California Beer Trip

[Transamguy77]

So how did this trip go?

 

[Medivian]

So, im still planning it. But now ive decided that i want to maybe attend to some course or some lectures about sensory analysis and beer styles.
I even created a thread about that but had no replys
I May go in August to California.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/beer-styles-course.649367/
Thx for all the answers!

 

[Medivian]

Hey bros!
A little update: Im going to LA on august 6, planning stay 4 days in LA, then 6 days in San Diego and more 3 days between San Francisco and Paso Robles.

Places on my radar:

LA: Aleworks, Mikkeler, Beachwood, Firestone Venice, Highland Park Brewery, Monkish
SD: Ballast Point, Greenflash, Whitelabs, Mikkeler, Escondido Stone
Paso Robles: Russian River, Firestone, Tin City Cider
SF: Cellarmaker

All suggests and comments are really apreciatte, since its going to be my first time on Cali!
Thank you!

 

[TwistedGray]

No stops between Paso and SF?

 

[Medivian]

Tell me more about that @TwistedGray please

 

[TwistedGray]

If you take I-5 to Hwy 46 to Paso which dumps you on Hwy 101 you would end up going north through Salinas which is home to Alvarado Street Brewery. They're worth a stop, in my opinion. From there you can go to Santa Cruz to Discretion Brewery which is also worth a stop. Further north and you're in SF (I would personally take Hwy 1 from Santa Cruz to San Francisco; it only adds about 30-45 minutes depending on if you stop. You're along the Pacific Coast the entire way up, so worth the added time, in my opinion.).

 

[Medivian]

Im doing this trip all alone so i not sure if im even driving at this point.

So im not sure if i can do all this with uber or something? But thanks for sharing this info!

 

[TwistedGray]

Im doing this trip all alone so i not sure if im even driving at this point.

So im not sure if i can do all this with uber or something? But thanks for sharing this info!

God no! Way too far apart! Ypud spend thousands.

 

[bleme]

Hey bros!
A little update: Im going to LA on august 6, planning stay 4 days in LA, then 6 days in San Diego and more 3 days between San Francisco and Paso Robles.

Places on my radar:

LA: Aleworks, Mikkeler, Beachwood, Firestone Venice, Highland Park Brewery, Monkish
SD: Ballast Point, Greenflash, Whitelabs, Mikkeler, Escondido Stone
Paso Robles: Russian River, Firestone, Tin City Cider
SF: Cellarmaker

All suggests and comments are really apreciatte, since its going to be my first time on Cali!
Thank you!

Russian River is in Santa Rosa, about 50 miles north of San Francisco. If you aren't driving, I'd cut out the Paso Robles stop. A flight from LAX to SFO is about $110. Adding in a Paso Robles stop makes it $510 total. I love Firestone Walker, but not $400 worth...

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Russian River is in Santa Rosa, about 50 miles north of San Francisco. If you aren't driving, I'd cut out the Paso Robles stop. A flight from LAX to SFO is about $110. Adding in a Paso Robles stop makes it $510 total. I love Firestone Walker, but not $400 worth...

Agreed 100%.

First that Russian River is NOT in Paso. It's part of the SF leg.

Second, Firestone Venice will give you a lot of the same advantages as going to Paso for Firestone. If you're driving from LA to SF, then a stop in Paso can make sense. But if you're flying, or want to save a day, fly from LA (or SD) to SF directly.

I also suggest checking out Modern Times in SD. Very good stuff.

 

[Medivian]

Thanks guys! I arrive in LA august 7. Probably stayig like 4 nights in LA, 5 nights in SD and 3 nights in SF.

Any hints on cheap hotels are really aprecciated!

Thanks

 

[bleme]

I've used the travel websites like Expedia a lot before but my last trip to the L.A. area, I wanted a hotel in a very specific area (walking distance) and https://maps.google.com was very helpful. Just go to the area you are interested in, click the 'nearby' button, then 'hotels' above that.

You can then put in the dates you want and use the slider to narrow your price range, and start reading reviews of any that look promising.

Finally, I switched to Street View mode to get a feeling for the neighborhood and let SWMBO make the final decision.

 

[bigdawg86]

Just north of Stone is Temecula, and they have some pretty good breweries. Refuge is my favorite, but they tend to do Belgian style beers. Electirc Brewing in Murrieta does some really good IPAs. Enjoy your travels

Refuge is going away from the Belgian thing... they have alot of pale ales, IPA's, NEIPA, a few stouts, saisons, sours, etc... blood orange wit is great. Pretty good choices. Dan Kelly their head brewer has really opened up the available choices and is taking the brewery in a great direction.

 

[NGD]

Hey bros!
A little update: Im going to LA on august 6, planning stay 4 days in LA, then 6 days in San Diego and more 3 days between San Francisco and Paso Robles.

Places on my radar:

LA: Aleworks, Mikkeler, Beachwood, Firestone Venice, Highland Park Brewery, Monkish
SD: Ballast Point, Greenflash, Whitelabs, Mikkeler, Escondido Stone
Paso Robles: Russian River, Firestone, Tin City Cider
SF: Cellarmaker

All suggests and comments are really apreciatte, since its going to be my first time on Cali!
Thank you!

Just my 2 cents since I spend a few weeks in the summer in Oceanside and the rest of the time live in the Sacramento area.

In your San Diego leg, Ballast Point was the biggest disappointment of the breweries the wife and I went to last summer. Food was good..beer was just okay. Granted we had already hit up Mikkeller, Saint Archer and Alesmith. I'd highly recommend hitting up Miramar Rd(link). Mikkeller, Ballast Point, St. Archer and AleSmith and White Labs are all a few miles apart not to mention several smaller breweries.

Some recommendations for SD:

• Green Flash (IPA heavy)(Link),
  
• Saint Archer (IPAs and Gose)(Link),
  
• AleSmith (big stouts, barleywines, belgians and some lagers..of course IPAs as well)(Link),
  
• Mikkeller Brewing SD (Really cool little place with some interesting beers)(Link),
  
• Ballast Point is also close by as well. Its is a good place to get food. Ballast Point has another tap room about 5 miles up the road in Scripps Ranch as well.(Link)
  
• White Labs

Down the road off Interstate 5 (link)

• Stone,
  
• Modern Times
  
• Coronado Brewing

Your LA picks look good. If I only had a few days there..my list would look similar.

Recommendations for SF:

• Cellarmaker (Link)
  
• The Rare Barrel (If you like sours, Closed Mon-Wed)(Link)
  
• Almanac (Lots of hop bombs, hazy and clear)(Link) (also have a taproom in SF
• Sierra Nevada Torpedo Room (closed Mondays)(Link)
• 21st Amendment (Link)
• FieldWork Brewing Co (Link)

@Medivian Couple of notes: With so many options, I understand it's hard to narrow down your choices. Hopefully the included links will help you narrow down your choices. Here is some idea of drive times to/from a few of the places you listed.
San Diego to San Fransico (7-10hrs depending on traffic. You will hit traffic in both Los Angeles and San Fransico.)
San Fransisco to Petaluma (Lagunitas) and Santa Rosa (Russian River) 1-2hrs
San Fransisco to Paso Robles (3-4hrs depending on traffic)
Keep in mind it is not uncommon for Russian River to have a 1-2hr wait.

I would plan to stop in Paso Robles on the way to San Fransisco and possibly stay the night if you decide to drive up. Its a longer drive but its very scenic.

Best of luck and hope your have a great time. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

@MaxStout That San Diego Beer website is great! Thanks for the link

 

[TwistedGray]

Thanks guys! I arrive in LA august 7. Probably stayig like 4 nights in LA, 5 nights in SD and 3 nights in SF.

Any hints on cheap hotels are really aprecciated!

Thanks

Union Square Plaza Hotel isn't bad if that's the one I'm thinking of.

 

[TwistedGray]

@Medivian Couple of notes: With so many options, I understand it's hard to narrow down your choices. Hopefully the included links will help you narrow down your choices. Here is some idea of drive times to/from a few of the places you listed.
San Diego to San Fransico (7-10hrs depending on traffic. You will hit traffic in both Los Angeles and San Fransico.)
San Fransisco to Petaluma (Lagunitas) and Santa Rosa (Russian River) 1-2hrs
San Fransisco to Paso Robles (3-4hrs depending on traffic)
Keep in mind it is not uncommon for Russian River to have a 1-2hr wait.

I would plan to stop in Paso Robles on the way to San Fransisco and possibly stay the night if you decide to drive up. Its a longer drive but its very scenic.

Yeah I think he's opting to not drive, but you really can jam from LA to Monterey in 6hrs (+/- 30ish minutes if you get in a good rhythm with other cars. I do it a few times a year depending on work.

You can avoid all Bay Area (SF/SJC) traffic by hopping on the 1 at Santa Cruz. It adds 30 minutes to the drive time, but you're on the coast the entire way North. Plus there IS a brewery on Hwy 1 in Santa Cruz and in Half Moon Bay as well if you're getting thirst.

Honestly, I would skip Russian River...just find places that carry their beer in San Fran. and save the time.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Keep in mind it is not uncommon for Russian River to have a 1-2hr wait.

This is a very good point as well. A strategy I've used is to show up ~30 minutes prior to open. You'll still be in a line at that point, but you should at least get in pretty quickly. That gives you a chance to get an early lunch while you're there, and then proceed on to whatever your next stop is.

 

[Medivian]

Thank you very much for all the information!

I heard about smaller spots like: Bottlelogic and Dabruery. What about real small brewerys and brewpubs? People told me that theses spots "Green Flash, Ballast Point, Stone are too big and not with the good fresh beers". Any comments on that? Im looking for the nectars juice! the real deal! Thanks guys

 

[bleme]

Green Flash, Ballast Point and Stone are all awesome. Just because they have huge fermentors, doesn't mean they can't make great beer.

However, the following breweries have all made a name for themselves making NEIPA inspired beers, which it seems like you favor:
Abnormal Beer Company, San Diego
Mikkeller, San Diego
Modern Times, San Diego
Pure Project, San Diego
Monkish Brewing, Torrance
Bottle Logic, Anaheim
Noble Ale Works, Anaheim
State Brewing, Gardena
Mumford Brewing, Los Angeles
Cellarmaker Brewing, San Francisco
Fieldwork Brewing, Berkeley

Btw, I finally got to visit The Bruery last month and it was even better than I expected. There were only about 8 tables and the place was brightly lit, clean and quiet, and the beer was awesome!

 

[Konadog]

You can catch a hotel shuttle from SFO to Santa Rosa, my daughter did it all the time when she would visit during school (She's at Cal State Sonoma) From there you can catch a cab or Uber to Russian River or into Petaluma to visit Lagunitas.

There's also a Balast Point and Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach

 

[Medivian]

Hey guys! Im wondering what is the best way to move around LA since im staying near East Hollywod and every place i want to go is kinda far like Anaheim (bottlelogic, noble ale) and also Torrance,Gardena Long beach etc.

 

[NGD]

Been a few years since I’ve had to get around in downtown LA/hollywood area on foot. Uber or Lift is your best bet for most local things that are to far to walk. For going to Orange County you could Uber to the metroLink train station.

 

[Medivian]

Hey guys. So, the trip is pretty much this, let me know what you think:

LA day 1 Mikkeller e mumford
LA day 2 Firestone venice / state brewing / aleworks
LA day 3 monkish TORRANCE / beachwood bbq LONG BEACH
LA day 4 bottlelogic n noble ales
SD day 5 modern times
SD day 6 mikkeler
SD day 7 white labs / abnormal
SD day 8 stone
SD day 9 ballast point / green flash
SF day 10 cellamarker
SF day 11 fieldwork / amanac
LA day 12 dayoff
LA day 13 dayoff
LAX day 14 gone

 

[NGD]

Looks good. In the San Diego stretch, you could easily combine San Diego days 5, 6 and 9. Those breweries are all a few kilometers apart.

Something you may want to put on your calendar as its fairly close to East Hollywood.

Modern Times Dankness Dojo.
832 S Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
United States

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Is this just your "highlight" of each day, or are you planning on only hitting those breweries on those days?

Typically it's not that hard to hit 3-4 per day in some of these areas, particularly around San Diego. And the Anaheim area there are at least one or two others worth hitting, like The Bruery (which is Brea, but not far from Noble).

 

[Medivian]

Is this just your "highlight" of each day, or are you planning on only hitting those breweries on those days?

Typically it's not that hard to hit 3-4 per day in some of these areas, particularly around San Diego. And the Anaheim area there are at least one or two others worth hitting, like The Bruery (which is Brea, but not far from Noble).

I would say this is more like a guide to where start or end the day. Of course im not staying the whole trip inside a bar, but im trying to avoid commercial beers at any means and inspire myself with probably the best American Ales on the area. And im not trying to rush the experience. Im looking for food joints too and im not realy into that sighsteeing so much

 

[NGD]

I would say this is more like a guide to where start or end the day. Of course im not staying the whole trip inside a bar, but im trying to avoid commercial beers at any means and inspire myself with probably the best American Ales on the area. And im not trying to rush the experience. Im looking for food joints too and im not realy into that sighsteeing so much

Get a hamburger/cheeseburger from In-N-Out at least once while your in California.


There are so many great places to eat in the areas you are going, I'm sure where to even start. Either way, your likely to have a blast.

 

[S-Met]

In SD, check out Absolution by the Sea good food too.

SF area, Rare Barrel is really good as mentioned. But all they make are Sours.

Napa, Sonoma for wineries, too many to list.

Sacramento and surrounding areas have a great beer, about 90 min North of SF area. Goat House brewery is one of the fastest growing in the country. I haven't been there yet though.

 

[Medivian]

Get a hamburger/cheeseburger from In-N-Out at least once while your in California.
View attachment 576317

There are so many great places to eat in the areas you are going, I'm sure where to even start. Either way, your likely to have a blast.

Yea definitely! I am looking for a Texas BBQ Joint too... i heard about Boogie Mcgee Bbq joint..

 

[6Tap]

In SD, check out Absolution by the Sea good food too.

SF area, Rare Barrel is really good as mentioned. But all they make are Sours.

Napa, Sonoma for wineries, too many to list.

Sacramento and surrounding areas have a great beer, about 90 min North of SF area. Goat House brewery is one of the fastest growing in the country. I haven't been there yet though.

FYI
I went to Goat House Brewery about 3 years ago and got their sampler flight of beers and did not finish any of them.
The owners and area is awsome but the beer was not good at all.

Their original system was probably around 1 bbl.