When Dive Bars Serve Sculpin

We are living in the golden age of craft brew. Los Angeles, with its vast swaths of cultural incubators and melting pots, is surprisingly not yet known for its craft beer. Yet here, in the most typical of strip malls, under the faded lights of an aging sign, they have Sculpin.

 Let that sink in…when your stumbling friend convinces you to drop-in to the nearest wacko-filled, loud music, sticky slab bar for a nightcap, you may be drinking among the best there is. You may actually have a choice between that, the now ubiquitous and still stellar Lagunitas IPA, and Firestone Walker’s silky 805 blonde. Shit, I almost have to think about it. Props to The Nectar’s owners and patrons, of course, for making sure they have quality options. 

  The Golden Age is upon us. Revel in the fact that people from coast to coast are waking up to the complexity of this beverage. Many of our hallowed brewers are opening facilities in multiple states and…for crying out loud…Stone is in Germany. North Carolina is legit enough to host Sierra Nevada, and Oskar Blues is in Texas. A few have sold out, more power to them! 

  Lagunitas is in bed with the Dutch, while 10 Barrel, Goose Island, and Golden Road look to AB-InBev for guidance. Still, their products taste good. Each has its character, while welding the marketing prowess of the larger enterprise. It’s sort of the American dream. Come up with something so unique and palatable that the big boys want to give to everybody…is dilution the inevitable result? Who knows. 

For now, I’m content to smile at the choice of two of the best IPAs the world has known thusfar, at a little dive bar in my wife’s home town. Comment and let me know, what’s your favorite dive bar-beer  combo? 

Cheers, 

UFHM

On Site Brewing at Woody’s

Is there anybody else this excited about the onset of  on-site Brewing at Woody’s in downtown Redding?!?
The room is built out with picture windows looking in on a space that is starting to fill with Hops and Brite tanks. They’ve got an accidental Double-IPA, a botched batch of their old Berserker DIPA that is hoppy, floral forward and delicious. The Berserker was good, but the Dead Bastard Dbl IPA is delicious.

It’s a golden hue with a thin white head. Floral hops greet the nose, while the palate is immediately well balanced, a malt base that gets pleasantly washed with pungent hops. Each sip satisfies, with a tiny end bite that belies the 8% heft. Thanks, Woody’s, for a West Coast Double!

Tied House Awesome

Did you know that downtown Redding’s Wildcard Tied House has a garage door style window in the front that they open on nice days?!? I don’t even know that I need to say more.

But I will. Kool April Nites Pale is almost gone…it is a refreshing hoppy pale ale with a dry finish. My mouth also finished with a huge smile. As ever Wildcard’s staff is fun to talk to and the other patrons are a delight. With Summer coming on make sure you stop by in the afternoon for a pint and some sunshine.

FALL RIVER Irish Cream Stout- Quick Review

I hadn’t seen this yet … If you know someone who likes sweet velvety stout, get them to the tap house:

Cowboy Size Hex on a Timer – @ Fusion Lounge

Can you even handle 25 oz of the North State’s most celebrated IPA? Hexegenia from Fall River Brewing is consistently grounded in light malt, overhung with big floral hops, it feels like sitting under a vine on a summer day.
If you haven’t been to the East Side’s Fusion Lounge, don’t go. I don’t want everyone to find out how amazing the food is and have to wait in line to get in.
Seriously, I’ve only had the coconut shrimp, spicy calamari and spring rolls, but I can hardly wait to get my wife out for a taste of the fusion Burger, it’s stacked with a fried egg, Serrano peppers, and eggplant…mmm, the best of South Asia right at home in NorCal.
See you soon!

Fusion Lounge

New, amazing American-Southeast Asian menu, same old fantastic beer lineup. Come for the beer, stay for the food, transition to Karaoke when you drink too much. Especially if it’s from ordering a 25oz ‘cowboy’ size draft. Mmm, coconut ship and egg rolls both melting in the mouth; Exotic hot sauce accompanies.
We were treated to samples of spicy calimari…my mouth is on fire but the celebrated citrus tones of Hexegenia IPA from Fall River, my favorite, provide sudsy relief.

ESB-New at Fall River Brewing Taphouse

This is a just released English Style Bitter or …Extra Special Bitter? Maybe Excellent Sessionable Brew?
Whatever you call it, it’s a pretty, dark gold color with floral aromas and an irregular white head. There is a breezy scent of almonds.

The flavor begins as light, pleasantly sweet malt, an impression of peach is soon awash in hops. It’s somehow more mellow and palatable than your average session IPA, while delivering the same satisfaction. Refreshing in the mouth with a robust, bitter finish. Overall flavorful and hearty feeling while keeping a low 4.1 ABV so you can have a few without eating pavement.

Heavy Seas Session and Football: Notes from the Daddy Trimester

Just figured out how to use the Baby Bjorn. Letting awesome, hard working Mommy take a quick breather. Got to keep my beer reviewing alive! Also, playoff matchups not to be missed. Maximus seems to be enjoying this. Be on the lookout for my review of Heavy Seas’ Crossbones Session IPA On Trektechblog.com/buzzwords .

Beer Tasting at Pier 39

Pier 39 is an iconic San Francisco destination for tourists and locals alike. We dropped by for my Wife’s work holiday party in a restaurant at the end of the pier. Every shop on Pier 39 is done up with more kitch and neon than the eye can handle. Walking along feels a little like Main street at Disneyland-which I missed as a kid-so for me, this is that same part of my childhood- instead of Mickey I grew up feeding seagulls, barking at sea lions, and wandering the long gone arcade (it’s a Hard Rock Cafe these days.)
So despite the obviousness of the tourist trap, Pier 39 makes me smile. Not so much with the crowd at our party. It seemed like every one of the 1800-plus team members showed up. The line for the hosted bar was a mob scene and the buffet line stretched around the room. Somehow my wife got us a space near the front, but we were forced to stand and gulp down our food while eyeing the room for a spot to sit. It never materialized and we just stood awkwardly, jostled by servers and partygoers. After a handshake was spoiled by my greasy chicken wing fingers, I escaped the stuffy room to find a sink…what I found was solace.
I wandered about the deserted, well lit boardwalk following signs for the restroom, and stumbled in to the little bit of heaven you see pictured below. The true reason for this post is that, among all the glitz and facades, here is a legitimate beer bar, complete with a knowledgeable ale man and bunch of tatted up dollar bills acting as wallpaper.
Only one neighbor shared the bar, so it was the perfect respite for my over-stimulated sense of personal space. I chose the robust Full Boar scotch ale from Devil’s Canyon brewery and took great pleasure in savoring the rich cherry malt flavors. A few token tastes of IPA, some great SF native reminiscing, and I resumed my bathroom search. Finally, with clean hands, I returned to the fray-which had abated significantly. There, I submitted to the free bottles of Heineken and Sapporo to finish up the buzz I had built on such a solid foundation. Cheers, all, and may memory lane be good to you, wherever yours may be.

Brown Shugga’ and DVR Football at Journey’s End.

This winter offering comes in like a blizzard at 9.8% ABV. It is a rich copper- brown, uniform in the glass with layers of various sized bubbles. Its smell is just like its name and bodes a treat. It does not disappoint in the mouth, washing warmly over my taste buds in a mix of cherry, caramel, and a bitter blast of hops. At once it’s overpoweringly,  deliciously bitter and roughly sweet like gingerbread, but no actual ginger flavor.
That’s too many adverbs just now, but I am too beat to care.
We did Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara, having spent the prior week in LA…all with our wonderful family. That’s approximately eight hours traveling from our house here in the last sizeable city on I-5 before Oregon. Ah, what bliss to move my ass from the bucket seat to the couch, hefty beer in hand, watching playoff implications unfold.
Cheers!