Bottoms Up

Beer blogger Jay Brooks attended the Fairfax Brewfest over the weekend, where Rodger Davis, the brewer at Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, announced a new beer called “Bill Brand Brown.” Look for a series of guest posts this week, as we continue to explore possibilities for the future of “What’s On Tap.”

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Not too late to cast your vote for the best American Wine Blog. Nope, yours truly was not nominated. I know, shocker!

Anyway, blogging is changing the face of how wine is discussed and rated, not to mention how it is presented from production and marketing side. There are more than 800 wine blogs out there, and it was such a hoot to meet my fellow bloggers at the first annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma this past summer.

Voting ends today, so make sure to cast yours in the third annual American Wine Blog Awards.  Here are the categories. You can vote at Tom Wark’s Fermentation blog.

If you love American Pinot Noir and stellar writing on the subject, you’ll want to see Jordan Mackay lead a tasting and discuss his new book, “Passion for Pinot: A Journey Through America’s Pinot Noir Country,” at 5 p.m. March 14 at the Jug Shop in San Francisco.

The Jug Shop tasting fee is $5 and they ask that you RSVP by e-mail at info@jugshop.com.

If you can’t make the event, you can catch Mackay’s educational tour through California and Oregon and ask questions via  Twitter Taste Live.

Be sure to read Jordan’s writing in 7×7.

I’ve noticed multi-course meals with wine pairings are going down in price. For instance, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is offering the upcoming Vintage Rock Wine Dinner for $55 per person.

This dinner will take place in Walnut Creek on March 10 and in Palo Alto on March 13. Dinner starts at 6:30pm.

A spokesperson tells me they were able to lower the price of their wine dinners (or this one, at least) by eliminating a course and a dessert wine. With the line-up they’re providing, I can live without both.

The three-course dinner opens with a Champagne Cocktail created by mixologist Kim Haasarud, author of “101 Champagne Cocktails,” and includes muddled strawberries and Domaine Chandon Sparkling Wine. Kim created a version of this cocktail for a Rolling Stone Magazine Oscar party.

You’ll also be able to try Doobie Red, a series of wines created by Bruce Cohn of B.R. Cohn Winery to honor The Doobie Brothers, whom he managed for 35 years. Doobie Red is made in memory of Keith Knudsen, who was the band’s drummer from 1974 until his death in 2005. Cohn will be present at both dinners.

Here’s a taste of the Vintage Rock menu, by Executive Chef Russell Skall.

Bill Brand brought a passion to What’s On Tap that made the blog a treasure. It was evident to the public in his writing — in his words and the frequency with which he posted — and in the personal connections he made with readers.
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