Well, the original Crystal Palace burned, but this one has been perfectly restored. Having a New Belgium Fat Tire and enjoying the scenery.

Talk about coincidences. Thursday morning I read Al at Hop Talk’s post on Teri Fahrendorf, former Steelhead Head Brewer, now on a 10,000-plus mile journey across the U.S. as the Pink Booted Road Brewer.

Friday afternoon Molly and I wandered into Port Brewing to do our usual Friday night shift behind the bar in the tasting room. Vince Marsaglia is over at the bottle filler around the corner, so I stepped over to say hello and see what’s up. Next to Vince is a woman I’d never seen before running the bottle capper. I look down and — boom — Pink Boots!

So I said something obvious like “hey you’re Pink Boots, the Road Brewer!” (Mostly because I couldn’t remember her name — I’m bad at names, just ask my kids “Hey You”, “You” and “Not You, The Other One”.) Then we chatted for a moment, I went over to the bar and her and Vince finish bottling in peace. Once they were finished Vince took off for the day and we convinced Teri to hang out for a little while rather than go back over to her trailer which was parked over in Stone Brewing lot.

Good night to hang out in the tasting room too, as the place was jumping. Hop 15 was released in bottles that day so people were showing up to buy cases of the stuff. All the regulars were there for their weekend growler fills and it’s the beginning of vacation season, so a lot of folks from out of town (many of whom we see now and then) were dropping by to see what was new. Even Tim (aka “The Beer Hunter”) was in the house, fresh from a foraging mission in the upper Midwest/Great Lakes region.

Alas, head brewer, Tomme Arthur, was out of town to attend the American Beer Festival, but assistant brewer Bo Winegarner was kind enough to stay. Beyond being a fun brewery to visit for tours and tastings, Port is also an informal gathering place for homebrewers from all over. So with a brewing celebrity like Teri in the room, she was continuously peppered with questions (my favorite: where’d you get the pink boots?”), asked to tell stories, and so on. She has a wonderful personality, very down-to-earth, and likes people in general, so she ended up staying with us through closing.

After we closed up the tasting room, we took her over to Churchill’s Pub, one of our favorite haunts because of it’s amazing beer selection, and engaged in our traditional pub entertainment — playing Operation. (Yes, the game with the tweezers that zap you when you’re trying to connect the ankle bone to the kneebone.) Teri did pretty well, sampling a Kolch from Lightning Brewery (another San Diego local), and getting zapped as much as any of the rest of us.

Sidenote: It’s nice to know that some brewers are mere mortals when it comes to playing Operation. Tomme can pull a 12 hour brewing day, have a couple of double IPAs and still have hands so steady that even the Charlie Horse is no problem. (He’s not allowed to play anymore unless he takes his glasses off.)

At the end of the evening we all said our goodbyes and Teri was off to her trailer to rest up for a day brewing with the Stone folks. After Stone she’s off to Tempe, AZ and then a long haul up to Colorado.

You can see Teri’s full itinerary and a description of her experiences on her website at Roadbrewer.com. If you happen to see her (and her signature Pink Boots) at your local brewery, make sure to tell her that the Port Brewing gang says “Hi”. Then buy her a beer and make her play Operation with you.

Cheers!

Update: Hey, Teri wrote about her visit to Port Brewing. You can read it right here!

Tim “The Beer Hunter” gave me eight porters and stouts (my favorite!) rounded up during his last trip to the upper midwest. The first one I am trying is Tyranena’s Who’s Your Daddy from their Brewer’s Gone Wild series. It’s a Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Porter and it looks delicious. (Let you know more afterwords.)

Thank’s Tim!

PS: Hey - this pic and message is from my new phone - full keyboard and 2 megapixel camera. I am the Beer Pix Princess again!

So I was wandering around the Internet late last night looking for some inspiration on for a big BBQ we’re having this weekend and I found an obscure little blog called Uptown Flavor with what looks to be a great Cajun Bourbon chicken recipe.

Coincidentally, it also had a fresh post titled The History of Beer Part 2, with a quick summary of beer in Europe essentially from the Reinheitsgebot in 1516 to the end of the 19th Century.

Yeah, I know, there’s lots of these “History of Beer” things all over the place, but I like this one because it boils events down to one sentence — nice bite-sized nuggets of beer trivia that you can use as a conversation starter at, oh, I don’t know–a barbecue. For example:

ME: “Were you aware that in 1602 Dr Alexander Nowell discovered that ale can be stored longer in cork sealed, glass bottles?

YOU: “Why, no, I wasn’t. That’s very interesting.”

Add some meat, fire and a fresh pint of good beer and we’ve got an instant good time.

There are a couple of problems with the guy’s history. For example,

AD 1589: Hofbrauhaus built by Duke Wilhelm V is the focal point of the famous annual Oktoberfest in Belgium.

Last time I checked the Hofbrauhaus was in Munich in Saxony, Germany–not Belgium–but who know, it’s Europe, stuff moves around. Plus this is the history “part 2″, but I can’t find part 1 on the site.

Whatever. It’s still a quick read and chocked full of useful beer tidbits.

» The History of Beer Part 2 Via Uptown Flavor.

And if you’re looking for a good grilled chicken recipe, check out the Cajun Bourbon Chicken.

The International Herald Tribune has nice article today on what it refers to as “brewery hopping”, or what we all know as “a Pilgrimage” (i.e., visiting craft breweries and tasting the beer).

From the article:

Although beer lacks a major destination such as Napa Valley in California, many beer aficionados are taking vacations that are more like extended beer runs, visiting the nation’s many craft breweries, brewpubs and beer festivals.

I take issue with the first part of that quote. “Napa Valley” isn’t the only wine producing region in the country, it’s not even the best (Sonoma is much better IMHO) — it’s just the most heavily marketed. Beer has lots of great regions — Portland, the Great Lakes, Northern California (including Sonoma), and my favorite (because it’s home) — San Diego.

Real beer lovers, of course, know this, but because these regions don’t engage in all that fancy marketing stuff, “regular people” don’t. Molly and I haven’t taken a roadtrip and visited anywhere near the number of breweries we’d like to (work, kids, school, and life always seem to interfere), but hanging around the San Diego brew scene, we’ve met a lot (and I mean A LOT) of people who are doing just that. A conversation with Beer Pilgrims usually goes something like this:

ME: “So, are you from San Diego?”

PILGRIM: “No, we’re from (insert state/country here).”

ME: “Ah, so out here on vacation. So what have you had a chance to do so far? The zoo? Wild Animal Park? The beach? Sea World, Mountains? Desert? Mexico?”

PILGRIM: “No, none of that.”

ME: “So what then?”

PILGRIM: “We’ve done Karl Strauss, Ballast Point, Pizza Port - Solana Beach and Carlsbad, Green Flash, Oceanside Ale Works and Lost Abbey. Tomorrow we’re doing Stone, AleSmith, Lightning and San Diego Brewing. Then we’ll go over to Alpine.”

ME: “Excellent.”

I think San Diego beer tourism is terrific. For basically the cost of one day at a place like Sea World, you get to see pretty much the entire county — from the city to the beaches, over to the mountains and the desert just beyond. Plus you get to sample a ton of absolutely fantastic beers, meet a lot of interesting (and never pretentious or irritating) people, and generally have a great time.
It’s something I think every true beer lover has to do at least once.

Maybe it’s time breweries, brewpubs, restaurants and beer aficionados got together and started doing some marketing to the masses to promote beer tourism in their region(s) the way Napa, Sonoma, et al do. Some classy travel campaigns could go a long way toward eliminating the “lower class” impression the public has of beer and beer drinkers. (Heck, if the wine guys can make it respectable to drink a $2 bottle of wine, we should be able to make it respectable to drink a $9 bottle of beer.)

You can read the full International Herald Tribune article right here.

(They’ve also got a list and links to a number of breweries and brew festivals around the country.)

Word just came down from Moses (aka Tomme Arthur) himself that Port Brewing’s Hop 15 will be released in 22 0z. bottles this Friday, June 15th.

If you’re not familiar with the beer, it’s an Imperial IPA that gets its moniker from the fact that it’s hopped 15 times with 15 hops at 15 minute intervals during the boil. (Yes, that’s a long boil — you do the math.)

And just for good measure its dry-hopped with Simcoe and Centennial as well.

The result is a big, bold West-coast style IPA with a a big blonde head, light amber color, bold caramel-malty aroma, and great fruity kiwi, grapefruit and apricot notes without any of that weird “fresh lawn clipping” flavor you get in some intensely hopped beers. (I could make a joke about its similarity to a lot of the girls in here San Diego, but I won’t.)

Oh — and Hop 15 weighs in at around 10% ABV, so if you plow through one of those 22 oz bombers on your own you may wake up under your car in Nebraska next to your new wife’s double-wide and her pet pig. (You’ve been warned.)

Señor Arthur says this is Port Brewing’s summer seasonal IPA (the fresh hopped High Tide IPA takes its place in the fall), so if you want a few bottles of an outstanding (and ballsy) IPA, you ought to pick it up now. It’ll be available in all of Port Brewing’s usual distribution states — California, Arizona, Nevada, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. — for as long as it lasts. For those of you outside those areas, I may be able to help for the right price…. (cue maniacal laugh)

» Contact info for Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

One year old Port Brewing / Lost Abbey managed to walk away with a record five medals at the First Annual San Diego Craft Brewer’s Festival this weekend, beating out big name breweries such as Boston Beer, Stone Brewing, and New Belgium for the honor.

Paso Robles’ Firestone Walker did tie Port Brewing for the five medal count, but it also had an 11 year headstart.

Congrats to Tomme Arthur and company! (I hope they remember that I was the first to sleep on the floor of the brewery once they get famous.)

You can see the Full News Release right here.

You can see the rest of the winners from the festival » Right Here.

This past Saturday Molly and I joined hundreds of craft beer lovers at the San Diego County Fair First Annual San Diego Craft Brewer’s Festival. The venue and weather couldn’t have been better – the Paddock area of the Del Mar fairgrounds was transformed into a large circular beer garden and accompanied by sunshine, blue skies and temperatures in the mid-70’s, making the perfect setting for an afternoon of tasting outstanding beers.

While 60,000 people stuffed themselves on funnel cakes, spun in the tilt-a-whirl and wandered about the fairgrounds just beyond the garden walls, we mingled with other festival-goers (many of whom are now becoming familiar faces) and sampled hundreds of offerings of 50 or so craft breweries.

Many of the breweries (and brewpubs) were, of course from San Diego, Southern California and the Southwest. But a good number also came from places as far flung as Hawaii, New York and Maine, giving us the opportunity to taste an enormous variety of beers.

The Beers

These were among my favorite surprises:

• Just Outstanding IPA from Kern River Brewing
  An amber colored beer with excellent malt and hop flavors. At 6.8% ABV it’s not a strong as strong as a lot of other “West Coast” IPAs, so it’s better for what Molly likes to term “Day Beer”. We go camping a lot in the Southern Sierras (especially in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks), so the next time we head up there, we’re definitely stopping in Kernville for a pint or two.
• Skinny Dip from New Belgium Brewing
  I DO NOT Like “Lite” Beers as I find them tasteless and generally weak. (Even beers like Sam Adams Light aren’t very good in my opinion.) But this beer was genuinely good. Light, refreshing and full of flavor, it was easy to forget that this beer was both low in calories and in alcohol. Beers like this may force the Coors, Buds and Millers of the world to change their “Lite” ways.
• Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company
  Dang – who knew a canned IPA could taste so good? More of an English-style than an American IPA, it’s lighter and sweeter than the stuff I’m used to, but with a great flavor and finish. I’ll be looking for this stuff at my local supplier.
• Wee Heavy Scotch Ale by AleSmith Brewing Co.
  Actually, this wasn’t that big of a surprise, since I already loved the stuff. I’m pretty sure they stick some crack cocaine-like substance in it (which is why it won the gold in its category).

And a few of Molly’s favorites:

• Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing Company
  Normally Molly likes the smoky, black stuff and begs off on the sweet porters and stouts. But this one had her hooked. It’s a pretty classic porter but with the added punch of toasted coconut, which really gives the beer an interesting flavor (I don’t particularly like porters, but this one could make me a convert). Just another reason to look for Maui Brewing’s beers.
• Choco Latte Porter by San Diego Brewing Company
  A nut brown ale with Chocolate. Way too “chocolatey” for me, but not for Molly. I’m just glad that they don’t bottle this because she said she’d give up sex for it.
• Alaskan Smoked Porter by Alaskan Brewing Company
  While hit-or-miss availability down here, whenever we’re up at our hole in the ground in Idaho, Molly picks up as much of this stuff as she can. Smoky, and thick, I have to admit, she’s right, it’s delicious.
• Judgment Day by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
  Actually, no surprise here either. Since the day Tomme Arthur gave her a sip of this from a murky bottle, she’s craved its deep, rich flavor (more crack-infused beer?). Now she pretty much shows up at Lost Abbey and drinks it straight from the tap. The fact that she used one of her precious taster tickets to get some speaks volumes.

The Award Winners

What’s a beer festival without a beer competition? The festival had 275 entries in 29 categories, running the gamut from light lagers to strong ales. This being San Diego (craft beer capital of the world in my opinion), a number of heavyweights and industry notables turned out including Boston Beer Company, New Belgium Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, Brewery Ommegang, and hometown favorite Stone Brewing Company.

The medal announcements weren’t supposed to start until 2:30, but I guess everyone got exited because they started the ceremony half an hour early. (Who ever hear of an awards ceremony start early?)

Best of show went to Shipyard Brewing Company and its Shipyard Export Ale. As the Best in Show winner they received the Festival Trophy – a real, working stainless fermenter (albeit only 3 feet tall). The plan is to have the winner keep the trophy for a year and then turn it over to the next year’s winner a la hockey’s Stanley Cup. With one caveat – the winner brews some beer in the fermenter and turns it over to the next year’s winner and everybody gets to try some. (Pretty good tradition in the making if you ask me.)

The other big winners of the night were Firestone Walker of Paso Robles, CA, and local brewery (and a personal favorite) Port Brewing / Lost Abbey. Each grabbed five medals apiece. This is impressive, but especially so for Port Brewing as the brewery just celebrated its first anniversary in May.

A full list of the entrants and winners follows.

You can also download the entire list of winners in both PDF and Excel format from the San Diego Fair website right here

Want to see a slideshow from the San Diego Craft Brewer’s Festival? Here you go (click on the image to be take to the photo gallery):