Beer #1002-1090 / Day #158-169: Innovation and Aggravation

Part 1: Innovation

If you’re a hermit who just recently integrated yourself back into society, then you’re the only remaining person on the planet who is not aware San Diego County is Ground Zero for microbrewing (I refuse to call it “craft” anything).  Not only is it birthplace to many of the most respected and revered names in the beer scene, but it continues to lead the pack in trend-setting and innovation.  A couple weekends back, I picked a few breweries at random to visit, and I didn’t pick all obscure destinations either, which is what I’m prone to do.  It was Father’s Day, and as a proud Father, I treated myself to my own gift.

First stop was a new one for me: White Labs.  This company has been supplying yeast to the brewing community since the mid-90s.  Only in recent years did they start their own brewing program, and open it to the public.  Their tasting room is comfortable, and their list is impressive.  What makes White Labs so pioneering & unique is their flights:  Four samplers of four of the same beer, but each one is fermented with a different strain of yeast.  Tasting them all side by side, you understand how much impact each different yeast culture has on your beer.  I had the IPA flight, and all four were distinct.  Most notable was the WLP 4000 Vermont Double IPA Yeast, which I was told comes from a “famous Vermont brewer”.  Was I tasting the cousin of HEADY TOPPER?  It could be neither confirmed nor denied, but suspicions were well founded.  Also highly notable were the “Franken” brews, all containing a mixture of 96 combined yeast strains; Tastiest of all of them was the FRANKENSTOUT.  Proof that science can be both fun and tasty. Double props go to White Labs for handing out free growlers to all of the Dads who showed up on Father's Day!

Next stop:  Ballast Point, Old Grove Location. Mid-afternoon on Sunday and this joint was packed to the gills. It took some patience and creative jockeying to catch the eye of a server, but well worth the combat-tasting experience.  If you’re in SoCal, you can find Ballast Point anywhere.  If you’re a beer snob, you might consider it a bit of a “ho hum” choice, but I’m telling you the tasting room is a completely different beast worthy of being tamed.  20 taps, plus a cask or two.  In addition to the usual suspects, there’s a ton of experimentation resulting in new one-off brews, and oddball varieties of the tried & true beers.  Like the hoppy BLACK MARLIN PORTER WITH ROASTED PEANUTS AND COCOA NIBS ON CASK.  Or the CHIPOTLE BLACK MARLIN PORTER.  Or the WINTER SAN SALVADOR BLACK LAGER WITH OYSTERS.  Or the GRAPEFRUIT SCULPIN IPA.  I love breweries that constantly push the envelope, and despite their size, Ballast Point maintains that D.I.Y. grassroots vibe.  Not to mention their beer is consistently excellent across the board.

Next, a hop, skip, and jump over to AleSmith Brewing Company.  And I did indeed feel like hopping, skipping, and jumping for joy after finally visiting this mecca of brewing perfection.  They were pouring a few items exclusive to their tasting room, so I went for the 394 SAN DIEGO PALE ALE, the OLDE ALE MMXIV, BALTIC PORTER, and the SPEEDWAY STOUT WITH ETHIOPIAN SUPERNATURAL COFFEE.  All world class beers, and I love the continuing variations being introduced into the Speedway Stout.  I’m going to visit this place more often, and take advantage of these Local’s-only innovations.

It was finally time to make my way Northward towards home.  After making a bit of progress on the road, I went for one final pit stop at Pizza Port San Clemente. I’m a huge fan of this franchise.  Each Pizza Port location brews their own proprietary beers, and in my experience 95% of them are outstanding.  All styles, always something new, interesting, and sometimes challenging. 

The perfect capper to this day was coming home to incredible homemade gnocchi from my Wife.  She ended the day with her own brand of innovation.  Damn, now I wish every day was Father’s Day.

Part 2: Aggravation

Tuesday night is band practice night.  Often I’ll meet up with Matt Domino and Joe Denunzio prior to practice at a local dive bar, but occasionally we’ll hit a spot that actually carries beers I want to try.  The other week we chose Story Tavern in Burbank.  I’ve been there before, but it’s been a year or so.  Last time I had a flight of excellent Stone rarities at a Tap Takeover night.

Domino sporting the Tuesday shirt

This time I asked about ordering tasters of a few different beers.  The waitress checked with the management, and informed me they couldn’t sell me any tasters because of their Kinetic Brewing tap takeover. Even though half of their board was non-Kinetic brews, the rule still applied.
OK, I have no problem with an establishment who simply doesn’t sell samplers.  And I have no problem if there’s a special event, and they want you to buy a full pour on that night.  I get it.  But I was already aware of the Kinetic taps, and I was also aware that the official Kinetic Tap Takeover event took place on the Thursday before!  It was now Tuesday... five days later!  The actual event of a Tap Takeover is traditionally on one evening.  After that, sometimes there’s leftovers, as was the case here.  To add insult to injury, half of the fucking Kinetic beers on the board were crossed out because they ran out of them.  Not cool.  At all.  As for full pours, nothing on the board was under $8.
Don’t make an excuse that there’s a tap takeover when it’s five days after the fact and half of the goddamn featured beers aren’t even available.  I felt like I was being fleeced.  Regardless, we stuck around and had a few pints (or tulip glasses, depending on the beer).  In spite of my ruffled feathers, the Kinetic brews were outstanding, especially the KINETIC FUSION PORTER.  

Thumbs down to Story Tavern.
Thumbs up to Kinetic. 

The beering continues...

Sat 6/7 – A few flights at Slater’s 50/50 in Pasadena, and a few pints in various spots around Downtown LA

1002 - PORT BREWING ANNIVERSARY ALE – Rich ‘n hoppy excellence.

Patiently dealing with my beering

1003 - GREAT DIVIDE BREWING HERCULES DOUBLE IPA – Hefty, caramelly, malty DIPA. Flex those pecs!

1004 - MOTHER EARTH BOOKOO IPA – Light, crisp, crunch hops, tastes like one of the many session IPAs out there, and that’s a good thing. Very tasty.

1005 - RITUAL BREWING EXTRA RED – Decent red, I think I got it too cold on tap. Last sip was the best when it started to warm up.

1006 - IRONFIRE BREWING NUHELL IPL – Loved this one, following in the sizeable footsteps of Bruery Humulus. From one of my new favorites straight outta Temecula.

1007 - THE BRUERY MISCHIEF – Their flagship Belgian style. Golden, refreshing goodness.

1008 - SANTAN BREWING MR. PINEAPPLE WHEAT – Different spin on wheat beer, not syrupy as I’d expect. Really tasty, wish I was on a beach in Maui sippin’ this.

1009 - VICTORY BREWING SUMMER LOVE – Mild lager, good mild hoppiness and hints of barley. Victory never disappoints.

Slater's 50/50: Great food & flight friendly

1010 - NINKASI DAWN OF THE RED – Hoppy red, with a slight acidic bite like pink grapefruit.

1011 - LADYFACE ALEHOUSE LA GRISETTE – Majorly lemony saison.

1012 – CHIMAY CINQ CENTS TRIPEL – Mild, golden, yeasty, floral esters. More comforting than Christopher Cross on a sailboat.

1013 – SPEAKEASY THE INFORMANT SAISON – Decent, tart saison, not incredible, but OK.

1014 - SMOG CITY BREWING SABER TOOTHED SQUIRREL AMBER – Very nice, rich, full bodied.

1015 - UNITED BREWERIES KINGFISHER PREMIUM LAGER – What I expected, maybe a little better. Lite lager that goes will with our incredible Indian food at Badmaash, downtown LA

1016 – OMMEGANG HENNEPIN FARMHOUSE SAISON – Citrusy farmhouse brew, it’s got the Yum Factor.

Sun 6/8 – Chillin’ at home

1017 - BAYHAWK ALES CHOCOLATE PORTER – Roasty & chocolatey, could have been more dense for my tastes, but still a good sipper.

1018 - THE LOST ABBEY GIFT OF THE MAGI BIERE DE GARDE – Cloudy amber beer with mild spice, faint hops, light carbonation.  Decent.

1019 - EEL RIVER BREWING IPA – Nondescript, but OK.

1020 - VICTORY BREWING STORM KING IMPERIAL STOUT – Awesome hop-packed stout.

Mon 6/9 - Home

1021 - EPIC BREWING BRAINLESS IPA – Yeasty and IPAey, best of both worlds

1022 - ROGUE ALES MOCHA PORTER – First Rogue brew I’ve had in many years, I’ve been avoiding them.  Pleasantly surprised that I actually like this one quite a bit.

1023 - ANDERSON VALLEY BROTHER DAVID'S TRIPLE ABBEY STYLE ALE – Trippin’ balls about this triple. Good one.

Tues 6/10 – A few at Story Tavern, Burbank and a couple at home

1024 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN IRA – Heavy, hop forward red ale.  Awesome, best Double Mtn to date.

1025 - KINETIC BREWING RUSTED COFFEE AMBER ALE – Coffee overload, like I’m having my morning coffee with a shot of booze.

1026 - KINETIC BREWING FUSION PORTER – Best Kinetic brew yet, super roasty, rich, freakin’ delicious. Cheers to the high desert’s finest.

1027 - KINETIC BREWING IGNITION PALE ALE – Fookin’ great, citrusy, crushingly hoppy. Love it.

1028 - BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL SOLSTICE D'HIVER BARLEY WINE – Delicious barleywine, heavy on the caramel, perfect nitecap, comforting, should be served with vanilla gelato.

The Morrison: Who knew Glendale doesn't have to be lame?

Wed 6/11 – Starting at home, watching the Kings blow it at Beer Belly, nitecap at The Morrison

1029 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN SACRE BLEU – That just sounds like a nasty double entendre, doesn’t it?  Double mount’n? Very Beavis & Butthead. Anyhow, this is a decent Belgian style double, amber, malty goodness.

1030 - CRAFTSMAN BREWING O' STOUT – Drinks more like a black lager, low carbonation, decent.

1031 - CRAFTSMAN BREWING SAISON – Excellent, rich, fruity farmhouse ale with a deep orange color.  It just looks satisfying.

1032 - CRAFTSMAN BREWING MAIBOCK – Real tasty, malty, wheaty, creamy ale. My Wife says it would go well with cookies.

1033 - THE LOST ABBEY CARNEVALE – Tart and wild, very good. I liked the Craftsman Saison much better though.

1034 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING WILD TURKEY BOURBON BARREL STOUT – As deeelish as it sounds.

1035 - BELHAVEN BREWERY WEE HEAVY – Super sweet, rich, delicious, a liquefied powerhouse dessert in a glass

1036 - BELHAVEN BREWERY BELHAVEN BLACK – On nitro, excellent roasted malts, lighter mouthfeel, but full of flavor

Thurs 6/12 – Home

1037 – SAM ADAMS LONGSHOT GRATZER – Smells smoky, tastes like melted Popsicle in a used ashtray. Recipe is from the winner of a homebrew competition.  Gratzer is a traditional Polish smoke wheat beer.  There’s a joke in there somewhere…

1038 – UINTA BABA BLACK LAGER – Solid, roasty, easy drinking, and organic if you’re worried about such things.

1039 – GOOSE ISLAND ENDLESS IPA – Lite but sharp hop bite, very tasty session IPA, bottled 6 weeks ago, so still nice, fresh, and crunchy.

1040 – FIRESTONE WALKER VELVET MERLIN OATMEAL STOUT – Ol’ Reliable, a mighty brew that’s oaty and stouty, of course, but also very affordable. Firestone Walker is bringin’ high quality brew to The People!

Fri 6/13 – Opening a couple bottles with family, and a few late night samplers at Boneyard Bistro

1041 - EPIC BREWING SPIRAL JETTY IPA – Sorta OK IPA

1042 - CLOWN SHOES BROWN ANGEL – Hoppy imperial brown ale, even a honky like me knows how freakin’ bad ass it is

1043 - BRASSERIE CARACOLE SAXO – Super wheaty and crisp, decent golden ale

1044 - BROUWERIJ VERHAEGHE DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE – Tasty, both sweet and sour, I could marinate some pork in this & make Chinese food

1045 - SMUTTYNOSE FINESTKIND IPA – Aggressive hoppy IPA. Great stuff, Maynard.

1046 - SMUTTYNOSE ROBUST PORTER – Excellent, deep roasted malts. Maybe some mild hops lurking in there, too?

Sat 6/14 – Barely even starting in San Diego

1047 - BELL'S KALAMAZOO STOUT – So-so stout.

1048 - IRONFIRE BREWING SIX KILLER STOUT – Emphasis on “killer”, strong coffee and roasty cocoa. Great!

1049 - HUMBOLDT BREWING BLACK XANTUS – Barrel aged brilliance. Mouthfeel is smooth as silk, flavors are thick as a brick, absolute perfection.

1050 - ACOUSTIC ALES WESTBOUND AND DOWN BELGIAN QUAD – Thick and spicy Belgian Quad, two thumbs up.

1051 - ACOUSTIC ALES RUN FOR THE HILLS DIPA – Fuggin’ fantastic nuclear hop detonation.

1052 - BALLAST POINT CALICO AMBER ALE – Classic amber, rich and tasty.

Blackmail material.

1053 - CORONADO BREWING ISLANDER IPA – This is the semi-secret gem of West Coast IPAs, always a favorite, but never touted as the incredible IPA that it is. Not as easy to find as the Idiot IPA, but worth the extra legwork to track down.

1054 - BALLAST POINT BLACK MARLIN PORTER – A hop heavy porter that’s so damn good, it’s a revelation.

1055 - BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY OATMEAL STOUT – I was excited to find this Colorado brewery in California for the first time. That said, the stout itself is less than exciting. Decent, good cereally barley nose. Granted, after the excellent stouts I had earlier in the day, they’re a tough act to follow.

Sun 6/15 – San Diego contributes to the best Father’s Day ever

1056 - WHITE LABS FRANKEN STOUT – The “Franken” refers to a combination of 96 yeast strains used for fermentation. A beautiful freak of nature.

1057 - WHITE LABS TABBERER IPA WLP 001 CALIFORNIA ALE YEAST – Well balanced West Coast style IPA.

1058 - WHITE LABS TABBERER IPA WLP 090 SAN DIEGO SUPER YEAST – Citrusy with a creamy mouthfeel.

1059 - WHITE LABS TABBERER IPA WLP 4000 VERMONT DOUBLE IPA YEAST – Wheaty, clean, rural, yeast tastes like undercooked bread or cookie dough. The fella running the taps said they got this yeast strain from a “famous Vermont brewer”.  He would neither confirm nor deny that this is Alchemist yeast, but it seems likely. Is it the cousin of Heady Topper?  If he told you the answer, he would have to kill you?

1060 - WHITE LABS TABBERER IPA WLP 550 BELGIAN ALE YEAST – Heavy citrus nose and taste

1061 - WHITE LABS FRANKEN SMOKED MILD – Heavy fruit and a little bacon, not only Mild in style, but mildly smoked. Not a smoke bomb like Schlenkerla. Mellow and easy drinking.

1062 - WHITE LABS BIER DE GARDE WITH CHERRIES ON CASK – Very rural, cherries are subtle, hints of sour apple

1063 - WHITE LABS FRANKEN LAGER WITH MOSAIC – Clean, crisp, with a hint of pear

1064 - WHITE LABS FRANKEN LAGER WITH SORACHI ACE – Lemony and bready… again, all of these aforementioned “Franken” beers contain a combo of 96 yeast strains.

1065 - BALLAST POINT GRUNION PALE ALE – Crisp, solid, hoppy ale, heavy orange and kiwi.

1066 - BALLAST POINT WINTER SAN SALVADOR BLACK LAGER WITH OYSTERS – Killer spiced oyster black lager, maybe even some sage in there?

1067 - BALLAST POINT EVEN KEEL SESSION IPA – On par with all others in the recent wave of high-quality Session IPAs.

1068 - BALLAST POINT GRAPEFRUIT SCULPIN IPA – Wow, heavy acidic grapefruit overwhelms the hops. I could probably mix this in a margarita or a greyhound.

1069 - BALLAST POINT REEF RYE BROWN ALE – Rye forward and great.

1070 - BALLAST POINT CHIPOTLE BLACK MARLIN – A godsend. This already brilliant beer is taken to the next level with chipotle pepper; even superior to Habanero Sculpin in my book.

1071 - BALLAST POINT BLACK MARLIN WITH ROASTED PEANUTS AND COCOA NIBS ON CASK – Completely different beer than the Black Marlin above. The peanut flavor is overwhelming, I was expecting a PB & Chocolate bomb, but it’s mainly a peanut bomb. I don’t taste the Marlin hops, and the cocoa is extremely subtle.  Innovate and simultaneously weird.

1072 - ALESMITH BREWING 394 SAN DIEGO PALE ALE – Named for SD Padres local legend Tony Gwynn, in reference to the Hall Of Famers batting average, this drinks like a clean session IPA. Hop prominent, and delicious.

1073 - ALESMITH BREWING OLDE ALE MMXIV – Crazy sweet malts, almost a barley wine.

1074 - ALESMITH BREWING SPEEDWAY STOUT WITH ETHIOPIAN SUPERNATURAL COFFEE – Really smooth mouthfeel, rich and oily, mild espresso and cocoa presence. As superior as expected.

1075 - ALESMITH BREWING BALTIC PORTER – A bready and malty treat.

1076 - PIZZA PORT (SAN CLEMENTE) PIER RAT PORTER – A damn solid roasty Porter.

1077 - PIZZA PORT (SAN CLEMENTE) BLACK SEA BASS SCHWARTZBIER – On nitro, smooth but kinda watered down, one of the only Pizza Port brews I didn’t love.

1078 - PIZZA PORT (SAN CLEMENTE) DANGER ZONE DOUBLE IPA – Big time cannabis weed ale with those skunky hops… they should ditch their Chronic Ale, and replace it with this.

1079 - PIZZA PORT (SAN CLEMENTE) CITRA-R-RAMA -  Hoppy and light, a total yum fest.

Mon 6/16 – Home with the parents visiting from Chico

1080 – BLACK SHEEP BREWERY MONTY PYTHON’S HOLY GRAIL ALE – Tastes like a malty, melted Popsicle. In a word: Semprini.

1081 – MISSISSIPPI MUD BLACK & TAN – Derp.

1082 – SIERRA NEVADA BLINDFOLD BLACK IPA – If I’m going to be blindfolded, I think I need a “safe word”.  How about “Cacao”?  Anyhow, freakin’ great beer, powerful hop bite, love it. 

Even the sign has a bend.

Tues 6/17 – A couple at Whiskey Bend, a couple at home

1083 – SIERRA NEVADA NOONER SESSION IPA – Quite toothsome, as expected. I’ve been Nooned.

1084 – MICHELOB ULTRA – Shit beer sent through a time warp from 1986.

1085 – NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE – Your best bet if it’s offered in a dive bar tap line-up.

1086 – GRAND TETON BREWING BITCH CREEK ESB EXTRA SPECIAL BROWN – Slight caramel malt and mildly bready. Yeah, you heard me, Biatch!

Wed 6/18 – Chillin’ at home with the family

1087 – SAM ADAMS ESCAPE ROUTE – Most Sam Adams make we wish I had an escape route. This one’s an OK kolsch, some light malts and lemony overtones (no, I didn’t say “notes”).

1088 – SIERRA NEVADA SNOW WIT WHITE IPA – Clever name, given the 7 experimental dwarf hops they used.  Awesome white IPA.

1089 – KNEE DEEP BREWING RYEDENTITY CRISIS – Not what I was expecting. Like a rye infused sour with a hint of handsoap.

1090 – GREEN FLASH DOUBLE STOUT – 5 years ago this was my favorite stout. I haven’t had it in a couple years, and it turns out this bad boy still holds its own. Deep licorice, chocolate, roasty tobacco.  I never hear anyone rave about this beer, and I have a feeling this is overlooked by the general populous in the beer community. Still awesome!

Party time.

Beer #776-815 / Day #136-137: Isn't All Beer Vegan?

Earlier this year, I was included on an email chain with a few friends who were talking about all of us going to the LA Vegan Beer and Food Festival. 

I wasn’t planning on attending.  I’d never gone in the past.  It seemed kinda pricey.  And it looked crowded, overrun with hipsters, and seemed like an overall pain in the ass to deal with.  But having my friends go, who were not predominantly beer-drinkers, sealed the deal.  So, I bought tickets for The Wife & myself.

A lot of co-workers chuckled when I told them about this event.  “Vegan beer?  Isn’t all beer vegan?” was the usual response.  It’s just water,  hops, malt, and yeast, right?  Actually, no!  A surprising number of beers are processed using animal products such as isinglass, the dried swim bladders of fish which are used to clarify some beers, predominantly stouts, and most notably Guinness.  Barnivore is a site that lists beers known to use animal products, and the list is surprisingly long.

Vouchers in hand, a couple months later, I talked to my friends about the upcoming Vegan Beer Fest.  Unlike me, they had NOT bought tickets after all.  And they had no plans on going.  Wait…. What?

Remember that scene in the movie “Old School” where Will Ferrell aka Frank The Tank is running down the middle of the street, drunk, in the middle of the night, yelling “We’re going streaking!”  Then he realizes there is no “We”… he’s alone, naked, and no one is running with him.  That was me with my LA Vegan Beer Fest tickets.  Aw shit....

Last Saturday was the day.  Similar to my Sabroso outing, my pre-gaming consisted of two packets of Active Dry Yeast, mixed with Greek yogurt.  Not the greatest tasting combo, but I hoped it would help keep me sober for the afternoon.  Camille and I trekked from The Valley, over the hill, down side canyons to avoid the terminally backed-up Laurel Canyon, towards the Westside, and into the clusterfuck of westbound Sunset Blvd.  It wasn’t until a few days prior that it registered... this beerfest was in the heart of The Sunset Strip… had I known, that would have been the death knell of this outing and I would have sold my tickets.  But alas, I was a day late, and $90 short.  Traffic inched past legendary monuments to unparalleled douchiness… The Saddle Ranch, The Standard, The Viper Room.  At last, the Vegan Beer Fest was in sight… a fenced-in, gravel parking lot opposite The Roxy, with a line winding around the entire block.  I groaned an audible groan, and hunted for parking.  All street parking has a 2 Hour limit which clearly isn’t long enough.  From the looks of the line, we would easily spend half that time waiting to get in.  The few “reasonably priced” $10 parking lots were all full, and there were practically no other options aside from getting a parking ticket or spending $22-$26 parking in the garages of the nearby office buildings.  I searched in vain for options, but after wasting another 30 minutes fighting traffic and frustration, I realized time was being wasted not using these tickets that were already paid for.  I bit the bullet, pulled into a pricey corporate office parking garage, and we made our way to the back of the Vegan Beer Fest entry line.

One long ass line.

There were easily 200 people in front of us waiting to enter, and we still didn’t technically have our tickets. I had to retrieve them from Will Call.  As I pathetically peered through the iron-barred fence into the festival, kept outside like a disobedient pet, glaring at people who weren’t me... people who were enjoying my unlimited beer without me, I tried not to let my frustration and jealously get the better of me.  I was standing in direct sunlight, with a bladder on the verge of exploding after the long ride, and a belly full of active yeast. 

Then the line moved.  Then it moved again.  What I anticipated as another hour was perhaps only 15 minutes.  We were in the homestretch.  There was hope.  It was like being in line forever at Disneyland, and finally queueing up in a numbered row, next in line to jump in our log for Splash Mountain.

Cranky guy needs a beer.  Or 37.

My mood changed drastically once we were inside.  The spoiled brat finally got what he wanted:  Entry to the playground of bountiful beering.  For a Sold Out event, there was a mercifully ample amount of space to move around.  Lines were not overly long.  And my fears of elbow-wrestling against mustachioed hipsters for access to taps were laid to rest.  It was a ruly crowd of average folks like me who simply dig beer.  I even spotted a few cool underground types.  One of them had a “Soy Not Oi” shirt.  Another was wearing a Capitalist Casualties T.  My people were in attendance.  And so were some of the finest SoCal had to offer. 

Eagle Rock unveiled their biting Ginger Saison.  Golden Road unleashed their anticipated seasonal Almond Milk Stout… wait, is that vegan?  Figueroa Mountain has always been so-so in my book, but their Big Cone black ale won me over.  San Francisco's Speakeasy ventured to South Cali with their mediocre Big Daddy IPA, but then scored with their Betrayal Imperial Red. I braved the long line at the Bravery Brewing tent to try their decent La Fleur Hibiscus Wheat and Old Rat English Brown Ale.  Self-proclaimed Godfathers Of Beer Karl Strauss even stepped up the game a bit with their sessionable Mosaic IPA.  San Diego’s Modern Times brought up a few different canned beers, the Lomalond Saison and Fortunate Islands Wheat, which were both astoundingly better than expected.

Me and Faction guy: Big earlobes and great beers

Many breweries played it safe, and brought out their “usual” to pour, but I’m always appreciative to those who bring out specialty kegs.
The most impressive beers of the day, hands-down, were unleashed by Alameda’s Faction Brewing and Hermosa Beach’s The Brewery At Abigaile.  Faction provided a stripped down, DIY style booth with two of the more impressive offerings of the day.  And Abigaile won me as a loyal fan with all three of their beers, especially the Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Black Mass Porter.

I kept with my standard regimen of small pours throughout the day, and managed to sample my way through 37 new beers, plus a few tasty duplicates for good measure… hell, I can’t say no to the Ballast Point Habanero Scuplin.  Ever.  I kept hydrated when possible, although the organizers of this event would have been wise to make water stations plentiful and free.  Instead, some oddball frou-frou Hawaiian bottled volcanic water was for sale.  Not a big deal since it was only $2, but still….

We sampled a few vegan food offerings, both of which were excellent…. Caribbean quesadillas from Real Food Daily which were only $4 for two, and Frito Pies from Beyond Meat which were not only delicious and the perfect accompaniment for beer but, strangely enough, absolutely free!

The Grilled Cheese Truck?  Um…. Hate to break it to you, but NOT vegan.

Something is slightly nasty about this.

We left the Vegan Beer Fest full-bellied, comfortable, pleased, satisfied.  The mounting frustrations that kicked off the day were quickly forgotten.
Would I come here again?  No.  Well, not unless it was free.  And someone else drove.  And they dropped me off at the VIP entrance. 

It was a great time once we were in, but this is one of the worst parts of town to attend any event.  I avoid The Strip at night, and now I know to avoid it during the day as well.

Did the belly full of yeast help me stay sober, or is it a placebo?  I still wouldn’t bet money on it either way, but it seemed to work.  I didn’t hydrate nearly as much as I would have liked. 

Then again, I didn’t leave the Fest with the urge to go streaking through the quad.

The tally continues....

5/16 – Friday nite at home

776 - MAD RIVER BREWING HUMBOLDT HAZE IMPERIAL WHEAT IPA – Dense and tasty, with a name like Humboldt Haze I was expecting some kind of funky hemp beer.  Huh.  Huh huh.  Duuude.

777 - CALDERA BREWING ASHLAND AMBER ALE – I’m really warming up to more Ambers lately, probably because the bar has been raised.  These Oregonian tree huggers know what’s up.

5/17 – LA Vegan Beer Fest +1

778 - GOLDEN ROAD HEAL THE BAY IPA – Great IPA that tends to mysteriously come & go, so I like to enjoy it while I can.  Some proceeds go to a local organization protecting local watersheds.  I’m definitely wearing Birkenstocks whenever I drink this.

779 - GOLDEN ROAD ALMOND MILK STOUT – A limited, specialty release. Super tasty.  Probably doesn’t have milk in it.  Hope not.  This is a Vegan Beer Fest, ya know!

780 - NOBLE ALE WORKS ALL NIGHT LONG – Some sorta complex black ale.  I’m a huge fan of these fellas, and they never cease to push the boundaries of your average stein.

781 - SIERRA NEVADA BREWING SUMMERFEST PILSNER – Easy to drink, inoffensive, better than the usual Pilsner, but I’d opt for any of their other offerings first.

782 - SMOG CITY BREWING L.A. SAISON – Nice one from this Torrance brewery.  Golden, wheaty, farmy, yeasty.

783 - WOLF CREEK BREWERY WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING SESSION IPA - Just OK.

784 - ABIGAILE BREWERY RYE WHISKEY BARREL AGED BLACK MASS PORTER – Beer Of The Fest! Incredible, deep vanilla, barrel-infused, rich malt tastiness.

785 - ABIGAILE BREWERY OATS OF BIRMINGHAM ENGLISH BROWN ALE – Maybe I’m a heretic, but many “English style” beers are lost on me.  This is an exception, and it’s exceptional.

786 - ABIGAILE BREWERY 002 2ND ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE IPA – Lucky I got to try this one.  Fantastic West Coast IPA.  Not soapy or skunky.  Evenly balanced.  Just right.

787 - EAGLE ROCK BREWERY GINGER SAISON – Really decent ginger bite without being overpowering.  Bet this would be awesome with Thai food.

788 - EAGLE ROCK BREWERY REVOLUTION AMERICAN PALE ALE – The standby.

789 - FACTION BREWING DEFCON I BELGIAN QUAD – Inspired, rich, delicious… one of the few today where I enjoyed the full pour.  Excellent output from this modest SF Bay Area brewery.

790 - FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING HOPPY POPPY IPA – Had it before.  Thought it was one of their better brews.  But then I tried the Big Cone, which blew it away.

791 - FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING BIG CONE CASCADIAN DARK ALE – See above.  Fig Mtn finally has a beer I really like.

792 - GOLDEN ROAD BERLINER WEISSE – Tart but surprising how easy-to-drink this is.  Highly recommended for anyone needing a starting point to “try out” a sour.

793 - SPEAKEASY BETRAYAL IMPERIAL RED – Not a huge fan of Speakeasy to date, but I truly enjoyed this double red ale.  I guess I’ll start speaking easier about these guys myself.

794 - OMISSION IPA – Gluten free.  Not that great.  But if I had an allergy, I suppose I’d learn to like it.  The best of the three Omission offerings.

795 - OMISSION PALE ALE – Eh.

796 - OMISSION LAGER – Bleh.

Gotta keep track of these things

797 - EPIC BREWING ESCAPE TO COLORADO IPA – Dig it.

798 - BOOTLEGGER'S BREWERY RUSTIC RYE IPA – Enjoyed it more in the past, but maybe it was too cold.

799 - BOOTLEGGER'S BREWERY PALOMINO PALE ALE – I like Bootlegger’s, but this is my least favorite off their roster.

800 - MODERN TIMES LOMALAND SAISON – Excellent canned creation from SD.  Seriously way more impressive than expected.

801 - HANGAR 24 BETTY IPA – Everybody has an IPA.  Now Hangar 24 does, too.  Inland Empire rejoice!

802 - MODERN TIMES FORTUNATE ISLANDS WHEAT BEER – Very, very freakin’ good.  I started out on the wrong foot with this brewery.  Since my first disappointing try, I’ve truly enjoyed all of their releases since.  I’m a fan.  I’m gettin’ with the Times.

803 - OSKAR BLUES DALE'S PALE ALE – You’ve had it.  So have I.  I was really hoping they’d show up with a specialty keg.  Instead it was the standard cans.  Good, but Deviant Dale’s and Ten Fidy are my favorites.

804 - OSKAR BLUES OLD CHUB – See above.  Not the hugest fan of this Scotch Ale, truth be told.

805 - OHANA BREWING PACIFIC ALE – Pretty good

806 - BRAVERY BREWING LA FLEUR HIBISCUS WHEAT – I’m due to head up to the high desert & check out this place.  This pinkish taster was pretty good, not too complex, but I want to give them a chance.

807 - BRAVERY BREWING OLD RAT ENGLISH BROWN – Decent, solid, better than the wheat beer.

808 - OHANA BREWING PALE ALE – Keg wasn’t ready, but I was pushy & insisted on a sip.  Yeah, total dick move.  But nice, easy drinking beer.  I need to visit their tasting room.

809 - EPIC BREWING GLUTENATOR – Their take on gluten-free brau.  Much better than the Omission samples.

810 - KARL STRAUSS MOSAIC SESSION IPA – The big guys are an easy target.  It’s easy to pooh-pooh their beers as not being fancy or DIY enough.  The self-proclaimed Godfather Of Beer hits the mark with this one.  2014 truly is The Year Of The Session IPA.

811 - DESCHUTES BREWERY MIRROR POND PALE ALE – Not fancy, straight forward, but always good.

812 - NEW BELGIUM WILD DUBBEL – Unlike most of my beer drinking friends, I’m not a fan of this Lips Of Faith series.  They usually sound like a good idea, but rarely deliver the goods.  And I know I’m alone in that generalized assessment.  That makes this brew even more enjoyable…. I like it!  Tasty wild ale with a lot goin’ on.  Rich, malty, mildly spicy bite.  Nice.

813 - WOLF CREEK BREWERY HOWLIN' HEF – Ummm. Here’s the thing…

814 - SMOG CITY BREWING LIL BO PILS – Decent pilsner.  Lite and unobtrusive.  Don’t need it again, but I do support this brewery, smog and all.

815 - ABBAYE DE LEFFE LEFFE BLONDE – Post-Fest Belgian nitecap with some friends up in Santa Clarita at a wine place...  No, not a beer place.  You’ve had it.  You like it.

Nerd alert!

Beer # 116-129 / Day 20-23: The Yoosh

After such a crazed weekend, I was expecting to take it easy this week.  Wrong.  "Slow and steady wins the race" is the old adage.  I've been doing exactly that.  Randy Carncross is already about 80 beers ahead of me from what I can tell, but no matter.  I'm enjoying the journey.  And as the Big Year progresses, I'm convinced it will become increasingly more difficult to rack up such huge numbers in one fell swoop.

Enjoying hops with my link.

Nothing too exciting this week. Just making my way through a collection of 12oz singles.  I've been sticking with mostly run-of-the-mill beers during the week.  I tend to keep "special" beers for special occasions.  The problem is my beer fridge, which is a regular sized fridge, is at full capacity with beers I'm saving.  I need to come up with a special occasion very quickly in order to make room for more.  Aside from the crazy bottle selection at home, I also visited Link N Hops in Atwater Village earlier this week, adjacent to the nice beer & wine bottle shop 55 Degree.  Link N Hops has been a favorite for the Wife & I since they opened, and they offer some great exotic meat sausages, as well as the full gamut of taps. I went for an excellent wild boar link, and some unique selections: The BALLAST POINT HABANERO SCULPIN - Beer #116, spicy, delicious, with a slight burn that doesn't linger, and it's not overpowering at all; The NEW BELGIUM / CIGAR CITY COLLABORATION CHILE BEER - Beer #117, not awesome in spite of the fact that Cigar City is one of my favorite brewers in the country; And lastly, the FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN 3rd ANNIVERSARY IMPERIAL OATMEAL STOUT - Beer #118, tasty but not mind-blowing.  That evening at home, I went for some standbys:  STONE LEVITATION ALE - Beer #119 and JOSEPH JAMES RED FOX RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT - Beer #120, the latter of which really excites me... it's the first beer I can recall enjoying from Nevada, just outside of Vegas, in Henderson.  Only recently have I been hearing great things about this brewery, and this stout lives up to the word on the street.  Oily, dark, inky, delicious, and crazy affordable at $8 for a four-pack.  Can't wait to try the other Joseph James brews.

I also have the usual Tuesday evening INFEST practice, which as of late means a visit to The Snug, which means even more beer. Although I'm about 2 weeks away from exhausting all of my options at this sleepy Burbank hangout which hasn't rotated its taps since I started going there.  I went for their best selection this week with the CHIMAY ROUGE - Beer #121, followed by some of their lesser taps, the BASS PALE ALE - Beer #122 and the STELLA ARTOIS - Beer #123, both of which are palatable at best.

I rounded out the week with several everyday-but-tasty singles at home:
SHIPYARD MONKEY FIST IPA - Beer #124: I've avoided this one because it seemed like a novelty beer. Not incredibly memorable, but decent, and worth drinking if it's the best option available.
GOOSE ISLAND MATILDA - Beer #125: These days their distribution is ridiculous, thanks to new parent company Anheuser Busch.  Thankfully they haven't compromised the quality of their product.
NEWCASTLE WEREWOLF - Beer #126:  A seasonal red ale I've hoarded since my Wife's uncle brought it over during the holidays.  So much better than the standard Newcastle brown ale.
FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN HURRICANE DECK DIPA - Beer #127:  A gift from my pal Matty B., by far the best brew in the Fig Mtn roster.
SIERRA NEVADA BEER CAMP #95 IMPERIAL RED ALE - Beer #128:  Another one I've been hoarding since last year, just so I can enjoy it this year.  One of the better offerings from the largest indie brewer, and somewhat limited.
SIERRA NEVADA NARWHAL IMPERIAL STOUT - Beer #129:  A seasonal release, and so glad I grabbed a 2013 before they disappear.  My favorite Sierra Nevada brew, hands down.  A superior imperial stout, but not sold at beer nerd prices.

Now my kid can enjoy "beer" with me.  Stay classy, America.

In spite of the sleepy week, there have been a few oddball beer-related items brought to my attention.
#1: My friend Lily Thai forwarded me info on a new Jelly Belly flavor called Draft Beer.  Wow.  When there's a jellybean that tastes like beer, you know craft beer has "jumped the shark".  Let's all hang it up now, shall we?
#2: My buddy Steve Enders told me about his trip to Portland. Of course, this is already a major beer hub, but nowadays you can fill a growler at the gas station!  This is a state which doesn't allow you to pump your own gas, and yet you can fill up a 64oz jug of beer while they're filling your tank?
I say "WTF" only because I'm jealous.

Incredible action shot of beer sitting on my kitchen counter!

Beer #49-79 / Day 11&12: Hittin' My Numbers

And so the weekend begins.

Further proof that my Wife does love me, evidenced by her indefatigable support and companionship this past weekend, as the Big Year In Beer launched into overdrive, logging 27 different brews in one day.  We were both in the mood for our usual, weekend, mid-day lunch at one of the endless, new beer spots in SoCal.  It was a beautiful afternoon, worthy of sitting outside (unlike in the other 90% of the country), so Camille suggested the Laurel Tavern in Studio City.  We headed out that way, down Ventura Blvd, when my eagle-eyed spouse spotted STOUT.  One quick, and highly illegal U-Turn later, we were on their patio, splitting a mouth-watering burger, and enjoying their excellent tap & bottle list.  Our server Kasey was super cool, and offered to bring me several tastes when I couldn't decide.
I tried the ANDERSON VALLEY THE KIMMIE, THE YINK, AND THE HOLY GOSE - Beer #49, a mildly fruity, mildly sour and acidic gose with sea salt.  Tasty, but a taste was just enough. Happy to try it, but a full glass would have been too much.
Next, I tasted the LOGSDON FARMHOUSE ALES SEIZOEN BRETTA - Beer #50.  Logsdon saisons are infallible in my experience.  This one was excellent.  Light, perfumy, complex, slightly wild.
We also tasted the DOGFISH HEAD SAH'TEA - Beer #51, listed as an Ancient Ale, this is their take on a traditional Finnish sahti, and I'll admit I've never known a damn thing about sahtis until now.  It was like many of the spiced ales out there, but much better. Clovey, yeasty, and super good.
Camille went for the SMOG CITY HOPTONIC IPA - Beer #52. I had a sip.  And then a few more. So refreshing, a real powerhouse of an IPA. Some serious hop funk. Delicious. If I wasn't on a quest to drink so many different beers, I'd make this one of my regular house beers, no question.

I chose the FLYING DOG SIMCOE SINGLE HOP IMPERIAL IPA- Beer #53.  Deep, rich, hoppy, and round. A winner, although I'd go for the Hoptonic as my first choice.
We love this place.  Funny thing is out of about 40 choices they only had two stouts on the list.

Yes, we have arrived.

I was focused on trying to hit a beer tasting at Vendome Wine & Spirits in Toluca Lake.  We cruised over there, and not surprisingly there was not one available seat, and no one was in any hurry to leave.  I was intent on trying this tasting, so to pass the time, we decided to head up into North Hollywood to The Federal.  Half a block from our destination, once again my Wife's beer radar was operating with maximum reception as she pointed out THE DISTRICT PUB, another new spot I've never seen.  Yet another speedy U-Turn, and we were saddled up to the backroom bar, where a gregarious gentleman, who insisted his name was Fox, treated us to some decent sized tasters before we even looked at the list. He poured us a couple classic Belgian brews:  BRASSERIE DUPONT AVEC LES BONS VOEUX - Beer #54, and BRASSERIE D'ACHOUFFE LA CHOUFFE - Beer #55.  Camille decided on a sampler flight, which I horned in on as well.  Their paddle consisted of:
*STIEGL PILS - Beer #56, a solid and easily accessible Austrian pilsner.
*WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISSBIER - Beer #57, a legendary hefeweizen from one of the world's oldest breweries.

Gettin' flighty.

*BEAR REPUBLIC RACER 5 IPA - Beer #58, I've mostly dismissed this beer in the past, given how easily accessible and "common" the Racer 5 is... big mistake on my part, this is a damn good IPA that I've avoided for no good reason other than I'm trying to be a snob.

*EPIC BREWING 825 STATE STOUT - Beer #59, a bit more fluid (i.e. more watery, less inky) than I prefer in a stout, but still pretty tasty, and Wifey really liked it, so that made it even better.

I went for a pint of the MONKISH CRUX - Beer #60, listed as a "single ale with elderflower". I don't know what the hell an elderflower is, but this akin to a Belgian pale ale, light and crisp.  I'm never disappointed by this Torrance brewery.  I'm overdue for a pilgrimage there.
Knowing full well we still intended on muscling our way into the Vendome beer tasting, we cut ourselves off early, although we could have easily spent the entire afternoon at the District Pub.  Apparently they had only been open for five days, so I'm happy we were one of the first to try it before the word gets out about how this is the new beer spot in NoHo. 

Well, maybe only two sheets.

Second time was a charm at VENDOME, and we easily found two seats at the tasting area.  Thanks to the incredible tasting menu selected by Harley, the house Cicerone (the beer equivalent of a wine Sommelier), we were in heaven.  The theme of this tasting was "malty ales". We were in for waaaay more than we could have ever imagined, quality-wise and quantity-wise.  The list was progressively more incredible with each pour.  While the entire flight was excellent, they truly saved the best for last.  I was ready to make love to the North Coast Old Stock by the time we reached it.  But that's what this whole nerdy ass beer adventure of mine is all about... true love of the craft, and a sensory experience that transcends all expectations. As for the tasting list:
*BROCKHOUSE BRYGGERI DRAUPNIR - Beer #61, slightly sweet with honey and pine flavors.

*BROCKHOUSE BRYGGERI ESRUM KLOSTER - Beer #62, like the previous one but more caramel and spice. Camille and I agreed both of the Brockhouses had a slight hint of cough syrup as well.

Do not disturb the nerd.

*GRAND TETON BREWING  DOUBLE VISION DOPPLEBOCK - Beer #63, a favorite of the tasting, rich and malty, and the tasting notes mentioned it was brewed "in strict adherence to the Reinheitsgebot", which are the German "purity laws" for brewing beer.  In spite of it being a centuries-old tradition, tell me with a straight face that doesn't sound Hitler-esque!

*THE BRUERY SHEGOAT - Beer #64, tastes surprisingly like a subtle banana bread with caramel.

*DOGFISH HEAD THEOBROMA - Beer #65, a really damn good cocoa & chili beer, great heat but well balanced. I love this one. Perhaps second only to all of the unique chili brews coming out of Vista's Aztec Brewery.

*BROUWERIJ DE BRABANDERE PETRUS WINTER #9 - Beer #66, a Belgian strong ale that's thick, mildly bitter, but finishes clean.

*BROUWERIJ DILEWYNS VICARIS WINTER ALE - Beer #67, a Belgian strong ale with a hint of a licorice, anise quality

*HALEN BREWERIES MARIENRODE QUADRUPLE 12 - Beer #68, another strong favorite, bad ass and easy to remember when you think of Van Halen.

*MODERN TIMES BLACK HOUSE - Beer #69, my first brew from this San Diego outfit, a bit too overwhelming on the coffee, I couldn't really taste anything else happening. Interestingly, it's distributed in cans.

*BALLAST POINT INDRA KUNINDRA - Beer #70, I had this last year & didn't love it.  This time I truly enjoyed it.  A real curry & coconut bomb. Indian food in a glass. I wouldn't want a full pint, but a taster is excellent, and just the right amount.

*BLACK MARKET BREWING INVASION IMPERIAL RED ALE - Beer #71, Wow, the biggest surprise of the tasting. I've mistakenly disregarded Black Market as a novelty brewery. Boy, am I stupid. This imperial red is exceptional!

Love is...

*CLOWN SHOES CRUNKLE SAM BARLEYWINE - Beer #72, another favorite, super dense, super delicious.  Is it me or are American barleywines improving by leaps and bounds in recent years?

*NOBLE ALE WORKS GONE TO PLAID - Beer #73, their take on a Scottish wee heavy, good but difficult to distinguish between such powerful barleywines.

*ALASKAN BREWING ALASKAN PILOT SERIES BARLEYWINE 2013 - Beer #74, yet another big favorite, holy Christ, what a superior, rich brew this is, leaps and bounds above the other Alaskan ales I've tried.

*NORTH COAST BREWING OLD STOCK CELLAR RESERVE BRANDY BARREL (2011) - Beer #75, the crown jewel of this tasting, un-freaking-believably delicious. If you splurge on one more expensive beer this year, this is the one!

Action shot of Emery's

Needless to say, after a 27-beer Saturday, our limits had been pushed, so Sunday I decided to show some restraint, if you could call it that.  We invited some old friends over, Katie & Jon Emery and Melissa Gearhart, sat on the back patio, grilled and chilled while the boys played Xbox inside.  I uncapped a few singles throughout the course of the day:
*ABBEY BEVERAGE COMPANY MONKS' ALE - Beer #76, slightly misleading as it's neither brewed by monks, nor brewed at an abbey.  It's from New Mexico.  But it's still a darn tasty Belgian style pale ale.
*MAREDSOUS BRUNE - Beer #77, a classic knockout Belgian brew, dark, complex, and addictive.
*LAGUNITAS MAXIMUS - Beer #78, a more powerful IPA from this NorCal brewery that seemingly cannot brew a bad beer.

Action shot of beer on a counter top.

*RUHSTALLER 1881 - Beer #79, categorized as a red or amber ale, depending on what you read, but it's smooth like a Creamsicle... I refuse to use the term "mouthfeel", but this is one of those rare instances when it would apply.

If it's not obvious, drying out after such a soggy weekend was no easy task. Next weekend I'm headed to Baltimore for some hardcore beering, so I need to rest up and prepare for some serious action.

Beer #31-37 / Days 5&6: Keep It Real!

Sorry. No wacky misadventures. Just a lot of time at home & work, but still making my way through a deep collection of 12 oz. singles to stay on my game.
Slangin' the bottles, and pimpin' the digits.
Keepin' in real, yo...

*GREAT DIVIDE BREWING TITAN IPA - Beer #31: You know it, you love it. A good 'un.
*BALLAST POINT BIG EYE IPA - Beer #32: Old reliable. Better fresh on tap though.
*CLOWN SHOES TRAMP STAMP BELGIAN STYLE IPA - Beer #33: Within a year Clown Shoes is freakin' everywhere in SoCal. Props to their distributor for doing an amazing job of accelerating this brewery's profile from Zero to 60.

Here's an exciting pic of beer bottles.   Wow.

*BRASSERIE DES LEGENDES NOEL DES GEANTS - Beer #34: Belgian strong ale that isn't much to write home about when its cold, but really opens up at room temp.
*MAUI BREWING BELGIAN STOUT - Beer #35: There's a reason Maui isn't known for stouts.
*STONE BREWING RUINATION IMPERIAL IPA - Beer #36: Yet another one for the Old Reliable category. Nothing fancy. You can find it everywhere. But hell, after all these years, it a fuggin' awesome beer.
*CALEDONIAN BREWING NEWCASTLE CABBIE BLACK ALE - Beer #37:  Another one much better at room temp.  When it's cold, it lacks any personality or taste.

CHEERS!

100 taps and NOT ONE beer to drink!

I have only 10 days left in my first Big Year In Beer, and now that I'm in the home stretch, I have my eyes on the (non-existent) prize, looking to rack up some numbers.  I'd like to beat 600, at least.  Yesterday, I enjoyed Beer #572 - Beer #582.

When I'm looking for a lot of new beers to try, I generally avoid places that advertise "We have 101 taps!"  More often than not, I've found these establishments don't carry anything special. It seems unfathomable that a room with 100+ taps could lack anything new & interesting beer-wise, but I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and the "huge" beer lists are comprised of:
1. Budweiser
2. Bud Light
3. Bud Premium
4. Bud Select
5. Bud Special
6. Bud Not So Special
7. Bud Extra Boring
8. Bud Lame Reserve
9. Bud Clamato & Old Sweat Sock Lager
.... and so on.
Everything in the middle is a variation between "bland", "blah", and ordinary.
Then the list ends almost-promising, but still relatively common:
98. Stella Artois
99. Guinness
100. Stone IPA
So, I always order the Stone IPA.  I've had it a million times, but at least it's a solid beer.

Did I mention I'm going to punch the next bartender who tries selling me Shock Top as a "craft beer"?

Which brings me to Slater's 50/50 in Pasadena, CA.  After much hesitation, I finally checked out their touted 101 taps.  Sure, they carried a lot of the usual suspects, and if you run a business for the general public you need to carry some of the obvious choices.  I get it.  But much to my surprise, they carried a good number of specialty, small batch kegs from smaller breweries including Ohana, Aztec, The Dudes, and Smog City.  The bartenders where friendly and actually knew their beer.  Thank god. Thumbs up overall.

I started with the awesome Bruery Batch 1000 Bryeian black IPA, and then moved to a flight consisting of:
*Green Flash Green Bullet imperial IPA - Wow, talk about SKUNK beer.  This is way more of a palate wrecker than the Green Flash Palate Wrecker.
*Double Mountain Hop Lava IPA - Not bad, but nothing special. It's a textbook American IPA.
*Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin IPA - Great habanero kick, but still clean and refreshing. I love habaneros, I love IPAs, and I love this beer.
*Firestone Walker Reserve Porter - Not a hard one to find, but I've never tried it. Closer to an imperial stout than a porter, which is a good thing in my book.  Inky and almost like dessert.

Next, I hit Stone Pasadena. Time to really nerd out on beer.  They had multiple offerings on tap which were not available anywhere else, so I took advantage of them all.  I couldn't believe they had four of their old Vertical Epic series on tap; there's no way these bottles could be found these days, especially the 2004.  Sad, I know, but these are the sort of things that really get me excited.

So, I started with tasters of the four available Vertical Epic releases, all supposedly brewed on their respective dates:  04.04.04, 06.06.06, 07.07.07, 09.09.09.
All were Belgian inspired, but all were completely different styles.  I gravitated toward the darker ales.  The 09.09.09 was the winner in my book. I'm just happy for the opportunity to taste what these brews were like after being aged for so many years.
I followed with the Stone Farms Dandelion IPA which was solid, and the Stone Witty Moron, a black witbier... different, complex, excellent.
As expected, the Stone tasting room is Nerd Central, where I was able to bond with kindred spirits over our shared appreciation for these beers.  Helpful, knowledgeable staff.  But no free tasters, so don't ask.