2009, off to a great start

The best part of going on vacation is trying new things. For me, that is a very meaningful action. While on such vacations, I tend to do things that I wouldn’t normally do, ever. Most of these things will remain a secret. And it isn't illegal if it happened in international waters. Anyway, one of the things I love to do is look for different beer. There is a wide world of beer out there, and I am constantly searching for it.

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This year, my vacation was a simple one to California. This wasn't my first time there, so I have tried most of the microbrews available in the “Golden State”. I like some more than others and go out of my way to drink a beer or three while I am there. But this year, was a little different. While I did get the chance to drive around and drink a few local brews, I didn't get to try anything new. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to add to my list.

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Then I had a brittiant idea. BevMo.

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Yes, there are BevMos in California. And I have a GPS. As luck would have it, there was a BevMo a mere 4.1 miles down the road. Why haven’t I ever thought of this before? Who cares, I thought of it now.

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I love the BevMo. It is so cool. I am in there at least once or twice a week. I am on a first name basis with the people who work at the one by my home. But I have been a little bored with the lack of variety available lately. I have tried most of the breweries. I look forward to the changing seasonal beers to add some spice into my beer life. But even that gets old after the 6th different Pumpkin Ale, or Spiced Christmas Ale.

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After the 6.4 mile drive to the BevMo (freaking GPS directions) I walked in to the BevMo. I knew this was going to be good. I noticed right away that the beer selection was much larger than I was used to. Then I noticed that the beer selection was much different. I started with a hand held carrier. But I could only carry four 6-packs with it. This was going to call for a cart. Before I knew it, I had 8 (eight) different six-packs in my cart and I was only in the second row of five. I was in big trouble.

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It was so hard to make up my mind. I must have pacing up and down each row five or six times. I came looking for Russian River (not available in my home state), but left empty handed. Instead, I was lucky enough to find some of the beers atop my wanted list.
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Fuller’s 2007 Vintage Ale.

The 10th Anniversary Limited Edition bottle conditioned ale. If you follow my blog, you know that Fullers’s is one of my favorites. I bought all 3 bottles they had. I’m not sure when I will drink any of them. But I do plan on keeping them around for a while.

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Hofbrau original
Everyone has a “Happy Place”. My Happy Place is a booth at the Hofbrauhaus beir hall, in Munich Germany. It wasn’t the best beer I had in Munich, but it sure was one of the most memorable. To this day, I find myself longing for the Hofbrauhaus nearly every time I have a beer. I dream of the Oom-pah band, the pretzen girl, and the litre of golden Pils. This was a huge score for me. You see, Hofbrauh beer is not available in my home state. So to find this beer was close to a religious experience for me. I would have bought more if my wife wasn’t there.

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Hofbrau Dunkel
How could I pass this up? My love runs deep.

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Hofbrau Hefe Weisse
I think you understand why after reading the previous selections.

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Fuller’s Porter
Are you noticing the trend yet? Fuller’s offers three different ales at home, but the Porter isn’t one of them. There is no way I could have left with out it. Now if I can only find a bottle of the Brewer’s Reserve. That would be sweet.

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There were so many more. I was like a kid in a candy store. It wasn’t possible for me to buy everything I wanted. But I am happy with my choices. I will go back, soon. And this time, I will bring more money.

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-Prost!