craft beer

Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company – San Francisco

May 30, 2016 by Kimmy Tapia Leave a Comment

Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company is a casual brewery/gastropub in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco. The atmosphere and the decor are great – high ceilings and wide open space, it’s got a very lofty feel to it. The bar has a beautiful wall with a multitude of liquor bottles on display and there is a glass wall that lets you peer into their beer brewing operation. They’ve got bar seating, dining downstairs as well as upstairs seating. Need to catch a Giants or Warriors game? They’ve got plenty of TVs!

WHAT WE ORDERED:

Sunset Reservoir IPA (a little too much on the bitter side for my personal taste)
Kennebec Fries w/ a chipotle aioli
Three Sliders: sloppy joe, pulled pork, fried chicken
Soup of the Day: black bean tortilla soup topped w/ avocado

Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company | 1736 Noriega St. San Francisco, CA 94122 | 415-571-8452

Link N Hops | Where to Eat in LA

August 19, 2015 by Kimmy Tapia Leave a Comment

You like exotic sausages? You like craft beer? Link N Hops has got you covered.

I came here on a Wednesday night with a group of friends and we split a few sausage platters – traditional, exotic & vegan – that we paired with beers from their vast craft beer selection (get the S.N.A.F.U.!) I loved that there were a ton of different sausages to choose from and the condiment selection is off the chain (I’m a huge condiment junkie!).

Best part of the night? Wednesdays are trivia night! We had the most wonderful time indulging in goodies while having a super fun time competing against the other tables at the bar. Highly reccommended!

PRO-TIP: Happy hour is Mon – Thurs from 4pm – 7pm 😉

Link N Hops | 3111 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039 | (323) 426-9049

Travel: Guinness Storehouse | Dublin, Ireland

August 3, 2015 by Kimmy Tapia Leave a Comment

Visiting the Guiness Storehouse located at St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin is a total must-do! The brewery tour at the Guiness Storehouse is unlike any brewery tour I have ever taken. You walk inside and pay an entrance fee of 18 euros (translates to a little less than 18 USD). The entrance free includes a self-guided tour of the facilities with a complimentary pint of fresh, velvety Guiness at the end of the tour with the best view of the entire city of Dublin.

The tour itself, as stated earlier, is unlike any brewery tour I’ve ever taken. This tour had more of a beer amusement park or beer museum feel than anything. The history of the brewery was shown through various exhitions, installations and videos.

Each level of the modern storehouse was themed differently and at the end of the brewery, we were taught how to pour the “perfect guinness”, were allowed to serve ourselves from their taps, given certificates and had our photo taken.

From the complimentary tasting, you then head up to their Gravity Bar – a circular glass room with a 360 degree view of Dublin – to enjoy a fresh pint of Guinness beer included with your admission price of €18.

Check out my YouTube video below to get a better view of Ireland’s claim to beer fame!

Butcher’s Dog | Where to Eat in LA

June 26, 2015 by Kimmy Tapia 2 Comments

CRAFT BEER + FOIE GRAS.

Is this heaven? I feel like I’ve landed on a deliciously decadent british cloud – and yes, you can join me up here if you’d like.

Situated on the corner of Sawtelle and Olympic is where you’ll find Chef Brendon Collin’s new british pub – Butcher’s Dog. He is serving up classic pub favorites with a unique upscale twist. The flavors are so incredibly jam packed into every dish and, as you can see from all of the photos, the food is beautifully presented.

WHAT TO ORDER |

The chicken liver & foie gras mousse is an obvious choice and the chicken tikka masala flatbread is a crowd-favorite. If you’re more of a traditionalist, then you won’t be disappointed by the classic fish & chips. The breading, perfectly crunchy and crisp, the fish, moist, tender and flavorful.

With 10 HDTVS and sporting events playing on them at all times, this is a great place for sports fans to come hang out at. They’ve got 10 beers on tap, 19 in bottles and cans as well as a carefully curated wine list.

And if you’re coming here with friends, sharing dishes is a great idea since the portions are pretty good size. Feeling like having some comfort food? For that, I’d highly recommend the cottage pie and the sticky toffee pudding w/ vanilla ice cream (pictured below).

PRO-TIPS

Great happy hour from 3pm to 6:30pm and 10pm – close. During these times all draft beers are $2 off, beer pitchers are $6 off and a few select wines are only $6 a glass.
FREE underground parking – just don’t forget to get it validated!

CHECK OUT MY VIDEO REVIEW ♥

PORTLAND – Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. (VIDEO)

March 16, 2015 by Kimmy Tapia Leave a Comment

After hearing how many breweries there are in Portland (50+), I was determined to drink my way through as many as I could in the 3 short days I was there. Unfortunately, beer is HEAVY on the belly. So, as much as my mind and mouth were set on drinking my weight in brews, my expanding waistline and tight-fitting pants were refusing.

Alex, the BF, pulling out the beer drinking GUNS.

Now, I’ll be honest. I don’t like hefes. You’re probably asking yourself why I would be going to a place that is KNOWN for their hefes…. Well, first and foremost, I am a lover of food and beverage and I try my absolute best to give everything I taste a fair chance. I figured if I was going to give hefes a chance, I would go to a place that makes award-winning hefeweizens and, most importantly, the place that was single handedly responsible for creating the American-style hefeweizen.

I will report back that my favorite types of beers are still IPAs and Stouts but I am now a lot more open to ordering a hefe every once in a while – especially if it was a beer coming from Widmer. When you come to Portland and visit Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., you can’t leave without signing up to do one of their brewery tours. It only costs $5, you’re paired up with a knowledgable tour guide, and you get to try 4 different brews in a souvenir taster glass you can take home!

Brewery Tour Schedule (pulled from their website here)

Mondays – Thursdays at 3pm
Fridays at 2:00pm & 3:00pm
Saturdays at 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm & 3:00pm
Sundays at 1:00pm & 2:00pm

I shot this picture to recreate one just like this that they had on display!

ALSO – If you’re hungry, they’ve got a pub right across the street. I didn’t get to try their food, but I did order a flight. 6 5oz. tasters for a cheap $15!

Check out my Tastemade video review below. CHEERS!

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. |929 N Russell St, Portland, OR 97227 | (503) 281-2437

PORTLAND – Breakside Brewery (VIDEO)

March 13, 2015 by Kimmy Tapia Leave a Comment

Portland is the land of micro-brews and trying to decide what breweries deserve your time, when you’re only visiting for a short amount of time, is hard. I *almost* began to let myself get overwhelmed with all of the choices at hand. Instead, I took a trip to Breakside Brewery in Northeast Portland and got myself a nice little buzz. PROBLEM SOLVED ✓…

PORTLAND – Hair of the Dog Brewery (VIDEO)

March 11, 2015 by Kimmy Tapia Leave a Comment

Portland is known for their craft beer scene, I’m a craft beer lover aaaaaand I just so happened to be in Portland for a few days this month. What’s a girl to do but drank?! Am-i-right? Hair of the Dog Brewery was the first brewery I experienced in Portland and I am happy to report back that it was a great start to a wonderful trip. Did you know Portland is home to 50+ breweries? Let that sink in. I think it’s safe to say they’ve rightfully earned the nickname, “Beervana”.

Hair of the Dog Brewery is in the Industrial District of Portland, OR.

Now, while I didn’t get a chance to visit every.single.brewery in the short 3 days I spent in Portland, I did try to visit at least one a day! AND I managed to shoot Tastemade video reviews at THREE of them!

Check out the video I shot at Hair of the Dog Brewery below!

Hair of the Dog Brewery and Tasting Room

Hair of the Dog Brewery | 61 SE Yamhill St. Portland, OR 97214 | 503-232-6585

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