Creekside Taproom: Marin County’s award-winning #1 craft beer destination for seven consecutive years; we know a little about beer. This is the time of year for the special release of the the Big Three, the Holy Trinity, the Trifecta of beers from Absolution Brewing Company, HenHouse and Russian River. That’s Wicked, Big Chicken, and Pliny the Younger. This all started with Pliny the Younger’s global Pilgrimage to Russian River Brewing Company, with fanatics traveling to the best beer in the world’s limited and annual release of this epic beer. It was one of the great beginnings of the international craft beer movement. Then SF Beer Week started around the same week/month as the Pliny release time. Then HenHouse parlayed their Big Chicken release here in the first month of each year. Then…Absolution Brewing Company in Torrance expanded their production and exclusive releases, bring out their award-winning THE WICKED IPA, positioning themselves a week before Big Chicken.
The landscape started shifting, kind-of around COVID, where releases, production, etc started changing. Now, Pliny the Younger will come out in March, Chicken and Wicked the same week in January, and SF Beer Week in February. That’s one craft beer festival and three special releases from three craft breweries across the first three months of the year.
So what do these three big beers have in common?
- Limited production
- Limited release
- Raving fan following
- High ABV (alcohol by volume), Imperial beers with a Double or Triple IPA designation
- Special release dates
- Tend to be the “crown jewel” of each brewer’s master skill-set. A proud moment for brewer and brewery
- Industry is Watching: Beer Connoisseur (past scores and years vary): Pliny 92, Big Chicken 91, The Wicked 98 points
Creekside Taproom (and our sister location, Stonework Pizza & Tap in Petaluma) will be getting Big Chicken on Monday, January 22nd, known at “ZERO DAY” with same-day kegged and delivered Big Chicken 2024. The rule of the day is we must tap the keg immediately upon arrival and make our social announcements. Many venues, nearing oversaturation, will have Big Chicken on Day Zero. It is a truly remarkable beer. Absolution’s THE WICKED goes on tap at 11AM on Wednesday, January 24 at Creekside. The barrel will be overnighted from the brewery and arriving at 9AM on that Thursday. Unlike the shotgun blast of Big Chicken, THE WICKED has limited exclusive northern California venue distribution from Absolution. The industry ratings change year over year, but THE WICKED has hit the 98 points out of 100 points on Beer Connoisseur. And lastly, the father of all bad boys, who is actually the son of the Elder, comes Pliny the Younger. This will be the 20th Year Anniversary of Younger and will be available at the brewery starting March 22. Mark your calendars:
- January 22: Big Chicken (Day Zero release at Creekside) – HenHouse Brewing
- January 25: The Wicked (Exclusive release: Creekside tapping Thursday morning at 11am) – Absolution Brewing
- February 9-18: SF Beer Week – Pier 35 > More Info & Tickets
- February 15: Old Caz Beer Week “Tap Takeover” at Creekside
- March 22: Pliny the Younger – Russian River Brewing > More Info
- October 10-12: The Great American Beer Festival – Denver, CO > More Info & Tickets
For more information about Creekside’s beers on tap, new beers on tap, rotating IPAs, and beer events, use the Untappd App for all your craft beer needs. Visit Untappd to follow Creekside and Stonework:
- CLICK HERE to follow Creekside on Untappd (40 taps, award-winning craft beer selection)
- CLICK HERE to follow Stonework Pizza & Tap on Untappd (28 taps of exclusively 100% Sonoma County-only on tap)
- CLICK HERE to visit Stonework Pizza & Tap website
Beer enthusiasts… We are here with the best beers in Marin County and now Sonoma County. Share the news, share the love, share the app, come enjoy the best beers on tap.
Cheers! PT