Author: Sean Inman

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In the Tap Lines for January 2013

Now that the Mayan death apocalypse (and New Year’s Eve) has passed and beer is still being brewed, it is time to jump into 2013 with both feet for another great year with our favorite beverage. Here is what is on tap here at the Beer Search Party for January.

~ e-visits to the newest breweries in the San Diego area
~ video reviews tackles two randomly selected ‘fridge beers plus more reviews minus videos
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 71 will converge bloggers onto a single topic
~ plus many more posts about new beers, beer products and breweries

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 5th – Sierra Nevada Tap Take-over at Blue Palms
2) January 29th – L.A. Craft Beer Blogger meeting at Chloes at the Pub at Golden Road

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Evolution – Generation

I end the year with a glimpse into a possible beer trend.
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Read this from Ale Industries, “Evolution is a beer that I have been dreaming of for the last sixteen years. The concept is simple, create a beer that is constantly evolving through blending with new and complementary batches. As easy as the concept is, implementing this into a breweries schedule that is currently maxed out took the idea of getting creative to the next level.

We have really been ramping up our Barrels and Uniquities department here at A.I., and until Evolution it consisted of either 100% brett ferments or whiskey/bourbon barrel aged beers. We coincidentally also recently made the acquaintance of Jay Goodwin, of The Rare Barrel, a start up here in the Bay Area thats focus is on barrel aged sours. He had stopped by the brewery during an Orange Kush brew day, and I was telling him about our bottleneck issues. Our fermentation space has limited our production, and until we got that figured out we were stuck at around 1200 bbl/year. He pointed out that we had eight barrels sitting there empty, just asking to be filled with beer. We had them sitting there waiting to be put into rotation for our sour projects. Until Jay suggested it I had never even thought of using old wine barrels as fermentation space for “regular” beer.

That was when it all came together. We would use the barrels as the fermenter for Evolution. Quickly Evolution became cooler than I had thought possible. Not only was this going to be an ever changing beer, meandering down the pathway of the brewers imagination, but it was going to be barrel fermented to boot!

A.I. Evolution, Generation 1 is an English Strong Brown, 8% abv. We are really loving the subtle oak character that the barrels have given the beer. The color of this beer has come from English Brown malt, a very earthy and nutty malt. Victory and Special B malts give it a beautiful caramel flavor and depth. Nugget hops from the U.S. are used for bittering and Willamette is for flavor hops. Finish is malty and toasty.”

Wow, that is ambitious and unheard of to me. And if it comes to fruition, it would be quite the tasting to try even just 3 years of this experiment. This is why I love craft beer. Ingenuity is lurking everywhere.

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The Firkin for December 2012

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Now that we have almost finished 2012 without the Mayan Apocalypse destroying us all, it is time to mentally prepare for our 2013 beer year but first I want to lay down some ground rules to remember before popping the cap or tab on your first beer of the new year.

1. Be adventurous – The name of this very blog is part of my beer mission statement. Search out new beer! It doesn’t mean you don’t go back to old favorites from time to time but don’t just stagnate. For example, I am not a fan of Black or Cascadian IPA’s. But I will try some in 2013 nonetheless. Why? Because I may find my new favorite beer.

2. Be Constructive – If you don’t like a beer, don’t just slam it like some crazed Yelp reviewer. If it is to minerally for your taste then say that. If it is a host of reasons, then list them. At the very least, give an example of a beer you like in the style and why it is and this beer isn’t. At least express your opinion without being opinionated.

3. Make a beer trip – OK this is more for me than maybe others. But set out for a weekend beer excursion. From L.A., you could hit Temecula and their new breweries or head to the San Diego area and hit 400 or so breweries. Whichever direction the winds take you, do it.

Lastly, remember that beer is fun. Don’t get too uptight about it.

Happy New Year!

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from the Austin Beer Guide – Twisted X Brewing Co.

There is Tex-Mex cuisine and if you order a pint from Twisted X Brewing, 2
The labels are fun and playful despite being filled with barbed wire and the beers are mostly on the light side! With one hoppy exception.

Here are the lagers that struck me as the ones that I would sample first….
Siesta Prickly Pear Lager
“A summer seasonal based on Twisted X. “Bloody Butcher” red corn from Richardson farms provides a slight hint of color. Prickly pears from the fields of Texas provide the rest of the color and add a fruity cactus flavor. Siesta is more carbonated than our other beers and this adds to its summer time drinkability. It has 5.5% alcohol by volume. We vote to reinstate the Siesta tradition, sit back, take a snooze, relax and ride the Texas heat wave with a refreshing Siesta.”

Senor Viejo
“This Schwarzbier has been “imperialized” (alcohol content increased) and then left to age in tequila barrels (used Jack Daniels barrels which are then used by Republic Tequila to age there tequila to Repasado or Anejo styles). Aging this unique beer in tequila barrels adds subtle flavors of vanilla and oak while the tequila adds a mild citrus/agave sweetness. At 8.2% alcohol by volume Senor Viejo is our strongest, most seasoned beer.”

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Hieronymous Hop book

We return to the beer bookshelf for a lesson on hops. I put this book on my Christmas list due to this one little tidbit:
“Stan Hieronymus expertly explains the nature of hops, their origins, hop quality and utilization–and even devotes an entire chapter to dry hopping. For the Love of Hops also includes a reference catalog of more than 100 varieties and their characteristics.”
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This will certainly help me when I am puzzling through the hops in an IPA.

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Allagash Cookbook

Allagash has been involved in many a beer dinner that I have heard about so it comes as no surprise that they have a cookbook now.
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Here’s the video to tell you more…..

Makes me wish that I was a better cook.

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Base Camp Brewing

I expect a little rustic-ness at most start-up breweries. Toss in the fact that I was in Portland and that the name of the brewery is Base Camp and the rustic quotient should be huge. And it was, but this was an impressive tap room.
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Nice and roomy. Though still incomplete in spots the wood and rocks under the tables plus the carabiner’s hanging from the sparkly tap handles made for a warm and classy spot.
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I picked up the 9 strong taster tray for a cheap price and set about trying the beers.
My favorite was the cleverly named In-Tents IPL. Nice and citric on the nose with a balanced load of hops. After tasting it I brought a can home to L.A. with me. Of course the can is shaped like a bottle but that doesn’t detract from the beer inside. Second and winner for presentation was the S’More Stout which came garnished with a toasted marshmallow. First time I had seen that effective touch. It was a lovely stout. Smooth with roast notes.
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Some of the other beers tasted good but suffered from being style misplaced. The brown ale was more a hoppy red and the kolsch was way to un-crisp for that style though still tasty.

Enough promise is shown here and great branding style that I will return when next I hit Portland.

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Ritual Brewing

Took a little time to find this new-ish Redlands brewery, but once the small sign saying “beer here” was spotted, I was sure that I had found Ritual Brewing for the first time.

I am accustomed to breweries wedged into industrial parks. Comes with the territory. But you walk into Ritual and feel dwarfed by the cavernous space. There is a tiny bar area and a few barrels upended to stand around but it mostly feels like an echo chamber. Not particularly a bad thing but it is a little off putting.

I got a sample tray of four beers that looked good despite the plastic cups and set forth to try a range of styles.

The wit looked good but boy did it taste of salt. A taste that I unsuccesfully attempted to rid my palate of. So, I set aside that offering and moved onto Hellion. Which was OK but was not super. Third in line was Extra Red. I had sampled it at Union Station as part of LA Beer Week and was impressed but this batch fell short of that one. I was left wondering where the water came from and what they did to it. The first three beers struggled to get the flavor through this salt water barricade. The stout at the end was the best of the day but not drive worthy like the samples at nearby Hangar 24.

I left most of the beer. That should tell you something.

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FoodGPS Teaser – Kickstart the L.A. River

From the amount of Kickstarter posts that I do you would think that I have a stock option in the company or something. But no, I truly believe that this crowdsourcing is a way to gauge the interest in a brewery and also the dedication of the brewers behind the offering.

So, yes, I will continue to pitch any Kickstarter projects to you, dear reader. If they revolve around the world of beer.

So check out the video for L.A. River Brewery and check FoodGPS tomorrow for my beer of the week and my homework assignment. Oddly enough, it involves Kickstarter too!