Well, all you FAFOs out there. President Musk is going after craft beer starting with USDA hop researchers in the Pacific NorthWest. Some people seem to think that government jobs are too costly and in the short run, yeah, they fucking are because this isn’t a short term game. We don’t shut down lighthouses because they only help some boats. We don’t cut funding to air traffic control, oh wait, apparently this is something this backwards country does.
Entering the Hall
The 2025 Craft Beer Hall of Fame Inductees for the first class have been announced and it is a solid start to build upon…
* Fritz Maytag – Anchor Steam
* Michael Jackson – beer writer
* Charlie Papazian – home brewer and GABF founder
* Ken Grossman – Sierra Nevada
* Jim Koch – Boston Beer
* Fred Eckhardt – beer writer
* Bert Grant – Grants Les
* Charles and Rose Ann Finkel – beer importers
* Jack McAuliffe, Suzy Stern and Jane Zimmerman – New Albion
I am hoping that the second round will dig a little deeper into the agricultural side and also the publican side as well.
You can view the replay of the ceremony HERE
Ambitious 6
Ambitious Ales will be celebrating their sixth year in Bixby Knolls. It is a lovely spot to sip a beer and people watch. Set aside the weekend of March 21-23 to check out the action.
A Book & A Beer – Watford Forever
Before Welcome to Wrexham, there was the yellow brick to Watford. Elton John a lifelong Watford fan was owner of Watford back when they were really struggling back in the days before the Premiere League. The book by John Preston in collaboration with Sir Elton covers the time frame of when the club started a truly meteoric rise under the watchful eye of manager Graham Taylor.
This was such a fun and joyful read. Obstacles are overcome. Even truly harrowing ones such as racism and drug addiction. Players who may have not made a mark are vindicated and a town finds itself back on the rise. But the moments that really stuck with me are tinier. The friendship between Elton and the manager’s wife, Elton racking up long distance charges just to listen to a game, the introduction of statistical analysis to football.
This is one of the rare books that you wish did not end. And now I do want to watch a Watford game from either the Graham Taylor Stand or the Elton John Stand.
For beer, since Watford has a connection to the Bee nickname, let’s look to honey ales as they are usually quite sessionable for when you are watching a 90 minute game.
Review – Double Riwaka Daydream from Other Half
We are lucky in Los Angeles to get a lot of good stuff dropped into distribution and one pretty pink can from Other Half Brewing caught my eye….
….Double Riwaka Daydream, which pours with some serious haziness going on and a tiny little layer of foam to top it off. The aroma is a mix of pine and fruit. The first taste is orange creamsicle. Lots of cream in this one. The oat cream is earning its keep. And lurking behind is that pine note and a quite sturdy backbone. A unique beer for sure.
Lay off the Hype
Last month, Vinepair posted a piece about overhyped beers. Even though I detected a sarcastic comment and one that did not take introverts into account, on the whole, it got me to thinking about what is a style that give me the cringes.
Non-alcoholic is certainly one that I share and for the most part milkshake IPAs tend to be just a bunch of lactose that steamrolls any hop note, the one style that I wish was pulled back though is the light lager.
If your brewery already has a lager or (hopefully) more, there is really no need to have a second runnings lager. If people are that calorie conscious, they are splitting hairs.
SoCal Cerveceros Love LA
Famed and awarded home brew club, the SoCal Cerveceros are pitching in for the We Love L.A. wildfire relief with a four-pack survey of styles. It will probably be limited in supply so follow along the socials to make sure you can snag one. The Irish Red is a nice choice as is the Saison.
Gen-9
The Propagator outpost of Firestone Walker is up to their 9th generation with their latest DIPA….
…coming from the recipe minds of the Venice location.
Half a Villain
Looks like Anaheim based Villains Brewing is taking over another San Diego brewery space, this time in the East Village.
You can read all about the news HERE at San Diego Beer News who broke the story last month. We might be in for moves like this as some breweries falter but leave behind a built out space.
To Remember
The Bruery has another real big beer on the way aged in an uncommon barrel. The Madeira Affair is exactly that, a “Madeira barrel-aged imperial stout that will float in at the way high 18.1% ABV.”
“This imperial stout, imbued with the spirit of the Madeira Islands, erupts with aromas of dark red berries, oak, and chocolate.Embark on a flavor expedition with notes of jammy fruit, dark chocolate, and vanilla, leading to a robust, bold, and dry finish.”