Category: Brewery Tour

A concise brewery bio

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2nd Impression – Wingwalker Brewing

Usually, I don’t make 2nd visits so soon after a first one (unless I really, really like a brewery) but since I was literally next door, I sauntered over to Wingwalker for round 2.

I used the lucky number method in ordering a beer this time. WingWalker had 10+ taps going and I went with #9. Barnstormer Rye IPA. Not a hazy, though the photo might lead you to believe. Instead, it was another example of a beer that wasn’t quite right. It had the hallmarks that I associate with a beer that was plucked onto tap to soon. Hazy as heck. Blunted aroma. Vegetal in taste. I did not pick up any spice or rye notes and the hops were very muted. Due to choice of hops available? Don’t know but that beer made me stop and decide that I will check back in with this and Over Town much later in the year. More progress needs to be made in my opinion.

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1st Visit – Over Town Brewing

I jumped over to my valley town to another (Glendale to Monrovia) to check out yet another new brewery, Over Town Brewing. Here are my thoughts….

I had high hopes upon entering Over Town Brewing for the first time. The outside had the logo high and proud. Nice color scheme. Inside the space is filled with little and big signs of beach and road culture of Los Angeles. Highlighted by a big wooden Hermosa Beach sign that is a prime selfie spot.

Smartly, they were not doing flights or other odd sized pours. Just half’s and fulls. So I went down the list and selected what I thought would be easy hits. Pale Ale, West Coast IPA and a white ale. I skipped over the overly fruity and since it was hot, I also skipped the bigger beers. The plan was sound but the beers were all below mediocre. The Pale Ale had a tangerine puree quality to it. The White Ale needed extra spice push and the IPA tasted young to my palate.

Hopefully, the recipes will be honed with time and feedback.

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Small Brewery # 1 – Double Barley Brewing

Our first small brewery stop is at Double Barley Brewing in Smithfield, North Carolina with the tag line “Small Town, Big Beer”. Here is what I would drink in an initial taster tray…

Starting big with

Double Dubbel – “A classic Belgian Dubbel brewed with Belgian Pilsen, Munich and wheat malts along with the addition of the darkest Beligan Candi Syrup. Fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, starting at a lower than typical temperature, creating subtle classic Belgian phenols without overwhelming.”

Field of Dreams – “American style wheat beer with peaches grown in NC. Finished with Sorachi Ace hops and lemon zest to add a refreshing boost of citrus.”

Abby’s Amber Ale – “A dark copper, medium bodied beer with a nice malt balance. Maris Otter and Crystal malts give this beer a rich character while not being overly malty.”

Wilma’s Wandering Eye IPA – “A very drinkable Imperial IPA. Pronounced but nicely balanced hop profile. Pours amber red with a thick white head. Subtle notes of orange are present but fade quickly.”

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1st Visit – Border X

Mark visiting a brewery in the City of Bell off my list as last weekend, I made my 1st visit to Border X Brewing.

Right across the street from the Bell House is the expansive corner space of San Diego born, Border X Brewing. The brewery opened this weekend with a slate of festivities from political speakers, a blessing ceremony, some serious drumming skills and big crowds.

The big space has a large balcony a long bar stacked with branded merchandise and lots of great art on the wall.  There is actual parking in back too as well as some unfinished sections of the space.

There were 13 taps flowing at the start and only one was an IPA.  But there was Horchata, hibiscus, pepino, agave and a laundry list of ingredients that you don’t normally see in beer and certainly not in one space outside of say, Pacific Plate.

I should have ordered the taster tray of four.  The tray was well constructed and gave a bridge effect.  I went straight for the Biere de Garde since I so rarely see that style then went back and waited in the slow moving opening day line for the Horchata Golden Stout.  Below are my little capsule reviews:

Biere de Bohrder

pours orange, Big sweet agave notes, Caramel, notes of nuttiness, ABV kicks in with each sip

Horchata Golden Stout

Cinnamon, spice, Big ABV tasting, Not as sweet as expected, A bit silky. 

I look forward to seeing their beers on tap around town and to sampling a wider range of their beers.

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New San Diego Brewery # 3 – Kilowatt Brewing

Our last stop in San Diego is electrifying… Kilowatt Brewing. With Locations in Ocean Beach and Kearny Mesa.

Here are the beers that I would add to a taster tray….

Easy Crusher American Pilsner Pre-Prohibition style Lager​ – ​ “Straw colored Pilsner based on recipes brewed before the Volstead Act of 1919 using Pilsner malt, flaked corn, and German noble hops.”

Wir Trinken! Festbier​ -​ “A smooth, pale German-style lager with a strong malt presence balanced with a light hop character.”

250 kWh IPA​ American IPA​ -​ “Features Kohatu, Rakau, and Falconer’s Flight hops, with piney, fruity & citrus notes.”

350 kWh IIIPA Triple IPA​ – “Triple IPA brewed with 40 lbs of 7 different citrusy and tropical hops.”

Coconut Chai Porter​ American Porter​ -​” Brewed with chai spices and conditioned on toasted coconut.”

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New San Diego Brewery # 2 – Gravity Heights

This new to 2019 brewery has some San Diego brewing history behind it.  Gravity Heights has Skip Virgilio on board.  That name may ring a brewing bell because he co-founded and was the original brewer at a little place called Alesmith.

The new venture is in Sorrento mesa and has a restaurant and a “lush outdoor beer garden”.  Here are the beers that I would put into an initial taster tray….

Take Two Pilsner – “rich, pale lager with a crisp, rounded finish”

Brewers Best – “session ale with crisp bitterness and rich malt character”

SMS Pale Ale (Sorrento Mesa Standard) – “crystal malt provides depth for a refreshing, hop-forward classic”

Double Overhead – “piney and resinous, chewy malt presence provide balance”

Brewers Breakfast Stout – “roasty and velvet-smooth stout with coffee and chocolate tones”

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1st Visit – Burnin Daylight

I made my first official visit to Lomita recently.  Traveling for beer does indeed force one to parts of Los Angeles that you may see only on freeway exit signs.  This time I am drinking my first beers from Burnin’ Daylight which occupies a new development block on Narbonne Street.

Right off the bat I notice two things: One, they have a kitchen with a short food menu which is nice and second, the place was damn cold.  So cold that blankets were being passed out.  The A/C must have decided to work extra overtime.  There is a nice amount of outdoor over a barrel seating and upcycled malt bag pillows inside that make the place homey.

There was a good spectrum of beer styles on offer from the civic named Lomita Light Lager to a Bourbon-Barrel aged stout and IPA’s in-between. I enjoyed the Wheat Mas wheat driven IPA.  It had a bright hoppy flavor and a bit of strength behind it too.  The Gold Days Coffee Milt Stout was a little green coffee bean tasting for the style but coffee lovers like myself are bound to find it tasty nonetheless.  The Small Town Feel DIPA was on track doubling up Citra and Simcoe though it was a little too tongue scrapey old school West Coast (or I have gotten soft).  The least favorite was the Appian Amber.  This is a style that should be easily executed, clean and crisp but this had a weird aftertaste going on that was not my thing.

Overall, I like the feel of the place and for a new brewery, they seemed to be on track with the beers. They are also not too far from the other South Bay breweries so it is easy to add this to the beginning or end of a trip or to make a specific choice to come.

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New San Diego Brewery # 1 – Kairoa Brewing

Mixing Kiwi to SoCal, Kairoa Brewing and brewer Joe Peach are trying to create a “modern farmhouse designed space” in San Diego.  Probably one of the few places to get New Zealand comfort food and an IPA.

Here are the beers that I would on a first visit…

4 Gables IPA – “Unfiltered west coast style, citrus forward, passionfruit, pine.”

Wizard of the South – “Hoppy Wheat – Full bodied, hoppy aroma, melon, honeydew, pear”

Cheeky Buggah – “Light bodied, subtle spice, light caramel and honey”

Ostrich Stout – “Velvety mouthfeel, heavy roast aroma, chocolate”

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Eugene Brewery # 3 – Coldfire Brew Co.

We’re heading to Mill Street for our last stop in Eugene, Oregon at Coldfire Brew Co. Here are my choices for the initial taster tray that I would order.

Czech Pilsner – “This pilsner is both light and soft and has notes of spice, honey and lemon. Bohemian floor malted pilsner and Czech Saaz hops give this beer the classic underpinnings inherent in the style. A well rounded easy drinking lager.”

Don’t be Bitter! an ESB – “This traditional ale is a classic in every way. We start with a water profile that fits the style and selected only the highest quality English malts and hops. This beer is fermented with West Yorkshire Ale yeast, and dry hopped with East Kent Goldings for a truly beautiful combination of nostalgia and flavor. DBB drinks as a light; but malt forward ale with a balancing, refreshing bitterness that will leave you wanting one after another.”

Pick Me! a Pale Ale – “Crafted with the best Chinook and Mosaic hops available for a bright, classic, yet modern flavor.”

St. James IRA – “Winner of the 2017 – GABF Double Red Silver Medal! A malty, biscuity red ale balanced by generous additions of dry hops.”

Affogato coffee cream ale – “This coffee cream ale was brewed with traditional ingredients; but infused with milk sugar and high-quality, cold processed Columbian coffee. All of the traditional elements of the cream ale are apparent in this creation.”