Baja Brewing Co.

My very first trip to Los Cabos was amazing. The people were very hospitable, the food was delicious (loved eating chilaquiles for breakfast everyday) and of course you can’t beat the 80 some degree weather and sunshine. For a majority of the trip my beer loving fiancée and I hydrated our bodies with the standards; Corona, Tecate, Pacifico and Negra Modelo, all of which are decent, day long drinking beers. Apparently it’s the equivalent to H20, as conveyed by our waiter one night who asked if I would like another Mexican water. However, not far from us was artisanal craft brewery that my good friend turned us on to called, Baja Brewing Company. Established in 2007 by Coloradans, Baja Brewing is the first and only one in the state of Baja California Sur. They have three locations that are relatively close to one another. The main brewery and original restaurant reside in San Jose del Cabo. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there, but we did go to their pub at the Cabo Marina in Cabo San Lucas. Blocks away from us, was Baja Brewing’s third location, which sits perched upon the rooftop of the Cabovillas Resort.

Recognize Baja California Sur!

We entered the pub from the marina side where there was a small Latin style band playing to a captive audience. The room was very airy and had some TV’s hanging on the wall that were broadcasting futbol and futbol Americano universidad. We decided to sit at the bar, and as soon as are bottoms hit, a menu was handed to us by our friendly bartender. We were amazed to see (7) different styles of beer on tap:

1. Blonde
2. Raspberry
3. Black (Swartzbier)
4. Wit
5. Red
6. Pale/IPA
7. Stout

Without hesitation, we ordered a sampler, and the tasting had begun. We both had different beers that we favored, but came to a mutual conclusion that the beer we wanted a pint of, was the Red. The Red was well balanced in terms of hops and malt, plus it had a pleasing caramel aroma. Of disappointment, and something that I forgot to mention, was that they were out of the Pale/IPA. We really heart our IPA’s and wanted to try it. To bypass the missing link, other notables for me were Baja's Stout and Raspberry. The Stout had a mellow coffee scent and went down smooth. The Raspberry, well, was raspberry. It was very similar to Widmer’s, Widberry beer (do they still make that). I thought it would be great on a hot, sunny day. I think Cabo has a surplus!

If 6 was 7.

The innards.

We now had our pint of Red sitting in front of us and we were getting hungry. Our bartender recommended the pizza. We love pizza, so this was a no brainer. It came, and it was pretty darn delicious. They did it right by adding a generous layer of heavy cornmeal on the bottom.

Yummo, as that awkwardly sexy bitch Rachael Ray would say.

It was now time to move on. As we left, we passed one of the owners, Rob Kelly. I was going to say hello, and probably should have, but Rob was entertaining friends and I didn’t want to intrude. To wrap things up, I think Baja Brewing has definitely brought craft beer to Mexico. I did enjoy my many Mexican waters, but it was a pleasure sit down and challenge my taste buds.

Nice apparel Baja!

Missing this more than ever, but happy to be home.

The Love of Beer

Man, my commute from Hillsboro to Portland Wednesday was horrible. It always seem like this happens when I want to be somewhere at a specific time. Last night, “somewhere” was Saraveza. Alison Grayson was screening her new documentary ‘The Love of Beer’ in their Bad Habit room; a flick celebrating the women in the Pacific NW beer industry.

Some random guy and film creator, Alison Grayson

My fiancée and I arrived at Saraveza a shortly after 6pm. The movie was being shown at 7, but there was a tasting being offered prior for an additional five dollars. The extra five bucks proved to be a wise investment. Sarah, of the Saraveza fame was pouring samples of some incredible beers. Several were from her own personal collection, including a rare beer from Walkingman that was given to her as a Birthday gift a few years ago from Jacob Leonard, Walkingman’s former head brewer who now plays for Widmer. Thanks for sharing Sarah!

Some of our awesome taster friends

The tasting wrapped up a little behind schedule, but all was good, because it appeared that everyone was thoroughly enjoying their beer. In retrospect, we thought it was the perfect prelude to the film. That being said, someone did eventually come forth and say “should we start the movie”. That’s when Alison commanded our attention up front and gave the full house a brief introduction to her film, ‘The Love of Beer’.

The documentary began with brief highlights of different woman in the Pacific NW beer industry and was paired with some unique camera work that captured the eye and drew you in. Alison then profiled each of the women in detail. She did this in a way that kept a flow to the film and the viewer focused. She would let someone tell a portion of their story on how they ended up in the industry and then moved on to another topic or individual profile. So basically, you ended up being exposed to the same person throughout the film, but it was planned in a way that would not allow you to become tiresome of their talk. Alison also did an excellent job with the camera. The hop farm footage took “artistic master piece” to the next level.

As ‘The Love of Beer’ website implies, the movie is not for feminism or equality. The film was done to show us that the craft beer movement is seeing a change. Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head stated in the film that the beer industry has predominantly been a sausage fest, but that he sees women in the field as a welcome change. Some of the key players profiled in the film and that are producing that change included brewer, Tonya Cornett from 10 Barrel, Teri Fahrendorf, Founder of The Pink Boots Society/2^nd female Brewmaster in the United States and Sarah, of Saraveza. Other local notables making appearances were Chris Crabb of The Oregon Brewers festival and Lisa Morrison, a.k.a. The Beer Goddess.

To conclude, I will say seeing this film is a must if you love beer or just want to see a well-made documentary on the subject. It will further expose you to what is happening in our thriving Pacific NW beer culture; a culture that has some pretty talented and intelligent woman making their mark in the industry.

Alison and Sarah feilding questions after the film

The Love of Beer trailer from Lingering Illocutions on Vimeo.

Warning Portland: The Pissed LiBEERian is coming!

In a few weeks all hell is sure to break loose in Portland. From November 18^th thru the 20^th, Tacoma beer blogger, The Pissed LiBEERian has confirmed that she will be descending upon our city. Upon arrival, she will be on a quest to hit as many breweries and pubs in (3) days. This will be her second time visiting the Portland beer scene. Her first visit included stops at Laurelwood, New Old Lompoc, The Lucky Lab, Bridgeport Brewing, Rouge and Deschutes. On her upcoming trip, The Pissed LiBEERian’s tentative plans are to hit the following:

Alameda Brewing
Belmont Station
Burnside Brewing
Cascade Barrel House
Coalition Brewing
HUB
HUB Bike Bar
Hair of The Dog
Horse Brass
The Green Dragon
Plew's Brews

Her squeeze and renowned photographer/world beer connoisseur, MGD will be joining her. The two of them are sure to give the Portland Beer scene a run for its money. If you happen to cross paths with them say hello, or better yet, buy them a pint! In the meantime, please check out her well written and highly delectable blog: http://pissedlibeerian.blogspot.com/

The famed Pissed LiBEERian

MGD and The Pissed LiBEERian
Don't be fooled by their cuteness!