Blue Collar Brewing: Mare Island Brewing Company (Vallejo, CA)

The entrance to Mare Island Brewing Company, located within the
rotunda of the Ferry Building at Vallejo, California

For awhile, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the primary economic engine that drove the economy of nearby Vallejo, California. Opened in 1854 under the command of then Commander David Farragut (later best known for his paraphrased quote "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" during the 1862 Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay), this facility was a prime source of military shipbuilding on the West Coast up to the years leading up to World War II. Starting in the 1930s, the shipyard's focus turned mainly to submarine construction and maintenance, and at its peak, the facility employed over 40,000 workers. Not surprisingly, the surrounding community of Vallejo developed into a blue-collar, workingman's kind of town, and the town's businesses catered to this population.

Post World War II, the shipyard's fortunes continued nicely for a couple decades, but then the need for bases like Mare Island fell precipitously as the Cold War faded and relations with the old Soviet Union warmed. By the time the shipyard was listed on the U.S. Government Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission's closure list in 1993, the employment base was down to around 6,000.

Even with that lower employment number, the complete ceasing of operations had a profound economic impact which even to this day is still felt by the surrounding community of Vallejo. The city has since tried to diversify its economic engine, and as someone who lived for a time in the area, ventures like the Mare Island Brewing Company, situated along Vallejo's waterfront, are signs to me that things are trending in the right direction.

Located in the Ferry Terminal Building (the ferry service, by which you can travel to San Francisco, and the Panama Red Coffee House are also co-located in the building), Mare Island Brewing is the creation of co-owners and homebrewers Ryan Gibbons (formerly of Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma) and Kent Fortner (who also runs the operations of his Road 31 Winery.) As we discovered, the taproom has a great view of the strait (with outdoor seating for warmer weather visits) that separates Vallejo from Mare Island beyond.

The brewery was intended in part to preserve the history of its namesake shipyard, and former shipyard employees and members of the military have taken to their efforts, donating numerous examples of old shipyard and US Naval memorabilia that the brewery has displayed throughout the space. The brewery has also acknowledged the historical connection in their brew names, using numerous shipyard and military references, including special releases such as their General Order No. 99 (which mandated that the Navy be officially dry in 1914) and their Survivor's Tale Pale Ale.

This latter beer was brewed in honor of the survivors of the World War II-era cruiser USS Indianapolis, who had been serviced at the shipyard prior to their secret mission to deliver components related to the building of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This secret mission in large part led to the subsequent harrowing ordeal for the ship's crewmen (who had no idea about their valuable cargo.) After the ship was hit and sunk from a torpedo from a Japanese submarine shortly after the delivery, the secret nature of their prior mission and other factors delayed rescue efforts for the stricken crew members. Those who did not go down with the ship were forced to battle for their lives in the waters of between Guam and the Philippines, with many succumbing to drowning, hypothermia and shark attacks.

Mare Island Brewing sports six base brews and plenty of memorabilia
from the former military facility located across the strait from the taproom

Vallejo and the county it resides in (Solano) has existed in a craft beer desert of sorts until recently; most workers of the old shipyard would almost certainly been more familiar with the products of the large Anheuser-Busch plant not too far up the freeway in Fairfield, CA. The first craft beer brewery in the county proved to be Heretic Brewing, which opened up its Fairfield-based taproom in September 2013. Since then, two other craft beer enterprises, Suisun City's Right Eye Brewing and Mare Island Brewing, have followed suit.

Thus, it came as no surprise when our server told us that introducing the idea of craft beer to the surrounding populace has been something of a calculated process. Based on a flight of all their offerings, while we found the brewery's initial offerings won't wow those with more established beer palates, the brews on tap are very drinkable and would be solid introductions to various styles for the new-to-craft-beer drinker. For example, we're not normally folks who pick out lighter ales or pilsners save for specific situations (e.g. refreshment on a hot summer day), but we found Mare Island's Saginaw Golden Ale and Angles & Dangles Ale excellent for their class. We could easily see a lifelong macro-only beer drinker getting a taste of either of these ales and saying to themselves, "So THIS is what I've been missing all this time."

Left: Mare Island's Saginaw Golden and Angles & Dangles Ale
Right: Coal Shed Stout and Hydraulic Sandwich IPA

Other brews such as the Shipwright's Porter and the Hydraulic Sandwich (an old shipyard worker's term for going out for a "liquid lunch" aka beer) IPA keet that transitional beer motif going, with a noticeable but not overbearing smokiness in the former, and a not too bitter, not too piney profile in the latter. In contrast, our server said that their Farragut's Farmhouse Ale, a better-than-average saison, is in line with their efforts to push the boundaries a bit for those customers who wanted to go beyond their base beers.

Mare Island Brewery does sport a kitchen, featuring a menu of pub-styled sandwiches and personal pizzas from Napoli Pizzeria, a local Vallejo business due to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2016. For those who aren't in tune with the brewery's beverage offerings, the brewpub offers a small wine menu, bombers of beer from California-based breweries like Almanac and Dust Bowl, cider from Corvallis, Oregon's 2 Towns Ciderhouse, as well as a typical assortment of pop and water drinks.

Mare Island Brewing Company
289 Mare Island Way
(Vallejo Ferry Building/Waterfront Rotunda) 

Vallejo, CA  94590
(707) 556-3000
Facebook     Instagram     Twitter     Website

The Rock of the Bay: Alcatraz Island

Yes, Alcatraz has its touristy side, but in reality,  the history behind
this former Federal penitentiary provides the real fascination for
the visitor. There was plenty of informational displays available
for people to view and ponder prior to boarding the ferry.

The Bay Area is rife with places popular with tourists, with one of the foremost being the home of the island holding the former maximum security Federal penitentiary that shared the same name as the island it sat on: Alcatraz.

I never had visited the island in the three decades of living in the area, and perhaps the mentality of "that's only where the tourists go" played into why I never did. My spouse and I do a good job of trying to limit these types of attractions on our visits, but we've been to the area together enough to start putting these places into our rotation. On this trip back to California, we figured it was time to make our first visit to the island.

Like our trip to Mackinac Island in the middle of 2014, pictures really are the best way to tell the tale of our visit on a slightly windy otherwise sunny late-December day:

Approaching the island on the ferry. All visitors to Alcatraz must use the ferry
service owned & operated by Hornblower Cruises. These hybrid ferries (which
uses power from various energy sources) make regular runs to and from the
 island and proved to be a relaxing and comfortable means of transport.

Some of the beautiful views outside the penitentiary, including one of the
gardens and the lighthouse installation. The park rangers explained the trek
from the ferry landing to the top of the island where the penitentiary stood
was equivalent to a 13-story climb; a shuttle to the top was available
for those with either health or mobility issues.

One of the old cannon batteries on the island. The island was first designated
by the U.S. Government for military use shortly after California statehood
and the Gold Rush in 1850. Alcatraz, along with Fort Point and Fort Baker,
formed the defense for a possible San Francisco Bay invasion. Alcatraz's
guns were never fired in battle, and the facility turned into a military prison
prior to takeover by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The old penitentiary looked forbidding from the start, from the prominent
"United States Penitentiary" sign as you get off the ferry boat, to the tiny
shed-like building that served as the facility's morgue (bottom left), and
the shower facilities (upper two pictures.) The shower facilities were
were where visitors received their Cellhouse Audio Tour headsets
 which are included in the ticket price to come to the park.

The audio tour, narrated by former guards and prisoners at Alcatraz,
summarized the details and stories of the prison well. Walkways were
were named (e.g. "Michigan Avenue"), new inmates were given "Rules &
Regulations" books upon admission, and sparse furnishings and iron bars
were commonplace. "D Block" was reserved for the worst of the worst. 

A look at the second floor's "Gun Gallery", where armed guards would patrol
the prison from the walkways in the gallery. Keys that were needed to open a
door were lowered to guards below via the device on the lower half of the grate.

Informational displays were found throughout the facility; we found they
 helped supplement the already detailed audio narration to great effect.

Inside the prison's control/dispatch room: the space reminded me a bit
of the broadcast booth of the radio station I spun records at during
college, sans any turntables or record albums.

Looking at the cell blocks A through C from the corner of "Seedy" Street
(a nickname for the main walkway between C and D cell blocks)

The cell that held Robert Stroud, the famed "Birdman of Alcatraz."
Indeed, Stroud was allowed to keep and study birds in jail, and
ended up making some significant contributions to the field of
avian science. However, this took place during his time at Leavenworth
Prison. After Stroud's transfer to Alcatraz (caused when prison
officials caught him distilling alcohol in his cell), he was relegated to the
hospital ward, where he spent his time writing an autobiography
and a manuscript detailing the history of Federal prisons.

Multi-media art installations by famed Chinese activist Ai Weiwei were
found throughout the island. Titled "@Large", Weiwei's artworks
"explore urgent questions about human rights and freedom of expression
and responds to the potent and layered history of Alcatraz as a place
place of detainment and protest," as described on the National Parks
Service's webpage detailing these exhibits. Activities exhibit visitors
could partake in included sending postcards of support to imprisoned
activists and listen to various musical works inside a prison cell. 

This message on the island's water tower hints at Alcatraz Island's past
as a center of protest for American Indian rights, climaxing with the
nearly 19-month occupation of the island by rights protesters from 1969
to 1971. This spurred other actions that helped bring Indian rights more to
the forefront in the public conscience and the U.S. Government, and led to
the annual "Unthanksgiving Day", a morning gathering on Thanksgiving
Day on the island to honor the indigenous people of America.

A view of the penitentiary's recreation yard, which was made available
to prisoners on weekends and holidays. Games of baseball and basketball
were commonplace in the yard; rights to use the yard were among
the first things to disappear for disruptive inmates.

Just some more of the dark spaces, passageways and crevices found
at this penitentiary. The facility was closed in 1963 mainly due to
the extremely high maintenance and operational costs. The island's
structures fell into neglect and disrepair for the next decade until the
property was transferred to the National Park Service in 1972.

Alcatraz Island National Historic Landmark
(part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area)
Open for regular visits all year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
National Park Service Website Page

Ferry service/park admission available through:
Alcatraz Cruises
Pier 33, Alcatraz Landing
San Francisco, California 94111
(415) 981-ROCK (7625)
Facebook     Twitter     Website

A Day for the Vets: The Columbus Veterans Day Parade

One of the things I've come to learn (and appreciate) about Columbus' downtown-area holiday celebrations is their unique timing. Generally speaking, these celebrations don't fall on the holiday itself but rather the last workday before the holiday. This is done not only as a way to help mitigate traffic concerns but also to make it easier for downtown workers to attend. Thus, an event like the city's big fireworks extravaganza to celebrate Independence Day, Red White and Boom, can take place anywhere from July 1st to the 3rd.

There is a similar setup as well for Columbus' Veterans Day Parade, which is held on a day before the holiday to ensure a good turnout for the festivities. Starting at the 12 noon on this day, this allowed the maximum number of downtown workers and allows others plenty of time to get down to view the festivities. The parade, wending its way the Nationwide Arena area down High Street to the Statehouse area, and then to the west toward the Veterans Memorial Building, is a pretty large celebration in its own right, lasting for well over an hour.

Blustery winds were no match for parade participants or spectators on this otherwise perfect autumn day. Led by the Columbus Fire and Police Pipes and Drums Corps and followed closely by Honorary Parade Grand Marshal 8-year-old Myles Eckert, whose act of giving a $20 bill he had found to a soldier inspired a million-dollar "Pay It Forward" charity effort across the nation, this parade of high-school bands, sponsors, and numerous military- and veteran-oriented organizations proved to be quite an enjoyable experience and led to these pictures.

 

Both the spouse and I have those who have served in the military both in our immediate family and close relatives, so we are as knowledgeable as anybody of the sacrifices and struggles military veterans go through. We are incredibly thankful for all they have done for us and our country, and are equally thankful for anyone who serves or has served our country's armed forces with honor and dignity.

A League of Our Own: Hanging with the Clippers

Harold Cooper's Statue

While I love a good Major League Baseball game (especially when it involves the team I grew up with, the San Francisco Giants,) I find games at the minor league level as a whole much more entertaining. The "everything but the kitchen sink" mantra rules here as fan attendance is central for lower-level professional teams in terms of team value and the ability to pay the bills.

The smaller size of these ballparks is a bonus as well; one typically never feels too claustrophobic when the park is packed to the rafters, nor too isolated when a sparser crowd is in house. Finally, the motif of a baseball game in just about any format fits that uncomplicated summer task of lazing away in the day's warmth for a few hours with your favorite food and beverage at the ready.

While I have already attended a minor league game already last year in Ohio courtesy of the Akron Rubberducks (who were then known as the Aeros,) my spouse and I had never dropped in together on a home game for Columbus' very own Clippers until earlier this month during the Independence Day holiday weekend.

Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, reminds me a lot of another capital city's home park - Raley Field in Sacramento, California. Unlike Raley Field, Huntington Park has some of the outdoor touches of the San Francisco Giants' own AT&T Park, including the prominent brick structures and the little covey areas where fans can sneak a free peek at the game. The statue of Harold Cooper at the front gate, considered the patriarch of Columbus baseball, also reminded me of the quartet of statues surrounding my former home ballpark.

Something that was pleasantly NOT like the Bay Area was the parking price - we were quite happy when we only had to fork over $5 for a nearby parking garage (I paid five times as much for parking at the last Giants game I was able to catch.)

With the Clippers a Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, their games against their intrastate rival Toledo Mud Hens (affiliate of the Indians' cross-border divisional rival Detroit Tigers) tend to be more zesty than a typical league game. What had been a game that still had seat tickets available on Friday became a standing-room only affair by the time we got pay our admission the next day. These standing room only tickets ($7 each) proved to be a fairly nice buy however as there are plenty of walls, picnic benches and counters around the ballpark to set up camp. If one chose, more standing and seating areas were available beyond the left field stands if you decided some munchies at Bob Evans or Roosters were in the cards for you.

Before the ballgame started, the owner of the Clippers came onto the field to announce that since the Clippers were actually in town for the Independence Day holiday weekend for the first time, they were using the occasion to honor military servicemen and women from around the area. But as is the minor league baseball way of doing things, the first part of the kitchen sink was thrown in: WWE Wrestling icon Sergeant Slaughter (himself a former Marine and someone my siblings and I watched as kids) was introduced to the crowd first and would be available to sign autographs during the game. In addition, all fans received packages of baseball cards depicting many of those military service personnel introduced before the first pitch (a truly cool gesture.)

After these personnel were brought out and introduced (with nice ovations) to the crowd, another part of the sink came in the form of military paratroopers. Representing each service branch, the paratroopers launched themselves from a plane above, tantalizingly circled overhead for a couple minutes, and then glided individually onto the field. The final paratrooper ended the show perfectly by escorting the American flag proudly down against the backdrop of a setting sun.

Old Glory flies proudly into the stadium

We had had a late lunch before the ballgame, so as it turns out we did not partake of the food. We did see that besides the previously mentioned Bob Evans and Roosters, other Columbus institutions like City Barbecue and Donato's have food stands along with the stadium-based vendors. The prices seemed to be in the reasonable range from my quick glance of the boards with all the usual and one not too usual (couscous with veggies!) menu items.

The warm day did make me and the Mrs. thirsty for some locally-produced brew; however, the only option we were able to locate was a stand with a couple of Columbus Brewing handles. $9 for a large seemed to be a tad steep, but we weren't going to settle for anything less this evening and were happy with cups of their IPA and Summer Teeth seasonal.

Local food and beverage options can be found throughout the park

The game itself was a pretty exciting back and forth affair, but it really was just part of a larger show. Along with the military personnel tributes, there were people anticipating the fireworks at the end of the game plus the numerous in-between inning contests to get the crowd involved. Deep down, I really got the sense that people were out here because it was simply a gorgeous summer evening, and the ballpark was the perfect place to spend that time with your friends and family.

It wouldn't be a baseball game without the kids...

By the end, the proverbial kitchen sink for many of us was full. Along with a handshake and an autograph from Sgt. Slaughter (I couldn't resist) and the giveaway cards, everyone received a couple of coupons for a free games at a local bowling alley (as a result of a Clippers' pitcher striking out the side in an inning) and a pretty nice fireworks show to close it down. 

Suffice it to say, Mrs. 614orty-Niner and I had a really nice time at the ballpark, and we'll definitely be out there again. Perhaps these (paraphrased) words from a somewhat famous song by Chicago summarized our day there the best:

Saturday in the park

I know it was the Fifth of July

People reaching, people touching

A real celebration

Awaited for us all

Columbus Clippers
Triple-A minor league franchise of the Cleveland Indians
Home games at Huntington Park
330 Huntington Park Lane (Arena District - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43215
Facebook     Instagram     Twitter     Website