www.greenflashbrew.com
A few short hours after landing in SD, we made our way to Green Flash Brewing. I have wanted to come visit this brewery ever since my lips touched a pint of their West Coast IPA years ago. With some time to spare prior to a private tour, we grabbed a few pints and headed out to their sun filled beer garden. Nothing was more relaxing than enjoying Green Flash's hoppy treats while basking in the SoCal rays. The staff provided among the best customer service I have ever experienced at a busy brewery. Every question and need was attended to, no matter how big or small. Even though we could have spent the rest of the day there, we finished up our tasters and headed out to White Labs.
www.whitelabs.com/white-labs-tasting-room
What intrigued me most about a visit to White Labs was that a yeast producer would have a tasting room open to the public. I was anxious to see what I could learn about how different strains affected the same beer. Walking in and seeing the wall behind the bar lined with taps, I instantly chose a vertical tasting of their Extra Pale Ale made with four different yeast strands. Before I knew it, another private tour was hatched, safety glasses and all. White Labs provided nearly 75% of the yeast for the beers that won awards at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado last year. While I have only used their yeast for my hard ciders, I walked away convinced to try them out on my next brew.
www.ballastpoint.com
Barely finding a parking spot in this well populated industrial park brewery, we walked into what seemed like a company party. Food trucks, tour buses, and a bar surrounded by thirsty people greeted us. Scoring a table in the sun with a self proclaimed regular, a couple of IPAs found their way to our hands. Big Eye IPA and Sculpin IPA hit the spot in our busy first day. John, a BP regular and our current table mate, brought us some of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Black Marlin Porter. Simply amazing. Staying only for a pint, we made our way back to the beach to chase the sunset.
www.pizzaport.com
Last year at Great American Beer Festival, I was blown away by how many Pizza Port breweries won awards for their beers. I knew that this SD beerventure needed to end up at at least one of them. Two of their hoppy reds, one an imperial, accompanied a caramelized onion filled bbq chicken pizza. Scarfing down our grub and grog with just enough time to see the sun set among the Pacific Ocean waves provided the perfect ending to our first day.
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