Bay Area Beer Bloggers Guide to SF Beer Week 2016
SF Beer Week is here and a few of the Bay Area Beer Bloggers have some suggestions for great events to attend.
Chris Cohen of The Beer Scholar
Beer Bootcamp: Flavors, Styles, & Pairings on Sunday, January 24th and Friday, January 29th.
Certified Cicerone, BJCP beer judge, and Beer Scholar beer writer Chris Cohen will take you on a trip around the world of beer styles with just the right mix of good times and knowledge dropping. You’ll get schooled on brewing geography, the history of how certain styles evolved, different cultural approaches to beer making, and much more.
We’ll sample 12 different beers, 4 German lagers, 4 Belgian ales, and 4 US craft beers based on original British styles. Each has its own great story to tell. We’ll discuss subtle flavors and aromas, stylistic differences, ales vs lagers, and we’ll pair several beers with a cheese or chocolate. Chris’ Beer Bootcamp tasting is fit for craft beer noobs and lovers alike. By the time you leave you’ll have a much better grasp of what good beer is all about. Come have fun and step up your beer smarts at the same time!
Chuck Lenatti of All Brews
Drake’s Hopocalypse Release Party. Come rain or come shine, hop heads will rejoice during Drake’s Four Horsemen of the Hopocalypse on Saturday, Jan. 23. During this ticketed event, Drake’s will release the 2016 edition of its imperial IPAs: Green Label Double and Black Label Triple, as well as the new White Label and Red Label IPAs on draft.
Hopocalypse Day will also feature some impressive guest taps, including Alpine’s Keene Idea, Beachwood’s Hops of Fury, Berryessa’s Diminished Returns, Boneyard’s Notorious and Hop Venom, Cellarmaker’s Quadruple Dobis, Faction’s Hop Soup, Fieldwork’s Torrential DIPA, Founders’ reDANKulous Imperial Red IPA, HenHouse’s Big Chicken DIPA, Knee Deep’s Lupulin, Russian River’s Pliny the Elder and Confirm Nor Deny Imperial Black IPA, and more.
Music will be courtesy of San Francisco punk rockers BITE and Kittenhead from LA.
Tickets are still available for at Eventbrite.
Dave Jensen of Beer 47
For SF Beer Week, I always enjoy attending the Opening Gala. Over the pat 3 years it has reached a size that it almost feels like a session at the Great American Beer Festival but focused on local Bay Area and Northern California breweries. I highly recommend it.
Another one of my favorite events is Cask & Queso, Triple Fermented at Thirsty Bear Brewing on Friday, January 29. This event has a multitude delicious and creative beers on cask that you just won’t find anywhere else, especially all in one place.
Each year I like to find a special beer dinner to attend. I prefer the dinners that are ticketed and organized by a brewery with a special menu for the evening. In the past I’ve been to events put on by Almanac, or Jesse Friedman, and Sierra Nevada. On Sunday, January 24, you’ll be able to find me at Chef’s Night Out Almanac Beer Dinner.
On Monday, January 25 there is a good chance that I’ll be in Hayes Valley watching The Big Lebowski while enjoying Fort Point beer for Mid-Beerweek Movie-Garden.
Other than that, I might attend one or two tap takeovers here are there. Enjoy SF Beer Week and don’t forget to drink water!
John Foster of Beer School
the crowds follow the hype, the rare, and the assumed whales. if a place is crowded and you cannot get in there is always another place to that might be over looked, small or just new. you might even want to start at the lessor known instead. or just get there later. people burn out early. and then you have the bar all to you. and then wink, wink happens, “we saved some of that Old Wonderwonderful for the regulars… wanna join us in a taste?” lucky you.
my favorite events are the ones that are small. like the Brewery’s Tea held in the pop-up beer garden made out of Lower DeBoom Street next to 21st Amendment. sit outside. eat house made sausages and beer can chicken while sipping on a Barleywine that shares the name of the street. sometimes the bluegrass band plays. or maybe that was some other afternoon. it blurs together.
there are so many exciting events that happen during the 10 days of SF Beer Week that it is easy to forget that there are 50 other weeks in the year that happen to be just as exciting. remember that your local brewery is chasing the season, that a Chef is planning a dinner pairing interesting beer with local food, and a festival featuring beer from every where is a good any of these SFBW events.
Justin Tung of Grains and Yeast
1. NOMA vs. SOMA Beer Battle
Can’t attend this year’s events without hitting the thematic collaborative beers. The SOMA Saison w yuzu does sound amazing. The venue at Whole Foods is also fantastic and you can grab a few bottles while you’re there!
2. Shaman Series: Local Honeys
WOODS beer and cerveceria has been one of my top favorites recently. Their offerings are so refreshing, polished, and different that it’s really captured my attention. This event highlights the herbaceous and medicinal factors of local honey beers.
