Author Archives: Gregory Nagel

About Gregory Nagel

Greg Nagel is a beer, food and travel writer based in North Orange County, California.

San Diego Brewery Tour!

Posted on by
credit Dor & Bob on flikr

Snowblinding Noble Ale Works                    credit http://www.dorandbob.com/

I’m a sucker for San Diego brewery tours. When I heard there was a tour departing from Noble Ale Works in Anaheim, I instantly registered and X’d off my calendar  until the big day came. It’s been at least a year since I’ve been down there which is WAY too long. That’s like 30 fortnight in brewery terms.

The day is finally here, and frankly, I’m frilled! Visiting Noble Ale Works at 1 in the Afternoon is something I’m not a stranger of.  “Any cask left?” I say, referring to the cask of Citra hopped Nobility DIPA from the night before. As I sit and sip, the bar seat hisses like a pissed-off anaconda. The remnant of this cask is slightly carbed, grassy, pissy, and monster mango delicious! As a few couples funnel in and order beers, I get the feeling I’m the only loner of the group. Great!

The tour coach, rented by LA Craft Beer Tours is bright yellow and looks like a big Nuprin. It’s clean inside, has AC and there’s more than enough room for everyone. Pat and Dale run the tour and pack enough beer fuel for the long trip down to San Marcos and abroad. For starters, they brought a keg of Old Orange Brewing Co. Rookie Red which was sucked down by the time we hit San Clemente! The cooler is packed solid with random singles from Lagunitas, Oskar Blues, Rogue and a few Arrowhead waters for the trip back. Protip: If you don’t care for red solo cups, bring your own glass!

First stop is Lost Abbey/Port Brewing in San Marcos. Kevin at Lost Abbey is quick to give us five taster wrist bands and we’re off! I make a quick run of some Lost Abbey Seasonals, starting with 10 Commandments. Thou shalt not put blacked raisins in a beer? Do not covet thy neighbors Rosemary? Lost Abbey does not obey. This is insanely tasty and complex. “Can I order two at a time?”, “Hell yeah!”, “Let me do a side by side of the Saisons.” Saison Blanc and Red Barn. I prefer Red Barn based on the body; Saison Blanc is a tad chewy for my taste; especially on a hot day. I’m almost tempted to buy a few bottles but lets face it: buying a bottle or two at the first stop of a brewery tour wouldn’t last five minutes on the bus.

“It’s all ball bearings these days.” – Fletch

My last two tastes I hit some Port Brewing Mongo DIPA and Summer Pale Ale (SPA) while hitting the brewery tour. After the Belgiany goodness, a nice hopload goes perfect with my beet-pizza I scored out front. SPA wins my visit to Lost Abbey/Port Brewing with a decent body, crisp bready malt and a shit-ton of hops. This beer would work well with any Summertime BBQ. I highly recommend doing the tour as it is full of great brewing info for all levels of beer knowledge. I’m glad we found Lost Abbey.

Second Stop: Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits. Despite having just opened a sizable patio, BP is still quite cozy. As the sun sets, I hit the beers I haven’t tried yet; first up is Indra Kunindra Curry Stout. Yo momma quero, mama! This beer is a party my mouth! Big notes of coconut, curried graham cracker and some other tasty eastern spices. Indra would go great with Yellow Thai Curry, some Kimchee or a coconut macaroon.

It’s no secret among friends that I really like Ballast Point’s Wahoo Wheat. When I saw a Thai Chili Ginger Lime Wahoo Wheat, I was like, “Wha-hhhhweeet” and order it. I love that Ballast Point was born from a Homebrew Mart and still keeps that spirit alive by tweaking their proven base beers. It’s also no secret among friends that Sculpin IPA is not only my favorite IPA, but one of my top ten favorite beers of all time. When I saw Dorado DIPA, my boxer-bound boner pushed me a few inches from the counter, trustfalling backwards into a complete stranger. Honestly my palate is shot at this point, but this beer is one tasty guy. Tons of bright tropical fruits, earthy hops, backed up with caramel malts. I’d like to try this beer on a fresh palate, without a boner, even though palates are made out of wood.

I managed to get a shot of an actual Green Flash. What are the odds?

Last Stop: Green Flash. We’re here with an hour to spare at 8PM. The bus is rowdy, loud and ready to party. $1 tasters? $2 half pints? Craft beer on a college student budget here! The tasting area has an ample tasting “pen” inside the size of a Rodeo and a picnic area on the side of the building. I work my way through their San Diego series consisting of East Village Pilsner, Park West Porter, and 30th Street Pale Ale. All are sessionable at ABV’s less than 6%. 30th Street Pale Ale is remarkably hopped and will be on my radar when down in SD. For my nightcap, I grab Le Freak, then a Tripel before pounding some serious water. Did I mention $2 half pints?

Last Last Stop? Home. I fall asleep before the bus is out of the parking lot and wake up near home. I love when that happens! Magically, nobody barfed that I was aware of, although the nice smell from when we first got on the bus has turned into 31 flavors of ass.

A color for each brewery.

The tour was a complete success! Pat and Dale of LA Craft Beer Tours know how to run a tour and highly suggest you check them out. Check their website calendar for future tours! I look forward to hitting an LA tour soon.

Pat and Dale  of Craft Brewery Tours.

Beer Bloggers Conference | Indianapolis 500 (Beers)

Posted on by

My red-roped Beer Bloggers Conference nametag sits backwards and twisted around my neck as I rush to visit the loo for the first of many trips. I practice saying hello to Julia Herz of the Brewers Association in the bathroom mirror. “Hi Julia, I’m with OCBeerBlog….no no no…Hi Miss Herz, I write about beer and sometimes cheese….AHHHH!! [punches head several times] She’s going to think you’re an idiot!” yelling at myself. Back at the table, crack the laptop and applaud as the conference commences. The sound of keyboard keys seem to follow every spoken word like high school typing class. I hammer my keyboard and type “the quick brown fox jumps over the flying dog raging bitch” a few times as to not look like a slacker.

Not Julia Herz in the 80’s.

Julia Herz is a petite and spunky gal looking mildly like actor/comedienne Tracey Ullman in her prime. As the Brewer’s Association Craft Beer Director, she instantly captivates the room with stats and fun buzzwords like “SOS=Share of Stomach”. In the quick fifteen minutes she is given to open the conference, I get the warm fuzzy feeling that I’m doing something great. I could listen to her talk all day! “Wine? $40B a year in America. Spirits? $65B. Beer? $95.5B, with $8.7B in craft beer & growing” – Julia Herz

Julia’s intro is topped by none other than Garrett Oliver, writer and brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery. I agree with many of Garrett’s points which are employed here at this blog. “Gravity and IBU’s don’t tell stories.” and, “The more I understand about beer the more beautiful and the more mysterious it actually becomes”. Garret is such a crooner of the craft beer world! Again, his words make me feel like I’m part of a special universe, on a winning team, and we’re all going to make it. We toast, getting the perfect clank to ring in the conference.

Next up? Beer Speed Dating (aka Live Blogging). Ten breweries of varying beauty and sophistication get a few minutes of our time. Bloggers are encouraged to tweet, log the beer in untappd, and blog about the beers. Only two of the ten are available in SoCal. Here were my notes:

Karl Strauss Wreck Alley Imperial Stout, Nice summery Imperial Stout, light in body, drinks like a carbonated Iced Coffee. Cacao nibs and locally grown Ethiopian coffee beans give a chocolate covered fruit note that would pair easily with any dessert without overpowering. Nice date night beverage for an evening cruise around the harbor.

New Belgium brought cans of Shift. “I just mowed two acres of grass on a riding lawnmower and I’m enjoying a @newbelgium #shift”. There ya go. Decent beer. Shotgunable. Great lawnmower beer.

3 Floyds brought Arctic Panzer Wolf. “Hi, I’m here to wreck your palates!” Fun fact, this is the first 3Floyds beer I’ve ever had. I’m so impressed that I rip the label off our bottle and adhere it to my laptop. It’s a massive IPA, after all. Similar to Green Flash Palate Wrecker.

After an hour of Live Beer Blogging on an empty stomach, I feel a bit of the roasty roastyness. The conference takes to the streets and walks Downtown Indy to Tomlinson Tap Room for some MORE GODDAMN BEER. That’s right chuckleheads! Downtown Indy is probably the cleanest, well maintained, historically preserved, drowned in public art, and fun-packed downtowns I’ve been to. It’s quite lovely!

Arriving at Tomlinson Tap Room, I’m surprised it’s not a room. The name is kind of a misnomer as it sits on a mezzanine inside a large brick encrusted indoor city market. What’s special about it? They only pour craft beer brewed on Indiana soil, plus, the marketplace is a one-stop-shop to grab local food at the same time. TomTap, as it’s called, isn’t fully prepared for the onslaught of 150 extremely buzzed and hungry beer blogger types. The 4×6’ food kiosk is reminiscent of a group of hyenas trying to steal a lion’s kill. I manage to suck down some kielbasa and artichoke salad before heading out on the town, hooting and hollering like a hyena, of course.

The Bru Crew

The lovely gals at Girls Pint Out arranged a pub crawl map of great local craft beer joints in downtown Indy. Like a dick, I do none of this and hit Bru Burger Bar with a fun group that included the mutton-chopped Randy Clemens of Stone Brewing Co., fuzzy-headed Win Basset of All About Beer Magazine, smiley AJ from Wort & Yeast and the sultry voiced Lindsay from adventuresinbeerland. The Stone Tap takeover at Bru Burger is better than any I’ve seen. I sip a flight of Double Bastard Ale, years ’07, ’09, and ’11, Stone Mixtape, as well as Stone Brewing’s 10th Anniversary Ruination; a beer that is super easy drinking for 10+%. All paired well with spicy Ceviche and mini-Bru Burger!

Back at the hotel, the “Bru Crew” (minus Win B.) and 3/4 members of #teamfuckyeah invade my room with some more beers and fun stories. I’m going to need a stunt liver. Day one is in the books! Thanks for bearing with the huge post.

Up next: Day 2 BBC | I got bored of typing and never recapped it. In short, it included some conference panels, one of the biggest beer festivals I’ve ever been to, and a tour of one of the largest beer distribution centers in america. It had robots. 

Beef Bus to Indy Town

Posted on by

Lindsay Lohan with a hangover

Waking up with one sock on is always an adventure in confusion. Downtown Chicago Howard Johnson has treated me like a king because A) I wasn’t murdered in my sleep and B) I could sit on this 1970’s beige toilet with my laptop plugged in.

buy isotretinoin online https://nurseguidance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/isotretinoin.html no prescription pharmacy

I’m hungover, kids. BAD. This must be what Lindsay Lohan feels like all the time. Dragging my zombie ass down to the bus appears I’m not the only one that’s hurting. Ironically the bus is provided by Goose Island, partial creator of said hangover. Thanks again, Goose Island! I pass out instantly, missing hours of corn and soy, waking only for some Pepto. This must be what rock stars feel like.

Visit @lgraceburton by clicking here!

Arriving at our mid-stop lunch destination in quaint LaFayette Indiana, bones crack as I stretch like a stripper past her prime. Main street LaFayette has a soda fountain, knick-knacks, hipster bike shop, theatre and a local Pride community center. Being a proud supporter of all things gay (I am not, however) this is great! Researching their website, it’s heartwarming to see so much local support from the community in mid-size town Indiana.  Pulling through town, I had a whole “Twilight Zone” vibe; seeing this turned it all around.

A different kind of LBC

LaFayette Brewing Co. (LBC) resides in a gorgeous turn of the (20th) century building like something out of a movie. Recently renovated back to its historical nature thanks to a grant from the city, redwood stairs and the upper wooden floor creak with character. Ceiling fans and a fresh beer are sure to exorcize the thick humid air crabbiness from your soul. Aside from the bar upstairs, billiards, darts, foosball and a stage round out the entertainment options. Having a chance to sample all of their beers, I was impressed with their Tippecanoe Common Ale, the first hop-forward Steam beer I’ve tried. This beer inspired me to formulate a India Pale Common recipe I hope to brew soon. The food and beer at LBC are satisfying, however nothing in the world sounds better than an iced coffee!

Upstairs at LaFayette Brewing Company. Picture the people dancing, okay

What day is it? Oh yeah, still Friday the 13th. Finally arriving in Indianapolis the bus is buzzing with excitement. My ears pop in the elevator as I hit my floor, a nice corner room with a foyer and a perfect view of Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indy.

Rocking a serious case of road boner, I hit the shower to squeeze one off and head down to registration.

The Bruery’s Black Tuesday and Cismontane’s The Citizen aged in Chardonnay Barrels overlook Lucas Oil Stadium.

3PM: Registration and “Tradeshow” notes:

  • Upland Brewing Their wheat beer tasted like a brett fermentation, I freaked the brewer out who cracked a bottle to be sure there wasn’t a wild yeast contamination. Nope, just me. I still say it tasted like a bretty beer. Their lambic was also stellar.
  • Samuel Adams: Got to taste my first Pumpkin beer of the year thanks to Samuel Adams. It’s a nicely balanced Imperial offering that was not too spicy and refreshing. Also tried a BOSTON ALE. Totally different from the famous Boston Lager. I didn’t jot anything down but recall it was quaffable. From their Barrel Room Collection: Tried 13th Hour. The rep told me the beer was aged in Hungarian wood.
    buy clindamycin online https://nurseguidance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/clindamycin.html no prescription pharmacy

    Lots of big flavors in this guy, nice to see the big guy geek out.

Next Post: Like a Peyton Manning Concussion | Friday in Indianapolis

Friday, July 13, 2012
4:30 PM            Introduction by Julia Herz of the Brewers Association
5:00 PM            Keynote Speech – Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery
5:45 PM            Live Beer Blogging
7:00 PM            Walk to dinner at the Tomlinson Tap Room
9:00 PM            Indy Pub Crawl (click here for the map, compiled by Girls Pint Out)

Next Post – http://ocbeerblog.com/2012/07/26/beer-bloggers-conference-indianapolis-500-beers/

Beercation Chicago Part 2 | Party Bus Edition

Posted on by

Oh dear.

Leaving Goose Island Clybourn, a party bus is waiting for the now loud and raucous beer bloggers. Chitown Party Bus, basically a converted school bus is complete with two stripper poles, ice chest, barf bucket and disco lights. I sit down near the front and wave my two index fingers around in circles near my nipples and howl. “Things are gonna get weird tonight!” someone yells as @brewdad works the stripper pole like a seasoned pro, gyrating his all-encompassing rump to the beat. The bus roars wildly. (read part 1 of 2 of the Chicago trip here)

Piece Brewery & Pizzeria

First stop of the night is Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, a pizza brewpub with a good selection of award winning beers. The interior is a vast open styled warehouse building with exposed beams similar to the inside of a big boat being built. The exterior windows are wide open, allowing the smell of fresh Chicago pizza and roasted garlic to waft through the air, slightly improving the city’s funk like a cheap perfume. Craving a load of hops in my supple, young mouth after Goose Island’s myriad of Brett/Lacto/Pedio/Oak beers I opt for Wingnut, their Double IPA.

Wingnut is a simple hop delivery system in liquid form; somewhat murky golden hay colored, not complex, kind of lip-smacking sweet. Other bloggers threw darts at the draft board and lucked out. Instead of samples, we all opted to steal  tastes from each other, which is fine, because we’re all clean and free of STD’s (I hope). I stop and play their Soprano’s Pinball machine for a bit, the only real Chicagoland gangster moment of the trip thus far. As our stop is only 45 minutes, it’s time to say “Piece out, bitches!”

Revolution Brewing

credit: heinemanbarcoAfter Peace what comes next? Revolution. Wait…what? Revolution Brewing is our next stop. I hate when I get off on the wrong foot with a bartender, which is what happened at Revolution. I order a Three Floyd’s beer, only to cancel it (pre-cap) because the house Rye Stout, Repo Man struck my fancy. She complied, only to pour me an Anti-Hero IPA, which I whiffed and sent back. I really wanted a Repo Man, dammit. I tip her an extra buck for my silly California-boy fiasco.

Remove all jewelry first

Happy as a clam with my intended beer in hand, I sip and love. There is nothing better in life than a full bodied stout that is easy to drink! I’m alarmed that the Revbrew’s tap handles look like a super kinky sex toy. NOT MY SEX TOY OKAY WISE ASS! I bet you’re thinking “MORE LIKE WIDE ASS LOL”. Whatever. I was charmed to meet and talk with local Chicago beer blogger Kristen Stroud of beerrunninghappiness.blogspot.com, so much so I was bummed she wasn’t on the bus the next day. She instantly reminded me of a good friend, Shev, who loves beer, running, and other shenanigans.  From Revbrew’s website: “Just a few years ago, we turned a dark, dusty warehouse into a welcoming destination for great craft beer. Barrel wood walls and benches made from 100-year old beams salvaged during construction make our space warm and cozy as do our two hardwood bars.” Revolution Brewing should not be missed. It has wood, beer, and good food.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery

Photo by Michael Jarecki

Pete’s wicked ale? Pete Crowley of Haymarket

Last stop: Haymarket Pub & Brewery. In my opinion these are the brightest, cleanest, balanced hop friendly beers I’ve had in a while. Rivaling many of SoCal’s West Coast IPA style, Haymarket stands tall with the big boys. Their brewer, Pete Crowley stuck around to address the crowd while standing on a bar seat. Buzzing nicely at this point but not stumbling or slurring, I order a pint of Angry Birds Belgian IPA and am not disappointed.

As a homebrewer, this Belgian IPA is my default IPA style. I like some rye spice and fruity esthers to balance out the hops and base malt. This beer floored me; bubblegum and lemon zest on the nose, followed some phenolic clove. I could drink this all day. Can you shoot me one across the country with a slingshot? I’d give you 1000 points and hum the Angry Birds song! I also sample the DIPA, Simcoe IPA, and Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout. Super Win, very win, and win. Sorry for getting the Angry Birds song stuck in your head. Next time I’m in Chicago, Haymarket will be my first stop.

I feel wobbly in the knees at last call. The disco lights on the bus taunt me like a cat with a laser beam. My room back at the Howard Johnson looks so much nicer from my earlier arrival. I never thought beer goggles would improve a hotel star rating! I lift the mattress, no dead hookers. G’nite Chicago.

Next post: Beef Bus to Indy Town

Beercation Two Parter! Chicago | Goose Island Clybourne

Posted on by

Howard fucking Johnson, here I come!

Chicago is curiously not windy at this moment in time. Curious, because my flight was a fucking rock polisher.

buy cephalexin online https://www.visualmed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/cephalexin.html no prescription pharmacy

I’m in rush hour traffic, seatbeltless, in a shuttle van that smells vaguely like a freshly returned Wookie costume. As we bounce around side streets like a bowling ball at a four year old birthday party, the driver, a middle eastern Kenny Powers, yells questions at us, “where you stay!” without a question mark. “Howard Johnson!” I say talking out of the side of my mouth so others won’t hear.  The lady next to me raises an eyebrow and checks her google navigation; 45 minutes away from downtown. Fuck. I’m going to miss the group meetup with the Beer Bloggers Conference. “Hey driver, what all the odds I’ll make it there by five?” He shakes his greasy mullet and sighs.

Fact: Kenny Powers is great fucking driver! Shockingly, we screech in front of the circa 1959 HoJo with ten minutes to spare. I check in, freshen up the pits, chonies, and batteries and head down to meet the absolute cream of beer bloggers. As is always my policy, befriend the blonde girls first. There’s a method to this theory, which boils down to them having more fun. I like to have fun too.

Wonder Woman!

The first blonde gal I spot is Amber Jansen, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed beer blogger out of Massachusetts. Dipped in fresh pink Chuck Tailors and matching sunglasses,  shorts and a noticeable lack of a wicked accent, she’s been to the beer blogger conference before and is super friendly. Still woozy from the flight and no food for eight hours, we chat about a nearby ‘Foot Massage’ sign. “Are they really foot massage parlors? Is “foot” slang for “penis” in Asia?” I ask. Perhaps an investigation for a different blog.  “I’m part of 2beerguys.com, but obviously I’m not a guy, my husband is”. Relieved, I chug some water, then belch apologetically.

I must break you, American Beer Blogger.

We set out for Goose Island’s Brewpub in Clybourn via Subway, a method of transportation that has eluded me until today. I thought I was being rude by pushing myself in the crowded door, only to be ass-pumped by three well-built Russian guys before the doors finally shut. I reach back to migrate my wallet to the front pocket and man-graze the teen version of Ivan Drago’s junk. The only Russian I know is “dasvidonya” (until next time), which would have been awkward, so I simply say “excusé moi” in my best French accent. I must be glazed. Food and beer has eluded me. On the walk, I befriend the other blonde girl of the group, Elle from FAME, a PR firm that handles the Leinenkugel Brewery account. Based out of Minneapolis, I ask “ever run into Prince?”, “what do you think of the Zack Parise trade?”, also “how has Leiny been affected by the big guys purchasing them?” and other gems of a tired mind. Such a nice gal, I’m really looking forward to the Leinenkugel lunch just based on chatting with her. Plus, she is wearing white pants.

Beer Pairing Dinner | Goose Island Clybourn

Goose Island’s Brewpub in Clybourn is enchanting for any beer fan. A large wood crafted island bar resembling the one on the TV show Cheers (but nicer) is surrounded with tables, booths and side bars. The 10 barrel brewhouse is camped off to the side, down a small set of brick steps and plexied safely from the pub area. There’s also an overflow area, a banquet area and a place to purchase collectibles. Brewery tours are given by a well informed and passionate bunch and are highly recommended.

buy super viagra online https://www.visualmed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/super-viagra.html no prescription pharmacy

Here as part of the Pre-BeerBloggers Conference 2012, we are being treated to a four course beer pairing which is totally unexpected. Brett Porter (best master brewer name ever) welcomes us as we raise a pint of slightly warm and headless Sofie, their Farmhouse Saison. Being my first beer of the day after travelling 2,000 miles, anything is welcome.

The first pairing:  Trout and Tomatoes paired with Lolita was neither complimenting or contrasting. I tried different combinations of trout/tomato/balsamic with this American Wild Ale and simply didn’t get a relation.

buy ivermectin online https://www.visualmed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/ivermectin.html no prescription pharmacy

The complexity of the beer shines a light on the balsamic reduction with the acidity, yet over powers the rest of the dish. Lolita is a pretty beer, pinkish blushing rose, perhaps blushing for not working well with the pairing. I would be curious to try this delicate dish with Pepe Nero, offering some nutty/roasty notes without overpowering.

Second pairing: Pork Belly and Pasta with Matilda. Again, a beer that doesn’t play with the dish. Both on their own are spectacular, however Matilda’s Belgian spiciness argues with the Jus (gravy).  I was able to find it compliments the Camembert foam as cheese and Belgian style beer often do. Mixing the foam and gravy to get a relation with the beer only caused the Jus to overpower the foam. I would like to try this pairing with Goose Island’s Nut Brown Ale, which may play off of the gravy and have solid enough body and bitterness to cleanse the palate from this rich dish.

Third pairing: Leg of Lamb with Juliet. This pairing again, is not heightened by consuming together. The Lamb and Juliet are easily my favorite of the night yet she fails to make me a star-crossed lover when paired. Where for art thou food pairing skills, Goose Island? I savor Juliet, sip by sip. Inhale and exhale. The tart blackberry essence followed by smooth oak seduces me as I roll my eyes until she’s gone. Luckily I got her digits! As for the pairing, Lamb usually goes great with a nice Porter, but in this case I would have liked to contrast the dish with Goose Island’s Summertime Kolsch or IPA.

Dessert: Chocolate and Cherries – Flourless chocolate cake, seedling Cherries, and Black Dog Malted Gellato paired with Madame Rose. This worked stunningly well, as the cherry in the beer really brought the chocolate and cherry in the dessert to a whole new level. Alone, they were half-chub; together, full salute chub with finish. A shower might be necessary.

Overall I’m humbled and grateful for the opportunity to try the pairing. I’ve heard so much about Goose Island from the west coast and admire their line up of award winning beers. I’m a bit confused as they said multiple times that the food is developed around the beers. I simply didn’t get it. Perhaps they are eager to show off their vintage style Sister beers to a well informed bunch. Whatever the reason, I’d be more than willing to go back the next time I’m in town and try some standard menu items with them. Sofie with a cheese and charcuterie plate? Lolita with the Black Earth Short Rib Sandwich? Matilda with the Oyster Po’ Boy? Juliet with the Duck Reuben? My mouth is watering thinking about it, and I’m sure yours is too! I can’t wait to go back!

Many thanks to Goose Island and Zephyr Adventures for organizing this pre-conference excursion! Not so fine print: Goose Island was kind enough to cover the dinner for fifty or so bloggers and give us direct access to the brewer for questions and photos. They provided swag bags that included beer samples, mugs, a hat and a bottle opener. Bloggers paid a nominal fee for the side excursion and Goose Island is a sponsor of the conference. Contrary to popular belief, the brewpub isn’t owned by the big guys. The brewpub operates independently of the big guys. Cheers!

Coming soon: Part 2, the Beer Blogger Chitown Party Bus hits Piece Brews, Revolution and Haymarket. 

Top 10 Reasons To Visit the Bruery’s New Tasting Room

Posted on by

Sometimes the Dyson vacuum cleaner of life sucks incredibly hard, rarely losing its suction. Luckily, there’s beer. Fresh, liquidy beer. Bubbly, delicious, colorful, aromatic and tasty beer. Some breweries have a dozen or so of these beer-type beverages on tap, some up to twenty at any given time. The Bruery in Placentia said, “fuck that sucky Dyson son of a bitch” and built a new tasting room with 40 taps next door to their exisiting brewhouse.

 A few key features:

  1. Air Conditioning. Over-ripe bearded dudes won’t fog up your nose-space in the hot summer months!
  2. Flights! I’m having kittens over the flights!
  3. Poofy ceiling. Dampens noise and will come in handy if Newton’s law gets revoked.
  4. Two new flatscreen TV’s. Patrick Rue couldn’t confirm or deny People’s Court marathon Mondays. Maybe we can talk him into that Storage Wars show everyone is talking about.
  5. 40 taps plus one cask pump. Pumpers like to pump! All Bruery beers too.
  6. Sealed off from brewhouse. No more fog bank of yeast mist. No gnats flying in your eyes like Sally Struthers in Africa. “For less than the cost of a tasting flight a day, you can make the difference in these children’s lives”.
  7. No crazy artwork. Although a few Thomas Kinkaid and Wyland prints would really bring the space together. I kid, although I am strangely inspired to paint a Wyland style painting of a Whale getting eaten by yeast cells in a carboy of beer.
  8. Reserve Society allocation pick up zone. Bigger cooler = more space for allocation. No more getting stuck driving around the Orange traffic circle for hours on end!
  9. Open 7 days a week! More than double the open days? Beer Farfegnügen! Check their website for hours.
  10. Drive through growler fill window off the side of the 57 freeway. I’m kidding about this one, as if anyone is still reading past #4.

Grand Opening on Wed July 4! Check their FB for details. 

SNIFF ~ MMM, that new tap smell.

Say “CHEESEMONGER“. Kendra, still puts the “cute” in “charcuterie”.

 

Fact: Yeti like to rake leaves and drink Bruery beer.

I tried to get artsy here. Note the non-flip top growler.

After too much Black Tuesday (aka “The BT’s)

Kings of the Orange Cicle. Chef Greg Daniels of Haven Gastropub and Patrick Rue

Grand Opening on Wed July 4! Check their FB for details. 

 

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery | Redlands, CA

Posted on by

Driving down a two lane road a half-mile deep inside orange groves makes me roll down my windows and screech the car to a halt. “Smell that, kids? It’s oranges” I say excitedly. My daughter says “I smell paint” in her nasally voice. Indeed. Smog fills this noxious punch-bowl of a valley like a witch’s cauldron on Halloween. Surprisingly, I can actually see the mountains a mile or so away from the Redlands Airport which means it’s only a stage one smog alert.

A stone’s throw from the Redlands Airport sits Hangar 24 Craft Brewery. I have a lot of history in Redlands. Most notably, I lost my virginity by a girl named Sam; a tall debutante with Tinkerbell-like hair. Twenty years later, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery was born. Note that it’s not my baby…Ben Cook, H24’s founder and master brewer would lay that proverbial pipe four years ago.

Most breweries have a fun story to tie in their inspiration or side hobby. Hangar 24 is no different. Breaking it down in children’s book format:

Ben flies airplanes. Ben brews beer. Ben shares beer with friends. Ben builds a brewery by the airport. Ben brews Orange Wheat. Ben has more friends. Good night, Ben. The End.

 

As Hangar 24 recently reached 15,000 barrels per year, they are the quickest brewery to reach Regional Craft Brewer status, ever. After touring their meager brew house, I’m not sure how this feat is accomplished. “We maintain a 24/7 brew schedule here at Hangar” says Donn, the tasting room Host. Most tasting rooms are devoid of activity while their brewery is operational. Not Hangar! My group was able to whiff a full bucket of CTZ hop pellets, chat with the brewer, put on safety goggles, pretend a hose is our shaft and hump a brite tank, and generally geek out on the live operation.

I love labeler.

I enjoyed the old school manual labor bottling line. “The bottling line came with an Italian user’s guide, and randomly causes a bottle to explode while in use”. I’m sure some Italian engineer built in that functionality to keep workers awake. I fucking love Italians.

 

 

hay-bales-of-bordeaux-robert-lewis

I painted this with my tasting flight while sitting there.

The line of people in the tasting room is all that separates the brew house from the tasting room counter. A few local gals, dressed in traditional Inland Empire garb (miniskirts and flip flops), oogle a brewer cleaning out a filter. Two of H24’s beers are filtered per style, Helles and Pale Ale. I order a tasting flight of all their beers and get served a custom wood tray, when filled with all eleven beer tasters, resembles an artist’s palate if he was going to paint a bale of hay. We were instructed to start at the lowest IBU and go from there, which in our case was the Belgian Summer Ale, Orange Wheat, then Palmero.

Drinking their Belgian Summer Ale at this moment in time is pure heaven. Brewery fresh seasonal beer, aimed at drinking on a hot summer day is a bullseye with everyone around us. It looks like a Wit beer, with even some of the traditional coriander (or nutmeg?) notes backed by a funky fruit (Pluot?), finished with a refreshing acidic kick (tart lemon?). It was tough to nail down the subtleties, but damn this beer is refreshing. Craft beer converts usually stick with the Orange Wheat, which is a shame with this many low IBU offerings.  I did learn that Orange Wheat flavors change twice a year due to the availability of Orange varieties. Some H24 fans are snobby towards one or the other!

Palmero is my other favorite of the day, cutting loose from the other hopped offerings. Hangar 24’s Local Fields beers have been full of character and, you guessed it, stuff from local fields. Packed with dates from the nearby Coachella Valley and  fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, this beer gives off tons of dark fruit notes that reminded me of a traditional Swedish drink called “Glög”, but in beer form. Their other Local Fields beer, Essense, is essential to finishing a hot day in the Inland Empire. A Double IPA packed with three varieties of citrus (naval orange, sweet blood orange, and grapefruit) is also super refreshing. The grapefruit shines through on the finish, really carrying the complimenting hop aroma and flavor.

Their regular season lineup has something for everyone. The aforementioned Orange Wheat remains their top seller on top of their Pale Ale, IPA, DIPA, Helles, Alt Bier and Chocolate Porter. For the beer geeks, look for their Barrel Roll series and variations of beers on cask in the tasting room. I personally look forward to Polycot fermented 100% with Brettanomyces.

Bottom line, if you’re ever out in the IE, Hangar 24 is a must-stop! Pick me up a few bottles while you’re there! Thanks Matt, Donn and their whole team for the tour and hospitality! Service was excellent!

 

 

Gripe: My only piece of criticism with the visit is the taster board. Too many beers + small plastic cups + hot sun = insta-skunk. I opted for beers I haven’t tried first and picked a few favorites. Proving a point to a guest near me, I ordered a pint of a beer we both didn’t care for in the taster, but loved the pint. My suggestion would be to break the taster board into smaller chunks of four with themes, sort of how Bruery Provisions serves flights. Perhaps even work in the airport ‘flight’ theme. Serving so many beers at once without an accurate sheet describing everything is also confusing for most. We did have a sheet, but it only listed eight of the beers.

Disneyland California Craft Beer Adventure!

Posted on by

 

Tower of Terror? Nah, Tower of great food and local craft beer!

As summer is once again upon us, visiting a theme park is probably in your plans. Living a mile from Disneyland, I usually direct out-of-towners to nearby breweries and craft beer friendly gastropubs (read a piece I was featured in All About Beer Magazine May 2012 issue about the subject page 1 / page 2). As Disneyland California Adventure (DCA) re-opened with new rides and food options, a true imagineer had the forethought to add fresh local beer to the menu, some of which is brewed a mile away!

Upon entering DCA, you now enter Buena Vista street, a classy throwback to an era when Walt first arrived in California. Street cars ding-ding, newspapers sit on a newsstand, and cast members taunt about with 20’s style costumes. At the end of the street becons the Carthay Theatre, which is actually a lounge and restaurant. The lounge offers moderately priced tapas style snacks and a modest local craft beer selection. Upon opening, here what was available:

Salted Nuts in a flight of Anaheim Gold, Hefeweizen, and 1888.

On Draft: A flight of Anaheim Brewery – Gold, Hefeweizen, and 1888 (California Common) / Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA and Karl Strauss Red Trolly Ale.

In Bottes: The Bruery Loakal Red and Saison Rue  / Stone Brewing Co. Smoked Porter / Lagunitas Pils and Censored Ale (shocked Disney let that one in) / Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout / Firestone Walker DBA / North Coast Red Seal, Pranqster, Brother Thelonious, and Acme Pale Ale.

Although it’s great to have all California brewed options and a good variety of styles, the North Coast beers are head scratchers. I don’t necessarily dislike that brand, but more love could have been given to SoCal. I would have put Noble Ale Works Alpha Red instead of Red Seal, Bootleggers Golden Chaos instead of Pranqster, A Lost Abbey beer in place of Brother Thelonious, and Hangar 24 Orange Wheat or Stone Pale Ale instead of Acme Pale Ale. Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout I would have tossed in Green Flash Double Stout. The Bruery Loakal Red is a nice addition as it’s only available in Orange County. This may sound like I’m complaining, and I’m not, it’s just that out of towners may prefer actual local beer, and I don’t consider northern California as part of that. Firestone Walker is my cut off point. Shitty light-American lager IS available, but not advertised or displayed anywhere. I love that they bootlegged the macro in the back…well done, Walt. The prices were similar to an average bar, shockingly not theme park high. ($7ish)

Inside the Carthay Lounge

The Carthay Lounge itself is a classy bar. Along with the CA Craft beer, custom mixed cocktails and various n/a crafted beverages are available for the wee ones. Sitting in there enjoying a flight I didn’t feel like I was sitting inside of Disneyland.

Elsewhere in the park, Craft beer is still available at the Karl Strauss Beer Truck, which serves 5 drafts. Red Trolly, Windansea Hef, Tower 10 IPA, Endless Summer Light, and a Seasonal. Currently Pintail Pale Ale is the seasonal.

Bayside Brews (Previous blog post here) has a couple Karl options as well as Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Ariels Grotto has the Cove Bar with a few Samuel Adams, Widmer, and Guinness type options.

If you happen to be coming in from out of town, I still would be happy to give recommendations!

Other Photos:

 

A Nation Ruined Ten Years Later – Stone Brewing RuinTen

Posted on by

Stone Brewing Co. Ruination 10th Anniversary IPA Review and Release Notes

Road-raging home after dodging a big-rig fender-bender with the venus-crossed sun in my eyes, finding a box on the front porch from Stone Brewing Company instantly snaps me back to a great mood. “I will not be stabbing a hobo today” I think to myself as I pull out a boning knife to open the box. I’m hoping there’s beer inside and not, say, a severed head ala the movie Se7en with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.

I put the bottle in the freezer, set the chicken timer at 30 minutes, then crack this hoppy hell demon.

On the crack, a moist “PSSSSST” sneaks out like a genie from a lamp. I quickly shove my nose in and whiff a hop farm in the tiny two inch headspace.

In the glass, this beer shows gorgeous crystal clear copper with a tinge of white foam that briefly clings to the perimeter. As the malt bill is Pale 2-Row and Crystal 15, I assumed it would be golden. Perhaps filtered lupulin oil gives a red tint? On the nose, a mushroom cloud of Centennial hops hit my sinus cavity like a backdraft from hell and puts me in a daze. This is getting serious.

 From the Stone Blog:

“…an amped-up version of Stone Ruination IPA, with a bit more malt to bring the abv up from 7.7% to 10.8%, and a very heavy dose of hops. “Classic” Ruination uses 2.5 pounds of hops per barrel–which is more than double the amount we use in any other of our core beers–but for Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, we went double again, using an impressive 5 pounds of hops per barrel, including about a pound each of Citra and Centennial in the dry hop. (Hell. Yes.)”

This beer showcases Centennial hops with wafts of over-ripe sweet juicy grapefruit. Imagine a box of grapefruit in a Turkish prison. No? How about a box of grapefruit in a college dorm? Nah. Box of grapefruit near the ocean after a rain? I’ll go with that. There’s a bit of dank earthyness that hides out among the fruityness. I would highly recommend putting a bag over your glass, then huffing this beer’s aroma until you pass out. Searching for Citra Hops on the nose I come up empty, thankfully, as Citra is one of those hops my nose categorizes as ‘cat urine’.

My first sip freaks me out. This Sub-tropical hop sipper starts out sweet and fruity, followed by a lingering pepper spiced hop bitterness. It’s like french kissing a hell demon after it ate a hop plant. (Those naughty, naughty hell demons!) The mouthfeel is very Stone-like but chased with a sweet-hot alcohol which keeps the bitter hanging out. As I continue to drink, I start to crave street tacos al pastor with onions, cilantro and a dash of lime topped the hottest salsa available. Fresh tortilla chips with a mango habanero pineapple salsa are also calling my name as a pairing.

Remembering my first sip of a Stone beer (IPA), there’s a certain ‘Stoney’ flavor profile that exudes and this beer is no different. As super-hopped beers are commonplace in this era, it’s refreshing to be reminded of what started it all just a decade ago. Stone Brewing Co. makes a strong statement and leapfrogs the vast landscape with this release. I tip my hat to Mitch, Greg, Steve and the entire Stone Brewing family for their efforts. If the twenty year release isn’t 20% ABV and ten pounds of hops per barrel, I’ll be pissed.

Cheers!

Additional Info:

Stats: 10.8% abv, 110 IBUs
Availability: Limited 22oz bottles & draft. One-time release, beginning June 11th
Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA
Malt bill: Crystal 15, Pale Malt
Hops bill: Columbus and Centennial. Dry hopped with Citra and Centennial.

San Diego Launch Event
Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA Party at Henry’s Pub
Sunday, June 10, 5-10pm | 618 5th Ave, San Diego
We return to the first SD bar to ever pour Stone Ruination IPA, throwing an awesome birthday celebration filled with brews, food, music, and a lot more! On deck are guest appearances by Stone CEO & Co-Founder Greg Koch and Brewmaster Mitch Steele, five taps with special versions of Stone IPA and Stone Ruination IPA, food pairings with dishes created just for this momentous occasion, plus limited-run Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA glasses and T-shirts on sale. Full details.

Media Sample provided by Stone Brewing Co.

 Additional Pics:

Mucking it up at the Bootleggers Fourth Anniversary

Posted on by

“If it rains, we will all strip down in our undies and roll around in the mud and do the happy rain dance as we drink!” – Patricia Barkenhagen

I’m sure I’m not the only guy that read that and thought, HELL TO THE YES. Throwing an anniversary party on Friday the 13th during a storm seems like a hell of gamble. Little does everyone know, ‘gamble’ is Bootleggers owner Aaron Barkenhagen’s middle name. If I told my wife I was going to max out the credit cards to start a brewery she would probably say, “I don’t think Sears and JCPenny have brewing equipment you fucking idiot.” Then I would probably make a pork chop sandwich and watch some hockey with one hand down my pants. C’est la vie.

“Chill the fuck out, it’s only rain at a beer fest”

Has the gamble paid off? From my perspective, yes. Bootleggers has a solid core of beers led by Knuckle Sandwich, Golden Chaos, Plum Riot and Black Phoenix. Their family of beers is mammoth! Bootleggers tasting room has at least 15+ beers on tap at all times. Their beers are popping up everywhere, stores, restaurants, even Angels Stadium.

Walking into the Historic Muckenthaler Mansion grounds for the party; taster glass, map and tickets in hand, I yell “Let’s get weird!” as a crowd mutters a resounding “yeah!” The map of the Muck shows the pouring stations and what’s flowing at each. “Quite a bit of sours at station four and five” yells a six foot red-head gal. I play coy with a bourbon barrel aged 78; Bootleggers 3rd Anniversary Ale, toss it down, and pretend not to see someone I just unfollowed on Twitter. White people problems. The thirty-plus fest beers are a few of the usual suspects, varied sour and brett options, bourbon barrel aged versions and some with fruit and other yummy adjuncts. Kombucha? You betcha. Olallieberry? I like it very. Bourbon Barrel Black Phoenix? Crack remix.  Despite cold hands and damp feet, The beer was heart warming and a nice start to the fest. As I missed last year’s party, it was also a good book-end to get this year going proper.

Guest taps from Cismontane Brewing, Eagle Rock Brewery, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery and the Bruery were on hand to pour and celebrate with the damp fracas at the Muck. Evan Weinberg of Cismontane erps, “I’d be perfect if I had foot warmer, or a fluffer, or whatever” while he stick-handles a sesh Saison. Derek Bougie of Newport Beach brewing company strolls by like a cop patrolling a beat in his bright yellow security jacket. This is getting WEIRD and I like it. The brother from another motherfunker, Tyler King (and gal) poured their cedary milk stout Bourly Gourde and supersour MotherFunker with icy hands and wide smiles. Hangar24’s options were devoured almost instantly! Note to self, hit Hangar24 first. Eagle Rock’s Populist and Solidarity were also on hand to celebrate. I sip back-to-back Solidarity’s as the English Mild kicks out some solid roastyness with a sessionably low ABV. I love this beer.

I stop by the suspect Bud Light draft station and tip my cap at Bootleggers (and Roscoe’s Famous Deli) server Dana for my ration of Knuckle Sandwich. The Simcoe® hops in this beast have a way of sucker punching me in the nose every time! My favorite of the night is easily Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Black Phoenix. Imagine a flock of huge black birds carpet-bombing a crowd with whiskey barrels. Sorry to be so literal, but ZOMG it’s incredible. Aaron informs me they’re bottling this beer soon, along with their Galaxian Barleywine. Bet your ass I’ll be in line for them both.

Due to the rain, the live music was relegated to indoors. Sadly, my lifelong wish to see a  band get struck by lightning will have to wait even longer. I pop in for a listen and scope out the exhibits, but was distracted by a full bladder. The real entertainment indoors is the long line for the restrooms. Girls line one side of the tight hallway, dudes on the other. So close you could chat about which sex pees slower. Two guys behind me are pointing out the finer notes of anal sex with a man, a fact that makes me laugh hysterically while shake-peeing. “I’m spoken for, gents” I say as they laugh nervously and unzip.

As the night nears an end, I head over to the mechanical bull to witness some robotic shenanigans. Shocked to see Mika Soriano, Aaron’s sister in-law and Bootleggers employee, waiting in line to ride the bull. Due to her petite package, she has to be ass-pushed onto the thing. It starts to buck and flail, then spins quickly as she flies off like a ragdoll. Yeehaw! She talks me into a ride as the clock strikes 9:30 and they pack it up. As I just had ball-surgery three weeks ago, I’m eternally grateful…thanks, Time.

Best Friday the 13th ever.

Photos taken with my Polaroid Mio camera on Fuji Instax Mini Film. Other shots:

Other notes: The anniversary party, held at the historic Muckenthaler Mansion in Fullerton,  sits about a mile to the north of the (current) brewery and tasting room. The Muckenthaler mansion was added to the register of Historic Places in 1999. The original owners, Walter and Adella Muckenthaler commisioned the large home to be built in 1924 for $35,000, roughly a fifth of the cost Barkenhagen spent on starting Bootleggers. The home, a Spanish Colonial Revival was fairy common in that period. The Batchelder tiles surrounding the fireplace and the solarium floor shows the level of detail and craftsmanship of the foregone American Arts and Crafts movement.