Beer #2087-2131 / Day #267-274: Turning the Oaktown Frown Upside Down at Jingletown

I spent most of my life in the Bay Area, from the ages of 3 to 32.  I grew up in the South Bay… Sunnyvale, San Jose. As an adult I moved to “The City”, San Francisco proper, for 13 years before moving to LA in 2001.  While I was a resident of Northern California, I explored every nook and cranny of the greater Bay Area.  That is, except for Oakland.  OakTown, as the rappers of the 90s dubbed it, was always an enigma.  A very scary enigma.  For countless years, Oakland’s per capita murder rate lead the state, even doubling those of San Francisco and New York City.   While growing up in the suburbs, the most horrific stories of violent crime on the nightly news took place in Oakland.  It was always a place to avoid; never a destination.

Dan and Corin's welcoming committee.

Now at the age of 45, I find myself on a Southwest flight bound for OakTown.  I’ve been invited to take part in a documentary about Berkeley’s now-legendary all-ages punk venue 924 Gilman.  I’ve been actively involved in underground music for a good 30 years, so as a result I’ve been approached many times to answer questions for various books and documentaries.  And I always refuse.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I’m actually very receptive to the idea of documenting the sounds and history behind music I’m so passionate about, but what I’m not receptive to is people who bite off more than they can chew.  And when they eventually throw in the towel, they’ve completely wasted my time. Trying to assemble and make sense of the rambling and random input of 10 or 20 or 50 people would be a challenge to say to the least.  And most aspiring documentarians who approach me don’t tout resumes containing a body of similar work which convinces me they would be capable to tackling such a daunting task.  Not a single book or documentary I’ve been approached about has ever seen light of day.  Naturally, when a new proposal comes my way, I give a standard response of, “If this truly happens, I want to be one of the last people you interview,” which is code for “I think you’re wasting my time, and I know you’ll give up after you talk to the first 8 people.”   It’s basically a kinder, gentler way of refusing to participate.  So far I’ve been batting 1.000 in that decision.

Enter Corbett Redford -- writer, director, comedian, musician, and frontman for Bobby Joe Ebola &The Children MacNuggits (greatest band moniker of all time).  Aside from having a name that sounds like he belongs in the English theatre reciting classic prose, Corbett is gregarious, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and most importantly not full of shit.  He hit me up a few months ago about this Gilman documentary when he was in LA, but the timing was bad & we never connected.  It seemed legit at the time, but like other docs, I figured I still had time to see if this would really pan out.  Well, he put his money where his mouth is.  Or rather Green Day’s money.  Turns out Green Day is actually backing this monumental effort, out of a similar passion for a music venue and scene that spawned so much creativity & energy, themselves included.  Corbett contacted me again in August, and after 170+ interviews (!!!) they were close to wrapping up the first stage of this documentary, but they wanted to get my input, and were willing to front me some money for travel expenses.  Who could say “No”?  So, I didn’t.

My hosts and some very Good Hops indeed

Waiting at the curb at OAK was Dan Hashthrash and his wife Corin.  They were kind enough to offer to let me crash with them overnight, and when I mentioned beer, they suggested picking me up at the airport instead of having me take public transportation, that way we could head out immediately to start beering.  OK, twist my arm.  Dan doesn’t drink at all, but Corin loves the suds and apparently is often lacking in company to share her interest, so I was happy to oblige my new partner-in-crime.

Dan is an active member of the local hardcore scene, best known for his band Connoisseur, a weed-centric grindcore unit.  And he writes songs based on experience.  This man IS a true connoisseur of The Green.  He’s also one of the few people with a medical marijuana card who truly does need it for medicinal purposes.  One common bond we share outside of music is Dan and I have both been treated for cancer.  My prostate cancer treatment was a cakewalk in comparison to the regimen of poking, prodding, testing, and surgery this man still endures for his bouts with colon cancer.

The Hog beckons.

Our first stop was The Good Hop, part tap room, part bottle shop.   Seemed like a welcome joint to chill out for the evening, but by the time we arrived at 9:30pm, they were 30 minutes away from closing, so we picked up a few late night bottles, and moved along.  Cruising through the Northern part of the city it was clear the old Oakland was still here.  Still gritty as hell.  Dirty.  Shabby.  Desperate.  Unpredictably dangerous.  But peppered throughout the grit were random hipster venues.  A coffee shop here.  A record store there.  Artisan something-or-others adding small oases of hope between corner stores, rescue missions, and dimly lit, heavily barred residences.  Oakland is really trying hard to be that desirable up-and-coming city, but there’s still a hell of a lot of “up” that has yet to come.

Drinkin' buddies at last.

We cruised by my host's cozy apartment in the Temescal neighborhood, dropped off my backpack, and walked to the nearby Hog’s Apothecary, a promised land of housemade sausages and plentiful, predominantly NorCal taps.  With all of the geeky advance research I do on breweries, I continue to be surprised when I hit a new city; there’s always a wealth of untapped braus which were nowhere close to my radar.  The list at Hog’s was comprised of so many beers which were unknown to me, I expected most of them to be “good”.  What I got was “outstanding”.  CELLARMAKER BREWING out of San Francisco.  Holy Eff, this place knows their IPAs.  These were world class and worth killing for… OTTO'S BACKPACK, MO' GALAXY, ORIGINAL DANKSTER.  The sleepy beach community of Half Moon Bay has a brewery now?  They sure do, and the HALF MOON BAY BREWING CALF FIENE MILK STOUT WITH FAIR TRADE COFFEE is a silky dream in a snifter.  HENHOUSE BREWING BIG CHICKEN IMPERIAL IPA did not lay an egg.  MOYLAN'S BREWERY PORT BARREL STOUT worked me over like the burly Irish thug that it is.  Amazing service at the Hog's, all of whom were fully receptive to my quest to try their finest. 

He walks the walk.

Stuffed and pleased, we staggered back to the apartment to relax, chit chat, get meowed at by mouthy cats, and share the spoils of our raid upon the Good Hop, the highlight being NAUGHTY AUD IMPERIAL STOUT from Petaluma’s 101 NORTH BREWING, another new revelation.  2AM.  It would be a good idea to sleep since I’m supposed to sound articulate on camera tomorrow.

I slept like a soggy log, awaking at 10am.  The plan was to meet at Noon at Jingletown Studios in Oakland, a facility owned by Green Day, which also serves as the office and ground zero for the documentary crew.  Dan and Corin were kind enough to shuttle me around, and as fate would have it, Dan is involved in this doc as well, assisting with transfer of old and new video assets to required formats for editing.  After a quick bite at a hipster bagel-teria, and a third cup at artisan enclave Blue Bottle Coffee, we were on our way.  In a dumpy neighborhood bordering the freeway in West Oakland, behind a gated fence the compound awaited. 
The main offices in front of the building, where we met up with Corbett, were decked out from floor to ceiling in an over the top Polynesian theme, part Disneyland, part Vegas.  The centerpiece is a larger than life tiki with glowing red eyes, gleefully setting the mood.  We relocated to a cavernous studio in the back of the building, big enough to accommodate an orchestra but today set up only for me and a small crew of documentarians. Corbett specifically wanted to talk about my old punk band Stikky, part of the first wave of Gilman bands and a component of the goofy, geekcore scene that the club was initially associated with.  I sat in a black padded chair, comfy enough to make the two hour long interview breeze by in an instant. 
Frankly, I didn’t feel all that connected during the process.  We were talking about subjects so vast in depth that I often didn’t know where to start, nor how to zero in on the key aspects.  My moments of clarity were there, but few and far between.  The majority of the time I stumbled for focus and details.  When talking about my own band, even recollection of our own song titles didn’t flow naturally.

Welcome to Paradise.

Corbett asked me about other influential East Bay bands that I loved like Christ On Parade and Special Forces.  Despite being favorites of mine for the past 25-30 years, I drew a blank.  “Derp, yeah, they were great,” was about all I could muster.  I felt like I needed more coffee, although I’d already downed three high powered bombers.  My head just wasn’t in the game, plain and simple, so I struggled to do my best, convinced all relevant stories would flow freely after the fact.  The piercingly bright lights didn’t help, and I realized that the moment we stopped the interview.  Within moments of wrapping up, I was treated to a stabbing, relentless headache.  We went back to the front office to discuss finer points of the project and I silently commiserated over the screwdrivers thrusting into my temple.  I was flying home in 5 hours, and the original plan was to finish off the afternoon with a visit to my favorite feature of Oakland, Beer Revolution.  At the moment I didn’t want beer at all; I felt like crap.  Was I hung over from last night? Am I suddenly that much of an amateur?

Documentary action shot.

We said our goodbyes, and after cruising around a bit with Dan and Corin and ingesting some fresh air, my head cleared and I felt normal again.  The lights glaring in my face for hours must have been a major factor because now I was flighty as a spring chicken and ready to drink, sans headache.  Onward to the almighty BEER REVOLUTION, run by my pal Rebecca, and what a pal to have when you’re a beer nerd.  50 rotating taps, nearly all local, and a massive bottle selection.  Rebecca was there to give us a proper welcome, and checking IDs at the door was the legendary Orlando X, lead vocalist of Special Forces, one of my favorite East Bay hardcore bands of all time.  I hadn’t talked to him in decades and of course he didn’t recognize me.  I said “Hey, I was just talking about you for this documentary. I used to be in Stikky.”  And in his famously extreme manner, he yelled “Stikky!  Stikky!” and proceeded to man-handle me uncomfortably for several minutes.  I’ve always loved The OX.

OX attack.

Rebecca was as vibrant and generous as always. Proprietor and maven of all things beerish, this woman will put all dudes to shame with her thorough knowledge and beer savviness.  Beer Rev was hosting a tap takeover by DUST BOWL BREWING from Turlock, a turd of a town in California’s central valley, most likely known more for meth than hops.  As always, my low expectations were mercilessly crushed, this time by this mighty brewery I’ve never heard of.  Solid IPAs across the board but my favorites were the phenomenal BALTIC PORTER, SOUL CRUSHER BARLEY WINE, and BLACK BLIZZARD IMPERIAL STOUT.  Thanks to Rebecca we tried all 10 of their offerings, and plenty more.  She treated us to some tasty appetizers including the world’s most potent garlic fries, garlicky to the point that I had no fear of being accosted by vampires.  Or criminals.  Or friends.  Or my wife.

The Beer Goddess.

Rebecca hooked me up with an Uber car to the airport, and I bid my friends adieu, thoroughly hammered, three sheets to the wind and well on my way to the fourth.  The Oakland Airport was practically abandoned.  Then again who spends their Saturday night in an airport.  In my case it was someone who wanted to see his family again.  I could have stayed an extra evening and continued with the exploration, but my brief mission was accomplished and I just wanted to see my wife again and sleep in my own bed.

Countless thanks to Corbett for making this 24 hour adventure possible, to Dan and Corin for putting me up and putting up with me, and to Rebecca for her generosity.  Will this documentary come out?  It seems highly likely.  Will I end up on the cutting room floor?  Also a high likelihood considering the sheer volume of participants, and my inability to express a concise thought.  Either way it was a great experience hanging with some of Oakland’s Finest and drinking some of the Bay Area’s Best.

The beering continues...

Thurs 9/25 - Home

2087 – GIGANTIC IPL - A Portland rarity in SoCal, powerful citra hops, lovely.

2088 – SANTAN BREWING HEFEWEIZEN - Sweet citrus, solid.

2089 – CALDERA BREWING PILOT ROCK PORTER - Chocolatey and slightly roasty, really darn tasty.

Fri 9/26 – Starting at home before the flight, then an all nighter in Oakland.

2090 – SUDWERK BREWING CALIFORNIA DRY HOP LAGER - Good way to pre-game.

2091 – CELLARMAKER BREWING OTTO'S BACKPACK – Damn!

2092 – CELLARMAKER BREWING MO' GALAXY – Damn!!

2093 – CELLARMAKER BREWING ORIGINAL DANKSTER – Damn!!!

2094 – CELLARMAKER / MONKEY PAW COLLABORATION CELLAR MONKEY IPA WITH PASSIONFRUIT – Evenly balanced, not too hoppy, not too fruity, killer.

2095 – MOYLAN'S BREWERY PORT BARREL STOUT – Heavy, sweet port flavor, rich.

2096 – HALF MOON BAY BREWING CALF FIENE MILK STOUT WITH FAIR TRADE COFFEE – Silky, roasty, awesome.

2097 – IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY REPACK ABBEY STYLE DUBBEL WITH RYE – Not bad, though not as well rounded as expected.

2098 – ALE INDUSTRIES KEEP SAILING BOB SOUR DARK ALE – Cherry and anise, yum!

2099 – HENHOUSE BREWING BIG CHICKEN IMPERIAL IPA – Listed as an “extreme” IPA, I really like it but the Cellarmaker IPAs were way more over the top.

2100 – LOCAL OPTION MORNING WOOD OAK AGED COFFEE PORTER – Hoppy amber with mellow coffee overtones. I could get very used to this. Wow.

2101 – 101 NORTH BREWING NAUGHTY AUD IMPERIAL STOUT – Nice surprise, heavy molasses, thick yet still smooth, chocolaty malt, I love this more than expected.

2102 – BUTCHER'S BREWING SELECT RYE IPA – From Santee in SD County, so why haven’t I ever seen this in SoCal. Apricot & citrus, tasty, decent, just weird that I had to travel to Oakland to find it.

Finally, a solution to First World Problems.

Sat 9/27 – Beer Revolution, Oakland and Pyramid, Oakland Airport, then a few late night treats with the Mrs.

2103 – DUST BOWL BREWING HOPS OF WRATH IPA - Dust Bowl tap takeover at Beer Revolution.  Woooo!

2104 – DUST BOWL BREWING SON OF WRATH DIPA

2105 – DUST BOWL BREWING THE THERAPIST IMPERIAL IPA

2106 – DUST BOWL BREWING BALTIC PORTER

2107 – DUST BOWL BREWING SOUL CRUSHER BARLEY WINE

2108 – DUST BOWL BREWING BLACK BLIZZARD IMPERIAL STOUT 

2109 – DUST BOWL BREWING DUMP TRUCK OF THE GODS QUADRUPLE IPA

2110 – DUST BOWL BREWING GALAXY PALE ALE

2111 – GOOSE ISLAND THE MUDDY IMPERIAL STOUT WITH LICORICE

2112 – DUST BOWL BREWING OKTOBERFEST

2113 – DUST BOWL BREWING ENGLISH MILD

2114 – AUBURN ALEHOUSE PU-240 DIPA ON NITRO

2115 – AUBURN ALEHOUSE OLD TOWN BROWN

2116 – PYRAMID BREWERIES IPL - @ Pyramid, Oakland Airport

2117 – PYRAMID BREWERIES OUTBURST IMPERIAL IPA – Surprisingly very good.

2118 – PYRAMID BREWERIES ALEHOUSE AMBER ALE

2119 – PYRAMID BREWERIES OKTOBERFEST

2120 – ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING HUGE ARKER IMPERIAL STOUT BOURBON BARREL – @ Blind Donkey, Pasadena: Excellent barrel aged stout, but the smallest pour possible. Seriously, I’ve received sampler larger than this “pour”.

2121 – NEBRASKA BREWING IPA – What a treat! Great!

Sun 9/28 – Home

2122 – DEVIL’S CANYON BREWING CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE IPA – Alternately marketed as “RYE IPA”, nice rye build, bready, lingering hop finish.

2123 – ROCKMILL BREWERY SAISON NOIR – Kinda sour, licorice, raspberry, not awesome but OK.

Mon 9/29 - Home

2124 – LAO BREWERY BEERLAO –  A Dollar Store find from my wife. Don’t say Beer, say Beerlao!

2125 – ROCKMILL BREWERY TRIPEL – Sweet, yeasty, high carbonation, tasty yet slightly odd.

2126 – EVIL TWIN BREWING I LOVE YOU WITH MY STOUT – Rich boysenberry, high alcohol, leathery Cabernet, figgy greatness.

Tues 9/30 - Home

2127 - DORADA PREMIUM LAGER - Surprisingly decent, much better than most cheap American lagers. Best part is it's from Guatemala. The Wife found this at the Dollar Store.

2128 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING PINCHY JEEK BARL - OK, but I was expecting more out of something barrel aged. Malty pumpkin pie spice but that’s about it.

2129 - WINGWALKER AMBER ALE – The opposite of awesome.

Wed 10/1 - Home

2130 - DORADA PREMIUM LIGHT - Another decent Dollar Store find from the Mrs. Not great of course, but I'd drink this over any American light beer any day.

2131 - BUTTERNUT'S SNAPPERHEAD IPA - More malty than hoppy, almost a burnt finish, hmmm

Beer #463-534 / Day #81-94: Not Feeling Quite So San Frantastic

Spring Break 2014!
Beer bongs!
Wet T-shirt contests!
Foam parties!

Well, not in our household...
Our son is only 10, so Spring Break actually means our annual family trip.  No beer pong and body shots for us.  It's a time for family-friendly activities & venues.
This year we chose to spend the week in San Francisco and Monterey.  The Wife and I usually hit SF once or twice a year, and spend the majority of the time hitting cool bars and hipster restaurants. This was our first time with The Boy, so we had to rewire our thinking in how we approach the Bay Area. Although we wouldn't spend afternoons loitering at favorite haunts like The Alembic or Toronado, we would be taking in the activities we would never otherwise explore on our own... Cable Cars, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, The Exploratorium, Golden Gate Park.  And while we couldn't exactly barhop on this trip, thankfully our kid is pretty adaptable restaurant-wise... he doesn't have a tantrum if we go somewhere other than McDonald's.  Give the kid a root beer and some fried calamari, and he doesn't care where we are.  Additionally, my Mom and Stepdad met us for a few days as well.  My Stepdad is always a good drinkin' buddy.  The two of us were overjoyed to find out the California Academy Of Sciences carried beer in their commissary.

We had the best time indulging in touristy activity, with a few rest stops at beer-centric destinations. Something for everyone... but mostly me. We planned on a fun week exploring, eating, and drinking our way through The City.  While we wouldn't be loitering at brewpubs or bottle shops (no Mikkeller, no City Beer Store), I'd still find a way to seek out new brews while keeping within the guidelines of all-ages environments.

What I didn't count on was getting sick.

Day Four of our trip and I could barely stand.
Dizzy.  Body aches. Chills.  Fever.
What started out as a surprisingly beer-friendly vacation collapsed into days lying in bed, sleeping and drinking nothing but Vitamin Water.
I tapped out for several days without a beer.  After cruising through the year at a record pace, I was hopelessly derailed.  Whenever I'm sick, the last thing I want to do is drink.  And I spent the rest of the week fluctuating between feeling so-so and crummy.  My beering was minimized.

But there's nothing like an unexpected change in routine to alter your perspective.  This entire year I've been in a mad one-man dash to take advantage of every beer opportunity possible, driven by my love of the brau, just as much as a competitive desire to somehow match or surpass my friends who are also doing a Big Year.  After being handicapped by illness, and a lot of time for quiet reflection lying in bed, I realized on numerous occasions I've broken my own rules, and strived for sheer numbers, rather than enjoying the spoils.  I've spent too much time drinking one beer and thinking about what I can have next, instead of keeping myself in the moment, relishing what I'm having NOW.
I give my kid grief about it all the time.  While we're in the middle of some awesome activity, he always wants to know "What's next?"  I tell him it doesn't matter; what we're doing now is what's important.  But when it comes to beer, I'm that same hyperactive kid.... this tastes great, but what am I having after this, and how many more can I cram down my gullet?  I'm a hypocrite, a slave to my own impatience and gluttony.

In addition to my sickness of the past couple weeks, my Wife just went on Short Term Disability from work, so our income is taking a decent hit.  And what's the most expensive thing we spend money on?  Alcohol!  My days of wanton spending are over. No longer can I go crazy stocking up on limited goodies, and filling the fridge with bombers.  I need to drink smart.  The beering will continue, but I'm using a more economically savvy approach. 

My new mindset for The Big Year is to slow down, and truly enjoy as many beers as humanly possible.  And if that means one per day, then so be it. While I'm still focusing on as many different beers as possible, I'm not going to drive myself crazy obsessing over the quantity I can consume per day.

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR NORCAL TRIP:
*Discovering that the California Academy Of Sciences sells beer in their cafeteria.  And they carry good stuff, too!  Nectar Ales, North Coast, Drake's!
*Hitting Firestone Barrelworks on the drive home. This place is like Mecca.  Mandatory for any serious beer drinker.
*Comstock, SF - Newer, hipster restaurant/bar bordering North Beach & Chinatown. Excellent food. Great cocktails, and decent beer list.  Good vibe, good service, and live music is a huge plus. We caught an excellent jazz combo the night we had dinner there.
*Jack's Cannery Bar, SF - Smack dab in the middle of touristy Fisherman's Wharf, this place is wonderfully rough around the edges and offers 68 taps, predominantly local. Cash only.

LOWLIGHTS OF OUR NORCAL TRIP:
*Getting sick and not having any beer for a few days
*Hitting beer #500 while sampling some of my least favorite beers of the year in Monterey.
*Ordering Alioto's House Ale at Alioto's Waterside Cafe at Fisherman's Wharf and finding out later it's actually Speakeasy  Prohibition Ale.  Well, it wasn't too disappointing because it's a very tasty beer, but I already claimed the Speakeasy  Prohibition Ale as Beer #309, so I can't, in good conscience, tally it in my Big Year list.

The tally continues...
Sat 3/22 - First day in SF:

• ANCHOR BREWING ANCHOR STEAM BEER – Beer #463, When in Frisco...
• ANCHOR BREWING ANCHOR IPA – Beer #464, Never knew they had an IPA, not bad, maybe more English style than West Coast style
• ANCHOR BREWING ANCHOR SAISON SPRING ALE – Beer #465, Never knew they had a saison, very tasty, definitely has a West Coast spin, brewed with lemongrass, lemon peel, and ginger
• 21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY BREW FREE! OR DIE IPA – Beer #466, it's an IPA, very good but not necessarily distinct
• SPEAKEASY BIG DADDY IPA – Beer #467, average IPA
• NIMBUS BREWING  OLD MONKEYSHINE – Beer #468, English style ale outta Tucson, some sorta sharp barley bite, are there hops in there? Damn good!!

Sunday 3/23 - SF adventures continue:

• ANCHOR BREWING OLD FOGHORN BARLEYWINE – Beer #469, Never knew they had a barleywine, probably favorite Anchor output
• ANCHOR BREWING BREKLE'S BROWN – Beer #470, Excellent on tap
• ANCHOR BREWING LIBERTY ALE – Beer #471, Eh....
• ANCHOR BREWING ANCHOR PORTER – Beer #472, Good one
• SUDWERK BREWING DRY HOP PALE ALE – Beer #473, Forgot all about this Davis brewery until recently; diggin' it...
• OMMEGANG RARE VOS – Beer #474, available everywhere, great brewery, great beer
• 101 NORTH BREWING HEROINE IPA – Beer #475, out of Petaluma, never heard of it before, REALLY diggin' this IPA
• HERETIC BREWING EVIL COUSIN IPA – Beer #476, tasty brew from the East Coast
• LOST COAST BREWERY GREAT WHITE – Beer #477, Lost Coast has been around since I can remember, and so has this beer which is tragically forgettable
• MOYLAN'S BREWERY KILT LIFTER SCOTTISH STYLE ALE – Beer #478, nutty, mildly fruity, love this brewery
• MARIN BREWING MT. TAM PALE ALE – Beer #479, it's not an IPA? Pretty damn crunchy for a simple pale ale.  Good one.
• PACIFIC BREWING LABORATORY SQUID INK BLACK IPA – Beer #480, this one has been on tap for years at Delarosa, one of our favorite haunts in the historically-douchey Marina district; Chocolate malty goodness
• FACTION BREWING PALE ALE – Beer #481, also on tap at Delarosa, tasting notes say "bitter almond, grapefruit, bread"... that's accurate.  It's a good 'un.
• MOAB BREWERY JOHNNY'S AMERICAN IPA – Beer #482, Utah brewery, comes in a tall boy can.... OK, but not unique.

 Monday 3/24 - Family day at the museum, followed by late lunch on Haight:

• NECTAR ALES HUMBOLDT BROWN HEMP ALE – Beer #483, in the commissary of the California Academy Of Sciences.  Great beer, made even better by the fact I could drink it at the museum.
• NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY ACME CALIFORNIA PALE ALE – Beer #484, see above. Everyday pale ale, but damn tasty.
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY PEARLY BAKER'S BEST BITTER – Beer #485, shared two flights of six beers each with the Wife, this place has always been crowded when we've tried to get in the past few years.  Finally on a Monday mid-afternoon we were able to get a table and try all of the beers. Great food, friendly service, but sadly I did not love 90% of their beers.  Overall their brews had very mild flavors (maybe I'm just too much of a savage to "get it") and seemed a bit on the watery side.
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY BONNIE LEE'S BEST BITTER – Beer #486
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY BLUE BELL BITTER – Beer #487
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY DARK STAR MILD – Beer #488
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY PROVING GROUND IPA – Beer #489, signature West Coast hop bite, my favorite of all 12.
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY KALIFORNIA KOLSCH – Beer #490
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY WEATHER REPORT WHEAT – Beer #491
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY BIG CYPRESS BROWN – Beer #492
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY NEW SPEEDWAY BITTER – Beer #493
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY COLE PORTER – Beer #494
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY WEEKAPAUG GRUIT – Beer #495
• MAGNOLIA BREWERY SPUD BOY'S IPA – Beer #496
• DESCHUTES BREWERY BLACK BUTTE PORTER – Beer #497, on tap at the Balboa Cafe, tasty nitecap; this place whips up some top of the line cocktails; it's more of their specialty than beer, although they carry Pliny on their bottle list. Clearly they've got some clout.

Tues 3/25 - Wed 3/26:
Sick as a dog... TOTAL BUST!

Thurs 3/27 - Slowly recovering on the way to Monterey

• KONA BREWING LONGBOARD LAGER – Beer #498, average lager, forgettable and not necessary
• ENGLISH ALES BREWERY MONTEREY BAY WHEAT – Beer #499, tried a flight of four English Ales at Cooper's on Cannery Row.  Not a single good one.  Echh.
• ENGLISH ALES BREWERY MONK'S BROWN ALE – Beer #500, least bad of the four, too bad it was my #500 Beer for the year.
• ENGLISH ALES BREWERY BLACK PRINCE PORTER     – Beer #501
• ENGLISH ALES BREWERY DRAGON SLAYER IPA – Beer #502

Fri 3/28 - Feeling better, truly enjoying beer again, but still taking it slow... baby steps:

• STONE BREWING ENJOY BY 04.20.14 IPA – Beer #503, on tap at Cannery Row Brewing Co., a super touristy venue, but the food is very good, great service, impressive tap & bottle list, no complaints, way better than expected.  And yes, this IPA is equally as killer as the rest of the Enjoy By series.
• WYCHWOOD BREWERY HOBGOBLIN – Beer #504, delicious
• DRAKE'S BREWING DENOGGINIZER – Beer #505, yum
• GREEN FLASH BREWING PALATE WRECKER – Beer #506, I maintain my original opinion of this beer that it is not a Palate Wrecker at all... the Green Flash Green Bullet DIPA is way more of a palate wrecker than the Palate Wrecker.  That said, it's still a great brew.  No complaints.
• LAGUNITAS UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION SHUT-DOWN ALE – Beer #507, sippin' a bottle back at our hotel, love it
• ANCHOR BREWING ANCHOR BOCK BEER – Beer #508, OK but I really should have had this one before the Lagunitas... after the richness of Beer #507, this one seems flavorless.

Sat 3/29 - Headed home from vacation, with a stop at the beer world's equivalent of the Holy Land... Firestone Barrelworks... all eight of the beers below are World Class:

• FIRESTONE WALKER LIL OPAL 2013 SAISON – Beer #509
• FIRESTONE WALKER HELLDORADO BLONDE BARLEY WINE – Beer #510
• FIRESTONE WALKER PARABOLA 2014 RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT – Beer #511
• FIRESTONE WALKER SAUCER FULL OF SECRETS BELGIAN STRONG ALE – Beer #512
• FIRESTONE WALKER / MIKKELLER COLLABORATION LIL MIKKEL SAISON – Beer #513
• FIRESTONE WALKER AGRESTIC BELGIAN-AMERICAN WILD RED ALE – Beer #514
• FIRESTONE WALKER FERAL ONE – Beer #515
• FIRESTONE WALKER DDBA NO. 1 2012  – Beer #516

Sunday 3/30 - Back home and tasting at Vendome:

• COLNER HOFBRAU FRUH  FRUH KOLSCH – Beer #517, interesting, mild, refreshing, would be good on a hot day, tastes like a popsicle stick on the back end
• TELEGRAPH BREWING CERVEZA DE FIESTA PILSNER – Beer #518, bottle conditioned, Batch # 108, almost like a tart white wine, but the driest one you've ever had
• FREIGEIST BIERKULTUR PIMOCK HEFEWEIZEN – Beer #519, creamy caramel and saltines
• ALPINE BEER COMPANY ALPINE ALE – Beer #520, solid
• ENGELSZELL BENNO TRAPPISTENBIER – Beer #521, Austrian Trappist ale, honey, nutmeg, a powerhouse
• FREIGEIST BIERKULTUR HOPPEDITZ DOPPEL STICKE ALTBIER – Beer #522, phenomenal, super rich malty goodness
• HAIR OF THE DOG BLUE DOT DOUBLE IPA – Beer #523, always loved this brewery, but also have always been slightly underwhelmed by this DIPA
• ALASKAN BREWING HOPOTHERMIA DOUBLE IPA – Beer #524, good, not as creamy & over the top as most DIPAs
• SAMUEL ADAMS DOUBLE BOCK – Beer #525, Wow, a Sam Adams I really like... finally! Rich without being heavy.
• MANZANITA ALES GILLESPIE BROWN   – Beer #526, Toasty, balanced, well done
• CLOWN SHOES LUCHADOR EN FUEGO MEXICAN STYLE CHOCOLATE STOUT – Beer #527, What a treat! Vanilla, cinnamon mixed with subtle ancho & chipotle chiles... 50 Shades Of Awesome!
• SHMALTZ BREWING HE'BREW FUNKY JEWBELATION (2014) – Beer #528, Barrel aged blend; delicious but surprisingly tart
• BEACHWOOD BREWING MOCHA MACHINE DOUBLE PORTER – Beer #529, growler share courtesy of Harley the Cicerone, the name says it all, straight forward and delicious
• MARIO & DAVID HOMEBREW (SYLMAR, CA) PRE-DYER ST TRIPLE IPA – Beer #530, Met these guys and their friend Brenda at the Vendome tasting; they brought in their homebrew as a bottle share in order to get some outside feedback. To me, it didn't taste like an IPA so much as a Strong Ale... sweet and extremely caramelly.  A very tasty brew, just in the wrong category.  But these guys clearly can crank out top quality brau.

Tues 4/1 - Recovering from a resurgence in my vacation sickness, easing back into beer:

• DRAKE'S BREWING IPA – Beer #531, What needs to be said? Drake's is consistent and flawless.

Wed 4/2 - Cracking open this limited bottle courtesy of Harley at Vendome:

• BEACHWOOD BREWING THRILLSEEKER IPA – Beer #532, Meant to be enjoyed as early as possible, akin to Stone's Enjoy By series; Killer!

Fri 4/4 - Friday nite at home with the family, cracking a few bottles squirreled away from NorCal:

• SANTA CRUZ ALE WORKS DARK NIGHT OATMEAL STOUT – Beer #533, Surprisingly very solid oatmeal stout, not heavy, not watery, evenly balanced and super good; I could totally see this being an everyday staple.
• CALICRAFT BREWING THE CITY IPA – Beer #534, This brewery is new to me, all of their ales names are SF Bay Area focused; Even better than expected, I'd definitely like to try more from Calicraft