NEW WORLD We endorse beer tourism here at West Coaster.


Our BAY AREA neighbors are heavyweights in the craft beer scene. Kegs from Russian River command lines around the block on weekday mornings in San Diego. The original Toronado is in San Francisco, while across the Bay Bridge in Oakland is Drake’s Brewery and the numerous drafts of Beer Revolution. To the northeast in Petaluma, Lagunitas produces extraordinary beer. And let’s not forget that the California craft beer revolution was started in San Francisco when Anchor Brewing launched in 1896. There’s tons to do for the craft beer tourist in the Bay Area. Here’s a great website to help plan your trip: bayareacraftbeer.com


PORTLAND has long been considered by some as the craft beer capital of the United States. While West Coaster disagrees, there’s no contention that Oregonians make incredible beer. Portland is home to Deschutes, Cascade Brewing, Upright Brewing, and Hair of the Dog Brewing Company – just to name a few. If you’re in town, Rouge Ales Public house is not to be missed, nor are Portland’s famous McMenamins chain of 14 restaurants/brewpubs – cited by Jeff Motch as the inspiration for his San Diego


pseudo-brewpub Blind Lady Ale House. Portland rewards the meticulous planner and the seat-of-the-pants tourist equally; it is a veritable playground for the craft beer lover and many places fall within easily-navigable distances of each other. For a complete listing of what’s where, we recommend visiting ratebeer.com’s regional guide: ratebeer.com/places/states/37/. The Oregon Brewers Guild also maintains a listing of breweries in Portland on their website: oregonbeer.org/portland-metro/


There are 12 breweries in NEW YORK CITY, with 43 more spread throughout the rest of the state. If you’re staying in NYC, make sure to hit the Chelsea Brewing Company, Heartland Brewery, and a plethora of highly acclaimed, craft beer-slinging venues. Plan to visit Rattle ‘N’ Hum or Blind Tiger Ale House, and if you’re feeling classy, The Gramercy Tavern, which prides itself on fine fare alongside an excellent bottle list. Not far off (by Californian driving standards) is Defiant Brewing Company in Pearl River. A good place to start to get you acquainted with the NY Beer scene is the map put out by the New York State Brewers Association, visible at thinknydrinkny.com


For this issue we combined our collective beer experiences traveling across this big, beautiful country. The craft beer movement has achieved manifest destiny, with Americans embracing the “Drink Local Beer” philosophy from sea to shining sea. If you happen to find yourself in any of the locales described, follow our tips and enjoy your stay.


Read all about the SANTA BARBARA beer scene on Page 4


Read all about the LOS ANGELES beer scene on Page 1


YOU ARE HERE


In LAS VEGAS, the folks behind TapHunter.com lived up to their name by sifting through Sin City’s selections for craft beer. Burger Bar and Freakin’ Frog topped the list of finds. Read their post at blog.taphunter.com/news/craft- beer-in-las-vegas


Although recently acquired by the Anheuser–Busch/InBev beer conglomerate, CHICAGO’s Goose Island Beer Company is legendary and currently awesome (and we hope it stays that way). Visit the Wrigleyville location and catch a game – baseball and beer go hand in hand. Other must-see breweries are Half Acre, with their hoppy Daisy-Cutter Pale Ale, and Metropolitian Brewing, known for their German style brews. One Chicagoland startup brewery, Pipeworks, has recently collaborated with Belgium’s De Struise Brouwers. In terms of beer bars/brewpubs: Revolution Brewing Company, Hop Leaf, Local Option, Piece Brewery & Pizzeria (or just Piece) and The Map Room are all worthy of your beer tourism. Although it’s not beer related, the Chicago Architecture Foundation puts out a stunning boat tour that shows off the Windy City’s majestic skyline.


Read all about the COLORADO beer scene on Page 8


PHILADELPHIA is home to a bustling craft beer scene. There are 30 brewpubs and breweries pumping out local beer; production breweries inside city limits include Yards Brewing Co., Philadelphia Brewing Co., and Dock Street Brewing Company. Don’t miss brewpubs such as Earth Bread + Brewery and Triumph Brewing Co. What’s most mentionable is the amount of beer-friendly establishments: there are around 400 craft beer-serving bars in the region, and at the top of the list is Monk’s Tavern - which has earned a high ranking on beeradvocate.com and has found itself in Celebrator’s list of Top 5 places in America for Beer & Food. For more locations, there’s a great directory located in the back of Philadelphia Beer Scene Magazine, readable online @ phillybeerscene.com. Maxim Magazine’s Best Beer Drinking Town will celebrate Philly Beer Week 2011 June 3rd-12th.


The domination of macro-brewed fizzy lagers in MEXICO is waning, and craft brewing is on the rise. Homebrewers Ensenada, the first and only homebrew club in Baja, hosted the first annual Baja Beer Fest on March 19th. More than 1,500 people taste-tested 33 different breweries’ beers, and BJCP judges awarded Tijuana-based Cerveceria Insurgente with Best of Show, 2nd place, 3rd place, and gold medals in each of their individual categories; find them at insurgentebrew.com. Other breweries worth checking out are Virgilio, with a great imperial stout at the Fest; El Sauzal, with an interesting take on an IPA brewed with rosemary; and Bosiger, whose gnarly bar setup touted a stout and porter on nitro. Events in the pipeline: Street Fest in Mexicali on May 7th, Taco & Beer Festival in Rosarito on June 4th, TJ Beer Fest in early July, and a TBD Beach Fest. If you can’t make it to these, the best place in TJ to head for beer is the strip on 6th Street – locals have reclaimed what used to be an American binge-drinking destination, and some say it’s now quite similar to North Park in San Diego. Bars La Tasca and La Zebra, amongst others, serve a great assortment of international craft beer.


*San Diego photo by Kristina Yamamoto


Our nation’s capital is home to a growing craft beer circuit. Capital City Brewing has two WASHINGTON DC locations, and District ChopHouse and Brewery is located blocks from Capitol Hill. While locally- brewed beer isn’t as abundant as other cities, this has done nothing to stop the level of craft beer obsession from rising. There are well over 50 craft beer bars/restaurants in DC, with neighborhoods of Chinatown and Georgetown housing great beer destinations (there are parallels between DC’s 7th Street and SD’s 30th Street). At the top of the list is Church Key with a fearsome 500+ beer offering, The Black Squirrel, or Pizzeria Paradiso (and its Dupont counterpart). A great resource to plan your DC beer-drinking itinerary: dcbeer.com


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