Hey. I’ll write all of this tomorrow.
That’s what I always tell myself. Let’s see if tomorrow I’ll write it.
It’s tomorrow. It rained all morning. My girlfriend went to work. I spent the last days of the year with her. I spend the first days of the year with her. I still like her more each day. I wanted to do nothing for New Years. I don’t like New Years. She wanted to do something. We compromised somewhere in between. It worked out. And we had a cute couples photoshoot.
Instagram post 1:
Instagram post 2:
That second posts utilized Photoshop’s AI. It’s an amazing thing of technology.
And of new technology. I got a new iPad Generation 10th thanks to Santa Claus. That’s right. New iPad for Christmas (thank you Tía Wendy and Tío Alan). I’ve been subscribed to LR and PS for years and never took fully advantage. It has been my glorified catalog organizer with minor edits in classic mode for years. Photoshop has barely been utilized.
And now, with iPad… I can take advantage of the programs. It cuts my workflow in half. It’s good for my photography business. Yet, I still need more.
New cameras. New computers. New everything.
Alas, 2024 starts as broke as 2023. And I don’t have a new job. I didn’t reach 100k followers on TikTok or other medias. Yet… I still feel better where I am now and where I am going in 2024.
The year started with a cover. Here it is:
In print in San Diego everywhere this week. The first week of 2024. Read this again in ten years. If print is still around, I’ll be amazed. If I’m still around, I’ll be amazed.
Remind me robot! Siri added it to my calendar. Let’s see if she remembers.
I wrote that story without the intent of it being a cover story. It turned into a cover story.
I took those pictures without the intent of it being a cover picture. It turned into a cover picture.
I am unsure of how that happened, but it happened. I got paid. I already spent that money.
I went to Houston to spend time with the family. I also drank a bunch of beer. I have a new favorite brewery from that side of the world. True Anomaly Brewery. It’s fucking delectable. I drank a ton of Saisons this year and their Petit Saison (a Grisette) was one of my favorites. Definitely top five. Perhaps even top three.
I made several TikToks of all the beers I had in Houston:
And not only that. A lot of their beers were truly perfect. A True Anomaly harharhar. If you are in Houston, go drink here. I tried a couple other breweries, but none of them impressed like True Anomaly. I still haven’t been to St. Arnold’s, but I had their canned Art Car IPA and it made my top 10 of the ones I drank in Houston this year.
I can’t wait to go back and drink more.
And of course, to be with my family.
Christmas was a Texan Christmas like my childhood ones. Except at thirty-fucking-seven. Getting old and I can see it on my face. Soon I’ll be 50. Things will be better then.
Talented motherfucker that does nothing.
Top 10 Craft Beers in Mexico (according to me, DUH)
I drank a lot of beer in 2023. I drank beer in different states in the US thanks to the job that had me traveling. I drank a lot of beers in Baja and Mexico City. I made it more my life. Drink, review, and write. Not with some bullshit app to track how many you drank to achieve fake medals. Nah. I just drink, talk about beer, and then note my favorite ones. The ones that I remember. The ones that I go “huh?! That was fucking fantastic.” Happy surprises; interesting beers that are also incredibly good. And after writing four covers with the San Diego Reader. I decided to write even more.
Every year I intend to make a top 10 beers I drank in the year.
Here is 2023. The list is only beers from Mexico. I excluded all the ones I drank in San Diego, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Columbus, Spartanburg, and beyond.
- DDH Hazy (all) by Morenos
I drank a bunch of Morenos through the year. But I also drank at their new Terraza in Mexico City. All their Double Dry Hop Hazy IPAs taste sort of similar with a tiny twist. Because of that, all of their DDH IPAs are my number 10 of the year. The best of the hazy world in Mexico.
- Bennu by Capau
The most solid IPA of the year. Whenever I saw it, I grabbed it. Be it at The Beer Garden, Teorema, or any other place it was as a guest beer. I’ve never been to Capau (in Ensenada) but their beers pop up here and there. They have done great collab beers as well. But whenever I saw Bennu, I had to drink one.
8. Marie Saison by Amante
I haven’t had a saison that I truly loved till Amante. Though that is changing since I’ve been having a shit ton of saisons lately and either brewers are doing different shit or my taste buds have adapted. I love saisons. Especially a smooth drinkable with a touch of yeast and spice. That’s what Marie was.
7. Wheat Dreams con Tioles by Cardera + Capau
Ooooeee. When I found out what thiols were… was through a different beer. But ever since, I searched for thiolized beers. Cardera never dissapoints. Add some Capau mix into it and give it some thiols and you have a hoppy wheat beer to perfection. If you don’t know what thiols are… stick around.
- Lagermaiz by Hércules
I had this prior to 2023, but in a can. And it was always nice. But BOOM! Drinking it at the Lager Bar in Mexico City… it’s so good and interesting. All the beers were basically perfection including the helles. But this lager gave it a Mexican flavor unlike others. Probably the most Mexican craft lager that exists.
5. Cherry Stout by Bosiger
I like those chocolates with cherry liquor inside. And this is what this stout tastes like. Bosiger is often underrated and forgotten. It’s a weird name. The brand is kind of generic. But the beer. The beer… The fucking beer is excellent. I rarely drink stouts. But when I do, it better be this fucking delicious.
4. Balas de Plata by Madueño and Vinos Plata
As soon as I tasted this I looked at my girlfriend and said “yep, this is on my list of best of the year.” It’s fucking good and interesting as fuck. A collaboration with a winery with blanc sauvignon and IPA. It’s a perfect mixture of both. It hits you with the white wine grapeskin dryness punch and it finishes like a smooth IPA.
3. Pay de Limón by Loba Brewery
Tastes like Mexican lemon pie, except in beer format. Not like your American lemon key pie, Mexican pie has galletas María and with carnation and Lechera. And this is that in a cream ale shape with lactose and true vainilla.
2. Higgs Boson by Madueño
Amazeballs. Expensive. 2 years in fermenting. Those were my notes and I stand by them. It starts with an explosion of different flavors but the acidity dominates in a nice manner as a power sour beer. Then as it warms it turns into an interesting double brown taste with notes of fig and chocolate. Or maybe I just got high as fuck before tasting it. But holy fuck this beer is out of this world and its delicious. It’s 600 pesos a bottle (or at least when I got it) it might be cheaper now, or it might be gone. I drank it once on my YouTube and I drank it another time with a bachelor party at location.
- Ipanema by Fauna and Malbicho
The perfect IPA. This is the beer that got me into thiols. It has thiolized yeast. Something I’ve never tasted before. The explosion of maracuya and pineapple and other tropical flavors but not at all sweet, like a smoothie IPA but not think, just perfectly fucking delicious. Too bad it was a collaboration beer, but talking to the wizard brewer himself (Luis Larios) he said that they might make it again. Anything that Malbicho makes I’ll be looking for it. And Fauna… Fauna was calm for a while, but now they are brewing some of the best shit I’ve had in a long time. If you see this beer… you must… you simply must.
And that’s it.
My 2023 best craft beers in Mexico. Hope you enjoy. If you did. Buy me a beer. You can send me money through Venmo. Or support me by subscribing to my Patreon. Or all the other social medias. Following, liking, sharing, all that stupid crap adds to money. So help out and click things a couple times.
2023 started with a new job. A friend just posted they are looking for part time music teachers and it’s near me. I could do it. I should do it. I think I’m going to apply for it.
Next week I have a bachelor party tour. It’s going to be insane. I have a lot to do. I have nothing to do. Instead, I just play F-Zero.
I played two tournaments back to back. Knight Frozen League, got second place. Queen League… got second place!
AHH!!! So close. I fucking love F-Zero.
I have to take pictures of a dude that hired me this weekend. I forgot my batteries in Texas. But Karlha is going to let me borrow some.
My tennis pictures and article should be in the new magazine next month. I should write more for magazines. I should do more tours. I should give guitar and music lessons. The busier I am. The better.
There is new Tijuana Adventure merch. I should make the shop.
Ahh. So much to do. Might as well just go back to playing F-Zero.
Buy your Tijuana Adventure and Matingas Merch!!!
Buy my stuff. Subscribe to all my social media if you haven’t.
Buy my books on Amazon. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.
Subscribe to my YouTube. The more subscribers, the more money, the more time I have to upload cool shit.
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Follow me on Instagram and book me for a photoshoot!
Follow me on TikTok just because it’s the thing we do in the future.
Book a Tijuana tour with Tijuana Adventure! Still doing exclusive tours in 2024.
Read all my articles on the Reader. New article coming soon! And now also on the San Diego Magazine!
Matingas 
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