Tuesday last a few of us PBN types got together and ventured forth to Chico to enjoy the sounds of Dave Alvin’s latest musical variation Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women. It was our first time in the Sierra Nevada Brewing’s The Big Room andit certain lived up to it’s name. Due to some clever maneuvering by one of our party we managed to come away with Dave’s personal show song list. (Shown below) We were even able to get it autographed after the show by nearly all the band members…including Dave himself.
Although every song in the show was stellar I especially enjoyed it when Dave finally picked up the Electric Guitar and launched into the classic Ashgrove. California’s Burning, Abilene and 4th of July really made impressions as well… almost as much as Dave’s humorous between-song ramblings and observations punctuated by quick sips on a strategically placed bottle of Sierra Nevada Summerfest.
I don’t ever remember seeing a band with two fiddle players let alone two women fiddle players (Amy Ferris and Laurie Lewis) that could rip it up like that. Lewis also played the Mandolin. Lap steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar left Dave grinning all night with her impressive virtuoso runs and counter punches to his spot on ringing rockabilly guitar style. This band was clearly having as much fun as we were. Bass player Sarah Brown and drummer Lisa Pankratz supplied the beat with ever present grins…as did electric guitarist Nina Gerber who told me after the show “This is such a fun tour…playing with Dave is like taking a guitar lesson every night”. Christy McWilson provided some classic country infused vocals on Weight of the world and Potters Field in particular.
Dave and these tremendously talented women will continue to be on tour all summer. If they come to your town… well… you know what to do. [They'll be playing at Michigan's The Livery July 5th! Another sudsy spot.]
I sure hope my future plans involve return trips to the Sierra Nevada Big Room for some more hoppy brews and tasty tunes. As I was sitting there watching the show with good friends and a fresh pitcher of Sierra Nevada Torpedo I realized, “man…where’d she get that red dress?”
This past Wednesday the misses and I took a much desired midweek vacation day and decided an excursion to Western Pacific Brewing in Oroville was in order. Located at 2191 High Street the brewery occupies Oroville’s original Western Pacific Rail Station which was in continuous service from 1906 to 1966.
In 2008 Brewer Jim Gowan teamed up with owners David and Debrah Deakins; the existing restaurant was remodeled, the brew system installed and they produced their first brews in February of 2009. Gowan is no stranger to the Northern California brewing scene, having built Gold Hill Brewing in Placerville in 1999 and most recently worked alongside prominent local brewer Brian Ford at Auburn Ale House in 2007 and 2008.
WPB&D currently has six beers on line…..
Golden Ale 5.1%
Pale Ale 5.4%
IPA 6.4%
Red Ale 5.9%
Brown Ale 5.0%
Oatmeal Stout 4.0%
Having spent our lunch hour and the early afternoon in Chico at Sierra Nevada Brewing drinking Southern Hemisphere Harvest, Torpedo and BigFoot, our palates were in no condition for a sample platter – so naturally we went straight for a couple pints of IPA. I have to admit I was a bit shocked when I put my nose to it. This was no pedestrian or English style IPA… this was a true West Coast IPA… full of citrus and floral goodness with just enough malt to balance it and hold it all together. A real hop head’s delight. We also sampled the Red Ale (one of the regulars swears by it and insisted) as well as a little taster of the Stout. All the beers were solid, but naturally we brought home a growler of the IPA to share.
Despite being open for business for only a few months, the local following of regulars seemed well established and appreciative. I talked to several people who all raved about the beers and great need for a quality local brewery. We even got a tour of the facility from owner David who’s enthusiasm for his new venture was obvious, infectious and a joy to behold.
We also had the nacho appetizer, which at $3.50 was quite the tasty bargain.
Nice to see another Northern California town join the growing tradition of local craft beer destinations. If you live in the Oroville area, or travel through from time to time I highly recommend stopping in. I hear there’s a Scotch Ale in the works for the fall. And if anyone asks… tell ‘em Baja Ricky sent ya.
So after a pretty relaxing few days in Spokane, it was time to start the long drive back to Roseville. Leaving at 7:30AM, we figured our best bet for another beer stop was going to be dinner in Klamath Falls, OR (home of Klamath Basin Brewing). Klamath Basin won several awards at the West Coast Brewfest in 2008 and wowed several of us judging with their beers. After not seeing them at the 09 event, I looked forward to stopping in.
Being a lover of beers on nitro, I went right to their special Butt Crack Brown in nitro. With a noticeable nutty toffee flavor from the malt and an incredible creaminess from the nitro, this was a truly great beer. I also tasted the Crystal Springs IPA which was good but almost too balanced. I would like to have seen a more noticeable hop presence. My son in law loves Hefeweizens (Blue Frog is his favorite). He felt the Hogsback Hefe at Klamath Basin was excellent and really noticed the clove and banana notes, typical of the German style. My daughter had the Drop Dead Red. Also very enjoyable, this beer had a good malt base with a hop kick. She also noticed a slight fruitiness.
I would have liked to spend more time here and try more beers but we had to get back on the road again. Hopefully we’ll see Klamath Basin at this year’s California Brewfest. If not, the next time you are in Klamath Falls sop by the brewery. It’s worth the stop.
After getting family stuff out of the way, and attending my niece’s high school graduation, my brother, my son in law and I drove over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to enjoy the lake and see how the town has changed since my last visit 10-12 years ago. Once a sleepy little resort town on Lake Coeur d’Alene, the town has grown considerably with a beautiful lakefront resort as well as many other shops and retail offerings. One of these is Coeur d’Alene Brewing.
When I visit a new brewery I like to take advantage of “taster trays” most breweries offer so that I can taste a wider variety of their beers. Although not listed on the menu (unless I missed it), the taster offered here was mammoth. Consisting of 12 5oz beers, we shared this among the 3 of us. What we found were that all of their beers were decent efforts and some of them were quite good.
Golden Ale-This beer was too light for my tastes but would be a good beer for those who normally drink macros and want to try a micro brewed beer. It was pretty mild with a slight biscuity malt taste. Finished pretty clean.
Strawberry Hefeweizen-Definite strawberry notes in the aroma and in the initial flavor. Citrus flavors follow the strawberry. This was a very good fruit beer as the fruit was noticeable but not too prominent.
Huckleberry Ale-Strong fruit aroma. Fruit is less noticeable in flavor although there was a noticeable sweetness. Could actually increase the amount of fruit impacting the flavor.
Centennial Pale Ale- Citrusy NW hop aroma, piney hop flavor, pretty well balanced with a slight bitterness in the finish.
Honeymoon Hefeweizen-Very little noticeable aroma. Flavor was also pretty mild as not much clove or banana, typical for the style, was present. A little too mild for me.
Rockford Bay IPA-Mild aroma but strong hop presence in the flavor. Definitely a beer for hop heads like me but I would prefer a little more malt to balance the lingering bitterness in the finish.
Lakeside British Ale-Noticeable malty aroma. Slightly sweet and nutty taste. Very drinkable with some great flavor.
Scottish Ale-Very malty as a Scottish Ale should be with some roasty notes. Very good but could be a little fuller in mouth feel.
Vanilla Bourbon Stout-Strong vanilla aroma. Noticeable vanilla taste followed by roasty, chocolate notes. Very enjoyable but some might think the vanilla could be toned down a little.
Maibock-Sweet up front but well balanced by hops. Bitterness doesn’t linger. Caramel flavors with slight alcohol. This was a very good example of this style.
Quad Hopped Pale Lager-Another beer for hopheads. This was very hoppy but made as a lager vs. and ale. Dry finish. Very enjoyable.
Porter-Very roasty flavor with low hop presence. Roasted malts dominate. Good but not a favorite style.
My favorite beers of the day were probably the Maibock first, Quad Hopped Pale Lager second, and the Vanilla Bourbon Stout and Strawberry Hefe tied for third. I should also note we had great service from Jessi and a very good meal there as well.
Well better late than never. I took several good pictures at Deschutes that I will add alter so I can get this posted.
I recently drove to Spokane, Washington, with my daughter LeeAnn, her husband Ray and my two year old granddaughter Kaylee for 5 days. While that may sound like hell, my granddaughter was absolutely no issue on the drive up or back, and we got to enjoy several previously unvisited beer stops. Truly an great trip!
We timed our departure at 4AM Thursday morning so that we would hit Bend, OR at lunchtime. We had a private tour of the Deschutes Brewery, one of my personal favorites, set up at 12 and we arrived just in time. I have to write this without my notes as they were lost en route but suffice it say, this was great stop. Aaron Calihan, tour leader extraordinaire, gave us a very thorough look at everything from the two separate brewing facilities to the hop storage room (boy did that smell good), to the employee lunch room and private employee “tap closet.” Starting in the very comfortable tasting room, we enjoyed a couple of tastes which for me were the delicious Red Chair IPA and the Cinder Cone Red. We then headed off to the JV NW brew house, a 50 barrel facility used for primarily some of Deschutes bigger beers like Mirror Mirror and the Abyss. This was their original large production brew house before their success required expansion. Second stop on the tour was the hop room. The aroma was outstanding if you love citrusy NW hops (which I do). Bag after bag of whole leaf hops were just waiting to be added to the beer process. Deschutes prefers using whole hops for their freshness. While discussing this, Aaron shared a very interesting story about the process used for Deschutes Hop Trip, their fresh hop pale ale from the Bond St. Series and how the truck is tracked like an incoming airplane so that as soon as they arrive, the hops can be taken directly to the beer in process. It just can’t get any fresher.
Due to the fact that we were on a private tour, we then visited the employee lunch room. While not real big it was notable due to the chef on duty to provide cooked meals for employees and the employee tap room. Aaron explained that all employees of Deschutes are allowed a free pint of beer after every shift they work. He then went to a door that looked very clearly like the door to the men’s room, and was labeled that way. Inside was a closet and along one small wall were the 8 taps that employees could choose their free beer from. Some of the beers available were unique and hard to get outside of the Deschutes pubs, etc. I was able to taste a coffee infused Obsidian Stout on nitro. Creamy as a milk shake and with a strong coffee presence, this was a great beer that had me wondering about what job openings they had.
After the break room, Aaron took us to the new 150 barrel brewing facility. Put in at a cost of over $5M, the equipment was built by specialists in Germany and use nearly seamless vessels, thereby further reducing the opportunity for bacteria and infection. This was a very impressive facility, extremely clean and modern looking, and allows Deschutes to brew multiple beers at one time. While on this part of the tour (and several other times), Aaron pointed out how Deschutes is focused on green, or environmentally friendly, brewing procedures including a heat reclamation system that reduces energy consumption and pollution emissions. Another great example is how the spent grains, after brewing, are sent to local ranchers who use it for cattle feed. The beef is then used to make the burgers at the Pub! Talk about completing the cycle.
We also saw the room holding fermenting and clearing tanks. This was huge! Aaron also pointed out that in the middle of the floor, there was a brewer putting beer into oak, bourbon, and wine casks. Rumors were that it was this year’s Abyss.
The tour then moved on to the bottling operation. This had a lot of original bottling equipment and reminded both LeeAnn and I of the old Laverne & Shirley show’s beginning. We were half expecting to see a blue plastic glove riding one of the bottles as it moved on. This operation doesn’t require a lot of employees due to it’s automation and is quite loud but it was impressive to see the volume of bottles being filled, capped, labeled, and boxed. Deschutes is able to ship nearly 200,000 bottles per day from this facility.
Wrapping up the tour, we somehow ended up in the tasting room again. I had saved my thirst for a Mirror Mirror for the end and I was able to savor a truly fresh sample of my one of my favorite beers of 2009 so far.
We then wrapped up our visit to Bend and Deschutes Brewery with a purchase of some beer to go and a stop in their pub for a very good lunch, and we were on the road again. I’m looking for to seeing Deschutes “Woody” again soon in Roseville and tasting more of their great beers at our local pubs.
If you happen to live in or around the greater San Diego area and are a fan of hops then you’ll want to pay close attention to the date of July 3rd 2009. That is reportedly the day when Alpine Beer Company, located at 2351 Alpine Blvd, Alpine CA 91901, will release no less than three of their most outstanding brews…..including
Duet – Alpine’s great West Coast style IPA brewed with Simco and Amarillo Hops. 7% abv. True to it’s name …a beer in great harmony.
Nelson – a brilliant Golden Rye IPA that utilizes copious amounts of New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. 7% abv. So delicate, yet with a hop aroma that will leave you checking the area for stray Tom Cats
Exponential Hoppiness – This West Coast Triple IPA is one of the all time grand daddies of Imperial IPA’s. The hops are introduced at double the quantities of the previous addition, followed by a hopback session and double dry hopping. 10.75% abv. This beer is always right near the top of the Hop Hunters wish list.
There are no limits on growler fills this time due to the fact that each of these three gems were produced in double batches. It is estimated that supplies may last up to a week and a half at the brewery.
Yes…these beers are that good. Mark your calendar, or schedule a vacation. I already have dibs on the Pacific Brew News Corporate Jet for that weekend. See you there. I will be the big bearded idiot there trying to fill 22 growlers with food stamps and frequent flyer miles.
If you’ve followed us for any amount of time, you’ll know that we’re fans of good cheese to go along with our good beer. With that in mind we thought we’d take a brief departure from beer to highlight some of the big winners from this year’s California State Fair Cheese Competition. Our hope, of course, is that you’ll be inspired to find some of these cheeses and then go out and find the perfect beer pairing for each – how’s that for a homework assignment? Without delay, here’s the top cheeses from this year’s State Fair.
Best of Show
Best of Division (Soft, Fresh Cheese, Flavored) Cypress Grove Chevre
Purple Haze
Best of Division (Cultured Cheese, Kefir) Karoun Dairies
Kefir Cheese (cow)
Best of Division (Semi Soft, White Surface Mold – Camembert) Marin French Cheese
Rogue Et Noir Camembert
Best of Division (Hard Cheese, Aged Jack) Vella Cheese Co.
Special Select Monterey Jack
Best of Division (Semi-Hard, Aged Cheddar)
Fiscalini Cheese Co.
Bandage Wrapped Extra Mature Cheddar
Just a quick follow up on Jeff’s post regarding the Sacramento area’s newest food destination, The Chef’s Table, located in Rocklin just off Hwy 65 (Blue Oaks exit). To begin, the place was everything Jeff said it was, and more. The menu apparently changes weekly, so much of what Jeff enjoyed was no longer available. Chances are, if you go there after this week, the menu items mentioned here won’t be around either. That said, if the quality of Jeff and my first visits is any indication, you’ll be certain to get great food no matter when you’re there.
Chef David Hill
To begin the place has a hi-brow appeal, but judging by the folks there, casual “California” attire is more than appropriate. The Chef’s Table features an open kitchen with a rough-cut wooden bar wrapping around the cooking area, a great spot to sit and watch your food being made while enjoying a lovely glass of wine, or one of six great craft beers on tap. The walls are strikingly bare, which allows the noise of conversation to reverberate around the room. I suspect this will be corrected in short order, likely with pictures hung on the back wall.
Chef David cutting lamb
While there I knew I would be in for a marathon of eating, hoping to try as many of the small plate offerings as possible – I made it through five plates in my extended stay. I arrived just before the kitchen was open and was able to watch Chef David and Mitch finish the day’s preparation. During this time Chef told me about the lamb chops he was cutting. “The lamb is from a farm in Dixon”, he said enthusiastically. He went on to say the ranch he bought the meat from was run by a fourth generation rancher, Martin Emigh. It struck me that the Chef knew the names of the people who raised the lamb he was about to serve – that’s always a good sign in my book. The meat, by the way, looked fantastic as he was cutting it – turned out I had no idea just how good it was.
Chef Mitch
Chef David was accompanied by a young chef, Mitch, who was diligently slicing a lot of garlic, cilantro, making sauces and rendering fat from duck breasts. Mitch is a young man, but seemed confident with his knife, his food and was incredibly easy to talk to. In fact, with David and Mitch being so personable, it made me realize how cool an open kitchen can be. I felt as though I was sitting at the chefs’ table, chatting it up with a proper pint and great aromas that filled the room. It was shaping up to be a great visit.
Green Lip Mussels
Our first plate of the day was Chardonay-steamed Green Lip mussels in a coconut curry sauce. The mussels were beautiful just to look at, the green edges accentuated with the backdrop of the green curry. The sauce had a slight kick to it, but the thick texture was masterful with the slightly saline mussels. The plate didn’t last long.
Shrimp & Humboldt Fog Rolls
The second dish came with spring rolls filled with poached shrimp, roasted onions and Humboldt Fog. While I love Humboldt Fog, I was a little worried the goat cheese may overpower the shrimp. Luckily, that wasn’t the case at all, as there was just a touch of the soft cheese noted. The presentation was great, the flavors and textures were easy to appreciate – not heavy or overwhelming whatsoever.
Martin Emigh Lamb
Now it was time to get serious, so out came the Martin Emigh lamb chops. Let me just say this, the presentation of this plate was far and away the most impressive of the night. Served atop fresh, steamed spinach and topped with a bright nectarine-mint chutney, it just looked like something you wanted to eat. I’d ordered the lamb rare, and it came just the way I’d hoped it would. The outter edges were charred, lovely, while the middle was red and juicy. I’ve had a lot of really good lamb in the past, and this was right up there with the best. It wasn’t gamey, wasn’t chewy, just a wonderful dish to savor slowly, taking time to enjoy each bite. Oh, the nectarine chutney rocked too, with bright acidic flavors that really made the lamb pop. I was in heaven.
Sonoma Duck Breast
The last planned dish of the night was Sonoma duck breast, roasted and served with grilled plum. The duck was slow roasted, clearly, and was so tender and sweet. I don’t go out of my way to find duck (a sin, I know), so I don’t have a lot of dishes to compare this to. That said, if duck was always this good, I’d be eating a hell of a lot more of it. The grilled plum was incredible too, the grill really pulling out the fruit’s natural sugars and making for a perfect combination with the meat.
Chef Mitch Preps Lamb
The night continued with friends that joined in for discounted drinks (if you go before June 17th all pints are $2.50, glasses of wine $2 off). The taps, like the food, gave a nice nod to our regional brewers, with Auburn Alehouse’s Scarlet Harlot featured alongside Racer 5, Deschutes Red Chair and a few other great offerings. The wine list was also impressive, several friends opting to snatch up some local selections.
Casual, Quality Dining
In all, the package just worked. There was live music, the place was clean, the servers seemingly genuinely interested in service and the crowd more than happy to shake hands with the strangers sitting in the next seat over. As a beer lover, it’d be great to see some of the dishes cooked with beer as an ingredient – like cooking the mussels in a saison over the chardonay. Don’t read that as a negative, however, clearly Chef David has a great thing going and it’s always best to play to your strengths.
The results are in for the California State Fair commercial beer competition, and there are a lot of good things to celebrate all over the state. To see the official results, click here.
Seems the big winners of the year were Mammoth Brewing, Faultline Brewing and Sacramento Brewing, who each brought home SEVEN awards! Additionally, Moylan’s and Marin Brewing each did well, with each establishment bringing back six awards for Brendon’s team of brewers. Another brewer to take home six awards was Auburn Alehouse – just in time for their second anniversary!
This year’s Best of Show award went to Main Street Brewing for its Belgian inspired Bishop’s Tripple Trippel (Main St. also brought home two additional awards).
In all 33 breweries won medals this year at the state fair, from up and down the state. We take that to mean that, wherever you are in California, you can’t be all that far from good beer.
After checking out the winner’s list, if your local brewery is represented, be sure to stop in and congratulate them for their work – best done with a fresh pint in hand.
Many of you have already heard about Firestone Walker’s upcoming hop-bomb, but in case you haven’t we figured we’d share. Double Union Jack is coming out very soon, but will only be available in select markets (Sacramento will have some available at Sacramento Brewing at the end of July). To best explain the beer, we figured we post Firestone Walker’s YouTube video interview with Matt, the brewmaster.
This past Wednesday the misses and I took a much desired midweek vacation day and decided an excursion to 
Well better late than never. I took several good pictures at Deschutes that I will add alter so I can get this posted.
