Beer #816-883 / Day #138-150: Floor, Fermenting, Flights, Food, Friends, Fine Folks, and Fullerton

BREWING IN HIGHLAND PARK

Yep, I'm totally into grind.

As mentioned previously, I’ve spent years hemming and hawing about homebrewing.  I was determined to do it, but always found an excuse not to follow through.  A piece of equipment was missing.  Or I was too skittish about everything being properly sanitized.  Or the weather was too hot year round in SoCal for anything to ferment properly in my garage.  Or flat-out I was just too much of a goddamn scaredy cat.

The day arrived for me to finally Man Up, thanks to an agreed-upon collaboration with Ryan Harkins from Grill Em All and Eagle Rock brewmaster Lee Bakofsky.  Hell, if it wasn’t for Lee offering to show us the ropes I’d still be making weak excuses.  And we’re using all of his gear.  And he supplied the ingredients.  And he created the recipe.  So, when I say “collaboration” I actually mean I’m dead weight, but Lee has been gracious enough to drag my carcass along through the process, for which I’m thankful.

My cohorts in action.

As much as I’ve attempted to comprehend the brewing process by reading about it, taking a homebrewing class many years ago, and tagging along with multiple brewery tours, a lot of it never really sank in.  Nothing like hands-on experience with an expert to bring it all home.  I ground nearly all of the malt and barley by hand.  Measured the hops.  Stirred the mash.  The tactile experience, and the sights and smells of all of the source ingredients lead me to a greater understanding of just what the hell I’m smelling and tasting in other beers.  I thought I knew, and know I’m aware I’ve only been partially correct on some of my assessments.  Frankly, next to the beer itself, that’s my favorite thing about being so dorky about beer… there’s always something new to learn.  There will never be a finite number of beers to try.  There will always be something new, and brewers will always find ways to push the boundaries, good or otherwise.

Bottom line, we brewed an oatmeal imperial stout.  I prefer not to go into too much detail, only because I’m not sure what to expect.  I don’t have a solid concept of what the combination on the front end will produce on the back end.  For now, I’m generically expecting some semblance of a stout.  This rookie will post more once our fermentation is done.

More important than brewing: What toppings do we want on our pizzas?

MEMORABLE BEERS OVER MEMORIAL WEEKEND

The Wife and I hit a Cajun & Blues Festival in Simi Valley over Memorial Day weekend.  I’ve only stopped in Simi Valley maybe three times since I’ve lived in SoCal.  The name of this town alone maintains a negative association in my psyche thanks to the Rodney King verdict.  Despite my preconceived notions, I conceded to attending this Fest on Saturday and it was definitely worth the trip.  The entrance fee was reasonable.  Parking was free.  Plenty of room to spread out.  We could bring our own chairs and an ice chest.  Music was top notch… and when Guitar Shorty walked thru the crowd in the middle of a song, I even managed to snap an awkward selfie with him.  Gator On A Stick could have been chicken, but it was toothsome either way.  The beer selection was just a half-notch above abysmal.  I wasn’t expecting much, but I thought a Cajun fest with an abundance of jambalaya, gumbo, and gator parts would at least sell Abita beer.  We were stuck with the array of offerings from the Anheuser-Busch family.  Drinkable, but not memorable, of course.  At least it was an excuse to check a few more off my Big Year list.

Selfie with Guitar Shorty mid-song

The following day I headed down behind The Orange Curtain for a nephew’s birthday party.  Considering LA area traffic, the drive was smooth sailing, aside from a carsick dog.  Donnie puked everywhere in the backseat.  Do we have the world’s first dog with motion sickness?  Anyhow, my nephew was turning 1.  Early afternoon parties for babies tend not to have beer.  The party was over by 3:30pm, and when the rest of the family headed home, I stayed in The OC to conduct my own mini beer tour.  Aside from serious beering, I also stayed in the area to meet up with some friends from the band FLOOR, from Florida, in Fullerton…. That sounds like the beginning of a limerick, or a really easy tongue-twister.

Completely Logical.

Beer “tour” is synonymous with bizarre routes through non-descript industrial parks, but once found, these breweries appear like tiny, bustling oases in a mirage of tan-colored, shoebox uniformity.  First stop, BOTTLE LOGIC in Anaheim.  This brewer has only been open since January, but they were doing business out the door.  And the hype is justified.  I first sampled their beers at the Sabroso Festival, and they made such a solid impression, I had to make this the first stop on my field trip.  Despite the long line (I don’t do long lines), I waited semi-patiently and ordered my sampler of 7 new selections.  While there is no set “rule” that beer needs to be tasted in a particular order, Bottle Logic was smart to put the EMP: Extremely Mellow Porter and the Mother Heifer Milk Stout first, because once I hit their IPAs, I realized what true palate wreckers they can be (apologies Green Flash), especially the Alpha White IPA.  All selections were excellent, the service was helpful & patient despite the impatient long lines of thirsty Anaheimians.  I can’t say enough good things about this place.

Cali Gold: Huell Howser would be proud

Next, I cruised slightly North to the TAPS BREWERY AND FISHHOUSE.  To my knowledge, they’ve never bottled any of their beers.  They have an impressive roster that occasionally makes its way to SoCal beer bars.  I’ve always liked them, and was chomping at the bit to visit ground zero.  I planted myself at the bar, and while I was thankful for the mercifully small patronage, I was saddened that their tap selection wasn’t the endless conga line of beers listed on their website.  I thought for sure I could keep the conveyor belt of samplers going, but I ended up only ordering one flight.  No worries.  They rotate beers through on a regular basis, so that’s the perfect excuse to return often.  I had already claimed their Mocha Stout this year, but I had to order it and sample again because it was so freakin’ great.  All pours were tasty, the Cali Gold IPA and Helles being my favorites.  I was feeling frugal so I resisted the temptation to pig out on everything from their menu, but fortunately I did treat myself to the awe-inspiring Dragon Eggrolls. I’ll be back.

I headed back South to NOBLE ALE WORKS, hoping to stumble across some unique small batch, oddball brews, which is one of the many things they excel at.  Then the kind-hearted gal behind the counter informed me they close at 6pm on Sunday.  It was 6:11pm.  I forgot… even on holiday weekends, places close earlier on Sunday.  Shit.  But she took pity on me, sold me a bottle of their newest release, Rakau Showers Imperial IPA, and mercifully poured me a 16 ouncer of their mighty Man’s Milk Stout.  Indeed, I felt like a comforted man-baby suckling on this.

Portrait of a Man and his Milk. Diaper optional.

There was still an hour before my buds would be arriving, so I hit PROVISIONS in the heart of Orange.  This bottle store / taproom was originally run by The Bruery, then closed, then reopened under new ownership by HAVEN, one of my favorite brewpubs in the lower half of this great state.  The concept is still the same, however, the bottle selection has dwindled considerably, and half of the beer has been replaced by wine.  Regardless, it’s still a solid spot for a brau & a snack for the throngs who have endured a grueling, laborious day of antique shopping in Old Town.  Provisions still carries a wide variety of styles on tap, and are savvy enough to offer samplers.  As much as I wanted to keep pushing my own boundaries, I still had a long night ahead of me, and decided to limit myself to only four tasters… two fine selections from Pasadena’s mysterious Craftsman Brewing, the more elusive Lagunitas Waldo’s Special Ale, and the liquid Christmas tree overload of the Brouwerij Lupus Wolf 7.

Gettin' FLOORed!

While I still had my wits about me, I high-tailed it to downtown Fullerton to meet up with my pals:  Unabashed music geek, hardcore screenprinter, and graphic designer extraordinaire Jack Barfield, and Steve Brooks, guitarist / vocalist for Floor.  Floor is currently touring to support their new album “Oblation”.  This part of town is geared primarily towards the college crowd, boasting rows upon rows of restaurants and bars for the frat folks to exchange phone numbers, fluids, and fisticuffs.  Floor was booked at the Slidebar, which joined the ranks of the other non-descript hangouts in town.  A huge plus is the Slidebar is located directly next door to one of my favorite newer brewpubs in the area, HOPSCOTCH, so our trio patronized it for our pre-show indulgences.  Mr. Brooks is “known” (read:  “somewhat infamous”) for his antics when he drinks and refuses to stop drinking.  Were we in for the genuine Steve Brooks tonight or the reincarnation of Darby Crash?  Jack and I ordered beer.  Steve ordered iced tea.  He was keepin’ it real tonight.  I started with an 8 oz Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.  I’m such a nerd, I was actually excited when I saw this on the taplist.  This beer has always been elusive to me.  It’s release is always limited, and highly sought after.  I don’t wait in lines, and I don’t race all over town to collect rare beer, so having this fall in my lap was like Charlie unwrapping the golden ticket.  It was as dense, inky, and complex as I had hoped, but I should have had it for dessert, not as an appetizer.  I ordered the burger for dinner, and nearly doubled over from overstuffing myself, but I couldn’t help it… this is one of my favorite burgers since Grill Em All, and I couldn’t justify NOT eating the whole damn thing, no matter how high it was stacked.  Additionally, I ordered a sampler flight, the highlights being the Green Flash Hop Odyssey Black IPA and the 6^th Anniversary Wheat Wine from Fullerton’s own Bootlegger’s Brewery.  Well satiated, we headed back next door just in time for Floor to set up.  This three-piece unit absolutely crushed the room.  Their sludgy, down-tuned anthems are thick as molasses… the musical equivalent of that Bourbon County Stout.  Doomy, monolithic, powerful beyond belief.  I would have headbanged and whipped my hair around if I had any.  This was the pinnacle of an already great day.

All told, a top notch weekend, but how would it hold up compared to the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival a week later?  Stay tuned to find out.

The tally continues...

Well, it wasn't. Thanks to Total Wine.

5/18 – Chillin’ poolside

816 - SUDWERK BREWING MAIBOCK SPRING LAGER – Floral, well-rounded, refreshing

817 - MARIN BREWING TRIPEL DIPSEA BELGIAN STYLE ALE - Mandarin orange esters, golden yeasty goodness

818 - SANTAN BREWING DEVIL'S ALE - Musty malts, very tasty

819 - MARIN BREWING SAN QUENTIN'S BREAKOUT STOUT - Not an oatmeal stout but tastes like one, Delish!

5/19 – Homebrew Day

820 - NEW BELGIUM BLUE PADDLE PILSENER – Crisp pils, OK, but not much depth

821 - EAGLE ROCK BREWERY BOTANY BAY ESB – Killer!  Enjoyed from brewer Lee Bakofsky’s secret stash in an unlabeled bottle, awesome malt character.  Freakin’ yum!

Lee's homemade sour: Perfection!

822 - GENESEE BREWING GENESEE BEER – A midwestern regional shit lager I’ve never had.  Kinda like Natty Bo.  What you’d expect.

823 - LEE BAKOFSKY HOMEBREW OLD PROCRASTINATOR BARREL AGED SOUR – Treat of the evening… Barrel-aged in a Highland Park garage, room temp with no carbonation yet, and seriously phenomenal.

5/20 - home

824 - NEW BELGIUM SKINNY DIP - Forgettable , in fact I don't remember drinking it

825 - GRAND TETON BREWING LOST CONTINENT DOUBLE IPA - Heavy citrus , perty good

826 - NECTAR ALES RED NECTAR - Reds often disappoint, but Nectar Ales does not disappoint. Ever.

5/21 - home

827 - FIRESTONE WALKER OPAL DRY HOPPED SAISON - Major tart citrus bomb, grapefruity, dang tasty

828 - MAD RIVER BREWING STEELHEAD PORTER - Excellent chocolatey malt attack

Donnie approved.

5/22 – A quick after-work flight at Tony’s Darts Away, then home

829 - GOLDEN ROAD / THREE WEAVERS COLLABORATION CROSS THE POND IPA - Finally get to try something from Three Weavers (well, partially). Smooth, mild caramelly, almost buttery session ale

830 - CISMONTANE BREWING COFFEE CITIZEN – This beer and the next three are from a Cismontane tap takeover at Tony’s.  I got in on the tail end of the leftovers.  Cali Common infused with roasty coffee goodness, golden amber, doesn't look like it tastes, total breakfast beer

831 - CISMONTANE BREWING SCHWARZHOP AMERICAN BLACK ALE - Nice black ale, served @ room temp @ Tony's Darts Away, if it was too cold the subtle malts would be hidden, mild & bitter mouthfeel

United Colors of Cismontane 

832 - CISMONTANE BREWING DOUBLE RAINBOW DIPA - Double Rainbow? What does it mean? It means an all out superior hop assault, a delicious, deep amber, incredibly rich brew

833 - CISMONTANE BREWING 4TH ANNIVERSARY DOPPELBOCK - Decent doppelbock, heavily grain-like and wheaty on the palate, mild

834 - GOOSE ISLAND TEN HILLS PALE ALE - Has a good story behind it for these unique hops they source. Didn't do much for me taste-wise though. Sorry.

835 - CALDERA BREWING IPA - Potent, pungent hoppiness. Good stuff.

5/23 – A brief BevMo Burbank tasting, then home

836 - GOLDEN ROAD HEFEWEIZEN - Orangey deliciousness, way better than yer average Hef

837 - GOLDEN ROAD WOLF AMONG WEEDS - Slightly skunkified, danky goodness, a classic

838 - SIERRA NEVADA OVILA SAISON - Subtle citrus goin' on, didn't love it as much as I expected, but it was probably too cold

839 - BEAR REPUBLIC HOP ROD RYE - Crazy good marriage of rye and heavy hops

Real Cubans. Time for jail.

840 - ALASKAN BREWING ESB – I haven’t encountered many ESBs I love overall, but I heart this one. Deep caramelly malts. So damn tasty!

841 - MENDOCINO BREWING IMPERIAL BARLEY WINE ALE - Crazy rich, deep caramel flavors, semi sweet, all good.

5/24 – Two crappy beers at the Cajun & Blues Fest, then two great beers at the house

842 - MARGARITAVILLE BREWING LANDSHARK LAGER - What I expected

843 - SHOCK TOP BELGIAN WHITE - What you'd expect

844 - CORONADO BREWING SOCK KNOCKER IMPERIAL IPA - 20 megaton hop explosion

845 - STRAND BREWING BEACH HOUSE AMBER - Roasty malts, easy sippin

5/25 – Beering behind The Orange Curtain

846 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING EMP: EXTREMELY MELLOW PORTER - Extremely Mellow Porter, maybe considered an English style, light roasted caramel malts, easy drinking

847 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING MOTHER HEIFER MILK STOUT - They describe it as "velvety smooth"... that's an understatement. Ridiculously good.

848 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING JOULE THIEF KRYSTALWEIZEN - Light but complex wheat beer, glad I had this before their IPAs got to my palette.

849 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING RECURSION 2.0 IPA - Tart cantaloupe hoppiness. Yum.

850 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING PREQUEL ALPHA WHITE IPA - Excellent Citra hopped IPA... got that skunky, armpitty eucalyptus funk that we love

851 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING DOUBLE ACTUATOR DOUBLE IPA - Creamy imperial IPA, I'm tasting everything from subdued caramel to flowers to a veggie eggroll. It's a romantic dinner in one glass.

The many taps of TAPS

852 - BOTTLE LOGIC BREWING TATTERED PRINCE SAISON - Wild yeastiness and a good amount of spice

853 – TAPS CALI GOLD IPA - The Columbus & Amarillo hops give it a major crunch, serious hop bite. California's Gold.. Huell Howser would be proud.

854 – TAPS SEAWARD PALE ALE - Cascade hops, kinda piney

855 - TAPS POSEIDON 2.0 DOUBLE IPA - Nelson Sauvin & Cascade hops give it a deep citrus, slightly acidic hop bite, but nicely balanced as well.

856 - TAPS HELLES - Mild malts, golden goodness, great everyday beer. Everyone should replace Bud with this. Perfect with the TAPS Dragon Rolls as well.

857 - NOBLE ALE WORKS MAN'S MILK STOUT ON NITRO - Creamy, chocolatey, the name says it all. Bad ass. Finally a stout that does NOT taste like coffee. Thank you!

858 - CRAFTSMAN BREWING BAY LAUREL SOUR - Noted as a sour, but not cloyingly tart.  Liquefied tropical fruit trail mix (sans raisins).

859 - CRAFTSMAN BREWING POINT FIVE IPA - Tastes more like a pale ale, not distinctly hoppy, not like that’s a bad thing as this is mellow, easy sippin’.

860 - LAGUNITAS WALDO'S SPECIAL ALE DIPA - Excellent, hop-forward DIPA, Love it!

861 - BROUWERIJ LUPUS - WOLF 7 BELGIAN STRONG PALE ALE - Crazy Xmas potpourri spice, heavy cinnamon, clove, slightly cough syrupy, a good "winter warmer"

862 - GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY STOUT - America, fuck yeah!  I finally get to taste this bad boy. 

863 - GREEN FLASH BREWING HOP ODYSSEY BLACK IPA – In a word: Killer.

864 - HOPSCOTCH TAVERN HEFEWEIZEN - Brewed for Hopscotch Tavern by Golden Road, citrusy goodness

865 - ROUGH DRAFT BREWING AMBER - Malt & caramel, good stuff

866 - BOOTLEGGER'S BREWERY 6TH ANNIVERSARY WHEAT WINE - Like a barley wine, a little less sweet, full bodied and damn good. One of their best.

5/26 - Home

867 - PIKE BREWING COMPANY PIKE PALE HEIRLOOM AMBER ALE - So-So. Least fave Pike brew.

868 - AVERY BREWING COMPANY ELLIE'S BROWN ALE - Nutty, tasty, and nutty

5/27 – Home, and a few at The Office, Burbank before Infest practice

869 - NOBLE ALE WORKS RAKAU SHOWERS IMPERIAL IPA - Nice oily hops, and it really opens up at room temp.  I wouldn’t drink it so cold next time.

870 - DUVEL MOORTGAT DUVEL - Heavy citrus esters, slight musk of a "corked" white wine, in a good way

871 - NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY OLD RASPUTIN RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT - Chocolate malt overload, so good

872 - WIDMER BROTHERS HEFEWEIZEN - Like Brach's butterscotch, ech

5/28 - Home

873 - BIG SKY BREWING MONTANA TROUT SLAYER ALE - Didn't love it, tasted sweet for some reason, the description sounds like a beer I'd want though

874 - BIG SKY BREWING MOOSE DROOL BROWN ALE - Spittle never tasted so delish

The Dodges never met a tasting they didn't like

5/29 – Small tasting at Vendome and a couple at home

875 - BALLAST POINT PIPER DOWN SCOTTISH ALE - Low hopped but the hop subtleties are still present, roasty and malty, this piper should be down my gullet

876 - NEW BELGIUM GRUIT: LIPS OF FAITH - Wormwood? Thankfully I didn't turn into a lunatic and cut off my ear. But I did finally cut some slack to the LOF series. Floral golden yum

877 - NEW BELGIUM RYEPA - Hoppy, rye-ey, rustic, with a creamy mouthfeel. I'm a sucker for rye.

878 - STRUBBE'S FLEMISH RED - Tangy, heavy pomegranate, a bit too sweet, slightly funky, interesting, aged in Bordeaux barrels

879 - BRASSERIE DE BRUNEHAUT THE CLOAK OF ST. MARTIN BELGIAN QUADRUPEL - What a trip! Crazily complex. Heavy musky and musty barrel presence, highly raisiny, dank like an ancient old world stone dungeon

880 - EEL RIVER BREWING RAVEN'S EYE IMPERIAL STOUT - Excellent oily chocolate bomb, like any great imperial stout should be

881 - BRAUEREI SCHLENKERLA AECHT SCHLENKERLA EICHE DOPPELBOCK - Liquid smoke, like the charred remains of hobos from an apartment fire

RODRIGUEZ: Live at The Greek on the big screen. Sounds great. Looks like The Cryptkeeper.

5/30 - A few before heading to The Greek to see Rodriguez live:
882 - BALLAST POINT PALE ALE - Formerly known as the Yellowtail Pale Ale, now it's simply "Pale Ale". Still the ol' standby. Got to sample it at BevMo Burbank on the way home from work.  Ballast Point never disappoints.
883 - INNIS & GUNN ORIGINAL BARREL AGED BEER - Smooth and sweet, like a pimp rollin' in a Cadillac Brougham

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday 4/26 I saw Black Sabbath. 

Tuesday 4/29 I hit Beer #666.  

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

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

The tally continues:

Pre-Easter Saturday with the Wife’s family

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

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

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

All enjoyed throughout the work week at home:

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

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

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

Sabbath Day:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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