Okay fine, Northern California isn’t a single brewery. I’m on vacation out on the ol’ left coast, and I’ve been able to drag my family to quite a few breweries along the way. I’ll be out here through the end of the week, but since the first week was riddled with beer sampling in the Bay Area, I thought I’d write a brief update.
It is no secret that the west coast is years ahead of most of the rest of the US as far as breweries go. Certainly no disrespect to the east, we’re getting there, but California is one of the great Meccas of craft beer.
We flew in to San Francisco on Saturday with the eventual goal of getting to Santa Cruz by dinner time. Since it was a beautiful day (is it ever not?), we eschewed the main road for the Pacific Coast highway. The shift from “let’s get there as fast as possible” mode to “relax and enjoy the view” mode isn’t always easy, but the views of the ocean and the cliffs along the highway definitely ease the transition.
At the behest of my mom actually, we stopped off at Highway 1 Brewing Company once we were done taking pictures and playing on the rocks. It looks like it used to be an old diner, but they’ve added a nice beer garden and, of course, a 3 BBL brewhouse in the back. We shared a couple of sample flights, and a few got pints, before hitting the road again.
After we got in and settled in Santa Cruz, day two offered Colby and I the opportunity to take the car (minivan baby!) and hit a couple of area breweries. Without a ton of time, we rolled up at Discretion Brewing Company, and were able to enjoy a flight and a pint. They’ve got a very cool little patio with hop bines swaying in the breeze, and the bar is backdropped by the brewhouse.
On Monday, the whole crew headed down to Monterey to spend the day visiting their excellent aquarium. Though there were several places down there I would have loved to visit (besides the aquarium of course), we decided to swing by another Santa Cruz brewery on the way home. We settled on Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. These guys had a lot of really interesting and tasty brews, not the least of which were a Trappist double IPA, an Early Grey Stout, and a Jasmine IPA. It was here, while enjoying a family version of a couple flights, that it became clear that my dad has turned into a hop head.
A brief aside about my dad. Growing up, he didn’t drink beer all that much, but when he did it was typically Amstel Light. Recently, now that my brother and I are both of legal drinking age, we’ve let him try more exotic offerings during family gatherings and the like. Typically the pilsners, brown ales, and occasional pale ale are what he goes for. But, at Santa Cruz Mountain, he asked for a pint of their double IPA, the Giant DIPA. And loved it. I’m so proud!
Back to the brewery whirlwind. The next day, we headed up into wine country. I do enjoy a good wine here and there, but I volunteered to be the winery tour designated driver for the early part of Wednesday. Why do this, you might ask? Well, I had only one beverage on my mind the whole time…
PLINY! Pliny Pliny Pliny! After a few wineries, we continued on a carefully designed circuit into Santa Rosa to Russian River Brewing Company. Though the rest of the crew was dragging a bit after several fantastic winery tours and tastings, I was practically bouncing into the brewpub. We snagged a seat outside and after debating for a total of 0.0000001 seconds, I ordered their flagship brew, Pliny the Elder (a Double IPA). I also couldn’t pass up the chance at a sample flight of ALL of their beers for $16, so we went with that as well. I think we need to come up with a term for a flight this size… 17 different beers deserve their own moniker. Nevertheless, we were able to taste all of their offerings, which included some tasty belgians and sours. And, if you’re wondering, yes, Pliny is that good.
The original plan was to try to get down to Petaluma by 5 for a tour of Lagunitas Brewing Company. We got a little tied up at Russian River, but ended up at Lagunitas anyway. It was a bummer that we missed the tour, especially after seeing their fermentors towering over the complex, but it was a beautiful evening and their patio is nothing short of impressive. I’m not even sure if patio appropriately describes the vast expanse of outdoor seating. Sticking with the theme of family brewery visits so far, we got the “around the world” sample flight of all of their brews. These ones were 4 oz samples, so double the amount we’d been used to sharing. Still, 16 good beers are always a good call.
Thursday morning, we packed up and headed down to San Francisco to catch the Giants game that afternoon. After the game, we had planned on stopping in at 21st Amendment Brewing, which was on the way back to the car, but when we walked by, they were closed for a private event. The disappointment was crushing in that moment. I didn’t want to bank on getting back the next day since we had a lot planned. Who knows when I’ll make it back out? Sulking a bit, we headed up toward the parking garage, into the arms of Thirsty Bear Brewing Company. Though not the plan, and a bit crowded, these guys served as a nice consolation with a solid flight and an especially delightful west coast IPA.
Friday, we saw a lot of the great sights of the City By the Bay, then before that night’s Dodgers vs. Giants game, yes! We had time to swing back by 21st Amendment! Like some of the other visits over the course of the trip, it was crowded and somewhat short-lived, but with their beer garden on De Boom St., it was still a sweet, sweet visit.
Finally, on Saturday, as we headed up to very, very northern California, we stopped in Chico at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. We were able to take the guided tour, which was easily the largest brewery I’ve ever toured. Certainly makes sense, given it is one of the largest craft breweries in the US, but still, the scale of it all was rather impressive. We got to taste some of the Beer Camp series, as well as one of the Ovila collaboration brews they did with a local monastery. Look for a full write up in the future for more of the details of this fantastic visit.
So there you have it. Week one brewery count: Nine. Most, if not all of these breweries deserve their own full write-up, but hey, I’m still on vacation. Week two will be slower on the brewery circuit, but there’s still a chance for a few more.
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