Monday, March 30, 2009

Marin County Welcomes FPB!

A recent marketing trip to San Francisco has revealed that yes, people do drink more than just martini's in the city. A group of adventurers/ FPB beer lovers took a day trip up to Marin County to tackle the Mount Tam Loop Trail, from Pantoll to Stinson Beach and back. The 7.3 mile hike takes you down 1,600 feet in elevation through waterfalls, redwoods, Douglas Firs, Oaks, grasslands, canyons, with plenty of scenic views. The hike is rated an 8 out of 10 in difficulty so be sure you plan accordingly before attempting to tackle the hike. The crew took a quick minute to wave the FPB flags and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Sara, Skye, Carolyn, Conor, Mike, Justin, Ariana, Kevin, and Anya claim Mt. Tamalpais in the name of Forbidden Peak Brewery.


Just north of San Francisco's Golden Gate is Mount Tamalpais. It has redwood groves and oak woodlands with a spectacular view from the 2,571-foot peak. When the fog hasn't descended on the area, visitors can see the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea, the Marin County hills, San Francisco and the bay, hills and cities of the East Bay, and Mount Diablo. On rare occasions, the Sierra Nevada's snow-covered mountains can be seen 150 miles away and even rarer the magnificent silhouette of Forbidden Peak is said to appear in brief glimpses.
Coastal Miwok Indians lived in the area for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. In 1770, two explorers named the mountain La Sierra de Nuestro Padre de San Francisco, which was later changed to the Miwok word Tamalpais. With the Gold Rush of 1849, San Francisco grew and more people began to use Mount Tamalpais for recreation. Trails were developed and a wagon road was built. Later, a railway was completed and became known as "The Crookedest Railroad in the World." It was abandoned in 1930 after a wildfire damaged the line. No one knows for sure how the fire started, but the destruction of the railroad line did take place during the time when the "League of Shadows" was known to have a presence in the area.


Brewmaster Skye does a test run on "the ladder".


Carolyn & Conor pose with a view of Stinson Beach in the background. Further down the trail was a friend of Squatch's Uncle (Fear Liath). The bagpiper was working on his lung capacity and agreed to play us a tune as a we marched up the Steep Ravine portion of the trail.
After the adventure the crew headed back into the big city via the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

Where will the "We Were Here, We Drank Beer" campaign takes us next?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

FPB's Eastern Tour Continues!

Just when you thought FPB was hibernating like Squatch in the winter months on Forbidden Peak, the Crew is back with a vengeance with back-to-back adventure posts! Our tour of the East continues, with friends of the brewery Bridget and Eldon spreading the message of beer to Hong Kong. Bridget knew that her first step before embarking on the big adventure was to contact the Brewery and make sure that both travelers were decked out in their FPB logo-wear best. Their local Seattle brew representative made a special delivery at the 11th hour to make sure their travel plans were as successful as Squatch would have hoped.

In their email to FPB (forbiddenpeak@gmail.com), Bridget shared:
"I have some pics from our photo shoot at Victoria Peak. It was very windy up there and we were a little jet lagged, but there is a great shot of Eldon looking out towards the harbour and the skyline and the FPB logo in clear view on the back of his shirt! I've attached 2 pics. Enjoy!" Bridget and Eldon

For those who haven't been lucky enough to take the FPB tour of Hong Kong, Victoria Peak is located on the western half of Hong Kong Island, and is the tallest peak on the island proper. Alternative literal English translations of the mountain are "The Peak", and "Flag-Raising Mountain." Don't tell us that you never learning anything from the Forbidden Peak News!

Bridget is currently making the ultimate sacrifice and is fasting from all delicious beer while awaiting the birth of their first little brewer. Alas, FPB Hong Kong favorites San Miguel Brewery and East End Brewery will have to wait until their next adventure. Besides summiting Victoria Peak and spreading the love of FPB to our eastern fans, they spent their travels hustling Eldon's family at mahjong and sampling the local dim sum.
Thanks to Eldon and Bridget for sending in your pics, and stay tuned for more news of FPB adventures coming soon!


Tuesday, March 10, 2009

FPB Goes to China!

One of FPB's most enthusiastic clients recently took a break from Oyster farming in Northern California to visit us in Seattle. Oyster wrangler Conor stopped by FPB headquarters to gear up for his lengthy journey to the other side of the Pacific. After brainstorming with the crew, destinations were selected and the adventure began.

Though China was the main destination, Conor teamed up with Gregg to sneak in some time in South Korea as well. We hear that the highlight of the trip was the Tsingtao Brewery in Quingdao, China. Below are some of the select photos donated to the "We Were Here, We Drank Beer" campaign.

Conor on the ferry to S. Korea & the flag over Busan, S. Korea


Conor & Gregg at Tsingtao- friend of beer drinkers.









First Conor climbed the Lao Shan Mountains and then challenged the locals to a drinking contest.
Special thanks to Conor and Gregg for making the journey and supporting our "We Were Here, We Drank Beer" cause in epic fashion. We have a feeling this won't be the last partnership we have with the Oyster crew from California. The FPB world map is slowly filling in with colored pins as our faithful travel the globe. Don't forget to send your pics in and tell us about your adventure. See, Beer is Fun.