Seabright Brewery

source

Last weekend Michael and I went for a bike ride long the coast in Santa Cruz. It was a lovely clear and sunny day, but VERY cold. Afterwards, my frozen bones were ready for some warm food and a tasty beer. Michael told me about Seabright Brewery before, having been there when he went to college at UC Santa Cruz. So, we stopped in for dinner after our ride.

The place is an eclectic mix of college kids, old guys chatting at the bar, sportsfans, hippies, and surfers--- like the general population of Santa Cruz. I cannot find much about the history of the brewery, nor can I find an email address to contact anyone for more information. I will update this post later when I get more information. The website states that it features regular and seasonal beers. There is Neighborhood Night on Tuesdays (Michael says it is awesome) and live Music on Fridays.

Loved the veggie patty!

I got the Hawaiian Five-O Burger with no cheese and a vegan vegetable patty. The patty had real chunks of veggies, which was a nice change from a plain Garden Burger.  The pineapple was juicy and sweet. And it was not smothered in teriyaki sauce like most restaurants do, just enough to taste. No complaints! 

mmmm, garlic fries!

Michael got the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, he had no complaints either so I assume it was good too! We both had garlic fries, which were very good. 

Ok, the beer...

Since were meeting some friends and knew we will come back, we decided to get full glasses rather than a sampler. 

An unholy ale and a smooth stout.

I started with the Sacrillicious Ale. The menu describes this beer as pungent, and that is right. I could smell the it minute I picked up the glass. It is very malty, but the malt is instantly taken over by the hops. I would describe this as a dirty red ale, because it is high in alcohol and is far from a classic red ale. Michael first had Oatmeal Stout. It is very smooth and I loved the hint of coffee. 

I totally see why this beer can make your nigh a blur.

Then I got hesitantly got The Blur. I torn between wanting a traditional Pacific Northwest IPA and being worried after reading the reviews on FourSquare about how strong it is. The Oregonian in me won out and I am glad it did. It reminded me of all the great IPA's back home. It is strong, but big on flavor. 

Light but very drinkable 

Then Michael tried the Loose Lucy Scotch Ale. It reminded me of a more flavorful and jacked-up Budweiser. A very drinkable beer, I see this going nicely with some spicy hot wings. 

I couldn't get a better picture,
but yeah, drawings of naked women.

I really liked this place, dirty beers to drawings naked women on the walls included. This was so my kind of place, we will definitely be coming here again. And hopefully the next bike ride will be warmer! 

Golden Valley Brewery

I spent Christmas this year in Oregon with my family, and Michael came too. It was nice to show him my hometown and have him meet my friends. However, there is not much to do in Hillsboro. So we drove a few towns over to McMinnville. There is the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, home of Howard Hughes' infamous Spruce Goose.  While the museum itself is awesome, the cafe isn't anything special. So a quick check on Google Maps revealed a microbrewery nearby!

Golden Valley Brewery is located in the country side of the Willamette Valley. The building is a 1920s warehouse with huge local timber pillars. I felt like I was pioneer walking into the local tavern for a drink, a good way to represent Oregon.

It began in 1993 by Peter and Celia Kircher. I contacted Peter for more information about the brewery and he stated that "The key focus for our brewery is to produce consistent quality traditional style beers of great balance and rare complexity." Their aim is produce "more classic style" beers. 



The restaurant features a standard Oregonian brewpub food. For those of you not familiar with Oregonian cuisine, that means an eclectic mix of standard bar food, regional specialties, and anything else the chef feels like making. 

I had a Garden Burger, minus the cheese. It had sautéed mushrooms and nice crisp lettuce and red onions. No complaints! 

Michael got the Pastrami Reuben Sandwich. Rubens are his favorite and always orders one when he sees it on the menu. He said this was the best one he had in awhile!

Ok, now for the beer...

I knew it would be able awhile before we could be able to visit again, so we got a sampler to try them all.  The sampler has 10 beers, from lightest to darkest: 3rd Street Wheat, Perrydale Pale, American Pale Ale, Chehalem Mountain IPA, Red Thistle Ale, Exit 65 IPA, Atlas Elevator Bock, Tannenbomb, Dundee Porter, and Muddy Valley Oatmeal Stout.

All the beers are heavily loaded with flavor, but perfectly balanced. A good example of this is the Red Thistle, very malty but counterbalanced with the right kind of hops. This beer was interesting---in a good way!

I have two favorites. The first is the American Pale Ale. Slightly malty and a little citrus, very drinkable and smooth. This is a great beer to drink year round with any meal. My second favorite was the Muddy Valley Oatmeal Stout. It was so smooth, almost like drinking desert.

Michael liked the Atlas Elevator Bock. It is dark with a smokey/meaty taste. He collects growlers so I bought him one filled with the Bock.

I drove past by this brewery a million times,  I am glad we finally stopped in! They also have a pub in Beaverton if you do not have the time to drive to McMinnville. But I suggest you take the scenic route out through the Oregon countryside and get some good beer from Golden Valley Brewery next time you are in the Willamette Valley.

Sources:
http://www.goldenvalleybrewery.com/ranch.htm
Background information sheet provided by Peter Kircher, owner

Bison Brewing Company: Gingerbred Ale and Chocolate Stout

As I mentioned in the previous post, I attended the FoodBuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco this past weekend. In addition to the Lucky Hand I had during dinner Friday night, I got to sample two more beers during the Taste Pavilion on Saturday. Bison Brewing Company, an organic brewing company from Berkeley, had a few of its year-round and seasonal beers to try.

I had the Gingerbread Ale. It was just spicy enough and not too heavy. It was very fragrant. Michael had the Chocolate Stout. It's a medium-dark beer and not overpowering on the chocolate or malt like really dark stouts. We enjoyed both, and I am a fan because they are USDA Certified Organic!

I am going to look for their IPA at the store so look for that review in the future...

McMenamin's Cornelius Pass Road House and Imbrie Hall

All photos from here

My hometown is Hillsboro, Oregon and there is no way I make my first review about any other place than McMenamin's Cornelius Pass Road House and Imbrie Hall.  I went to the restaurant a child with my family and it was one of the first bars I ever went with my friends when I turned 21.

Oregonians know and love McMenamin's Restaurants. There are several locations around Oregon and Washington. They purchase historic buildings and turn them into amazing brewpubs and restaurants. They are decorated a little eclectic, but very warm and inviting. Every location feels like you are sitting at your friend's house for dinner.  I am partial to the Road House because it is right down the street from my parents' house. They all have similar menus that vary seasonally, and feature McMenamin's own beers.

Cornelis Pass Road House and Imbrie Hall are two historic buildings for the town of Hillsboro. Built in 1850, Imbrie Hall was the original home of pioneer Robert Imbrie.  As his family grew he built a second house next door, the road house. In the late 1970s, the Imbrie family opened a restaurant. In 1986 McMenanmin's leased the property and over the next couple decades (and a legal battle over construction rights) restored the house. Lastly, in 2001 Imbrie Hall opened.

The grounds are lit- up at night during the summer.

Today you can dine in either building. The Road House has both in door and out door seating. My dad loves coming for late dinners in the summer. They have picnic tables and lights around the property. He enjoys the warm evenings with his family and a cold beer. Inside, like I said, feels like you are sitting in a friend's country home for dinner in the 1850s. However, Imbrie Hall is my favorite of the two buildings. It is a mix between an 1850s saloon and a barn house. The dark wood and metal fixtures are gorgeous. My mom and I often go for lunch when I am home. The menu is the same in both buildings though.

Ok, now for the beer. I know the selection by heart by now so I have my own opinions. You can check out their own descriptions here.  I am going to discuss my three favorites.

Ruby:
I love this beer so much it was the only thing I wanted to toast with for my graduation from the University of Oregon. It is a light ale with a little pink tint. It is a little sweet and very refreshing on a hot day. It has fresh Oregon raspberries brewed right in. My mom and I both think it tastes a little grapefruit for some reason. This is more of "girly" beer but that does not make it any less amazing.

Hammerhead:
It's a classic golden ale. Hoppy and a little malty. It goes great with anything on the menu, but I suggest using it wash down a burger because they make their own buns with the beer!

Terminator Stout:
It's dark, rich, and chocolatey. If you like dark beers, this is the one for you.

They also have seasonal ales that change often so I suggest trying them too. I can't remember what it was called, but I had this wheat one a few years back that I still dream of often.

Man, this post made me homesick--and thirsty!