Author: Sean Inman

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Ozempic & Alcohol

Ozempic has been in the news a lot though coverage was waning a bit to my untrained eye.  But now that drug is back with a new trial focusing on the liver.

The new trial is going to ascertain if Ozempic can improve liver health. How that will be determined is by the medicines’ effects on enhanced liver fibrosis, aka scarring, over a 28 week period.

Obviously, that is addiction adjacent and there are other studies about decreased desire for alcohol or nicotine in progress (and probably more planned).  And also obviously, alcohol and nicotine have big weight effects so being able to curb excess would help in weight loss.

This is another bit of a blow to beer though, since it is a high calorie alcohol. But the question is, are the people utilizing the drug in the beer buying camp?   Or will this hit another spirit or wine harder?  And of course, the main two questions are, does Ozempic work not just anecdotally against addiction and if so for how long? 

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A Ghoulish Dispatch

I took a pass on the last released One Batch Dispatch from Stone Brewing but a future one has me interested…

Screenshot

I think that the combination of maple and oak could really work especially on a lighter canvas like the base lager.

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Peel the Label – AI

I like cool architectural designs and home interiors. I am also a fan of nature photography. Both of which are easily manipulated or entirely created by Artificial Intelligence.

Don’t count me in the AI enthusiasts club but don’t count me in the scared of it club either. Mostly because both of those clubs seem to be talking not about AI today but about AI in some nebulous future. Because currently, AI be janky as hell.

How does this relate to beer you might ask. There have already been AI generates beer recipes and probably some AI labels as well. Some beer writers have toyed with tasking AI to write a beer piece.

But all that is predicated on earlier content. Much like this very blog, AI must draw content. I need a brewery to brew a new beer, or for there to be a festival or a silly gadget otherwise what do I highlight or comment on? And that is what AI needs.

For example, you can ask AI to design a taproom layout. All it can do is maybe (if it is actually learning) use a size dimension alongside examples of other taprooms it has scraped from the web to create an amalgam of a layout. It cannot take into account so many things. AI cannot know how customers in your area will behave in it. It cannot incorporate nods or Easter eggs about the community. It cannot find a happy medium between two owners.

The only way AI can be effective is if you plug so many variables into it that you won’t get an actual response OR you plug in a generic ask and then work from the response as a mere base. And either way, guess who will actually do the work? An actual person.

There are a lot of cool things that computers can do but they still cannot be an actual person.

Peel the Label is an infrequent series with no photos or links. Just opinion.

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Family # 2

I will be heading north to Portland in July and one spot that is on the must stop list is the new Portland location of Salem-based craft cider producer La Familia Cider Company  The Hawthorne location, formerly the Portland Cider House, opened on June 5th. 

There will be 29 taps that will pour 15 ciders from La Familia and other producers, and the remaining 14 taps will serve craft beers. There will also be Cider cocktails plus a small menu featuring Mexican food made from locally sourced ingredients.

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Sister City Brewery # 2 – Strange Fellows Brewing

The next Sister City of Los Angeles is Vancouver, Canada and the brewery I chose is Strange Fellows Brewing.

Time to check out some more Canadian beer…

Beldame Old World Pilsner – “Crossing paths with a crone is believed unlucky by some. Stooped and toothless, she’s a frightful specter of mortality. Those who can meet her gaze and see wisdom there have nothing to fear, but beware to those who scorn or overlook her. As Mother of Creation, she can wield her power in wicked ways, by nightmare, illness or a failed harvest. So next time you happen upon an old woman, pour her a glass of this bright and refreshing beer, look her in the eye, and toast to her good health.”

Rei’s Dark Lager – “This dark Lager balances the use of roasted malts and premium German pilsner malt. It delivers a clean character of a lager and offers a complex grain bill that blends aromas of chocolate, roast and has a crisp and clean lager finish.  “

Blackmail Northwest Stout – “Originally advertised as a nutritional supplement for new mothers, milk stouts contain Lactose sugar which gives this beer a rich round and slightly sweet character. Blackmail is only 4.5%abv and has a soft roast and chocolate character.”

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Three New from ESBC

You may think that El Segundo Brewing is just for big IPAs, bigger DIPAs, and biggest QIPAs but they can do just PA and surprisingly can do beers without a hop emphasis too.

So if you want to dial back the ABV…

…and if you want to do that and dial back the hops…

Or, if you are a Gelson’s shopper, you can fortify yourself before rolling through the aisles with Gelson’s Markets  “first ever beer collaboration with ESBC, Gelson’s Summer Blonde Ale. Beer lovers can drink in sunny vibes with this expertly crafted brew that promises a summer getaway with every sip. It’s only available on tap starting today at Gelson’s wine bars throughout Southern California.”

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Review – Surreal Kush from Roadhouse Brewing and Mother Earth Brewing

Wyoming’s Roadhouse Brewing Co. meets California’s  Mother Earth Brewing Company for a surreal collaboration. 

According to the brewery notes, Surreal Kush is a “regular ole’ New Zealand Hops Fruit Basket” featuring a blend of four New Zealand hops Nelson, Riwaka, Wakatu and an experimental hop grown by NZ Hops LTD with the temporary name of NZH-104 which “brings intense passionfruit and guava aromas and a mineral character reminiscent of Southern Hemisphere Sauvignon Blancs.”

This medium dark orange hued IPA starts with a load of tangerine to my tastebuds. Getting a distinct guava smell. Light overall but not lacking balance. As it warms a bit, more tropical fruit notes start to pop. Almost hits a candy flavor but pulls back from that precipice. I don’t get the tart burst of a passionfruit but it is pretty close to the other descriptors.

You can find this beer at the following locations: Pasadena Erewhon Market, King’s Row, Elbow Room and at Lucky Baldwin’s.

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ERB – RIP

When a brewery in Los Angeles calls it a day, it is sad. But when a real path breaker does it, it is doubly sad. If not quadruply sad with it happening smack in the middle of L.A. Beer Week. Such is the case though as Eagle Rock Brewery has decided to end its run at the end of June.

Founded back in 2009 by two really great people, Ting and Jeremy. They have run government gauntlets, brewed many a Unity beer, were there at every early beer festival and so much more.

Who knew that a tiny little brewery in a weird corner side street off a freeway exit with a mild ale as a torch bearer would have such an outsized impact on the direction of craft beer in Los Angeles.

Now only Ladyface Ale Companie stands from the trio of early L.A. breweries. How this will affect The Landing in Burbank or Party Beer Co. who was using the facilities is unknown at this point but this is a real dent and one that I will be processing for a while.