I enjoy drinking beer.

I am a Lady Beer Drinker based in San Francisco. As an equal-opportunity drinker, I am open to trying just about any beer that comes along. Beers you think I should try? Email to [email protected]. Cheers!

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Vitus Weizenbock -- Weihenstephaner

Make fun of the Germans and their Reinheitsgebot beer purity laws all you want, but my goodness they make some amazing beer. The Vitus Weizenbock is a must try if you like German wheat beers and are looking to get drunk. This 7.7% alcohol beer doesn't mess around. It's also ridiculously delicious: golden, cloudy, and very balanced flavor. It's got kind of a yeasty, booziness going on as an aftertaste.

Everything Weihenstephaner makes is awesome, but this one is really special. Their website says Vitus is for "both beer lovers and the beer connoisseur." Are their people who are connoisseurs but not lovers? Nevermind. Enjoy this lovely beer. 

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Do It Yourself San Francisco Brewers Tour!

Don't know what to do on a Saturday? Go on a little self-made brewers tour of San Francisco! Out of town guests will think you're amazing and clever. You will have fun. Everybody drinks great beer. Everybody wins!

On a recent Saturday, my trusty fellow beer taster and I set off. We tried to start at Magnolia, our neighborhood brewery with excellent beers. Of course, since it was about 1pm on a Saturday, we couldn't even set foot in the door. If you plan to include Magnolia on your tour, get there at 10am when they open for brunch. Sit down, get some coffee and a half pint of one of their bitters, eat some delicious food. Excellent start to your adventure.

Since we weren't that smart, we instead walked down Haight to Toronado. While they don't brew their own beer, they still qualify for this tour in my book. You can order beers from some the SF brewers you will not be visiting. Plus it's an SF beer institution. I ordered Butchertown Black Ale from Speakeasy, which I did not realize at the time was 8% alcohol. It tasted sort of coffeeish and meaty and roasty, and was delightful. If I had known it was so boozy, I probably would have stayed away, but oh well. No regrets 2013!

We then sauntered down to Cerveceria de MateVeza's cute little cafe by Dolores Park. It's a very cozy little space with lots of dudes being dudes (both the staff and customers). I had the Coolsh and Trusty Beer Taster #2 got the MateVeza IPA. Both were nice; the Coolsh was light and refreshing (especially after Butchertown), and the IPA was hoppy with a little zip. Since my visit I have also tried their hopless beer, Morpho Herbal Ale, which is super good. Overall, this place is great for an afternoon visit and the staff is really friendly. They have a handful of beers on tap and a couple coolers filled with excellent bottles. Get a seat by the window, eat some empanadas, watch the line for Bi-Rite ice cream snake around the block, and feel happy with your life choices.

Next (and unexpectedly last) stop on the tour was Southpaw BBQ on Mission Street. Holy moly this place is delicious! The space is beautiful, the staff is lovely, and the house brews and food are amazing. We ordered the two house brews they had that day. I stupidly did not take notes, but one was a refreshing saison with ginger, and the other was a chocolate, habanero, dark belgian style beer. This was their offering for strong beer month, so I don't even want to think about the alcohol percentage. Both were wonderful. We also got a brisket sandwich and a fried-oyster-bacon monstrosity. Making me hungry just thinking about it. I highly recommend everything about this place.

After that, it was time for this beer chick to call it quits. All in all, it was a successful day, and a plan that can take many different forms. Get ideas from the SF Brewers Guild website to plan your own tour. Cheers!

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Day Time IPA -- Lagunitas Brewing Company

I can't tell you how excited I am that so many brewing companies are now making low alcohol beer. What is the reason for this trend, do you suppose? Brewers getting older, can't drink like they used to? Brewers' wives getting older? Whatever the reason, this lightweight is happy to be able to have more than one delicious beer in a sitting without severely regretting it soon after.

Lagunitas, maker of many delightful beverages, now brings us Day Time, A Fractional IPA, weighing in at 4.65% alcohol (this is not nothing, but it's a far cry from their usual 6.2% for the regular IPA and Pilsner). It's also an IPA that I can get behind, not just for the lower alcohol percentage, but also for it's mellow, clean (read: not super hoppy) taste. All around lovely choice for a beverage.

If you're a lover of strong, powerful, so much hops it hurts IPAs, you're probably not swayed by my praise of this brew. You may want to keep this one around to cleanse your palate between Plinys. 

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Tartuffe -- Heretic Brewing Company

Hello Delicious! I have liked just about everything I've tried from Heretic Brewing Company, and this was no exception. Tartuffe is a super delicious beer that's very light in color, super crisp tasting with a tart and wheaty aftertaste. Wonderfully refreshing. Drink it now.

It's also only 4.7% alcohol, which is lovely if you're a lightweight like me. It's also a fun word to say: "Tartuffe."

Side note: I drank about half of this bottle one evening and then put the rest in the fridge overnight. The rest was consumed by trusty beer taster #2 the next day. He happens to like flat beer, and was quite pleased. Even I thought it was delightful on the second day (just in case you can't get through the bottle in one sitting).

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Let's go brewerying -- Anderson Valley Brewing Company

No trip to Boonville, California is complete without a stop at the beloved Anderson Valley Brewing Company. We were lucky enough to be there on a gorgeous 80 degree day; others were taking advantage of AVBC's frisbee golf course, but we were on a mission to try every beer they had to offer. That resulted in 19 5 ounce taster glasses of all the special deliciousness that was on tap that day. 

I really can't emphasize how delightful it is to spend time at this brewery. You can take a tour of their solar powered brewery if you want, or you can just chill in their large tasting room, eating peanuts and chatting with the other beer drinkers. 

Since we tried so many beers, I'll only recap the ones that you can't get at every corner store. Although I will say that with so many different flavors going on, it was wonderful to have the Poleeko Gold Pale Ale to come back to as a little palate refresher.

Grand Cru - their Grand Cru was a little too sweet for me, but had some sour in there and was kind of like a sweeter version of Rodenbach

Saison - I was a big fan of this one, very summery, clean tasting beer; if you like Hennepin this one is for you

Horse Tongue Wheat - I managed to write down that this was 5.3% alcohol, and it was delightful. Similar to Russian River's Temptation sour blond ale, or a straightforward gueuze

Weiss - This one was described as having "banana esters." Not sure what that means, but this was a lovely beer. Very clean tasting

Belgian Black IPA - This one was OK, but kind of a miss for me

Sour stout - A little too sweet for me, not a favorite for me or trust beer taster #2

Bruin - This one was quite sweet and sort of flat. I was not into it

Barley Wine - I'm not a huge barley wine fan, but this one is nice. I didn't drink much of it since we had like a million samples to get through and this was boozy. But definitely recommended for the barley wine aficionados out there

Mexican Dark Lager - They brew this one with corn and you can definitely taste the corn. Take that for what you will

Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema - You can find this beer pretty easily in California, and I highly recommend it. Along with the Poleeko, this was a nice way to cleanse the palate between all the others. Very lovely beer

Winter Solstice - Trusty beer taster #2 loved this one, said it tasted like a Twix bar. It's a nice spicy, caramely, beer; quite delightful.

To sum up, get yourself to the Anderson Valley Brewing Company for an excellent time. Or however you'd say that in Boontling.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company is located at 17700 Highway 253, Boonville CA.

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Let's go out -- Beer Revolution!

It was only a matter of time before I got around to writing about Beer Revolution, a lovely little beer drinking and purchasing venue in Oakland. They have an excellent selection of bottles for purchase, a bajillion beers on tap to try (so many!), indoor and outdoor seating (although not much of either), and very friendly staff. I'm not saying anything original here: it seems the place is universally beloved and ridiculously crowded on weekends with a very eclectic group of people. Get there early for some day drinking if you want to nab a seat.

On a recent Saturday, some other Lady Beer Drinkers and I headed out in search of delicious beers and here's what we found. I should mention that they were having a theme day (I love a theme) of IPAs versus Sours. 

Round 1

New Belgium La Folie: I've had this one several times, and reviewed it a few years back. It's a nice dark sour. The ladies all agreed that it was lovely.

Drake's Hyperion Titanium Sour: Not bad, nice and refreshing, but unfortunately got mixed in with all the other sours. Will have to try again.

Petrus Aged Pale Ale from Brouwerij Pavik: Apparently I have had this one too and have also reviewed it, but of course forgot about my awesome review. Anywho, it's good. A little sweet for my taste.

Brewdog I Hardcore You Imperial IPA: Brewdog pretty much rules and this beer is no exception. It was super good and smooth and not too hoppy at all. And for this round, all the sours kind of canceled themselves out, so this emerges as the winner!

Round 2

Iron Springs Chazz Cat Chardonnay: This one wins for best name of the day, although I Hardcore You is a really close second. This was alright and definitely did have a chardonnay like flavor. Kind of flat so not really my thing.

Jolly Pumpkin iO Saison: Usually Jolly Pumpkin is my hands down favorite of any tasting, but this one did not do it for me. It was certainly not bad, but I just wasn't blown away. And now that I read about it, it has hibiscus in it, and that might explain my indifference to it. Not a huge hibiscus fan, but if you are, or if you just want to go down the noble path of trying everything Jolly Pumpkin makes, then check this one out.

Heretic Shallow Grave Porter: I'm not usually a big porter fan, but this one was awesome. I don't remember enough about this to write a really accurate review, but it was an excellent beer. Maybe it was the extra points they get for being local (Pittsburgh California) but this one won the round for me.

Well, after this my fellow lady beer drinkers were ready to head out in search of other beverages, but I also purchased a Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial and a Black Diamond Grand Cru for the road. All in all, an excellent way to spend a Saturday.

Beer Revolution is located at 464 3rd Street, Oakland California

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Let's go brewerying - Elevation 66 Brewing Company

I celebrated my birthday this year with the beautiful beer sampler you see here. This was a few months ago, but Elevation 66 Brewing Company is still on my mind. Let's relive my awesome experience, shall we?

First off, when I tried to order a sampler, the charming waiter indirectly informed me that he would not serve their 42 ounce sampler to one person, let alone a lady. I'm the first to tell you that I have no tolerance, and therefore was appreciative of the warning. My friends and I split the sampler, even left some of the less-delicious beers, and were happy as clams.

And now we will test my memory of the beers. Starting on the left...

I'm pretty sure this was their "Choconut" chocolate coconut stout which was incredible. Dessert in a glass if you're into that kind of thing. Not my cup of tea everyday, but I could make it my cup of tea.

Next was their scotch ale. Had a clever name, but I can't remember it. I was not a fan of this one. It was very very sweet and not really my bag.

Their IPA is next. Quite delightful. More interesting than the...

Red ale next to it. Hoppier than the IPA, but not quite as much going on. Still decent, especially if you like the hops.

Irish-style stout. Pleasant, light, and Irish. Moving on!

Blonde ale. I think it had a name like Golden Age, or something. Well, this one was just wonderful. It was about 5.5% alcohol, clean and crisp tasting without being boring. So good I had to order another.

By the way, you totally don't have to rely on my memory, because here's their beer list.

We were there during strong beer month, so they also had a special edition Choconut that was like 8% alcohol or something, yet still tasted like heaven. They also had a few guest taps available. But seriously, you're not going to trek all the way to El Cerrito for a guest tap. (Unless you live in El Cerrito, in which case, guest taps!!)

Finally, if you make a trip here, do yourself a favor and order the pork sandwich. It was amazing and the perfect salty accompaniment to the beer. 

All in all, a perfect way to spend a birthday. 

Elevation 66 Brewing Company is located at 10082 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito, California.

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I’m sorry but UW Madison might just be the best University in the world. Period…

Not only does UW serve beer at the union (a school selling kids beer? umm hell yes), but as of today they are receiving Bells Hopslam ON TAP. 

The craft beer revolution is real people, and I fucking love it. 

Cheers,

Your Founding Fathers

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Can't argue with logic people.

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#9 - Magic Hat Brewing Company

People on the east coast are like "Bo-ring" and people on the west coast are like "wha?" and I'm talking to myself in my living room again. #9, ubiquitous in New England, has arrived in San Francisco and people seem to be super excited about it. Grumpy/awesome guy at New Star-ell told me they can't keep it on the shelves and people are going nuts for it. As I left with my $4.29 22 ounce bottle he said, "Tell 'em where you got it!" Done and done.

The Vermont-based brewing company, Magic Hat, is great, and I'm quite excited that their most popular beer has made its way out west. They call it a "not quite pale ale" and that's a good enough description for me. It's sweet enough to be a crowd-pleaser, but not so sweet that it's annoying. Weighing in at 5.1% alcohol, I can actually have more than one without having to call it a day. All in all, a really good everyday beer.

My advice: head to New Star-ell, buy your 22 ounce bottle and proceed to the park to enjoy the San Francisco February sunshine. Cheers!

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Summer 2010 Ale - Almanac Beer Co.

Almanac Beer Co. is one of those things that "takes San Francisco by storm" with everyone fawning over how good they are and writing them up in Sunset Magazine and being all expensive yet still making me want to try it. Well, I'm happy to report that the beer itself does not disappoint. The Summer 2010 ale is mighty tasty and quite interesting. The 8% alcohol brew was brewed with blackberries and aged in red wine barrels. The smell hints to the oak barrels it was aged in, and almost leads you to believe it's going to be all sour and awesome, but then the taste is much more subtle but still super yummy. You can definitely taste the fruit, but it had a nice hint of hops that kept it from getting too sweet or sour. Quite boozy and enjoyable.

The only bad news is that the bottle is super pretentious, which you can get a hint of by reviewing their website. It actually says "enjoy with a seasonal table." You know what? I'm going to enjoy this with a ham sandwich and it's going to rule.

So really, the bad news isn't so bad because we do what we want. So if you spot this or any of Almanac's beers, fork over the cash and give them a try. (Then tell everyone you knew about them before they got all famous.)

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Sah'tea - Dogfish Head

Again, I went for the Dogfish Head and again my thought was "meh." (I know what you're thinking, "This chick sure does purchase a lot of Dogfish beer for how much she doesn't like them." To which I say, "But look at that kickass label! And seriously, beer and chai tea and juniper berries, how could it be bad? I am a lady after all." I also say "Touché.")

Well, it turns out that beer and tea and juniper berries results in a 9% alcohol beer with a beautiful label that tastes kind of like Leffe. (Careful clicking on that link; apparently Leffe feels you need to listen to music while you peruse their site.) Sah'tea wasn't super carbonated, so some of the trusty beer tasters enjoyed that. It was a bit sweet and a bit syrupy, and no one was excited about that. But it was kind of wintery and had a little spice to it, and all in all, it wasn't bad. But would I purchase again? Nope. (But no need since Dogfish Head will inevitably make something new with a fancy label in the next week for me to waste my money on. Hooray!)

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Let's go out! Social Kitchen and Brewery

How many times have you said to yourself, "Here I am in the Inner Sunset and all I want to do is sit at a super long bar and drink delicious, unique, independently brewed beer. Preferably with the option of ordering a plate ordering a plate of soft pretzels."? I know! Too many times to count! Well, fear not. Where you once could drink Eldos' beer, and then you could drink that other brewery that no one remembers' beer, you can now drink Social Kitchen's beer, brewed by none other than Rich Higgins. Fantastic.

Not to be missed are the Brewmaster's Dinners: a once a month four course tasting menu paired with hefty portions of the house beers. I attended the one in early November and it was delightful (and a lot of drinking for a Wednesday night!). The menu was Italian themed, and along with our salad, two kinds of homemade pasta and sausage, and tiramisu we had the Old Time Alt, the L'Enfant Terrible (a dark Belgian and my favorite), the Simon Saison (ha! also, delish!) and Beetlejuice, a dark Belgian brewed with beets. I prefer to get my vegetables and vitamins through beer.

All in all, an excellent way to spend $40 and get your week's worth of calories.

Social Kitchen and Brewery is located at 1326 9th Avenue, San Francisco California.

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Barrel-aged Beer Geek Breakfast - Mikkeller

For those of you that know and love Beer Geek Breakfast, you'll be happy to know that those industrious folks over at Mikkeller have not just been resting on their laurels. They have also been aging their breakfast in bourbon barrels. Which would normally be gross but in this case is delightful!

This version is not necessarily a lot better than the original, but it's nice and different. This one is a bit drier and has slightly less of a coffee flavor. It's kind of oaty and hearty and definitely would go well with the rest of your morning fare (if that's how you roll, which you should). It's 7.5% alcohol, so your day is off to a promising start!

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Goodness I have been slacking on my posts! Well, the slacking will continue, because here is a lazy post pointing you beer drinkers to a nice little article.

We always knew Madison, Wisconsin was a great beer town, but apparently the people of New York needed to send someone there to be convinced. In addition to the great beer recommendations, I especially enjoyed the shout-out to the Badger Bus lines. (Click on the title to check out the article.)

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John John Ale - Rogue Ales

I had no idea what to expect from this beer. For some reason, I kind of stay away from Rogue Ales when I'm beer shopping. I have no explanation for why I do this, maybe their packaging doesn't really appeal to me. Also, I feel like one time I tried their Hazelnut Brown Ale and it was pretty boring. But I digress.

I'm a sucker for a "special, seasonal" beer, and so I went for John John Ale, which is Dead Guy Ale aged in whiskey barrels. (I'm also a sucker for anything aged in whiskey barrels. Got any ham that you've aged in whiskey barrels? I'd probably like to try it.) I'm happy to report that this beer is downright delicious and delightful and any other positive D word you can think of. Like "Daaaaang! That's a good beer."

ANYWAYS. This beer was a totally unexpected flavor explosion and I was a happy camper. It was fruity, a little bit sweet, sort of sour at the end and had a little bite to it. It tasted a bit vanilla-ish and oaky and malty, and it was just all-around yummy. Apparently this beer is made with something called Pacman yeast, which can only result in good things. Definitely check it out if you see it in the store.

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Jahrhundert-Bier - Ayinger Brewery

Well folks, it's official: Ayinger makes some really delicious beer. I know, I'm blowing your mind right now. I'm sure no one has come to this conclusion before me, but Ayinger is a really excellent brewery. I can't remember ever being disappointed by one of their beers. The Jahrhundert-bier is no exception. This 5.5% alcohol beer, first brewed in 1978, is a delightful beer perfect for drinking at any time. The website describes its honey-ish aroma, flowery yeast, and refined sparkle. Yeah. I agree with all that. But it's also just a really clean-tasting, well made beer. If you see this one among the other Ayinger offerings, definitely check it out. (Also, definitely click through to their website for the picture of the awesome Franz Inselkammer inviting you to partake in the traditions of Bavarian beer culture. Don't mind if I do!)

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Banana Bread Beer - Wells Brewing Company

There are certain products that just suck you in. You find yourself staring at them on the shelf of the store until you're convinced that you just have to try them. For example, Goober, the enigmatic mixture of peanut butter and jelly that just might be amazing...if only I would purchase it and find out.

Wells Banana Bread Beer had the same hold on me. It seemed to show up at all my favorite beer stores. Sitting there on the shelf, taunting me with its "so disgusting a concept it just might be delicious" allure. I couldn't resist. 

Unfortunately, like Goober, Banana Bread Beer is not good. Fooled again! (Shaking fist in air.) Sigh. If you're into banana-flavored Runts candy, and wish they were alcoholic, this just might be the beer for you. If not, well then, this 5.2% alcohol brew might be best avoided.

To this beer's defense though, I will say that at least one of the trusty beer tasters not just liked, but loved this beer. She finished off everyone's samples and polished off the bottle. That's one thing I love about beer: one person's disappointment is another person's favorite.