HOBO CUZZY

BIG SKY COUNTRY

Got this email from my good friend and fellow salty dog Brian, this is what he had to say:

1) Montana Trout Slayer Ale, from Big Sky Brewing Co. out of Missoula, MT.

A fine, full-bodied ale- I'd call it really fine, because you don't get that goat-turd aftertaste
that so many otherwise good ales leave you with. But you can judge- I saved you a couple of cans.

2) Bullwinkle's Babe has the best cure for hangovers caused by too much TroutSlayer- a cold bath and some minty fresh willow shoots.

3) Wyoming, not Montana, but a fine rack of native Cutthroat trout. These three, the only ones I kept
of around ten just like 'em that day, weighed in for a total of close to ten pounds. Easy, good fishing, not so easy to get there- a little over nine miles from the nearest road, half of it off trail. But worth the eighteen miles for a trillion reasons.

SUMMERFEST 2009

From the Sierra Nevada website, “Our Summerfest is a refreshing, pilsner-style lager. Its incredible smoothness comes from an extra-long lagering period. Lighter in body than our ales but just as complex in character, Summerfest quenches your thirst with big aroma and a tangy hop bite.” Great beer for a hot summer day. I would suggest a ice cold mug and a bowl full of peanuts.

WHAT HAPPENS IN NEWPORT...ENDS UP ON A BLOG

So showing up a day early to a friends wedding in Orange county may not have seemed like the best possible idea at the time, but it soon turned into the greatest idea ever. With all kinds of time on our hands, “JELLO” and I decided to capitalize on our time behind the Orange Curtain. We did the normal OC commy things i.e.: work on the quest for the perfect tan, made fun of things we did not understand (D-bags and the Newport beach phenomenon) and got totally shit-housed on Dad’s travel bar (travel bar-definition, English for AA meetings soon to happen). So the next few shots are titled “I had so much fun I rode an elephant and pissed in a hotel fountain…. In the middle of the day!” enjoy

RAINY DAY DOUBLE RAINBOW

INDIAN WELLS BREWING CO.

Have you ever had a beer so good that you would be willing to drive almost 200 miles for? Well I have, and its name is lobotomy bock. Knowing full well that the Indian Wells brewing co. is one of the premiere micro-brews on the West coast, there was no question to how far I would go when I heard about their annual spring fest and open house. So the ranger and I took the expedition on and headed out. We went north, out through the bad lands of Lancaster, up into the eerie rock formations of Red Rock, blazed through Mojave and into the sleepy town of Inyokern (population, in the hundreds). There I meet Rick, the owner and head brew master of IWB, who was nice enough to give me a personal tour of the grounds. We started the tour in the gift shop and I was promptly greeted with a pint of amnesia IPA, past the shelves of stuffed olives and IWB novelties and into the brewing room.

This is like Mecca for fans of IWB; I wanted to suckle at the teat that was the fermenter Bock. I got a great history lesson both of Rick, IWB and beer in general; needless to say I was all ears. Rick stared as a home brewer that was a cop, wait, a cop who was a home brewer? Nope, a home brewer that had a past time of being a cop. Anyways, Rick jumped in and hasn’t looked back since, did I mention he is also a school teacher that employs past students one who has been there for fifteen years. It kind of reminded me of the I Love Lucy episode were they go to the little motel and the desk clerk is the sheriff, the town banker and the mayor, Rick is amazing. After the tour I got a pulled pork sandwich, another beer and sat outside on the deck to enjoy the sounds of local rock band Driven 395. Thanks to Rick and the rest of the IWB crew I will see you at the next event if not sooner.

TURN ON YOUR RED LIGHT

North Hollywood Brewing Co. is having an open house and invitational beer tasting tomorrow night Thursday at 7pm-11pm to help celebrate the coming of Summer. For more info email them NorthHollywoodBrewingCo@gmail.com. Two new beers are being premiered, a double IPA and a Blonde.

THE ONLY WAY TO KILL SWINE FLU IS WITH A SILVER BULLET

I heard reports that Al Qaeda has been linked to the swine flu contamination of LA's drinking water, so to be on the safe side I am drinking the next closest thing and it's as safe as mothers milk. Cold and refreshing, tap the Rockies.

THE COOLEST THING AT LACMA

TRADER VIC'S LA

So the best way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo is to drink and eat at a Mexican joint right? Wrong, the best way to rally Mexican independence is to go to a Tiki bar. Where the drinks are strong and the cocktail waitresses are… well, we'll just leave it at that. So the old lady and I took an afternoon trip downtown and made our way past jewelry marts, Laker fans and endless bacon wrapped hotdog carts finally ending up at the legendary Trader Vic’s.
With so many drinks on the menu and so little time (happy hour is from 4-6pm) we started in fast and held on. The restaurant just opened in its new location on Saturday so the staff seemed a little lost, Honey Bunny helped them out and promptly stated, “Two Mai-Ti’s and be quick about it.” After taking our first sip we new, this is our new digs for the summer, might as well lay us out a mat to sleep on cause we are in it for the long haul.
Food was better than a sharp sick in the eye, so we ordered another round of PuPu platters. After trying my old faithful (Mai-Ti) I moved on to other libations. First it was the Bahia, coconut, pineapple and rum… 5 stars. Second was the potted parrot, complete with ceramic parrot…4 stars. Somewhere in between these we each had a Menehune Juice, some new Trader Vic’s concoction and a few more I can’t remember.
$5 Mai-Ti’s all night, $3 off all drinks during happy hour, and not a Jimmy fucking Buffet record in sight. The re-birth of true classic Tiki style.
If you know nothing about Trader Vic’s or Tiki drinks, don't go here, it sucks and you will not like it. You can try the bar at Applebee’s; I hear they have a real good Pina colada. But if you are a fan of good grog and a little bit of the Aloha feeling, then this is your place.
Trader Vic's is located at 800 W Olympic Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90015 - (213) 785-3330 when you get there tell them the Salty Dog sent ya.

A MESSAGE TO YOU RUDY

New on the shelves from North Hollywood Brewing Co. is Rudy's Two Tone Caribian Stout. This beer has a really smokey flavor caused by it's roasted barley, dark malt and old fashion molasses. It has the darkest color i have ever seen in a stout, it makes Guinness look like a summer pilsner. You better skank your way down to the store and try to get your hands on some soon, or the shelves will start looking like a Ghost Town... anybody? I think it has done Terry and Neville proud.

OUT OF ROOM

A PRICKLY VISION OF BEAUTY

Cactus and succulents are very cool to look at, rather inexpensive and easy to take care of, but they're a real SOB to plant without a thick pair of leather gloves.

LAZY SPRING AFTERNOONS

So after a long day of shopping (not for me), my wife and I came to the conclusion that we had no more errands to run, no more clothes to try on and there were no more sales to be had. I of course make it sound worse than it was and should not cry because I got a kick ass lunch at The Grandville, meat, bacon, blue cheese and caramelized onions, need i say more?(I will say more, this burger is my in my top three restaurant burgers of all time, a true death row meal) So after figuring out we had nothing to do and no place to be, she came up with this amazing thought, " I could go for a FUCKEN MOJITO". Duly noted, I pulled into the next closest liquor store and grabbed a bottle of Rose's mojito mix and Myers's white Jamaican rum.( I know how easy it is to make one of these little tummy warmers from scratch, but like i said we had been shopping all day) So, we get home, unload the new wardrobe and I jump into action and become Johnny bartender. This stuff is uber easy to make and is one of the best out of the bottle drink mixes either one of us has ever had. Put in a little extra lime and rum for taste and this stuff hums.

GETTIN' READY FOR SUMMER

Just in, a early Spring preview of what's to come this Summer.
Another great beer, The Endless Bummer Blonde has a well balanced, full bodied taste for those hot days at Malibu. When you got nothin' better to do but get some tasty waves and a cool buzz, this beer is here to party. With a mild alcohol content at 5%, it is no wonder this beer comes in either a 12oz six pack or a gnarly 64oz bottle. Look for it in a cooler under the lifeguard tower soon.

YEAH, THEN WHAT?

JAZZ THE GLASS

BACK IN STOCK

Yes folks back in stock at Vendome wine and spirits in Toluca Lake. What a Joy it is on these hot Spring nights to be able to sit with a fine beer such as this. From the Russian River Brewing site, Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, "Lupus salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs." Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle's legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

8.0%ABV Here is were I stand... sorry Sierra Nevada but PLINY the ELDER IS BEST DOUBLE IPA OUT!

JACK'S FAVORITE WINE

Well not exactly, although Kerouac did enjoy the sweet taste of Port, he also cursed it the day after. Friends told him to stay off such sweet wines and encouraged him to turn towards whiskey. After reading Big Sur for a third time I told myself I would indulge and try some of the stuff good old Jack swore drove him mad up in his central cost hideout. So I set of to find a good bottle of wine, much to my surprise the cheapest one was in the $40 wine. Not exactly a drink a that a Dharma Bum like jack could afford. So after disappointment, I hit Trader Joe's and found this jewel at only $5.99 a bottle. Needless to say all that jazz that Jack was talking was true and this stuff is way too easy to drink. Unable to compare to any other port other than thick desert wines, I would say this is one of my top 5 alcoholic beverages ever. Grab a bottle, find a seaside hideout and let it happen.

THE MONASTIC LIFE

Monastic Whole Wheat
In an age when Monks lived on a diet of bread, cheese, and beer, whole
wheat bread was king. An unmistakable taste, this bread is made with Trinity Abbey honey or dark molasses, a 1 to 3 ratio of all purpose to whole wheat flour and a large amount of yeast. Great by itself, with sweet clove honey on top or with a good strong stout. One slice is a whole meal.

EL MUERTO BORRACHO

At 6.0% ABV this Inglewood Pale Ale is one in a million, it might not be the greatest but it is the best I have ever had. A great spring beer with its full hop aroma and its strong malt flavor. This beer is made from full cone hops and American grain. Made in the San Fernando Valley, this beer uses the great tasting tap water so many Angelenos have come to love. Due to limited stock this IPA has been put on reserve with limited release in late summer and will be made available again in early Spring 2010. Look for more to come from these brewers as i have read they will offer a double IPA (PtE), and a Summer blonde (Endless Bummer) in early May '09.

TIKI

J and Suzie Switchblade's new digs, happy hour ever night from 4pm till 11pm

Welcome to the THUNDERDOME

-The Bigfoot Ale is a 10.1% kick in the ass. From the moment I bought it at the local market at $9 something a six pack I knew I was in for a far out night. This beer is not for the masses nor does it pretend to be. It does not only taste of Sasquatch but in the morning it feels like he is sitting on your head.
- Next on the list was Torpedo a 7.20% American Extra IPA. Another that most people will not like, unless you are like me and like to eat a breakfast of coco puffs and beer and a sprinkle of hops on top for fiber. This beer ranks high on my list of double or extra IPAs, another must try, even if only to see the reaction for friends who try it.