E.J.Phair Brewing Company

Written by Mike Sober

There seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life that I wish I would do away with once and for all. And that would be the annoying propensity to categorize, stereotype or just simply misjudge, mislabel or ignore certain breweries or beer destinations despite the obvious stupidity of ever entertaining such an idea in the first place. I seemingly do this despite several episodes that should have utterly slapped this occasional annoying habit clear of my conscience forever. And hopefully E. J. Phair in Concord California has once and for all driven this point home and accomplished this feat during my visits this past weekend.

EJ Phair is located in old town Concord California a couple three miles East of Highway 680. I travel the Highway regularly throughout the year to my youngest son’s house but have never bothered to stop mainly due to the presence of Hop Yard Ale House in nearby San Ramon. Hop Yard features their own Hop Town brews from their facility in Pleasanton as well as a couple dozen revolving quest taps of fine West Coast craft brews.

My wife and I decided that our latest trip from Roseville was going to take us straight to Concord for a visit to EJ Phair, figuring that even if we didn’t find any beers hoppy enough to satisfy our hophead cravings we could always stop off at Hop Yard for a Pint of Pliny the Elder.

I have to admit I hedged my bet a little right before we left town and did a quick check of EJP’s website. I was happy to see that their were two IPA’s listed under the heading of “E.J. Phair Brews”, including an entry in this years single hop IPA competition called “Johnny Bravo”. What really took my breath away was the “Guest Brews” which included Green Flash ‘West Coast IPA’, Bombay by Boat IPA from Moonlight Brewing, Bear Republic’s Racer 5, Drakes I.P.A. and Pliny the Elder from Russian River.

Despite of love of the hops I decided to forgo jumping straight into the India Pale Ale and went with some tasters of their American Wheat, Pale Ale, Pilsner and English style IPA. My son Zack joined me in trying the samples and we both agreed that all four were solid representations of the styles, very refreshing and worthy beverages.

By that time I was anxious to try some of the ‘Johnny Bravo’ which was EJP’s entry into Drake’s Brewing annual single Hop duplicate festival. As soon as I ordered a pint our friendly and efficient Beer Wench reminded us that there was also a beer available that wasn’t listed on the board. A new IPA (could there really be another IPA here?) called “Hop on Board”. Naturally we also requested a pint and went to tasting the two seasonal head to head. The Bravo IPA was a solid and drinkable beer with a lot of grapefruit and piney notes but a less than stellar mouth feel that was unfairly matched against the greatness of the HOB. The HOB was light in color, huge on aroma and a pure joy to behold.

Despite the presence of Racer 5 and arguably my favorite beer of all time Russian Rivers ‘Pliny the Elder’, I stuck with the HOB for the rest of my evening; and of course filled up a growler to take home as well.

We also had dinner that evening and the food was almost as good as the beer selection. I highly recommend PJ Phair’s as a great beer destination. Whether you’re a hop head or not….. don’t wait as long to stop in as we did…. you will not be disappointed.

MSober

E.J.Phair Brewing Company
2151 Salvio Street
Concord, CA 94520
925-691-4253

Brew Fest at Raley Field

The Scene: Raley Field is a wonderful baseball park just off the river and only minutes from Sacramento's downtown. Strangely, this brew fest was not on the field as many expected, but instead was held on the concorse behind the seats. The good news was it was all under the shade and provided a nice view of the field. The bad news was that it was much more crowded and noisey than it really needed to be.

Lucky for everyone there, the weather was perfect - mid 80's and not a cloud in the big blue sky. Also lucky for those 3000 or so in attendance, the beers rocked.

The Brewers: This is the innagural beer fest created to raise funds for the Northern California Brewers Guild, and is all spearheaded by Glynn Phillips of Sacramento's Rubicon Brewing Co. In all there were more than 30 brewers in attendance from all over the region, including brewers from the Sierra Nevada foothills out to the north coast of the Golden State.

Of course there were the brewers we expect to find at a premier beer festival - Moylan's, Bear Republic, 21st Amendment, Rubicon, Sierra Nevada, Two Rivers Cidery and Beermann's. In addition, there were also several new faces and new beers - Auburn Alehouse, Rafters, Iron Springs, and many more.

The brewers in attendance were all in good spirits, their beers pouring continuously over the course of the four hour celebration. From the feedback I received, it was a day the brewers and volunteers all enjoyed, an event that will likely be a wild success in the years to come.

The Beer: No, I didn't try every beer. However, it was my goal to seek out new beers, those beers I hadn't had the chance to sample previously in my travels and tastings. Here are some noteable new beers worth finding if you're traveling in the region.

• Auburn Alehouse Gold Digger IPA - This place isn't even open yet, but brewmaster Brian Ford has created a winner in this beer, proudly displaying Magnum, Simcoe, Summit and Chinook hops! Beautiful golden color, intense aroma and a taste that simply kicks ass (how's that for a review?).
  Auburn Alehouse is located in the historic area of Auburn.
  
• Rafters - With brewer Dan Duncanson pouring the beers and sharing his passion, I found beers that were clean finishing, full of flavor and downright good. If you're in or around San Rafael, you'll need to check this place out. I am pretty sure I will.
• Iron Springs Scotch Ale - Wow. Wonderfully peaty, balanced and easy to drink. Pouring a dark shade of brown, this beer hid well the fact it was 8% ABV. This is one of the beers that had people talking. Oh, and their IPA was pretty fantastic too! Big aroma, intense flavor - all done utilizing this small brewery's hop back.
  Located in Fairfax

Of course there were more beers I enjoyed, but these few beers and brewers proved to be the best find of the day for me.

The People: As I normally do, I found my way to the fest with my lovely wife. While there we found many familiar faces, friends you seem to only find at beer events. There were the serious beer enthusiasts throughout the event, surrounded by the revelers out simply to have a good beer or 20. Notable folks were there as well, including beer bloggers, magazine editors and even a rock star who pretends to be the editor of Celebrator.

Conclusion: For it's first year, this was well organized, well attended and just a great time. I suspect this event will grow significantly over the next couple of years and will provide many northern Californians with great beer and fond memories. With this and next week's West Coast Brew Fest (also in Sacramento), May will indeed be a month to celebrate.

- Rick

Post Script
I wanted to put out a big thanks to Chris, The Beer Retard, for hanging out with me while in the area, and his friend Kai. We warmed up nicely the night before the fest at Rubicon, enjoying a few beers and great conversations.

Also, thanks to the brewers who took time to talk in depth about their brews and breweries. As well, J from Brookston Beer Journal was kind enough to say hello as well. I love reading the Brookston journal and found it a pleaure to run into the guy personally. Good time.

Finally, it should be noted I had the opportunity to help pour beers for a while, at the Auburn Alehouse booth. That was a kick-ass time and a great opportunity to meet a lot of beer enthusiasts.

Mild May

If you're a beer blog reader, you've read about this already. If you're a die-hard PBN in fan (ha! that was funny) then maybe this is new.

CAMRA (the beer thugs overseas) have come together to deem May "Mild Month". I won't claim to know a whole lot about the intentions for this, but I have a few thoughts related to this I'd like to share.

- Milds are just not that common in the US. In fact, the only commercially bottled version I know of on the West Coast is the Deschutes Buzzsaw. I understand a few of you will be quick to remind me of beers I am missing, which is great, but bottom line is still the same - they are not common out here.

- What are Milds? Doesn't it seem like Mild is a bad word in our society? It seems like salad, or white bread, or 'plain' coffee... We seem enamored with things that are spicy, big, packed with flavor and forever pushing the edge of what is palatable. I don't understand this fascination, although I know I share this bent with many of you. I love double IPAs, Imperial Stouts and other extreme beers - if you listen to our show, you know this. However, what I fear is that our shows and writings and those of other beer enthusiasts are only sharing those beers that are 'memorable' or an event unto themselves. I don't drink Double IPAs night in and night out. I don't have Barley Wines in the summer. My fridge isn't packed with beers 8% ABV and higher. No, my fridge is 'unremarkable' - a fridge probably not unlike yours. I am convinced we all enjoy a good light beer, but we don't share these with others because... well, they're everyday. It's like a commute to work in contrast to your weekend getaway.

Now, I do know people who only drink big beers. I imagine you know them too. They're not unrefined or immature - they're just extreme. The friends I am thinking of who fit this category all have collections of hot sauce, eat rich and spicy foods and drink the darkest coffee you can find. It's the culture. And I say, let them be. They're living high on the hog and who can begrudge them that? I do ask something from them in return. Let me enjoy my 'mild' beer and don't assume I can't hold my sauce or don't appreciate 'real' beer. If you see me eating my salad with light dressing and a Pilsner, instead of glaring perhaps lift your pint and know we're reading the same book, even if we're not on the same page.

Milds - yes, the dirty little word in our society of extremes. The beers that fit this style are great examples of brewer quality. It's not easy to brew lighter beers, as alcohol and hops can hide a lot of flaws. If you find yourself a good light beer, like a good "mild" (brown ale), know that the beer is actually more troublesome for the brewer to make than that 12% monster released in the fall.

Milds, take four - so, what are milds anyway? Here's the history according to guys who know more than I do - the folks at the beer judge cert program.

May have evolved as one of the elements of early porters. In modern terms, the name "mild" refers to the relative lack of hop bitterness (i.e. less hoppy than a pale ale, and not so strong). Originally, the "mildness" may have referred to the fact that this beer was young and did not yet have the moderate sourness that aged batches had. Somewhat rare in England, good versions may still be found in the Midlands around Birmingham.

Yeah, didn't mean much to me either.

If you really need a definition for mild, think light brown ales, generally under 5% ABV. With the Buzzsaw example I mentioned earlier, it's a 4.7% beer. These are great beers to enjoy after work, before dinner. They're also a wonderful addition to your cooler for camping trips or in the fridge when you have buddies coming over to watch Golden State when the NBA title (that was funny too).

I am not a big stickler for the rules either. If you can't find a Mild to enjoy in May - of if you just don't like brown ales - find some light ABV beers and enjoy them. THEN, with all the bravado you can muster, brag about the beer to your beer enthusiast friends like you would your commute to work... well, hopefully with a little bit more passion and nicer adjectives. I am proud to say I like a good mild beer. In fact, I can't wait to go to Vino's tonight to have some freshly tapped Buzzsaw, or to crack open a few Full Sail Session lagers tomorrow as I work on my garden.

- Rick
"Hi, my name is Rick, and I love mild beer."

Auburn Ale House

I have more on this in the works, but wanted to put out a notice for the beer lovers of the region.

I was fortunate enough to spend an evening at the still-under-construction Auburn Alehouse last night and feel I should pass on the word that Brian Ford will be opening shop by the end of the month - assuming there are no hiccups. He has just installed all the equipment and hops to boil some water this weekend to make sure it's all in order. If all goes well, first brew will follow shortly thereafter.

He has put together his beer menu and you can view it online - http://auburnalehouse.com/brews.html

He has also hired his executive chef, who I also met, and you can't help but be excited about things after a few minutes chatting with them.

A few notes:
- This place is beautiful! Carefully restored 100+ year old building, making every effort to maintain it's character while also adding some modern touches. 30 stool bar up front, a standing bar toward the back and even more bar seating in the middle.
- 12 taps with an opening offering (tentative) of 6 beers, all Brian's. He also hinted at bringing in some beers you won't find anywhere else.
- Outdoor seating is going to be prime real estate on warm evenings.
- If you like bold, rustic bars, this place is for you - big burley bar top, massive steel beams (if they're not steal, sorry - it some sort of metal), old brick and an overall homage to manhood.
- His IPA recipe looks damn good
- Find his beers at the upcoming Raley Field beer fest - he brewed twice last week at the Rubicon to make sure he'd have some beers ready for that (believe he said Lager and Brown ale)
- Growlers available for 'to-go' beers, would also like to bottle some limited edition items in 22oz or 1 liter bottles (but not initially from the sounds of it).

This place has all the makings of a major beer venue for the region. If you haven't met Brian before, then you should know he's about the most likable guy on the block - as are so many of our regional brewers. This has been a dream of his for years, and you can't help but route for him and his wife.

No official opening date yet, but he thinks he'll be open in three weeks. He has plans for a soft opening, then after a week or so a bigger 'grand opening'. Yeah, I am excited.

Location:
Auburn, California - the Old Shanghai location
Online at www.auburnalehouse.com

Session Beer

I've been reading a lot of articles online lately about the nation's need for more session beer - beers under 5% ABV that are refreshing and flavorful. I admit, I love me a big beer. My 'favorite' style is the IIPA. I go crazy for Russian Imperial Stouts. I seek out as many barley wines as a guy can find. I love big beer, but it just isn't reasonable to enjoy them in quantity night in and night out.

That said, I seriously look forward to the Spring when craft brewers from around the country introduce beers missing the "Imperial" on the label. It pretty much begins in mid-April with the introduction of the year's Maibock releases. Yes, they're generally more than 5%, but not by much, and they're full of flavor with a wonderful mouthfeel. Yes, when I see the Helles or Mai Bocks on the shelf, my liver, waistline and senses are happy.

My latest trip to the beer store today was even more encouraging, as it is now becoming easier to find beers I can start enjoying before dinner. Let's examine some of my finds from the day, shall we?

Anchor Bock & Full Sail LTD 02 (6.4 & 5.5%) - Officially FS isn't a Maibock, but the wonderful sweetness in these beers are wonderful on cool Spring nights. The Anchor Bock is dark, rich and with a nice roast character.

Full Sail Session (5.1%) - if you haven't tried this beer, it may be the most perfect Summer time beer on the market. I've taken cases camping, buy them when I am doing home improvement projects or working on my '72 Ford Stepside. Light, crisp, refreshing and not lacking flavor.

Lagunitas Pils (5.3%)- I haven't tried this years version, but my memories have this as another crisp, clean finishing beer that is easy to drink more than a couple of.

Deschutes Buzzsaw Brown (4.8%)- At under 5% this beer is shockingly full of flavor, like lightly toasted bread and moderate hop spice and bittering. A great beer and hard to comprehend it has less alcohol than Session.

There were others, but I wasn't taking notes.

If you're a blog reader you're aware that May is mild beer month overseas - of course, celebrating the 'mild' style virtually unknown in the US. We don't have a lot of traditional Mild beers here, but certainly it will be worth your time to search out some of these more mild beers. Use the list above, or do some label reading yourself to find a new beer you like that is low in alcohol and full of flavor. If you find one you like, be sure to let us know.

More Info
Mild Beer Month - Brookstone
Cooking with Milds - CAMRA