Due to COVID-19, Sheryl and I are unable to travel much this fall. We had plans to visit several countries in Europe and Africa (Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco) in November and Southeast Asia in December (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore). Even if we weren’t in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, we still couldn’t travel overseas. My passport expired this year and has been in the mail for months. So we could either stay at home or make plans somewhere nearby. A few weeks ago, Sheryl asked if I wanted to go “glamping”. Not really my thing, but figured it was worth a try.
We stayed in an RV park in Fort Bragg, California. The RV was right on the water and we ate some fresh seafood. If it wasn’t for the foghorn that goes off every 15 seconds, it was a nice place to stay. But do you know what else is in Fort Bragg? North Coast Brewing Company! North Coast is a bucket list brewery to visit. They brew beers like Scrimshaw, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Old Stock Ale, Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale and Le Merle Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale. On our way out of town, we visited Dutton-Goldfield Winery in Sebastopol. I’m working on a blog post for them right now. The drive to Fort Bragg is about 2 hours of winding roads and narrow bridges. The brewery wasn’t open on Tuesday, but their brewery shop, located literally across the street from the brewery, was open. Our plan was to visit Overtime Brewing, another local brewing company, and hit the beer store on the way to the camper.
The brewery store is small, but they had just released Old Rasputin in cans!!! So we grabbed one of those. We also grabbed several bottles of barrel aged Old Rasputin and the 2020 release of Old Stock Ale, a beer you can age for years. They had a new IPA on sale, so we grabbed that, too. It was enough to last us a couple days.
As we were checking out, the lady behind the counter and I started taking about golf. She mentioned that her husband Patrick was a golfer. She also mentioned her husband was the brewmaster!!! What are the chances of that? The next day we had lunch at the North Coast Brewing Co. Taproom, Restaurant & Bar. I asked if Patrick was around. Sadly, he wasn’t. But we made another drop by the brewery store.
Patrick’s wife wasn’t there this time, but the manager was working. We met him during our first visit. Yogi will remember him. He was dishing out doggie treats while Sheryl and I shopped! We talked briefly and he sent Patrick a text message. A few minutes later, he walked in and we spent 20 minutes talking about golf, beer, Zoom and more. It was great meeting him and learning more about this world-renowned brewing company. I gave him my business card and invited him to join me at The Fountaingrove Club sometime as my guest.
Before we left, the manager slipped a special release bottle in the box. After spending almost $100 on 4 bottles, 4 bottles that are simply delicious and money well spent, it was a nice surprise to get another release to try. It was a such a pleasure meeting Patrick, getting a chance to try some limited release beers and eat a plate of nachos that I’m still drooling over.
When you’re in Fort Bragg, even if you don’t drink craft beer, make plans to visit the brewery store and to grab lunch or dinner at their taproom. If you go just past the brewery, you’ll run into the Pacific Ocean. Some amazing coastal views in this part of the world. Even better with a bourbon barrel stout in your glass. Cheers! 🍻
