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There's a small, yet growing contingency of beer enthusiasts living in Petaluma, CA. We share beer, brew beer, drink beer and talk about beer on a daily basis and while we'd consider ourselves pretty knowledgeable, the sky really is the limit when you're talking about one of the worlds oldest and most popular beverages! Beer is a hobby bordering on obsession for us and while we want to impart the knowledge and enthusiasm we've gained over the years unto others, we're just as excited to learn whatever it may be that you have to teach us!
And so our journey begins! We will make our love public, share what it is that we've got to share and ask you to share with us as well. We will post what news we come across as it becomes available. We will attend local beer events and document as they happen. We will push our tastebuds to the limit as we sample beer from all over the world, sharing with you the good, the bad and the fuggles (wow, that's terrible... like really bad).
Starting out with what's on deck tonight (10/2/09), it's the TAPS Petaluma Grand Opening party! If you live anywhere near Petaluma, chances are that you've heard of TAPS. It's the beer destination that Northern California has been in desperate need of! Located in the historic Petaluma Hotel, TAPS boasts 30 draft lines with domestic craft and Belgian beers as well as a growing bottle list. While Northern California truly does have some of the best breweries in the world, until now we haven't had a beer bar north of San Francisco to visit and enjoy a large array of different brewery's options.
The Grand Opening at TAPS looks to be a pretty solid event with flight tastings of some pretty rare, Northern California beer! Represented will be Moonlight, Drake's, Marin Brew Co. ('06 old dipsea!), Speakeasy and Stone in collaboration with Mikeller and Alesmith (mmmmm alesmith). Additionally, they will be pouring some as yet un-named beers at the back bar as part of the special event (I heard something about brown shugga' verticals?... hmmmm???). To get more information, click this lil' guy . Look for me and my North Bay Beer comrades at the event... we'll be the ones drinking a whole bunch of good beer.
Finally, I'm leaving you with a picture of the beer we enjoyed lastnight; Lagunitas' Lil' Sumpin' Sumpin' (no, not the Lil' Sumpin' Extra, we've still got about half a keg in the kegerator). This beer is categorized on BeerAdvocate.com as an American Pale Wheat... though it drinks more like a crisp IPA with some honey added post fermentation... I know that might not sound to be the most appetizing thing in the world, but trust me when I say that this is a wonderful brew. Its apprearance is quite alluring, pouring a nice light copper, golden color, it's clear as day. As you'll notice, plenty of beautiful sticky lace is left grasping onto the side of my glass as I enjoy this one. It's sweet, bitter with floral hops, refreshing and just crisp enough to make it a wonderful summer beer (released for the first time towards the beginning of the summer of '09). To me, this is one of the better beers that Lagunitas has put out in a while. We paired it lastnight with some Cajun Catfish Chowder which, in my opinion, worked out beautifully. Enjoy and we're looking forward to great times with all!
-Eliott
PS Sorry about that "fuggles" BS from earlier... that was terrible...
