Bottoms Up

The date has now been announced for the 3rd Annual Bear Republic Cellar Party. Tickets go on sale today, but are limited. The even will take place on Sunday, August 28, from 3-6 p.m. in the Bear Republic Brewpub Courtyard and Barrel Room adjacent to the Bear Republic Brewpub located at 345 Healdsburg Avenue in Healdsburg.Tickets are $60.

Here’s how the beer tasting is described:

The 3rd Annual Bear Republic Cellar Party is your chance to sample the exact batches submitted for judging at this year’s festival and competition in Denver, CO. Guests can participate in mock judging and ask the brewers questions about the different beer styles. The afternoon will include beer sampling, hors d’oeuvres and a commemorative glass to take home. Please join us for a fun and educational beer gathering.

Full details on the event and online tickets can be found on Bear Republic’s website.

Bear Republic has been the recipient of 15 awards from the Great American Beer Festival®, including the honor of 2006 Small Brewing Company of the Year.

The Great American Beer Festival® is the largest American beer competition with nearly 3,400 beers entered, 457 participating breweries and more than 130 professional judges. The festival is presented by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit educational trade organization devoted to making quality brewing information available to anyone. www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com

Oddbits…EVENTS: Over at Pacific Coast, 906 Washington St., (Oakland, CA)…co-founders, brewer Don Gortemiller and  Steve Wolff are planning a big 20th anniversary bash on Friday, Oct. 17, beginning at 5 p.m. and running on to Saturday, Oct. 18.  Well,  they’re gonna close Friday night and resume on Saturday.

Washington Street will be closed off in front of the brewery Friday afternoon and evening. There’s going to be live music, food from the Pacific Coast kitchen  and much more.

Don’s fermenting a 20th anniversary beer now. Hint: It will be strong and made with 20 ingredients.  Also, beer prices will be rolled back to the founding day in 1988: We’re talking $2.50 pints. Today, at Pacific Coast, pints are $5.

And furthermore...Friday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m.,  3rd Annual CCOC Organic Beer and Wine and Spirits tasting, Ferry Building, San Francisco. I went last year; this is really a fun event and the array of organic products is amazing. Organic Breweries include: Butte Creek Brewing, Santa Cruz Mountain  Brewing, Thirsty Bear Brewing Co., Eel River Brewing and Ukiah Brewing, the first certified organic brewpub in the country. Info: $25 for 10 tastes, $15 for 5 tastes, includes a commemorative glass. (A wine glass, oh well.) The CCOC – California Certified Organic Farmers – is a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit and one of the foremost organic certifying organizations in the U.S.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the message is getting out everywhere. I know that many brewpubs and pubs  have special beers and other programs, but it would be hard to equal Natalie Cilurzo’s efforts at Russian River in Santa Rosa. Consider: They’re raffling off an Aprilia Scarabeo 50 scooter donated by Revolution Moto, Santa Rosa, and an Electra Hawaii Cruiser, retro-bicycle, donaed by Cambria Bicycle Outfitters, Santa Rosa. Both vehicles are er- pink, Raffle tickets, $20 for the scooter, $5 for the bike.

They’re also selling men’s and women’s t-shirts for $15.  As you can see, they’re also pink. Order them here. All proiceeds go to the Sutter Breast Care Center in Santa Rosa.

Oktoberfest ended in Munich, Germany on Sunday and Der Spiegel reports that beer consumption sagged,

• Beer consumption, as always, is the key figure. It declined by 300,000 litres to 6.6 million as a result of cold and rainy weather this year. The number of visitors fell by 200,000 to 6 million.

• In fact the weather was so cold that stalls sold 2,000 liters of mulled wine normally reserved for the Christmas market season to men and women freezing in their Lederhosen and Dirndls.

• The number of oxen devoured remained stable at 104 and the security guards in the 14 giant beer tents confiscated a total of 200,000 empty Mass liter glasses that visitors had tried to smuggle out of the tents as mementoes.

Photos: Top, Pacific Coast’s 20th Anniversary poster, middle: Two friends of Russian River model the pub’s Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirts; behind them is the scooter being raffled.

Below: The Oktoberfest site in Munich was weathed in fog today.