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“The character of this beer, which has won plenty of awards, lures connoisseurs into waxing poetic for paragraphs on its ... ” |
After camping at Big Basin Redwoods, I headed north up 1
past San Francisco, which I decided to cross off my to-explore list because I
have visited the fabulous metropolis before, I needed a shower, and did not
need to spend over $100 on a dingy motel, so I drove all the way to Santa Rosa. The
drive north of SF tied with the southern Big Sur
stretch, because it seemed that the architects for this road were true James
Bond freaks. I felt like I was in a car chase, zipping about, up and down,
zig-zagging steep hillsides, following the mustang convertible ahead of me.
There were also detours to pretty forested residential streets, but overall the
drive required some fancy driving. What a thrill!
I got up early in Santa Rosa and didn’t
quite know where to begin in Wine Country. It consists of both Napa
and Sonoma
counties, and there are literally hundreds of vineyards and wineries, the
majority of them unbeknownst to me. Then I remembered that I had written down
the address of the brewery that makes my favorite IPA, and it was only a few
towns away.
I arrived in Healdsburg with James Bond (the new voice on my
GPS) telling me where this special brewery sits. It’s a relatively small
facility, hidden behind the brewpub of same name, with a recent addition in a building across the square, although I soon learned another brewing facility had just been attained a
few towns north in Cloverdale.
The nice hostess informed me that tours were by reservation
only, but that I should go talk to Ryan at the bar, and maybe he’d hook me up
with a private look around.
As I sat down and introduced myself to Ryan, the hostess
came over and explained why I was there and that I love the beer. This is true.
The Racer 5 IPA is outstanding, and I’ll get to why soon. Ryan was pleased to
help out, although the lunch rush was upon him and he was soon pouring about
two to six pints a minute.
When he had a moment he would pour me another, and talk
about his life in beer. His great grandfather or uncle, I forget which, invented the hop
picking machine that now dominates the hop farming industry. Beer has ever since been in
the family (his brother is a brewer at Bear Republic)
and I was very fortunate to meet him.
We discussed my beer curiosity, he ascertained my knowledge
of beer history (which is minute), and he poured me a Greenhouse Lager. This
one is a session beer, he told me. I like this term and plan on keeping it as
my own. It refers to a beer that you can sit down and drink, and have another,
without having to worry about your condition upon standing up again. The
Greenhouse Lager is a singular lager, with more hops than most, but not seriously
hoppy. It’s clean and even, tastes fresh (who am I kidding, all the beers were
fresher than anyone often gets to taste, but you get my point), and the finish
is satisfying.
I told Ryan the story of my first Racer 5 IPA, at my local
beer bar, where, because the owner knows that no store in a reasonable vicinity
carries the label, he charges 20 bucks a bottle. However, the owner also likes
to wax poetic about his beers (who doesn’t?!) and for every bottle writes a
short description. The Racer 5 IPA description is “Best IPA in America,
guaranteed to improve your sex life.” Possibly needless to say, the latter
phrase did not come to fruition, however upon first sip I agreed that it was
the best I had tasted.
Ryan laughed at the story, explaining that in 1999, Bear
Republic was quite a bit smaller (albeit very successful) and when a batch of
what would be the IPA was accidentally double dry-hopped, the first of its
kind, the product became the highest rated beer ever. About a year after the
Racer 5 exploded onto the scene, the Bear
Republic family siblings
(two brothers and a sister) each had a daughter. So for some, the guarantee is
real (I hereby claim this story to tell to our dear owner of the Dirty Truth,
Massholes). The rest is history, of course, as the double dry-hopped IPA is so
hot right now.
Moving on, my next selection was the El Oso Lager, which
uses the same yeast as the Modelo brewery in Mexico. I hesitate to state again
how lagers usually fail to please, but here’s number two to the contrary.
Another session beer, not one for waxing poetic.
Then I tried the Jack London ESB, this one had a sharp hop
with a dry, clean finish. The hops are of the British style, nice and bitter,
but the malt and hop are well balanced. The end played out some of the sugars,
but did not tamper with the ease of the flavor.
Next, the beer that got Bear Republic
on the map: Red Rocket, a Scottish Red Ale in the IPA style, a silver medal winner
at the ’98 and ’99 American Brew Fest. This beer is rated very high among
connoisseurs. The brewers use five grains, and the caramel malt stands out as
well to produce another unique beer. It was hoppy with a bitter finish, an
excellent red but it stands alone (not good with food). The Red Rocket is a
snack.
Then he hit me with the Rocket Booster. This one is a
heavyweight, coming in at a whopping 9.5 percent alcohol by volume. I read that
it’s a double Red Rocket. And it’s really good for a beer that strong. Usually
so much malt is added to counterbalance the alcohol that the drink becomes more
of a grog, or belongs in some fancy-schmancy 40 oz, but this was very well
crafted. A more refined palate evidently isolates chocolate. I wouldn’t order
it (they only pour in 10 oz glasses), but I was impressed.
Note: When I told Ryan that I couldn’t detect the chocolate,
he explained that my tastebuds were weakened from the number of complex beers I
had tried in the last few hours. So from here on my beer bios are nearly
straight from Ryan’s knowledgeable introductions. And, concerned readers, I was drinking samples,
not whole beers.
Next was the Racer X, the typical IPA as a bear makes it.
This is pretty hoppy with a dry finish, it has the serious balls of an IPA, and
honestly was a little much for me. I usually can’t have enough hop as long as
the malt isn’t overdone. This one called my bluff, so to speak. A
commendable beer for its strength, body, and design, it’s not as accessible as
most IPAs. This style often utilizes fairly complex sugars for the
fermentation, which can intoxicate your stomach and your brain.
The Heritage Scottish Red Ale sipped so smooth after the X. Somewhat
full-bodied, and lots of malt, this is not a session beer. The yeast was kept
at a lower temperature to give the malt such a presence. I got some hints of
floral in front, and decided it was a bit more pleasing than the Red Rocket,
but perhaps not as well crafted a beer.
The Hop Rod Rye came next and it was not what I expected. I
was preparing my tired tastebuds for hurricane force hops. The rye actually
balanced what is presented as a strong IPA. Rye malt gave a kick to the beer but did not
overwhelm. The character of this beer, which has won plenty of awards, lures
connoisseurs into waxing poetic for paragraphs on its complexity. The dominant
aromas are grapefruit, which I assume complements a rye tartness, and earth and
pine, which I guess might mellow the bitterness. Overall not a hurricane, but
may I go so far as to say masterpiece? Nah, but others have.
Last was their imperial black stout, aptly titled the Big
Bear Black Stout. The simple sugars they use for this fermentation process
produce a beer that, albeit rich in caramel and malts all around, is easier to
digest than their typical IPA. Beer lovers rave about this imperial stout
because it refrains from overdoing the malt and creating some sort of dessert
beverage. With a thick head and a beautiful dark pour, this beer sips smooth
and closer to thin than dessert.
Then Ryan realized he hadn’t given me the Hefe Weizen. When
I decided I wanted to get into beer, I asked my knowledgeable older bro to
write me up a list, in order, so that I could slowly learn to appreciate brews
like I was drinking in Healdsburg. This all started because of Swiss and
Austrian Hefe Weizens. Dunkel Weizens are a great introduction to beer. After
loving those, he suggested Unibroue Trois Pistoles, which is difficult not to
love at first sip, and then Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. I recommend this to
anyone who wants to like beer more: start with Hefes and continue. Anyway,
since I started loving IPAs and frowning upon overdone malts, I’ve moved away
from Hefe Weizens. But I liked this one. It starts with a nose of banana peel
and clove in front; the finish is smoky. This is a modest Hefe Weizen, and it
was a nice finish to a day of excellently brutish beers.
When the lunch rush had died, and the afternoon shift arrived, Ryan told me to grab my bag and follow him. We went into the back room where the magic happens. The three vats were being cleaned for run number two of the day, and they were quite a bit smaller than the Dogfish Head newly-acquired beauties. He went into the process, breaking down the steps and the strategy. I tried to take lots of notes but he went fast, and so although I have in front of me that they use 350 grams of something in the mash tun to extract the proteins and sugars, for about an hour on the current batch, I feel I left out the most important ingredient. One element of the business I was not previously aware of was the varying prices of the three main yeasts used here: Bavarian, lager, and ale. Lager yeast requires the most temperature control and is thus more expensive, which is perhaps part of the motivation for macrobreweries to use rice and corn.
After he led me to the facility out back where the vats were
larger and brewers were hanging out, doing the jobs I dream of, we returned to
the pub. Then the list started. I frantically tried to jot down all of his
recommendations. I had told him my itinerary for the trip, and based on this he
told me the names of the best microbreweries. For each he told me his favorite
beer and reminded me to tell them Ryan sent me, because I was sure to be taken
care of: there are many on this list. I look forward to those adventures in good beer!
This was quite an afternoon, and I left somewhat flushed and extremely happy. Maybe someday I can take beer 101 and finally understand the notes I took that afternoon. Now if only I could tackle wine with as much ease and jovial company!
previous travel blog entry
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