I did it again—I got out of the desert.
Can you blame me? We’ve already been through absurd numbers of absurdly hot days, and the heat—combined with some other nonsense going on in my life—is making me a bit crazy. When my friend Justin suggested I tag along with him to North Park in San Diego, I agreed before he finished his invitation.
He was there visiting Big Trouble Tattoo to get more incredible work done on his leg. While I find it fascinating how the artists work (in this case, drawing the idea they had just discussed, free-hand with Sharpies, and then going for it), I decided to take a stroll in the perfect weather and catch up on a couple of places I wrote about last year, to enjoy their work and see what’s new. (I do want to take a moment to bemoan the closing of Toronado in 2020, which was conveniently located next to the tattoo shop and was one of my favorite places to get a beer ever.)
I walked south on 30th Street to Bivouac Ciderworks, whose ciders I’ve mentioned in previous columns, where I praised them for dry and semi-dry ciders with incredible fruit flavors bursting forth. Thankfully, the only thing that has changed is the addition of the café, huge bar and dining area, and the extra tank space in the back. I didn’t see Lara, the owner, this time, but I did have a wonderful chat with Casey behind the bar while she did an impressive amount of prep; Bivouac does cognac, brandy and gin cocktails, too. As we talked, I sipped on a glass of their West Coastin’—a cider with blueberry, honey and lavender. Casey is a fellow Certified Cicerone, and we chatted about the industry and the lack of craft-beer bars. I had a couple of quick samples of the OMG (orange/mango/guava) and the Nectarine Peach—both were very enjoyable—before continuing on to the next destination.
After ambling a little further south and then going east on University Avenue, I wound up at North Park Beer Co. When last I saw them, they had just celebrated seven years of age and had a killer party with their friends and friends’ beers. On this visit, it was an early afternoon on a Wednesday, so I went to the bar and quickly ordered their Waka Waka Waka, a pilsner generously dry-hopped with Riwaka hops from New Zealand. From the first whiff, I knew it was going to be a flavor explosion—and it definitely was. I immediately texted Justin to tease him while he agonized on the tattoo table, and then continued to sip from the beautiful, large pilsner glass. I would try to describe Riwaka’s flavors and aromas, but there is just so much going on, and the beer was so damned fresh that all I could do was be thankful that there were four-packs of it for sale.
While I waited for my friend’s tattoo to be done and sipped on my hoppy pils, I chatted with one of the beertenders about beer-ish things. I asked her if she had heard anything about a place a half-mile away or so that houses three small breweries, sort of like a co-op. The spot had been suggested to me by one of the beertenders at Las Palmas Brewing, and I was curious. Seek, GOAL., and Sword & Barley Brewing are all in one place, and North Park’s beertender recommended Seek’s beers as being good, so now I have a destination for a future trip. And there will be a future trip.
As I finished savoring my first beer, the newly inked Justin walked in, planted himself next to me and ordered a glass of the Waka Waka Waka to help dull the pain; I ordered the NP Pils, served in a dimpled mug. This more-traditional German-style pilsner also tasted extremely fresh and crisp, with the Noble hops giving it a lovely grassy and slightly citrusy flavor; it all wrapped up in a nice, moderately bitter finish.
I soon realized the imminence of my departure from San Diego, and I wished time could stand still so I could soak in the beauty and forget about the desert for a little while longer. After all, I had barely touched the surface with North Park’s tap list. Alas, reality is a cruel mistress, so we grabbed some beer to-go and fought the traffic back home to the seemingly never-ending heat. Despite the fact that we spent more time on the road than enjoying San Diego, that didn’t deter us from agreeing that it had been well worth it, even if only for the weather.
If you’re near North Park, please go and enjoy.