My question is – can we in the esteemed Bay Area do as well?  So, if you know a place with great beer or – since we’re talking shopping malls – a decent beer list beyond Bud Miller Coors & Blah, post it here or, if you’re shy, shoot me an email at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net and I’ll post it.

SunValley in Concord (CA) is the nearest mall to where I live and honestly, I can’t think of a single pub worth visiting, except EJ Phair’s Ale House, which is about a mile away.  Tell me I’m wrong, so the next time I stuck waiting on family members to shop I’ll have more to do than peruse the tires in the Sears Automotive Center. Don’t believe SunValley has a Victoria’s Secret, but I’d have to enter the depths of the place to find out.

Is there beer like this in a mall in the Bay Area?

Jug Shop, 1590 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, CA 94109, (415) 885-2922  is holding two Christmas beer tastings this Friday and Saturday. This is a high end wine shop that also stocks some great beer:

• The first tasting on Friday will feature imports from Belgium, Austria and Germany. We’ll have 10 of these open, including brews from Brasserie Dupont, Scaldis, Gouden Carolus, Delirium, St. Bernardus, De Glazen Toren, Samiclaus and Pinkus. Then on Saturday, we’ll showcase 14 winter beers from domestic craft brew stars such as He’Brew, Moylans, Marin Brewing Company, Shipyard, Avery, Deschutes, New Belgium, Anchor and Wandering Aengus. Tasting fee for each event is $15 per person. Helmets are optional.
• Jingle Beer Part I - The Imports, Friday, December 5th, 6pm to 8pm $15 per person
• Jingle Beer Part II - The Domestics, Saturday, December 6th, 5pm to 7pm $15 per person

Celebrate Prohibition Repeal Friday, Dec. 5, at Triple Rock Brewery, 1920 Shatuck Ave., Berkeley. Jesse Sarinana, Triple Rock’s GM, sent this note:

• We tap our Pre-Prohibition Mild Ale that we brewed to commemorate the repeal of the 18th amendment. It finished out at 4.6% a.b.v. and is aptly named RepeALE.  We are going to be throwing a theme party here at Triple Rock on Friday, 12/5 and will be turning the back part of the bar into a sealed off speakeasy complete with a password that will be given out on our website and at the bar the day of the party…

Here in the Bay Area we no longer have a corner on the good beer world. Consider the beer list at the Barrel-Aged Beer Festival at Brouwer’s Cafe in Seattle today.  Thanks to Alan Moum for the list.
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• Allagash Curieux Jim Beam Barrel aged Tripel, ,Avery Vogelbekdieren,, Bamburger Doppelbock in a Wood Furkin tapped   @ 6pm,  Baron Bourbon barrel Aged Doppelbock,  Beersel Oude 3yr Lambic,, Big Sky Ivan The Terrible Jim Beam Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, , Big Sky Bourbon aged MDX, ,Big Time Dance Floor, ,Boundary Bay Wood aged Cabin Fever,, Bridgeport Ravenmad Imperial Porter.
• Cantillon Vigneron, Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise ‘03, ,Cascade Moutan Rouge, Deschuttes Abyss 07, Deschuttes Abyss 08,  Deschuttes Black Butte xx, , Dicks Wood aged IPA CASK,  Dogfish Head Palo Santo, Duchesse De Bourgogne Flanders Sour Red, Echt Krieken Bier,  Elysian Bitch in a Barrel,  Flyers Oak Aged Bottleworks VIII Imperial Scotch Ale,  Full Sail Imperial Bourbon Porter, , Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood,

• Hair of the Dog Jim (Fred, Adam, and Doggie Claws, with German Pilsner and Belgian Triple), Hale’s something? (probably brandy barrel wee heavy), ,Ichtegrams Flemish Red, Iron Horse Oaked Belgian Black Ale,  Laughing Dog Dog Father, Lost Abbey Angel’s Share 2007,  Maritime Rum Aged Jolly,  Monks Café Sour Brown,  New Belgium Erics Ale Sour Peach,  Northern Lights Jack Daniels…, Pike Entire,  Port Townsend Nitro French Oak Makers Mark Porter,  Port Townsend Nitro American Oak Scotch ale,  Ram Nitro Bourbon Vanilla Porter,

• Rodenbach Grand Cru Belgian Sour Ale,  Rogue Issaquah Oak Aged Quad Frog, Russian River Deviation,  Schooner Exact Hoppy Woodsman, Sierra Nevada Oak Aged Scotch Ale,  Skagit Oak Aged Trumpeter Imperial Stout,  Stone Oak Aged Bastard,  Stone Brandy Barrel Aged Double Bastard,  and several Special Surprises

Events: Tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 3.,  Deschutes “Abyss” Night, Toronado, 547 Haight St., San Francisco. 6 p.m. until closing. No admission, pay for your beer. Abyss Imperial Stout ‘08, the stony, blended, barrel-aged beast, will be on tap. They’ll also have the Deschutes ‘07 and Deschutes ‘08 in bottles.

Wednesday, Dec. 3,  6 p.m. The Sweet and Bitter, Beer & Chocolate tasting,  hosted by Sheana Davis, Epicurean Connection, Rogue Ales Public House, 673 Union St., San Francisco, $40 for Rogue Nation members, $45 others. (Go to Rogue.com to become a member. It’s free.)  Doors open at 6 p.m.,  tasting from 6:30-8:30.  Reservations: 415-362-7880, e-mail:  cheryl@rogue.com

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. Repeal Prohibition dinner, 21st Amendment Brewery, Rare seasonal beers, guest brewers and a five-course meal. $75. Reservations  415-369-0900

Friday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. Repeal Prohibition Parade (aka We Want Beer! March)
Parade begins at Justin Herman Plaza (1 Market Street)  with a full marching band and a coterie of revelers in 1930’s garb. Parade ends at 21st Amendment Brewery with a Repeal Prohibition celebration featuring a three-piece jazz band, special menu items, and a password-only speakeasy. Password retrieval instructions will be twittered. Admission is free: 415-369-0900  Note: We’re offering a $100 birthday bounty for people turning 21  on December 5, 2008. (They already have someone who will turn 75 on Dec. 5. Still looking for a 21-year-old.

Friday, Dec. 5, Saturday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., both days. The Trappist will have two  Christmas beer tastings on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. $25. No reservations. Pay at the door. Hint: come early. This one’s gonna’ be hot.

Also: Don’t forget Pacific Coast Brewing’s 20th annual Tasting of Holiday Beer, Saturday, Dec. 13, noon-4 p.m. $50. Reservations: 510-936-2739. Pacific Coast’s at 906 Washington St. in downtown Oakland.

If you live in Weed (California), you’ve gotta’ have a sense of humor about the name.  But the proprietor of Mt. Shasta Brewing got into a hassle with the Bushies in the federal government over this bottle cap slogan: Legal Weed. He won in court and now his beer is headed our way,  it’s gonna’ make an appearance Monday,  Dec. 15, at Pete’s Brass Rail in Danville (CA).

Here’s the list from Pete’s: Featured beers will be Mountain High IPA (Which, by the way, beat Racer 5 for Gold at the West Coast Brewer’s Festival in Sacramento this year!), Shastafarian Porter (Which, by the way, took Gold over Deschutes Black Butte Porter at last year’s WCBF!) & Abner Weed Amber Ale (Which, by the way, knocked the stuffing out of my last batch of homebrew!)…

Moving on… got this note from a regular blog poster…” Spotted three cases of The Abyss at BevMo on Geary, San Francisco.” Ahh great news when the mighty BevMo stocks an edgy beer. Curious about Abyss? Later today, I’m going to post my column, written earlier this year about how they made the beer. So hang on…or Google Abyss and William Brand.

And this comes from SBS Imports of Seattle, Washington:

• Bell’s Brewery has agreed to be the 2009 partner for the latest brew in the De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration Series. The yet to be designed beer will be brewed in March at De Proef in Lochristi, Belgium and released to the USA market in September 2009. The initial beer in the series was Signature Ale - originally brewed in 2007 with Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/Lost Abbey. Jason Perkins of Allagash collaborated in 2008 on Les Deux Brasseurs. Both beers have been exceptionally well-received by beer enthusiasts.

SBS Imports is  headed by one guy: Alan Shapiro. He brings in a long list of great beer and what is undoubtedly the best cider sold in America (excluding the handful of craft ciders made in small batches around the U.S.) That would be Aspall, which I highly recommend.

An English blogger and pub proprietor is running a beer photo contest in conjunction with a Canadian beer blogger. There are prizes, but unless you’re gonna’  be in London in the near future, it’s useless to enter  for the prizes. but some of the photos are pretty cool. I noticed lots of U.S. entries…see ‘em all here.  And read the blog, here.

Readers of this blog know I’m a BIG FAN of Thomas Hardy’s Ale, the stoney English barleywine. I’m not alone. Got this from a blog reader and big fan of Thomas Hardy’s:

• Just Google’d Thomas Hardy’s Ale, and read your review of a previous vintage. Thought you would enjoy this story…………
• I am a store manager for BevMo! In San Diego, and my son and his wife in Cleveland had identical twin boys this past February.  My son is corporate beverage director for Hyde Park Grille; a high end steakhouse chain based in Cleveland. He talked about how cool it would be to buy some great 2008 vintage wines when they come out, and lay them down for John & Julian’s 21st birthday in 2029.
• I think you know where this is going… I called El Dorado, our distributor for Hardy’s, and got their LAST case of 2008 for my Grandsons.
• SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! John P.

Meanwhile, back in the annals of beer…As anyone who cares knows, the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition is Friday, Dec. 5. Here’s what the beer industry says:

Beer Industry Recognizes 75 Years of Post-Prohibition Brewing

WASHINGTON, DC – On Dec. 5, brewers, beer importers, and industry suppliers will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the national repeal of Prohibition.

The positive economic impact of Prohibition’s repeal was felt virtually immediately. More than 50,000 jobs were produced nationwide in brewing and related industries during the height of the Great Depression, and $25 million in economic activity was generated across the country in just the first 48 hours following repeal.  Since that time, the beer industry has grown exponentially into an economic force for America’s farmers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.

Directly and indirectly, the beer industry employs approximately 1.7 million Americans, paying them almost $55 billion in wages and benefits. The industry pays over $36 billion in business, personal and consumption taxes, including $5.2 billion in excise taxes and $6.2 billion in sales, gross receipts, and other taxes. In addition to this positive economic impact, the repeal of Prohibition also ushered in a new era of responsibility in how alcohol is regulated and consumed.

This moved on into a serious rant on taxation of beer and while I just lays me money down and drinks da’ beer,  here’s the rest of it:

• “The past 75 years powerfully demonstrate that a healthy beer industry strengthens the American economy,” said Beer Institute President Jeff Becker. “Looking forward, fair tax policies are essential to ensuring that brewers and beer importers can continue making significant contributions across the nation.”

• Today, the beer industry is burdened with an excessively high and regressive beer tax that unfairly hurts manufacturing employees and hits lower- and middle-income consumers hardest. Since the federal beer tax doubled in 1991, approximately 60,000 Americans lost their jobs in brewing, distributing, retailing, and related industries.

• Rolling back the beer tax increase would provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the nation’s struggling economy and help stimulate job growth. Additionally, a healthy and prosperous beer industry provides important revenue that helps fund many local projects such as new schools and roads.

• “From coast to coast, our members stand united as we celebrate this important milestone,” added Becker. “Together, we have built a strong record of growth and responsible community involvement, and that is something in which we can all take great pride.”

• Brewers and beer importers spend millions of dollars annually on numerous civic and community programs around the country. These include alcohol abuse prevention efforts, corporate philanthropy, and environmental initiatives.  For more information on these programs and the industry’s economic contributions, visit www.beerservesamerica.com

Parting shot…Fifty years ago the Heineken Beer company looked at reshaping its beer bottle to be useful as a building block. It never happened, so Buddhist monks from Thailand’s Sisaket province took matters into their own hands and collected a million bottles to build the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple. It puts every other bottle building we have shown to shame. More photos here.

A merry, if  not overflowing crowd was on hand  shortly after 5 p.m. this evening (Dec.1, 2008)  at 21st Amendment in San Francisco as Shaun  O’Sullivan tapped the first keg of Beerly Legal Lager. marking the beginning of a week-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition.

The beer – in a 10.5 gallon firkin –  sold out in an hour. No wonder. They were selling it for 75 cents a pint. Shaun, who founded the brewpub  with Nico Freccia,  said he researched pre-Prohibition beer and discovered it was light lager. You want to think that our grandparents and great grandparents drank stouter stuff, but nope. The universal beer in America was a light lager, Shaun said.

The 21st beer was indeed light. Shaun said it was 30 percent flaked corn, 70 percent pale barley malt. Hops were Magnum for  bittering, French Strisselspalt for finishing.  Historically, these lagers used Hallertau, but this hop is what was available at a decent cost, Shaun said.  The beer, which will be on tap all week at 21st is 5.5 percent alcohol by volume,  17 International Bitterness Units.

In truth, I liked it. It was a clear, light gold color with a big head of crisp white foam and a mildly malty nose. Taste was  mild. fairly dry with a bone dry finish. There was a faint, lingering bitterness. I give it  Three Stars 1/2.

I remember beers like this from the 1950’s. I was just a kid,  but to me they tasted either sour ( Stroh’s, Hamm’s, Country Club Lager) or so dry (Coors) they had almost no taste. Shaun thought the difference was Beerly Legal is way fresh. “It just came out of the filter four hours ago,” he said.

It’s also not pasteurized and not in a container shipped halfway across America.  At any rate at 75 cents a pint, it was a damn good bargain…

More 21st Amendment news. First. They’re desperately looking for someone who will be 21 on  Dec, 5, the day national Prohibition ended in America in 1933. If you’re that person, there’s $100 cash, the chance to help lead a Repeal Parade from San Francisco City Center on Friday afternoon to 21st and well, a pretty good amount of free beer.

Shaun said they’ve found a woman who will be 75 _ she was born on the day of Repeal, who will be there. “But we really need someone who will just turn 21, he said.  Call the pub: 415-369-0900.

Also, there’s a beer dinner Wednesday evening at the pub. Go to the Web site for info.

Some of the holiday beers we tasted. Tasters at Wine Thieves in Lafayette (CA.) inlcuded Michael Condie, Tim Clifford, Steve Drury and Wine Thieves proprietor Rod Santos.

By William Brand for the Mercury News

With the economy tanking, the holidays this year loom like the ghosts of Christmas past. Thank goodness for great beer. No, I’m not talking about chugging a couple of sixers to blunt the bad news. I’m talking about holiday beer: stony stuff to sip and savor and share with friends.

Since Roman Catholic monk-brewers in medieval times began creating their best beers of the year to honor the Christ child, the tradition of making great holiday beers has survived. Even the mightiest purveyors of light lagers make extra effort, and some of those — last year’s Michelob Celebrate, for instance — are excellent. But the real stars come from American craft brewers and from abroad.

Which beers are the best? To find out, I sat down with friends last week, and in a couple of hours we tasted our way through a couple of dozen. Here are some suggestions, ranging on my scale from four stars (stellar, not to be missed) to three (very good, worth a try):

Four stars

• Brrr, Widmer Bros., Portland, Ore. This is Widmer’s first Christmas ale in four years. It was worth the wait; 7.15 percent alcohol by volume, hoppy nose, wild chocolate malt taste, dry finish. Absolutely excellent.
• Our Special Ale, 2008, Anchor Brewing, San Francisco. This 5.5 percent alcohol ale is the true American holiday classic. Anchor founder Fritz Maytag revived the idea of a holiday beer when he launched this beer in 1975. It’s brewed in the English “wassail” style, a brown ale spiced with — well, the spices are secret, but it’s fun to guess. Maybe allspice and grains of paradise?
• Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout, Port Brewing, San Marcos (San Diego County). This Santa’s a stunner: 10 percent alcohol, inky black, licorice nose, dry finish. A perfect fireside sipper.
• Stille Nacht, de Dolle Brouwers, Esen, Belgium. It’s hard to find this 12 percent heart-stopper, and if you find an older version, buy it. This dark, fairly sweet beer only improves with age.

Three-and-a-half stars

• Affligem Noel, Affligem, Opwijk, Belgium. Sure, Affligem is now owned by giant Heineken, but this Christmas ale — spicy, mildly sweet, strong (8.5 percent) — is a good example of the Belgian holiday style.
• Bitch Creek Double ESB, Grand Teton, Victor, Idaho. This 7.5 percent alcohol treat marks Grand Teton’s 20th anniversary. It’s a strong version of the brewery’s prizewinning Bitch Creek ESB. Comes in a 33.5-ounce, wax-sealed, flip-top bottle. A great gift.
• Firestone Walker XII, Firestone Walker, Paso Robles. This jaw-dropping, 12 percent beer isn’t a holiday beer — it just came out at this time of year. But what a great beer. It’s a blend of several beers, mostly barrel-aged. Dark and luscious, it will improve over several years like a great cabernet. The Firestone Walker 10, marking the brewery’s 10th anniversary, is a classic, if you can find it.
• Jubelale, Deschutes, Bend, Ore. Each year this spiced, 6.7 percent ale improves. It has been a fascinating taste voyage as Deschutes brewers adjust the spice and malt. This year’s strikes an excellent balance.
• N’Ice Chouffe, Achouffe, Belgium. I’m a big fan of Achouffe’s beers, and this Christmas special is typical. Big malt presence, dry finish with warming alcohol that lingers on the tongue. It’s 10 percent alcohol by volume.
• Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico. This is a great beer and easily found. It’s made in the style of an India pale ale, 6.8 percent, lots of malt, plenty of hops. No wonder it has won so many prizes.

Three stars

• 2 Below Winter Ale, New Belgium, Fort Collins, Colo. Another unusual beer from the makers of Fat Tire. 2 Below has a mild, floral hop nose; it finishes dry with a bit of spice.
• Winter Bock, Gordon-Biersch, San Jose. This is the only German-style lager in the list, but it’s a great one. Brewer Dan Biersch was trained in Germany, and all of his beers are authentic. This is a 7.5 percent, strong beer in the German double bock style. Malt to die for, a bit of hops. A real winter sipper.

AND A FINAL NOTE: In your hunt for that perfect holiday elixir, there’s a brand-new book that can help. It’s Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Beers, by Don Russell, Universe Publishing, New York, $19.95. Russell, who writes the Joe Sixpack column for the Philadelphia Daily News, combed the world for great holiday beers. He came up with an awesome selection. It’s a great, informative read.

If you’re stumped about where to find good beer in the Bay Area, e-mail me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net and ask for the 2008 Northern California Retail Beer Store List.

The crowd at EJ Phair’s Ale House Belgian beer, cheese tasting.

I don’t think I’d been in a bar on Thanksgiving  eve  since my single days. But the promise  of a Belgian beer and cheese tasting at EJ Phair Alehouse brought me out.

Wow! This very sweet pub on Todos Santos Square in downtown Concord was jumping.  Since J.J. Phair opened the pub in 2005,  replacing  an endless line of cookie cutter chain eateries, it’s become the place in this part of Contra Costa County to find good beer. The  Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts, a big Coco homebrew club meets here and I often find club members almost any time I drop by.

Wednesday night, I found Mike McDole, with his adult sons, sampling the beer. Mike won the Sam Adams Longshot Contest last year and his double IPA, a takeoff on Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, will be distributed nationwide this winter, Read about it here.

EJ Phair, the craft brewery, is located in a warehouse at 975  Detroit Ave. about a mile away, so the beer at the pub’s always well-stocked with fresh beer. They also have a long list of guest beers on tap and have just added Belgians, as well.

The “beer du jour” this month is Barrel-Aged Shorty’s Revenge, a 7.75 percent English-style amber ale.  J.J. said the regular Shorty’s  was aged four months in a Heaven Hill bourbon barrel. When they tasted it, they realized there was too much wood, too much bourbon in the beer. So they began tasting it with different amounts of regular Shorty’s added.

They wound up with a 50/50 blend and that’s what’s being served at the pub this month.  It has a mild bourbon nose. The tasted is dry with just a faint bit of sweetness with vanilla and bourbon in the finish. It’s an excellent wood-aged beer and worth a trip to Concord to try it.

At the pub, they’ve created a small, semi-private dining room behind the back bar, where they hold beer dinners and Wednesday night, the cheese and beer pairing.  The price was $20 and the little dining room was full. EJ Phair chef Brian Hampton chose the cheese, J.J. picked the beer.

Cheese left-right: Piave Vecchio, Italy; Morbier, France; Chimay, Belgium; Wensleydale, England. Beer, left - right: Grimbergen Blonde, Afligem Dubbel, Chimay Grand Reserve, Duchesse de Bourgogne.

The first pairing was Grimbergen Blonde** from Brasserie d’l'Union and Piave Vecchio, an Italian cow’’s milk cheese with with mild, herbal sweetness. The beer, a so-so blonde disappeared in this excellent cheese.

Next was Affligem Dubbel*** from Affligem and Morbier, a semi-soft, French cow’s milk cheese.  This was an excellent pairing. The beer tasted sweet; the cheese was soft and tart. The tartness of the cheese and the sweetness of the dark dubbel made it a taste delight,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morbier_(cheese)

The third pairing, Chimay Blue*** from the Trappist brewery and Chimay Grand Cru cheese, also from the monastery. It’s a perfect pairing. The beer is malty with a sharp finish and the cheese, a soft, yellow cheese, simply melts in the mouth.  I would love to try Chimay cheese with the  brewery’s new keg-conditioned Cinq Cents. The cheese, by the way, can be found at any good cheese store in the Bay Area. Check out my list here.

The final pairing matched the stunning Duchesse de Bourgogne**** from Brouwerij Verhaeghe and a tangy cheddar cheese from Wensleydale, in Hawes, Yorkshire, England.

It was an interesting pairing. Tasted one after the other, the cheese seemed almost tart and the usually way-sour Duchesse tasted mellow, with only a slight sourness. I’ll try this one again.

• The Trappist 2008 Kerstbier fest:,  $25, five 4 oz. tastes with Commemorative glass (while they last) additional tastes may be purchased for $4 each. $20 when we run out of commemorative glasses. (Note from me, William Brand; They ran out of Chimay glasses at that tasting last week in two hours.

Here’s the beer list:

• Main Bar,  Draft:, St Bernardus Christmas Ale; Gulden Carolus Noel, St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel, , Nice Chouffe, De Glazen Toren Winter Scotch Ale, Val Dieu Grand Cru, ** Gift of the magi*** don’t know if this will show up
• Bottles: Fantome d’hiver,  Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper, Kerstmutske Christmas Nightcap, Bink Winter King
• Santa’s Little hell hole (back room, yes way in the back) Draft: Brouwerij De Smedt Affligem Noel, Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Noel, De Struise Brouwers Tsjeeses
• Bottles: Fantome Noel, Smisje Kerst, St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel 2007

Recommendations: My all-time fave this year is anything from De Glazen Toren. Val Dieu and Gulden Carolus Noel should be spectacular. Fantome is always wildly interesting. Haven’t tasted Kerstmutske, which is brewed by De Proef, but it was chosen the number two imported beer in a blind tasting of 60 Christmas beers last week in Baltimore.  Rob Casper of the Baltimore Sun says: “This is a dark, rich brew with licorice flavor. It is a good brew to sip by the fire.”

Moving on…De Struisse Bouwers were proclaimed the best brewers in the world by Ratebeer (which incidentally is back on line after being badly hacked.) It’s true that Affligem is owned by giant Heineken, but Affligem Noel is consistently excellent.

As you’ll see in the comment below, there are no reservations. Just pay at the door.

My plan was to pull out a bottle of 2006 Barleywine from Schooner’s in Antioch, CA.  But while plowing through my beer fridge, I found a bottle of  Stone Cali-Belgique and a bottle of Ename Tripel Belgian Ale, so I  abandoned my vision of rich and sweet and grabbed them.

The Stone Cali-Belgigique IPA paired nicely with our brined turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, brown ale-laced stuffing and a sweet-sour cranberry dish my wife’s family has been making for a couple of generations.

It’s 6.9 percent, 77 IBUs; the malt grist and hopping is fairly identical to Stone’s IPA.  Hops, according to Stone, are Magnum and Centennials and it was dry-hopped with piney, citrusy Chinooks.

But it was fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, so the beer is utterly different. It’s a pale golden color and drinking it along with the turkey and cranberries, it seemed to have a tiny bit of sweetness and a quite tart finish. A lovely beer indeed and it worked well for Thanksgiving.

Our daughter’s friend, Dave, was unimpressed, so I cracked open the Ename Tripel, a strong, 8.5 percent abbey ale from the Roman brewery in Mater, East Flanders, Belgium. It’s a family-owned brewery that traces ownership back 14 generations to 1545.

The beer’s an unfiltered, pale golden color with a spicy nose. Taste, following the Cali-Beligique,  was somewhat sweet, a typically  very drinkable abbey ale. It paired just

Roman Ename Tripel looks enticing in this shot taken by a blogger at http://flandersandback.blogspot.com

about perfectly with Thanksgiving.

I know; I know. I should have gone all-American with the beer.  I had good intentions

including the barleywine and Palo Santo Marron from Dogfish Head… But those Belgian and Belgianesque beers are so enticing…

So what did anyone else drink with Thanksgiving? Comments welcome. Let’s talk.

WHAT? You ask is Turducken. it’s a chicken, stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey. Here’s Wickipedia’s explanation:

• A Turducken is a dish consisting of a partially de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The thoracic cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are filled with, at the very least, a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird.

Better, here’s a video from a true turducken champion: John Madden, the sportscaster.

Onward, but only briefly… a poster to this blog says Noche Buena, the primo, dark Christmas beer from Mexico is widely available in Tijuana. Sounds tempting, but the recent drug stuff there scares the hell out of me and when we lived in Mex

ico, I used to come up to TJ a lot…

Noche Buena can be found anywhere in TJ ($130 pesos a 12 pack) at OXXO, Kalimax, Costco, Soriana, etc.

(Pesos today are trading at about 8 cents U.S. each.)

The comment brought back visions of Mexico to me…
When I lived in Mexico it was always my favorite beer. Let’s see what were my faves?
1. Noche Buena. 2. Negro Modelo Oscuro. 3. tie between Bohemia and absolutely fresh Superior. We also drank a lot of Pacifico when we lived in Mazatlan, because they delivered it to your door and the deposit on the bottles was more than the cost of the beer.
Of course, if I lived there now, I’d strictly drink beer from the brewpub there and the craft beer that comes in from Mexico DF and Monterey. Happy T-day all.