A White Boy's Thai Curry

Despite being a Caucasian, I find it quite easy to be influenced by a city where Asian and Latin American restaurants & culture are more prevalent than ever. San Jose, CA is home to thousands of immigrants from Mexico & Central America, Vietnam, India, and Thailand. So whether it's food trucks or sit-downs on the downtown strip, San Jose offers a plethora of foreign cuisine I aim to delve into at home.

Today, I present to you an easy way to cook a Thai-inspired curry using a fairly simple set of ingredients. Curries, from whatever country or region, are complex dishes with a variety of spices and vegetables, but I've found a way to simplify the cooking process and get a similar (and tasty) result.

Nick's "White Boy" Thai Curry (yields 1 dinner-sized portion for a hungry dude):

• 1/4 cup steamed Basmati rice
• 0.5 lb skinless chicken breast
• a handful of brussels sprouts (alternative veggies okay)
• 0.5 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup Thai curry sauce (yellow used in recipe)
• salt, pepper, and red pepper powder (other spices welcomed)

I've purchased all these ingredients at Trader Joe's, including the curry sauce, which tastes good and will save you plenty of time.

Overall preparation time will be approximately 45 minutes. You will need two burners, a skillet or saucepan, and a small pot for your rice. I've pre-boiled my rice, but you can simultaneously handle rice and curry.

• Fill up your steaming bowl and bring it to a boil. Put the rice in and boil for approximately 15 minutes. Then strain and let the rice dry.
• While your water is coming to a boil, heat your saucepan to a high simmer level and add the curry sauce & spices.
• Once your curry has warmed up, add the brussels sprouts. You can either pre-boil the brussels sprouts in advance or turn the heat up once they're in the curry sauce to expedite the process. Either way, you'll need them to cook the longest.
• After 15 minutes, add the chicken.
• Five minutes later, add the sliced bell pepper.
• Continue cooking on a simmer-to-low level so that you preserve some of the curry sauce. You'll want the bell peppers and brussels sprouts to be moist and tender.
• Mold your rice into a mound and pour your curry, sauce and all, over the rice.

Believe it or not, there's rice under all this!

While you're at it, consider serving your curry with a Singha Thai lager or with a floral or citric pale ale/IPA such as Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin' IPA or Firestone Walker's Pale 31.

More delicious recipes and colorful beer commentary to come!

You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink

Indeed it has been aeons since I last posted something on CaliBrew. Shame on me for letting down any audience I had left and for leaving my passion for craft beer laying in a vat full of trub!

A resurgence in my interest for beer has inspired me to get back to CaliBrew. As someone with a deep writing background, I see this as an opportunity to become more vocal in the social media sphere and to use my writing to express my ideas and opinions. And what better way to do this than sit down with a pint of...what did I try yesterday...Knee Deep Tanilla Porter...and bust out some good old fashioned prose!

That said, it's going to take more than just beer reviews and brewery trips to make this site work, which is why I'm also going to use CaliBrew as a means for expressing my love for food and for cooking. I'll do my best to relay this back to beer (for example, what beer would I enjoy my beer with?) and not make this a foodie-focused site only, but I believe that, since food and beer are integral in developing a culture, the ways in which we learn to appreciate them both are something I can articulate well. As a matter of fact, it's only fitting I link you to my Yelp page; I'm mostly reviewing eateries around the San Jose area, but I'm open to expanding to other venues should I travel and whatnot.

So cheers and bon appetit to all of you out there! I'll leave you with a little teaser for a pasta primavera recipe I put together. This recipe serves approximately three people: 

• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 squash
• 1.5 cups bowtie (farfalle) pasta
• a handful of cherry tomatoes
• 6-8 minced garlic / 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Begin with boiling your pasta for approximately 8-10 minutes. The pasta should be a little firm so that it holds its shape while it chills. Saute the vegetables, garlic, and spices in 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Combine with the pasta in a mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp olive oil, the balsamic, additional spices, and 1 to 2 tsp grated parmesan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with fresh basil leaves for presentation.

Happy National Beer Day! Let's make that Beer Weekend...

Hey Howdy Hey,

So over the last couple days I've heard through Twitter chatter that today is Nation Beer Day. Happy National Beer Day to you! This marks the 78th anniversary of the Cullen-Harrison Act of 1933 which ended prohibition. Of course, craft beer did not emerge as a renown alternative to large breweries and pre-prohibition styles of beer until the 1980s, but without beer, where would we be? That said, I invite you to kick back and relax this weekend with a pint in your hand. Beer Day will hopefully become Beer Weekend for many of us out there!

Remember when I brought up a couple new ideas to bring into my blog? Well, things are looking promising! I'm slowly but surely improving my site here and I'm getting more active on Twitter and YouTube. Getting a younger crowd interested in craft beer is one of my goals, and I think it's time to bring that to the forefront while using beer in California as a focal point/standard. That said, I'm conducting a survey as to what young people's beer preferences are. Will they favor IPA or Hefeweizen? Or will more people answer that they don't drink beer, or nothing outside of Budweiser or Keystone Light? From there, I will examine the socio-cultural context surrounding this and shine some new light on the slowly fermenting craft beer culture of the US and California. Looking forward to this. Cheers!

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Skands: a Danish Craft Brewery

Brew Brethren,

Come gather 'round, for I have a story to tell! I figure now would be an appropriate time to take a break from my beer reviewing and focus a little more on beer experience. With that, I take you back to Fall, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Denmark, exporter of Carlsberg and several other well-known beers around the world, is home to a craft brewery scene that, on a smaller scale, mirrors what we have going on in the United States. Small but strong organizations are allaying together to preserve Denmark's reputation as a beer consumer and fuel the innovation that beer has seen elsewhere (particularly in the States). That's my nugget of an intro.

Skands, a small brewery in the Copenhagen outskirts, is one of these breweries that draws on the successes of Denmark's beers and additionally strives to produce some fun, clever varieties. The co-founder, Birthe (pronounced a little like "Beer-duh") Skands, worked for many years at Carlsberg, so she already brings a lot to the table. I had the fortune of visiting this brewery, which volume-wise is about the size of a barn. You have a couple small vats and, as I recall, a bottling line, plus a couple nice tasting tables, and that's about it. I'm not sure if they do any public tours, as like many Danes they prefer to keep their appearances modest. 

I visited this little gem of a brewery with my international marketing class, which at the time was taught by a Danish gentleman who had worked for Royal, another fairly large Danish brewery, and Pepsi out in New York (he was basically the younger Danish version of Michael Cane both in looks and demeanor!). So this could not have come together any better.

In this class I was to create a detailed marketing report as to how Skands could enter an international market. They [Skands] were pretty set in their Danish confines but were working out a deal with a Japanese airline company, thinking it would be good to take an emerging beer market and present to them a tasty standard to hold and appreciate. Skands had already seen their sales increase as well as their audience; at this point, they were distributing their beer to the Whole Foods equivalent, Irma. In addition, Skands was also creating customized brews, for which I'm sure they would charge a pretty penny (it's expensive over there!). Now where have you seen something like this before? Sam Adams Utopias? 55% abv "beer" that comes in taxidermied animals? This is something that, even if on a smaller scale, definitely happens overseas as well.

With Denmark, there is no distinct popular style of craft beer. The Danish pilsner might be the closest guess. It's not spicy like a Czech pilsner and can vary from moderately malty, such as the popular Tuborg, to lightly hoppy. Skands' Danish pilsner, called Hymlefryd (something like "Hoom-leh-fru"), is, to my recollection, more on the hoppy side of a pilsner. I don't remember liking it at the time, but I'm sure I would upon second taste. Danes are also known to import the British and American IPAs as well as produce rye ales. If you look at a previous review, you'll see I found this style of beer out in California. Furthermore, Denmark thrives on "Julebryg," or "Christmas Beer," during the months of November and December. That's a rich story in its own!

Looking at this diverse beer portfolio, we go back to Skands, which incorporates styles from all over the world. From their Danish pilsner, to their English pub ale, to their Christmas beer and dark Czech lager, Skands has just about something for everyone. All you have to do is cough up a couple dozen kroners (Danish currency) at Irma and you will enter a familiar, but unique world of Danish craft beer. I had sampled Hymlefryd, Elmegade IPA, New Stout (Czech dark lager) and a couple others and overall enjoyed them to the point at which I sought them out in my remaining weeks abroad. I even drank a bottle of Elmegade IPA on my 21st birthday over there, and even though I was in my freezing studio in my sweats and had no one with which to consume, I will always remember it as a happy time. Hmm, it seems as if Danish humor has rubbed off on me as well!

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

PS: I've got more to come, so stay tuned!

Check out Skands!

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Gnarlywine: Only in California

Only in California will you find the use of "gnarly" so inviting that a brewery will incorporate such a word into a beer. Often considered a winter warmer, a barleywine is something I find very appropriate for the coming of spring as well. Barleywines, first conceived by the British, are known for deep complexity, a good dose of hops, plenty of aging and, consequently, a high alcohol percentage. It's those strong beers that are supposed to get us through the long, cold winters. But this is beer in California, so we don't have much of that around here. Why not take this brew to the West Coast and add a little Northern California signature to it? 

That's exactly what Laguintas in Petaluma, CA have done with their Olde Gnarlywine, a 10.6% abv barleywine that is pleasant from start to finish. Gnarly is a beautiful sight to behold with its deep amber-red hue, something that deviates a little from the norm. The yeast does not accumulate too much foam but retains a notable layer that catalyzes the tasting experience (I like that word, catalyze!). When you take in the Gnarly aroma, you'll get something that is a hybrid of a fresh hop ale and a barrel aged brew. Citrus and a plethora of flora will Eskimo kiss your nose with gusto. A spice somewhere between coriander and clove will make its way through your nostrils as will a woody-like aroma — possibly cedar. I'd also like to note that while you get a representation of West Coast hops, you don't pull in the piny sensations that West Coast brewers are so loyal  to; this is refreshing to me. I'll give aroma a spot-on 5/5.

When you sip this brew, you'll get a little more maltiness than expected — after all, you've inhaled something deceivingly hoppy — thus staying true to its English roots. It's a little difficult to capture the specific flavors since a rush of alcohol scoots across your palette and gives you a bit of a tingle in your gulliver. But its rich, malty taste driven by its citric hops and aging comes together in a smooth, syrup-like libation. It would have been interesting had Lagunitas dry-hopped this; maybe they did and did not post it on their website. I would have liked to see the balance come full circle, but I think with a barleywine that might be asking too much.

The great thing about a Barleywine is that the flavor will evolve over time, often for the better. According to Lagunitas you'll pick up more toffee and caramel notes if you age this beer. So perhaps I procured a young Gnarly in its first or second life stage. I would be wise to purchase one of these up and store it somewhere for next year or the year after. An excellent beer.

4/5 an excellent beer, an innovative West Coast take on a barleywine.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Lagunitas online!

My Twitter

Kicking Around Some Ideas

Hey Guys,

So I've decided to kick around some ideas on how I can make Calibrew more interesting. 

I think one important attribute that I bring to the table is my youth. Not all too many people at 23 are into craft beer (especially to the degree that I am). What would strengthen my ability to channel the positive qualities of craft beer is contextualizing craft beer a little more. I could talk about craft beer's current role in Californian, American and international beer culture. I could breed a new generation of brew disciples and do so as one of them.

The essence of Calibrew is capturing the craft beer scene in California, particularly in Northern California. That's a lot of beer country to cover, so perhaps I'll confine my segment to the Bay Area and perhaps a little beyond. You've got fantastic breweries from Anchor, to Drake, Russian River and a large homebrewing culture. But even so, I'm not sure how much more light I would be shining down for that scene. Taking beer trips is a great way to gain exposure to beer and the stories around it. Too bad I'm short on money, a definite downside of being 23 years old.

Another idea would for me to accompany my reviews and commentary with more of my stories around craft beer. I have some great stories indeed, such as my microbrewery project in Copenhagen to my nights at the Map Room in Chicago. There's much more to beer besides tasting the beer, so perhaps it's time for me to capture this a little better.

If you have any ideas for me, please feel free to share them here. I always welcome outside feedback!

You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink

Ninkasi Re-newal Irish Style Red Ale Review

Happy Saturday to all of you out there,

Here's a review of the Irish Style Red Ale from Eugene, OR brewery Ninkasi. It's a unique Irish red inthat it's actually a little more balanced. Irish reds are conventionally all-malt beers that take on a moderate-full body. They're a little bit of a step down from a stout in body and frequently use roasted malt and sometimes a touch of chocolate malt. You'll usually find one of these beers to be of a moderate alcohol level.

Ninkasi's rendition of the Irish red almost comes off as a session beer at 5.2% abv, and with a warming mouthfeel that does not distort you with maltiness, you finish the beer with the impression of consuming another one. The roasted malt is the main characteristic of the tasting experience, and in a way it subdues the malty complexion. Head retention is good, and as with other Irish reds, you get a pleasant rubybrown hye. I was hoping to get some of the chocolate malt in this beer, and I wish the finish pulled along the roasted malt a little more. Of course this is characteristic of the beer anyway. I'm not too keen on Irish reds, but I find Ninkasi's Re-newel a welcoming addition to the beers I've had. If you find a cool spot in your April (it's already getting warm in Northern California), then I recommend you pick this brew up.The glass is half empty - a 3/5 beer recommended by yours truly.

By the way, see my video review and some other cool coverage of craft beer right here at My YouTube Channel. And be also sure to follow me on Twitter at CaliBrew Twitter. 

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Anheuser-Busch to Acquire Goose Island Chicago

Have You Heard The News?

So as you may have heard earlier today, Anheuser Busch has announced that it will acquire Goose Island, a renown craft brewery based in Chicago. AB will acquire 58% of Goose Island's stock. 

Many of you out there were probably dissatisfied with Goose Island's "selling out." So was I for that matter. I lived in Chicago for five months and experienced how this brewery had a firm but warm grip on an emerging Midwest beer culture. They make some quality brews, and I think what I'm getting at in their reviews is that we, the consumers, might benefit from this. At least for us on the West Coast, we'll be able to enjoy a mild winter with a Goose Island Winter or a hot summer with a 312 urban wheat ale fresh off the draft. Think about it: craft beer has made enough noise to which a large brewing titan has had to earn a majority share. Anheuser Busch was partially responsible for Goose Island's success anyway; they've been GI's distributor for several years. Let's also not forget that Goose Island was part of the Craft Brewer's Alliance, a group of four high-capacity craft breweries including Widmer Bros., Redhook and Kona, and that Anheuser Busch was a minority share holder of the CBA. 

In short, expect to see more mergers, acquisitions and collab-brew-ations from larger breweries and international locales. We've already seen this with European breweries, both among each other and with American resources, and now we're seeing the community grow from the top-down. Anheuser Busch is obviously trying to get a piece of the pie, and this is clearly a great outlet. But, as stated in their press release, AB doesn't want to ruin what has been a formula for success.  Do Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams change their formula when increasing capacity? Does Kona Pipeline Porter or Longboard lager automatically suck when it's allied with poser breweries like Redhook? Barkeep...toss a Fire Rock (pale ale) my way!

And don't tell me you won't drink at a social gathering just because there's no craft beer. Drinking beer is part of our lives. Sure, I don't like Budweiser or Bud Light, but I won't say no to a 'dog and a Bud at a baseball game or friend's barbeque.  If only crappy beer was better too!

So for more on this controversial decision, head over to the guys who do it right in Boston, my friend Chris Furnari and Brewbound.com. Chris was my editor when I wrote for the sports section of our university newspaper. They've got great news and content on that site And to listen to a little more about my thoughts on the matter, head over to my YouTube channel.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

For more craft beer news, follow me on Twitter

Firestone Walker: Walker's Reserve Review

Firestone Walker, based out of Paso Robles, CA, is a popular microbrewery in the state of California and, interestingly enough, is situated in an area that runs like a small-scale Napa/Sonoma county. You probably know Firestone for their Double Barrel Ale, Union Jack British IPA and CPA 31 (a California pale ale that inspired my latest adventure in homebrewing). But Firestone often releases more exclusive beers of several ale varieties, such as their newest Walker's Reserve. This is a roasted porter that has a somewhat chewy, but not overwhelming makeup. You can attribute this to the roasted barely and oatmeal flakes, as called out on FW's site. Overall, this is an excellent rendition of a porter. Yes California, it's a malty beer but one that finishes with satisfying roasted character. You won't find the chocolate malt presence nor will you find yourself fatigued after a couple sips. I'm digging this porter and recommend it!

4/5- The glass is just about empty.

Coming up next...Irish Red Ale from Ninkasi in Eugene, OR

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Walker's Reserve

My Twitter

Homebrewing: Third Time's a Charm! And About My YouTube Channel

What's up gang,

Several weeks removed from another homebrewing fiasco, I decided to pick up the pieces and give homebrewing another go. This time I stuck to the book, swallowed my pride and buckled down in my friend Greg's kitchen. We went to More Beer in Mountian View and got set up with a solid California Pale Ale kit, or as More Beer calls it, Left Coast Pale Ale. It's going to be a slightly citric, but not too herbal brew with Amarillo hops. I figured it's a great way to bring in the essence of spring once the Northern California storms subside. 

I'm also revamping my account on YouTube slowly but surely. I'm hoping to have more video reviews, homebrewing snapshots and possibly coverage of any events I attend. Obviously, I'd like to do what I can to get out into the craft beer scene a little more. So head on over to my Youtube page, check it out and subscribe if you'd like! And to keep up to date with the beer scene in Caifornia even more, head on over to my Twitter.

I've got a Firestone Walker: Walker's Reserve beer review to post on here very soon, and I will soon be featuring another beer review for an Irish Red Ale. Stay tuned lads and ladies.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Boston; Craft Beer Capital of North America!

Hey Gang,

This past weekend I had the fortune of spending a weekend in Boston, MA. I was here for a business trip but I definitely had ample time to get out and check on the beer scene. It's no surprise that Boston is the craft beer hub of the western hemisphere. Many of the bars feature local craft brews, and all of them have at least Boston lager and a Sam Adams seasonal on draft (for March it's Noble Pils, a German/Bomhemian hop-infused lager).

In fact, I was here the same weekend as the Extreme Beer Festival so it's sad to say I missed out on all of the action. However, my buddy from college, Chris, and his gang at Brewbound were there covering the event and even spending time with the likes of Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head) and other craft brew icons. 

In addition, I also came across a small chain of brewery-restaurants called Boston beer works. You can get some pretty good pub grub and have a bevy of ales to sample. BBWorks even has seasonals on tap. I was looking for a black IPA, or as they called it, "India porter," but they were out of it for the time being. Oh well, I enjoy one of their Irish Stouts very much. 

hen there was my actual business trip. That went very well! And I also got to see my best friend who lives here. I totally surprised the guy as he no idea I was coming over. Wonderful trip indeed. I'm going to miss this place after four days, so I plan on saving up some dough and getting out here again for some brew, best friend, baseball, and chowda. That's wicked pissah pal. 

You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink

Beer and Lent: When World Collide

A welcomed Ash Wednesday to those of you who partake in the Christian holiday period between now and Easter. I am not a Christian by faith, but I am a believer in that we, regardless of faith, cultural background, etc., can embrace this period of the year as a time to reflect on how we live our lives and how we would like to improve the way we live. Plenty of us out there have fulfilling lives in one way or another, and that's great. But maybe we want to make a difference in how we present ourselves to others, or maybe we would like to spend more time developing our interests outside of the workplace; I for one am on board with the latter! Perhaps we should think of lent outside of giving something up for a concentrated period of time; it's a way for us to add something else in and to do so long-term or permanently. 

Now when it comes to the "giving up" part of lent, I have a simple suggestion. Give up crappy beer, beer that holds us back from enjoying the effort, craftsmanship and TLC that goes into our favorite beers. Toss out the last of your fizzy, yellow-y Keystone Light or Natty 30-rack and put the bottle opener on your key set to work! By now I hope you've learned that craft beer is something that exceeds the initial investment you make. In all honesty, can you remember your last experience that involved drinking a Budweiser? Even if you can, you're probably remembering everything about the experience apart from the beer itself. Everything going on around you enhances your experience with the beer, and therefore the beer is dependent upon the experience. 

With quality craft beer, it's the opposite. The beer is the catalyst, enhancing the consumer's experience of everything around him/her. For example, you could be watching TV on a Wednesday night — pretty regular night and all. But crack open a micro and you'll start to feel like even a common moment in your life has a special place in time. What about if your're at a baseball game and your team is losing? It will take many Miller Lites to chase away your sorrows. But if you sip on an Anchor Steam or Sierra Nevada (served at Northern California MLB stadiums), you'll start to appreciate the people you're at the game with and the reasons that bring people together for America's pastime. You see, craft beer gives us purpose in that it can make any activity or any setting enjoyable, enriching and longer lasting for our memory. 

So for lent, I give you one way in which not only you will give something up, but also you will gain something very rewarding in return. 

You Stay Hoppy California,
Pink

Just passing through: a couple updates

Hey Everyone,

I thought I would take the time, the first time in almost two months, to give you an update as to what's going with beer in California and what I'm up to in my beer endeavors.

I recently joined a Silicon Valley/South Bay homebrewer's group known as the "Worts of Wisdom," or "worts" for short. It's an excellent group of a few dozen people who not only have a passion for homebrewing, but also a talent for homebrewing. Hopefully I'll gain a lot from the worts and learn how to put out some outstanding batches of my own. From crisp kölsch ales, to American IPAs, to chocolate and bourbon-inspired stouts, Worts of Wisdom members have dazzled me with their brews. You are more than likely to find their beers snatching up the awards at local and regional contests.

As for my homebrewing experiences, I have yet to turn out a solid beer in my two attempts. I found that in both batches I left the beer in te primary fermenter too long. I may also be using too much sanitizing solution, especially when it comes to filling the airlock. I think I'll use just boiled/distilled water for that next time. My second beer, a dunkelweizen, looked very promising at one point with a ruby brown color and phenolic/banana aromas. But then I left it sitting there for too long and now t tastes a little too soapy for anyone's liking. I'm definitely going to try brewing it again at some point this year.

As you may know, the SF Bay Area hosted a giant "beer week" in February, bringing in many breweries from up and down the state to showcase quality brew, food and more. Sacramento, a sometimes over-looked micro-hub in California, is in the middle of its beer week right now. These events around the state and in other parts of the US like Colorado and Boston (Extreme Beer Festival March 11-13). Speaking of Boston, I'll actually be in Bean-Town next weekend — unfortunately not for the beer, but for another trade show. I'm sure I'll still have time to sample some great local beer and whatnot. 

Lastly, I'm really enjoying the brews put out by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey out of San Marcos (north of San Diego). I really enjoyed their roasted, but not overly malted, Midnight Expression black lager.  

I'll give you more of an interesting entry when things get...more interesting! In the meantime, please head over to my Twitter where I post some interesting news/features about beer all over the world.

You stay hoppy California,

Pink

First Homebrew: A Preview

Hello World,

Another several weeks since my last post, and, like always, another bevy of beers to study and appreciate. My refrigerator has been a library of liquid libations for the last month or so, making it difficult to not only polish off these beauties, but also to select which one to drink next!

Aside from that, it is exciting for me to announce that I will begin my homebrewing endeavors this weekend in my converted garage of a living space. I've got my equipment, hops, yeast, and malt extract primed for bottled perfection. Here's a little insight regarding my homebrew:

I purchased my kit...excuse me. My dad actually purchased my kit as a Christmas gift, and it looks like he made a wise decision. This kit comes from Austin Brew Supply, one of the renown homebrew shops in Texas. It's a deluxe 5 gallon kit equipped with a couple handy tools you won't necessarily find in an intro kit such as a wort chiller and secondary fermenter. The kit's recipe itself is, I believe, for a brown ale brewed with amber extract, 0.875 lbs of malted grain for steeping, and 1 oz. of brewer's gold hops. However, I decided to spice things up a bit and added East Kent Goldings (EKGs: England) and Tetnang (Germany) hops to the recipe for added flavor and aroma, giving this beer a greater balance and a little more of a bite than a traditional English ale.  

We'll see just how this brew turns out. I've been reading John Palmer's "How to Brew" for a beyond-crash course guide to watching my passion unfold in front of my eyes (and drip into 12 oz. and 22 oz. brown bottles). I plan to have a writeup and some good pictures for you to check out. Perhaps this will inspire you to begin homebrewing or to develop your own recipe.

I've also started to get involved in the beer community through a local homebrewing group, whom I will talk about more as my involvement in the group grows, and sites such as BeerAdvocate and CraftBeer.com. These are great hubs for articles, enthusiasts, homebrewers and other resources. 

Lastly, I enjoyed a Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout last night and wrote a review about it on BeerAdvocate, giving it an A- overall; njpink1887 is my username. 

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Skiing and Homebrewing on the Horizon

Season's Greetings!

With true winter three weeks away, I am gearing up for an exciting next couple months. Not only will I be spending weekends on the slopes of a couple Lake Tahoe resorts, but I will also be taking my interest in craft beer to the next level. Starting at the beginning of next year, I'll begin my adventures in homebrewing. I have some great creations in mind, and hopefully I will get a chance to see at least one of them come to fruition.

There is much to prepare for aside from getting the right kit, so to start I'm diving into John Palmer's third edition of How to Brew. This guide provides readers with a basic understanding of the ingredients and processes that go into brewing--not to mention you can learn a lot about cleaning and sanitizing solutions! What I appreciate about Palmer's third edition is that you can understand the fundamentals without reading more than 20 or 30 pages, but if you want to see the art behind the science, read on with gusto.

In recent weeks, I have engaged in much beer tasting and beer appreciation. The craft beer scene is starting to come alive a little in American society, but it is booming in cyberspace. The learning and interaction potential in sites such as BeerAdvocate and CraftBeer.com will get you buzzing in a matter of a couple minutes. So will tasting a unique spectrum of beers! I myself have picked up a couple favorites from Foam Fest as well as some unfamiliar brews, such as this fantastic smoked Rauchbier I learned about in Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer. You can read up on Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock here on BeerAdvocate. 

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what I'm thinking about in light of homebrewing, new brews in my glass and everything else beer-related.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

My Twitter

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

Foam Fest 2010 pt. 1

Good People of Beer Nation,

I come bearing fruitful wisdom and enlightenment following last night’s Foam Fest beer tasting in Truckee, CA. This was a wonderful event put on by Disabled Sports USA Far West, the Truckee community and the top-flight craft breweries of the West Coast. At Foam Fest one can sample a plethora of beer styles from dozens of unique brewers. You’ll find your staple craft ales bursting with Cascadian hops, complex, rich Belgian varieties and awoken traditions in the form of 45 million year old yeast. Looking back on last year’s affair just across the Nevada border, I can assure you that Foam Fest has become a beer-laden farmer’s market, combining passion, education and style. Regardless of where you are in the Golden State, you should attend this event. 

I rolled up to the Truckee Recreation Center last night with my beer brethren expecting an evening with Northern California’s and Oregon’s main craft beer players—Sierra Nevada, Full Sail, Deschutes, Gordon Biersch, Anderson Valley, Lagunitas etc. Indeed they all made an appearance, showcasing a few of their year-round brews and a couple delicious seasonals and specialties; Sierra Nevada’s 30^th Anniversary Ale and Deschutes’ Jubelale immediately come to mind. However, what distinguished this year’s Foam Fest form last year’s was the innovative nature of the lesser known breweries. I had some of the best beer tasting experiences ever in sampling craft beer’s hidden gems. Brews such as Tied House Brewing’s Oak-aged “IPA,” Knee Deep’s Vanilla Bean Porter and Buckbean’s Orange Blossom (that’s right alpha males, I said ORANGE BLOSSOM) opened a new portal for me and my exploration of the versatility and endless possibilities of beer.

Some of my favorite beers from the night:

Knee Deep’s Vanilla Bean Porter: liquid ice cream!

Alaskan Brewing Company’s Winter Ale: brewed with hand-picked spruce roots!

Stone’s Self Righteous Ale: lovely dark but hoppy ale, perhaps a “Cascade Dark Ale” style

Tied House/Hermitage Ale of the Hermit: oak-aged pale that opens a new frontier

Blue Frog’s La Rana Pazzo: Belgian Wit with notes of honey, coriander and other spices

Mt. Tallac’s Konehead: fresh hop light ale that is German-inspired, grainy and very well balanced

To my personal fortune, I learned to never judge a brewery based on one beer you taste. Two breweries I’ve previously written about threw my judgments out the window and dazzled me with their Foam Fest offerings. I explain this in my pt. II entry.

Foam Fest drew a broader scope of breweries and, to the benefit of craft beer, drew far more people than it did last year. At least 300 people packed the Truckee Rec Center’s gym, going from brewer to brewer and filling their commemorative glasses with something completely different every time. The live music, beyond-the-ballpark food options and welcoming vibe from all attendees made Foam Fest a quality evening for any kind of beer drinker. And, for a beer geek in the making, Foam Fest left me starry eyed and desiring to cuddle with a bottle from each brewer as if it were a stuffed animal.

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Check out my twitter!

 

My enthusiastic brew buddies who just couldn't get enough of Foam Fest and its...offerings!

Session Beers: like going to the beach in a thong...exactly.

What's Up Gang,

Today I'm going to write a little bit about session beers. Inspired by beer guru Jay R. Brooks who is occasionally featured in the San Jose, I decided to explore the basis behind "session beers." You may have heard this term used for a particular brew, but with the direction of craft beer, you probably have no explored the world of session beers too frequently unless you're at Oktoberfest. So this is an appropriate time to bring up session beers!

Session beers are primarily defined by their alcoholic content, which is anywhere at or under 5.0abv. As you may have assumed, it's a beer that you could consume during a "session" with your buddies or family. Session beers are crafted to be enjoyed bottle after bottle but without the intention of getting schnokered. Call up some friends during the World Series or put together a barbecue with some quality brews that will not overwhelm anyone at any point of the evening.

That said, depending on the person, a session beer can be nearly any type of beer. Many German styles of lager and hefeweizen are low in alcoholic content, and many ales from blondes, to ambers, and even dark brews (Guinness is only 4.0abv!) will work for your session as long as they are "flavorful, balanced, and reasonably priced" (Brooks "Subtle delights in session beers").

With everyone vacated from my home town of Monterey, I decided to have my own little session with a couple beers I picked up from BevMo. I turned on some baseball, watched some "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and poured myself some hefeweizen from the Blue Frog Grog and Grill in Fairfield and Alpine Gold blond ale from the Tied House in San Jose.

Blue Frog's hefeweizen was a bit darker in color than typical German hefeweizens, resembling ecanasia juice in a glass. I got a mild citrus, sort of watery aroma that had no notes of banana/clove. Please note that I poured this into the inappropriate glass. Still, I was unable to taste any of the qualities you find in the German staple. This beer was a little on the sour side, drinking like a watered down version of citrus Airborne (the stuff you take if your immune system isn't up to speed). The bottle has its text upside down and reads that one should store the bottle upside down to let the yeast settle correctly...are they messing with me? When was the last time you drank a hefeweizen from a bottle that was stored upside down? If for some reason one of my buddies has this in his fridge, I'll say one of two things:

1. "Dude, turn it upside down!"

2. "Dude, don't waste your time with this. Drink a Franziskaner instead."

The glass is full. I'm not a fan of this beer. Perhaps Blue Frog excels at some of their other brews.

The Tied House's Alpine Gold blond ale might suit your palate a little better, especially if you plan to head up to the mountains in a couple months. I found this light ale to work as a session beer as there is a fair balance and enough flavor to keep the casual beer drinker satisfied.

Give Alpine Gold a sniff and you'll pick up a light citrus, caramel/nutty, and grainy aroma. You'll taste that same nuttiness that won't overwhelm you and possibly encourage you to get another one. I was hoping for a hoppier jolt that gave the beer a more crisp finish, but then again I'm not too much of an expert on light ales. It's not my brew of choice, but I can recommend it for a larger gathering if people have other beverage options as well.

The glass is half full. This brew has the fundamental aroma but doesn't fully deliver in flavor to make me want another one. 

Next up for Calibrew:

I plan to hit up an Oktoberfest pretty soon and may be doing so when I visit Chicago next week. There are a few events like this in the Bay Area right now, so hopefully I find an opportunity there as well. As always, feel free to keep up with CaliBrew by subscribing (like...now) or following my Twitter right here .

Oh, and check out Jay R. Brooks' sites for lots of fascinating info and insight regarding the best beverage known to man and woman.

You can check out Brooks' material at http://www.ibabuzz.com/bottomsup/.  

Prost!

Pink

Tied Hourse!

Blue Frog!

Back to California and Back to Beer!

Noble Beer Brethren,

As we eye the near shift from summer to fall, I eye my even nearer arrival in California. After five glorious months in Chicago, I have decided to go back out west where the brew is the best. This could not come at a better time for me, as the sun is slowly setting on heat (and humidity if you're in Chicago) and welcoming football of all types. Hopefully you're looking forward to finishing your klölsch or summer shandy in hand and smiling at the arrival of autumn lagers and ales, from the Bavarian hefeweizen, to the always welcoming märzen, to bock varieties, to the pumpkin and fall spiced ales.

Anticipating the new season, I spent one of my last nights in Chicago at my favorite pub for brew, the Map Room, eager to try Orange County's The Bruery's Autumn Maple ale on draft. A seasonal beer brewed with maple syrup and yams? On draft? I couldn't think of a better way to leave Chicago and welcome in the taste of California simultaneously. However, the Map Room was tapped out of this fine ale, leaving me to resort to another exquisite La Trappe Quadruppel.

In addition, I sampled a few other brews from all around. A fan of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and Maudite, I took a crack at their "Chambly Noire" but was left disappointed. In short, I wasn't sure what Unibroue was trying to achieve with this beer but was sure that this encounter made drinking their more reliable beers a pleasure. I also acquainted myself with Colorado's Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout. I hadn't sampled a chocolate stout before, as I usually lean toward a coffee malt, but I found this a fair beer.

But this is a California-based beer blog isn't it? That's why I save the best for last. I had a terrific experience with San Diego's Port Brewing Company. Their "Older" Viscosity ale encapsulates class, flavor, and Iggy Pop-esque "raw power" in a wine glass. Older Viscosity is a specialty brew based off of Port's "Old Viscosity." The beer is aged in bourbon barrels, though from my episode from the tap, I could have sworn it was a cabernet-aged ale or something of that sort. Still, what you get is a midnight colored strong (12.5% abv) ale that has the smooth-sipping consistency of a Belgian trippel/quaruppel. 

Older viscosity combines the chocolate malt of typical dark ales and sophisticates it with what Port states as "hints of vanilla and American oak." People always say that chocolate compliments wine, but I say why not have them together in a glass; it's a similar concept with Older Viscosity. Ironically, the best part of this brew is its aftertaste, one that i can characterize as a toasted caramel/chocolate richness that gives this aged ale one hell of an accent. For someone who has not ventured into beer finely aged, I recommend checking this one out immediately. For other beer enthusiasts, you've simply got to get a hold of this beer.

The glass is empty. A superb beer!

One last thing gang. Since it is September and since I'm going to be back in beer country, expect some good things from CaliBrew! I'll be looking into getting some better digital content uploaded onto the site and have some ideas for capturing Oktoberfest in the Bay Area and/or elsewhere. Please subscribe to my blog and check out my attempt at being cool on My Twitter

I've also posted a couple useful links.

Port Brewing Co!

The Map Room Chicago! 

You Stay Hoppy California,

Pink

Drinking Beer: What else is there to do in Finland (apart from reindeer hunting)?

Hey Guys,

Beer's such a fascinating topic because, like many other great products such as music, art, and wine, it comes from all over the world and has so much room for innovation and accent. Two weeks ago, I dropped a review on a Danish-style ale brewed in Orange County CA. California beer may be my specialty, but I see so much diversity in brewing within the state itself. Like other key states of the Craft Beer Movement, we're seeing microbreweries turn classic beers from other regions of the world into revamped beer offspring. Go to a BevMo or a beer tasting and you'll see what I mean. Coastal wheats, California pale ales, and fruit-inspired beers are just a few examples of what's taking place not only in the massive US, but also in concentrated beer hubs such as the New England/mid-Atlantic region, Oregon, Colorado, Northern California, San Diego, etc. 

That said, I have done some exploring with lesser known beers from around the world, such as the Christmas ale that I believe inspired The Bruery's "Rugbrød" ale, which have gotten some big players in craft brewing to start scratching their beards. In this entry, I talk a little bit about a signature Finnish beer type known as sahti. Being a lesser known brew from a lesser known country, I am not surprised that its popularity in the American craft beer industry does not come to mind. However, I'm sure there are breweries out there investigating its properties and seeing what they can do to generate some interest from the American palette. For example, Dogfish Head brewery has already issued their own sahti. You can watch a great behind-the-scenes video here. 

The particular sahti I went after comes from the Kataja brewery; I am unsure as to where this brewery is located in Finland. Upon first pour, you'll notice that the beer pours out no defined head. As assumed, the carbonation of the beer is very low, allowing it to come off as more of a juice. Even when you look at it, you think to yourself "that can't be beer" because it looks more like an unfiltered dark apple juice. Regarding its taste, you will be surprised by the potpourri of flavors hitting your tongue. It's an unusual bombardment that I only can characterize as a liquid flower bed fused with a sour ale or cider. The beer is very complicated for my tasting experience, so I cannot give out the flavors confidently. That said, I did my research and found it interesting that the beer is commonly brewed with a strong use of juniper. It would be logical to an American beer drinking to see something like this more present in a hoppy ale, one that called for a kick to a higher level of carbonation. I cannot give a definitive conclusion about this beer other than that if you like skunky, sour tasting  beer and want to give Finland's finest a shot, I will not shake my head at you. I appreciate this beer for its cultural uniqueness, though I do not see myself purchasing it again. I will look into shati another time, but for now it's off to my fridge for a bottle of Unibroue Maudite. The glass is half full.

Cheers lads and ladies!
Pink