I haven’t tried it yet but since we now moved back to the west coast (and the Bay Area) we might now have a chance to get it in the future (but I read it sold out this year in about 15 minutes)
I got to try it because of a fluke. One day, I’d read in sf.funcheap.com that the Ferry Building branch of Gott’s Roadside was serving Pliny the Younger that day, for $5 with a food purchase. My office is about a 10-minute walk from there, so I went for a mid afternoon break, got a veggie & hummus platter (not the thing to get there, but I’d already eaten), and the beer. It was much more balanced than I’d expected–I really thought it was going to be a total hops bomb.
OT but your link to sf.funcheap is a good one for updates on things happening in the Bay Area - are there any other similar webpage for the area wirth bookmarking (and are there any good pages/information for pop-up restaurants ?)
I don’t typically drink much beer, but as the weather warms in the Bay Area I like lighter, crisp lagers and pilsners. There was a small panic when Sierra Nevada announced it wouldn’t be producing its Summerfest this year. Some friends suggested locally brewed alternatives.
East Brother and Laughing Monk (Holy Ghost) are relatively new. The East Brother was more heavily bodied, more like a German lager. Laughing Monk was delicate and crisp.
I really wouldn’t call Drake’s a pilsner. It was quite malty and thick. It’s my least favorite of the four here.
I saw hints online that Sierra would be producing Summerfest on tap, so I stopped in at their tasting room here in Berkeley to see if I could get a growler. There on the bar were several cases of cans. Customer outcry had changed their minds, but it took them until this week to get it to market (it normally comes out in April). It was as good as ever, flowery and bracing.
2 Likes
Maybe Eater SF for pop-ups? Otherwise, I don’t know of any other sites.
STS by Russian River Brewing Company (Windsor, CA) - Pilsner
Upfront some typical breadiness as the foundation of this pilsner with some hints of lime, floral notes, grassy and some pines. Malty finish with notes of biscuit.
2 Likes
How was the “Thank You” ? - I had a few fantastic beers from Maine Beer Company with their Lunch, Dinner or A Tiny Beautiful Something
It was really good, well balanced, pretty light and clean, just a little hazy, piney hops. I guess they change the recipe every year for the Thank You.
Looks like Californian beer week on here lately.
Dutch and Estonian stuff for me this week. “Beer” here means bear in English. They use some American hops in it but I couldn’t find any info.
I keep trying, it’s been years. Double/“imperial” IPA is too much of a good thing.
Sweet and smooth. Smells very sweet, too. I could down 2 of these and don’t feel a thing. I think the sweetness masks the 10% alcohol. Not a fan of sweet beer but this one is fine.
1 Like
Blind Pig by Russian River Brewing Company (Windsor, CA) - IPA
Citrus notes (lemon, grapefruit) upfront but taken over fast by hops and strong pine flavor with a dry, bitter finish - typical west coast IPA
2 Likes
Hazy Little Thing by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co (Chico, CA) - IPA
Somehow a middle-of-the-road (hazy) IPA - hints of tropical flavor (pineapple, peach) upfront, followed by some hints of pine and hops and finished with some sweetness and hints of bitterness. Overall feels really light and watered down.
2 Likes
Gummy Worms by New Glory Craft Brewery (Sacramento, CA) - Pale Ale
Interesting flavor mix of a hazy IPA (fruitiness of pineapple, orange and melon) combined with the grassiness of a wheat beer. Longer, medium bitter finish. A bit surprised that the “gummy worm” flavor wasn’t more pronounced.
2 Likes
Tangerine Express Hazy IPA by Stone Brewery (
Escondido, CA) - IPA
Hazy IPA from Stone ? But once you taste it you realize that even though it is unfiltered and has some tangerine added (which gives it more a different level of bitterness than juiciness) this beer is a heart a classical west coast IPA - heavy on the hops, piney, bitter and in your face.
2 Likes
Two Blue Moons then switched to decaf coffee.
1 Like
I have tried all the Stone beers I could find here. I liked them all, even the double IPAs. Went back and got them all again.
I remember drinking this one on tap, in Greece of all places.
For some reason this double IPA is in a bigger tin
Posted the Tangerine Express a couple of weeks back. Did some research, turned out both Tangerine Expresses are the same beer. Well, I got the other one with a different label anyway. Honkman’s bottle label has some brown, whereas mine is all orange.
This is the other Tangerine Express
Not sure if I tasted “hazelnuts” but the beer is nice. Even better than one from last week (Cheesecake Island) which was a bit too sweet.
My government has a new alcohol sales law which came into effect on the first of this month. Discounts on beer may not exceed 25%, because then “people will drink too much beer”. That’s their reason. But highly/ultra processed food/crap is on sale (50% off) every single week is OK.
It doesn’t affect me as the beer I buy never goes on sale.
2 Likes
Peanut Butter Milk Stout by Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside, CA) - Stout
One of the favorite flavored milk stouts with the perfect balance between the upfront strong peanut flavor and the bitterness of coffee and dark chocolate in the background, some acidity from from the lactic acid. Not overly sweet or close to a dessert but just a great stout.
3 Likes
They make a Mexican Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout that’s strangely good, despite the gimmicky concept and the dumb name of the brewery. Add some vanilla ice cream for a beer float!
