The Brewery Project: Karl Strauss 4S Ranch

On my quest to visit all of the local breweries our great county has to offer, I find myself challenged to get to breweries, such as Karl Strauss Brewing Co., who offer multiple brewing locations throughout the region.  With that in mind, I traveled to their newest brewery restaurant in 4S Ranch.  I've been watching the development of this new location, and was eager to see the finished product.  The outside of the building is beautiful, showcasing shiny, brightly lit tanks behind large windows.  Arriving around 7:30pm on a Friday night, greeted by an hour and a half wait, I realized that not only was this new spot already thriving, but I'd be waiting a bit longer to eat!  I spent half the time browsing a nearby store before checking back in with the hostess.  They had a table ready, so my wait time was only half of what was forecast.  The interior has kind of an industrial loft feel, with roll-up garage doors around the perimeter of the space.  A large bar area is right up front, with plenty of dining room seating behind.  I was really impressed with the staff's knowledge of the beers.  They were able to suggest and describe the available selections, and even offer food pairings.  This is particularly important to me, as a waiter with no knowledge or information about the beers they serve is a huge pet peeve of mine.  Half the time the waiter doesn't even know what's on tap, let alone being able to help me pick out a brew to accompany my meal.  The food and beer were, of course, awesome, but it was the people that made this a great experience.  Kudos to the staff, and kudos to Karl Strauss for opening up another great location.

Priorities

This is 40

Why am I posting about this trailer for the new Judd Apatow movie?  Well, besides the fact that it looks hilarious and nails the phase of life I am in right now, see if anything looks familiar in the opening sequence.

Craft brewing continues to rise

Thanks to the Brewers Association for this great graph and Craft Beer Locator for the following snippet.

"This just in from the Brewers Association: The U.S. now boasts 2,126 breweries—an increase of 350 additional breweries since June 2011.  The BA also tracks breweries in planning as an indicator of potential new entrants into the craft category, and lists 1,252 breweries in planning today compared to 725 a year ago.  Additionally, the count of craft brewers was at 2,075 as of June 30, 2012 showing that 97 percent of U.S. brewers are craft brewers."

Happy International Beer Day!

If you don't already have plans to celebrate the wonder and awe of beer today (although, being the weekend I'm sure you do) this is the reason you've been looking for.  The following is from the official website.

"The purpose of IBD is threefold:
1) To gather with friends and enjoy the deliciousness that is beer.
2) To celebrate the dedicated men and women who brew and serve our beer.
3) To bring the world together under the united banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations and cultures together on this one remarkable day."

Learn more here, and find local events going on today here.  Do we really need another day dedicated to beer?  Of course!  Whatever your plans are for today, make sure they include good friends, great beer, and fond memories.  Happy International Beer Day!

The Brewery Project: Manzanita B2

When I visited Manzanita Brewing Co. in May, I mentioned that they were in the process of moving to a new, larger location just down the road.  The move is complete, and they have been brewing and serving beer at "B2" since July 12th.  I had wondered whether or not they would be keeping the original location, but I was told by owner Jeff Trevaskis that they would not.  They plan on selling their first home, but with ten times the production capacity at the new location, and room to grow, why wouldn't they?  Jeff gave me a quick tour of the brewing floor and I was quite impressed.  While the old spot was fine for a start-up brewery, the new one reflects the growth and respect this company has earned over the last 2 years.  The tasting room is spacious, with a large bar and several bar-height tables of various sizes.  I heard someone say that there should be more tables to fill the space and offer more seating, which I would agree with.  The area seems unfinished, so I'm sure issues such as this will be addressed as they settle in.  As busy as they were on a Thursday afternoon, I have to think the only direction this young East County brewery has to go is up, and I plan on being along for the ride.

ip, ip, IPA!

Most people won't realize that the title to this post is supposed to be a riff on "hip, hip, hooray!", but I don't care.  It's #IPADay, after all!  Get out there and have some fun!  And an IPA, of course.  While you enjoy your IPA today, give some thought to how life would be without this glorious beer style.  Yikes!