Pub Crawling in San Diego or People Watching From the Back of a Harley
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy James

Craig and I got away this last week sans kids (for the first time since
1990) and escaped to the beaches of San Diego. It was a refreshing change
from the DRY dust of Santa Fe. Being the strange rangers that we are, we
rented a Harley Heritage Softtail rather than a car (OK, he was humoring
me, nice man that he is). Yes, it was pricey (worth every penny) but never
once did we look for parking places or get into a stifling hot car. Need I
even mention the advantages of having that wonderful rumble between my legs?

During the trip I made several interesting, if not profound, beer related
observations.

Overall, the restaurants and bars in the area had a delightfully surprising
selection of microbrews available on tap. Never did we go into an establishment
offering only the usual BudMilCoors combos. Several in fact didn't even have
one token American Pale on tap. Unfortunately, waiters are no more enlightened
when it comes to good beer. I confess, I did send back a pint of Karl Strauss
Amber that reeked and tasted suspiciously of cooked veggies (when is that
beer judge exam??). It was politely swapped for me so I can't complain.

Hefe-weizen was on tap in EVERY bar and/or restaurant I happened to visit.
If it wasn't their own brew, they stocked Widmer's. Even allowing for this
being the summer season, I found this remarkable. It appeared to be the
favorite amongst the locals. Sure wish I could head back in the winter to
see what's on tap.

Also on tap in EVERY establishment was a cider, most frequently Wyder's
Pear, which tasted diluted to me but still preferable over the usual boring
American Pales. One little neighborhood bar had 3 different ciders on tap.
This seems to be the up and coming quencher for the non hop-heads (are you
listening Satna Fe brewpub folks?)

I visited the Terrific Pacific Brewery and had a surprisingly good Pale
Ale. It was hoppy enough even for me. They had a blackboard listing the
alcohol percentages in their brews, ranging from 5.2% (amber) to 7.0%
in their Hefe-weizen. I highly recommend stopping here if you get to the
area. Their ceviche' and yuppie style pizza (foccacia bread and pesto) were
well worth sampling.

The only exception I found was the San Diego Wild Animal Park offering only
Millers. Even so, I still find it surprising when an amusement park offers
alcohol of any sort, a trend I must support, no matter what the brand. I
need an escape of some kind from all the tourists and toddlers.