you know those books that list 300 things you must try? chances are half of what’s in there is unobtainable. so why not make your OWN book. 500 Beers is your book that contains everything you need capture all the unique beer that you are drinking. it contains space to log the details of your quest for trying beers close to your home or around the world. there is space to write the what, where, and when for each beer. and there is lots of space for notes, pictures and labels. this is a living book. it’s up to you to make it yours.

inside there are four types of pages:
a detail page where you list the beer, brewery, style, location you drank it and the date.
a progress bar that you fill in so you have a visual time line of just how many beers have made the list.
the grid pages are there for doodles, pictures, maps, specific notes or anything else you might want to capture.
mark maps in the back of the book where you beer came from. there’s even room for you own maps.

500 Beers is a fun way to learn about beer.

buy the book from our robot printer called Lulu now.

it’s sooooo close…

1) I don’t like the cover art. so that gets changed. fixed. see the revised cover above.
2) the text and the margins are wrong on some of the pages on the wire wound version. too close and too big. fixed.
3) watch that edge. seriously. fixed.
4) it’s obvious that some pages are in the wrong place. reflowed.
5) smaller type in places. yep, make the typeface smaller. make the typeface small. made smaller.

here’s the snaps.

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before you head out for IPA Day download and “fold a book” containing information about India Pale Ale. it’s easy to make. all you need is a printer and some scissors. there is no glueing, taping or stapling required. print as many as you like and hand them out at your IPA Day event.

IPA Day fold-a-book PDF link.
IPA Day fold-a-book JPEG link.

want to make your own book? the pocketmod tool will help you.

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here’s a gallery of the sketches that were the basis for the fold-a-book. some things changed, stuff got cut, and some of it stayed exactly like it was imagined.

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Thursday, August 4th is IPA Day. the idea is for you to introduce your friends to a craft made IPA. which is a fine thing to do. but there are some things you might want to consider before you take the advice on what to introduce to your pals. IPA is a big bold beer compared to what passes for a “normal” beer. it’s full of aroma and is often very bitter. these are two characteristics that make it very different. and not everyone will share your enthusiasm for these things because they are counter to what we’ve been told to like by marketing. just because it’s the go to beer and favorite among craft beer drinkers doesn’t mean that a Bud Light drinker will like it. don’t be surprised if they just can’t take the intenseness of IPA and order something else tasty for them.

another thing to consider is that the middle of summer is not the best time to introduce this beer. we’ve found that the hotter the temperature makes less hoppy taste even better. a crisp Pilsner or Kolsch can be amazing on a hot day (conversely when it’s cold these styles might taste too thin).

there are a few things that continuously bug us about IPA.

- none of it is going to India. so there’s no reason to call it this anymore.
- if you look up the recipe for IPA from the books publish 150 years ago you will find something not that much more then the Pale ale of the time. these beers were aged in barrels of unknown conditions for at least 120 before they were consumed. this is very different from the out of the fermenter and into the serving tank in 14 days repeat that the local breweries have to maintain.
- lots of people order IPA because it’s the simplest thing to order on the beer list. having clever names doesn’t help the knob buying beer.
- or they are ordering the beer because its the highest ABV on the list. they aren’t drinking it for the hops, balance or aroma. it might as well be Colt 45.

all that said, we think it’s fine to have an IPA day. but there is the question about the other 4o styles of beer… are we going to have days for them too? it might have been better to start with plain old Pale. not as hoppy and way more accessible as a style coming from a yellow fizzy beer. or Stout. mostly because it has the challenge of color. but we’d skip Guinness and pour one of the richer beers instead. or we might just order up a local Pilsner and do a side-by-side tasting with the other person’s favorite beer.

okay IPA lovers it’s your turn. drag your friends to the pub but please keep in mind what this beer is and how you long it took for you to love it.

link with more info about IPA Day.

IPA Day fold-a-book JPEG link.
IPA Day fold-a-book PDF link.

Beer with food pairing dinners are a great way to learn a lot about beer in an evening. usually these events are structured in a way that will leave you happy and full. if you’ve never been to one of these events here’s some things you can expect.

the beers won’t be a full pint. and this is a good thing. sometimes you won’t like the beer that is in front of you. which means that you’ll be dumping it in the bucket. and while it seems unfair to the beer imagine dumping a whole glass.

the food won’t be big either. remember these are portions designed for pairing. usually each beer has something that it goes with. meaning in an evening you’ll have 5-9 “courses” which turns out to be a lot of food.

this means that smaller is better. you’ll get to try more beer and eat a large diversity of food. but more importantly you don’t want to get “full” unless you like this feeling.

somebody will want to talk. this is the part of the learning part. usually your guide will tell you about the style of beer that is in front of you, what the brewer had in mind while making it and possibly a funny story to wrap it up. usually brewers and owners are quick with their words allowing you to get back to your own tables conversation.

speaking of your table, be sure to introduce yourself to everyone. you never know who will be next to you. we’ve met beer writers, judges, geeks, travelers and home brewers all of whom have a ton of knowledge that is relevant to the evening.

sometimes these things seem like they cost a lot of money. but added up it’s not that much more compared to a regular night out. remember this is part classroom, part show and a chance to try things that you might otherwise ignore or miss.

do and don’ts
if you’d like more beer be sure to finish what you already have.

before you dump a beer ask you table if they would like to finish it. somebody will appreciate that you asked.

try all the beers. don’t skip one just because you don’t like the color. who knows, that barley wine may be the best thing you’ve ever tried.

it’s a marathon not a sprint. you are going to sample food and beer for over 3 hours. so go slow. enjoy the whole night.

it’s ok to ask questions! ask your table, your hosts and the brewers.

upcoming events:

Beer School at 21st Amendment August 2011

Explore Your Craft featuring beer from Widmer Brothers:

San Francisco – August 13th
Orlando – October 18th
Seattle November 19th

I’m sure you’ll be able to find at least one beer event in your area. and if you don’t see one listed on this handy guide and calendar it’s easy enough to make your own event. you could get a selection of different beers, invite your friends over and have a night of tasting. or you could visit one of the 1600 breweries around the country for a tour. or you could just have a night out with pizza and some tasty beer.

hopefully you won’t have the problem that the crazy “city name beer week” events like San Francisco, San Diego and Philadelphia create which is back to back to back events or multiple events on the same night that are “must attend or you’ll miss it”. it’s a lot of fun to have so many things to choose from but we’re happy that it’s only once a year.

Links:
here is the resolution from the 11th Congress.
find an event in your area.
video of the resolution 1297 being past. [snooze]

join us for National Home Brew Day May 7, 2011 where people from all over the world show the art of making home brew.

there is no better way to learn about brewing beer then to brew beer with people that know how to brew. every brewer that we know is more than happy to have you come over to watch, stir the mash, clean the kettle or man the grill. be sure to bring your favorite craft beer to share because a brew day is a long day.

this year the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), which organizes the Big Brew celebration, selected three recipes for 2011: a traditional English version of an India Pale Ale, a Wit, and a Porter. the three recipes can be found here.

Homebrewers who would like to register their Big Brew event still have time to do so online. Or, those looking to participate, learn the basics of the hobby or simply enjoy the camaraderie of homebrewing can find a local site to visit on Saturday. most of the events around the country will start at noon. but check with your host for the exact times.

for more information, links, and recipes visit the Brewers Association page about Big Brew day.

it’s all a blur. at least it is now. 10 days of SF Beer Week came and went. keep in mind that SFBW is surrounded by Strong Beer Month.

there are a few things that we learned in the 3rd year of this event: it’s impossible to get to everything, it’s easy to get tired, and everyone wants to be part of it. the new thing this year were lines. long ones. every single place and event that we attended was packed. it didn’t matter that it was Monday or Tuesday the world was out wanting to try beer. meaning the SF Brewers Guild did an excellent job of getting the word out.

we met lots of people who came in specifically for the week. like the guy from the East Coast (sorry, your card got lost) who planned his vacation around the week. or the couple that drove in just to try Pliney the Younger. and our friends that braved the line for Barley Wine.

lots of these events are over attended because of the echo chamber effect. that is because everyone is talking about the events everyone shows up. they’ve out grown their venue to the point of needing a new place because of the crush. but a venue change will also make the event change radically. imagine the Barley Wine festival with 10X the attendance. even in a bigger place it would still be a sea of people. changing the organic feeling of an event might push away the passionate beer geeks. there are lots of examples of festivals that we don’t go to because of they corporate vibe and the dick-ish nature of the attendee.

the other surprise this year was how some events were too popular. the Nano tasting at Social Kitchen was the best example. the line was so long that the organizers started turing people away. the buzz on Twitter about that was not kind. we started to make our way there but changed our destination baed on this buzz. hopefully organizers will remember this kind of problem for next year.

our strategy for surviving the week was simple. get there early or get there really late. most of the beer that we wanted to try was still pouring late into the night. often we got the next to last pint of whatever or we got the last last glass that was half full. this year we skipped the big beer dinners which are mini marathons in the bigger marathon. we like these dinners but we’d like to see them all year round and not just big events during beer week.

Valantines day massacre ‘Tion Fest, Strong Beer School, rare flights, one keg of Younger, meet another brewer, all of the Sierra Nevada 30′th beers, barrel aged something something, sour OMG this is sour, Barley Wine lead up to the Celebrator Party on Sunday where exhaustion had set in. it wasn’t that we didn’t want another beer but what specific beer we wanted. having tried so many things during the week it was kind of nice to have a half a pint of the freshest Trumer Pils on the planet. even if it was in the wrong glass it was just the thing for the end of the week. we poured beer for a while. and then it was over.

it was clear just how much work the organizers, brewers, and everyone else put into the week. it’s not something that “just happens” although it seems like it is while being part of it. see you next year!

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it’s here again. San Francisco Beer Week. there’s too much to do and too much to see and too many beers to drink in just one short 10 day week. the only way to make it to the end is to go in with a plan. honestly, if you stick to what you start with everyone will be amazed.

there’s lots of tools to help you plan on the website. there’s a calandar, an iPhone app, there’s twitter.

the biggest problem with SFBW is that there are too many things to do. some nights have overlapping events. and there’s no way to attend both things without losing the ability to stand in the end. you have to choose even if it kills you. we’d like to tell you to avoid the popular places and instead head out to the lessor filled halls but we know you won’t. everyone wants to be in with all the other cool kids. the only thing we can say is the quote, “nobody goes there anymore. it’s too popular.”

the solution to that is to go late. or get there early. we are fans of the Barley Wine Festival at the end of the day. it’s a crush during the day in a way that makes it unfun even if you have a team helping you retrieve and try 60 different beers.

beer dinners always sell out. so if you were waffling about what to attend now is the time to make the reservation. beer pairing dinners are often epic events. often you’ll get to taste that nobody else will get to try. and because it’s special beer the food that goes with it will be extraordinary. the downside (if there was a downside to food) is that the dinners can be long even though they tend to start early (6-7PM).

drink water. there are some people that say you should even the score. one beer followed by one water. this can be too much. sometimes it’s better to just have a water because you feel like one not because you are keeping score. but no matter what, don’t forget to have some H20.

take time off. yes, there’s a need to be part of every single day because you don’t want to miss anything. but taking breaks will help you. not to mention your pocket book.

don’t drive. please. don’t. BART, bus, cab, train, street car, cable car or find a DD.

taste instead of drink. it’s a mind set that makes you want a whole pint of beer. but this week it’s about a different experience as everyone is bringing out all these special things. tasting beer is different than committing to a whole pint. it’s about turning on your senses to enjoy the aroma, mouth feel and tastes. taking notes and pictures will help you remember what you want to get back to when the event is over.

take pictures. the week will be a blur but the camera will capture it. we’ll put the pictures that we snap during the week as posts to so you what you are missing.

remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint. it’s a party that lasts for 9 days. 1 more day than the Beatles 8 Day Week. you start to feel the effects of it by the third day. drink less. drink smaller. share what you are tasting.

in case you need more tips here’s our previous post about SF Beer Week.

have fun. enjoy.

news about the Brewing Network’s Winterfest 2011 comes just two weeks before the event. last year it was held at the Linden Street Brewery. the food was good, the beer was good and the after party at a previously unknown dive bar was too much fun.

The East Bay-based craft beer radio company, The Brewing Network, is back for its 2nd Annual Winter Brews Festival to jump-start the local craft beer appreciation season.

With more than 30 world class breweries on tap, visitors will enjoy unlimited tastings from breweries such as the 21st Amendment, Gordon Biersch, Lagunitas, Magnolia, and Triple Rock. This Winter Brews Festival promises to expose beer lovers, new and experienced, to a variety of tasty beers, as well as raise awareness and funding for two local non-pro?ts; the Coral Reef Alliance and BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit bulls).

$40 gets you into for tasting beer from these local breweries (purchase a ticket early and spend 5 bucks less to get in):
21st Amendment Brewery
Firestone Walker Brewing
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers
Moonlight Brewing
Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery
Triple Rock Brewery
Drakes Brewing
Uncommon Brewers
Lagunitas Brewing
Gordon Biersch Brewing
Firehouse Grill and Brewery
Stone Brewing
Iron Springs Pub and Brewery
Black Diamond Brewing
Lost Coast Brewery
Bison Brewing
Sudwerk Brewery
Shmaltz Brewing

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