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!!

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!