Well, I already gushed about Stone on your last post mentioning them. Now that you've signed up for the newsletter, go find the last one. They link to a cool couple of interviews that were done by a local news program on the origins of the company and it's founders. It's a great success story.

As another testament to how cool they are, my sister ordered me a gift set of their glasses and a shirt for Xmas last year. She also trekked about 8 bottles of their stuff (the big ones, not the regular 12 oz'ers) that I can't get here in Austin in her carry-on backpack for me. Anyway, they sent the wrong size shirt by mistake. I called them the day after Xmas to ask for a replacement, fully intending to send back the mistake. I got the woman in charge of merchandise/shipping. She was very pleasant, apologized, told me to keep the mistaken size and immediately shipped out a replacment. The replacement arrived within days and they included a plastic Arrogant Bastard pint glass for my troubles. Now that's customer service. \m/

Posted by: ttrentham at March 3, 2005 02:54 PM

Sweet. First post.

Here's the URL for the show that I mentioned:
http://www.stonebrew.com/cool/articles/video/forefront2004/index.html

Posted by: ttrentham at March 3, 2005 02:55 PM

You are really board today arn't you? Dont worry I'm in the same boat

Posted by: KatieB at March 3, 2005 02:56 PM

Have you ever considered home brewing? I started brewing the occasional batch of beer this past year and I've found it to be a fascinating and low-impact hobby (both in time and in cost). It's fun to experiment with different brews and I've gained a lot better appreciation for beer and a better understanding of my tastes and why I like what I do.

Posted by: Nugget at March 3, 2005 03:04 PM

I'm so jealous, Wil. I've only had Arrogant Bastard Ale once, but it was incredible. I can't get Stone Brew's beers here in the Atlanta area and now you've gone and made me thirsty.

Posted by: Seth at March 3, 2005 03:08 PM

Oh Wil! Glad you've enjoyed the Stone brews. Some of them are among my favorites. Be sure you get to try the Double Bastard.

And if you like the hoppy kick of Arrogant Bastard, you need to get your hands on some Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

I could talk beer for AGES UPON AGES. But I won't. I do, however, know what I'm bringing if I ever get to make it to a booksigning. :D

Posted by: Clay at March 3, 2005 03:43 PM

I've been on the tour of the brewery. The people are really friendly and seem to enjoy working at Stone. My friend and I did a fund raisier and they kindly donated a few things. We were buying some more items for our support crew and they gave us a discount on those items as well. At the end of our fund raisier swim, we wrapped up in our Arrogant Bastard towels.
Wil, come to the San Diego County Fair homebrew contest. You can drink Stone beers, watch the homebrew judging, learn more than you every wanted to know about beers, then go on the Carnival rides. It's one of my favorite events of the Summer.

Posted by: swimnbrew at March 3, 2005 03:44 PM

Wil, I think you should try a beer called "north coast red seal ale" mmmm very nice hoppy pale ale.
C.

Posted by: carthies at March 3, 2005 03:46 PM

Werd. Way to represent for Stone.
It's definitely one of the reasons my memories of San Diego are golden-filled, halcyon dreams. Good times and good brew.
I'm in the Bay Area now, so I don't imagine I'll see any brew-fests up this way featuring Stone, but one can always hope.
js

Posted by: Jshugars at March 3, 2005 03:55 PM

Here is to drunkin WWdN members!(HaHaHa) This is a very enjoyable post. Living in MA right now I have to get alot of Sam Adams, but I am partial to Miller Draft, or good ole Corona. (Lime please!)

Posted by: Quincey at March 3, 2005 03:56 PM

they make Barley wine, that was my mothers favoret tipple. Howerver it usually tastes like, well try it and see.

Posted by: surabin at March 3, 2005 04:37 PM

Wil, come on down to San Marcos (my home town, where the brewery lives) and pick up a growler of the Ruination. I guarantee nothing but tasty drunkeness. While you're in the neighborhood, stop by the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, where you can see animals living together in a magnificent savannah ecosystem.

Posted by: erikred at March 3, 2005 04:38 PM

Aw com on man, ya can't beat Irish Guinness! When clicking the link select the country as Ireland for all the history of Arthur Guinness and how it all started in Dublin in 1759.

I have a picture of the very first Guiness Brewery, thats still operating in Dublin in my photoblog here

Click here for my blog

Posted by: Noel Burke at March 3, 2005 04:48 PM

I'm guessing I'll see you at the Stone Brew Fest this summer then? Nothing like drinking beer for charity. Also, sounds like you're liking the hops more, so you should come down to San Diego to O'Brien's pub. Nothing but HOPS. RacerX, Exponential Hoppiness... so much love on 1 tap.

Posted by: Zaphod at March 3, 2005 05:09 PM

I would like to make my own, humble suggestion.

On your next vacation opportunity, take yourself to Bend, Oregon. After a day of mountain biking, river rafting or gazing through the roof up the twin trunks of the Pine Tavern, take yourself over to the Deschutes Brewery and give 'em a try.

Favorites at our house: Black Butte Porter (which was the official geek drink when I worked in Stale'n'Bored Again), Mirror Pond Pale and the seasonal Jubelale.

(Um ... you can also find the stuff at various chain liquor stores in Southern California, but it's not nearly as fun as seeing Mt. Bachelor for yourself)

Posted by: tru at March 3, 2005 05:13 PM

I'm a fan of Arrogant Bastard, as well. If you like different types of beers, ales and sodas, you should stop by Galco's. It's just over in Glendale. Pretty cool little mom and pop grocery shop that has a small deli, as well as the largest, widest variety of soda's and the like, that I have ever seen.

Posted by: Ocean McIntyre at March 3, 2005 06:20 PM

Thanks for the shout out Wil. Clearly your readers have great taste in beer (well, the ones on the West Coast anyway).

Yeah, plan to come down to the Stone 9th Anniversary Open House & Invitational Beer Festival later this year. It's a pretty good time...that is if you like to have the ability to choose between 31 great breweries that were hand picked to join us for our event.

Cheers,

Greg

Posted by: thearrogantbastard at March 3, 2005 06:24 PM

for a good hoppy IPA, give Dogfish Head's 60 and 90 minute IPAs a try... the beer has a continual hop addition for 60 (or 90) minutes.. they also do a 120 minute IPA that i've never tried and clocks in at 21% ABV

Posted by: jfoley at March 3, 2005 06:51 PM

http://www.dogfish.com

Posted by: jfoley at March 3, 2005 06:52 PM

I feel bad for Seth - one of the perks to dwelling in the Northwest is that good beer is the norm, not the exception. Black Butte Porter flows through my veins in lieu of blood. I am unaware of a bar that has Miller Draft on tap, but all of them have Black Butte. And Arrogant Bastard.

Posted by: BiosXenikos at March 3, 2005 06:58 PM

I second, third, and fourth the motion to try Dogfish Head brews. The 120-minute IPA is rare this year, because they had a problem with the boiler and had to dump the whole batch. *cry* But the flavor is like nothing I've had before, or since. It changes in your mouth. And the second sip is a whole different rainbow of incredible flavor. And as your glass warms, the flavor morphs some more, but it's always fantastic. It's the kind of beer you can get downright philosophical about. I wasn't a beer drinker before I tried it, and now I'm a downright beer-snob.

P.S. I am not affiliated with Dogfish Head brewery in any way - I'm just a big fan.
www.dogfish.com

Posted by: leenerella at March 3, 2005 07:28 PM

Wil,
Beer, to most of the people I know, is good. I have never tried your favorite kind but I will keep an eye out for the chance. For some reason, beer doesn't even give me a big belly. Go figure.

FG

Posted by: FABIAN at March 3, 2005 08:05 PM

When I finally got my own mug for the mug club at my local brewpub (I'm not an alcoholic, just a beer geek) I got mug number 200. I always liked that number, but I know most of the bartenders enough now that they don't even ask me what the mug number is. Oh well, I live in Wisconsin. And to give them a cheap plug, check out www.foxriverbrewery.com

Posted by: Chuck at March 3, 2005 08:24 PM

Sorry about the dead link in my last comment...their new site address is:

http://www.foodspot.com/foxriverbrewingappleton/

Posted by: Chuck at March 3, 2005 08:26 PM

Not a beer drinker myself, but I can definitely support the idea of loving and promoting your favorite intoxicant. I personally prefer a good Crown Royal and with a dash of Coca Cola.

Posted by: Geek at March 3, 2005 08:57 PM

Can't get Stone, or any number of great American beers, up here in the Gr8 white north. I'm seriously considering driving to Buffalo for a day, just to buy some beer. My favourite beer related website is www.themanroom.com

ciao

Posted by: Gr8wight at March 3, 2005 09:22 PM

Cool! My parents' home is near that brewery...well, not too near, but near enough.

Meanwhile, I see that Applejack in Wheat Ridge (just down the street from my office) carries their products. Might have to try 'em one of these days...though we have many fine microbrews here in Colorado, too.

Posted by: Erbo at March 3, 2005 10:00 PM

I'm really picky about beer because there are some I like and others I just don't like at all. Oddly, I hate the mainstream American beers. I prefer the German brands instead. I especially like heifenweizen (spelling?) all brands it appears. But I have not tried any microbrewerys. Stone sounds interesting, however. I definitely want to try it!

Posted by: Scott T at March 3, 2005 10:39 PM

Scott T: That's because mainstream American beers are piss. You're not missing out on anything. :)

Posted by: Wil at March 3, 2005 11:13 PM

Yea, that Stone IPA is very good. Their Ruination Ale is also quite good. But since you are a So-Cal inhabitant, may I suggest Firestone Pale Ale. It is some amazing stuff. For a while I was having to import it up to Sacramento myself, but luckily BevMo now carries it.

Posted by: Dal at March 3, 2005 11:32 PM

I was out the other night and the bar was out of Arrogant Bastard Ale. I was incensed by that, but was mollified by some Hop Devil Ale instead.

Not sure if they sell out west or not, but most of the beers by the Victory Brewing Company are quite good. The Storm King Stout is quite nice.

I have not had any of the other Stone beers, but I will keep a lookout for them at the local bars.

Posted by: Alec at March 3, 2005 11:48 PM

Wil, I think for your huge, free promotion of their brewry, they should try to find you a bottle of their Russian Imperial Stout, although it looks like you'll need to wait until June for the next run.

Either way, get your hands on a bottle of this stuff!

Posted by: Bob O'Shaughnessy at March 4, 2005 04:26 AM

Wil,
Morning.Sounds like your readers wanna get you drunk. Not me. I don't drink beer. I drink more Wine than I can put in me.Anyway You an all your friends here have a good day.Try an stay sober..

Posted by: Lostboy67 at March 4, 2005 04:32 AM

Disclaimer:
Hey YOU! Yeah... I mean you, you underaged kid reading this post: "Do not," I repeat, "DO NOT drink beer just because Wil and nearly all of his eFriends do. Alcohol is very very bad for you and it's illegal. Wanna go to jail??"
End Disclaimer
Man am I jealous. I live in Florida and the laws make it really difficult for us to import wines and beers. I'd love to try those hoppy brews, but I can't afford to fly out to Californica just to sip some brewskis. Damn!

Posted by: Mr. Lizard at March 4, 2005 05:57 AM

The last time I was at the Yardhouse, they had Arrogant Bastard Ale coasters that read:

"Fizzy yellow beer is for wussies."

I asked for a stack of them. :)

Posted by: phraktyl at March 4, 2005 08:50 AM

I was fortunate enough to have a training class in July of last year that required me to spend three days in San Diego. I love to try local brews when I travel and the hotel bar had Arrogant Bastard on tap--definitely one of the best I've tried and being from Arkansas, it's a damn shame I won't be able to try it very often. Enjoy your proximity to this great beer you bastard.

Posted by: wearsch at March 4, 2005 09:18 AM

Living in Colorado I was spoiled by the number, and quality, of microbreweries in the state. I did however work for a macro brewery for about two years, and despite the cases of free beer I was given each month, I still spent my money on micros (I used the free beer on my hair; it was a fabulous conditioner).

Anyway, if you've never tried a Fat Tire (New Belgium Brewing Co) or an Easy Street Wheat (Odell Brewing Co), you're missing out. Pure euphoria. I’ve lived in California for two years now and since they don’t sell my faves here, I may have to take your recommendation and pick up some Stone tonight. Sounds yummy.

Posted by: Melissa at March 4, 2005 09:44 AM

congratulations, mr. ten thousand!

Posted by: marie at March 4, 2005 10:02 AM

Wil, if you like the stuff from Stone brewing, see if you can get your hands on some Downtown Brown Ale...it's made by Lost Coast Brewing, out of Eureka. Very smooth and highly drinkable (get a case, you'll go through it quickly). I haven't tried their other stuff, but the Downtown Brown is easily one of my top 3 beers.

http://www.lostcoast.com

For a *real* beer, try some stuff from the Deschutes Brewery out of Bend, Oregon.

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

50/50 mix of Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond = the win.

Try the Obsidian Stout. It's a life changing experience.

Oh the bane of being a micro-brew fanatic in Texas! :(

Posted by: Cochese at March 4, 2005 10:12 AM

Mmm... I like a yummy hoppy beer that bites me back. Anchor Steam and a true Bass you can only get in a true Irish pub, not the watered down American pisswater sold in grocery stores, have rocked my world.

Have you seen this? It's not beer, but one of the funniest taste tests I've seen in awhile. http://www.bumwine.com/

Posted by: eyduck at March 4, 2005 10:37 AM

Well, I'm in the SouthEast, so I obviously don't get the same micro-brews you do. And I don't claim to be a beer connoseur, merely a beer lover, but my latest favorite is Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout. I've loved the Sam Smith's Nut Brown for years now, ever since I discovered it at my favorite burger bar in Atlanta, The Vortex. But a buddy turned me onto the Oatmeal Stout a couple of months ago, and it's rapidly become my beer du jour. As a matter of fact, I need to trot down to the local liqour store and pick some up for the weekend!

Posted by: Belial at March 4, 2005 11:30 AM

Do yourself a favor and buy a tap kit and a beer fridge.

In Denver we've got the Rockbottom Brewery (amongst many excellent others.) They sell 5 Gallon kegs that, with CO2 will last about 4-6 weeks. Which is just long enough to enjoy it before it turns (not being pasturized). It's not only cheaper than beer in cans and bottles, it's cheaper than buying kegs at Liquor stores...it's also smaller than the kegs you normally get (half or quarter kegs) which invariably get a funk to them before they run out.

There is _nothing_ like driking a Pint of excellent beer, fresh off the tap, at home.

Oh, and I'll let you in on my own personal phrase:

I'm a full-spectrum-beerslut.
I'll drink the pale crap from a can on a hot sunny day mowing the lawn, and I'll drink the darkest doppelbach on a fall afternoon as the snow is starting to fall.

Posted by: Sniglet at March 4, 2005 11:40 AM

My husband LOVES the Arrogant Bastard Ale. I don't think I knew that it was made down here though. (We're in North San Diego County.) That's kinda' cool. :)

Posted by: Laura at March 4, 2005 11:48 AM

Wil,



I've never appreciated beer as much since I started homebrewing. I've been doing it now for 12 years, and I still am amazed how cool it is. Some people do it for themselves and friends. Some do it to compete in competition. Some do it to learn the process and history of beer. There is a huge community of brewers out there.



In addition, there are so many styles of beer, but when you actually make a beer of that style, drink it for the first time, and serve it to your friends, that is when you feel like you've truly come home and understand what that beer means. It makes you ask the questions: What makes a stout stout? What exactly is a pale ale? Why are some beers dark, light, hoppy, malty, and so on?



Finally, there are so many web related resources dedicated to brewing beer, from the Home Brew Digest mailing list (http://www.hbd.org), to rec.crafts.brewing on usenet, to a gazillion websites like Bath Tub Brewers (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bathtubbrewers/), historic brewing lists (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sca_brew/), and so on.



There is also a national organization dedicated to homebrewing beer, the American Homebrewer's Association (AHA) (http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/index.html). Often times, your community will have a local chapter of the AHA, a collection of your neighbors that love beer and homebrewing.



All these resources together make up a close nit community where many people know each other, give advice, and learn the craft. Consider yourself invited to join that community.



- Dave, the all-grain evangelist

Posted by: hunahpu at March 4, 2005 12:24 PM

An old friend of mine from elementary school is high up there.....cool that you like his beer so much.

Posted by: Easycure at March 4, 2005 12:53 PM

Cool! IPA's GOOD! Have you gone to ratebeer.com ? very helpful!
Might i recomend some of these? :

1 Kelley Brothers Four Towers IPA
2 Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
3 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
4 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale
5 Sequoia Scotch Pine
6 Sequoia Amarillo IPA
7 Lagunitas Maximus ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!!!
8 Corona Extra What the??!! CRAPPPPPPP
9 Stone Imperial Russian Stout
10 Sequoia Buzz Saw Triple IPA
11 BJs Owens IPA
12 Stone India Pale Ale
13 Arrogant Bastard Ale
14 Double Bastard Ale
15 E. J. Phair India Pale Ale
also highly recomend brewing your own! fun tasty and cheap!
DAVE

Posted by: dave at March 4, 2005 12:53 PM

If you like Stone's Arrogant Bastard, Wil, you'll probably enjoy a couple of brews from a local company that I used to work at:

Midnight Sun (http://www.wildales.com)

The Sockeye Red (Hey, life _starts_ at 70 IBU's)
is probably one of the best IPA's in the world, and it's was also the Gold Medal winner at the 2000 Alpha King Challenge.

Best thing, is that you don't have to fly up to anchorage to get it (although it's best fresh!)
because you can get it here:
http://www.liquidsolutions.ws/product/707408000075.htm

Of course, if you need a little more Hoppyness in your life, then what you really want is the Imperial IPA: CoHoHo!
It packs a wholloping 85 IBU's, but the malt is increased to balance it out. It's best when fresh, of course. And unfortunately, only available in the fall -- although you may be able to find a stock here:
http://www.liquidsolutions.ws/product/707408002017.htm

Of course, feel free to pop on up, and a free tour of the brewery (with samples!) is yours.

Posted by: ak_hepcat at March 4, 2005 01:09 PM

Wil-
A great friend of mine treated me to a 3-Liter bottle of Arrogant Bastard. Check out http://www.stonebrew.com/distribution/dba/laoc.php for more.
-Brett Walker, your Pasadena neighbor

Posted by: applecore at March 4, 2005 03:13 PM

The Mouse wholeheartedly agrees with Melissa in regards to the Fat Tire brew. I have not found anything that resembles that sweet, sweet nectar in the years since I moved from Denver.

Mmmm... Fat Tire, now THAT'S always a squeaky good decision...

~~(__)8>

Posted by: MouseBeast at March 4, 2005 05:19 PM

If I'm not mistaken, Wil's character in Deep Core was drinking Arrogant Bastard Ale. I don't have access to the movie at the moment, can anyone confirm the beer he is drinking in the film?

Lucky Baldwin's in Pasadena, what a great place for beer!!!

David

Posted by: DavidH at March 4, 2005 07:25 PM

I never really liked beer in the past, but lately I've been developing a taste for it. I'm still kind of figuring out what kinds I like. I still haven't found one I LOVE yet, but looking over your post and everyone's comments has given me some great suggestions! :o)

Posted by: LolaGabanna at March 4, 2005 11:59 PM

Wil, Stone Brewing has some of the best beers ever. I've written a couple reviews of their stuff on People's Regime, which is a cool site anyway, you should check it out.

The Imperial Russian Stout is so amazingly good... If you can find someone who has stored some away and is willing to share, otherwise you'll have to wait until they make some more.

Definitely try to find some Double Bastard... I bought about 5 of them and put them away but have been unable to resist them and I am down to 3.

Anyway, thanks for giving props to the Arrogant Bastard. :)

Posted by: Diluted at March 5, 2005 08:55 AM

Oh man, Wil's recommendation got me quite the buzz...

A couple of hours after reading of the wonders of Stone IPA, I saw them staring at me from the Petaluma Market fridge. "Take all 6 of us home!". Now!

So I did.

Wow, it's a hoppy one. The first one was a delight.

Just to be sure, I drank a second. I didn't want to leave it to chance that the first bottle was unusually good. The second glass didn't make a progress report, so I sent a third down to see how things were going. The first three reported back in unison "hey! this is great stuff, make it an even four!".

So I did!

Excellent recommendation, Wil. Stop it, before my belly completely beers!

(with apologies to Douglas Adams :-)

Posted by: Daniel Smith at March 5, 2005 08:10 PM

Wish I'd read this before Thursday evening! I'm a former brewer and home brewer who has fallen into a Sierra Nevada Pale rut. When I was at the local alternative market Thursday afternoon (which was inexplicably out of SN six paks), rather than heeding the excellent recommendations of Phil, I burrowed around until I found some 24 oz bottles of my green "precious". Had I read this, I probably would have taken a chance on another brand.

Posted by: farlane at March 6, 2005 03:35 AM

New feelings brewing in Duffman, what would Jesus do?

Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem!

"I thought Duffman was dead?"

"Duffman cannot be killed. Only the characters who play him."

"But Duffman, you said if I sleep with you, I don't have to participate in the stupid
contests!"

"Duffman says a lot of things, OH YEAH!"

Posted by: sngbk at March 6, 2005 06:57 AM

Thanks for that link! We (well, the one who still drinks - I can't because of the baby) are stout drinkers here. I suspect the Big Guy will enjoy their IPA too.

My husband also brews beer. Up until now he's made stouts and ales - but now that we have our own house with a basement, he wants to try making lagers. It's not terribly difficult - if you can cook at all, you can make beer. The toughest part is keeping everything scrupulously clean.

Posted by: Spyderkl at March 6, 2005 08:40 AM

Thanks for the recommendations, good pale ales are hard to find!



Also, your trackback URL for The Brew Site appears to have had an extra / sneak in to bust the link. :)

Posted by: 224215152 at March 6, 2005 10:45 AM

Wearsch (and whoever else happens to be in Arkansas), you might want to try the Flying Saucer in downtown Little Rock. Lots of microbreweries + world beers. I don't recall if the SD beer is there, but still worth a visit.

Posted by: lurking1023 at March 6, 2005 05:50 PM

I got a TypeKey account just so I can comment on this post, and I read your blog often. I never comment, I just lurk and read. Eventually I'll have to buy the books that sound so good. I'll have to make sure that I've got plenty of Stone products around while I read them, because I LOVE the Stone stuff (ok, the Double Bastard left me feeling slightly let down, but overall they're great). The only problem is only one distributor in Indiana carries it, so it can be expensive when they decide to jerk the liquor stores around, and it's illegal to import into the state without a distributor's license.

Enough rambling. Glad to know you've found another great bunch of beers. :-)

Posted by: gozo at March 6, 2005 09:32 PM

BEER GOOD!!!

Posted by: Vagabond79 at March 6, 2005 10:42 PM

I have a feeling that HTML won't work here, but you will be jealous when you look at this:
http://home.cwru.edu/~bwm3/ars/benchmade-beer.jpg

Stone's logo is on the other side. I got this from a local beer establishment (Winking Lizard in Cleveland OH)...

Posted by: ZPrime at March 7, 2005 06:13 AM

I'm surprised noones mentioned two of the other great CA breweries, Alesmith (www.alesmith.com) and Pizza Port (www.pizzaport.com). I love, and can get, lots of Stone stuff where I live (VA, I just bought a bottle of 2005 Old Guardian the other day), but Alesmith and Pizzaport are difficult to come by 'round these parts.

I'll second the ratebeer.com recommendation. Three Floyds (www.threefloyds.com) also makes an excellent Pale Ale, the Alpha King.

And if you want REALLY hoppy, try 120 minute IPA from Dogfish Head (www.dogfish.com) in Delaware.

Posted by: airen at March 8, 2005 08:19 AM

Another great beer I've had great pleasure of tasting is Fat Tire Amber Ale from the fine folks at New Belgium Brewing Company of Colorado: http://www.newbelgium.com/beers_ft.php

For an amber ale its amazingly smooth and nearly completely devoid of bitter afters. It was highly recommended to me by a Colorado native friend of mine and while on a recent trip to Denver, I was pleased to discover the hotel bar carried it. It was everything my friend said it was. It used to only be available in Colorado, but now you can get it in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nebraska and Texas. I heard scuttlebutt that it is creeping into CA, but I have no evidence of this. If you can't find it, it's worth hunting down if you happen to travel to known areas of distribution. Another great one is Chimay, http://www.chimay.com/www/chimay/site8/en/a_abbaye/a0_frameset.htm
which is a true Belgian Ale, made by the Trappist monks of the Chimay region of Belgium. Just make sure you use a round bottom glass like a snifter to get the full aroma and flavor. Git it a try and enjoy!

Regards-

Posted by: D3vilD0g at March 8, 2005 12:39 PM

Wil,

The Bristol Farms market in Thousand Oaks has a whole selection of Stone Brews. Most them are real nice and hoppy. I believe there is a Bristol Farms market in South Pasadena, they might have Stone in their cold case, too. The Ruination IPA is my favorite.

Posted by: Frank L. at March 10, 2005 10:29 PM

I noticed someone else briefly mentioned Lucky Baldwins but it deserves mentioning again. They're in Old Towne Pasadena and have 63 beers on tap including Arrogant Bastard and Chimay.
This shows what they have on tap...

http://www.luckybaldwins.com/beer.html

If you can you should check out one of their beer festivals. They just finished their Belgian Beer festival and their IPA festival starts Saturday 18th June and goes thru Sunday, 26th June 2005. They're definately worth it.

This could be just me but stuff on tap always tastes soo much better than anything in a bottle or can.

Posted by: kodac at March 11, 2005 12:36 AM