Bay Area Brew Tour 2013

Two sunny days in San Francisco with the only task of drinking beer?  Yes please!  Our Beerventure continued, jetting around to different neighborhoods, trying out these strategically placed watering holes.

Jupiter (www.jupiterbeer.com)

In the heart of Berkeley, CA sits this old livery stable turned brewery.  Thirsty and hungry, we snagged an outdoor table in the patio between buildings.  Exposed brick with a European feel, we enjoyed the last few hours of sun beating down on us through the structure.  While Jupiter doesn't actually do a sampler of their beers, we ordered a few imperial pints of their Quasar Double IPA, along with splashes of their XHP and Porter.  Pairing that cold hoppy DIPA with their wood fired Marghertia pizza, we were quickly refueled for our trip into the city for the night.

21st Amendment Brewery (21st-amendment.com)

After an exciting ten minutes of running out of oil, being panhandled, and then asked to be interviewed for a Spanish speaking television station, we finally made it to 21st Amendment Brewery.  Scoring a parking spot out front and a table in their loft bar, we started down the list of their Strong Beer selection, waiting for the rest of our group to arrive.  What better way to celebrate the amendment that reversed Prohibition than with their Dub Step, a 10.2% Imperial IPA.  Two Lane Blacktop, their Imperial Black IPA, and the Nelson, Jade, and Helga Collaboration IIPA, all hovering around 10% ABV, rounded out the pack.  Hours of conversation, an order of famous onion rings, and 21st's great beer obviously made our first day in the Bay complete.

Lagunitas Brewing Company (www.lagunitas.com)

How do you follow up a night spent crashed on a couch in a USF dorm room?  With Sunday Communion at a brewery, of course.  Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, we ended up at Lagunitas in Petaluma.  Another patio table and a full line up of their beers, we were anxious to share a taster with our friends and family that had come up to visit us.  Even though the brewery was busy, we didn't feel rushed by the staff to vacate our table of seven.  While I had tried most of the samples before, a few beers stood out.  Their Wilco Tango Foxtrot, aka WTF, was a deliciously complex Imperial Brown Ale at 7.8%.  I made sure to finish the rest of the Brown Shugga' and Hop Stoopid sample glasses too.

Russian River Brewing Company
(russianriverbrewing.com)

With the hopes of tasting the highly sought after Pliny the Younger, we raced up to Santa Rosa.  Last year, we spent quite a few hours in line.  When we finally did get to the bar, we enjoyed every last drop of our allotted rations.  Driving up to RRBC this year and not seeing a line circling the block should have been our first clue.  Alas, the Younger had ran out two days prior.  We still maneuvered our way to the counter, ordering a few pints of hard to get brews.  On a side note, my absolute favorite hop to brew with, drink, and smell is Simcoe.  In fact, it was RRBC that revitalized this varietal with their popular Double IPA, Pliny the Elder.  I noticed a 100% Simcoe Pale on the beer board: Row 2, Hill 56.  Light and crisp, I gulped down this gem in the sunny heat of their front beer garden.  Without the Younger to keep us around, we continued our venture north to Healdsburg.

Bear Republic Brewing Company (www.bearrepublic.com)
Once finished with our private wine tasting at Blanchard Family Wines (www.blanchardfamilywines.com), we took the winemaker's suggestion to try one of Bear Republic's many gourmet hamburgers.  While waiting for our table, I tried their Apex IPA.  Minimally malty with hops throughout, it was what my palette needed after a full day of imbibing.  The choices for burgers were crazy good.  From duck to elk to salmon, there was literally something for everybody.  A few went for the Jalepeno Tower, others went for the Black and Blue, while I went for the grilled chicken sandwich with brie, caramelized onions, and bacon.  As the outdoor heaters flickered in the early night, we enjoyed our last moments with long distance friends and family, already charting the course for next year's Beerventure.