Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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London Brewery # 2 – Boxcar Brewing

The second English stop is at Boxcar of London. A somewhat trippy destination if their motto is any indication, ” Transporting you to a place of rainbows and hops, dreams of barley and oats, ideas about yeast and water, hallucinations of colour and light.”

Now on to the beers that I would sample first…

starting hoppy with PAL-019 BRU-1 DDH Pale then moving on to a Belgian BIG-001 Mosaic & Vanilla Tripel then to a Dark Mild, DRK-004 Dark Mild and then finishing with an IPA, IPA-005 Ekuanot IPA.

This brewery has a cool design look, very color filled outer space plus the bottles are odd shaped for my eyes. And you can get more Boxcar info from this article in Pellicle

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London Brewery # 1 – Affinity Brew Co.

Our first brewery in London to visit is called Affinity Brew Co. and one of the reasons that I selected them is this statement on their website, “We do not filter or pasteurise our beer, allowing the yeast to produce a natural carbonation within the can.”

Now lets get to what I would try first…

Breeze – “A sparkling golden Saison brewed with Lime Zest and crushed Coriander Seed.”

Social Seduction – “A big, bold, west coast I.P.A brewed with a rotating selection of U.S hops.”

Toowoomba – “A Lamington inspired, coconut and raspberry stout. Toowoomba’s complex malt bill produces a rich, dark, chocolatey Stout. It is fermented on fresh Raspberries and conditioned with toasted Coconut.”

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FWIBF Brewery # 3 – Austin Pinthouse

I’m sorta hoping that they bring the pizza to FWIBF19 too but here is a sample tray of beers from Austin’s Pinthouse Pizza…

Beluga Amber – ” Our director of brewing, like so many other brewers, started his journey into craft beer as a homebrewer over 10 years ago, and one of the first beers he ever brewed on his stove was an Extra Special Bitter inspired by some of England’s finest examples. In constructing the recipe for our Old Beluga Amber Ale he looked back on his notes from that first ESB he ever brewed, realized it probably wasn’t as great of a beer as he thought it was at the time, and worked on a recipe that blended elements of the English-Style ESB with those of an American Amber. The result is a delightfully complex, malt-forward Amber Ale filled with aromas and flavors of cherry, nuttiness, and an earthy-herbal hop profile to balance it all out.”

Sw’Elsinore – ” A craft Canadian Lager, Sw’Elsinore pairs well with the start of hockey season, Fall afternoons on the patio with a growler, and sharing a hand tossed pepperoni pie with friends at Pinthouse Pizza. Features: brewed with a mix of North American 6-row and 2-row barley along with rice to keep the body light and refreshing.”

Nitro Seal – ” Everything you read about our Gold Medal-winning Bearded Seal in the paragraph right above this one is true for this beer as well… Our Brewmaster isn’t Irish… at all, stouts are good in all weather, and jet black pints with creamy white heads are sexy… and Dry Irish Stouts on nitro taste really really good. So, we offer up a version of our Bearded Seal on Nitro as well! All the delicious flavors of roasted coffee and dark chocolate remain the same while the nitrogenation adds a smooth creamy mouthfeel to this stout.”

Fully Adrift – ” 2018 Alpha King Challenge winner, 2014 Alpha King runner up and Silver Medal at the 2015 LA International Beer Competition for the Double IPA Category! This is a dangerously drinkable combination of Dank, tropical, and resinous hops… and more hops.”

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Wave Maiden

In perusing the list of participating breweries for this year’s LA Beer Week KickOff Festival, I noticed a new name on the list, Wave Maiden.

The tagline for this Venice born brewing operation is “Herbal Ales Rooted in Plant Medicine”. I am actually kind of surprised that this niche hasn’t been explored especially here in SoCal where it could take “root”, pun intended. I will certainly check out their booth and start looking for their beers around town.

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FWIBF Brewery # 2 – Casey Brewing & Blending

Here are some of the beers that if I see at FWIBF19, I will get a taster of from Casey Brewing & Blending which I believe is making its debut in California.

Blackberry Whiskey Sour – ” We took Biere de Garde, fermented and aged in Woody Creek Whiskey barrels, and added blackberries. Collaboration brew with our friends at Four Dogs Wine and Spirits in Basalt, CO.”

Dry Hopped Oak Theory – ” We took unique barrels of Oak Theory and added massive amounts of dry hops just before bottling to add citrus and juicy notes to the rustic funk of Oak Theory.”

Fruit Stand / Grape – “Saison base beer aged on whole Colorado grapes at a rate of over 1 pound per gallon.”

Casey Family Reserves / Plum – ” Saison base beer aged on whole Colorado plums at a rate of over 2 pounds per gallon.”

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Return Visit – Imperial Western

I really enjoyed my first taster flight at Imperial Western Brewing at Union Station and with a few months passed, it was time to re-visit and see how the beer was holding up.

The Ahoy-hoy Brut IPA was quite nice. It had a nice snap to it with a subtle hop hit. A little more pear/fruit note would have added to it but really solid example of the style.

The taster tray was a different story. The sour had a weird buttery taste and was really only partially sour. Table Manners was as good as I remembered from my first visit and Courier Corps IPA had a tremendous bouqet and hop hit to it. It was the clear winner of the afternoon. Superchief IPA seems to have regressed. It was fine. Straight up West Coast hop profile but the aroma was muted and it was a bit heavy on pine for my taste.

I did a little more exploring this time and the outdoor patio in the front of Union Station is a nice addition except for the fact that a convoy of idling food trucks was the view. Better was a little pass through nook that held the crowler stations. This might be a nice hidden spot when it is staffed to avoid the crowd of the big room.

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FWIBF Brewery # 1 – Balter Brewing Company

Our first Firestone Walker Invitational brewery featured is Australian, Balter Brewing Company. There origin story is summed up as ” 6 Aussies and a Yank walk into a bar and never come out… “

The little smiley face on the logo will be on display for the beers that I might see at their booth, such as….

XPA – ” It might be pale but there’s nothing weak about this bad boy. This XPA’s tropical and floral aromatics set off a fruity palette that will punch your taste buds in the pleasure zone. Tailored for those who enjoy a fully-hopped beer that’s still easy to drink.”

Strong Pale Ale – ” Wrestle your thirst to the mat, with this Strong Pale Ale. Its smooth malt profile drips with juicy hop notes, and a snappy bitterness that finishes with a firm hand. Flex your flavour muscles and crack open the door to a little bit more.”

Captain Sensible – ” This ale balances refined malt undertones against vivacious hop notes to round out a full taste and mouthfeel that defies its mid-strength nature. Perfect for those who like to keep a lid on it, but still want to crack the top off a couple.”

IIPA – ” A noble beer for a noble thirst, this Imperial IPA is like a tangy fruit salad with extra punch. Clean, hefty hop notes provide substantial palate weight with hints of pineapple, pine and citrus, while the higher alcohol content delivers a delightfully dry, spicy finish. In a tall tin so you can share it with a mate celebrating a royal achievement, or simply soaking up the last shadows of a classic day. “

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Fast Growing Brewery # 2 – Humble Sea

Our second fast growing spot is Humble Sea Brewing Company out of Santa Cruz. I have only had a pair of beers that they collaborated on, so that makes one full Humble beer, I guess.  Here are the beers from their website that struck my fancy…

Le Jetski – Hoppy Saison
“That’s French for Jetski. Here’s a light, dry and refreshing body paired with Nelson Sauvin and Lemon Drop hops which provide a bite of lemon and grape. Dry hopped for enhanced pleasure. This saison will get you feeling freer than a jetskiingFrenchman on holiday.”

Le Farmers Tan – Harvest Saison
“Light refreshing saison with Pilsner and wheat malts. Mild bitterness from hops grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains including Sorachi Ace, Spalt Select, andSaaz.”

Sauvin Problems – Nelson Sauvin Single hop pale ale
“This simple pale ale is our answer to the Nelson question. Conflicting notes of diesel and white wine, cat pee and passion fruit, burnt rubber and gooseberries. Nelson is one of the most talked about hops in the industry.”

Cut & Run – West Coast IPA
“A refreshing IPA hopped with Citra, Centennial, Simcoe and Chinook. Grapefruit upfront, accompanied by a layered, citrusy aroma. Crisp maltiness. At nearly 7% ABV, it might be just enough to help you forget the difficult decisions you’ve had to make along the way.”