American Craft Beer Gets Older and Younger In California

 

I miss California, regularly: Family and friends, those sparse green hills of the central coast, In-N-Out Burgers, good Mexican food. Yet when I left California for points East and ultimately the Northwest, I had yet to catch the Craft Beer Bug. I was very much a novice, so I didn’t miss that which I never really knew.

For the past five years I’ve been trying to time up a pilgrimage to not only visit my fraternity brothers for our annual (infamous) Super Bowl party, but to finally visit Russian River for their Pliny the Younger release, all coinciding with my birthday. Well, I finally did it and by all accounts it was an epic voyage to 10 breweries that reaffirmed my love for California.

Oak Park Brewing, Sacramento

Having spent 10 hours on the road from Portland to Sacramento, Oak Park was a sight for sore eyes. I was lucky enough to meet up for dinner and a few pints with a friend in this neighborhood of the same name. Offering a wide variety of Belgians, Porters, IPAs and everything in between, I tried their Steampunk Farmhouse Saison and Rope Swing Cream Ale, both providing a lovely spin on each style, well paired with their Bacon Bleu Mac & Cheese.

Phantom Carriage Brewery, Carson

Thankful to have survived 45+ minutes of traffic through downtown LA on a Friday evening, I quickly popped into what is not only a difficult location to find, but one worth your time to seek out. On a bright late-afternoon, it felt like I stepped into another time and place. With it’s dark, cave-like feel, their ever running Phantom Theatre showing horror flicks and an overall macabre theme, Phantom Carriage sets itself apart in the Southland as an amazing crafter of all things wild, sour and barrel aged. We’d met them at Portland’s CBC last year and were astounded by their flavors, so I had to pay them a visit, wishing I could have stayed even longer.

Pizza Port Brewing, San Clemente

A perfect half-way place to meet up with my Brother who resides in North San Diego County, Pizza Port has become a model of what a bigger, regional brewpub chain can accomplish. Having won 9 GABF medals and Large Brewpub of the year in 2009 alone, they, in the early 90’s, set in motion the West Coast IPA revolution in San Diego with their Swami’s IPA. Having a couple of great pizza slices, the Swami’s and a Namastout (Mint Chocolate Stout), I fell in love with what this place is all about, then left with an 18 can variety pack of 16oz talls to bring home to share with friends.

 

Firestone-Walker Barrelworks, Buellton

Having  traded the sprawling madness of Los Angeles for the rolling hills of Central California, my first stop had to be in Buellton to sample some of the best sours available today. Arriving an hour before the adjoining Barrelworks opened, I had an excellent lunch and paired with the Agrestic in their Taproom. Once it opened, I was lucky enough to come across their Master Blender, Jim Crooks. Following a brief tour of their facility, I was lucky enough to sample their Sour Opal, Feral One (Anniversary Blend) and Walker’s Cuvee, a delicious Flemish Red style. And of course I couldn’t leave without bottles of SLOambic, Parabajava, Bretta Weisse and a Teku glass in tow.

 

Libertine Brewing, San Luis Obispo

While at Firestone-Walker, Jim was gracious enough to get me in touch with Tyler Clark, the brewmaster of Libertine in SLO. Not only was it awesome to gain access to their facility when they were closed, but being able to spend over an hour with Tyler learning about their process, how they source their recipes and fruits, not to mention sampling all they have to offer. From a Gose brewed with sea water, to crisp and complex Saisons, or even their wonderfully tart dark Saison Fonce, there are so many great things to try here. If trying Pliny the Younger wasn’t the pinnacle of my trip, this visit certainly was.

 

Next Week: Part 2 will include visits to Fieldwork, 21st Amendment, The Monk’s Kettle, Russian River, Bear Republic and Caldera in Southern Oregon.