I had a blast on Wednesday night with a friend at Samuel Horne’s Tavern in Folsom. This entertaining, pubbish establishment is a beer lover’s paradise – not only does it offer a dizzying number of bottled brews, it also has an enticing lineup of 16 (rotating) draught beers – from the light and refreshing Allagash White, a traditional Belgian wheat beer style crafted in Portland, Maine; to local Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s Ovila, a Trappist-style Abbey ale. I savored a strong, sweet ale called The Angels Share, brewed at The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California. This deep brown-burgundy colored, barrel-aged beer was practically a meal in a glass, and tasted more like dessert than a casual quaff.
It turns out that Wednesday is Trivia Night at Samuel Horne’s, and the place gets packed to the rafters with beer-loving triviameisters. I gobbled an eye-rollingly caloric Johnny Cash burger (laden with bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and a sweet bourbon-espresso “redeye” sauce) and my buddy downed her Louisiana hot link “Horne dog” as we struggled to keep up with the regulars, who triumphantly penned answer after answer on their trivia sheets. It was all in good fun, though, and while we failed miserably at the game, we certainly enjoyed the jovial atmosphere.
719 Sutter Street, Folsom, (916) 293–8207; www.samuelhornestavern.com
