My Craft Beer Week in Review, Part 2

Well, I'm back to tell you how the week finished up.  When I last left off, I said I took Wednesday off, but after I thought a little harder about it, that just isn't true.  I met my buddy Steve at The Brewhouse for dinner.  We hadn't seen each other in a while, and The Brewhouse is the perfect place (for us, at least) to catch up.  I had an Elephant Seal Double IPA, which has become my go to of late.  It is very citrusy, and I think it is an excellent example of a very drinkable double IPA.  Yes, it's strong (7.7%), but not overpowering.  Just full of flavor.  An excellent start to the evening.  For dinner, I had Caribbean Jerk Chicken, which is a favorite of mine there, but really, everything on the menu is good.    It just depends on what you are in the mood for.  I slowed things down with an El Citra Session IPA (4.6%).  This beer is also full of citrusy goodness.  Apparently,  I was in a citrusy mood that day.  Dinner was good, the beers were good, the evening was excellent.  It was very nice to catch up with my friend.

Taps at The Brewhouse

Thursday was the night I took a beer break.  Now I remember.  Got it.  Moving on to Friday.  Friday, I went down to Carpinteria, CA to play volleyball with some friends.  And any trip to Carpinteria must include a stop at Island Brewing Company.  I used to live in Carpinteria, and I've been coming to this place for years, and so has everyone else in town.  It is always crowded.  Recently, they started getting food trucks to park there for the evening, so that has only helped get and keep people there.  Usually, I go for the Paradise Pale Ale, but lately they have been having many more seasonal brews to try.  A new one that I really like is the King Tide.  This is a very hop forward double IPA that comes in a 9.6%.  It packs a punch, and costs a little more than the regular beers on tap, but I think it is a nice beer on a typically perfect, sunny Carpinteria day.  I like coming here, not only for the good beer, but also because I know I will run into a bunch of people that I enjoy talking to and sharing a couple beers with.  It's almost like Cheers.  Everyone definitely knows your name.

Taps at Island Brewing Co.

I finished off my week by stopping at the recently opened "Cottage" in Los Olivos, CA.  This is Figueroa Mountains' newest establishment, and it is perfectly positioned right in the heart of it all in downtown Los Olivos.  This was actually my first stop ever in Los Olivos.  I don't usually travel on the 154 highway.  Normally I stick to the 101 for my trips up north, but I went out of my way to stop this time.  I really wanted to see the place, and I'm glad I did. There was live music playing, and the gentleman playing guitar and singing was very good.  I took up a spot just outside the back door, and enjoyed the deck on the warm afternoon.  From here, I could hear the music, and catch the end of the Angels game on TV.  I also got to enjoy a Shark Lips beer, a collaborative effort between Figueroa Mountain and Port Brewing.  This Imperial Red Ale had a very definite malty backbone, which was a nice change from all the extremely hoppy stuff I had been into all week.  For some reason, I didn't take a picture when I was there.  So, just imagine a small place, with a bar and TV's on the left, a guy playing guitar and singing in the front right corner, and me straight through on the back deck.  It was another great beer from Fig Mountain in a very nice setting.  I really enjoyed seeing their new place.  I will definitely be back soon.  Cheers!

The Brewhouse

229 W. Montecito St.

Santa Barbara, CA  93101

805-884-4664

Hours: 11am to 10pm Daily. Open at 10am on the weekends for brunch

www.sbbrewhouse.com

Island Brewing Company

5049 6th Street

Carpinteria, CA  93013

805-745-8272

Hours: Monday-Friday 2pm to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 9pm

www.islandbrewingcompany.com

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company

2446 Alamo Pintado, Suite C

Los Olivos, CA  93441

805-694-2252

Hours: 11am to 9pm Daily

www.figmtnbrew.com

My Craft Beer Week in Review, Part 1

Well, Craft Beer Week has come and gone, and I'd have to say it was a pretty good one here in Santa Barbara, CA.  The weather was a little crazy.  Over 90 degree temperatures most of the week.  That is not normal around these parts any time of the year, especially not mid May.  Global warming?  Right, another subject for another time (and probably another blog entirely).

Racer 5 from Bear Republic

I started off my week by grabbing a six pack of Racer 5, brewed by Bear Republic.  This is one of my go to, all time favorite beers.  Any time I am back home in Northern California, I do what I can to make sure I get up to Healdsburg and get in to Bear Republic.  I love sitting outside on their patio on a warm afternoon.  The service there is always great, there are smiles all around, and it doesn't seem too taken over by tourists.  Of course, it's usually crowded, but seats can be found, and good times are had.  I enjoyed a few of these tasty IPA's in my backyard on Monday, and tried to remember if this was one of the first IPA's I ever had.  If it isn't the first, it's darn close, and I can say without a doubt, it should be enjoyed by anyone that loves a great, refreshing, well hopped IPA.  If you are on a road trip, and get north of San Francisco, try to get up to Healdsburg to enjoy all Bear Republic has to offer.  The town is great as well.  I know I'm looking forward to my next visit.

Behind the bar at Telegraph Brewing

Tuesday, my girlfriend and I made it over to Telegraph Brewing, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to get a great beer.  It is a little off the beaten path, so it isn't overcrowded.  Every time I am there, I can get in a chat with the person behind the bar to catch up on what Telegraph has been up to or what interesting new beers that have available.  The picture above is from the week before last, so it doesn't have on the list the Obscura Arabic Sour that we tried when we first got there.  My girlfriend loves sours, so I'm glad they had one for us to try.  They aren't easy to find around here.  The Obscura was very tasty, and not too tart.  I know some people love that complete face puckering sensation you can get with some sours, but I don't mind if it isn't quite like that.  This one was very good, and I'm glad we happened to catch it on tap.  Clearly, from the picture below, it was a hit with the girlfriend.

Lindsey enjoying a sour and a night off work

We tried a few more beers, and once you've had a couple, you might as well change venues, and have a couple more, right?  Yep, I agree.  We headed about a quarter mile over into the Funk Zone and popped into Figueroa Mountain Brewing, which was, of course, crowded.  Fig Mountain (as it is called around here) has quickly become a must stop for anyone visiting from out of town, or anyone that is out just looking for a great beer.  Their location is ideal, one block off State Street (the main street through town), and the whole area has turned into a beer, wine and art destination.  Everything in the area is easily reached by walking, the beach is only a couple blocks one way, downtown is only a couple blocks the other way, and the train station is practically next door.  It's almost hard to miss Fig Mountain, and based on the crowds every day, not too many people are missing it.  We found a spot in the corner on the patio, with a little bit of shade, as it was still around 90 degrees at 6 in the evening.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

I opted for a Lizards Mouth, which is Fig Mountains' Imperial IPA, and is a must try when you are here.  I've talked to numerous people from L.A. that have driven up for the day, and a main part of that trip has to include a stop at Fig Mountain to try the Lizards Mouth.  It comes in a 10oz. goblet, and at 9.2%, that is a good thing.  Honestly, this beer tastes like it is over 9.2%, but it isn't boozy at all.  It just tastes like this a serious beer, and one is probably going to be enough.  Fig Mountain just started bottling this beer.  If you see it, grab it.  Trust me on this one.  

I finished my beer, my girlfriend finished her glass of wine (she was "beered out" at this point, if you can imagine that), and we headed home.  Time for some homemade tacos!  I, of course, had to wash those tacos down with a Racer 5.

Wednesday I took a beer break, but I definitely had some great ones later on in the week.  I'll finish up my Craft Beer Week recap in the next couple of days. Cheers, and stay tuned!

Bear Republic Brewing Co.

345 Healdsburg Ave.

Healdsburg, CA  95448

707-433-2337

Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-9:30pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-10pm

www.bearrepublic.com

Telegraph Brewing Company

418 North Salsipuedes St.

Santa Barbara, CA  93103

805-963-5018

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 2pm-8pm, Friday and Saturday 2pm-10pm and Sunday 1pm-7pm

www.telegraphbrewing.com

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

137 Anacapa St, Suite F

Santa Barbara, CA  93101

805-694-2252

Hours: 11am-11pm daily

www.figmtnbrew.com

Rochefort Trappist "10"

I came to read about and desire this amazing Belgian Ale when I was checking out the Merchant du Vin website not long ago.  Here's what stood out to me and made me realize this was something I needed to try:

Ratebeer.com - 100pts

"Best Beer in the World" - Men's Journal Magazine, October 2010

Gold Medal - World Beer Championships 2004, 2006

Those kind of reviews are enough for me to try just about anything, let alone a Belgian Trappist ale. Lucky for me, there was one left on the shelf when I was at the store the other day.  

(inside the Rochefort Brewery)

The minute I popped the top, the spicy aromas hit my senses.  I didn't even think I was close enough to the bottle to really notice it like that, but this thing came out swinging.  An excellent start. The beer poured a dark, walnutty brown, with leftover sediments from the bottle conditioning filling the glass as well.  The beer hits your lips with a distinct taste of well ripened raisins.  It is sweet, but well balanced by the malts.  The longer it warms up in the glass, I get more aromas of port wine.  The longer it sits in my mouth, I get a taste of warm caramel.  For a strong ale, at 11.3%, it goes down very smooth. Not much of that alcohol taste left in your mouth.  This beer is like perfectly prepared dessert: sweet, deeply satisfying, and you hope you will get it again one day.  A beer like this doesn't come around often, but when it does, savor it.  In case you were curious, the "10" on the label of the beer comes from "Belgian Degrees," a traditional, historical way of measuring gravity (the sweetness of the wort before fermentation), and determining the final gravity of the beer.

(Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy - Rochefort)

Rachefort Trappistes, located in the Abbey of St-Remy, is located in the southern part of Belgium, and is one of only ten Trappist breweries in the world.  The monks of the abbey began to brew beer around 1595, and like all Trappist breweries, the profits from selling the beer can only be used to support the abbey, or go to charitable causes.

(map of Belgium)

This is a wonderful beer, and like almost anyone that has had it will tell you, probably one of the best I have ever had.  I truly enjoy this style.  It is a nice break from the always available, hoppy beers that are on every supermarket aisle.  If you see it, grab it.  I think I paid about $7.99 for my 11.3oz bottle. Not a bargain by any means, but well worth it, in my opinion.  I'm glad I got it, and I would certainly buy it again.  I look forward to trying the other beers in the Rochefort family. Cheers!

(The Rochefort family of beers)

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy

B-5580 Rochefort

Tel.: (32) (84) 22.01.40

www.abbaye-rochefort.be