people consider wine to be more sophisticated than beer? Is it really better? Healthier? Why do most fancy restaurants have massive wine lists and a few token beer selections?

Bamforth picks apart the complex social, cultural, and scientific histories of both beverages. He has quite a few suprising insights about the (often highly scientific) production of both beer and wine. He’s not seeking to take wine down a notch, but to elevate beer to its proper place, right next to wine, demonstrating just how healthy and complex a beverage it really is.

Anchor Brewing, 1705 Mariposa St., San Francisco. Open to the public, no charge.

Saturday, May 10, 7 p.m. CD Release Party, Ray & The Detonators, The Bistro, 1001 B. St., Hayward, CA. Not exactly a beer event, but great music and the Bistro’s outstanding beer selection right at hand.

Sunday, May 11, Conversations on Cheese, Wine & Beer. Guest Speaker: William Brand (yes, that’s me). Guest Home Brewers Matt Ridge, Ukiah, and Sean Paxton, Sonoma. Craft Brew Bar including beers from Russian River Brewing Company, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Marin Brewing Company, Moylan’s Brewing Company and Rogue Ales. Cheese provided by Sheana Davis, The Epicurean Connection. 3-4 p.m. Conversations, 4-5 p.m. Beer and cheese tasting. Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa St., Sonoma, CA. $20. Reservations: 707-938-4646, ext. 1. All proceeds to the Sonoma Community Center Kitchen Rebuilding Fund. This will be a free-wheeling event, with questions from the audience welcome.

Tuesday, May 13, 6 p.m. Monk’s Kettle, 3141 16th St., San Francisco, CA. Sam Adams Beer Dinner celebrating American Craft Beer Week. Three-course beer dinner with Sam Adams Brewer Grant Wood, $50. Reservations: 415-865-9523. See you there!

May 16-17 SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Washington DC, Andrew Mellon Auditorium. Sponsored by the Brewers Association, the Boulder, CO. craft beer trade group to mark American Craft Beer Week, May 12 -18. This is a BIG DEAL. There will be three dinners, featuring 96 craft beers from 48 craft breweries across the country and 35 foods, prepared by Federal City Caterers in tapas-size portions. Julia Herz of the Brewers Association says pours will be two ounces; the idea is to sample the tapas, sample a beer and go on to the next beer and the next tapa. Kind of like the Great American Beer Fest with food and no medals.

Here’s a partial list of some of the brewers who will be there: Tomme Arthur - Port Brewing Company, Adam Avery - Avery Brewing Company, Peter Bouckaert - New Belgium Brewing Company, Sam Calagione - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Greg Koch - Stone, Jim Koch - Boston Beer Company, Garrett Oliver - The Brooklyn Brewery, Hugh Sisson - Clipper City Brewing Company, Carol Stoudt - Stoudts Brewing Company and Rob Tod - Allagash Brewing Company

Lots of California brewers and their beer will be present, including 21st Amendment (San Francisco), Hoppy Brewing (Sacramento), Port Brewing (San Marcos), , Russian River (Santa Rosa) . Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (Santa Cruz) , Sierra Nevada (Chico) , Stone (Escondido). There are all kinds of presentations and events besides thje actual dinners. I’m going, it’s one not to miss. If you think you’d like to go, get tickets now. They won’t be sold at the door. You can buy them here. $85.

Because of all the brewers in town, there are going to be all kinds of events at local pubs and restaurant. Greg Kitsock writes about them in the Washington Post.

In the middle of reporting the Pyramid takeover story – more details to come – I talked to Adam Lamoreaux at Linden Street Brewing in Oakland, who told me that at The Trappist in downtown Oakland, they’re marking Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day), the big Dutch holliday tomorrow, April 30 with a special on his beer.
For three hours, 4 - 7 p.m. Urban People’s Common Lager, aka Linden Street Common, will be sold for $3 a glass, “Everybody’s also supposed to wear orange,” Adam says.

This is from the Trappist:

Wednesday April 30th Koninginnedag Celebration (Queens Day) $3 Linden Street Common from 4pm to 7pm, Two Dutch Beers on Tap (Jopen), Food (might not be good), Live Band. (might also not be good)

Two auctions I’m following are the 1987 J.W. Lees Harvest. Bidding closes Monday. No one has bid so far, it’s still at $9.99.  I’m gonna bid on  it tomorrow. This should be an excellent beer, worth more than $10.

On my KQED Belgian Beer Tour of San Francisco and Oakland, there’s been a bit of activity. Price is now up to $403. Bidding ends tomorrow

Bill, I was at the Toronado “pre-opening” last Thursday in San Diego. It’s in the North Park area, at - I think- 4026 30th Ave, near University.

Not sure when it will officially open. Small but cozy place, lots of beer people there. Dave Keene was pouring lots of great beers, including Malheur Brut and a giant bottle of Duvel. Alan Moen

Great shot of the pour Alan,.

Jay Brooks at brookstonbeerbulletin.com says the owner is Ian Black, who worked at the Toronado in San Francisco.

Dean Biersch on the back deck of his new Hopmonk Tavern which opens Thursday in Sebastopol. That’s a pint of Hopmonk Kellerbier from Gordon Biersch. The tavern and beer garden is not connected to Gordon Biersch. It’s Dean’s first restaurant opening in 8 years.

FROM THE EARLY DAYS IN THE LATE 1980s in Palo Alto, the Gordon Biersch brewpub chain – guided by partner Dean Biersch – carved out a niche for comfortable, but posh digs, with clean-tasting, fresh beer from partner Dan Gordon, the German-trained, American brewer.

Over the next two decades, Gordon Biersch rose in splendor, spanning the nation with 25, uber-fancy establishments. The two partners sold the brewpub business to Big River Brewing, Chattanooga, TN and and raised money for a San Jose brewery by handing control of the busuiness to a Las Vegas investor. Dan Gordon’s happily brewing beer in San Jose. Dean Biersch moved to Sonoma. He’s divorced with three kids, one 13-year-old and twins, 10.

And tomorrow, (Thursday, April 17, 2008), Dean’s back in the restaurant business.

Eight years after he opened his last Gordon Biersch restaurant, he opens Hopmonk Tavern: A Beer Garden in Wine Country, 230 Petaluma Ave.
in Sebastopol, CA. (Don’t live in the Bay Area? Here’s a map.)

But don’t look for posh. The whole emphasis is comfort. It’s at the convergence of two state highways, on the edge of downtown Sebastapol, on the route to the Pacific Coast. The landmark, L-shaped building, built in 1903, was the power house for the Petaluma & Santa Rosa electric railroad that ran through Sebastapol. For a decade, it was a brewpub, Powerhouse Brewing, which closed in 2005. It became Sebastapol Brewing, which closed last year.

If you’ve visited either of the previous brewpubs, you’re in for a shock. The interior is totally changed. Biersch has covered the concrete floors with Douglas fir planks, recycled from a split pea factory in Idaho. When I visited last week the new booths, plush, 1950s-style naugahyde, I think, were still covered in plastic. There’s a new bar and a small brewplant, which, Dean said, will be used later.

In the meantime, there’s an extremely wide range of beer on tap, including a special pils: Hopmonk Kellerbier, brewed by Gordon Biersch. I found it crisp, malty, excellent. Also Dan Gordon’s wonderful new Dunkelweizen, intense and interesting. I’m posting my Beer of the Week column about it in a few minutes, because the link’s expired to our newspapers. Hopmonk’s also stocking about 75 Belgian beers in bottles, ranging in prices from $5 - $8. We’re making every effort to keep prices low, he said. All beers are served in the appropriate glassware.

Dean has brought in a beer sommelier, Anastasy Tynan, an ace homebrewer from Hawaii to select beers offered and to provide expert help to patrons. They both prefer to call the post, “Hop Monk.:” Great idea, not so pretentious.

More about the beer in a minute.

There’s also a beer garden now. Dean says they jackhammered out the concrete, covered the ground with decomposed granite, there’s even a firm path for wheelchairs and the whole place, including the outside beer garden, has wheelchair access. Most trees in the beer garden are just planted, but there’s lighting and tables and it’s already a pleasant spot It’s sheltered from the wind and might be hot in the sun, but very pleasant in the evening.

The other part of the building’s has been converted into a music hall, with seating, a bar and a stage. Dean hopes to bring in top and indie local and Bay Area musicians. He’s even added a “green room” for visiting musicians.

About the food, Dean has hired Lynn McCarthy, an outstanding young chef from Sun Valley, Idaho. He has rebuilt the kitchen for her. The idea, they both explained, is to produce rustic tavern food, very unpretentious, but very real food. “We use very heavy flatware, rustic plates, our mussels come in an iron pot and we have lots Belgian style dishes,” Dean says.

During a tour, McCcarthy set out some of her specialities. What grabbed me were the “small plates.” A charcuterie plate of cured meats, Prosciutto and a “tavern pate,” is $10.50. The pate is made from chicken livers in a reduced Calvados apple brandy, from California Cider Co., at the edge of Sebastopol. Wow. Another was an artisanal cheese plate, three local cheeses, including Carmody, a Munster-like cheese from nearby Bellwether Farms, served with fresh bread and fruit, $12.

This is a place to sit down, munch, enjoy the beer and the atmosphere and not spend a ton of money.

About the beer on tap right now…It’s a long list, Stone Brewing Smoked Porter, Anchor Liberty Ale, Belhaven Scottish Ale, Ducjhesse of Burgundy, Eel River Organic Porter, Fullers London Pride, Mendocino Spring Bockk, Moonlight Death & Taxes, New Belgium Mothership Wit, Rogue Dead Guy Ale and Sonoma Farmhouse Saison from Lagunitas. They also plan to have cask ales on hand pump.

Gee, I reckon I might find something here to drink. See you there.

Ever wonder how much a pint of beer costs in say, Zambia or the UK. A good friend of mine from Philly, Jack Curtin, points to this link.

It’s pretty neat and in some countries, the prices go city by city. However, there’s no price for Zambia. Damn. Another downside, the prices are for lager. Yeeesh. But it’s interactive, so if you’ve been some place recently, a city in the U.S. or wherever, you can post the price.

I also wonder if it’s been updated recently, Price of lager in Belgium seems to run aroud $2.50 - $3.00 Considering the state of the dollar, that’s hard to believe. Anyway, there you are.

I checked a little further and found this very recent post on the Beer Advocate Belgian forum and thank g-d, the poster’s not talking about lager. Oh yes, a euro’s worth about $1.58.

Back in my village, next to Silly Brewery, this one small bar still sells beer at 1 euro per glass (Jupiler, Silly Blanche,..) Leffe is still at 1.30 euro. Average for the others around 2.50euros.
I will be there next week and this cheap ass dollar is killing me …

The good average is about 2.50-4 euros

One advise though … do not buy your beer on Brussels’ Grand Place or any big city squares in Belgium. Go to the side streets and find some real good bars with much less expensive beers. Unless you want to enjoy the beautiful view of the Place while drinking a beer.

But like someone said, even at 3euros, it’s still much cheaper than the US.

It’s Belgian beer month at the Toronado, 547 Haight St., San Francisco. Somehow, this very important fest escaped my notice.

Basically, Toronadao proprietor David Keene puts every Belgian he has on tap (or almost every Belgian). There are dozens, including Lambics and gueze and many kegs that have some age on them and should be delicious.

See ya’ there.

Photos: Gail Williams, Steve Shapiro of beerbybart.com at The Trappist, holding the pub’s extensive beer list. It’s a book.

Below: A glass of De Glkazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere.

Made it to to The Trappist in Oakland Saturday afternoon with Steve and Gail from beerbybart.com. This place rocks. Wound up discovering two new-to-me beers one spectacular, the other quite interesting.

Chuck Stilphen, who owns The Trappist along with business partner Aaron Porter, poured us the first: De Glazen Toren Saison D’Erpe-Mere. It’s touch, from the city of Erpe-Mere, and it’s an ale.

This is one brewery that’s showing the world that Holland is no longer a country that produces endless bland lagers.

It’s a beautiful beer, a clear, pale gold with a spicy nose. There’s a slight initial sweetness fading quickly into a long, drying follow with a mounting sourness. It’s not mouth-puckering, just adds some interesting balance. The finish is so dry that I’m guessing it might have some coriander. I give it ***1/2 stars.

According to the brewery Web site, the brewery, which means ” the glass tower” was founded in 2004. The founders, a lawyer and a mathematician who was a town alderman met in 1988, and “discovered they had a common passion: beer.”

They became homebrewers and dreamed of opening a brewery, but they lacked training. So they abandoned their careers and enrolled in a three year brewing course at CTL Institute in Ghent, Belgium. Ergo, they brew ales in the Belgian style.

The saison, which they say is in the style of Hainault province, the westernmost province, which borders France and is the original home of the style. This is a beer to savor. Don’t know if it can be found here in bottles, but I’m gonna look.

Gail discovered the second beer, Jolly Pumpkin La Roja. She found in buried in The Trappist beer list, which is bound and about an inch thick.

Jolly Pumpkin Artisian Ales is a craft brewery in Dexter, MI. Their focus is Belgian-style ales with an emphasis on ancient Belgian styles. La Roja’s an American version of a Flemish brown (or red, you call it) ale like Duchesse de Bourgogne.

The Duchess is a blend of new and barrel aged beer, so it has a most unusual sweet-sour balance that some of us (me) like and others despise.

La Roja’s a blend of beer barrel aged from a few months two to three years in oak, but not blended with just brewed beer. So, there’s zero sweetness. It’s very, very tasty: a pleasing sourness, lots of vanilla and oak. I give it ***

Photo: Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Label

Darren at bayareabrewing.com points out I’ve missed a couple of important events upcoming, one here in Oakland, one in San Francsaco:

(Maybe already sold out.)
The Trappist - Meet the Brewer
When: Mon, Apr 21, 6:00pm – 11:30pm
Where: 460 8th Street, Oakland CA 94607 (The Trappist)
Description: Beer & Cold Plate pairing with Allagash Brewing Company
Founder & Brewer Rob Tod. This is a “Private” event and only 25
tickets will be sold.

SF Brewers Guild - Meet the Brewers
When: Tue, Apr 15, 6pm – 9pm
Where: 1195-A Evans Ave., San Francisco, CA (Speakeasy Ales and Lagers)
Description: Meet the Brewers is a unique opportunity to get to know
the local artisans behind the craft beers of San Francisco. These
casual gatherings are held once a month (from 6-9pm) and rotate among
SF Brewers Guild breweries as well as a few other good beer
establishments in the City. Brewery tours are given at 6pm, followed
by an informal gathering of San Francisco brewers and beer lovers.
Bring your questions and comments and learn more about San Francisco’s
great beer-making tradition. Make it a monthly tradition of your own.

Rose & Crown, 547 Emerson St., Palo Alto. Photo by Jatbar.com.

I love doing the blog equivalent of PSAs — Public Service Announcements.

Here, in the public interest, are beers just added at the Rose & Crown in Palo Alto, and on tap at City Beer in San Francisco and The Trappist in Oakland. Do you have a favorite pub with rotating taps. Let me know what’s on and I’ll post it here.

Rose and Crown. New rotationals, from proprietor Kasim Syed.

Full Sail Nut Brown and Imperial Stout
Devils Canyon Rye IPA
Drakes Denogganizer Double IPA
La Chouffe Houblon Double IPA (Rotating Belgian)

Coming up will be the Drakes Expedition, Nostradamus Belgian Brown, Red Rocket, and Firestone Union Jack IPA (Which may be here to stay)

On tap at City Beer in San Francisco:

Sierra Nevada Stout
Marin Brewing Company Marin Star Brew Triple Wheat
Avery Maharaja
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
Moonlight Bombay By Boat
Hofbrau Maibock

On tap at The Trappist

Koningshoven Trappist Quadrupel 10% ABV 25cl $8
Brasserie d’Achouffe Houblon Chouffe 9% ABV 25cl $6.
Chimay Cinq Cents Triple 8% ABV 30cl $6.
Brouwerij St. Bernardus Prior 8 8% ABV 33cl $6.
St. Feuillien Triple 8.5% ABV 33cl $6.
Het Anker Gouden Carolus Grand Cru 10.5% ABV 25cl $8
Unibroue Trois Pistoles 9% ABV 25cl $6.
Linden Street Common Lager 5% ABV 45cl $5
North Coast Pranqster 7.6% ABV 33cl $6
Brouwerij Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet 8% ABV 33cl $6 Flying Dog Pale Ale 5.5% ABV 33cl $5
Brouwerij de Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere 7.5 % ABV 33cl $8.
Van Eecke Poperings Hommel 7.5% ABV 33cl $6.
North Coast Old #38 Stout 33cl. $5
De Koninick 5% ABV 33cl $6.