Taprooms Archives - Deano Writes

Hoppin’ Around

August 17, 2025 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

Yes, I know, it’s been quite a while. But I have managed to get out every now and then, so I thought I’d catch y’all up on some of my recent beer travels.

BUT FIRST, MALT

“Beer is agriculture!”

So shouts Admiral Maltings’ Ron Silberstein during a tour of the malt house during the 2^nd Annual “It’s the Malt!” festival, held recently at Admiral’s Alameda facility.

Malt aerating on malting floor at Admiral Maltings, Alameda — Booth with a view at The Rake Pub, Admiral Maltings, Alameda

He is passionate about the grain, something I found out years ago while interviewing him for the chapter I contributed to this book about the geography of beer.

Admiral Maltings was founded in 2017 due at least partially to the fact that hops were hogging the spotlight. As I mentioned in the book, the IPA explosion turned tap lists into virtual hop-varietal marquis. While malt, the backbone of beer (Admiral’s tagline is “No Malt, No Beer”) was relegated to a supporting role, at best. You didn’t see malt varieties on beer labels, or malt farmers glorified as much as their hop-growing counterparts.

Malt was under appreciated, and Admiral Maltings set out to help change that.

Fast-forward seven or eight years, and Silberstein’s passion continues. Enough to where, as an alternative to festivals highlighting hoppy beer styles (IPAs!) or beer-drinking occasions (Oktoberfest!), it was time for a festival celebrating malt.

The “It’s the Malt!” festival, like the facility that that hosts it, is utterly unique and not to be missed.

Let’s start with the fact that Admiral’s pub, The Rake, is truly an astounding place to enjoy a beer. Not just because you can see the actual malting floors from your table, but because it consistently features one of the most amazing tap lists you will ever find.

People standing in line for beer at "It's The Malt!" festivval — I bet that fancy concert in The City didn’t have this!

The common thread, of course, is that everything poured is made with Admiral malts. This ensures not only out-of-this-world quality, but an amazing cross-section of breweries and styles. Are you a hophead? Check. Dig a saison, or maybe a porter? Check-check. Love an impeccably brewed lager? Check-mate.

Having a place like this host a festival? Forget it. If you only have room in your budget for one festival a year, make it this one.

For starters, they turned their tap list up to 11 by featuring tents with additional taps outside. The Lager Land tent (I doubt that big music party on the other side of the Bay had this) was pouring beers where these standout malts can really shine.

The Bay Area Mashers tent celebrated the famed homebrewing club’s 35^th anniversary by featuring collabs with several local breweries. The Bluegrass Common with Moraga’s Canyon Club, and Fool’s Gold English Golden Ale with Richmond’s East Brother were standouts.

(An aside — I was fortunate enough to later enjoy Fool’s Gold ON CASK at East Brother. Holy cow. Smooth, tangy, just slightly bitter, and absolutely amazing.)

So yes, the beers (and Whiskeys (!)) on offer were amazing enough. But this wasn’t just about tasting the finished products, it was also learning about malt and interacting with it.

Display inside Admiral Maltings facility — How ’bout a little knowledge to go with that beer?

If you weren’t able to catch one of the guided tours, the malthouse was opened up for self-guided tours that included several informational displays detailing the entire malting process.

Educational seminars were also offered, right on one of the germination floors, which included talks on the optimal situations to grow malt, as well as guided sensory tastings.

So — world class beers and spirits, AND the chance to learn a thing or two about what makes beer beer? Get to this next year, you will not regret it.

The Rake Pub at Admiral Maltings
651A W Tower Ave, Alameda
Open 7 days, check site for hours

PUB HOPPIN’

I’ve managed to squeeze in a few brewery stops while I’ve been our seeing our fine (still, I think) country.

Bar area, Back Unturned Brewing, San Antonio — By your own bootstraps

Back Unturned Brewing, San Antonio, TX — Just off the Riverwalk north of the Downtown tourist spots sits Back Unturned Brewing. A scrappy, feisty, DIY type of place, with concrete floors, a stainless steel bar, and tanks in full display in the dining room. The beers are as solid as the space, with some nice IPAs and a delightful hoppy Belgian-style ale. Full kitchen featuring pizzas, full bar, friendly space. Worth the trek out of downtown.

516 Brooklyn Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215
Open daily at 11am

Roadmap Brewing, San Antonio, TX — Roadmap is just a few blocks from Back Unturned, although I had already built up quite a thirst in the stifling heat. A bit more polished, the expansive building features several separate but still very open spaces to hang-out, including a serious dartboard area around the corner from the bar.

And the beers are spot on. These folks have won their share of awards, locally and from GABF in Denver and the World Beer Cup. Great selection of merch, and a food truck on site featuring burgers. If you only time for one beer stop in SA, make it this one.

Interior, showing tanks, of Roadmap Brewing, San Antonio — An inviting respite from the unusual Spring heat.

723 North Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX, 78215
Open M-F 2-10pm, S-S Noon-2pm

Barhop Brewing, Sequim, WA — headed to the Pacific Northwest for a family reunion, and wouldn’t you know this place just happened to be right across the street from our hotel. Of all the luck…

Beer taster flight at Barhop Brewing, Sequim, WA — The beers were nice, but… Worst. Logo. Ever.

This is actually the second outpost for Barhop, their main facility is in Port Angeles, just down the highway. Not an ounce of pretension here, just good beer in an assuming, open space, with some outside seating, as well.

Pizza’s the name of the game here, as well. We had a nice spicy Pep, with just enough pop to work well with the crispy sourdough crust. The beers were solid as well, I particularly enjoyed a lively tart Key-Lime Chili Lager. Just enough of everything to make it interesting and not overwhelm.

845 W Washington St, Sequim, WA 98382
Open M-Thur Noon-7pm, Fri-Sun Noon-8pm

Headlands Brewing, several East Bay locations — closer to home, Headlands is bucking the trend and gone into major expand mode as of late, and they’ve carved a pretty good niche for themselves with each of their very unique spaces.

They’re all about making the absolute most with fairly small-ish footprints, with an emphasis on family-friendliness. Unique seating arrangements, dedicated kids’ play areas, and just enough greenery to feel like you’re hanging out in your friend’s backyard.

Beer garden seating, Headlands Brewing, Walnut Creek — The forest for the … buildings.

Walnut Creek, especially, pulls this off. They’ve managed to create a wooded oasis in the middle of a business park right across from a BART station! You wouldn’t think it would work, but it does. And, bonus, this location features a full bar.

The tap list is conveniently divided by flavor profile, so you’re sure to find what you need. Food menu features burgers, sandwiches, salads, and apps, as well as choices for the kiddos.

Hours vary by location, check their site for deets.

Lafayette — 3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Berkeley — 1280 Gilman St.
Walnut Creek — 2999 Oak Rd., Suite A

Mad Fritz: Making Original Beer

March 20, 2019 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

As a winemaker, Nile Zacherle knows well the vital role ingredients play in the fermentation sciences.

Not just knowing what they are, but where they came from, will dictate how the winemaker approaches them, both in recipe and process, to produce the desired result.

The same is true of brewing, as viewed through Zacherle’s winemaker perspective.

Origin Beer

“I think we’ve always known why [Mad Fritz is] brewing what we’re brewing — it’s about showcasing the origin and authenticity of the ingredients and the flavors that come with that…creating origin beer as kind of a sub-niche of craft beer. And to create more of a local culture with raw materials.”

That means controlling those raw materials down to their exact specifications, using locally sourced, organically grown hops and barley, which they actually malt on their very own malting floor at their brewery in St. Helena.

You might think, brewing in Napa Valley with a winemaking background, Zacherle’s facilities would reflect Napa’s opulence, with an expansive brewery floor featuring shiny copper kettles.

Brewing, even in Napa Valley, ain’t glamorous.

Au contrare. The tiny brewery betrays the fairly lofty prices Mad Fritz can command for a bottle.

“We’re a pretty old-school brewery,” says Zacherle. “There’s no cold box. There’s no real refrigeration other than for tanks. It goes to barrel, comes out of barrel, goes to a bright beer tank, [in] just the climate of the space. We don’t even have HVAC, which is a problem during the summer. It stays in the low 70s, but it’s not ideal.”

The facility’s fluctuating temperatures can thus dictate what types of beer can be brewed when.

“Certainly [during the winter] it’s lager time. Everything is great when it’s in barrel when it’s cold. Everything’s dropping into the 50-55º zone in barrel right now, and that’s just beautiful. If I had all the money in the world I’d have a barrel room that I could keep at 55º year round, with humidification, etc. That would be sweet.”

Another unique aspect of Mad Fritz’ process is aging. All beers — all of them — are aged in barrel, anywhere from two weeks for IPAs to up to four months for Belgian styles, although each beer will tell him when its ready.

“The beer has a dimension from the barrel, from the aging, from that extraction process, when it comes to stasis with the barrel itself,” says Zacherle. “The barrel element is subtle yet powerful, adding a unique dimension to the beers’ personality. There are certainly times when you taste a beer from barrel and think ‘This is coming out soon. It’s really hitting!’”

Although Zacherle prefers to leave them in barrel as long as possible, some beers just don’t measure up to expectations.

“There have been beers that have sat too long and just didn’t make the cut and need to be dumped out. This forces introspection of what you are doing and not [wanting to waste] any more time on something that doesn’t have the level of quality we expect in our beers. “

$ + $$ = $$$

So why make such labor-intensive beer, in such a small space, and charge a pretty penny for them?

“Ideally, it’s how to do you make better beer, not how to do cut costs. A lot of people think the inverse of that. ‘How do I make more money? I’ve got to shorten the brews so my labor [costs are] lower. If I can increase brewhouse efficiency, we can save on ingredients.’”

Zacherle avoids this model, which means not having something that could be considered a flagship.

“When you adhere to the most conventional way we as consumers have purchased and consumed our product, we’re like, ‘Well, [this brewery] makes X. I want X. I drink X.’ And they do Y, Z, and that becomes this kind of platform. ‘These are our beers.’ It’s easy for people to adhere to.

“But it also kind of gets boring, too. We have 40 different beers we make, and they’re all in rotation. We don’t sell a lot of doppelbock, but dammit, we’re brewing it. Because it’s just a great beer.”

“Ideally, it’s how to do you make better beer, not how to do cut costs.”
Nile Zacherle, Mad Fritz Brewing Co.

Making such unique, ingredient-driven, small-batch beers in such an expensive labor market isn’t exactly kind to his bottom-line, either.

“That’s one of the things that’s different with our business is that, it’s just really expensive to be here,” says Zacherle. “Not only do we charge accordingly because of that, but we charge accordingly for the process and what we do with the raw materials. The zip code doesn’t help.

“Because of that, you have to pay salaries that are twice, three times what other communities might be paying their brewers or sales managers, because it just costs more to live here. And if you want a good sales person you gotta pay, otherwise you’re just not gonna get anybody good.”

Fabled Beer

“All the beers are named after Aesops Fables,” says Zacherle.

“The fables were something my wife thought of. I thought of [the brewery] name, named after our children, Madilyn and Fritz.

“Sometimes I get so seduced by the image itself, the Francis Barlow artwork. We acquired a 300-year-old printing of this fable book so we could expand the images a little bit more and get better resolution. It’s all public domain, it’s 300-, 400-years old.”

While sometimes it’s just a fable’s image that drives a name, the moral of the story can also say something about the beer itself.

“‘The Wind and Sun’ just really reflected our platform. The moral of the fable is gentle persuasion is more effective than brute force. The Sun slowly warming versus the Wind trying to blow the jacket off of the traveler.

“If you truly love beer, you need to open your mind a little. Experience other beers.”
Nile Zacherle

“The beer speaks for itself, the raw materials speak for themselves. The gentle persuasion — complexity can come from simplicity. Those concepts are parallel.”

How about the moral of their Biere de Garde, “The Boy who Cried Wolf?”

“I love the image. But there’s a double-entendre with it. It was supposed to be a golden ale. When it looked basically brown and amber, I was like ‘Hey, something’s up.’

“I texted the maltster. ‘Hey, this is not pale malt. This is a brown malt.’ So I kind of cried wolf a little bit, but there was really a wolf there! So I turned it into a new beer. I’m going to use the same hops, and do everything I normally do. But I’m going to turn it into a Biere de Garde.”

Water is an Ingredient, too

Zacherle was kind enough to pour several beers during my visit. Nothing exhibited what kind of difference even one ingredient can make than a side-by-side tasting of The Donkey and Thistle pale lager. They were identical except for one thing — the water source. One was made with spring water from Angwin, the other from Lewelling Vineyards.

“The Angwin’s the softest spring water in Napa Valley,” Zacherle explains. “Lewelling’s one of the harder waters, and that’s literally a stone’s throw from here. The generalization with harder water is that it accentuates bitterness because it dries out the palate.”

I could immediately tell the difference. The beer made with Angwin water fanned out more evenly across the palate, with a longer finish. The Lewelling beer had a snappier, drier finish that readied the palate for whatever was next.

Zacherle continued. “In the Angwin, you can see how the softer water gives it a teddy-bear-hug. It’s just softer, rounder, easier. It’s like the harder water adds a bit more more edginess to it. A lot of people have said it’s almost like a pale ale, there’s that sharpness to it.”

Beer in Wine Country, or Wine in Beer Country?

Being a winemaker, Zacherle knows how to market for a wine-country audience. Mad Fritz bottles certainly reflect that, with stopper caps and labels that echo high-end Napa wines. Their uniqueness and terroir-driven backstories seem perfectly suited to wine-centric palates.

And world-class restaurants, including the famed French Laundry, have noticed and now feature Mad Fritz on their drink lists.

“I have not met Thomas Keller or consulted with him, I’ve been working with his sommeliers and chefs. I think we’re very much in concert with his approach. When you’re cheffing at that level, you’ve got to be thinking origin, sourcing, farmers. You have to go all the way to the ground and build up.

“I understand ‘The Old Man and Death’ is drinking exquisitely right now…”

“We’ve done custom beers for The Restaurant at Meadowood, the French Laundry, made a thyme beer that’s going to Geranium, the restaurant in Copenhagen.”

When you make the beverage lists from some the world’s top restaurants, there’s a danger of projecting an image of being inaccessible, something out of reach for the masses.

Bringing the Taps to the People

To alleviate that, and get Mad Fritz beers into the mouths of more people, Zacherle recently did what most Napa beverage makers do — opened a tasting room. (The brewery was previously open for visits by appointment only.) The Mad Fritz taproom opened just a few blocks away from the brewery in St. Helena in April 2018.

Okay, on the outside it’s fairly modest, but the inside…

As opposed to most winery tasting palaces, Mad Fritz’ taproom is modest, almost sparse. A few tables are scattered around the smallish space, with mostly barren, cream-colored walls that feature a few printed photos, and of course the Frances Barlow artwork displayed prominently behind the bar. A small table with a turntable and several LPs adds a touch of hipness.

Zacherle explained, “The tap room has allowed us be a little bit more accessible. The by-appointment platform is a bit limiting to folks who just want a beer. You don’t want to turn those people away. They want a beer!”

The taproom is also a way to “show you what origin beer’s about. That’s an opportunity to teach someone about what we’re doing. They may not buy that much beer, but at least they’ve had a really cool experience. I think overall it’s been a good step.”

Offering their 11 taps in three-, five-, and 10-ounce pours allows patrons to customize their experience to try as many or as few beers as they like. Nearly everything is available for purchase, although they do from time to time pour membership-only bottlings.

Don’t bother looking for a chalkboard with the days’ tap selections. All beers are listed on an extensive tasting menu which, like their website and the labels themselves, offer a detailed description of what you’re drinking.

“I don’t really like the chalkboard thing because I don’t think there’s enough information there.” When ordering at a crowded bar, “you have to make a split-second decision and sometimes and you just order an IPA, or get the saison, or the blah-blah-blah. But is there anything else about the beer other than the IBUs and the alcohol that I’m going to get from you? Probably not. That’s kind of a bummer.”

Mad Fritz is looking at doing appointment-only tastings again in the future, hosted by Zacherle, for those seeking a more in-depth experience “so they could get kind of a more deeper dive into the raw materials and their impacts.”

Can’t Ignore the IPAs

Being an iconoclastic beer maker does not mean Zacherle ignores the market completely and just does what he wants. Mad Fritz usually has at least one or two IPAs available, including a gluten-free option.

“If you don’t have one [IPA] you’re not in business. You gotta have hoppy beers. I love hops, I just think there’s so many hoppy beers out there, [tasting here] is like ‘You’re at Mad Fritz! Take a break!’

“If you truly love beer, you need to open your mind a little. Experience other beers. That’s how I think of it. I truly love beer. There’s so many wonderful styles that are out there to enjoy.”

Richmond — City of Pride & Purpose. And Beer.

November 25, 2018 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

Once upon a time, not very long ago, West Contra Costa County was a vast beer desert.

Aside from BevMo and maybe a restaurant here and there with a couple of interesting taps, it seemed the craft-beer boom was destined to pass us by.

Thankfully, those dark days are gone and many great beer destinations are now a reasonable Lyft ride away from Beerverse HQ.

I’ll detail my recent visit to Martinez soon. But first…

Richmond is now home to three breweries, each with its own distinct personality — playful and quirky, laid back and cozy, spacious and bustling.

What they all share in common, of course, is great beer.

They are summarized below, including food and to-go options.

THE HANGOUT

Benoit Casper Brewing Company was the first of the new wave of breweries to call Richmond home, in 2014.

Red letters on the door are the only things distinguishing it from its neighbors in a small industrial park in the northern end of the Iron Triangle.

A DIY aesthetic abounds once the large roll-up door is opened to the long, narrow space. Built-in tables fold down from one wall, opposite the tiny bar, where you can sit on stools made from old yardsticks.

Like I said, DIY.

The 3.5-barrel brewery is tucked in the back, and most every other square-inch of space, including rafters, is occupied by barrels.

Fittingly, the “this is what my brewery would be like if I built one in my garage” vibe is completed by the smell of buttered popcorn wafting from the machine next to the bar. You can help yourself.

It’s kind of way in the back, there. Behind the barrels.

They offer up to eight beers on tap, and it’s all good. They’ve racked up all sorts of local awards, including a Gold Medal at the State Fair, 1^st place at the Fairfax Brewfest with their Catahoula Coffee Stout, and very recently, a 1^st place at the Triple Rock Firkin Fest with Trending Pumpkin, a pumpkin-spiced vanilla latte stout.

FOOD: none on-site, but you can bring your own, and they occasionally have food trucks. They do offer some snacks and, of course, the popcorn’s always free.

TO-GO: Cans/bottles — yes, but selection is often limited. Crowlers — yes. Growlers — yes, clean ones.

HOURS: Thu-Sat 3-8pm, Sun 3-7pm. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave.

THE TAPROOM

If there is a brewery positioned to be a regional player, East Brother Beer Company is it.

The cavernous space, in back of an industrial park just north of the Port of Richmond, has loads of room for expansion. The seating area is polished, if unadorned. Plenty of dark-wood, picnic-style tables are spaciously arranged for families and large groups.

There’s even plenty of room for ping-pong, pool, and corn-hole. In fact, they have their own Rec League.

Marketing is on-point here. A giant “RICHMOND” is spelled out in block letters above the hanging sign at the entrance. Branding is carried through to the merchandise, tap handles, cans, and signage. All top-notch.

They’ve also been deliberate in terms of beer. While they’ve recently expanded into specialties like the Seasonal Lager Series and the 100-Pint Series, they’ve placed a major emphasis on their core styles — Red Lager, Bo Pils, Gold IPA, Red IPA, and Oatmeal Stout. All of which are solid, excellent examples of style. ESPECIALLY the Bo Pils. Outstanding.

East Brother is also the most aggressive of the Richmond breweries in terms of distribution. They can be found in cans and on drought throughout the Bay Area.

FOOD: bar snacks, food trucks out front daily (check their schedule), or bring your own.

TO-GO: Crowlers — no. Growlers — yes, and they do fill others.

HOURS: Wed-Thu 4-8pm, Fri 4-9pm, Sat Noon-9pm, Sun Noon-8pm. 1001 Canal Blvd.

THE CLUB(S)

I’ve waxed eloquently here before about Armistice Brewing Company. This sister-brother team has used ingenuity and creativity to create distinctive “clubs”, each with its own vibe, in a pretty small space.

If you want to be where the action is, there’s the bar. A TV usually has a game on, and giant overhead speakers crank out the tunes.

If you want spread out a bit and get some rays (when there are some), there’s the beer garden. A “living wall” frames a gravel-floored area filled with benches, a long wooden communal table, and a giant fire pit. There’s even a window to the bar.

Or, if you want to get above it all and chill out, there’s the Framily (Friends + Family) Room, a bright space upstairs with a long communal table, cushy benches, and views. Great for families.

The beers are as adventurous as the spaces. No core brands here. The Zoebels do very small batches of a lot of different stuff, which means the tap list changes frequently. Yes, your hazy IPAs are here, but so are your saisons, browns, pilsners, stouts, milds, and the occasional sour. And all of it good.

FOOD: Snacks, food trucks daily, or bring your own.

TO-GO: Cans and bottles — yes, on specific release days, which typically sell out quickly. Crowlers — yes. Growlers — yes, others, too, if clean and labels are covered.

HOURS: Sun-Thu Noon-10pm, Fri-Sat Noon-Midnight. 845 Marina Bay Pkwy., Ste. 1.

Alameda — The Island I’d Love to be Stranded On

October 16, 2018 Dean Brightman2 Comments

You get asked that all the time, right?

“If you’re ever stranded on an island, what (fill in the blank) would you want with you?”

But no one ever asks WHAT island you’d like to be stranded on.

Probably someplace tropical, right? Like Maui or Guam or Jamaica?

Nah. Alameda.

Why?

Because, quite simply, Alameda has everything the drink connoisseur would ever need to survive.

If you like wine, there’s Rock Wall Wine Company. If spirits are your thing, you’ve got St. George Spirits and Hangar 1.

But, as usual, I was here for the beer.

FACTION BREWING

There are a few places I would call “destination” breweries — places you would take your beer-minded, out-of-town guests because of their fantastic brews and/or facilities.

Drake’s Dealership would be one. Stone’s beautiful new Napa outpost is another. And I’m counting the days until I can visit Russian River’s brand-spanking-new Windsor facility.

Faction Brewing is also on that list.

There are very few spots of any kind in the Bay Area, let alone beer places, that have the stunning, panoramic, postcard views Faction can boast.

Situated on the north-west end of the former Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda, nothing but old abandoned runways stand between Faction’s back patio and knockout views of San Francisco and the bay.

I’m a native and even I was taken aback.

Roger Davis, a Bay Area brewing veteran of more than two decades (mostly at Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro and Berkeley’s Triple Rock), offers more than 20 beers. You can build your own sampler or, if going through the entire list seems a bit daunting, order a pre-selected flight of the day.

IPAs are well represented, of course. But with that many taps there were choices aplenty — a pilsner, amber, wit, several Belgian styles (including a grisette), a porter, a couple of stouts, and happily, many pale ales, which aren’t so easy to find these days.

A rare, unretouched photo of a white stout in the wild.

One of the stouts was their mind-bending Anomaly Milk Stout.

I know white stouts are a thing, but I had never come face-to-face with one.

My advice — don’t think, just drink.

Your eyes and your mouth may not be able to sync it up, but it is delicious. Just close your eyes and taste. Body might be a touch lighter than a typical stout, but the roasted coffee and bittersweet cocoa are there.

Again, delicious.

Acreage abounds at Faction. The massive back patio features several decks, space for food trucks, an additional bar, corn hole, etc.

And as you might expect from a former helicopter hangar, there’s oodles of room indoors, as well. Plenty of space to expand the current 20-barrel brewery as needed, plus an adjacent additional seating area adorned with festive, in-progress murals.

In case you get tired of all that scenery.

With too many beers to try and mind-slapping views (have I mentioned those already?), I easily could have called it a day right here.

But my itinerary beckoned.

THE RAKE AT ADMIRAL MALTINGS

My next stop was about a 20-minute walk from Faction, through the still-mostly-deserted NAS.

It felt like a movie set. Or maybe armageddon.

Block after wide-open block of concrete, empty office buildings, and abandoned hangars. I almost expected to see Wall-E foraging around for plant-life, although he would have found plenty in the weeds popping up through the cracked pavement.

After wandering through this surrealistic time-scape, I heard the sound of civilization again as I neared Admiral Maltings.

Until recently, most of the “craft” in the craft-beer movement focused around the ever-expanding variety, and growing locations, of hops.

Malt, conversely, was mostly either imported or sourced from the few malting facilities scattered around the U.S.

The founders of Admiral Maltings (Dave McLean, most recently of Magnolia Brewing, Ron Silberstein of ThirstyBear Brewing, and malt specialist Curtis Davenport) wanted to change that.

They wanted to bring the concept of “terroir”, so crucial to the story of wine, to beer. Why couldn’t locally-grown and malted barley make beers that could “taste” of California?

They were also smart enough to include a tasting room pouring beers made from their malt — The Rake.

The Rake is a taproom unlike any other. I’ve been to many a brewery where you can sip the end result while looking at the tanks and equipment that made it possible.

But I’ve never sat at a booth looking into a room that looks like a giant sandbox.

The malting floor.

From their website:

“Floor malting is a disappearing art, revered by brewers around the globe. We gently turn our malt on the germination floor by hand. It creates flavor components no other method can replicate. Fresh malt from our kiln tastes unlike malt produced by larger, industrial malting facilities.”

And the common thread of beers having at least some of the malt come from that giant sandbox makes for a fascinating tap list, a curious cross-section of styles from breweries all over the state.

How about an Golden Lager from Moorpark (Enegren Brewing), a Hazy Session IPA from Santa Cruz (Discretion Brewing), or an Altbier from Oakland (Federation Brewing)?

For the sheer uniqueness of the experience (and the beers), The Rake is a must-stop.

Fortunately, since by now I had done a bit of sampling, my last destination was just a short stumble away.

Right next door, in fact.

ALMANAC BEER CO.

Almanac began its life embracing the “craft” of craft brewing. Their slogan, prominently featured on their labels, is “Farm to Barrel.” They made their reputation on very small batches of labor-intensive, usually fruited, almost exclusively barrel-aged, sour beers.

They also did not have their own facilities, not even a taproom, choosing instead to contract brew at other locations.

Their very own space! With taps and tanks and everything!

After opening a proper taproom/restaurant in The City in late 2016, they finally opened their own brewery with adjoining taproom in Alameda in early 2018.

They’ve managed to create a warm, convivial, family-friendly atmosphere in a 30,000-sq.ft. former hangar. Wood-planked walls around the bar and long, richly-stained communal tables offer a warm contrast to the shiny tanks in back.

An arcade area, complete with Pac-Man and pinball, adds a playful, family-friendly touch.

As Almanac has moved from contract-brewing to their own facility, the product line has also evolved.

While the barrel program is still, of course, front and center, they’ve adapted to the market with their Fresh Beer line — IPA heavy, with a lager and a couple of stouts on my visit.

They also now offer cans, which I took advantage of to take home my only souvenirs from my island excursion — one each of Side Hustle, a hazy, dry-hopped IPA, and Vibes, a decidedly non-hazy, dry-hopped pilsner.

With that, since I wasn’t fortunate enough to actually be stranded, it was time to head home.

But I will be back. I haven’t even gotten to Alameda Island Brewing, or what’s supposed to be one of the best tiki bars on the planet, Forbidden Island.

Aloha, Alameda. ’Til the next “threeee-hour-touuuuur…”

SF Beer Week ’18: SF, SD, and the Woods of Oakland

March 17, 2018 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

I have two main criteria for selecting which of the hundreds of Beer Week events to attend:

Hit a place I haven’t visited yet, preferably BART-able, and
Avoid the crowds, so I can relax and enjoy my experience without feeling too rushed.

The first goal isn’t that difficult here in the Bay Area, although that says as much about how little I get out as it does for how many new beer spots there are.

But the second, that’s a bit more tricky.

I generally avoid ticketed events unless it’s something I reeeeeeeeally can’t miss. Aside from the crowds, they can easily turn into drunkfests in an unlimited-pour situation. Plus, I tend to stay a little too long as the cheapskate in me wants to get as much bang (a.k.a. beers) for the buck as possible, thereby contributing to the drunkfest-ness.

Not to mention irritating my wife considerably when she finally picks me up.

Since I work full-time and am too freakin’ old to do anything “fun” on school nights, day-long, pay-as-you-go weekend events are usually my jam. More often than not, early- to mid-afternoon vibes are pretty chill at most beer joints.

Yes, it’s stupid expensive to live here. But it’s The City in February! C’mon!

Unfortunately that isn’t always the case, as I found out during Beer Weekend #1.

These are Just Two of My Favorite Things…

Happily, two Bay Area trends have recently overlapped — the proliferation of brewery satellite taprooms and the expansion of regional eatery Gott’s Roadside (very possibly the best restaurant on the planet). Gott’s not long ago opened a Napa location at the Oxbow Public Market, which not long after became home to one of Fieldwork Brewing’s taprooms.

(BTW, I’ve already waxed poetic about what my Last Meal request would be — Gott’s Ahi Burger and a flight of pretty much anything Fieldwork makes. I would also sublet a section of Oxbow’s air ducts if I could. But I digress…)

Although, the Bay Area traffic can get annoying.

Another Gott’s/taproom overlap has occurred in San Francisco’s Ferry Building, my first stop.

After securing the above-mentioned provisions at Gott’s, it was just a few steps to Fort Point Brewing’s recently opened kiosk, already in expansion mode into a recently vacated space next door.

Good thing, too. While I expected a line at Gott’s because, well, they were open, Fort Point sported a pretty healthy wait, as well. After about 10 minutes or so, I procured my first of their special Beer Week brews (Clarion, a Vienna lager) and managed to carve out a small corner of a communal table.

After an exquisite lunch (duh), it was back in line for another Beer Week release, a version of their popular Park enhanced with Mosaic hops called, well, Mosaic Park (clever, eh?).

(FYI, Fort Point has since announced that Mosaic Park will be one of three new single-hop Park releases, the others being Citra Park and Galaxy Park. Yes, please!)

From San Francisco across the Bay to … San Diego?

After that great kick-off to SFBW18, it was a quick BART ride back across the bay to my next stop in downtown Oakland.

For BARTability, my next event couldn’t have been easier. Exit the 19^th St. station at Telegraph, hang a right, walk half a block, and boom, you’re at Diving Dog Brewhouse.

San Diego’s a popular place. Even in Oakland!

Diving Dog is a brew-your-own establishment with the added bonus of one mean taproom. This day they featured a total San Diego tap takeover, including several beers not normally distributed in NorCal.

Apparently, a lot of Bay Area folks were excited about this, as I had to wade through a several-people-deep sea to get to the bar. Once finally situated, I found out what made this a next-level event.

All beers could be tasted in flights, perfect for sampling. The tap list was also thoughtfully divided into Hoppy, Dark, and Light & Sour beers, making constructing flights a snap.

I did two flights (one hoppy, one dark), and focused on new (to me) breweries — Abnormal, Bagby, Novo Brazil, Thorn Street, Fall, and Poor House.

I did make one exception with AleSmith. I’d had their Speedway Stout before, but not the Hawaiian version, made with coconut, vanilla, and Ka’u coffee. Chewy, coconutty, coffee-y deliciousness. Yowza!

All the beers were great, but I was surprised at my reaction to Bagby’s Dum Dum IPA. This was old-school West Coast hoppy — piney, sappy, sticky, spicy. A few years ago this might have been Best of Show for me, but I found it to be a bit jarring. It hit me just how attuned my palate has gotten to the tropical hops dominating the scene these days, and I haven’t yet decided how I feel about that.

Oakland Can’t Fail

My schedule for Beer Weekend #2 was much less ambitious, but again BART-able, again an all-day beer release, again places I’d never visited in downtown Oakland. And again, I started with a meal at a restaurant just steps away.

Mike Prichard (sorry, “Dirnt”) can’t fail. Go Spartans!

I’d been wanting to hit Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe for many years, and for many reasons — mainly because the owner is Green Day’s bass player, I’m a giant Green Day fan, and both the bass player and lead singer went to my high school right after I did.

Aside from all that, I’d also heard the food was great.

(Bonuses — the menu’s a kick if you’re a music fan, and it’s right next door to the Fox Theater, making it a “no-duh” grub destination pre- or post-show.)

Anyway, after a tasty breakfast of Rude N Reckless, (Eggs Benedict served over hash browns — great for a hangover), it was one-block walk down Telegraph to Woods Beer Company.

A forest of adventurous beers awaits. (Yeah, I know.)

Woods has taken the Fieldwork approach of opening several satellite locations, although while Fieldwork’s empire extends from Monterey to Sacramento, Woods’ footprint is a more compact San Francisco (four locations) to Oakland (one, and the only one with a brewery).

Woods Bar & Brewery features two distinct spaces — an open-air patio in front, and a dark, enclosed bar area in back. I found a seat there and dove into the new releases — beer/wine hybrids called Divine Origins, blended with grapes, fermented spontaneously, and barrel-aged.

Two were on offer — one a base wit beer blended with Fiano, a white grape. The other a Flanders-style base blended with Merlot. Served in wine glasses, both were fantastic, but my preference was the Fiano. It was dry and refreshing, sort of like a tart, apply Hefeweizen. The Merlot reminded me of a lot of sparkling red wines I’ve had, juicy and fruity but a touch sweet.

Tripping (and falling) through the Woods

As for my other samples, I found many challenging, but in the best way. Woods doesn’t mind pushing the envelope and playing with styles and unusual ingredients.

Before trying the Islay IPA, a DIPA aged in Laphroaig Whisky barrels, the bartender warned me, “You like peat, right?”

“Sure,” I said, not even exactly sure what that was but figuring it would be somewhat woody and smoky.

Before sinking in the Fire Swamp of DIPAs.

Yikes. Kinda ashy and muddy and musty. Apparently like slurping a peat bog (I had to look that up).

But I say these things kindly. I have no palate for Whisky at all, so while this was a bit much for me (and from what I’ve read, Laphroaig is pretty polarizing, anyway), I realize I was out of my element and could still tell it was a well-made beer.

That stayed with me while tasting through Woods’ brews. While some of them might not have been my cup of, um, beer, they made me think and gave me a new perspective on what beer could be.

And really, you can’t ask more from a tasting experience than that. If you’re up for a little adventure, check ‘em out.

Until Beer Week 2019, then…

Beer, There, Everywhere: SF Beer Week ’17

February 26, 2017 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

In the midst of this waterlogged winter, another San Francisco Beer Week has washed over us. Here’s where I dipped my toes into this year’s raging currents.

I Need A Miracle DIPA Release, Pacific Standard Taproom, Berkeley

With the ever-increasing supply of beers from an ever-increasing industry, the problem of where they’re going to sell this stuff is becoming more acute. There are only so many taps and shelves, right?

One solution — create your own taproom.

Sierra Nevada has the Torpedo Room in Berkeley. Firestone Walker’s new space in Venice Beach recently opened. Wood’s Brewing has four locations in the Bay Area — three in the City and one in Oakland. Not to mention Fieldwork’s outposts in Napa and Sacramento, with more to come in San Mateo and Monterey.

A chill start to Beer Week at Pacific Standard.

Into the fray comes Pacific Standard, Half Moon Bay Brewing’s new taproom just around the corner from Downtown Berkeley BART.

I got there not long after the event started at Noon, and while there were a decent amount of patrons, the vibe was nice and relaxed. A chill way to start off Beer Week, and a great opportunity to dive into some not-so-common HMB offerings.

The best part, all tap selections are offered in 5-oz. pours. Much easier for sampling.

Which came in handy, ‘cuz who knew I’d wind up winning the lottery? The taproom was gearing up for a release event later in the evening, so I got to try several fresh kegs that were tapped as I sipped:

Everyone’s Doing It Hazy Pale Ale — yes, there’s much wringing-of-hands over hazy beers. Brewers chasing fads again. For me, the bottom line is, is it good? This one is. Tangy, juicy, bright, quenching. Haze away!

Crazy for Coconuts Porter — with toasted coconuts, which tempers the sweetness and adds nuttiness. Nice!

Belgian White — this collaboration with Richmond’s Benoit Casper was spot-on, with a floral quality that lingered on the finish.

I Need a Miracle DIPA — another collaboration, this with Peter Hoey of Brewer’s Supply Group. Solid as DIPAs go, but this 8.8% brew drinks too easily. Could be trouble, so be careful.

BTW, a tip. They do have a bottle shop, but due to license restrictions, they can only sell their own brews to go. Any other brewers’ bottles must be consumed on-site.

Triple Rock Mister Stout Imperial Stout Flight, Berkeley

Around the corner and up a few blocks is the venerable Triple Rock, which opened back when the beers were still called microbrews (they’re coming up on 30 years). They recently expanded into the space next door.

Triple Rock’s Annex. Note graffiti left on a former exterior wall.

The best thing — they didn’t try to replicate the nearly 30-year-old original brewpub. Cuz let’s face it, there’s no way to recreate decades of beer-soaked happiness without it looking like Disney Goes To Portland.

In fact, they did the opposite.

Sleek. Modern. Concrete. Bright. Complete with a roll-top window opening to Shattuck Avenue. Now, everyone can be happy. The regulars have the patina of back-in-the-day, while the hipsters can see-and-be-seen.

If this bad boy starts slidin’, drink up. It’s probably your last.

Plus, instead of hiding the fact that any new construction in the Bay Area has to be earthquake-proofed to infinity, they made it a design feature. Several massive pillars anchor the space, complete with gigantic slip-plates that can allow the upper floors to surf over the space if they need to. A not-so-subtle reminder that the East Bay is overdue to crumble. So drink up.

Which I definitely did. But, had I known the quantity of the flight, I might have limited my samples at Pacific Standard. Yikes.

The server placed the tasting sheet on the table. A four-pour Mister Stout vertical, ranging from the last 2015 barrel-aged keg to the freshly-brewed 2017. I figured, just four tastes, right? A few sips of each one to get an idea, and I’m good to go.

Not.

They had to be eight ounces each, ranging in ABV from 10.2 to 11.5%. Oy.

BTW, to my wife — no, I did NOT finish them. Got maybe 1/2 to 2/3 through each pour. Which was bad enough, I know. Thanks for driving me home.

Anyway, without getting too deep in the woods, my fav was the 2017. I know, blasphemy to you barrel-age enthusiasts. I enjoyed the freshly roasted coffee flavors and aromas, and the energetic acidity. The ’16/’17 blend gave a bit of softness, which I also enjoyed.

But the 2015? Too much caramelly sweetness for me. Sorry. When the barrel obliterates the beer, I’m just not a big fan.

Molina “Tavern” w/Headlands Brewing and Magnolia Brewing, Mill Valley

Yes, Marin can have a precious, bubble-like atmosphere at times. But they also have some damned nice restaurants, and the beers ain’t bad, either.

See, beer CAN be romantic, honey. Honey?

And I’m sorry, but the quaint-meter just pegs in Mill Valley. And you never know when you’ll run into Sammy.

Anyway, this being my first experience with Molina, I can’t tell you about the normal mode of things. However, I did hear one regular ask “Why is it Ten after Six and the bar’s already full?”

For this event, they kept to a small-plate “tavern” menu, with recommended pours for each plate. But, for “drink what you like with the food you like” me, I chose just to try some nice beers and eat some good food.

Check on both counts.

My wife and I shared Crab Jambalaya and Poutine with Mushroom gravy. Both were outstanding. Plenty of crab and pulled pork in the just-right-spicy jambalaya, and the hearty fries held up to the rich poutine gravy. And I hate mushrooms, so if that’s not a recommendation right there, I don’t know what is.

The beers? Top notch, of course, especially the Light My Fire Smoked Helles, a special collaboration for Beer Week with Headlands and Santa Cruz’s New Bohemia Brewing. Smoke was evident, but only enough to enhance the crispness and dryness of the Helles. Tremendous.

BTW, the Magnolia Smokestack Lightning Imperial Stout with the Chocolate Stout Cake wasn’t half-bad, either, The black-licorice component of the stout seemed heavy-handed on it’s own. But with the cake? Verrrrry nice.

East Bay Beer Festival, Drake’s Dealership, Oakland

Um, I realize if I’m supposed to maintain some modicum of credibility, that I should keep a bit of detachment from my subjects, and not gush on endlessly.

But holy cow, was this event awesome!

Yes, I just said “awesome.” I don’t care.

Even more impressive, this is the inaugural event (and they even knew to use “inaugural” and not the fingernails-on-the-blackboard “first annual”).

I must admit, my euphoria about this event might have resulted in large part from plain ol’ Vitamin D.

Yes, sunshine.

You folks in the Midwest and Northeast probably have little sympathy, but this winter has been so saturated for us Northern California folks that we keep expecting the Arc to show up any day now. We’ve probably had rain at least 3/4 of this year so far, and most of that has been of the sideways variety.

Lucky glasses about to be filled with all kinds of locally-fermented goodness.

This day, the sky turned an unusual shade of brilliant blue, and the warming rays came down upon us. Add to that some top-notch brews, and a DJ spinning some fine tunes (how is it not a party with Beck’s “E-Pro”?), and you have one fine event.

The East Bay, as the kids say, was representin’. (Do the kids still say that?)

And Drake’s Dealership was a great host. The Hive’s interior parking lot was the perfect space. Just enough room for all breweries, plus a few food options, while still keeping the complex open for patrons to visit the other businesses.

Best part is, I got to try all sorts of new East Bay breweries I haven’t made it to yet — East Brother, Alameda Island, Novel, Federation, Temescal, Cleophus Quealy, and Ghost Town, among others.

I’m too lazy to take notes on the beers I had, and who wants to work on day this nice? But I can tell you of a couple of standouts I tried.

Newcomers Gilman Brewing, out of Berkeley (natch), offered a wonderful Smoked Chipotle Porter called Speak of the Devil. Now, I’m a sucker for anything chipotle (I even kept going to the restaurants after their troubles), and saying Smoked Chipotle might seem redundant, but this was a tasty beverage. Chipotle smokiness, check. Porter foundation in evidence, check. Result — one fine beer.

The other was a Black IPA from Eight Bridges Brewing in Livermore. I know, the IPA category’s getting played out, and Black IPAs may be one of the earliest to jump the shark, but this straddled the line well between coffee-roastiness and hop-sharpness. Kind of changed with each sip, which to me equals balance.

Overall, though, I don’t remember a beer that wasn’t at least good. Maybe a bit too savory here, perhaps not malty-enough there. But overall, some fine brews were poured on a Chamber-of-Commerce day. Spring can’t some soon enough, but we had a taste of it on a stellar, beer-soaked afternoon.

Bottom line — stumble around pretty much anywhere in the East Bay and you’re bound to come across some fine local brews. Go out and get some, and be thankful for our local bounty!

Beer. There. Everywhere.

February 28, 2016 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

In the Bay Area, trying to keep up with the plethora of great beer spots opening seemingly on a daily basis is surely madness.

But why should I let that stop me?

Drake’s Dealership, Oakland

Oakland may be ground zero with cool new beer spots. Let’s see … Beer Revolution, The Good Hop, Hog’s Apothecary, The Trappist, Diving Dog, Wood Tavern, Linden Street, Ale Industries, etc, etc, etc.

I’ve managed to make it to a few of these, but yikes!

I ask you, what place could be more relaxing?

I gotta say, though, I’ve never, ever felt as instantly comfortable as I did when I first walked into Drake’s Brewing’s new Oakland outpost, Drake’s Dealership. It’s Uptown, in a collective of shops, restaurants, and art galleries called The Hive.

The nondescript, off-street entrance opens to a spacious, comfortable beer garden, complete with tree-trunk stools, gravel, a canopied seating area, and small stage for entertainment. The space was formerly a Dodge dealership, and hints of its former life are still painted on the brick walls, from the Dodge 1500 truck ad in the beer garden to the Sales and Service sign above the bar.

The warmth continues inside, with wooden tables, stools, and a fireplace. I settled in at the bar and got to work on the massive beer board.

The Dealership doesn’t do flights, per se, but offers four-ounce pours of everything, so in effect you can create your own. I focused on the limited in-house specialties, such as the Rye Robustito Session Porter, the Anatidaephobia Black Saison (!), Rockridge Honey Farm Brown, War Pigeon DIPA, and finished with their Draconic, a silky Imperial Stout.

If you weren’t aware, a Drake is a male duck. Naturally, the duck theme continues through the menu, from Duck Confit to duck-fat fries to my lunch selection, Poutine with “double-duck gravy.”

Rich, warming, and comforting, just like the beers and the place itself.

Mare Island Brewing Company, Vallejo

Beer with a side of history. I so dig that.

Grab some knowledge with your Hydraulic Sandwich.

Mare Island Brewing Company (MIBC) is on the Vallejo waterfront, steps from the ferry terminal. While sipping your sampler, you can watch the passengers coming and going, or look at the historic buildings across the channel. You might notice a row of identical shed-like structures. These were coal sheds, to store the coal used for fueling the Mare Island Shipyard. One of these sheds will soon be their actual brewery (their beers are currently made off-site).

This place exudes a sense of, well, place. From the tables made from reclaimed wood, to the tap handles custom welded by Mare Island welders, to the historically named brews, it is all about Mare Island here. Their website itself is a lesson in local history. Check it out and be educated.

I ordered the sampler, which was of course terrific. However, one of their core beers was unavailable, so I was offered the Farragut’s Farmhouse Saison as a substitute.

Sort of.

Farragut’s Farmhouse is aged in white wine barrels prior to release, and normally isn’t offered as part of the sampler. I was given the original, pre-aged version, which was wonderful. Bright, crisp, and tangy.

Of course, I HAD to order the fully aged beer to compare. I mean, what kind of investigative reporter would I be if I hadn’t? Journalistic ethics REQUIRED it!

To be honest, I really didn’t have a preference. I loved the tartness of the “starter” Saison, but I also appreciated the toastiness and depth of the Farmhouse. Each great in its own way, but it’s always fascinating to taste different versions of the same beer next to each other.

Your Vallejo ferry commute would end here. Any questions? — Your Vallejo ferry commute would end here.

As I mentioned, MIBC is steps from the Vallejo Ferry. Maybe the more adventurous could do a Ferry Crawl? I dunno, maybe start with beers and lunch at MIBC, perhaps ferry over to Alameda and catch Faction Brewing (and possibly St. George Spirits and Rockwall Wine Company, as well).

Then, if your liver can handle it, an additional stop at the Ferry Building in SF for some Fort Point brews. And maybe dinner at Gott’s?

Just saying. Might make for a fun day.

Hopwater Distribution, San Francisco

Had some time to kill between an afternoon show and dinner, and the missus was kind enough to indulge me with a stop at Hopwater Distribution, a newish taproom not far from Union Square.

When we arrived, there were several people milling about outside. Dammit, they weren’t open yet??

We stood there for maybe 30 seconds or so, figuring out a Plan B, when Fate smiled upon us and the proprietors opened the doors.

Thinking of having my kitchen done in this.

Now, I’m pushing 50 (okay, maybe a couple of years to go), so I’m about as un-hipster as you can get. I head into any place in the City with some trepidation. But I must say, as the space filled (quite quickly after the doors opened), I appreciated the mix. All ages, genders, and several ethnicities. It was all good.

And I dug the aged industrial look. You gotta know where it is, as they’ve kept the dilapidated old Key Club sign from the ‘50s out front, and other than small neon signs in the windows, it might not be easy to spot.

Once you’re inside, the copper bar, brick walls, tall ceilings, and hazy front wall of windows welcome everyone.

The 31 taps are all California, and mostly Northern. And I gotta be honest. Aside from wanting to check out another new (for me) taproom, I had an ulterior motive with this stop.

BOCK BOCK!! (Double IPA, actually) — BOCK BOCK!!
(Double IPA, actually)

It was Henhouse Big Chicken DIPA release weekend, and Hopwater Distribution was one of the places pouring it.

And yowza! Ultimate freshness (it was kegged and tapped the day before), bursting with hops, and not a trace of harshness. Nice, nice, nice!

FYI, speaking of Henhouse, their brand-spanking-new brewery and taproom is under construction and should open shortly in Santa Rosa. (Remember what I said about keeping up…?)

I mentioned the wife earlier. She does NOT like beer, so any beer joint I drag her to HAS to offer alternatives. Fortunately, Hopwater has a small wine list, so she enjoyed a Gloria Ferrer Brut sparkler. She was happy, therefore I was happy.

BTW, this is how cool my wife is. For my birthday, she bought me a VIP ticket for Sierra Nevada’s upcoming Beer Camp festival in the City. She’s going, too, as a designated driver. She’s willing to just hang around while I drink beer for a few hours. Then drive my beery ass home.

I defy you to find a truer expression of love than that.

SF Beer Week 2016: Firkin IPAs, Packed in a Barrel, & My Last Meal

February 15, 2016 Dean BrightmanLeave a comment

Before this year’s Beer Week gets too far in the rear-view mirror (i.e.: I forget what I did), here’s a brief rundown of the events I attended.

First, a quick word about tasting notes. To be honest, I don’t really do them anymore. For all the beer I’ve had over the years, my palate just isn’t sophisticated enough. Other than vague generalities (balanced! smooth! malt backbone!), I can’t do each beer justice.

I can knock myself out crafting the perfect assessment, but everyone’s palate is different, so what’s really the point? From now on, most likely I’ll only make note of what’s most prominent and/or unusual for the style.

Besides, trying to describe something as I’m sitting there drinking it distracts from the enjoyment of it. I’d rather just take in the beer and the place and paint an overall impression of the experience. Were the beers enjoyable? Was the vibe welcoming and fun? Was the food and service up to par?

Laziness on my part? Perhaps. But I’m tired of worrying about it. Instead, the bottom line anymore is — were the beers (and food) good, were the people nice, and was it a great place to hang out, relax, and enjoy everything?

Single/Double/Triple IPA Firkin Flight, Triple Rock, Berkeley

Now, IPA flights are great enough. When you can try a brewery’s Single, Double, and Triple IPAs, even better.

When all three are pulled from casks — sign me up!

Coming here was a bit of a reunion of sorts. Hadn’t ventured to this venerable spot in a couple of decades, at least. Time has only added to its charm. The brewiana-covered walls, the air of beery civility — the place speaks of the tens of thousands of pints proudly poured there over nearly 30 years.

I arrived to an already crowded bar shortly after the 11:30am opening. Fortunately the three firkins were positioned on the bar in such a way that one corner seat was tucked in amongst them. I settled in and got to work.

The featured IPAs were the IPAX (single), Hop Salad (double), and Nod’n’Smile (triple). Great beers, all. The Hop Salad was probably the most hop-forward of the three. But what I really couldn’t believe was how smoooooooth the Nod’n’Smile was. The touch of sweetness at the end muted whatever alcohol kick it had.

Say hi to my friends -- the Firkins! — Speaking of friends, have you met the Firkins?

The 9-oz. pours were perfect — enough to thoroughly enjoy each one while still being able to leave under your own power.

A tasty Asian-marinated Salmon sandwich was the perfect pairing. The marinade tang mirrored the bitterness, while the fatty fish cut through the alcohol. And the service was wonderful. Although I was nearly hidden amongst the firkins at the bar, the very busy staff kept an eye on me and made sure I wasn’t neglected.

Cask beers are, of course, the best. And a chance to taste several in a flight is a delight. This was wonderful, and I hope they do similar events in future Beer Weeks.

Barrel-aged Beer Fest, The Trappist, Oakland

This was my first visit to The Trappist, and I loved it immediately. But be warned — if you’re claustrophobic, this is NOT the place for you. The front bar has barely enough room for stools, a walkway, and standing-height ledges along the back wall barely wide enough to hold your beer.

And say hello to my new friend! — And hello new friend!

The whole place is kind of a horseshoe. Walk past the front bar and the space widens a bit, with long bench seating along one dark-paneled wall, and the bathrooms on the opposite side.

Hit the back and open a door, and a small beer-garden is outside. Otherwise, hang a right to find more small tables and some stools along the dark back corridor.

Reach the end of that hall and hang another right. You’re heading back toward the front of building now, and the space opens up with several more tables and light filtering in from the front windows. This is the back bar area.

The odd and sometimes cramped shape of the space meant for long lines at the bars (more so at the front bar). But, as I’ve found at countless beer events, participants were cheerful and patient. And as a newbie, I quickly picked up the procedure.

Lines formed at the END of each bar. You don’t squeeze between people sitting at the stools. Study the printed menu while you wait, make sure you’re at the correct bar (the menu was divided into Front and Back Bar sections). Get the routine down and plan accordingly, and you will have a very pleasant experience and rarely have to wait long holding an empty glass.

I'm standing against the BACK wall! — I’m standing against the BACK wall!

First up was the Gigantic Brewing Pipewrench IPA, aged in gin barrels. That was a first for me, and the gin made for a more tangy, citrusy experience than most IPAs I’ve had. Really nice.

Next was Fieldwork’s Viking’s Lament Imperial Porter, aged in bourbon barrels with licorice and vanilla beans. I was a bit reluctant as I’m not a licorice fan, but to my delight the vanilla and bourbon flavors were much more pronounced, with the licorice providing just a bit of bite at the back end. Quite good.

Finally (and I couldn’t do any more if I wanted to) was Drake’s Barrel-aged Drakonic. This was just straight-up, in-your-face Imperial Stout time, with a bit of maple from the bourbon barrels. Subtle, it’s not. But still very delightful.

Overall, if you can deal with a lot of people in not a big space, it’s a great place to enjoy quality beer. I’ll have to return on a non-event day.

Dogfish Head Tap Takeover, Gott’s Roadside, Ferry Building, SF

A bonus stop after wandering around Super Bowl City. We got to the spectacle right about opening time on the first day, and boy, are we glad we did after seeing reports of the crushes of people on the days right before the game. Took us about 10 minutes to get in, and the crowds were very manageable.

And kudos to Speakeasy for getting some taps at the beer concessions. Nice to see some local beer represented.

Anyway, after checking the scene for about an hour, my wife was kind enough to agree to lunch at Gott’s. Now, I adore Gott’s as it is (although it’ll always be Taylor’s Refresher to me), but throw in some rare beers from one of the most off-the-wall breweries on the planet, and you’ve got yourself a deal!

And wow, did they have some hum-dingers available, including a couple of 17% monsters. If you’ve been to Gott’s, you know it isn’t conducive to pouring samples, so unfortunately flights were not available.

I opted for the Pennsylvania Tuxedo Pale Ale, brewed with spruce. A pretty straight-toward (for them) Pale, with the spruce adding a bit of spice.

I had to try one of the monsters, so I braved the Higher Math, a golden strong ale made with sour cherry juice and cocoa nibs.

At this point I must confess, and I may have to turn in my beer-lover’s card for this, but I do NOT like sour beers. Just can’t do them. Almost invariably, they are too puckery for me and wind up tasting like not much more than beer-flavored vinegar. I know, I know. I’m thinking of getting counseling.

Why pay $10 for a Super Bowl City beer??

Thankfully, that was not the case here. The cocoa took enough of the sour edge off to where it tasted pretty much like chocolate-covered cherries. Worked very well. And BTW, the 17% was NOT in evidence. Yes, it’s a sipper, but a light-on-its-feet one. Very dangerous.

I enjoyed these with one of my favorite meals off all time, anywhere — the Ahi Burger. You ever been asked what your last meal would be? This would be mine — a huge slab of rare Ahi with Asian slaw and Wasabi aioli. Normally I’d say with a Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc (I defy ANYONE to find a better food/wine pairing), but these Dogfish Head beers would work just fine, as well.

And with that, another Beer Week is in the books. Again, it’s friggin’ amazing to live in an area with so many hundreds of fantastic events to experience, and I’m thankful I got to enjoy a few. Until next year, then.