Craft brewers redefining “beer”

The rapid growth and popularity of craft beer has given rise to an industry renaissance — creative new brews that tell stories and explore the brewers’ personalities. Each tapped keg offers fermented poetry and the hiss of each opened bottle is a flavor odyssey. It’s in this romantic view that Almanac Beer Co.’s co-founder and chief brewing officer Jesse Friedman writes about the dynamic craft brew scene in the SF Weekly Blog.

From food pairings to all but forgotten styles, craft beer is breaking traditional boundaries and offering up a challenge for Friedman by those who say they don’t like “beer.”

“Unshackled from history and tradition, ‘does it taste delicious?’ is the only thing that matters in brewing today,” he wrote in the local blog. “While everyone complains that nothing is made in America anymore, you can go to your local brewery and try something unique that doesn’t exist anywhere else. It’s pure creativity on tap.”

Almanac Beer Co. is no stranger to creative brews — it will soon be offering four packs of its Biere de Chocolat, a beer that celebrates San Francisco’s rich chocolate production history through hand-roasted cocoa beans sourced from Madagascar and Río Caribe, Venezuela. Things get even more unique with Almanac’s special releases that include a Honey Saison and its Farm to Barrel Series that sports an oak-aged ale.

Head on over to the SF Weekly Blog for more on why Friedman thinks American craft beer is better than ever. And that’s a sentiment we agree with. Cheers, Jesse!