My California Trip

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SteveC32

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I just got back from my honeymoon in California and since I got a lot of great info from this forum that helped me plan where to I figured I share my thought on the breweries I visited and beer I had.

I want to point out that although my wife enjoys beer this was not a beer trip and I know I missed a lot of highly recommended breweries and bars. With that said here it goes

San Francisco

Mikkeller Bar - After our flight landed and we checked into the hotel we headed to Mikkeller Bar for a beer and lunch. I liked the vibe at Mikkeller, much more than I like Torst in NYC but the beer selection didn't blow me away. Me and the wife both really enjoyed the food though. Overall it was worth the stop.

City Beer Store - This place is really cool. Half bar and half bottleshop. Pretty good beer selection and a very knowledgeable, energetic bartender. Only knock I have on them is that the place closed at 10pm when the bar was packed. The bartender did however send advise us to check out Cellarmaker which was right around the corner.

Cellarmaker - Nice little tasting room. I had I See Dankness which was very good and Saison Francisco which was a pretty solid. I was impressed and the wife really enjoyed her beers as well.

Toronado - What a ****ing drive, I loved it. Pints of Pliny for $6, Blind Pig for $5. Of course I also dropped $60 on a bottle of Cable Car but what the hell. Oh and I read things about the bartenders there being rude but ours was great, It came up that we were on our honeymoon and she gave us a round on the house. If I ever make it back to San Francisco I will most certainly go back to Toronado.

We also went to a bunch of restaurants and bars while in San Francisco but other than the places I listed above I was very unimpressed by the beer selection. Which I'm sure is completely based on my stupidity in thinking that great IPA's were just going to be everywhere I looked in California.

Santa Cruz

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales - This was one of the places that I really made a priority to get to. Tiny little joint in this weird industrial park or something. Inside it is nice and the beers were enjoyable. Nothing crazy on draft and no bottle available but had and IPA that I don't remember the name of and Farmhouse Noir which were both very enjoyable.

Monterey

Alvarado Street Brewery - Decent brewpub, nothing that exciting. The beers we had were very average and we didn't have any food but I think its kind of the only show it town.

Cannery Row Brewing Company - Despite the name this is not a brewery just a bar/restaurant, that said the selection was pretty good. One of the Lost Abbey track beers, Framboise de Amorosa, and Alpine Hoppy Birthday. Was pretty happy we wandered into this place.

Anaheim

Noble Ale Works - This place was the surprise of the trip for me. Stopped in for a beer before going to an Angels game. Pretty decent size space but it was ****ing packed. Started off with Citra Showers and it was fantastic, moved on to Big Whig which was fine but didn't blow my mind. The place was starting to clear out for the game but since we are not Angels fans we decided to try a few more beers before we went. Had Nelson Showers, Equinox Showers, Gosebusters, and Naughty Sauce. The IPA's were both stellar, the gose was nice and refreshing and the stout was enjoyable but slightly too bitter for my liking. We ended up getting to the game in the middle of the second inning but it was def worth it. I would have gone back to Noble the next day if we didn't need to continue to San Diego.

San Diego

Stone Brewing Escondido - Went here for Dinner, most of the beers on draft were things the get widely distributed but there were a few test batches. The food was pretty good but it was really the scenery that stole the show. The outdoor seat was very nice and the gardens were an awesome place to sit and have a beer.

Rip Current Brewing - Did a little bar hopping in the area so we popped in not know anything about this place. It was reasonably busy but there were seats at the bar so we plopped down. Waited about 5 to 10 minutes and neither of the bartenders came down our way. At that time a guy who I assume was a bar back came over and said that he would take our order but that we need to go stand in line at the service station when they our busy. Kind of weird, I have been to a lot of bars that have service stations for the customers who are not sitting at the bar so the don't have to reach over the ones who are, but I've never seen one that didn't serve the people sitting at the bar without them getting up. Not the end of the world but a sign would have been nice. Anyway we each had a taster, I don't remember the beers but they were average at very best so we moved on.

Toronado - Not as divey as the one in San Francisco and slightly more expensive but the bar tenders were very knowledgeable and I got to drink a few beers from Societe Brewing which was awesome since we didn't make it there.

Tiger! Tiger! - I had heard this was one of the big beer bars in the area so we decided to check it out. This might be my most unpopular opinion so feel free to bash me for it but I really wasn't a fan of this place. I thought the beer menu was pretty average and generic, not bad or anything, they had plenty of good beers to drink but It didn't compare to Toronado for me. I also wasn't into the vibe of the place, too hipster for me maybe I don't know.

Pizza Port Ocean Beach - Really cool laid back bar and pizza joint. Order at the bar then sit at a picnic table and they will call your name when it ready, awesome. Had Kook, Get Wet and a Pizza with Pork and some other random toppings all of which were a pleasant surprise. One of my favorite stops.

Alpine - Great beer, good BBQ. Worth the drive from San Diego

Overall I had a great time in California and drank a metric **** ton of good beer. I hope that someone will read this and it will help them plan their trip in some small way. If not the locals can just tell me that I'm out of my mind and they are glad I'm back in New York.
 
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Rip Current Brewing - Did a little bar hopping in the area so we popped in not know anything about this place. It was reasonably busy but there were seats at the bar so we plopped down. Waited about 5 to 10 minutes and neither of the bartenders came down our way. At that time a guy who I assume was a bar back came over and said that he would take our order but that we need to go stand in line at the service station when they our busy. Kind of weird, I have been to a lot of bars that have service stations for the customers who are not sitting at the bar so the don't have to reach over the ones who are, but I've never seen one that didn't serve the people sitting at the bar without them getting up. Not the end of the world but a sign would have been nice. Anyway we each had a taster, I don't remember the beers but they were average at very best so we moved on.
stawn

Spot on about Tiger Tiger; their beer selection is never the best and almost always overpriced, but they make up for it in fantastic food. Among the big beer bars in SD they (along with Blind Lady, owned by the same people) tend to have the best food by far.
 
If you went all the way out to Capitola for SARA, you should have stopped by Aptos St. BBQ. Great Q, very large tap list often with a few gems.

Most people in San Diego like Rip Current's beers, so I'm a bit surprised you found then average. Maybe you didn't try the right ones? As far as the service goes, I think that it probably went way downhill after Stawny moved to their tasting room in North Park. LOL

I don't think I've ever seen anybody local refer to Tiger Tiger!'s beer list as impressive. Where did you hear/read that? Was it some national publication/entity - I seem to vaguely remember seeing that and thinking "huh?"
 
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If you went all the way out to SARA, you should have stopped by Aptos St. BBQ. Great Q, very large tap list often with a few gems.

Most people in San Diego like Rip Current's beers, so I'm a bit surprised you found then average. Maybe you didn't try the right ones?

I don't think I've ever seen anybody refer to Tiger Tiger!'s beer list as impressive. Where did you hear/read that?
I've never met anyone not from San Diego who has been impressed by Rip Current. I've found everything pretty average from them, and I'm going on 9 of their beers at this point, all from events.
 
I've never met anyone not from San Diego who has been impressed by Rip Current. I've found everything pretty average from them, and I'm going on 9 of their beers at this point, all from events.

Well, you are simply wrong and don't know good beer when you taste it.

[I'd insert an appropriate emoticon but I think they look sort of stupid]
 
If you went all the way out to Capitola for SARA, you should have stopped by Aptos St. BBQ. Great Q, very large tap list often with a few gems.

We actually did stop there after SARA for some grub but i still had a pretty good drive to get to my next stop in Monterey and traffic sucked so I refrained from drinking. My pulled pork sandwich was fantastic tho.

Most people in San Diego like Rip Current's beers, so I'm a bit surprised you found then average. Maybe you didn't try the right ones? As far as the service goes, I think that it probably went way downhill after Stawny moved to their tasting room in North Park. LOL

Very posible that I had the wrong ones. Like I said we only had two tasters and we just picked beers without any knowlege or asking any questions (due to the weird service)

I don't think I've ever seen anybody local refer to Tiger Tiger!'s beer list as impressive. Where did you hear/read that? Was it some national publication/entity - I seem to vaguely remember seeing that and thinking "huh?"

Just from reading the different threads here with suggestions of where people go in San Diego and reading the reviews on BA I guess.
 
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I just got back from my honeymoon in California and since I got a lot of great info from this forum that helped me plan where to I figured I share my thought on the breweries I visited and beer I had.

I want to point out that although my wife enjoys beer this was not a beer trip and I know I missed a lot of highly recommended breweries and bars. With that said here it goes

San Francisco

Mikkeller Bar - After our flight landed and we checked into the hotel we headed to Mikkeller Bar for a beer and lunch. I liked the vibe at Mikkeller, much more than I like Torst in NYC but the beer selection didn't blow me away. Me and the wife both really enjoyed the food though. Overall it was worth the stop.

City Beer Store - This place is really cool. Half bar and half bottleshop. Pretty good beer selection and a very knowledgeable, energetic bartender. Only knock I have on them is that the place closed at 10pm when the bar was packed. The bartender did however send advise us to check out Cellarmaker which was right around the corner.

Cellarmaker - Nice little tasting room. I had I See Dankness which was very good and Saison Francisco which was a pretty solid. I was impressed and the wife really enjoyed her beers as well.

Toronado - What a ****ing drive, I loved it. Pints of Pliny for $6, Blind Pig for $5. Of course I also dropped $60 on a bottle of Cable Car but what the hell. Oh and I read things about the bartenders there being rude but ours was great, It came up that we were on our honeymoon and she gave us a round on the house. If I ever make it back to San Francisco I will most certainly go back to Toronado.

We also went to a bunch of restaurants and bars while in San Francisco but other than the places I listed above I was very unimpressed by the beer selection. Which I'm sure is completely based on my stupidity in thinking that great IPA's were just going to be everywhere I looked in California.

Santa Cruz

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales - This was one of the places that I really made a priority to get to. Tiny little joint in this weird industrial park or something. Inside it is nice and the beers were enjoyable. Nothing crazy on draft and no bottle available but had and IPA that I don't remember the name of and Farmhouse Noir which were both very enjoyable.

Monterey

Alvarado Street Brewery - Decent brewpub, nothing that exciting. The beers we had were very average and we didn't have any food but I think its kind of the only show it town.

Cannery Row Brewing Company - Despite the name this is not a brewery just a bar/restaurant, that said the selection was pretty good. One of the Lost Abbey track beers, Framboise de Amorosa, and Alpine Hoppy Birthday. Was pretty happy we wandered into this place.

Anaheim

Noble Ale Works - This place was the surprise of the trip for me. Stopped in for a beer before going to an Angels game. Pretty decent size space but it was ****ing packed. Started off with Citra Showers and it was fantastic, moved on to Big Whig which was fine but didn't blow my mind. The place was starting to clear out for the game but since we are not Angels fans we decided to try a few more beers before we went. Had Nelson Showers, Equinox Showers, Gosebusters, and Naughty Sauce. The IPA's were both stellar, the gose was nice and refreshing and the stout was enjoyable but slightly too bitter for my liking. We ended up getting to the game in the middle of the second inning but it was def worth it. I would have gone back to Noble the next day if we didn't need to continue to San Diego.

San Diego

Stone Brewing Escondido - Went here for Dinner, most of the beers on draft were things the get widely distributed but there were a few test batches. The food was pretty good but it was really the scenery that stole the show. The outdoor seat was very nice and the gardens were an awesome place to sit and have a beer.

Rip Current Brewing - Did a little bar hopping in the area so we popped in not know anything about this place. It was reasonably busy but there were seats at the bar so we plopped down. Waited about 5 to 10 minutes and neither of the bartenders came down our way. At that time a guy who I assume was a bar back came over and said that he would take our order but that we need to go stand in line at the service station when they our busy. Kind of weird, I have been to a lot of bars that have service stations for the customers who are not sitting at the bar so the don't have to reach over the ones who are, but I've never seen one that didn't serve the people sitting at the bar without them getting up. Not the end of the world but a sign would have been nice. Anyway we each had a taster, I don't remember the beers but they were average at very best so we moved on.

Toronado - Not as divey as the one in San Francisco and slightly more expensive but the bar tenders were very knowledgeable and I got to drink a few beers from Societe Brewing which was awesome since we didn't make it there.

Tiger! Tiger! - I had heard this was one of the big beer bars in the area so we decided to check it out. This might be my most unpopular opinion so feel free to bash me for it but I really wasn't a fan of this place. I thought the beer menu was pretty average and generic, not bad or anything, they had plenty of good beers to drink but It didn't compare to Toronado for me. I also wasn't into the vibe of the place, too hipster for me maybe I don't know.

Pizza Port Ocean Beach - Really cool laid back bar and pizza joint. Order at the bar then sit at a picnic table and they will call your name when it ready, awesome. Had Kook, Get Wet and a Pizza with Pork and some other random toppings all of which were a pleasant surprise. One of my favorite stops.

Alpine - Great beer, good BBQ. Worth the drive from San Diego

Overall I had a great time in California and drank a metric **** ton of good beer. I hope that someone will read this and it will help them plan their trip in some small way. If not the locals can just tell me that I'm out of my mind and they are glad I'm back in New York.
Did you just skip the entire trip between Monterey and LA? No Paso Robles? No Barrelworks?
 
Did you just skip the entire trip between Monterey and LA? No Paso Robles? No Barrelworks?

Yes we didnt do much beer stuff in the stretch of the trip. Left Monterey and drove down the coast, stopped at the Hearst Castle and did other sight seeing things, spend some time in Santa Barbara. I know I missed alot of great stuff.
 
Yes we didnt do much beer stuff in the stretch of the trip. Left Monterey and drove down the coast, stopped at the Hearst Castle and did other sight seeing things, spend some time in Santa Barbara. I know I missed alot of great stuff.

The thing is, Buellton was *right* along your route - it would have been all of a 2-minute diversion to stop at Firestone-Walker!!!
 
Rip Current Brewing - Did a little bar hopping in the area so we popped in not know anything about this place. It was reasonably busy but there were seats at the bar so we plopped down. Waited about 5 to 10 minutes and neither of the bartenders came down our way. At that time a guy who I assume was a bar back came over and said that he would take our order but that we need to go stand in line at the service station when they our busy. Kind of weird, I have been to a lot of bars that have service stations for the customers who are not sitting at the bar so the don't have to reach over the ones who are, but I've never seen one that didn't serve the people sitting at the bar without them getting up. Not the end of the world but a sign would have been nice. Anyway we each had a taster, I don't remember the beers but they were average at very best so we moved on.
Hey Steve, sounds like you came in on a Friday or Saturday night if we had a barback. Those are our busiest nights, and we often have a line for beer. HOWEVER, we ALWAYS serve people sitting at the bar, so I am very sorry that the barback gave you bad information. He should have let one of the bartenders know that you were waiting for a drink instead. Did you happen to be sitting in the bartenders "blind spot" in front of our bottle merchandiser? Not an excuse, but that spot is often very hard for the bartenders to see people sitting there.
When I'm pouring on busy nights, I make a conscious effort to glance down the bar in both directions, and at least make eye contact and nod if there is someone looking to get my attention. I will reiterate this to my staff as well.
I'm glad you enjoyed our city overall, and hope you'll give Rip Current another chance the next time you're in town.

Cheers!
Chris
 
I am madly in love with Mikkeller Bar. Last time I was there, I nearly drowned myself in Prairie's Bomb and Brunch Weasel. A lot of big, over the top, frightening beers just how I like them.

Good to read to part about the two spots in Monterey. I just posted a question about that area so I'll be sure to check out Cannery Row. Was is crowded? I've been through that area and it always seems to be completely filled to the gills with tourists.
 
Hey Steve, sounds like you came in on a Friday or Saturday night if we had a barback. Those are our busiest nights, and we often have a line for beer. HOWEVER, we ALWAYS serve people sitting at the bar, so I am very sorry that the barback gave you bad information. He should have let one of the bartenders know that you were waiting for a drink instead. Did you happen to be sitting in the bartenders "blind spot" in front of our bottle merchandiser? Not an excuse, but that spot is often very hard for the bartenders to see people sitting there.
When I'm pouring on busy nights, I make a conscious effort to glance down the bar in both directions, and at least make eye contact and nod if there is someone looking to get my attention. I will reiterate this to my staff as well.
I'm glad you enjoyed our city overall, and hope you'll give Rip Current another chance the next time you're in town.

Cheers!
Chris

Yes it was Friday. If I remember correctly the bar was L-shaped and we were on the long side just before the bend. I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it and the bar back wasn't rude at all I just thought it was strange and decided to share.

I would give Rip Current another shot, I only tried two beers (one of them was just a sip of my wifes) and they wernt bad just didn't really do anything for me so we decided to move on. (we were bar hoping pretty good that night)
 
I am madly in love with Mikkeller Bar. Last time I was there, I nearly drowned myself in Prairie's Bomb and Brunch Weasel. A lot of big, over the top, frightening beers just how I like them.

Good to read to part about the two spots in Monterey. I just posted a question about that area so I'll be sure to check out Cannery Row. Was is crowded? I've been through that area and it always seems to be completely filled to the gills with tourists.

We were at the cannery row brewing company at like 2 in the afternoon and it was pretty empty. We went to Alvarado street after dinner and it was pretty busy. Drank our first beer standing between the bar and tables until two stools opened up.
 
Noble Ale works is brewing some magic over in Anaheim. All the shower series are top of the line and they are always experimenting and trying interesting things. They make a stronger ipa series labeled "yum yum" and let's just say I tried the citra version next to Pliny the Younger and it blew me away.
Cheers to an excellent honey moon and and an amazing wife to have done all these beer stops with you!!!
 
I ended up at Post No Bills taphouse in Sand City and they had some great stuff on tap. Did Mikkeller on Sunday night and had a couple of good ones there as well. Ended up too tired to go to Cannery Row after a long day at the track.
 
Congrats on the wedding and honeymoon!
Sounds like a great time, good on ya.
Even though your bride isn't a beer geek, you still did well.
I'm not a fan of Frisco, so I call it Frisco!
Love the baseball team there though. The city, not so much...
 
Congratulations! Sounds like you had a great time. I'm trying to plan for my upcoming three week CA trip and this thread has been very helpful. Cheers!
 
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