Pacific Brewing Laboratories

NEW SITE

2011-12-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

WWW.PACBREWLAB.COM

We put some thought into this. We think you're going to like it.

SAVE THE DATES: Pac Brew Labs Beer Launch

2011-11-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

SAVE THE DATES: Pac Brew Labs Beer Launch

Celebrating our Squid Ink Beer - Because It’s Delicious

Earlier this month we said farewell to our beloved brew night, but fear not! We will make it up to you with our three-day pub crawl! That’s right - three nights of Squid Ink Beer in celebration of our first public offering. Meaning, our brew nights will live on! Very soon, our beer will be at your disposal on tap at different bars and restaurants throughout San Francisco!

Mark your calendars for December 6th, 7th, and 8th and stay tuned for clues as to where this epic series of events will take place. In addition to our beloved Squid Ink, look forward to some food truck action, as well as some delicious giveaways from our friends at Because It’s Delicious.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for the insiders’ track on these clues and a chance to win some prizes. Plus, over the next two weeks, any tweet mentioning @PacBrewLabs with the hashtag #becauseitsdelicious will be automatically entered to win a delicious treat from our co-hosts.

Cheers,
Patrick and Bryan

Farewell Fond Brew Night. Farewell.

2011-11-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Beer, Food and Fellowship

Boys and Girls,

Well here it is, the invitation to the last brew night. I will be brief due to the fact that I may choke up. I will be strong! We will have many favorites on tap for all of you to enjoy. Squid Ink, Hibiscus, The Kraken and Andrew's (The Intern) stout (yet to be named). We will have Julie, The Butchers Daughter with her amazing cart full of German Sausage and goodies. And Kai with Nosh This and his incredible chocolates. Please bring friends and family to celebrate the closing of this chapter and the beginning of a new and wonderful one. Remember we are located at 214 Clara Street and will get started around 7PM on November 3rd. We are really looking forward to seeing you all.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

Pairings in the Bay Guardian

2011-09-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

Check out our list of favorite beer pairings in a recent posting of the Bay Guardian!

http://www.sfbg.com/2011/09/13/rogue-pairings

Thursday Brewing Event

2011-08-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Fellow Beer Drinkers,

Bryan and I are opening our doors this Thursday to the public (you) for beer tastings and amazing food. We are still working on what we will be serving this week (hibiscus for sure) so Thursday's beer menu is a surprise. Also we will have Smokin Warehouse serving their amazing bbq. We get started at 7PM and go until the beer runs out. So please join us at 214 Clara Stree t this Thursday and bring friends. We look forward to seeing y'all then.

Cheers,

Patrick & Bryan
Pacific Brewing Laboratory
415.265.7492

We're on the News!

2011-08-07T02:27:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it... Pacific Brew Lab get's interviewed on KRON 4 Morning News with Henry Tenenbaum! Enjoy!

Check out Behind the Scenes Footage by Kelly Dessoye from the Sweet Hop.

KRON teaser...

KRON interview...

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/ &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Thursday Night Beer Revival

2011-07-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

PacBrewLab Beer Revival

Ladies and Gentleman,

We hope that you can join us this Thursday at 214 Clara street starting at 7PM for a beer extravaganza. PacBrewLab (Patrick and Bryan) will be offering up their delicious brews for the fine folks of the San Francisco Bay area. We have a brown ale, double red, hibiscus saison, pale ale and a black IPA. The talented and amazing Wise Sons will be on hand with there home made rye bread, pastrami, pickles, mustard and other goodies. Seriously if you don't like beer just come for their food. We are looking forward to seeing all of you out this Thursday and getting your feedback to our newest recipes.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

Pacific Brewing Laboratory

Beer and Pastrami Need I say more.

2011-06-30T15:53:00.001-07:00

Tonight at 214 Clara Street. PacBrewLab and Wise Sons will be serving great food and craft beer so come on by around 7. We will see you there.

Cheers,

Patrick

Summers Here! Probably not.

2011-06-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

Summer, Really?!

The weather has once again teased us and made us think that this summer in San Francisco will be different (warm) than all the rest. There will be no need for a jacket or fleece or down. We can layout and get tan. Enjoy the warm waters. Ok so none of this will really happen. That means that an escape is needed and what better way than beer drinking and Creole food (our featured food vender). That is right friends we are opening the door again and inviting you and your closest to share some great beer with us. As always we are kicking off at 7PM at 214 Clara St. this Thursday. We will be serving our Hibiscus Saison, Summer Ale, Double Amber and Rye Ale. We hope that you can join us in this most fun evening.

Patrick M Horn

Beer and Good Jewish Deli!? Where do I sign up?

2011-06-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

Pastrami and Beer!? Yes Please.

Hello fellow beer enthusiast.

Bryan and I are throwing open the garage door and inviting you in for beer tasting, socializing and snacking on great Jewish deli from our great friends at Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. They will be serving their amazing Pastrami. These guys are the real deal. If you have had a craving for great deli in this city that has no great deli then you need to swing by. We will be serving a Summer Ale, Pale Ale, and an experimental Rose Petal Sasion.

Anyway, please join us this Thursday at 214 Clara Street around 7 PM. Bryan will brewing something great and dropping brewing knowledge. We are looking forward to seeing all of you out and raising a glass to your health.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan
Pacific Brewing Laboratories

PacBrewLab T-Shirts

2011-05-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Pac Brew Lab has been working with Jack Threads to design a new T-Shirt. Please follow the link to Jack Threads and sign up. Once you have that you can find our tab on the right hand side. Remember buy early, buy often.

http://www.jackthreads.com/sales/2740

Update: Shirt sale is over! Thanks for your support! Stay tuned for more awesome Pac Brew Lab schwag!

My Kingdom For a Beer

2011-05-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

My Kingdom For a Beer

Greetings to all of our favorite people, and your friends and friends of friends.

Bryan and I are throwing open the garage door and inviting you in for beer tasting, socializing and snacking on a few of Matt's paninis. We will be serving some Black IPA's, Crazy Ivan (Imperial Red Ale), something that tastes an awful lot like a German Lager, Hibiscus Saison and an experimental Hibiscus IPA. I guess I am going through a Hibiscus phase, like Picasso's Blue Period.

Anyway, please join us this Thursday at 214 Clara Street around 7 PM. The beer will go fast! Bryan will brewing something great and dropping brewing knowledge. We are looking forward to seeing all of you out and raising a glass to your health.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan
Pacific Brewing Laboratories

Cinco de What!? Cinco de Who!?

2011-05-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so Bryan and I had no idea that Thursday was Cinco de Mayo, really we had no idea. But friends and colleagues informed us that brew night fell upon this hallowed day and that this was awesome. So friends, friends of friends and complete strangers, we are throwing open our doors and inviting you to come and taste our tasty beverages that we have been working away upon over the last few weeks. We have reds, we have blacks and some other new creations for you to sample. We will have a mystery guest tap for a little later in the evening.

Also we have roped in our great friends at Le Truc to come and park right across the street from us on Thursday and serve their incredible, original and delectable food. We have worked with these guys on three separate occasions and been blown away each time.

We will be opening doors at 7pm at 214 Clara Street for Pacific Brewing Laboratories Thursday night beer social. Bryan and I hope that you can join us for this "special" holiday, grab a great hand crafted beer and some amazing food. We look forward to seeing you all.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan
Pacific Brewing Laboratories
www.pacbrewlab.com

What to do on a Thursday...o wait!

2011-04-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We are hosting our bi-weekly (or is it bi-monthly, I always get that one confused) Thursday Night Beer Social at 214 Clara Street starting at 7 PM. Bryan and I will be brewing up a Double IPA and having a few few treats on tap. Matt the Panini Guy will be there serving up: braised painted hill beef with smoked marinara, Calabrian chile paste and provolone. So come on out and have a snack and a beer cause what else are you gonna be do'in on a Thursday Night.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

Goose Island Bought By Bud, Now What?

2011-03-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Below is an interesting article about the purchase of Goose Island by InBev. I would like to hear your thoughts on "is this selling out" or a smart business move to get more craft beer to more people. And just because InBev owns you does that mean that flavor and uniqueness will be compromised? Let the discussion begin.

On Monday, Chicago-based brewery Goose Island issued a press release, stating that Anheuser-Busch will purchase the company for around $39 million. The craft beer community has understandably been concerned today about what this means for the future of the critically acclaimed brewery.

It's not like this should come as a real shocker. Goose Island has been partnered with the Craft Brewers Alliance for several years now, with the majority shareholder of that company being Anheuser-Busch. Only now, it's 100% -- Goose's founders and investors will get around $23 million for their 58% stake and the remaining 42% owned by CBA will be acquired for $16 million.

On the positive side, Budweiser dollars mean that Goose Island will now be able to bring its brews to the palates of more beer lovers around the country. But what has most people concerned is the departure of head brewmaster Greg Hall. With the main man heading for an advisory role, what does this mean for the flavor Goose Island's beers? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Come one, Come All

2011-03-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

Boys and Girls,

We are opening the doors to the brewery this Thursday, March 24th from 7-10pm to all our friends. We will be serving an IPA and Hibiscus Saison and brewing something that I need to come up with before Thursday. So come join us at 214 Clara Street and taste our audacious brews. We will have the panini guy serving up your favorite grilled sandwich. See you there.

Cheers,

Patrick & Bryan
PacBrewLab

Nano Brewery Article in SF Weekly

2011-03-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Drink 2011: In Craft Brewing, the Meek Inherit the Earth

All professional brewers can trace their roots back to a common hobby — homebrewing. We know what you're thinking: All homebrewers are sweaty dudes with beards. Au contraire. As the DIY foodie movement swelled over the last year, urban homebrewing culture has been widely embraced. Case in point: For this year's White House Super Bowl Party, President Barack Obama requested a homebrewed honey ale from his chef. Homebrewing, however, doesn't require any special skillset beyond an arm for stirring, a curious relationship with yeast, and a sixth-grade reading level. The hobby is more about creativity and passion than about scientific knowledge, and numerous underground Bay Area operations have opened their doors to prove that Joe and Jill Sixpack can make great beer and even turn their passion into a profession.
Two trends last year provided a window into the birth of a craft brewery: nanobrewing and Gypsy brewing. A nanobrewery is essentially a smaller version of a microbrewery. These grassroots operations produce beer in small batches, often on systems that resemble advanced homebrewing setups. Think of them as the farm league of craft brewing.
Luckily for us, many nanobreweries hold open houses to showcase their products, get feedback, and generate buzz (while giving you a buzz). Federal licensing and taxation does not distinguish between nanobreweries and microbreweries, so many unlicensed nanos give away their brews or accept donations while they test the waters.

Perhaps the best-known San Francisco nanobrewery is Noe Valley's Elizabeth Street Brewing (798 Elizabeth at Douglass, 244-5496,www.elizabethstreetbrewery.com). The neighborhood fixture is run out of a Noe Valley home that was featured on the home renovation TV show While You Were Out (and naturally remodeled as a "brewpub in planning"). In addition to acting as a testing ground and incubator for the impending licensed business, the nanobrewery serves to build bridges within the local craft brewing community.

Elizabeth Street's appropriately named Richard Brewer-Hay was invited to create a collaborative brew with established San Francisco Brewers Guild member 21st Amendment Brewing (563 Second St. at Bryant), 369-0900, www.21st-amendment.com). Their Imperial Jack was featured during 21A and Magnolia Brewpub's annual Strong Beer Month, and was awarded a gold medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup. Not too shabby for a brewer who hasn't even quit his day job.
Another nanobrewery on the rise is SOMA's Pacific Brewing Laboratories (214 Clara at Fifth St., www.pacbrewlab.blogspot.com). Open to the public every other Thursday, the brewery feels like a speakeasy run by a high school science teacher. If you're excited by beakers and tubing, this may be your happy place. Mad scientists Bryan Hermannsson and Patrick M. Horn brew small batches and share the fruits of their labor with interested friends and strangers who are welcome to subsidize the brewing habit via donation. They recently poured their IPA, Squid Ink Black IPA, and Hibiscus Saison at the Bay Area's first Nanobrewery Festival during S.F. Beer Week. The festival also showcased Elizabeth Street Brewery and seven other "breweries of tomorrow."

While the term "Gypsy brewing" might conjure images of Jack Sparrow hunched over a kettle, the name is derived from these brewers' nomadic tendencies. They take the traditional business start-up model and flip it on its head by renting equipment and time on established brewery systems instead of raising capital to create their own facilities. This isn't as easy as waltzing into Sierra Nevada and asking the staff to make a beer with your name on it. Gypsy brewers craft the recipes and sweat over the brew pot, just like any other brewers. The upside of this model is fewer sunk costs and more batch-to-batch creative flexibility.

Two local breweries taking this approach are Almanac Beer Co. and Highwater Brewing, both operating out of Drake's Brewing Company in San Leandro. Almanac, the brainchild of Damian Fagan and Jesse Friedman (of Beer & Nosh), release seasonal brews that are firmly rooted in the Bay Area's rich farming and culinary traditions. The duo's first beer, a Belgian-style golden ale aged in red wine barrels with local blackberries, previewed at S.F. Beer Week events to widespread praise. Steve Altimari, previously of Valley Brewing, is helming the Highwater Brewing operation. Altimari, whose beers regularly garner praise on a local and national level, released the first batches of his excellent IPA and Double IPA during Beer Week as well. Both breweries were represented at another inaugural beer week event, the Gypsy Beers from Near and Far festival at the Alembic.

Be sure to check out these nano and Gypsy brewers as their products become readily available — then gloat when you find yourself saying that you knew them before they were big shots.

I Present Thursday Night

2011-03-09T11:16:00.001-08:00

Boys and Girls,

It is that time again when Bryan and I open up the doors and invite the good folk of SF into our home away from home. So please come on by this Thursday from 7-10 at 214 Clara Street and taste some of our new creations and watch as we brew something fun. We will have the panini guy there making some great "Italian" sandwiches. We hope that you all can make it out.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

Who wants pink beer?

2011-03-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

Maggie from a Curious Palate posted a great write up on our citrus dinner with 18 Reasons.

Bryan and Patrick of Pacific Brewing Labs know their beers. They also know their colors, and how to impart playfulness and beauty with them naturally in their artisan beer making. They produce a small handful of craft brews, including a couple saisons and IPAs.
On a recent evening at San Francisco Mission District’s 18 Reasons, Bryan and Patrick paired a full five course meal entirely with their beers, in fact. You may think beer with smoked Gulf Coast mackerel and delicate greens, or cauliflower and lemon sformato with poached squid, trumpet mushrooms and brown butter would be a stretch. No, not for the über talented and creative Morgan Maki of Bi-Rite Market. And beer with dessert? Check. Maki paired the orange hefeweizen with ice cream to finish the meal with an ice cream float. And, unique to this dinner, Maki designed the menu around the beers in order to highlight their varying hues, effervescences, and acidity levels.
What really makes Pac Brew Lab’s beers unique is their embrace of color and flavor with their beers. They produce a few pink, marigold yellow, and sherbet-orange beers, namely the hibiscus, grapefruit, orange & tangerine Saisons, the lemon and grapefruit IPAs, and the blood orange Hefeweizen. Patrick expresses that it’s as much fun playing with the concept of color–and people’s relationship with it with regard to experiencing food and the senses–as it is crafting the beer itself.
Capturing the evening through a lens of eloquence and grace was Berkeley-based photographer Nader Khouri. For a glimpse into the experience, have a glance through his recent work portfolio.
As for experiencing the beer firsthand, SF Beer Week has officially concluded, but thankfully Pac Brew Labs is here to stay. Stop in and pay these gents a visit for a saison before it’s the end of the season

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday

2011-02-24T12:30:00.001-08:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

Beer week is over.(sad) But it went great for us. We got to see a lot of friends, met some new ones and share our beers. Now we have lots of left overs and want to share them with you. So Please join us tomorrow at 214 Clara St. starting around 7 and ending at 10 pm. We will have the panini guy there again if you get hungry. We hope that you can make it out.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

I Present Our SF Beer Week Event Schedule

2011-02-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentleman I present our Beer Week schedule:

Small Batch/Big Thirst Charity Event - Saturday Feb. 12th, 2-6 PM @ 246 Ritch Street, San Francisco. We will be pouring our beer along with Elizabeth Street Brewery, Lagunitas, Speakeasy, Mill Valley Beer Works and many more. There are delicious treats provided by Le Truc and the Rib Whip. 21 and over only; drink tickets for sale with all proceeds going to charity. Donations encouraged! (Serving - Belgian Heartbreak & Darth Lager)

Breweries of Tomorrow: Nano Brewery Festival - Sunday February 13th, 5-9 PM @ 1326 9th Ave (Social Kitchen and Brewery). There will be 9 nano breweries pouring as well as Social Kitchen. The cost is $15 dollars for admission. You will receive a commemorative glass and 2 tickets for beers from Social Kitchen and unlimited beer from the nano breweries. (Serving - Clara St. IPA, Hibiscus Saison & Squid Ink (Black IPA))

Producers Dinner: PacBrewLab - Monday February 14th, 7-10 PM. This is a beer and food pairing dinner that will focus on Citrus in both the food and beer. There will be 4-5 courses by chef Many Maki. The cost is $75 for members of 18 reasons and $85 for the general public. (Serving - Grapefruit Saison, Orange and Tangerine Saison, Lemon IPA, Grapefruit IPA & Blood Orange Hefeweizen)

The 2nd Annual Evening of Butchery and Belgian Beer - Sunday February 20th Starting at 3 PM @ La Trappe (800 Greenwich St.). Dave the Butcher will be breaking down a hind quarter of locally pastured beef. A Five Course Beer Pairing Menu of Belgian, Italian and U.S. beef driven dishes have been created by Dave, Chris and Chef Fai Visuthicho and her staff. All menu items will be paired with a perfectly matched brew including an Imperial Red Ale from PacBrewLab. You will not leave thirsty. Tickets are priced at $120.00 per person which include an Array of Appetizers – Happy Hour - Five Course Beer Pairing Menu & Live Entertainment to fill the most hungry of guests.(Serving - Imperial Red & Rye Ale)

The First of Many SF Beer Week Events We Will be Participating In

2011-01-31T10:20:00.000-08:00

Get to Know SF's Newest Brewers (And Their Beer)

SF has already cemented its reputation as a great brewing town, the home to Anchor, Magnolia, Social Kitchen & Brewery, 21st Amendment, Speakeasy, and other beloved craft breweries. For nine fledgling breweries, however, the journey is just beginning-- and if getting in on the ground floor is appealing to you, you'll want to mark your calendar for the Bay Area Nanobrewery Festival, to be held as part of SF Beer Week on February 13th.
Their goals as brewers vary wildly. Local Brewing Co. is committed to making "session" beers (the industry term for beers that can be consumed in quantity, without either getting too boring or getting the drinker too tipsy), while Beltane Brewing is more into high-octane concoctions like double IPAs and Belgian tripels. Pacific Brewing Laboratories likes to experiment with innovative ingredients, like Szechuan peppercorn and lemongrass; Van Houten Brewing tends more towards traditional British and German styles. What they all have in common, however, is a passion for beer and brewing-- one that's strong enough to keep them going after working their day jobs.
Hosted by BayAreaCraftBeer.com, the event is pretty much a steal: the $15 admission includes unlimited samples, a commemorative glass, and two tickets for full-size brews from Social Kitchen, which is playing host (food is available separately for the peckish). Tickets are only available at the door, so mark your calendar for 5-9 pm on Sunday the 13th, and get ready to meet the brewers whose beer you'll be drinking in the years to come.

Panini Madness!

2011-01-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that we will be having braised pork shoulder on acme herb slab with yuzu kosho aioli, black garlic and pickled mustard seeds paninis during our event tonight with a suggested donation of $4 for these delicious treats. These are provided by our neighbor Matt. See you tonight.

Thursday Night Brew'n and A Birthday

2011-01-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

Boys and Girls,

We are brewing tomorrow night. There are a few things different though this time around. Due to Beer week Bryan and I have only one keg to offer you fine, fine folks. But it is also Bryan's Birthday so we are asking all of you nice people to come out and celebrate and bring with you some of your favorite beers to share or selfishly keep to yourself while still celebrating.

Byran's previously reported youthful age has been greatly exaggerated in the press. He instead will be joining the ranks of the late 20's crowd tomorrow. So come on out, celebrate with us and get a preview of what we have in store for Beer Week. Looking forward to seeing all of you.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

Re-branding

2011-01-20T14:47:00.001-08:00

Hey Brewery Fans!

Recently Patrick and I realized we need to re-brand and create a new name to make our brewery more unique and stand out from the crowd of breweries opening. We've loved all your support and festive attendance to brew nights over the past months so we would like to extend a quick survey to you all to gauge what sort of brewery names you might like and what you think suits us the best. We love your input so we even created a box where you can suggest a name not on the list.

Let us us know what you think:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L8F5F8K

Cheers!

Bryan and Patrick

Great Article in the Oakland Examiner

2011-01-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you’ve heard the term “nanobrewery,” but do you know where to actually find brews so new they can’t even be sold yet? One not-yet-commercial brewery with buzz is Pacific Brewing Laboratories in San Francisco, which usually opens its doors every other Thursday night. It will be open tonight, January 13, for its first brew session of 2011.
There’s no secret password, but following the smell of malt down an alley-like stretch of urban streetscape does feel a bit like a trip to a cool speakeasy. The space is small for what it accomplishes, and may or may not be a packed house when you pass through the open garage door. A wall-sized chalkboard lists what’s brewing and what’s on tap, and the brewers seem genuinely happy to chat and answer questions as time allows. Brews are different every time, and on a recent visit ranged from an IPA to a hibiscus saison.
Pac Brew Lab is helmed by the enthusiastic and friendly young brewers Bryan Hermannsson and Patrick M. Horn. It all began in 2009, when Hermannsson brought his homebrewing operation to a warehouse space on Clara Street in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco. (If you’ve heard of Clara Street Brewing Company, that’s what he called it then, before changing the name to something less tied to a specific location). Early 2010 saw him teaching homebrew classes, discussing brewing on NPR, and opening up the brewery to friends and the curious public. Horn joined the team in March 2010, and the two have been cranking out brews with a passion ever since.
Because they won’t be commercial brewers until the business plan advances a bit more, the lads can’t charge you for their beers -- but helping them cover costs by tossing some money in their donation cup only seems fair. To make sure Pac Brew Lab is open on a particular Thursday, consult the Internet media of your choice (listed below).
Details:
Pacific Brewing Laboratories, 214 Clara Street, SF. Powell Street BART. @PacBrewLab on Twitter, Pacific Brewing Laboratories on Facebook, pacbrewlab.blogspot.com.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Brewery visit: Pac Brew Lab - Oakland craft beer | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/craft-beer-in-oakland/brewery-visit-pacific-brewing-laboratories?render=print#print#ixzz1AwO3989K

Here We Go!

2011-01-13T09:46:00.001-08:00

Boys and Girls,

We are brewing again tonight. Bryan and I have a crazy brewing schedule through the end of March due to many events and SF Beer Week. God knows what we are brewing and what we are serving but please come by, hang out, and drink stuff on tap. We hope that all of you had a great holiday and we are excited to see you all or y'all depending on where you are from.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

A Few Things

2011-01-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year beer lovers!! Bryan and I are back at it after a great holiday and planning period. We had an incredible 2010 because of all of you and the friends that you brought by the brewery and to events in support of what we are doing. And when I say support I mean drink. O and we made the Thrillist Best of the Year List! Also we just hit 100 followers on the blog and have people reading it from all over the world, including Pakistan and Iran! Take that Taliban! Please check in from time to time and keep up to date on open houses, events and goings on during 2011. We look forward to seeing all of our old friends this year and meeting plenty of new ones.

Cheers,

Patrick and Bryan

O Holy Brew Night

2010-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Kids who have been naughty and nice,

We are hosting our last brew night of the year tonight at 214 Clara Street. We will have a variety of beers on tap including kolsch, headless horseman, British mild and others. We hope to see you out. Bryan and I will resume our events in the New Year.

Patrick & Bryan
www.pacbrewlab.com
Pacific Brewing Laboratory
214 Clara Street
San Francisco, CA

Brew Night Location Change!

2010-11-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Attention Beer Lovers!

This week we will host our Thursday night brew night at the CA Academy of Sciences Night Life. The event is called A Taste of KQED. I will be giving a presentation on Beer Making and the Science Behind Beer. There will also be a beer tasting including our Black IPA, Cream Kolsch, Black Hefeweizen, and Brown Ale. The beer segment goes from 8:45pm-9:45pm in the African Wing inside the CA Academy. The price for Night Life is $10 and you get full access to the museum. If you would like to attend my talk and any others you need to pick up a free ticket once you're inside the museum because there is 75 person limit. There are a TON of other great sessions going on as well. We will not brew during this presentation, but I will describe how to brew on your stove top in your own kitchen.

We hope to see you there!

Bryan & Patrick

Daddy With His Babies!

2010-11-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

So many Beers made this week. So tired but in a good way. I hope that many of you enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Cheers,

MoFo's

Bryan Talkin 'bout And Serv'in Our Beer On The Farm

2010-11-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Thursday Night Brewapalooza!

2010-11-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Boys and Girls,

We are once again opening our doors, brewing beer and bringing our creations to the masses. Doors open at 7 PM. Bryan and I will be brewing a Hibiscus Saison during the evening. We have our Clara IPA, Harvest Ale, English Bitter and Chamomile IPA on tap. Hope everyone can make it. We are located at 214 Clara Street. We look forward to seeing you all out.

Patrick & Bryan
214 Clara Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415.265.7492

Pacific Brewing Laboratories Featured in Guardian Article About Nano Brewiers

2010-10-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

The new, new nanobrew

By caitlin

Created 10/27/2010 - 1:39pm

Beer in a basement? Trust us, you're gonna be hip to these hops

Patrick Horn of Pacific Brewing Laboratories mixes it up at one of the nanobrewery's pour parties

PHOTO BY BEN HOPFER

caitlin@sfbg.com

The newest trend filling steins doesn't mark a huge change from the norm — in fact, it's pretty nano. Nanobreweries, to be exact: a model of DIY suds start-ups that's allowing beer entrepreneurs to build their empires just the way they like them. Enterprising beer nerds, you've hereby discovered the brewpub version of underground farmers markets.

"One day we'll open a real pub, and if you find your photo on the wall you'll get a free pint," said Richard Brewer-Hay (yes, that's the name he was born with) as he showed off the pub-appointed Noe Valley basement room that houses his Elizabeth Street Brewery [1]. Daughter Addison, a precocious four-year-old, plays on the ground next to us as we sip a stout concocted by Brewer-Hay in the very same room — we just checked in with her sister, Quincy, on her way to bath time upstairs.

Nanobreweries are, in effect, the domains of beer makers caught between formidable brewing habits and starting their for-profit commercial operation. The Hess Brewing Company website volunteers that the definition of a nanobrewery is production of 10 to 75 gallons of beer annually. It estimates that there are 44 nanos in the country, with 21 in the works. Nanos can't sell their own beer without undergoing the same kind of expensive brewpub permitting process, so most keep their beer available on a by-donation basis — making for a real good party if you can get an invite.

Brewer-Hay, who moonlights as a blogger for eBay, began brewing seven years ago. Natural hosts, he and wife Alyson would offer his American-style, English-inflected beers at their neighborhood-famous Super Bowl parties. They named their brews after members of the family: Firecracker Red for the ginger-haired Addison; Daddy's Chocolate Milk for the stout that Brewer-Hay is partial to (and that we sit sipping). Recently bottled, it has a smooth, light taste. Also, like most of Elizabeth Street's creations, it is low in alcohol.

At first, Brewer-Hay's small batches were purely a labor of love. But as his brewing skills expanded, the family's parties did too, first to 150, then 200. Word spread, until one day he looked around and "didn't know anyone in the room." He realized he had hit on something and started to consider the shift to opening his own brewpub.

His business plan inspiration? "We're going back to the public house," he tells me as we sit on stools amid photos of family and friends lining the walls. (All the images contain at least one drink in the frame — "that's one of the prerequisites," he says.). The nanobrewer wants to build on the conviviality of beer that our Founding Fathers — brewers all, he says — were proponents of. He wants to sell his own beer alongside the city's best buffalo wings and grilled cheese sandwiches. Primarily, though, he wants "families to be able to come, have a few beers, and still be able to function."

He's well on his way to realizing this vision, with no small thanks to the social networking the nanobrewery model lends itself to. Aspiring tipplers score invites to Elizabeth Street by responding to Brewer-Hay's announcements of upcoming pourings on Twitter. Lately the nano gets visitors from across the country: beer brewers and dedicated drinkers who have heard of Brewer-Hay's skill, or perhaps caught news of his partnership with 21st Amendment brewer Shaun O'Sullivan, which lead to a high-alcohol version of the beer Brewer-Hay named after his grandfather. Their bitter, Imperial Jack, won a gold medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup.

Across town in SoMa, a nano buzz is fermenting at Pacific Brewing Laboratories [2] that is a little less bedtime and a lot more nightlife. The brews are being crafted by hand by young pups Bryan Hermannsson and Patrick Horn, two skinny fellers in their early 20s. Hermannsson is a bioengineer whose previous nano-project, Clara Street Brewing, introduced him to the enthusiastic Horn. Their project inhabits a sparse side street garage, that since 2009 has been crammed with a younger crowd of hop heads at PBL's keg-tapping parties.

What's special about Pacific's vibe? Surely the nano's unconventional flavors — Szechwan peppercorn, goji berries, and chamomile have all been included in their bubbling brews. Pouring parties serve as share-and-tell time for the duo, who will wax on about their latest hibiscus saison until they're interrupted by its wort bubbling out to the floor by their feet.

"Beer connects you with people in many ways," Hermannsson says. The two are hoping to start a brewpub of their own in the future, a fact they don't hide from the potential investors who make it to their parties. "That's how you get on your feet. People come, you throw free events," Bryan says. "It's a great way to test recipes," Patrick interjects. Fellow partygoers, each holding a glass of one of PBL's four beers being poured that night, undoubtedly wouldn't offer a nano of dissent.

Pacific Brewing Laboratory Pouring Beer With a Bunch of Butchers

2010-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Three local farms striving to improve access to healthier, wholesome food choices in Northern California will benefit from an artisan butchery demonstration and fundraising dinner October 30 at Soul Food Farm’s 55-acre pastured chicken and egg farm in Vacaville. Four Bay Area star chefs will join celebrity Dave the Butcher to donate their time and talents to “A Day of Artisan Butchery,” co-sponsored by Soul Food Farm, Slow Food Solano, and Avedanos Butcher Shop & Market. Proceeds from the event also will support the U.S. Butchers Guild, the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, and Slow Food Solano.

The event runs from 2 to 6 p.m. at 6046 Pleasants Valley Road, Vacaville. Tickets are $99 and are available at Brown Paper Tickets.

Using a steer donated by Agricola Grassfed Beef, “A Day of Artisan Butchery” will begin with a live butchery demonstration on one-half of the steer, followed by a meal
using the other half and prepared by chefs Paul Canales of Oliveto’s, David Tanis of Chez Panisse, J.W. Foster at the Fairmont, and Tia Harrison of Social, (also co owner of Avendano’s). Ingredients for the meal will be sourced by Soul Food Farm owner/farmer Alexis Koefoed and will feature organic olive oil donated by local purveyor Katz and Company.

Dinner for 200 will be served in the fields and gardens of Soul Food Farm. The afternoon’s entertainment will be provided by Brazilian band Aza Azu. Featured wines
and beers for the festivities will be poured by LaTrappe, Pacific Brewing Lab, and Winter Hawk Winery.

The U.S. Butchers Guild will use the proceeds from the event to sponsor talented, passionate butchers and chefs from across the country and assist them in joining the
Guild.

“Resources raised at the Soul Food Farm event will help us build a national union that will support small family farms by supporting whole animal butchery,” said Marissa Guggiana, food activist, writer, and fourth generation meat purveyor. Guggiana created The Butcher’s Guild after writing her first book, “Primal Cuts,” which tells the stories of 50 our nation’s most gifted butchers; their favorite dishes and cooking techniques. “Butchery is now an entrepreneurial effort, not just a trade,” she says. “We hope The Butcher’s Guild will help resurrect some of the ancient knowledge and fraternity that has been lost here in the U.S.”

Other local beneficiaries of proceeds are:

Alemany Farm, a 4.5-acre working organic farm in southeastern San Francisco. The Farm is collaboratively managed by volunteers, San Francisco city officials, and residents of the Alemany community.
City Slicker Farms in Oakland, which helps West Oakland community members grow healthy, organic food for their families through high-yield urban farms and backyard gardens.
Shooting Star Farm, a 10-acre, CCOF-certified organic farm located in the Suisun Valley, California.
Farmer-Veteran Coalition, which helps create healthy and viable futures for America’s veterans by enlisting their help to rebuild rural communities.
Slow Food USA in Solano, supporting school gardens in Solano County and offering children hands on opportunities to explore where their food comes from.

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday!

2010-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

We are once again opening our doors, brewing beer and bringing our creations to the masses. Doors open at 7 PM. Bryan and I will be brewing a Hibiscus Sasion during the evening. We have our Mapo Ale, Harvest Ale and The Headless Horseman on tap. Hope everyone can make it. We are located at 214 Clara Street. We look forward to seeing you all out.

Patrick & Bryan

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-10-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

Our first official email from our new email addresses. We are once again opening our doors, brewing beer and bringing our creations to the masses. Doors open at 7 PM. Bryan and I will be brewing a traditional English Pale Ale during the evening. We have our IPA, Hibiscus Saison and a Szechuan peppercorn beer that is really unique and delicious. We are located at 214 Clara Street. We look forward to seeing you all out.

Patrick & Bryan
214 Clara Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415.265.7492

What Happens When Bryan and I Disagree

2010-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

All Over Beer Article

2010-09-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours did a nice article that I think captures the mission and vison of Pacific Brewing Laboratories. So click here:
Pacific Brewing Laboratories – Where Beer is Made
And enjoy!

Well It Is Official!

2010-09-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I have formally come together (not in that way) to form Pacific Brewing Laboratories! We are not moving form 214 Clara Street, yet. We are working on our Business Plans and other such things to build our dream. We look forward to seeing all of you out at our events and coming along with us as we grow and build Pacific Brewing Laboratories.

Cheers,

Bryan and Patrick

No Thursday Brewing Event This Week!

2010-09-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

We are closed this week and so we are not having our normal open to the public event. We shall be back online the first week in October. We appreciate y'alls understanding.

Patrick

The Story of a Legend

2010-09-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

I know that I have written about Fritz Maytag before and I live in San Francisco so I am biased to Anchor Steam. But this is a great interview and reaffirms my belief that Fritz and Anchor are the original craft brewers in America that led to what we are seeing today in the beer world. So again, Thank you Fritz. I hope I actually get to say thanks in person one day. The blog chops a little of the video off so if you wanna see it in its full size just click on the video and it will redirect you.

Cheers,

Patrick

Thursday Brew Night

2010-09-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Boys and Girls,

We are brewing and opening our door this Thursday. It has been to long since we have seen many of your smilling faces. So come join us at 214 Clara Street. We have a dry hopped IPA, American Hopped Belgian Double and a Kolsch on tap. This week we will be brewing a very special beer using Japanese hops and Chinese herbs and spices. I have no idea how this will turn out but it should be fun.

Come on out and witness as we attempt this never before done style and have a few beers in the process. Looking forward to seeing everyone out.

Cheers,

Patrick M Horn & Bryan Hermannsson
Pacific Brewing Laboratories

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-08-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Boys and Girls,

We are back to brewing and opening our door. It has been a great two weeks. So come join us at 214 Clara Street. We have a Hibiscus Saison, Black IPA and a Kolsch on tap. This week we will be brewing a Baltic Porter.

Come on out and witness as we attempt this big style and have a few beers in the process. Looking forward to seeing everyone out.

Cheers,

Patrick Horn

Not Completely Related to Brewing But Awesome

2010-08-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Last week while Bryan was busy brewing and sharing some of our delicious ales with you folks I was getting ready to climb Mt. Rainer in Washington. It was a great two day all out physical and mental experience that culminated at 14,410 feet. I wanted to thank everyone who donated to Summit for Someone. We are still a bit behind so if you want to donate please click on the above link and give what you can. All the money goes to their programs for innercity youth. Our climbs are all self funded and the guiding service is donated. I hope that you can help. Please see the pic's below of this great climb.

Patrick

14,410 ft

My New Buddy Drew

That Is An Aluminum Ladder And Below It Is The Deep Dark

The Emmons Glacier

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-08-11T19:31:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

We are back to brewing and opening our door. It has been a great two weeks and we have had some more awesome press. So come join us at 214 Clara Street. We have a Hibiscus Saison, Chamomile IPA, Black IPA and a Kolsch. This week Bryan is brewing and I am going for the summit of Mt Rainer. So I have no idea what he is brewing.

Come on out and witness as we (Bryan this week) attempts something and have a few beers in the process. Looking forward to seeing everyone out. I mean Bryan is looking forward to seeing everyone out.

Cheers,

Patrick Horn

Wet Hop Double IPA

2010-08-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Monday night Bryan and I took our wet hops and brewed a double IPA. We had a great time even with multiple equipment and propane failures. This beer was brewed with 4 different grains (Rahr 2 Row, Munich, Rye, and Crystal 15L) and 2 exotic sugars (Grade B Dark Amber Maple Syrup and Golden Beet Sugar). A quick word on Maple Syrup. I really like to brew with it. When I want a boost in Alcohol without drying the beer out and add a woodsy character in the finished product Maple Syrup is where I turn.(Thank you Canada. Yes Boz even you.) If you are going to use it I recommend the lesser grades because I think there is more "maple" flavor and it is cheaper. Only buy 100% Maple Syrup. Everything else is corn syrup and that is no good unless you are bottling.

We had multiple hop additions, more than three, throughout the boil. Take that Large Beer Company that advertises their triple hop process! We used Centennial, Cascade, Chinook and Nugget.

We calculated a final ABV of 10% with 90 IBU when it is all said and done. But this beer will take months to come together. Please enjoy the pic's below from the night for now.

Bryan Updating Our Beer "SpreadSheet"

Contemplating Multiple Equipment Failures.

I Love That They Are Neon Green

No Explanation Needed

First Hop Addition

Bryan, Sandra and I In Deep Brewing Concentration!

Numero dos!

Better In Beer Than Pancakes.

Why Is He Looking At Me Funny?

Sandra Really Into Stirring The Wort

No I Am Not Balding! That Is Where My Natural Part Is!

Pink Beer

2010-08-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

We are serving our Hibiscus Saison today at the brewery. I tasted it last night and it is incredible. Dry, tart cherry and refreshing. But don't take my word for it, come check it out today while supporting a great Charity; Big City Mountaineers .

Charity Beer Event Redux

2010-08-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we threw our first fundraiser for Big City Mountaineers on July 3 and we had a great turn out and raised over $600. We are still a little away from our goal of $4000. So we are throwing another all you can drink event on August 7th from Noon till 5 PM. We will be hosting at the Brewery; 214 Clara St.

So if you were not able to make it to the last event, here is your opportunity to come out and support a great innercity youth nonprofit. We are asking for a suggested donation of $30. If you need to give less come on out any way. If you came out to our last fundraiser then you get free admission but try to bring a donating friend. We hope to see all of you out to support week long, outdoor, life changing experiences for disadvantaged youth. If you are unable to attend you can still give here at my personal website at http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7110

Thank you,

Patrick

415.265.7492

OMG Are Those Wet Hops?!

2010-08-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Campers,

This weekend was a very educational and amazing experience for me as far as hops go. We have been talking with an organic hop grower in Gilroy, CA for the last 6 months and Sunday was harvest day for our order: Chinook, Centennial, Cascade and Nugget. I showed up at the farm at 9 am ready to pick my hop cones right off the vine. I was met by the head hop farmer Dennis and was soon joined by his son. We slowly made our way through the hop vines with ladders buckets and snippers.

We worked methodically picking the cones that were ready. I was told to look for large cones that are slightly papery to the touch. Most of my hop dealings are with industrial processed hop pellets. While the pellets are convenient and a great product, there is something really pure about hops right off the vine and the oils all over your hands.

The fog slowly rolled back as we worked through the morning and by the time we finished the sky was azure blue and the sun was warming. I have been stuck in San Francisco for most of July and the weather has sucked (Friday night was 50 degrees WTF) so being surrounded by hop plants and warm weather was incredible and restorative.

I bid Dennis and his family a farewell and headed back to the city with my bounty. The outside temperature gauge on my car, while awesome, told me that my time in the warm sun was slowly coming to an end as I got closer to the city. Seriously it dropped like 30 degrees between the two places. That is not right!

Bryan and I are meeting in a secret location this week with our Wet hops to brew a crazy double IPA that we will bottle in 750 ml Champagne bottles. So keep a look out in the distant future for some special bottles making there way around the beer community.

We took some pictures so please enjoy.

P.S. I hate July weather in San Francisco!

Birds Eye View From The Ladder

Hops Early In The Morning

Big Fat Cones! O My!

When A Man (Dennis) And A Hop Plant Love Each Other...

...This Is What Happens!

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-07-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

After a week hiatus we are back to brewing and opening our door at 7 PM. So come join us at 214 Clara Street. We have a lot of new beers on tap so who knows what we will be serving and when. It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. This week we are brewing a (Bryan and I have not decided yet Ale). So come on out and witness as we attempt this (Insert Beer Style Here) and have a few beers in the process. Looking forward to seeing everyone out.

Cheers,

Patrick Horn

Pacific Brewing Laboratories

http://www.pacbrewlab.blogspot.com/

Just a Reminder

2010-07-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

We no brew today!

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-07-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

After a week hiatus we are back to brewing and opening our door. So come join us at 214 Clara Street. We have an dry hopped abby blond, IPA and an American Amber on tap. This week we are brewing a Black IPA with three different hop varietals. So come on out and witness as we attempt this new beer style and have a few beers in the process. Looking forward to seeing everyone out.

Cheers,

Patrick M Horn

So Sad But No Brewing Tonight

2010-07-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we are on a hiatus this week. Next Thursday we will return for more brewing fun. On a side note Bryan is guest brewing at Six Craft Ales this week which is awesome.

Thursday Nights on Clara St., Beer Alchemy Happens

2010-07-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang,

Check out this little ditty from SF Weekly: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/06/our_favorite_morsel_from_the_4.php

Have a great forth of July Weekend and drink some craft beer.

Patrick

Just a Reminder About Saturday

2010-07-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

We are hosting the Big City Mountaineers fundraiser from noon till 4 PM. All you can drink for a suggested donation of $30. All monies collected go directly to Big City Mountaineers. We hope that all of you can make it.

If you are unable to make it to the July 3rd event, you can give on line. To give, please go to my personal website at http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7110.
Thank you in advance for your generous contribution!

Sincerely,

Patrick M Horn

Thursday Brewing Event and Saturday Funraiser

2010-06-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

We are back! After a week hiatus we are back to brewing and opening our door. So come join us at 214 Clara Street. We have an abby blond on tap. We want to get the group involved this week, so we are asking if you want to bring an abby STYLE beer with you to share with the group and talk about why you love it please do. This week we are either brewing a Black IPA (if the ingredients get here from the internet) or our Hibiscus Wit, except this time we are boosting the alcohol to make more of what they call a Wheat wine, mmmmm.

Now turning to something that is near and dear to me. On Saturday July 3rd from noon till 4 pm, we are hosting a fundraiser for Big City Mountaineers at the brewery. This group works with inner city youth and takes them into the outdoors for transformative experiences and instilling life skills. Most of these kids have never been outside a dense urban environment.

We are asking that people donate $30 dollars for all you can drink (the beer list is at the bottom of the email). If you are unable to donate $30, still come and donate what you can. ALL are welcome and ALL donations go to Big City Mountaineers. Do it for the children. And bring friends!

Cheers,

Patrick Horn
Pacific Brewing Laboratories
http://www.pacbrewlab.blogspot.com/

Beer List for Saturday (you may notice a trend)
Belgian Golden Ale that has been dry hopped
Pacific Amber Ale that has been dry hopped
Mighty Joe IPA that has been crazy dry hopped
American Kolsch

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-06-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We will not be holding a brewing event this Thursday. Due to such a great turn out over the last few weeks our beer stocks have been depleted. Bryan and I have been brewing like crazy to replenish our beer. We will resume our events next Thursday and are also hosting a fundraiser on Saturday July 3 at the space as well. For more information on the charity event please see below. All are invited.

We will be holding events every other week for the rest of the summer due to vacation plans. We hope that all of you can make it out over the rest of the summer and we look forward to seeing you.

Patrick

Kolsch and Friends

2010-06-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last night we opened our doors to a lot of new friends. We had some good press as of late and a lot of people decided to drop by and see what we are all about. It was incredible to see the community interested and supportive of what we are doing. Luring people with free beer helps. I wanted to thank everyone who came out and had a good time. Please come back soon. We miss you. Also please see some photos below of the evenings events.

Now I wanted talk about Kolsch. This is after all a blog about beer. Beer making and enjoying. Ok so Kolsch comes from Cologne Germany and is straw yellow in color. It has a typical alcohol by volume of around 4.5% - 5%. Hops are predominant but not over powering and it is crisp and refreshing This is the style that I think can really challenge the mass produced "American Lagers" out there that are made with a lot of rice. This is the gateway beer that will lead the masses into the promise land of well made, artisan beer. It is a style that needs to be more out there.

Kolsch is actually an ale that acts like a german lager. This makes it easier to produce by both small and micro brewers and also home brewers. So we made our first version last night. I think we nailed the style with an American slant, all American ingredients instead of German. We mashed for 90 minutes and used American Nobel hops. The original gravity was spot on and the color looked right so I think it is going to be a winner.

Ok kids so your homework (this is a drinking assignment) is to go out and try some Kolsch. If you have never had it and let us know what you think? If you have had Kolsch before what are you favorite ones? (you can go out and drink as well) Lets hear from you.

Cheers,
Patrick

Is this to much?

Is that a bicycle in the Background?

Sparging and explaining.

It has the new wort smell.

See how happy brewing makes people

The self serve section of the brewery

One of our guests pitching the beasties!

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Boys and Girls,

We are brewing Thursday night starting at 7 PM and going until we are done (11ish). This week we will be brewing a Kolsch using a yeast strain that I have never used before, Cry Havoc (really that is what it is called). So please come join Bryan Hermannsson of Clara Street Brewing and myself with Pacific Brewing Laboratories for a night of great beer (we have a pale ale, and other goodies on tap), a little education and lots of fellowship. The address of the brewery is 214 Clara Street. Look for the open garage door. If you have any problems locating us please call me 415.265.7492. We are looking forward to seeing you all. Also If check out the website Beer and Nosh for a great article about what we are doing.

Cheers,

Patrick

Great Article in Beer And Nosh On What Bryan And I Are Doing

2010-06-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Clara St Brewing Collective

On Thursday nights on Clara street, you can smell a wisp of malt aroma drifting through SOMA. Follow the aroma down a thin alley street, by garage doors and parked cars, and you’ll find an open garage as the source. Poke inside and you’ll find Patrick Horn of Pacific Brewing Laboratories and Bryan Hermannsson of Clara St Brewing adding hops and pouring pints for welcome guests.

Welcome to the Clara Street Brewing Collective.

Born out of a love of brewing, this expanded, kinda-sorta open to the public private homebrew event join Elizabeth Street Brewing as a halfway point between making beers in your kitchen, and actually opening a licensed brewery. The beers are free (it’s illegal to sell homebrew to public) and a empty malt extract plastic bucket is placed out to invite donations (all of which gets put right back into the cost of brewing.)

There is a refreshing purity to what they’re doing. The enthusiasm is infectious, and without the normal restrictions of brewpubs, you’re welcome to walk around, sipping your pale ale (that’s what was on tap last week – expect something next Thursday,) asking questions, even helping out. Want to throw in the next hop addition? Just ask and the task is yours. No one ever volunteers to help sterilize.

Their small gatherings seem to attract all type – from fellow homebrewers, curious neighbors, to lovers of things homemade and free. The back way is covered in chalkboard paint, and details the status of each brew, and it’s state in the process. Typical of homebrewers, it’s a mix of classic styles, and wild variations.

By the end of the evening, the keg is nearly dry, ten gallons of IPA have been brewed, and the curious imbibers are finishing up their pints. The yeast is pitched, and the bar and brewery closes down until next week.

Want to join in? See the Pacific Brewing Laboratories page for details about their upcoming events.

All The Beer You Can Drink (for charity)!

2010-06-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

As many of you may know, I am raising thousands of dollars to impact positively the lives of at risk inner city children through an outdoor program run by Big City Mountaineers (www.bigcitymountaineers.org). This summer I will attempt to summit Mt Rainier in the early morning hours of August 14th. So, to raise the money to meet my goal of $4,000, I am hoping that you join me for an endless draft beer event at our brewing space (214 Clara St.) on July 3rd. We will begin at noon and end at 4:00 PM. We are asking for a suggested donation of $30 per person and if you can give more thats great. If $30 is too steep please come and give what you can. We will have food as well.

Summit for Someone is a fundraising program that asks individuals like myself to challenge themselves by climbing one of the more difficult mountains in North America, like Mt. Rainier, and using that climb as a way to draw attention and donations to the Big City Mountaineer program. Summit for Someone is sponsored by many major outdoor companies including Backpacker Magazine, Jansport, Mountain Gear, Camelbak, Clif Bars, and many others.

To view more about Summit for Someone program and to see a video of a Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, please visit the website www.summitforsomeone.org This is a tough time to fundraise, but with a little help from all of you and your beer drinking skills, I am sure I can reach my goal. No gift is too big or too small and all gifts will be greatly appreciated. All gifts are tax deductible.

If you are unable to make it to the July 3rd event, you can give on line. To give, please go to my personal website at http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7110.

Thank you in advance for your generous contribution!

Sincerely,

Patrick M Horn

Our New Blackboard

2010-06-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

We needed to keep all of the beer that is in the space organized. So we decided to make a giant chalkboard and write everything down. I hope that you all can make it out and check out the more organized space and o drink some beer. We will be trying out new recipes all summer. Come on by and let us know what you think.

Cheers,

Patrick

Bryan Explaining our New "Software"

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-06-08T15:26:00.001-07:00

Boys and Girls,

We are brewing Thursday night starting at 7 PM and going until we are done (11ish). This week we will be brewing another Belgian style ale. So please come join Bryan Hermannsson of Clara Street Brewing and myself with Pacific Brewing Laboratories for a night of great beer (we have a pale ale, and other goodies on tap), a little education and lots of fellowship. The address of the brewery is 214 Clara Street. Look for the open garage door. If you have any problems locating us please call me 415.265.7492. We are looking forward to seeing you all.

Cheers,
Patrick M Horn

Pacific Brewing Laboratories

Sour Beer Is Risky Business, Starting With the Name

2010-06-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Below is a reprint of great article on sour beers by Lucy Burningham for the New York Times. If you have never tried a "sour" beer then after you read the article head down to the City Beer Store or the closest place that carries harder to find beers and pick up a "sour" style beer. You won't regret it. I want to start making these styles but our space is way to limited and when ever I bring it up the look of horror on Bryan's face is enough to make me change the subject, for now.

Sour Beer Is Risky Business, Starting With the Name

By LUCY BURNINGHAM

BREWERS of barrel-aged sour beer take risks and practice patience. They wait as long as three years to see whether the cloudy liquids resting in oak ripen into shades of gold or raspberry and develop the ideal tart, tangy flavors, or become undrinkable, ravaged by aggressive yeasts. It’s an expensive gamble.
And even if they succeed, they may still have to persuade people to drink them.
“We still get customers who call to let us know a bottle of our barrel-aged beer had gone bad because it tasted sour,” said Vinnie Cilurzo, owner of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, Calif. “Sour beers will never become the pale ales of craft brewing.”
But for the brewers of sour beer, and its fans, the wait is worth it.
"I almost regret that we call them sour beers,” said Tom Nickel, owner of O’Brien’s Pub in San Diego. “The word ‘sour’ requires a bit of a leap of faith.” The best of some sour styles, such as gueuze, he said, have flavors like champagne or fresh lemonade. “You may not like the idea you’re drinking sour beer, but your mouth will like it."
While the umbrella of “sour ales” includes many styles, traditional sour beers are most popular in Belgium, home of lambics, gueuzes and Flemish sour ales. But in the last few years American brewers have been trying their hand at imitating and riffing off those styles by fermenting with special yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. Sometimes they age the beers in wood or stainless steel and add raspberries, cherries, apricots and other fresh fruit for flavor, before blending the end results.
In 2002, when the Great American Beer Festival introduced its first sour categories, brewers entered just 15 sour beers. At last year’s festival, brewers entered 119 sour beers in four categories: Belgian-style lambic or sour ale, American-style sour ale, German-style sour ale, and wood- and barrel-aged sour beer.
They’re driven by a thirst for a challenge — in brewing and drinking. Producing a barrel-aged sour beer requires a willingness to take risks.
(Two places in New York City that are serving sour-style beers are the Blind Tiger, 281 Bleecker Street, near Jones Street, Greenwich Village, 212-462-4682; and Jimmy’s No. 43, 43 East Seventh Street, near Second Avenue, East Village, 212-982-3006.)
Peter Bouckaert was one of the first brewers to produce sour ales in the United States. Mr. Bouckaert, a native of Belgium who had worked at breweries there, including Rodenbach, became brewmaster at New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colo., in 1996. He released La Folie, a Flanders-style red, in 1999. It’s one of the New Belgium’s three wood-aged sour beers that are well regarded by aficionados, even though they make up less than 2 percent of its sales.
“Pushing in new directions is part of the true craft-brewing spirit,” Mr. Bouckaert said. “We’re not going to do market research first.”
Allagash Brewing in Portland, Me., produces sour beers using spontaneous fermentation, a traditional Belgian method of exposing the wort — beer before fermentation — to air, so it can come in contact with naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria. It’s the first American brewery to do so. Allagash calls the beers Coolships, the term for the wide, bathtub-like container that allows the wort to kiss the air.
“Some beer geeks are trying to catch me cheating,” said Jason Perkins, Allagash’s brewmaster. “If we wanted to add yeast to make a sour beer, we’d just do that. Instead we’re trying to remain true to the traditional lambic style.”
Mr. Perkins considers the early batches of tart, fruity, dry Coolships experimental; the beers have yet to be kegged or bottled for the public.
“The lambic brewers who inspired us have been doing these styles for hundreds of years, and they’re still figuring it out,” Mr. Perkins said. “We still have a lot to learn.”
Most brewers don’t leave the process to chance. They add various souring bacteria and Brettanomyces yeast, which bathe inside the warm, dark womb of the oak barrels, devouring sugars with a rampant aggressiveness. The bacteria create strong sour notes while Brettanomyces adds distinct aromas and flavors, combinations of sweetness, tart acidity, fruit, earth, cloves and barnyard funk.
But unlike most brewing yeasts, Brettanomyces can easily survive in low-nutrient environments — it doesn’t die easily, especially in wood. Working with Brettanomyces risks contaminating everything it contacts — barrels and work aprons, stainless steel tanks and batches of beer.
Russian River uses all four strains of Brettanomyces commercially available to brewers, even though the yeasts could destroy 90 percent of the brewery’s beers that aren’t supposed to be sour. To avoid cross-contamination, Mr. Cilurzo limits Brettanomyces brewing to a specific area and equipment. Brewers working in that space aren’t allowed to enter other parts of the brewery on the same day and are encouraged to wash their clothes after work.
Some neighboring Sonoma County winemakers consider the yeast a scourge capable of destroying entire vintages of wine and refuse to sell Russian River the chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet barrels in which the sour ales age.
“Some winemakers won’t even enter our brewery for a beer because they’re so disgusted by Brettanomyces,” Mr. Cilurzo said.
Ron Gansberg, the brewmaster at Cascade Brewing in Portland, Ore., has another problem with Brettanomyces.
“Brettanomyces beers can be very sour to where they’re an event unto themselves,” Mr. Gansberg said. “Not necessarily something to pair with food.”
Sour beers made with yeasts other than Brettanomyces can have more balance and body, he said, which is why he’s never intentionally added the yeast to any of his beers.
For Mr. Gansberg, producing sour beers provided a chance to stand out from the multitude of craft brewers in the Pacific Northwest making bitter, hop-heavy India pale ales. He said he strives for balance, not just sourness.
“I didn’t sign on to the hops arms race,” he said, “and I’m not going to go down the road of, ‘My beer is more sour than yours.’ ”

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-06-01T22:08:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

We are brewing Thursday night starting at 7 PM and going until we are done (11ish). This week we will be brewing the quickly becoming famous Double IPA. So please come join Bryan Hermannsson of Clara Street Brewing and myself with Pacific Brewing Laboratories for a night of great beer (we have hibiscus wit, an IPA and our Bitter American on tap), a little education and lots of fellowship. The address of the brewery is 214 Clara Street. Look for the open garage door. If you have any problems locating us please call me 415.265.7492. We are looking forward to seeing you all.

Cheers,
Patrick M Horn
Pacific Brewing Laboratories
http://pacbrewlab.blogspot.com/

More Pictures From The Butcher, The Chef and The Goat Event.

2010-05-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Guest of Honor (the goat, not Dave)

The right tool for the job

Behold! Hibiscus Beer! (not nearly as tough looking as the meat cleaver)

The Chef and her amazing pate

Our Double IPA. It is awesome...really.

Tools and Meat and Dave (he looks too damn happy)

Scottish Ale with lots of exotic sugars and spices (like the colonel)

I think she likes it!

All the nice people having a nice time

Two of the best looking brewers...ever.

So sad that it is over

Thanks to all who came out in support of local foods and beverages. And thank you for all the positive feed back on our beers. All the products used in this dinner were sourced and made locally. Thanks to Dave the Butcher and Chef Stephanie for such a great and educational event. A huge thank you to Claudine Gossett who did all the photography for the event. Her pictures are amazing.

Stay tuned for the next event that we will be doing!

The Butcher, The Chef and The Goat and and The Brewer

2010-05-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article on the event that we participated in this weekend by Stephanie Rosenbaum for KQED. The event was with my good friends Dave The Butcher and Chef Stephanie. Dave butchered a whole goat in front of 50 guests as they dined on 5 different course all incorporating goat (except desert) expertly prepared by Chef Stephanie. We paired our beers with all the courses for both evenings. (No goats were harmed in the brewing of the beers for this event.)

The Butcher, the Chef, and the Goat

posted by Stephanie Rosenbaum | posted in DIY and urban homesteading, chefs, events, san francisco, sustainability |

Photos by Stephane von Stephane
"Is this Satan's dinner party?" my companion Stephane asked me as we walked into a Dogpatch photo studio on Saturday night. At the center of the airy white room was a whole goat, skinned and hooked through the hooves, hanging suspended on a heavy chain. More heavy chains are wrapped around the waist of Marina Meats and Avedano's butcher David Budworth, a.k.a. Dave the Butcher and his assistant Josh Kleinsmith, each chain weighed down with an assortment of wicked-sharp knives and cleavers.
Slipping through the crowd are black-clad, tattoo-sleeved servers in t-shirts emblazoned Chef Stephanie: Culinary Mistress in electric green, delivering plates of Alemany Farms greens topped with bright nasturium flowers and tiny gobbets of goat carpaccio--raw meat, fresh off the hoof, in other words--while a band crashed out some power chords in the corner.
Welcome to The Butcher, the Chef, and the Goat, the first episode of The Butcher and the Chef, a roving underground dinner party dedicated to explaining, in the most delicious and visceral way possible, just how food goes from animal to ingredient.
A collaboration between caterer, cooking teacher, and private chef Stephanie Hibbert and Dave the Butcher, the concept was born during a casual conversation the two had a couple of months ago. At first, their business partnership might seem unlikely--Hibbert, who spent six years cooking with Eric Tucker at the high-end vegan restaurant Millennium, was a vegetarian up until four years ago. But their passion for sustainability, and for getting their clients to know where their food is coming from, proved to be a perfect match.

Eight weeks later, they were welcoming 50 people into an airy white space, with the help of green events planner Sadie Waddington of One Big Fish Events and a host of like-minded local suppliers, from strawberries grown at unionized, organic Swanton Berry Farms near Santa Cruz to beers made by newbie brewer Patrick Horn at Soma's Pacific Brewing Laboratory.
On the plate, the goat was great, from a deep, richly flavored mushroom, liver, and kidney pate to a black bean and chipotle chile and seared slices of leg (chewy, but tasty) and braised shoulder over polenta and peas. The meat is sweet, not gamy at all, from animals raised at Long Ranch in Manteca, pasture grown and finished on alfalfa. But the real draw wasn't the dinner but the show.
As guests sipped from wine glasses filled with Pacific Brewing Lab's Foghorn IPA or Rough Wooing (a Scottish-style ale smoothed out with maple syrup, jaggery, and sweet spices), Dave broke down the display goat, first sawing it half, then methodically dividing it from ribs to loin, explaining as he goes.
"If you understand how one animal works, you can understand how any one works. The shoulder is always a slow cook, while legs and ribs are a fast cook." To demonstrate, he bones and rolls a neat parcel, made from the "arm"--meat from the shoulder, socket, and shoulder blade--perfect for braising, with just a sprig of rosemary and a little salt.
"I'm a fan of cooking without a lot of seasoning, so you can taste the meat. If you're not going to taste the meat, you might as well get a boneless skinless chicken breast and move to the Marina," he says, to much laughing and clapping from the crowd. As the beer flows, and the goat is slowly reduced to a couple of ankles and hooves, the audience begins yelling out questions. What about the marrow, asks one man. It's there, just like in a cow, says Dave. Split the legs, roast them, and you'll have marrow bones. Different taste, and less of it, since the legs are much slimmer, but marrow nonetheless.
Is this, then, what will get our goat? A little glamour and some knife-wielding education? Despite some media hype, goat hasn't quite muscled beef, pork, or even lamb off our plates. For the omnivorous, though, there are plenty of reasons to go for goat. As red meats go, it's a lean and healthy one. Since they're smaller and slaughtered younger, they don't have the impact on the ecosystem that cows raised for meat do, and they're well-suited to smaller operations. Just ask Bill Niman, who left his rapidly expanding meat company, Niman Ranch, in order to focus on sustainable goat farming at Stokes Ranch in Bolinas. He and his wife Nicolette are goat evangelists now, touting the healthful, environmentally sound benefits of goat meat to skeptical carnivores around the country.
So, why not goat? First might be what Dave calls "the ethnic thing." If you didn't grow up eating Mexican birria or Jamaican curried goat, or shopping in halal butcher shops, goat can seem like something other people eat, like tripe or frogs' legs. Gamy, funky, too strong: Dave has heard it all from customers he's tried to get interested in the world beyond skirt steak and lamb chops.
Slowly, though, goat is catching on. Dave says that Avedano's now goes through a whole butchered goat about every two weeks. At a recent Inforum panel discussion on urban farming at the Commonwealth Club, City Grazing founder David Gavrich mused on the possibility of reducing his ever-increasing goat herd--which makes its living munching down the weeds around the City's train tracks--through selective slaughtering, providing truly local meat to interested consumers.
Back at the dinner, guests are purchasing their own party favors. In keeping with the event's no-waste, nose-to-tail philosophy, the display goat isn't just an anatomy experiment, it's next week's dinner. As each part of the goat is broken down, the cuts are wrapped in brown paper and sold on the spot for diners to take home, from the head ("I'm making soup!" announces its buyer jubilantly) to the chops, the shanks, the kidneys, even the tongue.
At the end of the evening, Dave and Stephanie are wiped out but thrilled. For a first venture, it's been a surprisingly smooth success, one they'll repeat on Sunday afternoon from 4 to 7pm. And then, after the buckets of compostable scraps are hauled out, the rented tablecloths packed up in their biodegradable bags, they'll start planning their next event, Gone Fishin', at Coffee Bar on June 27th.

Thursday Brewing Event

2010-05-25T09:45:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

We are brewing Thursday night starting at 7 PM and going until we are done (11ish). This week we will be brewing a Belgium Golden Ale. So please come join Bryan Hermannsson of Clara Street Brewing and myself with Pacific Brewing Laboratories for a night of great beer (we have our creations on tap), a little education and lots of fellowship. The address of the brewery is 214 Clara Street. Look for the open garage door. If you have any problems locating us please call me 415.265.7492. We are looking forward to seeing you all.

Cheers,
Patrick M Horn

Yea, I was mentioned in CHOW!

2010-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Please click on the link below to read a great article by Lessley Anderson about the direction of home brewing and our good friend Richard Brewer-Hay from Elizabeth Street Brewery. O and I get a shout out! Enjoy.

Exploding Bottles

Just Some Updates From The Field.

2010-04-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Bryan from Clara Street Brewing and I got together the other day and did a little back to back 10 gallon batch action. I did a really clean and simple IPA getting ready for the "warmer" weather. Sorry I am from the east coast (south represent!!) and when May, June, July and August come around the weather is supposed to get warmer. Get with the program SF!

Bryan did his first Lager, a German style Pilsner. We both learned a lot about doing back to back batches and efficiencies so that in the future it won't take as long. Below is the evidence from this little adventure.

This is where it all begins. Milling the grain.

Man's two great accomplishments: FIRE and BEER!

Yummy Beasties!

Bryan and his Pilsner Mashing Out!

All that Wort is Gold!

So I wanted to show y'all this. This is a Wort chiller that was custom built not by Bryan or I. I like to call it the beast. Because it is ugly and has eight arms. But it cools Wort so freaking quick. Fear the Beast! Love the Beast!

All the beautiful babies.

So I made my first large grain purchase. This is over 100 lbs of grain and that makes me happy.

Anchor Sold! How do I feel about that?

2010-04-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Below is a reprint of the SFGate article on the acquisition of Anchor Brewing Co. by a local investment group. To answer the question in the title of this post I have to say that I am not sure how I feel. On the one hand Anchor embodies the spirit of micro-brewing, it is the first one by a good many years. It has been controlled by Mr. Maytag through its existence and has produces a really quality product for a long time. Is it a good idea to relinquish control to outsiders?

On the other hand the company that is purchasing Anchor is not a giant brewing conglomerate. It is a local company that specializes in the alcohol industry. They may be able to expand the brand and keep the quality and that is a good thing.

So in the end I will have to see how it goes and report back to y'all here. In the mean time go out and get an Anchor on tap and cheers Fritz Maytag and all that he has done to promote and inspire small brewers near and far. He is the father of the craft beer industry. Thank you Fritz and cheers!

Patrick M Horn

Anchor Brewing Co. sold to Greggor, Foglio

Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

(04-26) 19:46 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Fritz Maytag, the washing machine heir who launched the microbrewery movement, has sold Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco to a pair of Bay Area entrepreneurs who plan to preserve and expand the iconic brand.
No terms were disclosed for the sale of the 70-person Mariposa Street brewery and distillery that traces its roots to the Gold Rush, when local brewers produced a heady elixir known as steam beer.
In 45 years at the helm of Anchor Brewing, Maytag helped spark a revival in the craft of making beer by hand and inspired thousands of entrepreneurs to follow him in creating small, artisanal breweries.
Keith Greggor, 55, and Tony Foglio, 64, two veterans of the spirits industry, say they plan to expand Anchor Brewing's operations and cement its position as a font of artisanal beers and spirits.
"This is something we want to build on for the rest of our careers and pass on to the next generation," said Foglio, who will serve as chairman while Greggor runs the operation.
"Combining Keith and Tony's passion for the Anchor Brewing Co., their industry experience and expertise only means that Anchor will be enjoyed in San Francisco for generations to come," Maytag, who will serve as chairman emeritus, said in a statement.
Maytag, who was traveling Monday after announcing the sale to employees, could not be reached for further comment.

Inspiring others

Maytag, 72, who became involved with Anchor Brewing in 1965 when his investment saved the struggling brewery from bankruptcy, inspired many followers including Ken Grossman, who founded the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico in 1980.
"I didn't think at this point he was ready to move on," said Grossman, who recently collaborated with Maytag on a new beer.
"He was a legend for the many small brewers who came after him," said Grossman, who got advice from Maytag when he was starting his own company.
Nico Freccia, co-founder of the 21st Amendment Brewery Cafe in San Francisco, said when Maytag was rebuilding Anchor Brewing in the 1960s and 1970s, mass market brands dominated the market, and there were only about 70 breweries in the country - down from more than 4,000 near the end of the 19th century.
"Now we are back up over 1,500," said Freccia, adding: "Fritz Maytag is revered in the craft beer world. He fathered the whole culture of the movement."
Freccia said "steam beer" was the term applied to San Francisco brews of the Gold Rush era, one reason being that extra yeast was often added to the barrels before they were shipped up the Sacramento River, causing additional carbonation en route and a geyser of foam to gush forth when the kegs were tapped.

Family fortune

Born into the Midwestern family that made its fortune with the washing machine, Maytag came to the Bay Area to study at Stanford University, but dropped out of graduate school in 1965 to become first a partner and later the owner of Anchor Brewing.
"I became enthralled with the process of brewing beer," Maytag told Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler in 2000. "It was pure romance. To see beer made, it was a miracle."
Over the first 15 years, Maytag struggled to raise the quality and consistency of the beer and find consumers willing to buy it at a premium. "I did have a nest egg (from the Maytag inheritance), but I spent it all on the brewery," he told Ostler.
By the 1980s consumers had begin to develop a taste for Maytag's vision of a craft-made beer with a distinctive taste and other breweries followed his lead, including Sierra Nevada, Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward and the New Albion Brewing Co. in Sonoma, which spawned the Mendocino Brewing Co.
In 1993, Maytag founded a distillery that was indicative of the revival of craft-made spirits.
The new owners of Anchor Brewing plan to capitalize on the firm's reputation to expand their footprint in distinctive beers and spirits. Through their Griffin Group investment company, Greggor and Foglio have already acquired Preiss Imports, a 14-person San Diego firm that specializes in fine spirits. They also have a minority interest in BrewDog PLC, a large independent brewery in Scotland, and hope to make that brew locally.
Greggor said the deal to acquire the company came about after he and Foglio purchased Preiss and started talking with Maytag, whom they had met some years earlier, about their plans.
"After 45 years of running the business, I think he felt it was time to let somebody else help lead the way," Greggor said.

Anchor Brewing history

1854 Amid the Gold Rush, German brewer Gottlieb Brekle applies for U.S. citizenship and soon establishes a brewery on Pacific between Larkin and Hyde streets.
1896 Ernst Baruth and son-in-law Otto Schinkel Jr. buy the brewery, above, and name it Anchor.
1906 Anchor Brewery is destroyed by fire in the great earthquake and is relocated to 18th and Hampshire streets.
1920 Prohibition shuts the operation.
1933 Joseph Kraus, one of three men who stepped in to keep the brewery going following the deaths of Baruth and Schinkel in the early 1900s, resumes brewing Anchor Steam Beer at a new location at 13th and Harrison streets.
1934 The brewery burns down and is reopened at 17th and Kansas streets.
1959 The brewery closes, a victim of mass-marketed beers.
1960 Lawrence Steese reopens the brewery at Eighth and Brannan streets.
1965 Fritz Maytag buys 51 percent of the struggling brewery.
1969 Maytag assumes full ownership.
1971 Anchor Steam Beer begins to be bottled.
1979 Anchor Brewing moves to its present location on Mariposa Street on Potrero Hill.
1993 Maytag opens a distillery to make rye whiskey.
2010 Maytag sells to the Griffin Group, run by Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio.
Source: Anchor Brewing Co.

Pink Beer and Tax Day

2010-04-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

On tax day I wanted to forget about the money that I had to pay to the government above and beyond what they take on a regular bases, so I brewed. Bryan from Clara Street Brewery and I got down to the business of brewing a Lemongrass IPA. While we were in the throws of this we also racked a Belgium Wit that was brewed with Hibiscus flowers. I took pictures so that you could see for your self what this creation looks like. It is now going through secondary fermentation and then will lager for a week more. I think that this is going to be a warm weather crowd pleaser and honestly it is unlike most things that people have tried. And again we will be serving this soon.

Cheers,

Patrick

Shinny! (by the way these are the hot liqueur tank(right) and the mash ton(left))

And this is the boil kettle.

The stainless steel keg is the fermentor that held the Hibiscus Wit

All the little beasties tired from their work on the WIt

Yes boys and Girls that is Pink Beer. The Hibiscus stained the beer pink. I kinda figured it would and wanted it too. I am very excited about this beer. This will be an easy drinker 4.5 - 5 ABV calculated.

Kids you should never drink out of the Hydrometer tube...

...cause this is what happen! Bad Bryan!

And last but not least thanks to the nice people for coming out and supporting.

Banning Caffeine In Beer

2010-04-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

So some of our duly elected officials have decided to write a piece of legislation that bans caffeine in beer. Jim Beall, D-San Jose has proposed AB 1598 that makes it illegal to manufacture, sell or consume malted beverages that contain caffeine. All those delicious coffee stouts, bye bye. Wanna use Yerba Matte in your home brewing, forget it. The bill is in reaction to larger commercial breweries (eg Anheiser Busch et al.) producing "extreme" caffeinated malted beverages like Tilt or Sparks. Beall believes that the marketing of these beverages closely resembles that of energy drinks and so appeal to underage drinkers.

Except Anheiser and there ilk have come to an agreement with the Attorney General (AG) of California with pressure from the Center for Science in the Public Intrest (there is no room on the internet for an article on my opinion of this Orwellian group) to discontinue these type products. Other smaller manufactures have moved in to fill the void left by Anheiser and other massive beverage producers for cheap malted beverages that contain caffeine.

These products that the AG of California and Beall are concerned about have nothing in common nor resemble the quality beer made by artisans (both professional and amateur) that may use ingredients that contain caffeine. Assemblymen Beall has indicated that he is willing to work with brewers who are using ingredients that contain caffeine in there beers. I appreciate that he is willing to work with the industry but I have a fundamental problem with the bill as a whole. It is making it illegal to manufacture, consume or sell two legal products together. This seems to be a large infringement on the rights of legal consumers of beer. If the concern is under age drinking, which is illegal, then the onus needs to be on enforcement of the current law instead of proposing legislation that is infringis on the current rights of legal drinking adults.

Like may Daddy once said: "Son, that is like trying to remove a mole with a shotgun. You just do more damage than good."

If you care about being able to make, drink or buy the beer you want, please contact Assemblymen Beall's office and let them know that you oppose this type of legislation.

Cheers,

Patrick

Sike!

2010-04-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

I can totally brew Brown Ales. I just thief'ed some brown ale out of the secondary fermentor and it has come together quite nicely. There are notes of toffee and fig on the nose and in the flavor. I would go as far as to say that it kicks ass! So we shall be serving this delicious concoction in the near future. We are also going to come up with a better name for this one.

Yours in Brewing,

Patrick

I know, I know

2010-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

I know I have not been very chatty over the last week and I apologize. There is nothing worse than a quiet blog. (I just made that up) So I promise not to let a week go by without posting again unless i let a week go by without posting again.

Last week was a great week. It started with an interview from Chow.com that I will post when it comes out. I was joined by Richard Brewer-Hay of Elizabeth Street Brewery and Bryan Hermannsson of Clara Street Brewery. We had a lot of fun talking about brewing and what we thought about the brewing industry. I am curious to see what the interview sounds like on "paper".

Bryan and I also got together Thursday night and brewed a double IPA with over 17 oz of hops for a 10 gallon batch. It was also my first time using the brewmagic system which is like a Ferrari but for brewing. Please see the pictures below.

Yes those are hops and lots of them.

Sweet BrewMagic

So much grain!

All the nice people!

Ladies like beer!

Bryan and his baby!

Stay tuned for what is happening this week with Pacific Brewing Laboratories.

A Word About Brown Ales...

2010-03-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

...I can't brew them, yet. I have tried many times. I have tried different recipes and technique and the results have not been up to my standards. I just racked a brown ale from the fermenter to a secondary fermentor and I was not thrilled with the flavor.

The aroma was good though. I don't know. I am hoping that the flavors will gel in the secondary. You all will be the ultimate judge. So stay tuned for where and when we will be serving our "Mission Brown"

Brewing and Screaming at the TV

2010-03-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Ok so I had planned to brew my favorite West Coast IPA "Mighty Joe" last night and watch the Orangemen and Xavier dominate and have an all around nice evening, right.? No. I was trying to brew and kept running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to see the Orangemen, to put it kindly, not play up to their potential. It was a bad game. I was so angry that I drank wine. I know that this blog is about beer and brewing but sports will come into play from time to time. Any way I had a great brewing session but my brackets are in the toilet. On to the brewing!

So remember a few days ago when we were talking about yeast starters? Now you will see what the final product looks like after 36 hours.

That beautiful layer of white on the bottom is a LOT of yeast. I think over 375 billion cells. When you smell the flask it smells like fresh biscuits. It is amazing!

Now that this is ready we will brew. I heat water up to around 160 degrees and add some barley and rye grain that has been malted (for a later post) and cracked. We let this sit for about and hour and allow the enzymes in the grain to convert the suger in the grains to a fermentable type that the yeast can eat.

Afterwards we bring this lovely wort (name for the liquid before the yeast beasties get there hands on it and have there way. Savage yeast!) to a boil and periodically add hops (to make it more bitter and balance the sweetness). Once the boil is complete (60 - 90 min) we cool the wort quickly and add the beasties.

The foam on the top is from shaking the fermenting vessel (a glass carboy or a fancy water cooler bottle) to get O2 and yeast into the wort. This is not the famous yeast head that forms during fermentation. So this picture is at about 12:00 AM and here is the same vessel at 5:30 AM (yes I am tried today)

Now that is a thing of beauty. That is a perfect yeast head. There is an indescribably wonderful smell that is escaping the fermenter. I am excited about this new yeast and what it will do to the final flavor of the beer!

Thank You All For Coming Out!

2010-03-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Last nights event at Omnivore was amazing. There was a huge turn out for Marcia's new guide which allowed us to introduce our beer to a lot of people who know great food. Below are some pic's from the event.

Marcia trying "The Blood of the Lamb". I hope she likes it.

Explaining that this ain't Bud Light.

A very packed house.

Pouring my wares for the nice people.

"You'll like it. I promise."

What You Will Be Drinking This Evening

2010-03-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Please try not to drool on the keyboard.

In The Beginning...The Makings of a Yeast Starter

2010-03-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

What you see above is the beginning of any brewing process and that is getting your little beasties (yeast) in shape and ready to do what they were born to do, make beer. Yeast is what contributes most of the flavor in beer, it converts sugars into alcohol (the fun part) and produces CO2 which help protect the beer from oxydation and will aid in carbonation in the final steps of beer making.

In the photo above we have a 2000 ml Erlenmeyer flask (looks like something out of a laboratory right...right), a bag of dried malt extract (dehydrated barley sugar) and vials of yeast. These three things will come together to make a yeast starter which allows for a better and faster starting fermentation. This is a good thing.

I believe that a yeast starter is essential to making great beer. In the image above are two vials of yeast that contain about a 100 billion yeast cells. In my experience you need at least 375 billion cells to put into a 5 gallon batch of beer. A starter will first wake up the existing cells, get them active and reproducing to get my starter to the 375 billion mark. This takes about 24 to 48 hours.

To make the starter you heat the dried malt extract to a boil for 10 min, cool it to room temperature, shake it vigorously to get oxygen into the liquid (yeast like O2 in the beginning) and add the vials of yeast. Cover loosely with a little foil, put it some where cool, dark and dry. Stay tuned for brewing of Mighty Joe IPA this week.

Beer Tasting and Book Signing

2010-03-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Pac Brew Lab will be pouring a Belgian Dark Strong Ale that has been aged on Bourbon (yes, capital B) oak for 4 months at Omnivore Books in support of Marcia Gagliardi and her new book (see below for time and place) Hope to see you there!

WED. MARCH 24 MARCIA GAGLIARDI 6-7 P.M. (FREE)
The Tablehopper's Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion. Come meet the woman behind Tablehopper, the weekly newsletter about everything foodie in the Bay Area! With her unique blend of enthusiasm, insider knowledge, and sass, Marcia bases her recommendations on the reason you’re going out, who you’re dining with, and how much money you have to burn.

Mastering the Art of Home Brewing

2010-03-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this blog, then it is a safe bet that you like beer. You like to go out and order beer. You go to the store and buy beer to drink at home (maybe alone, and I am not judging you). You obviously like reading about beer. But when you are buying beer, you are limited by the selection on hand at your desired watering hole or the corner market. Instead of relying on others, it is time to take matters into your own hands and tackle Home Brewing. Just so everyone is clear, being a home brewer means brewing beer in the comfort of your castle or casa. I know what you are thinking: “That sounds complicated, dangerous and maybe even illegal.” It is none of those things and if you made out of kindergarten alive, then you have the necessary brainpower and requisite skills to make your own beer.

You will need a few specialty items that can be procured either or online. First, I recommend getting a kit – not the crappy ones where there is no boiling or it comes with something called a “party pig” – the only pig at a party should be a barbecued one. MoreBeer.com has everything for the novice to a full-blown brew geek. They have an incredible selection of ingredients and gear at the best prices. I highly recommend the Home Deluxe #2, which is a starter-kit. I would also pick up The Complete Joy of Home Brewing; this book does a superb job of telling you how to get started brewing.

In addition to the starter kit, you will need a 24-quart stainless steel brew kettle and the ingredients for your first batch, with which MoreBeer will assist you. Just tell them what your favorite beer is, and they’ll help you with the ingredients, but make sure that you spend the extra money for the liquid yeast because the powdered stuff sucks. Yeast is what really makes the beer so you want a high quality product. These little critters turn a soup of sugars into alcohol and contribute unique flavor profiles to the finished beer. There are many different styles of yeast out there.

You’ll also need bottles. Your kit makes 5 gallons worth of beer; which translates to 2-12 oz-24 bottle cases or 2-22 oz 12 bottle cases. Cleaning and sterilizing 24 of the 22 oz bottles rather than 48 of the 12 oz bottles is a no brainer. Plus, 12 oz is not a civilized size for a beer. Who opens just one 12 oz beer? It’s like Lay's potato chips. Now that you have all you need to make beer and a good book to tell you what to do…go do it! And here comes the best part; people will think you are cool when you tell them you are a home brewer. I will guarantee that people will want to hang out with you more now that you are a brewer. I am not sure if the allure for people is the aura of brewing that will surround you, or that you will have on hand lots of good beer that is custom made and are willing to share with friends (note: selling it is illegal). Throw beer release parties, bring a custom made six’er to the next party you are invited to, brew a special beer for a birthday, wedding or just because you feel like it or if you think your good enough enter your brew into a competition.

Remember: if you brew it, they will come – even the annoying know-it-all-guy that you try hard to avoid, but that is a small price to pay for being the new cool kid on the block.