A time and beer for every place, I mean a time and place for every beer

I wasn't really sure which blog to post this in. Then I decided, "meh, doesn't matter. my blogs, my rules. BOTH!"

(WARNING: I am so fracking tired and wiped. Prepare for careless use of words and blatant disregard for punctuation)

So, my beer buddy has this saying that there is a time and place for every beer. Meaning, even the biggest craft brew snob has to agree that you just wouldn't beer pong with barley wine style ale. (though, I have had some argue that this would be an epic ponging event - I don't play beer pong, but I still pretty much think barleywine ale pong would be the worst event ever)

That being said. I finished tough mudder today and retested my friends rule (more thoughtfully). In fact, I am awake now because of my epical bruisyness.

Anyway, as I said, I tested my friend's rule today, as I have tested it after every race/athletic event I have participated in for the last year or so (beers post running is getting ever more popular. It might be because of this study saying that beer helps recovery or this one, you get the point).

Any who, when you cross the finish at TM, they hand you your bright orange sweatband, water, a cliff bar, and dos equis (either amber or lager). Let me tell you what, I generally don't go for the mexican beers unless I am on a beach miles from nowhere (or miles from sober) but it was the BEST beer ever. And, I knew it was going to be.

Why? Because I was 10 miles tired - not like my normal saturday 10-mile run. More like a muddy, bloody, sweaty, 10-mile hike at 7,500 ft elevation with 19+ obstacles including walls, ice baths, electric shocks, and mud pits (yay, mud!) I needed me some CARBS and refreshment and to feel like I was drinking a cool breeze.  And, that beer, mmmnnnnomnomnomnom. Also: You probably shouldn't have a super high abv beer post something like tough mudder. You just put your body through the rigamaroo.  Besides, the most interesting man in the world drinks it. So DUH! Clearly the post-mudder beer of choice.

I think my friend is right. Beer can be situational.

I mean, I can honestly say, I've had an oly from time to time when it seemed right. I've even had a pabstini (if you have to ask, you don't want to know). When I check into Untappd, my ratings can change based on my situation. A beer I thought was fantastic yesterday may suck in comparison to something else I had today, so my rating would change, right?

I think the factors that will influence beer selection are these:

1) Activity - what are you doing, or what have you just done. I first gave the example of beer pong. But also, while I have sworn off coors - yea, I'll drink my Killians after my shamrock half marathon (still don't drink blue moon anymore)

2) Location - Are you in brew country or miles away from sober? I mean, for realz - you do not waste good beer when you've already been drinking all day, and sometimes a lighter more refreshing beer fits the bill (I usually will go for cider when I need refreshment).

3) Company - Let's be honest, never be rude and never refuse hospitality and NEVER EVER make someone feel bad for their brew choice. Ever. 'Tis absolutely inappropriate. If your friends are drinking coors, pop one open and pretend if you have to. OR, even better, just bring your own, pop a better beer and SHARE. (Sharing is caring, didn't your mother teach you that?)

4) What you just drank - Again, tastes can change based on recent comparisons. A Lagunitas IPA used to be like, the best beer ever for me. Now, it is my old faithful. My standard, if you will. Why? Well, I have been exploring the world of IPAs and now have a better handle on what I really like and what I don't.

Back to rambling. After my dos equis, my fiance sneakily poured a delicious brew into my cup while I was changing into my TNMT post race outfit (pics to follow). A Hop Crisis.

Well, then that was the best beer ever. I was feeling good from dos equis. Plus post race high. Plus (as some stranger pointed out) I was a tough turtle. :) I'd drink one more right now, but it is morning and there are lines that just shouldn't be crossed.

Moving on: So then we drove home. (duh). I took the longest shower ever. Relaxed and ready to eat a pizza to myself, I finally crack open a beer I had been saving for two months. New situation: home from a major event equals a major beer. I knew when I brought it home from Colorado that I would drink it only after tough mudder. A time and a place, my friends.

Anyway. I had planned to write a much more interesting post on a beer's time and place. An actual article or something rather. But, I'm totally cool with using the idea to write in the middle of the night.

I suppose I am all written out and the pain killer is kicking in, so off to bed with me.

Boneshaker Public House

So, this is another one of those "I didn't actually go today, but I needed to do a write-up." I went on Saturday, so that's probably close enough. Like Final Gravity, this is one of my favorite places and sort of the reason I wanted to start this blog. I just really want to share these gems.

Boneshaker Public House is one of my new favorite places. They have 20 beers on rotating taps, bottles, and fantastic food. Plus the service is great.

My fiance and I walked in to Boneshaker's for the first time in May. Actually, we had just gone to a belated Mothers' Day brunch with his mom. After our lovely afternoon, we felt pretty relaxed and ready to try a new brew spot. To be fair, we had just gotten back from a Colorado vacation and were very much on a craft brew kick. A kick that (thankfully) hasn't ended. Anyway, armed with a need to pursue the dream of a great local place to drink craft beers.

So we make the quick drive out to Rocklin, find the pub, and walk in. What I noticed first was the atmosphere. It felt warm, like a hug (or and handshake, or glove, or favorite pair of jeans, or someone shouting "NOOOOORM!" when you walk in. But, I am a girl, so I went with hug). The way a pub should be. We see a sign that says to find a seat and order at the bar, so we just belly up to the bar. The bartender, this really nice and knowledgeable tattoo-covered guy, was really helpful. We told him the kind of beer we liked and he gave us tasters of the beers he thought we would enjoy. Spot on. Lemme tell ya.

The nice thing about their tap list is that there is a wide variety of beer - something for everyone. I am a big IPA person, but I also like the maltier-richer brews. Their tap list has not ever disappointed. I mostly just want to stay and drink beer until I pass out because I *really* want to try like 10 of the beers on tap at any given time. I've also seen some nice lighter and fruity beers on tap there for those that like lighter beers or just for when it is like a million degrees out. Anyway, long story long, they have an amazing selection. Noms.

Speaking of noms... we had some soft pretzels with stone ground mustard on our first visit. They are a happy hour special, I guess. OMG good. On our second visit we had one of their gourmet mac and cheeses (they have like six kinds) and their special (did I mention that they have a daily food special?) jambalaya burrito. Dear gods, it was delicious. Our most recent trip, we took my fiance's parents. His mom ordered the meatball sliders and spoke very highly of them - the right amount of spice and the right amount of sauce. I ordered the blackened fish tacos - I will order these EVERY time I come in. They were massive and spicy and perfection. Fiance ordered a cheese steak sandwich. Also good, but my tacos were better (no, seriously, AMAZING). I wish I had taken pictures, but I totally forgot. Next time, people. My fiance's dad ordered the daily special (turkey, bacon, Havarti panini with a pesto aioli) and it looked delicious.

The place is also kid friendly. I think they have a restaurant license technically, so that's nice. People can bring bring their kids (there is a kid's menu, too) and enjoy some really great beers. Also, don't worry about annoying kids. For whatever reason, the kind of people who drink craft beer tend to raise some good kids. Hmm. I think there have been kids every time we've been, but we didn't really ever notice.

You have to check their facebook page to know what is going on for food and brews. I have totally scheduled my day around being able to get her for a special beer on tap. For example, I was checking their page and realized that they had a one-time release of a cherry tanilla. You know we turned the car around and headed straight for our pub.

Boneshaker's is open every day and they do happy hour from 3-6. Monday night is trivia night, Tuesday night is live music, and Wednesday is flight night. And every night is joyous.

Any who, I love this place. You should troll their facebook page daily and come in often.

Cheers!

Final Gravity Taproom and Bottle Shop

So, technically I didn't go here today. However, I have been here like three times since I discovered this place. And, I'd be lying if I said I didn't check their taplist every day or if I said I have never completely changed my plans when I realized they had something I absolutely needed to try on tap.

I am just going to start with my final opinion and go from there. I freaking love Final Gravity Taproom and Bottle shop in Roseville. It is kind of hard to explain unless you just go there. So you should probably just go there. But in case you needed convincing:

FG is this awesome place with 20 rotating taps, one casked, one nitro, and several fridges filled with unique and hard-to-come-by bottles. The owners are super cool and relaxed,  the bartenders kind of remind me of some of my best friends, and the clientele are exactly what you would want out of a craft brew place: friendly and totally cool with striking up a random beer-related conversation. The place is just very chill and the beers they have on tap are usually very in-line with my tastes. The times I have been in so far, I have found the taps to be pleasantly full of IPAs. They have a lot of local beers and some stuff from other states. If you can't decide which beers to drink, you can make your own flight. So, that's pretty handy.

The setup itself is nice. The inside of the building is very streamlined and clean. There is a bar top and a number of tables and chairs. They have a nice little patio outside. Possibly my favorite thing is that you can take your dog and sit on the patio. No dogs inside, of course, but outside is just fine. The patio is pretty well shaded, plus the tables have umbrellas, so even if it is hot out there, it is still pleasant to sit outside. The first time we ever went to FG, we were on our way out of town for a camping trip and had the dog with us. Once I found out we could bring our doggy, we naturally had to stop for a pre-camp beer. My Fiance and I just sat out there with our pup, Sierra, and enjoyed some delish brews (Track 7's Panic IPA and Ommegang's Gnomegang). While we were sitting, an employee came out to offer us water for Sierra and, of course, to snuggle the doggy.

They do have food and it is pretty much what you would want out of a beer-focused placed. Remember, this is not a restaurant, it is a taproom and bottle shop. That being said, their menu is actually pretty perfect (for me) for drinking beer. It has your standards: nachos, tacos, hot dogs, etc. I do have to say, their charcuterie and cheese plate is actually pretty fan-freaking-tastic, though. I haven't tried their pulled pork sandwich, but I'll bet it's pretty nommy. They also have the option to order food from the Peruvian restaurant next store. I haven't done that yet, but I think I might have to next time.

Anyway, check it out. Happy hour every day from 3-6 and all day on Sundays. They are having their 1-year anniversary party on 8/2. I'll probably be there.

I may be a nobody, but I know what I like

So, here I am with the audacity to start a blog related to reviewing food and drink. Who am I? No one really, I guess. I am just someone who loves craft beer, classic cocktails, and really good food. I thought it could be fun to dedicate a space for me to write about the places I love (or hate) to grab meal or drink. My goal (a very lofty one) is to write a review for every place I visit from here on out and to write a revisiting review every time I return. Beyond that, I also want to log things like wine tastings, brew fests, and cocktail pairings. I am also including my own kitchen (only if I think I stumbled onto something really worthwhile).

I am not a reviewer. I am not a journalist. These are strictly my own opinions.

Well, we will see how well this works out. In any case, cheers! And I hope at least someone will come along with me on this delicious quest.