When I travel, I always like to find a small brewery to visit. I was in Redwood City, California, two years ago for business. A colleague and I found time to visit a local brewery in Belmont. We got an Uber, and when we were close to the destination, the Uber driver told us there couldn’t be a brewery back there. My keen eyesight saw a garage door open, and we had arrived at Alpha Acid Brewing Company!
On my next visit, I arrived at Alpha Acid Brewing on a sunny December afternoon; it was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy some fantastic craft beer. One of the brewers was working and told me their tenth anniversary was just a few weeks ago. At the brewery, unique beers are released on each anniversary and tend to be a bit higher on the ABV scale.
On my first visit, a Baltic Porter (9+ ABV%) and a Belgian Quad (13+ ABV%) were released for their eighth anniversary. Both were incredible beers, so I was excited to start with a flight of some of the core brews before indulging in the anniversary ones.
The Flight - Lagers & IPAs
The unique flight container set the stage for a Mexican Lager, Pilsner, West Coast IPA, and Hazy IPA!
La Chulita Mexican Lager - A nice crisp lager with a slight hop finish. It is easy drinking, coming in at 4.6% ABV.
Prototype Pilsner—This Czech Pilsner has bready notes and a low ABV of 4.7%. Three additions of Saaz hops bring out the herbal and spicy notes without bitterness.
Slices West Coast IPA - With a hop profile of Centennial, Idaho 7, and Cryo Citra hops, Slices has citrus notes and a good dank hop finish. The body of this 7% ABV IPA is stellar and stood out for me.
Juice Police Hazy IPA - This 7% ABV hazy has tropical fruit notes and is a bit on the dank side with a touch of sweetness.
It was time to indulge in some bolder beers at Alpha Acid Brewing. Each year, for their anniversary, they release some special ones, including the Pineapple Great Sword Triple IPA and Last Magic Barleywine.
Last Magic Barleywine—This was the ultimate experience of the day! The caramel color and notes are present, taking on the unique flavors of the different barrels in which this barleywine was aged. I can’t imagine the care put into creating this one! It was first aged for a year in Old Elk Bourbon barrels. Then, the brewers transferred it to Elijah Craig and Buffalo Trace barrels and aged for another year. The result is the highest ABV barleywine I have ever had, at 22%!
Pineapple Great Sword Triple IPA - This IPA is super juicy and smooth. The pineapple blends with a citrus flavor. It was difficult to tell I was drinking a beer, and it didn’t seem to be at the high ABV mark of 10.3%.
Boa Russian Imperial Stout—This is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with brown sugar. It has deep chocolate and coffee notes, as well as the robust bitterness of a true Russian Imperial Stout. Together, these characteristics create a balanced, delightful 12.5% ABV stout!
I had the best Sunday afternoon visiting Alpha Acid Brewing in Belmont, California. I love the fact it is a bit hidden making it a destination worth seeking out!
If you are in the area, this is a brewery that you don’t want to miss.
Cheers!