We’re home today recovering from the Rate Beer Summer Gathering yesterday. (Yes, everyone was very cool.) I’m sitting on the back deck trying this Stone brew that’s been in my beer fridge for a few weeks.

These are the beers you can buy today at the Rate Beer Summer Gathering event I BET YOU WISH YOU WERE HERE!

Rate Beerians have to work too. We’ve got Christian slicing limes for the street tacos

We had to go to Lowes which is conveniently close to Backstreet, so we’ve stopped in for a pint and some people watching.

  …it was refreshing and palate cleansing. 

…when this festival seems to become the “in” spot to be.  This is the south tent about 5ish.

…these are the lines to buy mugs and tokens.  Wow!  That’s a lot of people and that’s coming from someone that’s worked the door at the Port 2nd Anniversary and the front gate for the last 6 years at the Stone Anniversary.

Note to Tomme:  Please don’t have barrel envy, these have wine in them, not beer.

Here’s a view of the Willamette Valley from the deck of Domaine Drouhin

Angie and I both felt there was a dearth of Stouts and Porters.  I think Beer Molly would have been saddened by this news.

This is Bill who beer blogs at www.its-pub-night.com. Bill approached me to see if I was the real Tomme from Lost Abbey or one of Tomme’s many doubles.  Since Bill only had his fest mug and nothing else with him, I fessed up and admitted to being a look alike.

      New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk

…I think they’re in the right place.

I was on the phone this morning with our foreign correspondent Matt Dolman who is on assignment at the Oregon Brewers Festival up in Portland. He told me yesterday he was wearing his Lost Abbey shirt and “doing his journalistic duty” (read: drinking beer) when a guy walked up to him and said “Hey – […]

We are at BackStreet and then to see the new Batman Movie

The Maltose Falcons homebrew club just came through the brewery. 50 absolutely crazy homebrewers’ They rock!

Brian K from Rate Beer

Sage on vacation!

Five great brewers – one incredible beer It’s official — the long-awaited Isabelle Proximus will be released this Saturday (June 28) at 10 a.m. at Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey in San Marcos. If you’ve been locked in a closet for the past year-and-a-half, then you’re probably not aware that this is the Gueze-style […]

Last weekend was the always popular Real Ale Festival at Pizza Port in Carlsbad. Friday had an afternoon VIP session with some incredible beers — for the few minutes that they lasted (we had to hear about them at the Lost Abbey tasting room that night). And Friday night and Saturday afternoon were quite the […]

New Taphandles

New pig

Oh my…West Coast IPA

Eric, Andy. & Scott

Pliny the Younger on tap @ Stone

Bruno’s for dinner tonight

Travise is the ANHEUSER~BUSH Rep

Justin & James

This month’s Celebrator has the Lost Abbey crew on the cover — and pretty much every page. Best part IMHO — I think Bo’s (second from left) fly is open.

My 1st Brithday gift from Cheryl

This is called an Irish Car Bomb!

Our 1st pint

Molly has her “I’m 21, now where’s the bar” tiara on and she’s making good use of it

We are now here at Churchills

Ivan and Matt @ the CFO Roundtable Golf Tournament. Avant Garde and Devotion are good golf aids

Cool, Reb n I r @ Churchill’s. She’s having a cider n I’m having a Hoptrip

This is QB n Bonnie visiting from Durham, NC. they’ll be @ Lost Abbey later today.

Wandered across this story as I stood at the gas station filling my car with $4.32/gallon gas (welcome to California). Turns out no matter what the economy, people buy beer. Think I’ll go have one to help soothe the $85 chunk that just got taken out of my wallet. Beer is recession-proof (via 11Alive.com, Atlanta, […]

We are over at Backstreet Brewery in Vista and brewer Adam Carbonell has finally put Molly’s Select Porter on tap. Naturally, I am very happy because a) it was made just for me, and b) it’s really good.

Chris

Ivan & Staci

the place isn’t quite ready, but when it is it will be awesome. there is at least 50 taps and a huge bottle fridge

Joel & Jordan

This is Matt The New Larry

Ahhhhh…a cool Devotion on a bloody hot day

Monica is serving us well @ Shakespeare’s

Matt n Gregg @ Shakespeare’s Pub

Josh n Gregg drinkng a Smithwicks n Boddingtons @ Shakespeare’s

Tomme

Veritas 03

Tomme’s is talking

Tomme is talking to the home brewers

Tomme’s speaking notes

Ken

Scott The Home Brewer

We’re playing host to the Society of Barley Engineers homebrewers club. Tomme will be talking about blending barrel-aged beers to them.

Vegas isn’t know for a great beer selection, but we found one at a bar called 24 in New York New york. Twenty taps – all craft brews. awesome.

I can’t find the bartender

unbelievable. we ran into some brewery friends on the way to nine fine irish men

They’ve got Pipeline Porter and at least 8 others on tap. A total of 25 taps in all — all of which are craft brews. (Want a macrobrew? Sorry, bottles only.)

96 Degrees, but that’s okay because we’ve got a 12 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon

Brandon & Ben dropped by the brewery one last time for a pint or two. After this they’re off to Seattle where Brandon is moving. Best of luck Brandon. Cheers!

From tues eveningRR Temptation w/sour dough , brie, and pepperoni. And of course some fresh fruit puff pastries.

Molly is sorta listening to the World Beer Cup intro