Archive for the ‘Seasonal’ Category
Monday, May 20th, 2013
Throughout Session Beer Month, we have had a number of homebrewers come to us for tips on making a Session beer like our Alpha Session. Many brewers find these styles to be tricky since they must find a way to produce body and flavor with fewer ingredients. So to help out, we approached our friend and local homebrew celebrity, Mike (Tasty) McDole to create and share a homebrew recipe that will help you make your own Session Pale Ale. A little on Tasty’s credentials:
1. In 2007, he won Boston Beer Company’s Longshot Competition with his Double IPA recipe.
2. Since 2009, Tasty has brewed his Janet’s Brown Ale (an American Brown Ale) at Russian River Brewing Company each year, as both a Pro-Am entry for the GABF and as a specialty offering in the fall/winter.
3. Tasty spends time every week imparting his homebrew knowledge on the internets via The Brewing Network.
Ok, enough of the brew cred. Here’s the recipe.
Tasty’s Session Pale Ale
Original Gravity: 1.044
Final Gravity 1.014 3.9% ABV
43% Rahr Two-row
19% Crisp Maris Otter
14% Castle Belgian Pilsner
14% Crystal 15
5% Crystal 40
5% Carapils
21 IBU Chinook at 60 minutes
12 IBU Cascade at 20 minutes
9 IBU Centennial at 10 minutes
Dryhop with Centennial at 1/2 ounce per gallon.
Notes: Mash at 156F for 45 minutes. Boil 90 minutes. Ferment at 66F with California Ale yeast. The 20 minute hop addition can be moved to flameout with a similar IBU contribution if followed by a 30 minute whirlpool rest. Any other hop regimen can be used that totals 40 to 50 IBU.
So brew on friends with help from Tasty. Make those Session Beers to last you into the hot summer months and enjoy. Might we suggest a brew day refreshment?
If homebrewers have any other questions regarding Drake’s brews, techniques, and recipes, we they are welcome to hit up our brewers via breweranswers@drakesbrewing.com.
Twitter people: You can follow Tasty online @TastyMcD.
Tags: Alpha Session, homebrew, Homebrewers, Homebrewing, Mike McDole, NorCal Bitter, Session Beer Month, Session Pale Ale, Tasty McDole, The Brewing Network
Posted in beer, Brewers, craft beer, Recipe, Seasonal | No Comments »
Friday, April 26th, 2013
“Foolish consistency is the hob goblin of little minds.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Alpha Session is different this year.
Hold the phone. Don’t fret. We haven’t abandoned the Alpha Session you loved before. Let us explain what we mean here.
Each year the hop crops are different in varying degrees. Rainfall fluctuates; temperatures differ; one field’s aromas can diverge from the next of the same hop; and hop growers are always introducing new varieties into the mix. Last year’s CTZ can be great, but this year’s may not be anything to write home about. It’s natural.
“Hops are a changing agricultural product; a hop can vary from one year to the next; and there are always new varieties coming out,” explains Drake’s Head Brewer John Gillooly. “Our seasonals are the place where we get to really dig in with the best hops in our supply in a given year.”
Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re not just going to decide that EKGs (English hops, East Kent Goldings) are great this year and stick them in Alpha Session. We keep in mind the flavor profiles of the previous batches. We just don’t fill compelled to use the exact same recipe.
As Gillooly puts it, “We are not constrained to make these beers consistently the same recipe, but to make them consistently awesome.”
John Gillooly (left) and Brewer Chris Dunstan examine hops for Alpha Session.
Alpha Session this year will have the bright, citric American hop profile with the slight dank, pine edge that characterizes our NorCal bitter. We are using a large addition of Citra in the whirlpool and a heavy-handed dry hop with Simcoe for the slight dank, pine character loved by West Coast hop heads; El Dorado for juicy citrus and lemony flavors; and Experimental Hop 01210, which stood out amongst new hops for its pleasant floral, pine, and citrus peel aromas. How did we choose these hops? They were the best for the job.
Alpha Session, 3.8% ABV, 50 IBUs, will release on draft at Drake’s Barrel House (and at the Boonville Beer Festival) on Saturday, May 4, and this year (another change) they will be packaged in 4-packs of 12oz bottles available shortly thereafter.
Oh, but we’re not done with the good news here. We didn’t stop the Session brewing with Alpha Session alone. Starting this year brewers in the Bay Area and beyond have declared that May is Session Beer Month, and we are getting into the spirit with Alpha and its dark twin.
Omega Session will be an under 4% ABV dark, American hopped, session beer (session CDA, perhaps?) available at the Barrel House and on draft in the Bay Area. Omega Session features a brooding, dark malt character and a dank, herbaceous hop tone with prominent Mosaic and Simcoe hops (both great this year).
So stop by in May the Fourth for a pint or several of our light and dark side, appreciate our attention to the hops, and walk in a straight line home. Cheers.
**Want to know more about Session Beer Month?**
Follow on Twitter: @SessionBeerMay
OR
Like on Facebook: facebook.com/SessionBeerMonth
AND
Mark your calendar for the 1st Annual NorCal Session Fest hosted at Drake’s on May 25th featuring Session Beers (craft brews under 5% ABV, and preferably under 4.5%ABV) from around California. The fest will benefit the East Bay Bike Coalition. More details to come.
Tags: Alpha Session, El Dorado, Hop Selection, Hops, Mosaic, Omega Session, Seasonal, Session Beer, Session Beer Month, Simcoe
Posted in beer, Beer Fests, Brewers, Brewery, craft beer, Drake's Brewing, Drake's Staff, Release, Seasonal | No Comments »
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
As the winds rise and the chill begins to fall on the Bay Area, the brewers at Drake’s beckon forth again their swashbuckling seasonal Jolly Rodger from the fog. On Saturday, November 10 at 12pm at Drake’s Barrel House, this year’s incarnation of our always bold Jolly Rodger will emerge from the tanks to greet craft beer fans on tap and in 22 oz. bottles.
Fans of Jolly Rodger will know that this brew has over the years taken many forms and styles. Now, after years of scallywagging about and dallying with any style that caught its fancy, good ole JR is returning to it’s original form, an American Barleywine.
Originally crafted as a holiday brew that Drake’s brewers could get behind, Jolly had all the warming powers of malt and alcohol, minus the strange holiday beer ubiquitousness of overpowering pie spices, and finished with the open handed smack of bold Northwest American hops.
The 2012 Jolly Rodger is full-bodied with rich caramel malt undertones and mild biscuit malt character. Sufficient additions of West Coast hops balance the malt with pine needle aromatics and satisfying bitterness.
Release Event Details:
When: Saturday, November 10 from 12-9pm
Where: Drake’s Barrel House- 1933 Davis St., San Leandro, CA 94577
Food: Oakland’s Fist of Flour Wood-fire Pizza
Beer Availability:
Jolly Rodger will be available on tap, on cask, in growlers (2 per person), in (very limited) 5 gallon kegs (1 per person), and in 22oz bottles (6 per person limit).
We will also be pulling some barrel-aged Barleywines from our barrels to put on tap at the Barrel House for a Drake’s Barleywine Flight opportunity for the beer geeks to drool about.
Tags: American Barleywine, Barleywine, Barrel-aged, Barrel-aged beers, Beer Release, Brewery, Brewing, Craft Beer, Drake's Brewery, Drake's Brewing, Fists of Flour Pizza, Hops, Jolly Rodger, Jolly Rodger 2012, Jolly Rodger Ale, Malt, Seasonal beer, Specialty Beer
Posted in Barrel House, Brewery, Drake's Brewing, Event, Jolly Rodger, Release, Seasonal | No Comments »
Monday, October 8th, 2012
Coming October 25: Mission Exxpedition A San Francisco Pub Crawl
The Beers of Fall from Drake’s
Before even mentioning the brewery construction, the move to a 24-hour brewing schedule, and the conversion over to our new larger batch sizes, the brewer’s have been a busy group with some new fall releases.
This fall prepare yourselves for new beers from Drake’s with the release of several new seasonals, one-offs, and new bottes all for your enjoyment.
1. HausFest Festbier- 5.5% ABV, 24 IBUs– Just released last Friday at Flocktoberfest, our one lager of 2012, the HausFest Festbier is currently our brewers’ go-to pint. HausFest is a lighter-style Märzen and our version of the classic German Oktoberfestbier. Fresh toasty aromas of Vienna and Munich malts jump out of the glass alongside subtle spicy noble hops with a round, smooth mouthfeel and clean, dry, and crisp finish. **2nd year brewed. Draft only**
2. Batch 4000- 5.5% ABV, 48 IBUs– To commemorate our latest milestone batch we took a hint from the harvest season and spiked our hop-forward 1500 American Pale Ale with fresh wet-hops (Simcoe and Citra) in a hop-back and the dry hop. Look for it at both the Bistro Wet-Hop Fest this Saturday and at Toronado’s Wet-Hop fest on the 17th. **One-off. Draft only**
3. Drake’s Exxpedition Imperial Red Ale- 8% ABV, 70 IBUs– Since the beginning Drake’s brewers have sought to create beers that transcend the brews that have come before. Our original brewer Roger Lind created our long standing seasonal Expedition, a hoppy American Red Ale, back when the punch of American hops were less that normal in your typical red ale. Now, our brewers are taking that beer to the next level for its “Double X” rendition, Exxpedition Imperial American Red Ale. Ruby red from crystal malts and roasted barley, this beer delivers rich caramel nots and just a hint of roast. Additions of citrusy, resinous West-Coast hops and an abundant dry-hop then punctuate the malt with intense flavors and aromas of grapefruit with a clean bitter finish. **Annual Seasonal**
4. Drake’s Jolly Rodger 2012- 9.6% ABV, 75 IBUs– After years of scallywagging about from port to port and dallying with any stayle that cought its fancy, the 2012 edition Drake’s Jolly Rodger is returning to its original style, an American Barleywine. Our 2012 Jolly Rodger is full-bodied with rich caramel malt undertones and mild biscuit malt character. Sufficient additions of West Coast hops balance the malt with pine needle aromatics and satisfying bitterness. Welcome home old friend. Yo Ho. **Annual Seasonal**
5. Drake’s Black Robusto Porter- 6.3% ABV, 35 IBUs– Drake’s Black Robusto is a deep, dark “Robust Porter,” a beer style know for being darker, fuller-bodied, and higher in alcohol by volume than a standard Brown Porter. Our Black Robusto goes down smoothly with flavors of bittersweet chocolate and slight roast from Crystal and Chocolate malt dominating. A touch of spicy, herbal hop character from Willamette hops balance out the the finish. Drake’s Black Robusto has long been a year round part of our draft-only line-up, but coming this fall we will begin to bottle this beguilingly dark brew in 22oz bombers. You’ll start to see the bottles first at the Barrel House, then around the Bay Area and slowly moving outward. **Year-Round**
Drake’s Beer Sausages at Fatted Calf
The masters of all things pork and meaty have done it again with very very tasty results.
For our Flocktoberfest Event last Friday, Taylor Boetticher, the mad genius behind Fatted Calf charcuterie shops in Napa and San Francisco crafted 2 different types of sausages flavored with our beers.
Starting this weekend (possibly today), out of the grace of all things beer-soaked and pork-filled, you will be able to get your hands on Drakonic Imperial Stout laced Pork sausage or Amber infused Duck sausage at both Fatted Calf stores (Napa and San Francisco) and at their various Farmers Market spots.
Tags: American Barleywine, Batch 4000, Beer Sausage, Dirty Thieves, Drake's Black Robusto, Drake's Brewing, Drake's Jolly Rodger, Duck Sausage, event, Exxpedition Imperial Red Ale, Fatted Calf, Mission, Mission Exxpedition, Pi Bar, Pub Crawl, Rosamunde, San Francisco, Shotwell's Bar, Sycamore
Posted in Barrel House, beer, Beer Fests, Brewery, craft beer, Drake's Brewing, Seasonal | No Comments »
Monday, September 17th, 2012
Oktoberfest is approaching, and as far as we’re concerned any holiday season that basically revolves around great beer and sausage is flockin’ chill in our book. Still, we find that most of the time we can do without wearing leather shorts and the polka.
But that’s what’s so great about being American… we can do whatever the flock we want. At Drake’s we’re doing Oktoberfest our way, keepin’ the large quantities of Fest Beer and seasoned encased meats and ditching the leather underwear and accordions. It’s Flocktoberfest again and we’re planning to rock out.
On Friday September 28th from 6-9pm, come to Drake’s Barrel House for your chance to Oktoberfest our style.
That night we will be releasing our seasonal HausFest Oktoberfest beer- a lighter, balanced version of the classic Marzen style. Made with Pilsner, German Munich, and Vienna malt hopped with classic German Spalt hops, HausFest is golden orange in color with an enticing aroma of biscuity malt and spicy noble hops with a crisp dry finish. 5.5%, 28 IBUs
A limited number of Drake’s Flocktoberfest .5L Beer Steins will be available for purchase, and throughout the evening we will fill your stein with pints of our HausFest and year-round beers for $4.50 (strong and barrel-aged excluded).
For your noshing needs, we have partnered with Fatted Calf to make two kinds of Drake’s Beer Sausage made with pork or duck that we throwin down on the grill. Vegetarians, no worries, we grabbed some vegan sausages from Rosamunde for you to get into the flockin’ spirit too.
Lastly, here to help us ditch the polka for the night, our friend DJ TophZilla will be throwin’ down tracks of punk and rock to kick the festing to the next level of awesome.
Pre-Order Tickets are sold out, but there will still be some steins and sausages available at the Barrel House starting Friday at 6pm. (For those that miss out on the steins, we still have plenty of perfectly good pint glasses that are quite good at holding beer.
Time to Fest the flock out at Drake’s. Prost!
21+ only.
No Pets allowed (Service Animals welcome)
Tags: Beer Sausage, Craft Beer, DJ TophZilla, Drake's Barrel House, Drake's Brewing, Drake's Flocktoberfest, event, Fatted Calf, Flocktoberfest, HausFest Festbier, Octoberfest, Oktoberfest, Rocktoberfest
Posted in Barrel House, beer, Beer Fests, craft beer, Drake's Brewing, Event, food and beer pairing, Release, Seasonal | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 6th, 2012
This past weekend our beloved aromatic IPA, Aroma Coma took the People’s Choice award at the Bistro’s Annual IPA Fest for the 2nd year running. Amongst an intimidating (and delicious) field of over 60 competitors, the people voted for Aroma Coma, and that’s pretty exciting on our end.
Thanks to everyone that came to enjoy the hops all day in Hayward! If you couldn’t make it down on Saturday, come by the Barrel House sometime soon to try our Aroma Coma and its sister beer Aroma Prieta made with New Zealand hops. Cheers.
Tags: 15th Annual IPA Festival, Aroma Coma, Aroma Prieta, Bistro, Drake's Brewing Company, Hayward, IPA Festival
Posted in Beer Fests, Brewery, craft beer, Drake's Brewing, Seasonal | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
Alex and Vince had a good time mashing in.
There’s a guest brewer in the house today, and I don’t think we could have picked a better brew day for him to join. Vincent Hine, former brewer at Hallertau Brewbar, a 12 hectoliter (~10 bbl) brewpub in Auckland New Zealand joined Alex on the brew deck.
We first met Vince last November at a local beer festival here in San Francisco, and have been hatching plans to have him in for a brew day ever since. So, when Vince showed up this Saturday for the Aroma Coma and Aroma Prieta release, one of those little Eureka lightbulbs popped up over our heads… bring him in for the next Aroma Prieta brew.
Yes, that’s correct. More of our newest seasonal, Aroma Prieta double-dry-hopped IPA with New Zealand hops is hitting the tanks today.
We know what you’re thinking… ”That’s Awesome! But why didn’t you just brew more in the first place?”
There’s a pretty fascinating answer for that, but the short version is: We didn’t get all of our New Zealand hops in time for the first brew. Due to the growing popularity of New Zealand’s hop varieties and their long harvest season, all the hops we planned to use didn’t quite make it to San Leandro in time for the first brew of Prieta.
According to Vince, their particular aromas and flavors of tropical fruit, lemon, citrus, and gooseberries have caught the attention of brewers both domestically, where they have traditionally relied more on Noble and English varieties, as well as in American craft breweries.
“From what I’ve seen of the hop fields, it’s still a very small production, but expanding. I don’t know if they are expanding at the rate of popularity,” Vince explained.
Still, despite initial setbacks, we are currently brewing up more Aroma Prieta today, which according to our in-house expert of the day, is “balanced with nice Motueka (lemon, citrus) and Nelson Sauvin (lemon, gooseberries, and sometimes green bell pepper) character.”
Thanks Vince for hanging out, helping us with the brew, and giving us some first hand insight into New Zealand hops.
For those still seeking Prieta, we currently have a few cases of bottles left here at the Barrel House, and the next batch should be available in a couple of weeks, though we’ve not decided how much will become bottles and how much will be draft. In the meantime, have an Aroma Coma. Cheers.
Tags: Aroma Coma, Aroma Prieta, Craft Beer, Drake's Brewery, Drake's Brewing, Guest Brewer, India Pale Ale, IPA, IPA Day, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, New Zealand, New Zealand hops
Posted in beer, Brewers, Brewery, craft beer, Drake's Brewing, Drake's Staff, Seasonal | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 18th, 2012
Aroma Coma fans, it’s time to get happy. Not only are we planning to release Aroma Coma again in 22oz bottles in a larger run than last year, but this year, we are also releasing Aroma Coma’s sister beer, Aroma Prieta in bottles and on draft.
Aroma Prieta will be, like Aroma Coma, 6.75% ABV and 75 IBUs. Check out the label description:
“Shake out from Aroma Coma with Aroma Prieta. Aroma Coma’s sister beer mirrors its twin starting with primarily American 2-row barley malt and a touch Caramalt for body. From there, we turn things upside down. This time, Prieta leaves behind Coma’s North American hops for some Southern Hemisphere hop action. New Zealand hops Nelson Sauvin, Pacific Jade, and Motueka and Aussie hop Helga in the double dry-hop give Aroma Prieta huge notes of tropical fruit, gooseberries, and grapefruit. Like Coma but different: breathe in these hops and enjoy.”
Aroma Prieta will be released alongside Aroma Coma on July 28th with a release event here at Drake’s Barrel House (details TBA). Afterwards, both beers will be available out in the market, with Aroma Coma more widely distributed.
Our long-time fans will remember Aroma Prieta as a beer we have done in the past (last brewed in 2010), but not with NZ hops. Essentially, its original concept was to be a twin beer with different hops. So, this time around for a large scale release we decided to go for more fruit-forward NZ hops as a cool contrast with the piney, resinous hop character of Aroma Coma. Breathe in the hops and enjoy.
Tags: Aroma Coma, Aroma Prieta, Bay Area, Craft Beer, Double-dry hop, Drake's Beer, Drake's Brewery, Helga, Hops, India Pale Ale, IPA Festival, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, New Zealand, Northern California, Pacific Jade, San Francisco, San Leandro, Sister Beer
Posted in beer, craft beer, Drake's Brewing, Release, Seasonal | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
Dad’s Day at Drake’s
Father’s Day approaches. Time to toast the guy that (likely) let you taste your first sip of beer.
To honor that gift and the many more your Dads have given over the years, we suggest you get down to the Barrel House on Father’s Day (so long as you’re over 21… sorry kiddos).
Sunday, June 17th, we will have a special firkin of a beer we’ve named “Father Knows Best”- a blend of bourbon-aged and regular Drakonic with espresso added. Also, the first 5 people that come into the barrel-house with their Dad will get their old man a pint on us. Also, whoever brings in the best picture of themselves with their Dad will win a Drake’s Growler + Beer Fill of your choice (bonus points if you are drinkin’ beer with Dad in the picture, extra bonus points if you’re drinkin’ Drake’s with Dad in the shot). We will announce the winner at 3pm along with a full bar toast to all Dads.
James and Co. from Fists of Flour pizza will be here making pies for Pops. The Barrel House opens at 12pm and closes at 7pm on Sundays.
**As always the DBH is 21+ only**
For more Barrel House info including current tap list, food truck & events calendar, hours, and retail sales, click here.
Alpha Session Available Now
Our latest addition to our annual seasonal line-up, Drake’s Alpha Session, is now available on tap and in stores throughout California.
Just a warning, our hoppy session ale (3.8%, 50 IBUs) is catching on, and going fast. Get some while you can.
If you want information on how to find Alpha Session near you, feel free to give us a call 510-568-2739 or contact us through the website at www.drinkdrakes.com.
Aromas Coming… early August
This year… the Coma doesn’t stand alone. We’re shakin’ things up.
Coming in early August 2012, Aroma Coma and Aroma Prieta.
Sister beers, entirely different hops. Stay tuned.
Tags: Alpha Session, Aroma Coma, Aroma Prieta, Brewery, Craft Beer, Drake's Barrel House, Drake's Brewing, Father's Day, June Events, News, San Leandro
Posted in Barrel House, Brewers, Brewery, Drake's Brewing, Event, Seasonal | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
Three years ago, the brewers, in an effort to give their livers a break from the big IPAs and double IPAs they’d been cranking out (IPA, Denogginizer, Hop Salad, Aroma Coma, Hopocalypse), decided to brew a session ale. However, they were unwilling to give up their west-coast hop addiction to accomplish this goal.
Their solution? 1. Brew a light, refreshing session ale with 2-row, Maris Otter, and a touch of crystal malt (3.8%) 2. Crank up the hops to IPA levels (50 IBUs) with large additions of West Coast hops in the boil and another hefty dosage in the dry-hop. 3. Leave the beer only loosely filtered. 4. Enjoy many pints.
Since our first batch of Alpha Session, low-ABV ales have grown in popularity throughout the craft beer community, with ales like English-style Milds, Berliner-weiss, and small beers growing in popularity. So after two years of brewing this “NorCal Bitter” ale in small batches, and likely drinking most of it ourselves, we are ready to share our hop-forward take on session ales with our fans. This time round, Alpha Session has been given full annual seasonal status, meaning that once a year this brewer favorite will be available both on draft and in 22 oz bottles.
To celebrate, we’re kickin’ back at the Barrel House all day Saturday, May 19th from 12-9pm. The Drake’s crew will be on hand sippin’ on Alpha Session, giving tours, playing games of washoes, and generally having an excellent day. For noshing, Oakland’s Fists of Flour pizza truck will be coming by all day to sling pies for our friends. Bottles of the Alpha Session will be available for purchase (limited number per person), so folks can come have a pint and take home some more for later.
Tags: Alpha Session, Brewery Tours, Drake's Barrel House, Drake's Brewery, Drake's Brewing, event, FIsts of Flour, Food Truck, pizza, Seasonal release, session ale, Spring Seasonal
Posted in Release, Seasonal | 1 Comment »
