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A concise brewery bio
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”
Since my Mighty Linfield Wildcats were playing in Redlands under the lights, I thought it would be a good time to re-visit a couple breweries along the route.
I chose two within walking distance spots on the Arrow Highway, Alosta and Arrow Lodge. Here is a duo of 2nd visit reports…
I walk in and see that there are (3) spaces to sit (after I place my taster tray order). You have the main room, a space to the side and then a weird outdoor area that looks to be just an ungraded outdoor space where tables and charis have just been plonked down onto. Not quite a biergarten but I guess nice when the inside is loud. Like any home, stuff accrues, for example the side room has two pinball machines flanking a TV. Well-worn chairs and tables on one side. Couches the other. Outdoor lighting strung up. Medals in shadow boxes, a bunch of games on a shelf. The place needs a little interior design love.
The taster tray was a little tatty as well, but here are my quick reviews of the beers:
Highway 39 – super light yellow. Nice grain taste.
Los Guerrero’s Mexican Lager – nice. Little sweetness. Pear note
Hazebangers Ball IPA – nice initially. Not hazy at all. More IPL to me
1887 Tripel – close to what I like. A little too much menthol though.
Overall – Medium. Nothing off but nothing really sings either.
The Lodge is packed and loud but with activities taking precedence over TVs. There is a tented area inside, complete with picnic table and fake campfire and chairs. Who wouldn’t want to sit there? Lots of pinball sounds reverberating but only one TV. The beer menu is a bit more adventurous and on the current trends. Milkshake, hazy and pastry our on the board. Multiple IPA 4-packs available most with $20 price tags. The vibe here is more my style even with kids bopping around.
Cup of Ambition – weird, nutty, coconut cream pie no hops at all. Light end pastry stout
Dank Goodness – great Nelson aroma of Concord grape. Really nice. ABV shows itself. Harsher, the more you drink
Roll With It – has that hazy look down. Pineapple and lactose. Thick tasting
After Hours – pastry stout. 11%abv. Chocolate big here. Wicked sweet. Coconut aplenty, could not finish the taster.
Final Score – Linfield 19 vs University of Redlands 27 – thanks to injuries and a shyster ref who thinks forward passes are fumbles.
Stop 2 is in Auburn for the lauded (by the recent CCBA Summit), Crooked Lane Brewing. I had their 1-2 Punch Peach / Mango IPA and quite enjoyed it. Now here are some other beers that you may like…
Crimson American Red Ale – “Our Crooked twist on the American Red Ale is delightfully malty with a hint of hops, featuring locally crafted malt from Admiral Maltings. Deliciously balanced, Crimson will be a big hit with fans of this sought-after style.”
Throttle Therapy Brut IPA – “Dubbed THE IPA of summer by our brewing staff, this crushable Brut IPA is high on hop octane with a crisp malt backbone, reminiscent of a dry hopped Pilsner.”
Roaky Mandarina IPA – “Generous additions of mandarin juice and citrus-forward hops combine in the juicy Roaky Mandarina IPA. ‘Roaky’ means Hazy, owing to the New England IPA yeast, and celebrates mandarins & hops in a uniquely refreshing beer.”
Nightfall at the Barn – “Another magically delicious beer in our series of collaborations with Drake’s Brewing Co., Nightfall at the Barn is a decadent and rich Russian Imperial Stout, with unparalleled smooth malt flavors.”
Our first California stop, in honor of the California Craft Beer Summit in Long Beach is Flat Fish Brewing Company of not-so far away Camarillo.
Here are some of their IPA choices with the last two scheduled to be on tap at the CCBA Fest.
Long Drift IPA – ” Get a fresh bite of peach fuzz out of this one as the Mosaic comes forward through the aroma and enhances its juicy palate. The Citra provides a refreshing citrus-forward, west coast signature. Don’t miss the Simcoe bittering addition that gives a hint of berry!”
Pelican Bay IPA – ” This beer is a showcase for Simcoe and Amarillo hops used throughout the brewing process. The combination delivers a clean light tropical profile with plenty of bitterness for a nice finish. The Pelican Bay malt bill is a little lighter than the Long Drift IPA.”
Turbot Charge Double Red IPA – ” Bite into the dense layered hops in this Red Double IPA. Clocking in at 95 IBUs of well-integrated hops and a solid malt backbone!”
Today over at Food GPS, you can read about the new Lomita brewery, Project Barley, here you can see some photos from inside the new space….
