Each year, for the past seven years, a beer festival is held in San Francisco at Pier 45 on the S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II Liberty class ship. The event is a benefit for the upkeep and restoration of this historic class of sea vessel. Held on September 11-12, this year the event featured unlimited tastings from the seven breweries that make up the SF Brewer’s Guild: 21st Amendment, Beach Chalet, Gordon Biersch, Magnolia, Social Kitchen & Brewery, Speakeasy, and Thirsty Bear. I thought this would be a great warm up before I headed to the Great American Beer Festival and I was right. This was a great event.

Although the event featured only seven breweries, there were 41 different beers available for generous samplings. Unlike some festivals, where each brewery brings only 2-3 of their best each brewery had, on average, 5 beers available. At $45 for one day or $75 for two days, it might seem expensive but  you have to remember this event is also a fund raiser. Also featured at the event was food from Orson and music by Zoo Station and Hot for Teacher.

Of the beers that were served, I sampled the following:

• 21st Amendment Hop Crisis
• 21st Amendment Golden Doom
• Magnolia Oysterhead Stout
• Social Kitchen Social Kölsch
• Social Kitchen Old Time Alt
• Speakeasy White Lightning
• Thirsty Bear Cask-conditioned ESB (dry hopped with Willamette)
• Thirsty Bear Rum Runner

The entire beer list at the event was as follows:

• 21st Amendment
  • Brew Free of Die IPA, Hell or High Watermelon Wheat, Hop Crisis, Golden Doom
• Beach Chalet
  • VFW Light, Bavarian Hefeweizen, California Kind, Presidio IPA, Riptide Red, Fleishhacker Stout, Saison du Chalet de Plage, Düsseldorf Altbier
• Gordon Biersch
  • Marzen, Schwarzbier, Festbier, Czech Pilsner, Hefeweizen, Export
• Magnolia
  • Kalifornia Kölsch, Proving Ground IPA, Prescription Pale, Big Cypress Brown, Oysterhead Stout
• Social Kitchen
  • Social Kölsch, Old Time Alt, L’Enfant Terrible, Rapscallion, Easy IPA, Big Mundy Weizenbock
• Speakeasy
  • Big Daddy, Prohibition, Double Daddy, Public Enemy Pils, White Lightning
• Thirsty Bear
  • Polar Bear Lager, Golden Vanilla Ale, Valencia Wheat, Rum Runner, Meyer ESB, Kozlov Stout, Cask-conditioned ESB

Monk’s Blood is a special release beer in a can from 21st Amendment that was available during the winter of 2009-2010 and it may no longer be available. This must have been one of the most unique beers that I ever had from a can. It is a bold complex beer with many layers of flavors and aromas. It was truly a delightful winter season beer and I hope it comes back to cans again soon.I also really enjoyed the packaging of this beer. The 4 pack recycled-paper box with a strange story about a Monk written all around it added some interest. I felt the name , the colors, and everything about the packaging was interesting, mysterious, and fun.

21st Amendment writes the following about Monk’s Blood:

21st Amendment founders Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan traveled the Belgium to develop the recipe for this special beer, visiting small, traditional breweries in the hop fields of west Flanders, not far from the famous Trappist abbey of Westvletren. Monk’s Blood is designed to pair beautifully with rish winter stews, creamy cheeses, unctuous desserts or just by itself, in a Belgian tulip glass, with a good book by the fire.

Date Reviewed. December 19, 2009

Where I Found It. City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA.

Serving Type. 12 oz can to a tulip glass.

Appearance. While pouring Monk’s Blood it has a very clear mahogany amber color. In the glass, the beer is nearly opaque black but when you hold it up to the light it has a slight glow of a deep dark sanguine and mahogany hue. The head is light tan, khaki colored with very little retention. When there is less in the glass the beer is a dark mahogany color and clear.

Smell. The aroma of this beer is dried fruit, like figs or prunes with a hint of sourness. There is also a candy scent with a hint of red licorice (Red Vines not Twizzlers) so maybe that means a bit of cherry. It has a dark rich roasted malt smell and is not bitter smelling like molasses. Finally, there is a little vanilla and a little wood.

Taste. Monk’s Blood has a flavor of dark roasted malt sweetness balanced by a sourness in the background that is noticeable but complimentary. It has a little candy sweet with a hint of molasses. There some taste of a herbal spice quality like anise or tarragon. I detected some chocolate flavors but it was very dark chocolate. Monk’s Blood tastes dark, malty, and red. Sorry, red is not a taste per se but that word kept coming to mind while tasting it.

Mouthfeel. This beer is full bodied with a slight syrupy texture. It has moderate levels of carbonation and is not harsh but not super smooth.

Drinkability. For a strong dark ale Monk’s Blood is surprisingly refreshing. I think this is a very well balanced and very well crafted beer. Just a hint of sour to balance the sweetness and a touch of bitterness from the hops and dark malts. The spice quality is not in your face either and is subtle but apparent. All aspects of this beer nicely balance together.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.35

Information

• Style: Belgian dark strong ale
• Brewery: 21st Amendment
• Alcohol by volume: 8.3%
• Bitterness: 34 IBU
• Hops: Magnum, Centennial
• Malt: Belgian pilsner, two-row pale, caramunich, caravienne, aromatic, special b, flaked oats, flaked wheat
• Other ingredients: Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried black mission figs, aged on oak
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.79 (as of May 14, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Links coming soon

One of my favorite events at SF Beer Week in 2009 was the Canned Craft Brews event at Jug Shop so when I saw that it was returning for 2010 on April 13, I had to attend. Although I was quite beered-out from the many many other events earlier in the week, I still had a great time sipping on a few beers, taking a few photos, and talking with the representatives from the breweries. It was a great event and a wonderful way to promote craft beer in a can, a movement that I strongly support.Since I had tried everything else being poured, the beer I was most looking forward to were the ones from Maui Brewing Co. especially the Coconut Porter. I had actually tried Coconut Porter for the first time the previous night at Church Key but it was only a sip. It was nice to get another sample of this delightful beer. For me, Coconut Porter tasted like a gourmet version of an Almond Joy candy bar or like German-chocolate-cake with a touch of coffee and vanilla. It was practically dessert in a can.

The other Maui Brewing beer that I sampled was the IPA which has a nice hoppy nose of sweet citrus and herbal green hops complemented by a sweet biscuit or amber grains. It has a pleasant hoppy bitterness well balanced by a malty sweetness.

Another thing that I learned about Maui is that they are able to economically brew and ship from the island not only because they are using cans but also because they are located right next to a Ball canning facility.

I had a chance to talk to the representative from 21st Amendment and he told me about some upcoming special release beers that will be available in cans. As of February 13, 2010 this information was current, it may be out of date now. By July we’ll know for sure. First, Back in Black IPA will be available in cans in July 2010. The name of this beer says it all, it’s a dark-colored, roasty hop bomb. Next will be a special holiday beer available in October 2010, which will be some version of the “holiday spice” beer that has been offered at the brew pub. Finally, Golden Doom, which is on tap at the brew pub now, will be available in cans around of after January 2011 and is a Belgian-style beer.

All told, there were tastings of beer at this event from Oskar Blues, 21st Amendment, Big Sky Brewing, and New Belgium. The complete list of what was available is as follows:

• Oskar Blues
  • Mama’s Lil Yellow Pils
  • Dale’s Pale Ale
  • Gordon Beer (still one of my favorites)
  • Ten Fidy Stout
• 21st Amendment
  • Brew Free or Die IPA (classic and available on Virgin America flights)
  • Hell or High Watermellon Wheat
• Big Sky
  • Trout Slayer Pale Ale
  • Moose Drool Brown
• New Belgium
  • Fat Tire
• Maui Brewing
  • Bikini Blonde Lager
  • Big Swell IPA
  • Coconut Porter

On Monday, Feb. 8, 21st Amendment (21A) hosted an SF Beer Week event called Can-a-palooza featuring craft beer in a can from a number of different breweries. When I showed up, about three hours after the event started, they were out of everything except Fat Tire, 21A IPA, and 21A Watermelon Wheat. This is likely due to the fact that the cans were only $2, you just can’t beat that price.

The event had great attendance and was hosted on the second level, which had a nice view of the brewery where the disco ball was out (see photo below).

Breweries that were featured at this event were Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Uncommon Brewers, Oskar Blues, Buckbean, New Belgium, Big Sky, and 21st Amendment. Next time I’ll be sure to get there earlier, a piece of advice that I recommend for all of the events for SF Beer Week 10.

According to these, and other brewers, beer from a can has advantages. First, the beer cans are lined so the beer never comes in contact with metal. Next, the beer is never exposed to the harmful effects of light. The beer can is supposedly a more airtight container preventing exposure to oxygen. Finally, the cans are lighter and you can take them where you cannot take bottles such as camping and golfing.

This event was a great opportunity to try canned beer from Oskar Blues from Colorado, 21st Amendment from San Francisco, and Uncommon Brewers from Santa Cruz. I tried a little bit of everything (except Dale’s and Brew Free or Die) and the beer was excellent. For all I knew, the beer could have been poured from a can or poured from draft. The following is a list of beer that was available in cans at this event:

• 21st Amendment
  • Watermelon Wheat
  • Brew Free or Die IPA
• Oskar Blues
  • Dale’s Pale Ale
  • Old Chub Scottish
  • Gordon Strong Ale
  • Ten Fidy Stout
• Uncommon Brewers
  • Siamese Twin

Siamese Twin is a wonderful Belgian-style double brewed with “exotic spices to enhance beer flavors,” which, according to the brewery, is a long tradition in Belgian brewing. A good example is Belgian witbier which includes coriander and orange peel. This beer, however, is brewed with Thai spices such as kaffir lime and lemongrass in addition to coriander. Being a double it had a high alcohol content by volume at 8.5%. I thought this beer was both interesting and delicious and lives up to the name “Uncommon.” Since I had some very hoppy and malty brews before this one, I had trouble finding the Thai spices but they are definitely there. I can’t wait to get some more cans so I can enjoy it with some home made Thai food and also write up a full review.

The Watermelon Wheat beer is interesting in that it smells a little bit like a vegetable but when you taste it the flavor is distinctly and deliciously watermelon. I always prefer to be able to taste the special ingredient than have it be so subtle you’re not sure it is there. This beer is made with 400 lbs. of watermelon per batch.

Old Chub, by Oskar Blues, is an acclaimed and award winning Scottish Ale having won a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Championships. It is a deeply malty ale that is a wonderful representation of the Scottish ale style. It is roasty, sweet, hints of bittersweet chocolate, and slightly smoky from the beechwood-smoked grains. Old Chub also has a nice warming feeling from the 8% alcohol by volume. This beer definitely ranks among some of the best Scottish ales that I have tried.

Oskar Blues Gordon Beer is, according to the brewery, “a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA.” It is a great beer with an incredible citrus and fresh hop smell yet warms you up with 8.7% alcohol by volume. After the event I picked up a 4-pack of this beer so that I can review it in a later blog posting.

Finally, I tried my new favorite imperial stout, Ten Fidy also by Oskar Blues. What makes this beer imperial? The huge amount of flavor, malt, hops, and alcohol is what makes this an imperial beer. The alcohol content is 10% alcohol by volume but the malty sweetness both overshadows the alcohol flavor as well at the 98 IBUs of hops. The beer both smells and tastes like bittersweet chocolate cake and artisan roasted coffee. It is extraordinarily drinkable for being such a big beer. I purchased a 4-pack at the end of the event and will be doing a full review later. I also used a can of this wonderful beer to cook up a batch of beer brittle, which I will also blog about.