Drinkin' across the country!

I'm baaaaaaaack!

It's been a busy few weeks since last I've visited.  Where to start?

St. Paul: The Happy Gnome!  Very, very cool restaurant with an outstanding taplist.  We sat outside on the deck, which basically looked and felt like you were sitting on your friend's back deck.  Benches built into the outer fence, a giant ash tree growing up straight through the floor, and low volume 90's-era WBER music playing in the background.  Extremely impressive tap list!  Should've started the night off right with a flight, but didn't think about it until it was too late!  Ended up with Surly Furious (delicious IPA) and Surly Coffee Bender (Surly Bender Brown Ale with coffee added to the brew).  Verdict: Surly makes mighty fine beer, and should distribute to wherever I live.

Next city: I don't even remember where we were after that.  San Jose?  I think so.  Wait, no, I know so.  Sharks!  Bought a six pack of Gordon Biersch Marzen from a nearby convenience store, and enjoyed the first two bottles with a massive $5 veggie burrito and the Bills/Browns game.  Drank the rest as post-show beers throughout the week.  Not an out-of-this-world beer (being four months old probably didn't help), but I've had much worse.

Los Angeles: Sadly, I found too late the beer store near the hotel with a great selection.  Speedway Stout.  Sculpin.  Numerous Lost Abbey offerings.  And plenty more that I can't remember.  Ended up with a much more manageable purchase, made entirely on the advice of this very site: Anderson Valley Hop Ottin'.  Good choice, even though it ultimately meant missing the chance to hang out with John C. Riley on the roof of our hotel.  I kid you not.  But the beer was really good, and I probably would have made an absolute dingus out of myself had I tried to introduce myself to Dr. Steve Brule himself, so it may be for the best that I stayed in.

Las Vegas (again): still somewhat angry at the guys at The Firkin for their false advertising (2-for-1 does NOT mean buy two, get the third free) and also trying to watch my intake of relatively unnecessary calories, I drank very little out here.  I did, however, get a bomber of Coronado Islander IPA from the store across the street, and it paired very well with unwinding on the luxurious L-shaped couch and Harry Potter on the big screen TV.  Normally not a fan of bombers, but $4.50 for that was better than $10 for a sixer of Torpedo, as I didn't want to drink that much during the week this time around.  Cheaper than a pint of anything nearby, too.

Oklahoma City: local!  Found a bar near (okay, 1.2 miles away from) the hotel, and left slightly disappointed after one of the two beers I really wanted to try (Witch Hunt) had just kicked.  Wet hop with mild spices added?  I know some people aren't big fans of that, but it sounded like autumn in a glass to me, and I was super excited to see how it tasted.  No such luck.  However, I did try another Oklahoma brew: Coop F5 IPA.  Super tasty!  Thick one finger head, substantial mouthfeel, perfectly carbonated, and a taste that has me contemplating a return walk if I actually get time off in this city.  Citrusy with just a tease of that west coast piney flavor.  Wonderful stuff!  Wish it was a little lower in ABV though (7%), as two pints while just sitting at the bar without doing anything is enough to make me throw in the towel.  Lightweight, I know.

Up next: Rio Rancho, NM!  I really hope I can find a place that sells bottles of Marble Brewing's stuff, as their Oatmeal Stout was one of my surprise favorite beers from my time there in 2010, and it's only sold in New Mexico.  Hotel is in the middle of nowhere though, so it could be tricky.  From there it's off to Colorado (split week = absolutely no time off, at all, period).  But then, it's a week off in Michigan...home of the most gorgeous woman on the face of the earth, and some of the best craft beer as well!  WOOOOOOOO!!!!

F5 IPA with chicken caesar wrap and sweet potato fries!