Saturday, January 30, 2010

The AleSmith Cometh Beer Tasting part 3

The AleSmith beer tasting was great! Upon arrival we were presented with an AleSmith tasting cup, coaster, water cup, and a tasting notes sheet that listed all 10 beers to be sampled. The sheet included details such as bottle size, alcohol content, and original gravity of each beer, along with the snack plates that would be served throughout the evening. Each table had a large bottle of water on it so that the tasting cup could be rinsed, and the palate cleansed between tastings. AleSmith owner Peter Zien hosted the event and gave detailed information about each beer we sampled. He seemed very genuine, down to earth, and hugely passionate about his libation of choice. The camaraderie of San Diego breweries came through as he spoke about his fellow brewers around town. He was very enjoyable to listen to, and the information he provided about his brewery, and beer in general, was fantastic. They poured 2 ounce samples of each uniquely styled beer. Among the offerings were X, Grand Cru, Decadence, Old Numbskull, & Speedway Stout. Pretzels were served along with 2 sampling plates that featured artisanal meats, cheeses, bread, & crisps. Peter also dabbles in cheese making in his spare time, and was kind enough to bring 3 types of cheese that he had made at home. That was a special treat. The entire evening was a success. Between Peter and Jessica, a member of his "artist colony", as he puts it, who spoke about beer and food pairing, the evening actually ran longer that the expected ending time of 8:00pm. We were a little rushed on the last 3 samples, but manged to get them all in. This was actually the only negative to the evening. It would seem to me that if the event ran over by a bit it wouldn't have been such a big deal. How many people hang out at the tables in Whole Foods on a Friday night, anyway? However, we were all ushered out quite quickly by the staff after the last pour. Other than that I had no complaints. My compliments to Whole Foods for putting this event together, and to AleSmith for the great beer and presentation. I hold AleSmith in higher esteem after this event, and will seek out some of their seasonal releases such as My Bloody Valentine which is due out next month. I will also make it a point to attend future events at Whole Foods. This wraps up my AleSmith series, for now! Keep an eye out for a future post that will go into more detail about the brewery itself. AleSmith is a class act that produces great craft beer. If you haven't already, go get a bottle and see for yourself!

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