Alvarado Street Brewing, Monterey, CA

You know what's great about America?! Beer.

More to the point, that fact that in almost any US city (major or not in most cases) you can now find a local brewery to head out to for some unique, often regional, takes and tastes of the brew we all love so much. Like the friends in Indy that often take vacations just to try beer makers, I've found I can find and almost always enjoy trying a new brewery anywhere I travel.

Recently, the weekend involved a short day-trip to Monterey CA. It happens to be home to the Alvarado Street Brewing company. I had been there about four years ago as the restaurant was just opening, but knowing how good it was then, and wanting to try more, I hit up on this trip too.

Of course, you might say, "But MK, you're not trying anything new!' Au contraire! Not only can a menu of a great establishment change in 4 years, but the beer menu should be changing all the time, year-round. I was not disappointed in this trip to ASB. I did have to wade through a shit-ton of beers in the IPA family (gross!), but it wasn't too strenuous.

They have gorgeous building in downtown Monterey. At least 3 distinct spaces - main floor, outdoor patio and upstairs landing...

I was also able to try about 6 different brews until I found a lovely Nitro Stout. Not too heavy for the day, but a bit heavier than I would normally go in the heat of summer (luckily, it was 6- degrees in Monterey this day).

I also chose a nice Hanger Steak offering from the menu. Well-cooked steak, but the real treat were the lowly potatoes cooked in duck fat. They almost melt in your mouth. I was delighted by this simple side...

I had decided not to get dessert here, but would have had no problem if I was forced too...

Finally, to hit the restrooms you have to go upstairs to a small landing/hallway. As I was washing my hands, a man came into the restroom with a stark white parrot on his arm, er, shoulder. It was pretty odd to see, and I wanted a picture, so I waited out on the landing (separate from the actual bathroom) until they came out. What the parrot did while the man was using the facilities, I'll never know.

Anyways, it seemed like everyone wanted to get a look at this "Emotional Support Parrot", so the guy set his bird on the railing for all to enjoy. Not the oddest thing I've ever seen in a bar, but it sure won't let me forget about ASB anytime soon...

Alvarado Street Brewery - do it up!

New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI

I've been on a number of formal and informal brewery tours in my days, but hands-down, this one is right up there at the top, if not THE top brewery destinations. It's a fanciful mix of location, landscaping, buildings, people, and (huzzah!) beer.

You have to head a little bit outside Madison to get there, maybe 40 minutes drive or so. You will notice a small (original?) brewery of theirs in town on the north side, then see what basically feels like a castle rise out of a hill once back outside of town (heading further south).

You have to wind-up a back road to see the property and park in their main visitor parking lot. But, to their credit, they know that this place is a draw for the town and area and they have planned that this location is the place to host the visitors coming en masse. Basically, they can handle your carload of drunks.

Like many "small" businesses in WI, they have had to add onto their original buildings as they've grown, over time becoming a patchwork of buildings and architectural styles, some purely for function, some with a sense of design.

A big theme in this Swiss-themed town is the chalet style building... not to be ignored at NG either.

Once in beerland, you pretty much have four options (at least in winter) - take a self-guided tour, hit the gift shop, buy beer in their store, or slam some beers in the Tasting Room. I'm not sure the order really matters, 'cause you're gonna do it all, right?! 

We happened to go Gift Shop > Tour > Tasting Room > back to Gift Shop > then barely made it into the Store. Everything closes at 5pm on Saturdays, so give yourselves plenty of time (I'd say at least a couple hours if you like beer). Another popular routing option seemed to be Tasting Room (to grab a brew) > Tour > Gift Shop > Store. Sure, fine, go for it.

Now, unless you get on a formal Friday tour (led by a NG employee), you may not learn a ton about the beer making process, but what you still get on their "self-guided" tours is an incredible look at a brewery that makes a LOT of beer, but still feels relatively small and family-run.

It seemed as if nothing was off limits from your eyes at least:

(don't jump in that hatch... it may not bee full of beer) - We heard these copper kettles above (which are multiple stories tall and continue under the floor) were from a defunct brewery in Germany. NG arranged to buy them at scrap value from the German brewer and pay to have them shipped to the US - always recycling in beerland.

 We decided not to ascend these stairs as it felt a bit sacrilegious.

In brewing, for sure.

"Schla-meel, schla-mozzle...hassenfeffer..." - Who's with me?

They have a bit of an Awards Room tucked into the Tour, and deservedly so:

Amen! 'Merica!

We had a nice time in the tasting room, and like most things here, they have it dialed. You start at the cashier and pay for either a small-glass, 3-beer flight OR a single, full-sized beer glass. Both get you a free "coin" for a beer in the local area bars and souvenir glass (yes!). With the flight, you get a small wristband - it includes 3 little "chits" the bartenders remove with each round of tasting you have poured. Pretty slick. Plenty of people watching in the Tasting area too, lots going on.

Their cherry-flavored ale... crisp!

I will not divulge what I purchased in the gift shop (ahem!) and/or beer store after my flight, but you might get the beer-paraphernalia bug too if you go back into the stores. It's real easy to buy something... and the beer is only sold in WI (cans travel best).

Steins

(This would really complete your holiday ensemble, wouldn't it?)

And now the beers on sale in the store!!!

I was floored by the amounts and selections at this place - gifts, glasses, openers, steins, t-shirts, other clothing, and almost all beer varieties!!! It's also possible I was ever-so tipsy by this point too. Grab some brews to bring home and get out of Dodge.

If you haven't picked up on this yet - I would HIGHLY recommend this brewery as a destination stop, almost anywhere from IL, WI, or further out. It was a cool place, tasty beers, and tons to see and bring home (beer). From the Tasting Room's view into the parking lot, we witnessed a family bringing 8 cases of 12-pack, Spotted Cow bottles to their SUV on dollies. I mean, this shit is serious here, folks.


Finally, I think they also have a few areas to improve, but I sort of suspect these are already in the works in the coming months and just haven't been completed yet:
- Tasting Room - It needs more tables & chairs. Something to fill the space and make it look like a medieval Swiss beer hall, would be nice. It could also use some sound-deadening in the space to make it less cacophonous as well.
- Self-Guided Tours - NG, can you set-up signs for reading at each of the main process areas? In fact, is there an app yet for museum tour uploads? Can't we just listen to something on our cellphones as we walk around the spaces? Could be pretty rad.

Macushla Brewing, Glenview, IL

Glenview, IL is the town our family raised all 7 of us in. In most years, when we come back for holidays, we like to check out new haunts and see what's shakin'. And thanks to the boon that is the craft brewing industry in almost every city in the US, I think I could do a brewery crawl just in Glenview (ok, at least a bar crawl with breweries included). 

Now, throw in a high-school classmate opening his own brewery adjacent to his families' famous burger joint (Hackney's on Lake St) and you have a real reason for most of the family to head out and "get a taste", literally.

I was, I don't know, shocked maybe to see how much work had been done to refurbish their old laundry building and set this brewery up for success. Walking up left us wondering if it was the right place as it was simply too fancy to be a brewery next to a stately Hackney's location. But it was the place. 

They have 32 seats inside and about double that when the weather's nice on a large patio (with garage doors opening the whole place up). 

Head inside and gander at the big chalkboard beer menu, grab a Hackney's menu from the waiter-on-call and sit down for a spell. Time for some brews.

Beer selection was diverse and solid, and many have a family story behind the names, just ask. Everyone in our group seemed to find a beer they liked or tried a few (or more, gulp!). Food was classic Hackney's which happened to be perfect fare on this night. Service was very attentive, but I guess I have to say I know the owners. For being so new and well-appointed (surfaces, woods, decor, lighting), it keeps a casual feeling and the formality level you'd expect for a brewery. They also had many different groups coming in and out during our visit. Young families with children were eating dinner (early) when we arrived, then a normal dinner crowd, then later on it looked like the wives of Glenview let all their husbands out of the house... 'cause the bar was packed with 40-something dudes drinking beer.

Inside looking out to the patio...

Even little touches like this in the men's room make it pretty "lived in" for only being open a short while. This is the name of the owner, but I don't think this is his rookie card.

If you find yourself in Glenview, IL, I HIGHLY suggest you stop here. I'll be back, no doubt (and already have).