Finish this sentence: If you ever see me drinking a Bud Lite Lime...

One of my most excellent friends sent me a link to this e-card, I assume in response to my "Our Friends, the Enablers" post. I hope you find it as hilarious as I do. Upon showing it to a few of my beer snob friends they decided that this will in fact be their signal if they are ever kidnapped. I've been watching a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer recently and it occurs to me that I would not have any trouble knowing my friends from demon impersonators, as long as I took them to a bar and watched what they ordered. So that's reassuring at least.

Local Brewery Spotlight: Stone Brewing Company

http://www.stonebrew.com/visit/

Having a review section on this blog seems obligatory, but it may be about the tasting rooms and special events more than it's about the beer since I am not the ideal candidate for that type of review. The logical brewery to start with is Stone, since this is where I began my (somewhat forced) beer education. I should start off by saying that I do not like their beers, they are too hardcore for my palate. It's just a fact, I am indeed not worthy.  In general, I do not need my hops with a side of hops, or my stouts to be imperial. That being said, I love the Stone Brewing Company itself. For their elegant bistro and its enchanting bottle list, for their summer movies in the garden, for their festivals, for their collaborations with other microbreweries both local and international, and for their general big-without-being-evil mentality. They truly are a tour de force, selling everything from bike jerseys to books to beer cheese. Plus I got to meet Wil Wheaton (just kidding, here's the link you should actually use if you want to know more about him) when he stopped by for a book reading and, I'm assuming, some Arrogant Bastard Ale.
My beer snob husband and beer snob friends all love Stone Brewery. A recent beer club evening was themed "labels with animals" with the clarification that gargoyles are in fact animals. Two of our good friends even got married at Stone World Bistro and Gardens, with the overdone unity candle tradition being replaced with the mixing in one glass of their two favorite beers. The bride also got to choose two kegs to be available that night, one of which she mercifully made a cider for us weaklings.

His (Alesmith X) and hers (Stone Cali-belgique).

On the way home from a recent trip to Disneyland, Reed appealed to my love of taking a different route home than I took to get there (this applies to everything from going to the grocery store to cross-country roadtrips) by suggesting we take Highway 78. As I made the turn he casually mentioned that in 40 minutes bottles of Stone's 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout would be going on sale in the Stone company store. This particular beer is one of his favorites and is now 3 years old and only getting better (or so I'm told). Releases of it are few and far between so of course we made the detour and were first in line to buy the one 22oz bottle each that was the limit. This is the really nice thing about living in San Diego, as if the weather and ocean weren't enough. Stone Brewing Company is a huge presence here and so many of the perks are available locally, including special releases, growler fills from their Escondido and new South Park locations, and some seriously big expansions coming up.
We recently attended the Stone 15th Anniversary Celebration and Invitational Beer Festival. Stone's anniversary happens to be very close to our wedding anniversary and so all-access passes were Reed's gift from me this year. The phrase "kid in a candy store" comes to mind. We were there for both of the regular tasting sessions and had wristbands that got us into the rare beer area as well. I have learned that in addition to the belgians and wheats that I like (don't judge me!), I also really like barleywines. This puzzles Reed. In this rare beer tasting area, I had 4 ounces of 2006 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine aged in bourbon barrels that changed my life. I savored it, which is probably a first for me and a beer of any type. I can neither confirm nor deny that "Dreamweaver" was playing while I drank from my taster glass in slow motion. Reed used up most of his tabs on beers from this area, including the 12th Anniversary he loves so much aged in bourbon barrels and two Stone releases I'd never heard of (and we actually had to google since the volunteer pourers could only tell us that "I think there's pepper in it or something") called Crime and Punishment, both of which apparently resulted from an over-abundance of chili peppers in the CEO's garden. I mean, who does stuff like this? Answer: Stone does. Because they're inspired and, I'm assuming, because in one of those cliche moments, no one told them they couldn't.
There were also plenty of other breweries represented in the rare beer area and, of course, in the festival at large. I was easily able to find beers that were to my liking and a couple of cider makers that impressed me; the nearby Julian Hard Cider's Cherry Bomb was delightful and Crispin's addition of sake yeast to its Cho-Tokkyu left me wanting more. The lines for Lost Abbey and Russian River breweries were consistently the longest, along with that for the Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale onion rings. Some of my beer snob friends were disappointed that the addition of a separate rare beer area meant that most booths in the regular sessions didn't have anything too different or exciting, making it hard for them to find even 10 beers "worth" a tab off their wristbands. I think this must be partially true, but is also a result of the amazing beer selections that we in San Diego can find at local restaurants and bottle shops. Because of places like Stone, its hard for the beer snobs in my life to find beers that they haven't tried yet. Oh boo-hoo.

Always a good time, at Stone bistro with friends.

Love means never having to say you're sorry

What a crock. I don't claim to have all the answers, but in my marriage love means never having to worry about a DD. When we go to a place with a large craft beer selection, I drive home. When I'm just back from  research trip that involves weeks of 12 hour workdays everyday on a dry ship, Reed is the designated driver for awhile. This applies to more than just my marriage, I see it in all our good friends as well. Our friends who got married at Stone were smart enough to rent a party bus to take us all to and from Escondido, so no one had to be DD. Lots of our friends choose where they live based on being within walking distance of 30th St. Love of each other, ourselves, and the random strangers we'd be putting in harm's way makes it an easy decision.
In college there were times that the supposed designated driver partied harder than anyone, forcing someone else to sober up and take the keys. That kind of thing doesn't happen to me anymore which, as much as anything, reminds me what a great husband and caring friends I have.
My dad often quotes a scene in Star Trek IV: The One with the Whales where Spock is speaking to his dad after the crew of the Enterprise has been reprimanded for their shenanigans. Sarek says "Your associates are people of good character" and Spock replies "They are my friends." Spock is basically saying "Well duh" in Vulcan, like why would he bother with people of any other level of character. I am not ashamed to admit that high quality science fiction has influenced who I am, and I've been moving more and more to this way of thinking during my adult life. There are some people I just don't bother with, and my life is the richer for it.

Live long, prosper, and make sure your friends are worthy.

Our Friends, the Enablers

Group camping trip at Joshua Tree National Park.

Reed and I have great friends. They've been supportive of us during tough times and always show up to my various "I'm leaving for 2 months!" and then obligatory "I'm back!" parties. I love them, I really do. But they are the biggest bunch of beer snobs I've ever met. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I love a complex glass of wine as much as any wine snob. But here's the difference - I also drink box wine. According to my philosophy, there's a time and a place for cheap booze in life. When I go into Green Flash to visit Reed I like to ask my server "So my favorite beer is Bud Light with Lime, which of yours should I try?" just to see the look of panic on their face. It's hilarious, I highly suggest you try it next time you're in an intimidating beer snob situation. I cannot imagine a situation when Reed or one of our friends would ever drink a Coors Light or Miller High Life. I am the designated driver when it comes to events like the Stone festivals and San Diego Beer Week, which always coincides with Reed's birthday. This year, for his 30th, I'm pretty sure I'll be renting a van and driving him and our friends around to various events all over the county in celebration of local craft beer.
Now I have been trying to get more into beer, mostly out of a desire to support my husband in his hobby of choice. For the better part of 2010 I ordered mostly beer when out on the town and tried all sorts. Mostly I learned what I don't like, with Reed teaching me the correct terms for those styles or ingredients I want to avoid - like bitterness (hops), a burnt flavor (roasted) and pretty much anything strong (imperial). My palate was advanced, but "only' to the level of lambics, wheat beers, belgian-styles, and the like. There's plenty of selection at local places like Ritual Tavern and Toronado to keep me happy, but for the most part I still prefer wine. With dinner or a piece of chocolate at the end of a long day and yes, sometimes even out of a box.

The first thing I want when I get off a dry research ship is a glass of red wine.
Here, with beer lovers, in Valparaiso, Chile.

And so it begins...

Two years ago I followed my passion and got a job at Scripps Institution of Oceanohraphy as a marine chemist. I work on research ships at sea for about 30 percent of the year, sometimes for months at a time. I had volunteered on a 10 day trip and knew that I had to find a way to get paid to be out at sea and travel. It was shocking the effect that a fulfilling job had on me, just telling people what I do feels like bragging.

Me on the ice in the Arctic during a research trip. Ignore the banana.

So in his new-found free time, I encouraged my husband to search for a job that would make him feel the same way. Write a list (this is actually my solution to everything) of five things that would seem a bit ridiculous to get paid to do. A quick aside, I gave this suggestion to a good friend recently who could only come up with two, sitting on the couch and scratching himself. Hopefully he's looking into a career as an underwear tester - I mean, these must exist right? Anyway, not surprisingly, the number one thing on Reed's list was "drink beer." Luckily we live in San Diego where there's a booming craft beer scene and this is a legitimate career path and possibly the only industry that is growing and adding jobs in this economy. So he started a job search to be involved in the craft beer industry in some capacity. A job search, I always say, that tops the usual ordeal. He went to all the tasting rooms, drank beer, and talked to the people behind the counter and in the brewery.
The other thing Reed loves is to know more about something than you - so he can drop some knowledge. It was a longer job search than he or I was hoping for or expecting, but he now works part-time at Green Flash Brewing as a tasting room server, where he pours beer and talks about it with customers. And the perks all come in liquid form. Living the dream.
Now something that I hadn't really planned on is just how much it's taken over our life. Stopping into every little brewery between Portland, Oregon and Homer, Alaska on a road trip last summer, trying out the vintner's side project brews during a day of wine tasting in Franschhoek, South Africa, tripping over the cases of beer that clutter my kitchen, and the recent purchase of a full-sized fridge to be converted into a kegerator and beer fridge - these are all parts of my life now.

Wine tasting in South Africa quickly turned into beer tasting.

No sip of beer is taken without his nose in the glass offering up such comments as "bananas!" or "coriander!" This from the man who only last year read wine-tasting notes off like they were part of a comedy routine, scoffing "leather?" "earth?" "black fruit, really?" while I swirled my glass and look apologetically at the server.
I can't take credit for creating this monster, but I sure as hell nudged him along.