Ooooh. La. La.

YUMMY. That is the only word I can use to describe Arbor Brewing's Larry Hoppe Imperial IPA. Brewed in honor of Mr. Hoppe, a huge fan of and seller of ABC's beer, this one hits it out of the park: FIVE different hops in the boil and THEN they dry hop with one pound per barrel. Heaven! This is the first beer that has moved us to bring home a growler- and at 9% ABV, we're taking bets as to whether we'll be able to ration it out so as not to waste it on drunken tastebuds. Get thee to ABC, as this is a limited edition!!

Wine country weekend

Back from a very nice, mellow weekend in wine country... we had wine club events at Mayo in Sonoma and Peterson in Healdsburg, plus a special private tour with Mantra and stops at Maurtison and Seghesio. We had a great time! The Peterson event was a wine blending seminar, and we all got to bring home a bottle of our "special blend", mine called "I Can't Believe It's Not Zin". :-)

On Friday night, after a long evening of wine, we stopped for dessert and I got to try a beer I'd never had before: Avery Brewing's IPA, from Boulder, CO. Tasty and hoppy, it didn't pair with chocolate bread pudding and vanilla gelato so well, but it was yummy all on it's own. It was the perfect antidote to all that red wine!

BTW- if you're ever passing through Glen Ellen, be sure to stop by the Garden Court Cafe for breakfast or lunch: homemade sausages, jams & jellies, whole wheat bread, sticky buns... good stuff.

Beer Friday!

Another successful Beer Friday is now one for the books, with a very fun crew visiting the good peeps at Devil's Canyon Brewing in Belmont. Devil's Canyon is located in an industrial area with no fancy pub or anything, and the last Friday of the month they open their doors to those who enjoy a good brew in a casual environment. They bring in a band or 2, offer some BBQ for those who get hungry, and tap a few kegs of the many different beers that they brew. Last night they offered Silicon Blonde, Full Boar Scotch Ale, Lager Diabla, California Sunshine, Deadicated Amber, Hades Habanero, a Stout and an IPA that I didn't catch the name of, and of course, housemade rootbeer!

I personally sampled the Scotch Ale, IPA and Amber. The Full Boar Scotch Ale has won numerous awards for good reason! It's malty, balanced and "filling" with a beautiful caramel color and an almost smoky finish. Definitely one of the better Scotch Ales I've tasted! The IPA was a classic India Pale Ale - hoppy with a deep golden color, not to be trifled with. Heck, after those two "heavier" beers, I had to switch to the lighter Amber or fall over that fine line into silly. (thank goodness I had a driver!)

Perhaps we can persuade some of last night's crew to offer their opinions on the other offered beers? Anyone? Anyone?

Hairy Eyeballs

OMG that was one incredible Super Bowl game! I can't remember the last time the Super Bowl was actually a competitive, close game. I was screaming my head off, trying to avoid spilling my beer as I jumped up and down! (and where were all the beer ads? nobody but Budweiser had any ad budget this year??)

As previously reported, I tried three beers during the game (see previous post). Of the 3, the Mendocino Brewing Imperial IPA was my favorite. It was a flavorful winter beer- the kind that gives you a nice warm feeling inside. :-) The Hairy Eyeball lived up to its name- most people who tasted it made a "wow- that is indeed hairy" kind of face. I didn't dislike it, but it is far from my favorite Lagunitas brew. The Sacramento Brewing Red Horse is a solid middle ground between the other two. Sort of a "work horse" beer (pardon the pun)- solid, not too light, not too heavy, nice and smooth, the kind of beer you have with dinner.