Karl Strauss Amber Lager begins our San Diego Brewery Trip

Since there is a beer fueled festivus ahead of us, we figure Fernet Branca is an approriate shot for the road. David's love affair with this "like black licorice-flavored Listerine" knows no bounds.(Fernet)

We're heading down to stay at a beautiful hotel where everything smells like pine, The Lodge at Torrey Pines.

Seriously, they burn pine logs in the lobby fireplace, their shampoo and soap smells o' pine and their busboys are Ents, those Tree Men from Lord Of The Rings.

I wonder what they pay them...

 The lodge is pretty damn beautiful.

Apparently if you play golf, this place is amazing. It hosted the U.S. Open a couple years ago.

Fortunately I don't play golf, so I'm won't be tempted or distracted by her sweet greens. We're here to visit as many breweries as possible. I'm aiming for 8, but may hit one less than that. But my parents are here and they're ready dive into this beer bath that awaits us in brewery country. The posts are going to be long and filled with pics, so I'll save my words and fingers for other posts. Our beer of the day was at the Lodge Bar and is from a San Diego based brewery that we won't be visiting, Karl Strauss.

The Amber Lager is a mix of styles. Usually Ambers aren't lagers, they're brewed as ales. The result is a crisp lager finish with a fairly smooth light caramel and nut malt. If you like Ambers, a sixer of this would be easy to drink thanks to the lager yeast. ARMAGEDDON rating.