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.

I want to thank everyone for making their way to the event that marked the beginning of Strong Beer Month and drinking my first commercial beer. Chad and McDole (of the Brewing Network) were already there when I arrived. and that was just the beginning of wave of all of my friends. Richard from Elizabeth Street Brewing (who has a real fake pub in his basement) brought his kids who helped ring the bell. his beer is really good in double double form. I can’t really describe how all this felt. even hung over like hell it’s still an amazing buzz. I’m sure this gets old at some point. but I don’t know how it could.

here are some highlights: Tasty egging me on that I need to brew more. the girl who lost her mind when I told her I brewed the beer she was drinking. my friends saying “I really like your beer!” and then ordering another one. hearing random people saying “I love this!” and finally punching the “get a free glass score card” for my beer.

I don’t think I took enough pictures. but here’s some of the ones I managed to take.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfoster … 211276221/

and that’s just the first day. there’s a whole month left. GET HERE!

back in October. and more specifically October 8th. the entire gang was hanging out at Pi Bar. the place had just opened so we were all excited about drinking beer and eating another take on pizza. turned out it was a fun night.

it was ShaunO who said, “you know, we really need to brew a beer call Beer School. you can help make it. anything you want to make. seriously, let’s do it!” I was floored, excited and scared all at the same time. and the question “what to make” started pinging around in my mind. oh so many things to make. it was why I was scared.

I knew right off that I didn’t want to make an IPA. a Pilsner would be good but not something I normally drink. Porter, Stout, maybe an angry pale… so many styles. and just one batch.

then I started thinking about 9 years of drinking beer at 21st Amendment. that’s right nine. surely there was something that was a one-off that I wanted to re-create or build on. after a lot of thought I remembered two things that were accidents that would be fun to re-make and re-take.

the first was a beer made by accident was brewed when the Blonde was pouring during the second year of the new ball park. the people from the park were fans of the 21a so they helped get beer in the park. while ShaunO was brewing a batch he go distracted so lots more grain went into the mash. it was later revealed that the beer was 8%. which gave it lots more body compared to the way it normally thin-ness. it was good! it was also the best deal in the park for beer that cost $6.00

last year Jesse was dry hopping the IPA or so he thought. the hops went into the Blonde instead making a beer that got sold as Summer Ale. it wasn’t over the top hops. but it really took the beer into a different direction.

needless to say, neither mistake has ever been repeated. and what was the inspiration for the beer that I wanted to make. that is TWO wrongs make a RIGHT. so that’s what the beer called Beer School is. specifically it’s an 8.5% dry hopped Blonde.

once I knew what I wanted to make I talked about it with Jesse. he said, “we can make that!” so it was just a matter of scheduling when.

the TXT came in the middle of December, “You still want a dry hopped Imperial blonde?” I replied, “yes.” later that day we talked about the beer at the brewery. we talked about the when and what. the hops were going to the be problem. Cascade, Simcoe and Chinook would make it very IPA like. we didn’t want to make a blonde IPA. even held back it might be too much. we decided to defer the hops until brew day.

at last the call came from Jesse. “your beer is on for December 31. you in for a 9 to 5?”

brew day. or actually the night before. I was like a little kid. I couldn’t wait the same way same way that you couldn’t wait for your birthday party, the tooth fairy or the fireworks. I was totally excited.

brew day got me out of bed, onto a bus, then a train and to the 21a at the crack of 9. Jesse was already filling the mash tun with 168 degree water. from there we wasted no time mashing in. you have to pull grain around otherwise it piles up in places. periodically you have to pull grain up to stir it. after it filled it had to sit for a while.

Jesse left me to do all of that. he left me with the task to hook up two valves on the main fermentor, cap a port that we wouldn’t use and hook a red “hose” to the bottom valve. “I’m picky about how the valves go.” was his only instruction. I compared what was already installed on the other tanks then did exactly that. the one thing I noticed was the the wrench to tighten the nut was exactly where I would have put it.

the grain in the mash tun acts like a filter containing all the husks and bits of broken grain. this allows the wort to go into the kettle without lots of contaminates that might make the beer taste off.

the 21a brewery is small and it lacks a hot liquor kettle. this means that a fermentor tank has to be used to hold water heated in the kettle to be used for sparging. a pump system makes this possible. sparging took almost 2 hours slowly filling the kettle with wort.

the emptying the spent grain process is pure caveman work. fortunately gravity is there for the assist. it took six trips to the recycle bin to empty all the grain.

it didn’t take long for the boil to start. my brother Matt got to dump the hops (Magnum) in at the start. there wasn’t anything to do at this point so we all had lunch. an hour later we started a whirlpool and added the other hops (willamette).

Jesse made a stack of valves, visual pipe and clamps that looked like something your could use in a Men in Black movie. this was used to harvest yeast from an existing brew in one of the fermenters. the yeast was stuck so it needed a shot CO2 and water to make it go. the yeast was captured in 12 feet of hose. then this hose was hooked to the pump connected to the kettle so as the beer was used to move the yeast into the tank all in one shot.

about the time the kettle was emptied into the fermenter was when everyone showed up. Motor, Nils, Torstin, Gabby, Phil, Thomas, Matt, Beth, Melissa, Catherine, Brandi and Hallie. about the time when everyone was leaving ShaunO and Stephenee showed up. from there we rolled to Richard’s to party in the Elizebeth Street Brewery until the midnight clock struck the new year.

two weeks later the fermenting finished meaning it was time to add more hops. we talked about what that hop or hops might be. then I smelled them, crushed them, and combined three different hops together to make what we would add. let’s just say that as much as I like the hops in an IPA none of those made it into the beer. all that sat for a while before the beer was filtered.

the beer called Beer School will be on during the month of February as part of the collaboration between Magnolia and 21st Amendment. SF Beer Week also falls during the same time frame.

if you want to come to the release party be sure to watch here for the date and time. you could also email us at info@beerschool.com with the title Get Here and we’ll email the details.

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everyone knows that how I feel about top 25 lists based on subjective reality. it’s pointless to numerate things sitting around a table because the discussion turns into a negotiation or a fight with “if that’s on this list then this needs to be as well. okay, if that’s on then this is off. oh yeah, it just wouldn’t belong now….” see how that goes? it’s like arguing with a 20 something about the top greatest bands of all time. from their point of view Zepplin, Stones, Eagles and the Beatles aren’t even close to the top while Blink182, Smash Mouth and No Doubt take their place.

the guys (or maybe guy. and apologies if you aren’t a guy) over at appellationbeer.com made a list to help us make lists of things. here’s the link to that. but it was the quote at the top that got me thinking, “that’s right, I’ve never made a top anything list.” and to make a list I just have to answer the question posed.

Stan, just to throw a hot potato back at you: if, under penalty of death, you were compelled to come up with a list of the world’s 25 best, what would it be? Actually, I don’t care what the list is as much as I wonder what criteria you would apply to come up with it.

so here is a list. I’m going to make it an unconventional list just because. my criteria? because it was fun. and because I don’t like lists it has to be funny. maybe it’s also partially serious. discussion to follow.

#1 insert your favorite beer here. it’s not a list unless your beer is on it somewhere. so it might as well be here. Beer School rules apply, I like what I like, and you don’t have to like what I like. fill in this blank with what you like. oh, you’re stumped. daunting isn’t it?

#2 Budweiser. yeah, yeah. call it swill, make fun of it, don’t drink it because you are above it. but have you tried a Bud lately? no, you haven’t. it’s really good beer. find one that was made yesterday. it will blow your mind.

#3 whatever I’m hung up on right now that’s brewed locally. there are local beers that come and go based on the season. the winter brings barely wine, spring has something less bold and more hoppy, summer is all about what goes with the lawnmower, fall is harvest and octoberfest, winter warmer. repeat. seasons change, so does the number three beer in the world.

#4 remember that beer we had at that festival we kept drinking all day… didn’t they make just one barrel of it? that was awesome!

#5 Mike McDole’s home brew. boy oh boy can that boy brew.

#6 you know on the Twitter when I say “get here!” I’m not kidding. whatever that was is gone. sucks that you didn’t get to try it.

#7 context beer. a beer that I had that was amazing because I had it at the same time something else was going on. I remember the good time so well that the beer that goes with the memory sticks out. thing is, it’s never been as good since.

#8 Geuze. doesn’t matter which one because they are all awesome. every one. find one. buy several. it’s really great isn’t it?

#9 New Glarus Fat Squirrel. you’ve heard of the Cherry and the Raspberry made with local fruit grown only in Door County. but have you had beer made from squirrel? check this out. they add squirrel like a hop addition at every part of the brew. seek this out. something this unbelievably good has to be on every list.

#10 something made by Vinnie.
#11 something made by Rodger.
#12 something made by Tomme.
#13 something made by ShaunO or Jesse or Zambo.
#14 something made by Matt.
#15 something made by Greg.
#16 something made by Dave or Ben.

#17 free beer has to be here somewhere. that’s right, free as in beer. it really doesn’t matter the rank as it’s free. sure somebody had to pay for it but it wasn’t you. you get to drink it with abandon. sometimes all you have to do to get free beer is ask. like Bob who said, “I believe there will be no charge for this Two Four of beer!” with such authority that he got all the free beer he wanted. I’ve had all the beers on this list as free beers. which makes them doubly good. I’ve also had the worst beer in the whole world for free. doesn’t matter either way as it’s free beer.

#18 Sierra Nevada Pale.

#19 Budweiser Chilada Lite because it’s never been on a top 25 list ever. be sure to get this into a snifter glass for the full visual effect.

#20 Anchor Liberty Ale. not just because it’s awesome but because everyone will bitch that a different IPA needs to go in this slot. the other bitch will be why isn’t this up there above Sierra? because I like Sierra better okay?!

#21 any six pack snuck into a movie theater. the sound the bottle (or can) makes as it rolls up to the front never gets old.

#22 a case of something you thought was the bomb in college. not because it’s a top 25 beer but so you can find out that it’s really bad. now wonder how you ever liked it the first place. or even how you stayed with beer to become the geek you are today. yeah, how did that happen?

#23 Black Albert from De Struise. only because it’s nearly impossible to get or was. maybe they make more of this now. maybe not. you never know with the De Struise guys. Back in Black from 21st Amendment is the US of A stand in for Black Albert.

#24 Gruit. it’s not bottled as near as I know. and you have to go to San Diego or San Francisco to get it. call first.

#25 we end like we started: insert your favorite beer here. who’s to say whether or not what you love should be higher on the list. but it’s my list. so tough luck about it ending-up up here. TWO of your favorite beers are on the list. what more do you want? now, go drink local beer. and enjoy it with live music. get pizza while you’re at it.

Dexter wrote in after I sent the list out and had this to say:

So it’s the 1) the people and 2) the place and 3) how the beer was presented and tasted That Day. And remembering How They All Came Together to make That Day a Special Day. Then training your mind to recognize the “Special Days” and cherishing them. You don’t rank Special Days….if you could they wouldn’t be Special, they would be discrete and ordinary. Beer is not God… it is not the Lord of Misrule of the Night. And it’s not a contest… one beer does not beat out another…it’s chemistry. The Beer is one of the catalyzing agents that bring all of the event’s elements together and help make it a Special day.

I think he nailed it.

there are a few shows that we recorded that have not posted. the “I Like Chinese”, “Toronado to Toronado”, and “India Pale Ale” will be released soon. sorry that we didn’t get them out but you have something to look forward to in the near soon. watch the feed. we won’t stick them back in order for clarity.

“I Like Chinese” has to be recreated because the MP3 got eaten by the newTAG tool. it was the only time we tried using this specific tool. and we haven’t and won’t use it again. word of advice, stick with what works.

“Toronado to Toronado” needed some additional audio. we recorded that today.

“India Pale Ale” is somewhere on a hard drive. the problem is we don’t know which hard drive.

I’m packed. the camera is charged, the SD cards are empty, my iPod is shuffled and the H4 has new batteries. but best of all the boarding passes are printed. all that’s left is to go. maybe we’ll see any of you tomorrow at the Toronado San Diego from around 1PM until 5PM. we’ll make a stop into Hamiliton’s on our way back to the airport which will take us to 6PM. then it’s a bus to the jet to the BART to the 22 to the 547. T that is.

funny about flying. I haven’t flown in over a year. I hate flying because of the stupid that it’s become. I hate that you have to get there early. hate that you can’t take things. hate that it’s not the glamorous that it once was. everything is a hassle from the lines to the exit at the other end. oh yeah, and then there’s that stupid list that they keep track of that sometimes makes things odd. maybe my lack of participation will have changed things. guess we’ll see.

here’s the gear I’m bringing along. all of it records in some kind of different way. the quality is everything from NPR like to ready for YouTube. should be fun documenting the there and back. I can’t wait.

it’s been fun tasting this beer evolve from a 1 time never beer to a second take better and finally to it’s third time is a charm masterpiece. it’s complex with flavor but is completely drinkable. you know how some holiday beers are over the top with something? pine(sol), cina(bomb), nut(meg), and all that is over done for no reason. Monk’s Blood isn’t that way at all. think balance, sophistication and finesse like that girl in the song who wears a short skirt and a long jacket. although it should be said that it’s not a “holiday beer” and I’m only making the comparison because of time of it’s release.

during the release dinner we all got to sample the first batch after it had aged in bourbon barrel for 6 months making it more never compared it what it already was. it’s a clue where this beer will go. time wise it will become smoothed out making it that much, much more. and because it’s in a can with no way for light or air sneaking around a crown to get at it will stand the test of time for a long time. if you are sophisticate that belittles products because of the delivery method you have to look beyond and focus only on what’s inside.

all the things that are listed on the 4 pack are tastes you can taste. it’s all there. get it out of the can and into a tulip or a snifter. if you drink it from the can (savage) your nose won’t be involved and it won’t pick up the whole experience. figs is the mystery flavor because most of us have only experienced it in the form of a Newton.

so far Monk’s Blood has stood up to the tests of everything we’ve thrown at it paring cigars, duck, fries, cherries and chocolate dessert, more cigars and a pizza. those things only help to accent all the flavors of the beer. I say go with a very dark chocolate instead of lighter or fruitier. while food wise I’d stick with hearty & rich rather than spicy. although the pizza held it’s own just fine.

okay, this isn’t a beer review. because the rules are “you don’t have to like what I like.” that said, I really like Monk’s Blood. so you owe it to yourself to find and try it after it’s December release. it’s very likely that people will call this the worst beer ever. because what comes out of the can is an unexpected dark goodness that hasn’t seen the like since Ten Fiddy arrived. you can hear somebody say “that’s not what canned beer looks like?!” also there will be screams of “umm 12 bucks for four cans! dude.”

and I’m fine with that as that means there is more for me! get here.

photo credits: ShaunO and Jesse. and this last one is mine.

trademark law is pretty specific. the “law” defines the way companies can name things so they can do business. it’s simple in fact. any word can become a “mark” as long as it is unique. you can’t TM the word the, any single letter or a generic like the word “pop” or “tricycle” although there are examples that counter this. like RED or Apple. images can be part of trademark. a red triangle, a goat or a dude tipping his hat. any of that is protectable.

the protections make sure that companies play fair. company Big cannot name their product Green-A-Beens if company small has a product already on the market called “Greena Beens”. in this case BIG is trying to intentionally confuse the buyer with a similar product name.

however, if company BIG was selling stereos they could call the Green-A-Beens because it’s an entirely different market. nobody is going to confuse food with electronics.

companies do battle with marks all the time. a classic case of trademark example is Macintosh (the computer) vs Mcintosh (a high end amplifier that nobody had ever heard of). another is Apple (the computer company) vs Apple (the Beatles). everyone knows the Beatles but pretty much nobody knows that the record company they own is called Apple.

so it has my attention that Monster (a crappy drink nobody should drink) has sent a sueing cease and desist to a small brewery that put the word Monster in the name of their beer. what’s funny is that the Monster in that beer name is used in a really clever way. smashing Vermont and Monster together. get it? see it. clever. nobody would EVER confuse this with an energy drink. and even if these two products were sold next to each other you can tell just by the shape alone that each is made by a different company.

what crappy energy drink company should do is sue over priced cable maker because those two companies are both monsters with billions of dollars to spend.

http://rockartbrewery.com/

if you have a second copy/paste this to Twitter:
You suck @MonsterEnergy in fact, why not take on the guys that make cables instead. http://bit.ly/8P7xq #beer #monsterboycott. Plz RT

update:
the trademark filing is always very specific as to what the mark covers. and according this document the marks disclosed use is not even close to beer.

the thing that is absolutely laughable about this C&D is that any first year would know that there is not overlap, that the products are completely different and that you have to be a complete idiot to be confused in any way by the two products.

Keith from the Twitter writes saying “Most state commercial codes allow for “defense on obvious merits”. Minimizes costs. Commercial ‘nolo’ carve-outs EXACTLY for nuisance suits. Def. essentially “case w/o merit” & have minimal rep/disc. obligations. nobody would EVER confuse this with an energy drink. Monster has NO CASE w/ distribution conflict and product issues. They can file ‘nolo’ at every hearing.”

so there you go. IANAL but I’ve have had to deal with IP problems like this since I’ve been in business. we all get that it’s to the mark holder to protect their trademarks. it’s why you get a C&D if you don’t check the name your new product before you go to market. but please guys, don’t be ridiculous.

a pint of Cherry awesome.

Motor recently traveled to the midwest in pursuit of his alma mater. while he was there he dropped in to visit and tour New Glarus Brewing. he picked up some special things that we are giving away in the the great New Glarus give away! there are four great prizes. the winners will be chosen at random by the Beer School Robot on November 1st. to enter send a message titled New Glarus to info@beerschool.com include your snail mail address with your entry. one entry per person. here are the great prizes:

a four pack
something for your fridge
third prize from New Gluras is valued at $100
last (and possibly best prize) is something ONLY available from the brewery.

rules:
anyone may enter. local laws dictate any (if any) age restriction.
you can be anywhere on planet earth. if you win, we’ll get your prize to you at no cost to you.
one entry per person.
include your snail mail address.
all entries must be received by 12 PM PST on November 1st. (that’s GOOD NOON to some of you).
contest winners determined at random.