Category: About the Search Party

General information about the blog.

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In the Tap Lines for April 2025

Heading into the 2nd quarter of a truly horrendous 2025 here in America. If you are reading this in an airport or dock as you make your escape Casablanca style from this country, I will keep you updated on the beers of SoCal and the rest of what’s left and I hope I will hear about wonderful beers from other countries.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Vinepair’s Breweries to Watch list

~ special featured reviews

~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 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Setting the Table

~ Sports & A Beer returns with NBA tanking

~ 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 March 2025

Is your social media feed beer driven or activity driven? It is a question that I want to pose to as many brewery media folk as possible. I know that my lens is introverted and geeky and that a new beer with a new hop or a heritage barley will get me into a taproom more than cornhole but I feel like the pendulum has swung a little too far away from the actual liquid.

This is of course also coming from someone who recently posted about thinking outside the box when it comes to activities and who also posted about a book extolling community at taprooms.

Themed nights are an effort to get butts in seats and buying beer from a crowd who is not buying currently. Economics are at play here. A new beer release is probably not going to bring out a line of beer buyers willing to pay a premium as much as a casual drinker who knows not of Dynaboost and Fonio.

But, the casual / weekend drinker is more fickle than a beer geek and losing sight of that in a rush to a cater to a crowd who are not tied to your beer but by karaoke is harder work in my opinion.

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In the Tap Lines for March 2025

Spring sprang into summer in February so lighter, crisper beers are already in season as it were. Also in season is basketball and soccer plus….

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that will be pouring at the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival

~ special featured reviews

~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 Watford Forever

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Good Hang with Amy Poehler

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Why does March Madness not seem a sell-out but College football does?

~ 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 2025 Birthday Beer

Each year, I pick a special beer to be my birthday drink. For year 55, I have picked a sentimental flavor combo from Christmas, the Terry’s Chocolate Orange as re-imagined by Crooked Stave in Colorado.

The orange is covered by zest while the chocolate is provided by liquid cacao which I had never heard of before. It pours a very dark brown and it is curiously devoid of aroma. It is a Baltic Porter base which should allow flavors to pop but this is pretty muted flavor wise as well. The orange doesn’t show until the end and faintly at that. The chocolate is OK but not wow, thank for liquifying. Was hoping for a little Christmas magic that does not appear.

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In the Tap Lines for February 2025

My favorite month is here. Mostly ’cause it is my birthday month and I use all 28 or 29 days that I get to the point of exhausting everyone else. For this blog, I will do my best to exhaust you with beer news.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Oregon

~ special featured reviews

~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 Our Share of Night

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to An Arm and a Leg

~ Sports & A Beer returns with How to Fix the Blazers

~ 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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2024 Statistics

Time to pause 2025 for a bit to look at some statistical beer drinking highlights from my 2024.

564 beers were tasted in total from samplers to large format bottles.

6.29oz less beer was drunk per week – but I made up alcohol ground with more home cocktails in 2024.

High of 203 ounces in a week with a low of 112 ounces.

The average ABV over the year was 6.97%

Best of the week winners were led by Smog City Brewing in Torrance with (4) weekly winners. There were (3) other breweries tied with (2) wins.

I had 56 barrel- aged beers, 82 pilsner or lagers, 11 sour beers and a very paltry 14 beers from Europe. Of course the big style winner was 256 IPAs with 125 of those being West Coast

Below are the breweries with the most tick marks next to their names:

Firestone Walker 52

Stone 20

Smog City 16

El Segundo 15

Santa Monica Brew Works 15

Beachwood 14

Radiant Beer Co. 13

Creature Comforts 10

Highland Park 10

Sierra Nevada 10

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Resolved

My better half asked me before 2024 finished up its run if I had any resolutions for 2025 and I cheekily responded that I would try to be less great this year to give others a chance.

When it comes to craft beer, I do not really have resolutions either just what I call mindfulness.

With that in mind, here is what I will be paying attention to this year…

  • buy more direct at the brewery cans
  • buy more 4-packs at those taprooms
  • visit the farther flung L.A. breweries that I have not been to at least once
  • keep spreading the style love and not just buy IPA
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The Annual Disclaimer

Each and every year, I start the blogging calendar with a disclaimer. As a beer blogger, I feel it is important to be clear about my rules and morals.

Every beer, brewery, event, restaurant reviewed on this site whether paid for or complimentary will get the same treatment when reviewed. If I don’t like the beer, it will be described as a beer that I did not like, even if it was handed to me by the brewer and I like the brewer.

If I forget, (which probably will happen, because it has before) to mention how I got a beer or a pass to an event, then go back and read the previous paragraph.

I clearly want the Los Angeles local beer scene to continue to flourish and I want craft beer in general to do so as well. So, my reviews will also take that into consideration. Some points in 2025 once past the doom of Orange Mussolini and their “project 2025 loss of rights” will require cheerleading and others require harsh sentences. I am not subtle in any way, so I am sure you will figure it out quickly.

I will be as impartial and truthful as I can be while also staying as opinionated as usual.

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In the Tap Lines for January 2025

Strap in folks, there is gonna be some turbulence in 2025. I have mentioned, just yesterday in fact, that economics are going to be bad and the now annual Dry January will not help the beer world so be kind and helpful to counteract the bad vibes that are sure to be spinning.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Hop Culture’s Best of List

~ special featured reviews

~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 Knife by Salman Rushdie

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

~ Sports & A Beer returns with teams that are easy to hate

~ 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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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.