Pacific Coast Brewing Co.: 21st Annual A Tasting of Holiday Beers

This weekend a tradition in the East Bay took place that I was lucky enough to attend for the first time. On a rainy afternoon I headed to downtown Oakland where Pacific Coast Brewing Company hosted their 21st Annual “A Tasting of Holiday Beers.” You never know what will be poured as part of the event, and not all will necessarily be holiday beers, but you are certain to get a wide variety of excellent beers to sample at a leisurely place.

Being my first time at this event, I thought it would be best to give a lay of the land, then share my experiences with the beer. This is a sit down tasting of 15 beers. Each beer is poured where you sit and you’re given about 15 minutes to taste and jot down notes on an official score card (5 categories, 30 point scale). At various points through the tasting dishes are brought out to the buffet tables around the brewpub for attendees to help themselves. When all is said and done, scorecards are collected and the results will be posted online (just not yet). To help you along the way, a full menu of beers and food is provided along with descriptions of each beer that will be served, a guide to tasting beers, and past tastings results.

So on to the beer, right? Not yet. First the food menu:

• Ceviche
• Antipasti
• Brie & Apple Pizza
• Teriyaki Chicken
• Vegetarian Lasagna
• Pork Rib Tips
• Pot Roast & Scalloped Potatoes

Finally, we’re on to the beer. The beers will be listed in order they were served along with ABV and style as listed by Pacific Coast Brewing. I’ll follow that up with a description of each. Also, seated near me were Jay Brooks and Mike Pitsker, Associate Editor of the Celebrator Beer News, who made up the “Press Corner” of the bar.

1. Russian River Consecration (10.0%, Sour) – Very familiar with this beer.  Big, tart, aromas and flavors. Develops a warm boozy aspect and a touch of gaminess after allowed to warm.
2. Anchor Our Special Ale (5.6%, Spiced) – A classic. Spicier than recent years but not quite as spicy as it had been in the past. To me this beer is a Christmas Tree burning in the fireplace. I love it.
3. St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel (9.0%, Belgian) – Reddish brown ale with a lot of sweetness going on with a touch of yeast. This one seemed to fare poorly in our area of the pub.
4. St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (10.0%, Belgian) – Came out with the pizza and really hit the spot. Similar pairing to my grilled cheese I had done, but with sweeter apples and a maltier beer.
5. Deschutes Black Butte XXI (11.0%, Dark) – The early leader on most scoring cards. All the added ingredients (cocoa nibs, coffee, bourbon barrels) stand out in front of this beer. With warmth they only became more intense with the wood taking charge.
6. Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout (10.5%, Dark) – “Santa’s Little Hangover” hit me as a wonderful berry-driven imperial stout. Roast and smoke hide in the flavor and lead to a hoppy finish. Reminds of a Oskar Blues Ten Fidy but even more so.
7. Sierra Nevada Celebration (6.8%, IPA) – Ah, a quick breather. Light and hoppy in comparison to the previous selections. I really needed this change of pace.
8. Firestone Double Jack (9.5%, IPA) – Ramping it up again, Double Jack has a big citrusy aroma and a chewy malt profile. Softened a bit with a couple months behind it, this beer is still very tasty.
9. Pacific Coast Holiday (9.0%, IPA) – Sharp hop bitterness up front. This is the same beer as the Anniversary offering from Pacific Coast, just renamed. Brewed with Nugget, Centential and Horizon hops and dry-hopped with Centennial and Horizon, this big double IPA has been flying through the taps in the brewpub.
10. Stone 13th Anniversary Imperial Double Red (9.5%, Barleywine) – This is a beer I’m very familiar with and happy to get one more shot at. Big and malty with enough hops to stand up and create an intense but balanced brew. In my opinion, this is the true Double Bastard.
11. Lagunitas Brown Shugga (10.2%, Barleywine) – Sweet and hoppy, that’s Brown Shugga.
12. Dogfish & Sierra Nevada Life & Limb (10.0%, Barleywine) – Big and syrupy. The wood and syrups used in the beer really stand out in Life and Limb. Similar to a Belgian dark ale but without the signature yeast profile. A wonderful collaboration.
13. Drake’s Jolly Roger (9.5%, Barleywine) – an Imperial Brown, this beer has a big English brown finish but is brewed using American hops. Very tasty and probably a bit too easy to drink.
14. Shmaltz He’Brew Jewbelation 13 (13.0%, Barleywine) – My favorite of the evening and of the season so far. Big and boozy with notes of chocolate and bourbon, this beer is a mouthful with a huge bidy and complex finish. Five ounces really isn’t enough to figure this beer out, but is probably advisable given the strength.
15. North Coast 2007 Old Stock Ale (11.4%, Barleywine) – The beer on the list that I had been looking forward to the most. Old Stock Ale holds up famously and with 2 years behind it, I was expecting something wonderful. Sadly, this beer kind of fell flat. The consensus around the bar was that this one had a little too much time behind it and just was without a spark.

After all of these tastings, we were allowed to chose one more beer before leaving. I got a second taste of the Jewbelation before wandering the room to find familiar faces. Thanks so much to Don Gortemiller and Steve Wolfe for hosting such an entertaining afternoon. The pace of the event is perfect to accommodate a bite to eat and good conversation over these beers without feeling like you’re waiting for the next beer. It’s only been a couple of days, but I can honestly say I’m already looking forward to next year’s tasting.

If you’d like to see what went on, check out the slideshow below. I had to try and be creative with angles as taking pictures of a glass with beer while sitting in a bar stool can get fairly repetitive.