And So It Begins..

Last month saw San Antonio’s first ever Beer Week, but you’d never know it — for an inaugural year it felt a lot more like it was several years in. The week was packed with a multitude of events at area breweries, craft beer centric restaurants and bars.

One such event was the annual King’s Feast held at San Antonio’s Blue Star Brewing Co, located in the aptly named King William District of south San Antonio. The King William, or Southtown, area of San Antonio has gone under quite a revitalization in the last few years. The changes have locals and tourists alike flocking to this wonderful art district.

In its sixth year, the annual dinner features pairings of Blue Star’s King William Barleywine style ale with fabulous culinary creations from the Blue Star chefs. This year’s dinner featured a vertical tasting of the last three years of the King William, as well as Barleywines from breweries such as Stone Brewing in Escondido, California; Avery in Boulder, Colorado and Sierra Nevada in Chico, California.

The event was hosted by local San Antonio craft beer writer Travis Poling, in conduction with Blue Star Brewing. While we arrived, enjoying sips of the various offering and munching on a light snack of cheese, grapes and crackers, Travis gave a brief history of the King William Barelywine and the dinner itself.  You could see the anticipation on everyone’s faces as they eyed the beers and delectable culinary treats.

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City Beer Store

California, and most of the West Coast really, is teaming with many great craft beer bars and bottle shops. One of several craft beer hot spots in the country, you can almost always get what you want in this state. On a recent trip to San Francisco for the Craft Brewers Conference held at the historic Hilton Union Square, I was in need of bottle shop with a large selection of craft beers, so that I might take a few back home to Texas. While asking several people at the craft beer know, one place kept coming up first on the list: City Beer Store.

Located at the base of a complex of lofts in San Francisco’s SoMa district, City Beer Store has been in business since 2006. The brainchild of Craig and Beth Wathen, City Beer Store has a gastropub feel to it. Gastropub you say? Isn’t this a bottle shop? Yes on both accounts.

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Party People at Acaso Bar

Strolling past vendors peddling coconut candy and the shiny-haired hotties that fill Rio de Janeiro streets, I realized that I missed something.  I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly. When I neared the orgy of beauty called Copacabana Beach, observing the languid movements of skimpily-clad cariocas strolling in the sand,it hit me.  There was supposed to be a samba soundtrack to all those scenes! How can you enjoy a true Brazilian experience without out samba as a backdrop? Well you can’t.  So I headed to where I could catch some live Brazilian rhythms. Read More »

Let the Sun Shine In

I was in San Francisco for the Craft Brewers Conference last month and had many plans as to what I wanted to see outside of the conference. Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant was not a part of those plans, but events took the course they were meant to. I had headed to Fisherman’s Wharf and was looking around, eating chowder and looking across at Alcatraz Island, when I got a call from friends to meet for lunch. The destination? Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant. It had been highly recommended, so off we went. One of the last places you would expect to see a brewery is smack dab on the beach. Yet that is exactly where Bach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant is, at the end of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.

After a short walk, I took the city bus from outside Fort Mason toward Golden Gate Park — a quick stop at the Golden Gate Bridge and off I was to the park. I had a short walk through the beautiful Golden Gate Park and quickly arrived at my destination. I confess, it took me off guard. There, right on the beach, was a brewpub. I walked in and wasn’t sure if I was in the right spot at first. Turns out it was the Golden Gate Park Visitors Center. I headed straight through the park and soon found the restaurant. I sat down and looked around. The atmosphere was a bit odd. I couldn’t decide if it was a stereotypical chalet motif, or just a California take on it. There was a large open area with huge skylights and the walls were actually glass doors that open up in the summer.

Lots of natural lighting adorns the place, and although it was nice, I was wondering where the brewery was. I asked the waiter and was informed that the brewery was actually upstairs with the Beach Chalet restaurant. I was in the sister restaurant, Park Chalet, downstairs. But never fear, they had the brewery’s 5 regular beers on tap. I was also informed that the building was a VFW building that was converted to a restaurant and brewery 12 years ago. I was about ready to head upstairs when my party arrived.

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