Beer #1091-1227 / Day #170-176: Good, Good, Good, Good Libations

For years my friends Jim & Lily GasThai have been telling me to go to the SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL BEER FESTIVAL, part of the SD County Fair in Del Mar, CA.  And for years I’ve avoided it, as well as most other beer fests.  Obviously I love beer, so what’s the issue?  Well, I used to envision beer fests as a gathering of frat types who show up to chug as much as they can, eventually transforming themselves from being annoying pricks into being annoying pricks who are starting fights and puking everywhere.  Over recent years, I’ve gradually attended more and more beer fests, and the majority of the time the crowd is at least semi-respectful.  Considering this is my biggest Big Year yet, I felt like I had no choice but to attend.  The power couple of Jack Kahn and Jackie Denmon sweetened the deal by graciously opening their home to us, and more importantly, providing a home for our dog while we performed our excessive beering.

I left work early on Friday, picked up Camille the wife and Donnie the dog, and hit the road by Noon.  Our session started at 5pm in Del Mar.  No problem.  The drive to SD even with traffic shouldn’t be more than 3 hours…. The plan is we get to Jack & Jackie’s pad, drop off the dog, all four of us take a leisurely train ride to Del Mar, arriving with an easy 90 min to spare before the beer session even starts.  That was the plan.

We found out recently Donnie gets carsick. I figured it was because he stares out the window at the road instead of the sky and makes himself nauseous.  So Camille had to ride in the back seat to keep him calm and distracted so he wouldn’t lose his lunch on her cloth seats.

The traffic was some of the worst I’ve encountered trying to reach San Diego.  Endless stop & go driving.  So much so that Camille was the one who started feeling carsick.  Lurching forward and quickly stopping.  For hours.  Bumper to bumper traffic, South on the 5 freeway.

It’s 3:30pm, 3 ½ hours into our drive, and we’ve reached Del Mar.  Unfortunately, we can’t stop.  Our friends live another 20 miles south of Del Mar, and the County Fair is not dog-friendly.  So close, yet so far. We inched our way to North Park, finally arrived at Jack & Jackie’s four hours (!) after leaving LA.  We were already behind schedule, and high tailed it to the train station in Old Town.  

4:40pm, we hopped on the Coaster headed north to Del Mar. Our destination was only two stops away.  The train sloooowly wound its way through the coastal hills.  First stop was reached at 5pm.  Meanwhile, far away, our beer session was starting now.  I’d already resigned myself to the fact we would be late and attempted to keep my cool.  Then the train conductor informed us of a medical emergency, so we would be holding at the station.  I’m compassionate towards any tragic situation, but that selfish, self-centered devil on my shoulder nervously checked the time on my phone every 30 seconds.  I fidgeted like a hungry 4 year old.

5:15pm, we were on our way.  At last Del Mar was in sight, within spitting distance of the train.  But alas, we travelled PAST our destination for the second time today… our stop was north of Del Mar in Solana Beach, where we had to take a shuttle back to the Fairgrounds. 

It starts out innocently enough.

5:25pm, we’re off the train and we find the bus stop for our Fair shuttle.  The sign says it comes every 30 minutes, with no indication of when the next one will arrive.  Times a-wastin’.  Do we cab it?  I wandered around and found a cab driver a block away, only to see the shuttle pull up at that moment… a brief “Sorry!” to the cab, and I sprinted back just in time to board with the rest of my party.  Whew.

5:45pm, the third time I’ve seen Del Mar today, and this time I’m finally entering the Fairgrounds.  Where’s the beer fest?  I dodge the sweaty, midway goers with corn dog breath, and jockey past throngs of older couples waving Smokey Robinson VIP Dinner Package tickets.  A helpful, but painfully long winded Fair worker informs us our beer event is at the furthest possible opposite corner of the Fairgrounds.  Followed by more throngs of shoulder to shoulder Fair-goers, all of them walking in different directions, impeding our progress. 

What other obstacles will we encounter? 

Do we have to take a hovercraft to get our wristbands? 

Or ride a Shetland pony 5 miles offsite to get our tasting glass?

6pm, six hours after leaving the house, and one hour after our session had already started, at long last, our tasting begins.  There is much rejoicing.

Then it gets a bit silly.

This event is held in an open air, covered arena the size of a convention center.  Despite endless obstacles reaching it, pure nirvana was achieved once we arrived.  Although we only had 3 hours on the clock, without even feeling rushed, I managed to make my way through an astonishing 75 beer samples (actually it was 77, but later I found out I had already claimed 2 of them).  I was focused on beer and the enjoyment thereof… I didn’t bother with half-crocked tasting notes because I figure anyone reading this blog already knows that an IPA will be “Hoppy” and a stout will be “Malty”.  I limited my on-the-spot notes solely to a chronological list of all beers sampled.  After the fact, I was surprised to have retained my impressions of a good majority of what was tasted.

We met up with the GasThai’s and some other friends along with way.  Nothing but good vibes, free flowing braus, and surprisingly good concession food.  There were many pluses to this outing:

#1: No lines.  This was the only way I was able to make it through 75 samples in 3 hours.  The arena was large, very spread out, and thus the crowd seemed close to non-existent.  Many offerings were side by side on expansive tables, so it was easy to make my way down the line.  Even so, I buzzed freely from table to table like a honeybee.  I didn’t want to stick to a particular area for too long, worrying that I would miss out on something really special being unveiled elsewhere. 

Then it's completely silly.

#2: Short pours.  The glass was tall, but nearly everyone pouring adhered to the rule of the 1 oz pour.  As a result, I poured out very few samples after the first sip…. Only the truly bad, pointless, or nondescript ones went into the dump bucket.

#3: Tons of international beers.  While I always want to try something new, 95% of the time I gravitate towards US beers, mainly due to low finances as well as easier accessibility.  I appreciated the opportunity to sample offerings from Germany (SUNNER), Belgium (ST. FEUILLIEN), Netherlands (ROOIE DOP), Australia (COOPERS), Norway (NOGNE O), Denmark (TO OL), UK (MEANTIME), and points in between.  While many of the international choices could be considered “common”, they represented a decent variety of “gateway” braus, hopefully leading to additional exploration of each region by interested beerers.

#4: Tons of bottled beers.  A good number of these I would have purchased to drink at home, but thanks to this event I was able to check off some pricey bottles (i.e. Beer Geek BreAKfast, and many of the overseas choices). 

Then you have no idea who's in your photo.

#5: The 5-9pm session actually ended at 9pm.  At nearly every beer fest I’ve ever attended, the organizers cut off the pours 15 minutes before the posted time… I’m assuming they all think that’s ample time for attendees to “sober up” before they leave.  I watched the clock anticipating I’d be cut off at 8:45, but the pouring continued until 9pm sharp.  Seems like it’s not a big deal, but it is to me.  I was able to log in a solid 3 hour session without complaint.

Overall, I enjoyed most of the selections offered.  The best “discoveries” for me were Sacramento’s TRACK 7 BREWING, Temecula’s AFTERSHOCK BREWING, The Netherlands’ ROOIE DOP, and Ramona, CA’s CHUCKALEK INDEPENDENT BREWERS.

By the end of the fest, I was pleasantly buzzed, but not even close to being all-out drunk.  I can’t say the same for many of my fellow attendees.  We encountered a seemingly non-stop cavalcade of plastered partiers… some spewing offensive drunken slurs and gibberish, some spewing the contents of the entire session.  Folks like this are the exact reason I’ve avoided beerfests for most of my life, but they didn’t ruin this evening for me.

Then you're taking selfies with inanimate objects

Kudos to the organizers of this event.

Kudos to the GasThai’s who finally talked me into attending.

Kudos to JK&JD for partying with us, being incredible hosts, and jockeying us around SD.

Kudos to Camille for dealing with the endless on-the-go pace of the day, just so her husband could be happy.

Kudos to Donnie the dog for not puking in our car!

The following morning I awoke fresh as a daisy (well, maybe a mildly soggy daisy), and I was ready for more beering… well, as much as my Wife and friends were willing to subject themselves to.  The best part about this day was all of our destinations were within walking distance of J&J’s home, so at least I could pretend I was doing something good for my health.

One of everything, Round One.

First stop, THORN ST. BREWERY.  Never heard of this place, but what a lucky accident to stumble upon their brewery.  Between their downstairs and upstairs rooms, they offered an impressive 23 unique brews on tap.  I was ready to start with a flight of eight, when our awesome & accommodating tapper Adrienne chimed in with the suggestion, “Or I could just pour you tasters of everything if you want to try them all?”  Oh hell yes!!  Is she psychic or what? 

The room is rustic and comfortable, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the beer is outstanding across the board.  So many breweries have multiple styles and end up being hit-and-miss.  Thorn St. knows what the hell they’re doing, and what the hell they’re brewing.  Every goddamn beer of the 23 was either good or great!  This destination is a must, even moreso considering it’s not in a “hip” area, so there’s plenty of neighborhood parking, and I’m assuming crowds wouldn’t be too overwhelming.

Next, we strolled over to MODERN TIMES, with their funky, modern tasting room.  The environment is bright and open, almost European.  I’ve only had their beer packaged in cans, so it was a treat to try some new ones on tap.  Super tasty, with the Blazing World hoppy amber standing out as my favorite.

A bat eating a banana for no apparent reason.

After a quick perusal of the offerings at the BOTTLECRAFT bottle shop, and a quick deli sandwich, we looped back to HESS BREWING.  The Hess compound is a super cool, albeit super bizarre layout, with the actual brewery below street level.  You actually walk over an indoor bridge to reach the tasting room… you have to see it to believe it.  Hess started releasing several of their brews in cans recently, so distribution has increased.  Strangely enough, after visiting the tasting room, I realized the canned beers are the least of their offerings.  Their tap-only offerings are vastly superior, the Umbrix Rye Imperial Stout being my favorite.

Some quality time with quality friends (and quality dogs), drinking quality brews… this is what weekends should be about.  Good vibrations.  Good libations.  I’m pretty lucky.

My ever-patient co-horts.

The beering continues:

Thursday 6/19 – Tasting at Vendome, a few at home, and a Belgian treat from Lee Bakofsky:

1091 - OLD ORANGE BREWING THUMB MASTER DOUBLE IPA - Heard a lot of hype about this one. It's OK, but nothing to blog about.

Lee breaks out The Good Stuff

1092 - AVERY BREWING COMPANY TWENTY ONE IMPERIAL BROWN - Deeply malty, hoppy, even mildly peppery.

1093 - WEIHENSTEPHANER KORBINIAN - Deep and complex doppelbock, strangely enough it's great with Mexican food

1094 - SAM ADAMS PORCH ROCKER - Ok Summer shandy, lemonade beer, ehh...

1095 - SAM ADAMS SUMMER ALE - Peppery wheat ale, one of the least bad Sam Adams

1096 - BRASSERIE CANTILLON CUVEE SAINT-GILLOISE LAMBIC - Brief sour bite, acidic, well balanced and beautifully floral ... Thanks Lee!

Friday 6/20 – Absolutely KILLING IT at the San Diego International Beer Festival. No tasting notes (below are some recollections, after the fact); just powering through tasters. Plus a random late night Dos Equis just to make it more absurd:

1097 - PHANTOM ALES IPA - OK

1098 - LEGACY BREWING THE CHESTY IRISH RED – Ech.

1099 - RIP CURRENT BREWING IMPACT ZONE IPA – Don’t remember.

1100 - MONKEY PAW BREWING FREE KEN ALLEN ROBUST RYE – Good one.

1101 - MONKEY PAW BREWING LOW AND SLOW RAUCHBIER – Loved this one towards the end of my 2013 Big Year.  A winner.

1102 - CARLOW BREWING O'HARA'S IRISH STOUT – Yum.

1103 - NOGNE O IMPERIAL PREMIANT INDIA PILSNER – Good one.

1104 - TO OL NORDIC BY NATURE – Best name of any beer at the fest.

Lily GasThai, I finally made it!

1105 - PRAIRIE ARTISAN ALES PRAIRIE ALE – Not memorable.

1106 - JOLLY PUMPKIN MADRUGADA OBSCURA DARK DAWN – One of my fest favorites.

1107 - BROUWERIJ MALHEUR MALHEUR 12 ALE – Great!

1108 - MIKKELLER / ANCHORAGE COLLABORATION BEER GEEK BREakFAST OATMEAL STOUT – As good as I hoped.

1109 - PRETTY THINGS JACK D'OR SAISON – A favorite of some of my East Coast friends. I’m a fan of Pretty Things.

1110 - MAZAMA BREWING HOP ERUPTION IPA – OK.  Not familiar with this brewer.  Doubt I’ll seek them out.

1111 - MAZAMA BREWING WHITE WEDDING WHITE IPA – Also OK.

1112 - PORT BREWING MONGO DOUBLE IPA – Old reliable.

1113 - BEAR REPUBLIC BREWING ROCKET RED ALE – I always wrote this off as a boring red ale.  It’s not.  It’s goddamn tasty, and I’d have no problem drinking this everyday as a house beer.  Hoppy and full bodied.

1114 - BOCKOR VANDERGHINSTE OUD BRUIN – An excellent, well rounded sour.

1115 - HELM' S BREWING WICKED AS SIN IPA – Didn’t realize Helm’s was this good.  All of their offerings this day were impressive.

1116 - KARL STRAUSS OFF THE RAILS IMPERIAL RED - OK

1117 - STUMBLEFOOT BREWING SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU – Eh.

1118 - REFUGE BREWERY ILLUSION IPA – Don’t remember this one.

1119 - HELM' S BREWING BEERUCCINO COFFEE PORTER – One of my favorites of the day.

1120 - ACOUSTIC ALES THE GROUPIE BELGIAN BLONDE – Acoustic freaking RULES!

1121 - BENCHMARK BREWING OATMEAL STOUT – Good, if I’m remembering correctly.

1122 - GREEN FLASH 30TH STREET PALE ALE – Good one… can’t find this in LA.

1123 - VALLEY CENTER BREWERY SMOKED VESPER VANILLA PORTER – All I remember is it didn’t take anything like a porter, nor anything smoked.

1124 - VALLEY CENTER BREWERY COLE GRANDE PORTER – Blech.

Don't know him, but he's pumped.

1125 - PIZZA PORT (OCEAN BEACH) BACON & EGGS DOUBLE PORTER – Haven’t had this since GABF 2012.  Welcome back, old friend.

1126 - TRACK 7 BREWING BIG 4 STRONG ALE – Never heard of this brewer, but now I’m going to seek them out.  A pleasant surprise.  Sacto is blowing it up!

1127 - TRACK 7 BREWING PANIC IPA – See above.

1128 - PIZZA PORT (CARLSBAD) POOR MAN'S DOUBLE IPA – Every Pizza Port IPA wins.

1129 - ABSOLUTION BREWING CARDINAL SIN – Don’t remember.

1130 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING EMBOOZLEMENT TRIPEL – Had some Rough Draft in the past & they were decent.  This was quite good.

1131 - CHUCKALEK ARCHIVES 1912 SSS TRIPLE STOUT – One of my fest faves.  The biggest powerhouse of a stout of the whole event.  I need to visit this brewery.

1132 - AFTERSHOCK BREWING JESS Y JAMES IMPERIAL STOUT – Aftershock was another new one to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of their beers. 

1133 - AFTERSHOCK BREWING FAULTLINE IMPERIAL IPA – See above.

1134 - AFTERSHOCK BREWING DUBBEL VISION – See above the above.

1135 - TAP IT BREWING FULL BLOWN STOUT - OK

1136 - TAP IT BREWING ALE CAMINO – Least fave Tap It.

1137 - ROOIE DOP DAILY GRIND COFFEE PORTER – One of the best of the fest.  Dutch supremacy.

1138 - MARIN BREWING STINSON BEACH PEACH – I still avoid fruit beers in general, but this was surprisingly refreshing, not cloyingly sweet.

1139 - SUNNER BRAUEREI KOLSCH – Eh.

Well, only if they're TOTALLY fried

1140 - FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING DANISH STYLE RED LAGER – One of the few Fig Mtns I haven’t had, and it turns out it’s one of my favorites.

1141 - OGGI'S PIZZA AND BREWING BLACK MAGIC STOUT – Good.

1142 - LEFT COAST BREWING VOO DOO STOUT – Pretty good.

1143 - LATITUDE 33 BIERE DE MARS – Pretty good.

1144 - AZTEC BREWERY NOCHE DE LOS MUERTOS IMPERIAL STOUT – I support Aztec 100%. They bring both high quality and innovation to the table.  This spiced stout is top notch.

1145 - AZTEC BREWERY AZTEC AMBER – I dig it, but it was too cold.

1146 - GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CHOCOLATE OAK AGED YETI – My favorite in the line-up of all Yetis.

1147 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY LE MERLE – The old fave, still great.

1148 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY PRANQSTER – The old fave, still great.

1149 - ANTWERPSE BROUW COMPAGNIE SEEF BIER – New one for me, OK.  Best part is the label art.

1150 - HELM' S BREWING CAPTAIN'S PALE ALE – Good one.

1151 - COOPER'S BREWERY ORIGINAL PALE ALE – From Australia.  They can keep it there.

1152 - MISSION BREWERY EL CONQUISTADOR EXTRA PALE ALE – Decent beer, but I think I was more impressed by the massive 32 oz can

1153 - CISMONTANE BREWING RED-X – Best Cismontane I haven’t had yet (my favorite was Dos Cone Es, but I already enjoyed it earlier this year).

1154 - CISMONTANE BREWING HEIDELBERG SINGLE MALT - OK

1155 - CISMONTANE BREWING DARK MUNICH SINGLE MALT - OK

1156 - OCEANSIDE ALE WORKS OXYMORON BLACK IPA – I seem to recall this brewer starting out a big hit and miss.  Everything I’ve tried from them this year is a hit!

1157 - OCEANSIDE ALE WORKS ELEVATION 83 PALE ALE – See above.

1158 - WELLS & YOUNG'S BREWING YOUNG'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE STOUT – Very much like a Tootsie Roll beer.

1159 - ADNAMS TALLY-HO BARLEYWINE - Decent

Ummm... Ready to go!

1160 - NORTH PEAK BREWING ARCHANGEL SUMMER WHEAT – I was excited to try this regional Michigan beer I’ve never seen.  Sadly nondescript, aside from the appealing can design.

1161 - MEANTIME BREWING OLD SMOKED BOCK – Not super smoky, but super good.

1162 - DE PROEFBROUWERIJ REINAERT FLEMISH WILD ALE – A classic. Great!

1163 - BRASSERIE ST. FEUILLIEN SAISON – I don’t see these high quality Belgian beers packaged in cans too often, but here ya go.

1164 - BRASSERIE ST. FEUILLIEN GRAND CRU – Great.

1165 - NEW ENGLISH BREWING CO. ZUMBAR CHOCOLATE COFFEE IMPERIAL STOUT - OK

1166 - NEW ENGLISH BREWING CO. HUMBLY LEGIT IPA - OK

1167 - EPIC BREWING CO. HOP SYNDROME LAGER – Good.  Tastes like an IPA.  Is it officially an IPL?

1168 - EPIC BREWING CO. BLUESKI LAGER – So-so

1169 - CHUCKALEK DOWSER – One of my new favorite breweries.

1170 - PIZZA PORT (SAN CLEMENTE) DRAFT PUNK BIERE DE GARDE – Good.

1171 - LA QUINTA BREWING HEATWAVE RED ALE – Last beer of the fest, and quite a surprise.  Truly good!  I’ve got family in La Quinta… guess it’s time for a visit!

1172 - DOS EQUIS AMBER – As lame as I remember it. It’s a bad sign when putting a lime in your beer makes it way better.

Saturday 6/21 – Serious beering with Jack & Jackie, wandering somewhere between North Park and South Park. Again, didn’t take notes, but not necessary because everything was good:

1173 - THORN ST. BREWERY GOLDEN HILLS PILS – Yes.

1174 - THORN ST. BREWERY BAD MOON WEIZEN – Yes.

1175 - THORN ST. BREWERY FOREPLAY BELGIAN BLONDE – Yes.

1176 - THORN ST. BREWERY SAISON DU PARQUE SUD – Yes!

Action shot of beer on a table.

1177 - THORN ST. BREWERY RASPBERRY BLONDE – Yes!

1178 - THORN ST. BREWERY FORNICATION BELGIAN GOLDEN STRONG – Yes!

1179 - THORN ST. BREWERY HAMMERSMITH ESB – Yes.

1180 - THORN ST. BREWERY SMUGGLER'S AGAVE AMBER – Yes!

1181 - THORN ST. BREWERY GLUTEN REDUCED WEIZENBOCK – Yes.

1182 - THORN ST. BREWERY ABBEY ROOF BELGIAN QUAD – Heck Yes.

1183 - THORN ST. BREWERY SANTOS STOUT – Oh Hell Yes!

1184 - THORN ST. BREWERY SOLSTICE SESSION IPA – Oh Hell Yes!

1185 - THORN ST. BREWERY RELAY IPA – Heck Yes.

1186 - THORN ST. BREWERY RED HEADED HOP CHILD – Oh Hell Yes!

1187 - THORN ST. BREWERY STAYCATION IPA – Heck Yes.

1188 - THORN ST. BREWERY CHILICABRA PALE ALE – Oh Hell Yes!

1189 - THORN ST. BREWERY RELAY IPA WITH HONEY & CENTENNIAL HOPS ON CASK – Oh Hell Yes!

1190 - THORN ST. BREWERY JUST CHUCK AMERICAN STRONG ALE – Oh Hell Yes!

1191 - THORN ST. BREWERY DUBBEL DOWN SOUR BROWN – Oh Hell Yes!

1192 - THORN ST. BREWERY COCONUT PORTER – Oh Hell Yes!

1193 - THORN ST. BREWERY MANGO HABANERO – Oh Hell Yes!

1194 - THORN ST. BREWERY GALAXY IPA – Oh Hell Yes!

1195 - THORN ST. BREWERY DARK TSAR RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT – Oh Hell Yes!

1196 - MODERN TIMES BLAZING WORLD - Great hoppy amber

1197 - MODERN TIMES BOOMING ROLLERS - Three hop combo that's mellow and less hoppy than the amber

1198 - MODERN TIMES ONEIDA - Pale ale, heavy on the tropical fruit

Say "Yes" to the Hess

1199 - HESS BREWING DRYADALIS BELGIAN PALE ALE – Killer, why isn’t this in cans?

1200 - HESS BREWING CITY PARK STRONG ALE – Full and robust, just how I like ‘em

1201 - HESS BREWING ORDEUM REX BARLEYWINE – Not overly sweet, but still a rich appertif

1202 - HESS BREWING GRIM AVE SESSION IPA – 2014 is The Year Of Session IPAs.

1203 - HESS BREWING DECEPTIO BLACK IPA – Hoppy and dark perfection.

1204 - HESS BREWING UMBRIX RYE IMPERIAL STOUT – As awesome as it sounds.

1205 - HESS BREWING COFFEE GRAZIAS – Their cream ale with coffee added. There were clouds in my coffee … Clouds in my coffee…

1206 - ANDERSON VALLEY BREWING BOONT BARL BOURBON BARREL AMBER ALE – Surprisingly subtle, almost like a “light” barleywine, but still with some good bourbony sweetness and depth.

Sunday 6/22 – Belgian sampling at Vendome, and a mixed bag at home:

1207 - BRASSERIE DUPONT AVRIL SAISON - Watery, light, with a nose like buttered popcorn

1208 - BRASSERIE DUPONT SAISON DUPONT CUVEE DRY HOPPING 2014 - Floral and a bit yeasty

1209 - BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE WITCHES BREW GOLDEN ALE - Golden, sweet, doughy, with a hint of corn cob

1210 - HALEN BREWERIES MARIENRODE TRIPPLE - Rich and heavy on the honey

1211 - BRASSERIE LES 3 FOURQUETS LUPULUS TRIPEL -Bitter & dry like a non-sparkling champagne.

The real brew dogs.

1212 - BROUWERIJ VAN STEENBERGE GULDEN DRAAK BREWMASTER'S EDITION WHISKEY BARREL - slightly sweet, not overpowering with the barrel like most American beers

1213 - BROUWERIJ ABDIJ DER TRAPPISTEN VAN WESTMALLE WESTMALLE TRAPPIST DUBBEL - Malty & mildly fruity esters

1214 - BRASSERIE ST. FEUILLIEN CUVEE DE NOEL SPECIALE - Continued Belgian goodness.

1215 - OCEANSIDE ALE WORKS DALIESQUE LAMBIC - Barrel aged lambic style sour, easy drinking with some peach and mild pucker goin' on

1216 - STONE BREWING DOUBLE DRY HOPPED OAK AGED RUINATION – Do I really need to explain what level of perfection has been achieved here?

1217 - EPIC BREWING WIT BEER – Soapy and weird, with a hint of sage.  Instead of drinking it, I used it to marinate chicken. Much better that way.

1218 - MARIN BREWING POINT REYES PORTER – Full bodied, almost desserty porter.

1219 - DESCHUTES BREWERY TWILIGHT SUMMER ALE – Whatever.  Then again, I shouldn’t have had this after that bomber of thick porter.

Monday 6/23 – A few treats at home:

1220 - STILLWATER ARTISINAL ALES CLASSIQUE – Delicious, I could have mistaken it for a saison. Tart and wheaty. The perfection I’ve come to expect from Stillwater.

1221 - SANTAN BREWING HOPSHOCK IPA – Finding a lot more from this AZ brewery lately. Slightly piney, malty, and totally comforting.

Can is the new keg.

1222 - SAMUEL SMITH IMPERIAL STOUT -  Major molasses, wow!

Tuesday 6/24 - Bottles at home and practice:

1223 - FLYING FISH BREWING COMPANY FARMHOUSE SUMMER ALE - Wheaty, refreshing & loverly

1224 - ANGEL CITY BREWERY SUMMER WEST COAST WHEAT ALE - Finally, an Angel City brew I haven't had. So good! Creamy, grainy, golden ale.

1225 - CALEDONIAN BREWING COMPANY NEWCASTLE BOMBSHELL - More wheaty than your standard Newcastle... I actually like it better than the standard Newcastle. It's actually drinkable. 

Wed 6/25 - Chillin with Wifey:

1226 - LAUGHING DOG DOGZILLA BLACK IPA - More roasty than IPAey, still nice.

1227 - ROGUE AMERICAN AMBER ALE - I have an aversion to Rogue, but this one is decent.

Mullet-shaped toupees are real.

Beer #242-261 / Day #44-49: Blog With A Dog

A new layer of complexity has been added to my Big Year In Beer...

It's not some brand new frou-frou, metrosexual adjectives to use as "tasting notes".
It's not a newly discovered pre-Mesopotamian yeast strain that Dogfish Head has unearthed through obscure molecular biology for a new line of Ancient Ales.
It's not a ridiculously crushing metal ale from Three Floyds, bottled with actual jagged shards of metal in each bottle.

It's a dog.

Donnie:  Dog With A Beer Blog.

His name is Donnie.  The Donster.  The Donmeister.  Donareeno.  Donnie Of The Dead.
We have no idea what breed he is.  He's a mysterious mix of random breeds we can only venture to guess.  Longhair Dachshund meets Cavalier King Charles Spaniel meets Papillon.  Whatever he is, he's ours.  And he's awesome. 
And now that we have another "boy" we're responsible for, we need to drink responsibly.  And by that, I mean we need to rewire our brains for how we approach beer bars.  And by rethinking, I mean aggressively locating all of the dog-friendly drinking establishments.
Previously, I didn't give much thought to which beer locales had outdoor seating, because The Wife and I are generally "bar people", meaning we drink at the bar, not at a table.  But now I find myself quickly scrambling to recall which thirst parlors are potentially pooch-accommodating.

Donnie has only been with us for a few days, but we gave the canine/beer combo a trial run last Monday with a trip to Link N Hops in Atwater Village, and aside from some obvious oversights ("Um... where do we put the leash while we're eating?"), it was decidedly a success.

Link N Hops N Mutts

So, here's to Donnie...  Our new mascot and brew companion for 2014!
He makes our outings more challenging, and our drinking at home infinitely more entertaining.
And if you're feeling philanthropic, please feel free to forward any suggestions for mutt-receptive brew venues in SoCal.
CHEERS!

The tally continues....

Valentine's Day 2/14:

*LOST ABBEY RED POPPY ALE - Beer #242, been sittin' on this one a while. Tasty with mild cherry flavors and a hint of sourness, but not enough to truly qualify as A Sour.  Nice one.  Took some effort to get the cork out.

*ALESMITH MY BLOODY VALENTINE ALE - Beer #243, a slightly morbid celebration of V-Day, but a truly toothsome red ale.  Alesmith does no wrong.

Saturday grillin' at home with The Beckers 2/15:

*STONE BREWING / KOOCHENVAGNER'S BREWING COLLABORATION - STOCHASICITY PROJECT: GRAPEFRUIT SLAM IPA - Beer #244, been reading a lot of hype about this collab.  Good, but not amazing. I'm not a grapefruit fan, but thankfully that part of it was subtle. Maybe I'll try a different bottle to figure out why my mind wasn't blown on this first outing.

*CALDERA BREWING RAUCH UR BOCK - Beer #245, very tasty Oregon smoked lager, pairing very well with my smoked whole-trout.

Sunday at home, adapting to dog ownership 2/16:

*BROOKLYN LAGER - Beer #246, decent, solid, lagers are not known for greatness, but I'd drink this any day.

*LA TRAPPE JUBILARIS - Beer #247, good one, but the La Trappe Quad is the one worth selling your kidney for.

*RIO GRANDE PANCHO VERDE CHILE CERVEZA - Beer #248, I picked this up in Reno, and I was expecting a chili beer with some kick. Instead it's a mild green chile flavor. Hence, "verde chile" in the name. El Duh!

*FIRESTONE WALKER PALE 31 - Beer #249, extremely common in LA, but don't let that fool you. This can be picked up in any grocery store in our fine state, but it's still better than 90% of the pale ales on the market.

*RUBY MOUNTAIN BREWING BUCKAROO BREW PALE ALE - Beer #250, Eastern Nevada represent! Holy shit... they're OUT THERE.  Out by Elko, NV.  If you've ever been to Eastern NV you understand.  If you haven't, go to The Boonies, and then keep going!  Not a life-changing beer, but decent.  Bet it's tasty on a frosty morning after corralling them "doggies".

President's Day holiday, celebrating at Link N Hops... because it sounds like "Lincoln" Hops.  But not really.  Then popping a few caps at home.  2/17:

*EPIC BREWING CO. HOPULENT IPA (on Nitro) - Beer #251, smooth, creamy, tasty.  IPAs on nitro are always interesting.

*CORONADO BLUE BRIDGE STOUT - Beer #252, good one, prominent with the coffee.  I love Coronado, and their Stupid Stout is my favorite.

*CISMONTANE BREWING DOS CONE ES - Beer #253, welcome back Old Friend, after an absence of what, two years?  Beautiful rye infused strong ale. New labels, same spectacular taste.

*PRETTY THINGS BABAYAGA SYLVAN STOUT - Beer #254, Boston area brewing, superior stout. Crazy layers of complexity goin' on. Above the bar, in a league with heavy hitters.

*CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE BREWING MAIN ST. VIRGINIA ALE - Beer #255, pleasantly well-rounded everyday ale in a can from VA, thanks to Mr.Witte.

INFEST practice nite.  Tinhorn Flats, Burbank.  Ogling slutty bartenders who look 21 and under, and enjoying beers $5 and under.  2/18:

*THE DUDES' BREWING COMPANY GRANDMA'S PECAN BROWN ALE - Beer #256, local brewers, like a brown/porter hybrid.

*BALLAST POINT SCULPIN IPA - Beer #257, The Legend.  Say no more.

*FIRESTONE WALKER 805 BLONDE ALE - Beer #258, honey ale, good for sessioning, surprised I found it on tap outside of the Central Cali area code.

Wed nite chillin' with The Wife and The Dog after a long day.  2/19:

*DC BRAU BREWING THE CORRUPTION INDIA PALE - Beer #259, thank you again Mr. Witte, I love this one.  IPA, but freakin' delish.  I'll be in DC mid-April, and damned if I'm not tracking down this brewer in person.

*BROOKLYN BREWERY LOCAL 2  - Beer #260, like a Belgian dubbel with more spice.  Really damn flavorful, when it mellows from fridge-temp to room-temp.  Picked it up in Reno because I can't find it in LA, but of course, brewed in NYC. I love all output from this brewer.

*FOUNDERS BREWING ALL DAY IPA SESSION ALE - Beer #261, another classic, consumed on the West Coast, thanks only to the deft shipping skills of Mr. Witte. Low alcohol means mass consumption if you're lucky enough to hold more than a solitary bottle (which is my situation out here).

Beer #195-241 / Day #39-44: Serious Sippin'

Saturday started with a slow recovery from our night out with GasThai, a viewing of the film "The Big Year", and a reluctant, and extremely strenuous hike in Griffith Park. After a quick lunch, including an awesome Tenaya Creek DIPA and a Mammoth Real McCoy Amber, then a longer-than-expected nap, it was showtime.  Infest was playing the Echoplex with a line-up almost too staggering to be believed:  Local lads Cave State, SD County thrashers Suspect and Impulse, South LA legends Despise You, and the untouchable Los Crudos. 

Serious ordering; not so serious beer

I rolled up early for load-in.  The room was bigger than I remembered, and the stage was higher, but I was ready for action.  The Mrs and I roamed Echo Park in search of good food & grog.  We settled on Xioa, a Vietnamese-Mexican fusion style joint, across the street from The Echo. Very tasty, reasonably priced, non-pretentious vibe. We shared a couple Vietnamese bottles, Saigon Export and Hue Beer, the latter being tastier than the former, but both were as expected, extremely simple lagers meant to refresh you & cool the heat from too much chili oil.

INFEST: a rare non-beer related moment

With plenty of time to spare, we walked down a few doors down to one of our favorite spots in LA County, El Prado.  They serve beer and wine, a couple snacks, and that's it!  Low lighting, cool '70s lookin' wood & brick decor, and a short but broad selection of mostly SoCal specialty beers. Camille and I shared The Dudes' Juicebox Blood Orange ale, and the Highwater Campfire Stout, but the real winner here was the El Segundo Mayberry IPA, a killer, classic West Coast style hopfest.  I didn't want to get tanked before playing so we hit the Echoplex, and checked out the great line-up.  Well, I don't get tanked before we play, but when we set up on stage and Domino was missing, I called him and he answered with that familiar laugh that says "I've been hitting Fireball shots and I can't remember how many."  In spite of that, we made it through the set intact, and gulped some hipster PBR tallboys while Crudos closed out the evening & absolutely killed it. Instead of partying all night, The Wife and I headed home.  I needed some beauty rest because Sunday I had a long day ahead of me, with a long drive and two more shows in San Diego.

Domino's PBR con Los Crudos. Que lastima!

On Sunday, Infest and Crudos were playing again at the Che Cafe in the La Jolla area; an afternoon show & an evening show.  I wasn't about to hit San Diego County and ignore the endless brewery options, and I also didn't have much time to explore since the first show was at 3pm, so I left a little early, and stopped first at Pizza Port Carlsbad. Part of the extensive Port Brewing family, this spot is located in Carlsbad Village which can described in no other way than quaint.  It's a "cute" beach community.  Fortunately, Port Brewing brings something cool to the area.  Excellent pizza, and outstanding beer, much of it brewed on-site. Their Attrition IPA was one of my favorite brews of 2013. Sadly it wasn't on tap today, but no matter. Every beer they brew stands on its own. In spite of the bustling throngs of thirsty patrons, the staff was all upbeat, quick, and helpful.  I enjoyed a brunch of two pepperoni slices and two flights with a total of eight beers, all world class, my favorites being the Thruster Triple IPA, Bourbon Barrel Aged Night Rider, and Claudie's IPL which is the best Imperial Pale Lager this side of The Bruery's Humulus, which is my benchmark for any of those rare IPLs out there.  In short, I can't rave about this place enough.

Pizza + Beer = Breakfast Of Champions

To improve upon a good thing, Pizza Port Carlsbad has now opened a bottle shop next door, offering a brag-worthy selection of 700+ beers to take home. Despite my lack of fridge space, I couldn't help picking up a few things, including a few cans of Pizza Port Carlsbad's own creations, which I enjoyed at home these past few evenings. Yes, they sold singles. And this made me a very happy dranker.   

Culture shock

For my next stop, I cruised down to Solana Beach to check out Culture Brewing. When I turned down Cedros Street it was packed with douchey rich types. This whole area reeked of overpriced overindulgence, and I was expecting to be disappointed, in fact I nearly left the area immediately, but I figured I may as well give it a shot since I bothered schleping out there in the first place. Thankfully, as usual, I was wrong again! I sampled all 12 beers offered at Culture, and enjoyed them all. Their Matt Courtright Barleywine, Black IPA, and American Strong Ale were especially memorable.  Then again like a frickin' fool I asked for all 12 samplers to be poured at once. I asked for them in order of what was listed on the board, but it occurred to me after the first four that this was clearly not the case. This actually made it more fun, to challenge myself and see if I could identify which was which. I'll never know for sure but I'm confident I guessed at least 80% right.  And out of those, 92% were excellent. The area has that upscale, expensive vibe so I was expecting something overpriced yet run of the mill. Thankfully, Culture is down to earth enough to know what they're doing with the multitude of styles across the board. Several have an earthy base to them, and a few had a wheaty, sweet, almost cookie dough aftertaste.

The Hunter, Beer, Denunzio = TLF

Time to sober up, and hit the Che for the afternoon show with Crudos, Impulse, and Piglife.  Good times, good friends, good tunes, even without distortion.  After a quick one, it was time for a quick one.  I headed down a few blocks to Rock Bottom La Jolla with Denunzio, Domino, and The Hunter.  I've never expected greatness from Rock Bottom because I have preconceived notions about any establishment that's a chain.  That said, I've patronized locations in Chicago, Denver, and La Jolla and always found something I enjoyed.  Each location seems to carry a selection of the standard, flagship beers that they're probably contractually obligated to pour, but then dig a bit deeper and you'll find the unique beers brewed only at that location, and there you can find some real gems.  Naturally, I ordered the sampler, partially out of curiosity, partially out of a desire to up my Big Year numbers. The usual corral of beers was decent, as anticipated, but the Bourbon Barrel Aged Samurai Imperial Stout and Mary Jane IPA made the visit worthwhile. With a mild buzz, and some solid downtime, I was rejuvenated & ready for the second show:  Liberate, Suspect, Crudos, and Infest.  Crudos played early in order to head down to Tijuana for an additional midnight gig. The Infest set was one of my favorites, good vibes, kids hanging from the rafters, full distortion.  I felt like we nailed it.  Then again, maybe eight samplers at Rock Bottom swayed my opinion.

Despite being on-the-go the whole time, and the fact that I needed to work on Monday morning after getting home after midnite, the whole weekend was top of the line.  And since then, I've spent each weeknight keeping a fraction of the pace but still making progress on my New Beer numbers:

2/8 - Saturday's tally:
*TENAYA CREEK TANDEM DOUBLE IPA - Beer #195, so good, I can't believe they're outside of Vegas
*MAMMOTH BREWING REAL MCCOY AMBER ALE - Beer #196, this brewery is near infallible.  What I really want is a bottle of their Farmhouse Saison.

*SAIGON EXPORT - Beer #197, You're eating spicy food? You need a non-intrusive lager to cool off your taste buds.

*HUE BEER - Beer #198, see above, except this one's better than Saigon Export.

*THE DUDES'  JUICEBOX SERIES: BLOOD ORANGE - Beer #199, we decided this is a sangria beer, fruity and mildly spicy, strangely sweet, but still drinkable & satisfying

*EL SEGUNDO BREWING MAYBERRY IPA - Beer #200, wow, sooo freakin' good.

*HIGH WATER BREWING CAMPFIRE STOUT - Beer #201, liquid s'mores

*PABST BLUE RIBBON - Beer #202, total shit beer for hipsters, but still drinkable when the club puts out a plastic barrel of free tallboys

2/9 - Sunday's San Diego Country exploration:
*PIZZA PORT VERBENA BELGIAN STYLE ALE - Beer #203, Belgian style ale with lemon verbena

*PIZZA PORT THRUSTER TRIPLE IPA - Beer #204, the usual SoCal hop bomb, but one of my favorites of the day.

*PIZZA PORT STATE BEACH IPL - Beer #205, Touted as an IPL, not super hoppy, but still crisp, refreshing

*PIZZA PORT BOURBON BARREL AGED NIGHT RIDER - Beer #206, I'm a freak for anything barrel aged, this one's a Russian Imperial Stout in bourbon barrels.  The pic of David Hasselhoff on the tap helps tremendously, as well.

*PIZZA PORT SHARKBITE RED ALE  - Beer #207, a hoppy red ale

*PIZZA PORT CLAUDIE'S IPL - Beer #208, now THAT'S the IPL I was hoping for.

*PIZZA PORT PONTO'S SESSION IPA - Beer #209, great, one of the few excellent session IPAs I've run across, along with Angel City All Day Session IPA and Drakes Alpha Session IPA.

*PIZZA PORT DEATH STAR AMERICAN STYLE STOUT - Beer #210

*CULTURE BREWING AMERICAN STRONG ALE - Beer #211, amazing right out of the gate

*CULTURE BREWING AMBER - Beer #212

*CULTURE BREWING NEW STYLE TRIPLE IPA - Beer #213, Great! Yes, I'm one of those boring hopheads.

*CULTURE BREWING DUNKELWEIZEN - Beer #214, damn good. I feel like visiting Bavaria after this one.

*CULTURE BREWING BLACK IPA - Beer #215, one of their best offerings.

*CULTURE BREWING  BLONDE - Beer #216, pretty light, not much going on. Then again, that IS the stereotypical "blonde" so maybe these brewers are even more brilliant than I thought.

*CULTURE BREWING  IPA - Beer #217, Yum!

*CULTURE BREWING NITRO MILK STOUT - Beer #218, Double yum!

*CULTURE BREWING MATT COURTRIGHT BARLEYWINE - Beer #219, another one of their best.

*CULTURE BREWING  IMPERIAL STOUT  - Beer #220, honestly I don't remember.  Could I still feel my taste buds at this point?

*CULTURE BREWING BLACK LAGER - Beer #221, purty good.

*CULTURE BREWING AMERICAN BROWN - Beer #222

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY KOLSCH - Beer #223, eh.

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY BELGIAN STYLE WHITE ALE - Beer #224, good barley and orange in this one

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY IPA - Beer #225, decent

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY RAGTOP RED ALE - Beer #226, erp.

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY MOONLIGHT PORTER - Beer #227, now you're talkin'

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY LONGBOARD BROWN - Beer #228, meh.

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY BOURBON BARREL AGED SAMURAI IMPERIAL STOUT - Beer #229, OK this is what I was waiting for all along, very sweet, still a good 'um.

*ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY MARY JANE IPA - Beer #230, better than their standard IPA, hop forward, I'd order this again.

2/10 - Starting off the week right at home:

*PRETTY THINGS AMERICAN DARLING PALE LAGER - Beer #231, good one, should have saved it for a sunny weekend afternoon by the pool

*SIERRA NEVADA FLIPSIDE RED IPA - Beer #232, been holding a few of these since last Fall, I don't remember it being THIS good, but it is!

2/11 - Tues band practice nite:

*NEW BELGIUM BREWING SPRING BLONDE - Beer #233, what you'd expect in a blonde, not much substance.
*STONE BREWING PALE ALE - Beer #234, @ The Snug. Didn't realize this was still unclaimed in my Big Year.

*STONE BREWING ARROGANT BASTARD - Beer #235, same as above.  Another tap I didn't realize hadn't been claimed yet. I had the Oaked version recently, but not the "classic" one til now.

*ALESMITH BREWING EXTRA PALE ALE - Beer #236, another brewer that is incapable of creating a bad beer.

2/12 - Wed nite home with The Fam:

*CISCO BREWERS INDIE PALE ALE - Beer #237, awesome, and very different from West Coast style. This reminds me of a limerick: "There once as a beer from Nantucket..."

*PIZZA PORT SWAMI'S IPA - Beer #238, a superior IPA

*BOULEVARD BREWING LONG STRANGE TRIPEL - Beer #239, I love this one.. thanks Larry McQuaide!

2/13 - Thurs nite home with The Fam:

*PIZZA PORT CHRONIC ALE - Beer #240, a brown ale which I mistakenly was expecting to be an IPA. Derrrr...

*AVERY BREWING OUT OF BOUNDS STOUT  - Beer #241, Avery is king of stouts, and there's no doubt.