West 10th Brewing

Homebrewer James from West 10th Brewing recently made some interesting concoctions. He found a tempting recipe on reddit's homebrewing community that joins the IPA styles of Bell's Two Hearted Ale and Stone's Arrogant Bastard. The result?

The hops will betray you.

This one's going on my to-brew list. Try it yourself! Two Hearted Bastard

James also had fun researching and creating his very own Tripel recipe, dubbed "Tripel Barrel." Wicked cap for a clever beer, showing here:

Bang, bang, shoot, shoot.

Find the Tripel Barrel recipe and more homebrewing chronicles on his blog: West 10th Brewing.

North Bay Brewery Tours

James from North Bay Brewery Tours piqued my interest with this cap.

Turns out he and a couple of friends started a business transporting the thirsty to craft breweries in Sonoma County, California. Forget winery tours! Free lunch, lots of draft tastings, and even some homebrew education: a Saturday well spent.

Each day tour visits 3-4 different breweries. A sampling of some of the locales:

Lagunitas Brewing Company

Bear Republic Brewing Company

Broken Drum Brewery

Stumptown Brewery

Third Street Aleworks

The Beverage People (Homebrew Supply)

Fun photos, courtesy Scott Manchester for the Press Democrat.

North Bay's tour bus unloads at Lagunitas

The chalkboard at Lagunitas. Thirsty yet?

This is why you take a bus.

We like the way you roll, North Bay. 

With some magnets, glue, and BottleMark-made custom caps, North Bay Brewery Tours now have awesome (and affordable) "schwag" to hand out to their guests.

If you're visiting northern California, take the tour! http://northbaybrewerytours.com/