Usually, when somebody says they’ve hit “rock bottom” it’s not a good sign. when I hit Rock Bottom, though, Holy Mother of God it’s a GOOD sign!

Rock Bottom is a chain of 32 breweries from Seattle to San Diego to Boston that offer so much more than a glass of Bud Lite when it’s “that time” of the day. I’ve had the privilege of eating and drinking in outlets in Bellevue and Seattle, WA as well as Denver and Colorado Springs, CO and Long Beach and San Diego, CA.

I can honestly say that the consistency of the on-premise breweries are spot on. The only vegan food at Rock Bottom is french fries or a “ball park pretzel” – both of which have sufficient carbohydrates and/or salt/fat to soak up some of the amazing beer.

Only last weekend, I was fortunate enough to be in Long Beach where I visited the Rock Bottom and enjoyed several pints of Dry Hopped Red straight from the cask, pulled expertly from one of two beer engines, the other of which contained Vanilla Stout.

The ale had all the constituents necessary for a perfect palate. From the initial hoppy aroma through the sumptuous gulps of smooth malty goodness rounded off by a slap in the face of dry hops as an aftertaste I was completely hooked. This beer can be better than stuff back home in England (not always, but sometimes!), and I can highly recommend it.

Cask conditioned ale is VERY rare in North America, with none but the most anglophilic breweries even offering such a thing, probably because most visitors don’t know or care what “Cask Conditioned” really means and tastes like.

Finally, the Long Beach outlet has easy parking under the building with a seemingly unlimited free stay if you get validated (seriously, I’ve had a night on the town in LB having left my car in the Pine parking lot for hours for $0.00 after validation).