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A concise brewery bio
The second Portland stop is right on the…
This Montavilla area brewer and blender focuses on (4) styles: IPA’s, funky farmhouse, mixed-culture and bourbon forward stouts.
Here is what I would put in my taster tray:
Triticale Mass, dry-hopped farmhouse ale
Jens Bailed grisette
Brut Punch tart and refreshing IPA DDH w/Comet, Idaho 7, Simcoe and Sabro hops
Casimir The Great, imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels
Portland has not blazed out of the NBA gates to start the season but a brewery that has gotten a lot of buzz is Ruse Brewing. Founded by Shaun Kallis and Devin Benware they are deep into the yeast having “custom Brett strains called Stargazer and Suburban Brett”
Here are the beers that I would put into a first taster tray…
Evertide Helles Lager, Phantom Shore Citra Extra Pale Ale, Dreamscape Blended Saison, Dream Language Vienna Lager and Stages of Sundown Imperial Stout.
Our final Hillbilly Elegy inspired stop is the memoir appropriately named, Nostalgia Brewing.
The brewery and taproom is located north of Columbus in the town of Gahanna. And their beer names lean into the movies and sports area….such as….
The Hunt for Red Oktoberfest Vienna Lager – “You don’t need Jack Ryan to save you from this one – it’s a seasonal beer, get it before it’s gone!”
Dawg Pound Brown – “Dating back to 1985, the Dawg Pound is known for it’s vocal support through thick and thin.”
7734 Helles – ” 7734 is a nod to the days of quickly hitting the “C” before the teacher noticed you spelled hELL on your calculator.”
3 Hour Tour Farmhouse Saison – ” Hints of juniper and ginger, this refreshing beer might be your choice if you’re stuck on an island with a fella named Gilligan.”
It felt weird being in El Segundo and NOT going to El Segundo Brewing, but I did want to check out the new kid on the block, Upshift Brewing.
Just off of Sepulveda is Upshift Brewing, you enter the brewery tap room in the back and right away that you see that they have taken the automotive theme and run with it. License plates on the bar wall with oil tin signs. Oil drums on patio as tables. Highway guardrails. Cool hubcap four tops with freeway signs for the cool photos and even racing on TV.
For my money they have one of the coolest flight tray designs around. Sturdy grey plastic with a bike handle to lift the six tasters. The flight sheet is in the form of an old-time auto repair ticket
All of the beers tasted on the heavy side to me even though the ABV’s were low. Both pale ales were tilted toward extra malt and extra hops. Both Pole Position and P-R-N-D-L had a near caramel smokiness under an earthy hop flavor. The Kolsch tasted like an amped up imperial version. I will need to go back and check out the darker beers from the 9 list long menu to see how those shape up.
Alighting in Richmond, Kentucky, we find Dreaming Creek Brewery. Founded by co-owners — Michael Bradley, Taryn Edington, Charley Hamilton and Darrin Wilson who started with a bar first and then branched into brewing.
And here are the beers that I would sample first…
1792 – Kentucky Common
Wilderness Road– Amber Ale
Play for Souls – Belgian Pale Ale
London Fog – Strong Bitter
Natural Bridge – IPA
Block 1
There is no sign, except for a tiny “beer” arrow to indicate that Surfridge Brewing is open. October 11th was the official grand opening and I jumped in early on a Saturday to both check out the interior and to taste a beer.
Two things grabbed my attention. First were cool eco tap handles minus any logo that have a marble look to them. Quite different from the normal heavily branded practice. There is also a kid friendly clubhouse near the entrance. Splitting the difference by keeping kids out of the way from the bar and TV patrons.
There is also a patio with seating and off in the distance is the light blue El Segundo emblazoned water tower. Food trucks are accessible out through that patio and the whole place has plants everywhere. Reminding me of Homage Brewing in Pomona.
Currently there are 6 beers on tap, your basic starter brewery menu. IPA, Session IPA, Wit and Pale. The Pale was good. Mostly old school Cascade hop territory. A bit one note and not subtle but well done all the same. The Wit has peppercorns and grapefruit which should make for a new twist on the Belgian style.
Overall, the space is calming and large enough for groups to gather, I will have to check back on the beers to see how they evolve but this is a good start.
Surfridge Brewing are starting up El Segundo and now a second newcomer is opening Upshift Brewing Company.
Make sure not to grind gears getting out to the LAX area to check this new entrant out.
It seemed kind of a given that given the name of this brewery and the fact that the brewery tour them is Hillbilly Elegy that I would start with Somewhere in Particular Brewing Company. Also, love the fact that the name is super cool and also an acronym for what you do inside.
Here are the Ohio brewed beers that I would try first…
Liquid Weekend Table Beer – sessionable lager
Peppin the Short – West Coast IPA
Very Berry Bity City – blackberry sour
Harry Porter – the original SIP flagship beer
When I made a trip out to Redlands, I thought I was driving forever. Shows how tight my circle is around the Glendale area. I was shown that again when I was e-mailed about a brewery in Crestline by the name of Three Marm Brewing Co.
The Crestline brewery was not founded all that long ago, just back in 2017 by actor Andrew Divoff. The beer has been sold out in San Bernadino County but the big news is that the brewery is “in the process of renovating a property that will become (a) tasting room.
One of their beers to look for is the Djinn’s Hellabrew (a Belgian golden strong ale spices with habanero pepper and Persian lime). If spices aren’t your game then they have a lager, IPA and a Porter as well.
The final California stop is in Fresno and Pine & Palm Brewing. The brewery was established in 2014 by owner Roger Noguera and lives now in a newer bigger space in North Fresno.
Here is what I would sample from a first taster tray…
Krispie Boi – “Citra Dry Hopped Lager”
Office Beer IPA – “Collaboration with 411”
Sleepy Time Barrel-Aged Barleywine – ” 2018 Release of Sleepy Time Barleywine. Aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels”
3rd Anniversary Barrel-Aged Stout – ” Aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels with Madagascar Vanilla beans”