The 2013 Brewery Wish List

It’s always fun to compile a wish-list. Especially during weeks where it's been on and off raining, mixed with sticky, warm humidity. Without further ado, here’s my brewery “wish-list.” Feedback and recommendations are more than welcome!

Golden Road Brewing
Golden Road was started by 27-year-old Meg Gill. It’s making major waves in the LA brewery scene (which I believe is pretty nascent. Angelenos, correct me if I’m wrong!)

Meg appears to be kicking ass. She’s a (young) woman who started a brewery in an industry typically dominated by men. The brewery aims to pay homage to the way people live and drink in LA. She was first and foremost keen on making “killer, sessionable beers that people could enjoy each and every day”- even though the big beer lure is always there (and if you read this blog, you know I’m a fan of this approach). She’s also focused on fostering a custom of drinking IPA’s in LA.

Going With The Flow is Key/Social Kitchen & Brewery

At work, I use a MacBook Air. It's a good computer. At least, it was a good computer until it failed me.

It failed me not in that it broke, or that it had some dysfunction that prevents me from doing my work. Rather, it failed me because of the "N" key.

A week or so ago, I spilled some water on my keyboard. I'm pretty sure it affected the "N" key, because on Sunday night, I noticed the "N" was smeared and that the light off the "N" was shining brighter than the other letters.

This pretty much brought me to pieces. No, I didn't have a literal breakdown or scream or throw anything. But I did stare at the key nonstop, then attempt to black it out with marker. When that didn't work, I resorted to taking a piece of masking tape, writing "N" on the tape, and covering the key. Because I don't want it to be unlike the rest of the keys on the keyboard. It had to be the same. It needed to be exactly how I wanted it be.

Two Years, Some Beers, Less Fears

We're back, two years later. Life got in the way of blogging. I became fully employed for a new company in an entirely new “who would have thought I would be doing this but it’s pretty cool” industry, moved to the delightful city of San Francisco and made it my mission to explore as much of the Golden state as possible. Since my last blog, I've tasted countless delicious beers and have become convinced California- OK, northern California- is the microbrew capital of the U.S.

Rather than attempt to sum up two years of beer intake, I'll pick up in present-day. More specifically, I'll pick up with a recent trip to Chicago that yielded a beer revelation. Have no fear, CA reviews are here. They’re just later on down the line.

Sweet Valley High: The Beer Diaries

I'm holding Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, or more accurately, Francine Pascal, partially responsible for my childhood insecurities.

As a very chubby, very tall, and very curly-haired young child growing up on the Jersey shore, I had a slight complex. Being afflicted with a lazy eye and being named Lameece (this changed when I turned 13, thanks to a lawyer friend of my parents and the United States court system) didn't help matters, either.

From a young age, I was a pretty voracious reader, and devoured the epically bad and horrifically addictive series, "Sweet Valley High." Most children of the 80's should be able to recall these books. Please, jut admit you have read them. Like a workout room at a Crunch gym, this is an advertised No-Judgment Zone.

Why Other States Have CA Beat...On Some Things

Oh, don't get all offended just yet! I could go on and on as to why CA is the Mack Daddy of states. But, that's for another blog post. Sort of. You can also gleam it from current blog posts :)

So- some context. A couple weeks ago, Krista and I attended an SF beer week beer tasting event.

The event was run by the always delightful City Beer Store and FiftyFifty Brewing Company in Lake Tahoe, CA. Don't expect to find a review of that event (which was a lot of fun. And you can bet your Sunday Slippers I'll be making a stop at FiftyFifty the next time I'm in Tahoe); rather, this post examines how...public policy? can affect the proliferation of the types of beers you enjoy drinking. My desire to discuss public policy comes not from my inherent nerdiness, but because the famed Todd Ashman, FiftyFifty's current brewer, brought up the first topic of our two-part blog series on Silly CA Laws That Have Unintended Consequences on Your Beer Drinking during our tasting. Ashman began explaining exactly why it was necessary he emphasize the BAB (barrel-aged beer) we drank "officially has little to no traces of liquor in it!"

Liquid Gold

For my first posting on this decidedly beer-focused blog, I am going to bend the rules a tad and write about my experiences with two delicious but decidedly non-beer beverages –apple cider and mead. (I had big plans for focusing my maiden blogging attempt on the process of fresh or “wet” hop brewing, but that will keep for another day). While I will leave it up to my esteemed co-bloggers to be the judge, I think the following discussion will contribute to the spirit of Talk Suds To Me by exploring some really amazing beverages that man- and woman-kind has enjoyed throughout the ages. So here we go…

Universal Standards for Beer?

Ray Daniels wants this to be a reality. Mr. Daniels is on a quest to certify cicerones and make beer accessible. He's turned off by the stuffiness and snobbery that tends to pervade the world of wine. We're giving him huge props for this alone. For more on Mr. Daniels work, please check out the link. In the meantimes, Chicagoans, I suggest you check this out.

Ice in beer makes the baby Jesus sad.

This is an atrocity.

Mr. Mayor, all due respect, but I am deaf to your, or anyone else's call for "to-each-his-own" leniency. Honestly, you have no shame - just admit you're a spritzer guy. To borrow a phrase of that most excellent of TV shows, Archer ... "That is just Babytown Frolics."

The Midas Touch: As Ancient as Hugh Hefner

A couple nights ago, I tried (drumroll please)...Dogfish Head's "Midas Touch." According to Dogfish Head, "this recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike."

Sounds...intriguing! But, let's start at the beginning.

Update on Firestone-Walker and...beer chemists?

Check out an interview with Firestone Walker's Matt Brynildson here. Brynildson compares brewers to scientists. Thanks to Contributor In-Sung, our little blog may actually be host to some guest blogs from a real, live...BEER CHEMIST! Stay tuned.

Welcome back you handsome devil

So it's not craft beer. Heck, it's not even GOOD beer. But as a proud Murr-lender (that's "Maryland" for those of you that speak standard American English), I got just a tad misty when I learned that National Bohemian would return to taps around the Ball-mer (again, that's "Baltimore") area for the first time since the mid-90s.

Now I've often heard the ridicule about how the Old Line State doesn't have much going for her when it comes to cultural icons. We've got ... uhhh, crabs ... lacrosse ... and Old Bay ... errr, that's about it, for the most part. But let it not be forgotten that Baltimore was once indeed a major player in American brewing. So welcome back you dapper 'ol chap ... may your monocle sparkle bright, and your beer provide moderate amounts of pleasure at an affordable price for the masses once again.

Why beer? (plus some reviews)

I suppose I’ve had decent exposure to craft beers and imports ever since my college days. Despite my fratty past, it wasn’t all kegstands of Red Dog and shotguns of Beast. A Sam Adams here, a Sierra Nevada there. Even a few Hitachino Nest beers. But it’s only been within the last five years that my appreciation for better beers crystallized into a full-blown hobby (obsession?). It was only a matter of time probably. I’ve been very much into whiskeys of all kinds, and wine as well. With my ex-pastry chef wife and deli-owning parents, food is very important to me, and what meal is complete without a perfectly complementary beverage?

No Beer For Me!

While at the delightful La Trappe, I picked up a copy of Beer West Magazine, on recommendation from the bartender.

Bartender: "Have you read 'Beer West' before? There are some great articles in there about the brewing community."
Me: "NO WHAT'S THAT?"
Bartender: "A beer magazine. Gratis. Just grab a copy."
(umpteenth reason why La Trappe is fantastic...they have copies of "Beer West" just lying around).

So I did pick up BW, and it's a great find. The magazine focuses in on bars, breweries, brewers, and beer news along the West Coast. Recently, they branched out the publication to encompass California (the BW used to be called "Beer Northwest"). In the most recent issue, the writers tackle New Orleans beer/breweries, Monterrey beer/breweries, the Portland food scene, the British Columbia beer scene, and the importance of cleaning tap lines, to name a few. Also of note was a question to "Beer Expert Annie Brewer" (see "The List", a regular column). Sam from Everett, WA, wrote, "My girlfriend says she doesn't like beer. Can you recommend a beer that will change her mind?"

City Beer: Like Mecca, Only You Can Drink

Welcome to "Talk Suds to Me." This blog is specifically about beer. All kinds of beer. There may be the occasional off-topic anecdote (when the situation calls for it- like when I unintentionally set the oven on fire in the house where I am dog-sitting, while trying to cook a meal for my family.) But, don't look for an answer to "what is the meaning of life?" What I CAN tell you is that I'm 100% convinced life is justthatmuch! better with good brew and good friends. So, on to it...