My wife and I recently visited the brewery located on State Street at the intersection with West Haley. My wife, the inveterate people watcher selected the high table located in the front window with views of three of the four corners of the intersection. The corner nearest us was blocked by the building’s corner pillar. State Street can be very entertaining! This evening was almost hilarious!

We sat inside with the thick glass between us and the crowds cruising up and down the street. The glass provided a very good sound barrier so we could talk about those entertaining us without offending anyone….we are not mean in our comments but some folks sure stand out from the crowd and yes, we do notice – sometimes out loud. When the migrating crowds had to stop for the lights to change the crowd would get deep and wide outside the window.

One thing that made it more entertaining were the antics of the panhandlers on the three occupied corners. One young man that appeared to be ADH to the max was actually working every corner and all the territory in between. I have to pat him on the back, he spent a lot of time on litter patrol and was constantly finding bits and pieces of trash that he tossed in the trash receptacle in the process of finding enough cigarette parts to make a usable stub. My wife commented on how unsanitary that must be. I didn’t say anything but in my mind I was chuckling! She will stumble and fall down stairs rather than risk picking up germs from the hand rail!

This is a beer blog isn’t it? Yes it is, we both sample two of the offerings – two each, so we tasted 4 of the beers brewed onsite. Kathy chose the Pomegranate Wheat Ale, the seasonal offering, for her first beer. She liked it and commented how it reminded her of Abita’s Purple Haze but with a definite Pomegranate aroma and taste. She remarked that it was just a one beer thing, not one for everyday drinking. Her second beer was the Santa Barbara Blonde a safe but tasty choice that went well with her Halibut offering. She gave top marks to the halibut and even shared one precious bite with me.

I had the Double IPA and it was very nice – loved the aroma- a nice floral scent and it had a crisp but very good bitterness that was not overwhelming. I tried the Rincon Red along with the Santa Barbara Burger – very nice and very California!

The wait staff is very knowledgeable about the beers and the menu – the hostess was very new, did not yet have much beer knowledge but demonstrated a zest for customer interaction and a willingness to learn. I gave out a few beer lessons that I am sure she memorized! We sat near her station and she was a great vocal participant in our observations of the ongoing State Street spectacle outside of our window side table.

State Street has become a great wine tasting venue featuring many of the local vineyard offerings. We didn’t hit the wine tasting trail. We stuck with what we enjoy….Kathy does enjoy a good Riesling but I can take our leave the wines, beer is my vice, not the only one, but the only one my wife will let me write publicly about……..Just kidding Hun!

The menu….pretty tasty

Brewing equipment – Brite Tanks used for serving the beer

The copper clad brewhouse

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop