Sunday, November 13, 2011

Beerendipity

On Friday I wanted to go to The Blind Lady to meet The Bruery's Patrick Rue and try some The Bruery beers, as part of San Diego's Beer Week.  I drove by The Blind Lady twice trying to find a place to park while noticing the crowd inside.  After the second pass, while driving west on Adams Avenue, I decided to skip The Blind Lady and see if I could find parking and a restaurant somewhere on 30th Street.  My parking impatience resulted in trying an amazing beer and having a superb lunch. 

The Beer Rovette and I decided to eat at The Linkery, where we found convenient parking and a modest late lunchtime crowd.   Green Flash's Le Freak was on cask.  I had seen this beer in bottles for years but had never tried it.   It was delicious.  Being on cask and near room temperature made Le Freak's flavors pop.  Le Freak is a Belgian IPA, and it was a perfect blend of fruity, yeasty, hoppy goodness.  I never would have guessed its alcohol level was near 9%.  It was incredibly drinkable, and as I worked my way down the glass I kept taking smaller and smaller sips to avoid finishing the beer.  I need to go get and drink a bottle of Le Freak to see if it comes close to the cask version, but I am afraid that it won't live up to my expectations.


The other beer in the picture above is Mission Brewery's Hefeweizen, which is a zesty, spicy hefeweizen.   Lunch at The Linkery was excellent, it was my good fortune that I could not find a place to park at The Blind Lady.  The Beer Rovette and I shared soup, salad and a burger.  At my age and girth, I try not to eat french fries, but I had to make an exception for The Linkery's fries, which we ordered as an appetizer.  They are cooked in meat fat, which makes them decadent and cholesterol bursting.  Every time I go to The Linkery I wish I lived in North Park so I could eat there more often.  It's one of the best restaurants in San Diego, plus it always has a beer or two on cask.

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