pacificbrewnews's Podcast

After an extended break, the PBN gang is back! In this show we sample a gift pack sent to us by Groucho and CHUD at The Beer Report, while also discussing news and 'stuff'.

 Starts off with a short song and immediately goes into a Michael Jackson audio clip that you shouldn't miss (even if you skip the song).  Jackson seems to challenge us a bit, in his own way, and I hope it sparks some thought on your part too.

There are also new beer releases mentioned and basic beer talk.

In show 57, Rick recounts stories from Denver, the scene of this year's Great American Beer Festival.  Stories include trips to New Belgium, Coopersmith, Avery, Redstone trips, along with stories about the event itself.

Opening is an oldy, by Twisted Sister
Closing also isn't new, by Tragically Hip

Enjoy!

This show is narrated by Rick and features interviews from the 13th Annual California Brewers Festival, which took place on September 15th.

Interviews included:
Matt at Great Basin
Kevin of Sequoia
David of BJ's
and more...

For this episode Mike, Mark and Rick gather around on a warm Summer night to enjoy a few new beers, catch up on our travels and talk about whatever came to mind.

Our callibration beer of the night is a gifted beer, sent to us by JeffreyT over at The Good Beer Show, Schneider-Brooklyner's Weisse Bock.

The feature beers for the show were from Argentina's Jerome brewery:

We moved on to a couple celebration beers, the Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale and the Green Flash Triple. For good measure we compared the Green Flash with the Marin Brewing Triple.

Download Now

Opening music by Chris Randall
Closing music by Uncle Seth

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Buy the Beers Online


Jerome Diablo

Jerome Negra

Jerome Rubia

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Like the show?  Buy us a pint.

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Thank You.

Rick and Tracy travelled recently to Guerneville for this years Beer and BBQ Fest along the Russian River.

For the pictures, click here

Show features interviews with BBQ Judges and Tracy's take on the event, from the event.  There's also some news and announcements.

Enjoy.

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If you like this, or other shows, please consider buying us a pint.

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This Beta Version of PBN Video is basically a systems test.  I learned a lot doing this already and know I need to make it a bit more upbeat, have better lighting, and better audio.

After the intro music it gets a bit quiet, so turn up the volume.

I'd love your feedback as to how to make it better.  Send emails to beer [at] pacificbrewnews.com

Enjoy!

This show features an interview with Portland mayor Potter and Rick's story telling of the event overall. 

Read the details from the PBN Blog
View pictures of Rick's Portland journeys

Places to see:

1. Horse Brass
2. Concordia Ale House
3. Hair of the Dog
4. Higgins Restaurant
5. Edgefield golf (McMinnimins)

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Continuing our night of beer based conversations, the PBN Crew samples some fairly extreme beers with a man who knows what all that means.  Join along as we sample the sour side of Belgian beer.

If you are wanting to follow along this time, I fear that'd be a tall order.
- Russian River Temptation
- Boone Aude Kriek
- Hansens Aude Kriek
- 1994 Lidemans Cuvee Rene
- Cantillon Organic Gueze

Yeah, these were 'special' beers that you should pick up if ever you have the chance.

Again, thank you to Martin for allowing us to learn at your table.

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Pictures can be seen on the blog page.

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Click below to listen online.

Martin Lodahl has been there, done that - literally.  He's seen the world of beer first hand, has been involved since the inception of the American craft beer movement and was a pioneer in BJCP development.  Along with being a well-respected writer, Martin was on the first team of BJCP style developers, has sat on the BJCP board and has helped to organize two AHA National Homebrew Competitions.  Within the world of beer there are two areas Martin is most known for his works in Pre-Prohibition beers, Steam Beers (related to Pre-Prohibition) and Belgian Beers.  We have been building up a good collection of rare Belgian beers and finally found a way to entice Martin to sit with us - the combintation of Hansens Kriek and Cantillong Gueze.

If you love beer, really love beer, this show is for you.  Martin is a wonderful story teller and his decades of experience make him one of the most impressive beer geeks we have ever met.  We think you'll agree.  So, sit back and enjoy this, the first of two shows focusing on Belgian (and Belgian inspired) beers with a true authority in the area.  And make sure to come back next week as we continue the conversation while moving into sour beers.

PBN does wish to pass on a major sense of gratitude for Martin - he was one of our BJCP instructors and speaks regularly in our region in rooms that are often standing room only.  We appreciate his willingness to sit with us and pass on his knowledge for all of us to enjoy.  Thank you Martin.

Show Beers

Opening Music is Memphis Slim singing Beer Drinking Woman - iTunes
Closing Music is Mary Gauthier singing Prayer without Words - iTunes

The day arrived, after months of eager anticipation, Brian Ford and his group opened the Gold Country's newest brewery... Auburn Ale House.  Mike, Rick and Mark were simply blessed to sit outdoors on a beautiful day with the owner/head brewer, Brian Ford, who was more than generous with his time with us.  The show runs a bit long and a bit hot with the audio, but it was a live gig and I just couldn't stomache the idea of cutting anything more off the show.

Opening & closing music is James McMurtry.
Interlude music is by Mike Knott.

Let us know what you think, and make sure you check out AAH next time you're in the region.

Press Release

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2007 California State Fair Results are in and Moylan's new brewer Denise Jones has brought home the GOLD for Moylan's!

FIRST PLACE- India Pale Ale
FIRST PLACE- Irish Dry Stout
FIRST PLACE- Moylander Double India Pale Ale

Moylan's also won these awards at the State fair in 2007

SECOND PLACE- Unfiltered Wheat
SECOND PLACE- Danny's Irish Red Ale
SECOND PLACE- Kiltlifter Scotch Ale

THIRD PLACE - Imperial Stout

A night like this does not happen very often, and for the PBN crew it may have been the best night of IPA drinking we've experienced under one roof.  We gathered together for a night of reflection, a night to try new beer and of course drink our favorites.  We really think we've pulled together a few of the best IPAs in the country in this show, certainly for California - just check out this lineup.

We start the show with some reflections from a family wedding and we think you'll enjoy this very relaxed atmosphere.  We did have a new mic that was a little hot, but... what do you do?  Oh yeah, we had such a good time we decided we'd try to rank these bad boys.  Incredible.

Rankings:
Rick, Mike & Terri - 1) Pliny, 2) Alpine, 3) Green Flash, 4) Hop Stoopid
Mark - 1) Pliny 2) Hop Stoopid 3) Alpine 4) Green Flash

Press Release

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As summer comes to Southern California, can you think of a better topic than Belgian Wheat Beers? There really is nothing more refreshing than a Belgian Witbier on a hot day, thanks to its mild acidity, light body and delicate spice flavors of Curacao orange peel and coriander. Literally called “white beer�, Witbier is the traditional wheat beer style from Belgium that was revived in Hoegaarden by the famous brewer Pierre Celis. This Tuesday we'll be sampling some of the world’s best examples of Belgian-style Witbier, including Hoegaarden and BJ’s acclaimed Nit Wit (winner of GABF Gold and Bronze medals and World Beer Cup Silver). In addition, we’ll sample a few other wheat beers from Belgium that aren’t in the Witbier style, which necessarily includes the most traditional of Belgian styles known as Gueze Lambic. Here’s the rest of lineup to look forward to:

Press Release

The Beer Guppy’s Guide to Southern California
New Book Picks Top Beer Establishments
 
BURBANK, Calif. - May 25, 2007 - Longtime beer journalist Jay Sheveck (pen name Beer Guppy), has released a new guide to good beer. The Beer Guppy’s Guide to Southern California is the region’s first-ever comprehensive craft-beer destination guide. Inside, over 300 microbreweries, brewpubs, alehouses, restaurants, retailers, homebrew organizations and beer events are identified.
 
The Beer Guppy’s Guide to Southern California can easily be used by every type of beer traveler—from the casual connoisseur to the serious beer enthusiast. Even the general reader will quickly discover its value. Establishments are individually described by oodles of beer-related facts and (mostly) unbiased summaries. Icons placed within each listing allow for quick reference for those on-the-go.
 
Sprinkled throughout the guide are highlights about Southern California’s beer pioneers, breweriana traders, historic beer sites, airport watering holes, and wacky beer oddities. Additionally, the book functions as a real ale field guide for those in search of British-style cask-conditioned beer.
 
"Writing this guide literally took me on a five-year, flavor-filled journey that stretched from Fresno to San Diego, and from Las Vegas to the Pacific," author Jay Sheveck stated. "I am very pleased with the finished product. It accurately describes a region that is filled with fun and exciting beer oases of the highest caliber."
 
Southern California is the first of five regions to be published by the West Coast beer travel guide micro imprint Beer Guppy. Web site sales and retail distribution are set to begin on June 1, 2007.
 
ISBN: 978-0-9795797-0-7, Perfect Bound, 100 Pages, 8.5" x 10.875", Magazine-style Format, $9.95
 
Author Jay Sheveck has chronicled the American craft-beer movement since the early 1990s. His articles and photographs have appeared in American Brewer magazine, American Breweriana Journal, BEERWeek, Brewing News, Celebrator Beer News, Market Watch magazine and The Local Flavor column in 5th Street magazine. He also produced the independent documentary film Beer Pioneers, which explored America’s first micro-brewers.

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More info @ www.BeerGuppy.com

The Northern California Brewers Guild recently held their first brew fest at Raley Field, a fund raiser for the guild and a great event for beer enthusiasts.  This show features interview with three Northern California brewers, from Iron Springs, Rafters and Trumer. 

The show leads off with industry news and announcements, then off to the ball park where Tracy and Rick discuss the beer event that was.

Intro Music: The Devil Makes Three singing Old Number Seven
Closing Music: James McMurtry singing We Can't Make it Here

NEWS:
Bear Republic beers in six packs
Rick going to Oregon Beer Fest - Are you?
San Diego Real Ale Festival - June 1

Feedback?  Let us know.

Earlier in May the PBN crew was invited to take a sneak peek at Northern California's newest beer destination, the Auburn Ale House, in the heart of Northern california's 'Gold Country'.  With owner & brewer Brian Ford directing the tour we discuss the ins-and-outs of opening a new brewpub, including construction, permitting and all the stories that go with it.  It was a great day and it is a beautiful brewery.  Since visiting, Brian has poured two of his beers at the Raley Field Brewfest (which happened over the weekend), the Gold Digger IPA and his Old Town Brown.  Both were incredible and wonderfully received.  The opening music for this show is Michelle Shocked, closing with Old Man Tucker by a man who needs no introduction...

Highlights:
- The Background of AAH
- Racer 5
- Stories of Construction
- The beers of AAH
- Geeky yeast talk - pressurized brewing?
- Hop Henge
- Green Flash Imperial IPA

Check out their website: http://www.auburnalehouse.com/

Enjoy the show, and make sure you check this place out if ever you're in Northern California.

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You heard about this on our Deschutes Release Party show a couple months back, here's the official news!  We'll be reviewing this beer as soon as we can get our hands on it, we'll let you know when that is.  Look for this AND the Deschutes Twilight in stores soon. 

- Press Release -

Deschutes Celebrates 19 Years with Golden Ale

(May 11, 2007 - Bend, OR) "We felt we had to do something special to mark our 19th Anniversary," said brewmaster Larry Sidor, "so we took a vow of silence and brewed our first Belgian style ale ever to be bottled."

The straw colored Strong Golden Ale is made from an impressively international list of ingredients that acknowledge the diverse roots of craft beer. "We used Czech Saaz, Slovenian Golding, Pacific Northwest Liberty, and Brewers Gold hops," said Sidor, "along with French pilsner malt, and Belgian white candy diamonds and bitter orange peel from the island of Curacao for a little extra kick and sizzle."

The vow of silence, a nod to the Belgian monks who brew some of the world's most revered beers, may have been the biggest challenge for the brewers at Deschutes. About half way through adding the 180 bags of malt, one of the brewers inadvertently exclaimed, "Good Lord, this is a lot of malt." Keeping with the spirit of their Belgian counterparts, another brewer answered, "Amen, brother."

Deschutes Brewery, a pioneer of Oregon's craft beer industry, opened as a small brew pub in Bend in 1988. As the central Oregon town made the transition from timber and ranching to an outdoor lifestyle destination, the brewery expanded. Deschutes produces 160,000 barrels of craft beer in several distinctive styles which are available in bottles and on tap throughout the region. A new brewpub is scheduled to open in Portland next year.

The 19th Anniversary Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale will be available from June through September in 22-ounce bottles and limited draft.

With the 2007 West Coast Brew Fest just a week away, it's time to start planning out your trip.  Below is the official results for the brew fest, which was judged in Sacramento on May 6th.  I am trying to track down any sort of "Best of Show" results - assuming there was a BOS - if that is available I'll let you all know as soon as I do.

Download The Results

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If you haven't made arrangements yet, here's the details you need to get there.

When: May 19th at 1:00pm (ends at 5:00)
Where: Miller Park, Sacramento, Ca
Cost: $25 in advance - available online
Website: http://www.westcoastbrewfest.com/

While America recently took time to celebrate Earth Day, PBN was working behind the scenes to bring in the Sustainability Coordinator for Sierra Nevada Brewing Company to talk about what they are doing for the environment and our future. 

This is a slide show complimented with audio from the event.  It has some great info, practical ideas and is pretty cool to listen to if you're looking to make your workplace and home more sustainable. 

Pretty cool stuff, really.  We'd like to thank Sierra Nevada for coming out and for also allowing us to publish this recording.  We hope you enjoy it as well.

>> Watch Now

- Rick

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Related Shows:

Listen to our tour of Sierra Nevada with head brewer Steve Dresler. 

Show 1 - Hops, Grains and Yeast - SN Style
Show 2 - More on the SN sustainability and community works
Show 3 - Bigfoot vertical tasting

If you live in or around Northern California and you like beer, the next three weeks are what you live for.

THIS SATURDAY, 5/12

Raley Field BrewFest, at Raley Field (Sacramento)
Tickets - 25 bucks in advance, 30 bucks at door
This is a benefit for the Northern California Brewers Guild
http://www.raleyfield.com/pagebank/index.html?id=275

NEXT SATURDAY, 5/19

West Coast Beer Fest, at Miller Park (Sacramento)
An event of epic proportion, with a rich history - a PBN Favorite

SATURDAY, 5/26

Maibock Festival at Rubicon Brewing Co (Sacramento)

A great way to celebrate Spring.

Three weekends in one city - you can't ask for more.

Lagunitas completes $4.4 million plant expansion

Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California has just completed financing and placed an order for a new 80 barrel/10 brews per day German-built Rolec Brewhouse.

This completes the $4,420,000 "fundamental re-building in-place" of the company's entire brewery increasing the ultimate capacity to well over 150,000 barrels.

Other recently completed plant upgrades include a new BC/Sympac Bottling Line, a new Alfa Laval High-Speed Centrifuge Filtration system, four new 300 barrel fermentation tanks, a new 300 barrel bottling tank and an upgraded keg cleaning and racking line.

Lagunitas was founded in 1993 and has consistently been one of the fastest growing breweries in the U.S. In 2006 the company shipped 37,420 barrels of beer and had an 18% increase in growth over 2005.

We at PBN figured we'd better get to some of our stashed stouts before Summer is fully upon us.    Thanks to Jamie and Craig for sending out some great beers - really a great show of strength from our East Coast brewers. 

The Lineup:

Also featuring some catching up with Mark, Mike and Rick, a conversation regarding upcoming shows and a cameo by Tracy as she weighs in on the Brew Bubbas Kentucky Breakfast Stout.

Yeah, we had us a good time.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

As we gear up to celebrate all that is Planet Earth, here are a few noteworthy brewers on the West Coast worth supporting.  Some are practicing very sustainable brewing techniques, while others are simply Organic brewers.  Some of these beers are available in BevMo, Natural Foods, Raleys/Bel Air and other beer/wine shops in your area.

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New Belgium Brewing Co
Sierra Nevada Brewing
Full Sail Brewing - Sustainable brewing, very little literature on their site

Butte Creek - Organic

Bison Brewing - Organic

Crannog Ales - Organic

Eel River - Organic

Fish Brewing Company - Organic

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Learn to Brew Organic Beer At Home

Happy Earth Day

Where and when:  BJ's in Brea on Tuesday, May 1, 7:30pm

Yeah, we had a good time.  This is the second annual SOBER / PBN Barley Wine celebration, featuring more than 20 commercial barley wines.  The gang was here, the food was on, the beers were great!

A special thank you to Craig and Jamey for beer donations.  Also, a special thank you to Wild West Radio for promoting the show.

You can purchase the winner of this competition using the link below and help support our show.


Anchor Old Foghorn Barleywine

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Beer Enthusiasts,

It seems more and more states are looking to increase your beer taxes.  Now, I'm not a tax expert, but I can't help but think some of these states (like Oregon) are going about this the wrong way.

Below is the state-by-state tax info for the US

	EXCISE TAX RATES ($ per gallon)	SALES TAXES APPLIED	OTHER TAXES
Alabama	$0.53	Yes	$0.52/gallon local tax
Alaska	1.07	n.a.	$0.35/gallon small breweries
Arizona	0.16	Yes
Arkansas	0.23	Yes	under 3.2% - $0.16/gallon; $0.008/gallon and 3% off- 10% on-premise tax
California	0.20	Yes
Colorado	0.08	Yes
Connecticut	0.19	Yes
Delaware	0.16	n.a.
Florida	0.48	Yes	2.67¢/12 ounces on-premise retail tax
Georgia	0.48	Yes	$0.53/gallon local tax
Hawaii	0.93	Yes	$0.54/gallon draft beer
Idaho	0.15	Yes	over 4% - $0.45/gallon
Illinois	0.185	Yes	$0.16/gallon in Chicago and $0.06/gallon in Cook County
Indiana	0.115	Yes
Iowa	0.19	Yes
Kansas	0.18	--	over 3.2% - {8% off- and 10% on-premise}, under 3.2% - 4.25% sales tax.
Kentucky	0.08	Yes*	11% wholesale tax
Louisiana	0.32	Yes	$0.048/gallon local tax
Maine	0.35	Yes	additional 5% on-premise tax
Maryland	0.09	Yes	$0.2333/gallon in Garrett County
Massachusetts	0.11	Yes*	0.57% on private club sales
Michigan	0.20	Yes
Minnesota	0.15	--	under 3.2% - $0.077/gallon. 9% sales tax
Mississippi	0.43	Yes
Missouri	0.06	Yes
Montana	0.14	n.a.
Nebraska	0.31	Yes
Nevada	0.16	Yes
New Hampshire	0.30	n.a.
New Jersey	0.12	Yes
New Mexico	0.41	Yes
New York	0.11	Yes	$0.12/gallon in New York City
North Carolina	0.53	Yes
North Dakota	0.16	--	7% state sales tax, bulk beer $0.08/gal.
Ohio	0.18	Yes
Oklahoma	0.40	Yes	under 3.2% - $0.36/gallon; 13.5% on-premise
Oregon	0.08	n.a.
Pennsylvania	0.08	Yes
Rhode Island	0.10	Yes	$0.04/case wholesale tax
South Carolina	0.77	Yes
South Dakota	0.28	Yes
Tennessee	0.14	Yes	17% wholesale tax
Texas	0.19	Yes	over 4% - $0.198/gallon, 14% on-premise and $0.05/drink on airline sales
Utah	0.41	Yes	over 3.2% - sold through state store
Vermont	0.265	no	6% to 8% alcohol - $0.55; 10% on-premise sales tax
Virginia	0.26	Yes
Washington	0.261	Yes
West Virginia	0.18	Yes
Wisconsin	0.06	Yes
Wyoming	0.02	Yes
Dist. of Columbia	0.09	Yes	8% off- and 10% on-premise sales tax
U.S. Median	$0.188

Info by http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/beer.html

If you're into this kind of stuff, don't forget to also check out Beer Serves America for your state's beer industry info.

If you have concerns or opinions regarding beer taxation, make sure to let your representative know. 

The Rubicon Brewing Company is hosting an event to honor women in the brewing industry Saturday and Sunday the 28th AND 29TH. We will be serving beer made by women brewers from Moylan�s Brewing Company, Drakes Brewery, Sierra Nevada, Lost Coast Brewing Company along with some special surprises.  There will be a raffle with lots of fun beer paraphernalia and locally donated prizes. As always we will also be serving our fine ales. Proceeds from the raffle and a portion of the day�s receipts will be donated to WEAVE. The fun starts at 8:30 am until the beer is gone.

We look forward to seeing you here.

Cheers from the Brew Crew at the Rubicon

Rubicon Brewing Company
2004 Capitol Ave
Sacramento, CA 95814

[Press Release]

Hood River - After months of planning, design, construction, remodeling and lot�s of recipe tastings, Full Sail Brewing is reopening their pub. The Grand Opening will be on Friday May 4th, 2007, in the same spectacular location with the same great beers. What is new is a more comfortable seating area that highlights the view of the Columbia River and the Gorge and a special menu designed to celebrate Full Sail�s beers.

The menu will include many dishes designed to share such as the brewmaster�s ploughman platter and hand cut Belgium style fries with a variety of sauces. Also on the menu is an assortment of sandwiches including two New Orleans specials � a muffuletta and a crispy shrimp poor boy. "Big dishes" include Session battered fresh Alaskan halibut and hand-cut fries with lemon-caper tartar sauce and Amber ale barbecued pork loin with hot mustard, grilled scallions, cilantro and coconut sticky rice. There will also be some delicious vegetarian dishes.

"To update our Pub after twenty years so that it celebrates and reflects the quality of beers as well as the growth of Hood River itself has been a very fun and satisfying project. It is a twentieth anniversary present for all of us at Full Sail and for our customers," said Irene Firmat, Full Sail�s CEO & Founder. "Most of all we are thrilled to offer a menu that will complement our award winning brews and take advantage of the wealth and quality of local ingredients. We have also added several new members to the Full Sail crew � Chef Brian Hutchins, in the kitchen and Robert Carpenter as our front of the house manager. We are happy that our continuing investment in the brewery keeps offering the opportunity to create more employee owners," added Firmat. Swing by the Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub to taste of Chef Brian�s tempting talents along with a cold pint of Full Sail.

The independent and employee-owned Full Sail brewery is perched on a bluff in Hood River, Oregon, overlooking the most epic wind and kite surfing spot in the world. At this very moment 47 specialists in the liquid refreshment arts are crafting barley and hops into your next beer. The Full Sail crew has been fermenting godlike nectar since 1987. Their award winning brews are now available in 17 states. The Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub is open seven days a week. Swing by for a pint, grab a bite, tour the brewery, or just soak up the view. The Tasting Room and Pub will be open daily from 11:30 am for lunch and dinner. Brewery tours are still available daily, free of charge at 1, 2, 3 and 4pm. www.fullsailbrewing.com

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Mount Hood has a new brewery - just around the corner from Full Sail - called DOUBLE MOUNTAIN BREWING.  This facility has a tap room and is serving a Kolsch and an IPA at this time - both coming back with high praise.  Email us for more info, we'll pass on what we know.

May 12, 2007

Rick will hopefully be sitting down with Glynn Phillips, owner of Sacramento's Rubicon Brewing Company, to discuss this new beer festival in Northern California.  Till then, here's the basic info.

The Raley Field Brewfest will feature over 30 of the best breweries from throughout Northern California, and include live music. One ticket is valid for up to 10 tastings. Additional tastings can be purchased on-site.

Tickets are just $25, a savings of $5 off the event day price. To order, follow these steps:

Click here and Follow the prompts to purchase your event tickets.

Results are in and, while I won't get into a lot of detail, PBN is ready to share them with the world.  The game was simple - choose what beer you'd rather have a pint of, then repeat the process till you had a beer that was worthy of being called winner.  Here you go.

THE IMBIBING EIGHT

NORTHWEST BRACKET
SOUTHWEST BRACKET
NORTHEAST BRACKET

SOUTHWEST BRACKET
THE FLAVORFUL FOUR

WEST
EAST
FINALS
WINNER
You can purchase Racer 5 online and support PBN at the same time, using the Liquid Solutions link below.


Bear Republic Racer 5

Working with Deschutes Brewery and Vino's Wine & Cheese we put on a party to celebrate the latest Bond Street Series beer - Hop Henge Imperial IPA.  We interview Deschutes reps, guests and anyone who steps up to the mic.

In this episode we sample the first offerings of the 2007 Buzzsaw Brown and the Hop Henge - both Deschutes beers.  We finish the night with Hopsickle, by Moylans.

If you haven't subscribed, please do so.  Otherwise, enjoy the show.

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Mentioned in the Show

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Have you subscribed yet to Pacific Brew News?  If not, please do so today.  It's free.  Here's our iTunes link.  

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Bracket voting is now closed.  Results are still being counted after a higher than anticipated return.  Thank you for playing along... now I need to get to counting.

Some highlights:
There is not a clear winner, but there are clear favorites:

1. Racer 5
2. Celebration
3. Bigfoot
4. Old Rasputin
5. Hoegaarden
6. Guinness
   

In the next day or two I'll be sure to post the stats -

1. Number of Wins by Beer
2. Top eight, four and champion beer selections

Will probably be in pivot table form with charts. 

Rick had the opportunity to chat a bit with Alan Shapiro, one of the three people behind Reunion, a beer for hope, and owner of SBS Imports.  The interview discusses the beer and the cause - procedes of this beer go to support the Institute of Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR), in efforts to help friend and former Pete's Brewing employee, Virginia.

The beer is an organic "imperial" brown ale, brewed in Northern California by Bison Brewery (Berkeley).

Learn more about the beer and project at http://www.reunionbeer.com/

Learn more about IMBCR at http://www.imbcr.org/

Intro Music by Old Crow Medicine Show - buy now - iTunes
Closing Music by The Devil Makes Three - buy now - iTunes

In honor of the 2007 Tour of California, we gather around a TV an drink a few good beers. 

• New Belgium Springboard - PBN Review
  
• Deschutes Cinder Cone
  
• Brooklyn Lager
• Harpoon IPA
• SmuttyNose Big A IPA
• Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
  
• Lucky Lab Super Duper Dog

Of course we talked about beer news, the race, Stone, East Coast/West Coast beers, hops and stuff.

A special thanks to those who provided the beers for this episode.

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The results are in!  If you didn't make it this year, you need to put it on your calendar for 2008, this is truly an amazing event for beer enthusiasts.

The Winners:

1. Alaska Brewing - Big Nugget
2. Port Brewing - Angel's Share
3. tie - Unita - XI
   tie - Hair of the Dog - Doggie Claws

Other Finalists:
I wish I could describe the scene for you all, but you just need to be here.  55 Barleywines On Tap under one roof.  You can't ask for a better event.

We had a lot of news to get out and are still understaffed by illness.  This is a quick show, with news, a bit on cellaring, a bit on Bigfoot and more.

Part II of Rick's trip to Canada over the holidays. 

Corb Lund starts the show with the best damned hockey song ever sung, originally sung by Stompin' Tom.  Rick's sick and it shows, sorry about that, but soon enough we launch into Part II of our winter beer drinking adventure in the great white north.  When it's all said and done, Corb Lund closes with There are no Roads Here.

Homebrewers - submit your beer soon for the Celebrewtion.  Register here.
All submissions due March 3rd!

NEWS FLASH:  Northern California Beer Enthusiasts! 
Save the date - May 12 - Northern California Brewer's Guild is putting on a new beer fest at Raley Field, in Sacramento.  Do not miss this.

Rick recently traveled to Canada, and while there was lucky to meet up with a couple British Columbia Beer Enthusiasts - John of BC Beer Guide fame and Peter, the all around beer guy.  The beers we sample are truly wonderful and the evening was memorable - as you'll find out in Part II.

Beer Lineup
Cannery Brewing Anarchist Amber Ale
R&B Brewing Cream Ale
Mt Begbie Brewing Brown Ale
Seargents by Old Yale Brewing - Chilliwack
RB Hopgoblin
Paddywhack IPA
Tin Whistle Killer Bee
Granville Island Doppelbock
Nelson Brewing Face Plant
Oatmeal Stout by a brewer in Nelson
Kamloops Double Chocolate Ale
Tree Mid Winter Spiced Beer

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Join Mark, Mike, Rick and Tracy as they wind up their recent trip to one of the world's most recognizable breweries, Sierra Nevada.  We'll begin the show with a sampling of barrel aged Celebration Ale and conclude with a vertical tasting of Bigfoot Barley Wine - years '01, '03 and '06.  Don't forget we sampled the very first tastings of the 2007 Bigfoot in show 35 - so in that one day we had four vintages of the barley wine.

It was a great time, we think you'll appreciate the way we finished up. 

Up next: Rick in British Columbia

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This may register as an instant classic.  Steve Dresler discusses Sierra Nevada's 'green policy', shares some Pilot Brewery Scotch Ale with us and shares with us the VERY FIRST tasting of the 2007 Bigfoot Barley Wine to be released in the new year.  Along the way we ask some questions and generally are dumbfounded by just how cool some companies can be. 

I think you'll enjoy this and we hope if you do that you pass this on to someone you know.  Seriously, the green energy stuff is fantastic and something I think a lot of folks out there are genuinely interested in.

Happy New Year and thanks for helping make this a fantastic year for us here at Pacific Brew News.

- Rick, Mark (The Beer Geek) and (Taliban) Mike
and the rest of the SOBER and PBN crew

This is part one of probably three shows at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  In this show Rick, Mark, Mike and Tracy walk with SN Brewmaster Steve Dresler through the hop room, grist and kettle room, the water area and fermentation room.  It is recorded at the brewery so expect some background noise.

Future shows will have the PBN crew sampling Celebration straight from oak barrels, Bigfoot from the fermenter, Scotch ale from the Pilot Brewery and even a Bigfoot vertical tasting in the Sensory Lab.

An amazing place with truly world-class beers.  We think you'll enjoy it.

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BEST OF SHOW
Alaskan Winter Ale - BUY NOW (help PBN make a buck... literally)

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It is that time of year again, and we at PBN gathered with our SOBER friends to enjoy the best beers of the season.  This show has it all, friends, good beer, food and entertainment.

The Beers:
*2006 Best of Show Round Participant
**2005 Best of Show

To find out who won, enjoy the show.  As always, your feedback is appreciated. 

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Rick - PBN Host, BJCP Judge
Mark - PBN Host, BJCP Judge
Jeff B - PBN Contributor, BJCP Judge, Cellar Master
Mike - PBN Host and SOBER Founder
Jeff S - PBN Contributor, Host of Wild West Radio

Additional Judges:
Charles,  Cody, Jamie, Lothar, Jose, Tracy, Jay, Linda, Greg, Todd, Terri

This just in:

In just 5 months of sales for 2006, Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon) has the #1 fastest growing beer in America - Inversion IPA.

We at PBN have sampled this beer on more than one occasion and find this to be great news for Deschutes and the Beer Industry overall. 

If you haven't tried this beer yet, find out why so many of your beer enthusiast buddies have made this beer so popular.

Hildegard (the Brewster) of Brouwerij De Leyerth (Urthel) is currently touring the US breweries and lecturing at stops along the way.  On Tuesday she will be in town for a few hours and she is coming to Roseville to share four of her beers and promote the brewery by discussing the beers and brewery itself.

Belgian beers are unique, and these will be no exception.  Generally made with a bit of candy sugar and heavy malt bills, these beers have a pretty shockingly light body while displaying a lot of caramel flavor with a touch of peppery spiciness from the yeast strains they use.  Unlike US beers, the hops are not the showcase here - which means the beers are not citrusy, floral and bitter like we prefer in American craft beers.  Belgium is one of the prize beer brewing regions of the world, right up there with the Bavarian region of Germany.

This event is for lovers of fine drink and fine food.  Vino's is an upscale wine bar that sells only the best in California beer as well.  This event will provide the samples and the appetizers (media pays nothing, of course, but there is a 10 dollar cover charge to pay for the food and drink), and Vino's will also have goodies for folks to take home - beer, glassware and maybe even shirts (not really certain what will be there).

This weekend she is a keynote speaker for a dinner in San Francisco, tickets to see her then are 80 dollars each (which did include food).  At 10 dollars a person, I think area folks will get more than they pay for.  It should be a great time.

Sacramento (and Northern California) is quickly becoming a top-notch beer region, with two regional brewers taking home Best Brewer honors from the Great American Beer Fest the last two years.  For a person of this stature to beer here is a great way for regional enthusiasts to learn more about beer in general, while also supporting a great local business (I am not affiliated with Vino's, I promise).  I do hope you can make it, I think you'd be impressed.

More info at www.pacificbrewnews.com