Premier Firestone Walker SF Beer Week Event to Take Place at Harry’s Hofbrau San Jose
On Friday, Feb. 15 starting at 6 p.m., as part of SF Beer Week 2013, Harry’s Hofbrau in San Jose and Firestone Walker Brewing Company present The Roots of XVI, a one-of-a-kind tasting event of the rare component beers that were blended to create the highly acclaimed Firestone Walker’s XVI Anniversary Ale. This is a free event, and guests can simply come and purchase samples as they wish.
If that weren’t enough, fans of the varied and masterfully crafted offerings from Firestone Walker will have more reasons to cheer.
Scheduled to make appearances are two from Firestone Walker’s elite brew team – the venerable Firestone Walker brewmaster and part owner Matt Brynildson and original brewmaster Jeffers Richardson, who will be hosting the event. Jeffers recently returned to Firestone Walker to direct the new Barrelworks facility located in Buellton, CA and home to FW’s barrel-aged wild beers and strong ales.
Among Jeffers’ accolades is his creation of the FW flagship beer DBA (Double Barrel Ale) and Firestone Walker’s trademarked Barrel Union fermentation system.
[Update received 2/7/13 – Unfortunately, Matt will be unable to attend this event.]
For additional information regarding this special event, Firestone Walker’s Christopher Weir shares the following information, including the components of XVI that will be available for sampling:
XVI is the seventh release in Firestone Walker’s anniversary series, dating back to the release of the inaugural anniversary release called “Ten” in 2006.
Every year, local Paso Robles winemakers gather with the brewing team to taste through a variety of strong ales and determine the final blend. This year, the result was XVI, which was composed of 226 barrels spanning eight diverse components.
“Dozens of notebooks, hundreds of questions and countless beers have refined our approach to creating the best flavors possible through barrel aging,” says Brewmaster Brynildson. “Then we step back and let our winemaker friends help us put the final puzzle together. This year, the result is XVI—our finest achievement to date.”
At “The Roots of XVI,” the puzzle will be pulled back apart, and guests will savor these rare component pieces and learn about the art of blending.
The featured component ales are:
Velvet Merkin / Aged in Bourbon Barrels
– Traditional Oatmeal Stout
Double DBA / Aged in retired Firestone Union Barrels
– Double strength English Pale Ale
Parabola / Aged in Bourbon Barrels
– Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout
Helldorado / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels
– Blonde Barley Wine
Bravo / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels
– Imperial Brown Ale
Wookey Jack / 100% Stainless Steel
– Black Rye India Pale Ale
Undoubtedly, this event will draw many beer fans throughout San Jose and the greater South Bay (and beyond) to Harry’s Hofbrau, likely filling the large dining hall to capacity. Arriving early to claim a spot is recommended. Stay connected with Harry’s through their Facebook page.
What: Firestone Walker Presents the Roots of XVI – Purchase samples of the rare component beers used to create XVI.
Where: Harry’s Hofbrau San Jose, 390 Saratoga Ave., 408-243-0434
When: Fri., Feb. 15, 2013 starting at 6 p.m.
[This post was shared on Examiner.com.]