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Halloween

Halloween Night, 10/31/98

As you know from last Thursday’s Topic of the Week, we hate going out of the house on drinking holidays because most of the people out on these nights are people who don’t know how to drink. Halloween is the worst night, because not only are people feeling bold because of the alcohol in their systems, but they feel a certain level of anonymity because of their masks. So, you end up with a lot of people who can’t handle liquor drinking copious amount of alcohol. Truly, a bad way to spend the night.

However, Halloween night in San Francisco was relatively mild, due to cold weather and drizzle, so Janet and I decided to head out to the toronado for a beer or two, with the intention of coming home by midnight or so. But, as you know, the best laid plans of mice and men…

We started the night with a Guinness for Janet and a Rogue Dead Guy Ale for me. Dead Guy is a seasonal artisan ale which is a real treat when available on hand pump. Midway through the beer, Paul, Jocelyn and Shadee walked through the door.

So, for a few hours, the five of us enjoyed a number of the Toronado’s beers. I had a Young’s Old Nick Barleywine, which Dave has decided to put on tap for an extremely reasonable $3.25/pint (it’s usually $3.50 for 11 oz). Janet had another Guinness, and Paul had a

Moonlight Boney Fingers. Jocelyn and Shadee had non alcoholic beverages (root beer and water respectively).

At 11ish, Jocelyn and Shadee left the bar. Paul decided to stay. He had an Old Foghorn Barleywine. I, however, went for a Moonlight IPA, one of the beers I would not have expected to see on tap in the fall months. At midnight, Shawn showed up. He stayed for a root beer and then left.

Midnight came, and the three of us looked like we were ready to go home, however, Jocelyn and Shadee re-appeared so we decided to stay for another drink. Janet and I split a 750ml bottle of Gluhkriek, a spiced sour cherry lambic.

At 1:45, Jocelyn, Shadee and Paul left to get a cab to their car. We left at 2amish and headed home… but for the next part of the story, you’ll have to check out the scowl from today.

Day of the Dead, 11/1/98

Ian had let us know that he was filling in at the Toronado for the 4pm to 9pm shift last night, so we decided to stop in for a single, quick beer. Of course, when Ian is involved, it’s never just one quick beer.

Upon our arrival, we sat down next to Peg, a fellow denizen of the Toronado who is a senior chef at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. Janet set herself up with a Hoegaarden White, I had a Lucifer. Lucifer is a copy of Duvel (devil) a Belgian Trappist-style ale.

As we talked to Peg and Ian, Janet ended up finishing another Hoegaarden and a Framboise. I had a Speakeasy Untouchable and an Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. We were only there for two hours, so that’s about all that happened. However, it looks like we might be planning up a pilgrimage to Boonville, home of Anderson Valley Brewing Company… but we won’t know if it’s going to happen until tomorrow.

Posted in The Barfly Chronicles.


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