Lanesplitter

Post-softball with Spitfire (why yes, of course we won). Ordered pitchers of Racer 5 and Death & Taxes...then blended. SO GOOD. The Racer adds a nice mild hoppiness to the dark, solid D&T. Spitfire would like to say "I think the Racer 5 adds a fruity flavor, and cuts the bitter aftertaste." I trained her well.

Holy Shit, Triple Rock!

Since my old faithful ipod met a timely demise (it was about 5 years old, which is almost 90 in human years) when I attempted to smuggle two large, full coffees into the movies via my purse (spoiler alert: it was not a success), I was forced to purchase a new (old) one off craigslist. A kind UC Berkeley teenager sold me one cheap, so we went to eat at Triple Rock.

Hot damn.

I had two of their seasonal brews, and they are outstanding.

Hopfensuppe - an imperial IPA at 8.5%. So delicious. Fruity, light, similar to Avery's Maharaja. Perfect for a summery day. Just the right amount of hops to have a little kick, but they're the sweet citrusy hops that I love. LOVE this beer.

Black N Blue - a stout, but light at only 5.1%. It's a nice roasty beer that's a little more porter-like, but very sweet and warming. Also: blueberries! It's not an obvious fruit flavour, it's just a slight full sweetness that is surprisingly perfect.

Oh, Triple Rock. You are awesome.

Triple Rock Firkin Fest

Summer weather = beer festivals! Today we're in Berkeley drinking hand pumped beer. So far my favourite is Tcho Mama from Marin Brewing. Chocolate and cherries! So tasty. And surprisingly sweet - usually cherry makes beer sour, so this is a nice change.

Summer?!

When it gets surprisingly warm for a March evening in the Bay Area, boyfriends & Racer 5 are your best companions.

Sometimes it's hard to find the ladies room in the brewery.

omG

Midnight Sun XXX Black Double IPA. Holy shit. So smooth, crisp, slightly sweet & malty with an amazingly calm but present hoppy goodness. Hint of coffee at the outset, fresh citrusy hops finish it off. The Black IPA is officially my favourite style, and this might just be the best. DAMN. Thanks, Alaska!

Mill Valley Beerworks

The Bay Area Beer Bloggers headed north last night for our January meeting, and I was introduced to Mill Valley Beerworks (surprisingly enough, it's in Mill Valley).

It's a long and narrow room that feels cozy with lots of wood and dark tile. It feels a little small, but a lot of people were able to fit without it being too crowded.

They have about 8 taps? I think? Maybe 10. Two of them were for the Beerworks own brews (although they were sadly out of both when we were there), and the others were a wide range of styles and brewery locations. I went with Bacchus, a Flemish red ale. It was a little crisp, but didn't have the mouth-puckering qualities of most sours. I really liked it - it had a nice sweetness, but was calm. Not like drinking a glass of sweet tarts. I later shared a few beers with Brian, and I've already forgotten what they were. But one was English! And I then decided promptly that I do not like English beer.

The bartenders were all some of the nicest guys I've ever had serve me beer. Everything was in the right glass, too, which is always a plus. The only downside was the price. All draft beers were $7-10, and some of the bottles were pretty pricey (Speedway Stout, which is usually around $11-13, was $24!). But, it's Marin County. I expected as much.

They have a small food menu, which is also pricey - my grilled cheese sandwich was $9. BUT! Holy shit, that was an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. Great bread, a number of different cheeses (I think there was goat in there?), grilled bell peppers and greens. $9 is a lot, yes, but damn that was delicious.

I don't think I'll go back unless I happen to be in the neighbourhood, but that's only because it took so long to get there from Oakland. If I lived over there, I would definitely be hanging out there on a regular basis. If you're in Mill Valley, or anywhere close by, you should definitely check it out.