Migrating Towards A Cure

I’m always one for backing a good cause, but this weekend finds me out of town. What does this mean? It means you can still attend and show your support. Migration Brewing will be hosting their second annual ‘Migrating Towards A Cure’ event this Saturday, June 29^th. The beneficiary for his year’s affair, CHAP (Children’s Healing Art Project).

Below, please find the particulars from Migration's press release:

Saturday June 29^th 2013 12PM to close will mark Migration’s 2nd annual Migrating Towards A Cure. This annual event is an effort to assist local families and organizations that are working towards curing and working with those who have been diagnosed with severe illnesses and disabilities.

12 Days Changed Me, I Hope

It has been 12 days since I've had a beer¹. If you know me, you’re probably saying “yeah, right.” It’s true. I ended up participating in my first ever cleanse, which of course did not allow alcohol. It was a real challenge for the first 2-3 days, but after that my mind and body adjusted. For ages, I would typically consume 3-5 beers/night during the week; more on the weekends. It was habit. I wasn't getting inebriated, but it would probably be fair to say I had, or potentially still have a problem. Fortunately, the 12 day cleanse I did through Nourish Northwest with Olivia Martino provided me with a new perspective. Over the past 2 weeks I have noticed a definite increase in my energy level and I have had far less ups-and-downs throughout the day. I’m not blaming my love, beer, for bringing me down before, but it was certainly a contributor. Prior to the cleanse I ate pretty well, but I’m sure eating cleaner and cutting out caffeine played a role in giving me some of that get-up-and-go.

Stone Brewing Visit

I finally made it to one of the brewery mother ships, Stone Brewing. Over the years I've heard tons of wonderful things about their facility and grounds. While I didn't participate in a brewery tour, I did experience, the experience. Stone is big and beautiful. Okay, so the outside of the building is unassuming; very corporate-office-like. This appears to be the norm in California. It must have something to do with their zoning regulations. We also didn't see a sign indicating that we had in fact arrived at Stone. It was Saturday, so the giant ‘Xerox’ looking building with all the cars in the parking lot, plus the beacon on our Google Maps phone app indicated that we had landed.

Once inside, it was a different world. You began experiencing the transition right after leaving the parking area. A beautiful corridor made up of stone walls and vegetation guided you to the main entrance. We passed over the threshold and into a large foyer area. From there you could see a great deal; the gift shop, the brew area, the bar/restaurant and a portion of the outside grounds. A gift shop is basically a gift shop, but the rest of the place was beautiful. The materials used in the interior construction gave the brewery a very earthy feel. It brought to mind the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.