Beer thread?
- Thread starter Sbooker
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The landscape looks dry in your pictures. I assume this area receives it's rainfall over winter? By the looks of your clothing it seems to be winter time. I would have thought the landscape would be greener......
ChrisC
Well-known member
Well, his photos were in December - the rains do not really start until then. Things remain dry until winter/initial rains. Also, the wines of Chalone Vineyards look newly planted. Generally, there is some greenery on the vines.
California is the 'Golden State' - a euphemism for the fact California is mostly brown/light brown for most of the year (summer and fall). There is almost no rain for these months - the green hills of Feb/March/April and wildflowers - soon brownout. In fact, most of the Bay Area's summer precipitation during summer/fall is from fog condensation on vegetation.
Napa and Sonoma remain green year-round. Vineyard irrigation in the valleys and hillsides, while mountain summits are covered in evergreens/pines. The coast north of SF stays green year-round with towering Redwoods.
Some friends came to visit a few weeks ago, so you so played tour guide and have some pics of NorCal in September/late summer. Still decently green this year.
Napa - Auberge du Soleil restaurant overlooking the valley. Lots of green!
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Lots of green - ready for harvest. The Cabernet Sauvignon winner of the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
San Francisco - Coit Tower. Touristic, but still fun in the early mornings. Still somewhat green around the city.
Golden Gate / Marin
Bay Bridge / East Bay / Oakland-Berkeley Hills
Pacific Ocean - Land’s End / Suttro Baths / Ocean Beach
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tseeb
Well-known member
@ChrisC commented on my Pinnacles post "That's quite the visitation record for any National Park - 6x." I'm sure I've been to/through Yosemite many more times including hiking Half Dome twice and Cloud's Rest once.
Pinnacles is under 75 miles from my house so not sure why it took me until after I retired from full-time employment in Jan. 2011 to get there. Both of our somewhat recent RV camping trips there were with some weekend warriors, going in on Fri and out on Sun in their busy season. See https://www.sfgate.com/california-p...rnia-least-visited-national-park-17869218.php for more info. On our first trip we ordered some bakery items from https://suncoastorganicfarm.com/ which is located S of Hollister and has a brewery but so far only allows pre-ordered items (not including beer AFAIK) to be picked up only on Fri. 2-6 PM.
@ChrisC also said "... photos were in December - the rains do not really start until then. Things remain dry until winter/initial rains. Also, the wines of Chalone Vineyards look newly planted. Generally, there is some greenery on the vines." I agree with the first part, but I don't think the vines behind me in photo are new. I think they were not yet pruned so you are seeing the canes after the leaves have fallen off. Due to cooler than usual Summer, wine grape harvest is late this year. We may be volunteer picking this weekend or next at winery near Gilroy.
Back to the beer. I cropped these photos from El Salvador and elsewhere for posting, but have been too busy.
First two are pictures from pool at brother-in-law's beach house which is located about 1000' from the coast between surfing beaches of El Tunco and El Sunzal. Pilsener was the only beer made in El Salvador when I first visited in 1998.
The coast is warmer and more humid than higher elevations inland so beach house pool has shade cloths over it.
I hiked to nearby small beach town of El Tunco in sandals, but after my wife's SI joint problem she didn't want to walk on the rocks.
Our last morning on coast, we went to breakfast at hotel a few miles N which had a beautiful black sand beach below.
Back in San Jose, CA we went to nearby golf course where great Eagles cover band was scheduled for Fri. night, but were replaced after canceling due to illness. Parking on top of hill where band was playing was full so they let us park on edge of course and shuttled us up. They were using regular two seat golf cart so my wife rode on my lap. Better than walking as high in warm parts of San Jose was near 100 that day. These cans were all on special for $6. Regular draft pint is $9. My wife only had one of the vodka sodas.
At Trader Joe's in Campbell, CA after dental appt. I bought these. The Peter's Pilsener was $8.49 for 6x16 oz and is very good. I prefer Sierra's regular Hazy Little Thing to the Tropical which was $10.99 for 6x12 oz.
Last Saturday, after getting back to cabin after too much driving for eclipse, we walked to taphouse that has opened not much more than a half mile away. My wife had the Hope Valley West Coast IPA while I had the Fog Nozzle Hazy. That is some of Firebreak, 3000'+ vertical side-country powder run at Heavenly in background that is serviced by gondola.
Pinnacles is under 75 miles from my house so not sure why it took me until after I retired from full-time employment in Jan. 2011 to get there. Both of our somewhat recent RV camping trips there were with some weekend warriors, going in on Fri and out on Sun in their busy season. See https://www.sfgate.com/california-p...rnia-least-visited-national-park-17869218.php for more info. On our first trip we ordered some bakery items from https://suncoastorganicfarm.com/ which is located S of Hollister and has a brewery but so far only allows pre-ordered items (not including beer AFAIK) to be picked up only on Fri. 2-6 PM.
@ChrisC also said "... photos were in December - the rains do not really start until then. Things remain dry until winter/initial rains. Also, the wines of Chalone Vineyards look newly planted. Generally, there is some greenery on the vines." I agree with the first part, but I don't think the vines behind me in photo are new. I think they were not yet pruned so you are seeing the canes after the leaves have fallen off. Due to cooler than usual Summer, wine grape harvest is late this year. We may be volunteer picking this weekend or next at winery near Gilroy.
Back to the beer. I cropped these photos from El Salvador and elsewhere for posting, but have been too busy.
First two are pictures from pool at brother-in-law's beach house which is located about 1000' from the coast between surfing beaches of El Tunco and El Sunzal. Pilsener was the only beer made in El Salvador when I first visited in 1998.
The coast is warmer and more humid than higher elevations inland so beach house pool has shade cloths over it.
I hiked to nearby small beach town of El Tunco in sandals, but after my wife's SI joint problem she didn't want to walk on the rocks.
Our last morning on coast, we went to breakfast at hotel a few miles N which had a beautiful black sand beach below.
Back in San Jose, CA we went to nearby golf course where great Eagles cover band was scheduled for Fri. night, but were replaced after canceling due to illness. Parking on top of hill where band was playing was full so they let us park on edge of course and shuttled us up. They were using regular two seat golf cart so my wife rode on my lap. Better than walking as high in warm parts of San Jose was near 100 that day. These cans were all on special for $6. Regular draft pint is $9. My wife only had one of the vodka sodas.
At Trader Joe's in Campbell, CA after dental appt. I bought these. The Peter's Pilsener was $8.49 for 6x16 oz and is very good. I prefer Sierra's regular Hazy Little Thing to the Tropical which was $10.99 for 6x12 oz.
Last Saturday, after getting back to cabin after too much driving for eclipse, we walked to taphouse that has opened not much more than a half mile away. My wife had the Hope Valley West Coast IPA while I had the Fog Nozzle Hazy. That is some of Firebreak, 3000'+ vertical side-country powder run at Heavenly in background that is serviced by gondola.
We generally don't have rock beaches like that here in Oz. I believe they are prevalent in Europe. Something different.
That is beautiful. Again something that we don't have a lot of to my knowledge.
The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was one of the first pales I had. It's still a favourite. And yes we get the Hazy Little thing in the green and yellow can here. I like it. It's really really hard to pick up 6x craft beers in approx 12oz tins here for under $20Aud. More likely to be at least $25. The tax on or alcohol is outrageous. Even considering the exchange rate beer is much cheaper in North America.
I would have gone with the Trailer Builder as a starter and then to one of the IPAs. If it was mid winter I'd go for the brown ale or stout.
We just got home from our 9 day road trip, picked this up in New Mexico.
ChrisC
Well-known member
Even South Florida has a microbrew scene since early 2010s - primarily located in Wynwood Miami and Fort Lauderdale/Oakland Park.
One of the first Microbreweries is near my SoFL rental/investment/VRBO house - Funky Buddha in Oakland Park.
Limited Release Beer (Note: Blueberry Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole, Maple Bacon Porter)
Year Round Beer
Lots of past crazy brews. A sip can suffice - perhaps you even want to spit.
One of the first Microbreweries is near my SoFL rental/investment/VRBO house - Funky Buddha in Oakland Park.
Constellation Brands (Corona) acquired the rising regional brewery back in August 2017 for $149 million dollars.
In 2023, Constellation is now shedding the rest of its craft beer brands — Florida’s Funky Buddha Brewery and Texas’ Four Corners Brewing Co. — and saying see ya to the craft sector. When it comes to beer, Constellation is a fan of Mexican imports like Modelo and Corona.
News just dropped that the founders of Funky Buddha Brewery — Ryan and KC Sentz — are reacquiring their Oakland Park, Florida.-based business from Constellation Brands. Reached on Monday night, a Constellation Brands spokesperson told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the decision to sell Funky Buddha resulted from a recent corporate decision to exit the craft-beer market entirely.
They have quite innovative beers:Limited Release Beer (Note: Blueberry Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole, Maple Bacon Porter)
Year Round Beer
Lots of past crazy brews. A sip can suffice - perhaps you even want to spit.
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Pecan beer and cherry wheat beer. Interesting. Let us know what they are like.
Some of those sound pretty adventurous. I’m thinking too adventurous for my liking. I can’t do sweet beers unfortunately.
It’s Friday.
Just came back from walking our mutt Charlie. He’s a Sydney Silky terrier. We have plenty of green space around our house. This lake (maybe dam is a better description) just is around the corner. We’re well into spring here. Actually we only get about a month of spring and then about 6 months of summer. The landscape is still really dry. Storm season hasn’t kicked in yet. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we get some rain.
I’m having a wheat beer I’ve not tried before. I’ve tried others varieties by the same Colossal brand though.
Kylie’s having the Brew Dog. Her glass is from Spider Brewing in Bend.
Just came back from walking our mutt Charlie. He’s a Sydney Silky terrier. We have plenty of green space around our house. This lake (maybe dam is a better description) just is around the corner. We’re well into spring here. Actually we only get about a month of spring and then about 6 months of summer. The landscape is still really dry. Storm season hasn’t kicked in yet. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we get some rain.
I’m having a wheat beer I’ve not tried before. I’ve tried others varieties by the same Colossal brand though.
Kylie’s having the Brew Dog. Her glass is from Spider Brewing in Bend.
This is the third time we have stayed in this area (Oct. 2014 and July 2018) because Liz has friends who live nearby. We really like the pecan, decided to try couple of the others too this time.
My wife wraps them in a T shirt and puts them in carry on luggage.
I only wash beer glasses with boiling water. Any detergent residue makes beer go flat. They don’t go near a dishwasher.
Not beer related but I did mention it last night so…
Back from my ride down to Scarborough. Lots of bush fires in our vicinity now so it’s very hazy. You may see a feint outline of Moreton Island in the distance. It’s about 20 miles east of the mainland. The waters surrounding it offer world class reef and light game fishing.
Back from my ride down to Scarborough. Lots of bush fires in our vicinity now so it’s very hazy. You may see a feint outline of Moreton Island in the distance. It’s about 20 miles east of the mainland. The waters surrounding it offer world class reef and light game fishing.
ChrisC
Well-known member
I can see hand-washing the specialized beer glasses, like those from the Brasserie du Mont Blanc. However, my normal everyday glasses are pint glasses and those always go in the dishwasher. Neve had heard about no detergent and beer, but I guess it's a thing. Reading the Internet, there are plenty of beer geeks who swear by this and even make special beer detergent. Oh my.
Craft brews were ruined a bit for me by the 2010s when brewmasters started doing IPAs 10 different ways from a single brewery. There was almost pride in making some IPAs so hoppy that they were undrinkable. Now Fruit IPAs, Hazy IPAs, New England IPAs, Sour IPAs, Black IPAs, Session IPAs....I am just done. I just prefer Ales and a more basic New England IPA.
I guess it's like girls drinking low-calorie Selzers now in 2020s vs. flavored Vodkas (+soda) of the 2010s. Tastes change. I doubt pineapple and bubble gum vodka are selling at the same levels.
jimk
Active member
I've had an interesting October. Drove from Wash DC to Halifax, Nova Scotia in early Oct, re-entered US on Oct 8. Visited my home in DC area for four days then drove to the Florida Panhandle to stay at a family members house for a couple weeks.
Happy Hour at Panama City Beach, FL, sometimes the site of your beer consumption trumps the quality of the beer consumed
A few minutes later the sunset was nice!
Repeat, this sunset was a few days later and features my wife's Pina Colada cocktail and fried Gulf shrimp:
PS: from Halifax to Panama City is about 2100 miles without any detours. I have never before traveled that far in a north-south direction on a road trip in Eastern North America.
Happy Hour at Panama City Beach, FL, sometimes the site of your beer consumption trumps the quality of the beer consumed
A few minutes later the sunset was nice!
Repeat, this sunset was a few days later and features my wife's Pina Colada cocktail and fried Gulf shrimp:
PS: from Halifax to Panama City is about 2100 miles without any detours. I have never before traveled that far in a north-south direction on a road trip in Eastern North America.
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An interesting road trip to be sure. And those sunset pics are wow. I hope the beer was good. Is Florida known for a particular beer brand?I've had an interesting October. Drove from Wash DC to Halifax, Nova Scotia in early Oct, re-enteres US on Oct 8. Visited my home in DC area for four days then drove to the Florida Panhandle to stay at a family members house for a couple weeks.
Happy Hour at Panama City Beach, FL, sometimes the site of your beer consumption trumps the quality of the beer consumed
View attachment 37747
A few minutes later the sunset was nice!
View attachment 37748
Repeat, this sunset was a few days later and features my wife's Pina Colada cocktail and fried Gulf shrimp:
View attachment 37749
PS: from Halifax to Panama City is about 2100 miles without any detours. I have never before traveled that far in a north-south direction on a road trip in Eastern North America.
jimk
Active member
I don't think Florida is too well known for craft beer, but there is one from Florida that I've seen around parts of the USA that's pretty good: Jai Alai IPA by Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai is perhaps the most recognizable beer from the Cigar City Brewing craft house. This flagship brew is an American-style India Pale Ale that’s characterized by its amber color, citrus aroma, and distinct bitterness. The beer is named after the traditional Basque sport of the same name that was once played in Florida.
But I brought some Michelob Ultra (Budweiser product) from home and that's what I was drinking in FL. It goes down easy, almost like water.
By the way, the weather on my trip to Atlantic Canada was gorgeous, 70 degs F and mostly sunny. A cold front hit the East when I returned to the south and when I arrived in Florida on Oct 16 is was ...70degs and sunny
But the norm for this part of FL in Oct is air and water both 80. Today the air temp was 85 and I've been swimming in the Gulf of Mexico almost daily. Played a couple rounds of golf down here too. And lots of painting and yard work around my daughter's rental property. I spend my retirement rotating visits to my four widely scattered adult kids.
But I brought some Michelob Ultra (Budweiser product) from home and that's what I was drinking in FL. It goes down easy, almost like water.
By the way, the weather on my trip to Atlantic Canada was gorgeous, 70 degs F and mostly sunny. A cold front hit the East when I returned to the south and when I arrived in Florida on Oct 16 is was ...70degs and sunny
But the norm for this part of FL in Oct is air and water both 80. Today the air temp was 85 and I've been swimming in the Gulf of Mexico almost daily. Played a couple rounds of golf down here too. And lots of painting and yard work around my daughter's rental property. I spend my retirement rotating visits to my four widely scattered adult kids.
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