Lagunitas Brewery - Petaluma, CA (July 13, 2011)

The next stop on our summer trip was the San Francisco Bay Area. The first of the 3 breweries we went to was Lagunitas in Petaluma, CA. Early one afternoon while we were camping , Essie told me she was going to pick me up some beer. Of course I went along with this plan. She came back a half our later with a growler (large mason jar) of their Little Supmin’ Sumpin’ Ale. She told me that she went to Lagunitas, which was down the road from our campsite and when she asked the bartender what she should buy, he insisted adamantly and without hesitation that she try this.

I spent the next few hours sitting under the shade of a tree working and sipping… admiring the beautiful weather as well as the extremely tasty beer. The word that kept coming to my mind was complex. This wheat beer (50% wheat/50% barley) is unlike any other that I’ve had to date. It has a surprisingly creamy mouth-feel that is balanced by a fantastic wheat flavor. It finishes with slight bitterness and distinct aroma of apricot, peach, and citrus…. It almost makes you want to describe it as “juicy”. This is a great summer beer. I would highly recommend it if for an afternoon of yard-work or, as in my case, conference calls.

So later that evening we went to the brewery with high expectations... Lagunitas has a very nice outdoor dining area with a stage for live music. They even allow dogs, something which seems to be very uncommon California, and Petunia was very grateful to be included in our evening. The service was very nice and the food was decent. The beer, on the other hand, was a different story.

Every brew we tried ranged from Bad to Mediocre... Bad being the Cappucino Stout aged in whiskey barrels (although I should mention that my wife passionately defends this particular beer by saying that it was “really ok”), and mediocre being the Pilsner. Their IPA was average, and their Gueze was disappointing. To be more specific : The Stout sounded like it could be really interesting, but the flavors did not mix well. The espresso added an undesirable bitterness and the whiskey flavor seemed to muddle everything else. Being a big fan of Belgian ales, I was really excited that they had Gueze on the menu. But while it did have a really nice aroma, similar to other lambics that I’ve had, it was really lacking the flavor. Their IPA wasn’t bad, but it didn’t stand out to me among other IPA’s that I’ve had. The Pilsner was OK, but it couldn’t touch anything I’ve had from Canadian microbreweries.

In conclusion… If you’re in the area, be sure to stop here to try the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale. I’ve had it on tap and in the bottle, and it is significantly better on tap. But don’t waste your time or your money on any other of the other beers they have to offer. 

Stone Brewing Company - Escondido, CA (June 15, 2011)

Who can resist the gargoyle graphics, the overly embellished descriptions of beers, and the extreme palate-wrenching flavors of the Stone Brewing Company?  After my visit there, I think I can safely say… ME.

I’ve wanted to visit Stone for a long time.  I had always enjoyed their insanely high-IBU Ruination IPA, and since I was in San Diego for the week, I figured it was the perfect time to visit.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the brewery.  This place was huge.  As soon as I walked into the building, I was turned off.  It felt like I had walked into a hotel lobby that served beer in it's gift shop.  I made my way up to the “bar” to ask for a sample.  Before I could get my words out, I was interrupted by the “bartender” who told me I needed to purchase my growler at the front desk… So I forked over a ridiculous amount of money for a 1 liter growler and brought it back to the gift shop for a fill.

While waiting for my liter of Ruination, I was finally able to get a full sentence out and asked the “bartender” if I could try a sample of a seasonal beer.  He said “No”.  And that was that.  I very much felt like a "customer" that was only there to complete a transaction.  I was not at all encouraged to hang around.  Instead of feeling like I was there to share in the experience of the beer, I was obviously just there to buy it.

I walked out with my beer in hand and a significant dent in my wallet.  If I was strictly considering just the beer, then I may have written a somewhat more positive review...  There’s no doubt that Stone has heavily influenced the craft brewing market for the better, and they are obviously doing some things right. But this experience was a reminder for me that beer is not just about the beer itself - it's about sharing, it's about community... it's about people. 

Pizzeria Bianco - Phoenix, AZ (June 9th, 2011)

I found myself alone in Phoenix on a Thursday night with nothing to do.  At 8:00 pm I realized that not only had I forgotten to eat dinner, I had forgotten to eat at Pizzeria Bianco.  I was leaving for LA the next day to meet my wife, so this was my last chance.  I called the restaurant and they told me they were having a slow night, so if I got there within 30 minutes I could be seated almost immediately.  I got in the car right away, and drove downtown as giddy as a child on Christmas.  People usually wait in line multiple hours to get a taste of this stuff.  A couple years back, I tried making a reservation, and I was told that the soonest I could get in was in 3 months from my call.  I realize this isn’t a brewery, but I don’t care.  I must include it in my blog.  Of course I had beer too, but that will have to wait a minute.

Put this place on your “Top 10 things to do when I am within a 1,000 mile radius of Phoenix” list.  Anything but pretentious, this warm brick building with dim lights and modest décor will make anyone feel at home.  I sat at the bar, and was primarily surrounded by locals who frequent the pizzeria many nights a week.  I overheard interesting conversations about mechanical engineering, educational politics, and physics, all of which were immediately drowned out as soon as I got my pizza.

They offer a very stripped-down  menu,  a limited wine list and only 1 beer on tap.  The owner, Chris Bianco, sources most, if not all, of his ingredients from local farmers.  If you are looking for a greasy, cheese-laden, over-topped pizza, then this is not the place for you.  But if you are interested in trying the product of a true artisan, you will not be disappointed by the perfectly paper-thin, crispy, chewy crust.  I went with the Margherita Pizza… Fresh Basil and house-made mozzarella cheese atop a light layer of bright, fresh, tangy tomato sauce.  You bite into it and immediately regret not ordering a second for the road (or dessert).

I received my pizza well before I finished my first Thunder Canyon Sandstone Cream Ale.  The beer alone may have been nothing phenomenal - a typical cream ale, gold in color, with a light hop profile, noticeable sweetness, and smooth mouthfeel.  But it was very pleasant, didn’t over-power any flavors in my food, and turned out to be the perfect complement to the best pizza I’ve ever had.  This night I was reminded that beer shouldn’t always be judged on its own.  Pairing beer with food is a skill that is oftentimes overlooked and underappreciated.  While they could have chosen a number of other delicious beers that do well on their own or with many other foods, they chose this light and subtly flavorful cream ale that showed respect for the food it was served with. Pizzeria Bianco picked the perfect beer to go with their perfect pizza.

Ska Brewing Company - Durango, CO (May 31-June 1, 2011)

“I can’t believe there’s a place in this world that has thought of a way to combine 2 things as great as ska music and good beer.”  This is a direct quote from a fellow drinker (who turned out to be an intern) at the bar of Ska Brewing Company in Durango, CO.  I have to admit that I had to hold back my laughter because, to be honest, from the moment I loaded up the Ska Brewing website, I was a little turned off.  I hate ska music (or at least I have since about 1997).  And, even if I liked it, I probably would have found this site to be a little cheesy.  So, because of the connection that has been deliberately contrived between ska music and this brewery, despite having lived in Colorado for 6 years, I had actually never tried their beer.* 

Upon entering the brewery (and trying their product) I was, however, pleasantly surprised.  It was a simple place with an industrial feel.  It's not the warmest, most welcoming place – a lot of stainless steel and concrete with limited seating and a small home-brewing supply section.  But the staff was really friendly and easy to talk to so I spent a lot of time there, feeling very welcome to do so.  They also directed me to a  taco shop (Zia Taqueria) where I was pleased to easily find a tasty vegetarian option for dinner that was kindly delivered to me right at the bar.  June 1^st was also my birthday and for that, they gave me a free beer – A good way to win me over.

Mexican Logger –

A light and refreshing lager with a hint of lime.  Good citrus flavor with a subtle but solid malt backbone.  Basically what a Corona should taste like.

Amber Hefeweisen –

A collaboration beer (with Steamworks Brewery, Durango, CO).  Being a German style wheat beer, you get the nice aromatic esters that give it hints of spice and fruit (coming from the yeast)- BUT this was also an amber, so the malt added a little more of a rich flavor and body than you usually expect in a hefeweisen.  It worked well.

Buster Nut Brown Ale (Cask aged) –

Perhaps get a sample, but don’t buy a full pint.  It was rather flat (as if it reached its peak a while ago) and somewhat watery with less flavor than should be expected from a beer of this style.  Not recommended by me. 

Big Shikes Orange Blossom Imperial Pilsner –

I’m a big fan.  When a pilsner is good, I like it.  A good pilsner is really refreshing with good flavor and a crisp finish.  This is one of the best I have had.  It was a high gravity imperial so there was a bit of sweetness, but there’s a also hint of orange blossom on the nose that lightens it all a bit and makes it very drinkable for being a beer of such high gravity.  I had a second glass after a pint of their high IBU Modus Hoperandi IPA, and it still stood up very well.

Modus Hoperandi IPA –

I’ve had a lot of IPAs.  By a lot, I mean a lot.  There are a lot of them out there, and a lot of them are over-rated - But this is a good one. It has a great piney aroma with really good citrus/grapefruit flavors from the hops that balance out the bitter finish very nicely.  This is a great example of what an American Style IPA should be. 

*After I wrote this I remembered I had tried a Ska brew before...  I had their True Blonde Ale at a restaurant once.  It was good.

The Beginning

It’s been about 8 months since we started our travels, and they have now taken us to 15 different states, 4 countries, and have added over 10,000 miles to our car. We have made many new friends and memories, and tasted a lot of beer.

As I write this, I am sitting on a patio in Costa Rica enjoying a nice overcast day. I just returned from a long run, very sweaty, only to realize that the water is shut off for the afternoon. I was planning on cleaning up and exploring the town, but am now way too disgusting to do this... So since I have nowhere to go and will be spending the next 5 weeks in a country with, as far as I can tell, no craft brewing to speak of - I figured this would be a great time to finally (publicly) document my beer explorations from the past months.  So I will now post the notes of my first travel/brew experience, but there are many more soon to come.