Anderson Valley Brewing’s new Beer Park will open this spring
Plus new brews, an IPA celebration and a world record involving a keg and a catapult
A Boonville beer park, bergamot-infused wheat beer and trebuchet shenanigans top the spring list.
Spring brings good news for Bay Area breweries and their beer-loving fans. As you’re probably aware, for the last year breweries have been unable to reopen unless they serve food, a rule that didn’t apply equally to wineries and prompted the California Craft Brewers Association to sue the state of California over discriminatory practices.
But in mid-march, new guidelines were issued by the state that removed this provision for brewery taprooms. Non-restaurant taprooms must close by 8 p.m., but it’s still substantial progress. Many breweries, from Anchor Brewing’s Public Taps in San Francisco to Ale Industries in Oakland, have reopened by now, but check with your local before you go.
Meanwhile, here’s what else is new in the world of craft beer, including some especially exciting news from Mendocino County.
A NKW JOONVILLK Jkkr YAR. >> When you’re ready to travel once more, here’s a fun excursion for your reopening beer bucket list: Anderson Valley Brewing Co. will reopen its 30-acre grounds in Boonville as a Beer Park this spring with brewery tours and tastings. A 9,000-squarefoot “lounge lawn” will offer Adirondack chairs, picnic tables and a remote table service ordering system with beer cart delivery and food that ranges from grab-and-go picnic fare to pizza from the new outdoor pizza oven. Entertainment options will include a renovated 18hole disc golf course, bocce courts and cornhole, plus a new outdoor stage for live music, making this a perfect beer weekend getaway.
In-person festivals have not quite relaunched, of course, but festival judging is carrying on. On Saturday, judges for The Bistro’s annual IPA Fest will choose the six best West Coast IPAS and Hazy IPAS. Look for the winners to be announced at 4 p.m. that day on Facebook Live, Instagram and at the-bistro.com. You can taste the winners, too. On April 21, The Bistro is releasing a special 12-beer mix pack of the winners that will be available for pickup, local delivery (within 15 miles of the Hayward brewpub) and shipments within California.
NKW SIYS ANA STUNTS >> Chico’s Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. just set a Guinness World Record with the debut of its new Big Little Thing Imperial IPA, a 9% alcohol by volume brew with tropical hop flavors of mango, grapefruit and tangerine. As a stunt to celebrate the beer’s release, the company built a giant catapult and attempted to break the trebuchet distance record for hurling projectiles weighing 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds) or more. (Yes, really, and the previous record was 250 feet.) Sierra Nevada launched a keg of its new beer a staggering 438 feet, effectively winning Guinness glory. The beer is available now in 12-ounce cans and, of course, in non-trebuchet delivered kegs.
In non-catapult news, Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego and Napa has just released a Belgian white called Dayfall. It’s a wheat beer brewed with the traditional coriander and orange peel — specifically bergamot, the same oranges used in Earl Grey tea. It’s light in International Bitterness Units, at only 13, and uses Citra hops for strong citrus fruit aromas and flavors.
And Firestone Walker Brewing has doubled down on its popular Mind Haze with a Double Mind Haze, an imperial hazy IPA. It’s brewed with several hop varieties,
including Azacca, Cashmere, Mosaic, Strata, Sabro, Idaho Gem, Idaho 7 and Motueka, and mid-fermentation dryhopped, which gives the yeast additional time to amplify the juicy hop character. The result is a beer supercharged with tropical fruit aromas and juicy flavors of pineapple, melon and mango, with hints of coconut on a soft, pillowy finish.