Rogue started with Morimoto’s Soba Ale and with the popularity and demand they created an amazing cheddar with it. The soba ale is to die for. It is so light and creamy with an intriguing flavor of roasted soba that keeps you drinking. Pairing the ale with the cheddar is an obvious match. The cheedar helps the ale pop and the ale calms the down the cheese.

At first Rogue beers were hard to come across, now the 22oz bottles are in every liquor store around. What makes Rogue Ales different from the rest of the Northwest craft brewers is their wine-like approach with their recommended food pairings, tasting notes and homegrown ingredients. Crazy flavor combinations like the Chipotle and Juniper Berry Ales put Rogue on a whole other level.

If you are in Central Point, Oregon, definitely stop in at the creamery to try as many cheeses as you can and have an unlimited selection of their infamous ales.

Rogue Creamery                                             Rogue Public House & Brewery

311 North Front Street                                    673 Union Street
Central Point, OR 97502                                San Francisco, CA 94133
(541) 665-1155                                                  (415) 362-7880

Every time I walk through Andronico’s, I stop at the beer aisle and stare.  Brown Sugar Ale?  It always caught my eye, and finally my date said “let’s just give it a try”.  I wasn’t going to argue. We barbecued some vegetables and buffalo and topped them both with Bone Suckin’ Sauce (make sure you buy the HOT). The hidden caramel notes of the barbeque sauce and the Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ Ale paired perfectly.  If you have an Andronico’s near by, go get some fresh produce, buffalo, bbq sauce, and Lagunitas, you won’t be disappointed.  

Info:

• 9.90% ABV
• Smaller head, spotted lace
• Medium Amber in color
• Smells like: Brown sugar (obviously), cinnamon, just all around sweetness
• Tastes like: Extremely flavorful, a bit of citrus came and went with hoppy and burnt caramel with the aftertaste of molasses
• Full bodied
• Velvety and thick finish almost syrupy
• Limited Release
• Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California
• www.lagunitas.com

• Grade: A-

     

I drive passed Frjtz all the time, and for a french fry lover, it’s pathetic that I JUST went a few days ago.  So the concept is french fries, mussels and Belgian beer.  The menu also has crepes and a few salads and sandwiches.  I just went for the fries and the large assortment of dips.  I’m all about dips, so we chose the monthly special, Morrocan Saffron Aoli, Curry Ketchup, Thai Chili Ketchup, and Parmesan Peppercorn Ranch.  Curry Ketchup was amazing, so was the ranch, obviously.  I was really disappointed with the special dip, I got zero saffron and I couldn’t find anything Moroccan about it.  We ordered small regular fries and small white truffle oil fries. Truffle always wins in my book.  To drink we had Gulden Draak.  It’s a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with a 10.50% ABV.  The aroma was fruity, I got some apple and all around sweetness.  Tasted malty, sweet, and very rich.  Great full-bodied beer, we just weren’t in the mood for it with the french fries.  Pretty cool place, watch out if you have a buzz, bright colors start changing under your seats… definitely caught me off guard.

My date and I stopped in for a quick breakfast the other morning at the famous San Francisco cafe, Blue Bottle.  They are known for their Artisanal Micro-roasting.  I found out about Blue Bottle from a New York Times article raving about their 20,000 dollar Japanese Siphon bar.  It is a halogen powered coffee pot, that you must see in person to believe.  Blue bottle uses only certified organic coffees from all over the world.  For a “regular” cup of coffee, they don’t just pour a pot that has been sitting on a burner for god knows how long, or pull a tab from a large coffee machine, they use the filter drip method.  On the website you can read about the process of the filter drip, along with french press and mokka pot (stove top espresso).

Now for the food, we split Judy’s farm poached eggs atop thick toast and whipped butter.  It really was perfect.  There was the same dish with some prosciutto, but we weren’t in the mood.  For only 9.50, we started the day off utterly satisfied.  

66 Mint St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 495-3394

Weekdays 7am-7pm; Sat 8am-8pm; Sun 8am-4pm