A brief update

One of these days, I will finally post all the photos of the breweries we've been to, beers we've tried, and my oh-so-humble (NOT) opinion of them.

So far, we have been to the following places!

New Mexico:

Santa Fe Brewing Co, Santa Fe

Marble Brewery, Albuquerque

Kelly's Brew Your Own Beer, Albuquerque

Arizona:

Prescott Brewing Co, Prescott

Oak Creek Brewing Co, Sedona

Flagstaff Brewing Co, Flagstaff

Nevada:

Triple 7 Brewery, Las Vegas

Big Dog's Brewhouse, Las Vegas

Tenaya Creek Brewing Co, Las Vegas

California:

Ballast Point, San Diego

Stone Brewing Co, Escondido

Lost Abbey, Escondido

Hollister Brewing Co, Santa Barbara

Telegraph Brewing Co, Santa Barbara

The Brewhouse, Santa Barbara

Left Coast, San Clemente

Beechwood BBQ, Long Beach

more to come...!!!

Mercury Cafe

Last week, my wonderful friend Chad took me to the Mercury Cafe in Denver, Colorado for a poetry reading and some organic beer. The vibe inside the place was super awesome, very chill. A pretty unique place to hang out. The best part of the trip out was riding on the back of Chad's Honda 550 - takes me back to the days of being in Indiana, on the back of my daddy's bike. Now I'm quite convinced that I need my own.

Chad recited an awesome Leonard Cohen poem about knowing the difference between butterflies and the actual term butterflies. It was fucking perfect.

GREEN MOUNTAIN IPA - All organic, tangy beer. Went down easy, with light hoppiness, light lacing, and a slightly sweet, floral aroma. Yum!  

Beer has become the best boyfriend ever. No complaints, no demands, just sweet kisses that go down easy and make me feel amazing on the inside. A nice little pint sized lover who's shoulder is always there for me to lean on...

(and there's lots of fish in that sea, if you will..)

On the left is 512 Pecan Porter which has already been reviewed.

INDEPENDENCE STASH IPA - A tangy IPA with a very mild citrus aroma. A good head at first that gave way to nice lacing. Lots of fruity notes, a tinge of pine, with a sweet finish.

Breakfast at Kerbey Lane Cafe

This breakfast place was dynamite. Apparently it's a 24-hour cafe that serves breakfast all day. We actually made it for the real breakfast rush - but boy, it was worth it. Check out those GINGERBREAD PANCAKES. And that delicious dish I got - Eggs Francisco - was amazing. Eggs on top of English muffins, tomato, bacon, avocado, all topped off with spicy queso. Uh, yes, it was amazing. And no, I couldn't finish it all. Thanks to Caitlin again for bringing me to a great institution. :)

Barton Springs, Austin, Texas.

Barton Springs was definitely one of the best parts of Austin. It's part of the Colorado River that has been partitioned off and turned into a swimming area. The area in the photo above is the "free side" - they charge $3 per person per day to go into the deep end of the springs. One of the most awesome aspects of Barton Springs is that the water stays at a cool 67 degrees - all the time. And boy, it doesn't seem like it'd be cold - but it sure as hell is!!! 

Veggie Heaven, Austin, Texas

This place was awesome. All vegetarian and vegan friendly options. I got the Kung Pao Chowmein. Bok choy, napa cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, noodles, and tofu. It was so good!

My last night in Austin..

My last night in Austin was pretty fantastic. We went to Blues on the Green - then headed downtown to 6th Street to check out a local band that Caitlin was wild about...now I know why! They are AMAZING! Eight old white guys, resembling cowboys, rocking the fuck out and playing reggae music! I ADORE them! They are called.....

THE MAU MAU CHAPLAINS

Please, don't resist. Go and give a listen. I think you'll enjoy it. :)