San Jose and South Bay Beer Events for Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2013
It is becoming more common to have great beer events each day of the week throughout San Jose and the greater South Bay. Below is a quick round up of some of the South Bay beer events taking place Thurs., Jan 31 to Sat., Feb. 2.
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013
The weekly Pint Night at Harry’s Hofbrau in San Jose, starting at 6 p.m., features beers from Karl Strauss Brewing Company. The following is from yesterday’s Facebook update: “It’s here! It’s here! Karl Strauss Barrel-Aged Wreck Alley. This imperial stout is brewed with cocoa nibs, Ethiopian coffee beans, espresso, and toffee aged in a combination of dry bourbon and brandy barrels! Specifically brewed for SF beer week, exceptions were made to debut it at Harry Hofbrau for this Thursday’s Pint Night. Red Trolley and Tower 10 will also be on draft. Pint glasses and other brewery swag will be available to take home! Cheers!”
Original Gravity Public House in downtown San Jose hosts De Struise Night starting at 5 p.m. Here is the information from their Facebook event page:
Original Gravity Public House is extremely excited to feature this brewery at the pub for an event on January 31st! A relatively new brewery when compared to the many ancient breweries in Belgium, De Struise Brouwers reputation has been growing at an exponential pace over these last few years. Ratebeer has them as the best Belgian brewery second only to the venerable Trappist brewers of Westvleteren.
De Struise has collaborated with some of the best breweries in the world including: Mikkeller, Cigar City, 3 Floyds, 21st Amendment, Allagash, Hair of The Dog and many others. Their own beers are considered some of the best in the world and we are happy to say that we will have 5 different beers on draft from this exceptional brewery!
The lineup will include:
Pannepot – In the early 1900s, the village of De Panne, close to the French border, was famous for two things — the ‘Pannepots,’ or fishing boats, that could be seen along the coast, and the unique dark ale enjoyed by the local fishermen. This Old Fisherman’s Ale is a tribute to these hardy sailors and their rich, flavorful brew. Unfiltered. Unpasteurized. Keg Conditioned. A perfect 100/100 on ratebeer!
Black Albert – This Belgian Royal Stout was brewed as a tribute to one of America’s best beer bars, Ebenezer’s Pub. Black Albert was brewed and crafted with a 100% Belgian ingredients. Pours a blacker than black beer with an inch of dark tan head that lingers as it cascades into itself. Nice aroma of bitter-sweet chocolate, fresh torrified coffee beans, barley, candy sugar, complex fruits, and floral hops. At the front, there is spiced baker’s chocolate, fresh mocha, caramel like barley touches, and underlying hints of dried fruits which marries the back of your palate and features a Top, and well integrated but not overbearing hop flavor. The after-taste is well balanced and shows a panorama of extreme sensations like chocolate and coffee bitters, a plum cake richness that covers the palate, and a crisp impression of hop bitters that brings elegance and freshness into this massive brew. 100 RateBeer Score!
Cuvee Delphine (Black Albert aged in Four Roses Bourbon Barrels!) – Black Albert was used in a new barrel aging project. More than a year ago, Carlo was able to get his hands on a stock of Four Roses Bourbon barrels, and happily filled them up with Batch “0″. This unique creation was originally to be named 4 Black Roses in honor of its heritage, but our friends in Kentucky strongly advised us not to do so! What to do? As the disowned offspring of Black Albert, the name Cuvée Delphine imposed itself. Savoring the Belgian irony, we are most honored to have artwork by Delphine Boël shining on this label. This beer is extremely rare and exceptional. 100 RateBeer score!
Struise Westoek XXX Rogge Tripel – This Tripel gets it’s untraditional amber hue from specialty rye malt. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, riped fruit, dried fruit. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet. Hop bitterness is moderate an average to long duration, candy sweet, riped fruit. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Struise Westoek XXXX Quadrupel – A medium-sized light beige head sits on top of an unclear, golden-orange body. Aroma is a sugary, syrupy backdrop with notes of pine cones and some canned peaches. Sweet/sticky on the palate, full-bodied and decently carbonated. White sugar, piney hops and some peaches in the flavor. Fruity and bitter finish with some sweetness.
Friday, Feb. 1, 2013
Downtown Mountain View’s Tied House hosts their First Firkin Friday event for the month of February, where a special cask of Hermitage Brewing 2 Tun Imperial Stout will be tapped at 5 p.m. Head brewer Greg Filippi shares on Facebook: “Just in time for Valentine’s Day, February’s Firkin is 2 Tuns of chocolate. We took our 2 Tun Imperial Stout, already boasting the rich flavor of dark chocolate, and infused it with over a pound of Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa. The result is a rich, complex, sinfully delicious beer, bursting with roasted chocolate flavor. At about 8% abv, its plenty strong enough to keep you and your sweetie warm on a cool February evening!”
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013
The San Jose Co-op Brewpub hosts their first public event – a beer tasting and information session to kick off a membership drive. The event takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Drying Shed Restaurant in San Jose (402 Toyon Ave.). It is recommended to purchase tickets online in advance.
O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub in downtown San Jose hosts their end-of-the-month Beer Club event “Porters vs. Stouts” starting at 4 p.m. Rescheduled from Jan. 26, Jake from Kelly’s Liquors will be on hand to host the event, which costs $20 (free for Platinum Members).
[This post was shared on Examiner.com.]