Beerfest is almost here!

Beautiful Copper Vats!

I am so excited about this Saturday! My favorite beerfest in the whole wide world is being held in Boonville this weekend and I can hardly wait to see all my friends. Literally all of them, it's where old friends from my home town collide with my awesome beer industry friends and get together for a common cause- Great craft beer!!! Every year Anderson Valley Brewing Company (@avbc) hosts dozens of breweries to come out to our beautiful county and enjoy what many of us were so fortunate to have been brought up in, fantastic friends and a scenery most people only see in car commercials.

New touchscreen technology meets old

First 10 barrel system among giants

Today, I went to the brewery to celebrate my fathers birthday with an intense round of disc golf and beer. Founded in 1987 Anderson Valley Brewing Company was started in the cellar of their pub back when they served food. They started out with a little 10 barrel system that you can still find today in their fermentation hall along with their original “Coming Soon” sign posted on the outside. AVBC has stayed true to their small town roots (even though recently changing hands to new owner Trey White) and really is living up to the Mendocino County spirit. A significant amount of their power is produced through solar energy and they are expanding their personal hop crop of Cascades and Goldens to the front and back of the property. Boasting 38 acres I'm sure we'll see more peak-a-boo crops in the near future. Currently they produce 10 beers and produce a rotating “Bahl Hornin'” series that comes out only to their visitor center and some local restaurants every 4 months and have beers available in 6 different countries including Australia and China. While I was there I got to try their fantastic brandy barrel aged barleywine which brought up an important question, will we see more experimentation in barrel aged beers and sours?! Yes, we will! Rumor has it that today they brewed a Weiss that may or may not have something to do with the Chardonnay Barrels that I spied on my way out. Rumor also has it that this years Winter Solstice may or may not be spending some time being aged in bourbon barrels! I guess we'll have to see! I'm super excited and can't wait to see all the wonderful brewers, industry personnel and friends this Saturday. Cheers and have a Bahl Branchin' n Hornin'!!!

Things to come

Posted in: Beer Festivals,Brewery Tours,California,Events