I’m really into getting old. I want to seem older than I am. I’d like my hair to turn grey. Right now, at age 47, I’m not young enough that being uncool can be ironic, but not yet old enough to get an old guy pass for being uncool. I wear my wife’s gun range ear protection on top of my earplugs when I go to the punk show. I know it’s not cool. When I truly achieve old man status I won’t care, and that will be cool.
I also failed the brewznewz last weekend when I didn’t take a photo of the girl behind the bar at New Helvetia Brewing. I didn’t do it because she would have had a look on her face that said. “I’m smiling but I’m actually a little uncomfortable” and it would have spoiled the dress she was wearing. However, within another ten years I’m hoping to move on from creepy old dude to harmless old man and I’ll be able to take that photo.
New Helvetia Brewing is right in the middle of Broadway in Sacramento, a 3-block walk from my friend Davey’s house, just a little further down Broadway by car is a brand new Brew Pub called Oak Park Brewing. It’s in an area that used to be squalid and now it is nice. The place has a great big patio that was filled with people. They also had an imperial red for me. I took a picture of Davey here for brewznewz. Davey is the one that started this site, but so far I am the only writer he invited that actually posts stuff on here. He told me that spelling Brews News with ZZ’s was a joke, because Z’s are supposed to be cool. I don’t get it.
We also went to Track 7 Brewery because it was just a few streets away from a wine party we went to. We had to wait in line to get our growler filled.
The next day a group of us went back to New Helvetia (no, she wasn’t there this time) and the patio was filled there too. It looks like these new breweries are all doing well. That’s great! I love them! It’s especially great when you can walk there.
When we used to visit Sacramento several years ago I used to always lobby to eat at the breweries. We had to drive a little farther to a places like River City Brewing, Hoppy, or Brew it Up (RIP), but I knew when we got there we could get a big table for all of us and drink beer while we waited. Now it’s the opposite. The breweries are more plentiful and closer, but also more popular than ever. I’m hoping they all stay in business so if some get too popular there will be fall back breweries to take us old folks who don’t need to be at the very best place to be happy.