Beercation

Could I drink 365 beers in one week? No. But I could drink 26.

Green Flash tasting list...
and check out those prices!

An alternate title to this blog could have easily been "Sick 2: Sinusitis", and after a heavily medicated and painful series of flights to southern California, my cold was threatening to put a damper on my beer plans. If anything was going to salvage Beercation it would be a trip to one of happiest places on earth, Green Flash Brewing Co. Every weekend, Green Flash clears out some space on their bottling floor, serves some cheese and crackers on an old ironing board, and pours some really awesome beer for very little money. I was pretty excited to have regained my sense of smell in time to fully experience it. The full tasting consists of pours of ten different beers, and ended with a special serving of their strong dark Belgian, Grand Cru, on cask. But the pours are only two ounces each, so while it was an awesome experience, I have to follow my own rules and not count a one of the ten towards the yearly total.

Back to my mom's home in Riverside, I was free to have my choice of the beers Charlie has been collecting in anticipation of my visit (he's so supportive!) and Full Sail Pale Ale became the first official beer of vacation. Stone Levitation, one of the best beers out there with under 5% ABV, was an excellent second choice. The next day being the nicest weather of the trip, I moved my box of tissues poolside and sought brews appropriate for soaking up some precious rays of sun. Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen didn't quite deliver, but Karl Strauss Woodie Gold was pretty good (for a pilsner). That evening we enjoyed some homemade sushi, sake, and Dogfish Head Pangaea. I'm a nut for anything ginger, so it's as if this beer was brewed just for me. With it's big sweet flavors and 18% APV, Dogfish Head Word Wide Stout is one of the best beers I've ever had, and the perfect way to end any day.

Day three of Beercation brought a trip to Death Valley. After driving four hours through the desert, I really wanted a drink. The best beer available when we arrived at the resort was - and you'll have to trust me on this one - Budweiser. The bar we went to for dinner had a slightly better selection, but some of the scariest nachos I've ever encountered. Indian Wells Badwater Ale, brewed exclusively for the resort, kind of tasted like bad water, but New Belgium Fat Tire Ale was more palatable. Eventually we gave up on the bar, raided the general store and retreated to the comfort of the hotel room, where ate some cheese and crackers, played some Bananagrams, and drank some delicious Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. Apparently the desert isn't the place to go for beer or food. Now we know.

My sinus infection was really peaking my the time we returned from the desert, so I can't speak with great authority about the next few beers, but I'm pretty sure Lagunitas Hop Stoopid IPA needed more hops. I don't remember much about Allagash High Malone Ale, Green Flash Barleywine, and  Victory Storm King Stout. It might be that these four beers were pretty solid, but unremarkable. It's more likely that my palate was severely compromised by my malfunctioning sinuses. I spent most of the day resting, blowing my nose, and banking on the curative properties of water (totally legitimate source here).

Awwww!

It worked! Next stop was Escondido. After a big day of awwing over baby elephants at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, we headed to the nearby Stone Brewery for dinner. This was my third trip to Stone and it's never disappointed. Stone Double Bastard Dry Hopped and Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous were both awesome beers and paired nicely with some awesome appetizers and soup. I even bought myself an awesome sweatshirt in their gift shop. (Awesome!) They had another local beer, Black Market Rye IPA, on cask. I thought the beer itself was pretty average, and lacking in rye, but the temperature and carbonation of the pour was perfect.

Before I knew it it was Friday, my last day in California, and Beercation was winding down. I decided to throw all caution to the wind and enjoy as many beers as possible. I had big expectations for this trip and some catching up to do. So we gathered together the beer we'd been collecting in our journeys, and then bought some more, to loosely pair with food and end the trip with a beer dinner. We got off to an incredible start with a solid three beer cheese course. The super complex and dynamic Unibroue La Fin due Monde would pair well with anything and everything (or nothing), and Stone Cali-Belgique IPA does Belgian IPA right. Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale Stone, thought a bit sweet for my taste, pairs brilliantly with sharp cheddar cheese. 

Lukcy Basartd Ale, a blend of Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and Double Bastard (and tasted like, well, Arrogant Bastard), paired with itself for the dinner-isn't-ready-yet-but-let's-keep-drinking-beer course. The main course consisted of a grilled leg of lamb, spinach salad, and roasted squash and potatoes paired with three more beers. First was Trappistes Rochefort (proclaimed by the liquor store man to be the "best beer ever", and it was really good), second was the aforementioned Green Flash Grand Cru, and third was Highway 78 Scotch Ale, a collaboration between the Southern California powerhouses Stone, Green Flash, and Pizza Port. Maybe these folks should stick to the hops, because this beer was weak. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence provided a subtley chocolately and smooth end to the dinner, and to Beercation.

Or so I thought. When our flight into Salt Lake City arrived a half an hour early, it only seemed right to get in one more beer in while still technically on vacation. And so Squatters Full Suspension Pale Ale officially brought Beercation to a close.

The aftermath.

Beers Down: 82
Beers To Go: 283