What I've Been Doing With My Liver Lately

2010 has been a good year for beer. A sampling of my beer-ventures thus far...

Strong beer month / SF beer week

February is always a good beer month in San Francisco, and this year did not disappoint. With April in the Philippines for most of the month, I tried to make the most of it. By my count (and yes, I tried to keep a tally), I tried 37 different beers while April was gone. Not bad for 3 weeks work.

Included in that total was a Russian River tasting at the Jug Shop, in which Raman, Christie and I had the opportunity to try 13 different RR beers. The vast majority of these were their trademark barrel-aged beers, including a few that aren't even available for purchase any more. I was a little nervous that Christie would curse me for talking her into the tasting, but I dare say we might have converted her into a fan of (some) sour beers, which I consider no mean feat. The tasting was simply jaw-dropping, and naturally we capped the night off at Nob Hill Tavern (RIP).

Of course February is also Strong Beer month, and Spencer and I defied all odds to add another glass to our growing collections. 21st Amendment was conquered with relative ease, and another All-Star weekend Saturday was spent having lunch at Magnolia. But by the time April returned from the Philippines and we went back to Magnolia to knock out the last 3 beers, they had already run out of a few of their beers! The waitress informed us that they were under strict instructions not to give out any glasses unless all 12 beers were punched, and no substitutions would be made. Of course this simply wouldn't do. April worked her considerable charm on the waitress, and Spencer and I were allowed to substitute and were duly rewarded for all of our, um, hard work.

New Orleans

I went to New Orleans in March for a bachelor party. New Orleans might not be known for their microbrews, but I always like to try the local selections when in a new region. Of course, Abita is the craft brew of choice down there and the selection is a lot better than in California. Based on my somewhat hazy tasting of the Abita lineup I could get my hands on, their best beers get wide distribution. Of note were their IPA, for being pretty awful (there's a reason west coast IPAs dominate the market), and Andy Gator, which is technically a doppelbock but was described to me in one bar as a "high alcohol, malt liquor-like beer". The description alone sold me.

I also lunched at the Crescent City Brewhouse my last day in town and got their beer sampler, as I am wont to do. Basically, 4 of their 5 beers were terrible. So thanks New Orleans, for the good times, but feel free to keep your beer.

Brewventure 2010

By far my most massive beer undertaking of 2010, April, Danielle, Spencer and I embarked on Brewventure 2010 just after tax day. Taking Friday off, we started the day with some breakfast at Mama's (you know, just to get a good base). From there we drove up to Anderson Valley Brewery in Boonville, just missed the tour, and did our first tasting of the day slightly after noon. Anderson Valley has a super-impressive set up, complete with a disc golf course on the grounds and a solar-powered brewery. (Aside: I noticed that they canned some of their beers, and inquired about their reasoning, expecting a response about how it was more environmentally friendly, etc, etc. Instead, the woman manning the bar basically intimated that they were only doing it because it was the new hotness.)

Next we hopped over to Hopland, home to California's oldest brewpub, which is run by Mendocino Brewery. Another sampler and a few darts wins later and we were back on the road.

Our third stop was at Bear Republic's brewpub in Healdsburg, where we indulged in lunch and yet another sampler.

We ended the night in Santa Rosa, where we had a hotel a short walk from Russian River Brewery. We ordered, you guessed it, their sampler, which brought our total for different beers tried on the day to a staggering 52. Needless to say, it was completely over the top and completely worth it. There is already talk of an East Coast brewventure in the future...

Hawaii

I was expecting good weather, good relaxation, and good times when we shipped off to Hawaii for April's cousin's wedding. I was not, by any means, expecting good beer. But when our cabbie informed us that there was a brewpub just minutes from our hotel, I immediately started plotting how to make it happen (I mean, we had to check it out, right?). And let me tell you, Maui Brewing Company exceeded all of my expectations. The six of us split a sampler, and they make a bunch quality beers, some of which are available in cans at the local markets (perfect for beach drinking). As if I needed another reason to like Hawaii.

On The Horizon

2010 isn't even half over yet, so there's plenty of beer yet to be had. Things to look forward to include: San Francisco Giants' 1st annual Beerfest, South African beer and of course homebrews (on tap: IPA; on deck: Saison).

Cheers!