The Beer Thread

Yada wrote:

SlowReactionForce-hatch wrote:

Starsky wrote:
Paging Space….

it is before 7AM west coast time…

We're due for a vacation update.

Hiked the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls and back down the John Muir Trail. About nine miles with about 2100+ feet elevation gain. Wife and daughter took a slightly easier route. Temp was 100+.

Drinking a Pliny with dinner tonight, no breweries until at least Saturday…hitting a winery or two around Paso Robles Saturday.

Currently at Liquid Gravity in SLO, my 250th different brewery visited.  Beer is spot on. All girl punk band about to play. 83 degrees. It was 110 at the winery in Paso Robles 37 miles away. Cheers!

250? Wow.  I'm nowhere near that number.

i'm nowhere near OCD enough to have kept track.

beer-related family intrigue: an aunt-in-law is currently visiting us here in WA.  she's a relatively recent divorcee.  an old high school friend of hers (male) who lives in OR heard that she was in town and asked to visit.  speculation is that he's interested in her, probably has been since high school (they're both 60-something).  in order to ingratiate himself with his hosts, AKA me, he asked what he could bring from OR.  never one to pass an an opportunity, i shot him a list of OR breweries who's stuff i was interested in… this is what he brought me:
- The Ale Apothecary: Darling
- de Garde Brewing: BuVeaux
- Alesong: Mocha Rhino Suit

as far as i know the dude didn't get anywhere with my aunt-in-law; but he was really nice, a good conversationalist, and an above-average beer mule.

sweetcell wrote:
beer-related family intrigue: an aunt-in-law is currently visiting us here in WA.  she's a relatively recent divorcee.  an old high school friend of hers (male) who lives in OR heard that she was in town and asked to visit.  speculation is that he's interested in her, probably has been since high school (they're both 60-something).  in order to ingratiate himself with his hosts, AKA me, he asked what he could bring from OR.  never one to pass an an opportunity, i shot him a list of OR breweries who's stuff i was interested in… this is what he brought me:
- The Ale Apothecary: Darling
- de Garde Brewing: BuVeaux
- Alesong: Mocha Rhino Suit

as far as i know the dude didn't get anywhere with my aunt-in-law; but he was really nice, a good conversationalist, and an above-average beer mule.

My mom is a young 80 if he's willing to skew older.

California road trip continues. Two nights in Santa Barbara. She thoroughly enjoyed it. This town is a bougie wine town, so laying low on the breweries. We did try to go to the SB location of Modern Times for a pre-dinner beer last night, but they closed early (like at least a couple hours early) due to "low staff." Is the service industry hurting or what?

We're headed to Encinitas tomorrow, may make a slight detour and hit some Anaheim breweries en route (The Bruery, Bottle Logic, Green Cheek). Also trying to squeeze in mini golf, a short hike, anda lunch stop at a seafood shack along the way.

Space wrote:
My mom is a young 80 if he's willing to skew older.

HANDS OFF MY BEER MULE

Space wrote:
We did try to go to the SB location of Modern Times for a pre-dinner beer last night, but they closed early (like at least a couple hours early) due to "low staff." Is the service industry hurting or what?

TAN: dunno about out east, but around these parts the service industry is having a hell of a time getting staff.  lots of restaurants can't re-open due to a lack of employees.  people are pointing fingers at:
- high employment benefits that result in people making more by not working (actual problem: service industry not offering a living wage)

- potential hires now demanding wages higher than the restaurant's business model can support (solution: fix the model if it's based on exploitation)
- former service industry employees moved (and moving) to other industries (got pissed off/lost hope in restaurants, realized it's a shitty sector with a terrible work/life balance, so found something better elsewhere)
- it's the democrats fault

restaurants in seattle are offering signing bonuses for waiters and kitchen staff.

sweetcell wrote:
- high employment benefits that result in people making more by not working (actual problem: service industry not offering a living wage)

- it's the democrats fault

I'm hearing this too (and you are correct)
thing is waiters/bar staff can make a pretty decent salary in the end, but tips are such a big part of that (thought once you get far from the city, it's a different story in small towns )
and with lower capacity in restaurants…makes it even harder
but when all else fails, its the democrat's fault

sweetcell wrote:

Space wrote:
We did try to go to the SB location of Modern Times for a pre-dinner beer last night, but they closed early (like at least a couple hours early) due to "low staff." Is the service industry hurting or what?

TAN: dunno about out east, but around these parts the service industry is having a hell of a time getting staff.  lots of restaurants can't re-open due to a lack of employees.  people are pointing fingers at:
- high employment benefits that result in people making more by not working (actual problem: service industry not offering a living wage)

- potential hires now demanding wages higher than the restaurant's business model can support (solution: fix the model if it's based on exploitation)
- former service industry employees moved (and moving) to other industries (got pissed off/lost hope in restaurants, realized it's a shitty sector with a terrible work/life balance, so found something better elsewhere)
- it's the democrats fault

restaurants in seattle are offering signing bonuses for waiters and kitchen staff.

One of our Airbnb owners was a retired vineyard owner. He claimed that grape growers are "having a hard time finding workers because the workers come here from Central America and prefer to have the government pay them 30K not to work rather than to actually work." I didn't really feel like getting into a political debate with him.

Stopped at the Bruery tasting room yesterday. Was hoping for more but just another place in an industrial setting with good beers. We need more farm breweries!

Also stopped at Green Cheek in Costa Mesa. The ipa we had was awesome, same level as Monkish or Other Half. Also had a guest beer called Pliny the Elder on draft, that one was pretty good too.

Tried to stop at Bottle Logic, but they were closed for an unannounced Christmas in July party for employees. Wad that an excuse for not having enough staff?

Also played minigolf- I won, go-karts- wife won, and video arcade games- daughter won.

That's it for now, ciao.

Space wrote:
Also played minigolf- I won, go-karts- wife won, and video arcade games- daughter won.

that worked out well…everyone is a winner!

Space wrote:
One of our Airbnb owners was a retired vineyard owner. He claimed that grape growers are "having a hard time finding workers because the workers come here from Central America and prefer to have the government pay them 30K not to work rather than to actually work." I didn't really feel like getting into a political debate with him.

you mean you didn't want to tell him that they are in fact ineligible for government benefits, and the reason there aren't as many migrant central american and mexican workers is due to the border policies of the previous administration?

Space wrote:[font=verdana]Stopped at the Bruery tasting room yesterday. Was hoping for more but just another place in an industrial setting with good beers. We need more farm breweries!
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i'm surprised that The Bruery hasn't upped their tasting room game.  i understand how a new brewery, that barely has financing to open the place, needs to set up shop in some industrial park.  but the bruery has been successful for over a decade and has expanded… you think they'd want to invest in the customer experience.  then again if people are already coming, why offer gold if people are lining up for silver?

Space wrote:[font=verdana]Also had a guest beer called Pliny the Elder on draft, that one was pretty good too.
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wow, green cheek's beers must have SUCKED for you to choose some unknown guest beer instead of their offerings…

Space wrote:[font=verdana]That's it for now, ciao.
[/font]

appreciate the update!

I can't quote your Breuery quote specifically, but Imma guess they're hurting.

No one buys that beer and with their expansion, I'm sure they've taken a hit financially to not focus on their homebase.

Yada wrote:
No one buys that beer

what makes you say that?

among beer-trading uber-nerds, agreed - the bruery has lost its luster.  but beer nerds make up 1% of the craft beer-buying market.  they have an outsized influence given their small numbers… but they are small numbers.  i think us beer nerds (i'm generous with myself here) tend to get lost in the smell of our own farts: we create a bubble but think it's the entire universe.

As an Airbnb guest, I'll make as kitty small talk as possible, not really interested in educating a 75 yo retired farmer.

In fairness, the do have another newer tasting room called Bruery Terreux, but that was closed on Tuesday. No idea what it's like, but it does have that fancy pants name.

sweetcell wrote:

Yada wrote:
No one buys that beer

what makes you say that?

among beer-trading uber-nerds, agreed - the bruery has lost its luster.  but beer nerds make up 1% of the craft beer-buying market.  they have an outsized influence given their small numbers… but they are small numbers.  i think us beer nerds (i'm generous with myself here) tend to get lost in the smell of our own farts: we create a bubble but think it's the entire universe.

In all of my years of beer drinking, unless someone was hauling around their 22% chocolate stouts, I can't recall ever seeing anyone just casually drinking a Bruery beer… beer geek or not.

Space wrote:
In fairness, the do have another newer tasting room called Bruery Terreux, but that was closed on Tuesday. No idea what it's like, but it does have that fancy pants name.

ugh, too bad.  given a choice between the two, i would have preferred terreux for their sour/wild/farmhouse beers.

sweetcell wrote:

Space wrote:
In fairness, the do have another newer tasting room called Bruery Terreux, but that was closed on Tuesday. No idea what it's like, but it does have that fancy pants name.

ugh, too bad.  given a choice between the two, i would have preferred terreux for their sour/wild/farmhouse beers.

The Tasting room actually has many more beer choices, including everything Terreux has. We stick to stouts and sours and drank just fine.

According to a Beer Advocate post, Terreux is just the nicer place to do your drinking. I'd copy and paste what the person said, but I'm not that good with my Android phone.

Also looks like I missed out on a really good sour place called Homage because I didn't realize they had opened an LA location.