To San Fran and Back Again - A west coast trip and other updates

We took a trip out San Francisco plus a bit more of Northern California with several friends over the Labor Day weekend for an early celebration of my wife's birthday.  I had a few beer highlights on the trip but not as many as I planned since I just didn't have time to visit too many brewpubs while in the area.

On our first night there we had dinner at Magnolia Pub & Brewery on famous Haight Street near our rental house.  Their speciality was Belgium-style beers which I have said many times are not my favorite.  But I did try their Tillies Union Ale on tap which was decent.  They also had some "guest" taps and I tried the Bombay by Boat IPA draught by Moonlight Brewing over in Santa Roza and it was great.

A few other new-to-me beers that I had while on the trip was Stone Brewing's Cali-Belgiaque IPA at NOPA Restaurant.  I split this pint bottle with our friend, Roman, who lives out here which was good because I wasn't crazy about it.  I had a bottle of Napa Brewing's Lost Dog Red Ale at Napa Valley Burgers after a bicycle ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to the lovely seaside town of Sausilito.  It was decent.  On our last day there I had a bottle of California's Marin Brewing's IPA at Q Restaurant and Wine Bar, a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives recommendation.  The food was excellent and the beer was pretty good.

A couple of non-beer related items of late worth noting include:

I was able to catch a show from actor and comedian, Jay Mohr "(Bob Sugar is a child!") at Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville on Tuesday, September 25.  Thanks to my friend, Danny, for going with me as he filled in for my wife, Ashlee, who couldn't make it since she was in Chattanooga with her ailing mother.

I also attended the SOLD OUT Henry Rollins' show at The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville on October 12.  This was Henry's stop in Tennessee's capital for his Capitalism Tour which hit every U.S. capital before election day.  Whether you agree with his politics or not, you have to admire a spoken word artist who can go 2 hours and 40 minutes without an intermission or even a sip of water.  Amazing!  Thanks to my friends Mike and Wayne (filling in for Ashlee again) for attending with me.

Hill City IPA @ Good Dog, Chattanooga, TN
November 2, 2012.  Very hoppy!