San Francisco Stars #3: Black Hammer Brewing Hella Sexy, Munich Helles, San Francisco, California

Date:  June 30 , 2019  —

The Story— New small breweries rarely operate in the center of cities unless they’ve found a huge source of capital or have already established a successful operation elsewhere.   In most cities the new startups operate in industrial parks that stretch into the outer suburbs, but in San Francisco some small breweries survive in relatively low-rent neighborhoods that are not all that far from the center.

Black Hammer is in an area that is seeing its share of declining older businesses and perhaps more than its share of Pollyanna small business ventures.  But it’s a short bus ride from the Union Square area and quite walkable from the Giant’s Oracle Park.  Leans to German style beers and does them well. but not-so-Deutch beers such as a porter and a double IPA turn out nicely as well.

We were most impressed, though, by their Munich Helles.   It’s a style that brings us back to Munich year after year.   The city is captivating for many reasons, but the beer gardens and beer halls that pour helles lagers that leave you unscathed in the morning are unlike the dominant beer style of any other city we have been to.

We didn’t have the time to drink enough of this gem to see if it would treat us well in the morning.   It did, without question, treat us well that night.

The Beer– Malty and bready with a hint of fruit and just a bit of the well-exploited 18 IBUs in a lingering metallic aftertaste.  As it drinks, its’ chewy, slightly malty and so very authentic.   Ellie celebrated the hops and malt going hand in hand into the Ewigkeit (German for eternity).

Value — very good.  Seven bucks for a half liter would not be a bargain for a good Helles in Munich, but drinking this here saves just a bit on airfare.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

We just got back from a week in San Francisco.   We hadn’t been there in eleven years and the remarkably vibrant beer scene we experienced then has become, well, even vibranter.   Ellie, poor girl, had to work long hours during the day while I got to roam the streets checking out the best places to find great beers.   At least when Ellie got off work I had places to take her before she crashed for the night.   We’ll post a week or two of Beers of the Day by the Bay before returning to research for our book on Inns and Breweries of the Mid-Atlantic.

Interestingly, the downtown area of San Francisco, while awash with beers from the surrounding areas, has few brewing spots of its own.  In that regard it reminds us of New York, where you have to leave Manhattan and go to Brooklyn to really find a nest of breweries.  Away from downtown, several brewery taps thrive and public transportation gets you almost anywhere.  Beyond the city limits, of breweries ring the city, and many of them produce exceptionally good beers and the myriad of tap houses all over town tend to focus on local beers.  Name the style you like and you can find an excellent version of it, though at a price.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

San Francisco Stars #2: Old Kan Classic Cali Commons Ale, “Steam Beer” West Oakland, California

Date:  June 29 , 2019  —

The Story—  “Steam Beer” was once a fairly common name in brewing in California.  It was common in other countries too, such as Maisel’s Dampf (steam) Beer in Bayreuth, Bavaria.   A steam beer brewery also operated in the 19th and early 20th century in James River, Virginia.

The term steam has several potential origins.  Beer in San Francisco was produced in the late 29th century by chilling the hot wort in shallow pans on the roofs of the breweries and allowing the cold Pacific air to chill it to fermenting temperature.  The beer “steamed” as it cooled.   Another use on both sides of the Atlantic was to refer to a brewery that was using steam power to create artificial cooling.  The German steam beers were also fermented at high temperatures, though, and therefore although they were ales not lagers, they shared some of the same flavors.   Our favorite explanation is that the warm and quick fermentation led to excessively active fermentation and that when a barrel was tapped “steam” gushed out of the tap.  The last explanation gains credibility when you notice that pictures of steam brewery barrels had 7 rings around the barrel instead of the usual 5 to keep the barrel from bursting.

Anchor is not only the sole survivor of the steam breweries of the 19th century, Fritz Maytag trademarked the term “steam beer” — the current designation for that sort of beer is “California Common”, a term that apparently has historical roots as well.  Steam beers were considered cheap and rough get-drunk beers for workers and other low income consumers, and were generally scorned.   We’ll have much more to say about Fritz Maytag and Anchor Steam Beer in a later post in this series, but for now, we’ll turn out attention to a recent brewery’s take on the style.

Old Kan is an Oakland brewery and kitchen that revels in traditional styles and flavors.  Some day we’ll get there, but we were lucky enough to find their “Classic” at Coin Op, an amazing arcade and bar several blocks south of Union Square.  It’s made from Admiral Malts — a local maltery that is supplying a number of Bay Area craft breweries– and Northern Brewer hops, which probably are as good as any available hop to mimic some of the hop flavors of the 19th century.   The California steam beers relied on home-grown hops and it’s not clear exactly what they tasted like, but it may have been a pretty good reflection of the weeds that hops actually are.

We first encountered Anchor Steam beer in the early 1970s.  It had flavor.  The brewery no longer claims the steam beer they produce tastes very much like the steam beers of the turn of the 20th century — most probably showed a nasty sourness and by modern standards nearly undrinkable (except for sour fanatics).  But it did have a big malt character and some fruit from the high temperatures and open fermentation that Anchor continues to use.

Today, we believe Anchor when they say they haven’t changed ingredients or process since the early days when Fritz was trying to make the beer consistently drinkable, but in a world of Bell’s Hop Slam and even Tuppers’ Hop Pocket, Anchor now seems sweetly caramelized and just a tad dull.   (We still rate it a world classic, partly because every craft enthusiast owes so much to this path-breaker and partly because, for what it is, it’s still darned good.)

As we tasted the Old Kan Classic, though, we were transported back to the 1970s when Anchor shattered beer stereotypes and was one (though not the only) spark that ignited the craft revolution.   This beer now tastes to us the way Anchor Steam did to us then.   We freely admit that we’ve changed far more than Anchor, but we’re still grateful for this tiny brewery across the bay for rekindling the sensation we had in our first years of finding great beers.

The Beer–  Clean but not oppressive caramel; slightly nutty with some clean biscuit and some frisky fruit with a lingering clean bitter balance.  Just a hint of buttery diacetyl is more of an asset than a flaw in a beer like this.  We still respect Anchor — even if it’s owned by Kirin now– and it still defines the style.  However the hop balance makes this beer the beer we’d choose if we were to drink a six-pack in a session.

Value — Very good, maybe better.  We paid seven bucks for an honest pint.  At someone’s happy hour you could probably do better.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

We just got back from a week in San Francisco.   We hadn’t been there in eleven years and the remarkably vibrant beer scene we experienced then has become, well, even vibranter.   Ellie, poor girl, had to work long hours during the day while I got to roam the streets checking out the best places to find great beers.   At least when Ellie got off work I had places to take her before she crashed for the night.   We’ll post a week or two of Beers of the Day by the Bay before returning to research for our book on Inns and Breweries of the Mid-Atlantic.

Interestingly, the downtown area of San Francisco, while awash with beers from the surrounding areas, has few brewing spots of its own.  In that regard it reminds us of New York, where you have to leave Manhattan and go to Brooklyn to really find a nest of breweries.  Away from downtown, several brewery taps thrive and public transportation gets you almost anywhere.  Beyond the city limits, of breweries ring the city, and many of them produce exceptionally good beers and the myriad of tap houses all over town tend to focus on local beers.  Name the style you like and you can find an excellent version of it, though at a price.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

San Francisco Stars #1: Faction Pils, Alameda, California

Date:  June 28 , 2019  —

The Story— Pilsners are one of the most difficult beers to brew well.  If you’ve been doing it for 170 years, you’ve probably got it down by now, but great pilsners take both skill and time, and few new American breweries have the luxury to have the tank space to let the beers lager (age) as long as they should.

The dominant pilsner in the bay area is Trumer Pils — from an Austrian brewery that opened a brewery in Berkeley to produce a single a one hit wonder that has done well for them.   It claims to be a German pils, but we see it more as an Austrian pils (which, in Europe, it clearly is) that’s softer and slightly sweeter than the more crisp and bitter German pilsner and lighter and milder than the Czech originals.

But apparently you don’t need a couple of centuries or a few million to brew a pils well if you’re skilled enough.. and maybe a bit lucky.  Our first beer after landing at SFO blew us away.  Faction is a small mom and pop operation in Alameda, just south of Oakland and across the water to the East of San Francisco.

That first beer was at the B55 beer bar in the dazzling Marriott Marquis near Union Square.  The “View” bar at the top of the hotel offers stunning views after dark, but B55, tucked away on the viewless ground floor, offers a couple of dozen beers that include some local gems.   Faction was an amazing opening round in a week of very good beers.

The Beer–  This is a pilsner that I would almost take for granted in a small town brewery in central or northern Germany.  A clean pils malt sets the stage and leads to a lightly floral with some notes of Juicy Fruit and honeysuckle that are so typical of good German pilsners.  A mild but steady bitter makes it moreish, and a late hint of lemon makes us think that there may be some Lemon Drop hop in it.

Value — Good where we tasted it.  Very good at a less spiffy bar or at the brewery.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

We just got back from a week in San Francisco.   We hadn’t been there in eleven years and the remarkably vibrant beer scene we experienced then has become, well, even vibranter. In seven days we had the chance to taste beers from 28 local breweries.  Ellie, poor girl, had to work long hours during the day while I got to roam the streets checking out the best places to find great beers.   At least when Ellie got off work I had places to take her before she crashed for the night.   We’ll post a week or two of Beers of the Day by the Bay before returning to research for our book on Inns and Breweries of the Mid-Atlantic.

Interestingly, the downtown area of San Francisco, while awash with beers from the surrounding areas, has few brewing spots of its own.  In that regard it reminds us of New York, where you have to leave Manhattan and go to Brooklyn to really find a nest of breweries.  Away from downtown, several brewery taps thrive and public transportation gets you almost anywhere.  Beyond the city limits, of breweries ring the city, and many of them produce exceptionally good beers and the myriad of tap houses all over town tend to focus on local beers.  Name the style you like and you can find an excellent version of it, though at a price.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Sometimes We Just Stay Home and Drink #27: Rogue Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout.  Newport, Oregon

Date:  June 26 , 2019  —

The Story—  Rogue has been a pioneer in American brewing since the late 1980s. It started as a brewpub in Ashland before floods essentially forced them to a newer and more serious location.   In the early days of our waitstaff’s beer classes at Washington’s Brickskeller Saloon, Rogue was our go-to beer for several styles.  Head brewer John Maier, who still oversees the brews, made a rare public appearance on our stage and spent a far rarer loquacious evening with us.   John is funny, honest, and very smart without a trace of arrogance.    Our evening with him is one of the memories of those Brickskeller tastings I treasure most.

He won’t want me to say this, but under the right circumstances he’s a heck of a good public voice for Rogue brewing.  We’d all agree that he’s an even more gifted brewer, however, and he’s hit a grand slam with this year’s Rolling Thunder.  This beer shows that a good brewer can make great and interesting beer with skill and traditional methods without visiting the grocery store down the street to find something new to dump in the kettle.

Rogue churns out so many similar sounding labels– some of them contain redundant beers– that’s it’s a challenge to find the ones you haven’t found before even if you have a computer at hand.   The beers are always good and often at near bargain prices.  The Rolling Thunder, however, didn’t remind us of any of the Rogues we’d met before.

It’s not hard these days to find whiskey barrel beers and they range from ambers that show a kiss of the wood to off the wall sours–including many that should have stayed on the wall– from barrels that had served as wildlife refuges for a variety of yeasts and bacterial interlopers.  One of the earliest uses of barrels, though, and for our money still the best, was in the marriage of a still wet whiskey barrel and a rich dark beer.   Many brewers do those beers well, but Rogue stands out even in such good company.

A few days ago when I wrote the draft of this post, this was the best barrel Imperial that we had had all year and maybe ever.   Records are made to be broken, though, and their first place standing lasted about a week. Tomorrow we’ll begin featuring a series of the best beers beers we found during a week in San Francisco.   We’ll end that series with the extraordinary beer that just barely topped this absolute gem from Rogue.

Rogue has its own cooperage that turns out about a (physical) barrel a day that they use to produce their Rolling Thunder whiskey.   We believe Rogue is uniquely capable of producing a beer like this entirely in-house from wood to wonderful.

The Beer–  Rich, huge, dark and chocolate malts lead a parade of fruit, caramel and dark flavors.  This is a big beer —  there’s a big warming booze and a big whiskey barrel marching band featuring vanilla and even a hint of orange, with more dark chocolate serving as the last float in a tumultuous parade.  Ellie thought it was super: super thick, super huge, super smooth and super warming.

Value — Excellent.   A beer this could that costs little more than a lunch for two at McDonald’s is a very good reason to be thankful we live in a capitalist society.   When you’re sipping on this give a thought to the poor wine snob who is drinking a $90 bottle of something that isn’t nearly as satisfying.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

Sometimes we just stay home and drink beer — hundreds of them over the course of the year as we hunt for a new favorite.  The searching for the beer of the day never stops, so for a while, there will be fewer travel-oriented posts and just some to-the-point descriptions of beers we’ve enjoyed.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

 

Sometimes We Just Stay Home and Drink #26: Tröegs Impending Descent  Barrel-Aged Flavored Imperial Stout.  Hershey, Pa.

Date:  June 25 , 2019  —

The Story—  We’ve featured so many Tröegs beers on this site that one would think we had stock in the company.   We wish.

But there’s a reason why Tröegs gets so much attention from us.  Anyone who tries to do a “Ten Best Breweries” list is either delusional– or being paid nicely.   But it’s easier to identify “top tier” breweries — those that consistently turn out a wide range of excellent beer and take chances that succeed– at least some of the time.  The Scratch Series beers at Tröegs are always interesting and often very good and there’s something new every few weeks.  They’re the reason we detour to Hershey whenever we’re anywhere near.

Tröegs’s extensive barrel aging program is evident from your first step into the brewery.  You’ve greeted by a huge (for a somewhat small brewery) foeder and ranks of barrels fill other parts of the brew house.   Some of them are designed to produce wild and sour beers which we’ll happily leave to those whose stomachs are half a century younger than ours.

Tröegs has chosen to guild this Russian Imperial lily with vanilla beans and cocoa.  We’re still not sure it wouldn’t be better without the additions, but there’s no doubt they’ve used those ingredients with skill and good taste.   This is a big boozy chocolaty sipper that made me glad we took the detour.

Tune in tomorrow for a no-additives just-as-big barrel aged dark nirvana from Rogue.

The Beer–   Chewy with a huge boozy Bourbon that’s quickly matched by a ton of very dark chocolate leading to a rich long-lasting aftertaste.   If you crush a big chunk of unsweetened bakers’ chocolate, and mix it with a good vanilla ice cream, you’ll get a flavor that’s somewhat similar.  The 11.1% booze adds to the hops’ herbal pine and helps drive the dark sugars to a tasty ash.  So big. So good.

Value — Good, if not cheap.  Tröegs wouldn’t do as much aging as they do if they didn’t get a good return on their investment.   Think of your purchase as supporting the craft rather than depleting your bank account.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

Sometimes we just stay home and drink beer — hundreds of them over the course of the year as we hunt for a new favorite.  The searching for the beer of the day never stops, so for a while, there will be fewer travel-oriented posts and just some to-the-point descriptions of beers we’ve enjoyed.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”