Bistro 9th annual Double IPA Festival

Hit up the Bistro in Hayward's 9th Annual Double IPA festival on Saturday with some friends. What a great time this event is. There were close to 50 Double IPA's from around the U.S. to be had. This event is the annual kick off to SF Beer Week.



Didn't make it close to trying them all of course. But some personal highlights for me were:

Pizza Port Solana Beach Lou P. Lin

Triple Rock Imaxx

Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale

Marin White Knuckle

Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental




The judging went like this:

1st place: Pizza Port Carlsbad Poorman's IPA

2nd place: Triple Rock Imaxx

3rd place: Bear Republic: Apex

People's choice: Pliny The Younger




The weather was quite nice for the majority of the day. Making an already great day more enjoyable.






Beer Advocates out in full force.



Thanks to the Bistro staff for putting on a great event.

Inauguration day brews

Ale To The Chief! Exciting times. Celebrated with a couple inauguration inspired brews.

I picked up a bottle of Half Moon Bay's "Obama 08 Presidential Ale". Upon a closer look when I got home I discover it's just their Harbor Light Ale packaged up in a fancy label that features our president. Not my favorite style for sure, but there was nothing wrong with the beer. Nice and faintly hoppy. Better than the other examples of this style out there.



Also had an Avery Ale To The Chief. A double IPA from Avery Brewing in Colorado. Huge aromas of piney & citric hops. Tastes of HUGE pine & citrus oily hop bitterness with a distinct sweet maltiness. Not balanced as the hops rule the show here, but that's what a double IPA should be.

Cheers!

SF Beer Week is coming

San Francisco beer week is coming up soon. I for one can't wait. Events will be held all over the greater SF Bay Area. Bookended by the Bistro's awesome Double IPA Festival on Saturday Feb 7 and the classic Toronado Barleywine Festival on Saturday Feb 14.

There will be an invite only event at Anchor Brewing on Feb 6th with a special ceremonial keg tapping of something unknown at this point. Wish I knew the details. Apparently info is coming soon on how to get tickets.

Events in the South Bay and Santa Cruz as well. Red Restaurant is hosting a beer dinner with Santa Cruz's Uncommon Brewers. Firehouse in Sunnyvale will have 2 events, a beer & cheese pairing and a beer & chocolate dinner hosted by Pete Slosberg. Red and Firehouse are both regular stops for me. Excited. Yeah.

http://www.redsantacruz.com/

http://www.firehousegrill.com/

The SF Bay Area is one of the best places in the US, or the world for that matter, for great beer. Top notch breweries, great pubs that seek out great beer to bring us, and great bottle shops. Recognize.

21st Amendment and Magnolia will also be hosting February Strong Beer Month. High gravity goodies will be on tap at both locations all month long! Cask and barrel aged brews will be on at select times as well.

http://www.21st-amendment.com/


http://www.magnoliapub.com/

The whole calender of events is up on the SF Beer Week official webpage here:
http://www.sfbeerweek.org/