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Posts Tagged ‘Montana’

Rogue Ales Public House (2012 Trip to San Francisco, Part 3)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on November 26, 2012

Continuing my beer travelogue of my late summer trip to San Francisco…

Day 1 of my weekend in San Francisco was highlighted by visits to two new brewpubs – Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant and Social Kitchen & Brewery.

I continued my exploration of the San Francisco beer scene on day 2 with visits to two tap houses while touring the city’s most well-known tourist destinations.

Our first stop on Sunday was Chinatown, and we couldn’t have asked for better tour guides. Our hosts, Martino and Lana, both speak Chinese and Lana’s grandparents owned a store in Chinatown for many years. They both know Chinatown well, and we got a behind the scenes tour, venturing well beyond where the typical tourists roam. My favorite stop was the Chinese fortune cookie factory, where I had cookies made with custom-printed fortunes and we tasted hot, freshly-baked fortune cookies (see pic in gallery below!).

Enough touring, time for a beer. After Chinatown, we went to Rogue Ales Public House, located in the heart of San Francisco’s fabled North Beach neighborhood, which is between Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf. I had been here before, and I loved it. No, they don’t serve local San Francisco beer (Rogue Brewery is headquartered in Newport, OR), but I love Rogue brew and the Public House is a friendly and inviting 40-tap beer bar. I’ll always try to find my way to the Public House on future trips to San Francisco. Just check out the beer menu:

The Rogue line-up is offered in four-beer samplers, and we sat at the bar long enough for me to work through two racks:

  • Juniper Pale Ale, a floral Pale Ale made with whole juniper berries
  • Sig’s Northwestern Ale, an India Red Ale with 80 IBUs
  • Chipotle Ale, a spicy ale brewed with roasted chipotle peppers
  • Brutal IPA, an Imperial Bitter
  • Rebel Hop Ale, a single hop brew
  • Liberty Hop Ale, also a single hop brew
  • Mom Hefeweizen, infused with Oregon rose petals
  • Chatoe New Crusty, a barleywine from the Chatoe series

Juniper, chipotle, rose petals…Rogue makes some intriguing beers. I’m desperate to try their latest batch: Chocolate, Banana & Peanut Butter Ale! Hope it’s on tap next time I visit.

Thumbs up on the pub grub too. The Kobe Blue Balls appetizer was a plate of three Kobe beef meatballs stuffed with Rogue Creamery Oregon Bleu cheese – perfect with the rich, flavorful, and hoppy ales.

With more of the city to see, we left the Public House for a leisurely walk down to Fisherman’s Wharf. After playing tourist along the Wharf for a while, we settled in at Jack’s Cannery Bar. We actually just stumbled onto the place, drawn in by the promise of 85 beer taps. After jostling with the crowd of tourists around the Wharf, Jack’s was a welcome respite. There were only a few people at the bar, and the bartenders treated us to quick and friendly service. I enjoyed a few pints of beer I can’t find back home:

  • Moose Drool, Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
  • Brekle’s Brown, Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, CA
  • Mt. Tam Pale Ale, Marin Brewing Company, Larkspur, CA

The Taps of Jack’s Cannery Bar

Jack’s had an awesome line-up of local brews and I could have stayed longer. But the countdown had begun – on Tuesday I would be immersed in meetings with precious little free time to explore one of my favorite beer cities. So we decided to leave Jack’s and press on.

Next stop: the Mission District for authentic Mission Burritos and local craft beer.

Posted in Beer Bar, Beer Travels | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

The Great American Beer Club (March 2012 Shipment)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on May 8, 2012

A friend gave me the gift of beer: a trial membership in a beer-of-the-month club, The Great American Beer Club, from Clubs of America. Each month I receive a 12 pack of four different types of craft beer, which are delivered to my front door via UPS in special packaging to prevent breakage. Nice!

My first shipment in January featured two beers from SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, GA) and two beers from Casco Bay Brewing Company (Portland, ME).

My second shipment of brew arrived in March. What’s behind door #2? I couldn’t wait to find out.

Beer from South Carolina? OK, I’d been wanting to try the beer from RJ Rockers (Spartanburg, SC) since I saw it at the beer store but I wasn’t willing to invest in a six pack of beer from a state without a brewing tradition – too many other good brews out there. But I’ll take it as a gift!

And beer from Montana? Bonus! Montana brew is rare in these parts, and I became a big fan on my 2011 trip to Yellowstone. During that epic vacation, I had one beer from Madison River Brewing Company (Belgrade, Montana), their Black Ghost Oatmeal Stout. So I was excited to see two different Madison River brews in the shipment.

The featured beers:

  • RJ Rockers Patriot Pale Ale, an aggressively-hopped American Pale Ale (6.0%)
  • RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown Ale, a traditional English-style Brown Ale (5.6%)
  • Madison River Salmon Fly Honey Rye, brewed with Montana honey and rye malt (5.6%)
  • Irresistible Amber Ale, a balanced, drinkable Amber (5.5%)

I’m sorry to see my trial membership in the beer club come to an end, but I don’t plan to renew. I love the concept, but not the price: $37 a month for 12 beers. While I wouldn’t buy this for myself, it does make a helluva gift.

Thanks to Pat for the gift of beer! With no more beer being delivered to my door, I guess it’s back to the beer store for me…

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2011 Yellowstone Trip Wrap-Up

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on August 1, 2011

My trip out west wasn’t intended as a beer vacation, but I think it might qualify. I planned the trip to experience the natural beauty of Grand Teton and Yellowstone.  Those iconic national parks are two good reasons to head west, but I have a third: the beer.

I was impressed with the great beer being brewed in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Since this was my first trip to the area, I wanted to immerse myself in the local beer scene. I think I succeeded — my final tally over the 11-day trip: 41 different beers sampled from 15 different breweries, plus one brewpub visit.

For completeness, here are the beers not mentioned in my earlier Yellowstone blog posts:

Big Hole Brewing Company, Belgrade, Montana

  • Headstrong Pale Ale, on draft at the Lake Hotel Dining Room
  • Big Hole Mythical White Grand Reserve, bought single bottle in Canyon Village

Red Lodges Brewing, Red Lodge, Montana

  • Bent Nail IPA, on draft at Roosevelt Lodge
  • Hefeweizen, on draft at Bear Den lounge at Old Faithful Inn

Kettlehouse Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana

  • Cold Smoke Scotch Ale, on draft at Rosie’s in Gardiner
  • Double Haul IPA, bought 16 oz can in Old Faithful Village

Lone Peak Brewery, Big Sky, Montana

  • Nordic Blonde, on draft at Snow Lodge Dining Room

Madison River Brewing Company, Belgrade, Montana

  • Black Ghost Oatmeal Stout,  on draft at Wolfpack Ale House in West Yellowstone

New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado

  • Ranger IPA, on draft in the Denver airport

Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau, Alaska

  • Alaskan Amber, bottle in Gardiner after rafting trip (thanks, Dave)

With the Yellowstone Trip report complete, I can start writing about my summer visits to Maryland brewpubs – six since Memorial Day.

Posted in Beer Travels, From the Beer Store | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Bayern Brewing (Yellowstone Trip 2011)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on July 21, 2011

June 30-July 2, 2011 – We were headed into the sweet spot of our Yellowstone vacation – a three-day weekend at the Old Faithful Inn. After four days in Yellowstone National Park, it was finally time to see the most famous geyser in the world: Old Faithful.

We left Gardiner, Montana on Thursday morning and drove back into Wyoming and the park, on a bearing south towards Old Faithful Village. Along the way, we stopped to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs area and Norris Geyser Basin – two amazing places. But we didn’t linger because we were anxious to see Old Faithful and check into the Inn. Like the geyser, Old Faithful Inn is an icon of Yellowstone.  It’s a National Historic Landmark built in 1903-04 and is simply a classic. We really loved our time there.

I had picked up more Montana beer while in Gardiner – a variety pack from Bayern Brewing. So upon checking into our room and dropping our gear, we grabbed a “traveler” and walked down to see Old Faitful erupt – a memorable experience.

During our time at the Inn, it was so easy to tell when to expect an Old Faithful eruption – we just had to look for the big crowds on the benches that circle around the geyser.  Old Faithful is a community event – every 60 to 90 minutes, activity seemed to slow as everyone paused to acknowledge the performance. Over our three days, we saw the geyser erupt from seven different vantage points. One of the best views was from the front porch roof of the Old Faithful Inn while drinking an an Old Faithful Ale. Observation Point, overlooking Old Faithful Village, was also a great view (see pics below).

Back to the beer…the Bayern Brewing Variety Pack included:

  • Dancing Trout Ale, a crisp and refreshing Kristall-Weizen, a filtered wheat beer (5.4%).  Formally known as Trout Slayer but renamed in 2007 “to best reflect Bayern Brewing’s environmental company philosophy.” Great label illustration (see above).
  • Amber Lager, a smooth Amber Lager with a distinct hop flavor (5.4%)
  • Pilsener Lager, an authenic German Pilsener (5.0%)
  • St. Wilbur Weizen, a traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen (5.4%).  A portion of sales of this beer and affiliated merchandise is donated to the Saint Bernard Rescue Foundation in honor of the brewer’s dog.

One day while we were staying at the Old Faithful Inn we drove up to the town of West Yellowstone, at the west entrance of the park. There we found the Wolf Pack Alehouse, which had 16 local brews on tap, including another Bayern brew: Dragon’s Breath Dunkel, a delicious Dunkelweizen (6%). I was pleasantly surprised by the solid German line-up from Bayern.

Our stay in the Old Faithful Inn brought with it a lot of memories, besides the beautiful views of Old Faithful: our hike to Fairy Falls, walks around Black Sand Basin, Biscuit Basin and Midway Geyser Basin, and drives around Firehole Lake and through Firehole Canyon. And memorable beers, too!

Our vacation was winding down but the local beer quest was not. Next: Jackson, Wyoming and more craft beer.

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Big Sky Brewing Company (Yellowstone Trip 2011)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on July 18, 2011

June 29, 2011 – It was the most anticipated day of our vacation – we were going rafting on the Yellowstone River.

We checked out of Canyon Village and headed north to Gardiner, Montana. Along the way, we took in Tower Fall, the beautiful 132-foot waterfall on Tower Creek. After driving through another bear jam and bison jam (see pics below), we left Yellowstone National Park through the historic Roosevelt Arch and found Yellowstone Raft Company in dusty downtown Gardiner.  Time to put on our wet suits and gear up for our 8-mile trek on the Yellowstone River.

The river was peaking from the hot weather and snow melt, so we were heading in at the perfect time for a wild adventure. I sat in the very front of our 11-man crew with my fellow crewman Mike — we were designated as the muscle up front who had to brave the waves and power our raft through the white water rapids.  Our guide did a great job of barking orders and steering us into the fastest current. I’m glad I had a wet suit! The water was freezing and rough, but fun. After a while, we eased through a slower part of the river and we enjoyed the scenery, especially The Devil’s Slide. We arrived at the take-out spot way too soon — I wanted to keep floating.

But good Montana beer awaited – beer from Big Sky Brewing Company. Their Montana Mixer included:

  • Moose Drool, this Brown Ale is the best-selling beer brewed in Montana. This beer is my favorite session Brown and easily one of the best beers of the vacation (5.3%)
  • Trout Slayer Ale, a pleasant, filtered Wheat Ale (4.7%)
  • Summer Honey, a summer seasonal brewed with Montana honey (4.7%)
  • Big Sky IPA, a delicious, well-balanced IPA (6.2%)

Big Sky Brewing Company was my favorite brewery of the trip.  I wish I could find this beer at home because the Montana Mixer would be a regular buy.

President Theodore Roosevelt said that Yellowstone National Park was created “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people,” a quote that appears on the Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance of the Park (see pic below).  You know, he could have been talking about beer!

Next: Old Faithful and more local beer.

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Bozeman Brewing Company (Yellowstone Trip 2011)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on July 14, 2011

June 27-28, 2011 – It was only our second day in Yellowstone National Park, and I had already experienced amazing wildlife, beautiful hydrothermal features, and great local beer. I was expecting the first two, but the third was a pleasant surprise. With over 3.5 million visitors per year, I expected to find a lot of fizzy yellow beer in Yellowstone.  But no, the restaurants and lounges in Yellowstone only served beer from Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

On day two of our Yellowstone adventure, we left our cabin in Lake Village and drove to Canyon Village. On the way, we explored the Mud Volcano area before hiking around the Canyon all afternoon. One hike took us down 328 steps in a decent of less than half a mile to the bottom of the Lower Falls. Incredible views! After the hike back up those steps, I knew I had earned my beer for the day. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is my favorite place in the park — I’ll let the pictures below speak for themselves.

Later that evening at the Canyon Lodge Dining Room, I had my first beer from Bozeman Brewing Company (Bozeman, Montana). I scored a total of four Bozeman beers throughout the trip:

  • Bozone Select Amber, the flagship of Bozeman is a drinkable Amber (5.5%)
  • Plum Street Porter, a smooth, dark, enjoyable Porter (5.8%)
  • Hopzone IPA, this hoppy IPA was one of my favorite beers of the trip (7.2%)
  • Hefeweizen, an American version of a classic German Wheat beer (6.0%)

After dinner we drove down to Hayden Valley to look for wolves and we were lucky enough to spot an alpha female running across the valley. That was an awesome ending to one of the best days of our vacation.

Next: our rafting trip in the Yellowstone River and more local beer.

Bozeman Brewing Company

Posted in Beer Travels, From the Beer Store | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company (Yellowstone Trip 2011)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on July 12, 2011

June 26, 2011 – We drove into Yellowstone National Park on Sunday, June 26 ready for a week of exploring the park and sampling the local beer. Our destination for our first night in the park was a cabin on Yellowstone Lake. After a detour to West Thumb Geyser Basin to take our first walk around the amazing thermal features, we saw our second bear of the trip, another grizzly.

Enough nature for the day – time for a beer! After checking into our cabin, we walked over to the Lake Yellowstone Hotel for dinner. As described by Janet Chapple in my Yellowstone trip bible called Yellowstone Treasures, the hotel “suggests 1920s casual elegance. The Lake String Quartet plays in the sun room during cocktail and dinner hours, the dining room has some of the best food in the park, and the entire hotel is the most carefully planned and comfortable of any in Yellowstone.” Built in 1891, the hotel is the oldest in the park, and beautifully situated on Yellowstone Lake.

Our first dinner in the park was memorable. I had a trio of mixed game sliders, featuring bison, elk, and antelope mini-burgers. Like the resident meat, the beer selection was also all-local. While I had stocked up on Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana beers before heading into Yellowstone, I quickly realized that wasn’t necessary because local beer was prevalent, both on draft in the restaurants and in bottles in the general stores.

At our Lake Yellowstone cabin, we enjoyed a bomber of Yellowstone Ale from Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon. Though not exactly local, I couldn’t pass up this bomber when I saw it in the marina store at Bridge Bay Marina. I later learned that Rogue’s Yellowstone Ale is actually their Dead Guy Ale with a different label. Oh well, I happen to love Dead Guy Ale.

I’ll also feature in this post the beers I sampled from Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company (Billings, Montana), including:

  • Wild Fly Ale, a full-bodied Amber (5.9%)
  • Grizzly Wulff Wheat, a bright Kristall Weizen (5.3%)
  • Huckle Weizen, brewed with “just enough huckleberry to make you yearn for the wilderness” according to the brewery. They also call this award winning beer “bear food in a bottle.” (5.3%)

Not familiar with huckleberries? The state fruit of Idaho is similar to a blueberry in flavor and is a favorite of grizzly bears. You could buy almost anything made with huckleberries in Yellowstone, from soap and candles to chocolate and ice cream. And beer — we also sampled the Wild Huckleberry Wheat Lager, a light lager blended with real Montana huckleberry juice from the Great Northern Brewing Company (Whitefish, Montana).

Next: our visit to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and more local beer.

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