Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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Hope to Visit Brewery # 1 – Spencer Trappist Brewery

I have always wanted to visit a Trappist brewery and why not start with the closest one in America? I have had a few Spencer Trappist Ales and would like to try the full range. Let’s start with…

Peach Saison – “a light, refreshing, sessionable ale. Naturally carbonated through bottle-conditioning, its delicate peach flavor is highlighted through sparkling carbonation producing a fresh, clean taste.”

Vienna Lager – “An authentic Vienna Lager, with characteristic red-amber hues, moderate carbonation, delicate malt notes and complex toastiness, this Spencer closes with a dry, crisp finish.”

Grapefruit IPA – “brewed with grapefruit and Citra hops.  There is a ruby red hue in its color, and it is tart and clean with a closing bitterness characteristic to IPAs.”

Imperial Stout – “A massive, roasted, malt-forward American Trappist take on the Anglo-Russo Imperial Stout tradition.  Luxuriantly frothy foam, waves of coffee, chocolate and caramel sensations, a generous blend of dark fruit flavors.  Intense and robust.”

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GABF Brewery # 5 – Del Cielo Brewing

We complete the year of brewery tours with a stop in Martinez, California for some beer from Heaven…

Del Cielo Brewing Co. got a gold in the fruited sour category for Guava Dreams. Let’s see what other beers I would order up for an initial taster tray.

Orale – “This traditional Mexican style beer celebrates Hispanic heritage with its light body and crisp finish. We used Saaz hops for a soft bitterness that brings an aroma of herbs and spice. With only 9.4 IBUs, this refreshing beer is perfect for summer enjoyment.”

Hoptinez IPA – “Hoptinez is a classic American IPA with a great copper color. Its tropical fruit aroma and strong stone fruit flavor comes from Citra and El Dorado hops. The profile is clean and crisp with a pleasantly bitter finish.”

Dad, You’re Muted IPA

Coisa Mais Linda – “Caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil, inspired us to craft this version of our Cocktail Series. We threw in a Colombian twist by using the feijoa fruit and then added some pineapple to round out the juicy and sour tropical flavors. Each sip shines bright with notes of guava and pineapple and hints of apple and strawberry. Pink Himalayan salt accentuates the flavors of this Gose style beer.”

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GABF Medal Winning Brewery # 4 – Hoops Brewing

Tying together GABF gold medal winner with NBA pre-season, I present Hoops Brewing from Duluth. They number their beers and it’s was 325 that won in the chili beer category.

Here are the lucky numbers I would choose when filling out a taster tray….

No. 704 Apple Ale – “This year, once again we’re using the delicious apples from Erickson Orchards. The flavor is slightly sweet/tart with some apple crisp character. Our Fall seasonal beer to bookmark Oktoberfest

No. 13 UK Pale Ale – “Our British style pale ale, sometimes called a bitter has a lower alcohol percentage and a beefed up malt character.”

No. 99 Wood Smoked Wheat – “A unique take on a traditional German style. Aromatics of beech wood & smoky phenolics dance with fruity esters offered from the top-fermenting yeast. Flavors of banana and clove give way to a more smoke driven finish.”

No. 39 Keller Pils – “Keller Pils is a German style lager. Kellerbier – “cellar beer” – contains more yeast and vitamins held in suspension. As a result, this beer is naturally cloudy. Our first lager brewed at Hoops, this beer has smooth, floral notes and a mellow citrus bitterness in flavor and finish.”

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GABF Medal Winning Brewery # 4 – Monkless Belgian Ales

We head to Bend where Monkless Belgian Ales and the Gold Medal for Belgian Style Abbey Ale in 2020 resides.

Here is what I would add to an initial taster tray….

Peppercorn Imperial Wit – “It’s time to rethink your Wit! Belgian boldness is brimming in this big, yet light-bodied Wit. Citrusy freshness abounds with a clean peppery finish.”

Capitulation Dry-Hopped Tripel – “What do you do when customers say “I love hoppy beers”? Well, if you’re any other brewery you might brew 6 different IPA’s for them to choose from, but if you’re Monkless, you capitulate, and dry hop your classic Belgian Tripel. We took one of our favorite beers, The Trinity, and dry hopped it to add a blast of flowery, citrusy hop aroma.”

Pour Pour Pitiful Me Quadruple – “This girl has been through it! Aged and fermented over cherries to produce a ripe and full flavor profile, this brilliant Belgian-style quad is rich with deep, dark fruits and just sings in the glass.”

Brother’s Bier Belgian Single – “If you know Monkless, you know we’re not known for brewing small beers – that said, we wanted a clean sessionable beer to share as the warm summer months approached us. We were inspired by the Trappist tradition of the Belgian Single. Brother’s Bier is a SMaSH beer brewed from Pilsen malt and Sterling hops, and fermented to a nice dry finish with our traditional Trappist yeast strain. A late hop addition of Sterling adds a bit of spicy, citrusy hop aroma and flavor to the quintessential fruity-spicy yeast character of a classic Belgian Single.”

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Future Out – Past In

Ximix Brewing didn’t last too long in Gardena, State Brewing was humming along until the first wave of pandemic stopped their Gardena brewery. Now a name from California’s history is taking a stab at reviving beer in Gardena, Eureka Brewing Co.

They are going to start going uphill as they open after Thanksgiving, after outdoor seating, during stay-at-home orders. But they do have an ace brewer in Phil McDaniel, formerly of King Harbor Brewing and they are taking over the former Ximix space, so they could hit the ground brewing at least.

Look for a 1st Visit report.

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GABF Medal Winning Brewery # 1 – Twin Sisters Brewing Company

When I saw that a strawberry zwickebier had won Gold at this year’s GABF, I knew I would have to look into it. It came from Bellingham, Washington and the Twin Sisters Brewing Company.

Let’s see what else I would order next time I am in Northern Washington State.

Pilsner from Now On – “A brilliant gold Pilsner made in the classic Czech style. Spicy and fruity noble hop aromas. Smooth body and a crisp finish.”

Chap ESB – “Our Brew Boys’ take on a traditional ESB (Extra Special Bitter). With light hoppiness, aromas of marmalade, and soft caramel flavors reminiscent of pie crust and toast, this English pub-beer is the perfect ale for quaffing on a rainy day.”

Shift Bier Dortmunder – “Brewed in the traditional style, this pale lager is recognized for its firm bitterness, soft malt character, and unique minerality stemming from the hard water characteristic of the region. It’s slightly more malt-forward and higher in alcohol than its non-export counterparts but retains all the drinkability of a lower gravity lager. Dortmunder Export Lagers were historically a beer brewed for 19th-century German industrial workers, who would quaff it after long shifts at work.”

Bellingham Green IPA – “ A classic American IPA with firm bitterness, notes of citrus, pine, and resin. Crisp, clean finish.”

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Also Bright

Looks like some former Bru-ers are joining forces to form a new Orange County brewery in the former Towne Park Brewery space.

Here is the news straight from the press release: “Running the Radiant Beer Co. daily operations are Managing Partner Jonas Nemura, Director of Brewing Andrew Bell, and Director of Marketing Cambria Griffith. It’s not the first time these team members have worked together to bring an award-winning beer brand to life: having launched brands and driven growth together while working at Placentia’s The Bruery, they are dedicated to creating high quality products and experiences worthy of following. With this new project, they seek to delight, enlighten, and connect a community of lovers of the incredible.”

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Russian Brewery # 3 – Knightberg Brewing

Our final stop of October is in St. Petersburg and the Knightberg Brewery.

Let’s see what’s beers that I would sample here…

Scary Pumpkin Ale – “The most autumnal type of beer, brewed in a limited edition together with the concert agency Infinity Concert especially for the “Scariest Halloween” festival.”

Pilsner – “Classic single malt pilsner, which is the base beer for our famous Zhigulevsky.”

Cherry Ale – “A light, refreshing variety with fruity sourness, malt-berry sweetness and cherry stone tartness. The original flavor and aroma comes from a special strain of ale yeast used for the production of lambics and screams.”

Baltic Porter – “For many years the Baltic porter has been the pride and hallmark of our brewery. Created long before the craft boom, ahead of its time, it still remains the standard of style for many. Bright, full grain flavor from roasted malt, light sweetness, moderate bitterness and wine notes in the palate create the perfect bouquet for connoisseurs of dense dark beers.”

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Russian Brewery # 2 – AF Brew

Off to St. Petersburg and our second stop in Russia, AF Brew. If you looked at their list of beers, you would think some hip US brewer was manning the kettles. Hazies and sours and imperial stouts abound.

Here is what I would put into a first taster tray…

Black IPA with Warrior and Chinook hops, Bus 22 Czech Pilsner, Double Chocolate Banana Cake Imperial Stout, Hangover Sap NE IPA and then to round it out, Sour Diesel Therapy a fruit and field beer.