Bottoms Up

The Bistro’s Wet Hop Beer Festival is history. What a great event.There weren’t the crowds of the Double IPA fest or even the Third Annual West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Festival which is set this year for  Saturday, Nov. 15.

But it didn’t matter. It was indeed a pleasant day. The news: People’s Choice winner was Lagunitas Maximus, made with just-picked hops from the brewery’s hop field near Marshall on Tomales Bay.

Runner up: Triple Rock Harvest.

Tried both beers, loved the both. I think I’d go with Lagunitas, but it was close.  Lagunitas was a beautiful, unfiltered copper, wild hoppy nose: spice, fruit. Lots of malt in the mouth and an aromatic hoppy whallop in the follow. I gave it FOUR STARS.

Triple Rock also had a big hoppy nose, ripe fruit, spice. Taste was fairly dry with an intriguing, growing hoppy note and  a very pleasant earthy note. THREE STARS PLUS.

Black Diamond’s Rye IPA had a malty, spicy nose. Taste was full and malty overwhelmed by a rush of dryness that lasted into the finish. THREE STARS.

Another excellent beer that I managed to taste was Butte Creek’s organic ale: It has a pleasant fresh hop nose, full mouth feel and lots of hops in a dry finish. THREE STARS PLUS.

Here’s the entire lineup of 20 beers. Stats assembled by  Bistro proprietors Vic and Cynthia Kralj:

• 21st Amendment, San Francisco, Harvest Moon, 6.5 percent, Chinook, Cascade hops.

• Anderson Valley, Boonville, Wet Hop Poleeko Ale, 5.5 percent, Cascades.

• Ballast Point, San Diego, Schooner Summer Ale, 5.5 percent, 100 percent fresh Cascade.

• Beach Chalet, San Francisco, Hop Patootie, 5.9 percent, Chinook, Mt. Hood, Liberty hops.

• Bear Republic, Healdsburg, Grandma’s Homegrown, 5.7 percent, Roy Farms Chinook.

• Black Diamond,  Concord,  Rye IPA Wet Hop, 6 percent, Chinook, Liberty hops.

• Blue Frog,  Fairfield, Last Hop Standing, 5.9 percent, Cascade, Chinook.

• Butte Creek, Chico,  Initial Attack Fresh Hop IPA, 6 percent, Centennial hops.

• Ithaca Brewing, Ithaca, NY, Outdoor,  5.9 percent, New York State Cascade, Centennial hops.

• Lagunitas, Petaluma, Marshall Wet Hop Maximus, 8 percent, Tony’s Hop Field, Nugget, Cascades.

• Magnolia, San Francisco, High Time Harvest, 6.6 percent, Centennial, Cascades.

• Moonlight, Santa Rosa, Just Go Shopping Fresh Hop Lager, 5.1 percent, Cascade and Canadian Der Bine hops.

• Pizza Port, Carlsbad, Plant to Pint, 6.5 percent, Cascades, Centennial.

• Port Brewing, San Marcos, High Tide IPA, 6. 5 percent, Centennial, Simcoe.

• Port Brewing, Homegrown Hop 15, 11 percent, Boren Farms Fallbrook and Centennial hops.

• Sierra Nevada, Chico, Southern Hemisphere, 6.7 percent, Pacific Hallertau, New Zealand Motueka and Southern Cross hops.

• Sierra Nevada , Chico Estate Harvest Ale, 6.7 percent, 100 percent estate-grown blend of Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops.

• Sierra Nevada, Harvest Ale, 6.7 percent, Cascade, Centennial hops.

• Thirsty Bear, San Francisco, Harvest Ale, 6.6 percent, Organic Chinook hops.

• Triple Rock, Berkeley, 6.5 percent, Chinook hops.’

photos: Top: Laginutas Maximus, Below: Patio at the Bistro.