Our line-up this week will give a glimpse into these famed styles with some fine examples from across Belgium, the well known names and the smaller, unique breweries will all feature in this fantastic tasting.

Try all nine of these great Beers for $5 this Friday May 24^th.

St. Bernardus Wit

De Ranke Guldenberg Abbey Ale

Dubuisson Cuvee Des Trolls

Hanssens Oude Gueuze

Monk’s Café Flemish Sour

Duchess De Bourgogne Red Ale

Fantome Chocolat Saison

Dubuisson Scaldis Tripel

Monks Stout Dupont

Christian B., Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

With the increasing demand for heavily hopped beers, new styles and brewing methods have been evolving; the traditional Pale Ales and IPA’s have been modified and supercharged to create double and even triple IPA beers with huge amounts of hops and malts to create a fiercely intense, palate destroying experience!

Our lineup this week encompasses a wide range of hopped beers from around the globe showcasing many different hop strains for a broad spectrum of flavors and aromatic qualities.

So if you need any further examples of the Hop’s dominant status in the beer world, come on down to Beltramo’s this Friday and sample some of the Hoppiest beers the world has to offer.

Try all nine of these great Beers for $5 on Friday, May 10^{th from 4:30-6:30}.

Thornbridge Hall Jaipur IPA

Epic Armageddon IPA

Nogne O ‘Two Captains’ Double IPA

Dogfish Head ‘Rhizing Bines’ IPA (Collaboration with Sierra Nevada)

Heretic ‘Evil Cousin’ Imperial IPA

Firestone ‘Double Jack’ Double IPA

Knee Deep Brewing ‘Hop Shortage’ Triple IPA

Clown Shoes ‘Muffin Top’ Belgian Style Triple IPA

Bear Republic ‘Black Racer’ Black IPA

Christian B., Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

This week’s tasting includes a wide range of the styles available from this great beer nation, serving as a fantastic sampler for the uninitiated and providing something new and exciting for the accomplished beer drinker.

Try all nine of these great Beers for $5 this Friday April 26^th

Fruh Kolsch

Zunft Kolsch

Reutberger Export Hell

Hopf Spezial Weisse

Ayinger Weizen Bock

Weihenstephaner Dunkel

Monchshof Schwarzbier

Weltenburger Asam Bock

Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche

Christian B., Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

From San Jose to Sonoma, we will be sampling everything from intensely hoppy IPA’s and refreshing Pale Ales to spicy Saisons and Barrel Aged wild ales. We invite you to come and celebrate the exciting Bay Area beer scene with us and maybe discover your new favorite local brew.

Try all nine of these great Beers for $5 this Friday, April 12th

Triple Voodoo ‘Witopia’ Belgian Style Wheat
Heretic ‘Gramarye’ Rye Pale Ale
Brouwerij West Saison Extra
Almanac Farmers Reserve No.1, Barrel Aged Wild Ale
Lagunitas ‘Maximus’ IPA
St. Florian’s IPA
Speakeasy ‘Betrayal’ Imperial Red Ale
Bear Republic ‘Tribute’ Brown Ale
Drake’s ‘Black Robusto’ Porter

Christian Brown, Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

We will be leaving no stone un-turned, sampling everything from the refreshingly sour Gueuze beers of Belgium, white ales from Japan, and a white wine infused brew from down in Orange County. We will contrast these with a traditional recipe English IPA, a Canadian coffee Stout, and the more experimental Danish Brewery Mikkeller.

Try all nine of these great Brews for $5 this Friday, the 29th  from 4:30-6:30pm

Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze

Hitachino Nest White Ale

Cismontane ‘The Mesa’

Brouwerij West Tripel

Anchorage Brewing Company ’Galaxy’ White IPA

Meantime India Pale Ale

Brasserie Caracole ‘Nostrodamus’ Belgian Brown

Mikkeller ‘Beer Hop Breakfast’ Oatmeal Stout

Dieu du Ciel!  ‘Peche Motel’ Imperial Coffee Stout

Christian B., Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.” – Henry Lawson

Spring is here and many of us are preparing to feast on the bounty that California agriculture has to offer. People are ready for the long summer nights full of barbeques and garden parties. But before all that kicks off, there’s one more big Spring Holiday on a lot of people’s minds which requires a hearty wintery meal: Easter.

There’s a lot of jubilatory decadence going on this time of year, but if you’re like me then you don’t want to be wasteful. This recipe makes use of the ham bone that might be left over from your upcoming family supper. Trust me: you don’t want to throw that thing away. It’s full of flavor and there happens to be a surprising amount of meat left on it that you couldn’t quite carve off, especially with the weight of those hungry family eyes staring at you in expectation.

The big reason I love this recipe – beyond the use of ham morsels – is that I get to use my favorite lager as the base for the broth. I’m talking about the flavorful and astoundingly refreshing Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold. As always, be sure to buy enough so that you (and any dinner guests) have enough for the soup, some to enjoy while you cook, and some to savor with the meal after all your hard work.

What you will need:

• 2 bottles of Hacker-Schor Munich Gold
• 14 oz. chicken broth
• 1 ham bone
• 2 cups chopped cabbage (about half of a medium cabbage… use the rest for salad!)
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 8 scallions, sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup light cream

How it goes down:

In a crockpot, Dutch oven, or soup kettle, combine the beer, broth and roughly 30 oz. water (you want the total liquid for your soup broth to be 2 quarts). Lower in your ham bone and bring the soup broth to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. After that time, much of the meat should have fallen off the bone and into the soup. Remove the bone and once it is cool enough to handle, trim off the remainder of the meat, dice it and put it back in the pot with the cabbage, potato, carrot, celery, and scallions. Discard the bone (unless you’re very sentimental).

Let the soup cook for 40 minutes. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and use a whisk to gradually blend in the flour forming a bubbly paste. Next, slowly whisk in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens, then remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in a cup of the soup liquid into the sauce, and then blend the sauce into the pot of soup (Trust me, this blending step is necessary).

Hands down the greatest potato soup I’ve had! This is a wonderful winter or spring meal because it’s hearty and creamy, yet the lager gives it a light and satiny texture. The ham adds massive flavor, but it doesn’t make the soup too heavy, and the chunks of root vegetables nearly make the soup a stew. Serve this soup with some fresh cracked black pepper with a couple slices of buttered thick-cut toast. With this dish you can stay inside and curl up on your couch. There’s no need to leave the house, you know, because summer’s not quite here yet…

Cheers!

Neal F., Beltramo’s Spirits Staff

“If Food Could Drink” is an ongoing Beltramo’s blog feature with the aim of showcasing the multitude possibilities for cooking with beer, wine, and spirits. Recipes may include anything from appetizers to entrees to deserts, and will range in complexity, but always with the goal of encouraging readers to explore the nuances and versatility of alcohol in the kitchen. Eat, Drink, and be Merry!

We here at Beltramo’s have been lucky enough to get hold of a very limited quantity of this epic release, just in time to celebrate the new season in style. Due to high demand for this great beer, there will be a limit of two per customer, so come down to Beltramo’s and snap up your very own Iron Throne Blonde Ale ($8.99) while supplies last.

I would highly recommend enjoying this beer seated comfortably in front of a roaring fire, because as we all know, Winter is coming……

Christian B, Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

Beltramo’s is currently the only retail store to offer St Florian’s beers in the South Bay, so come on by, pick one up, and see what all the fuss  is about.

Christian B., Beltramo’s Spirits Buyer

This week has something for everyone, from light and crisp Farmhouse and Saison styles (examples from California, Missouri and New York) to full bodied imperial stouts and Abbey Ales.  There’s also a few treats for all the hop-heads out there with Firestones Black Rye IPA and the Port Brewing Double Red Ale.

Try all nine of these fantastic New Arrival Beers for $5 on Friday 15^th March from 4:30-6:30pm.

MateVeza ‘Morpho’ Herbal Ale

Ommegang ‘Hennepin’ Farmhouse Saison

North Coast ‘Le Merle’ Saison

Boulevard Smokestack series ‘Tank 7’ Farmhouse Ale

Port Brewing ‘Shark Attack’ Double Red Ale

Firestone ‘Wookey Jack’ Black Rye IPA

The Lost Abbey ‘Lost & Found’ Abbey Ale

Drake’s Brewing ‘Drakonic’ Imperial Stout

Speakeasy ‘Scarface’ Imperial Stout

Christian B., Beltramo’s Beer Buyer

We will taste four beers from each brewery with styles ranging from IPA’s and Red Ales to Oatmeal Stouts and Belgian Styles Beers.  The winner of this week’s tasting room take-over is entirely up to you….

Try all of these fantastic Beers from Ninkasi and Green Flash for $5 on Friday, March 1st  from 4:30-6:30pm.

Ninkasi

‘Believer’ Double Red Ale

‘Total Domination’ IPA

‘Tricerahops’ Double IPA

‘Oatis’ Oatmeal Stout

Green Flash

‘Hop Head Red’ Red IPA

West Coast IPA

‘Friendship Brew’ Black Saison

Double Stout

Chirstian B., Beltramo’s Beer Buyer