October spells Oktoberfests – at least throughout the Midwest and East Coast regions – so I thought it was timely to pay homage to beers and the people who create specialty beers in the Bay Area.
The first Oktoberfest event was in October 1810 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, to celebrate the wedding of the Bavarian Crown Prince. Beer lovers around the world look forward to the October event, which includes lots of German food and music. In California, you’re more likely to encounter “microbrews” than German beers but beer lovers won’t care about my writing motivation. Either way, they’ll raise their glasses to offer a toast to the mighty beer.
My Jamaica-born husband grew up drinking Red Stripe, but he has become a beer aficionado (of sorts) ever since we built an outdoor grill and added a beer tap. For me, a beer was just a beer and any kind would suffice. That is, until he started putting microbrews in that outdoor tap. Suddenly, I experienced with beer what we did when we moved to California and discovered how flavors in wines varied with the grapes, vintners, harvest years, regions, etc. Now, with a few microbrews under my belt, I have a newfound appreciation for the art of making craft beers. And speaking of art, most microbrewers claim to adhere to the strict laws of Bavarian beer purity – created by Bavarian Duke Wilhelm in the 16th century – still leaving room for wide variations in roasting, grain-drying and fermentation processes … and ultimate taste.
Microbrews or craft beers have grown in production and popularity over the last few decades. In 1976, California repealed Prohibition-era laws against home-brewing and micro-brewing. In 1983, the state was the first to repeal outdated laws forbidding the sale of beer in breweries. At www.beernewsletter.com, the rise in popularity is explained by John Lennon, CEO of Pyramid Breweries. “‘The beer-drinking consumer is really changing,’ he said. Older beer drinkers have gotten more sophisticated, and people 21 and over just coming into the beer market are starting out drinking craft beer and imports. ‘They’re looking for more variety and flavor,’ he said. ‘It’s why they go to Peet’s or Starbucks for coffee. They can get their coffee 21 different ways.'” And, the added benefit of knowing that your beer has only traveled a few yards from brewery to tap instead of across thousands of miles in a bottle makes the experience very up-close-and-personal. Given Californians’ penchant for sourcing and personalizing their food and drink (“make mine a vanilla latte with soy milk”), it makes perfect sense to me that microbrews would find favor here.
And, you ask, just how is beer created from grain? Malted barley grains are partly germinated, then dried. Lightly toasted grains produce pale beers; heavily toasted ones generate dark beers like stout. Sometimes unmalted barley is darkly roasted to create nutty, dark beer. When the barley is wetted and dried for a second time, red beers are created. After roasting, the grains are crushed and mixed with water to create “mash.” Enzymes present in the grain separate the starch from a sweet portion known as “wort.” The wort is strained and boiled, then hops – a dried green plant bud that carries the beer’s familiar aroma and bitter taste – are added for preservation and flavor. The wort is cooked, strained and cooled, and yeast is added to launch the fermentation process. Early fermentation (two to seven days) creates a “green beer,” which is sealed and cooled for longer fermentation (usually 2 weeks). With microbrews, the finished beer is pumped from the brewery tanks straight to the tap.
As microbreweries have increased, brewpubs – venues where beers are brewed and consumed, along with food – have also taken off. Today, California is home to about 30 brewpubs, nearly a third of all U.S. brewpubs. Recently, we’ve seen the emergence of beer cuisine to accompany the microbrews. My guess is that Californians will also invent a new celebration for the expanding wealth of microbrews and their foods. Brewfests????
So, if you’re thinking about becoming a brewmaster, brewmeister, “brewru” … or just a more frequent beer consumer, Epicure has compiled a resource list to help you along. Just promise to keep the burping (you know what I really mean) to a minimum, please!
Jacqui Love Marshall lives in Danville with her vintage-car-loving husband, two pugs and binders of recipes. E-mail her at Epicure@DanvilleWeekly.com.
Local breweries
Devil Mountain Brewery, 850 S. Broadway, Walnut Creek, 935-2337: Owner Greg Jones converted a train station into a brewery and brewpub with live music and an extensive menu. It offers three award-winning beers – Railroad Ale, Iron Horse Ale and Devil’s Brew.E.J. Phair Brewing Company & Alehouse, 2151 Salvio St., Suite L, Concord, 691-4253: It makes 12-plus varieties of beer. I like their Indian Pale Ale, which is an award winner. The brewpub has a strong food menu; you can also get a tour of the brewery.
Hop Yard American Alehouse & Grill, 3015 Hopyard Rd., Suite H, Pleasanton, 426-9600; and 470 Market Place, San Ramon, 277-9600: Hop Yard beers are made in the Pleasanton location under the Hop Town label. The pub menu has all the traditional fare, and offers a dart room and free root beer for non-alcoholic imbibers.
Pacific Coast Brewing Company, 906 Washington St. Oakland, (510) 836-2739: Its popular brews are Orca Porter, Grey Whale Ale, Blue Whale Ale, Killer Whale Stout, Code Blue Barleywine and the semi-regular Yellow Jacket Ale. The pub fare has an English bent, e.g., Cornish pasties and sausages.
Pleasanton Main Street Brewery, 830 Main St., Pleasanton, 462-8218: It offers four house beers on tap; the brew pub is a local hangout for watching TV sports on Sundays. It also offers traditional beer “grub” and Tuesday has a special $2 beers and tacos. Alas, it doesn’t sell kegs but it does sell a four-pint beer jug that can be stored in the refrigerator for seven days, if it lasts that long.
Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant, 1410 Locust St., Walnut Creek, 946-1520: It has two Bay Area locations – Walnut Creek and Berkeley. Great appetizers and pizza, although I hear the chicken wings is the item to order. The brewpub in WC offers live music; the Berkeley beer garden offers outdoor movies.
Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, 1920 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, (510) 843-2739: Appealing to its UC Berkeley customers, it makes a dozen or so beers but its popular Monkey Head Arboreal Ale, with 8 percent alcohol content, is sold Thursday evenings. From the pub side, you can peer through windows to see the brew works. Kegs are available for sale for parties but are not available at Bay Area stores.
Trumer Brauerei Berkeley, 1404 Fourth St., Berkeley, California, (510) 426-1160: In 2005, Golden Pacific started producing in the U.S. Trumer Pils, a Bohemian pilsner originally brewed by a small family operation in Salzburg, Austria. Since then, Trumer’s has become a popular and multiple award-winning local beer. I like it a lot!
Buy microbrews locally
* Beer, Beer and More Beer, 995 Detroit Ave., Unit G, Concord: E. J. Phair* BevMo, Danville: E.J. Phair, Hop Town Ale
* Bo’s BBQ, Lafayette: an extensive offering of local, domestic and foreign beers
* East Bay Funardi’s: Pyramid
* East Bay Safeways: Hop Town Ale
* East Bay Whole Foods: E.J. Phair
Bay Area Oktoberfests
* San Francisco Oktoberfest: Oct. 12-15, Fort Mason Center, features beer, foods, Bavarian Band, dancing and singing performances. (888) 746-7522* Campbell, CA’s Oktoberfest: Oct. 21(10 a.m.-6 p.m.) & Oct. 22 (10 a.m.- 5 p.m.), downtown Campbell: draws 40,000-plus attendees, Spaten Beer, Arts & Crafts vendors. (408) 378-6252
