Beer Me

Scenes From the S.F. Beer Week Kickoff Shindig

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’Twas a lot of dudes.

We’ll just say it: Friday night we got really bloated and blitzed at the S.F. Beer Week kickoff event down in SoMa, and we tasted a whole bunch of really swell beers. Highlights, for us, included a barrel-aged Scotch ale by Devil’s Canyon Brewing Co. down in Belmont; an incredible Imperial IPA by Anderson Valley Brewing Co.; a richly textured collaborative brew by multiple San Francisco Brewers Guild members; and some complex yet low-alcohol, English-style brews by Dying Vines of Oakland. (They were what the beer geeks call “very sessionable,” as in you can drink a lot of them and not get hammered.)

And, of course, once again, there were long lines for cult brews like Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Younger, which they ran out of pretty fast. Below, our slideshow of the scene.

Earlier: S.F. Beer Week: A Brief Preview
Pliny the Younger Selling Out In Minutes, and More News from Beer Week [’10]

Having sold out so fast in 2010, the event grew at least four-fold and moved to the Concourse Pavilion this year. The room was full of a lot of dudes, but we’d estimate there were perhaps 20 percent women present.
The crew from Napa Smith Brewing Company.
Two dudes from Drake’s, which was one of the more popular stops in the massive Concourse Pavillion.
Reps for Thirsty Bear, who were pouring a tasty barrel-aged winer brew. Barrel-aging, by the way, which was just a nascent trend at last year’s event, was fully a trend judging from this year’s offerings.
The crew at the Wise Sons Deli booth were doling out pastrami sandwiches, even though they’ve got a restaurant to get open in the next week or two.
The folks at Anchor were pouring a special California Lager, now available in their taproom.
A rep for Anderson Valley Brewing co.
One of our favorites of the night was this Imperial IPA which they were sort of pouring in secret for VIPs only. It’s aged in French limousine oak, and it is complex, woody, and awesome.
21st Amendment
Social Kitchen & Brewery once again brought their famous Big Lebowski ale — flavored with coffee, you know, like a white Russian.
Another favorite: the barrel-aged Scotch ale from Devil’s Canyon.
Scenes From the S.F. Beer Week Kickoff Shindig