TOPIC:

Nice to meet you, brewer. I'm from NY, and I miss the US crafts, too.

Not many Oregon beers make it this way. Rogue did pop up last year, but I haven't seen it since. It is available in the UK, though, along with Caldera.

Otherwise, lately we can generally find Anchor, Goose Island, Speakeasy, Victory, Flying Dog, and Brooklyn here, along with Sam and SN.

Of course, a pallet would be a much more efficient way to buy!

Welcome again.

Welcome Brewer (still shocked the name was available).

The US is what introduced me to craft beer so I would rate US craft beer among the best in the world.

My wife is from Michigan (family all over) so I spend a lot of time in the US.

Next year I will be in San Francisco and am debating if I should drive for hours and hours and head up to Portland or not.

Thinking about it, 9 hours just to get there is probably too long. Then I would have to come back again <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

Hello Saruman,

I would go to Portland if you want to go there. That said there is a pub in SF called the Toronado (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.toronado.com/">www.toronado.com/) with a very good selection of beers from the west coast. I would say that the cost of petrol alone would buy many a pint of beer in SF.
As for the drive... It is a very nice drive if you have the time and the money. I would drive up the coast of Cal and Oregon cutting over in Eugene. To do this right would take you about three days. Another more realistic option is to fly. SFO to PDX on travolocity.com is about $140 round trip with tax. So, if you want to see Portland then fly. If you want to have a once in a life time experience go in late August with a convertible and drive up the coast.
I would take my $140 and go to the Toronado on Haight. Portland is a great city but so is SF. Use the time to go and see Napa or Halfmoon Bay or Santa Cruz or all of them. I have a love for P-town but SF is a very nice place.

FYI this is what is on tap at the Toronado:

Brewery Beer, Location, ABV, Note,
Allagash White Portland, Maine 5.0% Belgian Style Witbier
Anchor Liberty Ale San Francisco, CA 6.0% Hoppy Pale Ale
Anchor Steam Beer San Francisco, CA 4.9% San Francisco Classic
Anderson Valley Hug'r Boont Boonville, CA 7.3% Dark, Strong Ale
Bear Republic Racer 5 Cloverdale, CA 7.0% IPA
Chimay Tripel Beileux, Belgium 8.0% Tripel
De Ranke XX Bitter Wevelgem, Belgium 6.2% Hoppy Belgian Ale
Deschutes Green Lakes Ale Bend, Oregon 5.2% Organic, Salmon Safe Amber
Dogfish Head Festina Pesche Milton, Delaware 4.5% Tart Peach Beer
Dogfish Head Punkin Milton, Delaware 7.0% Pumpkin Ale
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Maron Milton, Delaware 12.0% Wood aged dark ale
Drake's Quasar San Leandro, CA - Double IPA
Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux Tourpes, Belgium 9.5% Strong Saison
El Toro Duece Morgan Hill, CA 7.3% Double IPA
English Ales Black Prince Porter Marina, CA 5.0% Cask Conditioned Porter
Het Anker Lucifer Mechelen, Belgium 8.0% Belgian Strong Golden Ale
Iron Springs Casey Jones Double IPA Fairfax, CA 9.3% Imperial IPA
Iron Springs Epiphany Fairfax, CA 5.5% Hoppy Amber Ale
Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale Petaluma, CA 6.4% Pale Ale
Lindemans Framboise Vlezenbeek, Belgium 4.0% Rasperry Beer
Marin IPA Larkspur, CA 7.0% Cask Conditioned IPA
Moonlight Death & Taxes Windsor, CA 5.0% Black Lager
Moonlight Twist Of Fate Windsor, CA 5.6% Cask Conditioned Bitter
Moonlight Reality Czech Windsor, CA 4.8% Czech Style Pilsner
Moonlight Bony Fingers Windsor, CA 6.5% Dark, Roasty Ale
Moortgat Maredsous Dubbel Breendonk, Belgium 8.0% Dubbel
Moortgat Maredsous Tripel Breendonk, Belgium 10.0% Tripel
Moortgat Duvel Green Breendonk, Belgium 6.5% Belgian Ale
Napa Smith Porter Napa, CA - Robust Porter
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout Fort Bragg, CA 5.5% Irish Style Dry Stout
Radeburger Pils Radeburg, Germany 4.8% German Pilsner
Rodenbach Red Ale Roselare, Belgium 6.0% Flanders Red
Russian River Blind Pig Santa Rosa, CA 6.1% IPA
Russian River Publication Santa Rosa, CA 7.5% Belgian Golden Ale with Brett
Russian River Damnation Santa Rosa, CA 7.0% Belgian Style Pale
Russian River Pliny the Elder Santa Rosa, CA 8.0% Double IPA
Schneider Aventinus Kelheim, Germany 8.2% Wheat Doppelbock
Schneider Edel-Weisse Kelheim, Germany 6.2% Organic Hefeweizen
Schneider Weiss Kelheim, Germany 5.4% Hefeweizen
Sierra Nevada Chico Estate Harvest Chico, CA 6.7% Wet hop ale with estate hops and grain
Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale Chico, CA 6.7% Wet hop harvest ale
Sierra Nevada Belgian Trippel Chico, CA - Belgian Style Trippel
Spaten Brau Franziskaner Munich, Germany 5.0% Hefeweizen
Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA San Francisco, CA 6.5% IPA
Two Rivers Pomegranate Cider Sacramento, CA 6.2% Organic
Unibroue Terrible Chambly, Quebec 10.5% Belgian Style Strong Dark Ale

No Smithwick's, like?

Thanks Brewer,

I think I will give Portland a miss all right.

I am going in July for a family reunion (wife's side).
Last year it was here in Ireland for the first time and we rented a castle down in Tipperary (Mullinahone) so they have a lot to live up to this year.