Grumpy Beer Geek

Was missing Indiana so made a homemade pork tenderloin. Yummy.

It was quietly announced this week that the Anchor Brewing, the brewery that started the craft brewing movement and is responsible for bringing back to life so many of the popular craft beer styles that we enjoy everyday, has been sold to a conglomerate. Anchor Brewing, as close to a national treasure as the brewing industry in the United States will ever know, has been sold to the company that makes Skyy Vodka.

It had been rumored in the past few years that a member of the Maytag family was being groomed to take over the brewery when Fritz retired. But that obviously didn’t work out for someone. While we don’t really know what changes this will mean for the brewery, it can’t be good. And as we are want to do, our minds wander to the worst case scenario. Here are the things that I, if I were a grumpy pessimist, and I most certainly am, would believe will be coming.

Anchor Distilling, the makers of fantastic Old Potrero whiskey and rye, and Junipero gin will be split off and combined with the distilling facilities that make Skyy Vodka.

The portfolio of beer brands made by Anchor will drop to only the most profitable ones. Gone will be just about everything but the Steam beer.

And the big one, the one that I dread the most, the Potrero Hill home of Anchor Brewing for over 30 years will be closed.

I hope so much that I am wrong about all of the above.

Fritz Maytag, you broke my heart.

All of the SF Beer Week events and we hope you too, where ever you are, will raise a toast to Bill Brand tonight at 7pm. Bill Brand, the Bottoms Up columnist for the Oakland Tribune and an all around great guy, was hit by a MUNI train last night on the way home from an SF Beer Week event. He is currently in critical condition. Check out the column over at the Brookston Beer Bulletin for more information and to keep up to date on his condition.

Our thoughts are with you Bill, and we will certainly raise a glass in your honor tonight. Here’s to a speedy recovery, sir!

Toronado sent out an email to it’s minions today recapping all of the fantastic events coming to this most hallowed bar during SF Beer Week (2/6 – 2/15/2009).

SF Beer Week Kickoff – Friday, February 6th, 12:00PM

Join Napa Smith brewer Don Barkley as he taps the first keg of “Original Albion Ale” at High Noon. This beer is based on the recipe from the pioneering New Albion brewery, which was founded by Jack McAuliff in 1976. When New Albion closed in 1983, Don moved on to Mendocino Brewing company where he brewed Red Tail Ale, and one of the first “reputation” beers, Eye of the Hawk.

Port Brewing/Lost Abbey Night – Sunday, February 8th, 6PM+

Join Port Brewing’s Tomme Arthur for draft and bottle specials.

On Draft:
Judgment Day
Devotion
Red Barn
Avant Garde
Hop 15
Midnight Sessions
Old Viscosity
Lost and Found
Phunky Duck
and more

Special Bottles:

Veritas 004
Saints Devotion
Cable Car (on premise only)
and more.

Allagash Brewing Night – Monday, February 9th, 6PM+

Join Rob Tod of Allagash.

On Draft:
Curieux
Tripel
Odyssey
Interlude
Hugh Malone
Fedelta
Victoria
Victor
Black
Four

Bottle specials.

Russian River ‘Tion Night – Tuesday, February 10th, 6PM+

Join Vinnie Cilurzo for a night of draft and bottle specials.

On Draft:
Redemption- “Single” Blonde Ale
Perdition- Biere de Sonoma
Damnation- Strong Golden Ale
Salvation- Strong Dark Ale
Rejection- Black Beer
Defenestration- Hoppy Belgian Ale
Benediction- Abbey Double
Mortification- Quadruple

Sanctification- 100% Brettanomyces Fermented
Temptation- Sour Blonde Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels (batch 3)
Supplication- Sour Red/Brown Ale Aged in Pinot Noir Barrels (batch 3)
Consecration- Sour Dark Ale Aged in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels (batch 1)
Beatification- 100% Spontaneously Fermented Ale (batch 2)

Bottle specials including Toronado 20th Anniversary (on premise only)

Ommegang Beer and Cheese Night – Wednesday, February 11th, 6PM+

Ommegang Beers paired with a fine selection of cheeses.

Three Philosophers
Chocolate Indulgence
Ommegeddon
Grand Cru Rouge

Cheese pairings TBD

A Night of Ales – Thursday, February 12th, 6PM-9PM

Toronado, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, and the Homebrew Chef present A Night of Ales. Special beer pairings from the Firestone Walker cellar, commentary from brewmaster Matt Brynildson, and a six course tasting menu from chef Sean Paxton. Tickets are $95, available at the Toronado.

Check out the menu at www.homebrewchef.com.

And then, the king, the biggest, the best, and the craziest event of the week. Honestly the reason the SF Beer Week even exists, the Barleywine Festival!

16th Annual Barleywine Festival – Saturday, February 14th, All Day – Friday February 20th

Over 50 barlywines from around the country. Judging on Saturday, February 14th.

My liver already hurts.

My mantra for the week — stay hydrated, stay hydrated, stay hydrated.

If you want to keep up with the goings on at the best freakin bar in the world, join us on Facebook or follow Toronado on Twitter.

Good luck, I’ll see you on the other side.

In case you have been living under a rock, or just don’t know, SF Beer Week is just a few days away from kickoff. There are over a hundred events already scheduled over the 10 days starting this Saturday with the Bistro Double IPA Festival. The main event will be, as it should, the Barleywine Festival at Toronado starting 2/14 and going through the following week.

SF BEER WEEK will be a ten-day celebration of that legacy, showcasing the Bay Area’s brewing heritage with as many as 150 events. The week will be anchored by the Bistro Double IPA Festival, the Toronado Barleywine Festival and will end with a bang at the Celebrator’s Best of the West Beer Fest. In between there will be beer dinners, cheese and beer pairing events, other gourmet food events savoring our world-class cuisine, meet the brewer evenings, homebrewing demonstrations, music, films, and even a museum exhibition exploring the history of Bay Area brewing, from Monterey to Sacramento and beyond.

For a full list of the events, head on over to the SF Beer Week site and start planning out your week. Remember, keep hydrated. It’s a long week!

Here I am, sitting in Magnolia Gastropub, 4 beers deep into their excellent strong beer menu. Only 2 to go, listening to Grateful Dead. oh how I hate the Grateful Dead, but I love this place. It’s, the beer…

Gose To Heaven – imperial hefewiezen? Strong banana flavor, but in a good way. Nice, strong, an sweet.

Man, it’s tough to blog during Strong Beer Month. Drunk wife sitting next to me, making fun of me. iPhone spell correction making a mockery of my prose. Damn hard knock life.

Promised Land Imperial IPA – damn nice double IPA.

Old Magnolia Thunderpussy Barleywine – snicker – a damn nice, if a little less sweet than expected barleywine. Dark, complex, and hot.

Now, speaking of dark. The shining dark star, Smokestack Lightning Imperial Stout. I could drown as a happy man in this amazing beer! Rich, dark, wonderful.

Superbowl? Superbeer!

This just in… Beergeeks celebrating the winter solstice had their celebration ruined by annoying football fans. I wa knee deep in 20+ holiday beers when all of a sudden the Bears / Packers game appeared on the TVs here at Toronado. Instantly a rowdy group of swill drinking (overheard: can I get a Bud?) dorks descended on the bar. As I ordered my first Anchor Christmas ale of the evening, these football fanatics start yelling an shouting a the TVs like the players could hear them.

In other news, football watchers tend to refer to their favorite team as ‘we’ – as if their drinking beer 2500 miles away somehow makes them part of the experience. Unknown why this is – will do more research and report back.

Maybe I need to start some sort of a tag and release program to track their movements.
Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Interesting that the brand that labels itself as the “American Beer” will soon be part of a Belgian beer maker.  To that end, Samual Adams will, once the sale goes through, be the largest US Brewer and Bud will be just another over-priced import.

Oh how the times have changed.

(Please note, there is a healthy addition of sarcasm in the above post.  Your mileage may vary.)