BORIS

Boris-The Band

B.O.R.I.S.-The Crusher

Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout

Hoppin' Frog Brewery Akron, Ohio

http://www.hoppinfrog.com/

9.4 % ABV. 60 IBU

Gold Medal Winner GABF 2008

What's in a name? In this case: everything.

A rare instance of truth in advertising, this is indeed Bodacious,

and it combines the flavor profiles of two of my favorite Styles.

I love Oatmeal Stouts, so rich, chewy, and creamy and milk chocolaty.

I love Russian Imperial Stouts, so strong, malty and rich dark chocolaty.

BORIS is the best of both worlds. What happens when these two worlds collide

is a bodacious blend that has become one of  my Top 3 favorite beers.

The mouthfeel  is so creamy, and smooth. it's like chocolate velvet.

Rich huge chocolate fudge flavor, vanilla, toffee,roast coffee,chewy caramel, smooth oats, sweet malts, cappuccino. Very satisfyingly complex. Rich, chewy and delicious.The hops are present and perfectly bite the rich, creamy oat goodness. Wow, what a fantastic aftertaste. more than taste, it's an entire sensory overload. Fills my whole palate with the tastiest, smoothest flavors. Bodacious indeed. I want more. Unavailable in California, WTF?!

North Coast Old Stock Ale

Old One
from the Split with Black Pyramid
2010
{Serpent Records}
Available at AllThat'sHeavy

Fort Bragg, California

Old Stock Ale

2010 Vintage

10.7% ABV. 36 IBU

Pours a mahogany, caramel color. With big foam head. I waited too long to take picture,
but it was a frothy bubbly top.
Smells like malts, raisins and caramel. Maybe like a caramel coated raisin muffin.
 Or rum soaked raisin nut bread, with cinnamon.
Nice viscous mouthfeel and substantial alcohol presence make this a great sipper early on.
The alcohol tastes great like a brown-sugary rum perhaps. Same delicious sweet heat.
Tastes pretty much like the wonderful smell, sweet and malty,
with massive caramel, raisins, brown sugar, and butterscotch.
Can definitely taste the alcohol which is a good thing.
It's basically 11% so it should be noticeable. I like it like that.
Well balanced with Fuggles and East Kent Goldings Hops.
Sweet finish with the aforementioned noticeable alcohol presence.
I probably should have cellared this and waited but I popped it open anyway.
I will get more and let it lie low for a while.
This can only get better with age.

The Reverend

The Reverend

Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale

10% ABV. 10 IBU

Avery Brewing

Boulder, Colorado

Pours a beautiful deep reddish-brown.

Smells like root beer, dark fruit, toffee and malts. Nice initial nutty flavor, and creamy mouthfeel.

Tastes like rich malty banana nut bread with brown sugar and some spice.

Very rich, sweet and full flavored. Brown sugar and caramel dominate. 

Once it warmed a little the candied sugars really came out.

Now I want to try this with some sort of hot spicy food.
Or perhaps as an after dinner sipper.

Another Reverend...

Taco Surf Museum & Breakfast Burrito

Pacific Beach, San Diego

The reason Taco Surf in Pacific Beach makes one of the best breakfast burritos anywhere is simple:

You call the shots.

Made to order with whatever you want in it.

It comes with 2 eggs. Then your choice of 4 of the following; Bacon, Chorizo, Ham, Cheese, Hashbrowns, Beans, Rice, Salsa Fresca, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Black Olives, Sauteed Mushrooms, Jalapenos, Grilled Onions & Bell Peppers, Enchilada Sauce, Lettuce/Tomato/Onions.

I like mine with Bacon, Hash Browns, and Cheese.

Sometimes I add grilled onions and bell peppers

The reason Taco Surf is a must visit is it is also home to one of the finest and diverse collections of Vintage Surfboards you will find anywhere. Spanning the entire modern era.

Check out this collection

Stacked along the walls

 Hanging from the ceiling

Amazing

Bolts!

Check out this crazy scoop nose

And this wacky step deck

There's even a Bear from Big Wednesday

Killer chips, and tasty salsa too.
I love that they give you a squirt bottle to take to your table.

Reaper

Mortality Stout

"Foreign Style Stout"

7.5% ABV. 30 IBU

ReaperAle.com

Nice molasses nose. A dark chocolaty initial flavor. More flavors of strong molasses, licorice,
and over-roasted espresso with more chocolate as it warmed..

A bit on the thin side, especially for a stout.

The chocolate is like the bakers type. Bittersweet, tasted a lot more bitter than 30 IBUs.

The strength of the bitter, dark roastiness would work well with a stronger alcohol content.

This was a decent drink and I did enjoy it, but not a standout.
Too thin and low ABV, just not my thing.

 Furze from Norway, "This album is dedicated to the memory of the ‘70-‘75 era of Black Sabbath"
    The above beer is from REAPER Ale and called MORTALITY Stout.
The following song is from an album called REAPER Subconcious Guide
and is called ImMORTAL Lecture
(see what I did there?)

Hodad's World's Best Burger

San Diego, California

Ocean Beach & Downtown at Broadway/10th

Bacon Cheeseburger with Grilled Onions.

Hodad's might not have The Best Burgers on Earth, but I have never had a better burger.
Nah, nevermind, Hodad's makes the Worlds Greatest Hamburgers.

Comes with; lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, mayo, mustard, & ketchup.

Fresh ingredients. Lots of 'em. Piled high. 

A big huge gooey greasy delicious mess.
So tasty you won't even notice or care how much of a mess you are making.

Usually a long line out front before they open. Doesn't let up until they close.
Just shut up and get in line. Yes, it is worth it.
Under a Gazillion satisfied customers can not be wrong.

Photos taken and burger eaten May 7th 2011.
that night we went to see The Meteors...

I got one shot off as a test to focus and battery died.
Awesome. Well, here's Paul in 2011 in San Diego.

Knuckle Sandwich

Knuckle Sandwich

IIPA

10% ABV

Fullerton, California

Pours a beautiful, dark, reddish-orange brown.
 Smells like grapefruit. Sweet smell of citrus.
Good frothy head and sticky lacing.

Sweet, smooth and exceptionally tasty.
 Caramel maltiness up front. Wow, this is amazing.
Ordinarily I am not a huge fan of West Coast IPA's. This on the other hand is incredible.
Not as overbearingly hoppy as most WCIPA's.
Still has a nice hop component, but that's just part of it. Not the whole thing.
A whole lot of flavor going on here. Up front is definitely the grapefruit and some other citrus, maybe some orange. Tropical fruitiness also, some sweet and tangy pineapple juiciness and wonderful creamy banana bread maltiness.
Chewy malty breadiness and that wonderful caramel taste.
All wrapped up with a decent amount of hop flavors as well.
Light dry hoppy finish.
In the end it is all about the balance.

Enjoyed with Tacos.

Also from Fullerton...

El Zarape Carnitas

El Zarape
Park Blvd.

University Heights, San Diego
http://elzarape.menutoeat.com/

A couple doors down from The Small Bar right under the University Heights Archway, El Zarape is a  small comfortable mexican eatery that is a favorite of locals. Extremely crowded due to its well made food, well-rounded menu, good service, and good prices. A bit of a drive for me so I don't go there too often but always enjoy it when I do. Hard to find seats though. Which is a good thing for them, and a testament to their quality. They also have a separate restaurant, and Tequileria, over in Normal Heights, but it has an entirely different menu. Too bad because if they combined the menu of this one with the table service, size, and Tequila selection of that one, they would  be one of the best mexican restaurants in San Diego..

 Carnitas Taco.
Making good carnitas is an art form. Well made carnitas are one of the finest pleasures in life. These are pretty good. Not too dry and not greasy. More on the dry side though.

Onion, Cilantro, Lime. Now we're talking.
I think they typically serve it with Guacamole.
I prefer it without.

Scallop Taco. Lots of cheese and a white sauce. Usually there is not as much cheese and you can actually see the scallops. A pretty good taco. Scallops are tasty. Usually my  Surf & Turf Special would be a Fish Taco and a Carne Asada Taco Combo, at most places. But most places don't make Scallop Tacos. El Zarape also makes a  Lobster Quesadilla that's delicious.

Chile Relleno Burrito. It's ok. Not bad, but not great.
The menu here is vast and we look forward to exploring more options.
Really want to try the Chili Verde and Chili Colorado.

Mild, Medium, Hot.

When visiting El Zarape I like to go to the Small Bar a couple doors down for drinks.
If you are around on a Sunday, get their Bloody Mary and a Breakfast Burrito from El Z.

Small Bar Bloody Mary

Small Bar

University Heights, San Diego
http://smallbarsd.com/

Before we get to the drink, I must mention the Small Bar Jukebox. Some excellent selections here. Heavy on Meteorcity, and that's a good thing... Solace, Eternal Elysium, Black Sabbath, The Atomic Bitchwax, Blind Dog, Nebula, C.O.C., Clutch, Alabama Thunderpussy, Grinderman, The Dragons, Earthless, Howlin' Wolf, R.L. Burnside, Village of Dead Roads, Elmore James, Son House, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Tool, The Sword, Velvet Underground, Unida, Spirit Caravan, Fireball Ministry, Hidden Hand, Dixie Witch, Roadsaw, JS Blues Explosion, UFO, The Ramones, The Saints, Ted Nugent, Tom Waits, Sinatra, Black Crowes, Junior Kimbrough, & Lowrider (listed as The Lowriders) 

And now, behold...The Bloody Mary...

A well-made Bloody Mary is hard to beat.

The Small Bar makes an incredibly tasty, deluxe Bloody Mary from scratch.
Nothing Simple about this one.
House made Bloody Mary Mix with whole grain mustard, paprika, olive brine & jalapenos.
Spicy enough, without drowning out all the other ingredients in the mix.
 More spice available for those who crave it. Chili salt on rim of glass.
Chili and garlic infused Sobieski vodka in the glass.
Pickled green bean, celery, carrot, lemon, & bacon garnish, and a tasty skewer of shrimp, cherry tomato, green olive, a blue-cheese stuffed olive, cocktail onion, peppercini, and pickle, topped with a mushroom cap.
How did I ever drink these before  without bacon?
A friggin' Bacon Swizzlestick.

Did I mention the bacon?
This is almost a meal in itself. I don't eat most of the vegetables. Gnawed on a few.

Horseradish & Hot Sauces

Tray of Prepared Skewers.
After enjoying one (or more) of these Bloody Marys, I like to head a couple doors down to El Zarape for  some mexican food.