Well, I just returned from Sweden and Denmark and I’m fricking suffering from desynchronosis – damn you JET LAG! While my trip to Scando wasn’t a beer trip, I did get a chance to taste some very interesting Beers that I’d never seen or had before. I still don’t know much about the Scandinavia craft beer scene, what I can tell you is that I can’t stand Carlsberg Beer. It is all over the place in Scandinavia. Their marketing motto is: “Probably the best beer in the world.” Hah, what a load of crap.

However, to counter the Carlsberg dilemma, Brooklyn Lager is EVERYWHERE in Scandinavia, thank goodness. Because when you roll into a pub and all there is Spendrup and Carlsberg on tap, and then a over in the corner, tucked behind the chips, there’s lonley tap Brooklyn Lager, what a sigh of relief.

Anyway, a couple of the stand out beers that I drank in Sweden & Denmark include the following:

Åbro Bryggeri - Anderssons Starköl –  I picked this “strong beer” (direct translation) at the Systembolaget while in Boras. Definitely a clean strong beer with a crisp finish.

Dugges Ale & Porterbryggeri - Dugges Lager No.1: This is a nice golden colored lager with a flowery mouthfeel, floral tones and a nice crisp bitter end.

Nørrebro Bryghus - Ceske Böhmer: a nice malty ale with some citrusy overtones.

Nørrebro Bryghus - New York Lager: very similar to the Brooklyn Lager, but with a European twist of malts and hops.

Wicked Wine Sweden Mohawk Extra IPA: a great big wallop of hops and caramel round out this little gem from the Swedish Bryghus.

One brewery, along with the rest of the breweries in Scanda, that I nissed out on was Ocean Bryghus. I’ll have to do a mailorder.

Elizabeth Street Brewery: The Ultimate Man-Cave
By Chris Galvin
Smack dab in the middle of San Francisco’s picturesque Noe Valley neighborhood is the Elizabeth Street Brewery. This isn’t just any ol’ brewery, this is a neighborhood public house located in a man’s garage. Yep, a super man-cave.

Since 2003, Richard Brewer-Hay (Yes, his last name is Brewer-Hay) has opened his “man- cave” to countless craft-beer enthusiasts, family, and friends to share his award-winning home brews for free. But, this souped-up man-cave isn’t just open to any person, you have to wait patiently for access to his garagepub via his secret Twitter beer signals.

Just before the 2010 Craft Brew Convention in Chicago we caught up with Brewer-Hay at his ESB pub and talked shop.

How did Elizabeth Street Brewery and your ultimate man-cave all come about?
My wife and I moved into this house in January of 2002. Originally this room was used for garbage and when I saw the room for the first time, I immediately knew that it had great potential to be a man-cave. We painted the walls red and the ceiling white, and at first it was a room for my buddies and I to play poker. I’ve had a dream of opening a brewery, but with the way the economy has been there wasn’t a chance of us opening a pub anytime soon. So I just decided to come up with a name for a brewery. We live on Elizabeth Street and ESB is a typical English-style beer and I liked the play on words. So, we just called ourselves the Elisabeth Street Brewery. And then in 2005, after a couple years of being married, my wife wrote in to the Discovery Channel’s T.V. show “While You Were Out”. They came out while I was out of town and when I came back my wife and the whole crew had updated the room to be a pub. And it was unbelievable.

When did you start to brewing beer?
[Before we got married] all my friends were saying that you’re marrying your best friend, and you have to come up with some sort of [hobby] that doesn’t have anything to do with your job or with your wife. My family is from the North of England and a good friend of my aunt and uncle lived next door to a pub that was making their own beer. They had beer piping out from the garden and into the pub. I tasted the beer and the beer was great. I saw how the pub owners were making the beer in their kitchen just on the stove and entering it into home brew competitions in England. I figured out I could do that too. So, in 2003, my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Bali when I came up with the idea to start brewing beer.

The first batch of beer I made was in October 2003 and I poured it in December of 2003. We had some friends over for that first beer. My wife had pulled them all aside and said that if it was not good just let me know and I’ll pour it out. Everyone was really shocked because it turned out to be really good and I’ve been brewing every since.

How do you come up with your recipes?
I do session beers with simple recipes with premium ingredients, back to basics. I think any one would be hard pressed to argue that American beers are not some of the most adventurous and complex beers in the world right now — very hoppy, strong, and double-digit ABV, and I love these beers and have a ‘fridge full of them, but I think there’s also a need to scale back and offer more session beers. I’m all about session beers and I like to keep them at no more than 5 percent ABV. Every so often I’ll make a big beer, but it’s out of necessity that I make session beers because when I’m brewing I don’t want to be getting buzzed. For me it’s about having a few pints and social drinking. I think it makes people feel good and there’s a market for it.

Back in January 2010 you did a collaboration beer called the Imperial Jack with Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment Brewpub for San Francisco’s Strong Beer Month. How did that come about?
I used to work for a tech company that was right next door to the 21st Amendment and used to go in there all the time after work. And I got to know everyone working there. Then, back in 07, my father and I went to the Craft Brewers Convention in Austin, TX. and we ran into Shaun there. There was an instant connection and we hit it off well and we’ve been best friends ever since.

Last year Shaun and 21st Amendment were making the rounds with tasting home brews and Shaun approached me and said they would like to brew the Elizabeth Street Bitter for the Pro Am at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. We made the batch, but I think there was too much gypsum and it didn’t turn out as I liked. Then, this year, he called me in January and said that we should try to make that same beer again, but make it for Strong Beer month. I said, I would really love to do that. So we doubled the grain bill and lowered the gypsum and dialed it into where we wanted it to be and it turned out to be really good. We entered it into this year’s World Beer Cup. If we win, that would be amazing. [Editor's note: Imperial Jack won a Gold Medal at the Craft Brewers Convention’s World Cup of Beers.]

[Brewer-Hay pulls a growler of 21st Amendment’s Bitter American out of his Kegarator and pours us a glass]

I get just as much passion out of making a good beer and drinking it as I do with talking to people. There are a number of reasons why I do it. I love to meet people and I love to make them smile. It’s all about community. Recently, the local NBC affiliate voted us the best secret spot in San Francisco. We’re reviewed on Yelp. And the Pub has kind of evolved. Every Monday a few friends and I, who are in the brewing business, work on a business plan to open up a family-style brewpub right here in Noe Valley.

I have a day job and I have all the perks of running a brewery and none of the headaches of running a brewery. I have the customers, good beer and nothing but great feedback, but I’m kidding myself that this is how it’s going to be when we open the family-style brewpub. Right now there’s no money involved because we don’t pay any salaries or make more than 100 gallons a year. I think what we’re doing right now is as good as it is going to get. Even when we are distributing beers all around the world, it’s never going to be as good as it was when we were in this room.

– Chris Galvin is a freelance beer, music and culture writer living in San Francisco.

San Francisco Beer Week is a Mecca for Brewers and Aficionados alike.
Written by: Chris Galvin

It’s a Friday evening and I’m inside the Forum Room of the Yuerba Buena Center for Arts Opening Gala of San Francisco Beer Week. The room is packed with tables encircling the parameter. Every inch of table space is covered with promotional schwag; beer taps with brewers pouring two-three different hand crafted beers. I stroll amongst the various brewery tables and notice the sense of camaraderie that’s in the room. Craig Wathen of City Beer is conversing with Claudia Davis of 21st Amendment. Master brewers mingle with patrons. Local legends like Dave Keene, of the Toronado, socializes with various brewers while even pioneering craft brewer Don Barkley pours his own creations from Napa Smith Brewery taps. “We loved the strong sense of community surrounding San Francisco Beer Week. Everyone was enthusiastic and engaging in the creative exchange of ideas with one another, which made for a vibrant calendar of unique events. The heart of the beer community is full of locally owned businesses dedicated to the craft,” explains Beth Wathen of City Beer.

In its second year running, SFBW has grown at least double the events from the 2009, and that’s not by accident. Couple the event’s success with the explosion of social media tools and the overwhelming growth of the craft beer industry, and you have a recipe for success. According to the Brewers Association, overall craft beer sales grew from $6.32 in 2008 to $6.98 billion in 2009. Not mention that in 2009 there were more than 1,585 active breweries in America, the highest since before Prohibition. Then there are social media tools like Twitter to catapult events to help build a following and camaraderie in the craft beer community. “I followed the buzz pretty closely on Twitter and the steady flow of conversation really helped create a buzz and confirmed the feeling that there were great events happening simultaneously everyday,” says Dave McLean of Magnolia Brew and Gastropub. There was even a free SFBW iPhone application to help attendees to navigate the 230 plus events.

Of course, with over 230 events taking place, it’s hard to get to all of the events. But, as I navigated and studied the schedule and netted out at some great events to attend. As K. M. Weaver of HopPress said, “No matter what events you ultimately decide to attend, you’re going to be missing out on something great.” A few of my favorite events were the charcuterie and beer pairing night at Magnolia Brewpub, the sampling of Strong Beer month at 21st Amendment and Magnolia and the closing ceremonies at the Trumer Brauaerei. But, there was also The Barley Wine Festival at Toronado, The Double IPA festival at The Bistro in Hayward.

The charcuterie and beer pairing night at Magnolia Brewpub was not to be missed. The flight of meat and beer included six different meats and six different beers ranging from a potted pork paired with the San Francisco Brewer’s Guild Imperial Common, a fantastic Salame Gentile paired with their Kalifornia Kolsch, to my favorite the Sweetbread Terrine paired with the Cole Porter.

The next event I attended was at 21st Amendment to take part in sampling of some really nice strong beers that included the Two Lane Blacktop IPA and the 21st Amendment and Elisabeth Street Brewing collaboration Imperial Jack, a strong bitter beer named in honor of ESB’s Richard Brewer-Hay’s late grandfather Jack. “Having a beer that I collaboratively brewed with the 21st Amendment guys was the personal highlight and a true honor,” noted Brewer-Hay. I could not agree more, definitely one of the highlight beers of the Strong Beer Month offerings.

A few days later, and the one event that’s not to be missed each year, is the always action-packed Barley Wine Festival at the Toronado. Now in its 17th year, the Barley Wine Festival offers 48 barley wines from all over, and is judged by a selection of top local beer judges. What I like about this event is that I can order small samplers of really good barely wine’s that I’ll never get a chance to taste otherwise. Not too mention that I can order a sausage next door and pair it with a really tasty barely wine. This year’s winners included: 1st Place: Big Woody, Glacier Brewhouse, 2nd Place: Abacus Blend, Firestone Walker, 3rd Place: Old Gnarlywine 2008, Lagunitas Brewing and the Honorable Mention: ODB, Oskar Blues Brewing.

Over the bridge in Hayward, the Bistro held its 10th annual Double IPA festival. $35.00 gets you access to the event and a souvenir glass to sample five of the 58 double, triple and Imperial IPAs on tap, nearly all of them from California. Just like the Barley Wine Festival, all of the beers are judged and are given ribbons. This year’s winners included the following: 1st Place: Welcome Back Wipeout IPA, Pizza Port Brewing, 2nd Place: HopSauce, Rubicon Brewing and 3rd Place: II Max Imperial IPA, Triple Rock Brewing. And, of course, The People’s Choice Award went to “cultish” Russian River Pliny the Younger.

Of course, a big festival like this deserves a big closing out party and that was the Closing Ceremony and the Celebrator News Magazine’s Anniversary Party held at the Trumer Pils Brauerei out in Berkeley. Again, another array of beers were on tap for the patrons, some tasty barbecue, and tours of the Braurerei. Some of my favorite beers on tap included the new Ranger IPA from New Belgium, San Diego’s Mission Breweries double IPA, the Stone Old Guardian, Lagunitas Red and the always-satisfying Pliny the Elder from Russian River.

Luckily, San Francisco Beer Week is only a weeklong. After hydrating and plenty of sleep, I’m ready for next year’s event. As Beth Wathen puts it, “San Francisco — the luscious beauty and full commitment to local flavor the lovely city offers — makes a wonderful destination for beer lovers to unite and embrace their joy over beer. Who doesn’t want to add another stamp to their passport book in the name of fine brew?” 2011, here we come!

Some people can remember the day JFK was assassinated. I remember the day I had my first sip of a De Proefbrouwerij Saison. It was back in 2007 at the Toronado here in San Francisco. That day my whole outlook of Farm House Ales/Sasion changed. To that point I had experienced excellent styles of Saison by Saison Dupont, Avec Les Bons Voeux, Saison St. Feuillien, and many others. But none of the aforementioned purveyors had come close to the uniqueness of the De Proef Saison. What I really love about Saison is that nice balance of the “brett” farmhouse funk, a slight tinge of sour and the citrus. What sets De Proef apart from the rest is not only do I get the taste of citrus and the funk, I can taste the natural terroir. What Naudts can do with malted barley, water; yeast and hops is absolutely amazing.

Anyway, here’s a great interview with Naudts. Cook’s article

You might be asking yourself, “What does the BeerUniverse app do?”  Well, BeerUniverse provides users with tailored recommendations based on ratings and reviews of over 3000 beers from their database. Other features include creating a “Favorites” list and the “Perdict” feature.

What I dislike most about recommendation apps is that they’re really not that accurate. For the most part, the BeerUniverse recommendation engine gave me some solid results based on my reviews. My initial set of results were based on my first set of reviews in the app: Chimay (Red), Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.  The results returned were aligned with what I would have guessed to be quality  recommendations based on the limited data set: Leffe Blonde, Anchor Porter, Anchor Steam, Chimay Cinq Cents (White), Chimay Premiere (Red), Blue Moon, Snake Dog IPA, Goose Island IPA, Hoegaarden WitNew Belgium Fat Tire, Becks Dark and Cornoa. Although, I’m not really sure where the Becks and Corona recommendations came from, but that’s me being a beer snob.

The “Beer List” is quite extensive and very robust. What I liked most about the “Beer List” was how the list was broken into neat little categories like Alphabetical, Highest Rated and Beer Type. The list of beers is quite extensive and very impressive too. For instance, my favorite beer is Paffgen Kölsch, in Köln, Germany, and it was on the BeerUniverse list (but I did notice that Reissdörf Kölsch was missing and that’s on every list).

The “Perdict” feature was awesome too. I was able to tailor my own list and get great recommendations by choosing my favorite beers. It was a little squirrely at first, but then I figured it out and had some great results.

Overall, there are a lot of beer apps in the App store and most of them are crap, but what sets BeerUniverse app from the rest is that it’s much more robust, and accurate, then a lot of the beer recommendations apps out there right now. I found that the BeerUniverse app was really fun, easy to use, and robust — even on my first generation iPhone. I do have one feature request: Food pairings for my favorite beers.

Bonus:

Here’s an interview with Blake Potolicchio from Beer Universe.

BeerNerd: What was the motivation behind building this app?

Blake: Our motivation behind the application was to create a usable interface 
with our site so beer drinkers can enhance their knowledge of what they 
like when out and about. How many times do we drink a beer early in the 
night and want to remember what we liked about it. In addition, this app 
utilizes the tools on beer universe to recommend beers associated with 
your tastes and preferences – REALLY COOL.

BeerNerd: How is the app doing and what types of responses are you getting to the 
app?

Blake: We are getting great responses from the people who have used it. We wish 
we could get this information out to more people. I would really like for 
breweries to understand the importance of beer universe and the app. We 
are a great portal for fans to get introduced to their beer and promote 
good. Quality beer.

BeerNerd: What future release features should we watch out for with BeerUniverse?

Blake: We are toying with a few more applications, which we have to hold close to 
us for now. But check out the site to see what we are currently promoting! 
Beer universe is in a very exciting and innovative time as a company and 
for getting beer knowledge to people who appreciate beer and choice of 
product.

BeerNerd: What is your history with craft-beer?

Blake: We love to love good beer and decided to create an easy platform to 
attract others like us who are just starting out on their craft excursion.

BeerNerd: Are you a home brewer?

Blake: Beer universe has a tremendous following of home brewers and the staff at 
beer universe has even attempted to brew their own beer on a few separate 
occasions. We don’t kid around though, we need a lot more practice! Home 
brewing is awesome but difficult to master like our favorite craft 
brewers.

BeerNerd: Last, but certainly not least, five craft-beers you’d want with you on 
a desert island?
Blake: For me personally, I love intense IPA’s. You give me a deserted island and 
a couple of those bad boys, and I am one happy camper. Personally I really 
enjoy the heavy seas series from Clipper City (as a native of Maryland).

Belgian Beer
Explore the world of Belgian Beers with this nifty little $1.99 app. Browse different Belgian beer styles by Brew Type, Regions, Food Category, Color, Season and Timeline. My favorite featres of this app are the History module and the Brew Type feature. With the Brew Type feature I can browse different Belgian Beers by Trappist, Abbey or Specialty. Each section is broken out into perfect little categories for reading. The History feature is just that: The History of Beer Making. I love to geek out in the History section. I also love the horribly rendered Monk as the start-up screen.

BJCP Styles
Who doesn’t need a free guide to the plethora of beer styles under the Beer Judging Certification Program? Not the most glamorous looking application, but it is a useful guide to the various styles sanctioned under the BJCP. I love this application because I can pull it up when I’m riding the bus, or stuck in an awkward moment in the elevator when I don’t want to talk to somebody, or when I’m walking down the street and I see there’s a homeless person trying to get change out of me. The app is free!

Meet Seattle’s Artisnal Brewers

As a DJ, I spend a lot of time digging in the crates at record stores tracking that one gem of a track that nobody else has or is playing out to a crowd. The same can be said about my beers. I really enjoy tracking down those diamonds in the rough—those small micro-breweries or brewpubs that are making the perfect IPA or Pilsner. The ale producer who meticulously searches for the best ingredients to hand-craft their wares. For craft beer lovers, Seattle is their record store.

It’s a good time to be a craft beer fan in Seattle, as breweries and brewpubs are sprouting up faster than status updates on Facebook. In the greater Seattle area alone, there are more than 30 breweries and brewpubs with an additional 80 breweries across the state of Washington — and this doesn’t include the 50-plus beer bars and gastro-pubs.
Luckily, the state of Washington is home to a few of America’s largest malt producers and provides roughly 75 percent of the United States’ supply of hops — not to mention a near endless supply of pure water from the surrounding Cascade, Olympic, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainer mountain ranges to satisfy the insatiable thirst for quality beer. During the ’80s, Seattle was said to have had the largest per capita consumption of beer in America. In fact, America’s first “brewpub” was opened in 1982 by Bert Grant in Yakima, Washington. Seattle comes by its love of beer naturally, and this comparatively long history of microbrewing has served it well, with some exciting newcomers joining the steadfast tradition of beer appreciation.

Inside the Schooner Exact Brewing Company, the scent of yeast permeates the air and large metal fermentation tanks stand guard against the back wall. Kegs upon kegs sit neatly stacked around the entrance of the warehouse. Over in the corner, near one of the sliding garage doors, sits a work-station for creating handmade tap handles. The space is generous for such an intimate brewery.

Schooner Exact Brewing Company is located in an industrial business park operated by Marcus Connery and Matt and Heather McClung. The brewery first started pumping out fine quality ales in 2007. Marcus grabs two pint glasses and opens a modified refrigerator filled with four five-gallon kegs and pours a pint of their Gallant Maiden Hefeweizen, followed by an IPA. “Schooner Exact is named after the ship that brought the first settlers to Seattle,” explains Marcus. Matt started out as a home brewer, creating a seasonal beer called Hoppy Holidays every year. Eventually he invited Marcus over to brew a batch and he was hooked. It wasn’t until 2006 that they decided to become full-time brewers.
Their flagship brew is the The Gallant Maiden, a fruity American-style wheat beer with hints of citrus and clove. Their IPA is a solid dose of hops and rounded malt combination. Pints of their beers can be found at a handful of Seattle bars, and purchasing a keg just takes a call in advance. Stay tuned to www.schoonerexact.com as they’ll be opening their tasting room to the public in this summer.

Just north of downtown Seattle is the neighborhood of Greenwood and the location of The Pillagers Pub, home to Baron Brewing and Three Skulls Ale. The owner, Jeff Smiley, started Baron Brewing back in 2003 after falling in love with German beer and home brewing. Smiley is a jovial man with a long salt-and-pepper goatee, a hearty laugh and a healthy dose of optimism. He prides himself on the authenticity of his German-style beers: All of the Baron beers are brewed with proper imported German ingredients. “I really like my big German beers,” he says with a huge grin. But it wasn’t long before he had the itch to make big Pacific Northwest style beers.

“I really like my IPAs and Porters, and that’s why we started the separate brewery,” says Smiley, alluding to his recently launched Three Skulls Ale label. All of the Three Skulls Ales are brewed on the same brewing kit as the Baron Brewing line and, like Baron, the Three Skulls Ales are made with high-quality ingredients — in this case, All-American grains, hops and yeast. Not to be missed is the Baron Schwarzbier Black Lager, a classic German black lager with an essence of chocolate and a crisp finish. Another Pillager standout is the Three Skulls Ales’ Cut Throat Red: a deep amber red ale with a nice hop finish.

Over in the Capitol Hill district, The Redwood, (which is not necessarily a beer bar, but like all bars in Seattle, has plenty of great beers on tap and great pub food) features a porter from Big Al’s, one of the best new breweries in the Seattle area. On tap at The Redwookd, Big Al’s Smoked Porter stays true to the platonic Porter featuring a smoky and chocolate-y nose with just the right balance of hops, malt and a smooth finish.

Owner Alejandro Brown started Big Al’s Brewery in August of 2008. Unlike a lot of home brewers who normally frequent home brew supply shops to purchase brewing ingredients, Brown had been going to his local home brew shop to purchase parts for his kegerator. Eventually, the shop owners persuaded him to start brewing. Brown recalls, “I used to go to a supply shop in Kent to get hardware and every time I went in there, the staff would ask me ‘when are you going to start brewing, Alejandro?’ I finally gave in and got a starter kit. I immediately became addicted to home brewing.” The rest is history. The Big Al’s Brewery tasting room is open seven days a week for sampling, pints (try the Smoked Porter), growlers, barbeque and darts.

Brouwer’s Cafe in the ultra-hip Fremont neighborhood is another great spot for some sampling. This is not a brewery or brewpub, but a fantastic industrial space that is an oasis to 64 taps and more than 300 bottled beers. The style of beers range from Belgian Triples to oak-aged and American style ales. The French-inspired faire ranges from Croque Monsieur sandwiches topomme frites with mussels. For some brews, try the Fantome Saison or the Russian River’s Blind Pig IPA.
The Stumbling Monk at Capitol Hill is another great stop with a mellow and unassuming bar. Originally started as a bottle shop in 1998 and then eventually converted into a Belgian beer bar in 2001, the space is dimly lit and the seating is sparse. They have a great bottle list as well as 11 beers on draught.

An expedition to Seattle is the beer enthusiasts’ equivalent to that rare pirated bootleg or the elusive white label DJ’s constantly seek. The engaging and personable city is like the ideal record shop: full of hidden corners and surprises around every turn. Just when you think you’ve found it all, another treasure reveals itself.

This article just ran on 944 Magazine

Devil Canyon – Lager Diabla
Yum. Yum. Fooking YUM! That’s all I have to say about this California lager. The Diabla is a nice and light session beer with a crisp finish with a little bit of a hop bite.

Victory – Hop Wallop
Yeah, like the name of this beer, this lil’ bugger cracks a huge wallop. A nicely balanced and citrusy aromatic ale from this genius of a brewery in PA.

Victory – Wild Devil
Ah, I love me some wild ale that’s been spontaneously fermented. This is a very complex ale that plays nicely with the malt character and brettanomyces wild yeast. Man, these guys over at Victory are awesome! It’s good that we finally have some of this stuff over her on the West Coast.

Linden Street Brewery – Urban Peoples Common Beer
Being in San Francisco it’s hard not to sample some of the best steam beers on the planet, but the UPCB from Linden is simply fantastic. This beer pours golden (vs. the Anchor version that’s a little more amber) and has a really nice hop finish.

San Francisco Brewers Guild San Francisco Beer Week Collaboration – Imperial Common
Brewed especially for the SF Beer Week, this barrel-aged common packs a bang of flavors from a candy nose to a nice balance of malt and some interesting hop flavors.

Speakeasy – Hunter’s Point Porter
Talk about a perfect porter. This San Francisco gem is one of the best porters out there. A deep brown color with a big nose of wood and vanilla followed by mouth feel and a pleasant hint of cocoa nibs and coffee.

Napa Smith Brewery – Lost Dog Red
Brewed by the man himself, Don Barkley, this red ale pours like an amber ale and then finish with a smooth and slight bitterness. What I like about Barkley’s beers is that they have this old world base but with a new American twist. There’s something comforting about his beers.

Anchor Brewing – Humming Ale
This commemorative ale from Anchor celebrates 113 years of Anchor and the 30^th Anniversary of the first brew in the Anchor’s “new” brewery. According to Anchor, “Humming is an ancient term, used centuries ago to describe both ales and beers. Although its origins are shrouded in mystery.” This is a refreshing and citrusy hop number with a nice mouth feel and with a medium carbonation.

My brewpub would have vaulted ceilings with a lot of natural light and the floors would be made out of big slats of wood. The walls would be brick and the windows would be long and tall. The space would have really clean lines and a view of the brew system. I’d have a really nice copper mash tun and then some cool holding tanks.  The décor would be modern with some rustic elements. The bar would be framed into the middle of the pub and there would be tons of taps. Of course, we’d have a patio with a garden for the summer months with a place for bands to play.

The food would be a mixture of family-style plates (a la Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc) with a mix of Bobby Flay-style fresh veggies and bar-b-que mixed with a little bit of a Momofuku (David Change) flare.  We’d make our own pickled veggies and charcuterie. Maybe even make some of our own cheeses.

Now for the beer, we wouldn’t skip on the ingredients and quality of products used in the beers. Each beer would be carefully hand-crafted and dialed into perfection. Each beer would be served in their respected glasses too.

Here’s what would be on tap:

• Hoppy Northern California Style IPA
• Creme Kolsch or a Paffgen-style Kolsch
• Imperial Alt
• Oatmeal Stout
• Mexican-style Cerveza
• A Big Red Ale
• California Style Tripel
• Japanese style Lager
• Black IPA

Guest Beers

• Ale Smith – X
• Avery _ The Reverend
• Russian River – Damnation
• Drakes – 1800
• Anderson Valley – Boont Amber
• Franziskaner

Bottle Beers

• Chimay Red & White
• Westmalle – Tripel
• Orval
• Saison Dupont
• Fantome Saison
• Czechvar
• Le Fin Du Monde
• Stone Guardian
• Brooklyn Brewing Lager

I’ll be right back, I need to go buy a couple of lottery tickets.

Photo credit: Stone Brewing