Hi everyone! My name is Kaycee Ingram and I am head of the Goldsboro Girls Pint Out chapter located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. You might have to google this one folks. We’re a small town in eastern North Carolina with only one brewery in the county (for now!!), but we have access to some amazing beers. No matter where you might live it is always nice to get out and go an adventure. As a woman who loves craft beer, no trip would be complete without stops at one, two, …. or say thirteen breweries?! So buckle up and hang on tight as we head to California, traveling from Lake Tahoe to San Diego, hitting some pretty cool places along the way.

We, meaning me and my partner in crime for this trip, my mom, started our California trip by landing in Reno, Nevada to make our way to Lake Tahoe. Naturally, that meant we had to hit at least on Nevada brewery, which led us to Alibi Ale Works in Incline Village on the northern side of Lake Tahoe. Heading to the south side of the lake, we found ourselves at Sidellis Brewing. Though it doesn’t look like too much from the outside, take a step over the threshold into the brewery and you’re greeted with a variety of styles of beer and plenty of food options, including in-house pickled veggies! My favorites were the Hanzo Hefe and the Mango-Habanero Hefeweizen. Would you check out these adorable flight trays shaped like the lake?!
We hit the road from Lake Tahoe and cruised west to Napa Valley! Ahhhh, wine country. Welcome to Napa Valley Brewing … wait, what?! What better way to end a day of wine tasting than with a beer. Located in Calistoga as part of the Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery, this restaurant/brewery combo was a nice stop indeed to have a few hoppy refreshers and hear some live music to end the day out on their patio.

When I asked for recommendations of breweries to visit while California, it became clear that no trip would be complete without a visit to Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa.  Favorites were of course Pliny and Consecration, but I give a thumbs up to all their beers.  When I say all, I mean it! If you have ever wanted to taste every beer on the board, Russian River can make this happen for you! That would be 21 beers (tasting size) to be exact. Slightly overwhelming, as I tend to forget the differences in the beers unless I’m making notes, but it was great to have plenty to drink while enjoying some of their delicious pizza!

Wake up, San Francisco; it’s time to explore some breweries! We booked a combination Alcatraz and beer tour through SF on Tap and we were so pleasantly surprised. What I expected to be a simple beer tour turned out to be a very informative tour, both in terms of beer, but also of the city. We started our experience at San Francisco Brewing in Ghiradelli Square by tasting four of their beers and hearing about the brewery from the founder and head-brewer. Unfortunately, we only were able to visit one other brewery in San Fran and it turned out to be Magnolia Brewing in Haight-Ashbury.
Does anyone else do that thing where you know you have to eat lunch, so you might as well eat at a brewery? Thus, meet Sante Adairius in Santa Cruz. A quick look at their beer list via Untappd and I was sold. At this point on our trip we are cruising the coast on Pacific Coast Highway, which led to another unexpected brewery visit to Libertine Brewing in Morro Bay. We went to Morro Bay for the views, but ended up finding seals, sea otters, and sours!
Next stop, Universal Studios in Los Angeles, which included two brewery visits. Though some might not include it, I couldn’t help but make note of Duff Brewery. When you find yourself in Springfield, it only seems right to have a pint of Homer’s fave: Duff beer! Not knowing what to expect, I was pleased to find that this beer tasted similar to Yuengling’s Amber Lager and not to mention it was the perfect treat after walking around the theme park. Just outside the park is Universal Studios City Walk, which includes plenty of shops, restaurants, and a Karl Strauss Brewing location.
One of our days in the LA area was spent walking the boardwalk between Santa Monica and Venice Beach, during which we stopped in for a pint at Venice Ale House. Though they only serve up one of their own beers,but it was a perfect place to rest our feet and watch the crowds go by. Oh, and it tuns out if you order a flight, it comes on a skateboard!

After a full day at the San Diego Zoo, we made a pit stop at Ale Smith Brewing for a quick flight of beers. Our flight featured the Sublime, Gose, Juice Stand, and original Speedway Stout. I was really feeling the Juice Stand as I have been in the mood for hazy IPAs lately, but you can’t go wrong with Speedway Stout, even in the middle of summer.
Saving the very best for last, the highlight of our brewery visits …. Stone Brewing in Escondido. Oh, Stone Brewing, you beautiful creature, you! I had no real plan when it came to stopping at Stone, but we arrived just in time for the last tour of the day! For $8 we received a brewery tour, a souvenir glass, and 4 tasters. Their facility is impressive, turning out 100,000 six packs a day and 400,000 barrels a year. Yet, their newest facility in Richmond, Virginia is actually 4 times bigger! Another fun fact learned on the tour was that the lager, “Tropic of Thunder,” uses lager yeast, but is actually a top fermenting beer, instead of a bottom fermenting beer like traditional lagers. After a very informative tour, we enjoyed a to-die-for dinner and tasted a few more beers including the Pink Boots collaboration of “POMMA Said Knock You Out”
(yum!) and “Purrs Like a Kitten” (because cats, duh!).
We only scraped the surface when it comes to great beers in California, but I hope this has provided an insight into the many great options there are, whether you  plan them into your trip or you find them by surprise. Cheers!