Pizza Port - Carlsbad, CA & Solana Beach, CA

My last trip we hit up Pizza Port in Solana Beach and I was a big fan so this time we returned AND hit up the Carlsbad location also. 

Solana Beach was basically my same feelings as years ago.  Great location basically on the beach, good amount of space, great beer list. 

Carlsbad we spent much more time at.  We ordered two different pizzas..a ham/pineapple and a pepperoni.  Both were fantastic! Really fluffy and lots of flavor.  Was a big fan!

My one complaint about this place though is how crazy crowded it gets which I know isn't their fault! But lots of kids and arcade games.  Plus I wish they would have a better way of serving a sampler tray...it's literally a tray with 4 small glasses so it is very awkward to move through a bunch of kids.  Plus the ordering beer and ordering food stations bleed into each other, so that causes issues.

As for the beer, between both locations we had the following:
Poor Mans IPA
Raceway IPA
Pants Optional Pale
Grapefruit Puncher
Night Rider Stout
Z-Man Stout
Sippy Cup DIPA
Citra-R-Ama



The standout here was Citra-R-Ama, we went home with three growlers for the night and enjoyed every last sip! Lots of citrus taste and one of the best citra based IPAs I have ever had, highly recommend this beer if you can get your hands on it! The rest of the IPAs were all good, but none touched this one.  The stouts also were pretty good, but nothing too different then what I have had in the past.





This is a must see place when in San Diego. Any location will really do, but each has a different tap list which is updated online almost daily so be sure to check ahead of time! www.pizzaport.com

Columbus Brewing Company - Columbus, OH

This was the big one I was looking forward to! And it did not disappoint. Located in the Brewery District of Columbus, it is kind of tucked away but not hard to find.  Plenty of parking lot parking. 

I didn't bother with a sampler here because all I wanted was the Bohdi which I have had in the past, but man is that a good Double IPA! I also tried the pale ale and their wheat beer...not shocking both were fantastic.
We started off with preztel bread which came with two different types of mustard. They were real good, nothing special but good.

Next we split a Caesar salad, which they split for us in two different bowls.  And lastly we split the Bye Bye Miss American Pie pizza which consists of hose made fennel sausage, sliced banana peppers, pepperoni and smoked provolone. It was excellent and it was buy a pint get a pizza half off night, so it was only like 6$!

 Our server was beyond excellent,  food was really good, beer was outstanding, and I just had a great time here. This is the MUST stop brewery if you are in Columbus.  Check them out...columbusbrewingco.com

Woodcock Brothers Brewery - Wilson, NY

 On a long boring day we decided to take a ride out to the brand new Woodcock Brothers Brewery in Wilson, NY.  It isn't a short drive but a nice scenic one at least.  Once you get there and walk in you realize the place is HUGE.  They took an old service building and made it up to look really unique..including the giant table that used to be an elevator.

-I ordered the sampler and my favorite beer was probably their Pale Ale it was light and easy to drink.  The Amber was good, the IPA was really good too, The Summer Ale was good, the Porter was actually one of the better porters I've had, and I had one more which I cannot remember but I believe it was some type of blonde ale.

 

-We ordered pretzels which are made with the same malt used for beer...I must say these were horrible.  No taste, very thick and doughy but thankfully the mustard was good.  We had wings, which are dry rubbed and baked..I appreciate they aren't deep fried greasiness but unfortunately they didn't have tons of flavor that you typically get from a sauce.  Lastly the pizzas are the highlight..we had the hot banana pepper and the Margherita...both were extremely good, the dough was good, I was very satisfied.  

-They have some merch, including wine and beer glasses and a tshirt, I bought the red wine glass.

-The only big issue for us was the service.  From what I've been told the brewery hires mostly family and we have been stuck with an owners wife..maybe not.  Either way the service was horrendous...waiting 20 minutes for a water, never receiving a box for leftovers we asked for, and never even seeming happy to be there (mind you there were maybe 6 other customers in the whole place and she seemed to disappear for chunks of time).  This is just the type of behavior I see on Restaurant Impossible when a business is close to closing their doors...so I hope they train their staff or get an experienced staff cause I am not going back til I hear better things...but check them out and pray you don't get a bad waitress...http://woodcockbrothersbrewery.com/

Ithaca Beer Company - Ithaca, NY

This week we decided to take the drive to fellow NY brewery Ithaca. Being a giant fan for years of Flower Power, I was very excited to check them out.  The building is newer and expanded greatly. From what I was told there used to just be a small tasting room, but this is just the opposite.  It is tucked very far back, plenty of parking, a giant bar, tables inside and plenty outside.

-They have plenty of merch from t-shirts to glasses, they also have a giant section where you can buy your favorite Ithaca beers in cases or six packs.

-As for the beer we did all three flights they have listed.  Apricot Wheat was the favorite of the lady...it has a great smell and you taste the apricot for sure, the Nut Brown was decent, Cascazilla was good as usual, Pale Ale was very nice..hoppy and light (we got two growlers of that to go), Flower Power just as good as I expected, Partly Sunny wasn't bad, and I lost my list but we had a couple others including an Imperial Stout they just put on.  All the beers were good, only 1 or 2 were just decent.

-We ordered a pizza in which some of the toppings are fresh and picked right from their own garden.  It was delicious and I would highly recommend it.

-Lots of space although we got there right around opening and by the time we left it was getting crowded.  I highly recommend making the drive if you can, the workers were really knowledgeable and really nice, the ambiance and scenery is just worth the trip I've never been anywhere like it. It's going into my top 5 favorite breweries I think. Check them out...ithacabeer.com/‎

End of the trip (plus Fat Heads Brewery stop)

On our way back we stopped in at Fat Heads in Cleveland..I didn't review it because I have in the past but I will say we had their InspirationAle IPA it was OUTSTANDING even better than Head Hunter which is top notch.  Also tried the Holly Jolly for Xmas in July it was a great Xmas beer, and the Trailhead Pale Ale it was real hoppy, but didn't love the aftertaste. 

-But there you have it...8 cities, 45 breweries, almost 300 beers tasted, lots of great food and I wanted to include some fun pictures from the trip here that include visits to the Home Alone house outside of Chicago, Married With Children Fountain in Chicago,  Family Matters house in Chicago, and the Bronze Fronz in Milwaukee.

Family Matters house

Deep dish @ Giordano's in Chicago

Van Gogh's The Drinkers @ Chicago Art Museum

Married With Children opening scene

Home Alone house

Night time in Milwaukee

The Bronze Fonz aaaaaaye

Lego scene made of all Legos in Mall of America

Bravo! Restaurant & Cafe - Portage, MI

Now don't get this place confused with Bravo! the actual restaurant in malls and whatnot, this is a single location not a chain.  They are a brewery and make their own beer.  Just like Paw Paw they are off the thruway.  It is a very "fancy" type place once you go in.  Not your typical brewery but I would call it a nice restaurant that just happens to make their own beer. 

-The bartender was a very nice guy, the place was dead so granted he didn't have much to do but he still was very polite.  We ordered a pizza which was FANTASTIC.  They also give you little bowls of snacks, bread, and of course we got their beers.
-A-Damn Good Beer Pale Ale was real nice, Chefs Ale Amber Apple Cider was tasty and smooth, Vanilla Bean Porter was nice and smooth, Blonde Ambition Blonde Ale not for me, and the Summer Daze IPA was very hoppy I really liked it a lot. 

-Overall I would say if you're in the area, jump off the thruway stop in for a beer and lunch or dinner it's worth it.  Check out their website...www.bravokalamazoo.com/‎

Brewpubs/Restaurants Day 3 - Portland, OR

On Day 3 we stopped into some food and brewpubs, including Hopworks which I already reviewed so I will be skipping that...as for the others..

-Before we started drinking we needed food.  So we hit up a pizza place we knew was good because of our last trip and that is Hotlips Pizza(side note, we also had dinner their on Day 4), they have locations scattered throughout Portland and we luckily found one right near Deschute's. We each got a slice and ordered GoodLife Brewing Descender IPA which we knew nothing about but it was phenomenal.  But as for the pizza, you can't go wrong whether it's a slice or a whole pie the pepperoni is just amazing. They have plenty more beer to choose from including bottles and can. Being from Buffalo we have some GOOD pizza places but Hotlips is worth the visit if you're in Portland, especially for a late night snack, plus they deliver! Check out their locations....hotlipspizza.com/

-After Deschute's, we walked a few short blocks to Henry's Tavern, which is a great beer bar.  They have a HUGE tap list, good prices, great happy hour prices for food, tons of seating including lots of tables outside. We of course took advantage outside and relaxed with a good view of the block. We drank the Boneyard IPA which is so good, Boneyard Triple IPA which was amazing...very strong but very good, and Hop Valley Alpha Cenuari Binary which is a mouthful just to order and not even worth saying all the words..good but nothing special.  Henry's is right in the middle of the downtown area, and their beer list is just sick, so I must say I highly recommend this place.They have a few locations so if you want to check the current tap list ensure you have the right location... www.henrystavern.com/ 

-We were dying to find Barley Browns IPA the entire trip and luckily after researching online found it at N.W.I.P.A.. So after Gigantic brewing we hopped on the bus and headed there.  Just a basic small bar, nothing too special.  But they had our beer! Which unfortunately was a massive let down...not sure if it was a bad batch, old batch, taste buds were sick of beer, but whatever happened we didn't like it as much as expected.  But as for the bar itself, they sell lots of really good beers in the coolers that you can drink on site...I bought the Russian River Supplication.  We got the oysters since they have a small bar menu...they were average at best.  This place has a small beer menu, mostly IPAs, I would only recommend going here if you're in the area or they have a rare beer..they update their site daily. nwipapdx.com/

Pizza Port - San Diego, CA

Pizza Port was our last brewery visit. Built right on the beach it is a prime location. A lot more family oriented than I imaged it being.  Giant place with loads of picnic tables. 

-The pizza was delicious.  And the beer was no different. I have been back a few times and the beer is so good! The Session IPA, Swamis IPA and another IPA I've had are just incredible.

-After dinner and beer we walked it off by walking the beach during the sunset, very nice ending to a great San Diego trip!

-Highly recommended if you’re in the area, and they have other locations, we went to the Solana Beach location which they state is the location with the most history.  Check out all the locations! http://www.pizzaport.com/