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A concise brewery bio
First up in our three part trip around the US is the Civilian Brewing Corps from Spencer, Indiana.
Not a lot of pun filled or fancy names and refreshing to see some older, less seen on tap styles.
Here are my initial taster tray choices: Dry Hopped Wit, then the Noble Red made with Noble hops, Belgian IPA, Altbier and then finish it off with a hearty Weizenbock.
Recent posts have been about old school breweries like Dogfish Head and Deschutes but for the final, “hey, remember me” brewery we head north, to Alaska.
Let’s reconnect with a few of their beers…
Fireweed Blonde – “A classic light-bodied American Blonde Ale, Fireweed Blonde is brewed with a touch of fireweed honey to balance the slight hop bitterness. Sometimes called the “champagne of honey,” fireweed honey is the result of honeybees harvesting nectar from the vibrant fireweed plants that bloom in summer throughout Alaska.”
Amber – “Slow fermentation helps condition the flavors in Alaskan Amber, contributing to its overall balance and smoothness.”
SMaSH Galaxy – “Single Malt and Single Hop Double IPA, brewed with only Australian Galaxy hops and Premium Northwest Pilsner Malt. The Galaxy hops take center stage and are joined by the very intense bitterness typical of this variety of hops.”
Smoked Porter – “The dark, robust body and pronounced smoky flavor of this limited edition beer make it an adventuresome taste experience. Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced in limited “vintages” each year on November 1 and unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle much like fine wine.”
One of the OG Colorado breweries, Avery has been overshadowed by the new kids but have some real interesting beers to take a second look at, like…
Stampede Lager – “Every day is game day with this clean, crisp, and crushable Colorado Gold Lager. Team Avery developed this refreshing beer shoulder to shoulder with the University of Colorado at Boulder. Pure Rocky Mountain water sourced from our Colorado home makes Stampede light, clean, and perfect for game days in every season.”
Rocky MTN Rose – “Sparkling, bright, and crisp, with just 100 calories and 3 carbs, Rocky Mountain Rosé is an effortlessly drinkable true grape and grain hybrid. The Avery Brew Crew has over a decade of experience brewing grape and grain beers. With Rocky Mountain Rosé, the team used their talents with grape and grain fermentation to create a flawlessly crushable rosé ale with real wine grapes. Rocky Mountain Rosé has an unmistakable wine-like aroma and flavor, with an acidity, sharpness, and minerality reminiscent of your favorite rosé.”
Double Digit Hazy IPA – “Giant fruity hop overtones, and easy on the bitterness, Double Digit IPA is a juicy and hazy IPA first warm dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo hops, then traditionally dry-hopped with all Mosaic hops to put it over the top. Our Brewing Director Fred couldn’t cut it as a butcher, but luckily found his calling with brewing and selecting amazing hops. We were ready to drink a juicy, hazy IPA in the double digits so Fred lent his skills (and partial hand) to create this Imperial IPA with an immense fruity hop load and low bitterness. To accomplish this feat, we first warm dry-hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo hops, and then traditionally dry-hopped with all Mosaic hops to put it over the top.”
Plank’d – “Aye, fellow rumscallions. No needs t’ shiver about walkin’ off this plank. Set adrift in this sea o’ chocolate ‘n coconut wit’ notes o’ Nelson’s Folly. We be comin’ wit’ ye.”
This month, I want to put the focus on those medium sized breweries, that might not be thought about as often, and we’d start with Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon.
Here are some of their less well known offerings:
Peach Maiden the Shade Summer IPA – “refreshing, tart notes of peach and grapefruit dancing freely on your tongue.”
N10 Imperial Blended Ale – “N10 commemorates ten wild and wondrous years of independent brewing in Eugene, Oregon. Crafted with Imperial Stout, Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, two Imperial IPAs and Barleywine, these five heavy-hitting beers collide to celebrate one unforgettable decade. Big and flavorful, our N10 blend offers a striking hop intensity followed by a rich backbone of caramel and roasted malt. Enjoy now or save for later, this beer is crafted to change over time in the most delicious way.”
Galaxy Trippin’ IPA – “lost in a mind-bending swirl of Galaxy Hop notes like peach, passionfruit, and papaya. Marvel and be mesmerized by its smooth and velvety finish. ”
Megalodom Legendary IPA – “bold, yet balanced: fruity with a slightly sweet, smooth finish.”
With restaurant restrictions lifting even here in SoCal, travel is going to return to its normal traffic-y condition but I made a quick jaunt to Pedals & Pints and to the very nearby Tarantula Hill Brewing to check out their beer. Not really a 1st visit since I am not ready to dive back into sitting inside (or outside, or on sidewalks) just yet.
Beer buddy’s Rich and I each bought a different four pack to split (more on that later) which I will review briefly below.
P&P looks a bit like a new house dropped at one end of a currently quiet mall. There was a nice indoor/outdoor facing bar on one corner and then a bigger bar inside. It was nice if lacking in personality. I had placed an online order for the Lizard IPA and once there, I was told it was not canned and that I could get a growler. I was also given the option of a mixed four-pack and as that is what I would have ordered anyway, took that option. It came with a lager, Vienna lager, pale ale and stout. Richard ordered online as well and his order wasn’t found in the system. He did eventually get it.
The second stop was a mere five minutes away and it is a huge space. All the bigger seeming with the tables and chairs removed from the inside. Here, once we got to the bar, our precise orders were ready. They have converted some of their parking lot to outdoor, properly spaced seating and the place overall was pretty bustling.
I tried two of the Tarantula Hill IPAs first. Gettin’ Zesty With It a grapefruit tinged combo with the 2020 Pink Boots Hop Blend. Both the fruit and hops were quite well balanced. Second was the Sabro hop focused Saaah Bro which was also well done and not a bitter meets coconut bomb that the hop usually comes across to me. I also liked the label design, especially the amount of information presented about each beer.
The Pedals & Pints labels were a little more DIY but I really liked the Vienna lager that I started with. Crisp and crackery with a beautiful garnet color. The Pale Ale was of a different stripe, a bit tilted to dill and grassy notes and it had that same reddish color but I enjoyed it. Caught a little orange hidden as well.
Beer wise, I have come away impressed.
For a final funny this month, we have the B plot line of 2020. Murder Hornets. The other reason why I chose to highlight Diametric Brewing Company is that the brewer (and one of the owners is a fellow Sean!)
Here are some of their other beers that I would like to sample the next time I find myself in Lee’s Summit, Missouri…
“Crisp Australian hop flavor shine through this sessionable lager-ish pale ale. Brewed with an Australian yeast, Pride of Ringwood and Ella Hops.”
“Deceivingly flavorful with notes of citrus and clove with a subtle background of banana and bubblegum.”
“Fruity hop character followed by a nice danky-citrus bitterness fill out this hazed up IPA.”
“We take our kettle sour base and hit it with a double dose of Nelson Sauvin dry hop.”
Well, I must have been asleep at the switch. I totally missed the Indie Go Go campaign for Lawless Brewing Co. which will be taking over a movie equipment rental house in North Hollywood. The brewery will open, sometime in this eventful year and mark the first brewery in this part of Los Angeles.
Casa Agria is now shipping throughout California and one that caught my eye for design amidst an unfunny pandemic was this kinda Hitchcockian twist, that the brewery describes as “Room with a View is a decidedly West Coast IPA dry hopped with Mosaic, Enigma, Strata, and Nugget. Fruity, Dank, and Piney!”
What really caught my eye was the not so subtle masks floating on the street. Hopefully people might get the message about wearing them.
New Image Brewing strikes the right balance in their beer / mead hybrid, Quarantiki. And that is why they are the first featured breweries this month. They have combined with the honeyed folks at Four Fires Meadery to create this braggot that has a couple of cocktails worth of ingredients like pineapple, pomegranate, coconut, orange zest, coffee and honey in this 12% ABV tiki inspired drink.
Ten Mile Creek Brewery is a six barrel brewery located in the historic Last Chance Walking Mall in Helena, Montana. The brewery opened in October of 2015 and is close by to the The Hawthorn Bottle Shop.
Here is what I would select for a taster tray…
Queen City Pale Ale – “Queen City is our award-winning, light bodied, hop forward pale ale. The Queen City Pale Ale is brewed with Amarillo and Chinook hops. It has a piney character with a subtle grapefruit aroma. The combination of Montana grown 2-row, rye and crystal malt create a golden colored ale with a dry, crisp finish.”
Aiteall Irish Dry Stout – “this jet black beer has a huge roasty flavor from the high percentage of roasted barley. The lighter body lends a hand in making it very drinkable.”
Torpor Belgian Strong Ale – “A dark, complex, very strong Belgian ale with a delicious blend of malt richness, dark fruit flavors, and spicy elements. Complex, rich, smooth and dangerous.”
Tree Knocker IPA – ” part of our Sasquatch series Tree Knocker is named for the call of the illusive Sasquatch. Our IPA has a crisp, floral citrus taste with a bitter finish. We use three different base malts including Montana grown malted barley along with three hop additions of Chinook, Cascade, and Citra. We end by dry hopping with an abundant amount of Citra and Cascade.”