San Jose's Tied House is 'Simply the Best'

On Saturday, I blogged about two of the four beers that were included in this month’s Beer-of-the-Month Club shipment, and today I’m going to tell you about the other two.

These two beers are produced by the Tied House Brewery in San Jose, Calif. and are called Tied House’s Coastal Fog India Pale Ale and Tied House’s Coastal Fog Amber Ale.

Here’s what this month’s issue of “Beer Expeditions” had to say about the Tied House Brewery and each of these two quality beers.

“Tied House Brewery is one of the first original brewpubs in America, named in honor of a system of tied and free houses that emerged during England’s Industrial Revolution. A free house was privately owned, selling any type of beer. A tied house was a pub owned by a brewery and allowed to sell only that brewery’s beer, which ‘tied’ them to that brewery.

“The brewery opened in 1988 in downtown Mountain View, Calif., the headquarters of Google, but more importantly the headquarters of Tied House, where the great Coastal Fog beers are now made. Over two decades after they poured their first pint, they continue to perfect their award winning beer. So far just in 2010, they have acquired six awards, including a first place gold. Quite impressive, as this is their first year producing Coastal Fog, and the awards are spread among several brews!

If you visit, don’t miss the Clubhouse Wall at the Tied House. More than 155 regulars have a numbered mug that hangs there, among the treasured multiple brew awards they’ve earned. Paying a small annual fee for their own mug, members get a bit more beer for their money, and Tied House logo gear and special invitations to local events. But perhaps the best feature is that the other side of the wall is their brewery, and famous kitchen!

“They have proudly served five presidents, astronauts and the revelers of 22 World Series.

“Coastal Fog IPA is brewed with copious amounts of Pacific Northwest hops. It’s a classic IPA with a balanced and substantial malt backbone.

“There is a long hoppy finish to this top fermented ale family of ‘beers of antiquity.’ Medium bodied and heavily hopped with initial malt character, serve it at 13 degrees C/55 degrees F with hearty main courses of red meats, Cheddar cheese or sharp salad dressing. (Goes well with nachos and wings too.)

“Coastal Fog Amber Ale is rich and malty, with a light, hoppy finish, boasting flavors of roasted caramel and fresh hops.

“This honey-colored brew is full-flavored, boasting roasted caramel nuances and great body. It’s a top notch top-fermented ale with perfect balance between hop flavor and malt character. It’s assertive, but not highly bitter. This Amber deserves to be paired with the best cuts of pork, bacon or ham.”

For more information about this brewery and these beers, visit www.tiedhouse.com.