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A concise brewery bio
Our final stop for the year is Naches, Washington and Bron Yr Aur Brewing.
Let’s skip past the weird cream ale name and label and head straight into what I would put into an initial tasting flight….
#1 – Kolsch
#2 – Scottish Ale
#3 – Grapefruit Pale Ale
#4 – Thriller Pillar Porter
#5 – Gentlemen’s Stout
I like to sneak in an end of the year brewery visit and this year I took advantage of the holiday light traffic and pointed towards Liberation Brewing in Long Beach for a 1st visit.
The taproom was pretty quiet when I entered so I had my pick of seats at the bar. There was weird mural-type art around the edges with Star Wars characters the ones that I recognized. Then in another seating area were hung B&W prints on one wall presumably of early Long Beach.
Good music was playing and the staff was quick and attentive in getting my order and my two flights to me. Each flight was 3 for $8. The beer descriptors were clever with at least on in-joke spotted amongst the 12 beers on tap. I thought the bomb shaped flight paddle was a good touch as well.
On to the beers that I sampled:
Diane – Hallertau Blanc always catches my eye. Pale with a nice light bitterness, light lemon and malt comes through
Roy G Biv – Strata Hop is becoming a go-to as well. Hazy IPA really with a great aroma aroma. Bright and lightly bitter. Little cat pee to it Concord grape
Father’s Shout – milk stout well done. Solid. Creaminess was good
Simon Saison Peach – not much rye. Peach was a little too candy for me. My least favorite of the group
Red Rose Dunkel – good to see a dunkelweizen on the menu. this version was sweet smelling but flavor is sharp and bright. Could be a skosh heavier malt wise
Maddy– new hazy pale nice. A little sharp. Fruit punch. Not sold on the aroma.
Our second stop is by the hearth in Seattle at Pike Place Market, home to Old Stove Brewing.
Here is my idea of a great taster tray from this brewery by the bay.
The Two-Pronged Crown IPA – “This big NW IPA exudes bright tangerine, grassy pine, and complex earthy notes from our abundant additions of dank Mosaic hops.”
Idaho7 FRESH HOP Hazy Pale – “Taproom specials! Come on in and try any of our four deliciously brewed wet hops while they last!”
Downtown Freddie’s Brown – “Our Big Brown Beer we like to show off to all our friends. We aged this decadently dark ale over bourbon-soaked cacao nibs roasted by our pals at Indi Chocolates in the Market, and tossed in some vanilla beans for added controversy. Smarter than your average beer.”
Oatmeal Stout – NITRO – “A smooth and hearty stout brewed with flaked oats and roasted barley. Poured with nitrogen, this creamy chocolaty treat is lightly hopped with experimental hop HBC-682 for a well-rounded balance.”
I chose a rare wet and windy day to Gold Line myself to Union Station to make my first visit to the new-ish Imperial Western Beer Co. Part of the 213 Hospitality Group and sister brewery to Arts District Brewing a few blocks away. I had super high hopes for ADBC which is fine but hasn’t really super impressed me. That left me wondering how the beer would be here. On the flip side, the photos from various websites were fantastic looking Well, expectations are just that. The space is smaller and less grand than the shiny photos made it look. Don’t get me wrong, the space looks really nice. There is a good amount and different seating set-ups and you can’t go wrong with the look and architecture of the space. There is a weird little front bar that is part (not working yet) coffee bar and host/hostess stand that I think would be better utilized for more seating. At the rectangle bar near the kitchen there is a businessman with ear piece, travelers coming in for a quick beer and local workers. The oyster special seems a big draw, saw three sixers of the slimy things go by. (Not a oyster fancier am I)
And while the surroundings were fine the four beers from the quite large selection sampled were good to above average. I would pick IWBC or ADBC based on this initial taster tray. Below are my quick takes on the beers…
Table Manners Patersbier
Nice Belgian character. A little sharp. Banana prominent. A bit viscous on the palate
Calliope Hazy IPA
Bright fruit character. Haze has left. Concord grape. Nice medium hop hit.
Union Station Pale Lager
Lots of grain and corn. Smooth and easy to drink. Really light yellow.
Fred Harvey Hefe
Not super hefe’y. The Table Manners has more banana. Might have gotten the beers flipped? Couldn’t quite tell from the color.
Lastly, I tried the new…
Some S’mores Stout
Arts District will do the More version. A serviceable Stout. Some chocolate notes. Expecting more flavor components to it.
Next time I go, I will test out the Streamliner bar which wasn’t quite open when I visited.
This month I am traveling to three breweries that received multiple awards in the Best Of issue of Sip NW magazine. My first selection is Jellyfish Brewing.
Let’s get right to the (possible) tasters:
Hydra Pils – “a classic pilsner with a clean malt body and a crisp hoppy finish. An all-German grain bill, and additions of Czech, French and German hops give this lager a truly continental lineage!”
Planktonic Red – “a very bright NW Red with 8 hop varietals, a whisper of hibiscus and a vibrantly clean finish.”
Smack IPA – “Smack is the term for a group of Jellyfish (factoid). This IPA is balanced at its core. It’ll greet you with peaches, pine and bright citrus.”
Saison Memoir – “This light ale is very dry, and is blended with our barrel-aged, wild-yeast fermented Saison. It brings soft peppercorn, bright lemon, and funk to the party.”
Josh Lurie from Food GPS has a pipeline to the breweries that are in process that have skated past me and here is another prime example….
HighPoint Brewing Company is on the Arrow Highway in San Dimas. They opened this month and have Thursday through Sunday and have a full slate of the usual beers. They also have (save for a space) the same name as a New Jersey brewery.
Our last NBA city to visit is Toronto, home of the Kawhi’s. Sorry, Raptors. Before the season began there was a lot of back and forth about making the coaching change and adding Kawhi Leonard. But so far, so good for the team that always seems close but hasn’t gotten over the hump.
The brewery for the purpose of this post is Bellwoods. They have grown to two breweries as well as bottle shops. Below are my choices for an initial taster tray before or after the Raptors play.
Jutsu – “an American pale ale made with a blend of two different yeasts. This APA is highly drinkable with low bitterness and refreshing citrus and melon notes.”
Bring Out Your Dead 2018 – “Our annual (so long as we didn’t open a production facility that year) imperial stout aged in cognac barrels has emerged from oak classy as ever, ready to impress in a glass near you.”
Goblin Sauce – “a huge imperial IPA that utilizes a simple pale malt bill while harnessing the unrivaled intensity of Lupulin Powder – a magical, concentrated hop potion that contains exponentially more alpha acids and way less vegetal matter than regular hop pellets. And we loved the first dry hop round so much that we decided to double up.”.
Grisette – “earning the esteemed title of our very first beer fermented entirely in oak (aka The Foeder Pyramid™). It’s a low ABV, refreshing sipper dry-hopped with French Strisselspalt hops (a variety that’s as fun to say as it is delicious). The beer itself is dry, with soft brett aromatics, and complementary herbal, floral, and citrus notes.”
Hoppy Table beer – From the Ossington brewpub comes a sessionable, refreshing beer brewed with wheat and pilsner malts, that we lightly dry hop with a mix of noble varieties (and a pinch of citra). Quenching, subtly fruity, and incredibly easy to make disappear.
The second surprising team in the NBA are the Bucks of Milwaukee. New coach and a deepened bench along with a certain Greek Freak have lifted them to the top of Eastern Conference talk.
The brewery to visit is based in an old building from 1902 that used to house the Milwaukee Gas Light Company. City Lights Brewing Company has taken over the West Side Water Works Campus as their brewing home.
Here are the Midwestern beers that I would taste in an initial tasters tray….
Belgian Wit – “Old school meets new school in this Belgian style Wit Beer. Traditional Hallertau Mittlefruh hops are used along with additions of coriander and orange peel late in the boil. We chose Belgian Wheat yeast for subtle fruity esters and very light phenolic notes as to not overpower the other subtle flavors. To make this style a bit more interesting and we’ve added a fresh twist with the late additions of Huell Melon hops and 400 lbs of pink guava puree for a delightfully balanced fruity finish. The delicate balance of orange peel, coriander, hops, and pink guava puree make for a delightfully quenching summertime beer.”
Amber Ale – “If the hops and malt of this Amber Ale were on either end of a see-saw; it would sit at a standstill parallel with the ground. With a blend of German Tradition hops and American Willamette hops, there is just enough hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma to keep your nose and taste buds wanting more. A combination of 5 different malts give this beer a hint of caramel sweetness, a splash of breadiness, and just the right amount of character to make this simple style wanting your taste buds to do The Waltz.”
Mosaic Pale Ale – “This powerful version of a mid-western pale ale sweeps the palate with mango, lemon, citrus, tropical fruit and stone fruit. This multitude of flavor sinks deep into the taste buds, briefly clinging to the roof of the mouth which enlivens the palate and adds zest. Flowery citrus notes dominate by mid-serving, masterfully integrating with the patina of delicate bitterness that finishes with a 5.3 ABV smoothness. The palate cleansing hop character comes courtesy of Mosaic and Ekuanot hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest.”
Hazy IPA – “Massive late additions of Citra, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops give this beer a strong tropical aroma and flavor. A simple grain bill of 2 row base malt, wheat, and flaked oats give this beer a beautiful full body; and the high protein content contributes to a pleasant haze. To further accentuate the tropical flavor and aroma we double dry hop this beer with Vic Secret hops.”
Doppelbock – “This is a full-bodied beer with a rich brown color accented with dark amber hues. We have lightly hopped this beer with traditional German hops just enough to offset the malty sweetness. Malt and yeast reign supreme in this beer brewed with 100% German malts and German lager yeast. This beer is rich in melanoidins and has notes of chocolate; caramel and toasted bread.”
Looking at another brewery coming to El Segundo as Surfridge Brewing Company is in the works now.
According to their nascent Facebook page, “Surfridge is a 20-barrel production brewery in El Segundo, CA, named for a community by the sea turned Blue Butterfly Sanctuary.”
More news to follow.
I am going to focus on those NBA cities with rising teams, which takes us to the surprising city of Sacramento which has had a boffo (for them) start to their NBA season.
And the brewery to visit is….
…Porchlight Brewing Co. on the East Side of the capitol city near Cal State – Sacramento. I wanted to pick a few beers whose names resonate with the current Kings squad and their fortunes.
Hype Train basketball pundits are wondering if their hot start is real
NE style IPA, super juicy
Victor Mexican lager they will need to play with the “it” style of fast pace just like Mexican lagers are the new wave
Vienna Style Mexican Lager 4.5% ABV
Hardknox Double IPA they have had tough years but maybe playoffs are coming
West Coast Style IPA 8% ABV
2018 CA State Fair Silver Medal Winner
Down Range Stout they are going to need to take some more 3 pointers as the season winds on
Irish Stout, 5.8% ABV