I left my pint glass in San Francisco

It may not have the same ring as Tony Bennett's classic, but it gets the job done. 

On Wednesday Fran and I will get on a Southwest  plane - bags fly free! - to Northern California to spend Christmas with her family. For a few days we'll be mere minutes from  Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, so you know I'll be swinging by to get a "few" growlers. 

Question #1:  For those of you in the know, which RRBC beers available in growlers should I get?  I want something different, not something I've had or can get out here in Colorado (like most of the "tion" beers - Temptation, Salvation, etc.).

Bright and early Sunday morning (the day after Christmas) we'll hop in the rental car and head to San Francisco (The City By the Bay) to hang out, drink some beer, and watch the 49ers (her team) take on the Rams (my team).  It's an important game for a division full of losers. If the Niners beat the Rams in St. Louis, and the Seahawks lose to the Buccaneers in Tampa (a very likely scenario), there's suddenly a three way tie for the NFC West (all three will have a record of 6-9). 

As it stands right now we'll be watching the game at 21st Amendment Brewery. They open at 10:00am on Sundays, complete with a brunch. After that we're going to try and hit up Monk's Kettle, Thirsty Bear, and finish the night at Public House (in AT&T Park, the home of the World Champion San Francisco Giants). I'd like to get out to Magnolia Pub, but I'm not sure we'll make it.

Question #2:  What do you SF beer geeks out there think about the above list?  Are there some places we absolutely need to hit more than the others?  If so, let me know. We've been to the Toronado and Gordon Biersch - once is enough.  It doesn't look like Anchor is open to the public on Sundays, so that's out.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and if you're in the City on Sunday... come have a beer with us!

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Zivjeli! 
 

Ceramic beer mugs of the demigods

Another confession from the community, this time from Jim Gottuso.  Jim writes:

I'm a potter, not a brewer but a beer aficionado (a hophead). My cousin (Randy) is an accomplished brewer and brews out of his home. He told me this thanksgiving that he's coming up on 1000 batches and I think he's done over 80 different styles.

This year I took it upon myself to start making porcelain beer glasses and thought that maybe some of you beer connoisseurs might be interested.

Yes they would, Jim!  But first I want to point everyone over to Jim's blog, Sofia's Dads Pots. Get on over there and check out Jim's first hand account of the visits to his cousin Randy's house (go here to see last year's visit;  go here to see this year's) because to say that Randy is an accomplished brewer and beer geek is a huuuuuuuge understatement.  He has a set up to die for! Check out just one of his home brew tap contraptions:

  Exactly.  And if that wasn't bad ass enough, Jim has a 700 cubic foot walk-in beer fridge!  HELLS YES!

Santa, all I want for Christmas is Randy's set up.  That is all.

Now that I've gushed over Randy, let me do some pimpin' for my new beer homey, Jim Gottuso.  While Jim is a lover of beer, he makes his coin as a ceramic artist in Louisville, Kentucky.  Jim decided to create a kick ass line of beer mugs.  Check out these old school lookin' drinking wessels:

They remind me of something Hercules, Leonidas, Spartacus - or Homer Simpson - would drink out!

Granted, they're not cheap ($50 - $60), but these are individually made with the same quality craftsmanship as the beer you'll be drinking out of them.  You gotta pay for quality.  So shoot on over to Jim's online store and check out the selection. These would make a great Christmas present for the beer lover in your life.

Zivjeli!

Once, twice, three times a zombie... drink the undead!

Since this blog has been renamed "Confessions of a Zombie Killer" here are two more things that happened since yesterday's article. How ridiculous is it that I have to update the update?!

First, more news regarding the melodrama surrounding the exorcism of TWD's writing staff. According to Robert Kirkman (in an article posted on MTV), the co-creator of the original TWD comic book series, and a writer and executive producer on AMC's show:

"It's kind of unfortunate that it's being reported that our writing staff has been fired because that's not the case," he said. "It makes Frank look bad. I don't think Frank wants it out there that he's just firing people off of a successful show seemingly for no reason. Chic Eglee is a high-level television writer," said Kirkman. "He was brought onto 'The Walking Dead' with the idea that Frank was going to work on the first season and then go off and do movies. Chic didn't want to be second-in-command on a show when he's used to being a top dog, and so he decided to go off and do something else, which is something that happens and is not a big deal. Everybody knows what they're doing," he added. "AMC has done a few television shows before, and Frank Darabont is a professional. Whatever is decided, I don't think it will affect the show one way or another."

Let's hope not.

So yesterday afternoon I received an Email from the President of 3 Point Entertainment letting me know their subsidiary company (Tavencraft) was offering a new line of high-end beer steins. Tavencraft makes gorgeous, ultra-cool drinking wessels for properties like World of Warcraft, Marvel Comics, The Hobbit, Warhammer Online, and now... The Walking Dead.   They also happen to be expensive.

But yes, now you can drink Rogue Dead Guy and Left Hand Wake Up Dead as they were meant to be drank... out of appropriately etched undead pints and steins!

The steins hold 25 ounces of beery goodness, while the pint glasses hold... wait for it - a pint. There are four different designs available for each style. You can buy each of the four steins individually (for 30 bones a pop) or all four in a set (for $100).  Oddly, you can't buy any of the four pint glasses individually, or in a four-pack set. They're only available in sets of two (as seen above) for $30 each. 

I often like to smoke a fine cigar when I'm drinking a fine craft beer.  Lighters are to cigars as openers are to beer bottles.  Ya need some caveman fire to light a stoggie so why not use a lighter etched with zombies?!   Now you can, cuz Tavencraft is lighting up the night with a line of TWD zombie lighters too.

Each of the lighters above can be purchased for $20, or in a four-pack for $60.   Any one of these items would make the lover of the undead in your life happy as a... well, zombie.

Zivjeli!

Waking Up Dead

Here's another first... I've never done a followup or update to a Brewvie Review, but two different things occurred in the last few days that I felt needs mentioning.

First, Deadline Hollywood reported that Frank Darabont has let go of the entire writing staff of The Walking Dead, which includes writing executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee and Glen Mazzara, who penned last Sunday's episode, "Wildfire" (a great episode!).  Instead, Darabont wants to go with freelancers for Season 2's scripts.  That can't be a good thing.  It's hard enough for shows to make it, but sabotage from the inside?  Darabont may have just become one of those dumbass TV execs I talked about in my previous post.  That, or he's turned into a brain dead zombie. Not sure which.

Secondly, I found an alternative beer to suck while watching TWD!  If you recall I originally gave the nod to Rouge's Dead Guy, which is still a great and perfectly appropriate beer mind you.  However, Left Hand Brewing Company out of Longmont, Colorado, just announced they'll be releasing a beer called Wake Up Dead!  How freakin' fitting is THAT?!  I KNOW!  This 10.2% ABV barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout sits in Heaven Hill brandy barrels for 12 months before being blended into what can only be described as "woody perfection."  There will be hints of raisins, cherry, licorice, toffee and earthy, herbal hop notes.  Moooooooooney!

 

Zivjeli!