Hawthorne Hophouse, Bourbon Fred From the Wood, Tasty n Sons

I had a pretty good beer drinking weekend. On Friday, I checked out the opening of the Hawthorne Hophouse with a friend. I ordered a couple Oakshire Ill-Tempered Gnomes and a oregonzola-bacon burger. The beers were as expected, and the burger was pretty tasty. The taplist was mostly regionally focused, and although it was all decent stuff, there wasn't anything very special on the list that would have drawn me in if I wasn't already in the neighborhood. The place was full, well staffed, and appeared to running pretty smoothly by the time I arrived around 8:00 in the evening. I think it will do well as a neighborhood bar and burger joint, but unless the beer list is a bit more carefully curated, it probably wont be taken very seriously as a beer-geek destination. We'll see how it evolves after they've been open for a bit and have had better access to kegs.


Last night I went over to Hair of the Dog after work because I had heard that they had tapped a keg of Bourbon Fred from the Wood. I ordered a glass along with an order of rabbit fricassee, and a side of bread and butter. It was a hearty meal with rich gravy, but the Bourbon Fred had no problem standing up to it. It was nice to have a warm meal and strong delicious beer, sitting next to a window with the rain pounding down, overlooking the downtown skyline.


This morning, I went over to Tasty n Sons for breakfast, which is on Williams, by the Lompoc Sidebar, and the future second location of HUB. I had wonderful breaded, pan fried pork cutlets over spinach, with a fried egg on top, accompanied by a gin and absinthe cocktail, and a spicy bloody mary. It was just what I needed to get ready for work today. The reason why I included this report on my post today however is what I spotted on the desert menu just before leaving:

Kriekenbier Cherry Flemish Float.

Yes, cherry kriek with a scoop of chocolate ice cream is a dessert item at Tasty n Sons. If I wasn't in a rush to get to work in time (and already a little buzzed), I would have extended my stay to try it. I'll be back for you kriekenbier float!