After screwing around on his site for a good 30 minutes, I found this little gem he made last year. It’s a great song and an even more impressive stop-motion video starring a whole family of anthropomorphised pint glasses. You’ll be singing along by the end of the video!

Also, head over to William Brand’s Beer Newsletter for a great video of a bar in Belgium made entirely out of beer crates.

When I first met Jessica, I had no idea that I had just met every beer geek’s dream girl. Smart, beautiful, and a virtual walking beer encyclopedia.

It was July 17th, 2007, and I was on the tail end of my Great Northwest Beer Adventure. After a month of busing, thumbing, and train-ing all the way up to Vancouver, I was on the last leg of my trip, staying in San Francisco’s Presidio with my buddy Spencer.

That afternoon, we had visited Magnolia where we thoroughly enjoyed the Blue Boy Bitter, the Lazy Boy IPA, the Prescription Pale, and their cask wheat beer (well, maybe we didn’t enjoy the cask wheat beer that much). It was still pretty early in the afternoon, and we had several more bars to hit, so we hopped on the bus and made our way down to the Toronado, a world renowned beer bar I had not yet visited.

It goes without saying that Toronado was everything I expected and more. The lovely Jennifer (aka Princess) recommended the Brother David’s Double, followed by some Old Foghorn on draft. As you can imagine, by this point we were on our way to getting absolutely snockered.

(By the way, thanks to Stonch for hosting this month’s Session!).

It was time to journey on, so we left Toronado to find our next bar. We made it all of about 10 feet before we decided we needed to take a hot dog break at the sausage shop next door, and it was there while waiting for my weiner I met Jessica.

“Did you guys just come from Toronado? I love that place. Proximity to Toronado was an important factor when I was looking for an apartment.”

Love at first sight?

We got to talking beer, and I told her about my travels, and believe it or not, she was planning a Great Northwest Beer Adventure of her own!

I gave her a few recommendations for Portland, told her about beermapping.com, and then Spence and I were on our way.

In the weeks that followed, we exchanged a few emails, shared a few beer recommendations, and became Facebook friends. It was Facebook that told me Jess went to Harvard, and that we had spent the first 18 years of our lives living no more than 10 miles away from each other in Los Angeles. Weird, right?

Jessica is an amazing writer, words flow out of her like endless rain into a paper cup. She can effortlessly crank out a few hundred words on any topic. From atheism to beer to Freakonomics, Jess has an opinion and she’s ready to argue about it.

Her beer notes, originally posted on Facebook, were so popular with her friends she had no choice but to start a blog and migrate her postings.

Oh yeah, and she’s also on Yelp. Here’s a few snippets to give you the flavor of her writing.

On Gordon Biersch:

Thanks, Gordon Biersch, for reminding me why I’ve got to get out of the consulting business sooner rather than later.

Let me put it this way, I’m sure you’re doing quite well for yourself. You get to ride the wave of craft brew popularity without actually demonstrating any craft in your brewing. You’ve wrapped up the baseball market, nailing down the SF pre-Giants game scene and winning the chance to be the BMC alternative in Dodgers Stadium, my home team’s field. And when my company, and I’m sure many others in the Financial District, needs to know where to take groups of 30 to 50 corporate types who don’t care if their food is cold and beer is warm so long as it’s free, you’re there for them.

On visiting Anderson Valley Brewing Co.:

How can you not like a place that offers carriage rides and a DISC GOLF course? Now, I’m always suspicious of frisbee players because their cultishness the verges on the level displayed by scientologists, but that just sounds like an awesome way to spend a sunny day in Mendocino.

On BottleWorks, a beer store in Seattle:

This is what San Francisco’s City Beer Store wishes it was.

It almost pained me to leave the store knowing there was so much good stuff still on the shelf. It’s a long, narrow space and all 3 walls except the front where the door is are lined with beer. And it seems like at least half the space is dedicated to refrigerated beer. Which is awesome, because when I went to Bottleworks, I was so excited about what we bought that I could barely wait to get home, much less for our beer to chill.

A couple months after our brief meeting at the sausage shop, I was back in the Bay Area for a weekend jaunt. We had a chance to catch up over a few beers at Thirsty Bear and 21st Amendment.

A lot of times, when I make new friends that are really into beer, there’s a propensity to talk beer the whole time; breweries, beer styles, upcoming seasonals and whatnot. But sometimes, when you’re savoring a delicious IPA on a sunny Saturday afternoon, it’s nice to let the beer fade into the background and enjoy the company of your new beer friend.

Be sure to visit Jessica at http://thethirstyhopster.wordpress.com/

Bookmark her, Blogroll her, Subscribe to her RSS and all that great stuff.

For a complete Session roundup, visit Stonch’s Beer Blog.

I guess I had just gotten a bit bored with my pedestrian style of reviewing beers. After all, beer is one of my greatest passions. Can you really define your passion by deconstructing it and judging its value by assigning a grade based on a 50 point scale?

Jesus, what was I thinking?

Talk about taking all the fun out of something. So from here on out, I plan to leave all the heavy duty classification and grading to the fine folks at Beer Advocate and Rate Beer.

Thanks to friends and other assorted beer bloggers, I’ve been reminded not to neglect the most important source of creativity, the Muse. You can’t take the time to write about every half-decent beer that enters your glass, you’ve gotta wait for the one that makes you want to go out and buy it by the case. You’ve gotta find a beer that makes you rush to your computer and bang out a loving ode while your glass is still half full. You’ve gotta find the one that makes you phone in sick for work, just so you can spend one or two more hours of half-lucid bliss, snuggled up under the covers, wrapped in their embrace. You need to find the beer that’s so incredible, you can’t think of anything better to name your monthly beer news magazine after. Or for that matter, your beer blog. Hey, meta humor!

Ayinger Celebrator is at the pinnacle of those special beers. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been saving it in your fridge for 6 months, waiting for a special occasion to crack it open. The very occasion of opening an Ayinger Celebrator is special enough on it’s own.

Cracking the cap is enough to start your mouth watering. Dark dark brown beer, almost black, with a sudsy tan head that stays for the duration. Celebrator has a perfectly thin and bready maltiness. It doesn’t hammer you on the head with over-the-top complexity and brilliant flavors bursting left and right, it’s more subtle and refined than that. Balanced and delicate. I’ve only had it by itself, but if I could choose any meal to have accompany it, a great pairing would be braised lamb shanks and mashed potatoes.

I’m curious, have any of the Session writers out there NOT tried Ayinger Celebrator? With this post I am declaring my fervent and undying zealotry for this beer. Much like a Ron Paul supporter standing on a freeway overpass in the rain, waving a hand-stenciled “REVOLUTION 2008″ poster, I want to share this beer with you.

Now let’s go check out some of the doppelbocks that you guys have been drinking.

A special thank you to Wilson at Brewvana for hosting today’s Doppelbock Session.

[Update: You can purchase this Unibroue glass online at Beer Geek Shop]

On my last night in town, my lovely friend Mauree took me to Stella’s on Commercial Drive, a tapas bar with a great selection of Belgian beers. We snagged a great table on their sidewalk patio and ordered a Leffe Belgian Pale and a glass of Belle Vue Kriek, both of which were on tap. I was enjoying the kriek more than Mauree was, so she ended up holding on to the Leffe most of the time.

The Kriek is a deep red color with not too much head on it. Sweet cherry aroma and a bit of a sour twang, which I just can’t get enough of. Just a few days earlier, my New Belgium buddy and I drank a bunch of Rodenbach at Brouwer’s in Seattle. It was then I figured out I need to try more sour beer.

The kitchen was about to close up, so we put in an order for a pound of Mussels Normande (Granny smith apples, mushrooms, bacon, shallots, apple brandy, cream).

We finished up our first round and decided to go for one of those corked Unibroue bottles. By the time our huge dish of mussels came out, we had decided on the Éphémère Framboise, which turned out to be a great pairing (although the apple Éphémère might have matched better).

The beer definitely had that uniquely Unibroue carbonation to it, but thinner and a bit lighter than your Fin du Mondes or Maudites. Fresh raspberry smell that I was reminded of two days later when I was picking actual raspberries on Conner and Sarah’s farm. Not so sweet that you forget you’re drinking beer, but just fruity enough to compliment the apple-bacony goodness of our mussels. I think raspberry has got to be the best possible fruit to use in beer.

Way to go, Canada, for having Unibroue. And way to go, Vancouver, for your delicious seafood. I need to go back soon.

Stella’s Tap and Tapas Bar
1191 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
604.254.BIER (2437)

Well, the initial plan was to keep posting to the ol’ blog in each new town I visited. But alas, I ended up spending more time drinking beer than I spent writing about drinking beer. So I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
Hell, I still haven’t written up my awesome journey to the St. Arnold’s brewery in Houston, or the night of bloggers and beer at the Library Bar, and these were weeks before I even left on my Cascadia trip.

I also regretfully missed out on this month’s Session aka Beer Blogging Friday, hosted by the guys over at Hop-Talk.

The northwest is pretty overwhelming when it comes to beer. It’s hard to know where to start. So I guess it makes sense to go chronologically.

The train dropped me off in Portland, where I didn’t even come close to hitting all the bars and brewpubs on my list. But I did make a pretty good dent, stopping at the Rogue Pub, the Horse Brass, Lucky Labrador, the New Old Lompoc, Laurelwood, and Belmont Station.

Next I bussed it up to Seattle, where I visited Hale’s Ales and several memorable bars with unmemorable names in Queen Anne, just north of the City Center. My last day in town, I stayed with the Seattle rep for New Belgium, who took me on a sick pub crawl all across town. We started at Georgetown Liquor, a pub on the south side of town with a vegetarian lunch menu and Super Mario Bros. 3, and ended at Brouwer’s, an amazing Belgian bar with about 60 beers on tap, and hundreds of bottles. It was like going on a guided beer tour of Seattle. Fantastic.

From there I tried my luck hitchhiking and made it up to Vancouver just as the sun was setting. Now Canada is not exactly known for having awesome beer. If anything it is known for archaic liquor laws and overpriced cases. But Vancouver has some excellent microbreweries and brewpubs like Granville Island and the Steamworks, both of which I paid a visit.

Coming back across the border, I took a shuttle bus to the Seatac airport, and then caught a local bus that took me to Olympia. The plan for that day was to thumb it down to Skamokawa, Washington to stay on an organic farm with Conner and Sarah, old friends I met when we were studying abroad in Santiago, Chile.

But it got dark before I could make it down there so I rolled out the ol’ sleeping bag on some tall grass in the woods right next to the interstate and waited for morning. I credit Deschutes and a six dollar bottle of Barefoot Merlot with helping me make it through the night. Damn you Kerouac for romanticizing hitchhiking.

Conner had just bottled some homebrew 13 days earlier, so it was the perfect time to crack open a few bottles when I arrived the next day. It was his first attempt at brewing, and he ended up with a delicious malty amber that tasted more like a brown. Side note: Conner and Sarah have a dog named Barley. What a great dog name!

The next day we went to Eugene, OR for the Oregon Country Fair where there was no beer. But that night we had dinner at Cornucopia, a small restaurant with a huge menu and an impressive beer cooler, as well as 6 or 7 local-ish micros on tap.

After one night in Eugene, it was time to move on for the last leg of my trip, San Francisco. I had meant to grab a beer with Jay of Hedonist Beer Jive while I was in town, but I’ve got loads of old high school friends that live in the bay area and I didn’t even find the time to email him. I know that’s a sorry excuse Jay, but I promise to look you up next time I’m in town. Luckily I had time to hit Magnolia and the Toronado, so no complaints there.

In the coming weeks I plan on recounting some of the great beers of the Pacific Northwest. I also plan on giving Molly and Sage a run for their money by blowing you away with my beer pics. Stay tuned, and thank you for your messages!

Hopping a coachclass out of Los Angeles at high noon one day in late June of 2007 I found myself watching season one of Lost on DVD next to a 250 lb Brazilian on his way to Seattle. I lay down with my sweatshirt balled up under my head and legs crossed as I recline my seat as far as it will go as we rolled north towards Santa Barbara.

As the train went up through the San Fernando valley, my thoughts went back to my days at UCSB. For a small percentage of the population, college is nothing more than grooming school for upper-class aspiring, non-identity frat brothers who usually find their perfect expression on the outskirts of campus in rows of ratty apartment buildings with beirut tables and couches in each lawn and everyone thinking the same thoughts as they all watch the same girls at the same time every day as they bike down Pardall Road to get to class.

But for most of us, UCSB is a place to prowl through the wild streets looking for tapped kegs, to hear voices calling from the cliffs, to find the ecstacy of the stars, to find the dark mysterious secret of origin of faceless wonderless crapulous civilization, to build huge bonfires on the beach and drink Costco sized bottles of whiskey and grapefruit juice on Tuesday nights.

As we made it through Camarillo where Charlie Parker’d been mad and relaxed back to normal health, I resigned myself from these memories of my college glory days and focused on the journey at hand. No, tonight wouldn’t find me with my blankets in the sand cooking hot dogs on freshly cut and sharpened sticks over the coals of a big wood fire in my swim shorts, barefooted and wild-haired, singing, swigging ale, spitting, jumping and running. No, tonight I would be crammed in a window seat next to a single mother and her one year old on their way home from Santa Cruz.

Before I knew it the train rolled into San Luis Obispo a full 10 minutes ahead of schedule and I figured I needed a few beers for this long day on the tracks en route to Portland. I turned to the young man sitting across the aisle who in three weeks was being shipped across the Atlantic to join the Peace Corps in Mali and asked, “Will you watch my pack while I run over there and grab a couple beers from the nearest liquor store?”

“Sure thing.”

I jumped off the train and walked past a quaint and charming Italian restaurant in search of a good place to buy some 22 ouncers. There was a barber shop or some sort of place where locals hang around on the porch on the corner next to the restaurant.

“Do they sell beer in there?” I asked.

“No, but if ya go straight down this street about three blocks, there’s a great deli an they got beer.”

I followed in the direction he pointed and sure enough, there was a great deli called Gus’s with an above average selection of beer. Five or six Lost Coast beers including Alleycat Amber and a great selection of Rogue as well.

I opted for a bomber of my favorite go-to beer, Firestone Double Barrel, and a bottle of Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve. Somehow it just made sense to get one beer from where I was and one beer from where I was headed. The pair came out to just under eight dollars and I was quite pleased with myself for figuring out a way to avoid the five dollar Heinekens on sale in the observation car lounge.

I grabbed a plastic water cup as I left the deli and half-assedly jogged back up the hill to the train station. I still had a long ride ahead of me, but having some tasty beer made it go by a little faster.

There’s so much beer related stuff to do in Portland, brewery tours and whatnot, and I know I’m going to want to bike around and discover new bars and beers all day. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of material for the site.

Now I just need to figure out where to go.

When I ran into Hot Knives two weeks ago, they had recently returned from Portland. I told them I am really into a lot of Rogue’s beer (Dead Guy, American Amber, Chipotle Ale), and that if I don’t go to the brewery, I at least need to check out their public house. I asked for their input on where else to go, and they replied almost simultaneously, “Belmont Station.”

Damn straight I need to go to Belmont Station. Have you been to their blog? Speaking of which, I just checked over there right now, and in their last post, they’ve practically mapped out a potential route for me. Done. I have never even heard of Roots or Ninkasi, not to mention Max’s Fanno Creek. But now they are all on my radar.

What else should I keep in mind that is unique to Oregon? Obviously there’s Widmer (meh) and Pyramid (less meh). And then there’s Deschutes. We get Mirror Pond, Black Butte, and the occasional Inversion IPA down here, but I’m sure there’s more flavors to choose from. And I’ll be damned if I don’t try some Hair of the Dog while I’m up there.

Well, gotta go catch my train. Beervana here I come.

Go check out this great post: Portland – Every day is a beer fest.

The highlight of the evening was meeting Evan and Alex of Hot Knives, the preeminent beer bloggers of LA. They also blog about food and cooking, and occasionally work beer into their recipes. How about some Levitation flapjacks or Stone-inspired ice cream? Come to think of it, I could go for a chocolate stout float right about now.

These guys are a great inspiration for a blossoming beer blogger like myself. They tell great stories and aren’t afraid to shit all over the Beer Establishment. Ever tried a Velveeta quesadilla right after a beer bong? (Further reading: In the Busch with A-B’s Specialty Beers)

On occasion they are known to wear bucket hats and yellow shades while speaking through clenched teeth and smoking from cigarette holders as they use their press credentials to gain entry to the biggest wine convention this side of the Mississippi. (Furthur reading: Food and Wining in Los Angeles)

If you’ve clicked all these links and still haven’t got enough Knives, you will also enjoy their Reverse Sideways trip to the Stone Brewery last December.

Wörtwurst, dry your eyes. My man-crush has officially transfered. Deal with it.

After reading Ted-o’s fantastic Session post about Cask Elissa at the Gingerman, and seeing how I don’t have anything better to do tomorrow than make a field trip to Houston, I’ve decided to head up to the Saint Arnold’s for their weekly brewery tour. And what better time to visit, since tomorrow is their 13th anniversary. Which I guess is like the equivalent of reaching your freshman year in college! That makes it all the more spectacular!

My cousin Andrew is a fan of their Lawnmower beer, which I haven’t tried yet. I have been busy sucking down their hippie-labeled Summer Pils (above). We almost bought Lawnmower this evening, but opted for some Shiner Kölsch instead (background). What the hell, I’ll get to try it tomorrow straight from the horse’s mouth. It’ll prolly taste better there anyways.

Too bad the liquor laws in Texas are so effed up. Did you know you can’t buy beer (or any alcohol) after 12am?? And all liquor stores close at 9pm. So between 9 and midnight, you have to get beer at gas stations or grocery stores. And usually their selection looks like this:

But that’s not even the worst part. Microbreweries like Saint Arnold’s can’t even sell beer direct to the public. In fact, a whole blog has been set up to address this subject. Even West Coast beer luminaries like Greg Koch have spoken up about it. (Via St. Arnold’s Goes to Austin)

“For beer enthusiasts, making the connection between the beer and the place where the beer is brewed is very important. Could you imagine going to your local baker and not being able to buy the bread they made there?”

No, Greg, I can’t imagine it. Because there’s nothing like getting fresh bread straight from the baker. When will Texas lawmakers figure out the same goes for beer? It’s times like these when I feel motivated to implore beer drinkers to support their local breweries.

Nonetheless, I am still feeling giddy for the 1pm brewery tour mañana! Time for bed so I can rest up for the big day. Nos vemos.

This week I am visiting family in Galveston, Texas, an island about half an hour outside of Houston. There’s not much else to do here besides drink beer and hang out on the beach, so I should be reporting back with tales of local microbrews and any fine drinking establishments I happen across.

So far I’ve picked up sixers of Saint Arnold Summer Pils and Shiner Blonde. Strangely enough, I still haven’t put up my review of the almost ubiquitous Shiner Bock, so maybe I’ll get around to that this week.

This is my first time being in Galveston since I’ve been 21, so now I have a reason to go to the Strand besides my favorite Army/Navy Surplus Store, Colonel Bubbies. Interesting side note: the first bar I ever went to in my life was Fitzpatrick’s. I was 14 years old and my cousin Claire got married. The wedding party was staying at the hotel across the street, and me and a couple of my cousins snuck in and got absolutely hammered after the rehearsal dinner. Man Texas is great.

Also, since the last time I’ve been here, they’ve opened up a new Schlitterbahn, a German-themed water park which is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Home of the world’s first uphill water slide. We used to go to the original in New Braunfels every year, but it’s been at least 10 years since we’ve had our family reunions there. I’ve got to go back there some day and do some innertube beer drinking on the Guadalupe. I wonder if they still do bungee jumping over the river?

After much hype, and a lot of patience on my part, I was pleasantly surprised to see Craftsman Triple White Sage on tap at Father’s Office last night. I have been a fan of Craftsman ever since I turned 21 and started going there. Before my coming of legal age, I had never heard of Craftsman, probably because they don’t bottle it (a revelation I came across a couple of weeks ago).

Craftsman is, without a doubt, LA’s claim to craft beer fame. Mark Jilg has been brewing in Pasadena since 1995, but has kept the production scale small to maintain quality. According to his interview with LAist last month, Mark (and his 2 full time employees) produce about 2400 half-barrel kegs in a year. They make, sell, and distribute it themselves, oftentimes filling kegs and delivering their beer within 24 hours of receiving the order. Distribution-wise, they are mostly in LA, but can be found in San Diego and Santa Barbara.

The Heavenly Hefeweizen was their first beer I ever tried, and this was back when FO still offered beer by the pitcher. They stopped doing pitchers though, something about how pouring that much beer back and forth over-agitates the beer, and by the time you get to the end of the pitcher, the beer’s not the same. Sounds logical enough, I’ll take their word for it. Even so, wouldn’t it be awesome to still be able to order a pitcher of Great White?

While we’re on the subject of Father’s Office, be sure to check out Food and Wine’s interview with Sang Yoon (via Appellation Beer).

Craftsman can be found all over town; Father’s, the Otheroom, Weiland, Library Bar, The Village Idiot, Third Stop. Susan of Immaeatchu had a glass of Triple White Sage last year at Lucques on Melrose. (Photo credit: Immaeatchu: Saturday Lunch at Lucques)

I didn’t take any notes on this beer, so the review will be a bit skimpy. Sometimes you just want to drink a beer and not have to analyze it. It also gives me reason to go back for more.

First off, I must disclose I’ve always loved the smell of sage. Smell is the sense that is most linked to memory, right? So for me, as I’m raising the glass towards my lips, I immediately think of hiking in the Santa Monica mountains, camping trips, and my incense and sage burning phase in middle school. It’s always nice when a beer “brings you back.”

Have you ever had a Pyramid Apricot Weizen? You know how ridiculously apricotty it smells? Well, Triple White Sage is just as fragrant, sage-wise, but without being overpowering or artificial. It’s crisp, and surprisingly mellow for a beer that’s 9%. The sweet and light tastes of sage mask the high alcohol content quite nicely. Read some of the glowing reviews on BeerAdvocate for more on how amazing this beer is.

This is a very special beer that I recommend to anyone. Father’s is charging $7.50 per glass, and sometimes it’s hard to justify paying that much, but in this case, it’s worth every penny.

• Appearance: 2.5/3
• Aroma: 11/12
• Palate: 4/5
• Flavor: 19/20
• Overall: 9.5/10

Rating: 4.6

I had just come back from the Bicycle Casino, where my friend Sean Bill* and I destroyed the competition at our single-table sit-n-go tourney. This is important to the story, so that you know I had a wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket. Because I don’t want you to think I go and drop $45 dollars on beer on a regular basis. Usually it’s never more than $10. But when you’re at a place like this that’s at least a 30-minute drive from home, sometimes you need to stock up on beers you don’t see that often.

For the first ten minutes, I didn’t touch a thing. Just did a cursory examination to inspect their selection and variety. If I had been better prepared I would’ve had the digital camera with me to document their inventory. They’ve got two big racks of unrefrigerated beer, and one long row of freezers, making two and a half aisles of beer. They do a great job organizing by country of origin, which is kind of neat. Like a United Nations of beer, all sitting around with a little placards in front of them that say what country they’re from.

I picked up a couple bottles of Bear Republic that I don’t see too often, the Big Black Stout and their Red Rocket Ale, both selling for $2.99. I had never seen Lost Coast’s 8-Ball Stout ($3.49) before, and seeing as how I’m a big fan of their Great White, I thought I’d give it a go.

Then I thought I would go for some more expensive beers, figuring I would get a better deal. Avery’s The Reverend and Anderson Valley’s Brother David Triple both set me back $4.99, and so did a 750mL bottle of Jacobsen Saaz Blonde. The bottle is very distinctive, I had seen it before at The Farms where it was selling for $8, so I had to get it.

Also in my basket were a couple of organic beers, Santa Cruz Mountain’s Organic Dread Brown Ale, and Mateveza, a California-made pale ale infused with yerba mate. The label caught my attention, it had a gourd and bombilla sitting on top of a map of South America. Who would put yerba mate in beer? I’m betting dollars to donuts that the guy behind this is Argentinian. Seemed strange enough that I couldn’t not give it a try. Both of these beers were just under $4.

Lastly, I picked up some Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen for $4.39. I must admit, I bought it solely based on it’s badass label, but when I looked it up on Beer Advocate, I realized what a great beer I had picked. Reviews will come eventually.

Overall, there are way too many beers to list. They really shine with their selection of craft beers. Most of the 22oz. bottles are unrefrigerated, while most of what’s kept cold is in six packs. You can NOT break up six packs, which is always a real disappointment. But if you’re looking to try something new, BevMo! is a great resource. Too bad its in a huge shopping center with a Target and a Best Buy. If you’re lucky, you can snag a meter across the street or around the corner on La Brea.

Also, if you’re in the area, it’s worth stopping by the Formosa Cafe or Jones if you’ve never been there before. They’re not good places for beer, but fun bars nevertheless.

BevMo! Beverages & More
7100 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 882-6971

* Name has been changed to protect the innocent. He ditched work that day to play cards. What a swell guy.

After gorging ourselves on sandwiches and potato salad, we griped about how we hardly have any reasons to go downtown. Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, MOMA, and the occasional balloon of black-tar heroin are the only reasons I ever have to make the journey.

But not any more.

Weiland’s is fan-freakin-tastic. I just wish it was a little closer to home. Nine beers on tap, and around 40 bottles. Happy Hour is from 3 – 7, and then again from 10 to closing, where draft beers are only $2.50 (!!). One of the taps was dedicated to an Irish stout, Murphy’s I think. Then they had 3 house beers represented, an Amber, a Honey Blonde, and an IPA.

I was in the mood for an amber, but I was torn between two of the other selections on tap: Craftsman Cabernale and Allagash White. Lucky for me and Brad, we were the only people sitting at the bar, so Ryan the bartender indulged us and poured us samples of both (when we first arrived, we asked if they did samples, and were answered with an emphatic “no”).

In addition to their taps, they have close to 40 bottles on hand; 3 Chimays, 2 Allagashes, Ommegang Hennipen and Three Philosophers, Young Double Chocolate Stout, Moretti La Rossa, McEwans, The Reverend, Humboldt Hemp Ale, Fischer Amber, Flying Horse, Chambly, Tsingtao, and Singha, to name a few.

Top that off with an awesome jukebox that had about 40 credits sitting in it, and we have a great reason to come downtown.

WEILAND BREWERY
400 E 1st Street
Los Angeles 90012
213-680-2881

I picked up a bottle of Moretti’s Doppelbock while I was getting a Godmother at Bay Cities. I used to drink their pale lager every once in a while with a college friend who had studied abroad in Italy.

She used to drink it at the bars there, surrounded by old, mustachioed Italians who looked exactly like the guy on the label. This isn’t too surprising, considering their logo was meant to capture the essence of the Italian Everyman. Sort of like the Italian version of Bud Man or Barry Duffman.

From Birra Moretti’s website:

One day Commander Leo Menazzi Moretti saw a nice, moustached, old gentleman sitting at a table in the Boschetti Restaurant in Tricesimo (Udine). Commander Moretti believed that it was this old gentleman who embodied the character and personality of the actual beer – genuine, traditional and authentic. Commander Moretti didn’t let the opportunity slip but approached the gentleman and asked his permission to take a photo of the man drinking Birra Moretti. When asked what he wanted as a reward the gentleman replied “Cal mi dedi di bevi, mi baste” which in friulano dialect means, “a glass of what I am drinking, is sufficient for me”. They took the photo and it was later published just after the turbulent period of World War 2.

Over the years, the old gentleman or Mr. Moretti, as he is now known, has been played by a variety of actors and later in the 1970’s the famous designer, Bruno Bozzetto, produced a series of cartoons that used Mr. Moretti and his faithful tankard of Birra Moretti. Finally in 2000 Mr. Moretti came to life with a new advertising campaign where he is surrounded by expert contributors to the secret behind the quality and tradition that is Birra Moretti. Today, Mr. Moretti is played by the famous actor Orso Maria Guerrini.

La Rossa pours a nutty amber brown. Sweet, caramelly malt smell and a bit bready. I did a great job pouring, an inch of head settled down to a thin film that perfectly covered the murky brown beer. Nice taste, malty and nutty. Tastes better cold.

• Appearance: 2.5/3
• Aroma: 8.5/12
• Palate: 3/5
• Flavor: 15/20
• Overall: 7/10

Rating: 3.6

Well, I came for the music, not the beer. Thank god for a cooler full of Tecate. Getting pumped for some great bands today; Kings of Leon, New Pornographers, Ozomatli, !!!, The Good the Bad & the Queen, Chili Peppers. We’ll see what else catches my fancy.

Last night we got there just in time to miss Amy Winehouse, but caught the tail end of the Arctic Monkeys and Stephen & Damien Marley. Then we checked out the Italian DJ Benny Benassi and the Brazilian Girls before laying out on the grass and taking in some Bjork. So many bands, you really have to pace yourself.

I do have to say, I’m a little sad to miss this years Hollywood Beer Pong Tournament at El Guapo.

Who am I kidding? I don’t miss it at all. El Guap is a terrible place to play Beirut. Who wants to pay 12 bucks for a pitcher of Miller Lite? Keep Beirut where it belongs: in the backyard.

Interesting to know that Red Hook was just ranked #12 of this year’s top 50 breweries

The tap itself is shaped like (gasp) a long sledgehammer. The pint poured a light yellow with no head. Spicy aroma, I guess that’s the yeast. Very pungent smell, a lot of character to it, almost citrusy. Alright texture, hardly any bubbles. Taste is flat, but earthy, and a bit metallic. OK for an IPA, but I would rather have a pint of the Blonde, or their Copperhook.

It’s funny, I used to know a kid in elementary school whose name was CJ Longhammer. If Longhammer was my last name, I would probably have a much higher opinion of this beer. Like my aunt and uncle, Bridget & Mike Miller. They love them some Miller.

I guess by this reasoning, I should be a big fan of Sticke Alt, but unfortunately, it’s a style I have yet to try. Maybe next time I’m in Deutschlandia.

• Appearance: 1/3
• Aroma: 10.5/12
• Palate: 3.5/5
• Flavor: 12/20
• Overall: 6.5/10

Rating: 3.45

“Beer in supermarkets in Utah is weak, 3 points instead of the normal 6 points of alcohol. It’s the religious influence, and a pain in the ass. Now to me, it makes no sense. If you’ve got alcohol, you’ve got alcohol. So why 3 instead of 6? You know a drunk’s just going to drink twice as many beers to get drunk, so you not only have a drunk on your hands, you have a drunk who’s fat and gross. There’s nothing worse.”

In order to get decent quaff for their upcoming party, Stevo and friends go on a beer pilgrimage to Wyoming. You gotta admire that type of dedication; roadtripping across state lines to buy beer. But I guess that’s what I would do if I was living in Utah, where the liquor laws are so effed up.

Believe it or not, things are even worse in Alabama. Currently, it is illegal to buy or sell beer that is

1. Over 6% alcohol
2. In a container larger than 16 oz.

This is pure insanity. Luckily I live in California, far enough removed from the midwest that I don’t have to care, but if I lived in Alabama, I would be outraged. OUTRAGED.

The most maddening part? Wine and liquor face none of the same restrictions. Is this some sort of conspiracy between the Top Three breweries to keep Alabama drinking watery, fizzy yellow beer? I don’t understand, and I’m not sure I want to. But if you want answers, take a look at this history of beer in Alabama.

If this subject really fires you up, Jay at Brookston Beer Bulletin wrote an excellent article about the Free The Hops movement, and current legislation trying to fix things.

Bruno was right, Alabama is the gayest part of America!

Beers that are going with me:

• Quilmes
• Shiner Bock
• Rogue Dead Guy (thanks to Andrew, Trace, and Bob for the rec)
• Firestone Double Barrel
• Hacker-Schorr Hefeweizen
• and I might pick up some Tecate on the way

Wooooo, spring break 2007! Haha. Be back on Thursday.

Cheers.

Next week I think I’m going to get into mainstream beers. I just realized, I’ve sorta been alienating a lot of potential readers with a bevy of beers they’ve never heard of. So next week I think I’ll do some of the solid, go-to beers like Newcastle, Red Stripe, perhaps even Corona? I’m talking about stuff you can buy at your local gas station. ON TO THE BEER.

Fischer Amber is solid. I’ve had it a few times, way before I even came up with the idea for this site. It comes in a Grolsch-like bottle (except brown instead of green) and I have been saving the empties up to use for bottling once I finally start brewing my own beer.

Fischer pours a cloudy brown. Medium bubbles, OK head. Good malty smell, and fragrant hops, but I can’t quite put my finger on the smell. Not the greatest body, a bit too much carbonation on the tip of my tongue and lips. It seems a bit thin or watery, but what it lacks in texture it makes up with flavor.

A tad sweet at first, the middle is almost sour, with a lightly bitter finish. At $3.99 for a 22 oz. bottle, it’s a bit expensive for what it is, but definitely worth a try.

• Appearance: 1.5/3
• Aroma: 9/12
• Palate: 2/5
• Flavor: 16/20
• Overall: 7/10

Rating: 3.55

About a week into the run, I discovered a quaint little pub around the corner from the venue called Proctor’s, a great place to drop in for a wee dram. I would say they had between 65 to 80 bottles of single malt scotch. Every bottle had a ribbon tied around its neck, which signified its price. It was off the beaten path, and there was always the exact same group of weird Scottish barflies that would always hit on Melissa and Allie. We would stop in 2-3 times a week after performances for a pint of McEwan’s or some wine.

One day, while investigating some new beer choices, I asked the bartender about the tap with the little swirly B on it.

“Euh, thet’s Buedweiser.”

What the shit? Do people really drink this stuff over here? I couldn’t believe it, and expressed my dismay to the bar. The guy sitting two stools down enlightened me.

“Neu, neu, neu. Thus isn’t yeur American beer, thus us theu Real Buedweizer” (The Scots that hung out at this place were harder to understand than most).

I didn’t know it at the time, but Anheuser-Busch is widely despised in Europe. It is pretty annoying how they stole the name Budweis (a type of beer brewed in the South Bohemian Region town of Budějovice, just like how the Pilsner style originated from the town of Pilsen) and then copyrighted it, branded it, and sued anyone else who tried to use that name. In fact, Budvar wasn’t available in the US until 2001, when it rebranded itself as Czechvar to appease Budweiser’s lawyers.

In an interesting turn of events, this past January, Anheuser-Busch and Budějovicky formed an agreement for A-B to market and distribute Czechvar in the U.S. But will this agreement help resolve any of their century-old legal battles? Don’t count on it.

Well, there’s your history lesson for today. Now on to the beer.

Czechvar pours a solid golden yellow. There are light malt notes with a skunky yet sweet bouquet. The texture is a bit watery, but this seems acceptable for the style. The taste is crisp and clean, and definitely a lot better than American Budweiser.

• Appearance: 2/3
• Aroma: 8/12
• Palate: 3.5/5
• Flavor: 13/20
• Overall: 7.5/10

Rating: 3.4

It was on tap all over the place, you could get it at Woodstock’s with a Garlic Bird pizza, MMMmmmm. But in LA I am just as content to drink it out of the bottle.  Fortuately, it’s starting to show up more and more around here, in grocery stores and on tap.  I found one at Ralph’s the other day. Such a pleasant and soothing taste that always puts a smile on my face.

Small & diminishing head, clear (and quite loverly) light brown color. The hops give an earthy, flowery smell. It has a complex, full body with medium carbonation. Sharp and crisp at first, yielding to a medium bitter, short lasting finish.

• Appearance: 2.5/3
• Aroma: 10/12
• Palate: 4/5
• Flavor: 17/20
• Overall: 8.5/10

Rating: 4.2

You might not realize it, but we are living in the midst of a Beer Renaissance, where incredible beer from all over the planet is available at our fingertips. The huddled masses, who yearn to breathe free, are no longer stuck drinking swill like Bud or Coors. The advent of sites like Beer Advocate has made it possible to pull up information on virtually any beer in the world with just a few clicks of the mouse.

With all these choices, beer can become a bit daunting. Even when you’re standing in the cooler section at Ralphs, you have a good 40 different types of beer staring you down. “Pick me! Pick me!” they cry. I swear, sometimes I feel like Angelina walking through an orphanage. I wish I could choose them all, and give all of them a good home, but c’mon David, let’s stay on track here. You came to the store to grab a 12-pack, and that’s it. Stay focused.

It’s times like these where it just seems easiest to grab a box of Pacifico and be done with it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes you need to push your boundaries a little bit, and try something new. And that’s where rating comes in.

If you want to expand your horizons, you’re going to have to try a lot of new beer. And how are you going to remember all those sweet pours, malty aromas, crisp sips and bitter finishes without breaking out the ol’ pen and paper? It’s worth the time it takes to sit down and identify all the unique characteristics, and figure out what it is about beer that you really enjoy.

It would be a shame for all the notes in my Moleskine to go unread, so I have decided to publish them here for all to see.

Beer is my passion. I don’t yet consider myself to be a true connoisseur, but hell, I’m 23 years old, I’ve got many beers ahead of me. I expect my tastes and preferences to change over time, and hopefully that evolution can be chronicled through my posts.

Welcome to my site.

Cheers,

Dave

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