Bottoms Up

Marin Head Brewer Arne Johnson, right, Shane Aldrich, left, looking a little dazed as they pose with their medals Saturday for our photographer at the Great American Beer Festival.
Credit: Photo by Gregory Daurer

Arne Johnson, Marin Brewing, Denise Jones, Moylan’s win a lot of gold.

Matt Brynildson and the Firestone Walker Brew Crew Have a Fine Day

Rather than dissect the winners, I’m posting all the California winners here _ thanks to a neat little tool the Brewers Association has added. You can download the complete results here. Hint on the site, click on the small print that says “Full Release.”
One note, judging is done by professionals in series of blind tastings. Also, while many of the winners are specially made for the GABF, many more are regulars and can be found at the brewpub and sometimes, in bottles in stores with good beer stocks.

21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco
Double Trouble Imperial IPA, Bronze Imperial or Double India Pale Ale

Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego
Sculpin IPA BronzekPro-Am Beer

Bear Republic Brewing, Healdsburg
Big Bear Silver, American-Style Stout

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery - Reno, NV & Chandler, AZ
Barrel-Aged Cherry, Bronze Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer

Nit Wit, Gold , Belgian-Style White (or Wit)/ Belgian-Style Wheat

Half Wit, Gold, Other Low Strength Ale or Lager

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery - Roseville, CA & Portland, OR
Piranha Pale Ale , Silver, American Style Pale Ale

Firestone Waker, Paso Robles, CA.
Firestone Lager (Mini-Hell), Bronze Other Low Strength Ale or Lager

Firestone Extra Pale, Silver Other Low Strength Ale or Lager

Firestone Pale 31, Gold, American Style Pale Ale

Nectar Pale, Gold, American-Style Strong Pale Ale

DBA (Double Barrel Ale), Silver Classic English Style Pale Ale

Green Flash Brewing Co. Vista, CA.

Hop Head Red CA Silver American Style Amber/Red Ale

Green Flash Trippel, Silver , Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Green Flash Extra Pale Ale , Bronze, English-Style Summer Ale

Mad River Brewing Co. Blue Lake, CA.

John Barley Corn Barleywine, Gold, Barley Wine Style Ale

Marin Brewing Co. Larkspur, CA.,

Star Brew Triple Wheat , Gold, American-Style Wheat Wine Ale

Pt. Reyes Porter CA Gold Robust Porter

Triple Dipsea Belgian-Style Ale , Gold, Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Tiburon Blonde, Gold, Belgian and French-Style Ale

Mission Brewery, San Diego

El Amigo Light, Gold Münchner (Munich) Style Helles

El Camino IPA, Bronze, American-Style India Pale Ale

Moylan’s Brewing Co., Petalauma,

Hopsickle, Gold, Imperial or Double India Pale Ale

Moylan’s Irish Dry Stout, Gold, Classic Irish Style Dry Stout

Moylander , Silver , Imperial or Double India Pale Ale

Newport Beach Brewing Co. , Newport Beach,

Relapse Bronze, Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer

Pizza Port - Carlsbad

Beech Street Bitter, Bronze, English-Style India Pale Ale

Sticky Stout, Gold, American-Style Stout

Pizza Port – Solana Beach

Commando Scottish Ale, Bronze , Scottish Style Ale

Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey, San Marcos

Cuvee de Tomme, Gold , Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer

Judgment Day, Gold, Specialty Beer

Veritas 002, Silver Experimental Beer (Lager or Ale)

Rock Bottom Brewery – Campbell,

1069 Brown Bear Brown, Bronze, English Style Dark Mild Ale or English-Style Brown Ale

Rubicon Brewing Co., Sacramento

High Mountain Cherry Ale, Gold, Belgian-Style Sour Ale

Russian River Brewing Co. , Santa Rosa

Supplication, Silver, Belgian-Style Sour Ale

Blind Pig IPA, Silver American-Style India Pale Ale

Temptation, Silver, Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer

Sacramento Brewing Co. , Sacrameto,

Russian Imperial Stoutm Bronze, Foreign (Export) Style Stout

Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, Antioch

Oatmeal Stout, Silver, Oatmeal Stout

Stone Brewing Co., Escondido
Stone Levitation Ale, Gold, American Style Amber/Red Ale

TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea

TAPS Imperial Stout, Silver Imperial Stout

TAPS Cream Ale, Bronze , American-Style Cream Ale or Lager

Third Street Aleworks , Santa Rosa,

Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Bronze , Classic Irish Style Dry Stout

T
Alpha King sponsor Ralph Olson of Hop Union with the Alpha King, who presented the Alpha King winning hop crown to a brewer from Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa. Photo below:

he hoppiest beer in America – in a decision rendered by a group of bleary-eyed judges Friday afternoon in Denver – is Pliny the Elder, Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa, CA.

Yes, my favorite beer: Pliny the Elder won the annual Alpha King competition Friday at Falling Rock Tap House during the Great America Beer Festival. I’ve posted a column I wrote about this most excellent double IPA, 8 pecent, 100 IBUs just below this post.

My reporting’s a bit flawed this morning, not because I had too much too drink (although I no doubt did). It’s because I lost my notebook. It’s true. I’ve NEVER lost a notebook before in my life, but somewhere between the cellar of Falling Rock where the Alpha King contest was held and my hotel room, I lost it. I have a note on the front: Please Return, Cash Reward! and my phone number 510-915-1180. So I have hope.

Anyway, I cannot remember the runner-ups or the name of the brewer from Russian River who accepted the award. Although I took his photo. It’s here.

The other photo is of the Alpha King with . I did get to sample last year’s winner: Bennett’s Imperial IPA from Ed Bennett of Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro in Bellingham, WA. It was 9 percent, 100-plus IBU, a fantastic beer.

This contest, sponsored and created, naturally, by Hop Union, Yakima, WA, a major supplier of hops to craft brewers, by Brewing News, the national brewspaper, and White Labs, San Diego, a supplier of yeast to craft brewers. (Full disclosure: I write articles for Northwest Brewing News.)

For the record, the 2005 winner was Alpha King IPA from Three Floyds, Munster, IN.

Pliny the Elder labelOur Beer of the Week is a real champ. It’s Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Elder****, one of the beers that gave birth to the first all-American beer style in maybe 100 years. No lie.

I’m talking about Double India Pale Ales or DIPAs – super strong, uber hoppy and quite delicious: Pliny ís 8 percent alcohol by volume, 100 International Bitterness Units. For comparison, consider bland old Bud: 13 IBU.
Pliny is a beer worth walking a mile to sample. And if you’re like me and most of us, you will indeed have to walk a mile or miles to find it.

Pliny isn’t bottled. It’s strictly a pub beer, and all over the Bay Area and for that matter at good pubs in far away places like Philadelphia, the arrival of a barrel of Pliny is an event to celebrate.

Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa is tiny and the co-owner, head brewer Vinnie Cilurzo, the creative genius behind Pliny, turns out a lot of beer. But Pliny has to wait its turn. And when it arrives and pubs and restaurants it goes fast. No wonder.

It’s a pleasant sipping beer. Wild, hoppy nose. But the initial taste is fruit-filled and mildly sweet, round and full with an explosive hoppy dryness balancing the rich, almost silky malt taste in a harmonious balance that fades into a long follow.
Pliny the elder

A drawing of the Roman scientist Pliny the Elder.

Vinnie explains the malts are two-row pale barley, Carapils and crystal, two treated malts that add a richness, color and full-mouth feel. Hops include mild Warrior, spicy Tomahawks, Centenial and Simcoe. There’s a second dry-hopping after fermentation with a piney, spicy, marmelade package of Simcoe, Centennial and Simcoe.

This beer is so drinkable that one has to remember it’s an 8 percenter, strong enough to be head-knocking after a pint or so. But what a pleasant pint. If your favorite pub doesn’t stock it, demand it or switch pubs. It’s that good.

Since Vinnie first created it in 2004, it has won gold medals at the professionally judged Great American Beer Festival in Denver, at the pioneering Double IPA Festival at our own Bistro in Hayward and everywhere else.

About the name: Itís named for Pliny the Elder, born Gaius Plinius Cecilius Secundus, was a Roman scholar and historian, and wrote Natural History, credited as the first encyclopedia, it included a book on wine and beer and famous drinkers

About Russian River and Vinnie Cilurzo. He grew up in Temecula in Southern California in a wine-making family, but he loved beer. His wife, Natalie, recalls on their first date, on his 20th birthday in 1990, he gave her $100 and told her to buy him beer. She was just 21.

Then, she said, he gave her this weird list of beers with names like Pete’s Wicked Ale. She bought the beer and later she married him. They started a brewery, Blind Pig, in Temecula, sold it, to start a brewery at Korbel on the Russian River. They opened their own brewpub in 2004. Natalie handles the business, Vinnie brews.
But wait. There’s more. There’s Pliny the Younger****, named after a Roman relative of Pliny the Elder. Itís also helping create a new style: Triple IPA. Sronger, hoppier. More on junior at a later date.
Can’t find a pub with Pliny the Elder? Call (510) 915-1180 or e-mail me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net and ask for our Good Pub List.

GABF: The Year of Extreme Beer

DENVER – The idea of “extreme beer”, brews that push the edge, higher in alcohol, higher in malt or hops or whatever have been around for a few years. Sam Calagione, co-founder of Dogfish Head Brewing, Milton, Del., even wrote a book about it.

But this year at the Great American Beer Festival, extreme beer’s come into its own. It’s everywhere and the lines of people waiting for their 2-oz. samples are long in front of the famous extreme breweries like Dogfish, Russian River,Santa Rosa, CA, Pizza Port, Port Brewing, Temecula, CA., Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO. are very long.

Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, the GABF sponsor, says extreme beers and seasonal beers, special brews released each season of the year, have revitalized and even saved breweries.

Gatza said for example, Great Divide Brewing here in Denver was languishing. Then they began creating bigger, stronger beers, aging them in wood and releasing them in large .22 oz. bottles. Sales took off.

I was in there yesterday and sample one: Aged Yeti***+. Aged a year in oak whiskey casks. Wow. A dark brown beer with a nice head of creamy brown foam, it has an intense nose of oak and vanilla and whiskey, maybe Bourbon. Taste is slightly sweet, then there’s a rush of wood and whiskey and vanilla and warming alcohol. Gotta go back there and buy a couple to take home. This beer’s not sold in California, as far as I know.

Many brewers are showing off wood-aged beers, “imperial” beers, beers made with wild yeast. One brewery, New Holland Brewing, Holland, MI., specialized in wild yeast beers, beers brewed using yeast that floats through the air around the open fermenters in their brewery.

Haven’t made it to New Holland’s booth yet, but here’s a few of the “extremes” I’ve sampled:

Firestone, Paso Robles, CA. 11****, a n enhanced blend of 11 different beers of various kinds. More on this after I get a chance to talk to the brewery.

Victory Brewing, Downingtown, PA. Saison***+: cloudy, light lemon color, spicy nose, full, malty taste with a delicious malty nose.

Allagash, Portland, ME. Curiex****,. another pale, lemon-colored beer with a thick head of white, small bubbled foam, a nose of sour wild yeast, but the taste is malty with a full mouth feel and a rush of Bourbon and oak in the finish. This one can be found in the Bay Area and it’s worth the hunt.

Iron Hill, 7 pubs in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Imperial Stout***, big and malty, with a roast malt nose the carries through.

Enuf for now. Gotta go to a beer dinner. Hey, it’s noon, here.

DENVER _ GABF Colorado Blue BearThe Great American Beer Festival is SOLD OUT. This is the first time in the 26 years of the fest that it’s been sold out: 46,000-plus tickets, all gone. The place is jammed.

There are no tickets to be had. On a walk around the gigantic Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver, all I could find was potential scalpers looking for tickets. No one had any to sell.

What this tells me is that craft beer in America has reached critical mass. After three long decades, with some steep declines and big jumps, interest in craft beer is exploding, kind of like a nuclear reaction: We’ve achieved critical mass and there’s no way it’s ever going to reverse itself.

Americans have become sophisticated about beer, says Paul Gatza, dirctor of the Brewers Association which sponsors the GABF. When was the last time anyone asked you the difference between a lager and an ale, adds the association’s Julia Herz.
“In June craft beer sales earned 5 percent of all the money spent on beer,” Herz adds.

Craft beer sales _ while still just under 4 percent of all beer sold _ have grown 31.5 pecent in the last three years, Herz adds. In truth, I must point out, if one adds non-blah beer from major brewers like Coors and Anheuser-Busch, the percentage grows to well above 4 percent,.

Many craft brewers have had double digit sales increases, Herz adds. “People are talking about beer. Beer is part of our lives and we’re becoming more educated about it,” she says.

Amen to that. Craft beer rocks!

Caption: Even the Blue Bear outside the Colorado Convention Center in Denver looks like he (or she) wants to get into the GABF. But the big festival is sold out: 46,000 plus tickets:GONE.

Photo: William Brand

It’s been a while since a biodynamic wine really moved me. I was on quite the organic kick last year, obsessed with Felton Road and Ceago Vinegarden, but mellowed out after I had a few wines that tasted like cranberry tree water.

But, last night, two small-production gems from Benziger brought me back to biodynamic. You can only taste these wines in the winery, but it’s worth a stop if you’re in Glen Ellen. While you’re there, ask about the winery’s Vineyard Tram Tour, where you can learn the details about making wine by the light of the moon.

2006 Sauvignon Blanc Shone Farm, Russian River Valley ($29). A perfectly clean and crisp wine with a lot of floral aromas and grapefruit on the palate. A perfect example of brisk acidity that would make a fish lover out of anyone. I rarely pay this much for an SB (in fact, I think Cloudy Bay’s the only one I have paid more than $25) but this, this is worth it. Note: the grapes were grown by sustainable farming methods and are in the process of becoming certified organic. 836 cases.

2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Obsidian Point, Sonoma Mountain ($55): This wine comes entirely from one block of their Sonoma Mountain Estate, where high concentrations of obsidian, a volcanic rock, are present. That’s what contributes to its amazing complexity, with everything from currant to roasted anise flavors on the palate and a marathon-like finish. This wine, which is certified biodynamic, was just bottled in July. Hard to believe, as it has the suppleness and carefree strength of a sexy 40-year-old in a room of 20-somethings. Drink this with a New York strip steak or a grilled Portabello mushroom burger. 560 cases.

LATE NOTE: ALL SESSIONS OF THE FEST ARE SOLD OUT, EXCEPT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT. SO IF YOU WERE PLANNING TO COME AND DON’T HAVE TICKETS, PROBABLY BEST NOT TO COME. WB.

DENVER – Downtown Denver’s swarming with brewers and beer geeks tonight on the eve of the Great American Beer Festival at the Denver Convention Center. In fact, my Southwest flight from Oakland here this morning was filled with brewers and beer lovers.

I talked to David Heist, owner of Hoptown Brewing, late of Pleasanton, and Christian Kazakoff, head brewer at Triple Rock in Berkeley on the plane. Both were complaining about the steeply rising cost of barley and hops. More on that tomorrow.

David says he may not make his dynamite double IPA called DUIPA any longer because of the cost of barley and hops. He closed his brewery in Pleasanton a few months ago and is happily brewing his beers at Sudwerk Hubsch in Davis, including Paint the Town Red, India Pale Ale, Golen Ale and Oatmeal Breakfast Ale.

After failing to register for the convention at the GABF headquarters because the doors were closed, I stopped into Falling Rock, 1919 Blake St. in the Lower Downtown section of Denver. This is one of America’s greatest beer bars along with the Toronado in San Francisco, Brouwers Cafe in Seattle and the Brickskeller in Washington, D.C.

Ran into David again and his pal, Don Rossiter, of Denver. This is a guy who loves Hoptown beers so much that he has the Hoptown label tattooed on his right arm. No lie. Here’s a photo.

Walked up to the bar and two people who were also on the plane, beer aficionados, not brewers, from San Rafael said hello.

They were drinking Green Flash IPA from Green Flash, Vista, CA – San Diego County. They loved the beer, so do I. And it’s widely available in the Bay Area. Big, malty, hoppy.

Here’s what I tried:

Great Divide Titan IPA***, Great Divide, Denver. Served in cask on a handpump, it had that soft, drinkable quality that only a handpump can deliver. None of that icy coldness from being pushed to the glass by CO2 or nitrogen. This one had a big hoppy floral nose with a decent amount of malt to balance: 65 IBUs (a Bud’s got 13 International Bitterness Units), 6.8 percent alcohol.

Oskar Blues Gordon Double IPA***, Oskar Blues Cajun Grill & Brewery, Lyons, Colo. http://www.oskarblues.com/. Again, big hoppy nose, plenty of malt on the palate and a whoosh of hops in the finish.

Finished off the night with a 11.2 oz. bottle of Achel Bruin****, from Achel, the Trappist monastery in northern Belgium. This is a beer champ. Beautiful nose of toffee and earthy yeast, slightly sweet taste with a gentle tang of hops in the malty finish and warming from the 8 percent alcohol. Whew. Love that beer. Was it worth $12. Absolutely and a I shared it with others. This one can also be found in the Bay Area at places like Ledger’s in Berkeley, Monument Wine & Spirits in Concord, City Beer Store in San Francisco, Beltramo’s in Menlo Park and Drager’s in San Mateo. Can’t find these places? Shoot an email to me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net and ask for our 2007 Retail Beer Store List.

Today, I’m participating in a group blog. One Wednesday a month, wine bloggers around the globe pick a subject, grape or type of wine, and share their thoughts. Bloggers from Dr. Vino to Vinography participate, and today I’m joining in.

Catavino, the online source for Iberian wine 411, is the host. So it’s fitting that the theme is Portuguese table wines. Thankfully, we were asked to step away from Ports, and the Douro (the most well-known region, thanks again to those Ports). I’m a huge fan of Portuguese table wines, especially those from the Alentejo region in southern Portugal.

They are affordable, highly-drinkable and plummy, like Zinfandel without all the heat – and hype.

I’m going to chat about a wine I’ve blogged about before because I love it so much and opened up a second bottle recently. It’s Esquila Wines’ 2003 Dignitas Reserva, a single vintage blend of Aragonez (50 percent), Trincadeira (30 percent) and Alicante Bouschet (20 percent).

Here’s what I said back in April:
“Wow. This is the same blend as Esquila’s Nomisma 2002 minus the Cab. I think it lets the rich Mediterranean soil and soul of the indigenous Portuguese varietals really stand out, and showcase what the Alentejo is really capable of: Deep red color and dark plummy fruit. Plus, it has less alcohol (14 percent) than the Nomisma and rich tobacco, coffee and oak. What a beautiful wine.”

Now, after opening up a second bottle this past weekend, let me continue to go off because it’s even better now! The body is silky, the nose is wider and more complex, with smoke galore. Even the fruit seems dense — in a good, non-jammy way. The French oak is really coming through, too. I whipped up a quick, all-sausage paella and took this baby to town.

WILLIAM BRAND: WHAT’S ON TAP
Old Rasputin Imperial
worth trip to Fort Bragg
Article Launched: 10/10/2007 03:05:41 AM PDT

There was a worldwide toast on Sept. 30 for Michael Jackson, the English beer author, who died Aug. 30. Jackson — through his books and in person — was a seminal influence in my love of beer, and I wanted to choose a beer that he would have appreciated.
I peered into my beer refrigerator and pulled out a year-old bottle of Old Rasputin X 10th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout (****1/2) from North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg. It was released in 2006 to mark the 10th anniversary of Old Rasputin ****), their champion stout.
North Coast senior vice president Doug Moody explains that they wanted to mark the occasion with something special. Did they ever. This very special batch was brewed strong, then aged in used bourbon barrels for nearly a year. It came out at 11.6 percent alcohol by volume, more than twice the strength of an ordinary 5 percent beer.
Oh my sweet mama, what a splendid beer: Huge nose, intoxicating notes of bourbon whiskey and dark, roast malts. The taste is smooth, liquid, silky velvet on the tongue, striking a perfect balance between malts and whiskey, leaving a warming tang of alcohol on the tongue.
It comes in a corked 16.9-ounce bottle and costs $9.99. What a deal. It’s easily one of the best beers in America, and it costs less than $10. There’s one problem, and it’s huge. The only place to be sure to find it is at North Coast’s brewpub in Fort Bragg, a 150-mile jaunt up the coast. However, North Coast also sells it mail order, $9.99 plus about $2 for shipping, depending on where you live. The address is http://www.northcoastbrewing.com.
To make it easier, I’m posting this column on my blog (see below), so it’s easy to click on the link and go to the site. You can also order it by phone at 707-964-2739. When the beer’s delivered, you have to show your ID to prove you are 21 or over.
One more hint: A few beer buyers with discriminating taste from small stores have small stocks. So if you’re adventurous, ask around.

ALE TO THE PUMPKIN! It’s pumpkin time again in Half Moon Bay, and there’ll be something special this year at the 37th annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 13-14: Alec Moss at Half Moon Bay Brewing has created Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale (HHH1/2). It’s made with 80 pounds of Half Moon Bay pumpkins.
Got out there last week and tried a sample: Orangish-brown color, clean nose with a hint of spice. Faintly sweet with a dry finish and a rush of spice. Moss says the spice comes from the Saaz finish hops. The pumpkin taste disappears in the brewing process, he says. The beer will also be on tap at Half Moon Bay restaurant and brewery until it’s gone.
The fest is on Main Street. Info: 650-726-9652 or http://www.miramarevents.com.
QUAFF FOR A CURE: My hat’s off for Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa. This month is dedicated nationwide to the fight against breast cancer, and lots of brewers and pubs do something to mark the event. The Bay Area even has a “breast fest” in the summer, sponsored by Marin Brewing, Larkspur. But check out Russian River.
Co-founder Natalie Cilurzo says her husband, Vinnie, has brewed a special beer: All Hopped Up for the Cure. All the proceeds go to a local breast cancer charity. There’s also a T-shirt, and Natalie and Vinnie donate $50 for each staff member who dyes his or her hair pink. Donations are also welcome. All the music this month is by women artists. Russian River is at 729 4th St.; 707-545-2337, http://www.russianriverbrewing.com.
DENVER BLOG: As you read this, I’m on my way to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. It runs Oct. 11-13, and has become a gathering for craft brewers of America. The Brewers Association says there will be at least 1,769 beers from 402 breweries. Sponsors expect 40,000 people during the three-day event.
Right now, judging is going on in many beer categories, from herb and spice beer to American lager for gold, silver and bronze medals, which are awarded Saturday. I’ll be blogging about the fest all this week.
LAST NOTE: The annual Bistro Wet Hop Festival, featuring more than two dozen beers made with just-picked hops, is over. It happened Oct. 6. But Jenny Slafkosky and I did a video interview with the festival sponsor, Vic Kralj. It’s still posted on my blog. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Salud.
Reach William Brand at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net or call 510-915-1180 and ask for his 2007 Retail Beer Store List or Good Pub List. Read more by Brand at http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog.

Let’s see…you mix Miller Lite and Coors Light and you get? Hmmmm. Don’t know if I’d want to drink it.

Check out the web for the merger of MolsonCoors and SABMiller, which was announced a few hours ago.

According to the Wall Street Journal the joint venture will be called MillerCoors. Miller has 20 percent of the U.S. beer market and Coors 11 percent, the Journal says.

Anheuser-Busch has about 50 percent of the U.S. beer market, but worldwide is now number three.
Doesn’t look like this is a merger that’s particularly hopeful for craft beer drinkers does it. Or does it? We will see – and crack jokes in the meantime.