The Nirvino Beer App Launch Party at Pedro's Cantina

For one night at least, Pedro’s Cantina in SOMA was a beer bar. As they explain on the chalkboard out front, people normally come to Pedro’s to “get their guac on” and guzzle drinks before, during and after sporting events, usually Giant’s games at AT&T Park across the street.  

This past Tuesday, well over a hundred people packed the front space at Pedro’s for the Launch Party for Nirvino’s Beer-Rating app for the iPhone (Droid version on the way).  With the app, users can search Nirvino’s 1 million beer database by name, type, price, food pairing, flavor profile, region and producer.  On top of that, it allows you to keep track of the beers you drink and compile tasting notes and ratings.  Two questions spring to mind- (1) are there really 1 million different beers to try? and (2) would you actually use the app?

The app is certainly worth it if it helps people sort through the maze of beers available at most supermarkets and big-box stores.  Nirvino might be able to tell you if a new beer is worth trying or whether the beers on sale are a good buy.  You could earn back the $2.99 download fee pretty quickly by learning which beer deals are great and which are designed to clear crappy inventory.

Enough about the app, what about the beer tasting? For a $5 or $10 donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, event-goers received a small plastic cup and a ton of drink tickets, each worth a taste of beer.  Depending on the generosity of the brewer (and your perspective on life), the cups were sometimes filled to the brim, sometimes half-full.  There were 9 craft breweries at the event: Drake’s, Trumer, Moylan’s, Linden Street, Black Star, New Belgium, Grand Teton, Thirsty Bear, and Anchor.  

Thirsty Bear had a nice set-up and offered both their Valencia Wheat and Meyer Extra Special Bitter.  Learn more about Thirsty Bear here.  Anchor had their Humming Ale, a seasonal beer sold August through November.  It’s delicious, crisp, and hoppy- definitely worth a try.  Drake’s, a brewery in San Leandro and Oakland, also offered some great beers, including their Denogginizer Double India Pale Ale. There were long lines for the offerings from Grand Teton for two reasons- they had a lot of tasty beers and the guy at the booth was very friendly & talkative.  Their Tail Waggin’ Double White Ale packed a punch and was loaded with banana and lemon flavors.

Overall, Nirvino hosted a successful event to introduce a cool beer app and some delicious micro-brews.  Pedro’s should take a cue from the success of the event and stock some of the beers year-round.