Like Guinness, beer tastes different/better when sampled near it's source. Staying California is likely a good thing for the quality of the product consumed.
E.g. up in Northfield Minnesota they make Marshmallow Mateys, a ripoff of lucky charms made by Malt-o-Meal. In the dorm cafeteria at St. Olaf College the flavor is like nothing else anywhere in the world. Once you taste it there where they make it, everything else is a sad stale imitation.
I mean, Guinness tastes 'better' in Ireland because it's more popular, similar to how Miller on draft tastes 'better' in America - not because Miller makes it close to the bar, but because drinks that sell faster are fresher, sit in lines less, etc.
E.g. up in Northfield Minnesota they make Marshmallow Mateys, a ripoff of lucky charms made by Malt-o-Meal. In the dorm cafeteria at St. Olaf College the flavor is like nothing else anywhere in the world. Once you taste it there where they make it, everything else is a sad stale imitation.