Here’s one of the standards that can be found in most of the pubs and restaurants.  Okanagan Spring Pale Ale.  This was a malty ale, very little hoppiness to it, but still tasty.

What’s funny is that I searched high and low, and could not find the flowers I was looking for, so I asked one of the gardeners there where were the hops?  They looked at me funny, once I explained I was from California, they just chuckled and walked away.  I soon found out that the […]

So I arrived in town, checked into the hotel and headed out to Butchart Gardens, unfortunately, I thought Rebecca said Bush Gardens.  No beer, but it looks pretty nice, doesn’t it? 

Hi, it’s Matt and I’m blogging from Victoria , BC (that’s British Columbia, not Baja California).  Here’s the Parliament Bldg

The Wirtz boys from Arizona and Fitz from Washington state dropped by the brewery to hang out today

Lunch over at BackStreet. I have Ballast Point Barel Aged Stout

Dirty little secret…. this witch drinks the dark stuff, not the wits.

After several weeks of delays due to labels, Witch’s Wit finally released in bottles today. A very light 4.8% ABV and brewed with Grapefruit, Orange Peel and Cardamom, it’s crisp and refreshing. Perfect for hot summer days. In honor of the release Molly donned her witch outfit to work the bar. As with all the […]

Fresh Exponential Hoppiness from Alpine

Lyle, Ron and Bob from SanDiegoBeer Drinkers.com.

Some friends from India came into the brewery the other day and convinced us that we need to send Tomme to brew on the subcontinent. Not a bad idea. Here’s one of our buddies holding his beer and a sticker that reads “Drink your beer. There’s sober kids in India.”

Periodic Table of Beer Styley

I’m having a Black Butte on tap

Here’s the tap list: 3 taps for Ballast Point (pale, ipa and pils), two Stone taps (pale and the anniversary chocolate)’ bud light’, pbr, blue moon, paulaner, leffe, deshutes black butte, full sail amber, O’side ale works strong, racer 5, firestone lil opal, sierra nevada torpedo, sierra pale, firestone pale, full sail ltd and wyder’s […]

Julie and Kirk

We’ve dropped into the new Breakwater Brewing on the Coast Hwy in Oceanside, CA. They’re not actually brewing yet, but the tap list is good and the food is tasty.

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