CulturAle Press

San Francisco Stars #11 Triple Voodoo Corpse Point Black Common Lager, San Francisco

Date:  July 9, 2019  —

The Story—  Triple Voodoo is fairly typical of newish brewery taps these days: lots of beer choices and enough room to enjoy them.  It has the advantage of sitting steps away from the
“T” line tram that runs down 3rd street so its easier to get to than many of SF’s other small craft houses.

We were intrigued by their idea of brewing a “Black Common Lager.”  “California Common” is the name imitators of Anchor Steam beer use to avoid getting sued by whoever owns Anchor at the time, but we’ve never seen any stray so far from the common path to make a dark version.  Interestingly, the people at the bar had never heard the term “California Common” despite living in the city of the style’s birth.   We’ll have more to say about Steam Beer in tomorrow’s post.

The Beer– Very dark.  Chewy and slightly herbal, the black malt has a bit of an edge and a fruity tartness piles on.  Happily all the flavors are somewhat understated.  I probably wouldn’t order a pitcher, but it was a pleasant curiosity that didn’t have to be as tasty as it was.

Value — Good.  A half a buck cheaper than the usual $8 a pint.

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.”