Chico - Sierra Nevada

Where did we leave off? We were headed to the Northwest for a family reunion and tours of several breweries, to study the equipment, process, distribution, brew types, and of course - do a bit of quality sampling.

The first stop - Sierra Nevada. Chad had never been wholeheartedly a big Sierra Nevada fan, but after the visit, his paradigm had shifted. I am not sure what had turned him off to Sierra Nevada - from overheard conversations, I would guess the elevated price and the mass distribution. Those two factors threaten the 'craft' part of any good brew.

Peering into the two-story windows at the enormous brewhouse equipment, clad in the shiniest, showpiece copper, his heart began to soften. We watched as a young man made a batch of Celebration Ale in the huge kettle, emerging with pallets of hops in quantities comparable to horse feed. It was quite a sight. More importantly, it was evident that despite the large production and mass distribution, the ale is still 'crafted,' in a manner pure and unadulterated.

We sampled the Celebration in the bar - noting how 'fresh and willamette-y' it tasted - straight from keg - as though it had been dry hopped one, extra time. Chad and Nick each had a pitcher which was enough to send them happily from the brewery. We noted that the prices of beer at the brewery store, were considerably less than we had seen anywhere else in California. 6-packs of Pale for $4.99 - unheard of. Later that night, we went to the grocery store and out of curiosity we headed for the beer section (no grocery store beer section goes w/o a visit from us!) . We weren't surprised to see almost the entire section was full of Sierra Nevada, but we were amazed at the price. Across the board, 6-packs for $4.99 - even in the grocery store. We talked about living in San Diego, and how 5 gallons of Sierra Nevada easily cost $85 so we would always get the locally brewed, Coastal Fog for $45/5gallons. We also made a mental note -- when we distribute, give a price break for those loyal, local customers!

I don't know if it was the pitcher of Celebration, or the smelling the sweet, strong scent of malt in the autumn air, Chad proclaimed, "This is day one, and I am on One Big Emotional Roller Coaster!" The highest highs, (touring Sierra Nevada with Nick, falling in love with Celebration Ale) to the lowest lows, (leaving Chico, having to take a turn sitting between Ethan and Alden in the back seat) - we were off on our adventure. After the speeding ticket in Shasta County, ( my lowest low), I took the sign, 'Slow down and enjoy the scenery,' - which happned to be spectacular. Autumn was in vivid display through Redding, Shasta, Dunsmuir, and on into Oregon. Colors like I remembered from college.

On a non-beer related note - GREAT cafe in Dunsmuir with the most perfect coffee! Cornerstone Cafe and Bakery. We pulled off the highway to give the boys a break and half heartedly look for more coffee. Nick spotted a bait/tackle shop and asked us to drop him off and come back for him when we were finished. We found the older section of Dunsmuir and decided to gamble on a small corner cafe in the historic area. The coffee was amazing and we picked up fresh cinnamon rolls - but after looking at the menu (eggs benedict w/portabello and applewood bacon and harris ranch steak and eggs w/ rosemary potatoes, drew our attention) we noted that this was definitely a spot for future visits! Onwards to Oregon!