La Cerveza es Vida

When you win the Bundesliga...

2008-05-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hot German women douse you with beer!

hat tip: Hudsonia

very large bottle in front of me

2008-02-16T19:17:00.001-08:00

gallon of bear, how do i love thee?

happy birthday to me. i was taken, by my thoughtful wife, to the green flash brewery down in north san diego county yesterday. let me tell you, i am a fan of their beers. even the ones i don't normally care for such as their red ale. taaaasteee. however.. vista, ca leaves a little something to be desired. i didn't take any pics there but i did a quick google search and came up with this exemplary photo:

pretty much sums it up. damn fine beer though, and at fitty cent per 4 oz. taste, well.. it makes up for the 19 bucks i paid for a gallon of that 5 year anniversary IPA. i'd be happy to share, you just got to get here in the next day or so.

on the way back home we stopped in at Port Brewing's Pizza Port in Solana Beach. for some good pie and more beer. happy birthday indeed.

Good news

2007-12-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

Beer closing in on cocktails as drink of choice

This is not to say that mixed drinks don't deserve any love. We here at La Cerveza es Vida also treasure our cocktails. Me? I prefer a nice Maker's Julep or Caipirinha in the summer, and usually stick to Manhattans during the cooler months.

If you like the faint aroma of licorice

2007-12-24T11:37:00.001-08:00

Then try Anchor's Christmas ale.

Good beer, good company, so-so atmosphere

2007-12-23T10:19:00.001-08:00

Last night I met El Serracho and su esposa at Tustin Brewery in - you guessed it - Tustin. The brew is quite good. I had the American Pale Ale (pictured below) followed by a couple pints of Red Hill Red Ale.

Their pale ale was smooth yet colored with flowery hops. I'm not much of a hop guy. IPAs are a bit too pungent for me. This pale ale was just right.

The Serrach had some Barleywine.

The inside of Tustin Brewery looks like a medium sized German beer hall with wall-to-wall flat screen TVs. We counted 13 sets in all. Each one was broadcasting a different sporting event with the volume at full blast. It definitely caters to a sports-minded clientele. When I ordered my first beer at the bar the guy next to me was playing fantasy football on his laptop. He was too busy clicking away to enjoy his beer...

not that i'm proud

2007-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

92%DRUNKARD

whit beer with umbrella

2007-12-17T11:31:00.001-08:00

panama city, panama, 2006

honest to god brewpub in panama

2007-12-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

believe it or don't, but there's a genuine brewpub in the heart of panama city (the one in panama, gringo). good stuff and welcome to me after a couple weeks of quaffing the tasty, but light, local lagers.

PS this pic was taken last year, i don't recall much about the brew itself. shrug.

coffee stout

2007-12-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

newport beach brewing

i'm told, by my wife, that the caffeine in this one made me a bit more talkative than usual. ok, what she actually said was "you wouldn't shut the fuck up." whatever.

Pilsen, Cerveza de Uruguay

2007-12-15T07:15:00.001-08:00

When we were in Buenos Aires last year we took the ferry across the Rio de la Plata to the small town of Colonia, Uruguay.

I had to try some Uruguayan beer. It only came in a large bottle. I don't remember much about it other than it was a typical light pilsner akin to the Argentinian brew Quilmes.

Uruguay is very cold in August.

my occasional venture into belgian territory

2007-12-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

i have to admit i was drunk when i drank this, and it was not my final beer. i only kinda-sorta recall that i liked it because it didn't have that cloying sweetness i associate with most belgians. enjoyed, drunkenly, at a bar called The Luxembourg in downtown Harderwyjk, the Netherlands. one of two favorite bars in a town i visit 5-6 times a year for work.

Abbaye de Leffe, Blonde

2007-12-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

This beer has a dark golden color with lots of flavor. The initial taste is a tad on the sweet side. A second later the texture grows rich and buttery, but not syrupy. This would go well with some camembert and thin crackers for snacking.

It's pretty pedestrian for a Belgian - I got mine in a six-pack. If you're unfamiliar with Belgian ales then I would recommend starting with this one. But like any good *real* Belgian brewery, the work is done by monks, or at least near them. It is brewed in a monastery.

So tonight, in honor of the hard-working brothers of Leffe, I raise my glass for the Lord.