Goose Island Honkers kills time in Chicago O'Hare after a big Chicago parade

Final day in Chicago! It's been a hell of a weekend and we're wrapping up the weekend with a big event.  Gay Parade in Boystown is Andrea, Sarah and Whitney's favorite event of the year and they're promising, besides the appearance of Rham Emanuel and the first governor of Illinois to not be indictated, a 2 hours slew of wild and crazy people and floats. Sounds like a party and have the fater-aids and Goose Island 312 to prove it.

Yep

This one reminds me of David for some reason.

Afterward, the crush of people exiting the parade makes it impossible to find transportation home and we end up running drunk over most of Chicago hustling to find a taxi to a blue line. Only to discover upon reaching the airport, that my flight was delayed for 4 hours. Yup, very anti-climatic. So I made use of the airport Goose Island pub and treated myself to a 3 course meal with three different beers, including Goose Island's Honkers English Bitter.

It's crisp and dry with a citrus hop bite and the body has a toasted flavor that subdues any sweetness. The sip finishes with a bready, biscuit finish. It's an interesting pub beer but relatively unbalanced. ARMAGEDDON rating.


Even after a 2 hour meal and making friends with two couples around me, I'm still two hours away from my flight so I grab my bag and head to the boarding area. I ask a teenager to kick me when it's time to board and I pass out on my bag, full and content. A man to his word, he wakes me up two hours later and feeling like a champion. Thanks Chicago for a sweet time and see you soon!

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale ends a lakeshore Chicago Saturday

It's perfect weather today and we head to a pool party at the top of a 44 story apartment building, which I can't believe they have here. LA has nothing that size and it has amazing panoramas. I kill a Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA and help Sarah get rid of some Honey Wild Turkey, which is dangerously delicious.

Drinking out of cups, being a bitch

After a couple hours we go down to the beachy lakeshore (the peninsula pictured below) and layout beside the famous Castaways bar to meet up with friends, including Andrea who is bringing Floridians who are arriving fresh off the train.

After a late lunch in Old Town relax for a little bit and then head to the Crocodile Bar, which was an entertaining experience. The five of us owned the back bar and danced away the night while soft core porn bizarrely played on a TV behind us. Andrea's Florida friends were so prim and proper at lunch today, looking like they just left a country club, but apparently any knowledge of charm school goes out the window after a couple vodka sodas because those ladies are dancing like maniacs. Very entertaining. It was just one of those nights. To accompany my bourbon and ginger ale, I found another Chicago based Goose Island to try, the Green Line Pale Ale.

Like Eddie Murphay sings, "party all the time, party all the tiiiime"

Apparently I'm learning all the train lines that run through Chicago from Goose Island, because the only train I know in Chicago is the Blue Line that runs from O'Hare. I wonder if they have a Blue Line style yet. The Pale Ale pours with heavy carbonation and has a malty golden body with a hint of hops that provide for a pleasant bite. The beer's body is a little on the light side, and reminds me of a really great Budweiser, if that's possible. It's a fun, easy going drinkable beer that I'm happy to down. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Goose Island 312 Wheat Ale in Chicago's Lincoln Park

Ever since I was introduced to this beer during my October Chicago trip, I've loved it. Sarah knows how to treat visitors and she greats me with a bottle as I arrive at 7am.

It's the perfect drinking beer, sweet and floral and crisp. THE perfect summertime brew and now I have the privileged to taste it during Chicago's best time of the year. It's not the greatest wheat ale, but it's my favorite one to drink. I could literally drink a sixer of this one morning never leaving my couch and consider what I'd just accomplished a great success. THE ROCK rating.

Geese! I dunno how close Goose Island is from here, but this geese are running rampant

We head out to meet Andrea and then relocate to Lincoln Park and play Bocce Ball while tossing down a couple of 312's. It's Friday afternoon and we're simply, 'drinking out of cups, being a bitch.' It's a favorite line from a very bizarre and hilarious video of a guy who's trapped in a closet on drugs (mushrooms?) talking to himself. They animated his ramblings and I've never become tired listening to his cracked out mind.

"Look at Mr. Balloon Hands....Who's chair is that? Not my chair, not my problem.....Why didn't I get invited to the Seahorse Seahell. What is this? Get real. I'm in love with sea horses. I'm in love with them, they're so beautiful and cute, I'm in love with seahorses." 

Oh the hilarity:

Afterward, we head to a friend's rooftop to BBQ and soak in the sights.

And Sarah leads everyone in several rounds of shotgunning beers, which I haven't done in forever and obviously lead to a great night. Cheers Chicago!

The girls are owning it

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