Slater's 50/50

I did a "Where am I?" post back in July that can be found here. I was at Slater's 50/50 in Anaheim. Aside from their great beer selection, the food is awesome! The "50/50" comes from their signature hamburger patty that is 50% ground beef, 50% ground bacon. You can build your own or choose from their crazy burger designs, either way you will leave completely satisfied. Why do I tell you all of this? Because I just found out they are coming to San Diego! Their new location will be inside Liberty Station, and will take it's place beside other San Diego icons such as Corvette Diner, Wine Steals, and the forthcoming Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. Great food, great beer, and a great location all come together for a dining experience like no other. Whether you wait for the San Diego location to open up later this fall or decide to head up north to one of their other stores, go check out Slater's 50/50!

How did Pizza Port start out?

Check out this great promo for Pizza Port. It's really just a Bank of America commercial, but they did a really nice job on it. I love Pizza Port, and it's nice to see what can happen if you just follow your dreams.

Where, in Colorado, I was!

Where was I this time? I was at Funkwerks in Fort Collins, Colorado. Funkwerks is located in the old home of The Fort Collins Brewery, on the north end of Fort Collins. Their beers are very unique and seem to focus on Belgian Saisons. The following is from their website.

"There is something about Ardennes region of Belgium. It's not just the land and the microflora? We believe it is the people: individualistic, ideocyncratic, rustic yet refined. They are as difficult to pigeon-hole as the beers they produce: strange, unique, and in a word, funky. Welcome to Funkwerks, ales with character in the spirit of the farmhouse breweries of Wallonia, but uniquely different."

If you like experimental beers that seem to defy categorization and happen to find yourself in Fort Collins, then go check out Funkwerks!

Where, in Colorado, was I?

I'll let you know tomorrow!

What's up, Big Beaver?

I was temped to stop into this unassuming brewery, tucked right on the outskirts of Loveland, Colorado, when I stumbled upon it in my travels through the home state of the Great American Beer Festival last week, but alas, it was closed. After reading this snippet from an article about the aforementioned festival in a local newspaper, I'm kind of glad I didn't find it open. A lone brewer who doesn't care about making friends in the industry, or a bitter old codger with a grudge to bear? You be the judge.

Great American Beer Festival 2011: The Event

This year's Great American Beer Festival didn't disappoint! The hall was filled with fans, brewers, and aficionados from around the country, all coming together to celebrate the wonder of the American beer scene. San Diego didn't disappoint either, taking home scads of awards. A complete list of all awards given can be found here, and I have highlighted the awards that our local boys took home. The Hop Mommy & I poured for Pizza Port San Clemente all day, which was flooded after the Pizza Port chain raked in a host of awards, including Small Brewpub of the Year (Ocean Beach) and Large Brewpub of the Year (Carlsbad). Congratulations to all of the San Diego brewery's who prevailed at the 30th annual event. Already looking forward to next year's festivities? Save the dates of October 11-13, 2012. I'll be there pouring, will you be there sampling?

Home again!

I'm back from Colorado and the Great American Beer Festival. The weather was warm, the festival was great, and I was able to visit several breweries and local beer spots that I have never been to before. I will have upcoming posts covering the main event as well as other stops on my beer trek, so stay tuned.