Beer #596-666 / Day #108-119: Brewfest, Black Sabbath, and Beer 666

 

About six months ago, my pal Jack Kahn solicited a large group of old friends to attend Black Sabbath at the Hollywood Bowl.  Legendary longhair John Scharpen, myself, and Mrs. Dodge were in.  Everyone else chickened out.  And thus, it’s April 25^th and Jack & John made the trek from out of town, from the San Diego and San Jose areas respectively, to spend the weekend at my place in LA.  John brought his 13 year old stepdaughter Eva to join us.  Turns out she’s a Sabbath fan.  And for someone who is at an age where she’s supposed to be snotty, confrontational, and clueless, Eva seemed unphased hanging out with middle-aged, punk/metal ex-scenesters who spent hours trading stories about the ‘80s. 

Jack brought an impressive selection of brews from the SD area, heavy on the Belching Beaver which were all tasty, all of which were new to my Big Year.  He also brought one of his old friends Bob Schriner to hang out.  Bob is a comedian and restaurant/hotel blogger who knows all the angles to getting freebies.  I could learn a few tricks of the trade from this fella.  The problem is I want to support any brewery that is truly great, so I have no issues giving them money.  In fact, I prefer it. 

John doesn’t drink, so it was me, Jack, Bob, and the Mrs. popping open bottle after bottle… starting with three from my stash, then digging into Jack’s stack.  Snacking and yakking, we jumped from IPA to porter to stout (Jester King Black Metal Stout, appropriate for Sabbath Eve) and back to IPAs for days.  It was a late nite spent blabbing about the old days, playing serious catch up with a group of fellas who haven’t all shared the same room more than once over the past 20+ years.

Saturday.  Sabbath.  We kicked off the morning with brunch in Downtown LA at Little Bear, an accessible Belgian-themed spot with all Belgian-style taps, and toothsome but not-necessarily-Belgian food options, even more delicious if you’re not a vegetarian.  Braised short rib benedict?  Yes, my friends, I’m home.  I kicked off the morning with an Ommegang Glimmerglass saison.  Delicious, even if drinking something floral out of a tulip glass isn’t necessarily the most manly of moments a fella could experience.  Knowing a long eve was ahead of us, we opted to chill at my house for the afternoon, sharing a few more SD County offerings.  We polished off the Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Stout, and split the Belching Beaver Dammed Double IPA.  Refreshing, although it may have not been the best of ideas since early drinking makes me sleepy, and I didn’t want to be the one guy yawning during “Behind The Wall Of Sleep”.

In an instant the afternoon was over & it was time to regroup, cram into my Wife’s tiny Honda Fit …picture the stereotypical ‘60s college prank, smashing as many students as possible into a phone booth.  After wrestling with traffic, and snagging one of the last three spots in our favorite stack parking lot (yes, “favorite stack parking” is an oxymoron), we joined the steady stream of black-clad, pot-smoking, brain surgeons, while deftly avoiding bootleg T-shirt vendors hawking their substandard tees for $20.  20 bucks?!  Those bootleggers have got major balls swangin’ to shake us down for that much.

We told Jack to get the cheapest seats, as far back as possible.  He succeeded.  The Bowl is massive and sprawling, and if you’re not in the box seats up front it’s just a matter of whether your seat is a mile from the stage or two miles from the stage.  In other words, it doesn’t matter where you sit.  The band will always be a tiny, blurred speck on the stage.  Out of the eight million rows at this venue, our seats were in the very last row, all the way at the top of The Bowl, cozy and surrounded by hedges.  And being in the last row, Murphy’s Law determined the largest leviathan of man, out of all the attendees in this venue of six hundred trillion people, was assigned the seat in the second-to-last row, directly in front of my Wife & I.  Thankfully, being in the very last row with no one behind us to complain, we were able to stand for the whole show.  I conceded to one $10 Heineken at the beginning of the show, but after that determined overpriced everyday beer was unnecessary.  Although some other form of heavy mind-alteration clearly would have been to my advantage during this concert.

After a lengthy set by the unfortunately-named Reignwolf (hours of comedic mileage on the name alone), nighttime descended on cue. 

Sabbath Freakin’ Sabbath.  Ozzy.  Tony Iommi. Geezer Butler.  Some guy who isn’t Bill Ward.

The set was even better than expected, with several deep cuts dusted off, albeit with a few strange choices… “Dirty Women”, but no “Hole In The Sky” or “Sweet Leaf” or “Symptom Of The Universe”?  Another friend later put it into perspective by reminding me that the missing songs I wanted to hear were probably all way out of Ozzy’s range.  And I think that’s absolutely true.  Ozzy struggled a bit to stay on key, but it really didn’t matter… it’s freakin’ Ozzy!  There was untold bellyaching about Bill Ward’s exclusion from this tour.  It would have been awesome to see him play, but I also heard from someone who saw Ward in recent years that he was taking hits off an oxygen tank between songs.  The fill-in drummer was spot on, and crushed his set like a Cro-Magnon.  Geezer’s bass riffing was awe-inspiring, and made me ashamed of what a lazy bassist I’ve become.  I was slightly discouraged that no tracks were played from my favorite album, but then Tony Iommi teased with the opening riff to “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, only to stop suddenly and launch into the predictable (and unnecessary for me) “Paranoid”.  Although I sound like I’m being critical, I’m just nit-picking because that’s what self-absorbed bloggers are supposed to do.  In Reality, the Masters leveled The Bowl, and this was one of my favorite shows of the year. 

Post-Bowl.  One hour wait for our “favorite” stacked parking lot to clear out, but being entertained by the drunken, and even bloody shenanigans of fellow B.S. fans.  Late night.  Serious stop ‘n’ go traffic.  Midnight burritos.  Black Market Aftermath Pale Ale.  No expensive official merch to gloat about, but no expensive bootleg merch to regret either.

Sunday morning, the party’s over.  Well, for our guests at least.  They all had long drives ahead of them.  For Camille & I the party was continuing full swing.  We hit the first-ever Brewfest OfThe Foothills hosted in the parking lot of Congregation Ale House in Pasadena.  Admittedly, I’ve previously sworn off patronage of this location… great taps, best burgers ever, but service that never failed to piss me off… however, I made an exception for this fest, mostly because I wouldn’t be reliant on the house staff for anything, not to mention it was a great deal.  $25 for unlimited pours, including food, plus a portion of proceeds went to the Ronald McDonald House charity (although doesn’t McDonald’s have infinite billions more than Congregation Ale House… just sayin’).  What’s to complain about?  In this case, nothing!  We had a great time!  

We met our BFFs Linda and Jordy Mitchell.  Jordy is a willing accomplice when it comes to mass consumption of beer, and happily keeps pace with me.  The cream of the crop of SoCal breweries were in attendance.    And in many cases folks from the actual breweries were there to discuss what they were pouring.  Nothing bugs me more at a beer event than trying to nerd out about a beer with a Volunteer who has no idea what they have on tap.  Thankfully I got my nerd on, especially during an extended conversation with Los Angeles Ale Works brewmaster Kris "Kip" Barnes, an energetic and savvy guy who is enthusiastic about all things beer.  He also wrote "Beer Lover's Southern California", a solid guide book on breweries & beer bars worthy of patronage.

Standout new breweries (meaning new to me) were Pacific Plate Brewing, Los Angeles Ale Works, and Claremont Craft Ales. Local favorites who continued to prove how outstanding they were included Strand, Smog City, Noble, El Segundo, Bootleggers, and Beachwood.

A huge plus to this fest, as opposed to the last fest I attended a few weeks ago in DC, there was water everywhere!  I ate early, drank a tanker truck of water, asked for half-pours, and managed to make my way through 33 tasters in 3 hours.  And I wasn’t drunk when I left. 

Well done, Congregation!  Now, ditch the fake Catholic schoolgirls who know less than zero about beer and I’ll really be a fan….

It struck me a couple days later that the comedic timing of my Big Year was way off. 

Saturday 4/26 I saw Black Sabbath. 

Tuesday 4/29 I hit Beer #666.  

Think how much more impact Beer #666 would have had if I enjoyed it at the same time as Sabbath.  Instead I sipped it while watching the chick flick version of reality TV with my Wife.  Then again, perhaps this was Satan’s ultimate ruse…  sipping my Undead Party Crasher Imperial Stout to Tori Spelling instead of Ozzy.  Curse you, Dark Lord! 

Which serves as a painful reminder I also missed Dark Lord Day out at 3 Floyds Brewery, but that’s another story to complain about another day….

The tally continues:

Pre-Easter Saturday with the Wife’s family

• 596 - PORT BREWING SHARK ATTACK DOUBLE RED ALE – Great beer, one of the better reds out there, hoppy with some depth

Easter Sunday 4/20 tasting at Vendome, still can’t believe they were open:

• 597 - DAVE'S HOME BREW PALE ALE – bottle share, brewed by a Vendome regular, very tasty, malty & citrusy
• 598 - SURF BREWERY SHAKA MOSAIC SESSION IPA –2014 is the year of session IPAs, and this is a great one. Single hop. Delicious. Best output from Surf Brewery to date.
• 599 - BARRELHOUSE BREWING PALE RYDER – mellow goodness, slight mango, great Central Coast Cali brewer
• 600 - DESCHUTES BREWERY FRESH SQUEEZED IPA – Excellent, heavy hops
• 601 - WIENS BREWING TYPE 3 IPA – Malt heavy, and caramel heavy, interesting for an IPA
• 602 - BARRELHOUSE BREWING IPA – A deep, dank, herbal IPA
• 603 - SPEAKEASY VENDETTA IPA – Bitter aftertaste, but not in a good way
• 604 - WIENS BREWING BIG COG DIPA – Intense and skunky... And yes, today was 4/20!
• 605 - VALIANT BREWING COMPANY ALPHA DRIVE DIPA – I'm a huge fan of Valiant, but this one didn't sit well with me. Maybe the bottling?
• 606 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING HOP THERAPY DIPA - S'OK. Not great, but OK.
• 607 - STONE BREWING ENJOY BY 05.16.14 IPA – My favorite IPA series. Last round was Enjoy By 4.20.14.  Today was 4.20.14, so it's appropriate we sampled the next in the series.
• 608 - BOULEVARD BREWING GRAINSTORM BLACK RYE IPA – Heavy oaty, ryey happiness in a glass
• 609 - MIDNIGHT SUN BREWING XXX BLACK DOUBLE IPA – Malty, thick coat wrapped around hops.
• 610 - KNEE DEEP SIMTRA TRIPLE IPA – That just happened!
• 611 - GOLDEN ROAD BACK HOME GINGERBREAD STOUT – Growler share, courtesy of a fellow Vendome regular. Excellent, bready, yeasty, and not an awful novelty beer like I was expecting. Gingerbread is extremely subtle and not a gimmick. Highly recommended.

All enjoyed throughout the work week at home:

• 612 - CISCO BREWERS SANKATY LIGHT LAGER - Capped off the evening at home after the big Vendome 4-20 Easter IPA tasting. Cisco is a great brewery.  All of the simplest styles are given a spin to make them seem brand new.  Can't compliment them enough.
• 613 - SUDWERK BREWING MARZEN AMBER LAGER – Das ist goot, yah?
• 614 - BLACK MARKET BREWING RYE IPA - Rye not?  I love it.
• 615 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY MONK'S UNCLE TRIPEL – Split with the Mrs. and her sis Sarah, great Belgian style sipper
• 616 - DOGFISH HEAD CRAFT BREWERY INDIAN BROWN ALE – I’m finding more & more browns I actually like. Add this to the list.
• 617 - VICTORY DIRTWOLF DOUBLE IPA – Imperial goodness.  Shouldn’t Dirtwolf be a band name?
• 618 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY SPACE NEEDLE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 2012 VINTAGE IPA – Never figured out if this just a super old bottle or a new brew based on a 2012 recipe.  I think it was the former.  Not great.  IPAs are like Kathleen Turner, they don’t age well.
• 619 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY SPACE NEEDLE GOLDEN IPA – Delicious redemption for the failure of Beer #618.

Old friends visiting from out of town, drinking on a rainy Friday night, getting psyched for Sabbath tomorrow… Black Sabbath, that is:

• 620 - ALASKAN BREWING JALAPENO IMPERIAL IPA – The kick from the pepper is a subtle burn that finishes clean thanks to the hops.  Que bueno!
• 621 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY POST ALLEY PORTER – Pike has been batting around .800 on the year.  This puts ‘em up to .825
• 622 - JESTER KING BREWERY BLACK METAL FARMHOUSE IMPERIAL STOUT – Appropriate pre-Sabbath warm up.  Oh Jester King, why must thou brew in jest?
• 623 - OCEANSIDE ALE WORKS DUDE DOUBLE IPA – Jack thought the scruffy dude on the label looked like me, until he got to my house & realized it didn’t look like me at all.  Is the Dude a Lebowski nod?  I’m one of the few who doesn’t care for the movie, but this DIPA is worth investing the time
• 624 - BELCHING BEAVER PEANUT BUTTER FLAVORED MILK STOUT – I claim not to enjoy novelty beers, then I have one like this that I love.  I’m a goddamned hypocrite.  But at least I’m a goddamned hypocrite who got to drink this.
• 625 - BELCHING BEAVER HOP HIGHWAY IPA – Everyone does an IPA, but somehow this still stands out, even after drinking for a whole evening.

Sabbath Day:

• 626 – OMMEGANG GLIMMERGLASS SAISON – Great way to start the day.
• 627 - BELCHING BEAVER DAMMED DOUBLE IPA - Insert pun about this being dam good… get it?  Dam? Heh heh…. Well, actually it is.
• 628 - BLACK MARKET BREWING AFTERMATH PALE ALE – Refreshing post-Sabbath, midnite burrito accompaniment. Black Market does not disappoint.

Brewfest Of The Foothills tasters, followed by a saison chaser at home:

• 629 - BEACHWOOD BREWING HOP NINJA DOUBLE IPA - Beachwood is flawless. Their IPA roster is endless, and all are benchmarks of what IPAs should be.
• 630 - ALOSTA BREWING SPADRA IPA - ...eh.
• 631 - THE DUDES' BREWING COMPANY KOLSCHTAL EDDY - Beer Name Of The Month, and one of the better kolsches I've had in recent memory.
• 632 - STRAND BREWING BATCH 100 STOUT - Awesome, malty with a bite. Haircut 100? Thumbs down. Batch 100? Thumbs up.
• 633 - STRAND BREWING 24TH STREET PALE ALE - Had this for years on tap down in the South Bay area of LA. Old reliable.
• 634 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING COPA DE ORO BELGIAN GOLDEN - Most pleasant surprise of the Brewfest was finding these guys outta Monrovia. They take some classic styles and own them! Fresh, flavorful, it's about time someone shook up the beer scene.
• 635 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING DUNKELWEIZEN - See above. Great dunkel. Rich. Impressive.
• 636 - SMOG CITY BREWING MAKE OUT SESSION PALE ALE - Woo, that's got a hoppy bite, the beer that bites back!
• 637 - NOBLE ALE WORKS PART OF A BALANCED BREAKFAST OATMEAL STOUT - Love this one. Not to mention I love any excuse to claim that a "breakfast beer" is an acceptable option for starting the day.
• 638 - CLAREMONT CRAFT ALES JACARANDA RYE IPA - First time trying this brewery, they know what's up
• 639 - CLAREMONT CRAFT ALES DOUBLE DUDE DIPA - Double goes for what I said above
• 640 - CONGREGATION ALE HOUSE DARK OF THE COVENANT STRONG ALE - Not bad. Malty, mildly fruity.
• 641 - CONGREGATION ALE HOUSE IPA - Everyone on the planet brews an IPA, so yours needs to stand out. Didn't make a love connection with this one.
• 642 - MONKISH BREWING FEMINIST BELGIAN STYLE TRIPEL - Excellent golden brau
• 643 - MONKISH BREWING ROSA'S HIPS BELGIAN STYLE DUBBEL - Good one, but their Tripel wins, hands down
• 644 - GOLDEN ROAD 329 LAGER - I heart Golden Road, but I don't heart this. I know they're trying to appeal to everyday Bud drinkers with a light, easy-drinking lager, and I completely get it.  But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

• 645 - EL SEGUNDO BREWING BLUE HOUSE CITRA PALE ALE - El Segundo has been blowing it up for a few years now.  Consistent, and truly great.
• 646 - OHANA BREWING SURF SHACK SAISON - The best Ohana brew I've ever had. They had a reputation for constantly changing styles, and jumping from brew to brew without focusing on one to perfect it.  This one is damn good.  And I need to check out the tasting room they just opened in downtown Alhambra.
• 647 - NOBLE ALE WORKS GOSEBUSTERS - Nice pucker. Tart. Linda Mitchell says "sparkly". Jordy Mitchell says "effervescent".
• 648 - SMOG CITY BREWING GROUNDWORK COFFEE PORTER -Exactly what it says it is. A carbonated coffee depth charge.
• 649 - LOS ANGELES ALE WORKS GAMS-BART ROGGENBIER - Like a hefe, but brewed with rye. One of the most unique beers of the day. Really impressed by this brewer.
• 650 - OHANA BREWING ACORN AMBITION AMBER - A coffee amber. I've had acorn soup before. It was horrific. I'm glad this beer didn't follow in its footsteps. Delish!
• 651 - THE BRUERY TRIPEL TONNELLERIE - The Bruery has raised the bar ridiculously high. At least they make it easier for me to limbo.
• 652 - STONE BREWING SAISON - Straight forward, I'd make this the house saison, no problem
• 653 - WOLF CREEK BREWERY DOGTOWN DUNKELWEIZEN -.... eh.
• 654 - BEACHWOOD BREWING ALPHA GALACTIC WEST COAST PALE ALE - The alpha male of pale ales.
• 655 - EL SEGUNDO BREWING TWO 5 LEFT DOUBLE IPA - Hard to pick a favorite from El Segundo, but this might be it.
• 656 - BOOTLEGGER'S BREWERY KNUCKLE SANDWICH DOUBLE IPA - Great imperial IPA

• 657 - LOS ANGELES ALE WORKS DAMPFMASCHINE CALIFORNIA COMMON - A seemingly simple style, but a boatload of complexity goin' on here. All hail LAAW!
• 658 - GOLDEN ROAD 2020 IPA - New in the Golden Road IPA wheelhouse. Great one, as expected. This wasn't "officially" being poured at their table, but I won a game of "rock, paper, scissors" to get a sample.
• 659 - ALOSTA BREWING SALLY BLONDE -.... meh.
• 660 - BOOTLEGGER'S BREWERY GOLDEN CHAOS - I consider Golden Chaos the classic for this brewery.  Always good. Consistent. Dependable.
• 661 - WOLF CREEK BREWERY YELLOWSTONE PALE ALE -.... bleh.
• 662 - ALLAGASH BREWING SAISON - In spite of the massive Allagash tasting I attended recently, I still found one I haven't previously tried. Delicious farmhousey goodness.

Chillin’ at home Monday & Tuesday, hittin’ #666 three days too late.  Sorry Ozzy….

• 663 - LAGUNITAS NEW DOGTOWN PALE ALE - Lagunitas always comes through, Dawg!
• 664 - NIMBUS BREWING PALE ALE - Love this AZ brewery. Their yeast makes this taste like an oatmeal cookie.
• 665 - BOULEVARD BREWING DOUBLE-WIDE DOUBLE IPA - Not as strong as I remember. Old bottle? Single wide?
• 666 - CLOWN SHOES UNDEAD PARTY CRASHER IMPERIAL STOUT – Appropriately enough “holy water” is listed among the ingredients. Holy mackerel, what a stout!  One of my favorites in recent memory.

Beer #444-462 / Day #77-80: Zen And The Art Of Beering

"Treat a disaster as you would a triumph."
That's a quote The Wife sent to me today.
Very zen.
I thought about it for a few seconds, and realized... hey, I already do that!
Whether it's a disaster or a triumph, my reaction is the same... I drink good beer!
I'm a good Buddhist after all!
Except I drink alcohol and they don't.
Whatever.
I never looked good in orange anyway....

Many praises to Jon Emery for the video link above.

The tally continues:

Tuesday 3/18 - INFEST practice night

• GRAND TETON BREWING PURSUIT OF HOPPINESS IMPERIAL RED - Beer #444, good one, next to barrel-aged, I'm a sucker for anything imperial
• GOOSE ISLAND 312 URBAN PALE ALE - Beer #445, not to be confused with the 312 Urban Wheat Ale. Which one was Obama's favorite beer?  I've had corn whisky, and it blows.  This tastes like corn beer.  I need to hang out with Obama and turn him on to some good shit. Well, I am going to DC in 4 weeks.
• GROLSCH PREMIUM PILSENER - Beer #446, run of the mill, but not bad for a beer you can find everywhere; it gets the job done, and it's not as watery and bland as most American mass consumption beers.
• SUDWERK BREWING DOPPELBOCK ULTIMATOR - Beer #447, I remember going to this Davis, CA based brewery waaaay back in the mid-90s, when I really wasn't a beer person. Chris W. was just talking about this place, and out of the blue, I found this 12 ozer.  Yum!  Looks like a trip to NorCal is in order after all.

Wednesday 3/19:

• PIKE BREWING TANDEM DOUBLE ALE - Beer #448, I absolutely fell into a serious man-crush with the Pike IPA and Extra Stout; this one... eh.... not so much. As Mr. Loaf says, two outta three ain't bad.
• ANGEL CITY SPECIAL WINTER VANILLA PORTER 2013 - Beer #449, Love this brewery and 98% of what they do; this fell into the 2%. Blech. Bottle didn't hold up well.  I've had this on tap and enjoyed it.  This 2013 bottle was past its prime and tasted like novelty soda.
• THE LOST ABBEY INFERNO ALE - Beer #450, they cork it, so you know they're serious.
• LEFT COAST HOP JUICE DOUBLE IPA - Beer #451, good, but I've had it even better on draught.
• UNCOMMON BREWERS BALTIC PORTER - Beer #452, Heavy on the anise, which works perfectly with this style; I need to find out more about this Santa Cruz based outfit.  Both Uncommon brews I've had so far have been top notch. Not to mention both were in cans

Big Swell + Tina Yothers = Swell Yothers

Thursday 3/20:

• BOULEVARD BREWING THE SIXTH GLASS QUADRUPEL ALE - Beer #453, Yum.
• BOULEVARD BREWING TANK 7 FARMHOUSE ALE - Beer #454, Way yummier.
• MAUI BREWING BIG SWELL IPA - Beer #455, decent IPA, nondescript, but if I was on a beach in Hawaii I wouldn't turn this down.
• SIX RIVERS BREWERY MOONSTONE PORTER - Beer #456, worst porter I've had since Pismo Beach Brewing. Doesn't taste like a porter.  Tastes like a bad batch that could be pawned off to hipsters as a sour.  I don't like to hate on breweries, but I strongly dislike this beer.
• BOULEVARD BREWING BOURBON BARREL QUAD - Beer #457, Bourbon?  I'm listening.  Barrel?  I'm listening more attentively.  Brewed with cherries? Doesn't sound like the best idea, but turns out it's the best idea.  I love it. The Wife says she would drink this everyday.  Thanks to Eric King for the hook up.

Friday 3/21:

• EVIL TWIN HOP FLOOD AMBER ALE - Beer #458, sounds like the billionth IPA, but it's actually a hop bomb amber. Killer.
• FLYING DOG OLD SCRATCH AMBER LAGER - Beer #459,Good one.
• GOOSE ISLAND THE ILLINOIS IMPERIAL IPA - Beer #460, my favorite Goose Island output by far, and the high price reflects the quality. 
• FLYING DOG DOGGIE STYLE PALE ALE - Beer #461, Another good Flying Dog, Steadman or no.
• THE LOST ABBEY SAINT'S DEVOTION - Beer #462, mildly sour & floral Belgian style blonde-wit-golden; friggin' perfect

Beer #397-443 / Day 70-76: Quality Vs. Quantity

St. Patty's Day marks the arrival of the only fake holiday that makes both Hallmark and bar owners happy.  More importantly it's a beer drinking holiday, that ironically as a beer drinker, I avoid like a potato famine.  It is not a day based on quality, or the genuine love of the beer tasting experience. It's an exercise in excess.  But considering I'm well into my own quest based on hitting numbers, do I really have any right to criticize the patron saint of fratboys, groped women, and DUI checkpoints? 

It boils down to the equation of Quality Vs. Quantity.  I'm constantly straddling this fence, as even now I rest my laurels on having tasted 443 beers in 76 days.  And while I can confidently brag that this number is quite a feat for any human, there are two Big Year participants who have informed me they're well into the 500s... Randy Carncross, and Chris W.  Does my lower number mean that I'm enjoying what I'm tasting more than them?  Are they more savvy in their consumption? Or is it just a reflection of not dedicating every waking second in pursuit of this ridiculous quest?
The Monday Morning Quarterback in me assesses the following comparisons:

Randy Carncross

*Pro – Runs The Hangover Craft Beer Bar.  This man works in the beer industry, spends his day surrounded by beer, a constant rotation of taps and bottles, has distributors providing samples, and customers bringing in bottles to share... all day long. How could you not rack up crazy numbers in this environment? As far as I'm concerned, someone in his position can't be beat.

*Con – His beer bar is in Japan.  I’m not sure this is a disadvantage, but Randy claims it is every time I'm in touch with him.  He says Japan is extremely limited in the beer he can access.  In the same breath, he’s ahead of me by a good 100+ in his Big Year count.  And I constantly see him post pics of U.S. beer that I can’t even get in California unless someone smuggles it to me, or I bring it back myself during my travels... Surly, Three Floyds, Elysian, Sound Brewery, et al.  This Con is more of a con as far as I'm concerned.

Chris W

*Pro – Lifelong, hardcore drinker. While we were both still in our 20s, I remember this man drinking an entire case of beer in one sitting.  His tastes have changed, and he no longer indulges in cases of cheap swill, but his ability to put away mass quantities has not diminished.  Additionally, this man earns an astounding income and spares no expense in buying alcohol. I'm sure he has no shame walking in to a place with 50 taps and ordering samplers of all 50.  Plus he’s determined to beat me. While the competition is friendly, I know he has his mind set on being the winner at all costs, and proving my Big Year isn’t going to be Big enough.

*Con – Big time wine fan, who may eventually step off the beer wagon when he realizes how much he misses really great vino.

Myself

*Pro – The Big Year was my idea, so I’m driven to obliterate my tally from last year, and hopefully set a record tally for this year.  Additionally, I travel every couple months to different parts of the U.S., and have accessibility, albeit brief, to many regionally distributed beers I wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to taste. This will be an advantage later in the year, as it becomes increasingly more difficult to find non-duplicate, unique beers locally.

*Con – Finances & Time.  My money is really tight.  Fortunately, I have a lot of generous beer friends, and I’ve scouted out some affordable options for multiple tasters in one sitting.  And I have a full time job.  I don’t set my own hours, and can’t exactly take off to go tasting any day on a whim. On weekends, I incorporate beer into our family activities when possible, but I try to remain conscious of not derailing our other plans in favor of brew-related outings.  

My Wife gave me a hard time recently about finishing full pints or bottles, and not always going for tasters. She points to this as a reason why I'm not in the 500s, and I'm sure she's correct. But the whole point of this is spelled out in my rules, under "Mandate #3":
ENJOY what you are tasting. This friendly, rewardless competition means even less if you're not fully enjoying each taste. Focus on the journey, not the destination.

Quality Vs. Quantity?  I like to think both apply equally during the Big Year.

Cheers!

The tally continues....

Tuesday 3/11 - INFEST practice and then relaxin' at home:

• ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING BARNEY FLATS OATMEAL STOUT - Beer #397, Nice, easy drinking, uncomplicated, and $3.99 for a bomber? Cheap!
• GREAT DIVIDE BREWING COLETTE FARMHOUSE ALE - Beer #398, always loved this one, straight forward saison style.
• FLYING DOG BREWERY DOUBLE DOG DOUBLE IPA - Beer #399, more powerful than expected, flavor-wise and buzz-wise, good thing I was already home.

Wednesday 3/12 - Home

• AVERY / RUSSIAN RIVER COLLABORATION NOT LITIGATION (BATCH #7) - Beer #400, been wanting to try this collab for a few years, good but not astounding
• EVIL TWIN BREWING YIN IMPERIAL TAIJI STOUT - Beer #401, a thing of beauty, that's what I'm talking about when I say I love stouts.
• FLYING DOG BREWERY PEARL NECKLACE OYSTER STOUT - Beer #402, OK, not stellar, not bad.

Thursday 3/13 - Home

• WEIHENSTEPHANER VITUS WEIZENBOCK - Beer #403, Whoa!  Ist der bad ass!  So fuggin' tasty, so much better than expected.
• BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE GULDEN DRAAK ALE - Beer #404, had this before & really liked it; this bottle tasted musty and green, like a "corked" (spoiled) bottle of wine.
• PIKE BREWING COMPANY EXTRA STOUT - Beer #405, This is what loving a stout is all about.  I have a crush on this brewery now.

Friday 3/14 - Evening at home with the family; pizza and beer:

• CLOWN SHOES GALACTICA IMPERIAL IPA - Beer #406, Yum!
• WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISSBIER DUNKEL - Beer #407, Delish!
• JOSEPH JAMES BREWING  J.J. PRO AM 2013 FOREIGN EXPORT STOUT - Beer #408, Darn good, love this brewery outside of Vegas, didn't even know about it til this year.

Saturday 3/15 - Four at home with The Wife and The Beckers, then wrapping up the evening sampling at the awesome Newhall Refinery:

• RUHSTALLER CALIFORNIA TRIPEL - Beer #409, nice, at least there's one good thing in Sacramento.
• BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE BORNEM TRIPLE - Beer #410, OK
• MORLAND OLD SPECKLED HEN - Beer #411, eh...
• OMMEGANG GAME OF THRONES TAKE THE BLACK STOUT - Beer #412, Very, very impressive, complex but not super heavy

• STONE BREWING GO TO IPA - Beer #413, I love the idea of session IPAs because I don't always want to get blasted, especially if I'm starting early
• CISMONTANE BREWING THE MESA - Beer #414, Beer and Wine collab, much better on tap than I remember it from the lackluster bottle I bought last year; This keg was likely fresher, and they got the blend dialed in better this year.
• SMOG CITY BREWING AMARILLA GORILLA IPA - Beer #415, a SoCal favorite; I have yet to visit their brewery, but it's on the list... soon!
• THE BRUERY SAISON DE LENTE - Beer #416, Bruery can't brew anything bad
• SAINT ARCHER BREWING PALE ALE - Beer #417, s'OK.
• AVERY BREWING COMPANY MAHARAJA IMPERIAL IPA - Beer #418, Much better on tap at Newhall Refinery than I remember from the Boneyard in Studio City last year.
• ALESMITH BREWING OLD ALE - Beer #419, smooth, ye olde toothsome ale
  
• PORT BREWING SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER - Beer #420, OK, I love Port Brewing, but this one is my least favorite.
• FIRESTONE WALKER BREWING COMPANY PRIVATE LABEL BROWN - Beer #421, See above, I'm a huge fan of Firestone, they're nearly infallible, this is good but not great.
• GREENE KING WEXFORD IRISH CREAM ALE - Beer #422, Meh!

Sunday 3/16 - Tasting at Vendome, then chillin' at home: 

• ALLAGASH WHITE - Beer #423, reliable
• ALLAGASH TRIPEL RESERVE - BATCH 204 - Beer #424, very good
• ALLAGASH FLUXUS 2012 - BREWED WITH GREEN & PINK PEPPERCORNS - Beer #425, Wow!
• ALLAGASH CONFLUENCE 2013 - Beer #426, clean like a Saltine... no kidding!  Taste it and I dare you not to compare it to a cracker.
• ALLAGASH INTERLUDE 2013 - Beer #427, limited yearly release, aged in red wine barrels, mildly acidic and tannic
• ALLAGASH TIARNA ALE AGED IN OAK BARRELS - Beer #428, I approve.
• ALLAGASH FOUR ALE - Beer #429, shit, that's a winner, soooo good, not heavy at all, but so much happening in that glass you won't know where to start or where to finish, so keep going.
• ALLAGASH DUBBEL RESERVE BATCH 107 - Beer #430, Mmm hmmm.
• ALLAGASH FLUXUS 2013 - BREWED WITH BLOOD ORANGE- Beer #431, smooth, with a bready, yeasty aftertaste like cookie dough
• ALLAGASH ODYSSEY 2014 - AGED IN OAK BARRELS- Beer # 432, aged in oak barrels, similar to Four Ale... in other words, I'd drink this any day, any time, as much as possible

• SCHOFFERHOFER GRAPEFRUIT HEFEWEIZEN - Beer #433, sounds like the world's most horrific idea, but I brought home some lengua tacos with very spicy hot sauce.... I thought about the fruity and sweet Jarritos sodas at all of the taco joints around LA, and sure enough this was the perfect pairing.  I may have hated it on its own, but with these tacos, it's the best invention.
• ABITA BREWING PURPLE HAZE - Beer #434, I had this last year and hated it.  I had it this year and hated it.
• BARD'S ORIGINAL SORGHUM MALT BEER - Beer #435, gluten free, also free of everything I love about beer.
• AVERY BREWING COMPANY INDIA PALE ALE - Beer #436, good one, I heart Avery
• COLD SPRING BREWING JOHN HENRY 3 LICK SPIKER ALE AGED IN BOURBON OAK CHIPS - Beer #437, Minnesota brewery, sounds great, but surprisingly ordinary. 
 

Monday 3/17 - St. Patrick's Day, at Home, avoiding large crowds, frat brats, and projectile vomiting:

• UINTA BREWING DETOUR DOUBLE IPA - Beer #438, oh Baby, so much better than I remember from the 22 ouncer; this was a 12 ouncer, very fresh, crazy hoppiness, love it.
• JOSEPH JAMES BREWING AMERICAN LAGER - Beer #439, good one
• NECTAR ALES NECTAR IPA - Beer #440, excellent, deep, rich IPA
• RESIGNATION BREWERY / RED HOOK COLLABORATION KCCO BLACK LAGER - Beer #441, alright, not bad, but not memorable
• BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON BEER WORKS THE CASK DOPPELBOCK - Beer #442, I keep trying to write this off as a novelty brewery with the whole Poe theme, but this is the second beer I've tried from them in the past year, and the second one that has really impressed me, rich and complex.
• EVIL TWIN BREWING FALCO IPA - Beer #443, What a way to cap off the evening, one of the best IPAs in recent memory, there's a reason I'm in love with Evil Twin.

Beer #359-396 / Day 62-69: The Extreme Foodism Of An Outspokenly Anti-Foodie, Yet Secretly Foodie Non-Foodie

My sis-in-law, Lori Jonasson, sent me a link last month about pairing beer with Girl Scout cookies.  I try to avoid posing as a food expert, like the billions of wannabe Foodies out there (I spend enough time as a wannabe beer nerd), because I know my palate is far from perfect.  But the allure of something so silly was undeniable.  And by chance, I had ordered some Girl Scout cookies recently.  Plus I had a few of the noted beers in my stockpile.
For as much of a novelty as the article is, there is one pairing I found particularly appealing, and well played:  Tagalongs, a chocolate covered peanut butter mound, with Wells & Young Banana Bread Beer.  Sheer genius.  Fat Elvis would undoubtedly approve.
The article also recommended Trefoils, a very plain shortbready cookie, with a couple different stouts.  I had a few Trefoils with the Fifty Fifty B.A.R.T. and it was damn pleasing.  Then again a shortbread cookie is like a plain canvas.  Something slightly sweet with minimal character can pair with freakin' anything!  I had Trefoils with several other non-heavy beers, and it was equally as great.  I even tried one with the Evil Twin Hipster Ale, which just a well-rounded pale ale, and it paired well...
... All of which leads me to believe most food and alcohol pairings are a crock of shit.  Think about it.  Would you ever pair chocolate and ketchup?  Hell no!  That sounds disgusting.  But would you ever order a burger and a chocolate shake?  Aha!  Given the context, you can make most things work.  I'd have no problem making a BBQ sauce with a ketchup base, and adding a bit of chocolate to it.  Makes sense, along with other seemingly adverse ingredients like cinnamon, molasses, or sugar.

Take my earlier post about my revelation of spicy food and IPAs.  How many spicy food joints (think Asian or Indian) offer IPAs on their menus?  Not a whole hell of a lot.  They all offer super bland Asian lagers, that are fun to drink only because you get to read a weird label and get to brag about drinking this oddball beer.  I ordered a super hoppy Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA with my super spicy bowl of ramen, and it was a match made in heaven.  The hop bomb cut through the heat of the dish, but the heat of the dish didn't nullify the hops.  The oddball combo happened to be the best one yet.
I continued my quest for a multitude of unique brews this past week, and even improvised cooking with beer  in a semi-inebriated state, and everything came out delicious. My Wife will confirm.  No cookbooks:  just intuition, and a desire to attempt something new.
Piggybacking on the idea of pairing IPA with spicy food, I made a ghost pepper salsa with dehydrated peppers courtesy of my pal Marvelous Marvin Harris.  Some grape tomatoes, minced garlic, cilantro, cumin, coriander, salt, and ghost peppers, with a couple pulses in a food processor.  Done.  At the same time I opened a Pike Brewing IPA, a beer I didn't get to enjoy in Seattle last weekend, but strangely enough, stumbled across at Total Wine & More in Northridge this past week.  The ghost peppers weren't burn-your-face-off hot, I'm guessing because they were dehydrated, and hence, not super oily, as it's the chili oil that sticks with you.  Good flavor, and good match-up of brew & eats.
I've already claimed the Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout in my Big Year, and had an extra bottle, so I used a good amount of it to marinate a rack of ribs, with a dash of soy sauce and a hint of hot sauce for complexity.  50 min on the grill with some mesquite smoke, wrapped in foil for 20 min, and slathered with homemade BBQ sauce. Even tastier than expected.  The stout gave it an unexpected deep cocoa aftertaste which was different, but totally worked with the infused smoke and mild heat of the barbecue sauce.
The next evening, I dug out a few Hangar 24 bottles, leftover from my BDay Beer Party, and made Alt-Bier Ale Chicken Wings.  I usually use a stout for slow cooking chicken wings, but I went for a well-rounded ale, and they came out just as awesome.  Coat the wings with some salt, pepper, garlic power, and paprika, brown them in a pan with olive oil, then add to a baking dish with the beer, fresh minced garlic, and sriracha. Pop in in the oven at medium-low heat for 2 hours or more.  Done! And crazy delicious.
 You don't have to watch a million Food Network "challenge" shows, or follow any recipe to a T.  Just have a general understanding of what you enjoy, and throw it together.  It won't always work, but if you have half a brain, it will come out tasty more than half the time. 
As far as I'm concerned, Foodie Snobs can eat it.  So to speak.

The tally continues:

Monday 3/3 - Back home from Seattle:

• ABITA BREWING MARDI GRAS BOCK - Beer #359, not amazing
• EPIC BREWING BRAINLESS BELGIAN STYLE GOLDEN ALE - Beer #360, one of the very few unopened bottles from my BDay, courtesy of Matt Domino.  Good one!

Tuesday 3/4 - One of the only Tuesday nights that Infest didn't practice, otherwise my count would have been twice as much:

• BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE BORNEM DUBBEL - Beer #361, good
• BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE PRIVATEER BELGIAN ALE - Beer #362, super good
• FULLER, SMITH & TURNER 1845 ENGLISH STRONG ALE - Beer #363, pretty good

Wednesday 3/5 - Home again with the lovely Mrs.:

• BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE PIRAAT - Beer #364, a classic
  
• EINSTOK OLGERD ICELANDIC WHITE ALE - Beer #365, better than I remember
• BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE MONK'S CAFE FLEMISH SOUR ALE - Beer #366, not crazy sour, actually more sweet and sour, fun to sip, and would double as a great salad dressing

Thursday 3/6 - Home yet again... am I setting an new record?:

• ANDERSON VALLEY BOONT AMBER ALE - Beer #367, Holy Christ, I've been wrapped up in beer snobbery for so long I've neglected some truly great everyday beers like this one.  Seen this at every major grocery store since I can remember, but goddamn, what a great beer!  An amber with powerful hops.
• EVIL TWIN BREWING HIPSTER ALE - Beer #368, excellent pale ale, I'm nuts about Evil Twin, one of the only times I'll ever say I'm proud to be a hipster.

Friday 3/7 - Home again?  What am I, a loser?  Naw, just enjoying rare moments not being on-the-go.  Pizza and beer night:

• CISCO BREWERS THE GREY LADY - Beer #369, a top of the line witbier, so much more going on than your average wheat beer, spicy and complex, I've quickly become a fan of this brewery.
• SPEAKEASY SCARLETT RED RYE - Beer #370, I haven't been much a Speakeasy supporter until now.  This is a truly great beer.  Lots going on.  Not the cheap, knock-off label I wrote it off as, up until this moment.
• AVERY BREWING NEW WORLD PORTER - Beer #371, a limited porter from this standout label, although not my favorite effort from them.

Saturday 3/8 - All bets are off... tasting 16 new beers at Vendome (plus a few repeats), then drinkin' back home:

• INNSTADT BRAUEREI EXTRA SCHWARZE - Beer #372, schwarzbier with major anise, good and surprisingly light
• STILLWATER SENSORY SERIES V2 SMALL BLACK - Beer #373, a schwarzbier / saison mash-up, I'd expect nothing less adventurous from Stillwater
• NORTH COAST OLD NO. 38 STOUT - Beer #374, damn good, when it comes to North Coast, I always avoid this in favor of Old Rasputin. This is a solid beer.  An easy drinking stout with depth.  Sure as hell doesn't taste like 5.6%.
• ALMANAC BIERE DE CHOCOLAT - Beer #375, I love all things Almanac, but this was a bit heavy handed on the cocoa, even for a true groupie.
• BROUWERIJ HET ANKER LUCIFER - Beer #376, yeasty, unique, caramelly, nice but glad I had a taster instead of a full glass.
• BIERE DU BOUCANIER GOLDEN ALE - Beer #377, a buttery bale of hay in a glass
• EPIC BREWING ELDER BRETT SAISON BRET GOLDEN ALE - Beer #378, you can taste that wild yeast, a real heavyweight.
• UINTA CROOKED LINE TINDER RAUCHBIER - Beer #379, liquid campfire, where's the marshmallows?
• ALESMITH HORNY DEVIL - Beer #380, sugary, yeasty, friggin' delish!
• GREEN FLASH LE FREAK - Beer #381, Belgian Trippel / Imperial IPA hybrid.  Love it.
• VICTORY V12 - Beer #382, Whoa! Heavy like a barleywine, intense, slightly sweet, kinda hoppy. 
• TELEGRAPH RHINOCEROS - Beer #383, A barleywine style ale with rye malt, delicious and not cloying at all.
• UNIBROUE TERRIBLE - Beer #384, a classic
• SPEAKEASY SYNDICATE SERIES 01 VINTAGE ALE AGED IN BOURBON BARRELS - Beer #385, good gravy... just as toothsome as it sounds.
• BROUWERIJ DE MOLEN HEL & VEDOEMENIS ALE AGED IN BOURBON BARRELS - Beer #386, A five-star beer if there ever was one.  Not heavy, but incredibly complex, mildly sweet, barrelly goodness, mild cocoa and malt depth.  The label says "Enjoy within 25 years". Not a problem.
• RJ ROCKERS BREWING BELL RINGER - Beer #387, maybe the Vendome tasting spoiled me, but this beer was so unimpressive, most of it went down the sink. Sorry, I never do that, but it seemed fitting.
• UNCOMMON BREWERS SIAMESE TWIN ALE - Beer #388, exemplary brew from a mysterious Santa Cruz outfit.  I need to team up with South Bay local Chris W. and track these guys down.

 Sunday 3/9 - Perfect Sunday afternoon to sit outside, read, snack, grill, and drink:

• FLYING FISH BREWING EXIT 4 AMERICAN TRIPPEL - Beer #389, exceptionally good tripel style from this NJ brewer.  Haven't had a bad Flying Fish brew yet.
• PIKE BREWING IPA - Beer #390, strangely I was in Seattle the week before and never got to try a Pike Brewing beer, but back home this week, I found a few Pike bottles for the first time in SoCal. Good timing. Great beer.  Paired well with my ghost pepper salsa.
• BAYHAWK ALES ZAPPA BREWS NELSON IPA - Beer #391, I had this on tap last Dec and it was incredible; this time out of the bottle, not as staggering. A good one, but much MUCH better if there's a fresh keg around.
• CLOWN SHOES HOPPY FEET BLACK IPA - Beer #392, Consistently great brewer. This is no exception.  The Hoppy Feet 1.5 is even better, from what I recall.
• MENDOCINO BREWING IMPERIAL STOUT - Beer #393, Overall very good, would make a terrific everyday stout
• FLYING DOG GONZO IMPERIAL PORTER - Beer #394, the whole Ralph Steadman thing jumped the shark in the '80s as far as I'm concerned, but this beer and this brewer are consistently reliable

Monday 3/10 - Blogging tonight, at this very moment:

• CORONADO / CIGAR CITY COLLABORATION JURATA BALTIC PORTER - Beer #395, the first glass is great, the second glass is perfection.
• CISCO BREWERS WHALE'S TALE PALE ALE - Beer #396, Really unique pale, as the label says "fruity hops", hard to describe, but crazy good like all other Ciscos I've tried.