Today I made my way over to Benicia to try the offerings at Brüehol Brewing.

Brüehol Brewing was established in Benicia in 2014 by Mark Keller, Mark Ristow, and Steve Nortcutt, but opened its tap room only three weeks ago. I was eager to get there because Mark R. and Steve used to be homebrewers in the same club as I -the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE).  Both of them are highly skilled brewers, and it shows in the beers they are producing at Brüehol.

It is relatively rare for small craft breweries to produce lager beers.  In part it is because of the time involved –while a lager rests -i.e. lagers– it takes up valuable fermenter space that could be turned to producing a couple of ales.  However, it is also because lagers, specially pale lager styles, are unforgiving of mistakes. They don’t have the roasty, malty flavor character or hoppiness to counterbalance any flaws.

It takes a bit of courage to make a lager a part of one’s brewery’s regular line up, and Brüehol offers two of them: a Gold Rush Helles Lager, and Old Capitol Pilsner.

Both beers are very good.  The helles was light and clean, and the pilsner was appropriately malty while maintaining the lightness of body that characterizes the style.  I dare say that they are two of the best craft lagers that I’ve tasted in the area.

The other beer I tried was the 5W-30 Black Ale.  It has hints of caramel or toffee in the nose, and coffee and chocolate in flavor.  Despite its looks, however, it is not a stout, but truly just a black ale.  Like the other beers its name is an homage to Benicia, in this case to its history (and present) as a refinery town.

Currently, Brüehol is producing about 10 barrels a month, running double batches on a 3-barrel brewing system.  Steve told me that in a few months, however, they expect to expand their output by gaining the ability to brew and ferment on a 10-barrel system.  That would also free the guys up to be able to produce more special occasion or one-off brews on their pilot system. There are plans to add a couple of ciders, and several more ales to the taps.

If you’re in Benicia Brüehol is well worth looking up -just be aware that the tap room is not downtown but over on the east end of town.

Brüehol Brewing
4828 East 2nd St
Benicia, CA

www.brueholbrewing.com

I recently visited Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley for the first time.  Considering how long I’ve lived in the Bay Area, how much time I’ve spent in Berkeley, and that the brewery has been around since 1986 -making it one of the earliest modern microbreweries in the area- it’s just ridiculous that I had never made it there before.

 

The main taproom is a pretty inviting place -dark wood, classic-style booths and furniture, and friendly staff- and the brewing process can be observed through a large window that looks in on the brewhouse.  There is also a larger space off of the main room, which was opened last year. It has more of modern feel, with more stained cement instead of wood and several large TV screens.

I arrived at lunch time, just as the place started to get busy for the lunch crowd.  As I enjoyed my food and beer I chatted with the fellow sitting next to me at the bar. He’d moved to the Bay Area in the 1988 and had been a regular at Triple Rock whenever he had found himself living in Berkeley ever since.

I ordered myself a flight of samplers, the selection of which I left to the server’s choice. She poured me Mildly Politic (Pale Mild Ale, 4.5%), Belgian Spring Bier (6%), Oatland Ace (IPA, 6.7%), Black Rock (Porter 5.4%), and Finnegan’s Whistle (Dry Irish Stout, 4.5%).

They were all good, but I’ve got to say that Oatland Ace was my favorite of the flight (at center in the above photo). It’s made with oats three ways -flaked oats, golden naked oats, and oat malt- and big taste of Mosaic hops. Just lovely.

Also deserving special mention is a tasty, chewy Old Ale: Her Majesty’s Crush with Figs (pictured at top of the post).

This beer -brewed in collaboration with Moylan’s Brewing Co.- comes in at 9% and is warming without evident alcohol, and the fig character comes in nicely. I just really liked it.

After all that time, I finally made it there, and I’m glad that I did.

Triple Rock Brewery & Ale House
1920 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA

www.triplerock.com

 

I got some pretty exciting news a few days ago: my friend Luis Castro’s brewery project is a go, and he already has a lease on a location in downtown Martinez (CA).

On Friday, I got to check out Del Cielo Brewing Co.’s future digs at the corner of Escobar St. and Estudillo St. It is an ample wharehouse, with high ceilings, and plenty of natural light. It seems a perfect space for an open floor-plan brewpub.

Of course, Luis still has a ton of work ahead of him, and there is no expected opening date in sight, and –as anyone who’s been involved in anything so simple as a home remodeling knows– there are innumerable issues than can pop up to cause delays. However, the first, big, step has been taken.

Del Cielo Brewing Co.
701 Escobar St.
Martinez, CA 94553
www.delcielobrewing.com

After keeping all waiting for what seemed like forever, founder and CEO, Brian Blackburn, and headbrewer, Craig Danielson, have thrown the doors to Shadow Puppet Brewing Co. open to the public starting this weekend.

Things started off with a soft-opening Family and Friends Night on Thursday, and Homebrew Club Night on Friday, to which members of Blackburn and Danielson’s homebrew clubs, the Mad Zymurgists and the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts, as well as of the Bay Area Mashers, were invited.

The tap room space, largely designed and built by Craig himself, are roomy and inviting. There is plenty of comfortable seating – at the bar, several large tables, and a few couches. The brewery is fully viewable through a pair of large doors, and patrons can watch the goings on from a bar set up for that purpose. Not only is the tap room attractive and comfortable, but little details such as a well-appointed kids’ playroom and shelves in the restrooms where one can set one’s glass, attest to the care with which it was planned.

The beers -of which there are seven currently on tap- are all good, although from talking to others on Friday night, the Amber seemed a clear favorite, at least among homebrewers. On the other hand, on the previous night, the Down Under Extra Pale Ale -made with several New Zealand varieties of hops- had been a favorite. The brewery has even set up an iPad where patrons can rate the beers and help Brian and Craig fine tune the beer lineup.

Shadow Puppet is well worth a visit.

Shadow Puppet Brewing Co.
4771 Arroyo Vista, Suite B
Livermore, CA 94551

www.shadowpuppetbrewing.com