if you remember

 

Good combination right here.

 

So my collection so far



That's only from local stores so far. I haven't been able to travel out to BevMo in Salinas to pick some more out. I was going to get more before I go to town on them but I think I good little selection so far (including the fun ones like pumpkin and chocolate). I've tried the Mirror Pond (meh for me) and Lagunitas IPA on tap (I liked it).

I'm actually going out to the Canary Row Brewing Company right now with some friends so I'm sure I'll try a few more.

 

There's a ton more that I need to go get though! Especially all the ones listed in this thread.

 

Deschutes: Chainbreaker, Red Chair, Abyss,

Russian River: Pliny, Blind Pig

Green Flash: Imperial, West Coast IPA, Hop Head Red,

Ballast Point: Big Eye IPA, Sculpin IPA

Bear Republic: Racer 5 or Racer X

I would suggest taking a nice trip out to the breweries and do some tastings. Just make sure you aren't driving bc it could be a rough trip back.

Honestly, BevMo sucks for beer selection. Go to Whole Foods! If you see Abyss make sure to grab 2 or 3 as they are rare to get at least around this area.

Cheers!

 

Some BevMo's suck. Go to the one in Sunnyvale, near Mary on El Camino. It has an awesome beer selection as well as an entire fridge full of 22oz bombers that I have not seen at other stores. In fact the buyer there was the person that told me about Sculpin years ago. It's worth the trip.

Going to a brewery can be fun, sometimes. I guess. Depending on the brewery. Most seem pretty uppity these days. A lot of them will only fill their own growlers (it's not fun to try and store 8x growlers in a small apartment, ask me how I know).

A place like Pudley's in San Carlos has something like 23 or 25 different beers on tap from many different breweries and is happy to let you taste beers. They also have brewery reps on premises at times handing out beer (Goose Island was there giving samples of their English Bitter last Friday, but usually Wednesdays).

Just something to think about.

 

Oh Word!? I work in Sunnyvale so maybe I will go check out that BevMo. The ones I have been too though have had limited selection or just the normal beers from local brewers such as Rogue and SpeakEasy.

I will have to check out Pudley's. I have been looking for a place hat has good craft beers on tap. Yardhouse is too trendy for my liking. I mentioned breweries because I found that if you ask questions they will be somewhat responsive, but maybe I have been lucky.

 

Don't forget that the OP is (probably) new to craft beers. To appreciate stuff like Pliny, you really have had to have been drinking enough different beers to have developed the palate sensitivity and discernment. Other wise it just tastes bitter. Just like you don't serve a $200 bottle of wine to a beginner who probably wants a white zin

 

They now have this at BevMo. Do yourself a favor and go try some if you like stout. I've been to their pub/restaurant and it was great.



I liked this one too

 

http://northbaybrewerytours.com/

My buddy said this tour is dope.

 

I am a fan of IPA's. I am just showing off with the top pic! My buddy and I have an extensive collection of beers that we probably should be drinking rather than taking pics of.

 

YOU, sir, are a HOP head.

 

You going to head down to Russian River next week to try "The Younger?"

 

that's true. not all BevMo's suck because the managers are responsible for requesting beers, so if the managers are beer aficionados then they'll have some good beer.

i guess i'll take some pics of my beer collection later.

 

The BevMo by me in San Mateo sucks, as does the one in San Bruno. The Sunnyvale one is a totally different deal - the buyer told me it's a territory thing. I always end up walking around and staring at the selection, and then buying waaaaay more than I planned on getting.

Whole Foods is awesome though, and tonight I picked up a bottle of Lagunitas "Fillmore Fusion" which is SOOOOOO good! It's like "pliny light" or something. It's a very light, pale beer with a very nice, citrusy hop flavor - but not too strong.

Pudley's is the kind of place you could basically crawl out from under your car and then go straight there but at the same time, it would be fine to go there for lunch or something from work. It's a pretty chill place and the bartenders are great. I begged them for a year or so to get Deschutes on tap, and now they have 3 Deschutes beers.

Have you been to Magnolia in SF? Their "Proving Ground IPA" is absolutely a "must taste" brew. First of all, it will blow your face off, but seriously - it's one of my top faves. It's Maris Otter/Chinook hops so it's orange colored and smells like a grapefruit. SO GOOD. Once it hits the lips.

Anyways..