Or perhaps a brewery tour. There's a bunch of breweries in the San Diego area worth sampling: Green Flash, Pizza Port, Stone, Coronado... just to name a few. A few of the local pubs even have Brewery Tours where you pay a small fee, they load up a party bus, and drive you around to all of the breweries. Ymm beer!
Green Flash is a good brewery. Their IPA is fantastic and they do an extra pale ale that's a good summer brew.
Duck Rabbit is also top notch. IIRC, they specialize in dark beers and maybe only make exclusively darker brews?
GABF is next weekend and I think I need to review this thread and see what breweries I need to check out. If I can get a nice list, I can be sure to hit those first before the alcohol sets in.
You are correct on about Duck Rabbit. I have never had any of their session beers (amber, porter, stout) but their seasonals (baltic porter, barleywine, imperial stout) have all been very good and somewhat distinctive.
The World Beer Festival is in Derm this weekend but, alas, I have no tickets. It's also $40/session and I think I can procure $40 worth of high quality brews and enjoy them over several weeks instead of several hours.
Stone is probably my least favorite of the local breweries. Now that's not to say that I dislike them, I enjoy their brews but tend to only have one beer before I'm ready to move on. I prefer to have one of the beers towards the end of the evening, when I need to wake up the numbed taste buds. Green Flash and Pizza Port have far more beers that are easier, and more enjoyable on the palate, especially if you're going for a quantity.
To all that are interested, let me know if you ever want to sample a selection of local brews. I'd be happy to trade.
P.S. I grew up in NC (have only been in CA for about 4 years) and happily know the Carolina Brewery but don't know Duck Rabbit. What happened to Cottonwood?
Last edited by 2535Miles; 10-02-2008 at 12:26 PM. Reason: P.S.
Anyone try the new AB/Inbev offering, Anheuser American Ale? Just wondering if it's worth picking up a sixer to try...
I have tried several of their other "micros" and have been less than impressed. I guess you could but a 6er (cheaper that way) and if you did not like it after 1 or 2, take it to a party as a gift or share it at a picnic with some other folks or trade with another person.
Nosferatu-Great Lakes Brewing Company-Their stock ale. Interesting brew with some features of an IPA (grapefruity), an IIPA (more grapefruity and higher ABV at 8%), a barleywine (a bit cloying with some high malty smoothness) and a rich brown ale with some fig and date fruitiness. Old Coast Brewing Company has a stock ale that is their annual barleywine. I'll have to find some of that this winter to compare the "stock ales."
A Mishiwaka product. Brown color, low carbonation, no nuttiness, no fruity aroma, mild malt. This is a mild brown ale, with mild initial bitterness, but with bitterness coming through much later in the taste. This does have a little more alcohol taste than some of their other products. A decent product, but I tend to prefer the nut brown ales.
Ymm, Beer... 1/2
Cheers,
Lavabe
Alright devildeac, this is VERY weird. I just wanted to double check on the 7 Mules, and I am very glad I did. Nowhere on the label does it say it's a brown ale. I opened a second.
The next one I opened poured not brown, but amber to gold! It was definitely on the sour side, slight fruity nose, with good, steady bitterness, and low on the malt, mild head. The bitterness was mild. There was a slight alcohol taste, but nothing overpowering. Just to verify the second bottle, I opened a third bottle ... which confirmed that my first must have been an errant bottle of brown ale near the 7 Mules.
So my ranking of 7 Mules has changed.
Ymm, Beer ...
I must have pulled out a brown ale next to the 7 Mules... but I can't figure out which one. I also noticed that the first bottle was double-labeled (one placed slightly off but on top of the other), both labels being 7 Mules. Is it possible that the first bottle may have been mislabeled? Have you ever have that happen? I've had skunky beers before (as in my recent BBC review), but mislabeled ones? How likely is that?
Weird times. Would love to get your review of 7 Mules.
Cheers,
Lavabe
That's bizarre. I have not had one yet but will tonight based on the curiosity raised from your posts. I hope you did not drink 3 of them in one night as their web site describes this product as 10% ABV. I am expecting a barleywine type ale with that description and from their web site. Was your 7 Mules "skunky?" Not looking like you'll search out many more Mishawaka products on any subsequent road trips you may make to Indiana.
[Removed sad emoticon at end of quote]
It wasn't skunky in aroma/taste like the BBC product I wanted to review. Can "skunky" change the color of the product? I've never seen that happen before. What precisely happens when a brew goes skunky?
I reviewed their IndiaNa PA the other day, and liked it. Although not a typical IPA, it was a nice and interesting brew. So, I am still looking forward to more of their brews. I went through one (half) 7 Mules on debate night. I went through a second one in the middle of last night. I then sacrificed one for a third taste, but will keep the rest for preparaing a stew today.
Please note the following scale:
0 emoticons: Stay away (e.g., Coors Light)
1 emoticon: Average at best
2 emoticons: Good, worth a try if it's in your local store (e.g.,Newcastle)
3 emoticons: Yes, definitely worth investing in (e.g., Jefferson's Reserve; Moose Drool)
4 emoticons: An all-timer (e.g., Longshot Hazelnut Brown Ale, Schlafly Pumpkin); travel 100+ miles to get it
Thanks for reporting the ABV. That would account for that element of my report of its taste.
Cheers,
Lavabe
I'll try to break this down so as not to make a real lengthy post (more on the post counter, too)
I have not had that many "skunky" beers but I don't think it can change the color. It will change the aroma/nose, obviously. I have seen the clarity of the product change also. I had some Adams (as in Hair of the Dog Brewing company from Portland, Oregon) which were fabulous. I bought some several years ago in Virginia which were truly horrid. They over-foamed (if there is such a word), tasted like wet cardboard and smelled awful. They were also rather cloudy. I think, even though they are bottle-conditioned, that they were either bottled bad or exposed to higher heat in "shipping" them east and spoiled from the temperatures. That made me sad as I know what quality those folks strive for as I toured their warehouse, err, brewery, in the past and was able to talk to 1 or 2 of the brewmeisters. Plus, they were about $4/12 ounces at the time.
Manhattan Beach Brewing Company is your standard brew pub. I've been there a few times. The food is good, and the beers are enjoyable. I wasn't really in the mindset of "reviewing" the brews, but to me, if you've been to one of these types of restaurant/breweries, you've been to them all. They have their Pale Ale, a darker Ale, a Wheat beer, and the seasonal rotation. It's in a cool location, and is a great place to spend the afternoons in the summer but I honestly can't remember a standout beer.
Tomorrow, I'll be picking up some beer from Firestone, another great local brewery in Carlsbad. Not sure if I'll have internet access (house sitting with a friend) but I'll try to post a review if I have some time.
Cheers!
Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale-Delicious. A lighter brown ale with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger (I think) with a hint of pumpkin. Smooth and malty with minimal hop nose/taste. 8% ABV-hidden well. Pumpkin pie in a bottle. I think this would be delicious with a dessert bread/cake, though I'd still prefer a large glass of cold milk. I'm reconsidering this with a "cakey" donut, but no KK or glazed stuff. I'm glad I kept more of this 6er than Lavabe, but he can get more in L'ton and I can't in NC. Time for a trip to Total Wine or Whole Foods this week to find some Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale to compare.
Seven Mules Kick I'm a real wanker for saying thisI'm a real wanker for saying thisI'm a real wanker for saying this Ale (really, that's the name of the beer)-Mishawaka Brewing Company-I got one of the golden colored ales. Clear, not cloudy. Kind of a cross between an IIPA and a barleywine with piney/sprucey notes but no cannibis or floral tones. I think their web site description of a "summer barleywine" is pretty accurate as the hops are there, but not over-powering and there is some malty smoothness to it. There is also a hint of honey (probably not brewed with honey, however) making it a bit smoother than your typical barleywine. I'd have another of these (but I think I will trade next week with someone who really wants to try this). I'll try to get a Duvel or Chimay in return.