Radio: West Coast Road Trip, Morro Bay and The Libertine Pub

 How did the giant monolith get to Morro Bay?  Was it a meteor from outer space? Perhaps washed up from the ocean floor by a tidle wave? Are there really pirate skeletons lying along its base? (ok that’s pushing it)

 I wanted to find out. From town, it’s an easy drive out to the island. There we found a huge and very-California-like dirt parking lot for visitors to the rock along with two adjacent beaches. To the rock’s north sits an active beach with large, aggressively pounding waves crashing on the sand – perfect for those who like water sports, and lots of  hooting and hollering. To the southeast sat a quieter bay beach with gentle waves, a variety of sealife, and folks stolling around in Berkenstocks munching quinoa chips. We bee-lined to that side because –  I’d left my wetsuit and skim board at home in the closet – where tey had been collecting dust since 1969. More importantly, the other beach had a colorful information board that explained how this “Gibralter of the Pacific” got here. As we got closer to the rock it took on a different look – a giant mishmash of jagged stones. The kid inside me wanted to start climbing and not stop until I reached the top and proclaim myself King of the Central Coast. Instead I pulled out my reading glasses and studied the information board. I took another gander up at the monolith that exceeded the height of a 55-story building and tried to imagine the “even bigger” volcano that used to sit around it. Here’s what happened – Lava hardened in its vent and stayed there. Over millions of years the volcano eventually eroded away and left the rock exposed. This “volcano plug” was subject to millions more years of pounding surf, wind, and earthquakes all of which served to form the shape we know today. In 1542 Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo came crusing by and named the rock “El Morro” which means Crowned Shaped Hill.

So I didn’t get to climb the thing, but all that learning and strolling made me thirsty, so back into town we went, which leads us to the sour part of this story (It didn’t go sideways – Oh Contraire!)

My son-in-law the craft-brewer and alumni of nearby SLO told me I could not stop by Morro Bay without visiting the Libertine Pub. Why? Because they specialize in something non-conventional and risky – Sour Ale. So – based solely on HIS enthusiasm, I decided to give the stuff a try…

From the street the place looked more like a dive bar than a brewery (so far so good) – once inside I heard Harry Nilsson crackling over the speakers and saw the vinyl spinning – even better. We scored a seat at the window with a great view of the marina and rock, so I was happy and ready to learn about Sours

They are also known as Wild Ales – in honor of the wild yeast and bacteria used in their fermentation. Yeah, that’s right – that sour flavor is intentional. It came about when Belgian monks inadvertently invented it. In those days they didn’t have a choice but to expose their wort to whatever was flying around the room. Today this is called open fermentation  and incorporates the local terroir into the brew along with – or instead of – traditional brewer’s yeast. After some barrel-aging it’s ready to enjoy.

There are a variety of styles of sour ale – Gosa, Flanders Red, and Oud Bruins. I tried a glass of the Lambic. It certainly had the tart flavor I expected, but along with a very pleasant earthy undertone. Want to try it? Good news – more and more sour-ale breweries are popping up in southern California.

If you decide to head up the Central Coast, check out the Avocado Margarita Festival on September 10th and 11^th in Morro Bay. Locally we’ve got the Jerk Food Fest and Taste of the Caribbean Saturday July 30 in Ontario and on the same day the Third Annual National Orange Show Brew Fest in San Bernardino. Take your Asian food cravings to the next level at the 626 Night Market happening August 5^th through 7^that Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia.

Check out our PODCAST on our visit to last years 626 Night Market