Author: Sean Inman

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Only 80?

Around the World in 80 Beers by Martyn Cornell is on my Christmas list for sure not a funny giant chocolate advent calendar wish.  

My first thought when seeing the book title was, how many of these beers have I had? If this part of the description is any indication, not many. “The range of different beers covered is astonishing: not just the well-known, such as IPA, pilsner, and Imperial stout, but the rare and little-heard-of, such as Norwegian kveik ale, or Jopejskie, the thick, black, amazingly strong beer recently revived in Poland.”

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Christmas Beer Time – Day 5

Our next gift is from your brewing friends at New Glory Brewing in Sacramento. We have Frosty Delight a hot cocoa marshmallow stout.

“This chocolate-forward stout delivers a decadent blend of rich cacao nibs, perfectly balanced with creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors. Subtle notes of toffee linger in the background, bringing a rich, caramelized depth to every sip. It’s the perfect frosty delight for those who prefer their hot cocoa cold, and in a can!”

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Footsie

Untappd the ticking app for craft beer fans is known for badges that you can accumulate with each beer you taste.  And now those badges are immortalized in footwear in time for the holidays.  How many of them have you achieved?

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Best Beers of November 2024

Despite the Fall, IPAs dominated this month’s Best of List though not the Best beer of the month. That was garnered by a chain brewery.

First though, the bitterness…

Lagunitas Lil’ Sumpin, Sumpin Wheat IPA surprised me with the toned down from their 19.2 oz flavoring bombs IPA in a 12oz can. There was another gem in the Short Lived series from MadeWest Brewing pairing with Highland Park for their rotating IPA and then another collaboration as Beachwood and Green Cheek came together for Adventures of Lucky and Cheeky IPA.

The winner, for me, was BJ’s Brewhouse 25th Anniversary Grand Cru. Maybe I am a sucker for that number since I leveled up to that this year as well but this was a well done Belgian styled beer that really showcased the yeast.

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In the Tap Lines for December 2024

Well, 2024 was going along pretty well for 10 months. We will need to really enjoy the living hell out of what may be a final American holiday season. Sorry, not sorry for being so dark but do your best to truly live the sentiment of the season. Christmas is a time for EVERYONE to be happy. I am happy for the great Christmas beers and will be for each of these 31 days.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the Best of issue of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine

~ special featured reviews of Christmas Ales

~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 Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Shift Meal on the Ringer Food podcast

~ Sports & A Beer returns with what to do with the excess bowl games

~ 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 November 2024

A tariff is a tax imposed by one government on either imports or exports of goods (or both).  It is a revenue source for a government and import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade that taxes foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry. Protective tariffs are among the most widely used tools of protectionism along with import and export quotas.

Why did I just give a simplified definition of a tariff? Because many people who voted did not understand the meaning of that word and its ramifications on food and drinks. And in the coming years, this is going to really hurt the buying power of an American dollar.

American craft beer buyers already know the upward rise of cans or draft beer. My experience has been that $8.00 is probably as low as I can expect to see a price to be. Tariffs will push that up higher.

If your favorite brewery buys malt from Germany or wants a New Zealand hop varietal or wants to make an avocado ale using Mexican fruit, well, depending on the whim and senility of the dodo in charge, those ingredients may be more costly or far more costly.

And if you believe that this tariffs will bolster industry in America well, Mr X himself has the ear (as of today) of the dodo and thief and has proven to be very anti-union and anti-paying a fair wage and extremely anti-40 hour weeks. So you may not have enough money or time to enjoy a craft beer.

This country is heading for another depression and that is going to be another broadside to a beer industry already hit hard.

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Christmas Beer Time – Day 1

This year I have roamed a little farther and found some new holiday beers to regale the season. One each day until Christmas. We will start, however, with a true evergreen. JubelAle from Deschutes Brewery.

“Embodying the spirit of celebration since 1988, Jubelale features notes of spice, a robust malt character, hints of toffee and dusted cocoa.”