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PAULANER BEERS
This Munich brewery was originally founded by monks.  In the 1800s the "business" was taken over by a fellow who called the specialty of the house, the strong beer, "Salvator."  This name remains to this day and Paulaner Salvator is a world-famous "ambassador" for German beer in general and Paulaner in particular. 
Paulaner makes a wide range of beers.  We feature the Salvator and Hefe-Weisse.   These come in half-liter (16.9 ounce) bottles.

ANCHOR BREWING
Anchor Brewing is a San Francisco institution, having been rescued in the 1960s by Fritz Maytag.  His family owns the Maytag washing machine business, Maytag Blue Cheese factory, York Creek vineyard on Spring Mountain in Napa as well as a small distillery in San Francisco.  Anchor was set to close its door in 1965, but Maytag sold some shares of the washing machine firm to be able to become a partner and, eventually, the owner of Anchor Brewing. 
"Steam Beer" was made in a different fashion from Eastern and Midwestern breweries.  Not having a "great lake" which froze over, San Francisco brewers fermented their beer in special, very shallow vessels which would allow the brew to cool more quickly than in standard, larger tanks.  Apparently the beer got its name as a result of its emergence from the barrel with a "hissing" sound, not unlike a steaming tea kettle. 
Anchor Steam beer is stilled brewed in San Francisco and Maytag still is the head of the company.  Over the years he's added additional beers to the portfolio. 
Liberty Ale was first produced to commemorate Paul Revere's ride in 1775.  Who would have thunk people would be drinking a beer made to commemorate his gallop through hill and dale some two centuries later?  The Liberty Ale became a permanent part of Anchor's line-up in 1983. 
Old Foghorn is another hard-to-find specialty of Anchor Brewing.  It comes in tiny "nip" bottles (and believe me, these things are dangerous!) and is classified as a "barley wine."  It's got a slight sweetness yet a sharp kick on the finish.  Some liken it to a brandy or port.  Best served at cool cellar temperature, rather than ice cold like a regular beer. 
Maytag also bottles a special holiday season beer.  Anchor Christmas Ale is typically spiced with something such as juniper, ginger or nutmeg.  Each year's beer is different from the previous "vintage." 
One year Mr. Maytag happened to be standing in line here in the shop, waiting to purchase a bottle of something.   Of course, no one recognized him as Mister Anchor Brewing.  A fellow was also waiting to pay for a 12-pack of Anchor Christmas beer and Maytag asked him if he liked the beer.  The man replied he looked forward every year to tasting (and drinking) Anchor's Christmas Ale.  Maytag was so thrilled he introduced himself and bought and paid for the 12-pack!

We have the Summer Beer in stock currently, too.


And they started brewing a Lager...

  ROGUE BREWING
This is an interesting company, producing a wide range of beers.  They have several brew pubs around the Northwest and even a "Bed & Ale" place along the coast in Oregon! (A chilled 6-pack is included in the price of the room!)

The beers are made without pasteurization and fermented with a special, proprietary yeast they call "Pacman."

We feature a German-styled "Maibock" brew called "Dead Guy Ale."   This was created years ago for a Portland bar and to celebrate the "Day of the Dead."  Most people associate "Dead Guy" ale with The Grateful Dead.   It shows a fairly malty character and is very flavorful.

"Old Crustacean" is a barely-wine type beer.  It comes in small bottles, which is fortunate, since it packs a wallop.  The brewery calls this "the cognac of ales." 

Rogue makes a whole range of beers, so we'll be delighted to order for you whatever it is you'd like.

MENDOCINO BREWING
Drive around Northern Sonoma County and you'll find a number of old structures still standing which had been used to process "hops."  The "Hop Kiln Winery" near Healdsburg is a great example of this sort of edifice.    North of Sonoma you'll come to the town of "Hopland" and I'm pretty sure you're smart enough to figure out why.

Hopland is the home of the Mendocino Brewing Company.  This was California's first "brew pub" since Prohibition, opening in 1983.  "Red Tail Ale" was (and remains) their flagship beer.  The hops used by Mendocino Brewing come from Eastern Washington...they use Cascade and Cluster hops for their beers.  They also use Saaz hops.  Mendocino brews are "bottle conditioned," meaning they don't add carbon dioxide, but a measured amount of yeast and sugar to obtain the CO2.  

We have their Red Tail Ale, Blue Heron Ale, Eye of the Hawk and Peregrine Golden Ale.   Mendocino beers are uniformly good, being very fresh and fragrant.  Not to mention they taste good, too.

SAM SMITH'S

Located in Tadcaster, between York and Leeds, Sam Smith's was founded in a few years before the American Revolution.  The brewery was bought by the Smith family in 1847 and it's still family-owned, now run by the fifth generation.
Tadcaster was famous for a rock quarry and exported stone back in the 1800s.  Today the town exports Ale as it main product.
Sam Smith's still ferments in stone, while most neighboring brewers use stainless steel.   Well water from a 200 year old well is used, along with Kent hops. 
They employ a curious fermentation system called "Yorkshire Square."  This consists of double-decked, square fermenters which are linked by a "sinkhole."   The fermentation starts in the bottom chamber, bubbling up to the top...when the fermentation subsides, it leaves a residue of yeast on the floor of the top chamber.

We feature Sam Smith's Pale Ale, Nut Brown Ale and Taddy Porter.  Others are available by special order.

ORVAL

The Orval beer comes from a Trappist Monastery located on the border of France and Belgium.  Orval is the oldest of the beer-brewing monasteries and is quite a distinctive brew.  The beer is not, however, made by monks.  The monks are busy with cheese-making, along with forestry work.

The beer is "dry hopped," meaning they do a primary fermentation, followed by a secondary fermentation of about three weeks duration using Styrian "Goldings" hops.  This is quite an unusual practice for Belgian beers.  Orval uses a special proprietary yeast for the primary fermentation, but a mix of about ten yeasts for the secondary!  The brewery then bottle conditions the beer, considering this a third fermentation.

Beer experts describe the flavor of Orval as having a sage-like note.  It "ages" in the bottle, becoming richer and deeper with a year or two.  It is quite dry and often served as an aperitif.

If you visit the Abbaye de Notre-Dame d'Orval, you can buy some of the Orval cheese to go with your bottle of beer. 

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DUVEL

The Moortgat brewery has been around since the 1870s.  It's a Belgian brewery surrounded by large cabbage plantations in the village of Breendonk (I'm not making up these names....they're real!). 
After World War I, Albert Moortgat traveled to Scotland, hoping to bring back some yeast to produce an ale similar to Scotch Ale.  Naturally, the Scots were not terribly interested in parting with trade secrets, especially to a foreigner! 
A Moortgat consultant was able to culture the yeast sediment from McEwan's.  The first beer made from this special yeast (a combination of perhaps as many as 20 yeast strains), a brewery worker commented the brew "was a real devil!"  Thus, Duvel was born.
Duvel is often served chilled as an aperitif, or a tad warmer where the locals regard it, somehow, as a digestif.  There is a slight hint of pear to this, but it's not as intense as you'd find in a good glass of Poire Williams.

ARROGANT BASTARD

 

 

 

You have to admire this San Diego-area brewery (Stone Brewing) for their marketing of this special beer:  "It's not expensive, You're Too Cheap!"

It has become their most popular beer, although they make a range of "normal," yet flavorful brews.

We have this in a 22-ounce bottle.  To be "worthy," you'll need about $4.29 plus CRV and sales tax...

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