Tax is Over, Brewery Tour, and Numbers 18, 19 & 20

Another three beer post, but it has been a busy last couple of days. Rachel is relieved to be done with this round of tax season. I cooked her lobster to celebrate on Thursday, then she got to go to Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara on Friday for a much needed spa day. Saturday we kicked off the Quarter Century festivities by taking a brewery tour at Firestone Walker in Paso Robles. I had Unfiltered DBA and Velvet Merkin at the taproom, which were both delicious. The tour was very interesting, and it was more detailed than the Stone Brewery tour, since they allowed us to go right into all the different areas of the brewery, rather than keeping us on a designated path away from the tanks and instrument panels and such. After that, we went to AJ Spurs for some steak, and then to Club Soda for a drink. All in all a great evening, and I would like to thank all my friends for coming out to celebrate with me. I had an awesome time!


Number 18 - Ommegang Hennepin

This is a Saison style beer brewed by Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. Pags turned me onto their Belgain-style brews, and this is my favorite of the ones you can get here on the west coast. Citrusy and bright, this beer is not bitter, and would be great for drinking during spring and summer. Apparently it is great with lobster, and that is exactly how I got to drink it.



Number 19 - Stone Levitation Ale

Great beer for introducing somebody to the awesomeness of Stone beer. Levitation is dark and slightly bitter, but has low ABV compared to most Stone beers, so it does not have quite the kick you'd normally get. An excellent dark ale. Highly recommended.



Number 20 - Stone India Pale Ale

Much like Levitation, Stone IPA is a great introductory beer. Very fragrant from the pour, the hops come through right at the first taste. It is bitter like an IPA should be, but not excessively bitter. Thanks to Ryan for giving this to me for my birthday.