We barely have time to sample our own product these days, but somehow the organizers of SF Beer Week talked us into hosting a dinner to open up the festivities.

It will be taking place at the Red Restaurant and Lounge just a block from downtown Santa Cruz on Friday the 6th of February at 6:30pm.

We're really excited about the event. It will be four courses pared with our beers, prepared by Chef Tod Williamson of Nepenthe in Big Sur.

First:Gulf shrimp with a salsa verde cruda and Tobasco-butter sauce paired with Golden State Ale

Second: Braised pork belly in Cola, star anise, and tamarind with coriander apple chutney paired with Siamese Twin Ale

Main: Short ribs in Baltic Porter and apple juice with parsnip puree and a gratin of endive and prosciutto paired with Baltic Porter

Afters: Pickled red flame grapes under shaved chocolate with blood orange syrup paired with an unreleased Sinister Twin Ale

At this time we haven't planned for a vegetarian option, though it is being considered.

Seating is limited to 12 tables. The price will be $65 per plate.

Reservations may be made by emailing info (at) uncommonbrewers (dot) com, or by calling the brewery at (831)621-6270.

Also look for our beers appearing during SF Beer Week at The Monk's Kettle, Millennium Restaurant (where there certainly will be a vegetarian option), and during the cheese tasting at the Rogue Ales Public House on the 11th.

Our Baltic Porter is headed out the door. It's already been pouring up in San Francisco at the Monks Kettle, will be tapped at City Beer within the next few days, and scheduled for a Friday delivery at the Red Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Santa Cruz.

The Baltic Porter (7.8% ABV) is brewed with Star Anise and Black Licorice.

All of our beers are certified CCOF organic.

There's a lot of talk, as we prepare for the new year, about how rough things are in the economy.

Rough? We didn't know any better. The country has been in recession for a year, and Uncommon Brewers only started sales in June, so it's been all uphill as far as we've been concerned.

On that note, keep an eye on this space (blog?), for news about a retail deal. One of our beers, the Siamese Twin Ale, may be a lot easier to find starting in 2009.

And as the new year starts, we've sent one of our brewers, Matt, to Sacramento. We're barely out of the starting gate and our team is already being poached. He is, of course, brewing on a beautiful system several decades more advanced than ours, and we hope that he remembers what it was like to live in fear of our chiller.

The outlook for the coming year is good. We're going to be brewing like mad, and bringing some really fun beers to market. Bacon, anyone?

-Uncommon Brewers