Beer Week is coming Feb. 11, and here are some East Bay standouts.
The coldest month, February, may be the shortest month, but it contains a nine-day week. According to the producers, Beer Week is a “nine-day marathon of beer dinners, tastings, tap takeovers, and educational events that occur all over the Bay Area.” With special thanks to Jesse Cutler of JC Cutler Media, here are some of the East Bay standouts in chronological order. Must be 21 or older.
16th Double IPA Festival at The Bistro: This is a premier kickoff event to Beer Week, presenting more than 60 Double and 30 Triple IPAs on tap. Cheese tastings, grilled sausages, and live music playing on two stages add to the festivities. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Feb. 11. Street parking can be sparse on Saturdays, so consider hoofing it less than a half-mile, or less than 10 minutes, from Hayward BART. Admission is $55, and sold only at the door. The-Bistro.com.
Sour Sunday at Jupiter: When made in a brewery in the ’60s, they were called mistakes; today they’re called sours. Either way, an acquired taste, and now here’s a way for acquisition: Presented by Jupiter, Triple Rock Brewing, and Drake’s Brewing Company, this event, noon-5 p.m., Feb. 12, presents more than 60 of the world’s finest sour and barrel-aged brews.
Alternate between two downtown-Berkeley venues: The Brewery and Ale House, 1920 Shattuck Ave., with a wood-fired pizza oven; and the Triple Rock’s adjoining Richter Room that opened next door in September. Producers promise “Old World and New World sour ales beyond your wildest dreams, including cult favorites and sour scene newcomers.”
Transit connections are a snap. AC Transit busses run out front, and Downtown Berkeley BART is within down-wind spitting distance. See SourSunday.com for admission price, which had not been set at press time.
Uptown Funk: Beer & Cheese Pairing at Drake’s Dealership: A San Leandro native since 1989, Drake’s takes this party to Drake’s Dealership in Oakland for the venue. The former Dodge dealership’s vintage brick building lies in an alley off 2325 Broadway on Auto Row.
Drake’s is offering a Valentine’s Day “opportunity” 6-8 p.m.: “an evening of fragrant cheese and fancy beer.” I might have reversed those modifiers. In what’s described as “a journey through different types of cheese, how they’re made, what styles of beer pair best, and serving techniques for both.” Examples should include chèvre, triple crème, blue, IPA, Porter, and Berliner Weisse.
Admission prices were still in the bean-counting stage at press time. Visit DrinkDrakes.com for updates. As for transit, AC buses cruise Broadway with three lines, and the 19th Street BART station is four blocks away.
Fieldwork Beer & Bite Pairing at Whole Foods Gilman: Whole Foods at 1025 Gilman St., Berkeley, joins forces with Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing Company 5:30-7 p.m. Feb. 16, pairing three beers with delicious cheeses. Beer and cheese specialists will expand their presentations on how best to pair your favorite beer with whatever’s on the menu. Participants also receive a can of the 2017 SF Beer Week Collaboration Beer, New Frontier (5.3 percent ABV), which is included in the $10 admission. Sign up at EventBrite.com.
Celebrator 29th Anniversary Party at Trumer Brauerei: More than 35 other breweries will pour favorite brews 4-8 p.m. at Berkeley’s Trumer Brauerei, 1404 Fourth St. Meet Celebrator writers and industry luminaries, including craft beer movement pioneers. Benefitting the California Craft Brewers Association, this $60 closing event with catered food and beer included usually sells out. Order early, if interested. Free round-trip shuttle runs from North Berkeley BART.
This report appears in the February edition of our sister publication, The East Bay Monthly.
Published online on Feb. 3, 2017 at 8:00 a.m.