Hitting the Slopes

Two full days in San Diego, and two parks done. Check and check. We had planned for today to be a bit more relaxing, and with the threat of rain in the forecast, we juggled our plans accordingly. So we headed off first thing in the morning to the Birch Aquarium to see what they have to offer. Unfortunately, it was more of a Discovery Center for young kids and beyond a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and La Jolla beach we discovered that there wasn't much there. I enjoyed the exhibit on CO₂ levels and the impact on Global Warming (Al Gore would have been proud), but didn't see much on whales, which was what I thought they would highlight. But as I always tell the kids, we are checkers, and having checked it out we were ready to head to Alpine brewery (https://alpinebeerco.wordpress.com/), recommended by my cousin Brian, for lunch.

Alpine is located about 30 miles east of San Diego, up in the mountains (over 1000 ft up) right off I-8. Quite frankly, I had never heard of it since their beers aren't shipped east of the Rockies. But they have 6 beers on Beer Advocate's top 100 beer list, so they must be doing something right. The location isn't much to look at, with the brewery to the right and the pub to the left of a partially run down building (bathrooms were conveniently located out back in a separate building). We arrived a half hour before the brewery opened, but there was a line forming at its entrance. We went to the pub, got a seat, and I proceeded to select my sampler. I was ecstatic that they had their Exponential Hoppiness Triple IPA (#76 on the Top 100 list) on draft, a limited release beer that was the reason for the brewery line (I got two bottles while we waited for our food). They also had their Bad Boy Double IPA (#78 on the Top 100 list) on draft, so I was able to make a double score. I got a BLT with avocado on toasted sourdough bread that was awesome, and our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the entire San Diego beer scene. I thought that the trip was well worth it, and just goes to show that you can't always judge a book by its cover.

We headed back to the coast to do some sightseeing, first checking out Belmont Park and Mission Beach. They had the stereotypical CA boardwalk along the beach, and the same beach shops that one would find anywhere. We next drove up the coast to La Jolla, checking out the shops and the views. I popped into the Public House La Jolla (http://www.the-publichouse.com/) to see what they had to offer. I tried the Alesmith My Bloody Valentine on draft, an Imperial Red ale brewed for Valentine’s Day that people have been raving about, and then headed down to the coast with the family. The view was gorgeous, but better yet was the close up look at the sea lions on the beach. The kids loved it!

We took a break from eating out and had dinner at the hotel. Jenn gave me a pass for the evening so I went down to O'Brien's Pub (http://obrienspub.net/), a Draft magazine Top 100, to check it out. First off, there is no parking. The local Asian restaurants were packed, and I had to park several blocks down the street in a space not quite big enough for the minivan (it is what bumpers are for). The place was nice enough, but had a rougher than necessary feel (foul language, over-tatted waitresses) that would keep me from bringing the family. I got the Green Flash 5th Anniversary beer, a Double IPA brewed with Columbus hops that hit the spot. Instead of staying, I decided to go to the Alesmith Tasting Room (http://alesmith.com/) to try some draft versions of the bottles that I've tried on the East Coast.

The Alesmith Tasting Room is located in an industrial complex, and is really hard to miss if you hadn't been before. They had about 15 people sampling brews, and I went to order my $1 tasters. I started with a comparison, their Speedway Stout with their Speedway Stout Vietnamese (brewed with coffee), on draft. Both were great, but being a coffee/beer fan I would have to give the nod to the Vietnamese version. They were sold out of My Bloody Valentine (good thing I had tried it earlier in the day), so I next had their Decadence (with quite a kick at 12% ABV) Quad on draft, a foretaste of the bottle that I'm aging at home. I even showed some self-control by not buying a bottle of their Wee Heavy aged in Scotch barrels. The combination of the $32.50 price tag and the limited number of bottles that I could bring home with me helped me make my decision.

In hindsight, it didn't seem like a down day. At least we weren't hiking all over creation. – 6311/13580

“40 dollars!? This better be the best damn beer ever. [drinks beer] You got lucky.” – Simpsons (In my case it was $32.50)