Drake’s Brewing Company
Microbrewery
in
San Leandro,
California,
United States 🇺🇸
Owned by
Triple Rock Brewing
Associated with 3 Venues
Established in 1998
Contact
1933 Davis St, #177, San Leandro, CA, 94577, United States
Subsidiaries
Description
During the dawn of micro-brewing in the Bay Area Roger Lind started Lind Brewing Company, which would later become Drake's Brewing. Lind was a brewer at Triple Rock in Berkeley, one of the first brewpubs in America, and set off on his own to brew draft-only English-style ales. In 1998 Roger Lind sold the brewery to a local coffee company, which continued to brew Drake's beer. A new era started in 2008 John Martin and Roy Kirkorian, purchased the brewery. Over the ensuing 10 years, they've expanded brewing capacity, distribution, and started producing West Coast style ales using an abundance of high quality hops and malt. A new 60-barrel brewhouse and fermentation tanks to match, boosted our brewing capacity, ensuring more people could find and enjoy Drake's beer was opened in 2016.
8.1/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
(Bottle 18 cl) Courtesy of Degarth. Pours a cloudy, muddy light brown with a small, rough, off-white head dissipating in no time. Distinct, sweetish bourbon aroma. Very rich body, a bit flat with lots of sweetish caramel and then all the characteristic bourbon notes of oak and vanilla. This is almost like drinking a shot of bourbon - and I love bourbon! If all European strongs were like this it would be my favourite style... 280507
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Jun 2007
at 16:04
6.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled. A hazy amber beer with a lazing orange head. The aroma is sweet malty combined with notes of caramel and a light touch of dusty hops. The flavor is sweet malty with strong notes of caramel and lighter notes of hops and alcohol - a bit like caramel ice cream topping.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Jun 2007
at 11:59
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled. A hazy amber beer with a lazing tan head. The aroma is sweet with very strong notes of hops, but also quite malty and with some notes of alcohol. The flavor is sweet malty with light notes of alcohol, which also leaves a slight burn on the sides of the tongue, leading to a powerfully hoppy end, where the hops leaves traces in the throat. A bit simple, but very nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Jun 2007
at 09:30
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Deep black stout with a thick dark moka head. Aroma of chocolate covered cherries, dark roasted coffee and molasses. In mouth, a dairy chocolate, with notes of cocnuts, dates, roasted coffee beans and burned toast bitterness. Warming alcohol soothes you, and rich and complex bodied. Bought in Sacremento, Sept. 2005. Enjoyed Jan 2007, with probstk.
Tried
on 13 May 2007
at 07:53
8.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled, thanks cquiroga! Hazy dark brown, creamy beige head. Oaky raisin aroma. Sweet and very malty with extrenmely full body. Thick and grainy with concentrated vinous flavours oak, vanilla and coriander. Powerful and compact. Very good!
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 May 2007
at 01:46
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Thanks to IrishBoy for this bottle - cloudy copper pour, with a clingy, cask-ale-looking lace - crisp, toasted, biscuity malt aroma, with some fruity esters (cherry, mostly) and a grapefruit, fresh hop smell - semi-dry, biscuity malt flavor, with light roasted aspects - copious hops lend themselves well some light woody qualities - agressive, but not overpowering - it finishes with some bready, yeasty flavors that linger a while, but don’t overstay their welcome - pretty nicely balanced.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 May 2007
at 21:42
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 8
2006 swing-top bottle from Hollingshead Deli, drunk on 3/29/07
One finger of tan/beige head recedes to cover, being held there well. Very minimal, blotchy lacing. Medium-low clarity, though I don’t find much, if any, sediment on the bottom. Deep black with a slight chartreuse tint on the edges.
Dark berries show off the roasted barley, nicely vinous without being overdone/astringent. Some light fusels initially noted, but it seems to fully pass with some breathing. Malt is lightly sweet but very reserved overall. Lots of vinousness returns on the finish, highlighted by plum and prune. Medium strength of aroma, takes a little work to unlock, but the quality is certainly there.
Very vinous up front with lots of bitter chocolate. Perfect body is lightly chewy, but also has a slipperiness on the end. Thus it starts out quite hearty, but glides down the back of teh throat with very light carbonation adding a pleasing tingle. Dark coffee and a fair amount of bitterness/vinousness sit on the finish. Trails off in to anise and heavy bitterness, remaining very dry with some light fusel alcohols apparent.
This embodies so much of where Imperial stouts should be headed; very dry, with a good charge of vinousness and coffee. Lots of bitterness from the dark malts with both a nice oily feel and chewy consistency. It seems to be lightly filtered and I dont believe bottle conditioned, as evinced by some of the fusels showing through and a bit of loosening to the mouthfeel as it breathes. But the flavors are spot on, almost exactly what I want from an Imperial. Very much in the vein of Harveys Imperial. Not all the thick, underattenuated chocolate and caramel and obnoxious dose of PNW hops that you see in most American versions.
I didnt find this to be overhopped in the least, and in fact didnt find much of a impact from the hops at all.
One finger of tan/beige head recedes to cover, being held there well. Very minimal, blotchy lacing. Medium-low clarity, though I don’t find much, if any, sediment on the bottom. Deep black with a slight chartreuse tint on the edges.
Dark berries show off the roasted barley, nicely vinous without being overdone/astringent. Some light fusels initially noted, but it seems to fully pass with some breathing. Malt is lightly sweet but very reserved overall. Lots of vinousness returns on the finish, highlighted by plum and prune. Medium strength of aroma, takes a little work to unlock, but the quality is certainly there.
Very vinous up front with lots of bitter chocolate. Perfect body is lightly chewy, but also has a slipperiness on the end. Thus it starts out quite hearty, but glides down the back of teh throat with very light carbonation adding a pleasing tingle. Dark coffee and a fair amount of bitterness/vinousness sit on the finish. Trails off in to anise and heavy bitterness, remaining very dry with some light fusel alcohols apparent.
This embodies so much of where Imperial stouts should be headed; very dry, with a good charge of vinousness and coffee. Lots of bitterness from the dark malts with both a nice oily feel and chewy consistency. It seems to be lightly filtered and I dont believe bottle conditioned, as evinced by some of the fusels showing through and a bit of loosening to the mouthfeel as it breathes. But the flavors are spot on, almost exactly what I want from an Imperial. Very much in the vein of Harveys Imperial. Not all the thick, underattenuated chocolate and caramel and obnoxious dose of PNW hops that you see in most American versions.
I didnt find this to be overhopped in the least, and in fact didnt find much of a impact from the hops at all.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Apr 2007
at 10:34
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Aroma of piney, resiny hop. Way hoppy. Reddish amber color with a beige head that fills the glass. This stuff seems to be alive. Starts a bit thin with resin hop, followed by some bittersweet malt. That evergreen aspect just won’t leave. This is an amber? There is a lot of dark malt flavor, but the hop tends to overbalance. Hop wins. Finish is grutchy memories of malt and a good hoppy bitterness. Huah! Memorably good.
Tried
on 19 Apr 2007
at 23:56
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Just when I thought I was done drinking beer last night, beastiefan2k breaks this stuff out - remembering how complex the brandy barrel barleywine was, I was a litte afraid that my palate wouldn’t be up to the challenge - suprisingly, it was - this stuff lacked the complexity I was expecting, but was still somewhat enjoyable - semi-cloudy, mahogony color, with a compact head - very earthy, musty, and, yes, slightly moldy aroma, with lots of damp earth/wood - lightly acidic flavor, probably from the apple brandy - mild sourness - woody, and even a bit bitter - not nearly as sweet as I expected, as the wood makes it a little dry - slight oxidation makes the beer taste a bit stale - I didn’t pick up any apple brandy in this - an interesting variation, but nothing all that special.
Tried
on 15 Apr 2007
at 18:08
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle thanks to Davecooks. Color is brown with low clarity, small head. Aroma is very musty with lots of wet wood (must be the oak). Lots of sour woodiness that have fruity aspects. Taste is very subdued for the expectations I had, basically a woody brown ale. Leaves a slightly bittered flavor mixed with alcohol. Moldy sweetness all around, yet nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Apr 2007
at 23:08