Not all who Wander are Lost

Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?

Is it right to reanimate this blog from ye olde days of yore? Though, given the loss of breweries like 21st Amendment and now, more recently, Rogue Ales, maybe a little necromancy is in order.

I'm older, not much wiser, and, well a lot has changed since 2012...

I did eventually get that Victory at Sea, hell, I managed to get cases of it back when I was working for "evil grocery corporation" and now Pliny the Elder is so popular, you can find it practically anywhere. Shit, they've got it on tap at the bar across the street from where I work now, and it's always Happy Hour. No, seriously, this bar has like a six hour long "happy hour", wherein beers are $6. You can't fucking beat craft beer at that price. 

Hell, even "near beer" got better in the decade I've been slacking off from the blog. No shit, I like Heineken 0.0 over actual leaded Heineken. La Chouffe even has a near beer! And...it's actually good. Yes, non-alcoholic beer is becoming tastier and more accessible.

Truthfully, I quit writing for a long time until around January of 2024 when I sat down in a fit of mania and ended up not only completing but publishing a fantasy novel under a pen name. My dad, the best drinking buddy and staunchest supporter I had, used to ask me from time to time why I didn't continue "the beer blog". Truth is, I don't have an answer. Once I started working full time I just sort of put any designs I had of being a full time writer on hold. I forgot about it. But, maybe only recently have I been reminded that you can still be an adult with responsibilities and continue pursuing shit that makes you happy. Hell, you have to. The world is...well, did any of us ever wake up and expect the last five years to end up the way they did?

I lost my dad in 2016, and ended up moving to Monterey in pursuit of happiness some time later. While I didn't find what I was looking for in the end, I did end up drinking a lot of great micro beer and read a lot of Steinbeck. Actually, the craft brewery next to my first apartment just announced they're closing their doors too. Now that all will remain of English Ales is a sweatshirt I bought out of necessity and a personalized stein because I wanted to be one of the cool kids. And that's a fucking shame, honestly. As these were proper fucking English style ales and not some reimagined version of the kind of pint you'd find in the Isles. I was fortunate, in hindsight, I lived close enough to Dust Bowl Brewing that you'd undoubtedly find me chilling out on the patio, enjoying the one week of sunshine we were afforded, drinking the grassiest India Pale Ale. I lived stumbling distance from English Ales at one juncture. And later I haunted places like Alvarado Street, which had a monopoly on local craft beer, or California Seltzer Company in Pacific Grove. But to be fair, while I will never be a seltzer gal, they did have oysters as big as my fucking face on happy hour and I was happy to gobble them up. 

Maybe I should've revived the blog during my adventures in Bulgaria. Where, surprise surprise, they have a craft beer scene that puts our sours and pastry stouts to fucking shame. You haven't lived until you've had tomato beer. That's right, fucking tomato beer. Not a Michi, a fucking ale brewed with tomatoes that tastes like a damn V8 but goes down like redneck water on a humid summer after wandering around Sofia for hours. I certainly thought about it, sitting at High 5 night after night, for a couple weeks and shooting the shit with the Russian ex-pats who run the place.

Craft beer is what ended up bringing my dad and I together, sort of. See, after his longterm partner died, we tried to find *something* to bond over. Cue Thanksgivings up in Oregon, wherein, despite being underage, I got to drink with the guy because we ran on European rules. He took me to numerous craft bars when I turned legal age, indulged me in stopping at random holes in the wall on adventures, and brought home weird foreign beer for me to try on a regular basis.

Perhaps with the loss of independent breweries coinciding with the ten year anniversary of my dad's death, I'm back in mourning. It certainly feels like it. While this was never an insanely popular blog, it was my way of spending time with my dad. It was something I looked forward to.

Maybe its return is part memory lane and part act of rebellion. Like I have written at the top, "Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy". While I can't save every microbrewery from here to Timbuktu, as I'm certainly not a wealthy woman, I can write about them.

And I'm rather fond of writing these days.       

The Crest Homebrew Awesomeness

I've been a working girl lately and haven't really had much luxury time to update the blog like I keep promising I will. I have been keeping up with my Untapp'd account, so you can see all my cool beers there. Or follow me on Twitter, @38rakia

In regards to the last blog, I'll fill ya'll in on what happened when the product finished. SO, puffed millet is not a good substitute for the actual thing. I let it ferment for 2 weeks in my garage and maybe it was the cooler weather that didn't help it out but either way, what I ended up with made me violently ill and I had to unfortunately dump the entire thing.

However, I will be trying to co-brew a mead soon. Provided I can find 6lbs of honey, and honey--ain't cheap.

For those of you in the know, Blue Palms Brewhouse is open once again. Great selection, they have bottles like 38 Degrees--but not nearly as many. Their sausages are fantastic. As my buddy who decided to throw his birthday there said, "anything with Foie Gras is always the right choice". Seriously, the duck foie gras sausage will tempt you into never leaving. They had quite a selection of beers on tap and they had really seriously reasonable prices. The space is small, but frankly, so is Tony's Darts Away. Welcome back Blue Palms!

Speaking of beginnings, you may notice the title of this blog is extremely different. I know, you're thinking "What in the 7 hells is The Crest?". So, in the little town of La Crescenta where I grew up there was once a bar called Whisperz, where you constantly felt like you were going to get stabbed. First and last time I had been to the location, the bartenders and regulars were wearing white, except my friends and I. Needless to say, everyone was thickly tattooed and sort of had that look like they were Hard Core. So we abandoned ship after Kamakaize shots to go to The Fat Dog (hipster infested). But there's a new sheriff in town.

Now the owner has had the place for about a year, and while the outside screams dive bar, simply a neon sign that says "Cocktails"--they have great live bands. Sure, it could use a little decor love. And the peeling paint in the ladies loo reminded me that I was in former Whisperz. It's pretty barren decor wise, but it's clean and that's the important part. That--and not feeling like you're going to get shived. They serve TRUE PINTS. This is SUPER IMPORTANT. Seasoned Beero's know the beveled glass that the Irish and so on consider "True Pints". But for those of you who don't, you're being cheated when you're handed a straight "pint" glass. In a true pint there's a little muffin top in the glass near the rim, this makes it not only eaiser to not drop the glass when you're nice and fubar, but makes it a true legitimate "pint". Beer Honesty, it's important.

Upon first glance, the bar is pretty dead. I mean, there were maybe at most 40 people including us last night between the 2 homebrews I enjoyed. This place deserves a fighting chance, before it becomes lost to time like so many other bars have. My hometown can now brag that we have a legit craft beer bar that hasn't been invaded or overcrowded yet, with TRUE PINTS. Normally the draft selection is extremely impressive, I mean, I was hearing of beers that I know are extremely difficult to get a hold of. And the fact that they stock these is incredible. Now, a bottle selection would be doubly impressive, but, just the fact that they can get their hands on great hard to come by beer is insane.

The bar staff is extremely friendly, I mean when you want a beer it's instant that you are served. They're well educated in their product. They carry cocktails too, hard booze, and some great scotch (hint hint). I mean they really hit pay dirt with what they stock. Now, the Griffin on Los Feliz stocks my favorite vodka Russian Standard, and they carry some seriously insane hard alcohol--The Crest blows them out of the water on having great top shelf stuff.

There's live music, and not crappy music either. Whoever lines up the bands is really good at diversity, and I thank you, even if I can't hear right out of one of my ears currently (my fault, I picked the worst possible seat acoustically). Every last Friday of the month is Home Brew night, and the guys who bring their wonderful tasty children in for the masses deserve medals. There was a chili beer last night being served that is seriously hands down the very best. Stone did one, 6 Rivers has one that allegedly wins medals--lies. I don't know what this guy's secret was but it wasn't undertoned like Stone's Anaheim Chili beer or overdone like 6 Rivers abomination called "chili flavored beer"--it's like drinking liquefied peppers with carbonation, it's foul truly. I never got the man's name but he's ranked about as high as my brewmaster cousin. And no one out does my cousin. Ever.

They had 4 IPA's available and as you know, I'm not a fan of IPA anymore, but these were greatly done. I would've had a pint of every one but I hadn't eaten that day and drunkness does not become me. At 8+%, I'm not about to risk it. There was a Caramel IPA that was velvety, smooth, finished off really nicely.

If you want to dive headfirst into Home Brew, you need to go to The Crest every last Friday of the month. Hell, just go to the Crest either way. I know I am, don't get me wrong, I love TDA and stuff but The Crest is closer to home and I'm interested in seeing how it develops. After a year, it should be popping by now, this bar has a TON of potential.

Thank you gentlemen for the wonderful evening, you'll see me again real soon.

You can find out more about The Crest by going to www.lacrestbar.com

They were raffling off an infused bottle of tequila made by the owner, sadly, I did not win.

Anyways, I'm off to drink an Xingu (which is so good, go buy some, support the rainforest). Hopefully soon I can get back into doing my notes and bringing you better posts.

Home Brew Attempt: Boza, or something like it...

Okay, so I decided last week I was going to try my hand at home brewing beer.

Well while what I'm attempting to make isn't exactly "beer", it's alcoholic and made with grain--so for me, it counts. Kind of.

Boza is a drink from Bulgaria/Turkey (The Turks make it with Bulgur, the Bulgarians with Millet, Corn, etc, but millet seems to be "the best")that's basically fermented flour, wild yeast, and a lot of sugar. I don't know how big a "teacupful" is, but I just used a standard measuring cup (more sugar = more alcohol). Now, I balked at the notion of wild yeast because that can be downright dangerous, so I bought a packet of dry ale yeast (Nottingham) from Eagle Rock Home Brew Supply. One of the nice things about using Millet, is that it's a Gluten Free grain/seed/whatever, so those of you with Celiac or on Gluten Free diets should try making this. Nottingham's ale yeast is also Gluten Free. There's a few beers out there that are "Gluten Free", Colorado has a milling/malt company that sells Malted Millet--however, I am destitute and cheap and I'm not about to shell out 150 USD for a 50LB bag of malted millet. However, I would love to split a bag with several people sometime and try making Boza that way.

The recipe is pretty simple, and you can find it HERE. Basically, the woman who collaborated with other Bulgarian Housewives to see how to make "the best". Now, Boza touted something else too, other than a breakfast beverage served with banitsa--apparently it claims to increase your woman's breast size. I guess it's a damn good reason to go vacation in Bulgaria! BTW, I know I'm super late but--happy martenitsa, ya'll. Interesting side note, they think the word "Booze" comes from the word "Boza" (which I guess is said like "boo-za").

I know that beer does increase your bust size--but also the rest of you. Boobs are basically fat, so getting heavier will make them bigger. So, yeah I guess if you drink enough Boza (like every time you drink) then sure, your breasts or your significant others breast size will probably increase in size. When Bulgaria joined the EU, the tagline "Increase Her Boobs!" was so wildly popular, countries were snatching it off the shelves. Frankly, I guess I'll find out if my not-so-boza will do the same for me. Here's a few articles in regards to the boob increasing claim: Here and Here

So while I'm not making "typical" Housewife Boza, (I didn't find millet flour, but I did find millet eventually) and while I'm not letting it ferment for 2-3 days (a week), I followed the recipe online. I roasted the millet in my oven at 350 for about an hour, but I would really watch it--otherwise it could burn. I ground about 2 1/2 cups of millet in a pepper mill and started boiling my water. I boiled millet and sugar (2 1/2-3 cups) for about an hour at 150 degrees. I only used a gallon of purified water from our filtered system. ALWAYS use spring water or purified water, it makes all the difference. When the mixture got down to about 80 degrees, I put it in my fermenting jug and added my dry yeast. In order to cool it quickly from 150 to 80 degrees, I filled my sink with ice water and kept changing the water when it got tepid. You can watch the temp jump 10 degrees every time you do this. It's quicker than waiting around. Yeast cannot survive in boiling water, DO NOT add the yeast when you boil.

If you decide to make this too, make sure you leave room in the fermenting container so that if the yeast decides to really take off it doesn't come foaming out the top. If you think it may foam, put your fermenting container in a bucket, easier to clean. Make sure you sterilize your equipment, I cannot stress that enough. You're messing with biology and while you may think "my dishwasher cleans everything!" trust me--go buy BFT (an iodine cleaner you do not need to rinse out, but personally, I would) or else use bleach and rinse everything really really well.

Now instead of letting it sit for 2-3 days, I'm gonna let it go for a week and see what happens. I think with all that sugar though, this may not be the best tasting boza--but it's going to have a decent amount of alcohol. Whether this increases my breast size, only time will tell. I'll be doing a review on this concoction when it's done (Tuesday, which I'm gonna strain and bottle it). I'm going to assume my tweaking, is probably going to make this taste awful. For those of you in Southern California, millet--hulled or flour--is HARD to find. I managed to find it at Sprouts in Burbank. But they only sell the hulled variety.

This broke girl just found herself a job as well, which means more beers, more blogs. More reviews, more home brews. SO. I will see you all when my Wannabe Boza is completed. Thirsty Thursday to you all.

Winterfest; an occupational hazard, and a network!

I meant to post this all last night but I got sort of sidetracked.

Winterfest was a large venue at the Belasco, which of course had long lines and beers being changed every time I turned around. There were a lot of people running around with taster glasses who ended up bitching that "why did I pay 38 bucks for this bs, when you have a beer stein that they fill half way!". Yeah they do fill the stein up--and that would be fine if we were Vikings or at a friend's house. When you have 8 beers, most of them being 10% or higher--you want that dinky glass, you do not want to be me. Walkin around--not all there.

I started off with Ta Henket, which I could've and would've drank all day. A nice Dogfish brew with a little sweet honey after taste, considering it was part of my breakfast. Not very alcoholic and they filled my glass up all the way. Now, seriously, I cannot stress enough. Buy the tasters and the steins. See, with the tasters, you can get a little bit of the heavy stuff and if you're like me and you don't really like it--at least you only have an itty bitty glass. Something like Ta Henket--don't bother with the taster. Throw it in a stein.

I ended up grabbing a Golden Road Heffe after some Eagle Rock Deuce (which is Solidarity doubled)and tastes an awful like vanilla extract. Aside from that, I went around to just about every booth. Half the beers I had Untappd didn't have and I forgot at one point to start keeping track. Truth is, I never did find Victory at Sea or Pliny the Younger before my journey came to an end.

Now that taster/stein thing is a wee ridiculous and here's why.

If you get a 5 oz taster and you want to drink more, buy a stein to go with it. Or else have a friend give you one. If you already know what you like, don't buy a taster glass. It's the same cost per token to fill my stein as it is to fill your taster. Yeah, stein versus taster. The tasters for the more seasoned drinkers are a rip off, and one woman told me "They didn't accurately describe what we were getting from the 5 oz taster". A LOT of people I encountered with tasters were livid. They felt seriously ripped off.

SO, if you like to drink and you want more bang for your buck. Buy the stein, don't buy that taster glass. Or trade with a friend for a stein. But if you want to try a variety of beer, buy the tasters. If not, buy the stein. But you've been warned. It costs the same token to fill the stein as it does to fill the taster.

The guy in line slipped up and said tokens were 5 bucks each or 4 for 20. My dad being the more brainy of us two went, "well then give me 5 for 20, neither of those are a deal" and then he corrected himself to 6$ a piece. I really hope they use the same tokens at the next event because I still have like 4 of them.

Now the glasses are 15 bucks each, for the stein. And seriously, go to Tony's or Mohawk Bend to pick them up, do not buy them online. It's far easier to get in with the glass in hand line than it is for the online section. If you'd prefer the taster glass, which in a package is either 28$ or 38$ depending on if you want 5 or 10 taster tokens (you get a fancy blue wrist band!)--which I will probably opt for next time and when I'm less broke. Tokens come in packages too, 4 for 20 is not a bad deal, however I think it's a deal for the $38 dollar package for more taste friendly people like me. My opinion on the tasters though...If you opt for them, you should get a free taste of it before committing 6 dollars to filling your cup. I know, it's about $ but seriously. I don't think 5oz equates to $6. I might be saying that because I am currently underemployed and I am cheap, but I'm also saying that because people were really angry. In the event anyone with a say in ColLAboration reads this, $6 for a 5oz taster is highway robbery. $3 dollars for a taster or free (fill it less than half way, like they do at Tony's when you ask for a sample)--would be a much happier experience for people.

Now Beer fests like these are an opportunity for you social mushrooms to meet other people. We ran into another guy who wore the same fez as my buddy. Blogger hates when I try to upload photos, but I will attempt to post them at the bottom of this page.

Also, speaking of social opportunities, my god there were so many women there. I didn't realize just how many chicks are into craft beer, I was actually really amazed because I didn't think we were a majority. For single people like me, you get thrown into a situation where you get to mingle with other singles in your area, who love beer about as much as you do. I got a few people telling me I should learn how to brew my own beer or asking me if I brew my own beer. Honestly, I am not a very patient person and as much as I love the idea of doing that--again--I am really very broke. And brewkits cost quite a bit of money. Plus, I'd probably actually screw up more than be successful. Brewfests are all about a common interest, and although it was hipster dominated--you meet a lot of people. Especially if like me, you're a smoker and you run out.

Now, admittedly, I got pretty loaded--I tied on one two many beers and the Belsasco was just doing what they needed to do. So once I left to go find food--I was not allowed back in. Although to be fair, I wasn't going to drink anymore BELIEVE ME. I came home and took a power nap until this morning. I saw familiar faces, met a few new ones, and generally had a pretty good time other than being drunk towards the end there. But hey, it's an occupational hazard. And a lesson for the next time I go to ColLAboration, pacing and food is key. I am not a big drinker usually, so I don't quite know my own limits as far as "too much". My body tends to ninja me into this false sense of "I'm still okay" and then 10 minutes later "OH, I am not okay". Seriously, I think I'd be happier with tasters. And seriously, it's probably worth it in the long run--but not for 6 dollars a token for that. PLEASE change that with the tasters.

Thank you Ryan Sweeney (Verdugo/Surly Goat), Brian Lenzo (Blue Palms Brewhouse), Clay Harding (38 degrees), and Tony Yanow (Tony's, Mohawk, Golden Road) for this event. Without the four of you and your staff, we wouldn't have this event. People forget that we have to thank you guys for putting this on, and I would write you all a personal thank you note (as is dictated in Southern Tradition). Without you guys, without the planning and the detail--we wouldn't have a brewfest in LA. So thank you guys, for putting on one of the best beer events I've been to. Ever.

Oh and I never did find Pliny the Younger or Victory at Sea (but to be fair, the lines were so long that I'm sure they were released and instantly poof!). But I did find a lot of really unique beer that I had never heard of and that weren't on Untappd. ColLAboration was a great little event and frankly, they should do it more often. This was better than Portland Beerfest (Yes, I really said that). And someday I will find Pliny the Younger and there will be another Victory at Sea, but there's always next year. Or next brewfest. Whichever comes first.

Here's some pictures for ya'll. Until next time!

Winterfest...is coming

I know I said I wouldn't post UNTIL after Winterfest this weekend, but I'm excited and I want to share the love with ya'll. ColLAboration is a huge event, it's basically--38 Degrees, Tony's Darts Away, Mohawk Bend, Verdugo Bar, Blue Palms, and Surly Goat coming together to create an event for all of us beer lovers. Now ColLAboration has been hinting at what beers are going to be available during Winterfest--and admittedly my mouth dropped open when I found out yesterday they were going to be pouring...

It reminds you of Pirates of the Caribbean doesn't it? Anyways I spent 2 years looking for this beer before I found it one evening at Tony's Darts Away, believe me, between this beer and the newly released Pliny the Younger--I'm going to be all over the place. Now if you want to go, which you really should--you can buy glasses at Mohawk Bend or Tony's Darts Away. That glass is your ticket. And you get a cool beer stein to keep forever and ever. I might be wrong, and I will check at Winterfest but if you previously have a glass from another event--it still works as a ticket? Think I read that somewhere. There's taster tokens for purchasing your beer, which some of you might go "But I just spent 15 bucks on the glass!" SHHHHH. No. It's worth buying the tokens at the door so you can obtain said delicious beer. I'm not sure what the tokens go for, I thought they were 5 bucks a piece but I think that's probably wrong (math was never my best subject). Anyways there's all kinds of fun packages online Here for you to choose from. Now Pliny the Younger was debuted at Verdugo Bar last night and within 90 minutes 15 GALLONS were gone. Yeah, 15 gallons in about an hour and a half. So I suggest if you really want a taste of it, don't get there at noon--get there at 11:30. So you can be "one of those" people like me. Competition for that and Victory at Sea is going to be fierce. There are other CoLAboration venues during the year, but I'm not entirely sure when. Now if you're so broke you can't afford 15 bucks for a glass--there's all kinds of raffles going on via Twitter. ColLAboration themselves tweet about them, as does Tony's and Mohawk Bend. Hell, I just won 2 taster tokens--that's 2 free beers. I squealed like a school girl when I got the message about it today. You tweet? Cool, @ColLAborationLA is the twitter page. I'll be at Winterfest with my dad, aka "The Dude". He's good fun, I promise. So if you see me roaming around and you want to come up and say hello, by all means. Winterfest is being held at The Belasco on the 26th, from noon to 5pm. But seriously, you want Pliny the Younger--you should be there at 11:30. Otherwise, it'll be gone in 90 minutes or less. Also, a friend of mine who's tech savvy and knows more about this than I do (Oh sure, I could probably DIM, but I'm inherently lazy and I haven't used HTML in like...7 years) is going to be giving this blog a bit of a facelift. But this will be after the Winterfest blog--so you might want to read that one quickly before he starts making tweaks (Thank you Chris). See you at Winterfest.

Verdugo Bar, My Bloody Valentine, and 6.66% abv

So last night to celebrate some friends of mine and I went to Verdugo Bar. A friend knew where to go but the rest of us in the car were going, "This is a residential street, isn't it? Where's the bar?". You expect to find a craft beer bar standing out amongst houses and convenience stores, truth is, it's not in the greatest part of town. Nestled in a completely random spot you'll find it, the only real way of knowing you're there is the food truck (which is amazing and super cheap) parked outside a shady looking place that says "cocktails". Even on a Wednesday, this place was packed. It was either stand around or else sit outside in the freezing cold on the patio. Now, the fact that they have this room behind the actual bar (as you make your way to the patio) that sells/houses (not sure what the story is truthfully) boxes of records--like old timey vinyl records. The DJ playing last night kept us entertained for the duration of our stay, which sadly, wasn't very long. The beer menu is short, but semi informative. When I asked the bartender what she recommended she gave me a look and said, "All the beers that are in black are the ones we have currently." Frankly, neither of the girls tending bar last night were very friendly and/or helpful. They just sort of poured your beer and gave you a total. I had Delirium Tremens, which normally out of a bottle I know is magical--but either something was off with the keg or it was near the end--either way--it didn't taste right to me. Even when the girl poured me my beer she seemed to show little interest "how is it?". My buddy got a Shakespeare stout which while poured rapidly, turned out fine. They had a few other beers on the menu--but we all just sort of stuck with what we knew. On a Wednesday it was packed and more people were showing up after 10pm, like flocks of them. The bartenders didn't seem like happy friendly people, that's for sure. So after round one we all looked at each other and said, "do we really want to stay here standing around waiting for a table to open up?" No. We ended up grabbing my buddy's girlfriend (to right a horrible wrong) and firmly decided we were going to Tony's (since Burbank is closer and since it's a bar I love). No offense to Verdugo Bar but, it's not my kind of place. Especially the neighborhood, it's one of those parts of town you try to avoid at night or at least, it appears so. If you like music and you enjoy being around hipsters, by all means, Verdugo Bar is the place to be. Me, personally, I'm sticking to Tony's and 38 degrees and Champs (not a craft beer bar, but it is one of my favorite bars). Which once we got to Tony's, situations were amended and we were well taken care of. We found a seat and played some board games until 1am. Now, getting to the actual beer. Delirium Tremens, while I'm sure if I had gone to Verdugo sooner--it would've been awesome on tap but what I got was a semi-flat stale tasting beer. No bueno. At Tony's I debated between a Rye IPA and the Bloody Valentine. For a moment I thought it had said "Bullet for My Valentine" but I think that the band just comes to mind whenever someone says "My" and "Valentine". Now, My Bloody Valentine is a red ale and it packs--wait for it...6.66% ABV. However, aside from the number of the Devil popping up on this beer (I've seen it in Phone numbers too, a friend and I nicknamed a former suitor 'The Prince Of Darkness" because he had a 666 in his phone number), it's actually really good. The girlfriend of my buddy preferred it over the Solidarity. The Bartender at Tony's, Sandra also gave the girlfriend a taste of the Manifesto, but the girlfriend still preferred the Valentine. Mind you she's not a big beer drinker. So girls, if you're looking for a light beer with easy drink ability and you like the color red--then yes. To me, it had a sort of cheesey aroma and the aftertaste was a bit like an IPA toned down. I prefer warmer homey feeling bars, compared to trendy darkly lit bars. Look for me at ColLAboration, Sunday the 26th at the Belasco Theater. Pliny the Younger is being premiered there--I suggest you buy your tickets in advance. Until then... Hope you spend your thirsty Thursday well. As always if there is a place you'd like to recommend, let me know. Same goes with beers.

38 Degrees; A lot to cover in 1 night

So, as promised I said I would write another blog on Saturday about 38 Degrees in Alhambra.

I went with a group of friends, one of which frequented 38 degrees and was shocked to find that I had never set foot in it. Finding parking on a Friday night is a nightmare, but we managed and we were sat immediately even though the place was packed to the gills

Now we spent some time viewing the food menu and immediately setting it aside for the giant drink menu (of course). Upon first glance I saw the list of beers on tap and was completely shocked to see what they had, when I turned the next page, that shock turned to awe. They had things like Deschutes Abyss, which I know came out around Thanksgiving when I went and had practically sold out when my family descended upon the brewpub in Portland and also Jubelale which comes out around the same time in December. I meant to take an official count of both taps available and their bottle selection, but I would guess there's 20-25 tap selections and at least 50 or more bottles available.

While the guys started off with what was called "Clay's Flight", which consisted of: Dogfish Head's Paolo Santo, Big Sky's Space Goat, and Fathom (and I believe Fireworks by Craftsman). I immediately asked the server, "Can I make my own flight?"
"Of course". Granted, there was a bit of a mix up as far as my first four choices but hey, I know how difficult it is to be a server, we don't always get it right. But the server was very good about everything, from grabbing us water to the next round.

I started off with...
1. Drakes Pink Boots Saison
2. Old Stock (by Northcoast Brewing which is one of my all time favorite breweries)
3. Fireworks, by Craftsman (another Saison)
4. Stone Vertical Epic

Another friend went with the SF Beer Week Flight.

In all, we had a second and third round of testers (you would have to spend a week there with at least 6 people to go through everything once, including bottles)...and I'll get to the tasting notes in a moment.

I told 38 Degrees via Twitter that I was coming in, and I didn't really expect much other than "Hey 38rakia!" and that would've been cool. What really seriously made my night and was probably one of the greatest moments in my life was that the owner himself--Clay (of the Clay's Flight) actually came *back in* after leaving and came and found me at our table. We shook hands and talked a bit. That in itself made the night really special, my friends all went, "That was really cool." I'd really like to thank Clay for taking the time to meet me, it really made my night.

The atmosphere of the bar is homey feeling, we spent time looking at the art on the walls and commenting on a few pieces. All in all we had a really good time, and we are going back repeatedly.

Now, I'm just going to list all the tasters we had--along with my notes and even some notes a friend texted me later. I'm not a beer connoisseur, I've only been in the craft bar scene for 2 years and my tastes are not refined enough to be considered "expert opinion". Even though one of my friends would like to think I am (thanks Chris).

-Pink Boots By Drakes, a Saison
Now my ideal Saison is a light, sweet, spicy smelling beer. But Drakes was a little different. It was a dark amber color and a little heavier than what I like, but it was really good (I drank a little IPA so I couldn't really get a good taste on it) and I would totally drink it again.

-Marin's Witty Monk, I'm guessing a witbeer...
It had a really pleasant wheat smell, it was a pale straw color and it was creamy and very light. It went down really well and at the end had a few floral notes (to me and another friend, the boys--not so much). Definitely a great summer beer, easy drink-ability.

-Old Stock, Northcoast
I'm guessing this beer is a seasonal release, because it wasn't one I had ever seen before and I've been to the Northcoast brewery. It's barrel aged, well it tastes Bourbon Barrel aged. I recognize the pineapple taste from when my cousin Chip barrel aged some of his beer, I mean it tasted exactly like Chip's only less heavy. It smells a little pineappley too, if you can, snap this one up quick. Because it's so good.

-Fireworks, Craftsman, a Saison
For a Saison it smelled piney, had a dark reddish amber color. It didn't impress me much, I think because I'm used to a saison being sweeter whereas this was a little sour. I suppose it could've grown on me, but I wasn't that thrilled with it.

-Stone's Vertical Epic, Seasonal Release
This had cinnamon and Anaheim chillies in it. Now, I've had a chili beer before, from 6 Rivers in McKinnleyville (which I cannot stand that chili beer of theirs because of how badly it burns your mouth. Beer + Spicy Peppers? No...) but unlike the chili beer I've had before--this was pretty good. It tastes like an IPA, it's got mild hoppy notes (piney ones rather than grassy ones). You can smell and taste the chilies, but no cinnamon anywhere. It's pretty good, but it's not up my alley.

-Paolo Santo, Dogfish Head, STOUT
It smells of alcohol on first sniff. It's a dark black, which denotes it being a stout. Second sniff, you'll get dark chocolate and coffee (my guy friends got "Vodka" and that was really it). Upon first taste, it's definitely alcohol laden tasting. To the point where you feel like you're drinking hard booze and not a beer. But if you let it warm up a bit, and go in for a second try--you'll just find dark chocolate and coffee with a sort of peaty finish. Looks and first tastes are deceiving...

-Space Goat, Big Sky Brewing, IPA (with Galaxy Hops)
It's definitely an IPA, you'll smell piney notes--the only way I describe it is by saying "This reminds me of Christmas". And actually the taste itself was piney and "christmasy"--I know, not very descriptive. A friend who had Clay's sampler asked me if the pine notes in IPA were because they barrel aged it in pine barrels--which led to a discussion on what IPA stands for and the different notes I've found. I'm not a big IPA person, but Space Goat appeals to me because it's not super in your face with the hops. Excellent choice Chris, Andre, and Clay.

-Fathom, Ballast Point
It smells like sweaty gym socks, which if I can find my beer bible I could tell you what and why that is, maybe the next blog. I gotta do homework. Anyways, Fathom's initial smell might put you off but it's light and not over hoppy. Again, another beer I would gladly consume regularly. It's good. Especially out of a tap.

-Damnation, Russian River Brewing, Belgian Strong Ale
It's got a sweet smell that I couldn't really place in my brain, like Marin's Monk, it's a light straw color. It's sweet and smooth. This Belgian Strong Ale is now a personal favorite. Unlike Gulden Draak it wasn't a sneaky ass kicker. Amazing.

-Scarface, Speakeasy Brewing, Imperial Stout
This reminds me a bit of Old Rasputin. At first it tasted rather tar like and I was put off by it. However the second go around on it, it smells like a mocha. It's black and retains a nice head. Strong notes of dark chocolate and coffee put in a way that makes you feel like you want a piece of cake to go with it. Great dessert beer. A thousand times yes. It's one of the few beers I've found that tastes the way it smells.

-Red Rye, Golden Road Brewing, (LOCAL!)
Golden Road is a brewery owned by Tony Yanow, who may sound familiar because he is. Tony owns Tony's Darts Away and Mohawk Bend and just recently opened Golden Road in Atwater. This is the first Golden Road beer I've had, and I have to say, I am seriously impressed with the imagination on this Rye Beer. I've seen a few reviews that aren't impressed with this beer--and how wrong they are. It reminded me of a Rye IPA I tried recently, it kind of smells like cheese upon first sniff. It's red amber color and the rye is not off putting. It goes down smooth and leaves you feeling like you need a pint of it.

-Hanger 24 Chocolate Porter
There was some confusion at our table with this beer, since it was ordered with Serpent Stout. I ended up pointing out that the stout had to be the darker one and the lighter hued one smelled more like chocolate than the darker one. It's a light brown color, it smells of chocolate and vanilla. It's more like eating a cocoa puffs than drinking a beer. Again, this would be a great dessert beer--put it in some vanilla ice cream. You got yourself a great dessert (Heffeweizen and Vanilla don't mix btw, I've done that).

-Serpent Stout, Lost Abbey
This one is a potent brew, on first sniff it smells like tar. But don't let that daunt you. It presents a very nice mixture of coffee and dark chocolate. Not nearly as chocolately as Hanger 24's porter, but a close second.

-Rhinoceros, Telegraph Brewing Co
This one also tastes like a cask aged beer, it's pineappley with a creamy texture as you drink. It's a nice light amber color. There's notes of banana when it warms up. Definitely have to get this one again.

-Jubilee, Eagle Rock Brewing (LOCAL!)
Eagle Rock is just a stone's throw from Glendale, CA. I've had a lot of their beers before and always been impressed. Jubilee is not different. This one reminds me of Deschutes "The Dissident" which is one of my all time favorite beers (part of me died when my cousin told me it only comes out every 4 years). It's red ale looking, smells a little smokey and tasted like cherries at the end. Which is probably why it reminds me so much of my favorite beer. In the beginning it's sort of reminiscent of red wine. This is now my Dissident replacement, I just hope Eagle Rock doesn't release this every four years.

-Thrill, Beachwood BBQ (Long Beach, LOCAL)
Again, a close to home brewery. Have to make a special trip down there sometime. It's got a light gold color and kept it's head for at least 10 minutes after pour. It's piney tasting and what I call a "Christmasy" beer.

-Oaked Cismotane Aged Double Coulter IPA
Umami, or what I call "Meaty". It's like a marinade when you smell it. A little meaty, a little vinegary. Pineapple notes, spicy herbal taste. Extremely, Extremely GOOD. You have to have a taste of this to really appreciate barrel aged beer.

-Solidarity, Eagle Rock
I've had this before at Tony's Darts Away but I didn't take notes, their Manifesto is super amazing too. Solidarity is a vanilla heavy beer, but again it's a perfect dessert beer. The smell, taste, and the aftertaste are all lightly vanilla. It's a creamy beer. Reminds one of a vanilla latte. Girls will love this beer, especially if you love vanilla.


This blog is a huge one and I apologize for it's length. 38 Degrees brought some great new beers to the table and I'm really impressed with the food as well. Granted I stole a friend's fries, but that Garlic Aioli they use is to die for. I'm a ranch person myself, but when all the fries were gone, we had half of mind to lick the little bowl of aioli clean. Now, by the time we went to order food the kitchen had closed but that meant a trip to Inn N Out.

38 degrees is the place to go if you really want to try different beers or find rarities. A special thanks to Clay for making a special trip to come find me, we all had a wonderful time and I look forward to going to Alhambra more often. If you live in LA and you have time and you want to expand your tastes, look no further. Also, take your time with the 4 page beer menu. If you prefer taps, stick to the first two pages. If you want bottles, believe me, you will find them. 38 degrees was like dying and going to Beervana.

Now next weekend, I think I may go to Verdugo Bar with a friend of mine. They have Delirium Tremens on tap, as well as Saison De Lente (a personal favorite of mine).

If you would like to recommend a place, by all means, send me a PM on Twitter or post a comment. If you have a beer you'd like to recommend, I'd love to try it.

Have a good weekend Ya'll. Look for the next blog soon.