Tag Archives: microbrewery
A Little St. Patrick’s Day History
Top o’ the mornin to ye! I come to you writing this blog in my best Irish accent to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. While I am 62% sure that I do have some Irish heritage in me somewhere, it doesn’t matter. And why doesn’t it matter? It is because according to a passage written on a beam in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland “Everyone’s Irish on March 17th.” So, now that everyone has been inducted into the Irish culture, it is probably best that you know a bit about your new cultural identity.
Saint Patrick’s Day started out as a religious feast day celebrated on the anniversary of his death. As I am sure most will agree with, there are few kinds of days better than a feast day and by golly, we need more of them. But the grim reality is that feast days are in short supply, so we certainly must make the most of this one. One slight problem is that Saint Patrick’s Day falls within the Christian season of Lent which typically carries with it the brief prohibition of the consumption of meat and alcohol (apologies for the use of the “P” word). However, within the Catholic church, Saint Patrick was such a cool guy that they decided to waive the ban for his special day. As a result we now have the traditional Saint Patrick’s Day meal comprised of corned beef, cabbage and a Guinness. Children’s versions of the meal are virtually the same, just without the cabbage, due to fussiness.
While Saint Patrick’s Day is not a legal holiday in the United States, it sure doesn’t stop us from celebrating it. The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1762 in New York City. Today there are over 100 parades across the country, with largest taking place in Boston and New York. A little more my style, the shortest Saint Patrick’s Day parade takes place in Dripsey, Cork, where the parade travels the 100 yards it takes to get from one to the other of the town’s two pubs. While many of you may think 100 yards is a bit far to travel to get from one beer to the next, suck it up. It’s only once a year. Geez.
One more juicy bit of info for you, there are sixteen places in the United States that share the name of Ireland’s capital, Dublin. And, coming in at number one, with 44, 541 residents, is…. Wait for it… Dublin, CA! Just had to give a shout out to our brothers and sisters in the East Bay.
Well, we hope this has been at least a tad bit interesting for you. And, we hope you have a fun and safe time eating your corned beef and enjoying either a Strike Imperial (Irish) Red or some other Strike beer that you’ve dyed green.
A piece of parting wisdom – Before you pinch somebody for not wearing green on Saint Patrick’s Day, make sure you also thoroughly inspect their underwear. You certainly don’t want five pinches coming back to you.
Slainte!
Drew O’Ehrlich
Yes that is real Irish red hair.
*All facts were rightfully stolen or used with implied oral consent, not express written consent, from Wikipedia and History.com.
Posted in From Left Field, Off the Wall, Uncategorized | Tagged active lifestyle, baseball, Bay Area, beer, beer festivals, beer industry, Blonde, brewing, brewmaster, Brown, Brown Ale, craft beer, crossfit, cycling, Fight Gone Bad, fitness, imperial red, IPA, Irish, microbrewery, NorCal, Northern California, San Jose, St. Patrick's Day, start-up, strike, swimming | Leave a comment
San Francisco Beer Week 2013 Part I
Beer Week has just begun, and because we expect to have so many photos by the end of it, we’re going to do this in two parts. So far we’ve been to the Opening Gala, the San Jose BeerWalk in Japantown, and the 4th Annual Beer Week Beer Run (held for the first time in the South Bay at C.B. Hannegan’s in Los Gatos). Here are a few photos from the fun:
The Silicon Valey Roller Girls swung (or skated) by to say hi before things got going. Strike is now an official sponsor of SVRG and they have their first bout this Saturday!
The Strike guys (Drew, Ben, Ryan… and Wrigley the Beer Dog) before the craziness began.
Wrigley guarding the kegs.
We had the pleasure of being at San Jose Autoworks for the 2nd time. Great spot, great band, and can’t wait to camp out here again in 2014!
And then onto Sunday’s Beer Run. This was the 4th Annual Beer Week Beer Run, and the first time it was held in the South Bay. We were thrilled to be the beer partner chosen by Derrick Peterman (from Ramblings of a Beer Runner), and partner with C.B. Hannegan’s in Los Gatos. We learned a lot from helping to put on this event and can’t wait to make 2014 even better than 2013!
The taps are looking good at C.B.s…Phinny, Strike’s phoenix mascot, has finally arrived in Los Gatos!
Drew and the raffle prizes donated to benefit Autism Speaks and the 2nd Harvest Food Bank.
Derrick Peterman explaining the route before the crew heads out. And make sure to follow his blog, Ramblings of a Beer Runner.
About 50 people crossing Santa Cruz Avenue on their way to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. In 2014 we may need to bring in some law enforcement to keep this safe when we hope to have 200+ people!
The trail was marked ahead of time..
And runners were encouraged along the way…
Nearly there!
And after the 5 miles were over… everyone rewarded themselves with a Strike beer!
Drew, Ben, Jenny & Derrick helping serve beer back at C.B. Hannegans.
NEXT UP: Pint Night tonight at Buddy’s Bites & Brews in Hayward, Rootstock Beer Dinner on Wednesday night, and Meet the Brewers on Saturday. Whew! What a week!
Part II coming soon…
Cheers,
Jenny & Drew
Posted in Charitable Causes, Events, Fitness & Craft Beer | Tagged active lifestyle, autism speaks, beer, beer industry, beer runner, beer week, beerwalk, Blonde, brewmaster, Brown Ale, cb hannegans, craft beer, crossfit, imperial red, IPA, los gatos creek trail, microbrewery, NorCal, San Jose, SF Beer Week, start-up, strike, triathlon | Leave a comment
Looking Ahead to SF Beer Week 2013
Christmas is such a magical time of year. Kids are all amped up with excitement in the anticipation that Santa will bring them the one gift they have been longing for all year long (an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle of course!). The day finally comes and there is a flurry of activity in the living room, as if a pack of Tasmanian Devils has hit the Christmas tree and all the presents underneath, leaving only wrapping paper in their wake. Then it is all finished off with a meal to induce the mother of all food comas, second only to Thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, as time goes on, the luster and magic of that blessed holiday seems to wear off. As we get older, Christmas almost seems to become more of a chore. Dealing with the massive crowds at the mall, desperately trying to think of and purchase the perfect gifts, and heaven help you if you have in-laws visiting to which nails on a chalkboard would be a welcome substitute.
Alas, do not be disheartened by this disappointing fact of life. The wonderful brewers and sellers of bay area craft beer have come to your rescue! This, I can only assume, is the reason why we have come up with Christmas for adults, or more officially titled, SF Beer Week.
Following quickly on the heels of the holiday season, SF Beer Week seeks to recapture the magic that seemed to have been lost those many years ago. This festival of festivals outdoes even Hanukkah by giving you a week of beer that last 10 whole days. In this wonderfully long period of beer-filled excess, you’ll have the ability to enjoy opening galas, meet the brewer nights, beer pairing dinners, and single beer style festivals, all that will singlehandedly cause your mouth, stomach and liver to pat you on the back and say “well done old chum!”
If the prospect of this exciting event hasn’t caused your taste buds to tingle or your palette to palpitate, you’d better check your pulse and consult your doctor as something may be seriously be wrong. We here at Strike Brewing are very excited about SF Beer Week and the plethora of events in which we plan to participate. Here is just a smattering of where you’ll find us hanging out between Feb. 8-17th:
Friday, Feb. 8th - SF Beer Week Opening Celebration at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco 6pm-10pm
Saturday, Feb. 9th – BeerWalk in Japantown, San Jose 2pm-6pm
Sunday, Feb. 10th – 4th Annual SF Beer Week Beer Run at CB Hannegan’s in Los Gatos
11am
Wednesday, Feb. 13th – Beer Pairing Event at Rootstock Wine Bar in Los Gatos
Saturday, Feb. 16th – Meet the Brewers at Hermitage Brewing in San Jose 12pm-5pm
This list is subject to change and there may be more added, so please keep up to date using our Events Page.
We hope to see a huge number of people out at these events because there will be copious amounts of beer being poured and lord knows we are too weak and frail to carry it home. But more importantly, it will be a darn good time.
Cheers! – Drew
Posted in Events, Off the Wall | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer festivals, Blonde, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, crossfit, cycling, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, NorCal, Northern California, San Francisco Beer Week, San Francisco Beer Week 2013, San Jose, session beers, SF Beer Week, SFBeerWeek, Stout | Leave a comment
Hello 2013!
Well folks, the last day of 2012 is upon us. It is a day/night for celebrating all of the great things that have happened in the past year, and to start getting excited for all of the fun things that will happen in the new year. Just in case you were living under a rock, or your tv/radio/computer/newspaper/neighborhood gossip network broke, here are a few of the notable things that happened in 2012:
Non-Strike related news:
- Barack Obama wins the election to remain President of the United States
- Channing Tatum was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive (Drew was 337 millionth in the voting)
- The world did not end on Dec. 21, 2012
- Regrettably Etta James, Andy Griffith, Dick Clark, Whitney Houston and Norman Schwarzkopf passed away. More regrettably, Justin Bieber’s career did not.
- Facebook became a publicly traded company. Mark Zuckerberg becomes rich enough to buy the trademark on the word “hoodie.”
- Felix Baumgartner set the world record for skydiving at an estimated 24 miles above earth.
- The Grinch, yet again, failed to steal Christmas.
Strike related news:
- Strike celebrated its one year anniversary on Dec. 15th
- Strike participated in over 90 events
- Strike produced more than 450 barrels of beer (> 14,000 gallons)
- Strike was sold in over 80 locations in the greater bay area
2012 was a great year and 2013 is shaping up to be pretty fantastic. Strike has many exiting things in the hopper (or should we say fermentor?) that will no doubt lead to many exciting pieces of news in the new year. We can’t wait to share them all with you.
We hope you all had a wonderful year and that your 2013 will be even better. Thank you for all the support you’ve given us over the past year. Have a fantastic new year and we’ll see you in 2013!
Cheers,
Jenny & Drew
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer industry, Blonde, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, cycling, Fight Gone Bad, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Northern California, San Jose, session beers, Stout, swimming, triathlon, Wit | Leave a comment
OktoberFit at CrossFit Silicon Valley – 2012
Lederhosen. Barbells. Beer. That pretty much sums up last Saturday at CrossFit Silicon Valley’s Oktoberfit. Our friends over at CSV hosted an amazing CrossFit throwdown consisting of 60 teams and 5 workouts (or WODs for those fluent in CF speak).
Costumes abounded during the day, so the workouts were extra fun to watch. From tutus to lederhosen to beer paraphilia, these teams knew how to have a good time while being active. And then of course they crushed a whole lot of Strike beer when they were done (nearly 5 kegs!)
These were some of our favorite socks we saw. Now we’ve got to find some for the Strike team to wear! We also saw some that said “Bacon” down the sides… we might get those for Drew, which would compliment his “Sunnyside Up!” boxers and complete the breakfast ensemble.
Overhead squats, in a tutu no less. This brought some much needed “class” to the event. Swan Lake anyone?
Double-unders (jumping rope where the rope passes under your feet twice per jump) in lederhosen. No easy task. Especially if you follow the rules of counting out loud in German.
Muscle-ups in Beer socks and suspenders. The outfit was great and the dismount was spectacular! 10’s across the board!
The entertainment for the day. Luckily they were right across from the beer tent. So, due to the location, and the pants he was wearing, we got to see the whole show.
And the last workout of the day for the top 8 teams was our personal favorite. It consisted of one team member holding a Strike keg overhead (with about 70 pounds of water in it… very “sloshy”!) while the others did muscle-ups. Both of these alone would be pretty solid workouts, but put them back to back and you can’t feel your arms afterwards, let along hold a beer. We’ll bring straws to future events to help combat the arm fatigue.
More great photos from the day can be found here from Tabata Times.
2012 is turning out to be quite the year of events and 2013 is already shaping up to be pretty jam packed as well. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter for some big news coming out within the next few weeks as well…
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events, Fitness & Craft Beer | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer industry, Blonde, brewing, Brown Ale, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Northern California, San Jose, session beers, strike, Wit | 1 Comment
GABF 2012
Last weekend, we (Ben & Jenny) attended the Great American Beer Festival. If it were up to us, we’d probably classify it as the 8th Wonder of the World. It is an incredible experience that we would recommend that you all check out at least once in your lifetime. There were over 2,500 beers to try from 580 breweries across the nation. Obvioulsy we couldn’t make it to all of them in the one night we were there, but if someone was able to and is reading this blog, send us a note and we’ll give you a free t-shirt!
But what an experience this was. For starters, the line wrapped ALL the way around the entire Denver Convention Center. Luckily the organizers have this down to a science and it moved very quickly.
Once inside, we were greeted by the Merchandise Wall. Pretty cool opportunity to stock up on some t-shirts that we couldn’t normally find in California. We waited until the end of the night to hit this up.
Once we caught our breath from the overwhelming display of breweries (580 took up a LOT of space!), Ben turned to pose in front of Leinenkugel’s end cap booth. Who has two thumbs and likes to smile? This guy! Ever since we visited their brewery in Chippewa Falls last year, we notice when they’re around. They like mixing their beers just like I do…
Here was just one piece of one section of breweries, organized by region. Lucky Hand had a cool little mini tent at their spot. Maybe Strike will have to invest in one of these when space is of the essence.
Here’s another brewpub from Austin that we’ve been to. Good stuff!
And finally, Ben made a new friend from Yazoo Brewery in Nashville, Tennessee. Here he is posing with one of their brewers and trying out their Fortuitous beer and their award winning Hefeweizen.
All in all it was quite the eye opening weekend and now we are better prepared to be back in 2013.
And a huge Congratulations to all of the medal winners! We are already looking forward to next year.
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, baseball, beer, beer festivals, beer industry, Blonde, brewery, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, crossfit, cycling, Cyclo Cross, Fight Gone Bad, fitness, GABF, Great American Beer Festival, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Northern California, strike, Wit | Leave a comment
October 2012
Well hello again and welcome to another rousing edition of the Strike Blog. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, it is now that time of year when the weather turns a little cooler, the leaves change color, children dress up as their favorite disgusting monster and adults come up with the most inventive excuses for why it is ok for them to eat enormous amounts of candy that were originally meant for their kids (I’d better check this one to see if it’s poisonous…ooh peanuts!).
However, October is also a magical time for brewers and beer lovers alike. Starting off with the quintessential beer festival that actually begins in September we have Oktoberfest. This annual event is like Disneyland turned up to 11 for every beer nut worldwide. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to kick off the month. Moving right along, we have a day that isn’t really beer related, but cool nonetheless. Much like the popular 8/8/08 and 9/9/09, this year we have another mathematically whimsical day. It is reminiscent of your younger years watching Sesame Street when repeating numbers with The Count, we have Oct. 11, 2012 or ten…eleven…twelve. Ah Ah Ah! Also aligning itself with this magical numerical progression is the mecca of all things beer in America, the Great American Beer Festival or GABF. At this magical festival in Denver Co. an unfathomable amount of beer will be poured for hundreds of thousands of the most die-hard beer fans out there.
While those are just a brief number of specific events going on during this wonderful month, there are also a couple of other happenings that last much longer. I once read that the sure sign that fall is upon us is that the pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks. While this may be how the trendy, hipster high schoolers figure it out, the rest of us crotchety old folks mark the season by the emergence of the popular pumpkin spiced ales. Love them or hate them, just as a jolly, white-bearded fat man ushers in Christmas, so do pumpkin ales introduce us to autumn.
Finally, and deserving of its own paragraph, October is breast cancer awareness month. This is the reason for all of the pink accessories you see adorning your favorite pro athletes. While, as a whole, the brewing community is very wacky and jovial, we take this cause very seriously. Far too many people, brewers included, are affected by this wicked disease either personally or through family and friends. This month gives everyone a chance to voice their support for wiping out breast cancer.
So, join Strike in saying, “Welcome October! It’s been eleven months since we’ve seen you and that has been way too long.” We hope you have a wonderful month and feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what these wonderful 31 days have in store for you.
Prost! -Drew
Posted in From Left Field | Tagged active lifestyle, baseball, Bay Area, beer, beer industry, brewmaster, Brown Ale, crossfit, cycling, Fight Gone Bad, fitness, GABF, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Northern California, Oktoberfest, Porter, running, session beers, swimming, Wit | Leave a comment
Velodrome, Beer Olympics & California Beer Festival Photo Recap
As predicted, Strike has been very busy this summer. We have participated in many exciting events such as bike racing at the Hellyer Park Velodrome, the California Beer Fest and the Beer Olympics. And, we are certainly not done yet. Here is a brief recap of what we’ve been up to.
This is just one of the many races we saw at the velodrome in Hellyer Park. While we didn’t know how many of the rules for the races worked, we were still in awe of just how fast these cyclists were going. While you can’t see it in the picture, Drew was just about to catch up to the pack in his pink roller skates with neon green wheels.
Here is the line for the Strike tent at the California Beer Fest in Aptos. This was by far the longest line at the festival because not only did patrons get an ice cold beer when they reached the front, they were also treated to the quick wit and operatic song stylings of our very own Jenny “The Queen of Heavy Metal“ Lewis.
The California Beer Fest in Aptos had no shortage of celebrities. As I’m sure you already guessed, this is the great great grand-nephew of Uncle Sam himself. Strike a pose! (pun intended)
Jenny and our good friend, Dave, manning the booth. This was just before they both broke into a rousing rendition of the electric slide and Thriller.
Drew and Katie hanging out at the Strike station just before the crowds descended upon the Beer Olympics at Fort Mason. Drew was able to exercise his talent for table decorating with garish, over-the-top trimmings. Stuck the landing!
Campbell Beerwalk and Santa Cruz Triathlon are up next this weekend!
Cheers! – The Strike Team
Posted in Events, Fitness & Craft Beer | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer industry, Blonde, brewing, Brown, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Northern California, Porter, session beers, start-up, Wit | Leave a comment
It’s a bird, it’s a plane…. no, it’s Strike at a helicopter show!
Last weekend was quite packed with five events over four days. Since we are a company of only one full time and two part time people, covering all the events was a bit of a challenge. However, coordinating our schedules wasn’t nearly as impressive as what went on at the Hiller Aviation Museum on Friday and Saturday. Rather than try to describe everything that went on, I just took a few photos.
Here is Otto the helicopter flying the flag during the National Anthem.
This was the view from our tent looking out over the crowd, food trucks (yum!), and runway where the airshow was being performed. Not a bad view.
The California Highway Patrol showed how they would perform a rescue mission. 
Synchronized kite flying. This was a first for me, and pretty cool.
Even though the weather was in the 90s, we were able to keep the beer ice cold… and we’re already looking forward to next year’s air show!
While I was hanging out with the pilots and Marines, Drew took care of things over at the Zanotto’s Anniversary event and our good friend, Chris, helped us out by pouring our first ever firkin at the Los Gatos Brewing Co. Firkin Fest. So thank you Chris!
To wrap up the weekend, on Sunday we went and hung out with our friends at Beer Revolution. It was the first time ever that all 6 Strike beers have been on tap at the same time. If you haven’t been to Beer Revolution yet, you should definitely go check it out. Word on the street is that they are opening a restaurant next door in the very near future…
We are also incredibly pleased to tell you all that the Brown was awarded 1st place in the American Brown Ale category at the California State Fair 2012! Click here for full results and congrats to all of the breweries who won!
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, baseball, Bay Area, Blonde, brewing, brewmaster, Brown, craft beer, crossfit, cycling, fitness, helicopters, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Porter, session beers, start-up, Wit | Leave a comment
Beer Festival Season is Here
Well folks, the summer beer festival season is upon us, and this means that Strike is making the rounds about the bay area pouring liquid love for the masses. We’ve actually been going for a couple weeks now and have many more weeks to go; but, we have a few photos from our trip to the Martinez Bay Area Craft Beer Festival.
Jenny and Drew are getting ready for the massive hoards that will be descending upon them within the hour. They are sporting snazzy new green wristbands which made them the pretty belles at the ball.
Drew giving the bottle he just poured a stern talking to. He doesn’t like it when they give him lip.
Jenny and Drew’s attempt at using Strike coasters as a jigsaw puzzle. They were soooooo close.
Our next door neighbors from Shmaltz Brewing Company demonstrating the perfect pour.
Just a glimpse of the crowd that decided to stop by.
The selection of Strike beers available to the festival goers. Also, Drew’s foray into the world of hand modeling.
Strike helpers at the ready. They are like oompa loompas only they don’t tell you how to raise your children through song.
Well, that was the Martinez Craft Bay Beer Festival folks. We had a great time, and for those of you that made it out, we hope you did too… and if you didn’t make it – we’ll see you next year!
Coming up next we’ve got the subZERO Festival in San Jose, the Monterey Beer Festival and many, many more fun beer-filled events. So, make sure to sign up for our newsletter (which we plan to get out this week) and keep an eye on the Events page for more updates.
Cheers! – Drew & Jenny
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer festivals, Blonde, brewing, Brown, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Porter, San Jose, strike, triathlon, Wit | 1 Comment
Strike’s First Distribution Agreement Signed
It’s been another huge week for us here at Strike. There are lots of things happening. And one of the biggest that we want to share is that we have signed a distribution agreement with a major local distributor. This basically means you will be able to find Strike in a lot more places in Santa Clara County very soon.
This week a Strike press release announced the agreement for the distribution of Strike’s craft beers in Santa Clara County. The official launch date is today, Friday, April 13th, which also happens to be the day of the Giants home opener. Our new distribution partner is DBI, Inc., and we are extremely pleased to become part of their strong craft beer portfolio.
After releasing our first three beer styles in December 2011, and adding a fourth in February, we see DBI’s sales force bringing Strike beer to many, many more locations as a very positive sign.
We are committed to continuing to add to and develop our Session Series. Yet we will also be adding some additional very drinkable styles somewhat higher in alcohol. Both an IPA and an Imperial Red will be released in 22 ounce bottles and draught on May 23rd, 2012.
You can also check out a recent blog about this announcement from one of Strike’s favorite beer industry reviewers, Brian, at www.bayareacraftbeer.com
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in News | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, Blonde, brewery, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, crossfit, cycling, fitness, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, Northern California, Porter, session beers, Wit | Leave a comment
April 7th – A Big Day For Beer
Let’s recap what’s happened in the past 70 years or so that made the date of April 7th just such a great day for beer lovers…
December 18th, 1917 – the Volstead Act, also dubbed the National Prohibition Act, was passed by the Senate; this eventually led to the 18th amendment (not good for beer)
January 16th, 1919 – the 18th Amendment was ratified (really not good for beer)
October 28th, 1919 – the Volstead Act was passed by Congress and established the enforcement of prohibition (probably the worst thing to ever happen to beer)
1919 through 1932 – Bootlegging and moonshining become well-known illegal activities
December 5th, 1933 – the 21st Amendment repeals prohibition (possibly the greatest thing to ever happen for beer)
But, a lot more went into repealing prohibition before the 21st Amendment was actually signed into law…
Franklin D. Roosevelt had a lot to do with the repeal, and so he ranks pretty high in our list of cool presidents. Early in his presidency, he asked Congress to modify the Volstead Act to legalize the making and selling of our beloved liquid. Eventually the Cullen-Harrison Act made 4% ABV beer a-okay by federal government standards.
And, “so why is April 7th so important?” you may ask…
After FDR signed the Cullen-Harrison Act on March 23rd, 1933, it was set to take effect on April 7th, 1933. And so, this is why April 7th is an important day in the beer loving community.
And, just coincidentally, The Session Beer Project has also noted that these 4% beers were, in essence, session beers. Check out the Session Beer Project here and help us raise awareness that lower alcohol beer can still taste great, and be enjoyed over a longer period of time.
Just this week, our local San Jose Mercury writer, Jay R. Brooks, also wrote a great piece about session beer. You can read that one here, too.
So, on April 7th, raise a glass and toast what is nationally known as Brew Year’s Eve with a session beer in hand.
You can also come out and raise a few tasting glasses with us at Zanotto’s Market (1421 Foxworthy) tomorrow from 11am to 4pm. We’ll be out there for their Easter celebration helping raise awareness for session beers and the importance of April 7th in the brewing community. Do some grocery shopping, paint some eggs, and drink some beer!
Cheers! – the Strike Team (Jenny, Drew, Ben and Bill)
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, Blonde, brewery, brewing, brewmaster, Brown, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, microbrewery, NorCal, San Jose, session beers, start-up, Wit | Leave a comment
CrossFit Open at CrossFit Moxie
Saturday, March 24th the Strike team made its way over to CrossFit Moxie for the final event of the CrossFit Open. The Open is the first of three stages of competition, culminating at the CrossFit Games in July. For those who aren’t familiar with CrossFit, it is a fitness program that seeks to include many different strength and conditioning disciplines to give the athlete a complete workout. CrossFit includes exercises from Olympic lifting, plyometrics, long distance conditioning (running, rowing, bicycling etc.), and body weight exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups. After the athletes were done with their workout, they were treated to a potluck lunch and Strike beer.
As you may know, the members of the Strike team are all former athletes and are avid CrossFitters, so it was our great pleasure to be selected as the beer used to celebrate the end of the trials. Here are some pictures from the event.
Chris (co-owner of CrossFit Moxie) and Drew having a smiling contest.
Yes, that is a tire for an all-terrain unicycle.
One of the participants gearing up for the workout. This is what sitting down looks like without a chair.
You wouldn’t guess it, but this is actually Drew from behind. Eat your heart out ladies.
Chris’ best impression of a star fish.
It was a fun morning. We got to hang out with cool people, watch an incredibly intense 7 minute workout, and drink some beer afterwards. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
Congratulations to everyone who completed the CrossFit Open workouts. And good luck to those moving onto Regionals.
Cheers! – The Strike Team (Jenny, Drew, Ben & Bill)
Posted in Events, Fitness & Craft Beer | Tagged active lifestyle, baseball, Bay Area, bay area beer, beer, Blonde, Brown, crossfit, fitness, imperial red, IPA, microbrewery, norcal crossfit, Northern California, Porter, san jose beer, session beers, sports, Wit | Leave a comment
San Francisco Beer Week 2012 Recap
San Francisco Beer Week 2012 has come and gone. But don’t worry, if you couldn’t make it to any of the events, there are plenty of other opportunities coming up in the next few months. The Strike team was thrilled to be a part of 6 incredible events over the last week. From the Opening Reception and the first San Jose Beer Walk that kicked off the week [read more here] to the South Bay Brewmasters Dinner at California Café Palo Alto and Meet the Brewers at Hermitage in San Jose… it was a fun-filled, busy week.
Last Thursday we had the opportunity to be a part of our first beer pairing dinner. Executive Chef Mark Pettyjohn and Sous Chef Madison Montoto brought together 5 great breweries and 5 incredible courses for one heck of a night. Breweries included Firehouse, Los Gatos Brewing Company, Palo Alto Brewing, Tied House and Strike. This was another sold out event with over 100 people attending.
My personal favorite was the 3rd course, a Braised Veal Breast with parsnip puree and roasted wild mushrooms (photo below).
And the dessert was also pretty incredible – both in looks and taste. It was an Apricot Semifreddo with guava and ginger.
Meet the Brewers happened this past Saturday and it was a packed house. We poured the Blonde, Wit and Brown alongside 16 other brewers and 7 food trucks. Not a bad Saturday. This event sold out quite early with some folks getting turned away at the door. Luckily as brewers we were able to get there a couple hours prior to the doors opening. All we had to do was lug around heavy kegs of beer and set up our station. Who knew we’d get so lucky.
We had an absolute blast at every beer week event we went to this year and we can’t wait to participate again next year.
Next up is the Bay Area Brew Fest at Fort Mason on Saturday, March 3rd from 1-5pm. Get your tickets here >> http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2696851355
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer festivals, Blonde, brewery, brewmaster, Brown, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, microbrewery, San Jose, session beers, strike, Wit | Leave a comment
SF Beer Week 2012
SF Beer Week is off to a fantastic start. And there are still plenty of events left if you haven’t had the chance to catch one yet. We started off joining 66 incredible breweries at the Opening Reception this past Friday. Here’s a few shots from the night, courtesy of Mario Rubio from www.BrewedforThought.com.
Saturday, we joined 17 other breweries for the first San Jose BeerWalk hosted by Jack’s Neighborhood Bar & Lounge and Dishcrawl.com. Attendance was spectacular with over 500 people turning out on what appeared to be a gloomy Saturday to stroll through Japantown in San Jose. Each brewery was stationed at a different retail location and we were paired up with Empire 7 Studios.
Last night we joined three other south bay breweries at Wine Affairs in San Jose. Tomorrow we’re looking forward to hanging out at First & Main Sports Lounge in Los Altos where our Brown and Wit will only be $3 from 4pm on. If you can’t make it tomorrow, Thursday’s Beer Pairing Dinner at California Café in Palo Alto also looks to be an incredible feast. Check out this menu and see for yourself. Our mouths are already watering thinking about the 5 courses that are being prepared by renowned Chef Mark Pettyjohn. And did we mention that each course comes with two different beers?!
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, brewery, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, microbrewery, SF Beer Week, sports, Wit | Leave a comment
Thank You & Looking Ahead
Last Saturday we held our launch party at First & Main Sports Lounge in Downtown Los Altos. The turnout was phenomenal. We wanted to use this blog to thank everyone who made it a success – from our friends and family for years of support, the press who helped publicize it, and all of you who made it out to celebrate with us and have a few beers. Whether we already knew you or met you there, we appreciate each and every one of you who made it, and those who couldn’t make it in person but were there in spirit. We finished off a bunch of kegs, got some great feedback, and look forward to everything that this year has in store.
Just to make sure everyone knows, we will be releasing the Wit on February 1st. Some accounts have already placed orders, so it will be available in many markets and liquor stores around the south bay. We’ll also be pouring it at SF Beer Week events. Make sure you get your tickets early; some of these events will sell out quickly!
For now we will be keeping the Porter as a seasonal beer and bring it back some time in the future, but it will be back. Also in the near future we plan to make a session IPA. We’ve had a lot of requests for some hoppy beers and it is one of our favorite styles, so hey, who are we to disappoint? Also, we plan to put out plenty of other seasonal beers as well. Some may be part of the Session Series, some may be higher in octane. Only time will tell.
Until next time!
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer industry, Blonde, brewery, brewing, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, fitness, microbrewery, NorCal, Northern California, Porter, San Jose, session beers, start-up, strike, survivor mud run, triathlon, Wit | 1 Comment
Upcoming Events in 2012 & SF Beer Week
Well folks, it is finally happening! Strike Brewing Co. is lining up events and becoming busier than an elf on Christmas Eve. It seems a new event gets added to the Strike calendar every day and my esteemed colleague Jenny laughs at my exasperated sighs as I literally watch my free time and hours of sleep slip from my grasp. However, with the start of a new business, I knew I was going to forfeit things like sleep and free time, but I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. One of the large events that is taking up much of our time is SF Beer Week, aka the greatest show on earth. We are truly honored to be a part of this wonderful event. We’ve been to many events at SF Beer Week as consumers. It is now somewhat surreal to be attending as a producer.
But, there is one more thing needed at all of these events: You! We want every single reader of this blog to attend every single event listed below. If we can make it to all of them, I don’t see why you can’t. So, I’m assuming you are all nodding your heads, effectively saying, “yes Drew, we’ll see you at every single one of these events. And of course we’ll bring you a pepperoni and sausage pizza.” Below is a list of all the events we are participating in so far. The dates, times, names, venues and moods of the brewer are subject to change.
Cheers to all our readers and we can’t wait to see you at our events. – Drew
Saturday, January 14th from 8-10pm – Join us at First & Main Sports Lounge in Downtown Los Altos (397 Main Street) for a laid back celebration of the launch of Strike Brewing Co. We will be there with the Blonde & Brown on tap at a special price for the night.
Monday, January 23rd 6-8pm – Special beer tasting and meet the brewer at Wine Affairs (1435 The Alameda San Jose, CA 95126)
Sunday, February 5th – Super Bowl Party at The 3rd Door in Palo Alto starting at 2pm
Friday, February 10th 6-10pm – SF Craft Beer Week opening reception. Get your tickets here.*
Monday, February 13th – Wine Affairs – South Bay breweries event*
Tuesday, February 14th – Beer pairing dinner at First & Main Sports Lounge*
Thursday, February 16th – California Café in Palo Alto is hosting a beer pairing dinner featuring south bay breweries*
Saturday, February 18th 1-5pm – SF Craft Beer Week Meet the Brewers event at Hermitage Brewery (1627 S 7th Street, San Jose, CA)*
*SF Beer Week event
Posted in Events | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer industry, beer pairing dinners, Blonde, brewery, brewmaster, Brown Ale, craft beer, events, fitness, microbrewery, NorCal, Northern California, Porter, San Jose, session beers, SF Beer Week, start-up, Wit | 1 Comment
Happiness, The Happy Movie, & Strike
Last Thursday evening, the Strike team went for a screening of The Happy Movie at our gym, FIT in Los Altos. The Happy Movie is a documentary film by Roko Belic that takes you around the world to explore the secrets of happiness. The creators interviewed a variety of people from a broad range of socio and economic lifestyles in different countries.
As you may have guessed, money is not the key to happiness. By studying identical twins, “happiness scientists” found that 50% of our happiness level is genetic. Circumstances (job, income, social status, age, health) make up another 10%. And 40% is determined by intentional behavior. So, there is a large part that you can control (such as drinking a Strike beer after a 3 mile jog on a Sunday afternoon, while watching football, of course).
We, at Strike, took notice when the film makers pointed out that happiness can be gained with exercise. This is great news and we agree wholeheartedly that physical activity is important. Maintaining a balance between work and personal life is also a necessity. The Happy Movie claims that this balance is the most influential factor in a happy life.
Ultimately, Strike came into being as a direct result of this pursuit of happiness. First and foremost, beer makes us happy. Making beer also creates the same feeling. So we reasoned, if this makes us happy, why not do it for a living. And just to keep the happy train rolling, we also decided to incorporate our love of sports, exercising and outdoor adventures with our brewing company.
The movie identified 5 key factors that influence happiness (for an in-depth look at these 5 factors, check out 5 Ways to Feel Happy: Tips from Roko Belic’s Documentary “Happy”
1. A Sense of Friendship and Community
2. Caring and Doing for Others
3. A Personal Involvement with Nature
4. A Balanced Life, with Plenty of Leisure Time
5. Engaging in Activities that One Finds Enjoyable
None of these items are surprising. Human beings are social beings by nature. Many of the happiest times in our lives involve families and large groups that serve as communities. Think weddings, reunions, holiday get-togethers, college football, and so on. Being philanthropic is also a contributor to overall happiness. If you’re living for a cause bigger than yourself, there’s always a reason to smile.
For the Strike team, our future plans involve a lot of interaction with nature. Whether out running, hiking, checking out the Grand Canyon (which Jenny & Ben are doing next week), canoeing or just enjoying being outdoors, your body’s natural happy drug, endorphins, are easy to trigger.
Although we don’t see a lot of leisure time in our near future, we hope that all of you take some time to sit back, relax, do the things that make you happy, and then enjoy a good craft beer. Luckily for us, everything that goes along with brewing beer and bringing a tasty product to market is enjoyable for us. Our dream becomes a reality in just a few short weeks. We’ve been working hard for three years to bring another high quality product to the Bay Area. Brewing will commence on November 29th, and we will have the first bottles on the shelves and kegs connected to taps on December 15th so keep an eye out, tell your friends, and remember to like us on Facebook for more updates.
Let us know where you want to see Strike on tap and we’ll do our best to make it happen as soon as possible! And remember to tell your favorite bartender about us too.
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in From Left Field | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, beer, beer industry, craft beer, crossfit, fitness, happiness, los altos, microbrewery, nature, NorCal, Northern California, San Jose, session beers, sports, start-up, strike | Leave a comment
Most exciting week to date! And then we ran through some mud…
The Strike team couldn’t be more elated this week. Tuesday started out as a normal day working in the office until the mail arrived. Our long awaited paperwork from the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control), submitted 162 days earlier, finally arrived, and we now have that little pink piece of paper in our hands.
This means that now the real fun can begin! Brewing will commence in mid-November and we will have beer being distributed by early December. And you guessed it, that’s right, just in time for all those holiday parties.
We’ve been planning the launch of Strike for three years now; and, it is a huge step in the right direction to get the go ahead to start distributing product to the public. In just three days, we’ve made huge strides connecting with potential accounts in the Bay Area. Because of alcohol laws, we can’t let you know exactly where we’ll have tap handles out; but hopefully, some of our long time fans will help spread the word on where you can find us through social media. And, of course, if you follow us on Facebook, you’ll be aware of where we are having launch parties.
Strike is going to debut our Blonde and Brown first, in kegs and bottles. Then the Wit and Porter will follow soon after.
And in other news… we decided to celebrate with the Warrior Dash! We have had the Warrior Dash in our plans for months now, and this morning the day was finally here. We feel like it was a good way to celebrate the week, and get in a good workout too.
It was unbelievable how many people made the trek to Hollister for this event. It happens at the exit where Casa de Fruta is, and the course takes you through the hills of Hollister. It was just over 3 miles of mayhem, with thousands of other “Warriors.”
This two day event sends off a wave every 30 minutes. And here’s a little taste of what goes on during the course…
Here we are before heading in:
…and then at the starting line…
…and then we were off! After running about 1.5 miles, the obstacles started. The first was the “Teetering Traverse.”
Then we came up to the “Vertical Limit.” Here’s Drew showing off his rock climbing skills:
Obstacle number three was the first chance to get a little muddy with the “Tipsy Tightrope.”
All of us made it through the tightrope without getting too wet, but that didn’t last long. We were then off to “Roaring Waters” where we climbed over a barricade with water pouring down over us, and then landed in another muddy pool of water.
Next it was time to run for awhile again, and then jump over barricades and crawl under barbed wire. Drew again showed off his skills here. For a guy that’s 6’6″, he had to get pretty low…
After that, we crawled across tangled nets, treked to the top of a massive slope, only to come up to a whole lot of car tires, and a few abandoned cars. Ben and Drew looked pretty ready for a cold beer at this point…
Then it was up the cargo nets again, and over the great “Warrior Wall” to close in on the finish line. After jumping two firey lines of burning coals, it was finally time for the mud. And in we went…
And with the finish line right in front of us, we knew that beer was just moments away. And after we got hosed down, got a bite to eat, and a beer, Drew even reunited with some old high school friends who had started a few heats behind us.
All in all, it was a great event, a very fun day, an exciting week, and we know there are many more good times to come. Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Events, Fitness & Craft Beer | Tagged Bay Area, beer, brewing, craft beer, fitness, microbrewery, NorCal, San Jose, session beers, sports, start-up, strike, warrior dash | Leave a comment
Beer & Fitness Part II – Looking into 2012
Beer makes people happy. Sports make people happy. Whether participating or watching, beer and sports go hand in hand. So looking towards 2012, the Strike team is currently planning on participating in several fun and interesting events.
The reasons for telling you about them now are two-fold. The first is to see how many friends might be interested in doing these activities with us, (some are also a little bit crazy). And two, because being involved with these events makes us happy. We get to hang out with great people, do something a little out of the ordinary, and then reward ourselves with some great beer.
If you would like to join us, or are interested in meeting up to train, let us know. Heck, we may even create a Strike team so that we can all race together. As soon as we start brewing our first batch (which should be any day now, pending that last permit), we’ll be gearing up the Strike Running Club. More on that later. Our logo looks pretty cool, and we’re partnering up with the BON Running Club in Houston to bring people together to train and have fun supporting great causes like they do, here in the Bay Area.
Ever since the concept for Strike came about, we’ve been asked how we plan on pairing beer and fitness, and if we are really condoning drinking beer during a workout. Obviously water is probably a better choice than beer during a workout. But afterwards, who doesn’t love a good pint of craft beer? We are promoting healthy living and good beer in moderation.
These events are just one way to get a little exercise in and then have some fun afterwards. We’ll be creating some fun, interactive contests based around some of these events, so keep an eye on the Strike website and Facebook, too.
Here’s what we’re looking forward to in 2012:
This happens in early October and is a two person event. Here’s how it’s described on their website:
“Muddy Buddy is all about having fun with a friend, family member, partner or co-worker! Teams of two traverse a 6-7 mile off-road course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course…and cross the finish line together.”
Now what doesn’t sound like fun about that?
This pops up in Northern California in late October. “It’s a mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme 5k run from hell. Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and celebrate with music and beer after.”
We’ll be doing this one in 2011 too, so keep an eye out for a recap of that event on Oct. 29th.
This is put on by Men’s Health Magazine in November in San Francisco. It’s a “9+ mile competition that combines traditional road race elements with rigorous obstacles and sets them against a backdrop of iconic city landmarks.” There is also one in Chicago and New York. It can be done individually or as part of a team. This race supports the Challenged Athlete’s Foundation (CAF) and helps to raise funds to keep athletes with physical disabilities “in the game and on track to succeed.”
Check out more about the course here.
We’ve heard this one is a doozey. It happens in September in Northern California. Their website describes it as “not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit-crushing ‘ endurance’ road race. It’s Ironman meets Burning Man.” We’re getting a little crazier here with this one, but it still sounds like a pretty good time to us, and we’ve heard it’s well worth it.
A mid-year goal to shoot for, since it’s in mid-July. And yep, I listed this one last on purpose. Doing an Ironman is something we have contemplated for a few years. And honestly, it’s because we just want to be able to say “we did it.” But we decided it’d be wise to start with a Half Ironman first. Sprint and Olympic length tris are fun, but this is a whole different ball game. It’s a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run triathlon held in Sonoma County. It takes entrants past hundreds of vineyards and dozens of wineries. I expect that those wineries will mock cyclists riding past, but hopefully there will be something tasty at the finish line.
If you know of any other good events that you think Strike should be a part of, let us know!
Next Up – The Warrior Dash NorCal on October 29th. Blog to follow…
Cheers! – Jenny
Posted in Fitness & Craft Beer | Tagged active lifestyle, Bay Area, craft beer, crossfit, cycling, fitness, ironman, microbrewery, muddy buddy, Northern California, San Jose, session beers, sports, strike, tough mudder, triathlon, urbanathlon, warrior dash | 4 Comments