Sunday 30th of March 2014 08:39:23 PM

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Julian, California is a mountain town filled with Julianians (Julianites?) who do not cotton to outsiders. This does not mean they don't want you to visit!
Oh no!
On the contrary -- they open up their town roads and businesses to San Diegans on weekends, stock the shelves with all manner of Julian pies (apple butter, apple fritters, apple beads), BBQ, "authentic" Julian western clothes watched over by authentic Julian law enforcement in authentic Julian cowboy dusters and side-arms hoping, wishing, praying that y'all will spend the last of your gold dust on some trinket for the little ones.
However. When Sunday evening rolls around, they want you out!
Good-bye. Thanks for the dough. Off you go.
Having lived and worked in Julian for a few years on my youth many y'ar ago (I like that word and it's my review so deal with it!) I can attest to this 60 year old attitude which hasn't changed one bit.
Case in point; Nickel Beer Company.
Located about a half mile off the main road, owner Tom Nickel's place is a small tasting room / slash brewery / slash merchandise store where he plies his wares of beer, t-shirts and such.
You can't miss Tom. He's the loudest one in the room...that is until, you start talking money.
Then everything gets very quiet.
Wife Permission and I arrived after a disappointing beer / BBQ sampling down the road at Julian Brewing hoping for a tasty end to an otherwise bland sunny Sunday in March.
We walked past the beer "garden" (a few picnic sit on a concrete veranda over-looking the main road) and asked for a sample of every beer Tom makes. We then added the caveat; "Just pour once 2 ounces instead of 4...we'll share."
Tom, in the middle of a loud story about shooting something, suddenly stopped and looked straight ahead out the window at nothing. The bar-maid appeared quizzical as though she didn't understand our request, tilting her head rather like a dog with a question.
Then we added; "We'll pay."
And Tom picked up his story about gutting the thing he shot, the bar-maid began filling up the 4 ounce glasses to the top (I had to remind her again that he only wanted 2 ounces as well as calm Tom down saying we'd pay the full price) and we adjourned to our seats at the end of the "bar" which was in fact, a highly polished large piece of knotty pine approximately six feet long. I believe they let us sit because we're older AND they wanted us gone!
The beers?
Just atrocious. More than bad...especially something called the Apple Pie Ale which tasted like old, sour, sewage. Tasted? No. Chewed is a better description.
With a Bud rip-off, not 1 but 2 pale ales -- not 1 but 2 IPA's...an un-distinquishable porter / stout, the selection lacks imagination.
The only thing redeemable about this trip was a local who offered us a piece of birthday cake brought especially for Tom that day. A nice gesture. It would have been nicer still if Mr. Tom had some fore-sight and understood how important customers are...rather local or out-of-town...and that they worth more to his business than $10 in tastings.
Should you decide to visit Julian anytime in the future...come in the Spring or Summer...enjoy a walk around town...if you must, buy something apple (because the area is crazy with them)....but bring your own brew.
You'll be glad you did.