day 4, friday, was our last full day in northern california. there were a few things that we knew we couldn't mess with: motion sickness (me in the car), good food, overall happiness. those things & we knew we wanted to be somewhat close to san francisco in order to make our drive on day 5 (back home) a little easier. so, really, our ultimate decision was not a difficult one. we ended up at the metro hotel in petaluma, again! yes, we were that smitten. also, we had heard all about the beer tasting experience at Lagunitas, so this would be our last chance.
this is the awesomely funky room where they poured the samples for their eager fans. we were treated to loads of history about the brewery's beginning days (the owner started brewing at home & selling it out of the back of his truck at local farmer's markets ((!!)), and how specific beers came to be. it was decorated with furniture, band memorabilia -- mostly grateful dead, and old kitchy items from the 60's-70's. seriously, who wouldn't want to hang out here?!
our 5 samples: czech style pilsner, pale ale, ipa, undercover shut down & hop stoopid. the story about how the undercover came to be is a good one: the local cops planned an undercover sting in hopes of arresting any person who sold them marijuana ((if this had happened, they would have lost their license to sell beer f-o-r-e-v-e-r)). apparently, 8 weeks passed with no offers to purchase, but lots of free hits if so desired. the department was very upset that they spent their resources on beer, but the under cover cops, without a doubt, didn't mind!! undercover, the beer, is wonderful. lots of hops with melon back notes. mmmm, this is my new favorite.
after our tasting, we wandered into the taproom (around 4 pm) where, literally, swarms of people were already enjoying dark, frothy, alcohol fueled beverages & listening to live music. i loved that people here were celebrating the weekend early and was feeling a little jealous because my typical friday work day end at 7:30. there were still a few beers we hadn't yet tried, but we had to choose only one (we were told that petaluma police officers really, really like handing out dui's) so we went with ryan's folly. apparently ryan has been a brewer here for years, and initially set out to make a stout. instead, due to pouring in the wrong hops, he created a sweet, thick, brown ale-porter. so glad ryan messed up!!
and that's it for this trip. i love revisiting & retelling our lives through my photos. ever so glad you stopped over to take a peek!! you can count on more photos of our daily adventures, along with some super exciting events (ex. our good pals will host their camp out themed wedding in two-harbors), new art work, food adventures... soon.
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