Beer #1901-2086 / Day #247-266: All the Brew Ha Ha About Beer #2,000

OC BREW HA HA
After attending the excellent Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival back in May, I’ve spent the summer looking forward to the 5th Annual OC Brew Ha Ha, set up by the same organizers.  As I revisited this now familiar rural park area in Silverado, I fantasized about what I would stumble across, aside from my own two feet, during four solid hours of beering.  Thanks to some discount Press/Blogger VIP tickets (yeah, that’s right… Baller right here at 40% off! Woot!) I gained access to the fest an hour before the majority of the unwashed, ready-to-party masses.  I was here to enjoy myself, but not to party so to speak.  I was on a mission. Focused. Most importantly I needed to be in the right frame of mind to drive home at the end of the day.  Nothing more humiliating or dangerous than a beer blogger with a DUI. 

Earlier in the day, I toyed with the idea of trying the dry active yeast trick that I lifted from an article about Sam Adams.  For those not following along, this well publicized Esquire article about brewery founder Jim Koch included the revelation that in order to drink all night and not be drunk, Koch consumed dry active yeast before each beering session, as the yeast would allegedly break down a good majority of the alcohol before it hits the bloodstream.  I tried it at the Sabroso fest as well as the LA Vegan Beer Fest, still unsure if it worked or if it’s a placebo.  Today I decided to approach it old school.  I would stick with plain old food and water to stay sober.  One of the best features of the fests organized by this team is the abundance of water provided throughout the event.  Anytime a water dispenser was in sight, I would chug as much as I could without holding up the line. 

Being the nerd that I am, I researched this event in advance… I plotted out which brewers to visit first in order to avoid long lines later (read: BOTTLE LOGIC), and I brought along a hard copy of my Big Year 2014 list so I could quickly reference which beers I’ve already tasted this year in order to maximize my new brew experience. In retrospect, I wasted too much time at the prior Sabroso fest noting all of my beers on my iPhone.  The phone was new & I wasn’t savvy to using it, and the iPhone just plain sucks when it comes to typing any sort of message, especially with my sausage fingers.  To remedy that, I’ve taken up a different method of note-taking in recent months:  Good ol' paper and pen.  On my trips I carry a pocket-sized notebook.  Today in The OC, I just carried around a blank sheet of paper and filled every inch of both sides with my list of beers and associated notes.  
Most of the 80+ breweries represented were somewhat local, from Southern California, and in spite of there being an ungodly number of beers I had already claimed this year, there was an equal amount that I still had not tried.  A few of the breweries brought out the big guns, with rare variants and limited barrel-aged treats.  Starting before the crack of Noon, thanks to VALIANT generously tilting their taps a few minutes prior to the official kick off, I hit the ground sipping.  Events like these are where I rack up laughable numbers of tasters. The samples are unlimited, the pours are roughly 1-3 oz.  Simple math.  Walking from tent to tent at a leisurely pace, it’s not difficult in the least to average 10, 15, 20 Tasters Per Hour.  Maybe that’s how I’ll clock my beerfest tasting speed from now on… I’ll measure it by “TPH”.

One of my highest priorities was to be one of the first to try the BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER IMPERIAL SAISON, a unique powerhouse of a brew. To make matters better, they offered not only the standard release version of this beer, but also tapped a keg of a barrel aged version.  I’m typically a sucker for anything barrel aged, but this was one of the rare occasions when the everyday release was superior.  Do I sound like a dork already?

My fears of not finding enough “new” beers for my year were quickly allayed.  One incredible sampler after another:  There was the BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING LAGERITHM DARK LAGER, proceeded by the mighty wallop of the IRON FIST BREWING ROOTS OF WRATH BELGIAN QUAD, followed by the 1-2 punch of the CISMONTANE BREWING BLACK'S DAWN WITH VANILLA AND MOLASSES.  Goddamn!  Today’s going to be awesome!  Even breweries that I didn’t have high hopes for delivered some superior goods, the perfect example being the TUSTIN BREWING OLD TOWN IPA ON CASK.  

After the first hour of beering, and a generous amount of watering, I realized I wasn’t tipsy in the least.  And I wanted to keep it that way.  SLATER’S 50/50 had a tent where they were serving their monstrous half beef/half pork burgers. They were selling them cut into quarters or in half.  I had no plans to slow down on my sampling so I ordered a whole burger, and consumed the entire thing.  I was determined to have a full stomach that could absorb all of those tasters. It was half the size of my head and enough to feed a family of 12, but I devoured it all and moved along for more pours.

There were some forgettable ones, and some that were just plain not worth it, but overall the quality of braus ranked good to excellent.  Some additional standouts included the BEACH CITY BREWERY RUSKI NOIR RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT WITH MADAGASCAR VANILLA BEANS, as well as the BRAVERY BREWING BOURBON BARREL AGED SMOKING GUN.  Best New Brewery discoveries for me were ARTIFEX and FOUR SONS. The most unique beers of the day were from NOBLE ALE WORKS with their CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH which tasted like, well, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and their SWEETISH FISH which tasted uncannily like Swedish Fish.  Are they trying to brew beers for kids?  I think they’re onto a new angle.

OK, who's going to be the first one to yell, "Freebird"?

The mid-day heat bore down mercilessly, and the crowd swelled, and yet the lines never got too painfully long. There were enough options to keep things moving for all of those in attendance.  Thankfully I only ran across one stupefyingly drunk buffoon, a 20-something douchebag who couldn’t have been more of a stereotypical college boy if he tried, stumbling up to the IRONFIRE booth next to me, demanding “Whichever one has the most alcohol!” and “Fill ‘er all the way up!” before stumbling back to his friends screaming “Woooo! Brew Ha Ha!”  I’m glad I wasn’t around to witness the inevitable projectile vomiting.

4pm came much quicker than expected, and after four solid hours of serious sipping, I had clocked in at an average tasting speed of 18 TPH.  73 new beers total, excluding a few accidental duplicate tasters. Best of all, I wasn’t tipsy thanks to a solid regimen of non-stop water and that massive burger.

I left the fest ready for more oddly enough, but I missed the family more than I needed even more beer.  I didn’t have anything else to prove today, so after a quick coffee stop I inched my way back up the 5 North after yet another successful trip behind The Orange Curtain.

THE PUSH FOR BEER #2,000

Two days after the OC Brew Ha Ha, I was brewing another beer with EAGLE ROCK BREWERY’s Brothers Bakofsky, respectively Lee and Andrew.  We were in Lee’s garage, where early in the summer we brewed the NONE MORE BLACK IMPERIAL OATMEAL STOUT.  This time we were brewing some type of dark malt liquor or schwarzbier… the process wasn’t going as planned, so we were prepared to alter what we were making on the spot in order to salvage this brew. In the process of chit-chatting about what’s new, I mentioned I was within seven beers of hitting Beer #2,000 for the year.  Like true bros, their immediate response was “Shit! We’ve gotta get you there tonight. What do we have?”  I was stunned by their excitement and determination to push me to the next milestone NOW!  I brought a few offerings, but most of it was supplied out of Lee’s secret stash. The best part is we ran the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous to attain this goal, from sharing a ghettoey 40 ouncer of CARTA BLANCA, which was unbelievably drinkable, to Lee’s own transcendent SESSION IPA THING HOMEBREW, to a BATCH 003 bottling of RUSSIAN RIVER’S delectable SUPPLICATION which was flat as a pancake (the cork slid out, with no resistance, and zero pop) but rewardingly tart and enjoyable. 

The topper was a 2008 GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY BRAND STOUT.  I even asked Lee, “Are you sure you want to open this now?”  He shrugged and muttered something about if we don’t drink it, it’s just going to sit around.  What a guy.  Another flat one, but so rich, oily, and viscous like Castrol motor oil. I relished it.  Couldn’t have asked for a better Beer #2,000.  To the Brothers Bakofsky, I owe a debt of gratitude for your support and perseverance.  Cheers!

PUMPKIN BEERS

It's not even October and I’m already over them.

THE BEER DIET

Yes, I’ve been drinking more beer than ever this year, and simultaneously losing weight.  The secret?  Well, I sure wish I could franchise some sort of crazy “Beer Diet” fad.  Maybe I will anyway.  But truthfully it’s just plain old diet and exercise.  No gimmicks.  In order to keep drinking ridiculous amounts of beer over a 365 day period without bloating like a puffer fish, I drastically improved my diet to include predominantly fruits, veggies, nuts, and fish, with some meat, and low carbs, cutting down on wheat & pasta.  Treats in moderation. No sodas.  I walk 2 miles every morning up and down fairly steep hills, do 50-60 push ups daily, and swim every other evening.  And 2,000+ beers into the year I’m averaging 10 lbs. lighter than last year.  Best of both worlds.  Proof positive, you can have your beer and drink it, too.

Time for a cold one.

MINOR TWEAKS TO MY BIG YEAR LIST

OK, time for mega geek talk (I won't be insulted if you tune out).  I use the Untappd app to keep track of my unique beers for the year.  When I look up an entry that I’ve already tasted, there’s a star next to the beer so I know I’ve already claimed it this year.  Untappd tracks keeps track of my beer totals in two categories:  “Check-ins” and “Distinct Beers”.  If I’m doing my job right, claiming only new beers for my overall list, no repeats, those two columns should be the exact same number.  Just recently the columns shifted.  My Distinct Beers total was three fewer than my Check-ins total, which means the dreaded D-word:  Duplicates!  It seems that entries for specific beers occasionally are either deleted because someone decided that beer doesn’t exist, or they’re merged with other listings when someone decides two beer listings are actually the same beer.  I was the victim of three Distinct Beer adjustments:

1.       BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER BARREL AGED IMPERIAL SAISON – This is the barrel aged version of the standard Imperial Saison, and the same vendor at the same table served both variants to me back-to-back at the OC Brew Ha Ha.  They were distinctly different in taste, not just in name  For some reason the “Barrel Aged” listing was removed, and merged with the Standard listing on Untappd.  WTF.  Untappd and I will just have to agree to disagree on this one.  Most illogical!

2.       HEINEKEN RIO DE JANEIRO CITY EDITION – I had this at the LAX Airport on my way to Dallas in July.  It used to have its own entry, but now has been deleted. Apparently this is the same as the standard HEINEKEN, just packaged differently.  After a little research, I will concede on that one.  So as not to throw off my accurate tally of everything I’ve tasted after that, I’ll drink some other cheap, forgettable, but unique beer before the end of the year and replace this one on my list.  Blame It On Rio!

3.       PIZZA PORT (CARLSBAD) SHARKBITE RED ALE vs. PIZZA PORT (OCEAN BEACH) SHARK BITE HOPPY RED – Each Pizza Port is known for brewing beers unique to their location.  I sampled these on 2/9 and 7/28 respectively.  When I searched for them on Untappd each had a different entry, and I didn’t think they were duplicates. Now they have been merged into the same Untappd entry.  My intent was not to be sneaky; I thought they were genuinely unique. Hell, I tasted them five months apart in two different locations. As with the Heineken, I’ll drink something else and replace one of these two entries in my list just to keep it legit.  Too Legit To Quit!

Heartwarming dog photo.  We're at Pacific Plate Brewing, so it's beer related.

The beering continues….

Thursday 9/4 – New release tasting at Vendome, and a few at home

1901 - SAINT ARCHER / GIRL SKATEBOARDS COLLABORATION PILSNER – Eh. I was standing next to a fella who was super excited about this. Some people are easy to please.

1902 - CISMONTANE BREWING TEMPORADA CHARDONNAY BARREL AGED SAISON – Whoa! I wasn’t expecting this. Strong barrel character, slightly sweet, woody caramel, doesn’t taste like a saison.

Heart warming barrel aged saison photo

1903 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN DEVIL'S KRIEK – Not bad, tart cherry brew.

1904 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN TAHOMA KRIEK – Blonde sour ale, tastes like a sparkling wine, OK but not really my thing.

1905 - SHIPYARD BREWING SMASHED PUMPKIN – I tend to disregard Shipyard overall, this is an impressive brew though. Nice heavy true pumpkin flavor, minus the nutmeg and spice overload of most pumpkin beers.

1906 - EPIC BREWING / DC BRAU COLLABORATION FERMENTATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION PUMPKIN PORTER – More complex than I was expecting, chocolate & pumpkin. Dessert is served.

1907 - MIDNIGHT SUN BREWING SOCKEYE RED IPA – Very disappointing.

1908 - MAD RIVER BREWING DOUBLE DREAD IMPERIAL IPA - Nice one, Mon.

1909 - SAM ADAMS NOBLE PILS - Why did I bother?

Friday 9/5 – Home

1910 - PITTSBURGH BREWING I.C. LIGHT – Didn’t have one in Pittsburgh so I had to find it at home.  After tasting it, I realized I didn’t necessarily “have to.”

1911 - BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE PIRAAT TRIPLE HOP – Good.

1912 - SKA BREWING BUSTER NUT BROWN ALE – Decent.

Saturday 9/6 – Absolutely crushing the OC Brew Ha Ha, and still having two more when I got home

1913 - VALIANT BREWING CRITERION BELGIAN AMBER WITH HONEY – Nice!

1914 - VALIANT BREWING FIELDS ABLAZE SAISON WITH LEMONGRASS & PEAR – Tart, lemony & refreshing.

1915 - VALIANT BREWING ALPHA OVERDRIVE QUADRUPLE IPA – 100+ IBU, well rounded, awesome.

1916 - BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER BARREL AGED IMPERIAL SAISON – Have I ever had anything like this?

1917 - BOTTLE LOGIC / IRON FIST COLLABORATION DR. STRANGEMATTER IMPERIAL SAISON – Wow, one of the few times when the non-barrel aged version is better. Sweet. Five Stars.

1918 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING CLOCKWEISSE WITH PEACH – Quite peachy but smooth and satisfying. Great brew.

1919 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING LAGERITHM DARK LAGER – Clean, really dig it.

1920 - IRON FIST BREWING ROOTS OF WRATH BELGIAN QUAD – Aged for a year before releasing. Deep molasses. So goddamn good. I need a bottle to impress friends with.

1921 - CISMONTANE BREWING BLACK'S DAWN WITH VANILLA AND MOLASSES – Smooth, sweet, desserty, wow!  Hardly any carbonation. Doesn’t need it to rule like it does.

1922 - CISMONTANE BREWING TINY RIPPER PALE ALE CON LIMON – So good. I need this as my everyday beer.

1923 - TUSTIN BREWING OLD TOWN IPA ON CASK – Killer, best Tustin beer I’ve had yet.

1924 - BEACHWOOD BREWING FOAM TOP CREAM ALE – OK.

1925 - PIZZA PORT THE NEW GUY WEST COAST PALE ALE – Awesome! Sessionable & hoppy.

1926 - GREEN FLASH BREWING GREEN BULLET TRIPLE IPA – Welcome to Skunktown.  Population: This.

1927 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY OKTOBERFEST – Marzen style lager, malty, roasty, very good.

1928 - GREEN FLASH BREWING EAST VILLAGE PILSNER – Decent basic pils.

1929 - FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING OKTOBERFEST – Eh.

1930 - FOUR SONS BREWING THE GREAT ONE DOUBLE IPA – Tasting their brews a day before their official grand opening in Huntington Beach.  Heavy citrus hoppiness, damn good.

1931 - 21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY BITTER AMERICAN – Any can with a chimp astronaut is automatically a favorite in my book.

1932 - GOOSE ISLAND RAMBLER IPA – Debuted a week ago, malty, crisp and crunchy.

1933 - HANGAR 24 OKTOBERFEST – Pretty darn good.

1934 - ARTIFEX BREWING NO NAME IPA – Wow, I’m liking this. Three hop varieties.  Straight outta San Clemente.

1935 - WICK'S BREWING BARD'S SONG BROWN ALE – Straight forward, nutty and malty, I like it a lot.

1936 - WICK'S BREWING BATTLE CRY IPA – Piney, hoppy, sending out a “Hell yeah” for Riverside.

1937 - CLOWN SHOES CHOCOLATE SOMBRERO – Chile chocolate, I’m in love.

1938 - LAGUNITAS BREWING FUSION 21 – Tastes like a malty pale, nice.

1939 - CORONADO BREWING ORANGE AVENUE WIT – Decent.

1940 - GREAT DIVIDE BREWING BERLINER WEISSE – Tart & tangy & tasty.

1941 - RITUAL BREWING FAT HOG BOULEVARDIER COCKTAIL BARREL AGED BARLEY WINE – Tastes like a Manhattan, even moreso and much better than that Rough Draft Manhattan Ale.

1942 - RITUAL BREWING FUNNER SESSION IPA – Lite, mildly hoppy as expected.

1943 - HEROES SIDEWINDER OATMEAL STOUT – Decent but not all that awesome overall. Slightly fruity aftertaste? Odd.

1944 - MISSION BREWERY CORTEZ GOLD BELGIAN STYLE BLONDE – Tastes like a nice hef.

1945 - DALE BROS BREWERY PACIFIC DAYLIGHT SUMMER BEER – Crisp light lager, decent.

1946 - INLAND EMPIRE BREWING COMPANY BROWN ALE – Eh.  I loved their Porter, but I can do without this one.

1947 - MONKISH BREWING HEM & HAW DARK SAISON WITH BRETT – Killer! No roasty flavor conflict with this farmhouse ale. Great!

1948 - DALE BROS BREWERY RED BETWEEN THE LINES – OK, slight hops, slight malt.

1949 - NINKASI BREWING TOTAL DOMINATION IPA – Good, standard IPA.

1950 - AUBURN ALEHOUSE HOP DONKEY – Hoppy copper ale, malt and brown sugar heavy, great one.

1951 - REFUGE BREWERY CITRA SAISON – hoppy , lemony saison, wheaty, good shiite outta Temecula.

1952 - REFUGE BREWERY BLOOD ORANGE WIT – You like orange juice?  You’ll like this.

1953 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY ACME CALIFORNIA IPA – Decent.

1954 - IRONFIRE BREWING PELE-KANE SESSION IPA – Crisp & piney, a solid 4 outta 5.

1955 - IRONFIRE BREWING DEAD ON ARRIVAL DOUBLE IPA – Great.

1956 - BLACK MARKET BREWING DECEPTION – Limey, tropical.

1957 - BRAVERY BREWING BOURBON BARREL AGED SMOKING GUN – Incredible woody and roasty rich porter.

1958 - CASCADE BREWING BLUEBERRY – Tart with a T!

1959 - CLOWN SHOES BLAECORN UNIDRAGON – Oh baby, everything I hoped for in a Clown Shoes stout.  Thank you!

1960 - I & I BREWING DRY STOUT – Roasty, toasty English style, more like a dark brown ale, but quite good.

1961 - I & I BREWING HONEY CREAM ALE – Bleh.

1962 - CISMONTANE BREWING MAREA ROJA FLEMMISH STYLE RED – Slightly tart, more yeasty than expected, but very good.

1963 - BOOTLEGGER’S BREWERY ROCCO RED – A bit hoppy, doughy, and overall good red ale.

1964 - TUSTIN BREWING AMERICAN PALE ALE – Crispy hops, tastes like an IPA.

1965 - NEWPORT BEACH BREWING PELICAN PALE ALE WITH CINAMMON AND ALLSPICE ON CASK – Good, tastes like a winter beer.

1966 - NEWPORT BEACH BREWING OSCILLATION – Sour like a Yoplait yogurt.

1967 - NOBLE ALE WORKS CINAMMON TOAST CRUNCH – Basically Naughty Sauce with cinnamon added, tastes like the name implies. My kid would love it.  A taster is fun, but I can’t imagine finishing a full glass.

1968 - NOBLE ALE WORKS SWEETISH FISH – Crazy fruity but not syrupy or overly sweet. And it does indeed taste like Swedish Fish, which was my favorite candy as a kid. It brings back a comforting sense memory.  Weird.  And tasty.

1969 - HOPARAZZI BREWING LE PRINCE DE PROVENCE – Bleh. Tastes like fancy tap water.

1970 - BACKSTREET BREWERY RYDIN' RUBY GRAPEFRUIT RYE IPA – Very good, and I’m not a grapefruit fan, so it’s thankfully not prominent overall.

1971 - BACKSTREET BREWERY BREW HA HA HEFEWEIZEN WITH FRESH MANGO AND HABANERO – I’m a sucker for a good chile beer, and this is a good chile beer.

1972 - TAP IT BREWING RIMFIRE RED – Crispy and distinct hops, Great!

1973 - OLD ORANGE BREWING SMUDGE POT RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT – Decent, but close to last place compared to the other stouts I’m tasting today.

1974 - FOUR SONS BREWING GOING (COCO) NUTS AMBER – Good.

1975 - BEACH CITY BREWERY RUSKI NOIR RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT WITH MADAGASCAR VANILLA BEANS – Delicious, killer, what a treat.

You know how SoCal loves their Smiths.

1976 - OGGI'S PIZZA AND BREWING BARREL AGED BLACK MAGIC STOUT – Creamy and roasty, very good.

1977 - LOST COAST BREWING DOUBLE IPA – Wow, now they actually make two beers I really like. It’s the dawning of a new brew era for Lost Coast.

1978 - MONKEY PAW BREWING SWEET GEORGIA BROWN – Smooth, nutty, roasty, tasty.

1979 - STADIUM BREWING CITRA TAKEOVER DIPA – A solid, rich and full-bodied imperial. Who is this brewery?

1980 - PHANTOM ALES FARMHAUS SAISON – Light and typical of what you’d want in a rural ale, well done.

1981 - EINSTOK OLGERD TOASTED PORTER – OK.

1982 - KARL STRAUSS BIG BARREL DOUBLE IPA – Better than other recent Karl Strauss tastings.  It’s a good one.

1983 - ARTIFEX BREWING BEACH HOUSE PALE WHEAT – Delicious simcoe & centennial hops.

1984 - BIG SKY BREWING SCAPE GOAT PALE ALE – Decent.

1985 - BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL ROUTE DES EPICES RYE BEER BREWED WITH PEPPERCORNS – heavy pepper, very spicy, like a winter beer. Almost tobaccoey. Super tasty.

Maggie Gearhart is rolling for joy over this one.

Sunday 9/7 – Tasters at Pacific Plate, a few at Melissa Gearhart’s, a few at home

1986 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING ENGLISH MILD – Really good, mellow and roasty.

1987 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING HORCHATA STOUT – Awesome, silky smooth and sweet, but full bodied. Has that milky vanilla rice horchata flavor but evenly balanced.

1988 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING WIDOWMAKER IPA – Excellent, piney and delicious, is this a single or a double?

1989 - PACIFIC PLATE BREWING 1ST ANNIVERSARY ALE – Sweet, like a cross between a Belgian style tripel and barley wine.

1990 - SHMALTZ BREWING HE'BREW MESSIAH NUT BROWN ALE – Tasty and nutty and dang good.

1991 - CENTRAL CITY BREWERS RED RACER IPA – Like Pine Sol.

1992 - WIDMER BROTHERS BARREL AGED BRRRBON '12 – Caramelly, highly alcoholic finish, sweet, perfect for sitting in a leather chair watching football.  Thanks for popping this open, Melissa Gearhart!

This are a few of my favorite Thing.

1993 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING SOUTHERN TRIANGLE IPA – Decent hop worship, at least it’s a hell of a lot better than that Weekday IPA of theirs.

Monday 9/8 – Brewing with the Brothers Bakofsky who insist on pushing me to #2,000

1994 - LEE BAKOFSKY HOMEBREW SESSION IPA THING (Highland Park, CA) – Fug yeah, I’d drink this everyday if I could.

1995 - ANCHOR BREWING COMPANY BIG LEAF MAPLE AUTUMN RED – Damn good, tastes like the name suggests, not to sweet, just right. Best Anchor brew in my opinion.

1996 - ODELL BREWING ST. LUPULIN – Citrusy and clean, probably even better when the bottle is fresh.

1997 - CERVECERIA CUAUHTEMOC MOCTEZUMA S.A. DE C.V. CARTA BLANCA – For what it is, not bad.

1998 - MARIN BREWING ALBION AMBER ALE – Bready and roasty, good one.

1999 - RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING SUPPLICATION (BATCH 003) – Tonite we’re gonna party like it’s Beer 1999. Lee Bakofsky offered this one. An early batch. The cork slid out, without a pop. No carbonation left.  Didn’t matter. It’s tart and delicious and as far as I can tell the flavors are still there.

2000 - GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY BRAND STOUT (2008) – The world’s most illustrious motor oil. Zero carbonation, but not necessary. It’s a wonderful oil slick if you can ever find it.  Thank you Lee Bakofsky for offering this to the cause.

Like Oscar and Felix.

Tuesday 9/9 – Home

2001 – RUBICON BREWING MONKEY KNIFE FIGHT PALE ALE – So-so.

2002 – AYINGER OKTOBER FEST-MARZEN – Das ist not goot, yah? Tastes like bland melted popsicles. Pretty crappy.

2003 – REDHOOK OUT OF YOUR GOURD PUMPKIN PORTER – Not a fan of Red Hook in general, but this is a rare one, evenly balanced, not over the top with the spices which is important for a pumpkin beer.

Wednesday 9/10 – Home

2004 – ZYWIEC PORTER – So much better than I was anticipating. Thick mouthfeel, roasty, bready chocolatey Polish porter.

Thursday 9/11 – New release tasting at Vendome, tasting at Angel City and Americano

2005 - TIMMERMAN'S PUMPKIN LAMBICUS

2006 - DOGFISH HEAD PUNKIN' ALE

2007 - ALASKAN BREWING PUMPKIN PORTER

2008 - SAM ADAMS FAT JACK DOUBLE PUMPKIN

2009 - CHRIS BANKER/STONE/INSURGENTE COLLABORATION XOCOVEZA MOCHA STOUT

2010 - THE LOST ABBEY ANGEL'S SHARE ALE

2011 - NEW BELGIUM BREWING TOUR DE FALL – On target with what I want in a straight forward pale ale.

2012 - UINTA BREWING PUNK'N – Good, although I’m already getting sick of pumpkin beers, and it’s not even Fall.

2013 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY ARTIE PALE ALE – OK.

2014 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY PILLOW TALK SCHWARZBIER – Unfiltered, cask conditioned with cocoa nibs and mint, like a liquefied Andes mint.

2015 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY BRANDY DARK RYE LAGER – Oh hell yeah, like a port wine or a sweet cocktail, delicious.

2016 - WIENS BREWING MILLENIUM FALCONER'S IPL – Solid.

 

Friday 9/12 – Hanging at home with Jack & Jackie

2017 - MIDNIGHT SUN BREWING PLEASURE TOWN IPA – Pretty good. Ron Burgundy would be proud.

2018 - MAUI BREWING LAHAINA TOWN BROWN – Mahalo for this one.

2019 - BAYHAWK ALES IMPERIAL BROWN ALE - Not what I was expecting, more like a sour.

2020 - LAGUNITAS BREWING LAGUNITAS SUCKS - Looks like a King Cobra bottle, but this is a superior brew.

2021 - VICTORY BREWING OLD HORIZONAL BARLEY WINE ALE - Made me sideways like Miles Raymond.

Where Robbie Hart got punched in the face for sticking his nose in other people's business.

Saturday 9/13 – More hangs with Jack & Jackie before Oddball Fest

2022 - GOOSE ISLAND SOFIE – Nice.  On tap at Basin 141, Montrose.

2023 - BALLAST POINT VICTORY AT SEA PORTER WITH COFFEE AND VANILLA - Heavy coffee, heavy vanilla, heavily enjoying this one.

Sunday 9/14 – Tony’s Darts Away and Vendome tastings followed by football at home

2024 – TAPS VIENNA COUNTRY LAGER - Smoother than your typical cheapie lager, clean with hints of wheat and slight vanilla.

2025 - SAINT ARCHER SCOTTISH EXPORT - Roasted maple, very nice, much better than most of their roster.

2026 – TAPS BIERE DE GARDE – Decent.

2027 - EEL RIVER BREWING  EMERALD TRIANGLE IPA - Pineappley tropical esters.

2028 - STONE BREWING ARBALEST - Billed as a Belgian IPA at Tony's, it tastes more like a sour. Amber/copper brew with a tart berry body... just like my woman. Yum.

2029 – PRIMATOR PREMIUM - Good but a little off, tastes like corn

2030 - VICTORY BREWING PRIMA PILS - Very wheat, delicious, like a wheat field in a glass, excellent.

2031 - WEIHENSTEPHANER FESTBIER - Lite popsicle water, not rad.

2032 – ERDINGER PIKANTUS - A dark & sweet malt bomb. Great!

2033 - AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER URBOCK - A solid block of burnt, charred wood.

2034 - SCHLOSS EGGENBERG SAMICHLAUS BIER - Once the strongest beer in the world at 14%, high alcohol lager that tastes like a barleywine, rich, sweet, ready for the cellar. Austrian.

2035 - SAMUEL SMITH ORGANIC PALE ALE - Basic English pale.

2036 - ALESMITH BREWING ANVIL ESB - Unexpected heavy fruit flavors.

2037 - EPIC BREWING SMOKED PORTER - Roasted dark fruit, very smoky on the nose

2038 - STONE BREWING IMPERIAL RUSSIAN STOUT (2007) - Holding up nicely, a little oxidized but still rich & chocolatey. Thanks to Todd at Vendome for sharing!

2039 - KULMBACHER EISBOCK - Finally my first eis beer. Roasty and rich.

2040 - LAGUNITAS BREWING IMPERIAL RED ALE - Excellent hoppy red.

2041 - VICTORY BREWING FESTBIER - Pretty darn good malty marzen.

Monday 9/15 – Football and fam

2042 - CALDERA BREWING LAWNMOWER LAGER – Basic.

2043 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING ERASER IPA - Decent.

2044 - MT. SHASTA BREWING SHASTAFARIAN PORTER - Didn't know anything about this brewery, wasn't expecting much, but I was wrong. This is great - chocolately sweet smooth mildly hoppy.

Tuesday 9/16 - Home

2045 – SVYTURYS BALTIJOS DARK RED - Lithuania? I'm impressed. Caramelly malty red. So good.

2046 - SMUTTYNOSE BOUNCY HOUSE IPA - Slightly malty with a mild hop tang. Grapefruity. Good sessionable IPA.

Also appropriate for Tofu Lovers

Wednesday 9/17 - Home

2047 – RINKUSKIAI LOBSTER LOVER'S BEER - Lithuania? Really? Malty and sweet, heavy caramel. Very good.

2048 - LOST COAST BREWING DOWNTOWN BROWN - Decent.

2049 - SHIPYARD BREWING PUMPKINHEAD ALE - Tastes like a spiced cider. Eh.

2050 - SAMUEL SMITH ORGANIC CHOCOLATE STOUT - Like Chocolate Quik, super dry, powdery cocoa finish.

Thursday 9/18 – New release tasting at Vendome and a few at home

2051 - BALLAST POINT HOMEWORK SERIES BATCH NO.3 ENGLISH STYLE IPA - Damn tasty, definitely an English style IPA, doesn’t taste like Cali style.

2052 - ALESMITH BREWING EVIL DEAD RED - This year's brutal installment of this killer imperial red. Rich, malty and sweet.

2053 - PRAIRIE ARTISAN ALES CHERRY FUNK - Its strength is in its subtlety. Light ale like a saison with mild tart cherry.

2054 - STONE BREWING HIBISCUSICITY - Orange peel and hibiscus, the nose is like a mildly musty wine cork, really different, finish is dry as hell, heavy citrus.

2055 - ANCHORAGE BREWING LOVE BUZZ - Saison aged in Pinot Noir barrels, the red wine barrel gives it a definitive funk, acidic on the palate, bite like a sour. Yum.

2056 - THE BRUERY / SMOG CITY COLLABORATION ATOMIC KANGARUE -  Belgian style golden ale brewed with white wine grapes, very winey, very much like a sparkling white wine.

2057 - DESCHUTES BREWERY BLACK BUTTE XXVI - Vanilla, cherry, cranberry, cocoa, molasses, heavy porter. Rich, decadent, can't believe it's only 12 bucks. A keeper.

2058 - EPIC BREWING SANTA CRUZ BROWN ALE - Heavy roast, heavy hops, I love this!

2059 - MARIN BREWING ST. BRENDAN'S IRISH STYLE RED ALE - Interesting, hoppy & malty upfront, kinda funky like green onions on the finish.  I like all of their other beers, but this one is a swing and a miss.

Friday 9/19 – Crab legs and movies with the family at home… I should have saved that Lobster Lover’s Beer from the other night

2060 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY SAISON HOUBLON - Nice and citrusy.

2061 - TENAYA CREEK BREWERY CALICO BROWN ALE - Malty and hoppy in just the right ways. I dig this brewery.

2062 - BREWERY OMMEGANG ADORATION - Heavy spiced beer, with all that cumin I could marinate some meat for tacos.

Saturday 9/20 – A few at home and a Bud Light at Aunt Mickey’s house

2063 - BREWERY OMMEGANG COOPERSTOWN ALE – Damn, I don’t remember the last time I had a blonde ale this good.

2064 - ANHEUSER-BUSCH BUD LIGHT – Um. Yeah….

2065 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING BROTHER DAVID'S DOUBLE ABBEY-STYLE ALE - Beauty!

2066 - FISH BREWING THE HOBBIT SMAUG STOUT - Surprisingly solid stout with subtle chile heat heavy dark malt roast, so glad it’s not just a crummy novelty “cash in” beer.

Sunday 9/21 – Football at Tony’s Darts Away as well as at home, accompanied by the obligatory mid-day nap

2067 - LADYFACE ALEHOUSE HOP PROJECT LUPULUS RABBIT - Clean and crisp, slight hop skunkiness, dig it.

Payday for the boy.

2068 - SANTA CLARA VALLEY BREWING ELECTRIC TOWER IPA - Malty and good.

2069 - KINETIC BREWING AFTERBURNER DOUBLE IPA - Heavily piney DIPA, great.

2070 - OHANA BREWING RHINO'S REDEMPTION - Roasty and hoppy, not bad.

2071 - RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING ROW 2, HILL 56 - Solid piney and malty pale.

2072 - STONE BREWING OLD GUARDIAN BARLEY WINE 2013 - Fantastic! Complex and rich.

2073 - FISH BREWING THE HOBBIT GOLLUM PRECIOUS PILS - Expected an average novelty beer, got a very tasty pils with strong sweet malts and evenly balanced hops. Really good.

2074 - FISH BREWING THE HOBBIT BOLG BELGIAN STYLE TRIPEL - Delicious, floral, yeasty, hoppy, so much nicer than the freak on the label.

Monday 9/22 – Kicking off LA Beer Week with Eagle Rock Brewing’s awesome Battle Of The Bands

Eagle Rock Brewery's SHITFITS tearing you a new shitter.

2075 - STONE BREWING COFFEE MILK STOUT - Great way to cheer on these brewers’ bands.

Tuesday 9/23 – Starting at home, then deciding to indulge in LA Beer Week at El Prado and Sunset Beer Co.

2076 - RUSSIAN RIVER / SIERRA NEVADA COLLABORATION BRUX DOMESTICATED WILD ALE - A sad lesson is storing beer wrong, beware of Manager's Special, flat on flavor and carbonation, but I blame the store not the brewers.

2077 - BUFFALO BILL'S BREWERY AMERICA'S ORIGINAL PUMPKIN ALE - Decent, not overly spiced like most of these pumpkin beers, wouldn't go out of my way for it, but wouldn't avoid it either.

2078 - MAD RIVER BREWING BARLEYWINE ALE - Delicious fig jam and tobacco. Barley wines are the new sours, mark my words.

2079 - THE BRUERY SO HAPPENS IT'S TUESDAY WITH CHERRY AND VANILLA - @ El Prado, Echo Park. One of three variants released simultaneously this evening for LA Beer Week. Killer stout with a lighter mouthfeel, but rich flavor.

2080 - IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY CASEY JONES IMPERIAL IPA - @ El Prado. Super piney, kinda sweet, love it.

2081 - DESCHUTES BREWERY DOPPEL DINKEL BOCK – at Sunset Beer Co, we missed out on the So Happens It’s Tuesday with Coconut so this was the runner up. And one hell of a runner up. Super sweet, almost like barley wine, excellent.

2082 - ADELBERT'S BREWERY PHILOSOPHIZER – at Sunset Beer Co, damn good, floral, full bodied.

Wednesday 9/24 - Home

2083 - UINTA BREWING TRADER SESSION IPA - Grapefruity light hops, creamy malts, tight.

2084 - MAGIC HAT BREWING HEART OF DARKNESS STOUT - Silky and chocolatey, darn tasty.

2085 - NEBRASKA BREWING CARDINAL PALE ALE - Very well done coppery slightly hoppy pale, really like it.

2086 - BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY 471 SMALL BATCH IPA - Delicious caramelly hops, rich, sweet, a fab sipper.

Some people have too much fun during LA Beer Week.  How embarrassing.  I'd hate to be this guy.

Beer #1228-1311 / Day #177-186: Brew The Right Thing

Brooklyn. Spawning ground of Biggie Smalls, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and countless Spike Lee joints.  Known as a rough & tumble borough, especially to uninitiated outsiders.  2.5 million sweaty, pissed off people smashed into 71 square miles of brick and rusted steel.  Despite having plenty of “flava”, who knew Brooklyn could offer anything beer-wise, aside from flavorless 40 ozers? 

Infest was booked for two shows in Brooklyn, so we headed out early to get a taste of this town, landing at JFK on a Thursday evening.  Our plane sat on the tarmac for an hour, while the pilot informed us our gate “wasn’t ready”.  What?  The airport didn’t know we were coming?  We finally deplaned, only to wait an additional 15 minutes for our gate-checked guitars to show up, but only after continued prodding of flight staff.  I’ve always loved NY, but since we’ve landed why is everyone here a buffoon?

I knew I'd get some sweet action in NYC

Our fears were assuaged when we were met at the airport by our pals Dan Oestreich and Jack Barfield. Dan is The Man who arranged this whole weekend, and the only reason Infest is in NYC 25 years after an original aborted attempt.  Jack is a friend who traveled from Austin just to hang out & soak up the spectacle that our weekends tend to be.

Thursday night, no obligations, so we drop off bags at our Airbnb room and head over to THE ANCHORED INN, a funky pub adorned with floor to ceiling black velvet paintings depicting everything from a cockeyed wizard to an ancient warrior riding a sleigh pulled by polar bears. Behind the bar is one of the co-owners, Bill Dozer, one of the nicest and hardest working scenesters you could hope to meet.  He runs the kitchen and bar here, as well as sound next door at the adjoining Acheron club.  It’s midnight, but the kitchen stays open long enough to whip up some excellent burgers, and I’m off to the races sampling some Brooklyn brews courtesy of Sixpoint Brewing, with the Sweet Action being particularly good.  Bill points out this beer is one that all of his patrons identify as something different.  Some say Pale Ale, I guessed it was a mild Barleywine, Untappd says it’s a Cream Ale.  Whatever it is, it’s freakin’ tasty.

Naw, take your time, Pops

Friday I’m up early and exploring the neighborhood.  Bedford-Stuyvesant.  Bed-Stuy.  I’d always envisioned this as one of the grittier neighborhoods, but like most “bad” areas, the hipster presence has resulted in a plethora of “artisan” establishments.  And as much as I like to make fun of hipsters, I have no issues reaping the benefits of the new landscape they are creating. Like the Bedford Hill Coffee Bar; not only do they serve great coffee, they have four local taps!  Unfortunately, every morning I went to Bedford Hill, it was much too early to imbibe in the brews.

This afternoon the gang piled into Dan O’s van and headed to a staple of Brooklyn pizza lore, DiFara’s. One of the irresolvable arguments of this borough is who has the best pie.  Many argue that it’s DiFara’s.  I don’t research these things, so I was just along for the ride. Best Pizza In NY? Sounds good.  However, one thing I didn’t know in advance was EVERY SINGLE pizza is made by one man, Mr. DiFara.  He’s the only one allowed to make the pizzas, so much so that legend has it he burned his hand and the whole operation closed its doors for several months until he recovered. Our first mistake was ordering 2 large pies, thinking we would save money on each getting slices. Turns out slices are the way to go. We waited. And waited. Everyone went across the street to the bagel joint to get something to eat while we were waiting for our pizzas. And we still waited. We had invested so much time already it was difficult to determine if we should cut our losses and go, or stick it out.  Two hours later our pies arrived.  They were delicious.  Then again it was 3pm and I hadn’t eaten anything, so at this point a week-old hot dog from 7-Eleven would have been delicious. The Best?  Well, you’ll just have to wait & judge for yourself.

No caption can make this photo funnier than it already is.

Next stop was Coney Island.  We were a week too early to see Joey Chestnut in the annual Hot Dog Eating Competition, but we were still able to grab a dog & a beer at Nathan’s. Their proprietary Coney Island Lager was surprisingly good, but the goodness was short lived as the NYPD left a bad taste in our mouths after pulling our friend Alex Sanchez aside. He had mace visibly attached his belt loop.  He has a permit for mace.  Unfortunately his permit was for Pennsylvania, and we were in NY.  Mace isn’t legal to carry in NY, so they cuffed him and took him to the local precinct.  We talked to a few undercover cops who were explaining the laws regarding mace.  They knew they were taking him in for something that wasn’t a big deal, and that made it even worse. One of the cops was trying to make us feel at ease, like he was “cool” and “just one of the boys” by talking very matter-of-factly, and making comments about women walking by, like “Whoa, lookit dat ass!”  They told us Sanchez would be out “in an hour or two”, which the locals tell me is typical, even if they hold you for a day or more.  Unfortunately, we had to let our incarcerated pal work it out solo because we had to get back to the venue for tonight’s show. 

Nathan's with Joey D., not Joey C.

Once again, we were at The Anchored Inn, geared up to play the adjoining ACHERON next door.  I was told this place was small, but that’s an understatement.  Luckily, these smaller shows are always my favorite.  The intimacy & interaction with the crowd is what makes it exciting, because aside from frontman Denunzio, the other three of us don’t “put on a show”. We stand there & hammer out these tunes, looking very much like the middle-aged Dads that we are. All of the opening bands were awesome, and I somehow found one tiny, vacant square of real estate in the back of the room where I was able to watch them. Magrudergrind are always a highlight for me, and tonight was no exception. These dudes are brothers-from-another-mother, and they absolutely killed it.

The sound was great, thanks to Bill Dozer, and all in attendance were simply there to have fun and go off. There was a hiccup or two in our set, but otherwise tonight’s show went smoothly.  To my surprise, a few days later the Village Voice even ran a complimentary piece on the show. The bands wrapped it up before midnight, and The Anchored Inn stayed open til 4am, so needless to say it was a fine evening of tipsy tomfoolery, including some selections I can’t find out West, like Geary’s Summer Ale and Founder’s Dry Hopped Pale Ale.

Saturday I awoke with a mission.  Today was going to be Beer Day.  Actually, yesterday was supposed to be Beer Day, but with a huge group of folks who all want to do something different, it’s difficult to accomplish anything.  Driving across town and waiting two hours for pizza didn’t help either.  But today there would be no distractions.  I would meet up with a couple friends who were beer savvy, and we’d hit the best local spots without unnecessary detours. 

I kicked off the day at a Bed-Stuy pizzeria called SPEEDY ROMEO. Awesome wood-fired foods. I went for the baked eggs which came in a cast iron pan with arugula on the side;  one of my favorite breakfasts in recent memory. Additionally, my waitress was cool with pouring me some half-pints, even though they didn’t officially serve beer samplers, so I checked out some great local taps from SingleCut Beersmiths, the Billy 18-Watt IPA and Kim Hibiscus Sour. My pal R.J. Ober, guitarist of Magrudergrind and regional rep for Victory Brewing, was kind enough to meet up & guide me for the afternoon.

Torst. Not exactly warm & fuzzy.

We took the G Train (aka the “Ghost Train”, nicknamed for its reputation of not showing up) out to TORST, a fancy schmancy beer bar run by Evil Twin Brewing. This was at the very top of my list to visit, being a huge fan of all things Evil Twin. The environment is very antiseptic. I’m not sure if you’d call it post-modern or metrosexual or just plain uncomfortable, but it was pristine and clean enough for Felix Ungar.  All beers are served in stemmed wine glasses, which frankly is kind of embarrassing... it's kind of like riding a moped:  It's really fun until someone sees you doing it. One unique thing about this spot is their Flux Capacitor, which keeps each tap at the perfect serving temperature for each beer. And it was!  Nothing was too cold, it was all just the right temp to enjoy what each style had to offer.  We were joined by my new pal Bill Dozer and his wife, and co-owner of The Anchored Inn, Carmen Mello.  This couple also knows a ton about the local beer scene, so I was in perfect sippin’ company with these three.  Despite the less-than-warm nature of the room, Torst offered a cavalcade of beer nerd fodder, including many East Coast brewers I never see… Maine Beer Co., Carton, Other Half, Westbrook. In retrospect, it was ironic that Evil Twin is one of my favorites, as I didn’t try a single Evil Twin brew while I was there. We shared the De Dolle Oerbier which defies categorization, and I was nearly moved to tears by the perfection of the Haandbryggeriet Dark Force Russian Imperial Stout. Biggest surprise was the Westbrook Mexican Cake Imperial Stout aged on cacao nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and habaneros.. Complex & rich, it tasted like Christmas in Santa Fe.  But this was summer in NY, and we had to keep moving…

Subway selfie.

Another quick subway ride and we were suddenly in Manhattan’s East Village, taking stairs below street level to an unassuming pub, JIMMY'S NO. 43.  The whole subterranean atmosphere reminded me of Cheers, and this is clearly a local’s hangout, not geared towards the tourist crowd whatsoever. Their taps are predominantly East Coast, and all obscure, at least for me. Barrier Brewing, Peekskill Brewery, Radiant Pig, Oxbow from Maine, Off Color from Chicago.  This place is the shiznit.  Between the four of us, we sampled nearly everything on the list.  My favorites were the offerings from Barrier, who apparently doesn’t tend to brew the same thing twice. My picks of the list would be the Barrier Bulkhead Red IPA and the Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale.  Great brews, but the kitchen wasn’t open & we were famished, now that it was going on 4pm. Time for a quick sandwich at Porchetta, one of the best slow roasted pork sandwiches on the planet, and then down the block to my newest mecca of all things sudsy:  PROLETARIAT.

This man knows a helluva lot more than you

They specialize in "Rare, New, and Unusual Beers."  Too bad I wasn't wearing tape on my glasses, because I felt like king of the nerds. This establishment is beyond words. Very small, very specialized, carrying only the best of the best.  Taps that I've never seen anywhere else. Breweries that I've never seen anywhere else. Everything was top notch, and the man manning the braus, Cory Bonfiglio, strikes me as the Dave Witte of NYC... one of those fellas who has been intently following good beer for way longer than 98% of the people involved in the beer scene now. This man knows his shit and is one of the best possible allies for navigating the "deep cuts" on their list.  Everything was a highlight, each pour better than the next... Hof Ten Dormaal Grappa Barrel Belgian Dark, Loverbeer Beerbrugna sour on tap, Glazen Toren Saison D'Erpe Mere Speciale Editie, Hill Farmstead / Brasserie de Blaugies collaboration La Vermontoise farmhouse ale... all sheer perfection.

It was early evening, and I needed to sober up in order to play our second show this evening, so we all headed back to Brooklyn, to this evening's venue THE WICK.

Welcome to The Wick.

This massive brick compound was, appropriately enough, the site of an old brewery.  In many of these cavernous rooms, I could still smell hints of musty, ancient fermentation... the greatest possible sense memory. The vibe was good, the turnout of 500+ was great, the opening bands were excellent, our set was OK... On a stage that big and that high, I always feel a bit of a disconnect from the crowd.  I couldn't even see past the second row of folks in front of the stage. The crowd seemed to enjoy it which is all that really matters. The best part of this evening was reconnecting with old friends from the NY area hardcore/punk/metal scene, some of whom I haven't seen since the '90s when I was playing with Spazz... Ralphy Boy & Matt from Disassociate, Javier from Born Against/Iabhorher/Kylesa, Keith from Rorschach, Rob & Andrew from Black Army Jacket, Eddie from Cattlepress... it really made my evening hanging out with these guys. I told them it felt like a high school reunion, except with people I actually wanted to see. Good vibes. The Wick kicked us all out, and we migrated down the block, some to a Troma Films show, and others to The Anchored Inn around the corner.  I ended up at the latter, and stayed up til the wee hours catching up with old friends, surprised that Keith Huckins was the only person on this entire trip to give me shit about wearing an LA Kings hat. Yo... Rangers lost. Deal with it.

 I love deez ol' palookas!

I think everyone had a good time except drummer Bob, who according to eye-witness accounts, wavered heavily after two rum & Cokes, and stumbled to the sidewalk unable to stand. Guitarist Matt Domino spotted what was happening, donned his Good Samaritan hat, and took Bob back to our room where the lanky legend purged what was ailing him.  The next morning we speculated if Bob was laid up after too much exhaustion (he had climbed the Statue Of Liberty earlier in the day, and then played a show that night), or if someone had drugged him, either accidentally or on purpose.  Bob isn't a heavy drinker, but then again, he can handle two drinks easily.

Naw, it's way classier 'n shit!

At least Bob woke up feeling well, and ready to pursue his Standard Operating Procedure of a day chock full o' Diet Coke and pinball. Me, I was ready to explore more Brooklyn brews. I started out the afternoon sampling a tasty Victory Wild Devil farmhouse style IPA, courtesy of RJ Ober, but now that my whistle was wet, I needed more. We had the entire day free on Sunday, but I was the only one motivated to find local beer. I knew if I stuck around, my afternoon would disappear quickly in a series of waiting around for other people to go eat, take a shit, get cigarettes, get something else to eat, etc. So, I put on my big boy pants and hit this borough solo. One of the local breweries that intrigued me was OTHER HALF BREWING, and according to Google Maps it was just a few blocks off the G Train. Even after two full days here, I had less than zero familiarity of what's where in Brooklyn, but I still headed to the train alone, assuming I'd make sense of it quickly. Within half an hour, I was meandering through an industrial section of the Red Hook neighborhood, looking for a brewery with no signage whatsoever.  Other Half is simply a nondescript room off the street, in a shabby, graffitied brick building. If it wasn't for the address on the website, I would have never known this place existed by simply walking by.  One small room, practically underneath the 278 expressway, raw and gritty, fully DIY, with cool '90s hip hop tunes in constant rotation, and eight high quality taps.  Anthony was behind the counter, soft spoken, and as chill as it gets. I tried all eight beers (actually, I had already sampled their Green Diamonds DIPA the day before at Torst), and loved them all.

OK, but where's the Other Half of this deer?

40 oz later, I was more than pleasantly buzzed, and trying to figure out how to meet up with my cohorts on the other side of town. They were all in the Greenpoint neighborhood watching Bob play pinball at a laundromat. I rode the subway up, met my peeps, had a few quick slices (2 minute wait, as opposed to 2 hours), and grabbed a last local pint at LAKE STREET BAR, the Bronx Brewery Bronx Pale Ale. All too soon we were headed back to JFK, with still so much untapped potential I was leaving behind in Brooklyn, but it would have to wait for my next beering adventure.  So many missed opportunities.  Or maybe it was just the Big Apple's final revenge on a cocky Cali boy walking around in a Kings hat.  Brooklyn's got the flava, Son!

The beering continues...

Thursday 6/26 - LAX to JFK in a day

1228 - WIDMER BROTHERS UPHEAVAL IPA - At Rock & Brews, LAX... is this the joint owned by Gene Simmons? Decent IPA, smooth finish, evenly balanced hops.

1229 - SIXPOINT BREWERY RIGHTEOUS RYE ALE - Mildy spicy & hoppy rye beer, on tap at Anchored Inn, Brooklyn

1230 - SIXPOINT BREWERY SWEET ACTION - Pale ale? Cream ale? Barley wine? Whatever it is, it's freakin' good.

1231 - BELL'S OBERON ALE -Wheat beer, fresh & refreshing

Friday 6/27 - Brooklyn: Part 1

1232 - CONEY ISLAND BREWING CONEY ISLAND LAGER - Tasty, malty, reddish-amber lager at Nathan's... I ordered two and my change was $9.11!

1233 - D.L. GEARY BREWING GEARY'S SUMMER ALE - Nice n' citrusy n' amber, not weak like most beers in the "summer" category.

1234 - 21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY BACK IN BLACK IPA - Not East Coast, but killer black IPA nonetheless, hoppy and chocolatey.

1235 - FOUNDERS BREWING DRY HOPPED PALE ALE - Welcome to hop town, love it, great Nouveau label art, too.

Saturday 6/28 - Brooklyn: Part 2

1236 - SINGLECUT BEERSMITHS BILLY 18 WATT IPA - Hoppy, light and crisp, like a session IPA.

1237 - SINGLECUT BEERSMITHS KIM HIBISCUS SOUR LAGRRR! - Tastes like it sounds.

1238 - CARTON BREWING MONKEY CHASED THE WEASEL - Great Berlinerweisse with mulberry, hint of tartness but not overly fruity.

1239 - OTHER HALF BREWING GREEN DIAMONDS IMPERIAL IPA - Excellent DIPA, apparently brewed by ex-Sixpoint'ers

1240 - BROUWERIJ DE DOLLE OERBIER - Slightly tart, peppery beer that defies most categories.

1241 - HAANDBRYGGERIET DARK FORCE - Wow! What a treat. Black, oily, and Norwegian... just like my women.

1242 - BROUWERIJ LIEFMANS GOUDENBAND OUD BRUIN - Killer!

1243 - WESTBROOK BREWING MEXICAN CAKE - Christmastime in Santa Fe.

1244 - BARRIER BREWING REMBRANDT PORTER - Nice & roasty, apparently the brewery doesn't often brew the same thing twice.

1245 - PEEKSKILL BREWERY SIMPLE SOUR - Very sessionable, like a sweet white wine.

1246 - BARRIER BREWING BULKHEAD RED - Excellent red IPA!

1247 - BARRIER BREWING MOLLY CODDLE - Total English style brown pub ale.

1248 - OFF COLOR BREWING SCURRY DARK TRADITIONAL ALE - Mellow, mildly yeasty, mildly roasty.

1249 - OXBOW BREWING FARMHOUSE PALE ALE - Great!

1250 - RADIANT PIG GANGSTER DUCK RED ALE - Slightly spicy, almost like a mild curry, with cookie dough yeast.

1251 - BROUWERIJ HOF TEN DORMAAL GRAPPA BARREL BELGIAN DARK - High alcohol, acidic & biting, but so goddamn good.

1252 - LOVERBEER BEERBRUGNA - Rare Italian beer on tap, a sour with plums, so smooth.

1253 - GLAZEN TOREN SAISON D'ERPE MERE SPECIALE EDITIE - Crazy good, but too tipsy to tell what I'm tasting.

1254 - JOLLY PUMPKIN / ANCHORAGE COLLABORATION BOREAL - A sour ale aged in oak with grapefruit & peppercorns. Sounds wacky, but it's crazy delicious.

1255 - HILL FARMSTEAD BREWERY / BRASSERIE DE BLAUGIES COLLABORATION LA VERMONTOISE - Hoppy, zesty, ridiculously good.

1256 - ADIRONDACK BEAVERTAIL BROWN - A sleeping bag made of malt that  I want to curl up in.

Sunday 6/29 – Brooklyn: Part 3

Yes, this is a brewery: Brooklyn style

1257 - VICTORY BREWING WILD DEVIL - A version of their Hop Devil with brettanomyces added. Way different. Doesn't taste like an IPA. Like a wild, tangy farmhouse ale. Sharp and funky. Great stuff.  Thanks RJ!

1258 - OTHER HALF BREWING MONTUEKA PALE ALE – Like corn cobs and wheat.

1259 - OTHER HALF BREWING HOP SHOWERS – Straight ahead IPA, citrusy & bright.

1260 - OTHER HALF BREWING OTHER HALF IPA – West Coast style w/ simcoe hops.

1261 - OTHER HALF BREWING DOUG CASCADIAN DARK IPA – Brewed last December, they sat on a couple kegs and ended up with a well-rounded beer, full mouthfeel, perfect blend of hops and deep roasty malts.

1262 - OTHER HALF BREWING HUP! HUP! HUP! – Belgian style farmhouse ale with a hint of hop tightness.

1263 - OTHER HALF BREWING GALAXY IPA – Clean, crisp, well done.

1264 - OTHER HALF BREWING WHEAT WINE – Like a lighter barley wine, sweet & wheaty, would be great in a winter cabin. Excellent, a real powerhouse.

1265 - THE BRONX BREWERY BRONX PALE ALE – Light amber, malt forward, full mouthfeel, tasty & perfect for hangin’ with mooks from The Bronx, yo.

Monday 6/30 - home

1266 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING SPRING HORNIN' - Love Anderson Valley, this is no exception.

1267 - EVIL TWIN FREUDIAN SLIP - Freakishly delicious. Full, well-rounded, sweet and decadent barleywine.

Tuesday 7/1 - home

1268 - SAN MIGUEL BREWERY RED HORSE BEER - My wife found this at the 99 Cent Store. Not as horrific as I was expecting. Like Bud, except the Philippines version.

1269 - DE STRUISE BROUWERS TSJEESES - Smells and tastes like liquefied walnuts.

Wednesday 7/2 – at the Hollywood Bowl, watching Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers

1270 - EVIL TWIN YANG – Killer imperial IPA.

1271 - SMUTTYNOSE SHOALS PALE ALE - Roasty grain and malt forward, fab on a summer's eve waiting for Steve Martin

1272 - BEACHWOOD BREWING STILL LIFE SMOKED STOUT - Rich milky and smoky stout, this is exactly what I need on a perfect summer nite @ the Bowl

1273 - CLOWN SHOES SWAGGER HOPPY RED LAGER - Still at the Bowl, so freakin good, crisp and hoppy red

Thursday 7/3 – Vendome new release tasting and a few at home

1274 - BELCHING BEAVER ME SO HONEY – A honey wheat ale that is not overly sweet, thankfully. The description says “wild flowers & cloves”, but I’m not getting any of that. Decent, and easy drinking.

1275 - NEW BELGIUM / 3 FLOYDS COLLABORATION GRATZER ALE – An oak smoked wheat ale which actually tastes a lot like an old ashtray, with a lingering Marlboro finish. 

1276 - DESCHUTES BREWERY NOT THE STOIC – Whoa! Rich and thick as molasses. Superior!

1277 - DOUBLE MOUNTAIN CLUSTER SINGLE HOP IPA – Skunky, buttery, and good.

1278 - BEACHWOOD/HERETIC/STONE COLLABORATION UNAPOLOGETIC IPA – Nice combo of citrus depth and hoppy bite.

1279 - BIG SKY BREWING SUMMER HONEY ALE – Not necessary.

1280 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING SUMMER SOLSTICE – Overly sweet & caramelly, almost headed towards barleywine territory.

1281 - ALE INDUSTRIES RYE'D PIPER – I’m a sucker for anything rye related. I don’t love this. It’s OK, but I’d never buy it again.

Friday 7/4 – The Fourth at home with friends

1282 - UINTA BREWING MONKSHINE – A standout Belgian style golden ale, easy drinking, this could easily be my everyday beer.

1283 – ALASKAN BREWING SUMMER ALE – Kolsch style, wheaty & mildly malty, can’t complain, this is a solid, accessible beer.

1284 - WARKA LAGER - Not nearly as bad as I was expecting, pretty decent generic Polish lager.

1285 - EPIC BREWING RIO'S ROMPIN' RYE BEER - Excellent, one of the best rye beers on the market, liquified rye bread with lemon.

"We are wild and crazy guys!"

Saturday 7/5 – Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa Beach mini beer tour

1286 - ABSOLUTION BREWING WANDERING POSSESSED COCONUT PORTER - Decent, one of the better ones, one of three I sort of liked. We had 10 samplers, one I forgot I had already tried at the SD Int'l Beer Fest. I really want to support independent brewers, especially locals. Absolution has a great facility & everything in place to be a contender, but their beers across the board are bland, watery, and lacking depth. I hope they get an experienced brewmaster in-house to turn this ship around.

1287 - ABSOLUTION BREWING HOLY COW MILK STOUT - Fair.

1288 - ABSOLUTION BREWING POSSESSED PORTER - Pretty good, like a lighter English style porter.

1289 - ABSOLUTION BREWING FALLEN ARCHANGEL IPA - Not a good IPA.

1290 - ABSOLUTION BREWING THE WICKED DOUBLE IPA - Fair, one of their "better" brews

1291 - ABSOLUTION BREWING LIL RED ANGEL SESSION RED IPA - No.

1292 - ABSOLUTION BREWING LIL ANGEL SESSION IPA - No.

1293 - ABSOLUTION BREWING CLOISTERED RED - No.

1294 - ABSOLUTION BREWING PENANCE PALE - No.

1295 - ALESMITH BREWING SPEEDWAY STOUT - Enjoyed it with brunch on Redondo Beach Pier.  I want to make love to this beer.

1296 - ABIGAILE BREWERY ILLUMINATI PILS - This place has out of place punk themed artwork, and the menu descriptions are straight out of the Guy Fieri School Of Douchebaggery, but their beer is superior and well worth the trip, especially considering I've rarely seen their brews on tap outside of the restaurant in Hermosa Beach. 

1297 - ABIGAILE BREWERY HOPS N RYE - Lighter mix of both, easy drinking, highly carbonated, burp inducing.

1298 - ABIGAILE BREWERY CACOPHONY IPA - Incredible hop bomb, slightly sweet, skunky and citrusy.

1299 - ABIGAILE BREWERY THE SYNERGIST BELGIAN DUBBEL - A dark and delicious Belgian style dubbel, malty and deeply rich.

1300 - KING HARBOR BREWING THE QUEST EL DORADO - Mellow, well-balanced pale with El Dorado hops.

1301 - KING HARBOR BREWING THE QUEST HALLERTAU BLANC - Really crispy grain-heavy finish, delish!

1302 - KING HARBOR BREWING CALIFORNIA SAISON - Funky farmhouse ale, with a hint of curry.

1303 - KING HARBOR BREWING ABEL BROWN - Roasty perfection.

1304 - KING HARBOR BREWING CASKABEL WITH CHIPOTLE ON CASK - Brown ale with chipotle added, on cask, really nice, I'm a sucker for chile beers these days, this is no exception, well rounded.

1305 - MONKISH BREWING ANOMALY – Dark, strong ale, perfection.

1306 - MONKISH BREWING SHAOLIN FIST – A spiced dubbel, would be better around the Holidays.

1307 - MONKISH BREWING SEME DELLA VITA – Belgian style tripel with pistachios & vanilla beans, sounds odd, but damn good.

1308 - MONKISH BREWING ST. SIMCOE – All simcoe hops in a citrusy pale.

1309 - MONKISH BREWING ST. LIBERTY – All liberty hops in a dry hopped pale.

1310 - MONKISH BREWING SAISON DE LILAH – Saison with lavender, sounds super frou-frou, but it’s tasty. No, really.

1311 - MONKISH BREWING POUR TOI – Pour moi? C’est bon! Well rounded pale ale.  Monkish knows what the hell they’re doing, it turns out.