This #beersaturday I started out in my brewing room, except this time I wasn't brewing beer. I have been brewing beer for about 29 years now and had always seen wine making kits at the brewing supply stores I visit. I figured since I already have all the equipment needed for making wine I would give it a shot. I bought a Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay kit from Williams Brewing Supply which I have trusted for years. There website is https://www.williamsbrewing.com if you want to check them out.
Here is the two wines in the fermenters.
So unlike beer brewing, wine making is more of mixing of ingredients and letting it sit. So I mixed the ingredients while enjoying a Tropical IPA from Bear Republic. Bear Republic Brewery is in Rohnert Park, California. Tropical IPA is brewed with Hallertau Blanc, Citra, Galaxy, Simcoe, and Sultana hops. This beer is fermented with Hornindal Kviek yeast. The yeast is said to compliment the hops in bringing out pineapple, mango, and tangerine flavors. It does have a tangy fruit flavor which I would say is like a pineapple mango flavor. Tropical IPA comes in at 6.2% ABV.
It was now time to get ready for our concert in San Francisco. My wife and I would be heading to the Warfield for the concert. We were going to see Whiskey Myers which is a Southern Rock band.
SInce my wife and I both planned on having a few drinks we decided to take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) which is our subway system in the bay area. We took an Uber from our house to the BART station, bought our tickets, and got on. Our trip into San Francisco was uneventful and we exited the Powell Street Station. Coming up the escalator to the street level reminded me why I don't enjoy going to San Francisco. The bums were laid out all over the sidewalks, shooting dope, and begging for money. But we dodged all the bums and arrived at the Warfield #alive which was only a block and a half from the BART station.
The stage was set for the band Southall which opened for Whiskey Myers and were not bad. I have a short clip of the Southall band below.
Now a for the beer I was enjoying during the concert.
The Bartender is pouring me a glass of 10 Barrel Brewing's Apocalypse IPA. 10 Barrel Brewing is located in Bend, Oregon. The Apocalypse IPA is a beer I have had before and really enjoyed. It comes in at 6.8% ABV and has the piney hop flavors that I seem to enjoy the most. Apocalypse IPA is a great beer for a night out as it is not overly bitter which allows you to enjoy more then one.
This is a screenshot from https://10barrel.com/beer/apocalypse-ipa/
I also enjoyed Elysian Brewing's Contact Haze IPA while at the concert until the kegs ran empty. Elysian Brewing is located in Seattle, Washington. The Contact Haze IPA is brewed with El dorado, Mosaic, Southern Passion, Sabro, Citra, and Sultana hops. The taste is slightly fruity and not very bitter, which also makes it easy to drink on a night out. The Contact Haze IPA comes in at 6% ABV.
This is a screenshot from https://www.elysianbrewing.com/beer/contact-haze
Now for the reason we went to San Francisco, to see Whiskey Myers play.
Here is a few short clips of the concert.
I was sad to see the concert end, it was one of the best concerts I have been to. Whiskey Myers is a great band and I was very glad I was able to see them in person. We left the concert with our ears ringing and we had to brave the streets of San Francisco Francisco again. Luckily there was a large group of people from the concert that were all walking back towards BART, so we dodged the bum urine and needles on the ground. We boarded the BART train and sat with a half dozen or so people that were also heading home from the concert. About halfway through our trip a bum that was high on something walked into our train car and started screaming. Luckily he moved onto the next car and nothing happened. We arrived at our station, got off, and obtained another Uber ride home. We arrived home #aliveandthriving and very happy to have seen a great concert and enjoy great BEER.
Enjoy your week!