Saturday 26th May 2012
Bob Thompson
I had just consumed some Creekside Brewing beers at the California Festival of Beers but left myself an hour or so before heading north on the train to call in to their Head Office, so to speak. This Brew Pub and Restaurant is very close to the main downtown strip of San Luis Obispo. Its name gives a clue to its location as it overlooks San Luis Obispo Creek. It's on Broad Street just one block north of Higuera and Marsh Streets, the main thoroughfares of the town.
The pub is on two levels with the upper level being more or less a restaurant but I'm sure you can just drink beer here if you wish.
The brewery cannot be missed as it is at the end of the room. The bottom half of it is below in a room that is more obviously the main bar where most of the drinking is done.
I had to adjust my eyes when I entered as it was quite dark. However I soon found a blackboard with the day's offerings.
They say that they brew so many different beers that they don't have time to list them on the website.
This was what was offered from Creekside Brewing: Monarch Blonde (4.9%); Altbier (4.9%); Bishop's Bock (6.5%); Titanic IPA (7.5%) and Double Dark Stout (5.9%). There were also two guest beers Drakes Brewing (San Leandro, CA) Drakonian Imperial Stout (8.8%) and Stone (Escondido, CA) Double Bastard (10.5%).
I took a sampler set of most of the in-house brewed beers and these were my thoughts on them.
Altbier was too sweet for a style that normally has more bitterness than this. I wasn't greatly impressed by Bishop's Bock either. It was a bit sour more like a Saison in taste. Double Dark Stout was much better, although I didn't think it deserved to be called a double, it was just a good ordinary version.
Saving the best till last; I really liked Titanic IPA. It had a really heavy citrus smell and taste yet was not overwhelmed by the hops.
It seemed to me that there would have normally been more beers on offer as there were some gaps in the blackboard list, probably as a consequence of the Beer Festival being held this weekend.
As a pure aside, I must say I was impressed by the sinks in the Men's facilities, please see photo. It's a likeable pub and has a beautiful little terrace over looking the creek. It is surprisingly verdant as the other side is in a small park called Mission Plaza.
Important Information:
Creekside Brewing, 1040 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA. 93401. Tel: 805 542 9804
Open: Restaurant: Monday to Sunday 11.00-21.30
Bar: Sunday to Wednesday 16.00-24.00; Thursday to Saturday 12.00 to 01.30
The pub is located downtown and is close to local bus routes. The railway station is around fifteen minutes from downtown. It is served by Amtrak with three daily trains to Los Angeles and one to Oakland (for San Francisco) and further north. SLO is also served by long distance buses and has a regional airport.
