This in mind, we were thrilled to learn about Rejewvenator, the special-edition brew from Schmaltz Brewing Company, maker of He'Brew. Rejewvenator is a half Dopplebock, half Belgian-style ale infused with ― wait for it ― Concord grape juice. While not for year-round consumption, Rejewvenator is a worthy companion to a hearty, onion-laden beef brisket. The initial sips taste of beer, but by the end of the first glass, we swore we were drinking carbonated Manischewitz. It has the added benefit of being 8.2 percent alcohol by volume, the better to help you deal with your relatives who you're "celebrating" with.
Revising the diner canon is tricky business. Cut and paste the original with too many pristine ingredients using too polished a hand, and it yields something fatally removed from the lunch counter. But perform too little editing, and the results can lack the spark of reinvention.
That latter possibility bedeviled the fish and chips yesterday at Citizen's Band, the new-school Folsom Street diner that just launched daytime service. Ingredients and technique? Both solid. Hunks of Pacific rock cod skived into fierce flakes under tectonic plates of beer batter with the right airy lift, next to fries with the telltale firmness of ones given a preliminary blanching in hot oil. Co-owner Chris Beerman's sauces are Citizen's Band's best asset, and the sticky, malt-vinegar-infused aioli that zigzagged the fish like glaze on a cruller raised the glimmer of a spark.
Citizen's Band: 1198 Folsom (at Eighth St.), 556-4901.
Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie. Contact me at John.Birdsall@SFWeekly.com
