I am not doing a ‘Travel Log’ or ‘Picture Blog’ type thread for this trip. Beer will not be a huge part of this visit to Southern California, but I will post a little bit each Monday about my beery intake or adventures just for fun. Dark Rum is a big player this trip, my Son-in-Law has a few for me to attack and I have already bought two bottles to replenish his stock!
Been here since Sunday Evening 8th Dec.
Visited two bars, one beer shop and a supermarket, plus opened a German/Austrian Beer Advent Calendar and had a Korean BBQ so far.
33 New rates since arriving.
14 Californian
8 German (from the Advent Calendar)
2 Austrian (from the Advent Calendar)
2 South Korean (from the BBQ Restaurant)
2 Michigan
1 Mexican
1 Alaskan
1 Delaware
1 Hawaii
1 Wisconsin
Best so far; https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/stone-napa-cricket-club-wicket-keeper-ipa/794425/97853/
Worst so far; https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/josephsbrau-howling-gourds-pumpkin-ale/768707/97853/
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The beer tasting has progressed well, visiting four brewpubs has boosted my total number of new beers to almost 80 with over half being Californian brewed beers (mostly in Flights at the breweries).
Only one new place review so far and loads of my new rates have to be added to the data base on RateBeer as they are not already loaded.
On the non-beer front I have watched my daughter in a Sherlock Holmes play, my Grand Daughter in her pre-school carol service and her ballet show (she’s 4). Peter Pan (a Pantomime) and the Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus Christmas Show have also been visited, plus a trip to the cinema to watch ‘Ford v Ferrari’. The Laguna Beach ‘Saw Dust Festival’ took up some time today and getting to see Santa with my Grand Daughter was fun too.
Our son is also over here with us, he was contacted by a film company (convoluted story) and ended up filming a Documentary for the BBC at short notice, so he’s chuffed he’s filmed in LA at last!
Back to drinking; I fully expect my beer rating to slow down before and over the Christmas period with Dark Rum kicking in again, maybe a few G&T’s and Red Wine for good measure as well.
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Third Monday of our trip to Orange County, which is our 21st day here.
Christmas and all that goes with it when there is a 4 year old in the house was noisy and messy with more presents than any one child should be allowed to open in a single unwrapping frenzy.
Anyway, I’ve managed to rate 101 new beers and tick a cider.
51 Californian hits with Wisconsin a distant second on 5 so far. The Kalea Advent Calendar has given me 18 German rates and 4 Austrian so far. Other countries featuring are Canada, South Korea and Mexico. 10 other States after California and Wisconsin that I’ve had new rates for include Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
Only two more Mondays to go before we leave for the UK, so plenty of chances to find a few more new beers if I get the chance (9 or so already in the fridge waiting to be opened).
New Best Beer: https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/hardywood-gbs-gingerbread-stout-bourbon-barrel/194165/97853/
Worst is still this: https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/josephsbrau-howling-gourds-pumpkin-ale/768707/97853/
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Moving along nicely, now at 134 new beers and a cider tick. Sunday (5th Jan) saw us have a family day in San Diego, morning on USS Midway (a decommissioned Aircraft Carrier, now a museum) followed by a meal in the Fish Market. Before leaving we popped into the lovely Stone Brewery place at Liberty Station for a Flight or two.
More than half of the new beers are Californian with most of them being fresh and on tap, so easy to pick up multiple rates with the ‘Flights’ allowing you to crack so many beers, everywhere in Sol Cal seems to have them, even Pizza joints you can visit with family.
Red Wine in the evenings have been fun too, staying off the Dark Rum and Coke as my weight has risen a little since arriving out here.
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This Monday will be alcohol free as we fly back to the UK on Tuesday. So 5 weeks have gone by and although I don’t seem to have done much I have had over 140 new beers, 80 plus being Californian. If I hadn’t been given the Beer Advent Calendar my style and country ratings would have been very low.
An overnight trip out to Catalina Island was interesting, but only eight new rates to be found. Just two new place reviews this time, but visited six brewpubs and a few bars/restaurants while out and about. Beers from 12 other states apart from California were rated with Wisconsin and Oregon the only states to see me have more than 2 rates this visit.
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Home now, after leaving home on 5th Dec a sprightly 100kg I arrive home 6kg heavier on 17th Jan. So a Kilo a week has been added to me, mostly around the waist.
Stopped off at a taproom on the way to LAX, so another four new rates were consumed before the flight (and a new place review).
Now need to get back down to below 100kg wish me luck.
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