Telegraph Brewing Company of Santa Barbara makes good beer, but they are hard to find. I go to Ventura County quite a bit, but only know of one store that sells it, and it only has a special release. I want to visit the brewery and try several of its offerings, but haven't found the time to trek to Santa Barbara.
I got the beer pictured here, Telegraph's California Ale, at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop in Carlsbad. It comes in a 750 ml bottle, which is a great start. The picture makes the beer look dark, but it has a light, but flavorful taste, not indicative of its rich color. I have had one previous California Ale, and don't remember it as dark as this one. It poured a cloudy, deep amber with a good, white head that quickly dissipated. Malts and yeast were present.
It may say California on the label, but it has a distinct Belgian taste. To me, it tasted like a Belgian farmhouse ale. BeerAdvocate calls it a saison/farmhouse ale, so may taste buds are not too far off. (Surprisingly, the BeerAdvocate website only gives it an overall B rating, I would rate it A- at a minimum.) This is an enjoyable, refreshing beer and an excellent summer beer. It only has 6.2% alcohol so it won't put you away for the evening. I recommend trying Telegraph's offerings if you can find them.
The description says it a Belgian Triple that is hopped up with American hops. It is a very dry pale golden beer with tastes of spice, ester and fruit, along with a crisp bitterness, and it is very, very generously hopped. (I don't know what ester is either even after looking it up in the dictionary.)
Here is a picture of my friend Ken and his bird, Bear, getting ready to swig Russian River's Blind Pig. Even Bear got caught up in the hype surrounding the release of Blind Pig in bottles and needed a taster. This bird must have been a beer geek in a past life, because it loves hoppy beers and hot salsa.
Here is a picture of the beer. It was light in color, but had a distinct Belgian flavor. It's a great tasting, quality beer. It has a yang to its ying in a Black Orchard (black wit) that I hope to try in the near future.
I liked it and could easily had a few more. I think it's too hot in California to brew too much pilsner so that is why I tried Victory. Plus, with all those Germans in Pennsylvania, I figured their heritage would show through. You won't be disappointed with this beer.
A friend and Beer Rover correspondent spent a week in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this year. He visited most of the local beer places, and said that Cumberland was by far the best Louisville had to offer. I have included a picture of a coaster from the brewpub. It has good food and good beer. 
I got the beer pictured here, Telegraph's California Ale, at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop in Carlsbad. It comes in a 750 ml bottle, which is a great start. The picture makes the beer look dark, but it has a light, but flavorful taste, not indicative of its rich color. I have had one previous California Ale, and don't remember it as dark as this one. It poured a cloudy, deep amber with a good, white head that quickly dissipated. Malts and yeast were present.
