last thursday night, AP and I went over to alpine village for some legit german food and brews.

• ever since I dropped by AV a little while back, I was eagerly anticipating our return.  I knew it was going to be a great night right when we walked in the door, and were seated immediately and given a healthy serving of liverwurst and rye.
• thursday was swing night, and there was a full band in attendance along with an impressive singer.  we were definitely the youngest in the crowd by a few decades, but it didn’t keep us from cutting a rug in between courses and beers.
• ah, the beers – AP got one of her staples, hangar 24′s altbier, and I had weihenstephaner’s kristall weissbier.  well, I ordered it, and ended up with an unfiltered wheat instead, so who knows what I put down.  later AP chatted up the bartender and tried the kristall weiss after the fact, which was definitely tasty and probably the variety of the style that I would pursue ifwhen I brew another wheat.
• on sunday AP and I rang in the 4th with some heavy BBQ and great beers.  I’m talking a 10lb pork shoulder, 8lb brisket and two dozen brats in the smoker with all the fixins – it was definitely a good time.
• unfortunately, I was out of homebrew for the occasion, but the food was very well complemented with some firestone walker variety packs and a sixer of stone’s IPA, which was better than I remembered.
• I also snuck down to the basement for some bottles, including stone’s 14th anniversary empirial IPA (uncomfortably bitter with not enough aroma to balance it out, probably due to the hop selection), lagunitas’ hairy eyeball (killer as always, malty and delicious), and new belgium’s eric’s ale (definitely one of my favorites, the most drinkable sour I have come across).
• on saturday and sunday JF helped me out with some “brewery expansion construction”: using an angle grinder and some bootleg jig I threw together based off a modification of this idea from homebrewtalk, we cut the tops off of a couple of kegs that will soon enjoy long lives as an HLT and mash tun.  we also installed some weldless ball valves, thermometers, and sightglasses.  once the third keg makes an appearance and all my quick disconnects and other fittings come in, the setup will be revealed, but until then the project will remain shrouded in mystery.

this past weekend I got back into brewing shape and got around to picking up some interesting bottles.

• I swung by my new (and surprisingly well-stocked) bevmo in torrance for some goodies and walked out with more than I had anticipated.
• they had all the new goose island brews, a good lost abbey selection (including angel’s share ’09), and even had the ever-elusive aloha plenty for a pretty decent price (6 or 7 bucks).  to think that i was kicking myself for passing up a bottle at some bootleg redondo liquor store for $12…
• I brought the goose island sofie and a bomber of lagunitas’ wilco tango foxtrot to PR’s byob bday. I immediately fell for sofie – it had a great complexity, finish, and effervescence.  WTF was great too, it reminded me of stone 13, one of my all time favorites.
• on sunday I decided to dust off the homebrew gear and whip up a quick batch of kolsch for some upcoming BBQs/get-togethers.
• I stuck with my usual extract recipe but did my first full-wort boil in a turkey fryer outside.  getting to a boil was a piece of cake but cooling a full 5 gallons with my immersion chiller was an exercise in patience to say the least, especially after seeing CB’s therminator in action.
• I gave it a minute of O2 at 75F and tossed my starter in, and the airlock was chugging away by the end of the night.

• oh, and AP and I adopted a new brew assistant – meet the captain, supervising the brew premises:

ahh, lagunitas.

• for my birthday, AP and I managed to score some tickets to the inaugural brewer’s tapas dinner at lagunitas brewing.
• I had been to the beer sanctuary and taproom a little while back, but it was AP’s maiden voyage.  after a lunch full of cask ales and british fare at magnolia, we headed out to petaluma for some more debauchery.
• as anyone who knows me is well aware, I am definitely biased towards lagunitas.  I love their beers, packaging, and overall mentality, and I got a healthy dose of all three at their dinner.
• their five-course tapas/small plate style dinner was tasty and well-prepared, and was accompanied by lagunitas’ deep lineup, including their IPA, imperial stout, hop stoopid, pils, and hairy eyeball.
• during the dinner, brewmaster Jeremy Marshal fielded questions from the crowd, while the rest of the brew staff worked the tables and topped off everyone’s glasses.
• after dinner, everyone headed over to their skybox-style bar overlooking the brewery for some aged brews and beer talk.
• the highlight of the night for me was talking to one of the owners and the brewers while they doled out generous pours of ’06 gnarlywine, ’06 hairy eyeball, ’08 brown shugga, and many others.
• topics of conversation ranged from yeast strains to hop extract to the story behind a little sumpin’ sumpin’, and everyone at the brewery was friendly, well-spoken, and informative.
• I was definitely bummed out when I realized it was time for us to take off, but I was grateful to be a part of this awesome event and was already anticipating my next trip over to the beer sanctuary.  thanks for the great time guys!

happy friday! here are some miscellaneous pics taken over the last few months that didn’t make it into posts.  check out their descriptions for more info.

• session lagers from full sail and hot coppa with egg at giordano bros- one of the best combos in existence:

• alpha (alfa?) and some bones in lindos for PP and DP’s wedding (it’s a rough life):

• lagunitas IPA, spaten oktoberfest, and a view in bodega bay:

• proof that I’m not a complete beer snob:

after trying a lagunitas’ a little sumpin’ extra! over at rogue a while back, I knew I had to pick up a couple bombers for a rainy day.

• a little sumpin’ extra! is a more intense version of a little sumpin’ sumpin’, which is  classified on beeradvocate as an american pale wheat ale (I would say it’s more like a wheat IPA).
• I guess that makes ALSE a “wheat double IPA.”  whatever you want to call it, it works.
• the beer has a great citrusy hop aroma, a great fluffy head, and finishes smoother than something like, say, hop stoopid (what a surprise!)
• I wouldn’t hesitate to bring a couple of these to enjoy at a BBQ when I knew someone else was driving.
• see a PDF of the flyer for this beer here.

after doing some biking and meeting up with my cousin TF up at sonoma state, AP and I dropped by petaluma on our way back to the city.

• AP had done some research and told me that taps in petaluma looked like a good place to stop by for a brew.
• I was a little hesitant at first, since we only had time for one stop, and lagunitas was right around the corner.
• however, as soon as we sided up the the bar, I knew there weren’t going to be any regrets.
• with a name like taps, you would expect at least a few good offerings on draft here.  true to its name, taps offered an outstanding tap selection, ranging from numerous local kegs to plenty of belgians.  the even had a cask of bourbon ruben and the jets from lagunitas on hand pump!
• in fact, I was so torn over what to choose first that Ana, the bartender, took it for confusion and quickly poured me up a couple samples she recommended.
• I finally settled on (surprise!) moonlight’s 40 to life.  Eric, one of the owners (along with his wife, Wendy), told me that it was a one-off keg that Brian made by blending 20 to life and 60 to life to get an appropriate amount of sourness that he felt was appropriate for the crowd.  the beer was outstanding – very drinkable, tart and sour, but well balanced.
• AP had an anchor small beer on my recommendation.  although this beer doesn’t get much love, I think it’s because it’s not categorized as a small beer and appreciated for what it is.  personally, I love it’s grainy bite and sessionability.  it’s like a modern-day table beer.
• to finish off, AP and I shared a black xantus, an imperial stout from nectar ales.  I heard hype about this beer for over a month, and it definitely lived up to it – it was very complex, and had great subtle notes of oak, coffee, and roasted malt that all blended perfectly.  in a world of boozy, high gravity imperial stouts, black xantus was a smooth, drinkable alternative (although it still clocked in at 11%!).
• on a non-beer note, the sausages and dogs at taps are great as well.  my chicago dog was definitely the best I’ve had outside of illinois, probably because, as Eric mentioned, all the ingredients (down to the buns) are brought over from the windy city.
• overall, taps turned out to be an impreessive establishment with outstanding beers, friendly staff, and good eats.  it is definitely on my must-visit list every time I come near petaluma from now on.
• more info on taps can be found on this blog post.

last weekend AP and I decided to venture north to bodega bay.  after a few stops on the way up, and some disc tossing on the beach, we made our way along coleman valley road over to occidental, where we dropped by barley and hops tavern.

• the middle of nowhere, the center of everywhere-  situated in an old house near the center of town, barley and hops tavern has great beers available and great food to boot.
• the tap list was impressive – of the 10 beers on tap, at least half were usually hard to come by.
• I started off with moonlight’s bony fingers, a black lager with a great roasty flavor and aroma.
• russian river’s classic pliny the elder and IPA followed, as did another personal favorite, brown shugga from lagunitas, all on draft.  whew, glad I wasn’t driving!
• the bottle selection was great too, as AP discovered when she ordered up a tire bite kolsch from flying dog, followed by the great 1882 black label geuze from girardin.  I wish more places in the city would follow this lead and get some interesting bottles in!
• to top it off, the food was great and unique, and everything was fairly priced.  the owner, Noah, and bartender, Tisha were great people and passionate about good beer and food.  hell, even the locals were awesome (whats up Noah!), and they even had live music.  we were there for hours at the bar.
• for me, this place went from an unknown to the top of my list of favorite bars up north.  I can’t wait to roll up there again soon to shoot it with the Noahs and sample more of the great brew selection.

after leaving russian river brewing the weekend before last, TM, JVG, JC and I cruised down to petaluma to check out the new taproom and beer sanctuary at lagunitas.

• I had high expectations for this place, and as soon as I walked in I knew they were going to be met.
• the taproom was great – it had funky (3-D) local artwork on the walls and a laid-back bartender pouring one of lagunitas‘ many offerings into ball jars.

• the outside beer sanctuary was just as nice – a ton of people were hanging out at enormous picnic tables under canopies and umbrellas beating the heat and enjoying a local brew.

• to top it off, a local BBQ joint was serving up food outside, and a band was jamming on a stage in the corner – it was awesome.

• I scanned the tap list and immediately ordered up a bourbon barrel-aged hairy eyeball, which I wish I could have on a weekly basis.  it was malty and strong, with a boozy bourbon note infused throughout.  in hindsight, I should have ordered this up as a finisher, but I got antsy and scared that the keg would kick before I had ordered up my glass.

• everyone else ordered up a variety of brews, from ruben and the jets to brown shugga.  I tasted the brown shugga and it was was the best I’ve ever had – it had an intense hoppy finish that blew my mind.  I wonder if they tweaked the recipe or if it was just a young batch, either way I need to get my hands on some more.

• I finished up the day with a classic lagunitas IPA fresh from the source, and with that, we took off toward novato, but not before I looked back longingly towards lagunitas and vowed I would return ASAP.

I recently pulled out a bottle of lagunitas’ hop stoopid, a double IPA, while cooking up some BBQ.

• this was originally called “sonoma farmhouse” hop stoopid, which confused me when I first saw it a year or two ago.
• I kept passing this bottle by until I got into a discussion with an employee at a bevmo in LA who swore to me that hop stoopid and avery’s maharaja (one of my all-time favorites) were one and the same and that I should switch to hop stoopid for financial reasons (it is a couple bucks cheaper).
• although the brews are somewhat different, hop stoopid is amazing in its own right.  it has an intense hop aroma that puts a smile on your face and enough malt (@8% abv) to keep the hop bitterness in check.
• I wish I would have started picking this up earlier, since it’s price point beats out many inferior double IPAs (it’s less than $5 for a bomber, and surprisingly, many local liquor stores around here carry it).
• I also just read that lagunitas uses hop extracts in this batch??  interesting, that’s probably how they get it up to 102 IBU on a reasonable budget, but I’m not sure how excited I am about hop extract use.  hell, it tastes great, they must be doing something right.

last night I cracked open a bottle of lumpy gravy, a beer brewed by lagunitas to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the album of the same name.

• lumpy gravy is classified on beeradvocate.com as a 7.2% brown ale.
• however, the beer has a dark ruby color, with a malt nose and molasses and raisin flavors.  it also has a thick, coating mouthfeel and a hint of alcohol warmth.
• I’m no BJCP judge, but if it had a little stronger malt backbone I would call it a belgian-inspired barleywine.
• as it stands, however, the beer is pretty much outside any classic beer style (not unlinke other lagunitas offerings) – I love the creativity!
• for me, this was definitely a departure from lagunitas’ traditional offerings, and anyone that complains that “all lagunitas beers taste the same” (it’s the yeast!) should definitely try this out.  I should have grabbed a few more bottles of this before it disappeared.
• as for the zappa series, tony magee was quoted as saying: “We will be doing a label every nine months or so as the other (Zappa album) anniversaries come up.  Next, Absolutely Free next summer, then Lumpy Gravy and We’re Only In It For The Money, Uncle Meat, Hot Rats and so on and so on and so on. … Fun, it is!”
• however, I thought I read somewhere that they were calling it quits on the tribute series, but I can’t find the source…