Maybe it's time to try another cask ale

Today, William Brand's "What's on Tap" beer blog threw out a last minute heads-up that tonight is Anderson Valley Brewing Night at Toronado; it starts at 6pm.

What this means is that they are tapping the first keg of their Winter Solstice spiced Christmas ale for 2008. They will also be pouring many other beers from the always-quality Anderson Valley lineup, including one I've never heard of: a Deep Enders Dark Porter. I've been drinking a lot of dark porters/stouts lately (mostly of the Imperial variety) so this porter is calling out to me.. although it's going to be on cask, which is an old-school finishing/delivery method that I haven't really developed a taste for (yet?). We'll see..

In any case, find more details for tonight's event over at What's On Tap, but the bottom line is that if you're thirsty tonight, Toronado will be a good place to be. No special cover; just pay for your beers (natch).

I'm going to walk by after my Russian class tonight and if it's not too crowded (around 10:30pm), I'll probably give that porter-on-cask a go..

Oh, and if you're not familiar with Anderson Valley Brewing, they are a solid Northern Californian brewer, most famous for their Boont Amber Ale. And, as I've mentioned before, they throw one hell of a beerfest every year -- put it on your calendars for 2009!

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By the way, Toronado has special beer nights all the time -- mostly in this same format (i.e. no cover, just lots of beers from a particular brewery available -- usually along with the brewers themselves), although occasionally they have a formal tasting in Toronado's back room. Check their calendar for updates, but here are the next couple of events:

September 16th: Lagunitas Night
September 17th: Elysian Brewery Bay Area Kick Off Party!