Mar
17
Testing Flock
Filed Under tech | Leave a Comment
As cool as WordPress and Safari are, they don’t play well together. I have to keep changing browsers in order to post to my blogs. In an effort to make my life easier, I’m trying out the Mozilla based browser called Flock. If it works well, I may just ditch Safari and FireFox. Flock’s built-in blogging tool seems pretty cool.
Mar
1
I’m a Beer Nerd
Filed Under beverages, travel | Leave a Comment
On a recent trip to northern California, I dropped by a couple of saloons that are worth mentioning. The day we arrived in San Francisco we visited the 21st Amendment Brewery where the annual Strong Beer Month was in full swing. Most beers on the menu registered at least 8 percent and some were as high as 12!
I tried the Hendrik’s Russian Imperial Espresso Stout and loved every sip. If Guinness got Starbucks knocked up, this would be the offspring. What an amazing beer!
My wife sampled the Watermelon Wheat Wine which is really just a light, filtered wheat beer with a refreshing essence of watermelon. Superb!
The 21st Amendment has pretty good food and a loud, lively atmosphere. Trying to slog from the front door to the dining room on a Friday night reminded me of a college keg party. It was packed with all kinds of people enjoying a beer and a laugh. This would be a good place to hang with a bunch of friends.
A couple of days into the trip I was ready to visit the bar that some people say is San Francisco’s beer Mecca. The Toronado Bar on Haight Street is nirvana for beer nerds. With a huge selection of regional drafts and a splash of other fine beers from around the world, Toronado ranks as maybe the best beer bar you’ll ever visit. And they have $2.50 pints daily from 11:30am to 6pm!
As I sat at the bar, staring at the big board of brews trying to decide which to try first, I was greeted by a stereotypical baby boomer hippie from the Haight. He was all about peace, love and beer. At first I tried to ignore the guy and settle on a beer to drink. However, it quickly became clear that this guy wanted to talk and so I figured if I was cornered then I would at least choose the subject of discussion…beer.
He explained that he had found the last beer he would ever drink. “Pliny the Elder,” he said with a slur and a sip. Pliny the Elder. It’s that good. He was right. It’s a creation of Russian River Brewing Company and it’s a remarkable beer. It’s a double IPA that’s a little more hoppy than most and it has incredible honey and citrus flavors that go perfectly together. It’s kind of like the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA only better.
Russian River sends some of their beers to the east coast so I’m now on a mission to get a keg installed in my favorite local tap room. Al from The Druid’s Keep promises to keep an eye out for it and let me know when he can get it. Don’t worry, I’ll call ya.