Getting back to the local

Ahhhh .... Back in the Bay Area. So many great beers and so little time.
Back on Feb. 5 Beer Revolution opened http://beer-revolution.com/index.html
It is a great beer bar just off Jack London square in Oakland. Lots of taps and a huge selection of bottles to drink on premise or to take with you. The taps change on a daily basis because they are committed to serving microbrews and limited release beers that often come in smaller kegs and go quickly. If you are in the SF Bay area it is a must for beer tasting.
Uncommon Brewers Siamese Twin
It is a traditional Belgian-style Double seasoned with coriander and some uncommon spices. At first surprising, the floral notes of lemongrass and sharper bite of kaffir lime? with the deep malt of this double to produce a dangerously drinkable beer. This beer hides the 8% well.
Dust Bowl Brewing pale ale is also on tap. It is very hoppy for a pale ale and has the hop aroma profile of an IPA. The flavor is less bitter than an IPA and finishes smoothly.

In addition to the trip to Beer Revolution I tasted a few at home this week. Some of these are not new for me but they are new to the blog so the notes are short.

Green Flash Amber Ale Hop Head Red Excellent beer. Smooth malt flavor with a nice big hop flavor over the top. Another great beer from a great brewery.
Deschutes Brewery Porter Black Butte XXI This is a great porter that will get better with age. Putting 1 down until 2011. Excellent coffee flavor and chocolate notes and subtle bourbon flavor.
Deschutes Brewery Pale Ale Mirror Pond Ale Great Pale Ale. Smooth. Excellent pale ale with balanced hop flavor.

Last week I bottled the entries for World Cup of Beer, a homebrew competition put on by the Bay Area Mashers but takes entries from all over the country. It is my 1st competition. I will know in a few weeks how I did.