A New Brewery in Town

How many new breweries can boast a famous brew master as well as claim ties to the oldest microbrewery in the United States? Check out Napa Smith Brewery, the new family brewery in town that just released its first beers in May.

This beer story begins when the adventurous Smith Family purchased Albion Castle in San Francisco in hopes of starting a brewery and making quality microbrew beers. Albion Castle is a historic landmark and an important part of San Francisco’s history because of the artesian waters that flow beneath the buildings, and it was the first microbrewery to open in the United States—built in the 1870’s.

Soon the Smith family found that this historic property could not handle the projected volume of beer they would soon be producing, and so they chose to open a brewery in their hometown in the Napa Valley, located at the intersection of Highways 29 and 12.

Founded in 2007, Napa Smith will produce 200 barrels in 2008, and they expect to increase their production as their distribution expands. This family business has the goal of crafting the highest quality beers. To help them achieve these goals, they have recruited brew master “legend” Don Barklay who helped create Red Tail Ale, and who has over 35 years of experience crafting high quality microbrew beers. Don was also raised in the Napa Valley and calls it home.

Pale Ale: This flagship beer is light golden in color that is rich with hops and boasts a bold malt and spicy hop character. It has a clean finish, low bitterness, and a rich malted barley finish.

Amber Ale: This deep amber colored ale has a thick foam head and pours a medium body full of complex flavors of caramel malt, balanced with a light spiciness. It also has a low bitterness and a clean, sweet finish.

Wheat Beer: This is one of our favorites. This beer stands out with notes of citrus balanced with subtle flavors of barley and wheat malts. As a result, the taste is light and dry with lasting notes of citrus.

You can find Napa Smith Brewery beers at Whole Foods, Sunshine Foods and other specialty retail stores in Napa and Sonoma.

Beer: Finding its Place at the Table

Did you think beer only went with hot dogs, burgers and pizza? Think again. These days you’ll find beer paired with everything from oysters to crème brulee. And with so many styles of beer on the market today, there are a large array of flavors, aromas and textures that exist for finding a good match for your meal. Many of the craft brewers in the United States have made an effort to promote the connection between food and beer and to promote beer as a drink that can hold its own with even the most elegant of meals. At some restaurants these days you’ll even find a beer sommelier to help you find the best beer for your meal.

If you find that you are more versed in food and wine pairing, it may be helpful to think of an ale as a red wine and a lager as a white wine. Using the same principals of wine and food pairing, you should be able to navigate through the world of beer and food pairing. And don’t forget the number one rule – when all else fails, always eat and drink what you like! We’ve provided some recommended pairings for several common types of beer.

Wheat Ale – this smooth, clean-tasting style of beer pairs really well with spicy foods because it lacks strong malt or hop flavors, making it more of a thirst-quenching type of beer. It is also a great beer to have at the start of a meal with appetizers or a salad.

Pilsner – this light-bodied, mild beer is a great pairing for fish. It’s simple, refreshing flavor also make it a good match for spicier Mexican and Indian foods.

Pale Ale - a beer with strong hop flavors. Pair with hearty dishes that can hold their own against the beer. Pale Ale pairs best with strong cheeses, lamb, hearty stews and steak.

Amber Ale – a very versatile beer for pairing with food. Just keep it away from anything sweet as the sweetness gets in the way of the malt flavor of the beer. Amber Ale is great with pizza, BBQ and Mexican food.

What about dessert? Beer is a great pairing with dessert and probably easier to pair than wine. You want to find a rich, full-bodied beer that can balance the sweetness of the dessert. For chocolate, go with a dark beer like a rich Belgian ale. For sweeter desserts like crème brulee, go with a beer with lots of hop flavor like a Pale Ale.

Written by Linzi