Celebrate craft beer with American Craft Beer Week

Just in case you need another excuse to drink beer, American Craft Beer Week begins on Monday, May 16. An argument can be made that craft beer is the only American beer, since the major industrial beer producers—Budweiser, Miller and Coors—are all owned by global conglomerates. On the other hand, BMC beers are readily available across the country, whereas craft beer for the most part is regional. Nonetheless, it's always a good idea to support your local pubs and brewers. According to The Brewers Association, which is coordinating the event through its Craft Beer site, for the first time all 50 states will be participating in American Craft Beer Week in some way. For the entire list of events across the country, click here.

Craft Beer Week events in the San Francisco Bay Area
Monday, May 16
Porky's Pizza Palace Celebrating American Craft Beer Week
Porky's Pizza Palace
1221 Manor Blvd.
San Leandro, California, 94579 | map
We will tap a new special beer each day of American Craft Beer Week.
Look to our website to see which beer will be pouring on a given day.



Enjoy Weissbierpils at Gordon Biersch
All Bay Area Gordon Biersch Brewers will be serving a "Weissbierpils." It is the latest and greatest of German beer styles, blending the fruity and spicy notes of a Weissbier with the clean, assertive hop bitterness of a Pilsner. Weissbierpils are a refreshing hybrid in the spirit of American Craft Beer and perfect for ACB Week.

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Palo Alto
640 Emerson Street
Palo Alto, California, 94301 | map
Contact: Andy Breedlove

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant - San Francisco
2 Harrison St.
San Francisco, California, 94105 | map
Contact: Shane Stevens

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner
California Cafe - Los Gatos
50 University Ave.
Los Gatos, Calif., 95030 | map
Calling all beer fans. Kick off American Craft Beer Week at California Cafe in Los Gatos for a Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner. Enjoy a wonderful multicourse meal prepared by  Executive Chef Bobby Laggan paired with a fine lineup of beers from Sierra Nevada. Reservations are needed for this event, so please contact us at 408-354-8300.

Craft Breweries of the 831
Burger.
1520 Mission St.
Santa Cruz, California, 95060 | map
On Monday, May 16, Oscar and his squad of beer fanatics are kicking off ACBW '11 in the 831 by rolling up their sleeves in the kitchen and dreaming up a whole menu of amazing vittles that will both be cooked with and paired with one of each participating brewery's ACBW featured brews! Lots of incredible stuff on tap and a fantastic atmosphere await.
Contact: Quinn Gardner

Tuesday, May 17
Craft Breweries of the 831
Relax! Grillin' & Chillin'
3650 San Juan Rd.
Hollister, California, 95023 | map

The Tuesday night Brewery nights at Relax! Grillin' & Chillin' are already the stuff of legend. But on Tuesday, May 17, Chuck and the Brew Crew are hosting their first American Craft Beer Week event and it's going to be a phenomenal night! Come out an try a bunch of new brews from each participating brewery, ask questions and get to know your brewer (as each brewery will have a rep on hand!). Great food, great people, and fun, laid back atmosphere ensure this will not be a night to be missed.
Contact: Quinn Gardner
quinn@sierranevada.com

Team America Beer School
Zambo, Head Brewer
21st Amendment Brewery
563 2nd Street
San Francisco, California, 94107 | map
Tastings begin at 7pm, $40 includes all beer samples, snacks, tax and gratuity.

Wednesday, May 18

New Belgium Tap Takeover
burger.
1520 Mission Street
Santa Cruz
California, 95060 | map
New Belgium Tap Takeover at burger.
Contact: Burgermeister
831-425-5300

Red Restaurant & Bar!!!
1003 Cedar St. (2nd floor),
Santa Cruz, California, 95060 | map
The Red has long been a beacon of light in the 831 for craft beer fans. Last year's American Craft Beer Week event there was a blast and a huge success -- and this year will be no different. Miriam, Bobby and the rest of the Red rockers will be cooking up some amazing stuff in the kitchen, pairing some funky and delicious creations with beers from each of the participating breweries on hand! The Red always feels like someone put a top-notch bar in your living room, so adding the electric buzz of ACBW does something really special in this place -- so be sure to invite your friends, family and fellow fans of fantastic frothy and join us on Wednesday, May 18.
Contact: Quinn Gardner
quinn@sierranevada.com

Craft Canorama
21st Amendment Brewery
563 2nd Street
San Francisco, California, 94107 | map
The event will take place on our brewer's loft (mezzanine) from 5-9pm.
We will serve $2 cans of our 21st Amendment beers, as well as guest beers.
Contact: Rob Strasser
rob@21st-amendment.com


Thursday, May 19
Cannery Row Brewing Co.
95 Prescott Ave.
Monterey, California, 93940 | map
Since July of 2010, Cannery Row Brewing has helped to fill a craft beer void in the Monterey Area, bringing 76 taps (and countless bottles) to Monterey. Their staff knows their beer, the kitchen is creative and citizens of Monterey have come to know CRBC as one of THE top places to sample some incredible beers from all over the world ... so it was an obvious fit for ACBW '11. Come join us on Thursday, May 19, for some great food, great music and a celebration of all things craft beer. While you're there, mix and mingle with representatives from each participating brewery and ask every question you've ever wanted to know about them, their beers and their history. Tell your friends, family and fans of the good life and join us.
Contact: Quinn Gardner

Friday, May 20
Brewery Cellar Dinner
ThirstyBear Brewing Company
661 Howard Street
San Francisco, California, 94105 | map

In Celebration of American Craft Beer Week (May 16-22), we'll be hosting another Brewery Cellar Dinner on Friday May 20 from 6-9pm ($60 admission). An intimate four course food and beer pairing in the brewery amongst the fermenters & aging barrels. Hosted by Ron Silberstein (founder and original brew master) and Brenden Dobel (current brew master and certified cicerone). Only 10 seats available.
Tentative menu:
* Roasted baby beets, pickled kumquats, micro basil & goat cheese  paired with Valencia Wheat
* Gulf Prawns a la plancha, grilled lemon & salsa verde paired with Polar Bear
* Roasted Rack of Lamb, Housemade merguez sausage, fava beans, maitake mushrooms & pea tendrils paired with Meyer ESB
* Strawberry-Rhubarb Napolean paired with Golden Hallucination
For reservations, e-mail tim@thirstybear.com or call 415-974-0905 x 207.

99 Bottles
110 Walnut Ave.
Santa Cruz, California, 95060 | map
For almost 19 years, beer fans have been filling their cards of beers they've tried and adorning the walls of 99 Bottles in Santa Cruz with their proud achievements. Throughout the years, it's always been known as one of the best places in Santa Cruz to try something new -- and last year's ACBW event there was a wild success. Drew, Jahan and the rest of Team 99 are poised to make ACBW 2011 no exception! Come out an try some of the fantastic featured beers from each participating brewery, ask that question you've always been curious about that certain favorite brewery of yours and step outside the norm and try something new on tap Invite your friends, family and everyone you know who loves great beer and join us on Friday, May 20.
Contact: Quinn Gardner
quinn@sierranevada.com


Saturday, May 21
Spring Beer Tasting
Pacific Coast Brewing Company
906 Washington St,
Oakland, California, 94607 | map
All right gang. We're doing it again. Our Spring Beer tasting featuring 14 kick ass beers, seven courses of food and more fun than you would think possible.
Bring your appetite for beer, food and zest for life.
We will start listing the beers soon.
Tickets ($60) are available at the pub. Call or come to the pub for tickets! Get them soon as this event always sells out.
Contact: Donald Gortemiller
dg@pacificcoastbrewing.com |
510-836-2739


Sunday, May 22

Lagunitas Beer Circus
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
1280 No. McDowell Blvd.,
Petaluma, California, 94954 | map
Join us for a day of circus freaks, entertainment and a whole lot of fun. Benefit for the Petaluma Music Festival featuring Vau De Vire Society, Gooferman, Stilters, Clowns, Moral Minority, Kehoe Nation, Mimes, The Bed of Nails Guy, Swing Band, Neal Barbosa, Plate Spinners, Roller Girls, Sword Swallowers, Sideshows, HotDogs, Burlesque Acts, Contortionists, CornDogs, Trapeze Artists, BlockHeads, Cotton Candy, Jojo the Dog-Faced Boy, Jugglers, BBQ'd Oysters, Snake Dancers, Those Fabulous Fickle Brothers...
21 & Over Only!
Tickets are $40
From Noon-6pm
Puchase Tickets at www.lagunitas.com or at the brewery in our store!

Magnolia Brewery Tour
Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery
1398 Haight St.
San Francisco, California, 94117 | map
We will be hosting a tour of our brewery at 2:30pm on Sunday, May 22.  You will find yourself in very close proximity to our draught and cask ales.  
Contact: AJ Tiras





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Beyond pub grub: vegan food at Millennium with organic Bison beer

When it comes to healthy food, beer suffers from an unsavory reputation. For decades in America, beer has been associated with some of the unhealthiest food we could cook up, from spicy hot wings to greasy fries and burgers. Even the occasional veggies that appear on the typical pub grub menu are deep-fried and over-salted—the better to encourage more beer drinking. Craft beer did not start this trend, but it hasn't exactly broken out of this tried-and-true formula, either.
It begs the question, is there a place for good beer among people who prefer eating healthy food?
Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco does not shy away from a challenge. Opened in 1994, Millennium has steadfastly adhered to its vegan roots in its pursuit of high-quality dishes in an upscale ambience. As he says on Millennium's website, chef Eric Tucker is on a mission to demonstrate that, “You don't have to compromise flavor and texture as you cut out harmful, high-fat animal products and oil. At Millennium we definitely dispel the stereotypes and misconceptions held by many about low-fat and vegan cuisine." (You can read more about veganism here.)
Restaurants typically rely on meat, fish and chicken, as well as sauces based on animal fat, cream and butter for much of the flavor of their dishes. A vegan bistro like Millennium, on the other hand, must highlight the more subtle flavors of ingredients that usually play second fiddle to the protein and play to sauces mostly concocted from herbs and spices. Nonetheless, Millennium seems to have developed a loyal following among diners, and not just vegans.
One way to highlight and accent the flavors of a dish is to pair it with a fermented beverage like wine, and Millennium has a well-selected list of wines from all over the world. To spotlight the nuances of the wines with food, the restaurant holds monthly pairing dinners in a special dining room. Once a year, beer takes the place of wine in the pairing menu.
In keeping with its theme of local, sustainable, organic ingredients, Millennium in late April selected Berkeley's organic Bison Brewing to complement Tucker's vegan dishes. Just as the Millennium chef must work from a circumscribed range of ingredients to create dishes using a fraction of the ingredients available to other restaurants, Bison owner and brewer Dan Del Grande also has more limited options than other brewers. Del Grande explained that the colors in his paintbox might be fewer, but they're just as good. Much of the flavor in beer comes from hops, and there are only around 30 certified organic hops. Del Grande favors American Palisades and Bravo, Belgian Cascade and New Zealand Pacific Gem hops in his IPA.
Millennium paired Bison's IPA with an amuse bouche of shredded asparagus, spring onion and lotus root fritter, hoping that the grapefruit flavors of the IPA would complement the grapefruit/IPA dipping sauce. Although the beer was poured before the fritter was served, the pairing, although subtle, seemed to work OK. Bison's IPA is not as hop-forward as many West Coast IPAs and Del Grande's restraint in his use of hops results in a beer that's not overly bitter and thus more food-friendly.
Happily for the second course, food and beer arrived simultaneously. The beer selected was Four, a saison from Upright Brewing in Oregon, which pinch-hit for Bison's Honey Beer. (Honey is not, strictly speaking, vegan insofar as it exploits bees.) The Roasted Abalone Mushroom Grilled Flatbread was an earthy, tangy interpretation of a personal-size pizza, with marinara, saffron-garlic Meyer lemon aioli and toasted nori. Upright's saison may be the answer to the question: What's the perfect beer for marinara-based pizza? The acidity of the Belgian-style farmhouse ale perfectly complemented the tangy tomato sauce and the spicy funkiness of the beer proved a fascinating juxtaposition with the earthiness of the mushrooms.


In the third course, gigante beans, artichoke and grilled radicchio were nestled atop a savory mound of barley risotto. Bitter radicchio can be problematic, and the choice of Bison's Imperial Brown, which is based on the recipe for Pete's Wicked ale, but with twice the hops and malt, fared surprisingly well. In a dish with so many diverse and distinctive flavors—artichoke, radicchio, the reduction of morel mushrooms and dried cherries, barley risotto and crisp smoked leeks—some of the individual combinations worked better with the beer than others. The texture and rich, savory flavor of the risotto itself was satisfying comfort food combined with the beer. Artichokes, which can be a difficult pairing with wine, also matched well with the Imperial Brown.

Unfortunately, the next course, Seared Masa and Pecan Cake with a sweet potato-ancho chile puree, seemed more muddled and the flavors and texture came across as incongruous. The chile puree nicely reflected the raisons that Del Grande used in his Belgian dubbel, but the beer had nowhere to go with the grainy, rather bland and dry masa and pecan cake.
Much more successful was the stout-glazed Tempeh Dengaku perched atop velvety hand-cut noodles dressed in a Korean chile sauce. Tucker matched this Asian-inspired dish with Bison's popular chocolate stout, playing to the beer's subtle organic cocoa powder bitterness and its malt roastiness. “This beer can hang with spices and Asian and all kinds of stuff,” Tucker said. Like the flatbread pizza matched with Upright's saison, matching an Asian-inspired dish with Bison's Chocolate Stout was the sort of unlikely seeming pairing that challenges your preconceptions about beer and food.
Millennium is known for its desserts, and the Hazelnut Layer Cake with a blackberry fig filling, with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and rum pastry cream did not disappoint. Again, the pairing, this time with Bison's Belgian-style Scotch Ale (which is styled after Brasserie de Silly's scotch ale) worked reasonably well. The beer is a little on the sweet side and didn't distract from the rich chocolaty dessert. The figs in particular seemed to play well with the somewhat spicy beer.

Beer pairings are a good idea for the same reason that wine pairings are a good idea. A single beer or wine style will not match equally well with an assortment of dishes, so having smaller portions of beer or wine paired with each dish can accent subtle flavors. It's easier to do when matching with a protein, since the beer has something to easily latch onto. The challenge with vegan food is that without the central protein focus, there are a lot of flavors going on in each dish and the flavor emphasis is often on the style of preparation and the sauce. Including the beer in the preparations, as Tucker did, is a good idea, since it provides a point of reference for the beer in the glass. Despite working through some daunting obstacles, chef Tucker and brewer Del Grande proved that there's more to beer food than deep-fried onion rings and hot wings.


Millennium Restaurant
580 Geary St
(between Shannon St & Jones St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
(415) 345-3900

Bison Brewing
2030 5th St
(at Addison St)
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 697-1537


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Craft beer meets fine dining at Millennium






Pairing beer with pork or beef, or even seafood, is a time-honored tradition that goes back hundreds of years in Europe: English ale with fish and chips, German lagers with schweinshaxe, Belgian beers with cassoulet. Beer and meat has served as the primary template for American craft beer and food as well. Think beer with burgers, hot wings and pizza, for example.
Historically, beer has been what you drink casually in pubs and pizzerias, while wine is the beverage of choice in good restaurants.
It doesn't have to be that way. If American craft beer is to achieve the status it deserves in fine dining, American chefs must create menus that combine beer and food to maximum effect, coaxing out subtleties in the flavors of each that would have remained hidden without the pairing.
Beer gives American chefs a whole new flavor palate with which to create exciting combinations, and people like Rich Higgins, cicerone and head brewer at Social Kitchen, are matching beer and food the way sommeliers have done in many of the finest restaurants. Under head chef Adam Dulye, Monk's Kettle also has been working wonders with beer and food. It makes sense, since beer has many more flavor and aromatic components than wine and can frequently pair much better with many dishes.
On Tuesday night, Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco will investigate how well beer can perform outside its protein comfort zone. The upscale restaurant, which specializes in sustainable, organic food production, is presenting a five-course vegan dinner paired with brews from Berkeley organic brewery Bison Brewing and Upright Brewing in Portland, Ore. Millennium Chef Eric Tucker and Sous Chef Jason Dunbar created the menu while tasting the beers, which they often incorporate as an ingredient in the preparation.
The pairings for the five-course dinner will be as follows:

Amuse:
Bison IPA
Shredded Asparagus-Spring Onion Fritter
grapefruit-IPA dipping sauce

First course:
Upright Brewing's "FOUR"
Braised Abalone Mushroom Grilled Flatbread
tomato sauce, garlic aioli, fried nori

Second course:
Bison Imperial Brown
Mushroom & Barley Risotto
scarlet runner bean-grilled radicchio en papillote,
morel mushroom & dried cherry reduction,
crisp smoked leeks

Third course:
Bison Belgian Dubbel Brewed With Raisins
Seared Masa & Pecan Cake
huitlacoche & smoky black beans, sauteed plantains,
sweet potato-ancho chile puree, candied pumpkin seeds

Fourth course:
Bison Chocolate Stout
Tempeh Dengaku
red miso-chocolate stout glaze, hand cut noodles,
County Line Harvest brassicas,
black bean sauce

Fifth course:
Bison Belgian Style Scotch Ale
Dark Rum Soaked Hazelnut Layer Cake

The chefs will also be on hand to discuss the pairings. A few seats remain for the $75 dinner, so if you're curious about whether craft beer belongs in the fine dining conversation, this might be your chance. Even if you're a wine drinker. Call Alison at 415-345-3900 ext. 13 for your seat at the table.

Millennium Restaurant
San Francisco, CA 94102

Tel: 415-345-3900
Fax: 415-345-3941




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Craft beer world comes to San Francisco

Every year, the center of the craft brewing universe shifts to a different city. Last year it was Chicago and this year, for the first time since 1989, it was San Francisco's turn. Some 3,900 industry professionals, including brewers, distributors, equipment makers and European hop vendors, as well as just about every commercial craft brewer in the  Bay Area, turned out for the Brewers Association's 28th Craft Brewing Conference, leaving the Hilton Hotel in Union Square awash in beer from March 23-26.
In many ways, the CBC is a lot like most trade shows, with session tracks discussing pressing industry issues--”What's Next in Sustainability Practices?” and “What the Hell Is Going On with Wholesalers?”-- along with keynote speeches from industry luminaries. At the CBC, however, these yak fests, no matter how fascinating and informative, were mere interludes to the real business at hand: consuming some of the most excellent beer in the country, if not the world. The numerous breaks in the program were happily filled with beer flowing freely from dozens of different bottles in three separate hospitality rooms. If that wasn't enough, beer frequently made an appearance during the sessions themselves, to prove a point by demonstrating the differences between European and American hops, say, or to show off special brews.
Bay Area brewing legends Ken Grossman and Fritz Maytag set the tone during the opening keynote by sharing their memories of rummaging through defunct breweries for equipment and hocking every cent to follow their dream. After sharing their stories, the American brewing revolutionaries shared their excellent collaboration stout with a few hundred adoring friends and fans, appropriately toasting the craft beer industry they helped to create.Then it was time for lunch and, you guessed it, more beer.
That's not to say that no work or real business gets done. Quite the contrary. These men and women might enjoy a good time, but they're also dead serious about their passion and their business ambition, and the halls fairly hummed with industry conversation lubricated by excellent ales. A lot of trade conferences would benefit from more great beer and cheese and fewer urns of coffee and lemon bars.
Like the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the Major League All-Star Game and the Grammys and Oscars, everybody who is anybody in the industry makes a point of showing up at the CBC. Every way you turned, you could see a craft beer rock star: food and beer pairing savants like Garrett Oliver, just wrapping up a new book and completing another expansion at Brooklyn Brewing; Jared Rouben of Goose Island, which was just bought by Anheuser Busch/inBev; and beer and food guru Charlie Papazian, who has a new article in Craft Brewing Magazine about the flavor umami. Brewing heroes included TV star Sam Calagione, who also runs Dogfish Head; Greg Koch of Stone; Larry Sidor of Deschutes; Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker; Jason Perkins from Allagash; and Doug Odell of Odell. Not to mention local beer stars like Mark Carpenter of Anchor Brewing, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing, Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada, Brian Hunt of Moonlight, Arne Johnson of Marin Brewing, Denise Jones of Moylans, Roger Davis of Triple Rock, Sean O'Sullivan and Nico Freccia of 21st Amendment and Ron Lindenbusch of Lagunitas. Perhaps the most popular beer celebrity turned out to be the charmingly Belgian Jean Van Roy, scion of the legendary sour beer institution Cantillon (more on him later).
They all had good reason to celebrate, for these are indeed heady days for American craft beer—maybe the best in our history, including pre-Prohibition. The Brewers Association, which represents the majority of U.S. brewing companies, reported that the volume of beer produced by small and independent craft brewers was up 11% in 2010 and retail sales increased 12% over 2009. That's a growth of more than a million (31 gallon) U.S. Barrels. Craft brewers produced 9,951,956 barrels of beer last year, according to the Brewers Association.
The number of craft breweries also surged by 8% last year compared with the year before, to 1,759 operating breweries. Craft beer continues to make a dent in overall beer consumption as well, representing 4.9% of beer volume and 7.6% of retail dollars of the total U.S. beer category. Craft beer sales brought in $7.6 billion last year compared with $7 billion the year before. Total beer industry sales represented about $101 billion, the Brewers Association reported.
Industrial beer, meanwhile, continued to decline, albeit a little more slowly than in previous years. Total U.S. beer sales were down about 1%, or 2 million barrels last year compared to 2.2% the year before. Production dipped to 203.6 million barrels from 205.7 million barrels in 2009. Imports were up 5% after slipping 9.8% in 2009. Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, also noted a rise in canned beer, saying, “We also found that 3% of craft brewer barrels, by volume, are distributed in cans, confirming a growing trend.”
Reflecting an industry clearly on the rise (attendance at the convention was more than 50% greater than last year and the event was sold out well in advance) growth-themed sessions such as “Craft Evolution in the New Era,” “Microbrewery Startup via the Nanobrewery Route,” “Maintaining Quality During Expansion,” and “Balancing Expansion and Relationship Management: Working with Distributors” dominated the conference program.
Ambitious young  brewers, eager to spread their wings commercially, lapped it up with gusto. Building a business around craft beer requires passion, intelligence and hard work, and the end of the tunnel often looks a long way off. Maytag recalled the stress and anxiety back in 1978 when he expanded Anchor Brewing. "Everything I owned was pledged," he said. "It was nip and tuck." He told his wife, "We could lose everything."
Buoyed by the tales of veteran craft brewing who had themselves weathered years of adversity, young brewers like Jen and John Van Houten of Marin emerged from the event full of energy and more certain than ever that their beer brewing dreams were worth pursuing.

Food and beer
As the craft beer industry matures, it's becoming apparent that food is bound to be a part of the equation. For craft beer to truly become mainstream in America, people will have to start considering beer as an option to wine and spirits in fine dining at least some of the time. Nowhere is this more true than in San Francisco, where chefs can be as adventurous with food as craft brewers are with beer. Craftbeer.com, a site managed by the Brewers Association, celebrates beer and food with pairing suggestions and information.
Although the conference only featured one food and beer session, it was a good one. As Stone Brewing's Greg Koch; Adam Duyle, head chef at San Francisco's Monk's Kettle; and Jared Rouben of Goose Island pointed out, food and beer pairings have come a long way from such sturdy standbys as burgers, pizza and assorted fried pub grub. Beer complements cheese and charcuterie better than wine, for instance, since the broader palate of beer coaxes out some of the subtle characteristics of the flavors. Almost any cheese will go with any beer if the cheese is served at the proper temperature, said Duyle. Rather than specifically match beer with food, Koch urged serving an array of dishes with a variety of beers, and letting the consumers make their own choices about pairings.
But what's next for food and beer? Responding to a question from the audience, Rouben said that he'd “love to do more vegetarian.” Local cicerone Rich Higgins, the head brewer at Social Kitchen in San Francisco, remarked that most of the time how the food is prepared is just as important as the ingredients, if not more so. Higgins said that Social Kitchen holds vegetarian beer dinners where meat is an option. As the session moderator pointed out, “You don't have to pair to the frickin' protein all the time.”
Arguably the most poignant moments at the CBC--and the most heartwarming--took place during a panel session titled "Barrel-Aged Sour Beers from Two Belgians' Perspectives," featuring Yvan de Baets of Brasserie de la Senne; Jean Van Roy, scion of the legendary Cantillon Brewery; and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing, who along with his wife, Natalie, played a major role in the success of CBC San Francisco. Gratitude flowed both ways across the Atlantic as Vinnie reflected on the warm reception extended by the Van Roy family, which generously shared the secrets of their lambic brewing techniques. Meanwhile, the Belgians graciously thanked Russian River Brewing and the American beer drinking public in general for helping to resuscitate the sour beer style that had long gone out of fashion in their native country. Van Roy also announced that work will soon begin on a Belgian beer museum in Brussels.
Passion never tasted so good.
Craft brewing is broadly considered a new industry, but historically speaking, the mass produced lagers that dominate today's global beer market are the newbies. Industrial beer is a 20th century phenomenon, whereas craft beer is based on traditions from England, Belgium and Germany that are hundreds of years old.
Where exactly our American beer revolution is headed and how it will ultimately fit into the history of beer is hard to say. America's thirst for flavorful beer has so far surpassed expectations and has confounded many supposed experts. We appear to be far from satiated. What we do know is that the industry has gotten where it is today largely because of cooperation and the sort of camaraderie that beer itself engenders. No one, it seems, has become successful without the help of others in the brewing industry.
The Brewers Association deserves a lot of credit for this, for standing behind and promoting craft beer before it became fashionable and by throwing first-class events like the CBC that bring the craft beer community together.
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More Craft Brewers Conference events open to the public

More Craft Brewers Conference events open to the public:

Thursday
At the Hilton Union Square Urban Tavern on Thursday during happy hour, Oskar Blues Brewery Can Apocalypse Night featuring Head Brewer Dave Chichura pouring cans of
Mama's Little Yella Pils, Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chub Scotch Ale, G'Knight Imperial Red, Ten FIDY Imperial Stout, GUBNA Imperial IPA and the limited run of One Hit Wonder Imperial IPA.
The Hilton: Urban Tavern,
333 O’Farrell St.,
San Franscisco, California, 94102

At The Trappist In Oakland, starting at 8 p.m.: Upright Brewing brewers and representatives Ezra Johnson-Greenough and Ben Edmunds are in town for the Craft Brewers Conference and will be making a stop at the great beer bar The Trappist to pour some of their special brand of Farmhouse ales with a Pacific NW twist and will be bringing along some rare barrel-aged bottled treats.
The Trappist
460 8th Street
Oakland, CA

Friday
At Rosamunde Sausage Grill on Mission on Friday starting at 7 p.m., The Bruery and Cigar City Brewing will release the fruit of their collaborative efforts during the Craft Brewer's Conference. Join the brewers for the first public tapping of Marrón Acidifié. Over a year in barrels has left this 8.5% ABV "imperial oud bruin" layered with notes of cranberries, tropical fruits, leather and aged balsamic vinegar, balanced by wood tannins and roasted malt.
2832 Mission St
(between 24th St & 25th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 970-9015

Also on Friday, Speakeasy Ales and Lagers presents Firkin Friday – CBC Edition, from 4-9 p.m.”We have pulled out all the stops for this week’s party - including some new beers, live bands and delicious food.” Pints are $3, live music starting at 6 p.m. With Andrew Blair and Ross Warner, followed by The Easy Leaves. San Francisco’s Good Foods BBQ will serve delicious barbecue. We’ll round that off with tasty Mexican food from local favorite La Laguna Taqueria. “In addition to featuring our regular line of beers, Friday will be the public debut of our new beer brewed special for the CBC called Snatch Racket India Pale Lager. Snatch Racket – named for the surge of kidnappings and ransoms in 1920’s during prohibition – is a unique blend of styles, a 6.5% full bodied lager dry-hopped like an IPA with all German hops. We’ll also be pulling a few rare aged beers from the cellar just for the night.”
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers
1195 Evans Ave
(between Middle Point Rd & Jennings St)
San Francisco, CA 94124
Neighborhood: Bayview/Hunters Point
(415) 642-3371
Accessible by the T-Third, 44 and 19

More on the CBC beer brewed by Russian River and Sierra Nevada, which will be featured Thursday night at Public House:
The team at Russian River bottled it a couple of weeks ago and it’s now conditioning in large pallet cages in the brewery before labeling.
This sour brown ale was made by Russian River with Sierra Nevada, using the latter’s Keller Weise yeast for the primary fermentation, and barrel aged with Russian River’s house “bugs and critters” in wine barrels from Fritz Maytag’s York Creek Vineyards. Sampling his creation two weeks after bottling, Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo reports: “The bottle I opened had a giant Cabernet Sauvignon characteristic.” Sounds delicious, and we’re anticipating more fun surprises from the other three special beers!


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Craft Brewers Conference comes to San Francisco


If you imagine you're catching the heady whiff of beer in the air this week, you will not be mistaken. Around 2,500 craft brewers will descend on San Francisco for the Brewers Association's 28th Craft Brewers Conference from March 23-26. Although registration is closed and the convention itself is sold out, there will be plenty of chances for the public to enjoy craft beer on its own or with food, and to meet the brewers who make it.
On the eve of the convention, for example, Monks Kettle will host a collaboration beer dinner in conjunction withDeschutes Brewery of Oregon, featuring a special menu made for beer. Brewer Robin Johnson will be on hand to discuss how they made the beer.
If you miss the beer dinner at Monk's Kettle, fear not. You'll have plenty of opportunities to sample Deschutes' beers, including Woody, the traveling beer barrel. Deschutes will make stops at The Hopyard in Pleasanton on Tuesday, the Toronado and Beer Revolution on Wednesday, The Republic in the Marina on Thursday, The Englander on Friday, and City Beer and the San Ramon Whole Foods on Saturday. Along with Woody, Deschutes has brought The Abyss 2010, The Abyss 2009, Black Butte XXI, Hop Henge Experimental IPA, Red Chair NWPA, Mirror Mirror, Jubel 2010, Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Green Lakes Organic Ale.
In addition, on Wednesday, Barclays Pub in Rockridge will be pouring beers from East Bay breweries OBC (Oakland Brewing Company), Ale Industries, Drakes, Triple Rock, Linden Street Brewing, High Water Brewing and more. Also on Wednesday, Drakes will feature some of its rare and barrel-aged beers at Porky's Pizza Palace in San Leandro, including the 2009 Jolly Roger Imperial Brown Ale, Bourbon Barrel Aged 2009 Jolly Roger, Bourbon Barrel-aged aged Drakonic Imperial Stout (excellent), Exclusive CBC IPA (just one keg available), 1500 Hoppy Pale, nitro dispensed, Hop Salad Double iPA, Hopocalypse Imperial IPA and its Alpha Sessions American session ale.
In 1989, the last time the Brewers Association held its convention in San Francisco, craft beer was, relatively speaking, just a baby. In those days, we had Anchor Brewing, certainly. Sierra Nevada was still gaining traction and Russian River Brewing was still a glimmer in Vinnie Cilurzo's eye, if that. No one would have guessed back then that craft beer from the Bay Area and elsewhere would grow up to become the enfant terrible of the beer world, shaking the foundations of beer and gastronomy not only in America, but all over the world.
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