The Tied House Brewery & Cafe - Coastal Fog Amber Ale

The Coastal Fog Amber Ale pours a pure, clear and – surprise! – amber color. In fact one of our panelists’ amber ring matched this brew’s hue exactly. A light beige head sits astride the beer, fading to a persistent collar that leaves some sticky lace as you go. On the nose expect big malty notes, with a pleasant citric hop aroma and prominent notes of fresh, sweet apple juice. On the palate the beer opens with a strong malt backbone, with the crystal malts providing a caramel note and the chocolate malts adding a deeper toasty flavor (as well as contributing to the color). A very pleasant breadiness is evident, as well, which increases into the finish and persists through the aftertaste. Swish it around and a candied fruit component appears, which is common, and welcome, in the style. Magnum hops provide a very clean bitterness while Cascade offers a citric zing and an herbal note as the beer warms. Be sure to drink this brew at the proper temperature; straight fridge temp is too cold and you’ll miss some of this beer’s subtleties and balance. And, not to get snobby or geeky on you, but if you’ve been drinking your craft beers from the bottle then you’re missing out on a lot too. Prost!

First a little history to explain the name. In England during the 18th and 19th centuries, a pub system developed consisting of “tied houses” and “free houses”. “Free houses” were privately owned establishments and were allowed to sell any beer they wished, while “tied houses” were pubs that were owned or otherwise controlled by a specific brewery and served as an outlet specifically for that brewery’s beer. Though some things have changed over the years, this system still exists to this day. The creation of Lou Jemison and Ron Manabe, the Tied House Brewery & Café in Mountain View, CA opened for business in 1987 as the first brewpub in Silicon Valley. Completion of the brewery and supervision of the brewing itself were led by Master Brewer Cheuck Tom, whose brewing career included a thirty-year tenure at Hong Kong’s San Miguel Brewing, and six years as brewmaster for Anheuser-Busch in Los Angeles where he was in charge of brewing, fermentation, and finishing the beer. All of Tied House’s original recipes were developed by Cheuck, who won 2 Gold, 2 Silver, and 2 Bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival prior to his passing in 1993. Now led by brewmaster and founder Ron Manabe and head brewer Peter Licht, formerly of Coast Range Brewery, the Tied House is still going strong twenty-three years after its founding. Offering classic brewpub style beers and food, and the occasional “Firkin Friday” during which they celebrate the English real ale tradition of drawing beer from the cask, the Tied House remains a great place to relax, connect with friends, and watch a game on one of the many large screens. Not content to sit on their laurels, they’ve recently opened a package brewery in San Jose to bottle their beers for distribution, including the Coastal Fog line. To learn more, call 650-965-2739.