Dear Beer (& Spirits) Diary (From San Diego to Tempe)

The below is the full catalogue of every alcoholic beverage I have ingested on a recent road trip through southern California to experience several of the local breweries (among other establishments).

Some of the quick hit reviews below are sweet as Breakwater Brewing’s Rasbiscus Mead, and others are as fowl as Rip Current’s Marine Layer Hefeweizen. However, they are all honest and are penned straight from my heart, err I mean liver.

February 28^th

Ballast Point Brewery (Scripps Ranch), San Diego CA

1) Wahoo White (Witbier) – Refreshing and drinkable. I’d want this one pool or beachside.

2) Victory at Sea (Imperial Porter, w/ Coffee & Vanilla) – Warming and full bodied, this was the perfect beer for the rainy day I visited the brewery

3) Black Marlin (Porter, Cask) – Personally, I’m a novice with Cask-aged beers, but this was remarkably different

4) Commodore (American Stout) – Perhaps it was the ‘American’ in the name that turned me off, being that I am a Guinness drinker by nature, but this one was not palatable to me

5) Sour Wench Raspberry Ale – I admittedly had only a few sips of this one, mostly when my girlfriend wasn’t looking, but quite tasty, light with emphasis on the ‘raspberry’ rather than the ‘sour’

6) Fugu (Regular Vodka) – Vodka, hmm. Why am I drinking this? Oh, I already paid for the taster.

7) Fugu (Horchata vodka) – Now this I understand vodka thing! More please!

8) Old Grove (Barrel Rested Gin) – I don’t think I have had a sip of gin since Christmas in 2007. This however, was reminiscent of Bourbon and has stoked my curiosity  

9) Three Sheets (Barrel Aged Rum) – Again, reminded me of Bourbon in flavor profile  

10) Three Sheets (Spiced Rum) - I’ll be spiking my egg nog with this next time it’s in season- the nog, not the Spiced Rum.

11) Devil's Share Moonshine – Tickle and Jim Tom would be proud

NOTE: 3-11 were tasters or sample pours

March 1^st

Breakwater Brewing Company, Oceanside CA

1) Rasbiscus Mead – Sweet with downplayed fruitiness, I could drink this stuff by the gallon

2) Peanut butter Milk Stout (Belching Beaver Brewery) – What can I say? After drinking this, we paid a visit to this place to enjoy more

Lost Abbey, San Marcos CA

1) Serpent's Stout – thick and black as night smells like coffee and chocolate and tastes like a subdued version of the same without being overdone in the java or sweet department

2) Red Barn – I like a good farmhouse ale, and this was a great one

Epoch Wine Bar:

1) St. Archer Blonde – The locals seemed to rave about St. Archer. It was ok in my book.

March 2^nd

Barra Barra, San Diego CA

1) Pacifico – Drank while hiding from the rain

2) Jack and Coke – No explanation needed

Belching Beaver Brewery (North Park), San Diego CA

1) Imperial Horchata Milk Stout – Oh soo sweet and still tasted like a beer and not a dessert

2) Hot Great Lai – Not typical. Spicy and hoppy.

3) Easy Beaver – A combination of IPA and a Wheat beer. Hoppy and effervescent at the same time.

4) Peanut Butter Milk Stout – Again, this was the one that got us in the door

Rip Current, San Diego CA

1) Hazardous Hazelnut Porter – A damn fine porter.

2) Marine Layer (Hefeweizen) – To be as succinct and polite as possible: I didn’t like this.

Cordiano Winery, Escondido CA

1) Snow White – Wine, sweet, sweet wine. Wait, why am I drinking wine?

March 3^rd  

Pizza Port

1) Wahoo White (Ballast Point Brewing) – Though rare for me to try something again, this beer was so good; I had to have it twice.

2) Irish Coffee Bomb – The name says it all here: Irish. Coffee. Bomb. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

83 Degrees

1) Imperial Stout (Ninkasi Brewing Company, x 2) – rich, thick and fortified with alcohol-y goodness

Land and Water Co. – Carlsbad, CA

1) Kentucky Buck – (Ordered on a whim) light, fruity and went down so fast, I am surprised I remember tasting it at all

*Also, it’s not a drink, but I will mention the Chicken and Gravy entrée was one of the best meals I had on this trip. These West Coasters put most Midwest chicken and gravy dishes to shame.

March 4^th  

BJ’s Brewery, Escondido CA

1) Jeremiah Red – What? A chain brewery! On a list of independent local bars and eateries! Don’t judge me I was hungry, and of course thirsty

 

Vintana Wine & Dine, Escondido CA

1) Devotion Ale (Lost Abbey, x 2) – When dining on top of a Lexus dealership, you must chose your beer carefully. I have never had anything close to a bad beer from Lost Abbey

March 5^th   

Nicky Rotten’s, Coronado CA

1) Jack and Coke – No explanation needed

Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado CA

1) Skull Wrapper IPA – No mistaking this one, a bold IPA if there ever was one

2) Stupid Stout – My God this was good. What’s Guinness?

Stone Brewing Tasting Room, San Diego CA

1) Cask Aged Pale Ale – Grapefruit, kiwi and galaxy hops. I could drink this in the morning instead of OJ

2) Imperial Russian Stout – Went down like a meal. Heavy and delicious.

The Reef, San Diego CA

1) Green Flash West Coast IPA – One of the first and finest IPAs I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet

March 6^th   

25 Degrees, Huntington Beach CA

1) Going (Coco) Nuts (4 Sons Brewing, x 2) – My first (but not last) experience with a 4 Sons brew. Coconut flavor (obviously) cool, and stimulating to the palate.

 
March 7th

Huss Brewing, Tempe AZ

1) Coconut Joe (Papago Brewing Co.) – Coconut and coffee bliss

2) 21 Hour Sizzurp – Very similar to Stone’s Imperial Russian Stout, though this is not a bad thing

So that about wraps it up. 8 days, 2 states and nearly 1,000 miles. It was a great experience, wherein I got to try some even greater beers. Along those lines, I’d like to give a shout out to the following breweries:

Ballast Point – Thank you to the entire staff for making my girlfriend and I feel not only welcome, but treating us as though we were VIPs.

Belching Beaver North Park – Michael, how the hell can you remember everyone’s names? Absolutely amazing, and personable!

Huss Brewing – Loved the bartender (and I’m so terribly sorry but I’ve blanked on her name, Joan maybe? I know I’m an awful person…) the clientele, the atmosphere, oh and especially the beer! Where do I put in my application to become a regular?