Credit Cards and Speakeasy

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday night we made our regularly scheduled trip to the Toronado for a few beers and to hang out with Ian. Nothing extremely interesting happened, aside from it being “Asshole Yuppie Night” once again.

Aah, yuppies..l how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways…

1. Assume that everybody takes credit cards… even if you don’t see credit card machines, or credit card logos on the door or window. Then place your order, take a sip and then put down your credit card and when you find out that they don’t take credit cards go oops… I don’t have any cash.
2. Order a “Sierra Nevada” and then look confused when the bartender advises you that they have Sierra Nevada Celebration and Harvest Ale. Then ask the bartender for the normal Sierra Nevada. Ok! For the last time people: Sierra Nevada is a brand not a beer. The beer in the green-labeled bottle that you normally get is their pale ale… and they don’t sell it at at the Toronado.

3. Ask for a Bass or Newcastle Brown Ale, even though they don’t see it on the draught beer list or the bottled beer list.

4. Ask for a Corona without even consulting the draught beer list or the bottled beer list.
5. Ask for a White Russian. When you’re informed that they don’t sell hard liquor, buy a beer, don’t tip, drink less than half of the beer and then leave.

Still, all yuppie annoyances aside we stayed long enough for me to kill three glasses of beer: a pint of Arrogant Bastard, a pint of Prohibition Ale, and a 11oz tulip glass full of Cantillon Brouscella. Janet had two imperial pints of Guinness. Ian had a good liter and a half of Calistoga Water.

FRIDAY

After my last trip to Speakeasy Brewery two weeks ago, we promised Forest (the president of the brewery) that we would be back soon… and scheduled to go after work on January 29. However, the fates were with me yesterday, as I was able to get the day off from work… so I talked to Forest and he gave me the go-ahead to get there at 3pm.

The plan was simple. Carlos would meet me for lunch at the Toronado, where we would have a sausage and a warm-up pint (I had a Lagunator and 1/2 a pint of Prohibition and Carlos had a Brouscella, a Hair of the Dog Fred and the other half of the Prohibition) and then we would head down to the brewery. Janet would then head over as soon as she got out of work (she arrived a little after 5pm).

In addition, the bartenders and the rest of the staff of the Toronado were invited as well… but none of them showed. But in the end, it didn’t matter… because we had a hell of a good time without them. So, from 3pm until almost 8:30pm we talked to Eric (VP of Brewing), Forest (President) and Steve (VP of Sales/Marketing) while enjoying pints of Speakeasy beers and smoking cigars on the loading dock.

Speakeasy beer… the beer that beats Anchor six feet into the ground. Sorry Fritz… you’re now a distant number two when it comes to San Francisco beers.