Week 6 at Beers in Sacramento

Practice makes pourfect.

Check out Week 6 of my journey to becoming a BJCP certified judge at Beers in Sacramento. There was no class this week, so I did a little practicing.  

Follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page for sneak peaks into upcoming posts.

Cheers!

Week 5 at Beers in Sacramento

Manresa State Beach

Check out Week 5 of my journey to becoming a BJCP certified judge at Beers in Sacramento. This week, we dove head first into the subject of water and its importance in beer.

Follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page for sneak peaks into upcoming posts.

Cheers!

Press In Case of Raid

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, in an industrial area of San Francisco, as the wife and I made our way to Speakeasy Ales & Lagers.  This area of town doesn't quite feel like the San Francisco that you are used to.  First off, there was little to no traffic and there was parking, easy parking that was free of charge.  The taproom has a decidedly prohibition era drinking establishment vibe.  Although one walks up a few stairs from the parking lot to enter the joint, it feels as if you are in a dark basement or backroom that has been turned into a bar.  You'd almost expect to be greeted by a well dressed gangster asking for the password.  No password is required, though be sure to keep an eye out for any coppers and remember to press the button in case of a raid. See?

I didn't push the button, but I wanted to.

I have had a few of Speakeasy's beers and enjoy them often.  Big Daddy IPA and Double Daddy IPA are a couple of my go to beers.  I had not, however, visited the brewery before.  The wife and I walked up to the bar, decided on a few samples and then found ourselves a comfortable spot to imbibe.  We decided on The Suspect (Belgian Golden Ale), The Informant (Elder Flower Saison), Blind Tiger (Imperial IPA) and Harvey Milk (Milk Stout).

From left to right is, The Suspect, The Informant, Blind Tiger and Harvey Milk

Delicious decisions don't disappoint

Tasting Notes:

-The Suspect is a Belgian Golden Ale whose aroma is reminiscent of lemon drops and its appearance like that of lemonade.  The flavor is dominated by spicy hops and citrus rind that subdue the grainy sweetness.  The effervescence in this light bodied beer, paired with the citrus make for a refreshing brew.

-The Informant is an Elderflower Saison, in which the floral aroma is most prominent. This is followed by the aroma of a dense grainy cracker.  It has a nearly clear, golden hue that is crowned by a persistent, fine bubbled head. The elderflower is the star of the aroma as well as the flavor.  This is paired with a lingering flavor of a ruby red grapefruit.  The fine bubbles on the tongue create a delicate, silken texture that beg for another sip.

-Blind Tiger, an Imperial IPA, compensates for its lack of sight with a powerful aroma of mandarin orange and passion fruit.  As the bold hops fade, you are greeted by the smell of freshly cut grass and graham crackers.  The color of this beer is remarkably similar to the aforementioned saison, the only real difference is a slight haze and less bubbles.  The flavor reminds me of a pineapple upside down cake.  This gives way to a subtle grass flavor and a lingering resinous hop character.   The hops coat your tongue and are not washed away by the medium bodied beer that warms your chest on the way down.

-Harvey Milk is a luscious, sweet stout.  The aroma is that of a dark chocolate mocha and sweet black cherry.  It is an impenetrable black with a faint edge of a dark red wine.  The flavor is similar to a black forest cake paired with a cup of strong roasted coffee.  This beer is velvety smooth on the pallet and literally screams for ice cream.

Photo Credit: The wife

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers is a short trip from Sacramento and is well worth the visit.  The beer is excellent, and the taproom is dimly lit and comfortable.  The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the parking is free.  I will certainly return and plan to bring friends along next time. While the wife and I were visiting, a party bus showed up carrying the guests of a birthday celebration for someone named Joey.  The group of people had a few extra pours of Big Daddy IPA, which two kind ladies from the group offered to the wife and I, as well as a couple other people in the taproom.  I'm sure that this is a slogan of another brewery, but it holds true; good people drink good beer.  Here's to Joey, Happy Birthday!

Follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page for sneak peaks into upcoming posts.

Cheers!

Week 4 at Beers in Sacramento

David Teckam's White Board

Check out Week 4 of my journey to become a BJCP certified judge at Beers in Sacramento.  This week we took a look at filling out score sheets and were given tips to be better beer judges.

Follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page for sneak peaks into upcoming posts.

Cheers!

Week 3 at Beers in Sacramento

Guest blogging at Beers in Sac again.  Check out week 3 of my journey to become a BJCP judge. This week took an intensive look at off flavors and aromas.  Also, I brewed a batch of Robust Porter today, check back for a detailed look at my brew day.

Cheers!

Keep Portland Upright

Early August 2014, the wife and I took another trip to the Pacific Northwest.  While there, I made sure to include many stops at breweries, including Upright Brewing. Upright sits in the basement of a brick building on North Broadway in Portland, Oregon.  I was excited to visit this small scale brewery, as the others that we visited on that trip were larger in scale and more brewpub than brewery.  The focus of Upright Brewing is on French and Belgian styles of beer with a Pacific Northwest twist of using local ingredients and slightly more hops in some of the beers than is traditional to the styles brewed.

The only signage visible from the road.

The wife and I walked up to a seemingly closed building, but were assured by the sandwich board that they were in fact open.  We made our way to the basement and down a hallway to discover this gem of a brewery.  When we walked in, we were right in the middle of the small brewing facilities and surrounded by barrels of aging beer.  I gazed in awe at the barrels and shiny stainless steel and thought to myself that something this size could just about work in the garage of a certain homebrewer... wishful thinking on my behalf.

Ooh, shiny!  Ah, barrels!

We got ourselves a sampler and sat at one of the few communal tables and enjoyed each and every taste.  I did not take any notes that day, all I have is a fond recollection of very tasty saisons.  We did, however, adopt a couple bottles of their brew to bring home and love and care for and call George.  I opened one of these bottles recently and shared it with the wife, my fond recollections were justified.  A very tasty saison indeed.

Behold, beautiful beer

Tasting Notes:

- Five is a beautiful beer that you may fall in love with at first whiff.  Its aroma brings to the imagination a nectarine cobbler.  This aroma is balanced with a subtle spiciness that is quite alluring.  The appearance of Five is like apricot preserves topped with a thick, bright white cream.  The head was sticky and formed a patch work of lace down the glass as I slowly sipped.  The aroma carried in the luscious flavors of nectarine and passion fruit to the pallet, this was offset by a lingering, spicy hop characteristic.  It has a smoothness that fills your mouth and then breaks into an effervescence that is tongue coating and mouth watering.

I was impressed by the beers from Upright Brewing and I'm very glad that I adopted a couple bottles.  I'd be more glad if only I had purchased more.  The brewery was comfortable, with light music fading into mixed conversations; this is the kind of place I could sit for hours and would love to the next time I visit Portland.


Follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page for sneak peaks into upcoming posts.


Cheers!