Brewpubs - Roadtrips

Hood River, Oregon

2009-11-03T14:20:00.001-08:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008 - This was a family get together for my Mother-in-Law's 80th birthday, and it was a good one!

I’m a “tad bit” late on putting this up. The other weekend, friends Greg Fischer and Keith Slaughter, visited this neck of the woods. When I was looking at Greg’s blog: Planes, Trains & Automobiles, I saw that their Portland trip also included Hood River. I thought, I’ll have to send them my Hood River pictures – Then I realized I’d never put them up! So here we are, better late than never!

We drove up there, with a stop in Ashland - one of my favorite places. Val's Mom - Joyce, and Joyce's sister Fran, traveled with us (Luke was going to school, and seeing the sights, in Italy for the summer). Fran's grandson lives in Ashland, and as luck would have it he's a big fan of the Standing Stone Brewpub - We met there for lunch.

Their location is perfect, less than a block from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Theatre. The brewery is right in the front, as you walk in, with the bar area on the left. The restaurant and patio eating area is in the back. The patio gives you a nice view of the surrounding mountains and town.

I had their sampler set of seven, and decided on a pint of delicious oatmeal stout. Val and I split a salmon sandwich. Great visit!

We walked off the lunch in beautiful Lithia Park, just next to the theater.

That evening we enjoyed "Our Town" at the Elizabethan Stage.

Monday, July 21, 2008 - We hopped on 5 and headed for the north end of the state. I'd planned this out, and lunch time "just happened" to find us in Tigard, at McMenamin's John Barleycorn. It was at this point that Fran said: "Another brewery!". Little did she know, we'd just begun!

I had a Terminator Stout, my favorite McMenamin's beer. We had a relaxing lunch on the back patio. One of my favorite things about visiting the McMenamin brother's brewpubs, is that virtually all of them are in neat old buildings (schools, hotels, and of course the classic 1911 Edgefield Multnomah County Poor Farm). This brewpub is in a new building, but they still did a great job with it.

I love their whimsical little breweries.

That afternoon we visited friends over in Beaverton, that live on a neat old farm.

Early that evening we rolled into Hood River. The Hotel (Best Western Hood River Inn) was outstanding - with our third floor patios overlooking the Columbia.

Val and Luke had found this place the summer before and reserved a bunch of rooms at that time.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - After a huge breakfast (that was another big plus with this hotel. Included in the room rate, was a complete meal, not some puny continental fare), we all took a hike to the top of Multnomah Falls (well, not the 80 year old sisters ;)

And a nice view from the top

After a good morning outing, it was time for - you guessed it....

Lunch at a brewery!

And this was my kind of lunch.

The view of the Columbia is spectacular from inside or on the patio.

Later that afternoon, while others were napping and such, I grabbed one of the free bikes (did I tell you I loved this hotel!), and headed downtown to the second of three breweries in this small town.

Big Horse Ales is a wonderful brewpub. I love their slogan: "If it doesn't have a big head or big body, it can't be a Big Horse".

I promptly ordered their sampler of 8. Here's the info I grabbed off their chalk board: "Horse Tail Pale (American-Style Pale Ale) 5.5%, Easy Blonde 5%, Nightmare (Oatmeal) Stout 6.5%, Psycho Billy Bock (German-Style Bock) 6,8%, MacStallion Scottish-Style Export Ale 6.9%, The Smoke of Helles (Smoked Munich Helles Lager) 5.2%, Evil Eye Rye (American Rye Ale) 6.0%, Pale Rider IPA (American Style) 6.7%, Hop Slop Series (single Hop Extra Pale Ale)". They were out of the IPA, but Hop Slop & the Stout were xlnt!

In addition to great beer (I've never had a chance to sample their food), they have a view of the Columbia that's even better then Full Sail's. A good portion of Hood River goes up into the hills, and Big Horse is right up there - Something you notice right a way, when you're on a bike!

This view is from the brewpub's back patio.

I left the bike tied-up and walked down the hill, a couple blocks, to the Double Mountain Brewpub. This brewery was started in 2007 by Matt Swihart and Charlie Devereux, brewers from Full Sail. And as they say: "in my humble opinion" I think they make the best beer in town.

As soon as I sat down I got a call from Jennifer (the oldest of our four kids) at the hotel. She met me in a few minutes to enjoy a beer with Dear Old Dad. She lives in MN, and I don't get to have her all to myself very often. Anyway, that's my excuse for poor photo coverage of this great little brewpub. Here's the write-up on the two excellent beers we had: "MOLTEN LAVA - Imperial IPA This is Hop Lava's bigger, meaner cousin -- a radiant orange-hued beer featuring more than six pounds of hops per barrel. The out-of-control hopping is barely balanced by a tight malt backbone and noticable alcohol notes. We used our Kolsch yeast on this one, which gives it a different type of fruitiness than the Belgian ale yeast used in Hop Lava. Brewed with organic Pilsner and Munich malt, imported crystal malt, Centennial and Cascade hops. 9.0%ABV, 95+ BU. ÜBER BROWN - This big, chocolately dark ale made a short appearance in the summer of 2008 [and we got some!]. Look for it to re-emerge in early '09 after a long summer vacation in bourbon barrels....Brewed with organic Pilsner malt, imported crystal and chocolate malts, and Brewers Gold hops. 6.8%ABV, 35 BU"

Jen's Frank met us and we enjoyed a nice sushi dinner at Sushi Okalani, just a block or so away. I'm a real novice on this stuff, but they are experts - It was a fun meal!

My ride back to the hotel was beautiful, just the right time of the early evening. You can see how the town just goes right up the hill.

And a shot of a Columbia tributary.

That night we had a pretty routy get-together on our two adjoining balconies. Good time!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - This morning we headed out on another hike up the mountains of the Columbia River Gorge.

This is part of the gang: from the left, Ronda, Val, Reid (Joyce's brother & Ronda's dad), Frank, Jennifer, our older son Jason & wife Kristen. Then, Reid's two grandkids, each from his two other kids.

Just a little way up the trail, this view reminded me of Woody Guthrie's song: "Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through - Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew - Canadian Northwest to the oceans so blue - Roll on Columbia, roll on".

Up towards the top was a great view of the river and the state of Washington.

That afternoon we all piled on the Mt. Hood Railroad for the "Odell Excursion". A two hour round trip from downtown Hood River, with a short lunch stop in the tiny town of Odell. This is the historical fruit capital of the valley.

A nice view of Mt. Hood, through the orchards, from our train car.

We enjoyed a quick little lunch at a small Mexican cafe in Odell, a block away from our train stop. I could tell I was in Oregon - A Deschutes Black Butte Porter, with my taco!

And back down the mountains, to the station....

I love cabooses!

Later, a few of us visited the classic 1920 Columbia Gorge Hotel. I could never afford to stay in a place like this, but it was sure nice to have a glass of wine and enjoy their scenery!

This opulent hotel is right on the edge of the gorge, with a 208' water fall in the back.

That night was the big birthday party. We had it at Three Rivers Grill, and everything was perfect. They did a great job with our group of sixteen, and the dinner and wine was outstanding.

This was on the way out, after the party.

If all those people weren't in the way, you could see the River in the background!

Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Our last day in Hood River. Some of us took a walk along the river, west from the hotel.

A beauty of a small marina.

And a cute little float plane.

Well, it was time to go and we all said our good byes. Everybody, but us, were heading back to Portland to fly home. Although, Jason & Kristen got to spend a couple of days in the City of Roses, and were able to attend the annual Oregon Brewers Festival. I was way jealous!

We headed further east along the Columbia, crossed over into Washington, and visited Walla Walla. But, that's another story.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Western Pacific Brewpub, Old Town Oroville

2009-10-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here's some quick pictures of this great brewery & resturant that opened this last February. I first visited 9/20, with son Luke. I'll add the pics from that day a little later. My second trip there was this last Sunday, just by my lonesome. At this time I took iPhone pictures, and I'm now using an iPhone App (BlogPress Lite) for the first time to upload this all - We'll see! I'm in Woodstocks enjoying a "Tu/Th $2 Pint" of SN Oktoberfest - So let's see how this works!

Ahhh, that was easy to grab one of my shots! Delicious Oatmeal Stout, with the brewery in the background. On my 1st visit I got a nice personal tour of the brewery, and I'll upload those shots in the normal fashion - I took'm with a regular digital camera.

Great IPA that went with my delicious burger. Not as hoppy as the brews SN has on now, but very nice.

A view of the RR tracks from the back patio eating area.

The brewery through the window, as you enter the brewpub.

What was on tap....

The entrance.

And a train actually went by!

There happened to be this neat old car in the lot - I love classic old cars (and airplanes, trains, houses, buildings.....).

On the way home, I stopped for a cup of joe, just a couple blocks away on Montgomery St.

This place definately met my criteria for great old buildings - and the coffee was good too!

And one of the classic homes of Old Town Oroville, along Montgomery. A great Sunday afternoon trip!

(now let's see if this uploads!)

San Jose & Sunnyvale

2009-05-05T19:08:00.001-07:00

May 3-4, 2009

Val was heading-up a CalCPA meeting in downtown San Jose, and I got to go along to make sure her Power Point presentations were working and to see what the craft brewing industry of the Silicon Valley had on tap.

The meeting was at the Fairmont Hotel, and we arrived at noon on Sunday (damn, I missed church again!). This is one high rent place, so.... we stayed at the Wyndham, down the road, for a fraction of the price.

After two hours of dealing with three female accounting professors, all telling me at the same time, the changes they wanted made in their PPTs, I was ready for.....

Fortunately, the brewpub is only a block away.

This is a classic setup, where they've taken an old building and turned it into a brewpub - well done!

I'm not a big fan of Blonde Bock , Czech Style Pilsner or Hefeweizen, so I stuck to two of my favorites - Märzen (below) and Schwarzbier (black lager) - Delicious!

The place was full, with a very lively crowd. You can see the brewery tanks in the background.

On that way out I caught this shot of the top tower of a classic old office building (I thought it must have been a church!) on the corner of 1st and Santa Clara, one of the landmarks of downtown San Jose.

Early that evening, back to the Fairmont for a nice reception and then down the street, to the Sainte Claire. for a delicious Italian meal (these folks know how to do it right!).

Monday 8:00, another crunch to get the day's presentations set, then I was out'a there...

Coffee outside at a nice little cafe next to San Jose State...

Then onto the business of the day.

Drove up 101 to Sunnyvale, and first visited the Fire House Brewery. This location, on classic South Murphy Avenue, use to be Stoddard's Brewpub. I'd been there about six years ago, with son Jason, when he was doing an internship with AMD. That was a Friday evening and I never got any further then the back patio. This was 11:30 Monday, and I pretty much had the place to myself! I even got free parking out front.

Classic bar, with the brewery behind the glass - Life is good!

As usual, I had their sampler set, and there was definitely some good ones here.

Not a very steady shot of the board (below). I can honestly say it was low light with no flash - I had not even got into the beer yet! All of them are their beers, except of course the Trumer Pils (which reminds me, I need another Berkeley Road Trip!).

Usually, I'm not a big fan of Pale Ale (spoiled by the hoppier beers), but this was an exceptionally good ale. The stout and porter also really caught my attention.

Had one of the best hamburgers (don't tell my office partner!) I've had in a long time - and then the Barleywine for dessert. This was a nice lunch!

A view of the skylight inside the pub.

Brewmaster, Steve Donahue, stopped by and asked how I liked the beer. One of the advantages to visiting these places during "off hours".

Turned out Steve graduated from Chico State, back around the time we started working there - 19 years ago. What a nice guy - he gave me a little tour of his domain - A one man show, every homebrewer's dream!

He had Scotch Ale, aging in the oak barrels

Steve was the brewer for Stoddard's, so he has a lot of history here.

The kegs go to their Palo Alto location, and a couple of other spots in the bay area.

I took a peek out in the back patio...

These are a tad bit higher then mine. Must be because they are further south!

I then migrated over to Faultline Brewery, also in Sunnyvale...

They use to have a few other locations (Sacramento, etc), but now they are just down to this brewery. But what a beautiful location....

One of the regulars...

When I sat down and saw the beer list, I got all excited to see they had a cask brown (last one on the list).

Well, there was a reason it was at the bottom of the list. After taking my first sip, I asked the bar tender how long this cask had been on tap. "Oh, a month or two". I said to myself "Oh shit!".

I tried to explain to him that it was all down hill after one or two days. Fortunately he was good enough to dump it and get me a delicious hoppy IPA. Saved by the hops!

What a great venue, but where are the people at lunch time?

Got a kick out of this sign, as I exited the parking lot...

Back to downtown San Jose to hit the Tied House Brewpub. I'd been to their Mountain View location, that same evening with Jason, six years ago. I'd really liked that brewpub, so I was looking forward to this one.

This San Jose location is on the historical San Pedro Square.

I stopped by on Sunday, but they were closed. I was suspicious because San Jose had a huge Cinco De Mayo celebration downtown that day. Not a logical time to be closed?

Well on Monday they had a sign up: "Closed for remodeling, will open May 19th". I read that as just plain old "Closed!" It had been at least two days and there was no sign of any work going on. Bummer! [Although, as I'm writing this, I checked their Web site and it does say; "Closed for remodeling, open May 15th". That's better then the 19th! Hopefully, they'll be back]

Down the street was a classic necessity on a street full of bars!

This is part of the arch to the entrance of San Pedro Square.

Well, it was time to pick up Val, so I headed on back. These are the fountains in front of the Fairmont, with the Marriott in the background and a jet on final for SJC.

The Fairmont - a classic!

3:15 and we headed out'a Dodge, before the traffic got too bad. It was a great two days!

Sacramento

2008-12-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

December 22, 2008

I took Val to the Sacramento airport for a 6:50 AM flight. After dropping her off, I caught a few winks in the car, sitting in the airport lot. After starting the morning at 3:45, the early morning nap felt great. At 8:30 I was ready to go.

I'd read about the Fox and Goose Public House in Sunset magazine. The article said they put on one of the best breakfast in Sacramento. When I walked in the door and saw all the folks waiting to be seated, I figured I must have got good advice.

The classic brick building was constructed in 1913 and housed the Fuller Paint and Glass Company. The Fox & Goose has been there since 1975. Although it was a tad bit early for beer, they had a number of interesting ales on draught, all from Great Britain and Ireland. I had a delicious breakfast, which even included a crumpet. I'll have to come back another time to sample some beers.

From there I made the short drive (14 blocks) to the Rubicon Brewpub, just because I knew there was some two hour free parking in that neighborhood and of course I would be ending up there at lunch time!

The Rubicon is only four blocks from the capital, and that was my next destination.

Not only is the capital building beautiful, but the ten square blocks of grounds have all kinds of interesting plants and trees.

As I walked up the stairs and entered the building I was immediately "greeted" by seven of the meanest looking security and police force type people. My attempts of humor, as I emptied my pockets for the x-ray machine, went over like a fart in a spacesuit. This was one serious group.

Once I got in I found out that the first office you come to, belongs to the Governator.

As I walked around the building I could see that the other two entrances were a tad bit more tourist friendly. Grammar school tours and such. I just picked the wrong door to walk in.

From the Capital, it's just a block over to the Pyramid Brewery. This shot of the front of Pyramid, almost looks like it's in Europe, with the classic Catholic Church (Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament) right next door. This church is where the Bishop of Northern California hangs out.

I had a 5 oz (their sampler size) of Thunderhead IPA (67 IBU and 6.7%) & Snow Cap (their winter beer at 7%), both very nice. In the shot below, you can see the long table set, next to the bar, for a holiday office party. The bar tender was extremely friendly. It's funny; some brewpubs seem to "freak-out" when I take pictures and others seem to know that I'm interested in capturing the experience and are helpful and friendly. Fortunately the latter was the case with all my visits this day.

A view from the second floor seating. You can see the small brewery through the window in the middle of the shot below.

It was time to move my car from it's free two hour parking (why spend money on parking when it could go towards another beer!).

Here's one more shot of the church. Even though it was technically the first of winter, it was still fall in Sacramento.

Some interesting modern architecture, on the walk back.

And some interesting old architecture.

After I stuck the car on the other side of the street it was time to hit the Rubicon. I've always loved this place. Their beers are top notch and they have pretty good pub grub.

This is a view of the brewpub, just as you walk in - the bar is to the right and the brewery is behind the windows.

I had a 1/2 pint of cask conditioned Monkey Knife Fight. An outstanding American Pale Ale, which to me was more like an IPA (and a great one, at that!). Made with Crystal malts and Mt Hood hops, this was one great cask ale. My next sample was their stout. This was in the Irish dry stout style, made with English Kent Golding hops and served on nitro. I then tried Rosebud Strong Ale 2008. This ale was first brewed in 1995 on the day Jerry Garcia died. The beer is named after one of Jerry's guitars, and is made with twelve different types of malted barley and German and Czech hops. Sometime during all this great beer, I had a soup and sandwich combo.

Here's a peek through the window into the brewery.

It was time to move the car again. I'd read someplace about the Old Soul Company Coffeehouse - "Bakers - Roasters - Artisans". The article said the entrance was back off an alley and that everything was $2 (coffee drinks and bakery goods). Coffee sounded pretty good, so I started off walking in search of this place. After going past it a couple of times I finally saw a small sign and went to the back of the building and found the alley entrance.

The coffee and pumpkin muffin was just what the doctor ordered.

I can imagine this place rocks out in the morning.

My last stop for the day was Hoppy Brewing Company. It's a straight shot, a tad bit over 3 miles from the Rubicon. You drive through the high rent part of Sacramento, with numerous cross streets holding classic old homes. I arrived at the brewery at 3:15.

A view as you walk in. The brewery is behind the windows at the rear.

I had a 1/2 pint of Stoney Face Red Ale ("A malty beer with dark carmel & chocolate malts. Nugget & Cascade hops give just enough bitterness for balance", 5.6%), a sample of Burnt Sienna Ale (this beer includes some smoked malts and Columbus, Glacier & Wilamette hops. 6.9%) and a 1/2 pint of their classic Total Eclipse Black Ale ("A porter-like brew with chocolate & black malts forms a coffee like flavor. For a pleasant bitterness, nugget & columbus hops are added" 5.6%). Later I took a shot of the brewery through the window and the manager came up and asked if I wanted to go in and get some more pictures. He unlocked the brewery door and left me in there alone. Just the opposite that I've experienced at some brewpubs (Newport Beach and Placerville come to mind) where they ask what the Hell are you taking the pictures for. Do I look like I work for the ABC or some other such government agency!

I enjoyed a leisure walk around the brewery equipment, and then it was time to go.

The end of a great day.

Auburn Alehouse Brewery, Auburn, California

2008-11-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

October, 2008 - Auburn, California. The street name goes back to the days of the 49ers and the Gold Rush, but the tin man is smiling because now Auburn once again has a brewery. Just down the block is the new (2007) Auburn Alehouse, and it's "a keeper"!

Front of the brewpub, with a reflection of Auburn in the glass.

A view as you walk in the front door, with the bar at the left. The restuarant seating is to the right, straight back, and out on the patio. You can see the bright tanks, at the back, which are up above the brewery.

Old and new. The tin roof and original brick wall, blend nicely with a modern design hanging above the back of the bar. The top row of bottles are growlers from numerous other breweries.

And as I always try to do on my first visit to a brewpub.... A sampler set. Below is a list of their brews.

Notice the "Guest Brew", on the left side of the chalk board - Sierra Nevada Torpedo! I don't know how they still had a keg of that?

Half of the tap handles.

A view through the glass, into the brewery.

A shot of the patio, out in the back.

Then there's the "Wild Women" next door.

And the most famous landmark in town, the court house.

Oregon Train Trip ~ Klamath Falls, Bend & Portland

2008-06-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

June 9 - 16, 2008

This was probably one of the best vacations I've ever taken. Just me, myself and I. Nobody else in my family would put-up with a trip like this. Twenty-three breweries, forty-one miles of walking and over 700 photographs. For these destinations and for me, Amtrak was the way to go. It was so nice not having to worry about driving around. But, I would have loved to have had my bike. Unfortunately there's no baggage check at our Chico Amtrak stop. Plus you have to box your bike, which means taking it apart a bit, and then you have to come up with a box for it on the trip home. Maybe I'll look into a bike rental next time. Portland is huge on bicycles!

Monday, June 9, 2008 - The north bound Amtrak Coast Starlight comes through Chico around 2:30 AM. I joined the sleeping passengers and was soon lulled to dreamland by the gentle rocking of the car and the sound of the tracks. The next thing I knew, it was 6:30 and the sun was just coming up on Mt. Shasta.

At about 8:30 we pulled into Klamath Falls, Oregon. My first stop, to visit Mia & Pia's and Klamath Basin brewpubs. I walked the short distance to downtown and had breakfast at Swan Bakery & Bistro, with my selection heavy on the bakery part ;~} I chose a hotel out 3 1/2 miles to the west end of town, because that's were Mia&Pia's is located - Big mistake! After a one and a half hour 'death march', I made it to the hotel. I exaggerate on the 'death' part, but later I found out I could have stayed in a hotel right next to Great Basin, at the same price.

After a shower I hit the road again, this time without my pack. It's another one and a third miles to M&P's - but well worth the walk. This is kind of a funky place, that is really just a pizza joint with a great bar. They brew their beer down the road at their dairy farm.

They had 12 on tap. Along with an excellent pizza, I had samplers of: Rod's Rodeo Red 4.7%, White Pelican Porter 4.2%, Spencer Creek Amber Ale 5.5% (Willamette, Northern Brewer & Cascade hops), Otto Mulligan's Irish Stout 4.8% Guinness style features six row barley from their family farm, Emmett & Anna's Pivo (Czech Style Pilsner) 4.4%, Blast Off Barley Wine 10.5% Introduced New Year's Eve 1999, a salute to the year 2000.

This was a great way to start a vacation! Here's a list of all of their beers...

It was time to head back downtown, but this time I called a taxi!

The Klamath Basin Brewpub, AKA 'The Creamery', is in a building built in 1935 that use to be a creamery. They left the outside of the building, pretty much the way it was, except for adding a very nice patio area.

They fixed up the pub area like the inside of a cabin. You can see the brew tanks in the background. The bar is to the right.

I had a sampler set of ten (this is definitely turning out to be a good day!). My favorite was their IPA and Drop Dead Red. Later in the evening I had a nice hamburger & fries - something I never get to partake in. And speaking of healthy habits, at the end of my stay there, I walked out to the patio and enjoyed one of my cheap $2 ceeeeegars. I ended up getting a chance to talk to the owner, Lonnie Clement - Very interesting guy. This was definitely a top-notch brewpub!

Here's a list of their beers.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - Got a taxi to downtown, had some coffee and a roll - once again, at the Swan Bakery, walked the few blocks and caught the train (1.5 hrs - Beautiful farmland, river, a lake and great clouds) to Chemult. Another 1.5 hrs on the shuttle van, to Bend. Got to my Hotel 6 at 12:15 and promptly took the 1/2 hr walk to downtown. Lunch at the closest brewpub - McMenamins Old St. Francis School - 1/2 pt Terminator Stout (which I've always really liked), great pizza, and a 1/2 pt of so so IPA. I guess I was expecting a little more of a historical school building (like their Kennedy School), but I still thoroughly enjoyed my visit

These folks always have a funky brewery - I love it!

Now on to the main attraction, the original Deschutes Brewpub.

1/2 pt cask Caribbean Stout (interesting!) and 1/2 pt of their Inversion IPA, which was OK until I had a sample of the Down & Dirty IPA - outstanding (unfortunately it was at it's end and when I came back next time they were out).

A short walk of a block or two and I was at the Bend Brewpub. I was really looking forward to this place, as they had just won Small Brewpub of the Year, at the World Beer Cup in San Diego, and along with that Tonya Cornett, Small Brewpub beermaster of the year. And to top it all off, it was Tuesday - $2.25/pt night!!!! Life is good! And the beer was great (as was the food).

Irish Stout on nitro, Elk Lake IPA, Brooks Street Brown and veggie egg rolls. Needless to say, at those prices, the place was rock'n! Fortunately I'd got in earlier enough to for a good spot at the bar.

And this is literally just out the back door. Mirror Pond, the Deschutes River, named after the Pale Ale of the Deschutes Brewery – Or maybe it was the other way around!

Perfect time of the day for photography

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - First thing in the afternoon I took a beautiful 20 minute walk (across the Deschutes River, snow capped mountains and interesting neighborhoods) out of downtown, to the Deschutes Brewery.

Tour time - 1:00 Erin was our tour guide. I say "our", but it was just me. There was also a "tour guide trainee" lady, that joined us. Needles to say, I got a very informal, thorough introduction to the brewery operation.

Of all the brewery tours I’ve been on, this was the first that offered you beer, not only before and after, but DURING the tour.

One of the brewers answering our questions.

They'd just switched the line over, to bottle 22 ouncers

At the end of the tour, they have the original art work for their special holiday labels. [info on beer sampled]

Walked a little further out of town, to the Cascade Lakes Brewery Lodge. Their brewery is in Redmond, the next town up the road from Bend.

Had their sampler set of seven and all of their beers were very nice. I’d heard of these “Sliders”, but never even seen them before. Kolby beef , and they were delicious! This and the generous sampler set, all for $16.50 – Not bad, for what I consider a “high-end town” - All that and free WiFi!

Took a different route on my walk back to downtown. Bend is an extremely cool little town.

Later in the afternoon I stopped in at the Silver Moon Brewpub.

This place has more the feeling of just being a bar, but their beer was excellent - especially the IPA!

Out back, I got a peek at the brewery, and talked to the owners, who were hand labeling some of their 22 oz bottles.

Thursday, June 12, 2008 - Caught the shuttle van back to Chemult and then Amtraked it (the train was only two hours late) up to Portland. What a classic, beautiful station - on the Willamette River, with the Broadway Bridge (that I needed to walk across, to get to my hotel) right next to the station parking lot.

An easy walk over the bridge - although, many times, I was nearly mowed over by bicycle commuters, head'n home - Naturally, I was taking photographs and not paying attention to the folks on their bikes! Got to McMenamins White Eagle, just as the first act was warm'n up. This place is my idea of a perfect hotel. You check in at the saloon downstairs, and the handful of small rooms are all upstairs. This 1905 hotel is thoroughly authentic, including having the bathroom - down the hall. A small, immaculate room, with - of course- the wonderful McMenamins art on the wall - a bed, a chair, and a sink in the corner. This a "music destination", and they have a band going every night of the week. Music to sooth you to sleep (or rock you to sleep!). And all of this for only 45 bucks a night!

The other very cool thing about this hotel location - Widmer's is just across the street! You walk out of the hotel and that wonderful brewing smell just hits you.

This is their brand new brewery.

The original brewery and the pub, is across the other street.

Having a world class brewery (I don't like Hefeweizen, but their other beers are excellent) within a few hundred feet of your hotel room, is my kind of location!

Had 1/2 pt of Nitro Irish Stout and Broken Halo IPA - both were excellent.

After a very good dinner of brawts, I stopped in at my hotel "saloon", where the bar-keep was making one of those exotic flaming drinks

And outside the door from the bar and the music stage, is an extremely nice patio area.

Where I enjoyed on of my famous $2 Cigars and a 1/2 pt of Terminator Stout. I could get used to this kind of vacation!

Friday, June 13, 2008 - It may have been Friday the 13th, but it was my lucky day! I was ready to hot foot it to most all of the brewpubs in Portland's NE quadrant. And to top it off, I had the Horse Brass Pub (as my furthest destination), to look forward to at the end of the day

Some of the interesting architecture I passed on the way....

My first stop. The Broadway Grill and Brewery, actually get their beer from their Old Market Pub and Brewery location (never did make it there).

A 1/2 pt of their British Bombay IPA, was the way to start the day.

From there a nice long and interesting walk East up Broadway, and I was at the original Laurelwood Pizza & Brewing Company (two of my favorite things). Unfortunately it wasn't quite lunch time, and I figured I could get my pizza at the next stop, their newer brewpub location. But alas, they don't DO pizza there! ;~{ But we'll get on with that in bit....

Having done a tiny little bit of copper tubing work, on my homebrew system, I really appreciated their tap handles. And I really appreciated their beer.

I'd been on their email newsletter list for years, and I was really looking forward to this stop. And I was not disappointed! I enjoyed a 1/2 pt of their cask Piston Pale Ale (I always go for the cask conditioned ale, if a pub has one on) and Le Rouge Red - both delicious!

I love it when the brewhouse is just a few feet from where you are drinking the beer.

From here, I walked north-east, up Sandy to the second Laurelwood Brewpub location.

As I said they may not have had the pizza I was looking forward to, but ahhhh, the beer! They had a fantastic Workhorse IPA, which I thoroughly enjoyed with a BLT sandwich (which I hadn't had in years) and a Tree Hugger Porter - All excellent

The brewery is right on the other side of the bar.

After a beauty of a walk, north, through some classic '30s and '40s neighborhoods....

...I arrived at the Alameda Brewpub.

Here, I followed my typical first time visit - a sampler of them all!

The El Torero Organic IPA and the Nitro Irvington Porter were my favorites - Excellent beers

They were playing neat music and the brewery was only 10' away - My kind of place

It was about 4:30 by now and I was off, heading back south on different streets, through more classic pristine old neighborhoods.... to the Belmont Station.

I was hope'n my "Internet Buddy" Teri Fahrendorf would be working that evening, but no such luck, turned out she was attending here parents 50th wedding anniverary, back in the mind-west - so I was out of luck on that one.

They have recently added a pub and grill, to the store. They typically have five on a rotating tap, and they tease you with weekly email updates, which include their tastings from breweries far and near.

I had 1/2 pints of Erie Misery Bay IPA (from PA, 6.5% ABV), Elysian Avatarv Jasmine IPA (dried jasmine flowers, 5.6% ABV). Very interesting!

Walk through the door from the pub and into the store....

At the Belmont Station store, I was bad and got a cigar, which I enjoyed later that evening at the...

I had wanted to visit the Horse Brass Pub, for years - and I had finally arrived! This place is as classic as I'd imagined.

Even had the owner, Don Younger sitting a few stools down from me. I enjoyed a pint of Hopworks Urban Brewery's (I visited on Sunday) Cask Conditioned Organic Red (5.7 ABV, 55 IBU). I had to have the Fish & Chips ;~} and with that a 1/2 pt of Ninkasi's (Eugene, OR) Cask Tricerhops Double IPA (8.8% ABC, 100+ IBU!). All excellent!

I caught a taxi back to the White Eagle.

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - This was my day to explore the Pearl District (NW quadrant) of Portland. This is the upscale part of downtown.

Walked south, back over the Broadway Bridge, with a view of the Fremont Bridge...

Breakfast at Bridgeport Brewery. They have a wonderful bakery integrated right into the restaurant and tap room. I ate out on their patio, which use to be the loading dock, back when they manufactured hemp rope in this old classic 1886 building.

A view of the taproom, from upstairs.

Walking further into the District, I came to the Rogue Ales Distillery and Public House.

It was a tad bit early for any of their great ales, so I just took some pictures...

I also walked past the new Deschutes Brewpub and the small little Tugboat Brewpub, but these were places I'd hit a little later in the day.

Very cool downtown!

Interesting fish restaurant...

And great murals on the sides of buildings...

It was lunch time when I reached the McMenamins' Ringlers Pub @ their Crystal Ballroom

A typically untypical McMenamins' pub - Always a pleasant surprise! Had a 1/2 pt of their Terminator Stout & Veggie Pizza.

Then the bar tender was nice enough to take me up stairs to the brewery...

Tough place to work, but somebody has to do it...

Next stop was back to the brand new Deschutes Brewpub, this time to sample some of their goods.

I had a 1/2 pt of their Cask Black Butte Porter & a Nitro Double Chocolate Irish Extra Stout! (Chocolate w/ Sterling & EKG hops. 43 IBU, 6.1%). Both delicious.

But, for me, the place was just too crowded.

This classic German made brewhouse, previously had a life at a Raleigh, North Carolina brewery.

And the famous view, up the skylight of the men's bathroom, to the bottom of the grain silo, on the roof.

From a place that was overflowing with people, to the Tugboat Brewpub, where I was the only customer! They don't open until 5:00, and that's when I got there

This is the neatest little place, I really loved it! Linsel, the bartender, was a real character and extremely entertaining and knowledgeable about Portland.

I thoroughly enjoyed a 1/2 pt of their Cask Crimson & a Coffee Brown

My kind of place! ;~}

A shot of part of the brewing "equipment" - Genuine Rubermaid!

Tugboat is more on an alley then really a street, and just out the door, is Bailey's Taproom. I didn't go in, but just took this picture with the clever "Open" sign. If you look under the sign, kind of disguised with the reflection of the car, is a row of 20 tap handles.

Nice walk back to the hotel. Here's a view of Mt. Hood, through the Broadway Bridge.

After about a 5 minute break at the hotel, I was ready for more, so I walked directly north about 10 blocks, to the Amnesia Brewpub. Well it turned out to not be a typical Saturday evening at the brewery, but it sure was a great one!

They were holding the Cirque Du Cycling, a Mississippi Avenue Bike Festival. There were zilions of people and I think they all rode their bikes!

This shot gives you an idea of what kind of an interesting neighborhood this brewpub is in.

Throughout the evening, I had a pint of their Copacetic IPA, and a Slow Train Porter. Great beer!

The place was really rock'n!

Sunday, June 15, 2008 - Today it was the southeast quadrant of the city. It was a nice Sunday morning walk of about three miles to the first brewery, and there was great city scenery along the way.

Oregon Convention Center....

An interesting bike shop....

And at 11:45am, I'm the 1st customer of the day at the new Green Dragon. Spoke to Andrew, who was a wealth of "brewpub information". Andrew has a great history in the business. He helped start up the brewery end for the McMennamins, in Portland (their's was the very 1st brewpub in Portland - A city that now has more breweries then any other in the world). Andrew said they had so much trouble dialing-in their first batches, they literally were giving away their beer, to get folks to sample it. Later he worked as the restaurant/tap room manager, for what was then Portland Brewing (before Pyramid bought them out. And of course now Magic Hat has purchased Pyramid).

Andrew explained that Green Dragon had recently opened and started with a small brew system that didn't work out for them. They have a little larger unit on it's way, and he said they expect to be brewing in July.

In the mean time, they have some excellent guest taps. I spotted one of my favorites, Bear Republic's (Healdsburg, CA) Red Rocket, and settled down with a half pint of that. Andrew also gave me samples of Ninkasi Breweries (Eugene, Oregon) Wit & Lager. In, what I thought was a very nice touch, he wouldn't accept any money for the beer - just a warm and sincere "Happy Father's Day".

Andrew also gave me a nice tour of the place. As you can see, these folks are serious about brewing. Looks like they may have a bunch of barrel-aged delights in mind.

And plenty of production.

Andrew offered a sample of their "spirits", but I thought I better stick to the other kind of "spirits" (at church) on a Sunday morning! Here's their distillery.

My next stop, just a short walk away, was the...

This brewpub was definitely my kind of place.

I started with a 1/2 pt of their Black lab Stout, on cask!

And enjoyed a nice BLT sandwich for lunch.

I then had a 1/2 pt of Triple Threat IPA, wonderful nose, delicious ale!

Most everyone that came in, families, couples, etc, were wearing bike shoes. Portland is crazy with serious 20 something bike riders! Naturally a number of them also came with their dogs, but they stay out on the patio ;~}

They were playing the sound track from "The Last Emperor", which was a very cool addition to the whole experience.

Nice little brewery behind the bar.

Did I mention, this is a Bike Town! Now this is family transportation.

Practically around the corner, is the Roots Brewpub. Another very cool place. Nice seating on sidewalk.

Casual feeling, which I really appreciate.

I had a 1/2 pt of their Red Ale, very nice.

Here's another shot of the bar.

From there I walked about 3/4 mi east on Hawthorne Blvd, to the Grand Central Hawthorne Bakery & Cafe. I was in the mood for some good coffee. Well naturally I had to partake in some of the bakery part of the deal also!

Small world time. I was wearing my Sierra Nevada hat (so what else is new!), and the guy taking my order started asking about Chico, etc. Turns out he recently lived there and attended the same community college that Luke goes to. It also turned out that he had recently taken a school trip (Puerto Rico, or some such place) with the same instructor, Judith, that was leading Luke's trip in Italy. He said to have Luke say hi to her for him. I did that with my trusty Palm Pilot, and Luke relayed the message. Portland was very good about having free WiFi in most all coffee shops and brewpubs (and my McMenamins hotel).

From there I again went about 3/4 of a mile, this time south. My goal was the Clinton Street Brewpub, but it was closed ;~{ This is a very interesting older residential neighborhood, at the corner of SE Clinton St and SE 26th Avenue. The brewery is in the Clinton Street Theatre – Interesting setup. This is the smallest brewery in Oregon. They have six stools at their bar. Their Web site said you could grab a beer and take it in to watch the movie – Sounds good! My notes, from a year earlier, indicated they had just recently “moved-up” from a ½ bbl to a homemade 2 bbl system. Oh well, maybe next time.

And now another ¾ of a mile, this time southeast, to the new Hopworks Urban Brewpub.

But first, an example of the beautiful neighborhood I walked through. These 1930 and 40 homes are just classic, and well kept.

The Hopworks just opened the previous (2007) summer. They are located in a former heating oil building. The outside of the building is not so hot, but you can see they have done some very creative things to spruce it up.

But the inside was very innovative. Those are bike frames hanging above the bar. There was a lot of beautiful wood work, and the whole thing was done very nicely.

This is an all organic brewery. I had their sampler set of 11, which included two on cask. Their '08 World Beer Cup Gold, Organic IPA, was the best! I also enjoyed a great burger, along with all this good beer.

It was about 7pm by then, so I caught a taxi back to the hotel. A little later in the evening, and because I was going home the next day, I thought I better visit Widmer one more time. Mmmm a pint of IPA, and I won’t mention the dessert I also had.

Monday, July 16, 2008 - Walked up north, about 8 blocks to the Fremont Bakery & Cafe - MmmmGood! I then walked around up past Amnesia, in the Historical Mississippi District.

Back at the hotel, I checked-out and made my last walk across the Broadway Bridge.

I was right at the train station, but I had until 2:30, so I high tailed it the six blocks over to Bridgeport. In addition to a pint of cask conditioned IPA, a ½ pint of Stout on nitro, and a delicious meatloaf lunch, the U.S. Open Play Off was on TV. The timing worked out perfect, Tiger won, just before I had to leave. What a neat ending to a wonderful week.

Tuesday, July 17, 2008 - The train rolled into Chico at 5am. What a perfect vacation!

San Diego

2008-04-19T21:28:00.001-07:00

July 9-12, 2007

This was one of those summer weeks where everything just worked out perfect. Val had a conference in New Jersey and we had a wedding to attend in Santa Barbara, the Saturday before. She was able to fly out of Orange County, so we could visit our daughter Bridgit on Sunday evening. First thing Monday (7/9/07) I got Val off at John Wayne and had breakfast with Bridgit before she headed off to work. And I headed off on my road trip!

Down the coast highway, through the poverty of Newport Beach and into one of my favorite places - Laguna Beach. I already knew that the Laguna Beach Brewpub was closed, but it was still sad to see it for myself. I had great memories of Luke (our 18 year old) and I enjoying dinner on the second floor, overlooking the ocean and the sunset, just across the street. I took a picture of the building, with it's "For Lease" signs, just as a sad reminder. I often wonder how a place that seemed to pack'm in, and had good food and great beer, could go under? Also, the Ocean Brewpub, is now an Italian restaurant. They do have a relatively new BJ's pub in town.

And then a short drive further down the coast is Dana Point. We use to live there, so it was fun to walk around the marina. "Dana Point was named for Richard Henry Dana, Jr., author of Two Years Before the Mast, which included a description of the area. Dana describes the locale, including neighboring San Juan Capistrano, as "the only romantic spot in California." Although Dana describes the anchorage as poor, it is the best available in the vicinity, and is now a developed harbor containing a museum replica of his ship, the Pilgrim". There's a museum type educational facility that goes along with the Pilgrim. They had a number of young kids in "sailor camp" programs, learning how to "heavho", tie knots, and most importantly - follow directions!

Again, just a very short drive further down the coast, and the next town is San Clemente. Pizza Port Brewery has a fairly new brewpub here. As with their other two locations, they are located a short drive off the coast highway, and within walk'n distance to the beach. These beaches have some of the best surfing on the west coast, and the three locations have a great surfer theme.

It was still pretty early in the day, so there were just a few of us there.

You can see the bar, just to the left of the brewery - nice and close! I had samplers of Sharkbite Red (which was great! "Port Brewing's signature beer. A very robust red ale made with Centennial and Cascade hops which lend a spicy finish to the beer". ), Pier Rat Porter ("....thick, dark & smooth served on Nitrogen for an even creamier taste. Brewed with 5 different malts and 2 hops for a complex full bodied ale!"), El Camino IPA, Way Heavy Scotch Strong Ale, Carlsbad Chronic Amber Ale ("...A mellow amber malty ale"), and a Dunkel Dark Wheat.

In my opinion the beers don't compare to the other two locations, especially Carlsbad. But then the Carlsbad Port Brewery produces some of the beast beer anywhere! Just look at all the GABF medals they have.

And speaking of Carlsbad....

This place is my idea of a perfect brewpub! Outstanding beer, great pizza and atmosphere to spare. Below, one of Jeff Bagby's brewers, doing some paperwork.

Along with a slice of pizza, I had tasters of: Poor Mans IPA (a double IPA), Wipeout IPA ("Our version of this West Coast IPA brings a smile to the face of hopheads everywhere. This beer has a huge bitter finish which is mildly tempered by the large amounts of crystal malt we use."), Old Viscosity (10%), Carlsbad Cream Ale ("the lightest beer produced at Pizza Port"), and Chronic Amber Ale.

After this, a walk around town with a good $2 ceeeegar, and I was set!

Back on the road, and a tad bit further south, it's Solano Beach. This is Pizza Port's original locations (I'd always assumed it was Carlsbad).

This location is smaller and along with that has a great small town, family feel. It was early Monday evening and the place was packed. Everything from bicycle and motorcycle groups, to little league families out for pizza.

Again, I had more great tasters. This time: Broken Leash Porter, Sharkbite Red, Swami's IPA ("Similar the Wipeout IPA brewed in Carlsbad. This is the original San Diego IPA. We have been brewing this beer since we installed the brewery in 1992"), and a delicious cask conditioned brown ale. To eat, I tried their "Beer Buddies" (small pieces of pizza crust w/ dipping sauce) - cheap, filling and really good!

They have a cute little brewing system scrunched in just a few feet away from the restaurant.

Did I mention this is a surfing town!

While in San Diego, I just roughed it at a campground in Mission Bay. Tossed down my air mattress and sleeping bag at night, and I was set.

Tuesday (7/10/07) morning, it was over the big bridge of a highway to Coronado. I hadn't been over her in 40 years, since I was in the Navy. Needless to say, this crossing was under better conditions. I was anxious to check out Hotel Del Coronado. I walked all around the outside and as much of the inside as I could. Built in 1888, this place is absolutely classic.

A short drive and I was at the Coronado Brewing Company. I was afraid this was going to be one of those overpriced restaurants, with mediocer food and a brewery they tossed in as a gimmick. Not at all the case. Both the beer and the food were great, and the guy behind the bar just made the place.

You can see the brewery, just behind the tap handles. I got a sampler of their Mermaid's Red Ale and the IPA. A BLT sandwich went well with a pint of that IPA.

A short walk, a few doors down the street and it ends where the ferry terminal used to be (the bridge was completed in 1969). What a view of the city!

My next stop was the Ballast Point Brewery AND Home Brew Mart. What a cool concept.

You go up to the counter, at the back of the store and order a 4 oz sampler for $1, then browse around the shop. I had Marlin Porter, a cask Session (with nice dry hopping), and an Oatmeal Stout. These beers were all delicious. The brewery is right through the double doors, to the right of the bar/counter.

After they made a go of the homebrew shop, they built the brewery. Later they were able to build a second brewery - but that's for tomorrow.

This interesting tid-bit, on the name Ballast Point, from their Web site: "The name for our brewery comes from the point where Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo first set foot in California. Located on the Point Loma Peninsula, Ballast Point is considered the gateway to San Diego Harbor. Stones from this area were used as ballast in the cargo holds of sailing ships returning to the eastern seaboard. Many New England streets are still lined with the cobblestones brought back from San Diego".

Wednesday (7/11/07) - I'd always noticed on the Stone Brewing Web site, that Wednesday was "Cask Day", so needless to say....

But first a shot of Kahve, the place I had my daily morning coffee and muffin. They had a real cute outside eating area. This little joint was located on the narrow strip of land, between Mission Bay and the ocean.

On my way out of town, to Escondido (Stone Country), I had a very interesting stop at The Firehouse Brewing Company. This brewery was started by firemen and a portion of their profit goes to local fire stations, for safety equipment, etc. This place is way in the back of a very hard to find industrial park. But the search was worth it. I was greeted by an office worker who gladly gave me a tour of the operation. They had just got a contract for twelve Costco stores, so they were in the middle of frantically trying to ramp up - especially their bottling line. I had a quick taste of their Pale Ale, and let them get back to work.

Next stop was in Scripps Ranch, a fairly modern high tech industrial area. Ballast Point has their second brewery located here - Very nice!

They have a relatively small front office space, with one desk and office worker. Then there's that familiar "window in the wall" with the counter/bar, and a fairly large brewery on the other side. It was still early in the day and I was the only one there. The office lady said the room can get totally packed at 5:00 when everyone gets off work. I had a 4 oz taster of their IPA and Porter

Then got a nice little tour of the brewery.

And then on to Escondido, for the Big Daddy of San Diego breweries - Stone!

This place is awesome, with one of the best brewery tours I've ever been on. Forty-five minutes of entertaining education, and afterwards, virtually all the samples you could drink.

The restaurant and bar area.

The most decadent onion rings I've ever had! Along with samplers of Cask Conditioned IPA with Simcoe hops, Levitation Ale, and their 7-7-7 Vertical Epic (which, of course, had just been out a few days). These folks know how to brew beer!

A beautiful outdoor area to stroll around.

I finally dragged myself away and headed down the road to San Marcos and it's name sake brewpub.

I had a nice little sampler set, of which two were on cask - ESB and Oatmeal Stout.

With the brewery just behind the bar.

And a very cool mural on the restaurant wall.

Due west to the coast and then south on I-5 to my Mission Bay camp spot, to end-up a very full day.

Thursday 7/12/07 - This was the last day of the San Diego part of my trip and I was heading back up the coast to connect-up with the gang in Orange County. A stop in beautiful Torrey Pines and the hang-glider port. This is looking south, from where the folks "glide" off the cliffs.

And looking north, with the golf course on the right.

A tad bit further up the coast is La Jolla. After finally finding a parking place, I then walked across town to Karl Strausess' brewpub. I really like the beer at their Costa Mesa brewery, so I was looking forward to their La Jolla location - And I was not disappointed.

A taster of their Downtown After Dark Brown (a little fun with the name of a certain beer from Eureka), a Stargazer IPA and a delicious hamburger, and I had soon forgotten about all the town's traffic and parking problems.

A nice neat setup behind the bar.

Moving on towards my destination, I couldn't pass through Carlsbad, without stopping one more time at Pizza Port Brewery, and having a 1/2 pt of their Wipeout IPA. What a great trip!!!!

Santa Barbara

2008-04-19T18:31:00.001-07:00

July 20-24, 2007

It was my mother-in-laws 79th birthday, and it was decided to have the party in Santa Barbara. This way the in laws and the out laws from L.A. and all points east, could have a nice get together at the beach. I'll spare you the birthday cake, volleyball, tennis, hike up in the local mountains, Sundy Mass at the S.B. Mission, etc - Although I do have some pictures of the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens.

On Saturday, the second day, I was able to sneak out and slip over to The Brewhouse.

This nice little brewpub opened in 2003 and I had visited once before in August of that year. I just had time for a sampler set of four: Pilsner, Oatmeal Stout, IPA and Wit. The middle two were definately my favorites.

This is my idea of a classic brewpub. The brewery is just behind the bar, no glass partition, and you can tell it's not just there for show.

Habanero Pilsner!!! I know why I didn't try that one!

On Monday morning, after most of the relatives had left, we went to the Botanical Gardens. This is a very cool place, just up the hill from the Mission. It's one of those places where they carefully label and number all the different plant species....

And have those wonderful cactus gardens, that make you glad you don't have any little kids in tow anymore....

And even though the morning was still overcast (typical Santa Barbara summer), this place was really very beautiful...

Later in the afternoon we visited the Santa Barbara Winery tasting room. This winery "...pioneered winemaking here way back in 1962". In this shot, we have our oldest, Jennifer, who had flown in from MN (I don't know why her man man, Frank was not in this shot?), Val and her Mom (the birthday girl). This place had great wine, with a generous pour, and you got to keep the glass - All for $5.

A little later in the afternoon Jen, Frank and I walked over to one of my favorite places....

It was a pint of stout....

And one of Brown....

And then I was ready to face the last of the relatives on the last night.

Tuesday morning we played a little tennis and then had breakfast at The Shorline. This is one of those neat places right on the sand, with the glassed in patio looking out at the beach. But, for some reason, this place has really reasonable prices and great food?

We said our goodbyes and headed out, and up 101. This drive goes through a really beautiful part of California. As we rolled into Paso Robles, I timed my question just right.... "does anyone need a bathroom break?" And there we were, at the Firestone Walker Brewery, conveniently located, right off 101!

While everyone took care of business, I had samplers of their P31 Pale Ale, Double Barrel Ale and the Walkers Reserve - All excellent!

Mmmmm, I wish I had time for more...

I snuck around the corner and grabbed some shots of the brewery....

And ran out to the car, before anyone got too upset with me.

Day trip to Davis ~ Sudwerks!

2008-04-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

November 16, 2007

I took a Friday off and headed down to Davis. I got to the Sudwerk brewery and restaurant, at 12:30, just in time for lunch.

I always like to start out with the sampler set, and this time they had a five beer offering: Pilsner, Lagger, Brown, Marzen & an IPA. I'm not much of a Pilsner, Lagger, Hefe Weizen, German beer kind of a guy ~ Although I do love their Marzen (I feel the same about Gordon Biersch), so I was more then glad to see that they had a Brown and an IPA on! The crab cake sandwich was outstanding.

A portion of the original brewery is in the center of the restaurant, with the bar all the way around it. Very nice setup.

They also have great outside seating.

I left it at that, because I knew I'd be back later in the afternoon.

Someplace, like Sunset Magazine, I'd read about this wonderful bakery/cafe, near the University. I had nothing but dessert on my mind, so off I went.

They have done an excellent job of converting an old house to a cute little cafe.

My kind of place!

Later, walking around downtown Davis, I was glad to see that this town hadn't lost it's charm...

Humboldt Bay Road Trip

2008-04-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

March 7-9, 2008

Finally, a road trip! It had been a while (11/16/07) since my one day excursion to Davis, so I was more then ready. My side-kick, Luke (our youngest) is busy in college now, so I was by my lonesome. Had a leisure drive up 99 and 5 to Redding, then cut over to the "never ending" 299. Beautiful drive, but the mini-van just doesn't get it. But, I shouldn't complain - it got me there and home again. Not bad for a 1999, with 230K on it! Good old Toyota.

First stop was Blue Lake and the Mad River Brewery. Since my last two visits to this part of the country, Mad River Brewery now has a "tasting room" - and it was my kind of place!

This was just what the doctor ordered, after that long drive on 299.

Had their sampler set of seven... All were great, but I didn't care for the John Barleycorn Barleywine. I had high expectations for this one - it won gold at the GABF this last year. To me it didn't even come close to a Bigfoot or a Foghorn.

I really liked the Scotch Porter, and enjoyed a pint before heading on to Eureka.

The brewery is behind and next to the tasting room.

Then, just a short drive from Blue Lake to the outskirts of Eureka. I checked in at the Eureka KOA and got my favorite little Kamping Kabin. Very quiet for a Friday evening. It's nice to be visiting off season. Although Saturday filled in quite a bit. These cabins are actually more expensive then the Motel 6 downtown, and even though the bathroom is a little walk away and you have to bring your sleeping bag for the bed.... You'll see why I like these little guys. a tad bit further down, towards the end of the day...

Then it was off to downtown Eureka for dinner at Lost Coast Brewery...

This place hasn't change a bit since I first visited in October of 2001. I laid low, after all that good Mad River ale, and just had a pint of Downtown Brown and some fantastic pizza

These shots were actually taken later on Sunday morning. The place was so packed Friday and Saturday night it would have been impossible to do any photography.

Walked over to Old Town Coffee. They had a funky three piece group, called Dogbone, and some great coffee (we won't mention the coookie!). Back at the KOA, I had a nice quiet evening on the little front porch swing, listening to NPR, with some Lagunitas Stout, Stone Arrogant B*%#$ and a ceeeeegar! Life is good! This is the main reason I love these little KOA cabins!!!

Saturday morning, went to breakfast at Cafe Brio, on the square in downtown Arcata. This place has fantastic bakery goods (both sweet and the savory kind). Again, it was excellent coffee.

Drove around Humboldt State. Very unique setting, up in the lush hills (they do get a tad bit of rain up here) - a little different then Chico State, where I work.

Then down south, to Ferndale, where the day shaped up with some great blue sky and clouds for photography of this neat little town. "...known for well-preserved Victorian buildings, which are also known as Butterfat Palaces; due to their construction during an epoch wherein considerable wealth was generated in the dairy industry, especially during the 1880's. The entire town is an historical landmark".

A short drive over to Fortuna, to the Eel River Brewery (the first certified organic brewery in the U.S.), for lunch.

A sampler set of seven....

....of which I remember the Stout was the best, because that's what I later had a pint of. I don't remember what I had for lunch, but I do remember the beer was wonderful! They have a very nice outside beer garden area...

...and it brought back found memories of spending time there with Luke. Although, I'm sure he does not have such found memories, because I believe during out last visit he was knee deep in doing Kumon math problem sheets. This was compliments of Professor Mom, who always believed our stops at the brewpubs were a perfect time for Luke to practice his math.

Did some photography along the Eel River.

The weather had changed and it was cloudy and threatening storm. I found a neat little, non chain type, coffee shop in Fortuna - this was definitely a coffee and beer trip! Drove back up to the KOA and listened to my favorite radio show; A Prairie Home Companion, once again on that little swing.

Headed out again. Went up north, above Arcata, to McKinleyville, but Six Rivers Brewing was so packed I drove back to Lost Coast and eventually was able to grab a stool at the bar. These places rock - at least on the weekends. Had a Stout, IPA and some of the best clam chowder, with a half pint of Toffee Brown Ale for dessert!

Before heading out on Sunday morning I walked around the older part of Eureka...

Then I "had" to revisit Lost Coast (shots above) and Six Rivers....

....to get a few photographs. You know what my mother-in-law says about folks that drink before noon - so I just had "a few sips" at each place. At Lost Coast, the lady behind the bar showed me where the original brewery was located in that building - they now do their brewing at a different location, down the street. I had planned on dropping into the old Humboldt Brewpub location, but never made it. They are now part of Firestone Walker, and some new folks have recently opened a pub in the old Arcata building. Oh well, next time!

A view of the drive home on 299...