M and I have been together for a little less than a year. We have not quite reached that dour point when “Date Night Fridays” are required to maintain the loving spark, but because I am extraordinarily forgetful when it comes to important dates, I decided to plan an extravagant “Date Day.”

The only directions I gave M were to 1) plan to take a half day and 2) meet me at my work at 12:45 pm sharp. All very cloak and dagger. M called a cab at Google, swung by and picked me up, and I gave the driver mysterious directions. A quick 10-minute ride later, we arrived at-

I had reserved two spots for the 1 pm tour, get this, TWO months ago. The wait for my coveted first choice of a Friday afternoon is at least three months!

But here we were, on a sunny, beautiful Thursday afternoon, playing hooky from work and about to sample a million beers. M was very, very happy.

We were led around by Molly, a bubbly, slightly snarky, and very knowledgeable guide.The tour was informative, interesting and better yet, quick and to the point.

Soon enough we were back in the barroom, empty glasses held out and ready to be filled.

First up, their seasonal Summer Ale. Light, sweet and delicious. I declared it my favorite.

Then Anchor Steam, their flagship lager. Out of all their offerings, this is the beer that I am most familiar with. One I know and love. It was, per usual, creamy and slightly bitter.

Liberty Ale. So crisp and delicate. It immediately usurped Summer Ale as my favorite.

Next we had what I think they called “Humming Ale,” a small batch made with special New Zealand hops and only sold by select vendors. A little too yeasty and sour for me. Did not make it on the favorites list.

Then, the Porter. A dark, rich, chocolatey and smooth beverage. Really, kids should have ice cream floats made with this stuff. It was unbelievable. Another favorite. At this point, “favorite” lost all meaning.

Last up, the Foghorn, their most alcoholic ale. I loved it. Loved its caramel, creme-brulee tasting self so much it displaced all my other favorites – Summer, Liberty and Porter – to assume number one position.

I am buying a case tomorrow after work.

Each tasting was about 6 oz. Since I had to skip lunch to make it to the tour on time, I was smart and only had sips of each tasting, drinking probably 6 oz. total. M, however, was the lucky beneficiary of my restraint and guzzled my beer as well as his. Six 6 oz. tastings x 2 = 72 oz. He had five and a half beers in about an hour’s worth of time. Blitzed!

After a quick stop to get some lunch into our beer-filled bellies at Whole Foods which I’ll blog about soon, we headed to the second part of my surprise Date Day.

On the way, I decided on an ice cream break (probably triggered by the lovely Porter ale) and stopped at the corner of 18th and Dolores, where a great ice creamery is located.

M and I split a brown sugar, salted caramel two-scoop cup. The flavors were very good, but I should have gotten something fruity or chocolatey instead of the brown sugar. They tasted too similar and two scoops of creamy sweetness with a slight salt edge was one scoop too many.

Surprise number two entailed the concrete slides at Douglass Park, cross street Seward. Unfortunately, we loitered in too many book stores and did not get there until 6:24 pm. The slides closed at 5 pm.

So sad.

We will have to make a trip back so we can let our inner child free and barrel down slick concrete slabs protected only by a thin barrier of cardboard. Hopefully, no one scrapes half their face off.

Besides that tiny dim spot, our Date Day was wonderful. In retaliation, M is taking me out on a Date Night tomorrow (probably not as fun though). 

xoxo,

Jenn

P.S. The Anchor Brewery tour is FREE, so go make your reservation now! Chip, when you come home from San Diego, I will take you.