I left work early on Friday, picked up Camille the wife and
Donnie the dog, and hit the road by Noon. Our session started at 5pm in Del Mar. No
problem. The drive to SD even with traffic shouldn’t be more than 3
hours…. The plan is we get to Jack & Jackie’s pad, drop off the dog, all
four of us take a leisurely train ride to Del Mar, arriving with an easy 90 min
to spare before the beer session even starts. That was the plan.
We found out recently Donnie gets carsick. I figured it was
because he stares out the window at the road instead of the sky and makes
himself nauseous. So Camille had to ride in the back seat to keep him
calm and distracted so he wouldn’t lose his lunch on her cloth seats.
The traffic was some of the worst I’ve encountered trying to
reach San Diego.
Endless stop & go driving. So much so that Camille was the one who
started feeling carsick. Lurching forward and quickly stopping. For
hours. Bumper to bumper traffic, South on the 5 freeway.
It’s 3:30pm, 3 ½ hours into our drive, and we’ve reached Del Mar.
Unfortunately, we can’t stop. Our friends live another 20 miles south of Del Mar, and the County
Fair is not dog-friendly. So close, yet so far. We inched our way to North Park, finally arrived at Jack & Jackie’s four
hours (!) after leaving LA. We were already behind schedule, and high
tailed it to the train station in Old
Town.
4:40pm, we hopped on the Coaster headed north to Del Mar. Our destination
was only two stops away. The train sloooowly wound its way through the
coastal hills. First stop was reached at 5pm. Meanwhile, far away,
our beer session was starting now. I’d already resigned myself to the
fact we would be late and attempted to keep my cool. Then the train
conductor informed us of a medical emergency, so we would be holding at the
station. I’m compassionate towards any tragic situation, but that
selfish, self-centered devil on my shoulder nervously checked the time on my
phone every 30 seconds. I fidgeted like a hungry 4 year old.
5:15pm, we were on our way. At last Del Mar was in sight, within spitting
distance of the train. But alas, we travelled PAST our destination for
the second time today… our stop was north of Del
Mar in Solana Beach, where we had to take a shuttle
back to the Fairgrounds.
 |
| It starts out innocently enough. |
5:25pm, we’re off the train and we find the bus stop for our
Fair shuttle. The sign says it comes every 30 minutes, with no indication
of when the next one will arrive. Times a-wastin’. Do we cab
it? I wandered around and found a cab driver a block away, only to see
the shuttle pull up at that moment… a brief “Sorry!” to the cab, and I sprinted
back just in time to board with the rest of my party. Whew.
5:45pm, the third time I’ve seen Del Mar today, and this time I’m finally
entering the Fairgrounds. Where’s the beer fest? I dodge the
sweaty, midway goers with corn dog breath, and jockey past throngs of older
couples waving Smokey Robinson VIP Dinner Package tickets. A helpful, but
painfully long winded Fair worker informs us our beer event is at the furthest
possible opposite corner of the Fairgrounds. Followed by more throngs of
shoulder to shoulder Fair-goers, all of them walking in different directions,
impeding our progress.
What other obstacles will we encounter?
Do we have to take a hovercraft to get our wristbands?
Or ride a Shetland pony 5 miles offsite to get our tasting
glass?
6pm, six hours after leaving the house, and one hour after
our session had already started, at long last, our tasting begins. There
is much rejoicing.
 |
| Then it gets a bit silly. |
This event is held in an open air, covered arena the size of
a convention center. Despite endless obstacles reaching it, pure nirvana
was achieved once we arrived. Although we only had 3 hours on the clock,
without even feeling rushed, I managed to make my way through an astonishing 75
beer samples (actually it was 77, but later I found out I had already claimed 2
of them). I was focused on beer and the enjoyment thereof… I didn’t
bother with half-crocked tasting notes because I figure anyone reading this
blog already knows that an IPA will be “Hoppy” and a stout will be
“Malty”. I limited my on-the-spot notes solely to a chronological list of
all beers sampled. After the fact, I was surprised to have retained my
impressions of a good majority of what was tasted.
We met up with the GasThai’s and some other friends along
with way. Nothing but good vibes, free flowing braus, and surprisingly
good concession food. There were many pluses to this outing:
#1: No lines. This was the only way I was able to make
it through 75 samples in 3 hours. The arena was large, very spread out,
and thus the crowd seemed close to non-existent. Many offerings were side
by side on expansive tables, so it was easy to make my way down the line.
Even so, I buzzed freely from table to table like a honeybee. I didn’t
want to stick to a particular area for too long, worrying that I would miss out
on something really special being unveiled elsewhere.
 |
| Then it's completely silly. |
#2: Short pours. The glass was tall, but nearly
everyone pouring adhered to the rule of the 1 oz pour. As a result, I
poured out very few samples after the first sip…. Only the truly bad,
pointless, or nondescript ones went into the dump bucket.
#3: Tons of international beers. While I always want
to try something new, 95% of the time I gravitate towards US beers, mainly due
to low finances as well as easier accessibility. I appreciated the
opportunity to sample offerings from Germany (SUNNER), Belgium (ST. FEUILLIEN), Netherlands (ROOIE DOP), Australia (COOPERS), Norway (NOGNE O), Denmark (TO OL), UK (MEANTIME), and
points in between. While many of the international choices could be
considered “common”, they represented a decent variety of “gateway” braus,
hopefully leading to additional exploration of each region by interested
beerers.
#4: Tons of bottled beers. A good number of these I
would have purchased to drink at home, but thanks to this event I was able to
check off some pricey bottles (i.e. Beer Geek BreAKfast, and many of the
overseas choices).
 |
| Then you have no idea who's in your photo. |
#5: The 5-9pm session actually ended at 9pm. At nearly
every beer fest I’ve ever attended, the organizers cut off the pours 15 minutes
before the posted time… I’m assuming they all think that’s ample time for
attendees to “sober up” before they leave. I watched the clock
anticipating I’d be cut off at 8:45, but the pouring continued until 9pm
sharp. Seems like it’s not a big deal, but it is to me. I was able
to log in a solid 3 hour session without complaint.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the selections offered. The
best “discoveries” for me were Sacramento’s
TRACK 7 BREWING, Temecula’s AFTERSHOCK BREWING, The Netherlands’ ROOIE DOP, and
Ramona, CA’s
CHUCKALEK INDEPENDENT BREWERS.
By the end of the fest, I was pleasantly buzzed, but not
even close to being all-out drunk. I can’t say the same for many of my
fellow attendees. We encountered a seemingly non-stop cavalcade of
plastered partiers… some spewing offensive drunken slurs and gibberish, some
spewing the contents of the entire session. Folks like this are the exact
reason I’ve avoided beerfests for most of my life, but they didn’t ruin this
evening for me.
 |
| Then you're taking selfies with inanimate objects |
Kudos to the organizers of this event.
Kudos to the GasThai’s who finally talked me into attending.
Kudos to JK&JD for partying with us, being incredible
hosts, and jockeying us around SD.
Kudos to Camille for dealing with the endless on-the-go pace
of the day, just so her husband could be happy.
Kudos to Donnie the dog for not puking in our car!
The following morning I awoke fresh as a daisy (well, maybe
a mildly soggy daisy), and I was ready for more beering… well, as much as my
Wife and friends were willing to subject themselves to. The best part
about this day was all of our destinations were within walking distance of
J&J’s home, so at least I could pretend I was doing something good for my
health.
 |
| One of everything, Round One. |
First stop, THORN ST. BREWERY. Never heard of this
place, but what a lucky accident to stumble upon their brewery. Between
their downstairs and upstairs rooms, they offered an impressive 23 unique brews
on tap. I was ready to start with a flight of eight, when our awesome
& accommodating tapper Adrienne chimed in with the suggestion, “Or I could
just pour you tasters of everything if you want to try them all?” Oh hell
yes!! Is she psychic or what?
The room is rustic and comfortable, the staff is friendly
and helpful, and the beer is outstanding across the board. So many
breweries have multiple styles and end up being hit-and-miss. Thorn St. knows what the hell they’re doing, and what the hell
they’re brewing. Every goddamn beer of the 23 was either good or
great! This destination is a must, even moreso considering it’s not in a
“hip” area, so there’s plenty of neighborhood parking, and I’m assuming crowds
wouldn’t be too overwhelming.
Next, we strolled over to MODERN TIMES, with their funky,
modern tasting room. The environment is bright and open, almost
European. I’ve only had their beer packaged in cans, so it was a treat to
try some new ones on tap. Super tasty, with the Blazing World hoppy amber
standing out as my favorite.
 |
| A bat eating a banana for no apparent reason. |
After a quick perusal of the offerings at the BOTTLECRAFT
bottle shop, and a quick deli sandwich, we looped back to HESS BREWING.
The Hess compound is a super cool, albeit super bizarre layout, with the actual
brewery below street level. You actually walk over an indoor bridge to
reach the tasting room… you have to see it to believe it. Hess started
releasing several of their brews in cans recently, so distribution has
increased. Strangely enough, after visiting the tasting room, I realized the
canned beers are the least of their offerings. Their tap-only offerings
are vastly superior, the Umbrix Rye Imperial Stout being my favorite.
Some quality time with quality friends (and quality dogs),
drinking quality brews… this is what weekends should be about. Good
vibrations. Good libations. I’m pretty lucky.
 |
| My ever-patient co-horts. |
The beering continues:
Thursday 6/19 – Tasting at Vendome, a few at home, and a
Belgian treat from Lee Bakofsky:
1091 - OLD ORANGE BREWING THUMB MASTER DOUBLE IPA - Heard a
lot of hype about this one. It's OK, but nothing to blog about.
 |
| Lee breaks out The Good Stuff |
1092 - AVERY BREWING COMPANY TWENTY ONE IMPERIAL BROWN -
Deeply malty, hoppy, even mildly peppery.
1093 - WEIHENSTEPHANER KORBINIAN - Deep and complex
doppelbock, strangely enough it's great with Mexican food
1094 - SAM ADAMS PORCH ROCKER - Ok Summer shandy, lemonade
beer, ehh...
1095 - SAM ADAMS SUMMER ALE - Peppery wheat ale, one of the
least bad Sam Adams
1096 - BRASSERIE CANTILLON CUVEE SAINT-GILLOISE LAMBIC -
Brief sour bite, acidic, well balanced and beautifully floral ... Thanks Lee!
Friday 6/20 – Absolutely KILLING IT at the San Diego International Beer Festival. No
tasting notes (below are some recollections, after the fact); just powering
through tasters. Plus a random late night Dos Equis just to make it more
absurd:
1097 - PHANTOM ALES IPA - OK
1098 - LEGACY BREWING THE CHESTY IRISH RED – Ech.
1099 - RIP CURRENT BREWING IMPACT ZONE IPA – Don’t remember.
1100 - MONKEY PAW BREWING FREE KEN ALLEN ROBUST RYE – Good
one.
1101 - MONKEY PAW BREWING LOW AND SLOW RAUCHBIER – Loved
this one towards the end of my 2013 Big Year. A winner.
1102 - CARLOW BREWING O'HARA'S IRISH STOUT – Yum.
1103 - NOGNE O IMPERIAL PREMIANT INDIA PILSNER – Good one.
1104 - TO OL NORDIC BY NATURE – Best name of any beer at the
fest.
 |
| Lily GasThai, I finally made it! |
1105 - PRAIRIE ARTISAN ALES PRAIRIE ALE – Not memorable.
1106 - JOLLY PUMPKIN MADRUGADA OBSCURA DARK DAWN – One of my
fest favorites.
1107 - BROUWERIJ MALHEUR MALHEUR 12 ALE – Great!
1108 - MIKKELLER / ANCHORAGE COLLABORATION BEER GEEK
BREakFAST OATMEAL STOUT – As good as I hoped.
1109 - PRETTY THINGS JACK D'OR SAISON – A favorite of some
of my East Coast friends. I’m a fan of Pretty Things.
1110 - MAZAMA BREWING HOP ERUPTION IPA – OK. Not
familiar with this brewer. Doubt I’ll seek them out.
1111 - MAZAMA BREWING WHITE WEDDING WHITE IPA – Also OK.
1112 - PORT BREWING MONGO DOUBLE IPA – Old reliable.
1113 - BEAR REPUBLIC BREWING ROCKET RED ALE – I always wrote
this off as a boring red ale. It’s not. It’s goddamn tasty, and I’d
have no problem drinking this everyday as a house beer. Hoppy and full
bodied.
1114 - BOCKOR VANDERGHINSTE OUD BRUIN – An excellent, well
rounded sour.
1115 - HELM' S BREWING WICKED AS SIN IPA – Didn’t realize
Helm’s was this good. All of their offerings this day were impressive.
1116 - KARL STRAUSS OFF THE RAILS IMPERIAL RED - OK
1117 - STUMBLEFOOT BREWING SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU – Eh.
1118 - REFUGE BREWERY ILLUSION IPA – Don’t remember this
one.
1119 - HELM' S BREWING BEERUCCINO COFFEE PORTER – One of my
favorites of the day.
1120 - ACOUSTIC ALES THE GROUPIE BELGIAN BLONDE – Acoustic
freaking RULES!
1121 - BENCHMARK BREWING OATMEAL STOUT – Good, if I’m
remembering correctly.
1122 - GREEN FLASH 30TH STREET PALE ALE – Good one… can’t
find this in LA.
1123 - VALLEY CENTER BREWERY SMOKED VESPER VANILLA PORTER –
All I remember is it didn’t take anything like a porter, nor anything smoked.
1124 - VALLEY
CENTER BREWERY COLE
GRANDE PORTER – Blech.
 |
| Don't know him, but he's pumped. |
1125 - PIZZA PORT (OCEAN
BEACH) BACON & EGGS
DOUBLE PORTER – Haven’t had this since GABF 2012. Welcome back, old
friend.
1126 - TRACK 7 BREWING BIG 4 STRONG ALE – Never heard of
this brewer, but now I’m going to seek them out. A pleasant
surprise. Sacto is blowing it up!
1127 - TRACK 7 BREWING PANIC IPA – See above.
1128 - PIZZA PORT (CARLSBAD)
POOR MAN'S DOUBLE IPA – Every Pizza Port IPA wins.
1129 - ABSOLUTION BREWING CARDINAL SIN – Don’t remember.
1130 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING EMBOOZLEMENT TRIPEL – Had some
Rough Draft in the past & they were decent. This was quite good.
1131 - CHUCKALEK ARCHIVES 1912 SSS TRIPLE STOUT – One of my
fest faves. The biggest powerhouse of a stout of the whole event. I
need to visit this brewery.
1132 - AFTERSHOCK BREWING JESS Y JAMES IMPERIAL STOUT –
Aftershock was another new one to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of their
beers.
1133 - AFTERSHOCK BREWING FAULTLINE IMPERIAL IPA – See
above.
1134 - AFTERSHOCK BREWING DUBBEL VISION – See above the
above.
1135 - TAP IT BREWING FULL BLOWN STOUT - OK
1136 - TAP IT BREWING ALE CAMINO – Least fave Tap It.
1137 - ROOIE DOP DAILY GRIND COFFEE PORTER – One of the best
of the fest. Dutch supremacy.
1138 - MARIN BREWING STINSON BEACH PEACH – I still avoid
fruit beers in general, but this was surprisingly refreshing, not cloyingly
sweet.
1139 - SUNNER BRAUEREI KOLSCH – Eh.
 |
| Well, only if they're TOTALLY fried |
1140 - FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING DANISH STYLE RED LAGER –
One of the few Fig Mtns I haven’t had, and it turns out it’s one of my
favorites.
1141 - OGGI'S PIZZA AND BREWING BLACK MAGIC STOUT – Good.
1142 - LEFT COAST BREWING VOO DOO STOUT – Pretty good.
1143 - LATITUDE 33 BIERE DE MARS – Pretty good.
1144 - AZTEC BREWERY NOCHE DE LOS MUERTOS IMPERIAL STOUT – I
support Aztec 100%. They bring both high quality and innovation to the
table. This spiced stout is top notch.
1145 - AZTEC BREWERY AZTEC AMBER – I dig it, but it was too
cold.
1146 - GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CHOCOLATE OAK AGED YETI – My
favorite in the line-up of all Yetis.
1147 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY LE MERLE – The old fave,
still great.
1148 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY PRANQSTER – The old fave,
still great.
1149 - ANTWERPSE BROUW COMPAGNIE SEEF BIER – New one for me,
OK. Best part is the label art.
1150 - HELM' S BREWING CAPTAIN'S PALE ALE – Good one.
1151 - COOPER'S BREWERY ORIGINAL PALE ALE – From Australia.
They can keep it there.
1152 - MISSION BREWERY EL CONQUISTADOR EXTRA PALE ALE –
Decent beer, but I think I was more impressed by the massive 32 oz can
1153 - CISMONTANE BREWING RED-X – Best Cismontane I haven’t
had yet (my favorite was Dos Cone Es, but I already enjoyed it earlier this
year).
1154 - CISMONTANE BREWING HEIDELBERG SINGLE MALT - OK
1155 - CISMONTANE BREWING DARK MUNICH SINGLE MALT - OK
1156 - OCEANSIDE ALE WORKS OXYMORON BLACK IPA – I seem to
recall this brewer starting out a big hit and miss. Everything I’ve tried
from them this year is a hit!
1157 - OCEANSIDE
ALE WORKS ELEVATION 83 PALE ALE – See above.
1158 - WELLS & YOUNG'S BREWING YOUNG'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE
STOUT – Very much like a Tootsie Roll beer.
1159 - ADNAMS TALLY-HO BARLEYWINE - Decent
 |
| Ummm... Ready to go! |
1160 - NORTH PEAK BREWING ARCHANGEL SUMMER WHEAT – I was
excited to try this regional Michigan
beer I’ve never seen. Sadly nondescript, aside from the appealing can
design.
1161 - MEANTIME BREWING OLD SMOKED BOCK – Not super smoky,
but super good.
1162 - DE PROEFBROUWERIJ REINAERT FLEMISH WILD ALE – A
classic. Great!
1163 - BRASSERIE ST. FEUILLIEN SAISON – I don’t see these
high quality Belgian beers packaged in cans too often, but here ya go.
1164 - BRASSERIE ST. FEUILLIEN GRAND CRU – Great.
1165 - NEW ENGLISH BREWING CO.
ZUMBAR CHOCOLATE COFFEE IMPERIAL STOUT - OK
1166 - NEW ENGLISH BREWING CO.
HUMBLY LEGIT IPA - OK
1167 - EPIC BREWING CO. HOP
SYNDROME LAGER – Good. Tastes like an IPA. Is it officially an IPL?
1168 - EPIC BREWING CO.
BLUESKI LAGER – So-so
1169 - CHUCKALEK DOWSER – One of my new favorite breweries.
1170 - PIZZA PORT (SAN
CLEMENTE) DRAFT PUNK BIERE DE GARDE – Good.
1171 - LA QUINTA BREWING HEATWAVE RED ALE – Last beer of the
fest, and quite a surprise. Truly good! I’ve got family in La
Quinta… guess it’s time for a visit!
1172 - DOS EQUIS AMBER – As lame as I remember it. It’s a
bad sign when putting a lime in your beer makes it way better.
Saturday 6/21 – Serious beering with Jack & Jackie,
wandering somewhere between North Park and South Park.
Again, didn’t take notes, but not necessary because everything was good:
1173 - THORN ST. BREWERY GOLDEN HILLS PILS – Yes.
1174 - THORN ST. BREWERY BAD MOON WEIZEN – Yes.
1175 - THORN ST. BREWERY FOREPLAY BELGIAN BLONDE – Yes.
1176 - THORN ST. BREWERY SAISON DU PARQUE SUD – Yes!
 |
| Action shot of beer on a table. |
1177 - THORN ST. BREWERY RASPBERRY BLONDE – Yes!
1178 - THORN ST. BREWERY FORNICATION BELGIAN GOLDEN STRONG –
Yes!
1179 - THORN ST. BREWERY HAMMERSMITH ESB – Yes.
1180 - THORN ST. BREWERY SMUGGLER'S AGAVE AMBER – Yes!
1181 - THORN ST. BREWERY GLUTEN REDUCED WEIZENBOCK – Yes.
1182 - THORN ST. BREWERY ABBEY ROOF BELGIAN QUAD – Heck Yes.
1183 - THORN ST. BREWERY SANTOS STOUT – Oh Hell Yes!
1184 - THORN ST. BREWERY SOLSTICE SESSION IPA – Oh Hell Yes!
1185 - THORN ST. BREWERY RELAY IPA – Heck Yes.
1186 - THORN ST. BREWERY RED HEADED HOP CHILD – Oh Hell Yes!
1187 - THORN ST. BREWERY STAYCATION IPA – Heck Yes.
1188 - THORN ST. BREWERY CHILICABRA PALE ALE – Oh Hell Yes!
1189 - THORN ST. BREWERY RELAY IPA WITH HONEY &
CENTENNIAL HOPS ON CASK – Oh Hell Yes!
1190 - THORN ST. BREWERY JUST CHUCK AMERICAN STRONG ALE – Oh
Hell Yes!
1191 - THORN ST. BREWERY DUBBEL DOWN SOUR BROWN – Oh Hell
Yes!
1192 - THORN ST. BREWERY COCONUT PORTER – Oh Hell Yes!
1193 - THORN ST. BREWERY MANGO HABANERO – Oh Hell Yes!
1194 - THORN ST. BREWERY GALAXY IPA – Oh Hell Yes!
1195 - THORN ST. BREWERY DARK TSAR RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT –
Oh Hell Yes!
1196 - MODERN TIMES BLAZING WORLD - Great hoppy amber
1197 - MODERN TIMES BOOMING ROLLERS - Three hop combo
that's mellow and less hoppy than the amber
1198 - MODERN TIMES ONEIDA - Pale ale, heavy on the tropical
fruit
 |
| Say "Yes" to the Hess |
1199 - HESS BREWING DRYADALIS BELGIAN PALE ALE – Killer, why
isn’t this in cans?
1200 - HESS BREWING CITY PARK STRONG ALE – Full and robust,
just how I like ‘em
1201 - HESS BREWING ORDEUM REX BARLEYWINE – Not overly
sweet, but still a rich appertif
1202 - HESS BREWING GRIM AVE SESSION IPA – 2014 is The Year
Of Session IPAs.
1203 - HESS BREWING DECEPTIO BLACK IPA – Hoppy and dark
perfection.
1204 - HESS BREWING UMBRIX RYE IMPERIAL STOUT – As awesome
as it sounds.
1205 - HESS BREWING COFFEE GRAZIAS – Their cream ale with
coffee added. There were clouds in my coffee … Clouds in my coffee…
1206 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING BOONT BARL BOURBON BARREL
AMBER ALE – Surprisingly subtle, almost like a “light” barleywine, but still
with some good bourbony sweetness and depth.
Sunday 6/22 – Belgian sampling at Vendome, and a mixed bag
at home:
1207 - BRASSERIE DUPONT AVRIL SAISON - Watery, light, with a
nose like buttered popcorn
1208 - BRASSERIE DUPONT SAISON DUPONT CUVEE DRY HOPPING 2014
- Floral and a bit yeasty
1209 - BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE WITCHES BREW GOLDEN ALE -
Golden, sweet, doughy, with a hint of corn cob
1210 - HALEN BREWERIES MARIENRODE TRIPPLE - Rich and heavy
on the honey
1211 - BRASSERIE LES 3 FOURQUETS LUPULUS TRIPEL -Bitter
& dry like a non-sparkling champagne.
 |
| The real brew dogs. |
1212 - BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE GULDEN DRAAK BREWMASTER'S
EDITION WHISKEY BARREL - slightly sweet, not overpowering with the barrel like
most American beers
1213 - BROUWERIJ ABDIJ DER TRAPPISTEN VAN WESTMALLE
WESTMALLE TRAPPIST DUBBEL - Malty & mildly fruity esters
1214 - BRASSERIE ST. FEUILLIEN CUVEE DE NOEL SPECIALE
- Continued Belgian goodness.
1215 - OCEANSIDE ALE WORKS DALIESQUE LAMBIC - Barrel aged
lambic style sour, easy drinking with some peach and mild pucker goin' on
1216 - STONE BREWING DOUBLE DRY HOPPED OAK AGED RUINATION –
Do I really need to explain what level of perfection has been achieved here?
1217 - EPIC BREWING WIT BEER – Soapy and weird, with a hint
of sage. Instead of drinking it, I used it to marinate chicken. Much
better that way.
1218 - MARIN BREWING POINT REYES PORTER – Full bodied,
almost desserty porter.
1219 - DESCHUTES BREWERY
TWILIGHT SUMMER ALE – Whatever. Then again, I shouldn’t have had this
after that bomber of thick porter.
Monday 6/23 – A few treats at home:
1220 - STILLWATER ARTISINAL ALES CLASSIQUE – Delicious, I
could have mistaken it for a saison. Tart and wheaty. The perfection I’ve come
to expect from Stillwater.
1221 - SANTAN BREWING HOPSHOCK IPA – Finding a lot more from
this AZ brewery lately. Slightly piney, malty, and totally comforting.
 |
| Can is the new keg. |
1222 - SAMUEL SMITH IMPERIAL STOUT - Major molasses,
wow!
Tuesday 6/24 - Bottles at home and practice:
1223 - FLYING FISH BREWING COMPANY FARMHOUSE SUMMER ALE -
Wheaty, refreshing & loverly
1224 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY SUMMER WEST COAST WHEAT ALE -
Finally, an Angel
City brew I haven't had.
So good! Creamy, grainy, golden ale.
1225 - CALEDONIAN BREWING COMPANY NEWCASTLE BOMBSHELL - More
wheaty than your standard Newcastle...
I actually like it better than the standard Newcastle. It's actually drinkable.
Wed 6/25 - Chillin with Wifey:
1226 - LAUGHING DOG DOGZILLA BLACK IPA - More roasty than IPAey, still nice.
1227 - ROGUE AMERICAN AMBER ALE - I have an aversion to Rogue, but this one is decent.
 |
| Mullet-shaped toupees are real. |
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