One of the blogs I follow is Food Gal, a blog about cooking, restaurants and food written by Carolyn Jung, who was Food Editor at the San Jose Mercury News before the most recent round of layoffs and buyouts. This week, she notes, there’s a new restaurant in San Francisco:

    New And Fishy

May 1st, 2008
From the team with the golden touch responsible for Town Hall and Salt House (both in San Francisco), now comes Anchor & Hope, a new fish house.

Located at 83 Minna St. in San Francisco, Anchor & Hope is the brainchild of the Brothers Rosenthal (chefs Mitchell and Stephen) and their best bud and front-of-the-house maestro, Doug Washington. …. READ MORE…

I was curious, so I went to the restaurant site and, of course,  Anchor and Hope
has an extensive wine list, conveniently posted on line. Nothing about beer.  So I scanned the menu and found Guinness Battered Skate Wing (skate is a fish that figures in a lot of famous dishes.) Hmm. So I e-mailed the restaurant. Do you have a beer list I asked?  Do they ever:

Draft: Drop Top Amber Ale, Anchor Steam Porter

Bottles: Alaskan Summer (Kolsch), Scrimshaw Pilsner, Franziskaner,  Alagash White , Czechvar (the Czech Republic Budvar Budweiser), Session Premium Lager (Full Sail),  St. Peters Organic English Ale 500m.

Firestone ‘Union Jack’ IPA, Dogfishead 90 min IPA, Stone IPA, Fullers ESB, Fisher Blonde Flip Top 650m, Duvel, Tremens Delerium, La Choffe, Deschutes ‘Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

Unibroue ‘La Fin de Monde’, St. Bernardus Tripel, Rogue ‘Dead Guy Ale’, Lost Coast Downtown Brown, Wolavers Brown, Three Philosophers, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Ole’ Rasputtin, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout 500mL, Duchesse De Bourgogne.

Prices are middle-of-the-road, entrees in the low $20 range. Not cheap, but obviously a place to go with someone special. One question. They have great beer. Why in the hell don’t they advertise it?

Photo:
Credit: Gail Williams

The brewers and friends, left-right, Vic Kralj, proprietor, The Bistro, Hayward, CA.’; Rod Tod, Allagash, Portland, ME., Adam Avery, Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO.; Tomme Arthur, Port Brewing-The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA., Vinnie Ciluzo, Russian River, Santa Rosa, CA. and Cynthia Kralj. Not pictured, he’s hidden behind Cynthia, is Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head, Milton, DE.

Beer dinner puts the spotlight on barrel-aged beer

I couldn’t attend what, no doubt, was one of the stellar beer dinners of the year, in San Francisco last Sunday, April 20, 2008: Beer Chef Bruce Paton’s Dinner with the Brewmasters: Five Guys and a Barrel dinner at the Cathedral Hill Hotel.

Fortunately, Gail Williams and Steve Shapiro, the intrepid creators of beerbybart.com, the Web site that shows one how to get to most every decen beer venue in the Bay Area by BART, Caltrain, bus and foot, did go and furnish this account.

Gail took the photo above and has more on her Flickr site.
At my suggestion, they went through the courses one by one. Take over the reporting now Gail and Steve:

This was a remarkable event, created by “the beer chef, Bruce Paton,” last week… “Five Guys and a Barrel” a dinner featuring Allagash White, Russian River Blind Pig IPA,Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA , Avery The Maharaja, Allagash Interlude, Russian River Supplication, Port Brewing Cuvee de Tomme , Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Avery The Beast Grand Cru, Lost Abbey Older Viscosity, then a toast with the intensely sour rustic concoction the brewers of all of the above blended after a trip to Belgium together — “Isabelle Proximus”

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre Selection
Allagash White and Russian River Blind Pig

Hors D’Oeuvre — included three intense little soups, two in small glasses and one in white Chinese soup spoons — the artichoke and mushroom was a delectable wonder to behold. beers were Allagash White is a very approachable refreshing beer to have with food… andVinnie’s Russian River Blind Pig — ok, not a lot to say except that this is still my favorite IPA on the planet, not to be dethroned by the lovely IPAs to come..

First Course
Citrus Cured Curraun Blue Sea Trout with Accoutrements
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Avery The Maharaja

It was really amazing, sea trout is a form of salmon and it was served with little dabs of sauce. It was a wonderful palate of flavors. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA - a delightful unexpected nutty flavor came thru in
the double IPA in this pairing,

Avery The Maharaja — more floral, perhaps better with the salmon-like dish at hand and the delicious smattering of sauces and roe.

Second Course
Selection of Artisanal Cheeses with House Made Condiments
Allagash Interlude and Russian River Supplication

Both beers were fabulous. And as we ate the brewers were telling stories about their trip to Belgium. Lots of fol de rol and guy stuff. Three amazing cheeses — We’d love to find out what they were.

Allagash Interlude was the more delicate and seductive of these two complex and interesting sour beers, and now I’d try it with any flavorful cheese.

Russian River Supplication was much bolder and more rustic … it did sort of pray for or even demand my full attention, so the name makes more sense to me now. For me, in each course there was a closely paired beer, and an odd couple that sort of triangulated off of the more tightly paired beer. This was an awesome effect.

Third Course
A Study in Duck
Port Brewing Cuvee de Tomme
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Various forms of duck including a seasoned”duck ham” with Port Brewing Cuvee de Tomme — the room adored hearing Tomme say “cuvee de me” and Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron — made in a rare incense-like jungle wood container. It’s fascinating that wood is becoming so important in craft beers. Our table loudly wished he’d said “cuvee do moi” but had no complaints with the pairing.

Fourth Course
Warm Chocolate Mocha Cake with Blood Orange Sabayon and Fig Syrup
Avery The Beast Grand Cru
Lost Abbey Older Viscosity

Steve: The Older Viscoscity was wonderful It worked so well with the chocolate. Just a beautiful pairing. They were counterpoints to each other.

Gail: Was that delicious! Avery The Beast Grand Cru — this was the beer I’d have had if I had
skipped dessert, but the Lost Abbey Older Viscosity completely went with the chocolate and citrus — this pairing was one of those amazing combos that knocked both of us out of the park. Again, The Beast became the counterpoint for me.

The final toast
Isabelle Proximus

Gail: Isabelle Proximus is the 5 guys beer — five American brewmasters who play at a high level with Belgian beer styles went to Belgium and brought back some magical mystery bacteria! There’s something so amusing and delightful about the concept.

Isabelle Proximus is complex, intense — tough after the sweet course, but quite the experience! thank goodness I’ve been letting Vinnie, Tomme and all the guys educate my palate in this direction… this was no beginner’s Belgian… It was demanding but terrific. Hooray for five guys plus Bruce!

Steve: There were a number of sour beers. It was a treat. It gave us such a wide diversity of beer styles, big and sweet, intense and sour.

Post dinner: Afterward we went to the hotel bar in order to leave with Blind Pig on the palate. The fact that that beer is nearly always availble from the hotel bar puts the Cathedral Hill Hotel at Van Ness and Geary on the mental map of SF beer fans.

Final note from me: Except for Isabel Proximus, every one of these beers can be purchased here in the Bay Area. Don’t know where? E-mail me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net and ask for our 2008 Northern California Retail Beer Store List. Bruce Paton has lots more dinners coming. Sign up for his e-mail list here.

A gigantic, utterly succulent and delicious pastrami sandwich at The Refuge San Carlos, CA. This humungous baby cost $12 and worth every penny, especially when paired with a flagon of St. Bernardus Abt 12., just one of the beers from The Refuge’s well-stocked cellar.

Photo: Matthew Sumner, San Mateo County Times

IF YOU LIKE GREAT BEER AND REALY GREAT pastrami, the kind one usually can find only in New York City, then crank up hupmobile and go to the The Refuge, 963 Laurel St. in San Carlos. Where’s that? It’s on the San Francisco peninsula. Check out the map.

Prorprietor Matt Levin makes the pastrami and stocks his cooler with some of the best Belgian beer available anywhere.

Here’s Bay Area News Group Food Editor Nick Boer’s review…

Pastrami impossible: Fine dining redefined

By Nicholas Boer
Staff writer
Article Launched: 04/18/2008 12:11:05 AM PDT

For anyone other than our readers in San Mateo, it might seem like a stretch to suggest a trip to San Carlos for a sandwich. After all the (totally killer) Reuben is $16, and you need to factor in $8 for a drink, a few bucks for a tip, and another $20 for five gallons of gas (the trip took 50 miles from my workplace in Walnut Creek; slightly less back home to Livermore). If you’re in for a bite, you’re in for $50.

But this is more than a meal. It’s a rich cultural experience. The pastrami, thick hand-carved slices, rivals any found on my deli tour of New York City. The Belgian beer selection is also second to none. The 20 French wines by the glass cover tantalizing ground. There are Jewish classics — sparked by a chef’s fresh imagination — such as chopped liver and chicken noodle soup. Alongside regional favorites such as cheesesteak sandwiches, you’ll find European cheeses and charcuterie. You can order a Single with Cheese ($12) after your Sauteed Foie Gras ($16). Or have a Cobb Salad ($10) and a Creme Brulee ($6).
If this seems jarring, off-kilter “… Welcome to the Refuge. Read more…

Here’s my take on the beer…

THE BEER: The Refuge is definitely not light lager land, and that’s fortunate. The food here tends toward rich and mildly spicy, and you need a beer with legs to match the intensity of the food.

Fortunately, there’s an awesome list of Belgian beers that pairs nicely, especially with the pastrami. Two that worked well were St. Bernardus ABT 12 and Duchesse de Bourgogne (and you thought wines had complex names). St. Bernardus ($9) is great beer: huge, creamy, long-lasting head, a spicy nose with hints of herbs, chocolate and vanilla. But be cautious, it’s strong: 10.5 percent, double the strength of an ordinary lager.

The Duchesse ($9) — Duchess of Burgundy in English — is totally different. It’s a mildly sour Flemish brown ale. There’s an initial hit of sweetness with a sour edge that grows in intensity. It’s a nice counterpoint to the rich sweetness of the pastrami. Those are just two of the 14 excellent beers on offer. The management serves free two-ounce samplers, so try a variety.
-

Late note: adding two more items…meet the brewer at The Trappist, SF Brewer’s Guild monthly sesssion

OK, I lag when it comes to calendar items. Hell, I was nearly late to my own wedding _ I was in San Pablo trying to strike a deal with the Salvadoran proprietor of a damaged goods store for a sports coat. This is truth. Twenty five years ago I was a free-lancer just back from Mexico and had no money. I got a deal and wore the sports coat for many years. And I got to the wedding with two hours to spare.

All right. Here we go. Got additions. Post ‘em here or shoot me an e-mail at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net

Saturday, April 12 Hop Rhizome Festival, Bistro, 1001 B. St. Hayward. 11a.m. until. Proprietor Vic Kralj will have a lengthy list of hoppy beers on tap, plus live music and barbeque all day. He’s also selling hop rhizomes at a nominal cost. Take some home and “grow your own.:” The Bay Area once was a big hop-growing region, but an infection spread through the hop fields and the last commercial hop fields — in Sonoma County — were plowed over in the 1940s. See you there! Info: www.the-bistro.com.

April 12, 2 p.m. Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Building Store 1 Ferry Building, #42. San Francisco, CA 94111 Book signing, demonstrations, by He Said Beer, She Said Wine authors Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewing, Milton DE. and Marnie Old, director of wine studies at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. I caught them at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver last year. It’s quite a demonstration. Check out my interview with the authors and a couple of recipes in the San Jose Mercury News.

The book is absolutely excellent, discusses pairing both wine and beer with all kinds of food. Wine likes fatty food, beer can handle heat. I kind of sort of knew that, but now I really understand the concept.

April 1t, 6 - 9 p.m., Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, 1195A Evans Ave., San Francisco, CA. Meet the Brewers, San Francisco Brewers Guild, 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.

April 16-19 Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America, San Diego, CA,.this ends with announcement of the World Beer Cup winners, beers submitted by brewers around the world in many categories. Like the GABF, this Brewer’s Association event is professionally judgeed in blind tastings.

April 20, - Brewmasters’ Dinner: Five Guys and a Barrel featuring Russian River, Port Brewing, Avery, Allagash and Dogfish Head, Cathedral Hill Hotel, San Francisco, CA. - SOLD OUT.

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

April 21, 6 - 11 p.m. <strong>The Trappist - Meet the Brewer</strong>
The Trappist, 460 8th Street, Oakland CA 94607 Bee and Cold Plate pairing with <a href=”http://www.allagash.com/”>Allagash Brewing Company</a>
Founder & Brewer Rob Tod. This is a “Private” event and only 25
tickets will be sold. MAY BE SOLD OUT.

April 23, 6:30 p.m., Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner, Sacramento Brewing, Town and Country Village, 2713 El Paseo Lane, Sacramento, CA, $50. Five courses. Reservations: 916-485-4677.

April 25-26, 4th Annual Oregon Garden Craft Brewfest, Oregon Garden, Silverton, OR. Friday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., $10. Includes food and live music. Participating breweries include Rogue Ales, Siletz Brewing Company, Lost Coast Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Pelican Pub & Brewery, and Ram Restaurant & Brewery, as well as Fox Barrel Cider Company and Vitis Ridge Winery. Live music includes the Joe McMurrian Quartet with Jimmy Bott; Ty Curtis; John Koonce; Lloyd Jones; J.R. Sims & the Texas Special; and Franko and the Stingers. Info: (503) 874-8100.

April 26, Smithsonian, Washington D.C. , Behind the Barley Smithsonian Seminar with Jim Koch, (Boston Beer, Sam Adams), Paul Shipman (Redhook) and Charles Finkel, founder of Merchant du Vin and proprietor Pike Street Brewing. Info: www.residentassociates.org

April 26 25th annual San Francisco International Beer Festival, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA. This three-hour-long, (7-10 p.m.), $60 benefit at Fort Mason for a small private nursey school, Telegraph Hill Cooperative Nursery School, is sold out, the Web site says. Oh well. Always another fest, huh.
www.sfbeerfest.com

\

A recent Pleasanton Hotel dinner featuring the beers of Lagunitas.

April 30, 7 p.m., New Belgium Brewmaster’s Dinner, Pleasanton Hotel Restaurant, 855 Main St., Pleasanton, $50. Info: 925.846-8106. The hotel’s talented young chef pairs New Belgium’s eclectic beers with several courses.

Here’s the menu:

Frito Misto of calamari, rock shrimp and tilapia
with banana pepper butter sauce
Paired with Mothership WIT Organic Wheat Beer

Italian Sausage Calzone on balsamic dressed greens
Paired with Blue Paddle Pilsener

Fat Tire Marinated Bistro Filet on boursin whipped potatoes with broccolini and carrot-fat tire reduction
Paired with Fat Tire Amber Ale

Arugula Dressed with Goat Cheese-1554 Vinaigrette,
Herb marinated artichoke hearts and croutons
Paired with 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale

Pear and Apple Crisp ala mode with trippel caramel sauce.
Paired with Trippel Belgium Style Ale
www.pleasantonhotel.com

May 10, Oregon Micro Brew Festival, Corvallis, OR
www.oregonwi.com/events/events.cfm

May 10 Boonville Beer Festival, Boonville, CA 707-895-BEER www.avbc.com. This one is a lot of fun. You can camp out overnight. Beers from many craft brewers, live music. It’s a hoot. More info to come.

May 11, 3-5 p.m., Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa St., Sonoma, CA. Conversation With William Brand., and Northern California brewers, $20. Includes cheese and beer tasting, beers, cheese selected by Sheana Davis, The Epicurean Connection. Reservations: 707-938-4626. More about this to come.

It may be too late, but probably there’s still time to sign up for what promises to be a magnificent beer dinner at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco.

The host, Beer Chef Bruce Paton calls this Dinner With the Brewmasters: Five Guys and a Barrel. It might be called From hops to Belgium and back.

Consider the five guys: Rod Todd, Allagash, Portland, ME; Adam Avery, Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO.; Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head, Milton, DE; Tomme Arthur, Port Brewing/Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA.; and Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River, Santa Rosa, CA.

The date is Sunday, April 20, 6:30 p.m. Cost $95. For reservations, go to www.beer-chef.com. Hint: Do it now. This baby’s gonna’ sell out.

Here’s the menu:

THE BEER CHEF
Presents
Dinner with the Brewmasters
Sunday April 20, 2008
The Cathedral Hill Hotel
Featuring
Five Guys and a Barrel
Allagash, Avery, Dogfish Head, Lost Abbey and Russian River

Reception
6:30 PM
Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre Selection

Allagash White and Russian River Blind Pig

Dinner
7:30PM
First Course
Citrus Cured Curraun Blue Sea Trout with Accoutrements

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Avery The Maharaja

Second Course
Selection of Artisanal Cheeses with House Made Condiments

Allagash Interlude and Russian River Supplication

Third Course
A Study in Duck

Port Brewing Cuvee de Tomme and Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Fourth Course
Warm Chocolate Mocha Cake with Blood Orange Sabayon and Fig Syrup

Avery The Beast Grand Cru and Lost Abbey Older Viscosity

Toast
Isabelle Proximus

$95 per Person Inclusive of Tax and Gratuity
Please Make Reservations by April 10, 2008
At www.beer-chef.com
Bruce D. Paton CEC
Executive Chef

Well, it’s St. Patrick’s Day _ a day that all of us our Irish. Stout originated in Ireland as a ramped-up porter and thanks, I’m sure, to the worldwide reach of of Guinness, it’s become the trademark drink on St. Patrick’s Day.

Internet cooks have also been busy. Lucy Saunders, who has written a series of very excellent beer cookbooks, contributes a recipe for Fudge Stout Brownies and the Web site, BigCitylittlekitchen.com weighs in with a recipe for Guinness Stout Cupcakes.

Lucy also wrote an article in the Sunday, March 8, 2008 Milwaukee Journal.

Do American craft brewers turn green with envy as St. Patrick’s Day approaches and imported Irish stout (one well-known brand in particular) takes over taps across the country?

Not a chance.

Thanks to a dizzying assortment of specialties, you can toast the luck o’ the Irish with a dozen different styles of stout. Choose a cherry stout (Bell’s Brewery), an oatmeal stout (Sand Creek Brewing Co.), a coffee stout (Lakefront Brewery), a chocolate stout (Rogue Ales) or even a hybrid such as a bourbon barrel-aged oatmeal stout (Founders Brewing Co.). And that’s just the tip of the stout selection.

But it’s the style known as Imperial stout that is hugely popular - and perhaps an imperiled style as well. READ MORE…

Here’s the Fudge Stout Brownie Recipe,…

Recipe adapted from “The Best of American Beer & Food: Pairing and Cooking with Craft Beer,” by Lucy Saunders (Brewers Publications, $22.95, available at www.amazon.com).

Makes 16 fudgy brownies
Butter to coat pan

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coffee stout (see note)

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

¾ cup sifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts (such as macadamia, pecans or walnuts) (optional)
Suggested pairing: Coffee stout or Imperial stout
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch metal baking pan by buttering it well and dusting the inside with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt the ½ cup butter over low heat. Add chopped chocolate, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool to lukewarm (still liquid but not hot).

Stir in sugars and mix well 1 minute. In large measuring cup, beat together 2 eggs, yolks, vanilla, stout and whiskey until smooth. Sift flour with salt into a separate bowl. Stir stout mixture into saucepan in thirds, alternating with flour by 1/3 cupfuls, and stirring after each addition until batter is just blended. Stir in nuts if desired. Do not overbeat.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven about 1 hour. Let cool to lukewarm before slicing. Use a knife dipped in warm water and wiped clean with each slice (otherwise, because of the very fudgy texture, the brownies will clump).

Note: Coffee stouts are made by breweries across North America, but if you can’t find one, substitute 2 ounces sweet stout mixed with 1 ounce brewed espresso.

Photos: Guinness Stout Cupcaskes, from www.bigcitylittlekitchen.com. Green beer photo — not Stout from www.brewboard.com

The Publick House in Brookline, Mass.

JUST BEFORE I WENT TO BOSTON this week, thanks to Jay Brooks at Brookston Beer Bulletin I found an article on Forbestraveler.com listing their fix on the best 10 beer bars in the U.S. Their number three was in Brookline, which is next to Boston: Publick House and Monk’s Cell. (The net link isn’t working. See below for address etc.)

So I checked it out. I’ll give it a modified Wow!

I don’t know if it’s really the third-best beer bar in America. I’ve not visited many of the bars on the list, only the Toronado, of course, and Falling Rock in Denver and Hopleaf Bar in Chicago. I’ve heard so much about the Brickskeller in Washington, D.C. and Brouwer’s Cafe in Seattle, that I’m sure they definitely belong. Keeping all those in mind, the Public House fits in well.

First, the list is wrong. It’s the Publick House. They’ve just opened a Belgian beer bar next door. That’s the Monk’s Cell. They’re also about to open a “gourmet grocery” and retail beer store as well. Unfortunately, the Monk’s Cell is closed on Monday and there I was on Monday.

It didn’t matter. There’s no way they could have more Belgian beers next door than they did here. Like I said, wow.

The Publick House is large only in comparison to the Trappist in Oakland or the Toronado: two medium-sized rooms, long bar with many taps on the left, a few tables, walls filled with beer signs. Step down one step to the dining area, which is filled with candelit, bare wood tables, including a couple of long, community tables. Beacon Street’s the main drag from downtown Boston to Brookline, with the T (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Agency) Green Line Trains running down the center. The pub’s large windows looking out onto (on this day, snowy) Beacon Street are lined with tables. The windows boast Lagunitas and Allagash neon signs. There’s a Chimay sign just like the one outside the Toronado.

It’s a warm friendly place and even at 7 p.m. on a cold, Monday night, the place was nearly full, lots of 20-something to 40-somethngs. I sat at a community table and chatted with somebody who sat near me. The bottled beer list was impressive and ran several pages. Westvleteran Tripel, the world classic Trappist ale, was listed and the waiter said they he thought they had it. But at $25, I skipped it. They also had an extensive list of Jolly Pumpkin Artesianal Ales, also in bottles, each for $20. The Pumpkin (Dexter, MI.) is easily one of America’s most unusual craft breweries. I had tried several of their beers last fall at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, so I passed.

Consulting the on-tap list, I counted 29 beers” La Chouffe and McChouffe, four from Allagash, three from Unibroue, Chimay Blue on the “There” list. On the “Here” list there were some familiar names, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin’ and Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye.

I ordered Victory Baltic Thunder, 8.5 percent, from Victory, the Downington, PA. brewer of spectacular beers. Great choice: It’s an inky brown, with a skiff of foam. But the glass was cold, so being polite in a strange land, I waited a bit for the beer to warm. In the interim I ordered moulles et frites (mussels and fries, the traditional Belgian fare).

When the beer warmed, it had a enticing, roast malt nose. The taste was quite complex. This is a beer of some real depth. Roasted barley, black malt with a tang of hops in the finish and a teasing lactic note. I give it ***1/2.

The food was very slow to arrive. But I didn’t care. Warmed by the Baltic Thunder, I ordered a Belgian classic: Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueze ($17) from Beersel, south of Brussels. It came with a dry, not cold, Belgian chalice. This is a champion Lambic blend: mildly sour nose “eau d’barnyard. It’s an unfiltered, hazy copper with a head of thick white foam that quickly fades. The initial taste had a bit of malt presence, with a mounting sourness.

Then the mussels arrived. There was a choice of several different beers to cook the mussels in; I chose Allagash Wit, the spicy, wheat. They came in a large pot, the cooking fluid still at the bottom, topped with melted cheese, which they could have skipped.

But mussels was a perfect choice. The seafood saltiness of the mussels eased the sourness of the Gueze, bringing out the malt. I give the combination *****, world classic. Oude Gueze gets ****, a true champion. Mussels get ***, they could have skipped the fancy topping. Fries were OK. This is a place to remember and come back again and again.

The Publick House
1648 Beacon St
Brookline, MA 02445
(617) 277-2880

Last note: The next morning at the Sam Adams tasting, I asked the other tasters, all from greater Boston about their recommendations. They all agreed the Publick House is a champ. The Alstrom brothers, Jason and Todd, (beeradvocate.com) who were on the panel, listed Deep Ellum number two and perhaps Sunset Grill & Tap, which they said boasts 112 taps. Gotta try them both, next time _ if I can tear myself away from the Publick House.

Calendar: There’s a bevy of beer events coming up soon. Consider these:

– Friday, March 21, Dinner by Beer Chef Bruce Paton featuring beers of Green Flash Brewing, Vista, CA. Cahtedral Hill Hotel, San Francisco. Info: www.beer-chef.com.

– Wednesday, March 26, Dinner by chef Chris Smith featuring beers of North Coast Brewing. Pleasanton Hotel, Pleasanton. Info: (925) 846-8106, e-mail: dining@pleasantonhotel.com

– Saturday, April 12, Hop Rhizome Beer Festival, Bistro, 1001 B. St, Hayward, CA. Proprietor Vic Kralj will have a lengthy list of hoppy beers on tap, plus live music and barbeque all day. He’s also selling hop rhizomes at a nominal cost. Take some home and “grow your own.:” The Bay Area once was a big hop-growing region, but an infection spread through the hop fields and the last commercial hop fields — in Sonoma County — were plowed over in the 1940s. Info: www.the-bistro.com.

– Sunday, April 20 - Bruce Paton dinner: Five Guys and a Barrel featuring Russian River, Port Brewing, Avery, Allagash and Dogfish Head, Cathedral Hill Hotel. Note: Reserve now, This one will sell out. www.beer-chef.com.

– Wednesday, April 30, Chris Smith dinner with New Belgium beers. Pleasanton Hotel. e-mail: dining@pleasantonhotel.com

OK, I’m not exactly a model suburanite and when I go to Pleasanton for dinner, outside of a couple of places, I don’t expect to find much in the way of beer, except maybe Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada, which have (thankfully) become ubiquitous in the San Francisco Bay Area. So how about this: Saturday night, trying out a brand new restaurant, Eddie Papa’s American Hangout, 4889 Hopyard Road in Pleasanton and I was able to order a glass of Firestone Walker Union Jack on tap. Whew. This beer is the new 8 percent, 70 IBU India Pale Ale from Firestone Walker. I’m writing about it in my column this Wednesday. What a beer to have on tap.

Besides Union Jack, they had Anchor Steam, Pabst Blue Ribbon and EJ Phair American Wheat on tap. In bottles, there’s a long list, including Ommegang Hennepin, Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout, Mendocino Red Tail Ale, Trumer Pils, Deschutes Mirror Pond Ale, Bear Republic Racer 5, Moylan’s Hopsickle, New Belgium 1554 Black Ale, Laguinitas Censored and Black Diamond Blonde Ale.

The only light beer is Sam Adams Light.

The restaurant is near the entrance to the gigantic Hacienda Business Park. It was last some kind of chain seafood restaurant that went belly-up. The two partners are Neil Marquis, formerly the chef at the Pleasanton Hotel, and Edward Westmoreland. Their idea is a restaurant with a reasonably priced menu featuring many American classics like Southern Fried Chicken, $13; Fisherman’s Wharf Crab Bisque, $8.50 for a bowl; Classic Wedge, $8, enree size, $11, Wisconsin Sausage Platter, $13, and New York Delmonico Steak, $26, to list a few.

It’s a spacious, airy place, hanging paper lanterns, white table cloths, utterly un-chain-like, except for the view of a parking lot — drapes to come, I’m guessing.

Full disclosure here. Neil and Edward asked me (along with many others, I’m sure) for input on the beer list. So some of the beers on the list are my suggestions and no doubt others as well. My wife and I were their guests along with at least 100 other people for a “staff training” night on Saturday.

The restaurant opens today.

My favorite line of the night, an older guy, Norman Daniels, of Pleasanton, sitting near us, ordered Bud Light. Told they didn’t have it, he settled for Union Jack. So I walked over and asked him how it was. He liked it, he said with a smile. He was also shocked when I told him it was 8 percent, much stronger (and tastier) than a 5 percent Bud Light.

Trying to get a photo for the blog, I found a nice looking family at a corner table. They were drinking wine, well, the adults were. Talking to them, I found out why. They were drinking their own wine. Michael Katz makes wine commercially in Pleasanton with grapes from the Livermore Valley. Michael and his wife, Alicia, were drinking their own Cabernet. They’re excused.

About the beer. Frankly, the restaurant biz is tough and competitive and my only connection was as a dishwasher in several restaurants and as a frycook in one (Hamburger Haven, Virginia Beach, VA.) when I was a kid. Other restaurant people have asked me for input on beer, but I’ve rarely seen my suggestions followed. What the hell, Bud Light sells, doesn’t it. But Neil had been doing beer dinners at the Pleasanton Hotel for a couple of years and he likes and cares about beer, obviously.

The food was excellent. I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken (my mom’s from Texas), which came with a Deep South and a Bay Area twist: Boneless chicken breast, breaded, deep-fried, covered in gravy (That’s Deep South, not West Texas). Done perfectly, although boneless chicken was a bit shocking to me. It was Petaluma free range chicken and came with Neil’s trademark mashed potatoes, which I, unfortuantely know, are literally infused with butter. Damn good.

My wife, a Chicago native, ordered the Wedge, a large wedge of “iceberg lettuce with apple wood bacon, dried cherries, toasted almonds, slivered red onions, Maytag Blue crumbles and San Francisco’s Green Goddess dressing.” She also raved about the original softdrinks, which included her childhood favor, Green River. They also had Bubble Up and Orange Crush.

Photos: Top, interior view of the new restaurant. Middle, The Katz Famil, Mitchel and Alicia Katz with sons Scott, Jackson and Wesley. Michael makes wine commercially in Pleasanton with grapes from the Livermore Valley, naturally. Below: My glass of Firestone Walker Union Jack, fresh from the tap.

The group at my table at Bruce Paton’s Belgian Beer and Chocolate Dinner Friday night (Feb. 15, 2008) at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco, left - right: Mike Agngelmann, Oakland, Leah Papandrea, Albany, NY, Jon and Cyndy Wolfenbarger, of San Francisco, and Andy Altman-Ohr. Cropped out of the photo by mistake, Mike Goodbar, Berkeley, and Danielle Schumacher, Oakland.
Photo: William Brand

IF YOU’VE NEVER ATTENDED one of Bruce Paton’s beer dinners at the Cathedral Hill Hotel, plan to do so soon. Over the past five years – he’s up to 60 dinners or so at the moment – dinners have gotten more and more sophisticated. You can sign up for the next dinner here.

Last night’s Belgian Beer and Chocolate Dinner was, well, very damn fine: About 150 diners at this sold-out, $90 a plate dinner, candlelit tables, quiet, efficient service, each beer served in its proper glass, along with some very fancy food.

The best part of these dinners is the people who attend. I went with a friend who’s a sportswriter at The Tribune; we wound up sitting with a table full of like-minded people. It’s fun swapping good beer places, beers to look for and trading opionions of the pairings.

There was ‘nary a discoutaging word last night. A four star evening.

Each course was paired with beers imported by Artisanal Imports, hors d’oeuvres, seved with Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet and Urthel Hop-It. I made a mistake and tried the Tripel first. Nice beeer: big, malty nose, full mouth feel, great follow. Tried it with a lobster-chocolate bisque served in a glass. Great.

Trouble was that made it difficult to even taste the Hop-It, which is a fairly hoppy Belgian beer, following a recipe devised by Hildegard van Ostaden, one of Belgium’s few female brewers (should I say “brewsters”). She got the idea for a hoppy beer, unusual in modern Belgium, after a tour of West Coast breweries a couple of years ago.

You can find the whole menu on line at Bruce Paton’s Web site. I’ll just hit the high points.

I give many points to the third course: Braised Creekstone Farms Angus Short Rib with sweet potato flan and dark chocolate ancho chile jus. The course was paired with De Koningshoeven Quadrupel***++, the powerful, xx percent ale from one of six Trappist abbeys that brew beer commercially and the only one in Holland.

The short rib braised with the chile-chocolate sauce was melt-in-the=mouth tender. What a pairing, the beer’s got a herbal nose, starts sweet and finishes with a warming hit of alcohol. The meat and the beer married perfectly, creating a magnificicent taste sensation. It was so good that I’m going to ask Bruce Paton for the recipe, buy some Quadrupel and try the pairing again some rainy night ahead. Talk about winter warmers. Wild.

The fourth course, or desert, was a quartette of different kinds of chocolate paired with Urthel Samaranth. This is an 11.5 percent, massive, Belgian also from Hildegard van Ostaden. When she was here last year Hildegard told us the beer’s made at Koningshoeven under contract. It’s the brewery where she worked when she met her husband, Bas, who handles the marketing end of their small, but mighty company.

It was a perfect beer to sip with an assortment of chocolates, providing a warming accent to the sweet chocolate. Another great Bruce Paton dinner.

Photo: Beer, above right, is Urthel Samaranth.