Wheatopia: “A double wheat ale. Don’t let this one cloud your thoughts. It may be hard to see through, but the taste is complex, fruity and hoppy. You will be hoppy too after a sip of this 8% ABV ale.”

Maltopia: “Scotch Ale, or a Wee Heavy. At 8% alcohol, this big, brown brew is surely to warm you under that kilt. Malty, and much more than a wee delicious.”

Ale of the IMP: Imperial IPA (8% ABV). “Craft brewed in small batches with tons of hops. This will make you silly with hoppiness, like the jester on the bottle. The hop types remain a secret, but wouldn’t you expect that from a hermit?”

Had some Dogfish Head beers.

And finally rounded out the night with Ale of the 2 TUN: Imperial Stout (8% ABV). “Named for the large amount of hops in the recipe, this fat beer will make you jolly with each sip.”

Snacks.

Coziness with cousins.

It was interesting to see how we each most liked a different Hermitage beer that evening. For me, the Maltopia hit the spot with its malty caramel and sweeter notes that belied its alcohol level of 8%.

Then bright and early the next day, it was off to my parents’ for some New Year’s Day rituals.

Giving respects.

And feasting on traditional Korean rice cake soup with side dishes.

Always Grateful,

~Andy

I like their beer samplers and how they change them up weekly. These particular samplers were all very tasty.

Also back in late December was a cousins’ gathering at BJ’s in Cupertino.

On this evening, I particularly liked the Pale Ale and Jeremiah’s Red – they paired with my ribs the best in my opinion.

Some of these photos are from my cell. phone, and some are from my cousin’s camera. I very much appreciate that he took some photos for me as I forgot my point-and-shoot at home. That evening reminded me how it’s always fun hanging out with my cousins, which is something we did so often in our younger days.

Always Grateful,

~Andy

I caught the craft beer bug early last year. But at the time, I already had the food truck bug. In fact, it was the presence of the food trucks at the San Jose Meet the Brewers beer festival last year in February that enticed me to attend in the first place. And it was seeing the lively San Jose beer scene up close and personal at the beerfest that stoked a deeper interest in craft beer in general and then local craft beer in particular that continues today.

Still, I’m always keeping tabs on the South Bay food truck scene. This post is a lengthy catch-up post, and its timing coincides with the one-year anniversary of the historic San Jose food truck festival called SJ Eats (later to become Moveable feast) that took place last April 2011.

Today, the San Jose food truck scene is popular and continues to expand, and most of the credit goes to the Moveable Feast founders Ryan and Christine Sebastian, owners of San Jose’s Treatbot karaoke ice cream truck (for those not already familiar with Treatbot, yes you read that correctly – karaoke and ice cream truck).

Let’s get to the pics already!

From Oct. 8, 2011 in West San Jose.

FOOD TRUCKS:

• An the Go – Garlic Noodles
• Chairman Bao – Baos
• Hiyaaa! – Fushion
• Iz It – Hawaiianese
• MoBowl – Rice Bowls
• The Wow – Silogs
• Treatbot – Karaoke Ice Cream

The “408” from Treatbot is one of their signature flavors, and I certainly see why.

From Oct. 22, 2011 (West San Jose).

• Hiyaaa
• MoGo BBQ
• O Mi Ninja
• Rice Rockit
• Sanguchon
• The Wow

Those banana fritters from the WOW truck are addicting. Is it possible to have just one?

From Dec. 17, 2011 (West San Jose).

• Chairman Truck – Baos
• Louisiana Territory – Cajun
• Nom Nom – Vietnamese
• Sanguchon – Peruvian
• The Wow – Silogs
• Treatbot – Karaoke Ice Cream

The tofu tacos from the Nom Nom truck were a delight with their fresh ingredients.

From Feb. 4, 2012 (West San Jose).

FOOD TRUCKS:

• Chairman Truck – Baos
• KoJa Kitchen – Japanese/Korean Fusion
• Louisiana Territory – Cajun
• MoGo BBQ – Korean Fusion
• Sanguchon – Peruvian
• Treatbot – Ice Cream
• Wow Truck – Silogs

It appears that shortly after we left this particular day in early February, the crowd kept getting larger as Moveable Feast announced on Facebook, “Thank you for supporting quality street food in your hood. We had a record breaking Saturday with 1,000 visitors in 3 hours!” Moveable Feast would go on to announce new attendance records as well as new locations throughout the San Jose area.

Since February, we’ve driven by the West San Jose spot a number of times but have had to pass right on by upon seeing the large crowds. It’s a bummer missing out on good food, but the huge turnouts are awesome sights to behold.

Always Grateful,

~Andy

Here are the pics:

First up: Campbell Brewing Company in downtown Campbell. Got there right at the opening on that weekday.

Next: Rock Bottom Brewery in Campbell. Got there just a little after their opening, also on a weekday.

The 4 samplers at Rock Bottom were the Specialty Dark (Imperial Oatmeal Stout), Blitzen (Belgian Triple), Holidaze Ale (Belgian Double), and The Angry Brewer (Barley Wine).

Did I mention how tasty all the beers were?

Always Grateful,

~Andy

After I catch up, I’ll be more timely with my posts. Yes, the posts are still mostly beer-related.]

When a nearby BevMo announced a $25.00 gift card to those that made it to their grand opening this past December, wifey and I decided to check it out.

We got there 15 minutes before the opening and saw a very long line.

But with coffee in our hands, we were good.

And the wait wasn’t bad at all. Spotted the CEO making his way down the line to say hi and welcome everyone. Once inside, it was great seeing our local breweries represented.

Hermitage Brewing of San Jose.

Tied House of Mountain View.

FireHouse Grill & Brewery of Sunnyvale.

Wifey checked out the German beer section.

It was definitely worth checking out this grand opening event.

Switching gears, the below beers follow up a previous post on some of the beers I had this past Fall.

21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat, a Winter Warmer which was quite good with mellow holiday spice flavors.

Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA continues to be my favorite – just a thoroughly tasty, hoppy beer.

Fireside Chat with another meal.

We attended an awesome holiday party where they had New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber Ale, which was enjoyable with its biscuit and caramel flavor profiles.

I tried Samuel Adams’ Old Fezziwig Ale, but the spicy flavor didn’t go with the delicious appetizers I was enjoying at the time.

Trader Joe’s 2011 Vintage Ale, which was enjoyable, as was last year’s, with a pleasant blend of holiday spices, caramel notes, and fruit aroma and taste, including banana and raisin.

Wifey brought back some wine from Germany, and oh my goodness, was it smooth and crisp! Ah yes wine – will always be our first love.

Oh, and here’s what we purchased with the BevMo gift cards.

And the following pics are technically during the Winter 2012 timeframe and not the Fall.

A new San Jose brewing company: Strike Brewing Co. and their Blonde. A crisp and clean taste for this session beer (e.g., low ABV).

More beers to be enjoyed.

Always Grateful,

~Andy