The countdown begins...

As we begin counting down to our departure from sunny NorCal, we've started thinking about the things we will miss and want to revisit before we leave.

We started today in the Santa Cruz Mountains, hiking at Skyline Ridge Open Space. My beloved Mini Cooper, Eddie, will certainly miss Highway 9 and Skyline Blvd., windy roads with loads of gorgeous scenery. I will definitely miss the MidPen Open Space, 50,000 acres of open space to bike, hike, picnic, and "just be" within an easy drive of the madness of Silicon Valley. After our hike we headed north to Hwy. 84, turning toward the coast.

One of our favorite destinations is Pescadero, an old west town, with two great food sources: Duarte's and Harley Farms. No trip to Pescadero is complete without a slice of olallieberry pie, but they were closed for Easter. DRAT! Fine, we'll follow the goat signs to Harley Farms where we can taste the best goat cheese anywhere AND play with the baby goats, but alas, they too were closed!

Fine then, on to Highway One, that fantastic coastline, and about 14 miles north: Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. (For the record, I have NEVER seen their patio as uncrowded as shown on their website- it's always PACKED) Today we opted for the beer sampler: 4 ounces of each beer for $1 each. For about the cost of two pints, we got to taste 8 beers! Yum!

We tried, in order, Harbor Light Ale, Pillar Point Pale Ale, Maverick's Amber (their "flagship" beer), Old Princeton Landing IPA, Tunnel Vision IPA, Bootlegger Brown Ale, Illuminator Doppelbock, and Paddle Out Stout. The Tunnel Vision and Illuminator were both 'special brews' that are not always available. We agreed that all of their beers were better with food than alone, but we each chose one or two beers that we would happily order a pint of on our next visit. Both M and I decided the Tunnel Vision was our favorite: great flavor, a little spicy undertone with a hoppy finish. Tasty! Incredibly, and very uncharacteristic of my tastes, my other favorite beer was the Light Ale! (Those who know me know better than to ever offer me any "light" beer!) This one was light, clean, and crisp, not at all wimpy or "lite" tasting. Really refreshing, and definitely a happy surprise! I also enjoyed the Maverick's Amber and the Bootlegger Brown, and we bought a couple bottles of the Mav's for home consumption. (for the record, M also liked the Old Princeton Landing IPA, made with two varieties of English hops, but I thought it tasted like it had been filtered thru a dirty sock)

Anyway, if you're ever cruising the coast between Santa Cruz and San Francisco, drop in at HMB. If you're lucky enough to snag a seat on the patio, stick around for sunset!

Fort Bragg Revisited

Ever have a beer and think it is so wonderful until you try it again a few months later?

We took a road trip up to Fort Bragg over Thanksgiving and visited North Coast Brewing, which we loved. We purchased a few of their beers that aren't sold in stores, and a couple that had been at one time but were no longer. One of those was Silver Jubilee Belgium Style Farmhouse Ale. It had been sold at Whole Foods in 2005, during the 25th anniversary of North Coast, but now they were down to the last few bottles. We bought two, and took one to our neighbor's birthday party to share. We all agreed: YUM!

Tonight we opened the other bottle though, and realized that it didn't age so well. It seems to have lost its "pep", no longer filled with kicky and exotic flavors. Now it just tastes like an average Belgian, nothing special. I think it's just past its prime, which makes me sad. It was so tasty a mere 3 months ago! Oh well. Time to open something fresher! :-)

By the way, exciting news this week... the hubby and I are soon to be relocating to Ann Arbor, Michigan. It will be a huge change from Northern California, but last time I was in the Midwest, I was quite excited to discover a whole new world. It seems they have finally discovered craft brewing, and there were LOADS of beers I had never heard of. I'm up to the challenge- new beers await!!

Tastes like Chicken?

Ok, maybe not chicken. But it smells like beer, tastes like whiskey, and my husband thinks it's great. Not being a whiskey fan, I don't much care for it myself.

North Coast's Old Stock Ale Cellar Reserve is aged in bourbon barrels. He says if I must compare it to chicken, it has to be a fine rosemary hinted roasted chicken from the north of France. Or something to that effect. Anyway, he says it's lively, "deep" and unique with hints of caramel and a refreshing finish. Like a ballerina dancing on your tongue after a fifth of Maker's Mark. (I'm not entirely convinced that is a good thing. What do you think??)

The bottle says: "Old Stock Cellar Reserve is a one-time, small batch, limited release that has been aged in oak whiskey barrels. The aging process gives this world-class an added layer of complexity. A memorable drink that should be enjoyed as a completely unique offering."

He's now decided that it will be good with chocolate, as a "dessert beer". He's trying it with Cocholat Dolfin Noir Anis, a dark chocolate with aniseed, and says it's quite a nice pairing.

It's also 14.6% alcohol by volume, which might explain hubby's descriptions!!

What goes best with Chicago style pizza?

It's been a bit of a dry spell, but tonight we broke out a bottle of La Merle from North Coast Brewing. Light with a nice fruity finish, this lovely Belgian style farmhouse ale goes really well with Chicago style pizza crust (or at least Pizza Chicago's crust). Who knew?

If you ever get up to Fort Bragg, make sure to stop by North Coast. They have a nice brew pub, a store with all of their beers you can't get anywhere else, and even a tour of the brewery across the street. The scenery on the drive up is well worth it, too, even if you take the inland way through Anderson Valley. Just look out for those hellish curves between 101 and the coast! (wine tasting + very curvy road= unhappy beerchick) If you take Highway 1, be sure to stop at Bones BBQ in Gualala for some TASTY BBQ and good peeps!

Beer Friday!

Another successful Beer Friday is now one for the books, with a very fun crew visiting the good peeps at Devil's Canyon Brewing in Belmont. Devil's Canyon is located in an industrial area with no fancy pub or anything, and the last Friday of the month they open their doors to those who enjoy a good brew in a casual environment. They bring in a band or 2, offer some BBQ for those who get hungry, and tap a few kegs of the many different beers that they brew. Last night they offered Silicon Blonde, Full Boar Scotch Ale, Lager Diabla, California Sunshine, Deadicated Amber, Hades Habanero, a Stout and an IPA that I didn't catch the name of, and of course, housemade rootbeer!

I personally sampled the Scotch Ale, IPA and Amber. The Full Boar Scotch Ale has won numerous awards for good reason! It's malty, balanced and "filling" with a beautiful caramel color and an almost smoky finish. Definitely one of the better Scotch Ales I've tasted! The IPA was a classic India Pale Ale - hoppy with a deep golden color, not to be trifled with. Heck, after those two "heavier" beers, I had to switch to the lighter Amber or fall over that fine line into silly. (thank goodness I had a driver!)

Perhaps we can persuade some of last night's crew to offer their opinions on the other offered beers? Anyone? Anyone?