books and brews: part one of our fort bragg trip

we're already back from our trip...how time flies!

darin suggested the title because we visited so many good breweries and bookstores along the way,

two of our favorite methods of getting to know a place.

first stop, along the enchanted route up hwy 128 that cuts over to the ocean through the anderson valley. all along the way you are surrounded by blooming poppies and mossy oaks, redwoods and eucalyptus and the sweetest scents of wildflowers on the breeze.

anderson valley brewery is perfectly centered in the heart of this hobbity land, completely solar powered and brewing up some familiar and not-so-familiar treats.

already knowing he loves their amber ale and solstice brews, darin tries the seasonal Saison, one of our favorite types of beer. they were traditionally brewed for farmworkers during the harvest season before refrigeration was available. this type of beer has a long history and always has the most refreshing flavor.

the brewery is located in the tiny town of boonville, which was so isolated over the years that they created their own folk language, boontling. the brewery incorporates some of the terminology of this special language to capture the feeling of this place, watch here as brewmaster Fal Allen interviews a fluent boontlinger.

their logo is bear with deer horns. it took me years of drinking hop ottin ipa (delicious by the way) to figure out that BEER is bear and deer mixed! 

thus their famous silly mascot!

"Bahl hornin" = good drinkin!

they had the best outdoor seating area with wooden picnic tables, a fountain with blooming lavender, wisteria, little benches and a big expansive view of the green rolling hills all around. once again we daydreamed of owning a brewery in a valley with its own campground and a pub full of delicious vegetarian eats.

darin did a little more tasting and bought a four pack of a really strong belgian abbey style ale called Brother David's Triple.

maybe i should have titled this "books, brews, and BELLY;" i think it grew on the trip!

i'll have more pictures of that in another post :)

BOOKSTORES!

we went to bookstores every day...the first one was a simple little unassuming place called Windsong in fort bragg. 

my new favorite section besides literature and nature: pregnancy and childbirth.

darin's is still the science fiction section, among other mystical and esoteric subjects :)

this is his "i think i'm gonna have to buy some books" look.

later that day: North Coast Brewery.

darin found his new favorite, Le Merle, a belgian style farmhouse ale named for the brewmaster's wife.

and the next day we were back again! 

this time he tried another artisan brew: Brother Thelonius, a belgian dark strong ale.

he loved this one too. plus, let's not forget that north coast brews yet another of darin's faves, Old Rasputin!

so yeah, he was pretty much in heaven. the brewpub also has the best massive plate of black bean nachos.

another bookstore in fort bragg... this one simply called The Bookstore; it was run by a young couple who were very sweet and had a cute little rambunctious babe. more sci fi! more film books! vinyl records upstairs!

heading on up north, in eureka we supped the next day at Lost Coast Brewery. home of some of darin's usual beer stand-bys, like Great White and Downtown Brown.

i had the best grilled tofu taco and darin got to have more beer :) 

this is the friendly greeter at the door:

i'm posing with a beer for old time's sake. darin ordered the lost coast wheat, which must be a seasonal cause we'd never heard of it and it was super good and summery.

and next morning, one of my favorite bookstores ever: Booklegger in eureka.

right across the street from a yummy bagel shop, perfect :)

everything about this place invites you in to stay awhile....

the sections and selection remind me of my own bookery, but with a little more space and light and minus the rickety stacks on the ground ;)

we can't help it....we buy too many books!!!

we came home with at least a dozen new (used) books. 

i read the whole way home across my beloved land of california.

can't wait to show some more pics from our trip tomorrow!