Lamb Takedown at the Thirsty Bear Brewery

For our Anniversary, I took the Lumberjack to the Lamb Takedown, a new (?) event at the Thirsty Bear Brewery in San Francisco.  I had never been to this local brewery but always meant to go, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to not only try out their beers, but also try some interesting edible treats.

It was sort of an Iron Chef event, where local chefs all had to do something exciting with a bunch of lamb.  My favourites were teams that had put some work into their display (see #14, tiny lamb cakes with pine nuts - they were delicious, yes, but also such a cute display!).

It was a pretty good set-up in the brewery - certainly crowded, but enough room to walk around and try some of everything.  My only concern was that there weren't a lot of places to stand where you could put down your plate &/or beer, which meant we frequently had our hands full.  Since I had wanted to try beer/lamb pairings, this made things tricky and a little frustrating at times.  But still, the food was delicious.

My two favourites both involved pickled things, which was surprising to me since I'm still learning to like the pickled flavour.  My number one choice was #9, the "Braised Lamb Buns" which had pickled radish, cucumber, and apricot/sriracha bbq sauce.  SO DELICIOUS.  The best part was that they provided little cups of extra sauce.  And that sauce was damn good.  My second choice, which I believe was the Lumberjack's first choice, and which earned Fourth Place in the People's Choice voting, was #16: Braised lamb with bluecheese and lemongrass and pickled onion on a little polenta bed.  Holy crap, so good.

And then, there was the beer.  I had the Howard Street IPA (IPA, 7% ABV).  It had a pretty honey colour, and just a little lacing.  It smelled like apricots, and tasted nice and fruity.  It had a sparkliness to it, which was a good match for the spicier lamb choices.  I really liked the hops, which were light and gentle, and added to the bubbly/sparkly nature of the beer.  Overall: I am a big fan.

The Lumberjack had Kozlov Stout (Dry Stout, 5% ABV).  It was quite solid and dark, with just a little foam on top.  It was nice and dry, very toasty.  The website says there's chocolate and coffee in there, but I didn't taste that - just the same, it was a really solid stout.  It wasn't too heavy or thick, which made it a good match for a food competition.  The darkness of it blended nicely with the dark lamb meat, especially on the heavier options like pastas and stews.

Later I tried their ESB, which I thought was tasty, and I think it was nitro because it was very smooth and soft.  But after drinking half the glass I got a little bored (as is probably obvious since I didn't take notes), and traded it with the Lumberjack for the rest of his IPA.  So good.

Final thoughts: fun event, good food, tasty beer.  Now I want to go back and get a flight so I can try the other options!

boyfriend and glassware

We try to always use correct glassware with our beers.  We are slowly purchasing all the different styles so that we can always use the right glass with the right beer.  This really does make the beer taste better...but also it's just fun for my little Virgo brain.

However.  Sometimes it's good to break the rules.  Yesterday, the Lumberjack surprised me after work with an impromptu picnic, complete with New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red (Fruit Beer, 5.1% ABV) which many of you may recall is impossible to buy in California (or anywhere outside Wisconsin).  Served in paper cups.

After a couple of difficult, stress/anxiety-inducing days, drinking Impossible to Find but So Delicious beer out of a paper coffee cup, while looking at the the Bay, with my Lumberjack: totally perfect.

And holy SHIT that beer is good.

Speakeasy Scarface Stout

At Rosamunde with Prius. We both got the Speakeasy Scarface Stout (Imperial Stout, 10.5% ABV), which we both found delicious. I exclaimed "wow, this is so good!" and she responded by throwing hers on the floor. Oops.

It had a delicious, deep roasted malt flavour.  Subtle on the coffee, like Speedway Stout - it's there, but it doesn't feel like you've got espresso grounds at the bottom of your glass.  This beer is very rich, and very smooth.  If it wasn't quite so high in ABV I would want to drink it all the time!  ...okay, who am I kidding - I want to drink it all the time regardless.  It's pretty damn good.  Luckily the bartender was very sweet and gave Prius another glass due to her excited accident.

It's only a special/seasonal release, so try it while you can!

15 Romolo

Happy Hour with the Lumberjack and the DMV. But they're late, so I can blog on my phone!

Green Flash (brewer of some of my favourites, like Le Freak) Hop Head Red (Amber Ale, 6.3% ABV). A little too hoppy for me at first sip, but once swallowed it's very sweet and mellows out instantly. Kind of like a science experiment in my mouth. Fun for tasting, but I don't think I would order it on a regular basis. But this is definitely a good beer, just not to my ideal taste.

Okay, time for my boys to show up.

Friday afternoon at Rosamunde

For a Friday afternoon treat, the Lumberjack and I headed over to Rosamunde for sausages and beer.  This is the best way to my heart.

I had Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale (Saison, 6.% ABV) which was quite delicious.  It was really pretty in the glass - a rich, honey colour with nice lacy foam left on the glass.  The flavour was much fuller than saisons usually have (in my opinion) so it had a nice weight to it.  There was a distinct lemon aftertaste.  Very smooth, no bitterness.

Basically, it's the perfect beer to drink on a warm spring early evening with breeze coming in the open windows at a restaurant, when it's still light outside.  I like matching my beer with the weather, and this pairing was a perfect 10.

The Port is open and the Abbey has been found....

We went back to the City Beer Store a few days later for the Lost Abbey/Port Brewing event.  All the beers on tap were special for the event, and a lot of them were interrelated or mixed together which seemed pretty creative to me (although I guess that's not terribly uncommon).

First up I had Lost Abbey Double Cherry Red Poppy (Sour Ale, 5.5% ABV).  It's a Flanders Style Sour Ale, and I thought it was totally delicious.  It was super sour when I first sipped it, but then I waited a second, and swallowed again and it was warmer and more sweet.  I like beers that have a slightly different aftertaste - I think some would call that "complex"?  It was foggy and dark red, and looked kind of like pomegranate juice.  It doesn't look very carbonated, but felt a little bubbly.  All in all, this was a really good sour beer.

I decided to stay in the sour realm and try Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme (Belgian Strong Ale, 11.5% ABV) next.  While the Lumberjack thought this was delicious - he said it was like the Double Cherry Red Poppy Emeril BAM style - and it rates a 100 on ratebeer, I have to say...not impressed.  There was no aroma and it tasted kind of bland, which was especially disappointing after enjoying the Double Cherry so much.  I gave the Lumberjack the rest of mine.

I tried a few other beers that I'm too lazy to type up, and then decided to taste Lagunitas Brown Shugga (Barleywine, 9.8% ABV), since the Lumberjack has been telling me for months that I'm going to love it.  And...as usual, he was right.  It had pretty lacing on the glass and tasted beautiful.  It had a light wheat flavor that I enjoyed - it's another beer that will be great on a hot sunny day.  Very sweet.  Good call, LJ.

Once we were done with the beer, we ate BBQ on Folsom.  Yeah, it was good.  Clearly my note-taking started suffering at this point.

AleSmith Session: Sip and Savor - Feb.6, City Beer Store

Our first official (I think?) Beer Week event was the AleSmith party at the City Beer Store.  There was a special tasting session at a restaurant across the street, so there was enough room to move about on our own (anyone who's ever been to the City Beer Store knows this can be a problem at the store!).

I specifically wanted to attend this event because of the Barrel Aged Speedway Stout.  I love Speedway Stout, and I love barrel-aged beer, so...you can imagine how excited I was.

This beer is just SO GOOD.

I wish I had a broader vocabulary when it comes to describing beer, because it's just so delicious and want to encourage everyone else to drink it.  You should try it.  It's syrupy, tastes strongly of coffee, and since it's barrel aged this version has a slight liquor-esque flavor to it.  It's basically just awesome.


Then we had AleSmith Decadence (Weizen Bock, 9% ABV).  Apparently this beer is a big deal, and people were super excited to try it?  Eh, I wasn't all that impressed.  If I had tasted it without all the "OMG I WANT DECADENCE NOW" hubbub, I might have liked it more.  It smelled really fruity, and strongly of brettanomyces which is one of my favorite beer scents.  It tasted like  bananas, and you can also taste the wheat which I usually don't like, but in this beer it was pretty good.  I guess I did like it.  I just didn't understand why everyone was so head-over-heels for it.  It has a nice bottle too.

Next up was AleSmith Lil Devil (Belgian Ale, 6% ABV).  I tried this on suggestion from the woman who runs City Beer Store.  She was explaining how the Lil Devil isn't available in bottles, and how it "feeds" the Horny Devil which is a big seller.  And she kept saying "it feeds the Horny Devil and brings a fuller, deeper flavor" and other things which were crying out for a "that's what she said" response, but I have learned that the rest of the world does not enjoy that comment as much as the Lumberjack and I do, so I kept that to myself.


The beer was really pretty, as you can see in the picture.  A sweet light beer, sort of lemony - apparently it has orange peels in it.  I approve!  It's a good beer for when it's sunny outside.  I tend to gravitate towards dark beers, which is good during the current time of year, but it's nice to branch out and find some lighter beers that I can drink when summer comes around.

Oh and then I tried AleSmith Horny Devil (Belgian Strong Ale, 11% ABV) to experience "the fuller taste explosion" that I was promised.  I'll just leave you with my direct words: "Oh.  Oh, no no no.  That tastes like vomit."

At that point I went back to my old standby and got a sample of regular Speedway Stout to have with dinner.  This hamburger was probably the most amazing thing I ate all weekend.  Smoked gouda cheese!  Amazing!  And stouts and burgers go so well together.  Deeeeelicious.


Then we headed across the street to get some bottled beers at City Beer Store.  The Lumberjack found his new favorite beer: Fifty Fifty Imperial Eclipse Stout (Imperial Stout, 9.5% ABV).  He had the green wax top which was brewed in Heaven Hill barrels.  His review was short, but overwhelmingly positive.  I also thought it was pretty good, but tasted a little too strongly of bourbon for me.


I tried Nectar Ales Black Xantus (Imperial Stout, 11% ABV) which was aged in bourbon barrels.  This beer had been recommended to me by a friend, and she did not steer me wrong!  My entire recorded review was "it's fucking awesome."  I found it a little sweeter, and less bitter than Speedway Stout.  The bourbon flavor is there, but not too strong.


So what did I learn today?  I really love bourbon barrel-aged beer, and that the movie Legion is a horrible, horrible film that no amount of beer can make better.