I may be wrong, but I believe the Toronado,547 Haight St., San Francisco, is hosting its first-ever “Can Release Party” next week. Dare I call it a “can opening party?” The day is Tuesday, July, 22. The time is 6-9 p.m. and the event is the inaugural flight of 21st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and Brew Free! or Die IPA in cans.

No admission charge, buy your own cans. Meet 21st Brewer-Co-founder Shaun O’Sullivan and business partner, co-founder Nico Freccia.

Be there or be square.

Odd bits…This is truly odd…according to the New York Times…all official vehicles at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August will be pwoered by ethanol made from beer by (gasp) Coors using discarded beer. Proves, I guess, that it’s corn not rice that makes Coors sweet and watery. I always thought Bud and Coors were rice beers and Miller’s wss corn.

Or can you make ethanol from rice as well as corn? Comments anyone. By all means read the whole post

Caught Rodger Davis, the former Drake’s brewer, who now handles Drake’s sales while he gathers his energies and cash investors for his own brewery. Here’s the skinny on the Drake’s beers being tapped tonight beginning at 6 p.m. at the Toronado in San Francisco: Read the rest of this entry »

What’s on Tap:

Coconut Porter from Maui hits shelves

By William Brand
Staff writer
Article Launched: 06/10/2008 12:28:49 PM PDT

AT EVERY big beer festival, there’s buzz about the best beers to sample. At the Great American Beer Festival, the granddaddy of American beer fests, the buzz is intense, and in 2006, the buzz said one thing: “Try the Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing. It’s a gold medal-winner.”

I tried and tried, but could never work my way through the crowd. But six months later, in Maui on a family vacation, I made it my mission to try it. Oh my, what a delight.

In another day, the term Maui Wowie was reserved for a different substance, of course. But that was well before Garrett Marrero and his wife, Melanie, moved to Maui from San Diego in 2004, took over a defunct brewpub, Fish & Game Brewing, and renamed it Maui Brewing.

Coconut Porter ***1/2 is indeed Maui Wowie and it’s our Beer of the Week. The best news is that, beginning this month, it’s being sold in BevMo stores throughout the Bay Area - four 12-ounce cans for $8.99.

Read the rest of this entry »

William: I enjoy reading your column in the Contra Costa Times. I read your article mentioning the Maui Brewing Company just before a buddy headed over there. Unfortunately, I told him Lahaina B.C and he wasn’t able to find it nor bring back a couple bottles of the coconut porter. Fortunately, I read your follow up article about it coming to Bev Mo and was able to pick some up there.

I recently read your article about Alaska Summer Ale. I agree with you, it is a really good ale and would like to point out that it is served on Alaska Airlines during the summer with Alaskan Amber served during the rest of the year. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Brand,

As an avid outdoor cook and beer drinker, I read your article yesterday in the San Jose Mercury.

I have traveled the world sampling beer. In each region, people are very proud of their beer of choice.

A person with class respects another person’s beer and does not refer to it as “Bo-ring”.

In my 60+ years of age, I have cooked many burgers and sipped many cold Buds and never considered myself “Bo-red”.

I returned last week from a tour of 10 breweries in Northern California. I enjoyed all the beers and never heard any of the brewers say other beers were “Bo-ring”.

Beer is a noble beverage and if you have read “The History of the World in 6 Glasses”, you know beer is the first fermented beverage in history.

It is sad to see this fine beverage be invaded by snobs as people that consume wine.

I will look forward to your next article Mr. Brand, and hope you can respect all beers, not just craft beers.

Cheers, Don

Hi Don: To me, Budweiser is boring. I’m not saying it’s a bad beer. It’s well made, the people at A-B are great folks. Bo\ut to me, Bud has always been boring, I never liked it; too dry, too nothing. A beer of little taste. My own brother swears by it. Obviously, so do you. What the heck. It’s a free country.

Buy the way…have you ever tried Beer Can Chicken: Recipe follows…

Quick hits… Amy Gutierrez, the beer buyer at Beverages & More says the Sam Adams beer glasses are on their way to BevMo stores.

Read the rest of this entry »

New Belgium’s joining the craft beer in cans. The Ft. Collins, CO. company says their canning line started up today. First beer in cans (and maybe the only one) is Fat Tire Amber Ale.

It’s not my favorite in cans or bottles or keg, but it’s New Belgium’s sales leader. A cult has grown up around it.

Don’t look for any Fat Tire in cans here in California anytime soon. Alice Hassinger, of New Belgium, says it may be a while. The initial rollout is for Colorado, she said. Expect the canned Fat Tire there next month.

However, if you’re looking for first-rate craft beer in cans, there’s hope from a couple of directions. As I said last week, 21st Amendment, San Francisco, has contracted with Cold Spring Brewing, Cold Spring, MN. to produce its Live Free or Die IPA and  Hell or High Watermelon Wheat in cans. They’ll be in stores here in the Bay Area next month.

Meanwhile, Marty Jones of Oskar Blues, Lyons CO. says they’re looking for a Northern California distributor of their most excellent canned beer, Dale’s Pale Ale, 6.5 percent, 54 IBUs, Old Chub Scottish-Style Strong Ale, 8 pecent, 40 IBUs; and Gordon Double India Pale Ale, 8.5 percent, 85 IBUs.

Right now, Marty says, Stone Brewing, Escondido, distributes the beers in Southern California. But there’s no distributor up here. Oh my. We really are becoming a beer desert. Hey Morris, Bay Area Beverages, DBI, San Francisco, whomsoever. Please pick up Oskar Blues. Hear a beer drinker’s prayer.
Micro-canning’s been good for Oskar Blues. Marty says they’re opening a new 50 barrel brewery in nearby Longmont, CO and expect to produce 30,000 barrels of beer this year. Beer will still be brewed in Lyons (which is a wide spot in a narrow road 12 miles west), but it will be for their restaurant, he adds. “We’re also going to play around with some experimental beers there, some of which may end up in cans,” he says.