When you go to driving school they teach you all about the road signs and the pavement markings and what they mean. I know most people are bored out of their mind when taking the classes as I remember I was. The thing is I remembered what I was taught and consider myself a pretty damn good driver. One of the many things that bugs the crap out of me with other drivers is when it comes to the lines on the roads. It never really bugged me until I moved over to University Heights and had to take the 163 home. When you go to exit either University or Washington you get people not knowing what to do all the time.

We all know what the lines on the road in the picture above mean right? The large broken lines means you are in an EXIT LANE. The reason for this is to warn you that you need to merge left unless you plan to exit the freeway. It doesn’t mean stay in the lane until the very last minute and almost cause a 3 car pileup while you try to merge. And the solid white line? That means you’ve come to the end of the lane and you have to continue on with where you are and NOT change lanes. It sucks when that happens and you have to make a detour, but you were given enough warning to merge left and you refused to take the warning so now you’re shit out of luck.

This might not bug anyone else but me, but learn how to drive people. If you’re lost while driving and you see these lines on the road either exit and figure where you are or merge left so that you can head along the freeway and hope you figure out where you’re going or just exit the next chance you get and turn around. I think people should have to re-take a driving course every 10 years so that they will have these rules refreshed in their memory and would make the roads a bit safer.

I have to admit, I used to hate both Arrogant Bastard Ale and pretty much anything Stone Brewery made. I guess it was all the douche bags that swore by it that turned me away from it. I was fine with my Newcastle. That was until my buddy Jase hooked us up with some pretty sweet beers. Out of the batch of all the Belgian and other beers one of my favorite was the Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Damn, I never figured a local “micro brew” could make something this damn good.

Fast forward to a week ago. Jase and Geri were down in San Diego for the Comic-Con. They had always wanted to go to the Stone Brewery to take a tour and try some of the beers they have. They said they kept reading about it in all the beer magazines they get and were ashamed we had never gone there since it’s in our back yard. Kevin at work always talked about it and I wanted to go, but never really venture to inland North County. Once we got there and saw the building they had and the layout I was pretty bummed I had not been there yet. It’s kinda weird but I felt like I was at home and that I could spend an entire day there just enjoying the beer and nice garden area they have. It’s a beautiful setup they have and not something you would expect from a smaller brewery.

We had dinner and took the tour. Our tour guide was pretty awesome and you could tell he loved his job and loves his beer. The best part of the tour of course was the taste test at the end. I’m not huge on IPA beers, but their stuff was pretty damn good. When I got to the Smoked Porter I fell in love with everything Stone. So damn smooth and amazing flavor. Right then and there I went over and purchased a Growler and filled it up with the Smoked Porter. I said I would come back all the time and fill it up and enjoy the greatness that is Stone. Once I got home and put it in the fridge I knew it would be a while before I filled it up and was kinda bummed I had gotten the thing. That was until we decided to go up and visit mom and stop by the brewery to fill up again.

Every weekend they have different specialty beers that you can fill up your Growler with and this week it was the 2006 Double Bastard Ale aged in Brandy Barrels. Again, I was not a huge fan of Arrogant Bastard to begin with so I wasn’t too sure how I’d like this one. I went with it anyways cause it’s not something they have all the time and might as well try it. Right? I mean when are they going to have it again on tap? When we got to mom’s and were doing yard work I decided to give it a try. At first it was hard to drink. Super strong, 10% ABV, and a very distinct taste. You could taste the brandy in the beer! I didn’t finish the glass and kind of regretted my decision on the beer I got. Then again it was about 3 in the afternoon and hot as hell outside where we were doing the work so a heavy, thick beer is not the best choice. In the evening when all the work was done Jordan and I had another glass of the beer and this time around it was perfect. All doubts of my purchase were thrown out the door.

By the time I was 3/4 of the way through the pint I was already feelin buzzed and could tell this beer was kicking my ass. I wasn’t going to be completely wasted, but was feelin good. I have to say that my original dislike of Stone Brewery and their beers was foolish. I now wish I would of gone to the brewery long ago to pick up their great beers. The best thing about Stone is it’s in my back yard and I’m proud to say it’s from my home town. Not too many people can say that something that so many people love and admire is from their home town. I’m lucky cause not only can I say that about Stone, I can also say that about things such as Rocket From The Crypt and The Casbah. So in conclusion, if you can get your hand on some of this Double Bastard Ale grab it. Do yourself a favor and sit outside around dusk in the summertime and enjoy. You won’t be bummed you did.