Friday morning began under the best auspices we could have imagined. From the height of our balcony, I immediately spotted busy tables at the Conference' entry, so I could inform an equally content Carl, that we wouldn't have to search for breakfast: it was readily being served. Another hospitality, more power to the generous sponsors! Carl needed some balm, as he was at least as nervous as last Tuesday - Friday was the day the second CarlKins' SoCal BeeryBus was going to ride. With somewhat less participants, hence even more nervousness for the instigator. He ought to have known better.

Carl didn't go over "one night ice", as we say over here. He had heard around, probed with the local connoisseurs. And so, three intriguing names had shown up. Alesmith, Ballast Point, Alpine. Know any of them? Well, I knew the first one, for sure, and better than that. Without going into detail, there was a package - not even a beery one! - waiting on me at that place. Not FOR me, as its destinatary happened to be a well-known Belgian microbrewer of the first hour. That solved one problem: from all contacted breweries, Alesmith were by far the most reluctant to open up for the foreign visitors. NOT out of inhospitability, not out of offishness, or whatever, but simply because they were at the midst of a major renovation - the whole brewing system was being changed for new and better.

But they had given the promise for the exchange, so they went with the inevitable, and not only invited the go-between, but the whole bus he was on. We weren't disappointed. Alesmith has a name (I'm not a big fan of their Speedway Stout, nor of their pseudo-Belgians, but some of their UK and American ales simply rock), and the beer flowed as freely as ever. It made a great entry for more marvels to come.

Now we departed for the second venture, and I have to anticipate a bit on the story. In the next, and last Part I will come back on Ballast Point, for reasons that will be obvious then. But I can state already some things. If our 40+sser, J.P.G. makes another year survey on the BBB next December, there's going to have to appear a true beergenius, at the brewery of breweries, or the best non-Belgian is already known, IMO. Lost Abbey Veritas might have been thé beer of the trip, thé brewery, no doubt, was Ballast Point. Even at the major Old Grove venue, the largely simple, but excellent beers, the infallible artistry of the labels and merchandise, and the keenness of the proceedings: everything speaks of fame to come.

The brewer leading us around, was being flippant all the time, but in the mean time, everything he said showed a profound understanding of his business, and a iron will to go forward. I'm confident he will. The young lady serving us at the counter was able to give info on the beers she poured, which isn't always evident. OK, due to circumstances and the haywire US laws, a guy having entered through the main door, could not exit again through that same door, if he had bought, say, a sixpack, but had to sneak out via a side entrance for the dog. Reason? The exit served also for a distillery they were setting up, and of course, one cannot ask from an Firearms&Tobacco official that he can see the difference between six bottles of beer, and an illegal addition to the spirit lock… Anyway, I liked the Porter very much - certainly barrel-aged. Or had you thought Ballast Point didn't oak age? They all do, over here. Still, better from Ballast Point was to come - see the next episode.

Now we had to move on, and seriously start climbing the mountains. Jeez, the village was called "Alpine". That must be a Californian liberty, 'cause when I say Alpine, I think of snow-capped tops, green alms, purple cows with bells and Edelweiss. Not of yucca's and palms. Oh well. We had a special plan: seen the fact that the Alpine place was terribly small, the crowd would split up in three groups of eight, and whilst one group was at the brewery, the rest would be sitting, drinking and eating at the Liar's Club, a beerpub opposite of the road. Now here's a classical example of how well plans might sound, if something can go wrong, it will, isn't it Mr. Murphy?

If I say "this place is at the other side of the road", than you can see yourself mentally cross over the street, and enter, no? Well, this Liar's Club (the name ought to have warned us) was INDEED at the other side, but then about a mile uphill! Not only we drove a good way with that bus, before reaching it, it turned out to be really great place, and people were hungry - result, some 'lost' hours there, waiting for starters, soups, coffee and what else - including Carl, who had to wait for the last one inside, and made the bus drive back. A word about this "Liar's Club" - as no pub I've ever visited in the States has baffled me so.

I've spoken of great beerlists, but this one (at least in the States) completely overclassed any seen so far. If a place in Belgium offers 5 Struise Brouwers' beers, plus some Glazen Toren ones, and more of that ilk - not to mention some Scandinavian micros, French and Italian, not even starting about the local brews - then this place is known as Heaven. Would it exist, it would be probably be in a location as Delirium Café - in the very centre of a BIG city. This Liar's club is literally, in the midst of nowhere. Apologies to the stout Alpiners, but this is a sh*thole in the deserthills. How in hell can they survive on that kind of menu??? A cab must cost a fortune driving out there, and do it on your own, and I can hear some sheriff starting to yell about DUI… A miracle. And the food was far from bad - especially as yet another sponsor was paying - New Belgium, not to name them!

The Alpine brewery is not compact - it makes me think of an integrated chip of the next generation - if not quite state-of-art, come to think of it. If Jos Brouwer, a stout man if ever, had gone one step further, he'd still be stuck there. Who cares, since a large driptray collected from another 8-odd taps. OK, next series of IPA's. Their yeast has a very distinctive mandarine taste - or do they add it? In at least one beer, it really is so. Still, I preferred the "Exponential Hoppiness" - name says it all. After some time, when all were assembled somehow in the place, we moved next door, where an old parlour was being turned into a new outlet. Piece of attraction: two beers, meant to be plambics. In all honesty, I loved their "gueuze", but the kriek was undrinkable. Phenols, phenols, phenols… And would someone from there read this - nobody having a little French on him, would ever dream of reading "Chez Monieux" as "Shame on you". One needs a serious speech impediment for that - or a Southern drawl, maybe?

And no, the day was far from finished. The bus having taken us "home", we all prepared for the new treat: Karl Strauss was inviting everybody over on their factory grounds, with the help of the homebrewers' association, apparently. Which is why I managed another beer by Babbler Bill Sobieski. Karl Strauss had also catered for a BBQ (for a nominal price of USD 2,-), and, if they had some own beers on offer (one would have wondered…), they had made a very special, and well-appreciated effort to invite even the last, newest, youngest fledgling brewers of the area - I had to add two breweries to the Ratebeer database, would you believe it??? A Belgian, with all those Californian raters!

Only disappointment: why couldn't we visit the premises, and had to stay on the parking lot? A little anecdote, BTW, the busdriver getting there, not only seemed to have some understanding of beergeeks, he proved also to be blessed with a peculiar sense of humour… Getting there, he stopped two blocks short of our destination - which happened to be Anheuser-Bush warehouse. Try to imagine the kind of comments heard on that bus. I cannot write them down, or this website gets closed down… It was interesting, rewarding, but -as is to expected with that idea- not all beers were a delight. We still ended at the 100 taps at the Pavillon. Amen.

Joris

3 May 2008

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