Somehow in spite of the hectic travel schedule, my coworker and I found our way on the waterfront in Long Beach last night prior to heading back to the airport for our red eye, and somehow we landed at the Yard House. (Hey, things like that just seem to happen to me.)
Now, I should preface these remarks by noting that I don’t usually get maximum enjoyment out of visiting chain brewpubs or beer bars. Rock Bottom, Gordon Biersch, and other places of their ilk always seem a little unfocused, with too many people there for reasons other than the beer, and with too few beer lines cleaned regularly. The Yard House seems on first visit to be an exception to the rule: the list of beers on tap was, true to their word, long, with a good mix of imports (including some pretty rare Belgians, like the Maredsous 8) and local beers. I had a Spaten Optimator, since they didn’t have a Märzen, in honor of Oktoberfest, and then tried the Anderson Valley Brother David’s Tripel. Both were acceptable, though the Brother David seemed a little flabby for the style. Food was good (I had the Caesar with grilled ahi). All in all some small compensation for having to take a red eye back.