2012 California Brewery Tour

Last July, my wife and I took a trip up the coast of California from Orange County to San Francisco and then cut across to Lake Tahoe. My goal was to hit as many breweries as possible that I hadn't been to before. Before the trip we had discovered the Pacific Beer Map. It was incredibly useful in mapping out our stops.

Day 1:

Our first stop after getting out of the L.A. area was Island Brewing in Carpinteria. This one was a recommendation from some friends because it had a cool location next to some train tracks and is just a stone's throw from the ocean. When we pulled into town it took a minute to find it as the GPS took us to the wrong side of the building. We saw some signs after coming around the corner, parked, and made our way in. It was a perfect Southern California day, so the outdoor patio right next to the railroad tracks was packed. We made our way into the tasting room and it was packed too, but we managed to grab two seats at the bar.

There was a good selection on the tasting board and I went for the sampler. That day there were so many people in there that they didn't have enough taster glasses, so they gave me my selections as glasses came available and were washed. I went for the Paradise Pale Ale, Island Pale Ale (IPA), Jubilee Ale (old Style Ale), Night Sail (Black IPA), and Blackbird Porter on Nitro. All were good. We enjoyed that place for a while and then hit the road.





Next brewery was Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. in Buellton. Our friends that recommended Island Brewing had actually brought me a growler of Figueroa's IPA on one of their previous road trips (thanks Jen & Blake!). I really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to get back there with my empty growler. They are located not too far from the 101 in an industrial area. It's really easy to find. Once inside we could tell that they have spent some money on the place. All of the decor and branding was top notch. The tasting room with a view into the brewery showcased some beautiful equipment.

I got my hands on a taster of Wrangler Wheat, Hoppy Poppy IPA, Hurricane Deck DIPA, and Davy Brown Ale. The wheat and IPA were my favorites, but I would have to say that the IPA tasted a little "green" and possibly needed to condition a bit longer. After talking with the servers it sounded like they were running at 110% capacity so they may have been pouring beers a bit before they were completely ready. It still tasted great though. A full growler of IPA and we were on our way!



That night we were staying in San Luis Obispo, so we grabbed dinner at SLO Brewing Co. We grabbed a table upstairs. The waitress was really cool and let us know about an online coupon that they had for $2 off any stein of beer. I went for their IPA on Nitro. I think the IPA was just good, but putting it on nitrogen made it great. I am easy to please I guess!




Day 2:


The next morning we were making our way through Cambria when a little microbrewery caught my eye that was right off the main road. Cambria Beer Co. is a little hole in the wall with a small tasting room and brewery that were in a building about the size of a 2-car garage. It was early enough that they weren't open yet, so we hung out for a few minutes.






The owner opened up the place and set me up with a few tasters of Mudhoney Oatmeal Stout, Toyon Amber Ale, and Ghost Belgian Wit. It was just a bit after 4th of July, so he said that they had run out of a number of their brews, so they only had these three on tap. My favorite was the Oatmeal Stout, so much so that it got me thinking that I would make an oatmeal stout as my next home brew batch! It doesn't get much better than randomly finding a tiny little microbrewery that is only a few months old and then getting to chat it up with the owner about some great brews.

The rest of the day we spent making our way up the coast through Big Sur, cruising around 17-Mile Drive/Pebble Beach, and Monterey.

We stayed that night in Santa Cruz. The weather was crappy (welcome to Nor Cal!) so we stayed in that night.

Day 3:

First thing next morning I was ready to hit one of the breweries that I had seen online. Santa Cruz Ale Works said their tasting room was by appointment only, so I gave them a call and they said I could stop by. I think the owner was a bit surprised to see me there, maybe because it was 9 am or so on a Tuesday morning. I guess I tend to lose track of time while on vacation! The owner was really nice and their brews were good. We chatted it up for a bit, I forgot to take pictures, and then we headed for San Francisco.

I planned on making it to either Anchor Brewing or Speakeasy while in San Francisco, but I had tried quite a bit earlier to get a reservation for a tour at Anchor and it was unavailable and Speakeasy was not open the days we were in SF. Luckily there were a few other places to hit in the city.

The first afternoon we were in the neighborhood of Thirsty Bear Brewing Co. so we stopped by.

They had 9 house brews on tap, so of course we went for the 9 beer taster! My wife really liked the Golden Ale infused with vanilla beans. The rest were good too. After finishing our appetizer and beer taster it was back out on the streets.















Day 4:

The next morning we were over in Haight-Ashbury. We had heard a lot about Magnolia Pub & Brewery, so I couldn't wait to get there. The server must have known that I was a beer fiend, because she sat us at a table that was directly above the vent in the floor where you were overcome by the sweet aroma of beer being brewed in the basement!

We went for the 6 taster of Big Cypress Brown, Blue Bell Bitter, Possum Pale Ale, Spud Boys IPA, Proving Ground IPA (cask), and a Pomegranate Cider. The beers were all very good and the cider was refreshing. My favorite part was the size of the individual tasting glasses and the cool rack that it came in. As each taster had to be close to 6 ounces, the taster was a great deal and was easily enough for two people with lunch (we had the burger and it was really good).

That evening we had a chance to make it by 21st Amendment Brewery / Cafe / Bar before meeting some friends for dinner. The place was packed when we got there, but we managed to grab a table on the 2nd floor. They had 8 house beers on tap, so I went for it! They were all really good, but my favorite was the Brew Free or Die IPA. Off to Thai food for dinner.

  Day 5:


We are cutting across California to make our way over to Lake Tahoe. On our way through Sacramento we planned on stopping by Hoppy Brewing Co. for lunch. We had been to Hoppy before on a previous trip, but couldn't wait to get back for the great food and brews.







Of course we went for the full 9-beer taster and as always they were very good (a little bit of everything to keep the wife and I happy). Last time we were there they had a Scotch Ale as their seasonal selection and it was killer.







On the way up to Lake Tahoe we stopped by Jack Russell Brewing Co. in Camino, CA. The area has quite a few apple orchards, wineries, and other touristy things. Jack Russell was a pretty simple metal building in the middle of a field, but once inside we were greeted with a tasting board with 12 beers.

We were still full from lunch at Hoppy Brewing Co., but managed to try each of their beers. I liked that they had a coupe of beers on tap that were the same base beer with a small change like their Tangerine Ale / Apple Ale and their Irish Red / Raspberry Red. If we ever have the chance to make it by there again, we will definitely try to hit the meadery and winery. A growler full of the Strong Blonde and we were off to Lake Tahoe to relax for a few days and then head home.