BEER VS. WINE TONIGHT!

Henry's in Berkeley - 2600 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Chef Eddie B has put together a wonderful four course meal, with four beers and four wines. Rodger Davis of Triple Rock has put together the beers.

Drake's and Triple Rock will battle Enos Winery and Berkeley's A Donkey and a Goat Winery to see who emerges victorious in the age old battle of beer vs. wine. Drake's brewers Josh & Brian will be serving Drake's Dry Rye (our one-off seasonal) and Drake's Imperial Stout. Triple Rock will weigh in with Pinnacle Pale Ale, and the fabulous TRB Dragon's Milk, poured by Rodger. Meet and Greet starts at 5:30, dinner at 6:30. Cost is $45.

See henrysberkeley.com Call for reservations 510-809-4132.

Thanks for reading!

-- The Drake

EXPEDITION TAPPING THIS MONDAY!

2009 Expedition Ale Release

Join the brewers and the rest of Drake's crew at Barclay's Pub on Monday evening March 23rd, to tap the first keg of the 2009 Expedition Ale. Tapping at 6 pm.

From Brian --

It's that time of year again; the time to go on an Expedition well worth taking. This beer is certainly one of my favorites to brew and drink. It is somewhat hard to classify stylistically. Somewhere between a typical red or amber in color, this beer usually surprises people with its hearty & unique malt and hop characteristics.

Aside from the typical crystal and cara malts added to an amber, look for the oats and black malt lurking in the background. We've added a generous amount of West Coast style hops (Cascade and Chinook) throughout the brew to take you on a malty and hoppy trip . This brew weighs in at 6.75% ABV & a nice 60 IBUs.

As for the history, of Expedition, we've had to do a little digging in the brew logs.... It was Drake's batch # 375, brewed by Mike Manty in Jan '96 (Mike was at Drake's 1994-1996).

Prost!!

-- Brian

Expedition will be soon available on draft in a few Bay Area pubs and restaurants for a short time. We also have bottled a limited release which is now available at the brewery and will be found in a small supply at the best local beers outlets. Barclay's will have the only kegs of Expedition til the week of March 30th. Barclay's is located at 5840 College Ave., Oakland. www.barclayspub.com

DRAKE'S DRY RYE!

JUST KEGGED!

Josh & I wanted to do a beer that explored the subtle aspects of rye, such as it's mouth feel, aroma, and augmentative flavors in a tasty beverage.

Drake's Dry Rye is a clean American rye ale, made with just under 30% Rye to allow the subtleties of rye to come out entirely. Furthermore we wanted to combine the complementary qualities of American Centennial and Amarillo flavor hops. When more than 20% of a recipe has rye in it, there's a distinct oiliness to the beer, which in this case we wanted to combine it with the hop oiliness from essential oils that beer enthusiasts know very well already.

But, it doesn't stop there; it is pretty well-known that rye has been typically added to beer to impart a dry mouth feel, but it can add other interesting aspects to a beer. Some people say that there's a bit of light spiciness and herbal qualities from the grain. Others say there's a slight sourness when the grain is used in beer. There's also the different creamy head on it as well. One of of the Drake's brewers (which one, I wonder?) is somewhat of a hophead .... so one day he said to himself, "why not join some of the similar qualities of the two ingredients in an exploration of rye and hops together"? This beer is the result. Hope you like it!

Drake's Dry Rye will be available in better bay beer bars soon! We'll give an update on this blog where you can find it.

Thanks for reading! -- Brian