SF Beer Week 2010: Opening Gala
Friday was the official kick-off of SF Beer Week 2010. While many headed to Russian River Brewing for the release of Pliny the Younger, the big party was at Yerba Buena Center in the City at the Opening Gala.
The gala was held in a large room with breweries and food vendors lining the wall and Brewers Guild members pouring from an island set up in the middle of the room. One of my first stops was the Imperial Common, a collaborative brew by the Brewers Guild for SF Beer Week. Malty but smooth, it provided a great starting point for the rest of the evening.
Highlights among the beers poured included numerous selections from the Strong Beer Month releases. North Coast was seen reaching under the table for Rasputin XI and XII and paired Humboldt Fog with La Merle. Valley Brewing was a popular spot with a selection of sours, barrel-aged beers and brewer Steve Altimari working the crowd.
A somber theme that ran through the crowd was the memory of Bill Brand. Jay Brooks led a toast to Bill from the stage and tribute beers were poured by Valley and Devil’s Canyon.
In all, the event was a great start to the week. the event was packed with beer lovers, writers, personalities and brewers. The selection of beer was excellent, ranging from the sessionable to the sippers (despite one British Hop Press writers dispute of the former). If this is a sign of what SF Beer Week has in store for us, its going to be quite a week.
Check out the evening in photos here:
SF Beer Week 2010 Opening Gala Slideshow
