Breweries Of The Gold Country

While some immigrants came to California to search for gold others came with their recipe for liquid gold: beer. The trail of the Gold Country follows what is also known as the Golden Chain Highway. Writers R. Scott Baxter and Kimberly J. Wooten start this journey at the southern most end of the chain, namely Oakhurst. The book is filled with vintage prints and captions. 

If the job of digging, mining and panning for gold was tough so was the business of brewing. Supplies for both were brought in by horse and wagon. Roads were narrow, treacherous, and at times impassable. Brewing beer called for heating large kettles. Fire was not only necessary ally but also an unfortunate foe. Most breweries would catch fire. The owners would sometimes rebuild several times. More often than not owners just did not have the insurance to rebuild and left the job of brewing to the next entrepreneur.
Refrigeration allowed larger breweries to ship beer to the mining towns where they were bottled and distributed. Promotional items from these larger breweries can be found in towns as far east as Angels Camp. True to tradition, brewery owners always had a photo shoot representing their families in all their finery. Successful brewery owners were typically well to do in their communities. Jackson Brewing Co. proudly supported the Jackson Brewery Baseball team. 
The blacksmiths at the Knight’s Foundery in Sutter Creek may have knocked out a few pieces of brewing equipment along with other mining gear. Buffalo Brewing Co. of Sacramento would given these two breweries a run for their money. 
Today if you wanted to see what was left of the Sutter Creek Brewery take a trip into town and stop in at Chaos Glassblowing Shop. The stonework of the granary is the only thing left, Even this is impressive and it is fun to let the imagination picture the activities that went on throughout the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. 
The dilapidated remains of the Sloughhouse on Jackson Highway remain only a curiosity to those who moved to the area after the 1980’s. These old barns are the only clues left to the vibrant hop growing culture in the area. There was a time when someone driving from Sacramento to Highway 49 would be mesmerized by the oddity of these vines clinging to poles over ten feet tall. Some of the older locals will tell you that they spent their summers there as young people picking the crop to earn a dime. 
Brewing beer at home was not uncommon. Growing hops in the family garden provided only the freshest hops for their beer. 
If you make a small detour to Fiddle town, stop at the Schallhorn’s Blacksmith and Wagon Works. The construction of this building was identical to the brewery that used to be next to it. 
Traveling north along the Golden Chain Highway is the county of Placerville. Placerville is currently thriving in it’s industry of beer brewing. Placerville equally thrived during the Gold Rush era. Mason work of structures left behind can be seen. The Zeisz family who owned California Brewery and the Mountain Brewing Company owned by the Giebenhain’s are testimony of the industry in this part of the country. A plaque is all that marks the location of two breweries in Coloma established in the early 1850’s .
As you mosey on through Auburn, tales told about the breweries and their families are classic. Ties houses, augmenting income by soda sales, ice, and bottle works and family tragedies complete abound. Included is a mention of Brewery Lane which also held the reputation of being the Red Light district. These days a stop at Auburn Ale house. Is a good bet. Hold the drama. 
Baxter and Wooten wind down our journey Nevada and Sierra Counties. Remote as these areas may seem to us the business of beer was booming: City, New York, Washington, and Grass Valley Brewing Companies to name a few . One in particular is still standing at 107 Sacramento Street. 
Downieville held it’s own when it came to making quality beer. Mines were plentiful and what better way to store beer than in a cave. Downieville Brewing Co. took advantage of this natural feature and even mentioned it in its advertising. This is just a small shot of the wonderful tidbits drawn out by the efforts and hard research of R. Scott and Kimberly. A lot of fun can be had by tracing the breweries of the past with the breweries of the present which are referred to in part at the end of the book along with mentions of the Steam beer which was also a style popular in the area not just San Francisco.  Breweries Of The Gold Country illustrates the trials, tribuations and successes of brewers, breweries and beer during the Gold Rush era. 

The Visual Aspects of Beer Appreciation

Visual appeal of beer is understated. Visual aspects of beer evaluation are considerable. Good lighting cannot be underestimated when it comes to appreciating the finished product of a beer. The range of color in a beer as well as any highlights give us appealing cues to the beer in hand.

Growing up most of us enjoyed the descriptors of colors given to us by Crayola Crayons. We learned the difference between brown and sienna, umber and chestnut. We also learned about shading: dark, medium and light. Descriptors such as deep and pale provide additional shades to the colors we see in beer. Even the most myopic drinker can enjoy the visual cues of a beer by bring the glass close to the face and we may only assume that they are deeply appreciating their beer.

The American Society of Brewing Chemists came up with a clever scale for standardizing the color of beer. It is referred to as the Standard Reference Method. It is a very scientific method of determining the color scale of a beer. The scale ranges from 2 (similar to that of a very pale lager) to 70 ( similar to an Imperial Stout). This tool is used as a standardization of color This tool has become important to the brewing industry because consistency is a very critical marketing factor.

Another good reason for good lighting is to consider the clarity of a beer. Since the 1800s, beer clarity has held a premium alongside beer quality for some styles. Prior to the 1800’s the issue was not as important. The process of malting prior to the invention of indirect kilning imparted a dark color to beer at the time. Issues of fermentation also effected the clarity of beer prior to the 1800’s. It was the revitalization of such styles that led to the acceptance of darker colors and affected clarity in beers. Ingredients such as wheat and oat were brought back to beer styles, and have a significant impact on the clarity of a beer without filtration. Fermentation factors such as yeast flocculation and lagering also contribute to the clarity of a beer. If a brewer is looking to capture a style, recreate a style or even create a style which causes a beer to be dark or cloudy then those features are considered desirable by the consumer.

Let’s move on to another important aspect of visual aspect of beer evaluation, glassware.  While the style of glassware may not give visual clues to the beer, there are more important factors to take into consideration.
Quality glassware has no warping or discoloration. Tinted glassware is a huge faux pas. Dimpling, impressions and printing on glassware are a distraction.  When pouring for several people, it is important that the same type of glassware is used. Beer poured into an old fashion glass will appear darker than the same beer poured into flute glass.

Clean glassware is critical to beer. Nothing is worse than pouring beer into a glass that is tainted with detergent and having it effect the crowning glory of beer. The head.

The head of a beer is so important that it itself is evaluated on three things: color, retention, and texture. The color of a beers head can range from white as the driven snow to espresso. Retention of the head is indicated by the amount of proteins in a beer. Grain selection has a great deal to do with head retention. Alcohol content will also effect head retention. The more alcohol in a beer, the less head retention in a beer.  The alcohol content in a beer may be given away by the "display" of legs on the side of the glass.  The texture of a beers head can also range from meringue-like to lacey. Some Belgian beers are famous for their lace. Only a clean glass will give us the special qualities of such a attribute.

It is unfortunate that in competition so little scoring goes into the appearance of a beer. There are so many things one can determine from a beers appearance. However, it takes more knowledge and experience to evaluate aromas and flavors in a beer.