Bar 35 hosts a beer event every Wednesday called "House of Brews." It costs $25 a person, and that gets you 9 beer tasters and a few pizza appetizers. Last week (August 28, 2013) the event focused on British Beers, and because of my love of British styles, my wife and I decided to check it out.
It turned out to be a pretty low-key affair. Basically, you let the man behind the bar know that you're there for the beer event, and they give you a blue wrist-band with nine pull-off tabs (you can see it in the picture above). After that you can sit anywhere in the bar, or out on the back patio, and they bring the beer tasters to you one at a time. Event organizer Tim Quirante (who was recently interviewed by Beer in Hawaii) makes the rounds, sitting down with you for a few minutes with each beer to give you the scoop.
The line-up for last week's event featured eight beers, with a chance to revisit a beer with a second tasting after you'd had them all. The beers on hand where: John Smith's Extra Smooth, Newcastle Werewolf, Newcastle Brown Ale, Boddingtons Pub Ale, Samuel Smith's India Ale, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, Greene Kind Old Suffolk, and Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout. The Harviestoun and the Greene King were new to me, and Greene King's Olde Suffolk in particular was a standout--rich and complex, with a notable Oak character--excellent! Apparently I wasn't the only person to think so--they ran out before I had a chance to revisit it with my ninth taster. I ended up going back for seconds on the Samuel Smith's India Ale instead--a great beer from one of my favorite breweries.
Toward the end of the event I had a chance to chat with Tim Quirante about his new job brewing part time at Hawaii Nui, and about his Chico, California roots. He mentioned he'd be flying to the Big Island on Sunday for his first solo brew on Hawaii Nui's system, a batch of Mehana Mauna Kea Pale Ale. I was a bit surprised to hear that. Brewing five gallon batches is hard enough to do alone--I often force my wife to help me out with certain steps--but Tim's going to be doing a brew on Hawaii Nui's 30 barrel system all on his own. Apparently that's they way they do it there.
Greene King beers hold a special place in my personal beer pantheon. I haven't had many, just the Abbot Ale and the IPA, but I'm fascinated by the historical significance of the Greene family. I like Graham Greene as an author, but only recently learned about the exploits of his two brothers Hugh and Raymond and their influence on British television and international mountaineering respectively. Wish I'd had a chance to taste the Old Suffolk with you.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize the Greene name pertained to a family, or that the family itself was worth knowing about. I'll tell you this, though: the Old Suffolk was a wonderful beer!
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