Author: Tomme

It’s Friday and the Ramones are jamming on the CD player. Me, I’m hunkered down in my office. The tasting bar is packed and Marty is doing a brisk business of selling pork products from his hot dog cart out front. What beer am I drinking as I type this? The clear alcohol free kind known as Holy Water. You see, two days ago, I woke up feeling a bit under the weather and no, I didn’t have the botella influenza. Seems that I am the victim of either too much work or perhaps my 3 year old petri dish known as Sydney who just started preschool last week might have infected daddy. Sucks but I am definitely not 100% right now and with Denver next week, I am trying my best to lay low so that I can get well.

I am on my third set of Cough Medicine and hoping that by the time I am done swallowing these orange pills, I will feel better. As we just tapped the High Tide at 4 PM today, I would REALLY like to be having one right about now. I also would very much like to be downtown at the San Diego Festival of Beers. Haven’t missed one of these in a VERY long time! But such is life. In spite of all my woes, I will say that last night (before I broke down and started pumping my body full of meds) we had our annual tasting for our GABF beers here at the brewery.

This is the first year that we have done this outside of the Pizza Port beers but since the three locations are sending a total of 34 beers this year and we’re sending 8 from Lost Abbey and 5 from Port Brewing, it was just impossible to do them all in one night. Jeff came out from Carlsbad last night and we ran down the list of beers that we’re sending to Denver. Not everything scored highly but that’s to be expected. Bottling does weird things to beers.

We started with Midnight Sessions and Hot Rocks. Neither really WOWs me at the moment. They were bottled so long ago that I just kind of throw my hands in the air and hope. Not expecting this to be part of our year. Moved sideways and had some Carnevale and Inferno. Both of these are awesome drinking beers. A brett based Saison has never done well in the category we enterered so we’ll see. The Inferno may just be the most stylistically perfect beer we sent. It’s fluffy and smashingly drinkable which is awesome. And, this Pale Strong Belgian Ale type beer usually does very well in this category. High hopes for this one.

We opened some Wipeout, Panzer Pils and Hop 15 next. It’s funny because the Wipeout is so incredibly clean. But there seems to be this notion that the hop aroma should be more over the top. It tasted amazing but Aroma is very important. Well built either way and a beer we make and drink a ton of around here. The Panzer really has all the essence of a great Imperial Pils and I hope for Julian’s sake it scores well (read medals). This is our Pro Am entry. Basically a homebrewer and professional brewer collaborate on a homebrewer’s award winning recipe and brew it for commercial sale. This year we nailed the parameters for Panzer and Julian agrees. The Hop 15 won a bronze medal last year (don’t ask me how). None of us scored it well during the tasting. Yet there it was winning Alpha King and a bronze GABF medal. Weird. This years batch has nice flavor and it’s no slouch in the hops department. But then again this is one of the hardest categories at the fest to win. So…

Post Hoppy beer land, we turned our attention to Sour beer land (it’s like Candyland for adults). In Sour Beer land, we didn’t see any Oompa Loompahs but we did find some Duck Duck Gooze, Cuvee and In Veritas Vino 005. The Duck Duck has the necessary Acetic character to win and the depth is great. Jeff says maybe too sweet? The Cuvee is the best bottling we have ever done. Sure, there have been better kegs and single barrels but as a matter of course, this is just a nice blend of barrels. Cuvee didn’t win last year but this year the beer isn’t a shadow of its former self. Nope, it’s the paradigm of blending for us.

In Veritas Vino is an experimental beer and we think it has awesome character. And that’s all I have to say about that… We also opened a bottle of Red Poppy. This was the third year we have made Red Poppy and it’s clearly the best batch as well. The oak might be overstated for style but not in my heart. So tasty. The beer will be on the festival floor which won’t suck.

Lastly, we moved into Black beer territory with some Serpent’s Stout and a wee bit of Older Viscosity. I love me some Serpent’s but this batch didn’t sit well in the bottle and I’m not feeling it. The Older Viscosity has all the depth you would expect of a bourbon beer. The only issue we could ding it for was that the body seems too light. I mean the beer is 11.5% ABV so how light can the body be? Yet, it just doesn’t have “that” chewiness thing going on in the beer. Drinks like it’s so much lighter. You know the way we want it to be.

So that’s it for now. One week from tomorrow, we’ll be in Denver. One week from right now, the Judging will have officially have ended and the trophy people will be busy working on their part. It would be great to add some more hardware to our collection. This year there are over 3200 beers entered in the competition. That’s beyond comprehension. So many beers so little time. And to think, I’m on drugs right now.
Who knew?

When we began the process of acquiring this brewery in San Marcos some 4 years ago, I made a decision to move my family(Maureen was pregnant with Sydney and due in May of 2006) to San Marcos so that I could be closer to the brewery. We found a place that is above Cal State San Marcos University and have lived there since April of 2006. I always thought living near the brewery would be better as I wouldn’t have to drive too far to get home(especially after a couple of after work beers).

Today, I’m not so sure this place we call home is the best place for us to live. Now mind you, I love the Condo complex we live in. The neighbors are great and Sydney has access to a nice playground and pool area so these are the positives. But, the negatives are starting to gain some serious momentum as last night, I had to drive through a DUI Checkpoint on the way home from work for the 4th time since we moved to San Marcos in April 2006! Clearly, owning a brewery, drinking beers on a Friday night and “breezing home” don’t go hand in hand here in San Marcos. At least not, if you live above the University like we do and there is only one way home from the brewery.

Yesterday, my day started in Seattle, WA where I had been doing sales work. The alarm clock went off at 6AM enabling me to make my 8 AM Sales Meeting at Click Wholesale (our Washington state kick ass distribution partner). Sydney, Maureen and I then boarded a flight back to San Diego. After getting situated at home, I dropped down the hill around 4:15 to gather the mail, check on the tasting bar,meet with Mike about the past week and this weeks brewing schedule. I was enjoying a pint of SPA (Summer Pale Ale) at 5ish when Mike indicated that we were having issues with the cold box (it was almost 100F here yesterday in San Marcos) and the compressor on the roof.

So, I spent the next hour baking on the roof trying open our sky lights and getting the compressor to reset. Having successfully reset the cold box and opened the sky lights, I proceeded back to the tasting bar area to relax and grab some water. Baking in the sun trying to work on the unit in pants and a black shirt drained me pretty good.

Once I was able to cool off and relax, I had a Wipeout IPA. It tasted spot on. The next one was equal to the task. It was now about 8 PM and Sage was making the annoucement on his new Bull horn (Thanks Harbor Freight) that it was quitting time and last call. I poured a 1/2 pint of IPA and thought about getting home to my luggage and exhausted road tested family. In passing, I mentioned to Sage that it was about time for the Sheriff’s Department to set up another sweep for DUI. It has been a few months since I had seen one last on my way home. I suppose I was channeling my inner Nostradomus at this point. I actually told him I thought it would be next weekend (Labor Day) but I wouldn’t be surprised to say the least if there was one going on.

I pounded a couple of pints of water and discussed Sage’s company being named to the Forbes Top 25 Entrepeneurs list that was just published (congrats on that btw)! At around 9:30 I decided that it was time to head home to get some rest. I hadn’t had a beer in over an hour and water had been my friend in that time. I proceeded South on Twin Oaks Blvd heading towards my home when I came over the freeway rise and saw the flashing lights and orange cones of the checkpoint. And the thing about these checkpoints, is there is no way to evade them if you’re driving.

So I pointed my car towards the “Safety Zone” and steeled my nerves for what clearly was going to be a choice encounter with the law. In line, I was stopped and approached by an officer and asked for my license and registration. He asked where I had been and why I smelled like beer (“Because I own a brewery called Port Brewing that’s about a 1/2 a block from your Sheriff’s Station was my reply). I was asked to step out of the vehicle and moved to a secondary inspection area.

I submitted to a battery of field tests. I explained to the officer that I had been up since 6 AM, hadn’t eaten anything since 3 PM and given that I was wearing flip flops at the time, not likely to pass many of these “tests.” I also quite confidently felt that I was not over the legal limit and that most of my appearance and field tests results would be plagued by the weariness of the travel I had endured this day. We did the “follow my pen with your eye test.” Next we did the raise your right foot and point your toes to the sky while you count to the 30 one thousands. I made it to 10 one thousands before I had to rest my foot. I proceeded to do the next 20 one thousands reaching 30 one thousands without issue. I switched feet and standing on my right foot managed to break off 30 one thousands without issue.

The tests kept coming. I “got” to walk the line. As the officer stated the process I was supposed to do, I looked down at my feet and felt feelings of fear overcome me. I was now very deep in a battery of tests (any of which could be used against me in court) and my Mickey’s Big Mouth Flip Flops were staring at the officer. I begged indifference to the test in flip flops( seriously how stable can they be) and asked to remove them. The officer agreed and now I was barefoot. “Toes to ankles touching, please take 9 steps on this line and then pivot on one ankle and repeat all the while counting out each step.”

“One, two, three…” as I proceeded to toe the white line of the Ralph’s Grocery parking lot where the test was being administered. I reached 9 pivoted and headed back feeling as if I had done everything right (no one every tells you if you’ve passed this test or that one). At this point, I am certain that the field tests had me being more polluted than the law allows for. I on the other hand felt confidently that I wasn’t drunk. Sure I had beer on my breath and had been drinking but that doesn’t mean I had broken the law.

I was given the chance to take a “preliminary field alcohol test” with the proviso that if I didn’t blow over .08 I would be sent on my merry way. This seemed like the thing to do maintaining that I wasn’t innebriated. The officer prepped the breathalyzer and showed me the calibration of 0.00. I was then told to blow for about 8 seconds into the machine until it beeped. It did. I wasn’t shown the result. I suppose the result didn’t matter as it’s probably used for calibration. After about a 30 second rest, I repeated the process and the resulting meter came back at .068.

I had officially been given a reprieve and instructed that if I crashed on the way home, I could still be cited for DUI. I thanked the officers for their time and climbed back into my car and headed home. Being in the beer business is frought with peril. Getting behind the wheel with beer on the breath happens almost on daily basis. The difficulty is knowing with certainty where you stand relative to the “sobriety scale.” I was put through the paces last night. It was brutal. Sure I had been drinking and the officer was just doing his job. Yet, I felt helpless in that I was completely lucid (albeit wiped out from traveling) and about 3 blocks from my home.

Without a doubt, this was one of those wake up calls. Last night was not a heavy night of drinking by any stretch of the imagination. And yet, I found myself being asked to step out of a vehicle in a grocery store parking lot so I could walk the line. Though I never saw the report that the officer was working on, I am left to conclude that these tests are difficult to perform even with a beer and a half in your system. I suppose that’s the point, they’re not supposed to be easy to pass. That being said, I am left to conclude that I was probably one of a handfull of people who were plucked from their vehicles last night who performed all the tests and were let go. I slept next to Maureen last night and Sydney jumped on my head this morning @ 6:30 AM which is the way Saturday’s are supposed to be even if Friday nights, DUI Checkpoints and .068 stand between me and getting home.

Tomme’s edit: (this is from a press release the day after) It’s amazing that with all the effort that was put into this Checkpoint, no one was found arrested for DUI on this evening.

SYNOPSIS:
On Friday evening 08/28/2009, the San Marcos Sheriff’s Traffic Division, with cooperation from the North County Law Enforcement
Traffic Safety Council, conducted a Driving Under the Influence checkpoint at 300 South Twin Oaks Valley Road in the City of San
Marcos. This detail is part of the on-going effort by the California Office of Traffic Safety, the City of San Marcos and the Sheriff’s Traffic
Division to reduce the number of drunken driving traffic collisions and related incidents. The checkpoint was staffed by San Marcos
deputies, Senior Volunteers, Probation Department and members of the North County Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Council.
MISSION: The purpose of the operation was to raise awareness, identify and arrest drunk drivers, and allow for a safer driving
environment within the City of San Marcos. Enforcement of other California Vehicle Codes relating to seat belt violations along with
any other alcohol related or law violations.

2003 vehicles passed through the checkpoint. 525 were inspected.
There were no drivers found to be intoxicated.
7 traffic citations were issued.
2 arrests for drug possession
8 vehicles were stored due to various license and registration violations.

Says me.  This past week, we receieved our labels for Ten Commandments and today, the beer is finally on sale at the brewery.  I say finally because I’ve come to conclude that Moses is an egotistical son of a bitch who never seems to be able to get in the bottle on time.  We’v been in business for three years now and in that time, we haven’t been able to get a batch of Ten Commandments to ferment the way I think it should.  However, with that being said, we actually like the way the beer tastes and remain committed to making this beer with a very fickle(read son of a bitch) strain of yeast.

Why would you keep using a yeast that is such a pain in the ass you might ask (FYI, Mike our Head Brewer keeps asking me the same question).  Well, the answer is simple.  I like the flavor of the beer the way it is brewed and until someone can prove to me that just being a son of a bitch is reason enough to ditch a yeast, I’m going to keep using it.  Last year, we brewed 4 batches of the beer and the yeast took over three months to finish what it started.  This year, I think we actually shaved about 6 weeks off of that timeline. 

You see, I imagined that Ten Commandments would be our Lost Abbey Anniversary Ale each year and that means we should release it each May.  Last year, it was August when Moses finally came off that mountain.  This year, we see him at the end of June doing his thing.  I suppose we may actually get him on schedule for next year at the rate we’re going.  Maybe, we should brew the beer in December each year to ensure that he’s ready.  Do you think he’s shy?  I can’t think so.  I mean I know the dude is old but he spoke with God himself so he’s got that going for him. Right?  Yeah that’s what I  thought to. 

This years batch of Ten Commandments is now starting to head off into distribution.  As we recently just receieved our first shipments of our new microstar kegs, you can expect to see Ten Commandments show up at better beer establishments near you in draft and bottled beer formats.  And for that, I am thankful.  Even if the dude looks like a hippy and acts like a prima dona son of a bitch from time to time.

Saturday May 9th has to go down as one of the craziest days we have ever had here at The Lost Abbey.  And mind you, there are some stories that just don’t get posted.  This past weekend, we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary of being in business here off Mata Way.  It was a decidedly rip roaring event.  As you know, any great event starts with epic beers.  So, we tapped Bourbon Angel’s Share, Brandy Angel’s Share, Cuvee de Tomme, Phunky Duck, Cask Conditioned 3rd Anniversary Ale.  We also dug out kegs of Santa’s Little Helper, Gift of the Magi and High Tide.

Now, it wouldn’t be prudent of us to sling so many crazy beers without some starch to sop up those libations.  Luckily, we had the Pizza Port crew here spinning pies from the oven.  Chris and his crew did an exceptional job of building pizza after pizza for three hours straight.  It would appear that in that time, they cranked out over 100 large pizzas and most of the patrons seemed thankful they were doing such a kick ass job.  I know when I got hungry and stole a slice of Peperoni, Pineapple and Garlic pizza there weren’t any complaints emminating from my belly.

As it has become a tradition, we even managed to squeeze a band on site.  And when I say squeeze, I mean it.   A big thanks to The Professors who riffed their way through the afternoon channeling their innner tidal changes and kept the energy flowing.  They were ridiculous.  Even the accoustics of this “tinny” brewery couldn’t keep them from sounding tighter than a beaver’s you know what.

All told, it was an exceptional day. Much of the credit has to go to the hard working staff of volunteers who made sure that everyone was sufficiently well taken care of.  We had zero inclination(based on past events) that so many people would show up for our party.  We believe that when the dust settled, over 600 patrons came through our doors (our very small doors).  Their patience and demeanor contributed to the overall success of the day as beer waits often reached over 10 minutes. 

We’re working on a plan for next year that will include more space(and beers).  We hope to build on the success of this party and moving forward keep offering more crazy beers and great times.  It’s always been a simple mantra.  Good Beer Brings Good Cheer.  After this weekend, we continue to believe this to be the case and can’t wait for more of the same.