Great brew in Belmont

Handcrafted beers with fun names like Silicon Blonde Ale and Full Boar Scotch Ale are from recipes majority owner Chris Garrett, 33, first concocted as an inexpensive, home-brewed way to enjoy his beverage of choice while in college.

"My first batch of beer I brewed in a cauldron over an open fire," Garrett said. "I've always been kind of a home brewer."

While there are no cauldrons at Devil's Canyon today, there is a top-quality array of equipment which Garrett and his partners picked up from a folding "do it yourself" brewing company in 2001. The gear was then moved to a location not too far from the current brewery today.

Garrett, who works under the title of Beer Chieftain, entered his recipes in the 2002 Silicon Valley Brewers Festival. Held at the Shoreline in Mountain View, he was competing against other breweries to sell the most beer to thirsty drinkers. He ended up walking away the winner, selling "more by far than others."

The Beer Chieftain's confidence got an even bigger boost the next year, taking top spots in three ale categories at the California State Fair. As word got out and calls came in with inquires about his beers, he realized his company's name of Brew4U (so called for his original business model of brewing private label beer for others) needed a tweaking.

After some research regarding the local history of Belmont, he discovered Spanish explorers had initially dubbed the canyon part of the city "La Canada del Diablo." From this the name Devil's Canyon Brewing Company was born.

Devil's Canyon today brews a good range of ales and one lager under the watchful eye of Garrett and recently hired brewmaster Jeremy Sowers. The beers start as base ingredients of malted barley, water, hops and yeast. The barley and water are mixed and mashed at high temperatures, followed by the removal of the barley. The leftover extract, known as wort, is boiled and the hops added. The resulting mixture is cooled quickly, fermented with the yeast for around five days, cooled again and then filtered before finally being bottled or kegged.

The resulting flavors vary based upon the use of different types of grains, hops and yeast, Garrett said. In his tasting notes about his brews, the Silicon Blonde Ale comes off as a "creamy, full-bodied ale" with "subtle hop bitterness." His Thomas Morgan Amber Ale, by contrast, is "rich" and "amber" with a "well-balanced bouquet of hops and malt." His strongest ale, the Full Boar Scotch Ale, is "deeply malted" and has "overtones of chocolate and hints of smoky flavors."

All his brews, especially the Silicon Blonde, do well at private events and the 68 or so restaurants and pubs Devil's Canyon services around the Bay Area. "We sell three blondes to every one other beer," said Garrett.

Microbrews pair well with foods. Like wine, different ones pair better with certain cuisine. The Full Boar Scotch, according to Garrett, goes great with chocolates or cheeses while the Lager Diabla is incredible side by side with a grilled fish on a hot day.

Garrett's next plans for Devil's Canyon involve getting his beers on local store shelves. He has bottle labels nearly developed and is getting ready to seek final approval from regulatory officials. Those desiring his beers for take home in the interim must either schedule an appointment to visit his brewery, partake in an occasional learn how to brew class or put in an order during a packed last Friday of the month open house.

"These open house events are a blast," said Garrett. "Last month we had a line three wide which stretched out the door to the gate." Garrett estimated up to 300 people show up for the "Beer Fridays" to enjoy $1 brews, listen to bands providing live entertainment

and dine on tasty food being sold by a local caterer.

Beer Cheese Soup

1 medium onion

2 celery stalks

2 medium carrots

2 thick cut bacon slices

1 lb extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp paprika

2 bay leaves

1 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 cup flour

4 cups chicken stock

5 cups water

1 loaf sourdough bread

6 12 oz. bottles of Devil's Canyon Brewing Company's Full Boar Scotch Ale

Take one of the bottles of beer and pour it into your favorite pint glass. Enjoy while cooking. Cut the bacon into small pieces and dice the onion, carrot, celery. In a large pot, brown the pieces of bacon. Add butter and onion. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the carrots and celery. Cook until they are tender (Approximately five minutes). Add flour to coat vegetables. Stir until mixture takes on a golden brown color. Add beer, water, chicken stock, paprika, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and let simmer for one hour. Mix in the cheese. Enjoy with another pint(s) and dip the sourdough bread.

Recipe courtesy of Devil's Canyon Brewing Company.

Devil's Canyon Brewing Company beers are currently not available on store shelves. They can however be ordered by calling the brewery at 592-2739 (more info on this can be found on its Web site: http://www.devilscanyonbrewery.com/). Their beer can also be enjoyed on tap during their last Friday of the month open house at 111 Industrial Road, #7 in Belmont or at a wide array of Peninsula locations

including:

·Railway Café, 401 E. Third Ave., San Mateo

·Turtle Bay Grill, 981 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City

·Pudley's Tavern & Grill, 774 El Camino Real, San Carlos

·Caprino's Italian Restaurant, 1000 Sixth Ave., Belmont

·Mulligans Pub & Grill, 2650 Broadway,

Redwood City

·Fanny & Alexander, 1108 Burlingame Ave., Burlingame