The Trappist

Once upon a time I was not 21. Ah, yes I remember those days, days that were young and carefree. When gas prices were high but the housing market had not yet crashed. Come to think of it, that wasn’t so long ago after all. But then, why do I feel so old? Perhaps I am in the midst of what they call “the quarter-life crisis.” You know, when you’re about to graduate from college and you’re not sure if you know how to handle the real world. Somehow, I’ve just never imagined what life would be like when the next step wasn’t the same for everyone, where you’re not just expected to be a student anymore, but you have other options. Too many other options.

But then, I look on the bright side. Now that I’m 21 there is a whole world available to me that was not before. Two years ago, when I worked for a summer in Oakland, my co-workers and I tried to go to a bar on the last day of work. I wasn’t able to order anything, but we figured that it wouldn’t be a problem for me to just sit there and not drink anything. We were wrong, and long story short, the afternoon ended with us sitting around on the grass in the park near the office, against a backdrop of honking horns and wailing ambulances.

This past Friday, I finally had the chance to redeem myself from that experience. Ever since my birthday I have wanted to go back to the bar that everyone talked about during my summer working in Oakland. So when some friends and I wanted to celebrate the end of finals, it seemed like the logical choice. The name of the bar is the Trappist and it is known for Belgian and specialty beers. It is named after Catholic monks from Belgium who brew beer to sell to the public. At the Trappist there are 25 ales on tap that rotate, and it being the month of December there were plenty of Christmas choices. I had a beer called, “Santa’s Little Helper.” It was dark and delicious, with hints of chocolate (according to the description). It was strong too, coming in at 10.5% alcohol. I wish I had known that, considering my history as the lightest lightweight in the history of people who don’t tolerate alcohol well.

Anyway, it’s a good place to go for a more upscale bar experience. The drinks come in at anywhere from 5-8 dollars, which is a little pricier than your average college bar. The bar also received excellent reviews on yelp. I just read a review that mentions one beer called “The Beast”, with 16.5% alcohol. Hmm, that one may be the next logical step in exercising my legal rights.