Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout is the first of three Abominable Snowmen

I spent the final Carmageddon day playing with seals while kayaking and beaching it up before joining Nic, AJ and Tiffany to watch the long awaited premiere of the best show on television, Breaking Bad.

I am not kidding. That is not a hyperbole. It is the finest show on television right now. See how I did not use any contractions to further emphasize my point? Sh*t is getting real. Go watch it now.

Love me some Venice sunsets

We're into the home stretch here in our beer every day year and coming off the heels of a 7 day Rogue feast, I'm back home and amp'd for a three day flight of Imperial Stouts from Great Divide.

When I began the blog last year, I was really into IPA's. Midway through the year, I really got into Belgian style beers. As the year closes, I'm dialed in on darker beers such as Stouts, Barleywines and Old Ales. Great Divide has made three editions of their Yeti Imperial Stout - their regular series, one that is oak aged, and a chocolate oak aged series. Can you say, Dank Danker Dankest?! The next three days my tongue will be in the equivalent of Beer Hawaii, sipping on some crazy stouts.

Tonight we're having the original Yeti Imperial Stout. Yeti is the name given by Tibetans for a legendary Abominable Snowman, by the way. The North American counterpart is Bigfoot, which is why you don't see any Snowman in those beef jerky ads.

I am still in awe of big alcoholic stouts that are dark as night and smooth as ice. I plan on trying my hand at an Imperial Stout soon and if it's half as smooth as the Yeti, I'm partying like it's 1999. This beer is so righteous and rich. There is no sign of roasted bitterness. It is thick and viscous with chocolate, coffee and molasses flavors. Even at 75 IBU, the hops are barely noticeable with the embarrassment of riches that is going on in my glass. If the other Yeti's get better than this, I am in for a treat. THE ROCK rating.




Margaritaville happened earlier in the day. I'm pretty sure there's no better way to honor the dedication of the USA women during the World Cup than by imbibing Mexican food and drink, right?

Well, at least it wasn't sake and sushi --

ZING

Bruery Run B.M.C. at the Eat Real craft beer festival

With LA supposedly in Carmageddon deadlock, I'm biking down to Culver City for the Eat Real festival. They have two beer gardens pouring all you can drink beers from Stone, Ballast Point, Hanger 24, Firestone, Eagle Rock and Bruery. They will also have a ton of food trucks, live music, and cooking demos. Ain't having no car gonna stop me from having a good time.

Sarah and I bike down and no one is there when we arrive at noon, but by 2pm the place is packed and getting rowdy. David is fortuitously going down to The Bruery with Karl today and I grab my beer of the day early, The Bruery's brand new Imperial Pilsner, Run B.M.C.

Beer in a mason jar! I'm good to go

The tenth one-time release from their Provisions line of beers, the Run B.M.C. is a 7% Imperial Pilsner and one of the few lagers the Bruery has made. It has also been quadruple hopped and cold fermented, which is really unusual for the style. This is the 3rd Imperial Pilsner tasted this year and my 9th Provisions beer ( 9 out of 10). The first two Imperial Pils resulted in very mixed feelings about this unconventional style, and I believe that if someone can make a deliciously unconventional beer, it would be the Bruery.

Run B.M.C. is an incredibly summery beer, with lots of citrus and pineapple flavors thanks to the hops and it's very sweet - probably too sweet. There is a hop bite towards the end but overall the hops are there to add to the flavor profile. I think it's great drinking it under the sun at a festival, but I'm not sure I'll purchase a bottle during my next Bruery run. Imperial Pilsners are odd creatures; lagering creates clean and crisp beers, and it's hard to create a beer with body enough to handle high alcohol and flavor. This was a noble effort though. 

Sarah gets her art walk on

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.

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

Goose Island Matilda and Chicago are AWESOME

Chicago is the shit. I flew in Friday to visit LaLa and loved the city immediately. City and people have a lot of character, as does Matilda. Goose Island is a local brewery that brews Matilda and another well known brewski, the 312, a hefeweizen with great drinkablility (I had at least 8 over the weekend).

I drank all of your brother and sisters 312. Sorry, but not sorry.

I can't speak enough about Chicago...So I will instead type about it (rimshot? eh). Had a bunch of great beers Saturday before discovering Matilda, many of them with Tim and Sarah; who are the shit, the bees knees, the cats pajamas, and even better than Antoine Dodson saying "Hide ya kids hide ya wife" from the Bed Intruder song. Matilda is a belgian style ale and reminds me of a monestary beer. First sip took me back to Europa.

Everyone wants a piece of Matilda, whose feminine beauty turns average lesbians into super lesbians

Pours an opaque light orange glow and tastes of light fruit (banana and apricots?) and spices. The flavors are subtle but very well rounded. A stronger spice finish wouldn't hurt this lady. Matilda has a twin cousin who is slightly bolder but bears a striking resemblance - PRANQSTER from North Coast. I would love to have them side-by-side and compare specifics. Matilda is a sipping beer which I bet is perfect during the freezing Chicago winters.

If I was going to rate Chicago according to my critically acclaimed Michael Bay rating system (*citation needed), it'd be one of the BAD BOYS. It's official; I have a mistress and her name is Chicago. I'm looking forward to my next love affair with the city and its inhabitants - specifically Tim and Sarah and Lindsey. I'm thinking a beer fueled tryst in a public square near a school bus of children? Just sayin...As for Matilda, I'm bequeathing you the same title as your twin, Pranqster. Welcome to THE ROCK. I'm not going to get into the whole Daniel Day-Lewis scene from LAST OF THE MOHICANS, but I will find you and drink you up. Soon.