Lake Arrowhead Brewfest

"Hey, you're the wine guy. Why are you drinking beer?"...yes, I heard that a lot this last weekend. I attended the 2nd Annual Lake Arrowhead Brewfest. I repeated (more than a few times) that I'm not just the "wine guy", but as a Sommelier, my course of study included wine, beer, spirits, sake, and a little bit about coffee and tea (as well as some cigar study on my own). While my passion is with wine, I do have a background in beer. About 15 years ago, I started making my own home brew, and still have all the equipment, should I decide to start up again. If you missed my blog on beer, click here.

The 2nd Annual Lake Arrowhead Brewfest was sponsored by the Lake Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the local Mountain Brew Club. This year, the brewfest was located in Tavern Bay, right on the shore of Lake Arrowhead. The cost for entry was $30/person ($25 if you bought your tickets in advance). The entry fee included a commemorative beer glass, a list of brews on tap, and a ballot to vote for the best beers of the day.

The weather was perfect and all the easy-up tents welcomed me, as I entered the "beer garden". Each of the tents offered something different. There were five professional breweries in attendance: Stone Brewing Co.; Hangar 24 Craft Brewery; Inland Empire Brewing Company; On the Tracks Brewery; and Mountain Brew (from Big Bear, CA). At the northeast corner of the beer area, was a large tent with six taps. This was run by the our local brew club. Every hour, the six taps were changed out, and six new local brews were presented for tasting. The Brewfest opened at 1:00pm and lasted until 5:00pm, so there were 23 local beers (and one German Apple Cider) available for tasting. Next to this tent was a table with a large ice bucket, filled with bottled beer. These were an assortment of home brews that were not in kegs, but still available for tasting. There were at least five different beers here. The last tent was a demonstration booth. Here, Jim Grant (one of the local brew club members) showed all the different steps to making your own beer. Attendees were able to taste the beer at all stages of production, and even cap their own bottle of beer.

Outside the beer garden, there was a tent offering Brewfest T-shirts, and a DJ playing music for the crowd. A little further out, there were two local caterers serving up food that was meant to go with beer. First was Texifornia Tamales. Jeff offered an assortment of different tamales. Next to them was Randall Holloman, and his Lake Arrowhead Catering crew, serving up bratwurst and knackwurst (with or without sauerkraut).

So I know the question that is stirring in your mind...how much beer could you try for the entrance fee? In general, the answer is...as much as you want. I'm guessing there had to be about 40 beers to try, and I put a decent dent in that number. The main thing holding me back was how full I get when drinking beer (even small amounts), and the two sheriff deputies that were sitting just outside the parking lot, watching everyone (and that's a good thing, as there were people that I'd hate to see drive away from this event). I started taking notes on my tasting, but eventually just tasted, and stopped the note taking. I can verify, from my notes, that I did try 14 different beers in the 2 1/2 hours I spent there, but I know I tried more than that.

Just like wine, everyone likes something different. I can tell you that "hoppy" beers are not my style. I just find them too bitter. A lot of the beers presented, had a lot of hosp, and were very bitter. I tend to be more of a stout drinker, and like that nutty, mocha, smooth flavor. But, I will try anything, and I did. While the professional breweries served up pretty safe examples of their product, the Mountain Brew Club was more daring (in taste and name). I sampled such beers as: Watermelon Wheat; Smoked Porter, Blueberry Wheat; German Black Ale; Pumpkin Stout; "Hot Flash" IPA; "Nice Pumpkins" Brown Ale; and "Happy Sailor" (a light ale infused with Sailor Jerry Rum).

Of the beers I tasted, my favorite of the day was "Drunk Monk Belgian" ale, made by Steve Keefe. I also enjoyed "The Curtains Match Red Ale" by Nolan Calkins, and the "Oktoberfest" by professional brewery, Big Bear Mountain Brewing Co. The oddest beer had to be the watermelon wheat...it was refreshing, but watermelon and beer just seemed strange to me. The two pumpkin beers were also interesting. One had very little pumpkin flavor, while the other tasted like liquid pumpkin pie.

Congratulations to the two winners of the Peoples Choice awards. For the professional brewers, Stone Brewery won, and for best homebrew, the award went to Steve Keefe for his Happy Sailor ale.

So, mark you calendar for next year, and plan on coming up to Lake Arrowhead for some beer tasting on the shores of the lake...and I'll see you there!

A weekend in Paso Robles - Part II

Wine barrels at Epoch

When I left off last week (if you missed last weeks blog click here), the group portion of our weekend in Paso Robles had come to an end, with a group dinner at Il Cortile. With a large group, we were really limited in the size and number of wineries we could get to. Sunday and Monday were my time, to get to my "wish list" of wineries. The challenge was, that I had a list of 33 wineries on that list. I spent Saturday evening mapping out when wineries opened, and which were open on Sunday and Monday, and what order to get to them, so we could maximize the number we got to.

Mural at Fratelli Perata

On Sunday morning, we went for a brisk hour long walk (and it had to be brisk as the fog and cold had moved in). Again, breakfast was at Margie's Diner. As the sun began to come out, we loaded the car with freezer bags, to make sure the days' wine purchases were not affected by the anticipated heat of the day. The first stop was Fratelli Perata, a small, family owned winery, that specializes in Italian varieties. After driving a short distance down the dirt road,  Carol Perata met us at the wine tasting room, located just behind the family residence. We heard stories about the wine mural, while enjoying Rose, and four red wines. I picked up two bottles of the '08 Charbono.

L'Aventure

The next stop was one of the "premiere" wineries in Paso Robles: L'Aventure. Again, down a dirt road, we arrived to the manicured vineyards, that surrounded the large barn style building. Mixed in the landscape was the unusual sight of palm trees. I had heard about this Bordeaux winemaker (Stephan Asseo), who was making Rhone and Bordeaux style wines. We met with the young tasting room staff (one of which recognized again on Monday while he was tasting at the same winery as us). We tried one rose and 4 red blends. I did enjoy all their wines, but my budget was tightening up, and the retail prices on these wines were up there. I did purchase two bottles of their Rose (Syrah/Cab Sauv blend).

York Mountain AVA

Epoch Tasting Room

Proulx Tasting Room

We jumped back onto Hwy 46, and headed west to our next stop, Epoch Estate Wines. The tasting room is located on the site of the first commercial winery in the area. Epoch is actually outside of the Paso Robles AVA. It is located in the York Mountain AVA. No grapes are being grown at the property (yet), but many of the wines are made from the grapes grown at the old Paderewski Vineyard. We once again, tried one rose, and three reds. I picked up two bottles of the '08 Tempranillo. After a few photos at this historic property, we headed back to Paso Robles, and turned on to Vineyard Drive. We had heard about a winery growing head-trained Zinfandel, so added Proulx Winery (pronounced "Pru") to our stop. Here we met the winemakers father-in-law, and later the winemaker (Kevin Riley). Here, our $5 tasting fee went a long way. We tried 2 whites, 6 reds, and 1 dessert wine. I picked up the '08 Zinfandel, and now that I look back, I should have bought some of the late harvest Zin/Grenache.

Bob Wine at Whalebone

Bottle Labler at Tolo Cellars

We moved a little further down the road, and stopped at Thacher Winery. The tasting room was offering free apples, and walnuts, which worked out well, since this area of Paso Robles, has no food stops. We tried a Viognier, and six reds (mainly Syrah and Zinfandel). I purchased their '07 Triumvirate Zinfandel. Next door to Thacher is Whalebone Vineyard. At the recommendation of my local wine merchant, we stopped here, and I'm glad we did. Very friendly tasting room staff, they offered olive oil and mustard tastings too. My wife (who is a veterinary technician) enjoyed spending time with the tasting room cats. All red wines here. We tried six wines, which included three 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, and a few blends. We heard the story of "Bob Wine" with its' duct tape label. We ended up purchasing the '06 Bob Wine. At every winery, I ask for recommendations of what wineries to try, and at the last minute, we added one winery to our list, Tolo Cellars. This little winery/tasting room is actually the home of the winemaker, Josh Gibson. When we arrived, Josh was serving wine from his kitchen. Unfortunately, his production is so limited, he only had two wines left to taste. Josh is gaining fans, and I can see why. I picked up some of his remaining inventory of '06 Syrah.

Outdoor patio at Halter Ranch

By this time it was getting late in the day, and I wanted to get to Halter Ranch Vineyard. Just six months ago, when Justin was purchased by Fiji Water, the winemaker at Justin left and went to Halter Ranch. While none of the wines that are currently in release are from the new winemaker, I wanted to try them now, and see how they might differ in a few years. We tried 3 whites, 1 rose, 3 reds, and two dessert wines. I picked up their red ranch blend, and both of their dessert wines.

Dinner on Sunday night was at one of the newer restaurants in Paso Robles. Almost every winery we went to gave us dinner recommendations, and Robert's was the name that consistently came up. The menu was all American cuisine, and the wine list was made up of local wines. The prices were very reasonable, and the full cut ribeye was done perfectly.

Lone Madrone Tasting Room

Normally on Monday morning, we head out of town, and on the way stop for breakfast at Hoover's Beef Palace, but after the previous night's dinner, we were still full. The front desk at the hotel recommended Cider Creek Bakery. What a find...they have great fresh made pastries, and coffee. We even picked up some pastries to take home. The next stop was Fat Cat Farm. Our wives like garden ornaments, and this place had quite the collection. While our wives wandered through the nursery, we walked next door to Kenneth Volk and Lone Madrone (both housed in the same tasting building). The $10 tasting fee at Kenneth Volk included up to 19 wines. They had some interesting varieties to try, including Negrette, Touriga, Cabernet Pfeffer, and Cabernet Franc. I purchased the Cab Franc, and Cab Peffer. Lone Madrone offered a taste of 8 wines, plus their apple cider. I was given a bottle of the '09 La Mezcla (Grenache Blanc/Albarino), by a friend, so I bought the '07 "The Will" (a blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel).

Vivant Fine Cheese

Before heading out of Paso Robles, we had one more stop. It's hard to find a good cheese shop, and I had recently "liked" Vivant Cheese on Facebook. This small cheese shop has a larger selection of cheese that you would think. With the help of owner, Danika Reed, we discovered some great cheeses, and purchased quite a few. Good thing we brought the plug in cooler. If you haven't tried Monte Enebro...you are missing something. Our friends joined their cheese club, so we are looking forward to exploring new cheese a few times a year.

As we headed home, we stopped at Ancient Peaks Winery, in Santa Margarita. We had stopped here before, and have enjoyed their Syrahs and Zinfandels. This time was no exception, as we picked up a magnum of the '09 Zinfandel, and the '08 Oyster Ridge, as well as a bottle of Cabernet Franc.

Our last stop was at one of my favorite wineries. Dragonette Cellars. Los Olivos was on the way back, so we stopped in, and talked with Mitchi and John Dragonette, while trying their latest releases. Our traveling partners are wine club members, and they picked up their shipment. I'm not a member of any wine clubs, but if I do join one, Dragonette would be the first on the list.

By this time, it was late in the afternoon, and we knew the traffic on a Monday afternoon would be building in Santa Barbara, so we stayed and had a late lunch/early dinner at Los Olivos Cafe. We reflected on the four days in wine country. We had successfully made it to 19 wineries. I estimate that we tried over 120 wines. I came home with 35 new bottles of wine, which were promptly labelled, recorded, and stocked in the wine cellar. I look forward to tasting these in the near future.

We recorded most of the trip on a small handheld flip video camera. The trip is available for viewing at: 
http://youtu.be/gJhfj7KbdOY

A weekend in Paso Robles - Part One

Last week, you got a little background on Paso Robles, so after spending Friday afternoon through Monday, driving all over the countryside, I thought I'd share a recap of the adventures. Remember, I don't do wine reviews, as everyones' tastes are different, but I will tell you what we tried, and what I purchased. Since we went to 19 wineries, and tried over 120 wines, this will be a two part recap.

Sculpterra Winery

The long weekend started with the 4 1/2 hour drive from Lake Arrowhead to Paso Robles. There was a nice improvement since my last visit a couple years ago...they have almost completed the additional lanes on Hwy 46 East (coming from Interstate 15) so you won't get stuck behind a semi for 40+ miles. Upon arrival, we checked into the Best Western Black Oaks, which is ideally situated to get everywhere. Since we had to wait for our room, we wandered next door to the Good Ol' Burger, and grabbed a quick bit. Once checked in, we headed out east to our first stop: Sculpterra Winery. As we drove in the gates, the vineyards had been pruned to ready for harvest. Nice, full grape bunches greeted us along each side of the road. As we pulled up to park, large sculptures of cats, fish, and mammoths welcomed us. We tried a mix of varieties and briefly met the winemaker, Paul Frankel. I picked up some of their '07 Statuesque, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petite Sirah. Next we drove five minutes down the road to our scheduled meeting with Steve Cass, at Cass Vineyard and Winery. Many of our group got here early and had lunch at the restaurant on the property. Steve greeted us at the door, and slapped a Grenache label on our shirts, saying that this day was "International Grenache Day". I was a little skeptical, that there was such a day, but sure enough...I checked it out on line later, and September 23rd is the official day. Thanks to the tasting room manager, Lindsay Dodson-Brown, we were treated to a tasting of nine wines (including two that weren't on the tasting list: '08 Grenache, and the Sparkling Grenache Noir). With the exception of the Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines were all Rhone varieties. Steve walked us through the barrel room, then out back were we met his South African winemaker, Lood Kotze. I didn't buy any wine here (as I have a number of bottles in my cellar already) but I saw a lot of bottles going out the door with our group. As we left, they were preparing for a wedding the next day...what a great setting!

Niner Wine Estate

That evening, twelve of us met at Bistro Laurent, in downtown Paso Robles. It is usually a challenge ordering dinner with this large of a group, but Ian Adamo, the Maitre d'/ Sommelier, suggested we let Chef Laurent put together a dinner for us, and he would pair the wines. This turned out to be one of the most memorable events on the entire trip. Ian took care us with a six course meal, and seven wines. The most unusual pairing of the evening was swordfish and lentils paired with Chinon (Cabernet Franc)...what a surprise! I think they need to add the smoked salmon tart to the menu, as it was excellent. If you've got a large group, or it's just two of you on a date, go to Bistro Laurent.

Saturday morning started with breakfast at Margie's Diner. Be prepared, their breakfasts are huge. They must be using ostrich eggs, because I've never seen "two eggs" deliver so much. At 10:00 our bus drivers arrived at the parking lot of the Black Oaks hotel. I had hired Wine Country Charters to drive us to all the wineries for the day, and schedule appointments at the wineries I had chosen, as well as organize our lunches. Our first stop was Niner Wine Estates. This large, new winery has an impressive facility. The $10 tasting fee included five wines on the tasting sheet, plus one that just happened to be open (the '06 Syrah). The most purchased wine was one that was not on the tasting sheet...Syrah Vin Gris (rose), and a number of people joined the wine club, as the savings on purchases were pretty good.

Yvonne, Robert and Jim at Jada Winery

The next stop was Jada Vineyard & Winery. They were ready for us, with a tasting area set up on the covered patio. Here, the tasting fee was $10 ($5 with a wine purchase), and all tastings included a cheese pairing. The mostly Rhone varieties included one white, one rose, and three reds. I purchased the '08 Jack of Hearts (a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Merlot), which they had paired with Fiscalini Cheddar. Great setting and a friendly staff that made us feel welcomed. After Jada, we moved on to Adelaida. Again, they were ready for us, with a tent set up on the front lawn. Our tasting fees had been waived for the group, and we responded with a lot of purchases here. They served us one white, one rose, and five reds. Included in the reds, was the '08 Zinfandel which was accidentally opened, but a great comparison to the '03 Zinfandel (which was the library selection of the month). I bought the '08 Zinfandel.

Adelaida

Our last group stop for the day was at a small family owned winery known as Windward Vineyard. We were greeted by Marc Goldberg, the owner/winemaker, who escorted us into the barrel room, where he entertained us with stories of winemaking in Burgundy, and sailing. Marc was a great host, and the four Pinot Noirs he served were a real "eye opener". I never think of Paso Robles for Pinot Noir, but Windward has changed my mind. Marc is making wines as close to Burgundian in style, as anyone I've tried in California. What a "find". I bought both his '06 and '08 Pinot Noir "Monopole". If you like Pinot Noir, you need to add this winery to your list.

Close to harvest

We arrived back at our hotel around 5:30. Dinner reservations were made for twelve of us again. This time we met at Il Cortile. Since we had some free time, a group of us wandered around downtown, and found an open tasting room at Arroyo Robles. Here, the tasting fee was $5/person for one white, and four reds. These wines were sourced from mainly east side vineyards, and had some pretty high alcohol levels. I did purchase the '07 Syrah before heading off for an Italian dinner at Il Cortile. The wine list was extensive, and well priced. The food and service were well done. The most popular dish in our group appeared to be the Osso Buco, but I must say, my grilled salmon was perfectly cooked, and the foie gras appetizer was a great starter. Chef Santos, and our server, Ian, made sure our group had an enjoyable evening.

The group portion of the weekend, included only five organized tastings, but we did get to seven wineries by Saturday night. Many in the group took off Sunday morning, but I had a list of 33 more wineries on my "wish list" for the 4-day weekend I had scheduled.

For the continuation of this 4-day weekend, check out the follow-up article at: http://arrowheadwine.blogspot.com/2011/10/weekend-in-paso-robles-part-ii.html
For a short video tour of the weekend, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJhfj7KbdOY.