It’s time for our second weekly installment of Tuesday Brewsday, this time based on the USC-Stanford matchup from this past Saturday. Since USC decided that scoring was optional, Stanford cruised to what amounts to a snooze-fest 17-3 victory. So, let’s head to Palo Alto for this week’s featured beer scene.

There are several breweries in the greater area, including one of our favorites (21st Amendment.) But I’d like to stay a little closer to campus – so we’re going to focus on Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company. At first glance, they have a nice selection and really solid variety. I mean, their year-round beers include a Hefe, Scotch ale, amber, rye IPA, blonde, and a kölsch. (And seriously, the Full Boar Scotch Ale sounds stupid good.) This blogger personally loves seeing diversification like this, instead of a brewery going all in on IPAs, sours, or any one style. Show some creativity and diversity – offer something for a broader spectrum of tastes!

And that’s not even to mention the seasonals that are available right now. Barrel of Monkeys Barleywine … a Bourbon Cherry Stout … and a Coconut Porter. So, I’m ready to give the thumbs-up on this place until I saw …  this barrel-aged series. Yes, please. I am a sucker for some barrel-aged beers, but these descriptions? I’m just straight copying their language … and I want all of these. All of them:

This. I need this in my life.
  • VSAA (Very Special Amber Ale). Our amber ale aged in cognac barrels with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla
  • Cherry Lambic. Belgian-style lambic with West Coast cherries aged over one year in cabernet barrels
  • Imperial Stout. Imperial stout aged for six months in bourbon barrels
  • Bière Brut. Sparkling Ale aged for sixteen months in cabernet barrels
  • S.O.S. (Scotch Ale.) A blend of our Full Boar Scotch Ale aged for nine months in Scotch Whisky barrels
  • Divine Provisions. Amber ale aged with cherries in bourbon barrels. Collaboration brew with John Fearless Craft Hops & Provisions.

And everything I read says that it’s all about the vibe. Friday nights feature happy hour specials, food trucks, and live music. Sounds like a triple threat winner to me! To top it off (top it off … more beer in the glass … see what I did there?) I keep reading comment after comment about the staff being friendly and open to talking about their beer. I LOVE that in a brewery! And no, before you say it, it’s NOT true everywhere you go. To wit, we were recently in Chicago visiting a well-known brewery with several friends. While agonizing over the menu, trying to choose 4 beers for the flight from an extensive menu, our ‘kind’ server said, “Why are you spending so much time? It’s just beer.” It’s just beer? No – it’s not. Shame on you! It’s much more than that. But that diatribe is for another post.

For now, I’ll say that your next trip to the greater Palo Alto area should include a stop at Devil’s Canyon … hopefully on a Friday night. And if they have any special barrel-aged releases, be sure to grab one for your favorite beer blogger. And one for me too.

Tune back in next week as we find beer near the winner as the #17 Boise State Broncos travel to Stillwater to take on the #24 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Cheers!

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September 11, 2018
Mike Pennington

Author: Mike Pennington

Mike Pennington, normal, 40-ish, father of three, living the suburban dream north of Atlanta.  

2 Replies to “Tuesday Brewsday, Week 2”

  1. Avatar
    RussWebb says: September 11, 2018 at 6:30 pm

    Time to plan a trip to Palo Alto!!

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