2014, A Year of Amazing Adventures

2014 was another year filled with amazing adventures, from attending concerts, visiting new breweries, beer events, and of course drinking delicious beers.  Listed below are just a few of my highlights from 2014!

Favorite Events

1.  Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival
Drinking beer while watching luchadores in a picturesque setting, this event was so much fun!

2.  Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest  
Of course, once again, my favorite beer event of the year and one I always look forward to all year long!

Favorite Beers

1.  Ska Brewing's Mexican Logger
A great beer for a warm summer day, I love how light and refreshing this beer tastes!

2.  Firestone Walker's Oaktoberfest
A beer that until last year was only available on draft, so happy to be able to get it in bottles at my local grocery store!

Favorite Shows

1.  Pixies
A year when the Pixies tour is a good year indeed.  Seeing them at Humphreys by the Bay in San Diego was fantastic.  

2.  Weezer
Seeing one of my all-time favorite bands was so much fun, loved that they played both old favorites as well as their new album in it's entirety!

Additional Highlights

1.  Bottle Logic Brewing
Who would've imagined a brewery opening in February winning a medal at the Great American Beer Festival in October?  Pretty amazing if you ask me!  It's been exciting to see Bottle Logic Brewing's success in less than a year's time.  I can't wait to attend their first anniversary celebration!

2.  Bootlegger's Brewery
So excited that the first brewery that introduced me to craft beer won not only one, but two medals at the Great American Beer Festival!  

3.  A Visit to Club 33 and Le Salon Nouveau
Craft beer inside Disneyland?  Luckily, I was able to drink a local favorite, Bootlegger's Brewery's Rustic Rye thanks to a kind friend.

I had such a great 2014 and look forward to many more fun-filled adventures in 2015!

A Visit to Club 33 and Le Salon Nouveau, Dreams Do Come True!

Stairway in Court of Angels that lead to the new entrance of Club 33

My favorite adventures are those that are unexpected, like my visit to Club 33 a few weeks ago. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Club 33, it is an exclusive restaurant located inside Disneyland.  To gain access to Club 33, you either have to be a member or know a member who is gracious enough to extend an invitation.  I have had the privilege of visiting Club 33 in the past and was beyond excited when I found out I would have the chance to visit once again.  I was even more excited because Club 33 recently underwent an extensive renovation which included the addition of Le Salon Nouveau.

Mosaic tile at entrance of Club 33

Vulture that used to be in the Trophy Room, it talked to me when I walked by! 

Upon entering the foyer of Club 33, you are able to enter Le Salon Nouveau by walking down a hallway which is lined from floor to ceiling with wine bottles.  The hallway continues with themed booths on either side which feature artwork that changes slowly and feature various scenes, such as a riverboat.

One of the themed booths in hallway leading to Le Salon Nouveau

Le Salon Nouveau has many beautiful features such as a stained glass ceiling light fixture which changes colors at various times as well as a piano that features the ability to play concerts from far away.  There are many different seating options throughout Le Salon Nouveau for both larger and small groups of friends.

Gorgeous piano, which has the ability to play music streamed from concerts in Le Salon Nouveau

Le Salon Nouveau features a bar with an extensive selection of both spirits, wine, and craft beer.  I was  very happy to see that there are many more craft beer selections now featured at Club 33, previously it was usually limited to only one or two options.  Le Salon Nouveau now has beers from: Bear Republic, Stone Brewing, Abita, Anchor Brewing, Iron Fist Brewing, The Bruery, Karl Strauss, Alesmith, and one of my local favorites, Bootlegger's Brewery.  One of the cocktails, the Hurricane, features Ballast Point Three Sheets Rum.

Bootlegger's Brewery, Rustic Rye IPA

Vieux Carre

One of my favorite parts of Club 33 are the beautiful paintings that are in the hallway which leads to the newly renovated Grand Salon.  The bright hallway made me feel like I was in France.  

Beautiful paintings in hallway

Le Grand Salon 

I was very happy to see that older elements from Club 33 were incorporated into the new design, such as the harpsichord which is now located in the foyer.

Foyer of Club 33 featuring harpsichord

I had such an amazing time visiting Club 33 and Le Salon Nouveau.  Unexpected adventures really are the best, and I'm so thankful I was able to go!

Tinkerbell in light fixture in Court of Angels