Friday, March 4, 2011

THE DRAKE'S BLOG HAS MOVED!

Yup. The Drake's Brewing Co. blog has moved.
Please go to www.drinkdrakes.com to read the latest posts. Thanks!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Lots of Beer Brewin'

We may still be fighting with our livers a little bit, but with SF Beer Week behind us, the brewers are back in full swing at Drake's.

Just a little recap on the previous week in the brewery:

  • We brewed, filtered, and packaged a lot of beer!

  • There are new batches of IPA, Hopocalypse and Red Eye fermenting away in our tanks, just to name a few

  • We're finishing off the week with some Denogginizer, which is boiling away in the kettle as I type this

  • Something new and exciting also happened this week-- we completed the first ever bottling run of our alpha monster Hopocalypse! It's a beer we're very proud of, and apparently you love it too since we won a bronze medal with Hopocalypse at The Bistro's Double IPA Festival, in addition to being voted The Best In the Bay at Barclay's Battle of the Bay last week. Very cool!

  • * Fresh bombers of Hopocalypse are hitting the shelves soon, so look out for it.

    Anyway, that's all for now from the production floor at Drake's. Next week is First Friday, so I hope to see some of you there. Until then....


    Alexandra

    Wednesday, January 26, 2011

    Nyack Barleywine 2011- get it while it's hot... and it's hot

    Drake's Nyack Barleywine is ready to roll out for the season.

    Nyack is a big beer to fight back the chill of winter... not that the Bay Area has seen much winter weather these last few days, but I'm sure it will descend upon us once again...

    Originally brewed in San Francisco at 20 Tank Brewery (1989-2000), this beer is all about revival. San Francisco's emblem has a phoenix on it to symbolize how the city has risen from the ashes many times over.

    And so became Nyack Barleywine, a beer that stands for the city of San Francisco, and is rising out of the ashes of 20 Tank Brewery.

    At 12% ABV, this ruby-red American Strong Ale tops itself off and invites you in with a white, frothy head. It's deep roasty, caramel mouthfeel combines with strong citrus esters on your palate. This is a Big beer with Big flavors of malt, hops &
    heat!!! We used closed to 2000 lbs of different malts to make up the grist, and a total of 25 lbs of hops (Magnum, Centennial, Chinook). Enjoy a glass of Bay Area history, enjoy Nyack Barleywine. We suggest that it be served in a half-pint snifter or goblet.

    Cheers!

    Wednesday, January 19, 2011

    SF Beer Week- Drake's Events- Sau & Brau

    As many of your are aware, San Francisco Beer Week is fast approaching. That means events galore around the Bay Area. Drake's has planned a special event for all of you Drake's-fans:

    Sau & Brau Pig Roast & Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting



    Join us at Drake's Brewing Company on February 16, from 6-9pm for tasty bites and a sampling of Drake's beers, including six different barrel-aged beers.


    The Chop Bar is catering this feast, so show up hungry and ready to get your roast on.

    Tickets are $40 each, plus a small handling fee, and should be purchased in advance at Sauandbrau.eventbrite.com

    Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions.

    Tuesday, January 18, 2011

    The Hopocalypse is here!

    We knew it was coming, we just weren't sure when. And now it's here-


    This liquid revelation is a deep orange monster that is loosely filtered to keep the integrity of the malt and hops intact. Equal amounts of two-row malt and English Pale malt are combined with Vienna and Rye malts, then balanced with Cascade, Simcoe & Chinook hops for flavor. We then dry hop it with additional Cascade, Simcoe & Chinook hops. Enjoy the massive aromatic revelation and prophetic flavor of this beer now and forever after.

    Swing by the brewery or your favorite local pub for a pint of the good stuff. Also available in 22 oz bottles in the near future- we'll keep you informed.

    Cheers!

    100+ IBUs
    9.3% ABV

    Monday, January 17, 2011

    Drake's receives Good Food Award for Denog

    Last Friday night marked the first ever Good Food Awards. GFA grants awards to outstanding American food producers and the farmers who provide their ingredients. Check out their site for more information.

    Amidst a variety of other fermented foods-- charcuterie, cheeses, coffees, chocolates, pickles, preserves and beer-- Drakes went home with the GFA beer award for Denogginizer.

    It's about that time of day to crack open a bottle of Denog and cheers to that.

    Friday, January 14, 2011

    Soooo much beeeer... but who's complaining?

    With the holidays over, it's time to get going on the new year, and with the new year, comes many "resolutions." To keep things simple, but also go big, Drake's has but one resolution: BREW A LOT OF BEER! More precisely, brew more beer than last year, our best year yet, thus helping you drink lots more delicious beer (isn't that your New Year's resolution?)...


    With beer drinking on the mind, here is an update of some seasonals, new brews & bottle releases coming up:

    Hop Salad- 8% ABV- An aggressively hopped Double IPA that is fruit forward with a salad of pine, citrus and floral aromas and bitterness. Medium carbonation levels with a slightly yellow head. Don't expect to get by putting a small amount on your plate (... your palate), this one's an all-you-can-eat buffet of liquid alpha goodness (use used Magnum, Simcoe and Summit hops). Loads of two-row barley and a small amount of Caramalt make up the grain bill. Now available on draft at select pubs in the Bay Area and Southern California. Get it while you can, this lunch date won't last forever!

    Hopocalypse- 9.3% ABV- Large amounts of American two-row malt and English pale malt are combined with Vienna, Rye & Crystal malts, then balanced with German Magnum, Simcoe and Chinook hops. Then, of course, more hops! -- as we dry hop it with additional Simcoe and Chinook. Finally, this deep orange monster is loosely filtered to keep the integrity of the malt and hops in tact. Enjoy the massive aromatic revelation and prophetic hop flavor of this beer, now and forever after. Available in bottles and on draught. Due out soon- I'll let you know!

    Drakonic Imperial Stout- 8.75% ABV - A big, malty beast of a beer that exemplifies the way we roll here at Drake's. Two-row malt is blended with chocolate malt, roasted barley and dark Crystal malts to make up the grist. Only one hop addition, Columbus, for bittering, is added so that the abundance of malt in this beer can shine through. Enjoy the dense brownish head, the silky maltiness, the flavors of licorice, coffee and chocolate rounded out with a slightly dry finish. Here's to those who don't fear the mighty!

    And remember, the Drakonic Imperial Stout is coming out in bottles! While I can't give you an exact bottle release date yet, you know I'll keep you informed.

    Soooo much beeeer... but who's complaining?


    Drake's is proud to help put on the CollaBEERation Dinner, with Triple Rock Brewery and Jupiter-Berkeley, taking place on January 26th. The four course dinner will be paired with more than six beers from Drake's, Triple Rock & Jupiter, plus you'll get to meet the chef and several of the brewers. Again, soooo much beeeer... and again, who's complaining?


    Interested in joining us? Tickets are $50 (includes tax & tip), plus a small handling fee
    Buy tickets in advance at http://collabeerationdinner.eventbrite.com
    Unfortunately, we're only able to accommodate 30 guests, so be sure to get your tickets while you still can!


    With the weekend only hours away, try to keep your resolutions in mind... and we'll be sure to keep ours as well!


    Cheers til next time,


    Brittany