Last week, a co-worker told me that they recently opened a Sierra Nevada tasting room down the street from our office in Berkeley. So today after work, we went. I know as much about beer as I do about wine (nothing), so he explained what some of the beers were and what the abbreviations on the menu meant (ABV= Alcohol By Volume, IBU= International Bittering Units). He told me what he liked, recommended some I might like, and with the help of the woman behind the bar (server? bartender? beer wench?), I picked the following 5 to try:
Kellerweis
Weizenbock
Knightro
Off-Kilter Scotch Ale
Narwhal (10.2% alcohol, one of the beers you can’t buy in stores)
My favorite was the Scotch Ale. From the website: “An extended kettle boil affords this “wee heavy” Scotch ale its mahogany color and rich caramel notes, which are complemented by hints of cedar spice, smoke, dried fruit and molasses.”
I wish every work day ended this way. I love learning new things, getting to know a cool co-worker, and a little buzz to take the sting out of a rough Tuesday was nice. It’s funny that I keep saying that I’m not a big drinker (I swear I’m not!), but this is my third alcohol focused new thing— HA!
Hey are those beers you tasted Sierra Nevada or other brands?
They were all Sierra Nevada. It was a cool place, you should check it out sometime.
I will. I like beer and want to get more edumacated.