SIG-BEER-WEST this Saturday 7/17 in Cupertino

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SIG-beer-west[1]
Saturday, July 17, 2004 at 6:00pm
San Francisco, CA

Beer. Mental stimulation.

[1] http://extasia.org/sig-beer-west/

Note: I'm having problems connecting to the website, so it
has not been updated with the info herein.

This event:
Saturday, 07/17/2004, 6:00pm, at the BJ's Brewhouse[3], Cupertino

[3] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/home_page/home_main.html

Coming events (third Saturdays):
Saturday, 08/21/2004, 6:00pm, location to be determined
Saturday, 09/18/2004, 6:00pm, location to be determined
Saturday, 10/16/2004, 6:00pm, location to be determined
Saturday, 11/20/2004, 6:00pm, location to be determined

San Francisco's next social event for techies and their friends,
sig-beer-west, will take place at 6:00pm on Saturday, July 17, 2004
at BJ's Brewhouse[4] located at 10690 N De Anza Blvd[5] in Cupertino,
CA (next to Apple).

[4] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/home_page/home_main.html
[5] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/restaurants_page/cupertino.html

Here's a review shamelessly pulled from Brew-Monkey.Com.[6]

[6] http://www.brew-monkey.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11

I checked out the new BJ's location at the Westfield mall in south
San Jose last night and wanted to share my impressions.

First, it's a comfortable pub to sit and enjoy a pint. Plenty of wood
and breweriana covering the walls. A wall of televisions in back of
the bar so you can catch most any sport or other TV experience. The
large serving staff is quick to attend. Last night's bartender, John,
was quite knowledgeable- especially about the BJ's beers. I did not
order food but the menu indicated typical pub fare with the usual
deep-fried appetizer treats, burgers, sandwiches and actual entrees.
The plates coming out of the kitchen were piled high, looked great and
smelled wonderful. The food prices may have been a little higher than
we like paying but no more so than other San Jose stops.

I ordered a 7 beer sampler, for $7.95 which consists of the six 4 oz
glasses of the standard BJ's beers and one 4 oz glass of a special
beer.

Following are my impressions of the six standard BJ's beers:

BJ's Blonde[7]: Delicate Kolsch style blonde ale. Slight malt and
aromatic hops are evident well balanced with hop bittering.

[7] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_blonde.html

Harvest Heffeweizen[8]: Nice bannana/clove character. It's very
similar to the latest heffeweizen I've brewed!

[8] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_hefe.html

Piranha Ale[9]: As they say "A hoppy, American-style pale ale made
with Yakima Valley's best hops. bittered with Chinook, while
dry-hopped with the snappy flavor and bite of Cascade hops." This was
my personal favorite of them all.

[9] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_piranha.html

Jeremiah Red[10]: An Irish style red ale loosely based on strong ale
style. I felt there was something funny going on with the selected
malts. Perhaps some smoked or peated malt along with brown? I would've
preferred more hops, but it's not an American style red (amber).

[10] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_jeremiah.html

PM Porter[11]: Seems like they were going for Fuller's London Porter.
It's creamy, served on the nitro tap. I would prefer more chocolate
malt and less brown. This was the bartender's favorite.

[11] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_porter.html

Tatonka Stout[12]: I enjoyed the heady chocolate nose of their
imperial stout. But felt the taste was lacking due to the muddled malt
character. An easy drinking, big 8.1% ABV stout. It's just that I
would prefer more character, more like Old Rasputin or Inebriator.
I got two BJ's seasonal or special beers.

[12] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_tatonka.html

Nutty Brunette[13]: Is a respectable brown ale but should probably
have more hop aroma and bittering if it is supposed to be an American
brown ale.

[13] http://bjsbrewhouse.com/brewery_page/beerprofiles/profile_nutty.html

BJ's IPA: I liked the hoppy nose but didn't care for the funky (almost
buttery) taste which I attributed to the hops. Not sure which hops
were used in this but am guessing Warrier. Again, I think it is well
made just not to my taste.

Along with their own beers there are some notable guest beers
available. Last night draft selections included a number of fruited
beers along with * Sierra Nevada pale bock & summerfest and * Chimay
white label. BJ's also has a respectable number of bottled Belgian
beers for the adventurous.

It is unfortunate the Cupertino and Westfield Mall (south San Jose)
locations do not brew but each of the beers does have a unique
character. I wondered if this distinctiveness is a result of the beers
being brewed at different BJ's locations. I recommend checking out
BJ's and their beers.

Beware, parking is challenging at both locations which is the reason
valet parking is available!

Roger.

Festivities will start at 6:00pm and continue until we've all
left.

BJ's is right next to Apple. Here's a map.[14]

[14] http://tinyurl.com/5llqn

When you show up, you should look for some kind of home made
sig-beer-west sign. We will try to make it obvious who we are. :-)
Note: Please look for the sig-beer-west sign, not for a particular
person. sig-beer-west may have different hosts from month to
month.

Everyone is welcome at this event. We mean it! Please feel free to
forward this information and to invite friends, co-workers, and
others (all of legal drinking age) who might enjoy lifting a glass
with interesting folks from all over the place.

Can't come this month? Mark your calendar for next month. (Do it
now before you forget!) sig-beer-west occurs on the third Saturday
of each month.

Any questions, comments, suggestions of things to do later on that
evening, or new venue suggestions ... email the current sig-beer-west
Instigator. The Instigator's Username is extasia. The Instigator's
email address is *the Username* at *the Username* dot *org*.

sig-beer-west FAQ

1. Q: Your announcement says "techies and their friends". How do
I know if I'm a techie, or a friend of one?

A: Well, actually, you don't have to be a techie to attend.
You just have to be able to find the sig-beer-west sign at
this month's event. That's it. Simple, huh?

2. Q: I'm not really a beer person. In fact I'm interested in
hanging out, but not in drinking. Would I be welcome?

A: Absolutely! The point is to hang out with fun, interesting
folks. Please do join us.

3. Q: Is parking difficult, like maybe I should factor this into
my travel time?
A: Yes, but the earlier you arrive, the better your chances of
finding a spot.
__________________________________________________________________

sig-beer-west was started in February 2002 when a couple Washington,
D.C. based systems administrators who moved to the San Francisco Bay
area wanted to continue a dc-sage[15] tradition, sig-beer, which is
described in dc-sage web space as:

[15] http://www.dc-sage.org/

SIG-beer, as in "Special Interest Group - Beer" ala ACM, or as in
"send the BEER signal to that process".

The original SIG-beer gathering takes place in Washington DC, usually
on the first Saturday night of the month.
__________________________________________________________________

Last modified: $Date: 2004/07/16 06:02:41 $

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