Napa for Beer Take 2

The second day in Napa was dominated by wine tasting. We hired a car and driver to whisk us around to several wineries so that we didn't have to deal with the drinking and driving thing. The early evening however was dedicated to beer. Just north of the town of St. Helena is the Silverado Brewing Company. The brewery/restaurant is located in the Freemark Abbey winery building, an old stone structure that immediately reminds you of a medieval castle. Unfortunately the architecture is about the only thing that was great about this brewery. I should revise that statement, we didn't order any food so that may be bearable and the bartender on duty was pleasant but the beer was lacking. I ordered the sampler and didn't find a need to finish it. The problem with all the beers tried were that they lacked flavor. The Blonde Ale, Krolsch, Amber Ale, Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout all tasted like watered down versions. The only beer that came across with any flavor was the Meebock which was a fairly malty Maibock. After hearing so many good things about this place I was very surprised. However the beer that is often discussed and complimented, the IPA, wasn't on tap. Hopeful it is far better than the beers currently available. If you decide to make the stop skip the sampler, sit outside, try the Meebock and enjoy the architecture. Silverado provides a comfortable place to break from the wine trail.

The last stop of the day wasn't beer related but it did deal with well crafted items. Just south of St. Helena on the way to Napa we came across the St. Helena Olive Oil Company. Inside the store the expansive floor space was set up with individual table displays allowing everyone to taste and discover their favorite olive oils. It seemed odd at first to sample oil but with so many different types and flavors it was soon easy to understand all oils are not the same. It's not just extra virgin, the Olive Oil Company creates jalapeno, orange, garlic, basil, lemon and many other varieties. The store also sells vinegars, sauces, honey and of course wine. This was truly a tasty find and the first time that a sampling of olive oil was more enjoyable than a sampler of beer.

Beer by the Strawberry Moonlight

This beer happening took me by surprise and if it wasn't for a thoughtful email I may of missed it. On Wednesday June 18th Chris Depeppe owner of Total Bru Marketing held his Full Mooner VI Beer Tasting at J.L. Sullivan's Speakeasy in Center City Philadelphia. Chris puts together a tasting of select craft beers on the eve of the full moon. This was the night of the strawberry moon and the event was appropriately named. Like Grey Lodge's Friday the Firkinteenth, Full Mooner is controlled by the calender and with some quick research it is easy to figure out when the next one occurs. This was the first tasting at J.L. Sullivans and Chris said that he tries to use different venues for each one. The crowd had the chance to sample beers from Legacy Brewing, Ommegang, Lindemans, River Horse, Dogfish Head and Lancaster Brewing. The cost to taste all evening is a small donation of $10.

http://www.beerheads.com/

http://www.totalbru.com/

So Lucky

The past weekend started early and ended up being a good beer weekend. It all started on Thursday night with the Southampton Publick House event at Capone's. The beer started pouring at noon, but I didn't get there until 5pm. The bar was filled with the normal locals who have no idea what Southampton is, the dedicated Beer Advocate crew and the rest of us beer aficionados. Matt Capone had 11 Southampton beers on and Spencer, the brewer/promoter, was on hand answering questions and expanding our Southampton knowledge. Of the beers I tried the standouts were the Imperial Porter and the smooth, malty ABT 12, a Belgian style quad that I paired with a large bowl of mussels. Who needs a trip to Belgium with that combo? Spencer mentioned that I had made a mistake not trying the Russian Imperial Stout but I had reached my limit. Capone's continues to bring some of the best beer and brewers to the area on a regular basis. Anyone who is beer minded should look forward to Matt's next promotion.


The bigger of the weekend activities was the Friday the Firkinteenth gathering at the Grey Lodge pub in Northeast Philly. The firkins were pouring at 12:00pm and the bar was already elbow to elbow. I was lucky enough to get in good with a group of people who had seats at the bar and from then on had no problem getting refills all afternoon. The event is unique since it is only held on Friday the 13th and firkins provide most of the beer consumed. The list of beers was stunning (see last post) and having them from a firkin reminds you how truly different fresh beer tastes. I survived the first 5 hours and made it through several tappings. The beers sampled were, Flying Fish Snake Dog IPA, Stoudt's Black IPA, Sly Fox Standard Ale, Flying Fish Hopfish, Victory Hop Wallop, Ithica Brewing Flower Power, Iron Hill Scottish Ale, Nodding Head IPA, Weyerbacher Old Heathen, Philadelphia Brewing Co. Special Blend, Dock Street Satellite Stout, General Lafayette Summer Ale, River Horse Special Ale, and Clipper City Loose Cannon. Fortunatly Scoates and his crew gave the choice of a pint or a smaller 4 ounce pour. The smaller pour made all the sampling possible. To choose a standout among that line up was difficult but since I am still ridding my hop wave Hopfish and Flower Power both topped the list. Each smelled like liquid hops. The Flower Power poured pale orange with almost no head. The aroma was huge floral hops and the taste was citrus and pine. A biscuit maltiness arrived in the middle and the finish was bitter. The Hopfish was more of a surprise. This one was far different from the bottle version. Compared to the bottle the hops on the fresh beer were very pronounced and didn't fade. A slight malty sweetness also stood out. If I hadn't seen the firkin I wouldn't have guessed it was Hopfish. Unfortunately I had to leave the bar at 4:30 so I don't know what the evening festivities were like. I am sure with such a great start Friday the Firkinteenth was a huge success with those coming in after work. The only bad thing is the next Friday the thirteenth isn't until next year.

One Lucky Weekend

Thursday June 12th
The beer weekend starts today, Capone's is hosting a Southampton Publick House night. Southampton is located on the South Fork of Long Island and they have been brewing award wining beer since 1996. Matt Capone has put together a fantastic line up of their beers and the taps start pouring at noon. Starting at 5pm assistant brewer Spencer will be making the rounds and discussing his creations. So save the time and the tolls and relax with a bit of the Hamptons in Norristown.

Southampton Publick House

Irish Dry Stout

Scottish Ale

Maibock

Russian Imperial Stout

Imperial Porter (2006)

IPA

Secret Ale

Cuvee Le Fleurs

ABT 12

Helles Lager

Double White

Friday June 13th

"So do you feel lucky?" Well ya should because Friday the 13th means that it's time for the Grey Lodge's 17th Friday the Firkinteenth. Probably the most uniquely timed and named beer event ever created. The concept is simple 7 random firkins will pour at any time and a new one is tapped when one kicks. So what is a firkin? A firkin is a size of cask (10.8 US gallons). OK but what is a cask? A cask is a type of barrel that is typically placed on the bar (it's small) and dispensed using gravity or a hand pump. Cask conditioned ales tend to have more hops, sugars or wort added when barreled to create a secondary fermentation in the barrel. A natural carbonation takes place and the beers are usually served at a higher temperature than typical draft beer. These are some of the freshest beers available and often brewers bring out very interesting and hard to find offerings. Class dismissed. All the festivities begin at noon.

Grey Lodge Friday the Firkinteenth

(list from Grey Lodge website)

Appalachian Hoppy Trails IPA
Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA
Bells Two Hearted Ale
Clipper City TBA
Dock Street Satellite Stout
Dock Street Rye IPA
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA
Flying Fish Hopfish, dry hopped with Simcoe,Amirillo and Chinook.
General Lafayette Wayside Summer Ale,
Iron Hill (North Wales) Ironbound APA. "We'll dry hop it with something cool....."
Iron Hill (West Chester) Scottish Ale. 3.6% abv
Ithaca Flower Power IPA (pin) and Oaked Nut Brown (pin)
Lancaster Amish Four Grain
Legacy Dear Abbey Dubbel
Nodding Head IPA
Philadelphia Special Blend
Porterhouse Weizen Bock or Hoppy Lager
River Horse Special Ale, easy drinking British style amber ale, 4.5% abv
Sly Fox Standard Ale
Stoudts Black Eye PA
Troegs Sh#tless Hopback. Nick says he is going to dry-hop the sh#t out of it.
Victory Hop Wallop
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion
Weyerbacher Old Heathen

Napa for Beer?

We arrived in the town of Napa in the early evening after spending most of the day in Healdsberg (see last post). By the time we checked into the hotel and got settled Kelleigh was in no mood to go out. However my energy level was still fairly high so I took off for downtown. Luck was on my side or it may of been my navigation system either way I found Downtown Joe's American Grill and Brewhouse with no problem. Located at the corner of Main and Second in downtown Napa the place is hard to miss. Walking in I grabbed a seat at the bar, scanned the beer list and started with the Tantric IPA. No matter what the season or the weather I can't break my desire for hops. The beer was good but what made it even better was watching the NHL playoffs. Who would guess I'd be watching the Pittsburgh Penguins smack around the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals while enjoying a beer in a Napa brewery? Life is good. Sorry Flyer fans but my heart is with my hometown team. The Penguins win was fantastic but what made this place great that night were the people. It's one of those places where there is a mix of locals and tourists but it feels like you are drinking with friends because the conversation is so free flowing. I discussed beer, marriage, scotch, traveling and sales with a regional sales manager from San Diego and a local biker. The conversation took place over a pint of Ace High Pale Ale followed by the Golden Thistle Very Bitter Ale. Hops were definitely ruling the night. Overall the beer was slightly above average. To my surprise the Golden Thistle stood out. The bitterness in the finish is what made this beer memorable. Not overly abrasive but enough bitterness to put a good bite on the tongue. After I finished my third beer I left the conversation and headed back to the hotel for the night with more knowledge on scotch and marriage than when I walked in. Overall Downtown Joe's was a decent beer oasis in a town built on the grape.

More Napa to Follow.

Yes There is Beer in Wine Country

Our first full day in wine country started in Santa Rosa with a stop at Russian River Brewing Company and Third Street Ale Works (see last post). After exploring the beauty of Santa Rosa we headed north for Healdsburg. The drive took under 20 minutes so it wasn't long before we started our wine tasting part of the trip. As much as I would enjoy spending the day searching out great beer spots we were in the middle of wine country. Now when it comes to wine Kelleigh is the queen of the grape. I on the other hand know what I like and not much more. The wine tasting experience for both of us was fantastic. Just having the opportunity to learn more about the wines being sampled, who made them and the details of each vineyard was fascinating. My greatest fear was that we would end up at places that were so pretentious and expensive that I would have to walk out to avoid making some smart ass comment. Fortunately the places we went were relaxed, affordable and inviting. The wineries were right in town (Toad Hallow, Thumb Print, Kendal Jackson and La Crema) and the proprietors were quick to answer questions and did everything to make a wine novice comfortable. I wish we would of had more time to venture along the Russian river to visit the larger vineyards, but a late start and consumption slowed us a bit. However we did find time to stop by Bear Republic Brewing Company which is located in the heart of Healdsburg. The great thing about the brewery, unlike the wineries, was it stayed open past 5pm. Hooray for beer!

The over all feel of Bear Republic was laid back. After all it's California. The brewery takes the outdoors inside. A mural of the Russian river with a sky full of balloons covers the back wall, bikes hanging from the ceiling and a snowboard hovers over the tap list at the bar. As cool as the decor was the important thing wasn't what was on the walls but rather what they put in the glass. I had hoped to get a taste of Racer X but it was not to be. Instead I enjoyed the excellent Racer 5 and Batch 1092. The Batch 1092 is a bourbon aged barleywine. Since I have a real fondness for barrel aged beer and this one hasn't made it to PA I was especially happy to get it. The beer poured a golden amber with a thin white head that faded quick. One sniff and you knew the bourbon was completely up front and a taste confirmed it. The bourbon really shined through with hints of cherry, raisin and oak. Though the taste was fairly sweet at first it slid to the tart side during the finish. I only wish I could of had more than one but we still had dinner, a bottle of Chardonnay and the drive to Napa ahead of us. Bear Republic was the perfect place to enjoy award winning beer and take a break from all the wine tasting. It makes the trip to wine country more bearable (bad pun) for any beer geek.

Next stop Napa.