West Coast Craft Beer & Brewery Tour in Review - A Retrospective: Day 1: Sutter Buttes, Western Pacific

We're long overdue for an update - in particular about our tour this summer. Johnny and I (Creek) drove drove from San Francisco to the Olympic Peninsula, stopping at 20 breweries along the way. We sampled beers from tiny nanobreweries and large micropubs, covering the full range of west coast beer culture. Amazingly, we met brewers and got backstage tours at 10 of the 20, and were incredibly impressed by the complete open-door policy and kindness we experienced. We're going to share a bit about what we learned, the beers we drank, and the trends we saw in craft brewing techniques and establishments on the west coast.

Here we go!


Day 1:
A scary ice-cream truck is always a good start to a road trip :)


Our first stop was in Yuba City, at Sutter Buttes Brewing. It is a fairly new establishment - a mixture of homey and industrial. It was light, and comfortable, with lots of wood. The beer equipment was visible and the brewing process was a focus.


We were lucky to meet both the owner, Mark, as well as Peter of Odanata Brewing Fame, brewing a triple IPA so hoppy it was green. Both were kind and completely willing to talk with us. They were brewing on an 8.5 BBL copper clad system, with a line of fermenters, which doubled as serving tanks in a line behind a bar. We LOVED the directness of serving from the tanks and no brite tanks. This was one of our favorite, most direct set-ups.



They had a wide selection of beers and a simple, menu of fresh comfort food. The Beale's Best Bitter - a 3.7% British Pale Ale was sheer delight. Most of their beers were under 5%: the Extra Pale, Kolsch, and Brown were 4.5%. We always respect the low gravity brews that still have lots of taste. This is a trend we're really happy to see (perhaps also due to my own personal preferences), but there are plenty of strong beers being made in the craft beer world, so happy to see varieties you can have 2 or 3 of and still feel your lips.

Trends:

• Low to mid gravity beers (have another!)
• Super-Mega-Hoppy
• Fresh California Comfort Food (best of both worlds)
• Brewing Process as Feature

We stopped to see some old mining equipment and a random ice cream advertisement still hanging on from another era.




On to the next: Western Pacific in Oroville, California
Later that day, we landed in Oroville, at Western Pacific - built in a train depot. The venue had incredible potential, but felt just a wee bit sprawling. We found the right door and, again had the good fortune of finding the brewer, who showed us the 7BBL used system and cold room, which were impeccably clean. The grain elevator out front was also pleasing to the eye - I love that it is a feature.


 
They had a nice low gravity extra pale ale that was a 4.5% and an oatmeal stout that was 4.1. The Belgian was 5%. the Pale and Red ales were in the mid to high 5% and the highest was the IPA at 6.5%.

Trends:

• Lower Gravity Beers (4-5%)
• Historical Building or Location
• Full Transparency about Ingredients

That night, we stayed near Mt. Shasta, which, regardless of your position on the scale of scientific to skeptic to spiritualist, is impressive and colossal. We arrived at night, and woke up to the delightful presence of the mountain, urging us onward, towards more beer...



Stay tuned for a review of Day 2:
Wild River, Grants Pass, Oregon
McMenamins Pub, Roseburg, Oregon
Amnesia, Portland, Oregon

Read about us in a recent addition of the North Bay Bohemian issue on Craft Beer
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May 14th Van Houten Beer Tasting in Review

Ok - the good news is we have so much going on that getting to the blogosphere has been delayed! Last month we had a successful semi public tasting event in our backyard beer garden. A collection of old friends and new friends from the beer community and twitterland gathered at our house on a Saturday in May to sample six of Johnny's beers.

Johnny outfitted a freezer with built in tap towers and a temperature gauge to transform it into a serious kegerator.


We debated about whether to give folks feedback forms or surveys, and decided to engage folks about what they were tasting. We served our American Amber, California Common, Belgian Brown, Belgian Dubbel, Pilsner, and Northern English Brown. It was a nice opportunity to talk about beer in general and specific, why we're not filtering, why small batches matter, and to enjoy in the convivial spirit of local beer.



We were honored that our fellow-nano brewers Alan, from Beltane Brewing, JJ, from Petaluma Hills, and Cathy a brewer out of Novato joined us, as well as our colleague Brian, from bayareacraftbeer.com. Also a delight to meet a few folks from the twittersphere in person.


People really enjoyed themselves and most found there way to trying all 5 varieties.


Lots of beer gets paired with heavy pub food, which is often a delight, but with three local cheese companies, we wanted to present an overall delight of the senses with local beer, cheese, bread and fruit.


It went over rather well.


At the end of the day, we tallied up the results and found some interesting information - Lots of people who thought they didn't like dark beers, or light beers etc - liked the Van Houten version. The California Common and Belgian Dubbel were the official winners, but most of them were rated quite well.


Next time - and update on our West Coast Brewery Tour - 19 Breweries in 9 Days!

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A Taste of Van Houten

My big dreams of blogging about how profound the Craft Brewers Conference was for us and all the amazing conversations we had with our new and old friends... Let's just say for now that it was life affirming. The work of making whole beer and weaving community feels important, historical, and borders on the mystic.

The conference opening night was at the Academy of Sciences where we drank with the fishes and it was glorious. Someone got a nice photo of me (Creek) and Johnny with our friend, Brian from bayareacraftbeer.com


Well, that energy got diverted into planning our June 2011 West Coast Brewery tour (more later) and getting ready for our May 14th tasting event - our own homage to American Craft Beer Week. Space is limited, but anyone in the Bay Area can email us to see if there is space left at vanhoutenbrewing(at)gmail(dot)com

We'll have 5 of Johnny's homebrews on tap at the tasting: California Common, Northern English Brown, Belgian Golden, Belgian Dubbel and American Amber Ale. The garden is looking beautiful and it's time to celebrate spring.

But first things first -
I just finished the coaster design, and approved the proof for our first run.


See you May 14th!

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Van Houten Brewing Company at Nanobrewery Fest Recap

The Breweries of Tomorrow Nanobrewery Festival at Social Kitchen was nothing short of amazing. We wanted to post a few of our photos and share a bit about our experience. The line was insane - we heard from a few folks that had been at the Russian River Pliny the Younger release, that this line was way longer.


Johnny brought his California Common (6.8% ABV) as well as a Belgian Golden (4.5% ABV). There are some great strong brews out there, but we're also part of a movement for lower alcohol craft beers you can have more than one (or two) of. Johnny had a nice chat with Joe Tucker, of Ratebeer.com about session beers - which the Session Beer Project also blogged about.



Brian, of Bayareacraftbeer.com is at left, and Social Kitchen's brewer, Rich is behind the bar on the right. These two were the main organizers and did a steller job. Brian posted some fabulous photos and a nice article, Little Breweries Draw Big Crowd.



Here are a few of the fabulous folks from fellow breweries we met. Above is Antony and Caroline Field from Bosworth Brewing and Alan Altha from Beltane Brewing.


Above - bay area nanobrewers from Bosworth Brewing, Beltane Brewing, Pacific Brew Labs , Petaluma Hills Brewing and 510 Brewing gather before the event begins. Elizabeth Street Brewery and Local Brewing Co. were also in the house.

Brian of bayareacraftbeer.com put together a nice collage of the logos of all the nanobreweries involved. He is awesome.

We were pretty thrilled to get the positive feedback at the event and just as satisfying was meeting a group of colleagues and peers to share ideas with. We all have a lot to learn from each other.

There are other good write-ups at bayareacraftbeer.com and yetanotherbeershow.com

Next step for the Van Houtens is the Craft Brewers Conference next month in San Francisco!

Thanks again to Brians of AllOverBeer.com and www.bayareacraftbeer.com and our friends at Social Kitchen & Brewery for their work!

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Van Houten Brewing Co's First Public Pour

During to a few fortunate run-ins with Richard of Elizabeth Street Brewery at City Beer and Mill Valley Beer Works, we were invited to pour at his annual Super Bowl party. We felt honored to pour alongside Elizabeth Street Brewery and Pacific Brewing Laboratory.


Johnny brought his Northern English Brown Ale and his California Common and folks seemed to really enjoy. It is good to get good feedback from lots of people you don't know. Our banner also got its first use, and a christening of beer spills from happy homebrew drinkers.


The people who have gathered around the phenomenon that is Elizabeth Street Brewing is amazing. Neighbors who donated chairs for the day. Friendly strangers who read about Richard on the internet or twitter. Old friends and colleagues from the beer world and every sort of connection. The folks at Smoke BBQ SF donated ribs, and the potluck delicacies were nearly endless.

And the place is amazing. Richard's clever wife Alyson set up a "While you were out" home installation reality tv show extravaganza a few years back and they came and set up a mini home pub - the home brewers dream.


Alyson made this beer bottle mosaic window, which is awesome.


It was definitely a highlight of the year for us - but we suspect the SF Beerweek Nanobrewery Festival at the Social Kitchen will also be pretty fabulous. Hope to see folks on Sunday at the Social Kitchen.

Breweries of Tomorrow Nanobrewery Festival

February 13 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

at the Social Kitchen and Brewery, 1326 9th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94122

Admission: $15 for keepsake glass, 2 SKB drafts, and lots of nanobrews. SKB's food will be available for purchase, too, should you get munchy. (more info)

Join SKB and AllOverBeer.com to try the beers of and toast the brewers looking to quit their day jobs, such as Elizabeth St. Brewery, Van Houten Brewing Co., Local Brewing Co., Pacific Brew Labs, Bosworth Brewery, Beltane Brewing, Petaluma Hills, 510 Brewing, and others.

Thanks to Brians of AllOverBeer.com and www.bayareacraftbeer.com and our friends at Social Kitchen & Brewery for their work!

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Contact us at vanhoutenbrewing(at)gmail(dot)com

Van Houten Brewing Co. at SF Beerweek Nanobrewery Festival!

After drawing a sample out of one of the fermentors this morning, Johnny is pretty pleased with how the California Common is coming along. For those that don't yet know, we'll be pouring in public for the first time during SF Beer Week at the Breweries of Tomorrow Nanobrewery Festival at Social Kitchen & Brewery!

Come visit and taste our beer at our first public event :

Breweries of Tomorrow Nanobrewery Festival

February 13 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
at the Social Kitchen and Brewery, 1326 9th Ave. San Francisco, CA 94122

Admission: $15 for keepsake glass, 2 SKB drafts, and lots of nanobrews. SKB's food will be available for purchase, too, should you get munchy. (more info)

Join SKB and AllOverBeer.com to try the beers of and toast the brewers looking to quit their day jobs, such as Elizabeth St. Brewery, Van Houten Brewing Co., Local Brewing Co., Pacific Brew Labs, Bosworth Brewery, Beltane Brewing, Petaluma Hills, 510 Brewing, and others.

Thanks to Brians of AllOverBeer.com and www.bayareacraftbeer.com and our friends at Social Kitchen & Brewery for their work!

Find us on twitter at vanhoutenbrewco
Find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/vanhoutenbrewing
Contact us at vanhoutenbrewing(at)gmail(dot)com

Tweaking the Northern English Brown


Made some changes to the Northern English brown ale. I made a few rest adjustments, as per Griz’s suggestions, and I’ve lowered the final gravity into a range more appropriate to the style.

The result is a much more dry flavor and it lets the E Kent Goldings through a little more. I’ve also been oaking half of my batches with oak chips, with good results. The oak adds another layer of flavor and depth. It’s particularly fun to run a glass of oaked and un-oaked ale and taste them side by side.

I’m not sure how authentic the flavor added by the chips is, though I’ll bet it’s close to actual barrel flavor. As it turns out, the chips are gathered from the barrel-making process and are toasted with the barrel in a perforated can. It’s not clear if there is any residual oak sugar still in the chips, as they’ve never been exposed to alcohol before. A little research is in order.

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Metal Spinning, Chinchillas, and the Beer Infochart

First - a quick brewing update:

It is a joy for Johnny to have the pilot equipment up and running. The machining is truly beautiful, and I have a soft spot for the metal spinning involved, probably because my dad spins metal chinchilla exercise wheels, yeah, you heard me...

Metal Spinning, which is basically the equivalent of working with metal on a potters wheel, is useful for making fancy cookware, fermenter tops, rocket cones, and rodent exercise equipment. Check out my dad's website and the Flying Saucer Chinchilla Exercise Wheel site - which includes a video of the wheel in action.

Many of us have seen the awesome Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names from the intensely clever folks at Pop Chart Lab. Now beer geeks can appreciate the Many Varieties of Beer poster. Created by Brooklyn-based kickass designer Ben Gibson and book editor Patrick Mulligan. Gibson's work is quite spectacular.

You can get it for yerself at their website.

They also just came out with a t-shirt version, also at their site.

The Brew Sculpture has Landed!

Our pilot brew sculpture from More Beer arrived!!!! It is beautiful. Johnny had a really good conversation with the guys at More Beer, one of whom got teary when Johnny was telling him about how he and his dad started brewing on their brew sculptures almost ten years ago.

This means the beginning of phase II - pilot brewing while we finalize paperwork and logistics, which means there are still an undetermined number of phases ahead, but we are well on our way :)

It cannot be said these photos are amazing, but they give you an idea.


The control panel has several very satisfying lights and knobs, and comes complete with personalized engraving. A personalized brew-sculture - this is true happiness.


This one is from the folks at Morebeer.com


He'll be brewing on it for the first time this weekend - we'll keep you posted.

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Conical fermenter has arrived

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the conical fermenter from More Beer, is done and Johnny picked it up. It is shiny and beautifully machined. Right now while we get everything sorted, we are just brewing unoffficially as homebrewers. Selling beer seems a while off yet, but each step brings us closer.


These first few moments were very exciting for both of us!


The brew sculpture is next!!!

I am a Craft Brewer

Many of you may have seen this already, but it's both cheesy and inspiring :) It does make us feel we are part of a movement..



From the youtube site:

"I Am A Craft Brewer" is a collaborative video representing the camaraderie, character and integrity of the American Craft Brewing movement. Created by Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. and Chris & Jared of Redtail Media...and more than 35 amazing craft brewers from all over the country. The video was shown to a packed audience of 1700 craft brewers and industry members at the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference as an introduction to Greg's Keynote Speech entitled "Be Remarkable: Collaboration Ethics Camaraderie Passion." As is tradition for the CBC Keynote, a toast to the audience was offered. This time, the beers offered for the toast were all collaboratively brewed craft beers including Isabella Proximus, Collaboration Not Litigation, AleSmith/Mikkeller/Stone Belgian Style Triple, Jolly Pumpkin/Nøgne-Ø/Stone Special Holiday Ale, and 2009 Symposium Ale "Audacity of Hops."