Firkin, winter beers, IPAs among new Bay Area releases this week

Photo by Gianni Testore / Special to Liquid Bread Magazine

As Fall firmly settles into northern California, new brews and some old favorites are hitting the taprooms of Bay Area breweries. Here’s a list of releases to look forward to this week:

East Bay:

Drakes – This Friday, November 21, the San Leandro brewery will be presenting a special firkin IPA, starting at 5 p.m. The brewery is partnering with the Chabot Space and Science Center, and will be bringing a planetarium, telescope and in-depth beer discussion from 5-9 p.m. Visit the event on our calendar for more information.

Mare Island – The Vallejo-based brewery is bottling their Saginaw Golden Ale for the first time, to be available this Thursday. The light golden ale is the brewery’s flagship beer, featuring a multi-layered malt profile with Centennial, Liberty and Sterling hops added for a balancing bitterness.

San Francisco: 

Cellarmaker – The SoMa neighorhood brewery taps their Spear or Culture Pale Ale today. Hopped with Nelson, Amarillo, Motueka and Simcoe, and clocking in a 5.5 percent alcohol and 22 IBUs. The brewery describes their beer as “subtle on the IBUs and big on aromatics. Orange citrus, honey and spice. Juicy and crushable.”

North Bay:

Marin Brewing – The Larkspur brewery’s Indian Summer IPA is returning to their taproom. The 7 percent alcohol IPA boasts a fruity, tropical flavoring, with a tasty and complex hop profile.

Moylans – The Novato brewery’s seasonal releases are now bottled and available: Barleywine, White Christmas and Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout.

South Bay:

Hermitage – The South Bay brewery is tapping their Cascade Type 45 Single Hop IPA this Wednesday, November 19. Bottles will also be available.

Outer Bay:

Alvarado Street Brewery – Downtown Old Monterey sees the return of Alvarado Street Brewery’s Citraveza, a single-hopped Mexican-style lager with Citra hops, now on tap.

New Bottles in the Bay:

The fifth and final release of Sierra Nevada’s Harvest series is shipping out to distributors this week. The Harvest Wild Hop IPA features the Neomexicanus hop, a hop variety that’s until now received little national attention. The flavor profile is described by the brewery as having “vibrant melon, apricot and citrus aromas.” The beer will be bottled in 24 ounce servings, clocking in at 6.5 percent alcohol, 55 IBUs, and will be available through January 2015.