Terrible Lizard Brewing: Steve-toberfest & SoPac Brewing

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Friday at work, some of my awesome coworkers’ put up some birthday decorations in my office… and you can probably sense the theme from the pictures below. They had Nat King Cole playing when I got there (because Jay-Z was too risqué for a work environment, but they know how a thug do), decorated my office in Craft Brew decorations, a bag’s worth of Reese’s PB Cups… and later in the afternoon, they made a German Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. Five stars!!!

Saturday was the long anticipated STEVE-TOBERFEST!!! and it did not disappoint. My lovely ladyfriend Izzy made some great beer-marinated polish sausages to fry up with sauerkraut & all the usual condiments… as well as spaetzle (egg noodles) with a creamy sauce… and some dumplings with gravy… and triple fudge brownies… and there was also some great desserts & side dishes brought by guests… and of course, possibly the star of the show (besides me)… BIER!!! We also had a lot of great decorations set up… behold!!!

There were about a dozen visitors including J-Mo, Jackie D, Izzy’s Aunts & cousin, but just a great time of catching up & enjoying a few beers and great food. We didn’t even have to bust out the party games or movies… just good ol’ fashioned conversation & antics. I did get a few excellent gifts as well including an extra carboy & some hops from Clarissa & Andrew… a bacon floor mat from the Aunts… some clothes from Jackie D… and Izzy not only got me a book I’m excited to read (Nick Offerman’s “Paddle Your Own Canoe”) and a few cute knick-knacks… but she also bought me a portable basketball hoop. Though I’m not quite sure how it’ll work in our cul de sac, the thought is incredibly sweet & she’s the best gal a guy like me could ever hope to find. Thank you sweetie!!! Great party!!!

Sunday night, I went to Southern Pacific Brewing in the Mission to take part in a special Yeast Tasting with the SF Homebrewers Guild. The basis of the tasting was that they took the same base wort (Kolsch grain bill recipe) and separated into ten separate fermenters using a different yeast in each. By doing this, it’s a great way to show how the yeast can make some major differences in the flavors & characteristics produced in the beer, despite being almost nominal amounts when in the grand scheme of things (about an ounce for every five gallons of wort typically). I got there a little early & had a drink at the bar with the Vice President of the Guild… and basically just shot the sh*t until they were ready for us… and the tasting was VERY interesting. I recommend something like this for every craft beer enthusiast. You’ll learn a lot & it’s interesting what you’ll find out. We sampled just about everything from a standard ale yeast to hefeweizens to Belgian dark to saison… and each had their own distinct characteristics… even by my unrefined pallet. Also, may have to take Izzy out there another time to test their beer. I’ve only tried the tasting and their porter while there this time. Big thanks to Ian for putting this all together.