Beer Travels - California
A few weeks ago we took a family vacation to the Los Angeles
area to visit family and take the little one to Disney. We had some time
available here and there so we stopped at a few breweries (a few with my just
my brother and I and a couple as a family). As with most breweries in the
area, they all seem to be in some type of industrial park or industrial
"strip mall" if you will. I follow all of them on some type of social
media but primarily on Instagram and Facebook. Here are my notes from
each trip.
This was our first stop as I had heard a lot of good things
about them but have never had a chance to try them out. A Belgian
inspired brewery they also do really well with IPA's and Sours. It just
so happened that they were holding a release the morning we went. I
didn't make the release but they had the beers on tap (Atomically and I Never
Sleep). I did try both of those beers out and while I personally would not wait
in line for an IPA, they were pretty solid. I tried three other Belgian
style beers (Anomaly, Seme Della Vita and Shadowboxing), and two sours
(Vellichor and Stone Kisses). I also ended up buying a bottle of
Vellichor to take home. The ambiance is pretty cool with good music in
the background and visuals on the walls. Right when you walk in, the tap
room looks tiny but you have access to the brewery which has a lot more space.
With lots of beers on tap you are bound to find something you like. One
point to note, with their flights you get one beer at a time. This helps save
on glassware but I also feel it allows you to really think through what the
next beer you want is.
We got here just in time for last call and I am glad we did.
I felt they had a more diverse offering in the form of styles than
Monkish Brewery did. The tap room was wide open spaces inside the brewery
with plenty of seating when we got there. This taproom and beer list was more
my speed so I wish we would have come here first. As typical, if there is
a stout or something barrel aged I am going for it. I tried the Bourbon Barrel
O.E which was so good that I bought a bottle for a friend as a gift. I
also tried the Irish stout and two sours. I could've stayed for a few
more hours and when I am back in the area will be making it a point to come
back here.
As with most of my brewery visits on this trip, it was all a
matter of fitting it in. Since we were driving past, we decided to stop
by. Similar setup to Smog City, it was a wide open space within the
brewery itself. They had a bags set to help keep you busy while you
chugged down beers. They also had a pretty good mix of styles so I tried
a stout, brown ale, a few IPA's and a wit bier. While I do feel there make some
pretty solid brews I am not sure there was enough there to have me go back for
a second trip. I did really enjoy their Batch 100 which of course is a
stout and I did pick up a bottle of that too. As with Monkish, their flight was
one beer at a time.
A trip down towards San Diego typically isn't complete
without a stop at Stone. This happened to be my second trip here, the
first being three years prior. This trip was a touch disappointing and
has me rethinking of making a return visit. As a disclaimer, I do not
pretend to understand the restaurant business but I do understand perception
and what I am about to tell you is my perception. We got there after what
we assumed would be a lunch rush and it did seem to be a slower time. When I
asked for a table they told me it would be a 30-minute wait unless I wanted to
sit at the bar. I took a look at the bar and while there was not a seat
to be had, the dining area looked extremely empty and had me wondering why
there was a wait. After about 20 minutes we got seated outside and was
greeted almost immediately by our server. He started out amazing by
walking us through the tap list and taking our daughters order. That was the
highlight of our interaction as the remainder of the time it felt like we were
being ignored. He never even asked me if I wanted another beer (which I
did). The prices are pretty high as well on their food. I guess I now
understand when people say "well, it is Stone". Gorgeous
facility with good food and awesome beers. They lack the personal touches
from their staff to make this a truly amazing place and experience. Instead, we
focus on the things wrong and that is what makes us not want to go back.
If you haven't been, you really need to experience it for yourself.
This was the wild card visit. My buddy Joel let me
know that we had an opportunity to visit this yet to be opened to the public
taproom by Terreux. What I can only call the "sour arm" of The
Bruery, the excitement of a larger location means more people get to experience
what is one of my favorite breweries. Coming here we knew that we would
mainly be drinking sours but imagine by surprise to see some other styles
available. Since we got an invite to come here (VIP), we were able to order
anything off the menu. Chocolate Rain? Don't mind if I do. We tried
different versions of their Frucht line which was damn tasty along with some
beers we never heard of that have to be taproom only releases. The
outdoor area is gorgeous and with full view of the barrels in the tap room it's
going to be a hard decision on which location to go to next time I am in town.
Who am I kidding, I will probably go to both! My only wish is one day to
take a tour of both locations.... I cannot believe I have never taken a tour
for how often I have been there.
Hope you enjoyed reading the not so comprehensive reviews of
the places we visited. If you like what we are doing here, tell a
friend!! Please leave any feedback you may have on topics, writing
styles, beers to try, dogs to pet, cars to drive... you get the idea.
Cheers to you!!
Comments
Post a Comment