The wonderfully, quirky folks at the McMenamin’s chain are also on the growing bandwagon of beer and desserts.
I just hope they don’t use their Jalapeno Wheat beer in a float.
Saraveza
Saraveza is a recent arrival to the crowded beer scene in Portland. (I mean that in a good way) They have a small but awesome selection of beer. Recently, I have seen Dogfish Head Black and Blue, Widmer 84-09 Double Alt, Lagunitas Sumpin’ Sumpin’ amongst others. They also have a rotating tap list that recently included…Bear Republic’s Oso Rojo and New Belgium’s Dandelion. Where else has that combo?
When I was there last, I had Fort George’s spruce beer and a lovely plate of summer sausage, cheddar and ritz crackers. Hit the spot.
They also host special beer nights like the recent Session Black party so you should check them out. They are doing it right.
City Beer Store
I stumbled upon this wonderful store when I was passing through San Francisco. Over 300 different bottles of really great stuff. I purchased Siamese Twin from Uncommon Brewers, some obscure Norwegian beer with spruce tips and the seldom seen Kriek from New Belgium. And if that is not enough, you can sit and have tastes while you are there!
There should be a place like this in every city worth its salt.
Christmas in July
Sure it’s hot outside, but it’ll be cooler than ever at Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey’s first Christmas in July Celebration and Fundraiser, Saturday, July 25, 2009 from noon to 7pm.
Beer releases:
* Santa’s Little Helper (Bourbon Barrel-aged) – 22ounce bottles; 6 bottle limit
* Older Viscosity 2009 – 375ml bottles; 12 bottle limit
* Duck Duck Gooze (yes, that Duck Duck Gooze) – 750ml bottles; 6 bottle limit
* The Angel’s Share (Bourbon Barrel-aged) – 750ml bottles; 6 bottle limit
Food & Beer:
* Food Stylings from our own Chef Vince Marsaglia
* Tastings – Duck, Duck Gooze, Older Viscosity & Santa’s Little Helper (Bourbon)
* On Tap – All of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey’s regular line-up
Activities:
* A Visit from St. Nick – Get your photo with Santa Claus in the Barrel Room
* Live Music – Special musical guests, The Professors
Toys for Tots drive and fundraiser:
* Toy Drive – Bring a new, unwrapped toy values at $15 or more to benefit Toys for Tots
* Giving Tree – give a $15 donation to Toys for Tots & you get to select a gift from under the Christmas Tree (Gifts include many rarities from our barrel archives – Isabelle Proxiums, Cuvee de Tomme, Veritas `04, and more!
The Details:
* When: Saturday, July 25, 2009; 12pm to 7pm. Beer and bottle release sales begin at 12pm. Santa arrives at 1pm. Food and music begins at 3pm.
* Where: Lost Abbey / Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, San Diego County, CA
* How Much: Food, music and photos with Santa are FREE! We are, however, asking everyone who attends to bring a new, unwrapped toy valued at $15 or more to donate to Toys for Tots. (Beers are all regular price.)
Naja's Place
After fighting traffic and horrible directions, I finally got to Naja’s Place in Redondo Beach for the very 1st time. Right on the boardwalk, looking out at the harbor, Naja’s is a total beach bum joint with a twist. Awesome list of beers.
I started with my first taste of Magic Hat beer. I had # 9 and it was absolutely delicious. A wheat and citrus mix that has great balance. Nice carbonation. I now need to try more of their line-up because now I am even more interested. Refreshing beer with every sip.
I made a complete 180 on the second beer as you can see from the above photo. Sierra Nevada’s Empire Strikes Black. This looked really good. Great espresso foam on top. Great roasty smell. As the wind came off the harbor, this warmed me up. Very smooth. Malt forward but not aggressive. Coffee notes throughout.
Liquid Solutions
If I had unlimited funds, I would spend a chunk on Liquid Solutions website. They have a great selection of Oregon and Washington beers plus foreign and California as well.
Let me give one example of how great Matt Maples and his staff are to customers. I needed Berliner Weisse for a beer & dessert tasting. None of my local spots had any. Now I could have driven to the Bruery for some growlers but I do not have the room to store it. I check Liquid Solutions and they have two types of Berliner Weisse, I had shipping questions that Matt answered and he even held off shipping to avoid excess heat!
I cannot recommend Liquid Solutions highly enough.
100th Beer Post!!
Thanks to the advice of Tomm Carroll, I checked out BoHo in Hollywood. Open since March of this year, it is a odd spot. Great big picture window but on the inside it is eclectic old boy’s club / library. Very interesting and very busy.
I had two vastly different beers. First off was Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA. Very interesting. This is a strange observation to make but it tasted thick but not in a stout or porter way. Not something that you drink fast. For an IPA, not a hoppy aroma or taste but you can really tell you are drinking a big beer. I will have to taste the 60 minute to compare.
Secondly was the Rogue Chocolate stout. Oh was this good. Great Aroma of chocolate and malt. I could spend hours just taking in this great smell. And it was so easy to drink. This is a really good beer. Great with dessert.
The Daily Pint
I made my first trip to the Daily Pint this Memorial Day weekend and it was well worth it. Very similar to Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena. Old (in a good way) with the smell of casks past. Really nice selection of good beer choices though I must say there were two customers who ordered BMC that made me wince.
On to better news, the beer! I started with the Sublimely Self-Righteous from Stone.
They really do dark IPA’s well. Probably better than anyone else. This pours a beautiful dark black with a great head. Easy to drink but heavy. This would be great for a late fall BBQ.
Second up was the Einhorn Spezial Pilsner.
Another beer that looks really good. Now, I am not a big pils fan. But this one is pretty good. I could have done with just the pint instead of the boot.
Lastly, I had a combo. A mixed beer cocktail so to speak. Youngs Double Chocolate with Raspberry lambic.
This was sooo good. Like a candy bar. The mixture was just right. I highly recommend this. Great for dessert instead of ice cream.
Austin Drafthouse
New place in Los Angeles for great beer
Every new beer enlightened place that opens is like an angel getting wings. The scene,Whittier, California. 24 beers on tap. Rogue Hazelnut in a float! It is on my list of places to check out soon. Plus the chef is super cool. It’s called the Bottle Room. Check it out for yourself.
http://www.thebottleroombar.com/