Happy Friday beer fans! And an early Happy New Year too, why not?
I suppose the above picture doesn't have much to do with beer, except that I hope to be consuming some, before during and after the event. I'm rooting for the team wearing red :)
beer news, let's see...
I spent a brief holiday with family in or near Ventura CA, where the beer scene seems to be thriving. In addition to the long-established Anacapa Brewing there is now also Surf Brewery. I didn't get to drink there though, maybe next trip. My brother took me to Barrelhouse 101, an alehouse/restaurant named both for the highway through Ventura and for its number of taps. I was really impressed, and drank two different sour beers I'd never seen before. How many pubs have two sour beers? They have six! Bro says multiple restaurants have died at that location; I hope this one holds on.
En route I stopped at the award-winning Firestone-Walker brewery in Paso Robles, which now has a good restaurant in addition to the taproom. I'm not prepared to say how Taproom IPA differs from Union Jack, but it is delicious; my long time brewery-only favorite is Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale. Unfortunately the steady traffic of beer trucks is destroying their edge-of-town side road, I hope the city works on those potholes before my next trip.
I've finally got around to trying winter seasonals, I have one Sam Adams Winter Lager and one Anchor Christmas Ale. Also some Firestone Pale Ale. What are you drinking?