Author: Sean Inman

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In the Tap Lines for September 2024

Here in Los Angeles, September is the last real dry and hot month and I am so happy to see fall on the horizon. Except that fall brings the always too soon Fall Y’all Pumpkin Spice nonsense, followed concurrently by always too soon Christmas. So let’s do our best to stay in the present and keep our eye on all things Oktoberfest.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries in Colorado in anticipation of GABF

~ special featured reviews of Oktoberfest beers + tips on Fest Biers to buy in SoCal

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to the NPR 4th Grade Podcast Challenge

~ Sports & A Beer returns with beer prices in the Premier League

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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The Firkin for August 2024

The slushie machine era must be nearing an end because I see those swirling machines at pretty much every brewery taproom that I visit.

And that gets me to thinking about two things:

A. the slushie machine salesman is getting big checks

B. when are breweries going to stop chasing after trends and get back to being a trend?

I don’t mean to throw too much shade with point B but I do feel that the more hard seltzers and slushies one puts on offer is a lost opportunity to do something innovative in the beer space. Each alternative drink sold cements a customers relationship, not to beer or your brewery, but to sugary, bubbly treats.

Much like coffee shops that sell iced diabetes bombs that contain zero coffee, a brewery that is just selling hard slurpees are stealing from their core brand. I can understand that a group of people may acquiesce to going to a brewery if there are more options but it starts to look like the brewery isn’t the destination. Much like the group of friends who end up at an Olive Garden because it is the least offensive choice.

Time to sell the slushie machine or at least make a fresh hop slushie.

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Best Beers of August 2024

This month it is the all IPA edition. Which is weird because usually I find most IPAs to be smack in the vast middle of pretty good land. I do my best to taste fresh IPA but even the most ardent hop hunter can fall prey to hops that just aren’t packing the same punch as earlier.

Two were draft and two were canned. In the runners up category was Smog City and their CCBA White IPA, the first of two of that sub-style that I tasted this month. It was bright and light without getting too thin and it had a real nice subtle character to it. The other draft was at Great Notion where I had their Orange Creamsicle IPA. Usually not a fan of the milkshake but this did not have the fake orange and too sweet. It tasted much like the ice cream treat.

The cans were from North Park Beer Co. and from Ambitious Ales and it was a tight call but North Park’s Dead as a Doornail DDH West Coast IPA made me sit up a bit straighter than the Gimme That from Ambitious.

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28 Stone

Stone Brewing has two options for you if you want to got to their 28th Anniversary party in November. One, you can get Main Festival tickets and sample dozens of amazing beers from Stone and our friends in the industry. Or two, get the Rare Beer ticket so that you can access your own special private festival area on the Stone campus in Escondido.

Head HERE to choose.

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Pennsylvania Brewery Tour # 3 – New Trail Brewing

Our last Pennsylvania stop in our Seen Through a Glass podcast tour is New Trail Brewing Co. in Williamsport.

Let’s get a taster flight going….

Crisp Lager – “Crisp Lager is handmade for easy drinking using only 4 craft ingredients. We only use the finest malts, American Noble hops, Pennsylvania mountain water, and lager yeast in perfect balance for a brilliant golden beer that’s full-flavored, refreshing, and above all, Crisp Lager.”

Lazy River Dry-Hopped Pils – “Lazy River Pils is brewed as a traditional German Pilsner, then dry-hopped with hand-selected Citra hops from the Pacific Northwest. We started with German Pilsner and German Munich malts for a highly crisp and refreshing, light and flavorful Pilsner. Our Citra then adds bright orange citrus aroma that will be essential to your adventures.”

S.O.B. Hill IPA – “S.O.B. Hill is named in honor of The Hyner View Trail Challenge. We’ve been sponsoring this 50 kilometer trail race since we opened, and the course culminates with the final rise – S.O.B. Hill. This American IPA is clear, floral, fruity and slightly bitter.”

Double Broken Heels DIPA – “Double Broken Heels is our Hazy IPA, Broken Heels, with more malt and hops to make it a Hazy Double IPA. Brewed with oats and hopped with a mix of our favorite American hops including Citra & Mosaic.”

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Gnome and Wizards and Cheese

Highland Park Brewery has an on again, off again dark lager with the funny name of Bortz, that they now refer to as a “Dark Gnome Wizard Lager” described as “a beautiful dark mahogany appearance & roasty aromas of dark chocolate, bread crust, while remaining extra refreshing & crisp.”

Now Indianal’s Tulip Tree Creamery, is using Bortz in their latest For their Hops cheese series where they collaborate with different breweries.  The Bortz cheese is a semi-soft double-cream cheese infused with Bortz.

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A Graveyard Smash

Each year the Orange County Brewers Guild scare up the Brewers Mash in October for local beers and frights.

The frightful fest is on October 26th this year at the Heritage Museum of Orange County.  So get your costumes ready for some trick-or-treating and maybe some spooky special releases. 

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San Pedro Day – Hess at the Harbor

San Pedro has some big waterfront plans in the pipeline in what is called the West Harbor Development ( see one of the proposed renderings below ) and some possible tenants are either onboard or linked to it at this point.

From the craft beer perspective, San Diego based Mike Hess Brewing is one of these tenants which means that you might be able to hit up both Brouwerij West and Mike Hess in a day down by ocean.

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Your Friendly Trailer

Your Beer Friend which has themed beer packages to buy throughout the year is now debuting their craft beer trailer. A 1955 trailer is now a rolling bar with six taps in it. 

They are now accepting reservations for the trailer for events in Los Angeles and Orange County.