Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout is a Christmas in June

We picked up Port Brewing's Christmas beer at their brewery during our San Diego trip because we knew it wouldn't be around long. I'm glad I did. I love the look of a good stout and this one pours beautifully. The label is pretty cute as well, I must say. Included in this picture is one of my favorite Christmas gifts from years ago, a Kangroo Testicles Beer Opener from my brother's semester abroad in Melbourn (this is actually Testicles 2, as our favorite dog sitting canine Kalmari ate the Testicles 1). Still, I had 5 minutes to gather all my things before the great tsunami came, this would be on my list to grab. 

At 10% alcohol, this is more than a little helper. There is a rich oak taste that reallly smooths out the roasted malt flavor. When we visited, their brewery was filled with barrels, much like The Bruery and their oak flavor scratches this stout the right way. Stouts tend to have a bitter taste thanks to the roasted and chocolate malts, but thanks to the oak barrel aging, Little Helper is strong, smooth and rich. As the beer warms, I can taste the alcohol just a snosh. This warmness would be very welcome in the winter. For Christmas in June, it simply tastes awesome. This is one of the better stout's I tasted this year, BAD BOYS rating.

Probst! says the Elf

This is one of those beers which inspire me as a home brewer to try something new. In this case, aging strong, bitter ales made with roasted malts with some oak chips. I've had many barrel aged brews this year, but this one was eye opening. As soon as the summer's heat is over, I'll look forward to brewing something like this for Christmas!

Real Brewing Remembers the Alamo, Golden Ale Edition

As I head to the airport and say goodbye to Houston, mom can't help herself and sends me packing with a grab bag of all things Texan - bbq, texas firecrackers and blueberries...? Two out of three ain't bad. For my ride to the airport, I pour an Alamo golden ale, which I'm excited to try just because it involves the state's biggest landmark, besides the world's largest cowboy boots:http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7815.

The Golden ale is malty for the style and reminds me of a German bock or an Oktoberfest in that manner. They say it's a velvety on the back and they ain't lying. This isn't a great beer but it's a good drinking beer. TRANSFORMERS rating, worthy of the Alamo. God willing, Michael Bay will one day let it be destroyed by a either a giant robot or a pair of rogue cops on their way back to Miami.

Shiner 102 Double Wheat doesn't dubbel the fun

After returning my tux from the wedding, I swung by H-E-B, which I discovered last Christmas, is the bees knees of beer selection in Houston. They have many Texas brews and a noteworthy amount of national craft brews, including a surprising amount from Brooklyn Brewery. They also have a solid selection to build your own 6 pack, which is a novelty to me. I have never seen this in California, New York, Washington D.C. or Utah (4 states I've visited).

I chose an assortment of Texas beer and California beer because ironically, I came to Texas to buy Cali beer because I've never seen it out there. It's called Beer Camp from Sierra Nevada and it's a pretty neat concept that is essentially like winning the Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's factory:  Sierra Beer Camp. You apply via a video by mid July and in August this year, you and a chosen select travel to Chico, California, and spend a weekend brewing a beer which your group conceived. The flavors available here were a Black Juniper Ale, a California Common, and a Weizenbock. I also picked up two brews from the Real Brewing in Blanco, Texas.

With no time to drink I headed to the Astros game. It's been a while since seeing Minute Maid Park (originally known as Enron Field, not so much anymore). And oh how times have changed. Only two people on the team are hitting greater than .300. The Astros Pitcher had the only RBI for the day, after he cranked the first pitch of his second at bat 367 feet into the right field bleachers. After going ahead 2-0 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Astros middle relief blew it. The story of the Astros sad year so far.

Can't complain about the seats though!

Back home I ran outside to play with our yellow lab, Snowball, and within minutes I was soaked. The high today was 96 degrees! And there's bugs in Houston. California has spoiled me so badly that I forgot how nasty it could get even on a beautiful day.

Snowball needed a cool-off pretty quickly, as did I, so I returned to open the Shiner 102.

Even in her old age, ain't she cute?

Shiner's latest anniversary brew is a 6.2% Double Wheat with Saaz and Washington Golding hops, a malted wheat ale. Their first anniversary beer, 101, was a pilsner and was quite delicious (Shiner 101).

It's a slightly sweet and malty, but overall bland. I wonder what kind of yeast they used because it has no banana or clove characteristics of a german hefeweisse or the tartness of an american wheat. As it pangs my heart to rag on my two hometown favorites, this Shiner 102 is as bland as the Astros offensive power. THE ISLAND rating

Hofbrau Maibock is sweet like Barcelona's victory over Manchester United...oh and like and Katie's Wedding!

I know very little about European 'football, other than Karl's an ardent supporter of Chelsea, so when I join family friends Carlos and Sam to watch the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United and Carlos is wearing a Barcelona jersey, I'm on his side. Even if Bar Munich in Houston is filled with Man U fans. Ugly fellers.

I shouldn't have a stein on an empty stomach 3 hours before I have to usher a wedding, but Sam has known me since I was 4 and he obviously knows how much I should drink more than I (at least that's the story I'm sticking to).

Created in 1614, Maibock is Munich's oldest bock beer. It pours an amber color and is really good! Sweet and malty. Shiner Bock is the bock I'm most familiar with, and while it's on my family's mantle next to the dog, this Maibock I might actually prefer. A sweeter bock, is a drinking bock, but the Shiner I would prefer with food. This is a great Saturday afternoon soccer game beer, probst! TRANSFORMERS rating.

Afterward, Sam and I head to usher the wedding of our family friend Katie, to Taft. A great time with friends and family! So happy and excited to officially welcome Taft to our circle!!

Mr. and Mrs. Beereveryday.com

Walker with the bride and groom

 Katie is so sweet, she actually apologized for not having any 'good' beer at the wedding! The bride herself. Apparently I've made an impression on people. That's ridiculous! They have Shiner Blonde! I drank enough Shiner Blonde tonight to put one of the brewer's kids through college. Here is my ode to Shiner Blonde, one of my favorite posts: Shiner Blonde

Sam I am and I

Sam, Rob H, Katie H, Ben H, Walker, Emily H.

Karl Strauss Tower 10 IPA fittingly starts Memorial Day weekend

With a half day at work and a plane flight looming, I poured myself some bourbon and set to packing for a trip to Houston for a wedding. Packing took me all of 10 minutes so I poured myself a bomber from Karl Strauss and soaked up sun in the hammock. If I was here this weekend, I'd spend time down by da beach, by Tower 26. But I'm sure as hell ain't gonna spend time in the sun in Houston, it's 96 degrees!

Hell of a day to leave California

I've had three  beers from Karl Strauss and enjoyed none of them terribly much. However, the Tower 10 turns out to be one good lookin' slumpbuster. It's not a great IPA but it's definitely the common man's drinking IPA. Turned out, I picked a fantastic beer to enjoy during a warm day at the start of summer. It's 6.5% alcohol and has a great bite to it. For once, Karl Strauss, you're getting above 4 stars. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Widmer Bros Hefeweizen might pass as contaminated Bavarian Water

When you have nothing good to say about someone, my mother told me not to say it. Unfortunately, I have a blog so I'm inclined to yell it from the top of the webosphere but keep it brief.

With David gone, I'm scrambling to find single beers in the house and there's only one I could find, a Widmer Hefe that David 'borrowed' from a Red Bull event and brought back to the house. Kudos roomie. However, this was worse than I expected. I thought this might taste like a bad beer. Instead it tastes like water that's watered down with German yeast.  There are several American made commercial hefeweizens out there, don't try this one. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating

Anchor Steam Porter begins a good old fashioned night of drinkin' the good stuff

I'm at The Other Room with Karl and we're killing time until David and Nick G are able to join us to kill a growler of Iron Fist and hopefully some ice cream, which if they don't eat, will eventually turn my inner fat kid into an outie. In the meantime, I'm surprised to discover I've unfortunately covered a good portion of The Other Room's beer menu, and I'm settling down on the fairly easy to find Anchor Steam Porter.

Anchor Steam's brewing process, is called steam brewing, and during the first half of last century, it was pretty common on the West Coast, but now Anchor steam is the only company which still brews in this manner. The result, if you've ever had an Anchor Steam, is a creation similar to a fruity Sierra Nevada.

Accordingly, the Anchor Steam Porter has very dark fruit notes that are unique to the porter style. Porters are known for their roasted and toasted malts - chocolate, nutty flavor notes. The steam process has really differentiated this porter from others in the style. While unusual, I like it. It's a drinking porter and perfect for summer. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Back at the homestead, we open Iron Fist's Velvet Glove, which I've had before as the beer of the day and scooped some ice cream (Velvet Glove is pretty heavy). This beer is just phenomenal, and with ice cream it's like chocolate alcohol syrup. It's so good I had seconds of both, just to enjoy the pairing.

Nick G also brought over some Gunga Galunga, one of David's favorite beers, made with ginger and named after a Bill Murry line from Caddyshack. Could it get any better? Only by sharing it with great friends like Karl and Nick G. Freaking great guys night of drinking and non stop laughter.

Bruery Cuir 3rd Anniversary Ale is 14.5% of barrel aged incredibleness

I can't believe it's on tap! The Surly Goat has again proven to be my favorite beer bar in Los Angeles. The Bruery's 3rd Anniversary Ale isn't even available by bottle (and will likely sell off quickly) but it's here on tap. I recently paid way too much (north $30) for a bottle of Coton, their 2nd anniversary beer, to be shipped from Florida because it's unequivocally out of stock her. Still worth it.

The Cuir is French for leather. Every year The Bruery brews the exact same beer — an Old Ale fermented with our Belgian yeast strain - and every year the malt goes up by a pound, and then they blend it with a portion from the previous year. The Coton is one of the most phenominal beers I've ever tasted. So this beer is the same recipe, but blended with the most amazing beer ever and then blended with their 1st anniversary beer (Papier) which is the same recipe but has aged for 3 years...if you're not drooling, then I'm pretty sure you're an emotionless robot and possibly a Terminator - only with better taste in maids, ZING.

I'm DYING to have this.I'm missing The Bruery's 3rd Anniversary weekend over Memorial Day, so I'm incredibly thankful to enjoy this at the Surly Goat, which is easily my favorite beer mecca in LA.

So I drag Tiff over to the Goat to watch the Bulls and Heat game while enjoying a tulip glass of this old ale with the alcohol content of a glass of wine. Only there's more than a glass of wine in these tulip glasses. Party

Glory be to Jebus!

I'm fortunate to have a certified Cicerone (beer sommelier) and BJCP judge (national beer competition judge) behind the bar pouring tonight. Playoff Basketball, Anniversary beer, Bruery, beer geek, strong alcohol...my head's going to explode.

The Cicerone said they opened up a bottle of Papier when they received this keg, and it's just now hitting it's prime (2 years later). The Cuir, he touts, is the most drinkable right off the bat of the three brews.

My first sip of the Cuir reveals the barrel aging of this batch and the blends, as there's a 2x4 of pine hits my tongue. Next comes a big sweet malt and dark fruit flavor profile. As the beer warms up, I'm tasting the complexity of the profile, including brown sugar and dark fruit. I love how it opens up. I will say, that it's more of a Belgian Quadruple than a Coton Old Ale. Age may prove otherwise, however.

Tiff says it's explosively sweet, as kills the last of it. She's a pint sized gal, and the 14.5% without dinner is rocking her world. She's yelling at the Bulls on TV like a banshee, even though she's from Hawaii and never watches basketball. Me thinks it's extraction time to the nearest taco joint, post haste.

In finality, it's just so...COMPLEX! What else can I say? It's something else. The Bruery Anniversary beers are like the Godfather's; you kiss their hands in their presence and even on the day of their daughter's wedding, you're sweating asking them a favor. You are not worthy. BAD BOYS rating.

Goose Island Sofie Belgian Style Ale perscribes Chicago Love after one of those days...

Karl and David arrive baring In-N-Out, which I graciously consume after having a shoddy day. I'm moderately surprised they splurged on the delicious burgers, and they reveal that not only did David have a shitty day, but so did Karl as well as his wife Laura after she was stuck at the DMV all day. I coincidentally had my own problems with the DMV as well, but more on that later.

There's been a lovely lady wandering around our apartment and it's now time to taste her offering. I can't tell if that sounds like prostitution or human sacrifice, either way come! We're beer drinkers here in the marina, not Pirates or Mayans. Any brew from Goose Island gets our hearts fluttering and the Sofie is no exception.

It's listed on the bottle as a Belgian, but beeradvocate describes it stylistically as a saison and I agree with them. It's a Belgian style ale made with orange peel and aged in wine barrels. This process creates a golden ale with a very strong flavor profile including fruit, banana and citrus, making it more akin to a farmhouse saison than a golden belgian. Karl says it seems more alcoholic than its actual 6.5%. I wonder if that's a result of the wine barrel aging. If you like saisons or white ales, you would love this. Girls especially, who might be turned away because it says Belgian style, might dig it. THE ROCK rating.

My problem with the DMV began when I went to renew my license today. After making an appointment and going in, I was informed that I had a "Failure to Attend" (FTA) a trial and "Failure to Pay" from a traffic violation in 2006. I've only been pulled over once for having Texas plates while in California. I changed my plates and registration and paid my ticket...or so I thought. An FTA is a misdemeanor and stay on your record for 5 years AND they release a bench warrant when it's issued. If you're pulled over by the police for anything, they can haul you in before a judge and make you pay. So I'm freaking out a little after this. They irony is, I've been driving like a maniac the last 5 years and until I resolve this, I'm more nervous than a virgin on prom night

I'm writing this postscript - I went on Tuesday to the Beverly Hills Courthouse and they let me know that I wasn't going to pay $850, like the poor sob in front of me who was in a similar situation, or go before a judge. It was a clerical error, hooray! There was a mix-up between the courthouse and the DMV because I originally had a Texas license. Jesus, come on peoples! What a pain in the ass. Anyway, problem solved.

Sometimes you can do everything right and still get run around the block. Ah life, such a mysterious fig.

Sunner Kolsch is the perfect summer brewhaha

Continuing my quest to discover the finest of Kolsch's, Beverage Warehouse fortuitously made this 5.3 % German import available for consumption. On an unrelated note, the below picture is what you get after girls invade your apt. for the weekend, flowers! Our apartment currently looks like the bottom of a monkey's cage, after a massive earthquake, so thank you for making it pretty again Andrea and Sarah.

To be honest, my half-baked mind first read this as a Summer Kolsch and I thought, 'just like my home brew, my anticipated summer hammock beer Heisenberg's Honey Wheat!' Tonight I realized how dsylexic my scrambled brain can be. Children listen and look at me; this is your brain on a beer every day...you should still do it anyway because it's AHHHMAZING.

The Sunner Kolsch has a surprisingly complex character - kolsch's are often crisp and flavorless - that is both a little sweet and a little fruity/tart. David says reminds of my home brew and I agree. So maybe my brain isn't scrambled, it's actually intuitive. I'm practically one of the X-Men. Like BRIDESMAIDS, which I saw this afternoon and was hysterically funny, this beer is surprisingly good and worthy of your time. THE ROCK rating. 

Russian River Damnation readies me for the rapture

Today at 6pm, the rapture is supposed to happen. Good thing I'm in the best of company! After covering Venice yesterday, we're Malibu bound for scenic beach cruising and wine tasting in the hills. Among the many things I love about Sarah and Andrea, is that they don't care about the wine flights/tasting. It's a beautiful day, why don't we just pick 3 random bottles, put our feet in the grass, our faces toward the sun and let the wine do the rest. We don't need to sample the various wines or go from place to place today. Let's just have a blast.

Apparently the U.S.S. Yacht Rock was in port, because there were also some sailors ready to party.

After dinner we hit up The Other Room for a last couple drinks before their midnight flight home. So what would be the perfect end to an LA weekend? Seeing a celebrity. Andrea and Sara got to chat up Luke Wilson and his posse for a while at the bar. 

I focused my attention on some vicarious amusement and my fresh a Russian River Damnation. I toasted to the ridiculous rapture that didn't happen and dived in. The Damnation is a Belgian Strong Ale that's almost 8%. It has a typical sweet belgian malt and pours beautifully. There is a yeasty flavor profile with spicy and fruity elements - clove, apple, banana. It's a fantastic, full bodied beer. THE ROCK rating.

Such phenomenal weekend touring the city with Andrea and Sarah and it's killing me they gots to get home. But I'm feeling a Chicago trip in my future...Until next time!

Luvin it

Left Coast Voo Doo is a black magic woman who's got a spell on me

Andrea and Sarah arrived from Chicago last night and we've been transversing Venice and its beach since (almost) sunrise mimosas. It was a fantastic day filled with sun, sand, beer and crazy Venice locals. Everything you want and hope for.

I also discovered that Rose Cafe may have the best huevos rancheros I've ever tasted. If you've ever seen ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, the sequel to DESPERADO directed by Robert Rodriguez, you'll know that Johnny Depp's character orders the same pork plate at every restaurant he visits and if that plate is the best he's ever had, he goes back to the kitchen and shoots the cook so no one else will have it. Huevos Rancheros are my Johnny Depp pork plate, only I don't own a gun. I simply go back and shake the guy's hand and ask his mother out for a fine meal.

Beer for breakfast action

Anyway, we're back from our adventure buzzed and sunburned. Andrea's cooked up some mashed potatoes and lamb kebabs. For the last week, I've been dying to try this stout but have been waiting for a big meal. Waiting's over!

Welcome to the City of Angels Chicagoans!

This is a well made and goes well with food. It's only 6.8% alcohol but it seems higher. David and I had one of those looks moments that have happened all too many times this year, where we sip a beer, look across the room and nod enthusiastically. Yep, this is a good stout to compliment a meal because it's tasty but it doesn't overwhelm your palate or divert your attention from your food. It's damn good. THE ROCK rating

Left Coast Una Mas celebrates the Table of Glory and it's legend

Thora the explorer is still human-sitting David and I and she's currently reclining in front of the Table of Glory.

Lore has it, that this legendary table was discovered in an ancient fraternity house after it collapsed under the weight of a raging roof party. To those that own it, brings great glorious awesomeness. But with great glory, comes great responsibility. Which means you have to check I.D.'s.

No, not really. David and I built the 1500 beer cap table during our senior year of college. The center G embodies two thoughts; the table of glory, and also the name of David's house that year was "Grandma's House," named by one of their first visitors (me) after I walked in and announced that it smelled like an old lady's mansion. That smell didn't last long. It was a legendary year. It was a non-fraternity house and thousands of beers were drunk there. Legendary.

Too bad Thora's name ain't Gertrude

The table itself is nothing but a piece of work. The design was David's. It's a premiere Beer Pong table and is cut into two halves for easy transportation. There is a triangle on each side, Domestic vs. Foreign, and there are designated water cup spots on each side. My added design touch was the F-Zero like power triangles gracing either side of the triangle. There are even Red Stripe cap'd sight-lines near the G that guide a player's bounce (worth two cups in pong if it's made). It took two days in a poorly ventilated garage and a lot of brain cells for David and I to glue the caps down and fasten a plexiglas top to the board. I have never had a worse headache after that experience.

David and I didn't live together than, and I used to drive through Malibu Canyon (20mins each way) late at night during study breaks just to play a round or two of beer pong and shoot the shit around the Table O' Glory. It's a table that holds a lot of history and memories. Unfortunately, one of our friends left it out in the rain and the wood warped (grrrr). It was retired to the museum that is our living room, still full of beauty and dark secrets.

We continue our exploration of the Left Coast beers with Una Mas, a 6.4% amber ale. Not a lover of the ambers (a bit racist I am), and right off there's an off putting bold nutty aroma. But the taste, is actually decent for my least favorite beer. As a beer warms, the body opens up and the flavors come out. This beer is really cold. I should've realized this a long time ago, but I should have all my ambers cold. It'd be so much more enjoyable. Duly noted. ARMAGEDDON rating. 

Left Coast Trestles IPA readies for the Chicago invasion

Preparing for some rowdy Chicago friends, Sarah and Andrea, to hit LA tomorrow but I'm more focused on another sexy bitch right now, Thora! David's boss still needs us to dogsit and I'm excited because the extra time has really paid off. She only ignores me 85% of the time instead of 99%. Small steps, like a Leprechaun's stride. But Thora's not happy with me now thanks to several flashes from camera.

This is the first of four Left Coast ales that we'll be sampling. Trestles is an IPA with a thin caramel malt, and a sharp and grassy hop bite as it finishes. Love the malt, don't enjoy how the hops are handled especially the bite at the end. The beer is just like my relationship with sweet Thora. It's going good for a while, she wants to play, give me some sloppy kisses, and then she fell asleep. She left me down, as they/I just said and fell asleep just as the getting was good. They all do... ARMAGEDDON rating.

Speakeasy Double Daddy Imperial IPA impresses the hell out of us at Mao's Kitchen

I pick David at his work because we're dog sitting his boss's dog tonight, the sweet Thora. His boss had to rush to the hospital because his wife is having twins. Coincidently, after we drop Thora off we head to Mao' Kitchen, a BYOB (bring your own Bible) Chinese restaurant near the water in Venice to drink a Speakeasy "Double Daddy." Here's to Scottie's newborn boy and girl! Seriously, boy and girl twins must be the best kind of twins. Win, Win, Win.

Mao's is one of the few BYOB places in LA and we have decided that eating here should be a semi-weekly event. Why not take advantage of a restaurant that not only promotes our Beereveryday quest, but also celebrates Communist propaganda all over its walls, right Comrade?

The other benefit to coming here is the ability to pair beer with spicy food. We drink a shit-ton of IPA's. How much is a shit-ton exactly? Think about the phrase "too much" for a minute, get an idea, and then double it. Yet, the only food which pairs really well with IPA's are spicy foods, like Thai and Chinese. And as you can see by the picture, the plastic glassware they stole from a Luby's Cafeterria/Buffet services our beer needs so well. Well, it's Communist themed restaurant, what did you expect from the Hammer and Sickle?

The Speakeasy Double Daddy Imperial IPA clocks in at 9.50% alcohol. It has an incredibly rich caramel malt and it's rich enough almost to be creamy - like a Dogfish Head 90 min IPA. The hops are smooth with a small bite as it finishes. There are few DIPA's that are this smooth and easy. This is the Kenny G of DIPA's. The label is a playing card with a 1940's hustler on it, which is appropriate because this smoothness is gangster. I love a big bodied hoppy beer that doesn't kick me in the teeth with hops. BAD BOYS rating.

Since I know some people who read the blog actually live in LA, you should try what I had for dinner, it was excellent - Weiwuer lamb - A very popular street food from remote ancient silk road region in northwest China... salt, cumin & chili powder with sliced lamb, cashew, jicama, onion & cilantro - fast cooked in the wok...It's basically lamb with chili powder.

Lost Abbey Inferno weclomes Karl and his gift of the world's highest rated beer

Our good friend and frequent drinking collaborator has brought back the Holy Grail of beers from his European trip, The Westvleteren 12 (and his two brothers). It is quite simply the highest rated beer on any beer review site Beer Advocate. Why is this such a HUGE deal? Why does we love Karl so much right now (as always)? Because it's virtually impossible to buy this beer in the United States.

I'm not yanking your chain. The abbey monks only brew a finite amount of beer per year (a number that hasn't changed since the 1946) and the demand is so high, they don't allow wide distribution of the beer. Karl had to rent a French car and drive out to the abbey in order to buy a case of the stuff.  Sales are limited to one order a month per person per license plate and phone number and they only distribute a few days a month. They only make 60,000 cases a year. From Wikipedia:

"Buyers of the beer receive a receipt with Niet verder verkopen ("Do not resell") printed on it. The abbey is very much against resale of their beer, and it is their wish that the beer is only commercially available at the two official sale points. To this end, any Westvleteren beer which is sold anywhere else in the world is grey market beer, as no wholesalers or pubs are supplied with the beer... In an interview with The Independent, monk Mark Bode explained that the abbey had no intention of increasing its production, despite demand: "We make the beer to live but we do not live for beer."

Can you imagine how sad we would be if Karl wasn't able to return with this rarity? Well, there was a close call during Karl's flight back. The windows were frosting up and Karl was worried there would might be catastrophe occurring in his luggage below. The luggage he received was soaked through. SHIT. Please be a Blonde, don't be a #12, please be a blonde, please be a blonde (not the first time you've said that, eh Karl?). Unfortunately, a beer had exploded. Fortunately, it was a blonde. Hip hip hooray! God was smiling upon Karl that day.

We're still contemplating whether we'll taste this next week or at the end of the year in celebration. In the meantime, how does the highest rated beer in the world taste to Karl? He describes it not as a mind-blowing/reality shattering beer, but it is the perfect execution of a belgian quad. As always, Karl is very eloquent and dead-on in his critique, and it serves as a very good reality check for something so highly revered and rated. Without knowing this, I would drink the beer with exorbitant expectations and I'm glad Karl steered my away from the mindset.

While Karl regaled us with stories of his travels to Paris, Bruges, and London, we thought it fitting to open a bottle of Belgian Strong Ale we bought during out San Diego trip, the Lost Abbey Inferno.

So many Belgians, so little time...

Karl's stories included drinking a Westvleteren 8 for breakfast, a Westmalle Trappist for lunch and a Rochefort 10 for dinner -  some of the world's greatest beers, all for under 4 Euro. Ridiculous. He spoke of the picturesque scene in Bruges, wine festivals in Bordeaux, crepes in Paris and schwag parties in London. Thanks Karl, for proving how awesome you are, can we drink some beer yet?

Lost Abbey was a brewery David and I weren't in love with before our San Diego trip, but we returned enthusiastic supporters. The Inferno smells and tastes like spicy yeast, bread and apples. The flavor is a strong golden ale with spicy notes and a bitter aftertaste. David compares it to Duvel but with an imperfect finish. The Inferno is a beer with character and I'd love for my daughter to marry him, but I'm not going to invite my the guy to poker night. TRANSFORMERS rating.

San Diego Brewery Trip Sunday and Port Brewing's Older Viscosity

 After some amazing Lemon Ricotta Pancakes at Torrey Pines (I finally know how a cloud tastes), we head to Stone. I've referenced the whole trip as being a pilgramige to Mecca, but if I were to chose a single brewery as THE Mecca, it'd be Stone. Stone is an landmark in the craft brewing world. They defined the current era of outrageously hoppy IPA's. 

Their ambitious beers are matched by an ambitious team, led by Greg Koch. I know their facility not only has brewery tours and a tasting, but a bistro and a bar - an entire operation. They are the only American craft brewer who is building a brewery in Europe (plan to start on a Belgian factory in August) to bring their beers to another continent. David and I tallied the beers we've drank this year by stone, and the number is 18, by far the most of any brewery. It's the only brewery we felt it necessary to tour.

Oddly, their are no signs marking the brewery and we actually drive past it the first time by. The path to the facility (above) is guided by stones and a jungle like atmosphere. Everyone agrees that it feels like a nature reserve.

I see bamboo like structures and hope there are pandas here. David and the parental units believe if any animal lived here, it would be Giraffes. Pandas are drunk on the time because they're allergeic to the only food they eat, eucalyptus, but whatever, Giraffes are cool if you're into eating the top of trees off.

Sadly , there are no animals but this scenery is spectacular. There is a big lot, maybe an acre big, that includes walkways through a botanical enclave. It's incredibly peaceful here and if I lived in the area I would find myself here often. Friend Lindsey B who we're meeting up later at Pizza Port said the Duck Tacos and Tilapia are amazing. Next time Walker, next time.

Getting tickets for the tour happens 2 hours in advance, on the hour, so we each sample a beer that we won't taste after the tour. I have a glass of Cali-Belgique, which as a Belgian IPA is my favorite beer style. David chooses a Sublimely Self-Righteous, a dark ale with a name only bettered by Stone's Arrogant Bastard. Mom and Dad split a Ruination IPA (Double IPA, intense!) and a Levitation, their amber ale. All are verified as delicious by the thirsty parties.

We hangout in their zen garden drinking until it's time to get a 2pm tour ticket. At noon the tickets are ours and we head to Lost Abbey/Port Brewing to kill the two hours before the tour. 

Lost Abbey/Port Brewing

We're coming to the brewery a day after Lost Abbey's 5th Anniversary party and even though Lost Abbey's brews have not been on David and I's favorites list, I'm glad they decided to stay open today because tasting their full selection flipped my opinion.

Here's what I sampled:

 

Red Barn - spiced saison made with ginger. Very intense spice but well balanced. David thinks this is interesting, but I'm not sold on it. He also wanted to have a child with Bruery's Gunga Galunga, a brew also made with ginger. I always thought David shared the same distrust for red-heads as me, but apparently his true colors showed through so I'm just gonna say it: Ginger Lover. We'll probably resort to fisticuffs after he reads this. Calling him that name is like telling your girlfriend she's fat in three different languages.

Judgment Day - a Belgian style quadruple with raisins. I really love this. The raisins mellow and sweeten beer. Love this strong but mellow fellow.

Older Viscosity - this is an Old Viscosity, an imperial stout, aged in whiskey barrel. At 12% alcohol, the flavor profile is rich dark chocolate and as Lost Abbey says, "a bit sludgy." Apparently, I love me some dark sludge. The alcohol is apparent but forgotten by its richness. I am doing this beer a disservice in describing it as a liquid chocolate beer, because it is so much more. It is simply phenomenal. BAD BOYS rating. I would buy a bottle to take back with me but it's $15 for a 375 bottle. That is what oilmen call 'black gold.'

For the next two bottles, we benefited from the disinterest of another customer. Someone's girlfriend said she didn't like most beers, so our server Molly, a salty and likable woman, took it as a personal quest to find a beer she licked. We were the beneficiary of two beers that weren't being poured today (their taps ran out during yesterday's celebration).

Inferno - strong belgian ale. It's sweet and malty, pretty damn good. Bought a bottle. 

Lost and Found - Belgian Dubbel with Raisins. This is a Last Judgment that's 'halved' (8%). Only, it's easier to drink than Judgment Day. It's not as complex but it's smooth and drinkability is high. This will rate highly when we officially review it. 

We tasted but tasted but not pictured - Shark Attack red ale, Avant Garde Beire de Garde, 5 year Anniversary, Hot Rocks German Brown Ale.

There were very few remnants that a huge anniversary party had taken place 24 hours earlier with over 900 attendees, except for a huge white board they allowed people to write all over. Below are pictures of several hilarious quotes it is necessary to share, for the sake of comedy and humanity.

Can't argue that quote. Also, love how Ewok is terriblly misspelled.

"Tactical Nuclear Penguin" HA

Their Christmas Ale is called "Santa's Little Helper." This is precious

HAHAHA

Platt and David have a staring contest.

 'SUP

Aww, Ma and Pa and Walker.

We traveled back to Stone for our brewery tour, which was led by the funny and knowledgeable Ken.

They use hundreds and hundreds of lbs of grain in each batch, as much as 1000 LB. I used 5.5 lbs in last week's partial mash.

Interesting fact I learned, craft brew in America didn't get started until Jimmy Carter's administration passed a law allowing homebrewing. So a tip of my hat to that fellow.

These fermentation tanks are massive. Those pipes going down into the white barrels you see are known to home brewers as 'blow off tubes.' The process stays the same, just the machinery and technology changes. As you can see by the various pipes in the above pic as well as the below, Stone has invested an incredible amount of money and energy into creating a very clean and efficient brewing system. David and I have never seen such a clean industrial place.

To give perspective, those cases of beers on the right are around 30 ft tall. The tanks behind them are at least 4.5 stories tall.

After the toured ended, we were lead to the first of four tasters. First one was Stone Pale Ale, followed by their IPA, Arrogant Bastard and the Smoked Porter.

My parents had to catch a flight, so we bid farewell to an incredibly wonderful weekend. It's so much to do these things with my parents, and I'm very fortunate they are this cool. And can hold their liquor. David and I stayed after the tour left and chatted up Ken, which in turn led to a free taste of their Russian Imperial Stout. Influenced by their awesomeness, we purchased a growler of Arrogant Bastard and on a suggestion from Ken, proceeded to a brand new brewery, Iron Fist.

The story of this brewery is a fascinating. The brewer is 21 years old. His parents were in real estate and the market tanked. Well, said their son, I make pretty good beer maybe we should do that? So the parents pump some money into a beer setup 7 months ago and their barely legal son brews beer. And guess what? It's pretty damn good! I'm impressed.

Renegade Blonde Kolsch style ale - I used kolsch yeast with great success in my honey wheat and so I'm pretty hot on beers made with it. Here they used caramel malts with great success to create a sweet but crisp (kolsch yeast) beer that doesn't belay a tartness found in kolsch yeasts. I think he really nailed the malt. David said one of the drawbacks is the use of a singular hop, which is an interesting note. But I loved this one and brought a bottle home.

Golden Age golden Strong Ale - it's sweet, yeasty, a very belgian-style beer that is tasty without trying to be more. It's really close to a Pranqster. The sophistication of this beer compared to the brewer's age, is really impressive.

Dubbel Fisted Dubbel Belgian - sweet caramle malt, light, very drinkable not complex - reminds me of a better version of the St. Clairvoux Sierra Nevada Dubbel collaboration, only better.


Iron Fist Oatmeal Stout - I've drunk a before at the Surly Goat and it's fantastic. The 'teenage version' of Port Brewing's Older Viscosity. It's pretty damn great. We bought a growler of it to take home.

This is definitely a family run business. The mom and dad poured our tasters. The brewer's wife refilled our pretzel bowl. The brewer himself was taking a break - in the back office playing Xbox (where men should be) - but he came out and shook everyone's hand a little later. As a family unit, this is their life. Working 7 days a week, brewing and promoting beer. This family believes in their product and live it. Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of energy and dedication. People ask if I'd ever want to brew for a living and it's something I've thought about.

Two brews we bought, they really awesome growlers

But...I'm basically of the perspective that it's a 50 week a year, 7 days a week and 10 hour a day job is not the lifestyle I want to have, at least right now. Entrepeneurs have to live and breathe their product, and I'm not ready for that. Maybe when I make phenomenal beer that I'm so incredibly passionate about that I will never want to stop sharing it with the world every hour of my life, then I will change my mind. But still, watching this family interact highlighted the qualitative positives of working together all the time I hadn't thought of. There is something to say about a family spending time together and the joy of creating something together. Something to ponder whilst I wonder.

One side of their tasting room was one big doodle bored and it kinda highlighted the shared experience that could happen. That and hilarious dragons and the octopus from the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

We'll be back here soon and I'll be damned if I don't add something inappropriate to their wall.



Pizza Port Carlsbad - this is the capital of the Pizza Port restaurant chain. Bigger than the others and they have a pretty impressive beer bottle shop next door.

Beers on tap.

An old college friend Lindsey B lives in the area and stopped by while we enjoyed some pizzer and There & Here Belgian golden - which was crisp and delicious.

After a little while Lindsey left and we were chatted up by some evangelicals, who were nice but definitely pushed their agenda a bit. I wanted a beer before hitting the road, so I went to the bathroom and ordered a hoppy pale ale. Then chugged it outside the men's room, because looking like an alcoholic frat boy in the present company, I just didn't have on my agenda.


Back home, we celebrated our bounty from the breweries and the Carlsbad Bottle Room.

I know right?!! Awesome. No better way to end a weekend than killing a growler of Arrogant Bastard and catching up on SNL, which featured an Ace and Gary skit and was hilarious.

And that's how you end an incredible weekend. Thanks parents and David for being awesome, this was an incredible post birthday weekend and it couldn't of gone better. To beer!