Today is Dave Alexander’s 45th birthday. Dave is the co-owner, along with his wife Dianne, of the world famous Brickskeller beer bar in Washington, DC. He’s also a crack bass player who often plays with the Rolling Boil Blues Band. Join me in wishing Dave a happy birthday.

Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf, a young Vinnie Cilurzo and Dave at a Brickskeller fresh hop event several years ago.

Tom Dalldorf again, with the Beer Fox Carolyn Smagalski, and Dave and Dianne Alexander, at the Brewer’s Reception at Wynkoop at the start of GABF last year.

The “Five Guys and a Barrel” beer dinner Sunday night at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco featured five, count ‘em, five, brewers and their beers. Rob Tod (from Allagash), Adam Avery (from Avery), Sam Calagione (from Dogfish Head), Tomme Arthur (from the Lost Abbey) and Vinnie Cilurzo (from Russian River Brewing) all got together for one special evening of food and beer. We were all a little tired after nearly a week in San Diego for the Craft Brewers Conference, but the wonderful food the beer chef, Bruce Paton, put together certainly lifted our spirits and enriched our souls.

After the dinner, a toast was offered with Isabelle Proximus, the Collaborative Sour Ale made by blending beer, which was made by Adam Avery, Rob Todd, Sam Calagione, Tomme Arthur, and Vinnie Cilurzo; with food, of course, by Bruce Paton.

For more photos from Five Guys and a Barrel Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

Trying desperately to catch up, here are photos from Friday and Saturday, the last two days of the Craft Brewers Conference held last week in San Diego. Friday was a day of seminars, the trade show and visits outside the resort. Saturday was more seminars during the day but the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner in the evening. I still have to post the awards, but here is everything up until that point.

Tom Kerns, from Maui Brewing, Greg Koch, from Stone Brewing, and Chris Black, from Falling Rock in Denver, Colorado, at the reception before the dinner.

My vote for best-dressed at the dinner, Natalie Cilurzo, from Russian River Brewing, and Garrett Oliver, from Brooklyn Brewery. Bruce Paton, the Beer Chef, did the menu and created the meal from past World Beer Cup award winners. It was my second of three beer dinners in four days.

Friday night, Karl Strauss Breweries hosted a party at their local production brewery and bussed everyone out to the grounds for food and grog. Here, Tomme Arthur and Luke Nicholas, who makes Epic Beer in New Zealand, enjoy a pint.

For many more photos from this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego, start with Random Photos From the Last Two Days, the party Friday night at Karl Strauss Breweries and then finally the World Beer Cup Gala Dinner, all at the photo gallery.
 

I was lucky enough to be invited to a beer dinner last Thursday night thrown by The Lost Abbey, held at the Port Brewing facility in San Marcos. Tables were set up inside the small brewery, making it a very cozy evening. Luckily, everyone knew one another and didn’t mind being in a candlelit brewery with over 120 others.

One of the main reasons for the dinner was the debut of Isabelle Proximus Collaborative Sour Ale, a beer made by Tomme, along with Adam Avery, Sam Calagione, Vinnie Cilurzo and Rob Todd; and inspired by their trip to Belgium two years ago with Italian beer writer Lorenzo Dabove, better know simply as Kuaska. This was first time all six of them were able to try the beer at the same time.

Sam drew the artwork for Isabelle Proximus Collaborative Sour Ale, shown here on a cask of it. We were treated to a five-course meal paired with Lost Abbey beers inside the brewery. It was a great evening and my first of three beer dinners in four days.

For many more photos from the Lost Abbey beer dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

On Sunday, beginning at 11:30 a.m., I sat down with 80 or so beer lovers at the Toronado in San Francisco for a Belgian beer lunch, a blunch? The Toronado has been putting on this mostly word-of-mouth event, which sells out every time, for a number of years, but this was the first year the food was done by Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef. The blunch lasted almost six hours through a total of eleven separate courses and at least sixteen Belgian beers (plus a few more American ones). We all agreed that Sean Paxton is a mad man, a culinary alchemist. Read the description of the blunch in the photo gallery and see if you don’t agree.

The blunch was hosted by Toronado owner Dave Keene and the food was done by Sean Paxton.

Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, from Russian River Brewing, among the Belgian beer and cheese plate.

For many more photos from the Toronado Belgian Blunch, visit the photo gallery.
 

Last night, the Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, held his latest beer dinner with Chuck Silva and the beers from Green Flash Brewing near San Diego. With some new Green Flash beers to try, and some wonderful food, it was another terrific evening of beer and food.

The beer chef, Bruce Paton, with Chuck Silva, from Green Flash Brewing.

For more photos from the Green Flash beer dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

A true brewing legend, who’s treated like a rock star in Belgium where they care about their national beers, Pierre Celis turns 83 today. Celis single-handedly revived the style witbier in the 1960s when he was a brewer at Hoegaarden. He later moved to Texas to start a microbrewery with his daughter Christine, which was sold to Miller in 1995. He now makes three cave-aged beers under the label Grottenbier at St. Bernardus in Belgium. Join me in wishing him a very happy birthday.
 

With Pierre at the Craft Brewers Conference in New Orleans a few years ago.

At last GABF in 2006.

Philly Beer Week begins today, and I got in last night along with several other beer writers. We began the evening at a beer dinner, courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, put on for us at Monk’s Cafe, before setting out for several other Philadelphia beer destinations.

Monk’s co-owner Tom Peters showing off his limited edition bottles of Cantillon Gueuze, with Stasha Ackerman, at a beer dinner last night.

For many more photos from the night before Philly Beer Week, visit the photo gallery.
 

Last night, I attended yet another beer dinner. This one took place at the Hotel Mac in Point Richmond, California, which is just over the Richmond Bridge from where I live in Marin County. It was four-course affair and was done quite well, despite it being the restaurant’s first beer dinner. I’m starting to think 2008 is going to be the Year of the Beer Dinner. I think this was my sixth one so far this year and I’ve had to turn down another two so that’s pretty impressive for only the first six or seven weeks of the year during what is ostensibly the off-season for beer. Perhaps pairing beer and food is finally going mainstream. It’s certainly gaining attention, and that’s great news for all of us who love better beer.

Lauren Salazar, Ashley, me and Jen Garris at the Hotel Mac for a New Belgium beer dinner.
 

For more photos from New Belgium Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

On Friday, the day after Valentine’s Day — what I like to refer to as Beer & Chocolate Day — Beef Chef Bruce Paton held his annual beer and chocolate dinner. There was a great turnout and many new faces discovering how well the two pair together. I’ve been to several of these put on by Bruce and the consensus was, from talking to people after the dinner, that this may have been the best one yet. If you missed it this year, mark your calendars now for next year.

The beer chef, Bruce Paton, happy in his kitchen.

For more photos from this year’s Beer & Chocolate Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

January 18th was the first of the Beer Chef’s beer dinners for 2008, and featured the beers of Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon. Brewmaster Darron Welch was on hand to talk about his beers. Three times Pelican Pub & Brewery has been named brewpub of the year at the Great American Beer Festival.

Pelican Pub brewmaster Darron Welch with the beer chef Bruce Paton.
 

For more photos from the Pelican Pub Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

Last night I attended a lovely little beer dinner in my neck of the woods, at the beautifully situated Horizons restaurant in Sausalito. It was a four course affair, plus hors d’ouerves, paired with five Lagunitas beers. The night was clear and we had a fantastic view across the bay of the twinkling lights of the San Francisco night skyline. The food and pairings were terrific, too.

Ron Lindenbusch, from Lagunitas Brewing, with Dean Biersch (on right) with Lynn, the chef at Hopmonk Tavern, his new venture in Sebastopol which is slated to open this spring.

Also, there will be another Lagunitas beer dinner, next Wednesday, January 23. That one will take place at the Pleasanton Hotel and will begin at 7:00 p.m. This dinner will be five courses and the cost will be $50 per person.

For more photos from the Lagunitas beer dinner at Horizon’s, visit the photo gallery.