Foam Fest Pt. 2

This is a continuation of Foam Fest pt. 1 for those who would like to read more!

I’d especially like to bring up how a couple breweries, by whom I was previously not impressed, dazzled me with different selections and even some “Beer 101” advice. In my previous entry, I documented my first encounter with the Tied House Brewing and the Blue Frog Brewery, reviewing their Blond Ale and Hefeweizen, respectively. However, despite not caring for either brew, I approached the breweries’ booths and struck up some good conversation. 

With Blue Frog, I learned that briefly inverting the bottle of a Bavarian hefeweizen prior to pouring will allow the yeast sediment at the bottom to disperse evenly enough to give you that great banana/clove/bubblegum flavor. Why I don’t need to do this with a Franziskaner I don’t know, but I do know that April and the rest of her posse at Blue Frog are spoiling the Northeast part of the San Francisco Bay Area with a diverse selection of beers. In short, I’ll give them thumbs up for a crisp, clean-finishing IPA and a raise of my glass for their sweet and spicy, but certainly not overwhelming, La Rana Pazzo (“the crazy frog” in Italian). “Pazzo” alone warrants a brewery tour. 

I also redeemed my experience with San Jose’s Tied House/Hermitage Brewing upon the very aroma of their oak-aged season that, for beer competition purposes, is deemed an “IPA.” With an aged hoppy pale such as TH’s Ale of the Hermit, you discover some unique hop characteristics and less of a bitterness; conversely, you get a little more of a spiced, toasted finish. In addition to Ale of the Hermit, I took my chances with TH’s Ale of the Two Tun, a rich double-porter/imperial stout. A current San Jose resident, I look forward to learning more about the Tied House/Hermitage when I visit them in the near future. A big thanks to Carolyn and her colleague (come on I can only remember so many names in a night!).

My sincere thanks to these outstanding breweries, large and small, and the people of Disabled Sports USA Far West.

You Stay Hoppy California (especially after imbibing your dankest of nectar),

Pink