Contains No Juice by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - DIPA
Not surprising based on the name, strong upfront flavor of citrus juice (orange, grapefruit) with some background floral notes. Followed by some dank, hoppy notes and a long juicy, low bitterness finish.
I mistakenly labeled the darker looking beer in the third picture probably due to having a few too many and writing the wrong thing down from the board - it is actually the Tioga-Sequoia Siempre - a barleywine aged in rum barrels.
Funny, I was just about to ask about that one since I’ve never seen a Saison that dark!
Heading to San Fran for the first time in ages, finding that Gordon Biersch on Embarcadero is no more. Anyone know hat happened?
It closed about ten years ago
Walleye Chop by Bank Brewing Company (Hendricks, MN) - Red Lager
Roasted malts with caramel and bread flavor is the backbone of this lager Some light hoppy notes with a bit of citrus and floral flavors and a very slightly sweet finish.
Thanks. Another example of a restaurant helping improve property values then being forced out? Seems like being your own landlord is one of the keys to a sustainable restaurant.
Or have venture capital available
The good news is that since the heyday of Gordon Biersch there have been many, many breweries, brewpubs and beer drinking facilities that have opened in San Francisco, most of which are serving better beer and food. It was a great space and location though.
Lobos, the new hazy IPA from Fort Point, is pretty good, and I’m not a big IPA fan. Not super-resiny or piney. And, while SF Beer Week is still going on you get a free glass with your first pour.
Hot Pink Sherburps by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Fruited Sour
Great tropical start with some sweetness but the grapefruit gives it enough initial sourness to not get it too sweet before the balancing tartness of the sour leads to a refreshing finish - great fruited sour, perfect summer beer.
Juice Invaders by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Hazy IPA
Citrus (grapefruit, orange peel, lemon) upfront but very fast taken over by a long lingering dank and complex, yet hard to described but interesting backbone with notes of grass, tropical sweetness, piney hops and a medium bitter finish. Also has a slightly creamy mouthfeel.
What’s your main beer shopping source @honkman, you seem to procure a nice variety brewed all over the US?
It’s a combination of multiple places - our WholeFoods has a decent selection but there is also Total Wine, Berkeley Bowl and 2-3 beer shops in the area, e.g. Jane’s and Giant Liquor in Mountain View, Craft in Alameda and a small corner store close-by who has a. very unusual selection particular around hard to find sours, IPA etc. In addition, there are (online) beer festivals like the recent Extreme Beer Fest where you can order interesting boxes through Half Time Beverage. And lastly, I was also looking again for a beer club but haven’t found anything decent anywhere and will most likely soon rejoin Craft Beer Cellar which I really enjoyed when living close-by
Petite Sour Blueberry by Crooked Stave (Denver, CO) - Fruited Sour
The big difference of wild sours compared to kettle sours is their much more complex tart flavors with more depth and funk. This one is great with fantastic citrus, oak and tart notes and some slight fruitiness from the blueberries.
Do they serve any food at Laughing Monk ?
No but they have a food truck out front Friday and Saturday. Last night was a taco truck.
Daiquiri Island Slush (Strawberry Banana) by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Smoothie Sour
You like fruit-heavy daiquiri from time to time as a pool cocktail on a hot day (I do) and were always looking for a beer version - look no further the perfect summer time fruited sour - heavy on the fruit (strawberry, banana) but not overly sweet and with enough bite from the sour. Dangerously easy to drink.
I realized that I didn’t have any good beers in storage that would go with the red beans & rice I was making on Sunday, so on our meanderings up in Solano County we stopped into the Solano Brewing Company and I got a crowler of Rednado, their American red ale (5.8% ABV). It’s a beautiful red-brown with just the maltiness I was looking for, without being sweet like a porter or stout might be.
Solano County is definitely a no-masking zone now, though.
