Category: About the Search Party

General information about the blog.

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Statistics Update


Missed my quarterly statistical check-in by a few weeks but here is the latest data….

… over the last four months, I have drunk 55.51% of the big three styles (IPA, Barreled and Sour) to 44.49% of everything else. I would still like that to be a more equitable split and it was probably higher than normal due to the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across the World variety box.

That box shows up in the Brewery rankings, launching Sierra Nevada to a tie for the top spot with Eagle Rock at 13 which is due to the Session Fest and the tasters there. I am also happy to report that locals from El Segundo (12), Highland Park (11), Mumford Brewing (10) broke the double digit mark and that of the top 20, and that 12 of the top 20 are part of the L.A. guild.

Looking at the current running averages, I am at 193.6 ounces per 7 day week. That is mid-range of a tight spectrum that has a low of 191 and a high of 195. The ABV range is even tighter which is the lowest it has been though that isn’t such a distinction when the highest is 6.94%. ABV has been the most stuck in a rut category though.

The next goal is to bring down that ounces total to around 190. Now that I am passed the big beer weeks of Firestone Walker and L.A. Beer Week, I just might be able to hit that mark.

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In the Tap Lines for July 2017

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June was tough. In a good way but I am glad that the big L.A. fests are in the rearview and I don’t feel like I am missing some cool event every ten minutes. Here is what will be going on this month…

~ e-visits to three breweries from Detroit. Batch Brewing, Lake Brothers and Motor City Brewing Works
~ special featured reviews of a random set of beers as I catch up from L.A. Beer Week
~ 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 George Lucas – A Biography
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your July started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) July 1st – Canada Day at Southland Beer
2) July 7th-9th – Bravery Brewing 5th Anniversary Weekend

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In the Tap Lines for June 2017

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Get ready. The first part of the month will be filled with Firestone Walker Invitational re-capping and the last half will be all about L.A. Beer Week including my review of the Unity Brew that was brewed at El Segundo this year.
~ e-visits to three breweries from Nashville, Tennessee. Southern Grist, Honky Tonk Brewing and Czann’s Brewing Company
~ special featured review of the newest Unity beer for LABW
~ 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 Mezcal Rush
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your June started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) June 1st – Libertine Flight Night at Southland Beer
2) June 2nd – Beer Camp Across the World at Select Beer in Redondo Beach

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In the Tap Lines for May 2017

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Maibock time is upon us. Wait, no IPA’s are still the shining light that most drinkers seek. This May BSP will be covering the following while having a Saison. Saison’s are still cool, right?
~ e-visits to three breweries from Washington DC, since I saw so much posted during CBS this year. Stops at Right Proper, Hellbender and Atlas.
~ special featured reviews of a grab bag of local beers.
~ 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 Lincoln in the Bardo
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your May started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) May 3rd – Boomtown Brewing Tap Take-Over at Stout-Hollywood
2) May 5th – Flan de Leche Release at Pacific Plate Brewing

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1st Quarter Stats


With one 1/4 of the year in the history books, and with the US still standing despite our current not-my-president, it is time for a quick look at the numbers of my beer drinking.

This little Excel spreadsheet was initially done to track spending primarily and then sheer tonnage of drinking. It has diversified a bit with the addition of ABV and a limited style selector.

When we ended 2016 I was spending $60.95 a week and drinking 204.31 ounces with an average ABV of 6.74%.

To compare and contrast, so far in 2017 that spending number is down significantly to $42.25 a week. Partially chalked up to beers bought for me for my birthday and an increase in media samples. But also due in part to the fact that the amount number is down 14oz to 190 even. The ABV saw the least dramatic shift down to 6.58%. But the ABV has been the slowest to change and in a much tighter band.

I have been quite aware of the amount each week, more so than last year and have made progress in decreasing the ounces drunk each night. This is part of the reasoning behind tracking the beer is to make myself cognizant of what I am doing and then make alterations.

Speaking of altering…

The style descriptor is a quick and dirty measurement. For each beer, I tag it with a Y or N. Y for the “Big 3” styles. IPA, Sour and Barrel-Aged. And those three show up 152 times as opposed to 77 for everything else.

Which tells me that I need to diversify for Q2.

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In the Tap Lines for April 2017

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March Madness is almost done and it is time to settle in the heart of spring. That means reading about apples and hops and agriculture since it is integral to our beloved beer. Plus the following monthly features….

~ e-visits to three breweries from Oakland, Sacramento and Anaheim. Trebek says, where Golden Road has plopped down “local” pubs.
~ special featured reviews of Double / Imperial IPA’s
~ 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 Apple Orchard by Pete Brown
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your April started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) April 13th – Lessons in Beer at Verdugo West Brewery
2) April 29th – Session Fest at Eagle Rock Brewery

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In the Tap Lines for March 2017

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March, when the PtY madness has passed and the weather is still cool enough to drink a variety of beers. So get out and visit some of the more far-flung breweries in the L.A. area.

~ e-visits to three breweries “ignited” in San Diego such as Pariah Brewing, Rouleur Brewing and Wiseguy Brewing.
~ special featured reviews of sour beers
~ 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 Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your March started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) March 3rd – Solidarity returns to Eagle Rock Brewery
2) March 12th – Beer and Girl Scout Cookie Pairing at Craft Beer Cellar – Eagle Rock

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The 2017 Birthday Beer

Washington’s birthday (and mine) has rolled around again and I have had to open my cellar boxes and peer into beer shops to find a suitable ale to celebrate.

For 2017, I have chosen a beer that my Mom selected for me from Oregon. It is Sticky Hands IPA from Block 15 Brewing in Corvallis.

Sticky pours orange with a lemonade tint. The aroma isn’t overpowering. Mostly grassy and earthy. Fairly light drinking as well. Not a big hop hit at all for an IPA north of 8% but it does grow slightly into a dankness as it warms. That dank note is a skosh off-putting for a beer that is light up to that point. I do have to factor in that my expectations were sky-high for this beer. I have heard nothing but good things about Block 15 so maybe if I had a second can (hint, hint Mom), I might have a different reaction.

In any case, it was good to have a beer from home to celebrate the year ahead.

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In the Tap Lines for February 2017

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Now that Herr Gropenfuhrer has been installed as POTUS and the contractors at the White House are getting stiffed on invoices, it is the time to drink up, for the end of the world is nigh. So keep checking in to see what to drink and where to go in L.A. in February.

~ e-visits to three breweries from around the world like the Hong Kong Beer Company and Microbrewery Le Castor + 1 more.
~ special featured reviews of Beer Duos.
~ 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 Dark Matter from Blake Crouch.
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your February started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) February 4th – Melvin Brewing from Washington State invades Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach
2) February 5th – Super Bowl Sunday at Surly Goat West Hollywood

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Drinking Stats for 2016

Since April, I have been keeping a basic set of beer drinking statistics. Not 100% coverage of all that I drank during the year, but a pretty good deep dive into what I have been pouring into my pint, tulip and other glassware.

Maybe it was seeing the numbers that started a self-fulfilling prophecy but pretty quickly the numbers in the (3) columns (ounces drunk, ABV and cost) collected to an average that did not deviate much.

Within three weeks, the weekly amount drunk settled into a range between 204-208. The high week was 288 and the low 163. The average ABV was even more constricted into an under 1/2 percentage range from 6.51% to 6.99%. The high ABV week was 8.96% with the low clocking in at 5.19%. Dollars spent per week was where the widest gulf was found going from $49.90 to $62.86 from Week 5 to Week 29. The low week was $31.75 and the high was $136.00.

Overall the average amount consumed was 204.31 at an average ABV of 6.74% spending $60.95 a week to do so.

Also, in utilizing my Excel skills, I was able to rank the breweries that I most drank from. Yes, it includes samplers but this list is meant to analyze more who I reached for than just quantity.

Eagle Rock 25 They are my closest brewery. No shock here.
Stone 24 Usually bought at Trader Joe’s
Firestone Walker 24 A blog favorite plus, Luponic Distortion
Mumford 22 Obviously my DTLA pick
Sierra Nevada 18 Beer Camp and Oktoberfest
Highland Park 17 I would have thought this would be higher
El Segundo 15 Day 1 releases, ’nuff said
Lagunitas 13 Tour of Azusa plant basically
Brewyard 10 My Glendale brewery. Will be more next year
The Bruery 10 Kind of surprise, cost should have impacted

I will keep you updated on how 2017 shakes out. Already pumping data into the new spreadsheet.