Events Featuring Local Breweries during Silicon Valley Beer Week

Silicon Valley Beer Week (SVBW) kicks off today and runs through Sat., Aug. 2. Local restaurants and businesses will present a seemingly endless number of beer-related events and specials to celebrate good beer and to help cement the South Bay and Silicon Valley as a bona fide beer region.

Among the many terrific events throughout beer week are the ones that stand out for their all-encompassing local vibe, where local businesses feature local breweries.

The following list is a sampling of such events.

SATURDAY, JULY 26

The CineBrew Mart takes place on Sat., July 26 at downtown San Jose’s Camera 12 theaters (201 S. Second St.) and hits a trifecta on local participation thanks to the efforts of Camera 12, San Jose Made (SJMADE) and Hermitage Brewing Company.

For $25, watch as many movies as you can from among 12 being shown that day, and enjoy a beer-tasting event from 1pm-4pm featuring members of the Bay Brewers Guild, including Hermitage Brewing Company (San Jose), Strike Brewing (San Jose), Santa Clara Valley Brewing (San Jose), Gordon Biersch (San Jose), Campbell Brewing, Faultline (Sunnyvale), Tied House (Mountain View), Uncommon Brewers (Santa Cruz) and Santa Cruz Ale Works.

In between movie watching and beer tasting, be sure to do some local shopping courtesy of SJMADE. To purchase tickets, visit www.cinebrewsj2014.eventbrite.com.

MONDAY, JULY 28

Rootstock Wine Bar in Los Gatos hosts Strike Brewing from 5pm-8pm. Strike will pour four of their offerings, and Rootstock will provide a food pairing with each beer. There will be an opportunity to meet the brewer as well. The cost of the event is $25. Rootstock requests RSVPs. Call (408) 354-7668 or email info@rootstocklg.com.

Wine Affairs in San Jose presents a beer-and-food pairing event featuring beers from Santa Clara Valley Brewing. The event takes place from 6pm-10pm.

Downtown Mountain View’s Tied House Brewery and Cafe celebrates SVBW with a special menu pairing new items with carefully selected beer flights. The food-pairing selections, available from July 25 to Aug. 2, include:

• Mary’s Heritage Chicken: Free range, California raised chicken, brined, grilled, over cauliflower puree, green bean hash paired with Hoptopia IPA, Ironwood Dark and Villa Street Pale Ale ($14.50)

• Oatmeal Stout Braised Lamb Shank: Smoked mozzarella polenta, mustard greens paired with Maltopia (Silver, Cal State Fair 2014), Ale of the 2 Tun (Gold, Cal State Fair 2014), Oatmeal Stout ($18.95)

• Pan Seared Salmon (market price): Parsnip puree, French lentils, watercress salad paired with Alpine Gold, Single Hop Citra IPA, Single Hop Mosaic IPA

• House Made Sausages: Smoked mozzarella polenta, braised broccoli rabe paired with Maltopia (Silver, Cal State Fair 2014), Single Hop Citra IPA, Cascade Amber ($12.25)

Faultline Brewing Company in Sunnyvale will feature a particular beer each day of the week at happy hour prices all day and provide a special appetizer and entrée pairing menu. Monday celebrates Faultline’s Hefeweizen and includes the following appetizer and entrée pairing options:

• Appetizer: Smoked Salmon Sour Dough Canapés – House smoked salmon, atop sour dough toast with dill & lemon cream

• Entrée: Beer battered Scallop, Shrimp & Chips – Our classic FBC beer batter with scallop and shrimp, and house-made pomme frits and jalapeno tartar sauce.

TUESDAY, JULY 29

An all-San Jose event takes place at 7 Stars Bar & Grill as they host a #DrinkLocal Tap Takeover featuring Strike, Hermitage and Santa Clara Valley Brewing. Starting at 6pm, there will be raffles throughout the evening, and representatives from each brewery will be in attendance to answer any questions about their beers.

Faultline Brewing’s focus this day is Pale Ale. Food pairing options include:

• Appetizer: Shrimp Potato Latkes – Shrimp Potato Cakes with blackberry infused Pale Ale Relish atop of arugula and toasted almond salad

• Entrée: Fire Braised Chicken Tostada – Tender morsels of chicken fire braised with Fresno Chilies, red onion and corn, on crispy corn tortilla topped with a tomatillo & cilantro salsa served with Spanish style basmati rice

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30

The latest edition of Beerwalk takes place in Santana Row from 6pm-9pm. Offerings from twenty or so breweries will be poured at various shops and businesses throughout the Row.

A number of the participating breweries are Bay Brewers Guild members, and in all, beerwalkers will have the chance to taste beers from Hermitage, Strike, Santa Clara Valley, Rabbit’s Foot, Faultline, Santa Cruz Ale Works, Lagunitas, Almanac, Speakeasy, Anchor, Sierra Nevada, Hangar 24, Headlands, CaliCraft, 21st Amendment, 6 Rivers, Ballast Point, Ninkasi, Green Flash and Firestone Walker.

Beerwalk tickets can be purchased in advance for $30 online at www.thebeerwalk.com. In the case the event does not sell out, tickets can be purchased day of for $35.

Wine Affairs hosts a cider, mead and beer tasting event from 6pm-8pm featuring Sunnyvale’s Rabbit’s Foot Meadery/Red Branch Cider Company.

Santa Clara’s Wicked Chicken will have Santa Clara Valley Brewing Electric Tower IPA and a surprise offering on tap all day.

Vino Locale in Palo Alto will feature a tasting flight of Palo Alto Brewing Company beer, including Hoppy Ending Pale Ale, Atlas Double IPA, Nice Lacing Belgian Rye IPA and Cool Beanz Coffee Porter, to be paired with tapas plates.

Faultline celebrates Stout with the following pairing options:

• Appetizer: Stout Beer Battered Conch Fritter – Conch marinated in ghost peppers, lime and Maui Sweets, blended into a sweet/ spicy Stout beer batter, than deep fried and served with a cilantro-Jerk pesto

• Entrée: FBC Cadillac Burger: 1/2 pound burger, with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles, topped with an easy over fried egg on a butter toasted egg roll.

THURSDAY, JULY 31

Downtown San Jose’s nomikai presents a “Meet the Brewer and Dinner” event at 6pm featuring Strike Brewing. In addition to their specialty pizza menu, there will be a special dinner menu  – tangy BBQ ribs, summer corn on the cob with sriracha butter and nori fries along with a Strike beer flight featuring Blonde, Imperial Red, and Chin Music Extra Pale Ale for $18. This event offers one of the first opportunities to try Chin Music outside of Strike’s recently opened taproom.

Faultline focuses on Kolsch with the following pairing options:

• Appetizer: Spicy Beer & Colossal Prawn Ceviche – Colossal prawns marinated in spicy Kolsch beer, lime and lemon zest, Thai chilies atop fried giant pretzel

• Entrée: Pepper-Pot Stew – Mixed meat chicken stewed with a FBC Kolsch beer, black pepper, three chilies, Creole mire poix and naturally sweet yams.

FRIDAY, AUG. 1

Hermitage Brewing invites all to celebrate International IPA Day [updated 8-1-14: the official IPA Day is Aug. 7] with an IPA Day event of their own at their Tap Room from 4pm-8pm. In addition to their signature single-hop series of IPAs will be a special cask IPA. The Amazing Dr. Zarcon’s Breathing Machine and Smothered Food Truck will provide the entertainment and good eats, respectively.

The focus for Faultline on this day is IPA, with the following options:

• Appetizer: Pork Belly Buns – Slow Cook “Asian Persuasion” Style pork spiced with sweet plums, ginger, cilantro and coriander rolled in a lightly steamed bun, accompanied with a spicy “IPA” peanut butter dipping sauce

• Entrée: Beer Smoked Bratwursts Ragout – Smoked Bratwurst simmered with FBC IPA, sweet onions, lemon blossom, mustard powder and ghost pepper, served in a French Baguette boat atop of scallion mash potatoes and sweet and sour apple ragout

[This post was shared on Examiner.com.]