Super Bowl Edition: San Fran; Who wins?

Day #420 Bitter American / 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Previously from this brewery: Watermelon Wheat (in my Top 25) and Marci's review of Fireside Chat

Representing San Francisco in my Super Bowl beer battle is a can of Bitter American, a pale ale from 21st Amendment Brewery.  Out of the can, this beer has a honeyed amber color, with a quickly dissipating head.  There are citrus aromas, and the taste is a mellow collection of pine, lemon, caramel, and sweet malt, with some good bitterness at the finish.  This session beer is a mild 4.4% ABV, which means you this very tasty beer will go well with day drinking or tailgating.  Well done, 21st Amendment.  Very well done.

More great can art from 21st Amendment

21st Amendment advertises this beer as a tribute to "unsung, unwitting heroes everywhere," which I guess includes the chimps that get sent into space (like the furry guy on the can).

Okay, so the winner of my Super Bowl beer challenge?  Too close to call - both Bitter American and Green Peppercorn Tripel were delicious, so we're calling it a tie!!!!  Let's go to overtime and compare each city more closely:

Television shows:
- Baltimore: The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Street
- San Francisco: Full House, Too Close for Comfort
Two incredibly hard hitting dramas versus two awful comedies?  Even the inclusion of Ted Knight can't save S.F. here.  Huge edge: Baltimore

Cuisine:
- Baltimore: hard shell crabs, Old Bay Seasoning, crab cakes
- San Francisco: Rice-a-Roni, Ghirardelli chocolate, sourdough bread
Sorry Uncle Ben, you lose.  Edge: Baltimore

Breweries:
- Baltimore: The Brewer's Art, Stillwater, Clipper City/Heavy Seas
- San Francisco: 21st Amendment, Anchor, Speakeasy
San Fran's might have more name recognition across the country, but don't sleep on the quality in B-more. Edge: Even

Make sure to visit:
- Baltimore: National Aquarium, American Visionary Art Museum
- San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Haight & Ashbury
While the Visionary Arts Museum is outstanding, it's hard to top San Fran in the tourism department.  Plus, being close to wine country doesn't hurt. Edge: San Francisco

The winner?  By a score of 2-1, we give the nod to Baltimore in this Super Bowl fight!!!  Congratulations on this esteemed honor.  Now, what this Baltimore victory will mean on the gridiron tomorrow, I have no idea.  I just want to eat buffalo chicken dip and drink beer, really.  But good luck to whatever team you're rooting for.

Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of all things Super, I present you with Soul Coughing's Super Bon Bon.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRqP52c0OLU

Beer 203: Pyramid Hefeweizen and Sea Creatures

Sorry for the completely spastic report out on the beer-cation. Today I'm rewinding to San Francisco and our stop at The Eagle Cafe on Pier 39.  Pier 39 is a total tourist trap, but they have seafood restaurants and sea lions.  So that's good.  

Sidebar: I cannot for the life of me tell the difference between sea lions and harbor seals.  Those gelatinous, slightly furry creatures to the right are sea lions.  

The Eagle Cafe made one of the best fish sandwiches I have had in my life.  It looked like any other fish sandwich, but tasted far superior.  They also had cold, refreshing beer and I opted for Pyramid Brewing Company's hefeweizen.

It poured a hazy apricot color with a thick white head.  It was very lemony in the nose and  had general beer aroma.  The flavor is lots of wheat, light spice and a nice lemony tartness.  My one complaint is that despite the typical hefeweizen flavors, it felt watery as I drank it.  If it had more body, I would rate it better than average.  But it didn't so average it is.

Cheers!

Not pictured here: two dozen oysters
that didn't stand a chance against us!

Beer 192: Snarling Badgers, Hops & Hominy

Today's beer is from Grand Teton Brewing Company -- the Snarling Badger Berliner Weiss. It poured a hazy straw color with no head. The aroma was sweet and malty.

The flavor was honey and wheat, but lacked tartness. It was definitely more hoppy than tart. Overall a good beer.

We found the Snarling Badger at a great new restaurant in San Francisco...Hops & Hominy. It's so new that their website is still under construction. Cuisine is kind of a new take on southern food. Definitely check it out if you're in San Fran!

Other things to do in San Fran is taking the double decker tour bus around town. You get a two day pass for about $30 and we managed to hit every sight we wanted to see. The hop on, hop off concept is fantastic!

That's all I have for today...we're off to Portland for a few days. Cheers!