Silicon Valley Beer Week 2013: Gordon Biersch Kick of Party

Felt like walking into the Wonka Factory.

It's Silicon Valley Beer Week! Michael and I attended the Kick Off Party at Gordon Biersch on Sunday. It took place at the brewhouse in east San Jose, right in the back storage and shipping area.

I will do a separate post about Gordon Biersch later on. Right now let's just focus on the event...

Do you ever think about how many random people's photo's you're in?

It consistent of several tents featuring a pairing of an appetizer from a local restaurant and a beer from a local brewery.

Yummy Pilsner

Gordon Biersch had its Czech Style Pilsner, which was my first drink. It is a pretty standard German Pilsner, maybe a little more on the malty side. Very drinkable and a nice starter for the party.

Very big golden ale

Strike Brewing Company offered its Blonde Ale, a very golden ale with a lot of malt. This is a good beer, but has a tartness that needs to be paired with something herb-y or it is overpowering. I see it going well with appetizers, maybe some thick wheat crackers and basil hummus.

I was SO happy to have vegan food. 

There was even a vegan vendor, Good Karma Cafe! We had dinner there the other night actually (I will do a post about it soon). Good Karma served jalapeno poppers, which I have not had in a long time so I was happy. The beer pairing was Lagunitas Dogtown Pale Ale.

Love this IPA

This is a crisp, hoppy beer. Prefect to cut through the richness of the vegan cream cheese in the poppers. I know from experience this also pairs very well with juicy veggie burger. Towards the end, Good Karma ran out of Dogtown, so they tapped a Maximus instead. It's a extremely hoppy IPA, also paired with with the poppers.

Biere de Chocolat, very interesting...

Almanac Beer Company had its California Table Beer: Biere de Chocolat. This is very complex beer, very chocolaty. A bit bitter at first, and finishes kind of smokey. I was not that impressed by this beer. It is a bit much to drink on its own (and does not pair well with jalapeno poppers). I'm sure the beer would have been better with the pairing, a bacon wrapped date or something, to give it more sweetness and compliment all the background flavors. I am very interested in trying more of Almanac's beers though. I love the its concept of taking inspiration from Northern California's farming legacy. Making artisan "table beer" similar to making "table wine".

Malty

Hermitage Brewing Company had two choices: Maltopia and Hoptopia. I am kind of allergic to hops, so I try to avoid extremely hoppy beers when I can. I only took a sip of Michael's Hoptopia, plus I've had it before. It's double IPA that does not skip on the hops. It's balanced out by a caramel background taste, but that fresh hops taste is definitely right in the forefront. I did have a sample of Maltopia. It is a Scottish Ale, toasty malt flavor and a little fruity too.

"Never Trust a Skinny Brewer"

This was a very fun event, nice job everyone involved!

Cannery Row Brewing Company and De Tierra Vineyards

Michael and I decided to have a little impromptu celebration of our year and half anniversary. We drove out to Carmel and Monterey for the day. We got massages from A Petite Retreat, which was soooo relaxing. While Michael was getting his I explored downtown Carmel (check out my previous post about Carmel). I received a free wine tasting coupon at De Tierra Vineyards Tasting Room from the massage, which I was more than happy to try.

When I got to the tasting room, they were technically not open yet, but let people who came by in anyways, which I thought was very nice. Anna runs the tasting room, she is very friendly and very knowledgeable. I tried the 2009 Monterey Syrah and the 2008 Montery Pinot Noir, both very nice.

She was extra nice and let me try the dessert wine, the 2006 Ekem Late Harvest Pinot Gris. I am not usually a big fan of dessert wines or liquors, but this was different. I overheard Anna say that sometimes they can be syrupy and that is exactly what I do not like. Why would you want a class of sugary goo after you just ate a delicious dinner? This wine, however, is just sweet enough and not syrupy at all. I bought a bottle :-) Although Michael is not a big wine fan, but I cannot imagine he will say no to some of this poured over ice cream.

Afterwards we headed over to Monterrey. We had lunch at El Torrito. It is just a standard chain Cal-Mex restaurant, good but nothing special. The reason we went is for the view! It hang out right over Monterrey Bay with tons a wildlife in plain sight. There were tons of gulls, adorable harbor seals just loafing on the rocks, a few sea lions went by, and I even as a manta ray jump!

The view from our seat by the window!

Afterwards we walked over to Cannery Row Brewing Company. I cannot find much information on the history of the brewing company itself, I will update this later if I get more information. I can assume they chose the name because they are located on Cannery Row. Cannery Row is located in the New Monterey Section of Monterey (New in the sense that is was not founded back in the early 1800s) right along the water front. From 1902-1973, the area was home to numerous sardine canneries. It was immortalized in John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row. However, over-fishing caused a major collapse in supply and the business had to shut their doors. Today many of old cannery buildings have been refurbished into restaurant and shops, making the area a tourist attraction.

In side of of Cannery Row Brewing Company looks pretty much like a restored cannery. Bare wooden beams and metal fixture.

There is a prohibition theme throughout the place, which I thought was a nice twist. More seaport bars either do the nautical or tropical theme (as beautiful as Monterey is, it is far from tropical).

Since we already ate dinner, we just ordered fries to munch on. They were good, no complaints.

They have chalk boards on the walls by the bathroom. 

Now for the beers...

There are so many on tap, it is hard to chose! According to the website, there are 73 beers on tap plus several bottles. 

One side of the menu is just for beer!

We arrived during happy hour, so the Signature Beers were only $5. I got the Monterey Bay Brown Ale. The Brown Ale was excellent. A simple, well-made malty brown ale. Michael wants to make one exactly like it. At first I did not know how I felt a brewery that only makes three beers but when you make that quality of beer, it does not matter.

Then I had a hard time deciding what to get next, so I consulted the bartender. I did not catch her name, but she was awesome. Not only did she know how to pour beer of the tap correctly (a lost skill nowadays), but she knew everything on tap by heart. I told her I liked wheat beer, so she gave me a few fruit ones to try. They were nice, but not what I wanted. Then she pulled out a classic German wheat, Erdinger's Drunkel Weizen. I want to make a beer exactly like that one!

I ordered one more beer, knowing that Michael would probably finish it for me since I was pretty full.  I picked something we both would like. I asked the bartender for something oatmealy and chocolately, and she brought me a glass of Port Brewing Company's Board Room. It was exactly what I wanted. We both want to make a beer like this one.

We then walked around Cannery Row for a while and headed back to the Silicon Valley. It was nice to celebrate our love and have awesome beer.

Auburn Ale House

Just noticed Michael got in the picture...at least he's cute!

A few weeks ago Michael was a groomsman in his college friend's wedding in Lake Tahoe (check out the post on my other blog). We stopped had dinner with his sisters and brother-in-law since we would be passing by and have not seen them in awhile. For her birthday last year, we had brunch at awesome little place and wanted to go back again, the Auburn Ale House.

Auburn is small gold rush town about 40 minutes from Sacramento. Old Town has been restored, giving a nice Gold Rush era feel. We have only explore the brewery and a few shops, but plan on checking more of the historic places out soon (Michel promised me a Gold Country camping trip before the summer ends).

Auburn Ale House opened in 2007 in Old Town. The decor theme is mix between Gold Rush California and Nostalgic American. Interesting mix of Americana. It was founded by Brian and Lisa Ford, who hoped to create a family-friendly destination that would both standout culinary and compliment the history of the building. They wanted to go beyond the old standard of basic burgers and pizza---and trust me they did.

When we went last year for brunch, not much on the direct menu was vegan. However, they were more than happy to accommodate me. They made me sourdough toast with no butter, fresh fruit, and homefries with veggies. And not to mention the bottomless mimosas...

This time I ordered Barley Burger with no cheese or aioli. I love barley burgers and I hardly ever see them in restaurants, so I was very happy. Cooked perfectly and loved the sweet roasted red pepper on it.

Michael got the Alehouse Reuben, as usual whenever he sees it on the menu. He said it was great too.

Ok, now for the beer...

I got the American River Pale Ale First (and so did the brother-in-law). A classic IPA that smells very citrus-y. This will go well with almost anything. "Highly drinkable" as they describe it.

Michael got the Old Town Brown, I am not sure I agree with calling it a "Session Ale" as the website describes. It was slightly mild for brown ale, but not enough that the word "session" ever came to my mind. Loved the balanced malty chocolate flavor.

He started drinking it before I got a pic...

His sister got Gold Country Pilsner, she said it was good and very drinkable. I loved the straw color.

And, we grabbed a growler of American River as a present for the bride and groom, and one of Fool's Gold Ale for us. We bought a bottle of this last time and loved it. It reminds me of hoppy Oregon beers. Lovely rich gold color and pretty strong (7.8%) for a pale ale. Nothing not to love.

We LOVE this place. I love history of the area. The staff is very friendly (our waitress, without hesitation, brought a few samples so we could decided what to get in the growlers). The atmosphere and decor are warm and inviting (who doesn't love a pin-up girl their beer?). And the beers are amazing.  You HAVE to try this place. Take a trip out the Gold Country and have a delicious craft beer on the way, serious worth the trip.

TL Beer Garden

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On the drive to my previous job, I passed this little hole-the-wall-looking place. There was nothing special about the building---just a simple sign, no windows, and door. You could catch a glimpse of a decent looking patio with outdoor seating as you drove passed. But it's what that simple sign says that intrigued me, "Beer Garden." TL Beer Garden, a beer garden in Sunnyvale, heck yeah I had to try it. One day after work I offered to buy my sweetheart dinner and beer, he didn't argue (like one of us would ever turn down beer).

I can't find any background information or history about this place. This is the description on the Facebook page "We have 22 beers on tap as well as a full bar, hookah, pool, many TV's for your entertainment, and a delicious food menu!We have an awesome staff of bartenders who are friendly and charismatic, so come on in with your family, friends, and colleagues and enjoy a nice cold glass of beer and some delicious food!" I saw someone on Yelp said this place might have been a Chinese restaurant before because there is a faded mural.

The parking is limited, a few spots in front with some more spots shared with the other small businesses in the back.There is indeed a nice little outdoor seating area on the patio.It even offers hookah.It was too cold out for me so we sat insid, but I could that being fun in the summer. Besides the random Asian decorations, it has your standard alcohol advertisements and sport posters on the walls. Standard bar chairs, stool, and bench tables. Several TV's showing various games. Pool tables in the back too. 


It was kinda awkward when we walked in. No one really greeted us so we just wandered to a table. Shortly after a waitress approached us, and gave us menus and peanuts. Did I mention the waitress was wearing a referee outfit? Like one of the sexy ones you wear for Halloween? She had leggings on too, and it was not too short or showing too much cleavage, but still...not sure how I feel about that. But hey, I've been a waitress before and flirted with guys to get more tips, so I get it. A girl's gotta pay her bills. 

Anyways, we happily munched on peanuts while we decided what to drink. They had all but 2 of the beers listed on tap, plus several bottled. I decided on my favorite beer in the world, Dead Guy by Rouge Ales (I will do a post about them soon). Michael got Moose Drool.  Both are good beers so no complaints. They came in big, frosty cold mugs too. 

I ordered the Bombay Garden Burger, Michael got the Jamaica Red Burger. Both were good, nothing special. Just standard decent bar food to soak up your beer. Everyone raved about the fries on Yelp...I will say they were good for dive bar fries, but nothing special. 

We ordered one more round and stayed awhile. We chatted, and watched the various games. Some of the obvious regulars showed up at the bar...they were interesting. Both pool tables were occupied and had people waiting for the next game. Another couple came in (probably expecting a nice date night) and turned right around when they saw the place. It was kind of funny. 

Overall, this is probably not the place you want to take your date (unless she's a beer girl like me). The service was not that great. They brought us what we asked for in a reasonable amount of time and were polite. Nothing more, nothing special. No complaints though. This place is what it is---a cheap place to get a big cold beer. I will come again though. They have a nice selection and there is not much in the area like this that is not insanely overpriced or always packed. I think Michael said it best, "This is the place I would start off a bachelor party. Get a couple cheap drinks before you head out for the night."

Ass Kisser Strawberry Belgian Style Wit

On Sunday Michael and I spent most of the day cleaning the house on Sunday. But in the afternoon we had enough and decided to look for decorations for the living room. Somehow we ended up at BevMo!...I wonder how that happened...

I was looking at the beer selection and saw more Ass Kisser's (check out my last post for information on the brewery). They did not have the American Style Hefewiezen that I wanted to try, but the Strawberry Wit sounded pretty good too. 

The minute you open the bottle you can smell strawberry. Lovely golden color, with a little bit of pink tin. However, as much as it smelled like strawberries, I could not taste any. I did like the taste though, do not get me wrong. The website lists lemon zest as an aroma, I argue to tastes more zesty than it smells. I like the citrus though, very cleansing. I think a "full-bodied Belgian Wheat Style Ale" listed on the website is a better reflection of the beer than calling it strawberry. Overall, I liked it, I enjoy full-bodied beers.

Still going to look for the Hefewiezen...

Ass Kisser Vanilla Pale Ale

A few weeks ago, Michael and I went to Monterey for the day. We are trying to visit all the old missions along the El Camino Real, so we decided to check out the Carmel Mission. We took some side streets through the center of town while we were deciding where to eat, when he suddenly he remembered this little deli and it magically appeared on the corner if front of us.

Compagno's Market and Deli looks like a little hole the wall, but do not be deceived, it has an awesome menu and market selection.  I got the Veggie on foccasia, with no cheese. The sandwhich comes with sprouts, mushrooms, avocado, cucumbers, bell peppers. All very fresh and local. There was a nice selection of beer too, which we could not resist. I selected Ass Kisser Vanilla Pale Ale, mainly for the name. We ate on lunch at the beach.

Ass Kisser Ales is a small, family owned company in San Jose and is partnered with Hermitage Brewing. They make traditional Reinheitsgebot style beers and specialty ones, like the Vanilla Ale.

It has a mild vanilla taste. Nothing overpowering though, not like vanilla cream soda. It is more of a background flavor. The company's website lists a slight cirtrus flavor. I do not recall citrus exactally, but it was very light and crisp like citrus. Maybe I just missed it while I was taking in the view. It did not pair that well with our deli sandwhiches, but that is not the beer's fault. I would suggest drinking with appeteizers or dessert. Although the vanilla is sublte, the malt is not and would pair better with a richer food. If I ever throw a beer tasing dinner party, I would serve this with some cashew cheese, dried fruit, and crackers as an appeitizer as people arrived.

I am very interested in trying Ass Kisser's American Style Hefeweizen. I love wheat beers and want to see how theirs stacks up. Hopefully I can find a distrubutor in San Jose!

By the way, if you ever get the chance, check out the Carmel Mission. It is beautiful and full of history.

They are restoring the bell tower.

 

Restored rooms, I believe this one was the library.

The room were Father Serra died.

Sources:

http://compagnos.joshuaryder.com/

http://www.asskisserales.com/

Honest Brewers: Samuel Adams

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Do you know what I love more than good beer? Honest brewers. I need to give a big shout-out to Samuel Adams.

My boyfriend's dad purchased a case of Boston Lager this summer. During the fourth of July, they had friends and family over for a BBQ and we started cracking them open. About every third one exploded then foamed for a few seconds, wasting about a quarter of the beer. At first we assumed they had been jostled around and did not think much of it. A few months later , Michael and I came over to check on the house while his parents went out of town. We saw a few lagers still in the fridge and decided to finish them up. One out of the three of them also exploded. Even though we were not the ones who purchased them, we were still annoyed. They had plenty of time to settle now, so we could not understand why this was happening. Samuel Adams states in its commercials that they will always stand behind their products, so I logged on to the website and filed a complaint. 

A few days later I received an email expressing an apology and a good explanation for why they exploded. They are not meant to stored on their sides---which is how Michael's dad stored in the fridge. But, they did stand behind their product and issued us a refund for full retail price. 

I was not big Samuel Adam's fan before, being a west coast girl. But, I am more than happy to support a brewery that cares about quality. 

All that being said, two of Samuel Adam's beers are not vegan, the Cherry Wheat and the Honey Porter. They both contain honey. All the rest are contain no animal products, so try them!

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I really enjoy the Octoberfest.  It is malty, kinda sweet, and lightly balanced with hops. Great for Football Season. 

Zombie Apocalypse Wheat Beer: Part 3

Finally! Last Saturday we tried our first batch of homebrew. If you haven't yet, check out Part 1 and Part 2 to read about the process of making it.

We cranked open a bottle to have with dinner. It is best to pour homebrews into a glass rather than drink out of the bottle. The yeast sediment settles to the bottom and can upset your stomach. Plus, you can enjoy the beer more out of glass. See the color and smell the aroma awhile you leisurely sip your tasty brew. 

It smelled very banana-y like a hefeweizen should, so I was very happy. And, I was even happier when it tasted like a hefeweizen too! A little bit of spice, a little malty, and of course very banana-y. I was very pleased with the outcome. The only minor addition I would make a orange slice on top. 

We have a batch of California IPA in the fermenter now, I hope it comes out as well as this one did. Once we start developing our own recipes or try a cool kit, I will post another homebrew story. Thanks Michael for my awesome Christmas present!