Big Beer Weekend

Sorry it's been awhile.. house hunting, wrapping up a job, all that stuff makes for a big ol' timesuck FAST!

Anyhoo, this should prove to be a big beer weekend for the Beer Chicks. We'll be (of course) at Beer Friday at Devil's Canyon in Belmont, partaking in a few Scotch Ales, I imagine. Then on Saturday is the big daddy: The San Francisco International Beer Festival. We'll be volunteering at the festival through One Brick, and plan to enjoy many tasty brews at the volunteer after party! I just read on the beerfest website that they are releasing 100 additional tickets on Friday the 25th, first come first served, so if you don't have a ticket and you aren't volunteering, get your booty to Fort Mason tomorrow afternoon. I hope to taste test some new brews!

Speaking of new brews, I tried one earlier this week at a birthday party: Blue Moon's Honey Moon Summer Ale. Strike One: I didn't know that Coors was responsible for Blue Moon. I like Blue Moon, though it is generally too light for my tastebuds, but for a refreshing bit of light, it's quite tasty. In reading the box (someone brought a 12 pack), we all agreed that the fact that Honey Moon is actually brewed in Canada was a redeeming factor. However.... strike two: for a beer that claims to be brewed with orange and honey, I have to confess, I didn't taste even a hint of orange. It certainly had a honey taste, but zero citrus. Strike three didn't come until I read the review I linked above, though to be fair, I can't consider it a strike since I really didn't notice it at the time. Apparently it is terribly fizzy. Since I drank it straight from the bottle instead of pouring it into a glass, the carbonation wasn't as apparent. So my verdict: it was fine for a "party beer", but it isn't something I would buy for myself.

GOSH! I almost forgot about Ashley's- we DID get to pay a too short visit while I was in AA. Review coming soon!

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?