Random thoughts, with Chris Voegtli

This post is going to be a little different than any of my previous post, why you ask, because I just wanted to talk about some things.

Last night we brewed another batch of beer. It didn't turn out exactly as expected, but that is the fun part of home brewing. Maybe we just invented something amazing. We were going for a "Black IPA", which is a complete contradiction because that name implies something that is essentially both black and pale, (think Michael Jackson) but whatever it's just a name. How about we call it a Black Hoppy Ale.

It is Friday, so that means my month long tradition of having beers at Richmond St. Bar and Grill is back on tonight. Seriously do yourself a favor and go there. They always have 2 or 3 really good beers on tap, the food is awesome. Instead of fries they serve these homemade potato chips that are really good. As an added bonus, I will be there.

I finally started watching the 2nd season of Arrested Development this week, WOW! I wish I would have been into that show when it was still on the air because it is one of the funniest shows every made. If you have Netflix you can watch Season 1 and 2 instantly right now. While I am on the topic of TV, if you have not seen it yet find a TV and seriously start watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, you can thank me later. How do I make this paragraph beer related? Hmm, how about you just watch these 2 shows and drink some beer.

Back to beer. Tomorrow I'm going to the LA Beer Fest from 1-4 pm. Unlimited 4oz. pours of beer for 3 hours equals a happy Chris Voegtli. According to the website there are going to be lots of really good breweries there. Hopefully all of the good stuff won't have like 2 hour lines because I will be stuck drinking at the Colt 45 tent. Apparently Billy Dee Williams likes the stuff though, so it can't be that bad.

http://www.talesofcolt45.com/lpa.aspx?returnurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.talesofcolt45.com%2fdefault.aspx

If anyone is going let me know and we can try and meet up at the Fest for a mini glass of beer. Hopefully I will remember enough of tomorrow to be able to post some quick reviews about the Fest and in particular the beers that I drank.

Breweries to check out:
The Bruery (Placentia, CA)- They make really great Belgian inspired beers you can usually find a few of their beers at Cookes and Whole Foods.
Deschutes (Oregon)- Tons of good beers, really easy to find in local stores. Try Black Butte Porter for those of you who like dark, roasty beers. Their Mirror Pond Pale is nice too.
Pizza Port or Port Brewing- They have restaurants all over North County San Diego, plus they brew their own beer. Really great stuff like Old Viscosity if you like stouts and Hop-15 for IPAs.
Ballast Point Brewing Co.(San Diego)- Another great brewery from down South. They make tons of great stuff from Pale Ales to Barrel aged stouts. Best part is lots of their beers are available in 6 packs.

Sorry if I left your favorite off the list above, but I just wanted to throw a couple quick ones out there for some of you who are new to craft beer to try.

Have a great weekend, drink some good beer and eat some good food!