8th Annual Double IPA Festival

You typically will not find me attending festivals unless I am there for "man" power. I made an exception for the 8th Annual Double IPA Festival in Hayward at the Bistro.

Several years ago I had my first vertical double IPA sampling at The Bistro. I found it difficult to warm up to the "Hummer" of hopped beer. I was happy with a good IPA.

Thankfully palates change. One learns to develop the process of keeping an open tongue when it comes to new beers. So I decided I couldn't think of a better way!

27 different breweries represented themselves. There was a total of 34 double IPA's to be sampled. A strategy had to be developed. The ticket price only allowed a sampling of 10.

My cousin and I decided that we would each try a different beer and share our samples. It required the use of the list which was handed to us with our commemorative sample glass.

The average alcohol content of the beers was almost 9%. One was as high as 11.8%. It's necessary to support the hops with alcohol. I was pleased with all the beers that were there. The double IPA is a purely American beer style. The name IPA is an acronym for India Pale Ale. This is because the English pale ales which were imported to it's colonies in India were recieved in a concentrated form which gained popularity.

Some of the entries came as far south as San Diego, as far north as Oregon, a suprise eastern entry from New York, and a healthy representation throughout the California and Colorado States.

It was a pleasant suprise to run into Rick Sellers, the new beer editor for Draft Magazine. It wasn't long before Tom Daldorf; the publisher for the Celebrator magazine joined our conversation. Nick Campbell of the Blue Frog was there also.
My cousin and I managed to leave with our taste buds intact, a broad spectrum of what a double IPA can be like, and one of the great sandwiches The Bisto has to offer.

Session Beers

Alternatives to American Lite Lager

Let’s face it! American Lite Lagers are popular because they are low in carbohydrates, you can enjoy several over the course of a meal and not get tanked, and you can enjoy them with just about any food. This is not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. Right? The problem is with the selection. I’m sorry but Bud Lite, Coors Lite, Miller Lite, are not examples of alternatives.

Are there other beers that are low in carbohydrates, low in alcohol, and taste great? Would you like to know what they are? Where in beer land could one find such a beer?
Low alcohol beers are more popularly know as session beers among beers aficionados. What is a session beer? For the purpose of this article, a session beer will be defined as a beer with less than 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

In Sacramento

In Sacramento, fewer calories do not meet less everything else. I will consider several breweries, which brew beer with ABV <5%. These beers will range in appearance, aroma, mouth feel, and flavor from one spectrum to the other. I will start with beers, which are lowest in bitterness. It has been my experience that the general population finds bitterness the least attractive feature of beer. I’ll work you up the hop ladder from there. For reference IBU will indicate bitterness.

Lagers: (IBU 10-25) Auburn Ale House, Beermann’s, both carry a flavorful lager. In fact these are the beers, which fathered the lite lagers. Go back to lager roots and discover what all the fuss was about. You will find more flavors. These are inspired by German heritage and the bittering profile will be very low. I like to think of lagers as the “champagne” of beer. You can drink this beer with spicy food.

Hefeweizen: (IBU 10-15) BJ’s, River City, Rubicon carry this is the ever-popular wheat style beer. It can have banana and clove aroma and flavor if you are drinking a German style. American styles will have a more subdued flavor profile. This beer is typically hazy due to the wheat proteins in the beer. Unless it has been filtered. This beer is also low on the bittering hops. This beer goes well with savory dishes

Kolsch: (IBU 20-30) BJ’s, Pyramid, and River City carry Kolsch style beers. While this style can exceed the range I checked the website and these beers are less than 5% ABV so I included them in the list. You will find these styles similar to lagers yet with a little fruitier in the aroma and flavor because it is lagered at ale temperatures to bring out the yeast character. This beer will go with anything. It’s great to pair with salads.

Pale Ales: (20-40) River City, Town Lounge carries this style. Now we are moving up the hop ladder in terms of bittering. Here we will find a little more aggressively hopped beer. There is also more flavor. Bittering hops along with the aroma and flavor it can provide can be very enjoyable. Although there are some that are sensitive to hops many women are. I brewed a very hoppy beer however because it was so well balanced with the malt my friend who stated she didn’t like hoppy beer had two glasses! This beer wants something substantial. If you eating beef, this will wash it down nicely.

Stouts: (IBU 30-45) River City, Elk grove, Rubicon have nice examples. The hop profile will be the same for this style. The big change here is the specialty malt. A very small percentage of roasted or black patent barley gives this style its characterful color. Most people are surprise to learn that is a light beer. They associated the color with the alcohol. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you like dark chocolate, if you like espresso, then try this one out. It is a great flavorful beer all by itself without knocking you out. Light food goes well with this. Dark meat fish works well.

Belgian Beer Nite

A Night To Remember

Is it possible to remember anything after a night of savoring 11 different styles of Belgium beer? Well if you want to remember your experience then it’s best to take it slow.

Every year, the Gold Country Brewers pull out the stops and invite Martin Lodahl to weave his experiences with Belgian beer into his adventures with Belgium. Watching him talk about the beers is like watching a man talk about his first love, then his second, then his third.
I had invited several people I knew to this lecture. Because I like to help people appreciate how sophisticated a beer experience can be, I made special preparations for my table.
A white tablecloth covered the table. I laid out white plates on which I put water crackers. I placed in the middle of the rectangular table for six a silver colored champagne chiller as a dump bucket. I set on the table bottle of sparkling mineral water for palate cleansing or drinking. Because I wasn’t expecting my guests to bring their own drinking glasses, I placed traditional tulip style glasses on the table to sample the beers with.

There were 12 beers to be enjoyed for the evening and the president of the club was good enough to prepare a flight sheet so that we could follow along and keep notes. This was a great idea because it not very much fun to go to a store and then trying to remember what you had only to come home not getting what you expected.

First on the list was a St. Bernardus Wit - Hoegarrden had always been my favorite commercial example of wit beer but I think I have a new favorite now. Wit beers are unlike American Style Wheat beers or German Heffes primarily because of the yeast strain and the fact that has higher wheat content than the other two. This beer is remarkably light more white than straw or gold in color. It has a crispness and softness that it contributed by the wheat. I know it sounds like an oxy- but it’s true. There is a practice of serving an orange with a popular American made Belgian wit beer however this practice is unnecessary. In fact, if your out in public it’s best not to. You don’t want to be spotted by a beer snob when you do this. It would be a clear indication that you follow mass marketing appeal. This beer was a delight to enjoy. The aroma was filled with fruity esters of orange and coriander, which is very typical for the style. These types of beers are very refreshing. I am commenting on this style because it is one that has caused me to move from the ever popular Hoegaarden Wit.
The following is a list of other beers served which are all available in the Northern California area. You may need to go to more than one market to find them. They are all worth the effort:

ü Leffe Blonde this one is very food friendly try it with anything.
ü De Koninck this is also a very food friendly beer
ü Saison Fantome this one is great with salad made w/ bitter greens.
ü Orval very food friendly beer. Try it with anything. Let your palate determine your favorite food combinations
ü Konigshoven Dubbel, Trappist this is a rich dark beer, which goes well with caramelized food.
ü Westmalle Tripel, Trappist this is a strong beer and can be served as an alternate to the Leffe.
ü Duvel very food friendly beer. Try it with anything. Let your palate determine your favorite food combinations.
ü Unibroue 16 special release
ü Rodenbach this is a sour Flemish style beer, which will be best served by it or with tart items.
ü Cantillon Gueze this is a very funky beer, which goes great with very strong cheeses. The other is similar.
ü Classic Gueuze
ü Cantillon Rose de gambrinus this one makes a great aperitif, or throw into a sorbet maker and makes a palate cleanser between courses.

The Belgian blonde, Tripel, Dubbel, and Golden Strong ales, tend to be higher in alcohol than the other beers mentioned (6-10% ABV). You will also find that most of these beers are only available in 750 ml, bottles. These beers are to be shared. They make a great alternative to the typical bottle of wine. Some of these beers have their own glasses. You can serve these in tulip shaped glasses or a large stemmed water goblet will be a fine substitute.
It is also best not to serve these beers too cold. The character full yeast and other components will be subdued and not fully appreciated. I suggest 55-65 degrees.

Chocolate and Beer Pairing

02.07.08
Some of the nicest people I will probably ever know are the home brewers and zymurgy enthusiasts (H.A.Z.E) of Placerville. They get together every second Thursday of the month at The Wine Smith on Main Street. The owner, Kay, is right there with the lot as they call for pints of beer which she has 8 taps or specialty beers.

Someone in the club always brings something different to share or speaks of a topic of interest. This month, in honor or Valentines Day, it was chocolate. David Bradstrom was the presenter. As he spoke of the process of chocolate making, percentages of fine chocolate were passed around. A vertical sampling is always the best way to develop a sensory profile of anything your trying to evaluate because it helps to develop the range of the product.

After we sampled the chocolate, bowls of mole, butternut squash topped with chocolate, white chocolate quesadillas, chocolate truffle cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake with raspberry coulis, chocolate truffles, and chocolate covered orange jelly candies were passed. I loved washing this all down with a Frambois Lambic. I think after all that, the meeting disintegrated into a small party!!!

Beer Chic 101

This is a beer course for women by women.
Sample over 81 different beers over the nine courses.
These courses are offered in a friendly, fun, sophisticated setting.
Take all nine courses or just take one.
Learn how to differentiate aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouth feel with a certified beer judge.
Understand the significance of how to properly store, serve, and pair beer.
After completing all courses enjoy a popular VIP tour of select breweries

Virginia Jamison has been actively involved in the beer brewing community for over five years. She participates in commercial and homebrew competitions throughout the Northern California area. She writes regularly for her blog, a homebrew club, and a homebrew shop.

Beer Chic 101 The Basics and Session Beers

March 6 6:30-8pm $35/pp
Space is limited to 10

Email beermaven@sbcglobal.net for reservations at a Sacramento location

Stone Brewing Company

There’s a funny story behind the Stone Brewing picture. I was in San Diego visiting relatives for the holiday. I tried to round up the men folk to make a drive out to Stone Brewing Co. but they were not interested. The girls wanted to go! So we piled into the minivan. This wasn’t really planned out so we were lucky to get into the last tour for the day. Our guide was very informative and afterward were allowed tastings from the tasting room the girls were impressed with the variety of beer available. They are accustomed to Lite American Style beers and really enjoyed the fruitiness of some of the bigger beers. After we had all the samples we were allowed to have, we moved to the restaurant. This restaurant was beautifully designed with lots of architectural interests. I was really impressed with the beer menu. Not only did they carry their beer, they also carried beer from various breweries throughout the California region. This is an indication of how they support the brewing industry in general. While the restaurant was beautifully done, I am an al fresco type of girl and if there is outdoor seating and the weather is agreeable then I will always choose to sit outside. The outdoor area is family friendly and very park like. There were lots of waterfalls scattered throughout and lush gardenlike surroundings. If you come with your family during the day the kids will have plenty of area to be kids. Check out their website. The next time you find yourself making plans to go to San Diego, a trip to Stone Brewing should be in your itinerary.
www.Stonebrew.com

2008 Pubcrawl

I could not have asked for a better pub-crawl. I could not have asked for the brewers to do any more for us than they did on this event. In fact, the brewers went beyond my expectations this year.
Before anyone got on the bus, each attendant received a goody bag. Each destination was not more than 30 min apart so Kevin Pratt and my lovely pourers Chuck and Bill barely had time to pour all the beers before we got to each destination. Town Lounge, Brewmiester Homebrew shop, and Manderes generously donated these beers. They toughed it out and kept up the pace, though! Kimberly did a great job handling the microphone when she called raffle numbers.
The first destination was at Sudwerk’s. Jay Prahl is the brewer there and he greeted us with a stack of beer for all to help themselves to. He talked about the brewing process. history of the Sudwerk brewery, and original owners. He led the group into the brewery for a question and answer session.
We learned much about his personal history in the brewing industry. Sudwerk’s is a teaching brewery for the University of Davis Brewing School that is renowned throughout the world. It has close connections with Anhauser Busch and our group could not resist making a comment about AB to which Jay graciously answered.
We also learned that Sudwerk’s is doing contract brewing for Moylan’s 12oz bottles of Kilt lifter. Before sending us on our way, Jay poured for us an example of Keller bier,. The applause from the crowd proved that this event was off to a great start.
The next destination was Blue Frog. Nick Campbell warmly received us in a great room already set with our own taps. The tables were ready with the food that Blue Frog is known for.
Because the group already had over eight different beers in various untold quantities the large crowd was very quiet as all sat and hungrily ate the yummy assorted pizzas that kept coming to us fresh out of the oven.
Once Nick could see that we had our fill, he took groups of people to show off his brewery. After the tour of the brewery was complete, he talked with us about some of the issues with labeling laws that he had been having. As a result of these labeling laws, he had been forced to sit on two different oak-aged beer. He generously shared theses with the group.
Nick hung out with the group after the pouring. Everyone had an opportunity to have a personal discussion with him. Nick was very gracious and very impressed with the group.
Finishing up with our second brewery, we boarded the bus for more beer. We had to because Kevin Pratt our MC asked everyone if they wanted more beer and unanimously the response was yes (no kiddin!).
We were having a great time and even a little ahead of schedule, so Kevin commandeered the bus for a little out of route beer action. Monument Liquors in Concord has a great selection of beer and it was a treat to have the time to stop there. Everyone came out with some sort of booty. I snagged a Wit Bier, which I had the privilege of evaluating several years ago for the Celebrator. I could never find it in the Sacramento area but I did find it there. Kimberly scored big time and generously donated a magnum of Stone Brewing Co. ale for the raffle. A lucky dog that was not a club member scored that one.
Back on route for next scheduled stop, we headed to Black Diamond Brewing Co. I included Black Diamond Brewing Co. because I was surprised at the fact that while Sacramento only has two beers in the area they make six. I thought it would be a great way for people to become more familiar with the beer and create a demand for the product in the area.
Derek is the brewer there now. He was introduced to the brewery by way of Grant Johnston when they met while both were brewing in Europe.
Black Diamond is a production brewery that features a beautiful taproom. Again the taps were opened for us. There is Elf Ale (not available in the Sacramento area), a dubbel style beer, which was my personal favorite.
While Derek took the group in to tour the brewery, General Manager Tom made sure that everyone had every style of beer they had in the taproom. Really, he insisted on us having all those good beers! After the tours were completed, Derek came out with a pitcher of stout, (more beer) which was straight from the conditioning tank. It is a new beer for Black Diamond and a special surprise for us! Black Diamond had still more surprises as General Manager Tom came out and presented us with neat-o parting gifts of pint glasses and bottle openers.
Our last stop was Schooner’s. I was really looking forward to Schooner’s! Craig Cauwels was waiting with several special beers including a lambic for us. And the Delta Homebrew Club would be there to hang out with us.
Schooner’s has a large banquet room toward the back of the restaurant where the homebrew club was waiting. It was great to see some familiar faces and meet new ones with their club. Once seated the servers immediately took our dinner orders and Craig brought out many different beers for us to try. Most of the beers we tried were awarded Gold, Silver medals from various competitions.
In addition to all the fabulous food and beer that was served to us, Schooner’s had a dessert prepared with stout. I had to have it! And forced everyone at my table to at least have a spoonful (Mud Pie cake with stout and chocolate syrup and whipped cream, yeah they were “forced”). When every one was done with their meal Craig took all who was interested (and still able to walk) to the brewery and had a personalized tour for all who went. The day ended for us with the usual mindless movie to ignore, projected throughout the many screens on the bus. With over 16 different beers that had been sampled during the bus ride and the 22 on brewery tours, everyone was finally ready to take a break from it all and relax for the rest of the ride home. We arrived back at about 9pm to Hoppy brewing, feeling dizzy from all the education we had and nobody hurled. Now, that's a successful pubcrawl>

Hello, Sacramento!

Welcome to my blog.

I have been associated with the commercial and home brew community in Sacramento since 2002. Over the years I have participated in State and County judging for commercial and homebrew beers. I am a beer judge and homebrewer myself.

I have hosted the annual AHA(American Homebrewers Association) Teach a Friend to Brew for the past three years. I have also organized annual PubCrawls. I have a degree in Culinary Arts and have a passion for food and beer. I will currently be writing for the Gold Country Brewers on a monthly basis and you will see my efforts here as well.

Did I mention I was a female? I choose the name Beer Maven because maven is described as an expert. It is my goal to share with you any expertise I have in the area.